royal3

I would recommend S/B. My answer is not related to the Inside Passage aspect, but I would rather spend the night(s) before the cruise (I always fly in a day, or two, early) exploring Anchorage then exploring Vancouver. As for transportation to Seward, although the train is amazing, during my last trip I took the A.C.T. Big Bus ($75 pp) to save money and did a train ride in Seward instead.

I found, being close to the water, that the Cove Balcony provided white noise which helped reduce other noise.

If they are on Radiance of the Seas, they are in Skagway 0700-1700, then in Haines 1900-2300, the same day on the SB trips.

If there are teenagers traveling, I would recommend Royal Caribbean. Their ships have more activities for teens.

We have used Shore Excursion Group many times in Alaska, especially in Skagway, and they are our preferred provider. Like mentioned in the other posts, they do not run the tours, but just market them. They do offer a Guaranteed Return to Ship. Luckily, we have never had file a claim on their guarantee.

No real advantage leaving from San Francisco unless you live near there. I would do Seattle. If you have extra vacation days, do a one way and spend the extra days in Alaska on land. However, the one way would have to be from Vancouver (N/B) or Anchorage (S/B).

No formal restaurant. Kind of remember there being a food truck up there for snacks.

We waited until arrival to buy tickets just incase the weather was bad. Big mistake. Took almost an hour standing in line to buy the ticket there. As I waited in the slow/long line, the family went to the cannery and looked around.

We received a similar invitation on a cruise. The maitre d came to our table at dinner and asked us if we would like the attend the breakfast the next day. Amazing Filipino food.

Each ship is good and each has it's own style. Are there kids traveling with you?

With several Alaska ports recently setting daily passenger limits, schedules might be changing. They might be waiting for things to firm up.

Found this letter on a former post. The compensation seems fair to me.

Factors would be what time the ship leaves the ports (ie would you have to rush back to the ship to make dinner), do you like to watch the sail away as you leave port, and how the dinner time compares to the time zone where you live (unless you are spending time before the cruise to adjust to the time change)? We prefer the late dinner (totally opposite then at home) since it is less rushed (no "hurry up, got to make the show"), less crowded, easier to get a good table in the size we like, less kids, and we can always grab a snack before dinner if needed. We also find we eat a smaller dinner this way.

September is during whale season off of Japan. Wonder if speed restrictions are in place which prevent going to the some of the original ports? Just a guess, but it has happened in other places and would fall under "international cruising regulations."

Hubbard Glacier is the hands down winner for me. The size of the glacier is amazing.

Very hard choice. Skagway is our favorite Alaska port, and Hubbard is our favorite glacier. If you luck out and get Hubbard on a clear day, the calving is amazing. If you plan to take another cruise to Alaska in the future, I would go with Hubbard this time since more ships visit Skagway then Hubbard so it would be easy to catch Skagway next time. Most of the ships that visit Hubbard are Anchorage/Vancouver (NB, SB), or Vancouver RT. Skagway has those voyages and also Seattle RT so more choices next time.

My reply was to the suggestion the news media, and social media, would be interested in this story. Please do not add a spin to my post.

**NOTICE OF SALES TAX CODE CHANGE** This notice provides information about recent changes to the Sales Tax code resulting from Ordinance 2021-44, passed December 13, 2021 and effective January 12, 2022. A summary of the changes is shown below. Exemption: Prior to January 12, 2022, all sales of goods and services on board a cruise ship within the City and Borough of Juneau were exempt from the Juneau 5% sales tax. However, on December 13, 2021 the CBJ Assembly adopted a new Ordinance which exempts only those transactions that take place on board a cruise ship within Juneau boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel. Sales of goods and services on board a cruise ship that take place within the Gastineau Channel will now be subject to the Juneau 5% sales tax, and sales of alcoholic beverages are subject to the additional 3% liquor tax. For the purposes of this exemption, Gastineau Channel means that body of water adjacent to Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, North of Marmion Island, and South of the Juneau-Douglas Bridge. This exemption is intended to only exempt:  Sales of goods which are paid for by a passenger and delivered to the passenger on board the cruise ship while the ship is within the City and Borough Boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel and,  Services which are paid for and performed aboard the cruise ship while the ship is within the City and Borough boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel,  Pre-cruise payments for goods and services Cruise ships are defined as commercial passenger vessels that:  Are authorized to carry more than 20 passengers and,  Provide overnight transportation for at least 20 passengers for hire and,  Are privately (non-government) operated. This exemption does not apply to:  Goods sold on day tours or daily excursion type sales,  Tours or boat charters within the City & Borough of Juneau or,  Goods or services purchased by cruise lines. Goods purchased by cruise lines for resale may be exempted from sales tax under CBJ 69.05.040(32) – Resale of Goods. For more information on the Resale of Goods exemption, please see procedure 432 of the Administrative Guidelines. Thank you for your effort in keeping in compliance with the CBJ Sales Tax code. Please contact the CBJ Sales Tax office at the email address or number above if you have any questions on this matter.

