ccqueenanne

Another vote for Uwajimaya - it's awesome and not something you get to experience in every city.

One more note on the train to Vancouver... even when you arrive in Vancouver you don't get to just get off the train. They excuse each train car one at a time so the line for passport control doesn't get too long. One our trip last week, ours was the last car excused and it was at least 45 minutes after we had arrived, if not an hour. That was a bummer. This was the morning train and it was sold out - it may be that the evening train won't be as full.

20 minutes ago, martinitime1 said:

Hoping my question follows the spirit of this topic. I have the regular AI package and will need to upgrade to premium. When is the best time to do this? 

There's really no reason to wait. Buy it now and then keep an eye out for sales. You can cancel and repurchase at the lower price.

I've had about half of my Ubers drop at the ride share area, half drop right at front. There is more traffic for them dropping at front (lost time/$), but the offer of extra tip should help, if you need the closer drop off due to disability.

If you do end up doing two Ubers TO the port, some drivers will say they can't go up to the building for drop off (probably b/c they don't want to get stuck in the traffic). With a disabled person, the walk from Uber drop off is too long, but I've had success telling the driver we need to be dropped off in front and will tip accordingly. 

The walk to the Ubers at the end of the cruise will be too long, and your person might also have trouble getting up onto the shuttle, depending on their mobility. It could be easiest just to take two cabs back to the airport, as the taxi line is right in front of the building. Or, as suggested above, arrange for a private transfer. My guess, though, is that the private transfer may cost more than 2 taxis.

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

The city of Seattle offers a free transfer from the ship to the airport.  Check out https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

 

I'm sure there must be reviews on the West Coast Departures board:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/315-west-coast-departures/

Port Valet is GREAT. To be clear - it's a free transfer for your luggage, not yourselves. But if your airline participates and your flight is within the time parameters for Port Valet, it's fab and totally recommended. It'll also allow 4 adults to fit into any Uber/cab. If you don't/can't use Port Valet, you'll need to ensure you order an Uber big enough to hold all of your luggage. Or join the cab line and wait for a cab with more luggage space. With four people, I'd pick an Uber/cab vs paying for 4 transfers on the coach. 

3 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Have booked connecting cabins for teens several times.  Lots easier than sorting out the Medallions that have a cabin and photo attached.  Just ask and book early so there is availability. 

To get it to reasonably work on board you would need to switch medallions for one teen and one adult.  Then the one adult could not order anything in the plus package.  Neither could the teen as the photo would not match.  A real.pain

Your CVP at Princess or your TA can handle this.

And you were able to do so when both teens were under 16? If so, that's a relief to hear.

I'm wondering if proximity (adjoining cabins) would negate the age requirement.

From what I read, if we want two cabins (one for parents, one for 2 15 year-olds), we'll need to book one teen and one parent per room. I understand that when we board, we should be able to get medallions coded to swap one parent and one teen (or give all 4 access to both rooms), right?

Does anyone have experience requesting an official swap, so that the parents can purchase Plus, without having to buy it for the teens as well? (Yes, I agree that it would be nice for them to have Plus, but budget is going towards them getting their own cabin instead of sharing with us.)

Yes - I see people with bouquets boarding the Alaska cruises every summer.

1 hour ago, alwalaska said:

These look like they have square holes and the pictures of the medallion look round.  Does the medallion stay secure in this?

 

They fit just fine and stay secure - even in the pool.

I got this 3-pack on Amazon and they even fit my husband's big boned wrist.I've used them multiple times already.

15 minutes ago, BBGrace273 said:

I took your suggestion, cancelled the train, and rented the car from Affordable, with the extra fee for drop off and pick up.  Our stop in Skagway is relatively short on our cruise (from 7am until 4pm).  Do you think we'll be rushed at all, if we stop to see sights along the way?  I had planned to go all the way to Emerald Lake, leaving as early as we can.  Thoughts?

Our stop had a similar port time. We didn't rush right off the ship - probably left 9:30am-ish. We spent at least an hour at the Musher Camp. We stopped in Carcross for probably 15 minutes, maybe 20-30 minutes at Emerald Lake, stops for photos along the way whenever we wanted. We could have taken even more time, but my husband is one who frets about missing the ship. With stopping to fill up before parking back at the dock, we were back at least 1.5 hours early. You will absolutely have time for Emerald Lake. If you save the Gold Rush Cemetery/Reid Falls for the end, you can cut it if you feel short on time.

