ron1946

Thanks again, Cyclebum!

Thank You Cycle Bum. What cities did you tour and your opinion/excursions on these stops. Recommend any good restaurants?

Oaktreerb:

Thanks so much for all the info. You have been very helpful. As we continue to plan, I may ask some additional questions probably location specific. Appreciate your input so much!

Doesn't this go to Dawson City and Whitehorse with a 4 day cruise at the end? I highly recommend it.

 

What do you need to know?

Yes it does go to Dawson City and Whitehorse, spending two nights in Dawson City and one in Whitehorse before proceeding on to Skagway for two nights and picking up the Volendam there.

I had some specific question for Seattle that I don't know if you can answer but here they are. Where will we meet a rep to get the shuttle for the Hilton Airport hotel. Is there someone at baggage claim, or a central location for the hotel shuttles?

Also are there baggage limitations on the flight from Seattle to Anchorage. For example, will the "To the Ship" baggage be picked up in Seattle or Anchorage? Extra baggage charges?

I am "assuming" that once we arrive in Anchorage and meet our Tour Host, everything will be provided for the remainder of the trip, or is it "passed out" each day/night?

What can we expect on the four day cruise from Skagway to Vancouver? Formal nights? Mariner's luncheon, etc.

From what I have read so far, doesn't seem like meal vouchers are worth the cost. Comments?

Thanks for your help/answer to any of these questions.

Looking for someone that has completed and can answer questions about the 16 Day HAL R2L: Seattle Gold Rush Alaska Cruise Tour. Basic information for this Cruise/Tour seems to very lacking. We are booked for August 16th, 2016 and have many specific questions. Thanks in Advance!

We did not include meals. It seemed awfully pricey. Majority of cruisers do not recommend it. However, meal prices are high in Alaska. Your tour host will recommend good restaurant choices during your land portion. Also, a lot of tipping, bus driver and journey host the most. They suggest $7 per day per person. We did slightly under. We went August 15th. We were very lucky on the train to Denali. The mountain was fully visible. We had a few sunny warm days, bot majority were cool and overcast and a little rain. Our train from Fraser to Skagway was horrible. It was totally foggy and rainy. We bought the video. We did whitewater raft trip in Denali. We did at 6 pm. Too late, do an earlier one. Dawson City has nice walking tours with Parks Canada. There is a gold mine tour there some people went on and liked. In Skagway we did the Glacier Wilderness Tour. Highly recommended. We did the Deadliest Catch excursion in Ketchikan. Fun. There is an 8 hour bus ride in the Yukon to Fraser. I was dreading the long ride, but is was fun, scenic and great cinnamon rolls the size of your head! You will enjoy your trip regardless of any weather. We WILL do that trip again.

Thanks for the info! I will probably bug you to death, since you have been the only one answering any questions! :D

How were the wild life sightings? How did you find the Volendam? We have been on the Ryndam and I believe it is the same class/size ship.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

For Rostbp - "We did the same tour this past August. Ours started in Anchorage and ended in Vancouver."

Probably same itinerary with Seattle thrown in! Any advice for "extra" excursions.? Did you do the meal vouchers? If not, how were the meal prices? How was your weather during this time - We will be there 17-31 August. Any other advice/info greatly appreciated. Seems hard to find folks on this and the HAL boards that have done the Cruise/Tours.

Booked on HAL R2L: Seattle Gold Rush 16 Day Tour for August 16, 2016. Looking for anyone that may be joining us. Would also like info from those who have participated in the HAL Cruise Tours.

Going to Seattle, Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Dawson City, Whitehorse and Skagway. Boarding Volendam in Skagway going to Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Vancouver and back to Seattle via "motor coach".

Any information on any of these locations or your thoughts on the HAL Cruise Tours would be greatly appreciated. BTW this is our 3rd trip to Alaska, but first for the interior. Thanks in Advance! :)

We are booking the August 16th R2L: Seattle Gold Rush Cruise Tour. We will only be on the Volendam for four days though.

I was wondering if there are boards to hook up with other folks who have gone or are going on these cruise tours?

Haven't been able to find anything on these boards. Any help appreciated!

Sailing 9/13 out of Athens.

We are on that same cruise!

My wife, daughter, SIL and I are on the January 16th Valor cruise. We will be following this thread to see what develops. We normally go with independent tours due to the price of the ship's excursions.

My wife and I are booked on the September 13, 2016 10 day cruise leaving from Athens, Greece.

Asked John Heald today (2/20/15) if he would be the CD for our Vista Sep 13, 2016 Med cruise. His response was "I will be aboard in some capacity if not the CD."

