darin2

We did one renewal and two new ones at the end of last year.  It was 3-6 weeks for all three coming in at 3,4 and 6 weeks for regular passport service.

Embarkation was interesting, and not what we expected.  We had 11am check in time.  We had done our ArriveCan app and printed the barcode.  We did rapid NAAT covid tests at Walgreens the day before flying and printed those results out as well.  We got the Pier 91 around 10:20am.  Dropping the luggage was easy and there were people there to help with this.  We walked straight into the main building on the bottom floor.  It was about half full and they had not opened up the check in on the 2^nd floor.  The only priority access I saw was handicapped persons.  No one at any point ever asked for our ArriveCan info or inquired about our arrival time.  In about 20 minutes they opened up the check in and people started going up the escalators.  At the top you go through a security check and x-ray of your carry on items.  After that they direct you to a line to check in.  That all went very quickly, less than 15 min, and we were directed to an area where people were waiting to go onto the ship.  Around 11:30-11:45 they finally opened up boarding for Star and Suite guests, but EVERYONE just went out to the boarding area, and they never checked or asked anyone.  It was really very unorganized.  The last time we embarked from Pier 91 with Carnival they sat you in a number sitting area.  They called your number and everyone in that area boarded at one time.  Anyway we were having lunch in the Windjammer by 12, and it was practically empty.  Again no one every asked or checked the ArriveCan or our check In time. 

We were in a standard balcony cabin, room 10136.  Our cabin had plenty of room for three adults and four large pieces of luggage.  The balcony is a must when cruising in Alaska.

The first thing I tried to do was book our specialty dining meals.  We had the three dining package, and they had already booked the first day at 5:30.  I was unable to book Wonderland at all in the app for any day.  After struggling with that I went Izumi and the gentlemen there helped me book all our meals for the week.  We ate at Wonderland, Izumi, Chops, and Jamie’s Italian.  All were very good, and had outstanding service.  Highlights were Jamie’s lasagna and brownie, Izumi molten lava cake and beef teriyaki bowl, Chops ribeye and thick bacon, Wonderland fried branzino and The World.  The MDR had really good food and variety, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They also bring around little extras light strawberry smoothie for breakfast and strawberry ice cream with dark chocolate at lunch. 

All of the shows were first come seating with no reservations except a new show, Starwater in the Two70 venue.  The entertainment was kind of hit and miss.  We liked the comedian and some of the singers.  The sequins and feathers show was okay, but really nothing special. One of the best shows was Andy Elton, tribute to Sir Elton John.  We also really enjoyed Starwater in the 270 venue.  It was one of the highlights of the cruise.  I will say the 270 venue is built so that many people cannot see what is happening because some of the performance areas are lower and there may be difficult to view. 

There are allot of high end shops on this ship, most of which we could not afford to purchase from.  The ship was very weird in that there wasn’t really a Royal Caribbean store.  They had a really small RCCL store area, and the rest of it was them putting racks of clothes or watches out into the Royal Espalande area for “sales” everyday.  So basically you are trying to walk through this area, which is usually crowded, and it’s full of merchandise that should be in a store.  Very weird.

The cruise director was Mike.  We barely saw or heard from Mike.  We saw him 5 min before a show started and sometimes on the intercom.  I didn’t see him interacting with guests much.  He did participate in a few of the gameshows.  Our last cruise to Alaska on Carnival we had Lee and he was a blast.  I guess Mike was okay, but we weren’t impressed. 

The food was pretty good.  The Windjammer was hit and miss, but pretty consistent of what you would think for buffet food.  It had a good variety and we ate breakfast there most mornings.  After about four days we stopped eating breakfast there, and ate mostly at the MDR or specialty restaurants. 

I had the refreshment package and found I liked trying different drinks.  The MDR was good and we found the service was very good.  We tried the pizza and we all thought it was great for cruise ship pizza.  We went into the Solarium Bistro a few times, but didn’t really see the variety of things we wanted to eat.  I was disappointed that Café Promenade did not have more offerings.  It was much smaller than what I thought it would be, and is basically just a small walk up counter with a few offerings.  I had really looked forward to eating at the Harp & Horn pub.  They had a menu, but said that weren’t offering any food. 

