GreySkies

I have read a number of times on CC that dog sledding on the glacier is the single most canceled excursion in Juneau. With that in mind, I'm wondering if I should book an excursion in Skagway through Princess along with the one in Juneau and cancel the latter if Skagway happens. Will I be disappointed with doing it in Skagway?

Thanks,

Hi Everyone,

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out keywords for a search, but I'm not sure that I'll find anything that answers what I want. If there are posts that already address my question in the title, please point me to them and let me know what keywords you used to find them.

If nothing addresses it already, does anyone know? My mom and I would like to fly in on the day of rather than a day before. She would prefer taking a later flight that would arrive at 10:30am, but I'm concerned with the tunnel into Whittier that this would mean missing one of the Prince William Sound Cruises.

Thanks for any help,

There's a place to put in your dietary restrictions on the Princess site after you book a cruise. If you put that you are gluten-free, you'll get an email confirmation. You can then respond to that email with your question about the popcorn. Corporate should be able to get you a response sooner than you being on board.

Will there be lunch in one of the main dining rooms on the Grand in Alaska? Will we be able to board early enough with the new boarding schedule? We're not in a suite.

Thanks,

If you're concerned about feeling claustrophobic, then I suggest going to a store with whatever you own and are planning to take and trying on whatever you're thinking about purchasing. Buying something over the internet without being able to feel it on oneself is never the best way to go, in my opinion.

I don't think I've ever bought any clothes online, and don't plan to without trying them on and possibly finding a cheaper price.

I've just recently have become lactose intolerant and was wondering about trying lactaid. Also you know know if they offer almond or soy milk?

Lactaid and it's comparable items found in drug stores and Costco do help with lactose intolerance.

The one thing most people have trouble with, even with the pills, is ice cream.

One note about cheese that you may not know: Cheeses that are lactose free include goat's milk, sheep's milk, and anything aged over 6 months.

As for the milks that are offered, here is what I was told in the email response to my notification that I was lactose intolerant:

"The booking has been noted regarding being Lactose Intolerant, please

advise if you are in need of a milk substitute. I can arrange either

lactose-free milk, plain soy milk or plain rice milk. We do not carry

almond milk, coconut milk or goat milk."

The other great thing is you can order something like chocolate milk or hot chocolate and let them know you need lactose free milk. That's for any of the bars, too. It just takes them longer. Pina colada mix is also lactose free.

Fettucinni Alfredo, unfortunately, cannot be made lactose free on board. :-(

So, which mix was it? Did they doctor it up somehow?

Unfortunately, he never said. Btw, it was the head chef at the Chef's Table that I managed to ask about it. Perhaps I'll talk to the Maitre d' on my cruise in August.

I'm lactose intolerant, so the dessert cakes were some of the best I've had on the Emerald. They were so good that my non-lactose intolerant family even wanted them.

Only disappointment was finding out it was from a mix instead of a recipe. I was told it was the only way to ensure that it was lactose free.

I will be going on a trip to the Baltics soon, and was wondering if anyone knows where to get a navigational map (print) that Princess uses for their charity auction at the end of the cruise. I thought I might be able to make my own map for the trip using the coordinates and pictures from the one on display before the auction.

Thanks,

GreySkies

I enjoy trying new foods, particularly the specialties of a given country. Can people start listing the countries and food specialties that should be tried?

Example:

Belgium - Frites (fries), waffles, and chocolate.

Thanks,

You've opted for the Emerald over the Royal and was wondering if it was based on the ship or itinerary?

It was actually based on the date. My nephew will be out of school by then, and my mom wanted to go near her birthday.

My family will be going on the Emerald Baltic Cruise June 28th, if all goes well. Is it better to have a balcony for this cruise or are there only a few times one needs to get a good view from the ship?

Thanks,

Seeing that my entire wife's family is Chinese I take that as an insult to them as they would never ask that kind of question. Talk about people asking in appropriate questions.

It was not meant to be an insult. My sister-in-law is from China and when they ask about salaries, it is the equivalent of Americans asking about what your job is. Understanding other cultures is a tricky issue.

We were on the Crown in 2011 when one of our fellow UT participants took time on the bridge to ask Captain Nash how much he was paid. Seriously! :confused:

Was this person Chinese by chance?

