Hydrokitty

Thanks for a comprehensive review and to others for their comments...

 

We'd love to do one to see Tulips and Wundmalls...someday, but expectations not as high for river compared to Ocean..

Tulips and Windmills was one of our favorite river cruises. We went in late April and the tulips were spectacular. Looking out the window of the airplane as it took off we could see the tulip fields each with thousands of tulips all in different colors....amazing. This is one trip where I think you get more out of a river cruise than an ocean one because there is so much to see.

Hydrokitty, is Vantage a sister company or something of Viking? Or was it autocorrect?

No Vantage and Grand Circle are owned by two brothers (whom last I heard are not close) and are based in Boston. They have no tie with Viking and do not advertise. If you want there catalog best thing to do is visit their website.

As a way of introduction, I have done over 50 cruises--on 8 different cruise lines. My favorite is Celebrity...but we often cruise other lines due to itinerary, timing and other factors. Over the past few weeks, we have done an Alaska cruise on Millennium (our third with Celebrity), followed, 7 days later, by a river cruise on the Danube from Prague to Bucharest, with Viking. This was our second experience with a Viking River cruise, the first being a few years ago in China.

 

When one takes such different cruises that close in time, one can't help but to compare. Of course, both experiences are far different. Any river cruise is going to have certain limitations since the ships are small. But, my wife gets a little tired of repeating the same itineraries, so, the river cruise gave us some opportunity to visit some places new to us.

 

Also, let me acknowledge that there are a lot of river cruise aficionados out there who think that nothing beats a river cruise. Of course, we all have different standards and criteria...and so, we all might come to different conclusions. This post is really based just on what I look for in a cruise vacation. Also, note that these opinions are based on cruising with Viking. I have never tried AMA, Uniworld, Scenic, Avalon or any of the other many river cruise providers out there...so, though the experience may be similar, certain aspects may differ line to line.

 

First thing to notice is that, if you are just looking for value, Celebrity is a FAR greater value. Trying to economize a bit on this one, we opted for the lowest cost window cabin...and our price for a 13 night package--3 nights in Prague in a hotel followed by two in Budapest, then 7 nights on a river ship and one last night in a hotel in Bucharest--ran well over $10,000 including airfare from LAX...Adding in gratuities and a few "optional" excursions, the bill for the 13 nights came out to around $1,000 per day. The Celebrity Alaska cruise we took just before that, we paid around $1,800 for a Concierge class cabin for a 7 night cruise--FOR TWO. Total...including port taxes. Airfare cost us less than $350 pp round trip (yeah, a little shorter flight than flying to Eastern Europe). Throw in our port tours and gratuities and we spent about $3500 total--so, overall, about half the price per person per day. Of course, yes, apples and oranges. But, last summer, we did 14 nights on RCCL back-to-backs in the Med--in a "hump" balcony--for only $4000 for two...and paid $745 pp for round trip air LAX to Rome...Add in gratuities and port tours and we were still several thousand less than we paid for Viking.. So, it IS a bit pricey in comparison. PLUS, believe it or not, Viking requires you to pay for the entire cruise IN ADVANCE...So, they had OUR money for over a year!

 

Of course, if you want to see Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, et al, your choices are either a "land trip" or a river cruise...so, do what you must.

 

One good thing about booking with Viking is, basically, they do virtually everything for you. They took care of the flights, the ground transportation, the hotels, most of the shore excursions (and the others are handled by them as well--just at an additional charge). About the only things we had to worry about were meals in Prague, Budapest and Bucharest.

 

So, when we arrived at Prague Airport, a Viking rep was standing right by the exit from baggage claim waiting for us. He led us to a van--and off to the hotel. The Prague hotel --the "Art Nouveau Palace Hotel" was not great...nowhere near the caliber of hotel Viking put us in when we did their China trip. I guess I would call it "okay"...small room, decent but not impressive breakfast, small lobby. But this is the worst part: Our flight arrived at 11:30 am...so we were at the hotel shortly after noon. And we were informed that "check-in" wasn't until 3:00 pm. But were told to check back at 2:00--that some rooms may be ready. But, we were exhausted after a couple of long flights and weren't going anywhere. So, we waited with many others in the small crowded lobby. At 2:00 pm, we were told that, no, our room was not yet available. I went back to try checking in again at 2:30, 2:45 and again at 3:00...had to wait in a long line each time...and, each time, sorry, not ready. we finally got our keys to the room shortly before 4:00 pm. Infuriating. Killed an entire afternoon in Prague waiting for a room.

