BRDbabies

I am travelling with my 80yr old mom. Although she has no real difficulty with mobility, she is quite slow moving these days and I am afraid on longer port exploration days she will tire easily and then miss out on seeing some of the sites. As this is her second time to Alaska, she mainly wants to wander the towns, shop for souvenirs etc. outside of a few easy bus tours type ship excursions. 
 

I am considering renting a travel wheelchair - easily foldable and lightweight for me to maneuver on/off ship etc. Would I need to let Cunard know ahead of time of my desire to bring this on board? We would not use it always and certainly not on things like bus tours, whale watching etc. and no need for an accessible cabin as it folds easily for storage in a regular cabin. 
 

Any advice would be welcomed!

Thanks for the replies! Sets my mind at ease.

I am reading that there are no electrical outlets near the beds - I use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. Any idea if this can be managed in a balcony cabin with the outlets by the desk?

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

A balcony on Alaska is great, make sure you have some good layers of clothing just in case it gets a bit nippy.

 

Here's an alternative idea, on the basis that saving money may give you some further options to cruise again at a later date: why not swap the staterooms, so you take the inside, and your mum plus friend get the balcony. They will doubtless greatly enjoy your generosity, and if you want a bit of balcony time I'm sure they would love to see you. Maybe bring a pop up seat item since there are just the two chairs on the balcony. Having a next door balcony doesn't greatly help since the side shelter really blocks off each balcony. 

Considered that but my mom would not accept it. Also I am a person who sleeps only a couole

hours each night, so have found on past cruises the balcony makes it easier for me as I can sit out there at all hours while not disturbing my

partner, or feeling awkward sitting in public areas at 4am lol. If I upgrade moms

cabin secretly (the docs all

come to my email) they need never know it was me lol I could just say the cruise line did it….

I am bringing my mom and her friend (78 & 80) to Alaska this summer. I will have a balcony cabin, and they felt like having an inside across the hall would be suitable so that is what I booked. Mom only has ever sailed with insides and has always had a fabulous time on her cruises! Her friend has never cruised before and likely won’t ever again)

Now I’m wondering if I should upgrade them to the balcony next door to me (it’s a available and is an option my TA said could be done). This is my third time to Alaska and have never done it with a balcony - looking for advice about this! Should I splurge the extra money for them to have the balcony as well? They are on fixed incomes so the extra money comes from me, just wondering if it would be money well spent, or save it and splurge on an extra excursion for them?

Thanks for the detailed scenarios!! We booked a direct AC at 1:30 so will have plenty of time!

We are Canadians doing the Cunard QE RT Vancouver disembarking Aug 7. What is the earliest flight (domestic) we can safely book home on the 7th? Self-disembarking is not a problem and we will sky train to the airport. 

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Cunard 

Van-Sitka-Glacier Bay-Hubbard Glacier-Haines-Juneau-Icy Strait Point-Ketchikan-Victoria-Van

with two days at sea interspersed 

Princess

Van-Sitka-Icy Strait-Hubbard-Juneau-Haines-Ketchikan-Victoria-Van

and 3 sea days

Both are end of July-Early August sailings. Looking at one balcony and one Oceanview cabin. The three adults are one glass of wine a day, plain old coffee/tea and regular tap water drinkers and the teenager isn’t a heavy soda drinker, so would probs just pay on individual basis for such. Internet access is a must, for teenager and myself who will need to do a

bit of work while on board.

Both are 11 night itineraries RT Vancouver. Will be my third time to Alaska - once with Princess (my mom (age 70 & I) and once with HAL (my three teenagers, husband and I). This trip will be my mom and her friend (now age 80), my 14 year old great niece and I.

I know Princess does Alaska well and I have always been very happy with their service, food, public areas etc. in my 4 times on board with them. I have no experience with Cunard. Any advice would be welcome!

It will be in early January. Since there will be four of us, we have decided to rent a car in FLL and return it at MIA. I think w have decided to save the Keys until we can spend more than a few nights exploring that area. I am really leaning toward exploring the everglades, its been on my radar for years.

We disembark in FLL on a Sunday but fly home to Canada out of Miami Wednesday at 4pm. Any suggestions of what to do in Miami? Most likely staying in south beach area unless some suggests otherwise! Assuming rental car will be necessary?

Although I still had the lingering affects of my migraine, I was determined to enjoy our final day at sea. Most of the day was spent relaxing by the pool, watching the fog roll by. The inside passage was quite eerie as we sailed through the dense fog, but it made the scenery even more beautiful, if that was possible! A friend living in Haidaa G'waii (Queen Charlotte Islands) sent me a lovely text message and picture just as we sailed past their fishing boat - quite a co-incidence that they were out fishing with friends just as we sailed past the area they were in, and knowing I was on the ship she was quick to message me and I ran out to the upper deck to wave at her as we went by!

We spent a bit of time packing our suitcases for home - not an easy task considering all of the over packing a certain DD had done, plus all of the souvenir hoodies etc that the girls had purchased! But after that was completed we headed back on deck to watch the sights as we sailed past northern Vancouver Island and dreamed of retiring along those shores one day!

