jskinsd

2 minutes ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

I have not heard of NCL doing it, but RCL did: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6673/

Cancelling cruises are a different topic.  And that was how many months ago.  And it was about covid concerns, not capacity.  And there are still a lot of ships out there that still haven't restarted.  That means more cabins to fill.✌️

I do not understand this capacity issue.  I have not heard of anyone being denied a booking because the ship is already half full.   Do you really think the cruise line would deny another paying guest?  And I have not seen a sold out on any current cruisers offered.  Or maybe the cruise lines are waiting for a full capacity special rates.  But wait I am already getting solo rates from many cruise lines for Mexico this season.  I have taken six cruises in five months.   All booked one to two weeks out.   Even able to pick my cabin.  Cruising again next week on the Bliss on a good solo rate.  Would have been great if I could have used two cruise next certificates for my balcony.  Stupid recent policy change.👎

My opinion is that a lot people just are not ready to cruise.  Or cruisers would be jumping at current prices.  Even Alaska prices are reasonable.  But who knows what Canada is going to do. The cruise lines are taking credit for monitoring the capacity.  Makes them look good to the CDC.   When people feel it is safe to travel to a cruise without any restrictions, that is when ships will start filling up.✌️

My cruise a few years back stopped in Juneau on the 4th.  Have the town took a vacation day.  A lot of stores closed. Very light bus schedule.  But who knows.  With no cruises the last two years maybe more places will be open.✌️

Jewel in April.  Ship departs San Diego.  Polar bears at the ZOO and Orcas at Sea World.✌️

15 minutes ago, dockman said:

who wants to have to walk down a long hallway every time you want to go to/from your room?  not me thanks..i pick what works best for me thanks.

You pick.  You pay extra ✌️

1 hour ago, Bruin Steve said:

 

Some of them aren't really "obstructed" at all...Just before the pandemic, we were on Royal Princess in E108...The ONLY obstruction to that cabin is that the balcony railing is solid rather than plexiglas.  You are at the front of the ship and there is no obstruction looking out, looking forward or looking down...And the cabin is a DELUXE cabin with a sitting area/sofa...and the balcony is twice the size of standard...

 

Last time on Majestic, we had the allegedly obstructed E425...here's a photo looking aft from the balcony...not an orange lifeboat in sight:

 

And here's a photo looking forward from the balcony...That closest lifeboat you see is eight cabins away.  You don't see it unless you go to the railing of your balcony and look way forward.

Looking straight out, it's a clear view...and the balcony is twice the size of standard!

If you book the cabin you want, there are a few good cabins.  Book a guarantee, it's a gamble.  And when you pick your cabin you pay more.  Do you feel lucky.✌️

56 minutes ago, memoak said:

Some are way less obstructive than others

If you are lucky but then if you want to be orange blind, then go for it.✌️

42 minutes ago, dockman said:

I really like close to elevators/stairs location...so much easier to get in/out and around then having a room down some long hallway....i was in E307 and loved the location....hop on elevator 15 ft away.. and zip up to 16 for pool/marketplace etc...zip down to deck 5 for special coffees...walk down one to deck 7  to theatre....partial obstructed view but still plenty of view to the ocean and no big deal....being located near elevator to me is more important than which deck/level/view etc....

Obstructive balcony views s*$@.  Who wants to see a lifeboat.✌️

36 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

I called my TA...I thought they'd call me back with options...(This was not my usual TA--she's off today, so it's just another TA in her office).

Apparently, they just went ahead and moved us to R509...I thought...at least the website said that...

Then the TA called me back and said he could move us to B510!  I asked about B510 being an "adjoining" cabin...and he moved us to C514--saying it's not an adjoining cabin (the deck plans tell me it is)...In any event, that is where I just got a little frustrated and said okay...

So, we're now in C514...