AH - it's CC (think RN Reunion for clue). Happy to answer any Celebrity questions for you - we do at least one Alaska each summer. Very curious how you'll like it compared to NCL. 

We did the extra key thing last year on a family trip. Super easy to get the extra key at guest services - just make sure you bring a sharpie to write on the keys, so she knows which one is which.

It's absolutely worth renting a car in Skagway IF the kids are up for the scenic ride into the Yukon (passports needed, as noted above). It's a fantastic drive with lots of scenic spots to stop, plus you could stop at the Sled Dog Musher's Camp on that route. We did the drive, stopping to visit the pups on the way to the Yukon, went as far as Emerald Lake before turning around.

Otherwise, there's a tourist shuttle bus in Skagway that you could take out towards the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls, which has some nice walking/hiking and neat history. (You could also visit this if you rent a car - I'd hit it on the way back to the ship.) I can't imagine needing bear spray for this Skagway stop.

We rented from Affordable Car Rental Skagway, as it was cheaper than the other options and had good reviews. They offered (for extra charge) a super convenient drop off service where they had the car waiting at the dock for us. They also offer bagged lunch (for extra charge). We didn't do that, so I don't know if it would just be waiting in your car, but it's something to consider if you want to get on the road ASAP.

Also, Grand Princess seems to be unlucky with technical issues with the ship. I'd pick Koningsdam.

Gave cash for deliveries to our room, but generally didn't tip extra for drinks ordered when out and about.

1 hour ago, colesc15 said:

Thanks for the breakdown! Maybe a silly question, but what is "premium desserts"? Basically fancier desserts in the main dining room or? And what is meant by "2 casual dining meals"? Thanks! So much new terminology after only knowing Royal. 

Premium desserts are crazy sundaes loaded up with cake and candy on top - from the ice cream shop. There are also a few (very large) slices of cake as options. So - giant snack desserts that you'd eat between meals.

There are some no-reservation restaurants with a la carte menus (think sushi, or pizza, or gastro pub). They each also have a $14.99 pre fixe menu, and Plus includes two of those $14.99 menus. For example, at the pizza restaurant, it'll include an app, a pizza and a dessert (per person). 

18 hours ago, sonomaphil said:

 

 

Which dessert is this, and do you recommend it? If it's the Face one, it looks very different than the pics I've seen others post.

35 minutes ago, nasa1974 said:

The biggest difference between advance purchase (when booking your cruise) or on board is that if purchased when booking your cruise, the trip insurance will be more, and your medallion gets shipped to your home for free. If you try to purchase as an upgrade after you have booked your cruise, I'm not sure what happens. But it's all the same price.

When you book Plus onboard, you actually get a $10 refund on the cost, because you didn't get the medallion shipped. So that's a bonus, in addition to getting to use your OBC. The only real risk is that the price for Plus could rise between now and your cruise. Usually that gets announced in advance, so as long as you keep an eye on the boards prior to your cruise, you should be fine.

6 minutes ago, KarmaCruisers said:

Unfortunately my CCL creditcard limit is only $10,000 (ie: why I couldn’t lose any more)

Not trying to encourage more spend than makes you comfortable, but could you game this by paying your credit card balance off daily?

I have had a 9" box fan in my checked bag on Princess with no issues. But I haven't traveled out of San Pedro specifically.

52 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I guess that would also applies to Alaska for cheap cruises in the early and late part of the season 

The problem with cheap Alaska cruises is the high port fees/taxes. 

It's interesting that they are calling out the provider name of Prospect. Don't let that confuse you - it's just the regular airport wheelchair assist. If you have enough mobility to get from the curb to inside the terminal by ticketing, there are the chairs set aside where you wait for your wheelchair pickup. Otherwise, they are basically saying to call ahead if you can't get into the terminal on your own without assistance. That's when you'd talk to them about special arrangements. 

I'd also suggest posting in Disabled Cruise Travel - you are more likely to find somebody who can share about this specific service at SeaTac.

On 1/13/2024 at 11:09 AM, Sherry H said:

If our Mariner discount can be extended to our son's booking that would be the "cleanest" way. 

We are 4* so free laundry would be nice for the inside cabin.  Also we receive a $200 AARP OBC I doubt would be extended to our son.  

In case it's cheaper to book your son in the Inside with single supplement, consider buying your son an AARP membership. Many younger folks buy the membership just for deals like this - there is no age requirement.