For set dining times, there is always "ask John Heald" on his Facebook page. His usual reply is to send him a message (by posting on his page) about 2 days before the cruise. Include your ship, sail date, and cabin number. DO NOT include your reservation number. Since he is in the UK, his board for requests is usually open from about 3 AM - 12 PM EST. He will then send your request to the ship.

Upon your return, there will be shuttles ready to take you back to the parking lot. If you have problems finding the correct shuttle, just ask a porter.

This is a first world problem which will receive very little sympathy. Even in the cruise world, it effects very few people. Although on here there are lots of suite guests (or they are just very vocal), overall not even on the radar for 99.999% of the population.....

**NOTICE OF SALES TAX CODE CHANGE** This notice provides information about recent changes to the Sales Tax code resulting from Ordinance 2021-44, passed December 13, 2021 and effective January 12, 2022. A summary of the changes is shown below. Exemption: Prior to January 12, 2022, all sales of goods and services on board a cruise ship within the City and Borough of Juneau were exempt from the Juneau 5% sales tax. However, on December 13, 2021 the CBJ Assembly adopted a new Ordinance which exempts only those transactions that take place on board a cruise ship within Juneau boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel. Sales of goods and services on board a cruise ship that take place within the Gastineau Channel will now be subject to the Juneau 5% sales tax, and sales of alcoholic beverages are subject to the additional 3% liquor tax. For the purposes of this exemption, Gastineau Channel means that body of water adjacent to Juneau and Douglas, Alaska, North of Marmion Island, and South of the Juneau-Douglas Bridge. This exemption is intended to only exempt:  Sales of goods which are paid for by a passenger and delivered to the passenger on board the cruise ship while the ship is within the City and Borough Boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel and,  Services which are paid for and performed aboard the cruise ship while the ship is within the City and Borough boundaries but outside of the Gastineau Channel,  Pre-cruise payments for goods and services Cruise ships are defined as commercial passenger vessels that:  Are authorized to carry more than 20 passengers and,  Provide overnight transportation for at least 20 passengers for hire and,  Are privately (non-government) operated. This exemption does not apply to:  Goods sold on day tours or daily excursion type sales,  Tours or boat charters within the City & Borough of Juneau or,  Goods or services purchased by cruise lines. Goods purchased by cruise lines for resale may be exempted from sales tax under CBJ 69.05.040(32) – Resale of Goods. For more information on the Resale of Goods exemption, please see procedure 432 of the Administrative Guidelines. Thank you for your effort in keeping in compliance with the CBJ Sales Tax code. Please contact the CBJ Sales Tax office at the email address or number above if you have any questions on this matter.

I have no problem somebody grabbing one item really fast from a well stocked food tray. HOWEVER, if it is the last serving in the food tray, I do mind if that is one of the items I am waiting in line for. Sometimes a replacement tray might not arrive for a few minutes. I have seen people cut into the line and take everything (more then one person could possibly eat) from a food tray.

Hold off, but don't hold off too long. The night before our cruise I went to print the luggage tags and it was too late. The system was locked for the cruise. No worries, just got them at the port.

Check the app every day during the cruise, several times a day. They release blocks of time randomly during the cruise.