I'm in B512 now.  It is adjoining with B510

Good cabin but not worth the deluxe category.✌️

I cruise tomorrow.  Booked Majestic on Wed.  Emailed docs in and also received the 21 day email.  Haven't cruise with Princess in 4 years.  Saw this post 10 minutes ago.  Call stockholder hot line.  Got my $100.😁  But my total phone time was 7 minutes.😆  Best stockholder customer service experience I have ever had.  And I own all three.  RCCL, NCL and Carnival.✌️

It's all about how you play the tipping game.  Is it bad to tip the dinner hostess to get a window seat in Alaska for the week?  Or your cabin steward to get the earliest service?  How about the pool bar waiter?  Just raise your hand and you are next up.✌️

On 1/29/2022 at 7:27 PM, PhotoFlo said:

Is Mendenhall glacier worth seeing?

Depends.   Do you often see glaciers, waterfalls, porcupines, salmon, bears, mountain goats or mother nature being mother nature.  It's all about the journey.✌️

7 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

I also ran across this map of Icy Strait Point & Hoonah while planning our next Alaska cruise.

https://icystraitpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Icy-Strait-Point-Map.pdf

Nice map but only shows the cruise port area.  Not the village a little more than a mile in.✌️

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

It did sound like a fun place to visit.  I would love to see a wolverine.

 

I was kind of put off by another cc poster who got down on the decision to visit the animal rescue (calling it a zoo), rather than taking the train ride.  I though it was overly harsh.  Thanks @JSSpencefor asking about the animal rescue. 

Not putting down the zoo.  Animal rescue, wildlife conservation center, animal sanctuary, fortress of the bears, raptor center or ZOO.  All places where  animals are cared for and fenced in.  Sorry to hurt your feelings. But this is Haines and  the topic of this thread is Icy Strait. 

My preference is seeing wildlife in its natural habitat and Icy Strait/Hoonah has given me my biggest bang for my bucks.  If you never walked into town in Icy Strait towards the ranger station, you missed half the show.✌️

1 hour ago, JSSpence said:

What was the animal rescue in Skagway? We haven’t decided if we’ll do the train or not, we’re looking for active/interactive things for our 10 yo

I think Lowyfer is referring to Kroschel wildlife refuge.  But it is in Haines not Skagway.  Can't drive a car to it.  You take a boat from Skagway.✌️

2 hours ago, Lowyfer said:

 

Just the one time we did our Alaska cruise. As mentioned we are from the pacific north west so a lot of the culture, history, and wild life is the norm for us.

 

When in Icey Point we walked along the boardwalk and passed the restaurent(s) and such. Looked at the zip line from the bottom.. did a little browsing at the few shops they had. Enjoyed the mini-cannery mueseum. On our way back to the boat we did a short nature walk through the forrest and noticed "Hey what the heck flower is that? We do not have that one where we come from."

 

We ended up going back to the boat pretty early to use our drink package and go for a swim.

 

The other ports had WAY more shopping which is not exactly our thing but I did buy a wat- wait, I am informed I have to call it a "time piece".

 

For other ports:

 

We did the mendenhall glacier by taking a bus (not with cruise) which was amazing. They have a neat interpretive center and I got to see white fuzzy mountain goats! Not the usual big horn I am used to seeing on the highway but the small fuzzy ones. We also did the nature walk to the waterfall and looked at the glacier. It was great!

 

We went to an animal rescue and saw a bunch of animals that I had not seen in person before. I saw a Lynx which was amazing. Whatched a wolverine bite a guy right on his butt. I kissed a moose right on it's schnoz! and also fed a cariboo some food. That was skagway which caused us to miss doing the train trip everyone does instead. We are doing that and the saloon on our upcoming trip this year.

 

We did a kayak trip post cruise in seward so that we could kayak amongst ice burgs, that was awesome. We also did a glaicer husky dog sled thing post cruise (found what I thought was the most ethical, and with snow).

 

Those were the big things we did. Whale watching we did not do because when not cruising we go to a kayak camping spot where they wander by twice or more a day so was not a must see for us.

 

So again for us icey point did not have that much to offer and totally understand why someone from across the planet would be way more hype about it.