As silly as it sounds, the Spongebob underwater camera actually works quite well. I bought one several years ago and was quite happy with it. (Too bad I didn't verify the battery compartment was fully closed.). I got mine at Toys R Us for around $30. It also has a large plastic viewfinder.

Love the pictures with the captions on this last post! I can only hope that my next cruise review will be as entertaining for all.

How about an internet connection that is at least as fast as a T1 line?

On my Coral Canal Cruise, I went to one of the lounges for the game one night. I was a bit early and had a seat at the bar which was at the edge of the lounge. The bartender asked what I wanted to drink and I told him that I didn't because of the bitter aftertaste. He had just made two Pina Coladas in one blender and had some left over. He gave me the rest (almost 2/3 of a glass) to try for free. It tasted great.

One more note about the camels: There are stirrups on both sides! If you choose to ride and can reach, use them when the camel gets up.

I didn't know there were stirrups on both sides and when the camel got up (I even told them I did NOT want to get up!), I ended up getting some abdominal muscles pulled as if someone had kicked me hard.

My thread above is talking about ramsestours.com and my mother made all the arrangements through George.

My mother and I went on a tour with Ramses last year with another mother and daughter. (Both of us daughters were in our 30s.) We had Karim, and weren't all that impressed by him. He seemed nice at first, then when we arrived at the first location, got all touchy-feely with the other mother as a joke. She took it well, but I was immediately uncomfortable. I will say that he did take care of me after I nearly collapsed when I got out of the pyramid at Giza. He made sure that a large chunk of ice was brought over to help me cool down.

What tipped me over the like-dislike edge was when he took us to Tiger Town. For anyone that loves animals, do NOT let them take you here! You walk in, and it seems like a petting zoo at first. Then you see that you don't get to touch the animals. They had two or three dogs that didn't realize they could jump the fence and leave if they wanted, including a Great Dane. But the worst was the tigers that were put into a small cage. At first, it was just one. When the "show", which I refused to watch, was over, there were 6 tigers in the tiny cage! To top it off, Karim started to taunt them. I told him to stop. The first time, I was nice. The second time, I was a little more stern. The third time, I barked "enough" at him. This place clearly didn't understand how special these animals are. For some reason, Karim thought we would really enjoy it.

We did get all of our questions answered and we saw all of the sights we wanted. I got to see the pyramids and Sphinx. My mom got to see the library at Alexandria. We did some shopping at a store that had lots of stuff, but must give kickbacks to Ramses or Karim. There was another place just down the street that had exactly what I had purchased for about half the price. Oh, I almost forgot about the perfume shop that we were taken to. The other three in the group were having a nice time, but I hate perfume and the smell was getting to me almost immediately. We were there for probably close to an hour. Again, Ramses or Karim must get kickbacks from people buying stuff there.

I hope this helps people in their future decision.

I'm tired of shopping at the malls but afraid to order on line, It might not fit well

I'm also afraid to order something online. I went to the major department stores and looked at their formal wear and tried on a number of the dresses. Unfortunately, the ones that looked good on the hanger made me look pregnant. :-( I've lost some weight since then, but we'll go back to the same stores and find something that will look good on me in a few more weeks.

What I did use the 'net for was determining what styles I liked overall and sending links to those to my mom so she could see what style I liked.

I was in Israel last year with a Temple group led by the cantor. The guide that we had was excellent. Based on that, for those that are considering going to Masada, if you can get a tour through it, it's worth it. Don't spend precious time climbing up to it, though. I was sick as a dog that day, plus I was wearing black pants and a black t-shirt on a hot day, but I still found it interesting.

Ruth,

The group I was with visited an area that was ruins just outside the walls to the old temple (?). This area had the beginning and ending of an arch and had what were believed to be market stalls. It is a narrow strip of ruins. It has a mural or mosaic on the wall to the entrance where you get tickets. It is also overlooked by the current entrance for the Arabs to the mosque. I want to take my mother to this, but I have no clue as to the name. Do you?

Also, just out of curiosity, how far is it to Petra from Haifa and Ashdod?

Thanks for the help and previous information.