lynncarol

We had a similar view of the mountain last September. Not a cloud in the sky! Our park bus driver said the mountain was only that clear 11 times during the 2014 season.

Dined at Club Paris in downtown Anchorage. My husband said his steak was the best he'd ever eaten. Apparently, you need reservations, but as we showed up at 5:30, they gave us a table after we promised to vacate it by 7:00. No problem, as the food was so delicious we lost control and gobbled it down.

We were also on a budget, rented a car in Anchorage for a week, and did Denali on our own as well as take a train excursion to Seward. (Our ship came in at Whittier). It was a fabulous experience but I think you are wise to take the ship's land tour to Denali at this late date. I doubt you could find accommodations near the park otherwise.

As for port excursions, our big splurge was in Ketchikan for Island Wing's bear-watching flight tour. That left us limited funds for Juneau and Skagway. Fortunately, in Juneau the white bus shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier was reasonable, and there we thoroughly enjoyed our hike to Nugget Falls. Also our National Park pass got us into the special viewing area of their Visitor Center at the Glacier.

At Skagway, we took the town bus to the rail terminal and hiked from there to Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls. Fascinating! Then once back in town, we signed up for the one-hour free walking tour starting from Klondike Gold Rush N.H.P headquarters which was a lot of fun. Incidentally, in Seward we took the Kenai Fjords boat tour and ran into a big pod of orca whales. (Just lucky).

I have no idea why it was edited out but the museum is Museo ****onale Romano at Palazzo Massimo

I almost never see this museum mentioned and it is one of my favorites in Rome: Museo ****onale Romano at Palazzo Massimo. Not far from the Termini station with no crowds and lots of antiquities. Noted especially for its amazing displays of frescos etc. excavated in the city. The room with all four walls containing Livia's (wife of Emperor Augustus) garden frescos is simply breath-taking.

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know how stringent they are at the Van Gogh museum with admission time? If we are early will they let us in ?

In the end of March, we had a timed admission ticket for 4:00 but got to the museum by 3:00. Earliest guard would let us in was 3:45. Still, timed admission line was the only one moving.

Frankly, the Denali dog-sled demonstration was the only part of our land trip we didn't love. The dogs pulled a sled for maybe 45 seconds tops then just lay on the ground chewing bones (or something) while the ranger gave a very boring 20 minute lecture as we all sat in the outdoor bleachers freezing. The ranger allowed us to pat the dogs before the show, however, and that was fun.

My husband and I are senior citizens and I have a bad hip. In Juneau we walked from the ship to a drugstore, walked back, caught the blue bus to the Glacier, returned to the city and walked back to the ship. It is all level and not that difficult, especially if you take your time.

Only been to Pompeii once in the summer. Got there around 9:30 and my husband and I waited in line maybe 20 min. tops. Then. like Hlitner we decided to join a tour. Apparently 6 folks had already been waiting for quite a while and once we were added to the group, the other tourists were ready to start. Our guide continued to insist we needed 2 more people. At that point, a mass mutiny occurred and all six of those tourists headed for the audio-booth. Suddenly our guide had a change of heart and decided he COULD give a tour with only eight participants. (Really glad we did it with a guide).

Last September we stayed 2 nights in Comfort Inn Ship Creek, a great choice. Free shuttle to train and airport. With AAA it was quite reasonable for Alaska.

The above is unclear.

 

The John Hopkins Inlet is closed until Sept 1 due to being a Harbor Seal sanctuary. There is NO guarantee- even Sept 1 and later- your ship will sail this. I have personally been on ships that did not.

 

EVERYONE sails by 4 glaciers viewable by cruise ship passengers. The most time is spent by the Margerie and Grand Pacific, approx an hour, with views for both sides. They don't stop at the Reid, and a brief sail by the Lamplough, both sides viewable.

