akacake
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Posts posted by akacake
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I work for the airlines and it is not that often that bags are delayed without any reason... Tags are attached so well now with super sticky adhesive that they don't fall off easily.
Bags loaded onto the wrong aircraft, last minute gate changes, delayed flights leaving a very tight connection...these are the main reasons....
Out of every 50 bags on a flight I would say less than 1% are delayed for these reasons, so the odds are that you will be fine :) :)
A lot of passengers connecting beyond Vancouver ( to another Canadian city) don't always realize that they have to claim their bag after they clear customs...that is quite common!
Just remember to ALWAYS carry on your medication,money, passport and keys...basically if you need it with 24 hours of landing and CANNOT get by with out it...carry it on!
Good luck and don't worry!
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they just emailed me back and said they that occasionally open on Sundays for customers...so we will take our chances when we get there. We are from Canada so cannot purchase anything, it was more of an interest to go and see what was in there :)
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We on the H.A. Zaandam May 23-30 and visiting these 3 ports. We are not planning any shore excursions, we just plan on walking around and checking out each town. Are there any recommended places that are a "must see" that we can walk to? Any exceptional pubs or restaurants?
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thanks, I just emailed one of them to find out. Not buying anything, just looking :)
We are not taking any excursions in Juneau, is there a lot to see while walking around?
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We will be in Juneau on a Sunday ( May 25th ) Just wondering if most shops,stores etc will be open? My husband is wanting to check out the few gun stores and they say they are closed on Sundays...but with it being cruise season and all...maybe they will be open?
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I have sailed the "real" inside passage on the ferries and working on tugboats between Seattle and Southeast Alaska. Am very familiar with the route up thru Bella Bella, Fraser & McKay Reach (Butedale) and Grenville Channel. The cruise lines advertise the inside passage route but it is really only Discovery Passage & Johnstone Straits. Northbound out of Vancouver that is all done at night. Some go up Principe Channel and Laredo Sound to Triple Island (usually the ones with Ketchikan as first stop northbound). Most are now going up Hecate Straits which as you know is about the same as being in the Pacific (those with first stop in Juneau). We have done Grenville Channel once in nine cruises. We were on the Ryndam in 2010 and the tide at Seymour was earlier enough they had some extra time to make Juneau and the weather was perfect so they cut in at the Southern end of Grenville Channel. It was spectacular. I always consider the idea of "cruising the inside passage" to be a misnomer in the cruise line industry.
thank you for clarifying this. The Inside Passage to me also means exactly what you said, the Inside Passage all the way from Vancouver up to Ketchikan. I have done it in on the ferry and also a sailboat and it is unbelievable! I guess I will have to take BC Ferries to see it again if the Zaandam doesn't take us that route.
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Did the eagle make a meal of the big bird? It's both a fascinating and a disturbing picture....
The bald eagle is much smaller than the trumpeter swan so it wrestled with the swan, but the swan got away! There were feathers everywhere though and the swan was fairly quiet after it landed in the water :)
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Hi akacake, im also interested in the route the ships take, im sailing Aug. 30 on the zuiderdam, im interested as to how early and late the sun stays up being that fact its 9 weeks since June 21,, also tell use about that photo-- how dramatic it must have been to even take the shot :eek:
I will post the course we sailed once I return...we don't sail until May 23.
By the end of August the long evenings are almost done , it is starting to get dark earlier. I can't remember the exact time but by 9 pm where I am around N55
Yes, the photo on my profile was quite exciting to capture! I was in the right place at the right time with my camera! It was taken where I live In Terrace BC in April 2008 :)
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It has always been completely inside when sailing out of Vancouver. The ship never sails on the west side of Vancouver Island, only out of Seattle.
It's not the part between Vancouver and the tip of Vancouver Island that I am wondering about :) that portion will go up the Strait of Georgia, past Campbell River and Port Hardy etc.
It is the portion after Vancouver Island towards the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). The map shows the cruise in Hecate Strait?? There is a route that BC Ferries takes up to Bella Bella past Hartley Bay and on to Prince Rupert...I am wondering if HAL takes this route up through the Grenville Channel?
It could be that the map picturing the route on the HAL website is just for illustration purposes....
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I live near the coastal part of BC and have travelled the "BC inside passage" from Vancouver to Prince Rupert several times on ferries, sailboats etc. Spectacular!!
