LEtue

It looks like you had a fabulous trip and your pictures are awesome :D

The Coral Princess is sailing Alaska next year as well as some of the bigger Princess ships. She is the same size as the Island (which I have sailed on) and gets great reviews.

I would recommend Princess, HAL or NCL since all three offer Glacier Bay on certain itineraries. A lot of people will tell you that it isn't that important and Alaska is awesome - even without it. Very true! But why would you pay the money to go and not include it? The area surrounding the entrance is full of marine life so it is a shame to sail by it.....

It really is all about the itinerary and port times for Alaska sailings. Look for the one that gives the most amount of time on land so you can get out and see things. It doesn't have to include costly excursions either as rental cars and hikes can be very rewarding. :D

Have fun planning!

I am also traveling southbound next year on the Star. I always book traditional early dining - even in Alaska. But this time I am trying Anytime Dining.

Based on what I am reading here Anytime Dining will be the popular choice so a wait is likely :(

The other option is the Bistro on nights when I don't want to wait :)

I see balcony cabins in January in the $700 range pp on the Jewel of the Seas, Celebrity Summit and Carnival Valor - all out of San Juan.

Is the $1600. price you are seeing include airfare? Even so, that seems high to me!

January is normally one of the lowest priced months so I would keep checking prices using the large travel sites.

That's the only section of the AKRR that's really awesome. Anchorage-Denali is a total snooze, and Denali-Fairbanks only has a short section of awesome (through the Nenana Gorge). I wouldn't turn down another Whittier-Anchorage, but it's not awesome :)

Hmmm, maybe Adventure Class is fine for me then since I am traveling Anchorage to Denali.....

Glad everyone is alright.

I have been reading Cruise Critic since it was a news group and don't ever remember reading about any issues - so this must be a first for the RR.

Looking forward to doing the Lake Bennett trip next year for the first time :D

The Jewel gets my vote too :D

It all depends on what you and your family wants though. The Oasis and all that it offers or more ports and what they offer. The Adventure also sails from San Juan so that is another choice :)

There are still some reasonable prices out there if you can be flexible.

Our March 7 sailing on the Jewel is still within $100 of both the Carnival Valor (lower) and Celebrity Summit (higher) - for an outside cabin.. Prices only went up $44 pp since the sale ended :)

What is the website for Harv and Marv's tour?

http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

I'm booked with them for next summer too and I am looking forward to sailing with them!

My previous 3 trips have been with Captain Larry and I highly recommend them. Just thought I would see things from a different perspective this time :)

I have only had one experience with the AJD in Juneau and it was not good. With everyone rushing to get off the ship the lines were extremely long and people were cutting in line (making it worse).

We ended grabbing a taxi (which people we competing for). So heads up.

If your tour operator offers pick up at the ship it isn't an issue and of course your experience may be different depending on when you get off the ship.

The scaffolding at the colosseum can be seen on this web cam (when it's working, at the moment it's a still view): http://www.skylinewebcams.com/webcam/italia/lazio/roma/colosseo.html

Is the scaffolding just on the outside wall? I will be visiting in October and wonder if a tour is still a good idea.....

Thank you. I will check into them, although I think I am secure with another that I found on cc - EphesusShuttle. If anyone thinks this is not a great direction we remain open.

Wondering also if you went to Sirence? I realize that this would be on another day, but not sure if worth the time and money.

 

Thanks!

A group of us from the Serenade OTS roll call are booked with them on Oct 24 so it sounds like we are traveling around the same time. Based on the reviews here and on Trip Advisor I think we made a great choice :D

I have been looking at various hotels in Vancouver post cruise-most of the chain hotels-Marriott,Westin,Fairmont,4 Seasons,Hyatt.

Arriving post cruise on June 10,2015 and cannot find any available rooms?

Is this a common problem almost a YEAR in advance that nothing is available or am I doing something wrong with my search? Using TripAdvisor,not the "discount" hotel sites!

I'm trying to avoid the Princess post cruise hotel costs-they are a ripoff.

Can anyone suggest some alternative hotels?

I see availability through Kayak so rooms are available. Pick one and book directly through the hotel website.

Have a great cruise!

I booked it. Total cost for the 4 of us inclusive of tax and fees is $1564.00. My deposit was only $250 and rest not due until March. I priced out other cruise lines for cheap times in May and Sept and the next best price I got was $549 per person plus an additional $179 pp in taxes and port charges. More than $1000 more. Wow. What a deal I got. So many cabins already booked on that promo all they had left was inside or balcony and balcony was twice the cost.

I think I made a good choice.

It is a great deal and you will have an awesome time :D

I actually looked at the Sun too but with the 150% solo supplement on Princess the difference in price was just $100 more. Plus, I know Princess will offer their inside cabins for a lot less later too.

I agree with the others. The May 25 northbound itinerary is as good as it gets and I wouldn't wait to book that deal!

The May 18 sailing is roundtrip from Vancouver which means you could utilize Seattle for air and just book transfers back and forth to Vancouver - but the itinerary doesn't include Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier :(

Beginning on Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time, you can book flights on JetBlue through April 30, 2015.

Just got the email too and this is great news :D

I am considering this hotel for next March but the Trip Advisor reviews aren't good. A 66% approval rating isn't what I like to see. Hard to imagine that a Marriott property would be rated so poorly.

Still checking CC member reviews are usually very reliable :)

Wow!

I have always wanted to see Israel but I obviously should have done that years ago :(

Sounds like a great vacation!

 

But...isn't it strange that it takes US Citizens so long to get back into the country, when illegals are bused in "en masse"....gotta make you think!

Yup, you got to love that!

Thankfully, I have never had a bad experience in San Juan but I always elect self disembark.....

you don't have to spend extra $ on going through a tour company. Underground tours can only be made by calling the phone number on the coopculture website. They speak English but only release dates twice a month. I had to wait until June 16 to call for an Aug 2 tour. No problem at all. I got an immediate email confirmation to take with me.

Can you provide more details of "twice a month". How did you know what day to call? I need tickets for October so did you mean they release tickets two months before?

Thanks!

You are really brave to attempt this. I have sailed with my college age son and daughter in one cabin - but that was only 3 of us. Can't imagine doing that with 3 other ladies :eek:

No matter how well organized and prepared you are - I don't think it is worth the possibility of being miserable for a week. I would rather sail in an inside cabin or outside cabin with 2 per than 1 balcony cabin and 4 ladies. Is that an option? I don't know that you will all enjoy the balcony anyway.....

If you do attempt it you have received some good suggestions here already.

I bet you like it!

I booked my first solo cruise for next July to Alaska and I hope I enjoy it. I have whale watching and bear viewing scheduled in 2 of the ports already so I don't think I will have time to think about being alone.

Enjoy your cruise!

Both tours include lunch so that doesn't account for the extra 1 1/2 hours.....

The ship's tour isn't being considered - just Ephesus Deluxe.

The 5 1/2 tour includes:

Visit to Ephesus including the Odeon, Temple of Hadrian, Roman Baths, Celsius Library, the Theater.

The temple of Artemis.

Terrace Houses

House of the Virgin Mary

So, the only thing that it doesn't include is the Basilica which requires 7 hours according to the description.