sambamama

Princess switched to these crown shaped discs you wear on a lanyard provided by them. They automatically unlock your door, you can check your standing bill, pay bills, do laundry on the machines, etc. I really liked them and thought they were a great idea. Of course they sent out emails promoting that you customize them at a cost. It was weird walking up the hall and hearing your cabin unlock, though.

I've done it from T8 and it still took 90 minutes. There were waiting lines for the shuttles. Every single time I've used the shuttle it takes 90 minutes to 2 hours. Every time! It turns a 35 minute trip from Penn Station to JFK or the reverse into a nightmare. Maybe going from another airport is not the answer. But perhaps taking an Uber from Jamaica Station if you are traveling inbound speeds up the time. Right now I wish they still had the Airporter.

You can easily do Ketchikan on your own. It is small and rains about 350 days a year. I just went in, walked around for awhile, and came back to the ship. I took Harv and Marc's whale watch and it was awful. Our captain decided to do her own thing, and all we saw was a brief tail. I would book elsewhere. In Skagway, I recommend either the railway or a van drive to the Yukon territory and back, which is what I did. That was fantastic!

I found it was more expensive to combine two flights than to fly directly to Vancouver. And then you run into the added chance of delays and chance of lost luggage. But everyone makes choices. I've been to Vancouver many times. The mass transit is great there. If you truly are worried about money, stay further off the grid and use mass transit. You can find something for $200 or so. I stayed at the YMCA before. It was fine. That being said, the fancy hotels are gorgeous and Vancouver is a wonderful city. If you have extra time, come in 3 nights early and go to Victoria by ferry, and then come back.

Or Paris or Madrid or London. Or you can get shot while at a bowling alley in Maine. Everyone has their own comfort levels. I went to the Riviera Maya the summer of swine flu and drug cartels, and had no issues. I went to Morocco and Egypt this fall and Madrid right when the Israel/ Gaza fight began. I had no issues any of those times either . However, I was cautious, didn't wear expensive jewelry, and was careful where I went. I also traveled during COVID, but I was very careful where I went. Me, I will keep traveling and going to ports.

I booked Harv and Marv and it was awful. The boat was small, the captain was nice. But every boat that day saw whales BUT US!!! And a fair many. Our captain thought she didn't want to be around anyone and we were not. But we did not see whales, we saw nothing until in the last 10 minutes we saw a tail fin. Yup, that was it. No orcas, no seals, no sea otters, no eagles, one tail fin for 30 seconds.

Do you want to take a chance? The word is most. The law is the law. Don't risk it!!! This is legal advice from a lawyer who has looked at the law.

I am a lawyer. Some of this information is wrong. It does not just apply to DUI, it applies to just about all misdemeanors. If you have anything, you need to get it expunged in your state or hire a Canadian lawyer who deals with this stuff. They take it very, very seriously. It won't be funny when you get detained and held and lose your vacation, or your family goes home without you.

HAL for sure or Princess. Book a cruise leaving from Vancouver, it is prettier and more chance of seeing whales. Make sure you book a cruise going to Glacier Bay!

I never felt Ketchikan needed a tour at all myself.

You may want to also check prices of hotels. I looked and Anchorage is triple the cost of Whittier, I don't know about Seward. Lots of hikes in Whittier, and you can also take the Alaska Railroad. I'm staying in Whittier for a few days after my cruise and then taking the bus to start a 20 day land tour in Anchorage.

Anyone flying in or out of JFK should check what terminal their flight is going in and out of. If it is terminal 1, you may want to reconsider, or make an alternate arrangement. The Air train station is closed and you must take a shuttle. This can take 90 minutes or more! I have done this three times now in the past year! It is a disaster!!! You may want to fly out of Newark or La Guardia instead. Or, if going to Terminal 1, and coming from Jaimaca Station take an Uber or Lyft instead.

Just be aware you have to clear the border. I did this both ways and it took over an over each way even though no one was there. This was done as part of taking Amtrak from Vancouver to LA and back. However, from Vancouver to Seattle and vice versa was via bus.

I got burned pretty bad using an award service several times as my cruises and trips got canceled because of COVID. The fees I paid to book were nonrefundable, and then I had miles parked that lost value as it took years before I could use them . The agent had booked me an ANA round the world ticket, which I had to cancel, and then when I went to book it again, the price went from $300 to $1800. Considering I had given him slot of business, I felt that was outrageous. He flat out told me I would not be able to book the ticket myself. I said you are wrong, and did it. I won't use a service again. The one time, it was great. Another time, it was horrific, and I had to book my own flights anyway and I ended up not paying them. If you use a service, read a number of reviews, and don't go with the best known service.