One of the biggest issues I had was Internet, TV, and activities.  I know you don’t come on a cruise to watch TV or surf the Internet, but basically had 3 sea days and very little activities at night.  The Internet just plain out sucked, and there were a few days that we had no Internet..  Sometimes you would go hours with no Internet and most of the time it was just really slow.  We had the more expensive surf and stream package.  I was on a much older ship 5 years ago in Alaska and it worked fine then.  I’m not sure the problems but they printed in the cruise compass that they were having issues.  The TV had several news channels, maybe 3 other channels and that was it other than cruise line related stuff.  I just thought there might be a better variety.  The activities after 9pm were few and far between.  Maybe karaoke or a game show a few nights, but mostly nothing but music in bars.  We were use to having late night comedians, crafts, ice carving, and other game type activities. 

We enjoyed playing air hockey at the Seaplex.  They offered laser tag and bumped cars.  The bumper cars were always at times during shows in the evenings so we never go to do those.  My wife and daughter also did the free Northstar in Skagway.  They liked that.  They did the paid, $30, iFly experience and they really had a blast.

The weather was outstanding for this trip.  Each port day was 55 to 65 degrees with no rain and it was mostly sunny.  It did rain on a few of the sea days, but that was not an issue. 

Sitka – We did the best of Sitka tour through RCCL, which included three different stops and they dropped you off in town if you wanted.  We did the Fortress of the Bear, Alaska Raptor Center, and totem.  We thought the raptor center was the best.  You basically just walk through the Fortress of the Bear on your own.  The bears were very interactive.  They drop you downtown afterwards if you want, so we did some shopping and then took a shuttle back to the ship.  We had docked at the new pier a few miles outside of town.  I will say the tour process was very organized and the new port terminal was nice. 

Skagway – We did the White Pass Rail tour through RCCL.  I highly suggest this in May, as you will. Still see lots of snow at the top of the mountains.  Afterwards we went shopping and walked around town.   Don’t miss the dough boy for a quick treat.  $3 per person transfers from boat to town and back if you need them.

Juneau – We did the Harv & Marv whale watching tour booked privately.  This was about a 4hr tour that picked us up right near the gangway getting off the ship.  We saw five different whales and got some good pictures.  This is our second time with Harv & Marv and we highly recommend them.  Due to only being in Juneau for 6.5 hours we could do little else but the girls got in a little shopping near the pier. 

Victoria BC – We didn’t do a tour or get off the ship. 

Disembarkation was pretty easy.  We used Port Valet which provided us with our luggage tags and Delta boarding passes the night before we got off the ship.  We took a tour to the Chihuly Gardens and Space Needle, which lasted two hours.  Afterward they dropped us off at the airport. 

Unfortunately my wife, daughter, and I got COVID right at the end of our cruise.  We tested when we got home and were all positive.  Our Facebook group for the cruise had about 20 people who also tested positive after the cruise. 

This is our 3^rd Alaska cruise.  The first two were on smaller ships, and I think that might be the way to go in Alaska.  Maybe something gets lost in the mix on these bigger ships.  Don’t get me wrong, the ports were all great and we had a good time for the most part, just a few stumbles.  I think if we do an Alaska cruise again we may fly into Alaska and cruise southbound. 

I received an email yesterday and today from RC that offers a variety of discounts for food and beverage packages, the key and photo packages.  When I click the link in the email it just takes me to the cruise planner, but I don't see any discounts.  Anyone else seen this issue or know how to get the discounts? We just booked the Quantum of the Seas for an Alaska cruise next year.  Thanks

My Ultimate dining package shows $196 for 7 day cruise

We are booked on an October Canada New England cruise going out of NYC.  I've only put the deposit down at this point, but I have bought our airline tickets.  So i'm optimistic they may keep the fall schedule.  

Can this be done easily?  We are arriving back in Manhattan on Carnival Cruise on Oct. 11th, which is a Sunday.  I know they will let you off early if you have an early flight.  If we get on the road by 8am, I figure that gives us 1.5 hrs to make it to JFK ( I always like to get there two hours before departure).  Anyone have experience with this type of early flight?  Thanks

I’m looking at a Canada/New England cruise out of the New York area in October of this year. I’m looking at Anthem of the Seas (9 days) or the Norwegian Escape (7 days). Both cruises are about the same itinerary, and price for a balcony Both offer some free perks right now such as free specialty dining and vip boarding. I’ve never been on Norwegian before and it’s been 10 years since I’ve been on RCCL. I would appreciate any recommendations.