 

Sitka is a new port for us this trip and we are ALL over the eagle and bear rescues. Super excited to do that.

 

 

So you spent your money on pre cruise tours.   You saw whales that didn't mean anything.  You went to a zoo.  Did you even know Icy Strait point was a stop?  Did you research activities to do in Icy Strait?  Did you go past the cannery and walk into town and see the eagles' nest and the eagle family.  Or catch out the ranger station.   Because if you just try to wing it you might be disappointed. One jewelry store.  One shopping area.  One restaurant.  One bar.  And a zip line.  Just you and the locals.

Each port has its specialty.  Ketchikan has Misty fjords and Deadliest catch.  Juneau has Mendenhall glacier, Whale watching and Tracy Arm.  Skagway has the Train and gold rush history.  Stika has Russian history and a zoo.  Icy Strait is about Mother nature and the natural Alaskan experience.  Why go to a zoo in Sitka when you could have seen eagles and bears in their natural habitat in Hoonah.  And what can be better than seeing a mother bear and her cubs walking along the road or fishing for salmon in Spassky river.✌️

11 hours ago, Lowyfer said:

 

Again.. not a bad port but we found it just not as good as every other port.

 

 

 

 

How many times have you been to Icy Strait Point?  What did you do on your stops?  What did the other ports have better to offer?  More shopping, restaurants or maybe better tours?  It is all about seeing something different.  One time, one place there is better chance to see wildlife in Hoonah/Icy  Strait than any other port.  Whales, Orca, Sitka deer, sea otters and the best eagles nest you can get close to.  Oh yea, I forgot the Bears at Spasski river.  There are land and sea combo tours where there is a chance to see all.  Or maybe you like to fish.  I once caught a 60 lb halibut on one of my stops.  That sucker was 6 ft tall. ✌️

32 minutes ago, skrufy said:

Go to the sea day brunch or breakfast on port days and you'll get all the bacon you can eat.

Thank you for your advice.  You are very wise.  I will try that.  Sometimes I get confused.  What would I do without cruise critic ✌️

1 minute ago, geckoaz said:

The bacon on radiance was inedible. Then again i could have pork n beans everyday. 

 

The more you eat, the more you toot.😆

2 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Sorry you are having to go through this.  We're all here for you.  Hang in there!   😉

Thank you for your concern.  I will try to manage.  Its been a rough every other day. Tomorrow will be better✌️

Just making an observation.  It's been 10 years since my last Carnival.  Probably another 10 years for my next one.  One good note, paid the cheapest price ever for a balcony on any cruise line.  VIFP rate of $139. And the cabin is great.✌️

So a supply chain issue.  Even with a ship being half full.  Didn't have the problem on the Bliss two weeks ago.  Must be a company problem.  ✌️

10 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

Not true.  The TYPE of comp you are offered (discount, complimentary Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, Haven, etc.) is based on your theoretical loss (which is more about how much you bet and how long you play vs. how much you lose.)  But you do not have to lose $5K or even near that to be offered a comp cruise.

You just have to bet $5K.  Or can it be only $500.  And what is the return.  Sometimes good but probably most of the time bad.  Like I said sounds like a great deal.  Count me out ✌️

Why should you have to request bacon at the breakfast buffet.  So far three of the six mornings on the Panorama and no Bacon at the buffet.  What is going on. And the way they do toast, let's just say it sucks.  Only toast one side and left out for hours.  Hard as a brick. Breakfast never changes.  But on Carnival it does. Sure you can request it and get it eventually.  But why should you have to.  I just don't understand. ✌️ 

14 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

free cruises from my land casino. 

they are giving them out like candy.

I've had 6 free ncl cruise offers since Aug  2021. (2 of them for 10 days.)

 

i've taken 3 of them so far.

one more next month.

then a back to back in March.

 

Plus i just received an email saying i have another free ncl offer.

 

You are the king.  I wish I could gamble and receive free cruises.  But I like my money.  How much do you have to gamble to acquire these perks?  Spending five grand in a casino to receive a free cruise.  Sounds like a great deal.✌️