sherryf

6 hours ago, memoak said:

Last time I sailed from Seattle was about a year ago and it was a mess. There was no suite/elite line and just a pile up of people. There were 2 ship in and it was hard just to drop off our bags.  I will be sailing from there in 2025 and I probably will wait until at least 1:00 before trying to get there

I've sailed from Seattle many times, and there are ALWAYS 2 ships at Pier 91, one Princess and one HAL.  We've never had trouble dropping off bags.  I wonder if the port has changed that much since we last sailed from there. 🤔

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

All Discovery MDR lunches have changed hours to 11:30 am - 1:00 pm. 

Do you know how early you can board in Seattle these days?  We haven't sailed on Princess from Seattle for 6-7 years now, but in the past they didn't even start boarding until after 11 am, and if you weren't in the priority boarding group, you were lucky to get on by noon.

You can see bald eagles everywhere!  Personally, I will not take a tour that feeds wild eagles for the entertainment of tourists.  I'm not even sure that's legal!

We have done that transfer and it is fine.  I think the 5 hour estimate is generous to allow for traffic and delays, since actual drive time is more like 3 - 3.5 hours. You will have no problem catching a flight around 6 pm.

 As others have said, there is a stop at the border, and there are restrooms there, but in our experience doing transfers between Seattle and Vancouver (both ways) they usually also make a stop at a rest stop somewhere between the border and Seattle. The buses are comfortable, like a nice tour bus.

9 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

Thank you, everyone! It seems we've reached a consensus that bringing swimwear would be a good idea. The reason I was hesitating wasn't just because of the size of the swimwear itself, but also the hassle of washing and drying it in a very small bath sink (well, judging from the online pictures, lol).

When I get back to my cabin after using the pool/hot tub, I always want a shower anyway, so I wear my bathing suit into the shower and rinse it out there, then hang it on the clothesline in the shower.

I don't remember any themed deck parties on any of my Princess cruises... but I have only cruised Princess to Alaska.  They really don't have any deck parties in the evening in Alaska.  🤷‍♀️

16 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

I could certainly be wrong but I thought it was the opposite.  I thought it was the forward pool by the sanctuary that was adults only and the aft pool was for anyone?  We are sailing in two weeks with our grandchildren (first time for them - they are only toddlers) so time to figure this stuff out.  Don't want a bunch of angry stares if we are in the wrong place.

If I remember correctly, no diapers are allowed in the pools, not even swim diapers.

1 hour ago, wcflats said:

It’s been our experience that the crew doesn’t enforce the no kids only rule at any of these locations.

I've used the Lotus pool many times and have NEVER had children in the area.

What ship?  We just booked Discovery Princess for Aug. 10 - 17.  Oceanview is MORE than balcony right now.  We were able to get an "obstructed" balcony for only about $300 more than an inside... and from photos I've found online, it isn't even really obstructed.

$3000 difference seems ridiculous! 

On 1/22/2024 at 12:47 PM, rnr4thatsme said:

I'd love to see more Carnival Alaska reviews!  I know it's not the most popular line, but there must be some pros as people are obviously sailing there!

My first cruise to Alaska was on Carnival back in 2001.  We chose it because it was a group family trip with lots of young children, and their kids clubs seemed best suited to our needs.  It was fine.  There was no "party atmosphere" as one might think you'd find on Carnival.  That said, I have never been back on Carnival and probably never will.  I love Princess and HAL is a close second for me.

7 hours ago, cnice515 said:

From what I have read, not experienced it first hand, is that sometimes they might give you just the candy (or you can pick them out individually) but the candy itself is not wrapped in anything. 

I can't imagine that they have all those lollipops sitting around behind the counter unwrapped.  Surely they must come wrapped and the person who makes the dessert unwraps them before putting them on. 🤔

3 hours ago, Thunderbird19 said:

We tried one (threw away all the  hard candy toppers - which seems wasteful - and I bet most people do) from the ice cream place near the pool.

Are all the hard candies wrapped or unwrapped?  If they are wrapped, I'd just save them and take them home to my students, but if unwrapped, I'd probably just throw them away too.  I don't want to eat a great big lollipop, just the ice cream and cake.

Personally, I would not choose any cruise that doesn't go to Glacier Bay if this will be your only trip to Alaska.  

If your friend is looking for pools and water slides, she is likely to be disappointed no matter what ship you choose.  Most people find it too cold to use the pools much, if at all.  The only time I've been on a ship with a water slide (my first AK cruise on Carnival with kids) I don't think it was ever open the whole trip.

People have made mixed comments about Princess, but I love them and think they might be a good choice for you.  They have theater shows and fitness classes for her, but also a naturalist and lectures about Alaska for you.  If you get Princess Plus (or Premier) it includes the drink package and a couple of fitness classes to keep your friend happy. 