Harv & Marv. Just got back a few weeks ago. Great communications, prices are fair, outstanding skipper and naturalist, saw tons of whales and wild life. The boat was just right for our group.

We booked a category 8K extended balcony cabin, 8156, about a year prior to the cruise through USAA travel. This is a 7 day round trip cruise out of Seattle stopping in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria BC. My wife, daughter (23), and I were booked in one cabin. We flew non-stop out of Atlanta into Seatac Airport, the day prior to the cruise. We used Shuttle Express to pre-book a towncar from the airport to our hotel ($52). This was very nice. The driver met us in baggage claim and helped us carry our luggage to the car. We rode in a Lincoln SUV.

We stayed at the Thompson Hotel in downtown Seattle. This is a new hotel that was built in 2016. The costs was around $300 with tax. It’s a nice boutique hotel, with plenty of room, and nice amenities. It’s one block from Pike Place Market, so that was a bonus.

We took an Uber XL from the hotel to Pier 91 the next morning around 11. Our check-in time with Carnival was 11:30am, but to be honest, I don’t think anyone really even looked, as we were there a few minutes early. I have to say the check-in process super easy. Drop off at the port is very close to the terminal. You go in and drop off your checked bags that have the Carnival tags. You then get in another line, where they check your passport or other travel documents. After that you go up an escalator, and are put in another line where you present your ticket and receive your sail and sign cards. You are then given a number and have a seat in a waiting area. We were in the waiting area maybe 15 minutes before being called to get on the boat. I’m pretty sure we were onboard before noon.

Once on board we went up to the Lido deck and had lunch. It was very crowded. At 1:30pm, we went to our room and settled in. All of our luggage was delivered by 2pm. The extended balcony was nice with three people in the room, and we could all sit there comfortably. I had preordered a case of water, which had been delivered. We met our cabin steward, Pepe, and signed up to have evening cleaning service. Our room steward was okay. He did the traditional towel animals every night and kept the room clean. Nothing extraordinary, but what you would expect from good service.

We had early dining at 5:30pm, and were put with three other guests, who we enjoyed talking with throughout the trip. We ate dinner in the main dining room every night, except the one night we ate in the Noveau Steakhouse. The service was very good. It was slow a few nights, with us coming close to missing the shows. They brought out a cake for my wife’s birthday one night, which was nice. We all thought the food in the MDR was good. There was always a good variety, and new things you wanted to try. The only real issue I had was on the lobster tail night, the lobster was overcooked and rubbery. We ate at the sushi bar a few times and thought the food was very good. We ate at the Seafood Shack on the Lido deck one time. We had the lobster roll, which was freshly made and tasted great. The fries were very good.

We went to all the main production shows in the Follies lounge. I thought they were all done very well, however the night they did British music, it was not as good because the songs were not very familiar.

The first day was at sea, so nothing really to report. We did shipboard activities and enjoyed ourselves. We did eat the brunch in the MDR. I thought the food was very good, and couldn’t eat lunch afterwards.

The second day was Tracy Arm Fjord. It was about 11am before we entered the fjord. It was rainy all day and cold. There were tons of icebergs floating around. We did see a black bear and whale spouts. We did get to see the glacier, but did not get to get up close because of all the icebergs in the water. They really didn’t tell us anything about it or explain, they just stopped for a period of time and then turned around and left.

The third day was in Skagway. We booked the dog mushing camp through Carnival for this day. We were picked up at the dock in a nice bus and took a twenty minute ride into the mountains above town. We arrived at camp and got to see salmon spawning in the river near camp. At the camp, they put us in these large diesel Mog vehicles with seats in the back. It’s a fun ride up the side of a mountain. Once at the top, they put you in a dogsled with a guide and dogs. You take a few laps around an outdoor track area, and then you get to pet the dogs and take pictures. After you get back down to the camp, they give you a talk about the dogs and how they are trained. We then got to hold 9 week old puppies. It was loads of fun, and we all enjoyed it. There was a light rain most of the time we were there, but most everything is covered. They have a gift shop with drinks and snacks if needed.

