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The ruins were not anything that exciting; it was the idea of the apostle buried there that got our attention.

That is the part that has my attention too!

The Basillica is not large -- they are ruins of where the church used to be. I think we spent 30 minutes there so can't understand why it adds 2.5 hours.

 

The tour time is 1 1/2 hours longer and I can't figure out why. Other than distance (if it is off by itself) and time spent at the site?

I am in contact with Ephesus Deluxe now and can't decide between the 5 1/2 hour tour and the 7 hour tour that includes the Basilica of St John. Everything else is the same.

So, for those of you that toured the Basilica - was it worth the extra 1 1/2 hours? Seven hours seems like a long tour.....but maybe it goes faster than I think?

We have used Ephesus Deluxe two times in the past three years and they are excellent...both tours were highlights of the cruise...the guides are superb as are the drivers and the vehicles.

 

On our tour last July we had small children in our group and we asked not to go to a rug factory and it was no problem...

 

Make sure yiu include the Terrace Houses in your tour...it is extra but so well worth it'...

Thanks for your post. There are 12 of us booked with them in October and we are really looking forward to touring Ephesus for the first time - including the Terrace Houses :)

Yes, I do have to account for that - don't I. I have sometimes gotten off the ship ahead of them but that probably isn't going to happen here.

I think I will check to see what times the tours depart on the RCI website. They don't offer many so at least it won't be like the Caribbean :) Then again everyone may be trying to get off at the same time.....

Need some information before booking transporttion to Delos from Mykonos.

This is a tender port for the Serenade of the Seas and I understand that may actually help us get to the ferry sooner. The ship is scheduled to arrive at 7 AM and we would like to make the 9 AM ferry. Then return on 12:15 PM ferry and still have some time to look around the town before tendering back to the ship (assuming the last tender it 4 PM).

Does this sound reasonable?

A few of us from our sailing booked with:

http://www.privategreecetours.com/

I can report back after our October trip but so far the communication has been great. They are highly recommended here on CC and on Trip Advisor.

We can't wait to get to Athens :D

I think our main problem with the train is it's just too early for us (6:45am departure) and we are coming in from East Coast day before so it's even earlier EST.. but thanks for your advice.

As others have indicated your body clock will be on East Coast time so a 6:45 am train probably isn't an issue for you :)

oh my gosh....I just checked and we was suppose to arrive in Juneau at 11:00 AM now it says 12:00 and I have a whale watching tour at 1:20 with Harv & Marv.....should I call them?? Or call Harv & Marv??

You should be fine since the tour time is the time they pick you up on the pier. I would contact Harv & Marv's and let them know you received the change though......

Thanks for posting and your pictures of Mykonos are beautiful!

I am definitely planning to go over to Delos for a few hours before touring the downtown area and can't wait to enjoy this port :D

Loving your review and pics! It brings back memories of my NB cruise on the Island Princess :D

I have been planning for the same situation when I sail on the Ruby Princess next year. Based on what I have been told by other Princess passengers the return to Juneau is approximately 2 pm. Your tour time it probably similar.

I corresponded with Harv & Marv's to see if they had a trip time that would give me bit of a break in between. I am now confirmed for a 4:20 pm pick up at the pier so I will have time to grab a late lunch and head out again. I didn't want to leave the rest of the afternoon to chance by not having something planned or looking around at the last minute. Now I can relax for a couple hours in between excursions and still get a whale watch in :)

Harv & Marv's has been great to work with and they are accepting reservations for 2015

http://www.harvandmarvs.com/

You may want to research all of the R/T itineraries from Seattle. Many include Glacier Bay on the itinerary and it should probably be a priority if you don't plan to make multiple trips.

Have fun choosing!

Has anyone done the Tracy Arm catamaran on Princess? We are scheduled to do it and it says it ends at 2, which is when the ship arrives in port. Coud we make a 2:20 with Harv and Marv or should we look for something different later in the day?

 

Would love to get out with Harv and Marv but am afraid this might not work. Thanks for your help!

I think that is the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer - right? I am planning on booking that next year and just confirmed a whale watching tour with Harv & Marv's for 4:20pm. It will give me some time to have lunch before heading out again so I am thrilled that it worked out. They should be able to offer you the same time slot....