Ah...We must have been in that John Hopkins inlet. I just assumed when the park ranger said it had been closed, that she meant the entire park. Thanks for the clarification,

We also have diamond status on RCCL but were desperate to see Glacier Bay Nat. Park and used Princess for our Alaska cruise. For us, it was well worth skipping our usual perks and one of the highlights of our cruise. However, make sure the whole park is open when you are traveling. The Park ranger (who came onboard while at Glacier) told us it had been closed to all cruise until Sept. 2 to protect the harbor seals birthing areas.

I must admit we took the city bus to the gardens when we stayed in Victoria, not from the cruise port. However, at the Empress stop where we caught the bus, there was no wait at all to get to the gardens.

This transportation recommendation involves over a 2 mile round trip walk to the visitor center. For Nugget Falls, allow an hour for the hike.

I am a little confused. We just did this in September and the bus dropped us off in a parking lot less than a block from the visitor center. There was no 2 mile RT hike. Nugget falls did involve an hour hike.

In Juneau take the city bus to Mendenhall Glacier and hike to Nugget Falls. The park is free and there is a very nice visitor center. If you have a National Park pass, you get into a restricted section with access to scopes for close-up viewing of the glacier.

In Vancouver, if you want to hike, take the Seabus (very near Canada Place) to north Vancouver and catch bus #228. Ask the driver to let you off near Lynn Canyon entrance. Great hiking trails, waterfalls, suspension bridge and all for free. Alternatively, you could catch the public bus to Stanley Park. Lots of places to hike around there.

In Victoria, take the public bus to Buchard (sp?) gardens. Just gorgeous.

We did this from the Princess last September. If you take the cruiseline's transfer to Anchorage it does cost more but will drop you off at the convention center which is only a 3 block walk to the Downtown Avis car rental which has MUCH cheaper rates than that at the airport. Downtown Avis was running a special so our 6 day rental was under 300 dollars.

Oops, I meant Avis Downtown Anchorage, not Alamo.

Suggest you check and see if RC is allowed to sail into Glacier Bay National Park. Although I have diamond status on RC we sailed for the first time with Princess just to see the park. It was gorgeous and worth giving up all our perks in RC.

We stayed in Comfort Inn Ship Creek in Anchorage. A very nice place. (Check out the huge stuffed grizzly in the lobby). They have a free shuttle to train station (although it is only 2 blocks away). We rented our car out of Alamo downtown which involved a 6 block walk from the motel. If salmon are running, you can watch the fishermen at Ship Creek bridge which is practically right next door. Plus rates were much cheaper than at the airport. Comfort Inn also provides free transportation to the airport.

You probably don't live in the South, were that happens all the time.

You are right, although I grew up in North Carolina, we have lived in the north for 40 years. Glad to hear Southerners are still so polite on public transportation. Here, they not only don't get up, but spread out over two seats instead of just one.

We took the Island Wings float-plane with Michelle this past September to see the bears. My husband gets very nervous in small-planes but even he said the ride was fabulous. We could hardly feel the touchdown in the water. PS..Saw 14 bears even though weather was a bit rainy and windy.

My husband and I are senior citizens who spent 3 days in Istanbul in August. Everytime I got on the public tram, at least several people jumped up to offer me a seat. Try to see that happen in the USA. We loved Istanbul.

Only cruise where I thought a balcony was really necessary was Alaska during the Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. It was freezing outside and the ship made very slow 180 degree turns so each side could view the glaciers. So much more comfortable to admire it from inside our warm cabin.

Thanks for your reply. The program she has in mind involves 5 days of cruising and 6 of only land tours. I don't think she would be happy staying on the bus and that is why we worry about her safety.

Hi-

My 93 year-old mother has her heart set on seeing Cuba. More specifically, she wants to take a Rhodes Scholar tour which covers Havana, Santiago, Cienfuejos and several others. We (her daughters) are concerned as her balance is not very good and we understand there are cobblestone streets involved. Two of us would be happy to go with her, but she really resists anyone taking her by the arm or assisting with her balance. As she is very osteoporotic, do we have reason to worry? My mother asked me to post this question to help settle this argument. I really hope to get some candid feedback from folks who have been to Cuba. Thank you.