Ashland

We have always preferred the North bound. The scenery is just amazing especially the sail out from Vancouver. I would rather sail towards Alaska than away from it. No problems at the north end for us at all. If we have an early flight we use a private bus company (ACT) if we have a flight that leaves after 2:00pm we take the cruiseline train and this 124 mile narrated trip is amazing !!! We sail with RCI.

We did your option #2 this past April and it couldn't have been easier and quicker. My DH was back within 25 min. after dropping the rental at Budget. Luckily the shuttle was ready to go as he finished up returning the car. So many people in line to pick up cars was probably the reason they moved quickly.

When will the British Isles be released for 2024/25 ?

We've used South Florida Shuttles...great service from them and they provided carseat/booster that we needed.

Thankfully our Oct 2023 itinerary will include Bar Harbor since it was already scheduled according to the press release posted by someone...thanks for that. It's the 2024 itineraries that will be affected.

We booked (a few years ago) with Tours By Locals for their Blarney Castle and Kinsale...Highly recommend this private tour company.

We did Alaska this past late September due to our busy cruising schedule. We were the last RCI ship of the season out/in to Vancouver. Again regardless of the timing we loved the Bering Sea tour in Ketchikan. Check to see if your port times will allow this great excursion to be booked. Also some of our family members did the Dog Mushers camp in Juneau....your timeframe would work fine for this option.

Yes...We made a reservation onboard Serenade last month and no reduced deposit for our suite. Actually the $300 discount for booking onboard came out being $210...once other discounts were applied to my booking.

We have an Canada/NE itinerary for Oct 2023 onboard Liberty so am I to assume that Bar Harbor will be a no and when will RCI notify us about this change?

When we (self) disembarked Serenade in Tampa in October I was impressed with the terminal staff. Lined up at the top of the escalator were staff and insisted on taking your bag down for you even though we each only had one bag they said it was their job to help. Just WOW !!! Have never seen quite the display of helpfulness.

Abyss blocked the views. I booked when Harmony was first released long before we knew about the Abyss. We felt the cabin was small, lack of privacy and noisy. We tried to like this category as it was new to us but we won't book again on Oasis class.

Our itinerary for Oct 2023 includes Bar Harbor...haven't heard if it will be cancelled. Charlottetown was on an itinerary we did Quebec-Fort Lauderdale and not impressed with this port stop.

It would be cheaper to use a taxi...they'll be lined up outside the front door and it can be on your timeframe. Just a suggestion...but do what you want and enjoy your cruise.

When is this ship due to sail?

If you can manage to get the #1054 you'll love it...just huge...but there's only one of these cabins. The OV was just ok...small and one bathroom....not their favorite. Best of luck !!

My extended family has done the Ultra Spacious OV. However they just sailed with us in September on Serenade (Radiance classs) and they (2 adults 2 kids) had the 2 bedrm/2 baths GS #1054 (old CL) loved this cabin..but no balcony. Then of course there's the aft #1600 GS that has a balcony.

Hope it works out for you. We used to use this hotel a few years ago...even for one night we now opt for Hyatt Place.

Wow very surprised. They were so responsive when I was trying to book with them. We sent emails back/forth weekly for several months hoping they would have a cancellation for our last September cruise. They ended up having no openings. We ended up booking with our cruiseline...these booked up fast also and was able to book almost last minute.

Best of luck to you even after reading the many negative reports on ES.

We just did the Panama Canal San Pedro-Tampa with RCI. We avoided ship excursions and booked with members of our roll call. One in particular was just amazing in Puntarenus Costa Rica with Thumbs Up Tours.

We've used Cruise Control....amazing service !!! 888 416-8830

Gold Rush Dog Tours is also a great option in Juneau...They book up fast !!!

We've found the beds in the suites can vary by ship. After the first night if needed I ask our steward for a mattress topper. I also prefer the foam form pillow one of my first requests on day one. DH gets the feather pillow.

I would taxi rather than use the hotel shuttle...On your timeframe and less expensive. Most hotels taxi's will be lined up on cruise day...they know the schedules.

And this is why we love DL One or first class/business on some we can both get that window seat.