The van dropped us off in town on the way back. We at lunch at the Skagway Brewery, which was excellent. I love this town most of all, just because it’s small and quaint. After some shopping we walked back to the ship. I will say there is a bus that you can ride back for $2. It is a bit of a walk, depending on your level of fitness.

The fourth day we were in Juneau, and had great weather. We had prebooked a whale watching tour with Harv & Marv. We were picked up at the dock and taken to the boat, which was about 20 minutes away. We had 10 people on our tour, and the boat had ample space, and was nicely equipped. We saw so many whales. It was amazing. I got great shots on my camera. They also took us to see seals and sea lions. I highly recommend this tour and company. They offer snacks and drinks It was the highlight of our trip. We got back to the pier about 12:30pm. We went to Tracy’s King Crab Shack and ate lunch. Great food, and atmosphere, and the prices really weren’t that bad. We shared a combo, and one extra king crab leg.

The fifth day was Ketchikan. I wish we had time to do more here, but due to the fact we had to be back on the boat by 12:30pm, we just mainly walked around and shopped. We went to Creek Street and downtown. I will say that if you buy from any of the Tonga Trading Company stores, they will ship your purchases home US Priority Mail for $20. And if you buy anything from their other stores, you simply show you have purchased shipping. They hold all your items that you buy from all stores and ship them together. I thought it was a great deal, and saved us from having to put more stuff in our luggage. Our items arrived home three days after we got back.

The sixth day was Victoria, BC, but it was really a sea day. You don’t arrive until 7:30pm at night and have to be back in about 4 hours. We didn’t get off the ship. We used the time to go back and pack everything. There’s no show the last night and very little to do otherwise.

Day seven was disembarkation. We were off the ship by 8:30am. We decided to leave our luggage at the Pier 91 concierge while we went into Seattle for some sight seeing. It costs $3 a bag, and you have to pick it up by 3:30pm that afternoon. It’s very easy to find. After you pick up your luggage and walk through customs (very easy), and head toward the exit, but concierge is on the left near the exit door. They give you a tag for your luggage and even give you some tips on places to go see. We came back and got our luggage around 2pm.

The cruise staff was excellent, and we had a very good time overall. We had excellent weather in Juneau and Ketchikan, which was a big plus. The entertainment was very good. I would probably pick a cruise with a better port schedule next time, but it all worked out well. I’ll say the main dining room had cloth table cloths every night (this is a big deal to some people). The Noveau Steakhouse was outstanding, and one of the best meals of our trip. The best service, and wonderful views of the ocean and sunset for our dining experience. We also did the Dr. Seuss breakfast. It was very fun, but the food was average. Well worth the $5.

We used the carnival internet (value) on the ship. Book it prior leaving to get a discount. It was kind of like using a slow DSL internet service. You can access most websites that doesn’t having streaming media. Some times it was faster than others. My wife and I shared it. We just took turns when we wanted to check Facebook or something else. We used the Carnival Hub app for almost everything. You just connect to their wifi and access their app. You can look at schedules, dinner menus, bookmark favorites. If you add a favorite it will notify you 15 minutes prior to the event. We really liked the app and hardly ever looked at the Funtimes paper. It also lets you see all your purchases made on the cruise, which is nice.

We did a similar cruise to this 9 years prior. On that cruise we flew into Anchorage and took the cruise out of Whittier Alaska. We then cruised south, hitting four ports and ending in Canada. I felt like I was on an Alaskan cruise the first day that time. This time going round trip out of Seattle, it was 85 degrees when we left, and really didn’t get cold until the third day. I guess it just took longer to get the feel of the cruise this way. If I ever come back, I might cruise out of Alaska again.

I think that's the one we are taking in three weeks on Carnival Legend

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My wife collects Pandora charms. I'm sure she will buy some when we head to Alaska later this month. I was wondering if there were stores that sell Pandora charms in each port, and then also, does each town have it's own different Pandora charm. I know there are probably some Alaska charms, but didn't know if there were others for the port towns themselves. I know when we went to Maui a few years ago, the stores there had charms specific to that island. Anyway, I appreciate the feedback.