 

The next two mornings we had, first, a bus tour of Prague, and, second, an "optional" walking tour of the Jewish Quarter...and, at night, an "optional" (read "overpriced") "Folklore Dinner"--bad food with local "entertainment"...

 

Third morning, it was an eight hour bus ride to Budapest. Yup, 8 hour bus ride. When we did China with Viking, they flew us from city to city. Here they put you in a bus--which stops once for a bathroom break at a gas station...and later for "lunch"--at yet another gas station (on our own dime, of course sandwiches or soup that's been sitting under the heat lamps all day.

 

At least, the hotel in Budapest was very good--the Hilton Castle District. The following day was an included bus tour of Budapest. No real stops--just trying to take photos from the wrong side of the moving bus. Next morning, we checked out EARLY and did the optional Dohany Street Synagogue tour...which then dropped us at the ship.

 

When you are accustomed to Celebrity ships, these ships seem tiny in comparison. Hallways are VERY narrow. Rooms are very small. There are only three real "common area" rooms--a dining room, a lounge with bar and an open upper deck. No swimming pool, no jacuzzi, no exercise room. There actually IS an elevator...BUT it only goes between decks 2 and 3. To get to our cabin on deck 1, you use the stairs. To get to the open upper deck, you need to use the stairs. The elevator, therefore, is pretty much worthless. I never saw anyone actually use it.

 

Our cabin was TINY. Allegedly 150 square feet. But from years in the real estate bis, I know there are several different standards for the measurement of floor area. And I don't think they used any of them. The bed pretty much took up the entire room. One person at a time could sidle around the bed. If two of you wanted to get dressed at the same time, one of you may have to go dress in the hallway. Some loyal river cruiser told me "Oh, you should have gotten a balcony cabin, they are much bigger". Really? Ummm...one step allegedly up from ours was the "French Balcony" cabin. Those, however, are actually SMALLER--advertised as a mere 135 square feet. And "French Balcony"?" Not really a balcony at all--merely a window that opens. Two steps up are the "Veranda" cabins--allegedly 205 square feet. But don't mistake that for being larger than the 190 square feet we had on Millennium. They are clearly including the balcony in the measurement...and, again, probably using some bad standard of measurement and miscalculating that. The veranda rooms themselves had about the same layout as our window cabin--with maybe about two more feet towards the sliding door--in which they've places a small chair.

 

The bathroom had, at least, glass shower doors...which leaked badly, leaving a major puddle on the floor after each shower. Best thing about the cabin is that we didn't spend much time in it.

 

Entertainment on the ship was virtually nonexistent. They had a small musical combo made up of a guitarist and a pianist. One night they actually performed (badly) mostly country music. Another evening, while docked in a town, they brought on some local teenagers to dance. Other nights, the cruise director (or whatever they call him), Stefan, gave slide presentations on "Growing up in Eastern Europe" and on "Dracula"...actually, those two were at least fairly entertaining. Other than that, no real activities on the schedule.

 

Pretty much, five days out of six were fairly identical: Wake up early, breakfast at 7:00 am, pick up your shore excursion assignments (which bus you are assigned to--they mixed it up each day) and be out to the bus by 8:15. Most excursions were 40 people on a bus and a lot of driving. In one port, they took us to a horse ranch to watch a very mediocre "show" of guys riding around on horses...followed by some horse cart rides around the ranch and a walk through the stables...then a trip to the local church where the 82 year old organist played a few pieces for us.

 

I am accustomed to arranging my own small group private tours, so, for me, most of these tours were a bit underwhelming--loading and unloading 40 people on and off a bus, driving past a lot of places I might have wanted to stop to take a photo or two. One day was "scenic" cruising through the "Iron Gate"...at least we could relax a little and not spend the day on a crowded bus. Instead, we all crowded up onto the top deck.

