zelker

Sitka never seems to disappoint for wildlife. We've been out twice on Allen Marine's Sea Otter and Wildlife tour but most recently, we've been out twice on the Gallant and would be again this summer if he wasn't already booked. 😞 Captain Paul is "the man!!" - and he will definitely get you right on the wildlife for some great photo ops! Enjoy!

Same here in Colorado but sorry, those of us "over 60" STARTED that dress code 50+ years ago and it's still in vogue today!! 😉

Congrats on becoming 3 Star Mariners! I don’t remember any recognition ceremony when we became 3 Star but will be interested to see what others say as we will become 4 Star on Amsterdam later this summer.

Actually it covers you if you are as little as 150 miles from home. And I totally concur it's the best investment out there. Unfortunately we learned that the hard way, to the tune of a six digit out-of-pocket air ambulance ride home from the Canary Islands to Colorado so I could have surgery in a first-world country where the water was potable, the windows had screens on them, they used proper sterilization techniques before they put anything into my body or changed an IV bag, and everyone spoke English. Now we don't leave home without it.

We've always gotten a form in our stateroom asking if we want to purchase them so assume you still can do that.

For those of us who live in the US anyway, port fees/taxes are the same, no matter what state you live in nor what cabin category you book.

We were on Volendam in December in a Vista suite and you're right - the lack of a decent TV with the interactive feature sucks but not enough to keep us from cruising on the smaller ships. LOL

We haven't sailed on her since the first 14 night Alaska itinerary in 2009 (I think it was). We're booked on her at the end of July for the same wonderful itinerary and after seeing these great pictures (thanks, John!), I can't wait!

Seems like I saw 11 am when I was reading about it a month or so ago. We're coming off the Amsterdam and it's the only ship in port so that works in our favor of course. Think we're going to book an 11:10 am flight so hopefully that will still qualify us for port valet. Thx!

Thanks for continuing help. So we are flying on United which works with the port valet service and already have it on my travel calendar to talk with the front desk on day 2 of the cruise but I don't see where it says what the earliest flight time is to qualify. Can you point me in that direction? Thanks.

Yes, I thought you were, too. 😉

Everyone's entitled to their opinion on how to do business. I was just being nice and sharing information - didn't expect to be called out for it. Had forgotten how snarky Seabourn people can be some times.

Cancellation policies (and potential cancellation fees) vary according to the excursion and sailing. As an example, we're booked on an overnight tour in New Zealand this fall and this was included with our confirmation but there is a lot of info that applies to any tour you book: IMPORTANT INFORMATION Online cancellations will not be accepted during the 3-day period prior to cruise departure. Instead, you will need to cancel once you board the ship. All onboard cancellations are subject to at least a 10% cancellation fee. If you cancel a Signature Collection Shore Excursion within 3 days of sailing, a 100% cancellation fee will apply since transportation and services will have already been arranged with the appropriate Shore Excursion operator. If cancellation occurs onboard after the cancellation deadline for a specific shore excursion, a 100% cancellation fee will apply. The ship's Shore Excursions Office will be able to advise you of the cancellation deadline applicable to each Shore Excursion. Passengers who wish to cancel should visit the Shore Excursions Office upon embarkation. Optional Shore Excursions during the land portion of an Alaska Land+Sea Journey are non-refundable within 3 days of your Land+Sea Journey departure date. The cancellation policy for Overland Adventures and Overnight Tours is as follows (unless noted otherwise in the tour description): 30 - 60 days before tour date: 25%; 14-29 days before tour date: 50%; Within 14 days of tour: Non Refundable. The 100% cancellation fee will apply here, as it does for Signature Collection Shore Excursions, since transportation and services will have already been arranged with the appropriate Shore Excursion operator. In the case of online cancellations made by you (which cannot be made during the 3-day period prior to cruise departure) or cancellations made by us more than 3 days prior to cruise departure, we will issue a credit on the credit card that was used to pay for the booking. For all other cancellations (whether by you, Holland America Line or the Shore Excursion operator), a credit will not be given on your credit card. Instead, we will apply an ONBOARD CREDIT ONLY policy under which the refund (less any cancellation fee) will show up as a credit to the shipboard account of the person who was to take the Shore Excursion. If the credit is not fully utilized during the cruise, the balance will be paid to that passenger by the ship's Purser at the end of the voyage.

Holland America also charges $29 pp for their transfer. Assuming it's the same on Princess, they will give you a time for your transfer based on your flight time. They use coaches which wait until they're mostly full to leave for the airport. We're staying at the Grand Hyatt for one night pre-cruise. I contacted the concierge who told me that she can arrange a private transfer from SeaTac to the hotel for $65, tip included. Then $15 pp inclusive in a shared van from the hotel to Pier 91 the next morning. I need to find out if she can arrange a private transfer or shared van from the pier to the airport and then compare that to Already There. Flatratetaxi sounds flakey.

Please post back here after you talk to them.