I am booked on the Ruby Princess and the port time for the ship is 1pm -10pm if that helps

They just confirmed my July 29, 2015 trip so they are definitely taking reservations. This will be my first time out with them since I normally book with Orca Enterprises. Thought I would try something different this time and I can't wait :D

Does anyone know when they will start booking for 2015?

I'm not sure but I did send an email message today. I am on the Ruby Princess next July. I plan to book the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer excursion which means I will meet up with the ship in Juneau around 2pm. I am hoping H&M has an afternoon trip that leaves around 3:30 pm so I can grab a quick lunch before heading out again :)

I heard recently that they were sold so I hope the service remains the same. If so I should hear back from they very quickly.

Awesome, and thanks for sharing!

Was this trip with Joe Ordonez, Rainbow Glacier Adventures ?http://joeordonez.com/

 

A long time resident of Haines recommended that I take a tour with him when I visit next summer. I'll be interested in your report if you go.

Thanks for posting this. His tours look fantastic!

Here is another option from Juneau.

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

I have taken a trip with Captain Larry 3 times and highly recommend them. They take more than 6 people (maybe 20)? The boat is a little more spacious and it has an upper deck for viewing when stopped :)

 

I had booked HAL's 14 day cruise out of Seattle for this year, but had to cancel due to my husband having a stroke. I was so disappointed.

 

Eleanor, I am so sorry to hear about your husband and hope he continues to improve and you will be cruising again soon. Maybe something close to home :)

I have been wanting to do the 14 day Alaska trip so badly! Maybe in 2016 if I can find a cabin mate. It is hard to be away for 14 days though....

Take care!

 

Seatac is very busy in the summer, esp on cruise days so get there 2 hrs befor your departure time. HINT; at Seatac you can use ANY TSA line so if the line closest to your gate is long, go to a diffferent line. There are usually 3 open.

That is great information so thank you very much for posting it!

We waited and booked on Holland America just a month before we left in July 2010. WATCH the prices because they can drop!

 

Utahtea

Yes they can and some of us have been talking about that on another thread (can't remember which one though). My one and only trip on HAL was booked in late January for a May sailing and the prices were great :)

The problem for me is I have to plan further out for FF seats so I am going to book to allow leaving for a Saturday or Sunday departure and keep monitoring. Solo pricing is also a problem but who knows and I love a good challenge :)

fishin magician, thank tou so much for posting your pictures!! I can't wait to do the add on excursion next year.

I love having Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier on the itinerary but I am on a solo budget next year. So, I am really looking forward to Tracy Arm :D

When do the prices normally start to drop?

Really hard to say and I'm sure each sailing is different. I know that at some point all of the insides/outsides will be the same price so I picked the inside cabin I wanted now. For balcony cabins prices can be all over the place depending on the strength of bookings. January is a huge month for sales so by then most cruise lines offer deals - if you are flexible.

Of course, once you have airfare your choices are limited. I have enough FF miles for my ticket so I will book to make Saturday (HAL - Noordam) and Saturday (Ruby Princess) departures work. Right now I can't afford the solo price on HAL :( So depending on what sailing you are looking at you may be able to have your choice of a couple of options - within a couple of days. Good luck and don't forget to check 2013 prices and start monitoring. The Princess deposits are very reasonable and often you can find a reduced deposit sale ($100 pp) to hold a cabin. Just make sure there are no cancel fees ;) If you are working with a good TA that shouldn't be a problem....

We're not booked yet, but decided last night we're going to book the Carnival Legend for July 2015. We were hoping to do the Crown Princess, but after crunching the numbers, it was going to be over $1000 more, so we decided to stick with Carnival.

Too bad it didn't work out for you. I am assuming that you are looking at balcony pricing - since the other categories are pretty close. Keep in mind that Princess and HAL always start higher and later will be the same price or maybe lower. The Crown is a big ship and they have lots of cabins to fill. Balcony cabins can be tricky though and there is no guarantee that the price will come down enough for you later. Sometimes it is helpful to track pricing for the current year to give you an idea of what to could see next year.

No matter what you're going to Alaska :D

Forgot to include the link to the site with the port schedules.

http://www.cruisett.com