 

The Food and Dining Room: All dinners were at a set time--7:00 pm. And the mob descended on the dining room quickly. We tended to walk down leisurely...maybe arriving at 7:01...So, each night when we got there, all of the seats at the oval tables along the windows on either side were gone (I think we managed to get to one of those tables for two meals the entire week)...So, we were typically relegated to the long tables toward the interior on either side of the buffet. The menu each night was a bit sparse--nowhere near the selection one gets on Celebrity. Every night there was a section describing what was available on the buffet--usually a local specialty, a local appetizer and some salad items and a soup. The "menu" items were VERY limited--maybe two unique entrees each night plus an "always available" steak and salmon. I tried the steak one night...and it was absolutely AWFUL...mostly fat and gristle, largely inedible...I ate about a third of it, never ordered it again. So few choices that one night I actually ordered the sea bass. My wife of 37 years will tell you that she has NEVER seen me order fish before--anywhere... but the options were so limited, I felt I had no choice. Surprisingly, it was quite good--one of the better dinners I had onboard. Another night, I ordered the Scallops...It arrived as 3 small scallops on a plate with some sauce over it...no rice, no potatoes. They tasted good, but I was so unsatisfied that I had the waiter bring me an order of french fries just to fill me up (the french fries WERE good).

 

But, I think the most surprising thing to me about dinner was the service. I expected, with a small ship and high prices, that the service would be exceptional. FAR from it. Remember, I just got off a Celebrity cruise, so comparisons were easy--Celebrity service is, typically, excellent. On this one:

1) The waiter usually failed to notice you when you sat down and were very slow to bring you a menu--almost hoping you'd just get up and eat from the buffet.

2) When they did bring food, they'd often bring multiple courses at once.

3) Silverware was not replaced after each course. waiters were not consistent as to from which side they served and cleared.

 

4) They would often neglect to bring something you'd ordered. Once, upon first contact with the waiter, I asked for a beer (beer and wine are included with meals). When the food came, I reminded him that I never got my beer., Still nothing. I later saw another waiter and asked him. Finally my waiter came with my beer, said "I'm sorry" and mumbled something about it being a long walk from the kitchen! One morning, I ordered French Toast...and never got it...

5) The "buffet" section was badly laid out. It was a square of tables in the middle of the dining room. In the mornings, a long line formed for omelets. In the dinner hour, the line was for whatever the local specialty was--which was being carved or doled out right next to the soup. One time, I got up to just get a bowl of soup--but had to stand in line behind about 15 people waiting to be served some main course. When I finally got close to the soup (on the side of the square rather than the front of it...and was still about the 8th person in line--with all 7 in front of me waiting for the main course), I said to the soup guy "Could I just get a bowl of soup?" ...thinking, since he was just standing there doing nothing, he could easily have just ladled out a cup of soup and handed it to me as I was at his side. But, no, he said, I would have to wait until I got to the front of the line! NO ONE in front of me was waiting for soup...I was the only person in line for soup...

6) With less than 200 passengers and the same few waiters seeing us every day, every meal, you'd think they might remember something about you. On Celebrity (or Royal Caribbean...or Princess, etc,), by the second or third day--even in "select" or "anytime" dining, the waiters seem to remember a whole lot--like they bring me iced tea without my asking...or know I always want constant refills...or that I require sugar-free ice cream--but don't like strawberry or nuts...OIn my Celebrity Alaska cruise, my waiters brought me sugar-free chocolate ice cream every night--even when not on the menu (of course, on Viking, with the limited menu, the only sugar fee ice cream they had--every night--was Neapolitan--which I don't eat). The waiters here never caught on that I wanted a draft beer with every dinner...or that I needed sugar fee syrup with my french toast. I'd sit at the same tables 80% of the time, so same couple of waiters...and every meal was a complete mystery to them.

 

Also, the waiters seemed short-staffed and the dining room seemed crowded and disorganized. It was more like a modified buffet than an elegant sit-down restaurant.

