Paleochick

58 minutes ago, Sailing Smooth said:

I know you're off the ship now, but what was the general age of people on the ship?  We are bringing high school/college aged kids next year.

There were lots of teens, but very few 20-somethings.  My 15 year old said there were oodles of older teens.  I'd say the average age was probably in the late 50s.  They had several gatherings during the week for young adults (18-25).  Definitely have them attend the first one on Day 1 to find their crowd.

On 7/21/2019 at 3:17 PM, Harratine said:

How is the WiFi?

An update- we had no WiFi on the ship between Hubbard and Seward. At all. I should have complained to try to get a day of the WiFi package reimbursed, but I didn’t wAnt to take vacation time for that. It was also non-existent in Glacier Bay. 

23 hours ago, gerry1.10 said:

can you list the officers currently on please

 

Thank you

 

Captain Giorgio

General Manager Steven

Cruise Director Dan The Man. 

That’s all I can remember. 

I’ll look in a bit to see who they were. I’m hoping I saved the paperwork. We just disembarked this morning. Very easy disembarkation in Seward!

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

 

how hot is it in alaska now?

i would think too hot for Huskies?
and how many miles is the sled tour?

About a mile. Low 60s. We have been wearing layers on the ship when near glaciers. 

28 minutes ago, Harratine said:

How is the WiFi?

Lol. It depends on where you are. My mom has Alzheimer’s and is at home. I have to contact her and family daily because I am her primary caregiver. I have the unlimited package. My family onboard likes to take over the package when I’m not using it. 

Short answer- good enough

Long answer- if it doesn’t work well in a balcony cabin, move to the bathroom. Lol. It’s stronger in the core of the ship. When we were in glacier bay, nothing worked because the mountains blocked access to the satellite. That was just one day. Other than that, it’s been fine, especially in lounges. I’m in the Spinnaker now. It’s my favorite place.   I have been able to use the WiFi to call my family or my mom daily, several times. When it doesn’t work, I move 20 feet. I’d buy again. I also love the messaging package for connecting with my teens. It works well. 

I loved the excursions we did. Loved. 

Ketchikan- we did the crab fisherman tour on the Balad from Deadliest Catch. Sit front row. 

Juneau- we did the whale quest and Mendenhall glacier. We saw humpbacks, orcas, sea lions,...we had an hour st the glacier. Amazing day. The whale watching was worth it all. 

Skagway- we booked with frontier expeditions. It was the frontier and dog sled tour. We all loved it best. We went beyond where the train goes. We saw some of the prettiest landscape I’ve ever seen. Kind of reminded me of Yellowstone. 

We used yelp in port to find fish and beer. I have no idea where we went, but yelp did a good job. 

I’m live from the Jewel (between Hubbard and Seward) for a few Minutes. Any questions you are dying to ask?

Just now, Sauer-kraut said:

early show is 7:30 pm

Perfect.  Thank you.

I'm making dinner reservations, and I'm wondering what time the evening shows start.  I have kids, so attending the latest show is likely not a great option.  We'll need to do dinner before the first show.

Thanks.

I've cruised before when my kids were little, but it has been a while, and I've never done an Alaska cruise.  I've got an amazing spreadsheet covered with all sorts of options.  I'm here to ask for some advice. Sometimes the spreadsheet makes things even more confusing.

My kids will be 11 and 15. 

I'm looking at the Norwegian Jewel and the Royal Princess.  Both have great itineraries (Glacier Bay, ...).  Both aren't super small, so I know they will keep my kids entertained when on board.

I'd like to book 2 cabins for the space - plus it seems to be more cost-effective than a suite ($$$, less privacy) we can all share.  I'm thinking about 2 connecting balcony cabins or a balcony and an interior cabin across the hall.

My questions:

I know we will be docked and exploring Alaska a lot, but when on board, I know my kids will want to stay somewhat busy.  Which ship would you recommend?

What are your thoughts about booking 2 cabins?  We had our small kids with us in the cabins when they were younger.  What has worked for you?

I've only cruised on Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  Do you prefer Norwegian or Princess?

I'm thinking about adding a cruise tour.  Do you recommend booking this kind of thing separately for flexibility or do you book with the cruiseline?

I've always had the cruiseline book the airfare.  Thoughts?

Any additional thoughts?  I'd appreciate the guidance.

Thank you.

Hi there! I just booked this same cabin today. What did you think of it? Noisy?

That was SO long ago. My kids were small then. I remember hearing a few people in the hall at night, and worrying about my kids waking up. They didn't. I liked the location. Have a great time!

Can you think of anything negative about booking a balcony cabin on the Verandah deck, in front of the front elevators? As far as I can tell, there are cabins above and below at that part of the ship. We'd get a free upgrade to that deck, otherwise I'd book the popular Empress deck. Thanks.