SoloAlaska

Thanks I appreciate it.

Are you going to Icy Straight Point? If so I would do whale watching there with the company that also gives you the drone footage. Ask your flight tour options how often they have to cancel due to weather before booking. My guess would be Juneau would be the best bet for getting in the air. If you’re looking for something to add to your day in Skagway there is a small hike to Lower Dewey Lake and if your truly adventurous go for a swim. I went in September my first year and it was freezing cold but so cool.

It’s reasonable to not assume something is strictly prohibited vs prohibited ish since they are all on the same list but treated very differently in real life. That’s why I asked here for anyone with real life experience with bear spray and cruise lines.

Have you checked out Seward City Tours? I did a great tour with them last years but they also offer private transfers. Our guide was a former school teacher and absolutely fantastic.

Currently planning my third Alaskan cruise. I did 2 on celebrity and loved the onboard naturalist. If you don’t care for rain you should avoid September. My next cruise is NCL but I would not recommend it for a first time Alaska cruise. one of my favorite parts about Alaska is that you don’t “need” to take lots of excursions. I love to hike, grab a bite at a local spot, do a little shopping, and just enjoy the scenery. The ports in general are right downtown so you just walk off the ship and enjoy. September can get a little rough especially between Seward and Hubbard so be ready for that if you’re prone to sea sickness. I prefer a southbound trip unless you can do a B2B. The loop isn’t for me.

You know what I am referring to. Drones can be weaponized but they are referring to the toys with cameras on them that people go crazy over at Black Friday sales.

Dressing up means different things to different people. I love getting changed for dinner but travelling with carry on only for my next cruise will make that challenging. With airlines now charging up to $100 for checked luggage it’s just not worth carrying all that extra stuff. I love cruising in Alaska so dressing up means getting out of your hiking clothes which for me means a knee length dress and a little makeup and I’m good to go. I don’t do this just for formal nights but try to do it every night of the cruise. A tux is a little much but making an effort is always nice to see. Do note I am allergic to wool which most tuxes are made from so I’m the person who avoids them. My bf knows if he wants to dress up it better be linen, cotton, or silk.

It’s my third time to Alaska in September and hiking in the rain hasn’t put a damper on my mood yet. Funny because back home if it’s raining I’m staying home but Alaska makes me love all weather conditions. ill have a look into the bear spray exchange thanks. I’m also going to reach out to some contacts along the way.

Sorry it’s the last southbound of the season. After that it’s just loops from Seattle or transpacifics. Some of the transfer operators aren’t even running at that time of year and I can’t seem to book a train transfer either. It’s not the easiest time to travel in Alaska.

Experienced navigator and trained as a wilderness EMT in the US back in the day. I will be hiking the last week of September which will probably already be seeing snow in the mountains. I’m researching and selecting trails I feel confident on already and will carry appropriate navigation, signalling, and first aid gear.

Print them and bring them with you. Often people borrow the hotels stapler to put them on if they flew in the night before. Cruise luggage tag holders are the easiest. ports can give you tags when you drop off your luggage but this can cause delays sometimes. In Alaska at the train transfer people needing luggage tags caused huge lineups and delays but in Civitaveccia it was no delay at all.

Airline will remove luggage tags at check in usually. I do the same as you and use a tag holder once I land.

Black bears are rarely predatory and those who are typically aren’t around towns. Honestly I’m more afraid of moose than black bear, moose are unpredictable. I’ve never had to use bear spray thankfully. I’ve been trained on how to use it and know the risks. It is a last resort measure. Best to have it but never need it than need it but not have it,

So are drones yet they are allowed on and kept with security.

Haha more people should have self imposed limits maybe. Know your limits people and we can avoid black out drunk times etc. or for me avoid hangovers on those early morning hikes in Alaska.

The tap water is fine. I’ve had better and I’ve had much much worse.

My friend taught me a trick on my last cruise. Carry enough singles for max amount of drinks then 1 per drink till you’re out. So if you have a self imposed 10 drink limit in a day then carry 10x $1. My next cruise I’ll be using the trick for sure.

Never had a photo retaken yet on 3 cruises. Spoke with several regular cruises and they hadn’t either. Straight on photo on a plain background works.

Honestly never had even decent service in the MDR so no I don’t think it deserves more than the basic service fees. The daily service charge I left as is. I was seated with a table of 6 and they just walked away without handing me a menu for example, didn’t refilled water once in a nearly 2 hour meal, no smile etc. No that doesn’t deserve an additional top. I find that traditional dinning the staff get to know you and you get to know them and that ends up developing better service. i usually ate with the solo group so didn’t have control on who was serving us. There were so many solos on my cruise they made us eat earlier than planned and take a different entrance.

Got one in my ocean view in December.

Ok so my December cruise was my first with NCL and I find freestyle dining service makes me not motivated to tip waiters. I like MDR service on other lines where the consistent waiter brings value. The MDR on NCL ends up being someone who takes my order and eventually brings me food. Getting water refilled is a hit or miss which is a pet peeve of mine. So no I’m not going to tip mediocre at best service on a nightly bases.

My friend brought me dessert from O’Sheehans and it came with a cover, sadly he forgot utensils though. I was sick and hadn’t eaten in a day but that carrot cake hit the spot.

Just google “Mendenhall taxi tour” you’ll have a few companies pop up. Also last year there was an issue with tour companies maxing out the amount of entries allowed by the park, thankfully the taxies don’t have that issue.

Icy Straight point is pretty amazing from the ship. We had whales even using the side of the ship to help in bubble net feeding…. Once in a lifetime experience plus there is an eagle who likes to sit right near the bow of one of the ships in dock. Inside passage is essential but I will note I saw more on the southbound trip vs my northbound trip. Honestly made me want to move to norther BC on my last trip. I haven’t been to Glacier Bay but the cruise that was able to get down the passage to Hubbard was INCREDIBLE. Don’t wait till too late in the season though since the rainy season won’t help what you can see from the ship. I loved Celebrity for the onboard naturalist. Celia Garland was incredible and just seeing her photos and videos during her presentations was amazing.

I did mendenhall and the hatchery in my first cruise but on my second I went whale watching. We walked off the ship and were sold on a tour from one of the little booths and wow it was incredible. We saw 13 individual whales some only a couple of feet from our boat it was an amazing experience. One note I found my time at Mendenhall not nearly long enough. I did the walk to the waterfall which left no time to look around the interpretive center. If I were to do Mendenhall again I would go by taxi instead of taking a bus tour that way I can have enough time to do what I want instead of feeling rushed.