 

Okay, all that out of the way, there was, of course some good:

We met and shared time with a lot of great fellow cruisers. The ship seemed to be about 50% Americans, 50% from the UK and virtually no one from anywhere else (though I think I remember one woman saying she was from Brazil). We were surprised a bit that there were as many people with ages under 80 (someone had told us beforehand to be prepared to be the youngest people on the ship). There was one 13 year-old onboard (traveling with his grandmother, uncle and aunt) and there were a few younger adults-perhaps in their 20s/early 30s often traveling with parents...and, for us, we were very pleased that there were a number of couples in the 50-65 age range...far more than I expected...Not that there's anything wrong with older folks--we are arriving there pretty quickly ourselves after all...

 

About half the ship were repeat Viking cruisers. They had a reception one evening--but, there being only one lounge and no one checking invites, hard to tell who all showed up to that...but, they did send us, as repeats, a gift of free Viking Aquavit shot glasses to the cabin ...I only wished they would have sent a packing box with them--we had to pack them carefully to get them home without breaking.

 

Of course, one of the best things about this cruise was the opportunity to visit parts of the world we'd never get to on an ocean cruise--Prague, Budapest, the interior part of Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania...heck, the bus ride from Prague to Budapest actually had us pass through Slovakia as well--though we never really got a chance to see anything but the highway...The towns and the history are intriguing. We learned all about the era of Soviet domination and about the Yugoslav wars as the country split apart--with far different versions of who the good guys and bad guys were from our guides in Croatia and Serbia, respectively.

 

Some other notes, as I think about them:

Don't even bother shopping for a decent souvenir T-shirt in these countries. I don't think the locals think it appropriate dress for an adult. In Bucharest, for example, just about every T-Shirt sold was some sort of cartoon version of Dracula.

 

The towns visited in Croatia and Serbia still have all of the scars from the civil war 20 years ago. I guess it's a badge of honor to show everyone all of the holes in buildings caused by artillery shelling, bombs and land mines.

 

The major cities' skylines are dominated by some of the ugliest communist era cement tilt-up apartment blocks you've ever seen.

 

McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Subway and Pizza Hut have invaded almost everywhere...

 

Budapest is incredibly beautiful lit up at night...great vies from near the Hilton...and from the ship as you pull away and down the river...

 

Okay...despite all of my gripes, am I happy we did it? Yes...

Are we booking another Viking River Cruise anytime soon? Probably not...If we try another river cruise, we might try a different line next time...In the meanwhile, the next three are back on Celebrity...

Well done, Steve....we've done 8 river cruises with Vantage and it appears we both did the Budapest to the Black Sea cruise. We loved river cruising with Vantage but I must disagree with a few points: First our cabin was quite comfortable with plenty of storage and space to walk around and you made me laugh with the "french balcony"....what it's really good for is leaning out your door to take unobstructed photos!! We found the food exceptionally good and dining room service exceptional...it does take a little getting used to finding a seat, especially if you're with another couple, but you do get to meet everybody. I know it sounds like I'm working for Vantage but I do recommend them....everyone we dealt with from front office to tour guides and transportation was wonderful and since I tend to be a control freak I liked dealing with them directly and not through a travel agent. So why did we stop doing river cruises? It's not for the faint of heart.....the brochures all show people "of a certain age:o" but those pictures are taken in the morning! They don't show us crawling up the gangway before dinner and the reason they don't have a lot of evening entertainment is because we're all in bed by 10!!! But aren't Budapest and Prague wonderful. We also saw the Cossack horsemen with vodka tasting....what a rip off...but I did get the best buy on paprika there!

Now we're about to embark on our 8th cruise with Celebrity on Sunday....I love that there's so much to do or NOT to do on a cruise ship. I love sitting on my balcony and reading in total peace and quiet. I love having the same dinner table, companions and waiters every night and I love the idea that I can do whatever I please with respect to on shore excursions and there's so many choices for people with limited mobility and I've finally found a travel agent who understands my need for control:D.

Wonderful post, thanks for sharing.

my husband and i are leaving on a cruise out of barcelona on september 23 on the eclipse. we are in cabin #1635 also. after reading this thread i contacted my travel agent asking to be moved to another cabin. a day and a half later they sent me a list of available cabins. i immediately selected one and emailed them bu by then they had all been sold and now the travel agent is seeing what else can be done. any suggestions of what i can do to be proactive about this situation would be appreciated.