Do the HAL cruises take the "BC inside passage" up through the Grenville Channel or does it start cruising inside once it gets past Prince Rupert and takes the "Alaskan inside passage" towards Ketchikan?
The route map online is misleading as it shows the cruise out in Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait! Just curious as it gets very rough in the straight compared to the sheltered water inside.
It would be great if it did both parts of the passage. I guess I will find out in a few short weeks :)
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I am aware that the wine policy has changed as of Jan 2014. Can I still bring onboard 6 or 12 pops/soda to enjoy in my room?
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wow, it looks like Australia is the leading choice so far :)
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wow, thank you for all the votes and replies! I thought I liked the idea of cruising from one continent to another but think there could be too many sea days, and I would miss not having enough port days to see different things.
One person suggested circumnavigating Australia. Has anyone else done that cruise?
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I am the recipient of 2 tickets to fly *free* almost anywhere in the world and want to plan a "dream" cruise...I would love some suggestions
I am thinking to fly into one continent, say Europe or Australia, cruise to another continent on a one way cruise, then take another one way cruise back to either North America, then fly home.
My criteria are that the total prices of the cruises don't exceed $2000- 3000 per person ... and that I am not gone for more than 30 days total.
(waiting to book a few months prior to departure will save us $$ and we are fine with an inside cabin) ...I just need some suggestions on good routes that other cruisers have taken...
thanks for the help in planning :) :)
ps I accidentally posted this same question in the wrong forum previously, I can't figure out how to delete it....is there a way to do it? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1994707
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sorry, I posted this is the wrong forum. I need to figure out how to move it or delete it.
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I am the recipient of 2 tickets to fly *free* almost anywhere in the world and want to plan a "dream" cruise...I would love some suggestions :)
I am thinking to fly into one continent, say Europe or Australia, cruise to another continent on a one way cruise, then take another one way cruise back to either North America, then fly home.
My criteria are that the total prices of the cruises don't exceed $2000- 3000 per person ... and that I am not gone for more than 30 days total.
(waiting to book a few months prior to departure will save us $$ and we are fine with an inside cabin) ...I just need some suggestions on good routes that other cruisers have taken...
thanks for the help in planning :)
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thank you for the info :)
Sounds like we will be ordering at least one bottle for each of us...
what is the red "sail away" wine like? what "type" of red wine is it?
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excellent to hear! Thank you :)
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I am new to HA so not sure if they do a sail away party on the Alaskan routes? If so, is it just the one sail away party departing Vancouver? Is there a BBQ on the deck or anything similar happening?
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I have looked at the selection of bottles available for to be delivered to our room. As a BC resident these prices are very good! What size are the bottles, 750 ml or 1.14L or another size?
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thank you for the replies :)
Our anniversary is the 24th so I will see if I can convince him to dress up a bit so we can go to the PG that night...Will get he be able to get into the PG on formal night with a dress shirt, tie and dress pants or should we just save it for a different night?
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I just booked our cruise for May 23, 2014 Vancouver-Alaska-Vancouver. There are 3 cruising days. My DH is not wanting to do the formal nights so we will be at the Lido on those dates no problem. I would like to book the PG for one night in advance but want to make sure it is not on the formal night...will there be 1 or 2 formal nights and any idea which ones? Here is our itinerary:
FRI 23MAY14 Sail from Vancouver, B.C., CA 5:00pm
SAT 24MAY14 Scenic Cruising The InsidePassage 1
SUN 25MAY14 Juneau, Alaska, US 1:00pm 10:00pm
MON 26MAY14 Skagway, Alaska, US 7:00am 9:00pm
TUE 27MAY14 Scenic Cruising Tracy Arm 1 7:00am 4:00pm
WED 28MAY14 Ketchikan, Alaska, US 10:00am 6:00pm
THU 29MAY14 Scenic Cruising The InsidePassage 1
FRI 30MAY14 Debark Ship Vancouver, B.C., CA 7:00am
Thanks!
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wow! good thing I booked it when I did this afternoon! The same cabin (FF) is now $500 more on the same sailing, May 23rd. It was on sale for 24 hours, that is it? Oh, I am so happy I jumped when I did!! :)
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I just booked our cabins on HAL ! I think that we will love it!!
There is no such thing as a bad holiday :) so no matter what happens at least we are not at work!!
Question on Luggage and Flights
in Alaska
Posted
Yes, you clear customs at your 1st Canadian city you land at, then move your bag over to the connection belt...just ensure that the baggage tag has your final destination on it.