Now that the Vista will be making European Cruises, consideration must be given to air fare (Ugh!).

What are the benefits/problems associated with the Carnival Fly Aweigh Program? Would you recommend/not recommend using this program over booking flights yourself.

Can you recommend best place(s) to look at to book flights independently?

We will be booking the Vista for the September 13, 2016 sailing (Athens to Barcelona) and would appreciate any suggestions pertaining to air fare. I do realize that it is much to early to book flights, but being a planner and organizer I want to get things in order!

TIA.

Thanks for the input so far. Anyone else out there with info. Thanks

My wife and I (69, 68) will be booking the 15 Day Seattle Gold Rush Alaska Cruise Tour as soon as Holland America schedules for 2016 Cruise Tours are published (Hopefully it will be offered!). This tour includes three nights in Denali, two nights in Dawson City and two nights in Skagway.

We plan on doing the "Land First" and the four day cruise second. We have already completed two Inside Passage cruises including Glacier Bay and Tracey Arm, so the cruise portion is no big deal for us.

However, I have been getting some differing advice as to what month is best to go. I realize this depends a lot on what we really want to see. Therefore I would like to ask of those who have completed any Alaska Cruise Tour what your opinion is regarding best time to go and your experiences.

In addition, for those who have completed the Cruise Tour, what suggestions (good or bad) could you provide.

Do you recommend participating in the meal voucher program?

Having been to AK twice, I understand dressing in layers, but I have never been to the interior. Any suggestions regarding clothing to take?

Any recommended additional "don't miss" excursions would also be appreciated.

Any additional comments/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your information!

Hi Ron,

 

We live near Atlantic and San Pablo just west of the ditch (Intracoastal Waterway)

Very familiar with that area. We lived in Mayport for 17 years, just off A1A before moving to Middleburg in 2008.

Look forward to meeting you.

Kim, you can book a similar excursion on the Caribbean Princess but it cost more and spends less time at the site.

 

I just booked the Mayan Experience for me and my Dad and I know of at least one other couple from our cruise that are using Native Choice for the same tour.

 

Also, FYI, that OBC can be used for your daily gratuities and other on board charges like coffee drinks, souvenirs, etc...

We have booked with Native Choice for the Mayan excursion. Where area in JAX are you at. We live in Middleburg.

Well, I just took my bags to the porch and the Airport Shuttle will be here at noon. On Sunday, I'll be boarding the last New Years Cruise for the MS Ryndam, as in the future the ship will be one of the first to welcome each New Years in it's new identify. I'll be providing my usual reports here, and pictures and extras, along with my entries will be in the usual place:

 

http://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com

 

Roy

Looking forward to your reports. Have a wonderful cruise. We will sail on her for the Jan 18th seven day trip!

Is this something I can book on the ship as an excursion, or do I need to book directly? We are departing FLL on Jan 26, and will be in Costa Maya Jan 28. We have $100 pp shipboard credit, and I would like to use that towards a shore excursion, and since I don't swim and my husband doesn't drink, Mayan ruins seem like a good choice for us.

HAL does offer this tour while in Costa Maya. The reason we went with Native Choice, it is almost half the price of the HAL tour. You should be able to look up the HAL tour on your reservations.

Just got off her in November. She is in great shape. Great ship. We did no excursions but went ashore in every port. All the ports had local crafts and the usual souvenirs. Costa Maya is a little more developed. The food was just OK but I'm very finicky. Our waiter and assistant waiter were both new and were still learning. Did not go to any shows and have no idea who the CD was.

Hope this helps a little

 

Janet

Thank you Janet!

Is there anyone just off the Ryndam? I am particularly interested in the 7 day Western Caribbean. I have several questions I hope someone can answer

How did you find the ports of Santo Thomas and Banana Coast? Did you take excursions?

What was your overall impression of the ship/staff?

How were the meals in the MDR/Pinnacle/Lido?

How was the entertainment/shows?

Who is the CD now?

Any recommendations/hints as we will be going on that particular cruise on January 18th.

Thanks for any and all input!

We are considering booking this tour through Native Choice Tours. Arriving Jan 23rd on HAL MS Ryndam.

Any thoughts or recommendations, negative and positive, very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

We are considering booking with Happy Fish Travel in Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We will be arriving on HAL MS Ryndam on January 22, 2015.

Does anyone have any experience/recommendations concerning this Agency? We will be going on the Rio Dulce Canyon/Livingston Tour.

Thanks for your input /comments in advance!

When can we expect to start seeing the 2016 cruises and especially the Alaska Land and Sea Schedule?

Do you think HAL will wait until after the new ship's schedule is posted?