I wouldn't do anything...like I said in earlier post, we've been on Eclipse at least 4x with the last time this past March. ..we're in 1245 this time (also bump cabin) and when we return 8/18 I'll post and let you all know if there were any problems. We were on deck 16 in March and had no problems.

Which HAL ship and cabin and when was it? My friends are looking at booking on HAL to Alaska and since I recommended HAL cruise itinerary to them, I want to make sure I am not getting them into a miserable cruise.

It was on the Statendam, which was retired at the end of that season. I will say that the pre-trip we booked with the cruise (and I highly recommend it) was fantastic, the ports and excursions we did were wonderful. It was just the ship we were on. But I'm sure your friends will be on a newer ship and be fine.

Hydrokitty, I'm leaving Amsterdam on Mon, Aug. 6th on the Eclipse and I'm hoping that I don't hear any of that shaking and noise that OP complained about. My cabin is midship on deck 8. Oh well, it is what it is and I'm planning on a great cruise to someplace I've always wanted to visit.I certainly hope that the issue can be resolved without going to the news. I wouldn't have enjoyed a cruise where I couldn't sleep. See you on board.

Hi Patty.....if it's any consolation to you, I've sailed on Eclipse at least 4x, the last being in March, 2018, and had no problem. We're on deck 10 on the bump. I know when it happened to us on HAL it was absolutely dreadful. The vibration was so bad we had to hold on to the wall in the shower! I hope we meet up with you. Are you going to the Tattoo in Edinburgh?

From news reports 60,000 attended the event this year.

Well ok then....that's big....and I'm glad to hear it.

I would skip the "get even" temptation and write a serious letter to the corporate headquarters in FL setting forth clearly and calmly every complaint about your room vibration, how it affected you and your wife, the name and position, if possible, of everyone you spoke to about it and what they told you. Tell them your cabin level and what you paid for it and what you expected to get for that amount. Mail it addressed to the CEO and send it certified mail, return receipt requested. This will guarantee that it gets read by at the very least her assistant and responded to. I'm on the Eclipse leaving from Amsterdam on Monday next....I located my cabin and while I'm 2 floors below you, I'm on the same side in a cabin on the bump. I'll let you know if I have or hear of anyone else having problems.

I googled the Dublin Pride Parade and found the 2019 Dublin Pride Festival begins June 20, 2019 which is the day the ship docks.

I can't believe that would be a big enough event to put it on the itinerary. I wonder if there's a large group of LGBTQ on board and that's why they're going to Dublin mid-itinerary.

What a nightmare this has been for you! I commend you for setting an example for how to behave when the world gives you rotten lemonade and tells you drink it anyway. I do hope you're recording everything that has happened. I've sailed on the Eclipse 4 times now, including the cruise you're on and never had a problem, but as I previously posted I did have a similar problem on a HAL cruise and everyone I dealt with just denied it was happening! Celebrity should certainly compensate you for this and I'm glad you are not letting it ruin your trip because this was a really wonderful cruise. Document everything you have done, everyone you have spoken to and what they have told you....and don't back down. Keep us posted on the outcome, please.

Ask if you can move into the Captain's room and have him move into the bridge. Seems like that's the least they could do.

Need that Like button!!

I emailed Silver Moon and think I’ll take advise on St Kitts and do Celebrity excursion. Does anyone have a favorite for St. Croix or Antigua. We love smaller groups.

 

 

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Antigua is easy to get around by the local bus that stops near the port. You'll want to head up to Nelson's Dockyard and try to get donuts from the little shop. It's interesting with lovely views, some local shopping and a very nice place to stroll around looking at all the million $$ yachts!

We haven't done St; Croix yet so tell me what you find when you get back.

In St. Kitts if you're good with walking, the rain forest and waterfall is supposed to be lovely. We did the train ride and while it had it's good moments, for a lot of the time was boring so I wouldn't recommend it.

Wow, this thread got ugly quickly!

I have a serious follow-up question: why would Celebrity restrict some kinds of food from being brought on board? It would never have occurred to me that this it would pose a problem if I wanted to bring some locally-purchased snacks back with me from a port of call. They allow candy, pastries, etc. So why not meat? Just curious.