I saw this recent video on Youtube showing an aft balcony on the Legend.

We are cruising on the Legend to Alaska at the end of August. I did my online check-in last week on Carnival's website, and to my surprise it asked me what time we wanted to check-in. I chose 11:30-12. It's been a few years since we have cruised, so this is a nice new option.

If anyone has a Carnival Legend Funtimes from this year in Alaska, please post or send it to me. Thanks.

Darin

darin2@comsouth.net

I saw this posted on a forum, and confirmed it's free today only. Usually costs $10, but is free today. It allows you to download maps to cities you are visiting, which will save your data costs on trips. I thought some may find it useful in different Seattle/Vancouver/Alaska locations. The IOS version is the free one, and seems highly rated in the app store. I'm going to give it a try for our Alaska cruise in August.

And no i'm in no way affiliated with this app, just trying to pass along a good deal to forum members.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/city-maps-2go-pro-offline/id327783342

Any update on getting the PDF of the Fun Times?

Thanks for the info. We are staying at the Thompson Hotel before the cruise. I may see if they will hold our luggage when we return, and they are only a few blocks from Pike Place Market.

We are flying out of SeaTac the day after the cruise. We are staying in a hotel near the airport, and really didn't want to travel from the port to the hotel, and then turn around and go back to downtown Seattle. Does anyone know of options for storing our luggage for the day while we sight see in Downtown Seattle?

Thanks Kevin. I checked and found I will save about $500 staying an extra night and flying out the day after. So I think that's my best option.

We will be on the Carnival Legend in September. Our itinerary says we will get back to Seattle at 0700. I am thinking of booking a flight home at 1050am that morning. Does anyone have experience on whether this is workable? Will Carnival let us disembark earlier if we have an early flight? I assume if we leave the port by 0830am or so, we should be okay.

I've been watching Life Below Zero on Netflix. There's four seasons. It follows four different families/people living in remote Alaska in sub zero temps. It's really good.

The Thompson Seattle hotel just popped up on my Expedia search with a decent rate of $280. It looks like a newer boutique hotel just a block from Pike's Market. I went to their website to check more rates, and when I did, it gave me a popup that said click here for a free upgrade. So by using the promo code "vechat", it gave me a rate for a "Scout the Area" room special for $223 a night, which includes a $25 breakfast credit. I'm not familiar with this hotel, but wondered if anyone knew about it. I booked the room, as it seemed to be a good rate for that area, and 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor.

I assume anyone can use this promo code, I have no idea what dates it may or may not work for. Mine was at the end of August.

The Thompson Seattle hotel just popped up on my Expedia search with a decent rate of $280. It looks like a newer boutique hotel just a block from Pike's Market. I went to their website to check more rates, and when I did, it gave me a popup that said click here for a free upgrade. So by using the promo code "vechat", it gave me a rate for a "Scout the Area" room special for $223 a night, which includes a $25 breakfast credit. I'm not familiar with this hotel, but wondered if anyone knew about it. I booked the room, as it seemed to be a good rate for that area, and 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor.

I assume anyone can use this promo code, I have no idea what dates it may or may not work for. Mine was at the end of August.

We will be in Juneau next year on the Carnival Legend. Our time in port is fairly short from 7-3 that day. I wanted to do both a whale watching and Mendenhall glacier tour. Juneau Tours has an 0830 departure and says it lasts for 5 hrs. Some others I've seen are similar. I'm wondering if there's a way to cut some time off the tour. Does anyone know if they will drop you off at the glacier, and then you can take the bus back? Is this cutting too short, and maybe we should just do one of these tours?

I also thought of doing Harv and Marvs tour, and they say they try to get close for pictures of Mendenhall. That would probably suffice, but their excursion time is still over 4 hours.

Anyone ever used this to get a price match from Carnival Cruise lines? If so what Alaska excursions did it work with? They say they will give you 110% of the difference in onboard credit if you find the same excursion cheaper somewhere else. Here's the link

https://www.carnival.com/content/shore-excursion-best-price-guarantee.aspx