likejudo

Because it seemed like a circus performance. With all of us paying tourists getting a ringside seat. On the other hand, I will never forget this unspectacular experience, "once, (the ship was sailing fast and it was sunset) I saw 3 black fins pop up quite near us. It was foggy so few noticed. It looked like a pod, a family of Orca - killer whales.". I felt a kinship between my family and theirs. Which cruise line did you take?

We came back from the cruise - none of us tested Covid-19 positive during the pandemic - but we all came back sick with Covid-19.! We had worn our masks scrupulously throughout the cruise 😞 I guess interior cabins recycle a lot of the air. Quite frankly, if you are going on the cruise to really see Alaska, then it is better to not cruise, but instead fly to Anchorage and stay in Alaska for a week, driving around. The reason is, too little time is spent at the ports like Juneau. 1) Icy strait point is a waste of time. It is a tourist trap. Perhaps Carnival is paid to dock there until 7 pm, when at Juneau it left at 2:30 pm! 2) At Juneau, we did the whale watching tour ($500) from Juneau Whale Watch. We did see a whale breach - just a big fish jumping out of the water. but I would rather have skipped it and spent time at the Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier is hypnotic because of the blue ice. We had less than an hour there and had to hurry back before the ship left. In fact some of the crew took the bus and were almost stranded when the return bus came back late! We also did not get time to do the Mt Roberts tram, but here is a tip a local told us. If it is a foggy day, it is not worth it - you will just see fog, and not the scenery. 3) At Ketchikan, we went to the free fish ladder where my child caught a salmon which we released. We had packed a collapsible rod and children under 16 can fish without a license. We saw the lumberjack show. 4) The ship did not dock at Victoria because of strong winds. There were some unforgettable and forgettable things - the Alaska mountains "floating" over the ocean. I used to sit with my laptop in the Lido deck to get some technical learning done and once, I saw 3 black fins pop up quite near us. It was foggy so few noticed. It looked like a pod, a family of Orca - killer whales. The crew worked very hard to please us. It was sad to see so much food waste. There seemed a clash of cultures. It was almost colonial. The Indian and Filipino crew whose families back home did not eat and waste food like this, and we, the Western passengers who were throwing out mounds of perfectly good uneaten food. A Filipino waitress told me when I remarked it was sad to see her loading someone's plate of uneaten short ribs into her trash cart - she said that wished she could pack the leftovers for her family and send it home. @Ferry_Watcherthanks as always!

Were you at the check-in counter between 2:00 and 3 pm on July 26? Perhaps it was me.

No, you are allowed to cross the Helix pedestrian bridge but then you must go all the way to the end of the trail - no shortcuts onto Expedia property allowed. The trail is a public park. I suppose many like myself believe that crossing the helix bridge is a shortcut to the ship - unfortunately, it is deceiving, as I mentioned earlier.

@Ferry Watcher you were right. I say this to my shame. I collapsed with heat stroke and had to be revived by staff and fire men at the terminal. My wife injured her foot. The onboarding staff were very kind and I wrote a recommendation for them. Going back home, we just took the flat rate taxi to SEA ($55) when we got off the ship. From the airport, getting to the Monrovia was not a problem. I really thought we could do it as we had 3 carry-ons + 3 backpacks. No suitcases. From there we were misdirected by an official-looking woman with a walkie talkie standing on the Helix bridge. She said she has seen people with bags walking along the trail to the cruise terminal. And so we gratefully thanked her and started walking in 90 degree heat walking fast and I was carrying 2 bags and wheeling 2 carry ons. Wrong decision. It is tempting to think you are walking towards the ship since it is so large and appears near you. In reality, you are walking in a long loop with no access to it. It took a very long time. If anyone chooses to take public transport, DO NOT CROSS THE HELIX BRIDGE! INSTEAD, CROSS THE ROAD AT THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AND WALK ALONG THE ROAD until you reach the bridge to the terminal entrance. 1. Take this train (from SEATAC) Also @Northern Aurora @Glaciers 2. Get off at Pioneer Square 3. walk to this bus stand 4. tell the bus driver to stop here 5. cross the road at the crossing but DO NOT CROSS the Helix bridge. instead, walk along the road until you reach the terminal entrance.

I think I will try this option - thanks!

do you happen to know what bus number from downtown?

this seems to be the simplest - will try it and post back!

Thank you! I would have preferred to prebook a shuttle instead of Uber but I doubt they will wait if my flight is delayed (my flight AA-1240 actually comes in at 11:17 am). There is another reason we like public transport - although it does not apply in this case - we get to experience "local" life. When we visited Cancun, we stayed at Ramada Inn a little to the interior, not one of the resorts on the beach. We took the local buses. It was so nice to interact with the local people in Spanish, eat where locals eat, rather than get into the "insulated tourist pipeline" of resort -> excursion -> rental cars -> elite restaurant -> airport -> home.

My child is under 12 but fully vaccinated. We are arriving at Seattle in the morning by 11 am. But I am wondering whether prepaying for and booking a shuttle may not be the best option, if the flights are delayed as is happening these days, per the news. What if I miss the scheduled pickup? Then I will have to wait until whenever they decide to come back for the next pickup. So I am back to looking at public transport....

OK, I give up. I will book a shuttle. I will do without Wifi on the ship 🙂 If you know of any reliable and not too expensive ones, do share. The poster above shared one operator: capair.com

which value shore excursions do you recommend? Tentative budget is $800 2 adults+1child on 7 day Alaska? (Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, Victoria) Carnival Splendor 7 day Alaska cruise. July 26-Aug 2nd

I don't understand that sentence. I don't think I am cheap as you called me. We give generously to people in financial need. Hint: people who insist on spending lavishly on themselves, do not give to others (unless it is a calculated giving-to-get or just to family) and are very selfish. When we economize on airport shuttles and save $240, we have money left over to give to others who are in genuine need.

what about the poster's suggestion above who suggested transferring to route 24 or 33?

thank you again for your helpful replies! 😃