I think it has to do with health issues..I know US and many other countries are very particular about bringing fresh fruits because they could carry insects or insecticides not permitted...also matter of refrigeration..Cabin fridges are not really meant to keep many foods at optimal temps so you run the risk if getting sick from eating something that may look and smell ok but not be safe to eat...and if the passenger is not conscientious about perishible foods there could be offensive odors. As you know packaged non-perishibles are allowed on board and I agree it's fun bringing cookies and candy from different countries on board.

We have just planned a last minute cruise and haven’t been to Caribbean in 15 years except to St. Martin. Many of the islands we are visiting were affected last year from hurricanes and I’m having a bit of trouble finding out current conditions. We are in our early 60’s and love the water so beach days and half day sails are great for us with a little shopping thrown in. We’ve been to most of the islands we are visiting so no need for an island tour.

 

If anyone had a favorite excursion, beach or tour I’d love to know.

 

St. Thomas - all set

 

St. Croix - beach day or Buck Island ... which would be most relaxing

 

Barbados - thinking of Silver Moon sail

 

St. Lucia — need help here

 

St. Martin — all set

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

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St. Lucia has a volcano and the Pitons, which are a World Heritage site. We took the ship tour and went to the Pitons, Diamond Gardens and waterfall (beautiful) and the Sulfur Springs Park, where the Sofriere volcano is and had lunch at Marigot Bay. We were advised to be very careful going out on our own because of the rampant poverty and some very unscrupulous "tour guides" who will quote you a price, take you to the furthest point and then charge you more to bring you back to the ship! There were also several tours that included an afternoon at the beach. St. Lucia has something for everyone depends on what you like. One of our favorite restaurants on St. Lucia is the Pink Papaya and depending on where you dock, could be right off the ship or a quick ferry ride away....sometimes the ferry is free and sometimes it isn't....the people are really laid back!

Hydro kitty

You should read the entire post before making statements. I said I have 30 plus cruises so yes i k ow the size of the fridges. Never mentioned bring bread or. Condiments with me so where did you get that assumption. To many people have opinions but no knowledge. For those with constructive advise,Thank hou

Your opinion is noted however, you did say you wanted to bring cold cuts on board to make sandwiches...you don't use bread or any kind of spread to make your sandwich? Not that there's anything wrong with that...and if you've done 30 cruises, why now do you need to bring your own food? You're welcome.

Bring back the CORNING Hot Glass Show on at least one ship. That was my favorite part of the S-Class ships--entertaining. educational, and unique. I would much rather watch experienced artisans demonstrate their craft than to pay $50 to try to make a paperweight myself.

 

I'd also like to see more local entertainment from the part of the world where you are cruising. A short folk dancing performance would be interesting. Maybe a cooking demo by a local chef.

Good idea....I loved that show too. I disagree with you passing up the chance to make a paperweight. I did it at at Corning (I live in NY) and it is one of my most treasured possessions and an unforgettable experience!

Also like the idea of local entertainment like they do on the river cruises. I'd love the cooking demo too but that could be problematic with the insurance.

ok well we spoke to assistant manager and once again there is no place to go, they are trying to figure out compensation. i asked about sleeping in the relaxation room, they said no, i asked about sleeping in the medical facility, i was told no, i asked about sleeping in a massage room, i was told no. last night we left after 11 so i was able to fall asleep for a few hours being exhausted, but woke up at 4. tonight we will be sailing when i’m trying to go to sleep, so i’m going to try for 30 minutes then i’m sleeping in the lobby. they state that the shaking can occur in any room and they don’t have any idea where it’s going to be.

 

i missed my spin class this morning, was so exhausted i couldn’t see when i was out wondering trying to find a place to sleep.

 

 

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Here's a thought and I have no experience to back it up: what if you were to put on your work-out pants and go to the pool after it closes. Those swinging beds are really comfortable, you can pull the curtains closed, there are bathrooms nearby and I can't see where you would be inconveniencing anyone. You'll probably attract security just to check on you and they may ask you to move but if you tell them the problem, and promise to be gone by 6 am., they just might let you stay.