On 2/13/2024 at 8:47 AM, BamaVol said:

Maybe grab a sandwich to go from the IC on the way out?

You aren't supposed to take ANY unpackaged food or drink (except water) off the ship in Alaska.  I was once told that I could not take a cup of coffee that I'd just picked up at the IC.  I had to go sit down and finish it before leaving the ship.  Or throw it away. 😕

21 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I can't believe how people think that jeans are an acceptable dress for the MDR on any night, let alone formal night.

According to the Princess FAQ:

• To reflect the suggested dress code, dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, gym shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes), is not welcomed in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

This would imply that nice jeans (without fraying and/or holes) are perfectly acceptable.  Maybe you view jeans differently, but I think that nice jeans can be just as "smart casual" as a pair of khakis.  I have jeans in lots of colors that look great paired with appropriate tops.  Unless you looked closely, you probably wouldn't even notice that they are "jeans". 

When traveling to Alaska, one needs to pack more warm clothing, multiple layers, rain jackets, etc.  It doesn't leave much room for formal wear, especially with airlines charging so much for checked luggage.  I have often seen jeans and hiking pants in the MDR on smart casual nights in Alaska, dressed up with nice shirts/blouses.

If you don't want to wear jeans, then don't.  But don't think that you look any more "smart" than I do in my nice jeans.

In all of our trips that have stopped in Victoria, we have only gotten off once, and that was because the kids (teen/adult at the time) were with us and wanted to get off.  Usually we sit in an empty hot tub, leisurely get ready for dinner, either eat in a nearly empty dining room or book specialty easily, finish packing, and just have a relaxing evening.  

Then again, we live in the Seattle area and have been to Victoria, so if we want to do anything in Victoria, we'll go for a weekend and enjoy it fully.

9 hours ago, ngrund said:

Some lines-I know RCL does and I presume from your experience HAL just pay it themselves don't charge the passengers. Carnival just doesn't let the drink package start until the 2nd day in those ports.

That sucks.  One of the first things I want to do when I get on the ship is order a drink, and I wouldn't want to pay for drinks the 1st day if I have a drink package!

Why would you pay taxes on drinks if you have the drink package?  If your drinks are included, then you aren't paying anything for the drink, so don't pay any taxes on them.  I've had a drink package both times I've sailed on HAL and I don't recall ever seeing taxes for drinks show up on my tab.

1 minute ago, kazu said:

The sign stated must be over the age of 16 otherwise children had to be accompanied by an adult.   

In my experience, "accompanied by adult" is very loosely followed, ie there is an adult somewhere in the pool area, sitting on a lounge chair and not paying any attention to their children, which kind of defeats the purpose of the rule. 🙄

15 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

One of the two pools on Rotterdam is supposed to be either for adults only (so no kids), or no kids under 16 unless accompanied by adult (I saw  several interpretations when I was on a few months ago, depending on which staff were working).

Isn't one pool (usually aft) supposed to be adults only on all/most HAL ships?  That was my understanding on my first HAL cruise (Alaska, Westerdam 2016) and although it was stated in the daily schedule at least once, it was not enforced.  We had unsupervised kids in the hot tub with us, and when I commented that it was supposed to be adults only, the mother came over and berated me. 🙁

Our second HAL cruise (Nieuw Statendam Caribbean Christmas 2021) was during the pandemic, at a time when vaccinations were required but not yet available for young children.  We had a few very well behaved teens on board, but no children.  We never had issues with pools/hot tubs on that cruise! 😃

We leave Sunday for our next cruise (Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska) and wonder what the pool/hot tub situation will be like.  We are from the Seattle area, so we do like to use the pool or hot tub even at times when others are huddled on deck with blankets. 🤣

No winter coats, just layers.  Your ship does visit glaciers, and it can be cold out on deck those days, so you will want to be prepared.  Hat and gloves are a good idea.

I dislike the color orange and do not own any orange clothing, so I will just pass.  I don't remember there being an Orange Party on my last HAL cruise, but it was Christmas week, so either they didn't have it or I was just too busy to notice.

1 hour ago, Beave8920 said:

including stuff like bears and Moose walking along the road.  

Have you seen moose???  We've done that drive several times, and we've seen bears, but never moose.

You don't need anything bulky.  I have occasionally taken a lightweight, packable down jacket if the forecast is for very cool weather, but usually I just take layers.  You don't want to take anything that will take up a lot of space in your luggage.

New Statendam Eastern Caribbean Christmas 2021 with the whole family for my son's wedding.  I don't know if anything will ever beat that cruise! 😁