I sailed on the Ryndam in her first 6 months out and a time or two after that. I am sailing on her this fall and can't wait!

When I started sailing on HAl, they had the Adagio trio playing classical. They did not have the name of the Lincoln Center, but they were excellent. There is no reason they can't go back to that. There was always ballroom music to dance to, and there was usually steel drums playing by the rear pool. Andno, playing a movie in the main theater doesn't count. You used to be able to check out movies from a list of 1000 or more movies. Now you are stuck with the limited selection on the TV. The libraries are gone. The candied ginger is gone. There used to always be excellent lectures, too. That only cost them a free cruise. I guess it doesn't matter if Lincoln Center was well received - it was too expensive, so its gone. I won't keep sailing with no entertainment at 200% as a solo. I get much better value from land travel now.

Not many people know this, but you order many more flower arrangements onboard than by pre-order. You can also oder custom, and specify specify holiday, or flowers, or that you want fragrant ones. I've done this for many, many years as I always have shipboard credit from my Carnival stock. I always let the florist have free rein, and Ive never been disappointed. Sometimes in both the Pinnacle and main dining room, the chef will make special items for you on request and given time. I've gotten nasi goreng and cranberry soup in the dining room, and vanilla souffle, grand marnier sauce, strawberries and sabiyon sauce in the Pinnacle, and the Pinnacle once brought escargot from the dining room when it was formal night and I was missing them.

I had to do the luggage customs removal for Seattle and it was a nightmare. I just flew into Madrid and had to clear customs at 5:30 in the morning, and that was a nightmare. Every time I clear customs in Miami (and I have Global Entry and TSA Precheck), it's a nightmare. I would never fly in for a domestic cruise less than 2 nights before, and an international one less than three. I also recommend people buy luggage trackers (the Apple ones if you have an IPhone, the Tile ones if you have an Android) as that helps if your baggage gets lost. Obviously it's better if you travel without checked baggage, but I've never been able to manage that. I am managing to travel with one checked bag and a carryon, sometimes however.

I disagree. There are many, many classical music fans on HAL, but it also may depend on what kind of cruise you are on. I doubt there are a huge number on Alaska cruises, and maybe not on alot of the short Caribbean ones, but many, many on transatlantic, Panama cCanal, etc.

Thanks for the heads up on this. I haven't had this offer in a long time. Funnily enough, I just emailed my TA I was thinking of a 2025 Alaska cruise. There is a Mariner shipboard credit bonus for this, I get the AARP bonus, and I have Carnival stock. I am taking the Have it all package, so all this takes the 100% single supplement sting down a bit. Plus I am booking a Vancouver to Whittier cruise, and then going on a 20 night Alaska land tour with no single supplement that will start a few days after the cruise. I can stay in Whittier and do a few cool day tours while waiting, and then then take transport for $75 to Anchorage. So I can get to Denali way cheaper than through the cruise line and see more!

I've sailed on HAL a long time. Before they had Lincoln Center, they always had a classical trio called Adagio. I always, always loved Adagio, but Lincoln Center was a huge step up. Each group was so angling and had so much personality, and of course, played fantastically. There never was an empty seat. I hate that they are gone, and haven't given any replacement. I believe you are dead wrong - many, many people are upset the group is gone. It was especially popular on long cruises with lots of sea days like transatlantic cruises. They would play afternoon concerts on sea days.

Just showed up on my Platinum card.

Book a Princess or HAL cruise and make sure you go to Glacier Bay- the highlight of your cruise! They have been doing Alaska longer and they do it best. You don't need a balcony, although its nice. You can see everything by going out on deck. Don't feel obligated to book ship excursions either. Realize all Alaska tours are expensive. You have options for DIY if you want. If you want to go to Denali, and you should, then book for a cruise no earlier than late May.

The carry on bags are limited to 40 pounds versus 50 pounds like all airlines I know. That means if you want to go with just one suitcase, you must check it, thereby eliminating one big advantage of train travel. They also hide the luggage policy but took me 8 minutes of diligent searching with Google to find it, and I know what I am doing. The train does look lovely, though. I will say, as a fairly frequent user of Amtrak, those fares are outrageous compared to market prices for current train travel. It costs me $18-$30 now to take the train from Springfield to NYC with 2 bags weighing 50 pounds (and sometimes more,as I am flying business and going on a long trip, not allowed, but I tip well), and $79 for a shorter ride with checked luggage fees is triple the cost. We will see if the market thinks this is justifiable. I doubt it as most Americans aren't fond of public transportation, which is a shame.

I've also read a review posted elsewhere of this ship which spoke very highly of this ship in all aspects.