I am aware about not taking food off the ship except prepackaged. What about taking food on a ship. I would like to buy certain cold cuts to make my own sandwiches on board

In the event you're serious.....I don't think you'd get away with bringing cold cuts on board....besides you'd need to bring bread, mayo/mustard, etc. and I'd hate to be next to your cabin if you liked salami or corned beef or limburger! Not to mention the storage problem....have you seen the size of the fridge in a stateroom? You can get just about any kind of sandwich you want made to order on board.....and it's "free".....meaning you already paid for it.

As someone who also lives in Alaska just a few comments:

 

Of the Celebrity itinerary options (at least for me) the strongest is the one way between Seward and Vancouver.

 

We go to Denali on a frequent basis as it takes about two hours to drive from Fairbanks to the park entrance. Kids, just as adults, have different tolerances for travel, and we frequently see surprisingly young children on those shuttle buses, and doing well on them. Periodically folks just go as far in the park as Tolkat, but I see little ones on the trip into Eielson Visitor Center as well. And there are a number of child friendly activities at at the part entrance, including the dog sled demos (the NPS rangers patrol the park in the winter on dog sleds), the Murie Science Center and the park visitor's center. Really depends on the kid's interests and travel tolerances.

 

If the Click family ends up on the Eclipse RT out of Vancouver would adding a trip on the Rocky Mountain Mountaineer Railroad be of interest?

 

There also has been discussion this spring on the Alaska CC forum on traveling with young kids in Alaska. Hopefully a quick search will find them.

I agree I think Alaska is one of the few places besides WDW where children will be just as entertained and interested as adults. Rocky Mountaineer is a wonderful, if pricey, adventure....we took it from Vancouver to Banff and rode the Sno Cat on Athabasca Glacier, which is unforgettable. We also LOVE Vancouver so I would suggest the Click family spend a couple of days there since they've already done some interior Alaska. Vancouver is easy to get around and there are wonderful sights to see, like the Capilano Suspension Bridge through the canopy; Butchart Gardens, Grouse Mountain, Aquarium, Stanley Park and Granville Island Market.

I get the point.

This could be a deterrent to chair hogs....after someone has left their book and towel unattended on a prime chaise lounge for 30 minutes, the little spiky things pop up impaling their belongings to the chair with a sign that says "CHAIR HOG"....to retrieve their belongings they must see a pool steward in order to release the spikes.....there could be fines involved to defray the cost of installation.

(I think I have waaaay to much time on my hands)

Well, that's a pretty good description of Mr Chew, and he would tell you that most of the seating is almost unusable if you are built like that!! His very favorite most comfortable place to sit & read on board is - hot tubs!!

Doesn't his book get wet? I tried that once and the splashing from the hydrojets made it impossible.

Most standard balconies cannot accommodate three chairs, and most cabins do not come with them. You can ask, but be prepared to be told no. I also agree that if three people are in a cabin they should provide three chairs IF there is room to safely have them on the balcony. But they didn't ask me, so expect to settle for two. You can always bring the desk chair out there for the third person, but on many balconies it will be a tight fit, especially on M class.

That's what we did when we were traveling with a friend who is single. She didn't have a balcony so she'd come up to ours and we'd pull the desk chair out. It was tight but doable. I didn't ask for another chair but if I were doing this today I wouldn't hesitate to ask steward if we could have an extra....worse he/she can do is say sorry.

here is a video of the new modified benches that will be installed on the new celebrity ships:

 

ouch!!!! :(

Guy 999 you have my deepest sympathy. We had the exact same problem on HAL on our first cruise. The vibration was so bad that we had to hold onto the wall in the shower and the bed shook all night long! We had a balcony cabin on an upper deck and complained almost daily and there was nothing they could do. (we later discovered that the ship was old and we were on her last cruise) When we finally disembarked we vowed never to go on a cruise again!!! We've sailed on the Eclipse 4x so far and she's one of our favorite ships and I've never had that problem....but that's no consolation to you. I would keep complaining and see if there's anything they can repair when they're in port or compensate you in some other way. :(

That's really good to know....I've always booked Celebrity cruises on board, but I'm running out of places to go and had no idea I could book RCI on board X. :D