We arrived in Vancouver the next morning to the sun and heat that this prairie family is accustomed too and sadly said goodbye to our cabin steward and all of the other crew members that the girls had be-friended along the way. Before disembarking, I overheard my youngest DD asking her dad exactly when she could cruise again!

We spent the night after Skagway lounging by the pool and generally relaxing. Youngest dd enjoyed going to the shows each night so I went with her while the others opted for the movie to end off the night.

Ketchikan brought with it the first sight of the sun we had since leaving Vancouver! Yes, the rainiest city in Alaska greeted us with 27 wonderful degrees of warmth and sun! We grabbed our gear and headed down to the Princess dock to meet our guides for our Snorkel Alaska excursion. We booked this (and all of our tours) direct with the company and so had to walk the length of our ship to meet our guides...a small price to pay for the price difference, especially when booking excursions for five people - the differences add up quickly!

After a quick briefing we boarded the bus to Mountain Point to begin our adventure. And what an adventure it was! DH was a bit skeptical about the quality of snorkeling in Alaska, with the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean his only comparison point. But he was not disappointed and neither was anyone in our group! The snorkel Alaska guides were so friendly and welcoming. From helping us struggle into those infamous wetsuits (and in the heat of the day, let me say that we were all thankful for the cooler waters of the bay!) to sharing their knowledge and love of the sea life we encountered, the day was not on we will forget easily. Plus, how many people can say they have snorkelled in Alaska or swam through a kelp forest and entire schools of jellyfish?

After returning from our adventure, the family headed out to explore Ketchikan without me. I headed back to the ship to try to prevent the migraine headache I felt coming on. Unfortunate for me, this is a condition I deal with regularly and I knew if I was not preventative I was at risk of spending the remaining two days of the cruise and possibly the rest of the week hunkered down in darkness with a sledge hammer in my head! So I cannot say much about the rest of the day as I spent the next 12 or so hours huddled in my dd's inside cabin in total darkness and do not remember much about what the family told me about their adventures! (I sure was thankful for the complete black out of an inside cabin though, and our Cabin steward was exceptional - he would quietly check in on me every couple of hours to be sure there was nothing he could do to help me!)

Although I was sorry for missing the rest of the only sunny day we had, the family enjoyed the sail away on deck with some fun and games! They played some tennis, shot some hoops and enjoyed a swim in the aft pool.

Upon arrival in Skagway and looking out our portholes to see more rain, Dh and I left the sleeping teenagers and headed out into town to explore on our own. We were confident that once they awoke, they would enjoy some leisure time enjoying breakfast without mom and dad!

In 2009, I was in Skagway with my mother and she is not a hiker! The trail I wanted most to do was reporting active bear activity at the time and the local authorities strongly discouraged my solo hike. So this time, I was determined to complete the hike, as I had DH along to "keep me safe" (Or offer to the bears as an appetizer if need be!). So despite the rain falling, with a trail map in hand, we set out up the side of the mountain, in search of Lower Dewey Lake, Icy Lake and Upper Reid Falls.

First stop: Lower Dewey Lake. The hike is not super hard up to the lake, although there is a fair amount of elevation change over a short period of trail (In other words it is steep). Although I am not in the best of shape anymore and am carrying around quite a few extra pounds, I still enjoy the challenge of hiking mountain trails and this day was no different! DH offers the support and encouragement I need, and my determination and stubborn nature provides the rest! Once at Lower Dewey Lake, we took the trail around the lake, which at one point does become quite rocky and was a bit treacherous due to the amount of rainfall. But again, nothing that our good hiking boots and determination could not handle. The views of the lake were beautiful and we had the whole trail to ourselves. We stopped along the lake at different points just to enjoy the peaceful surroundings.

At this point, we met another pair of hikers, who advised that we did not continue on to Icy Lake and the falls due to the amount of rain causing the trail to be slippery and quite muddy. We took a look at some of their photos and decided to forgo the trip any further, instead choosing to relax for a bit longer in the shelter of the trees at Lower Dewey and then head back to the ship to rouse the children for our afternoon adventures.

We arrived back at the ship just in time for lunch, and joined the girls on the Lido deck, under the retractable cover of course. After lunch it was back into the rain to meet our guides for ziplining. Again, not a new experience for me, but a first time for the rest of the family. Again, let me say that as long as you are prepared for the rain, it really should not dampen your spirits. And the guides of Grizzly Falls Ziplining will make any adventure one that you won't soon forget!

To be con't...

Upon arrival in Juneau the rain had arrived in earnest. We had an independent excursion planned with Captain Larry at Orca Ent. The rain did not dampen our spirits as we headed out to Mendenhall glacier. I was a bit disappointed that due to the flooding we were unable to do the nugget falls hike, but nothing you can do about mother nature! We walked around the visitor center and walked along the salmon viewing trail. A few of the earliest salmon were present in the water as we walked. We then boarded the bus out to the marina and met up with the Captain and our crew for the day.

Very quickly we came up on a pod of humbacks bubble net feeding. It was an exciting way to start the day, but there were a lot of other boats in the area and it was causing the pod to act erratically (according to our guide, Josh) so we left the area in search of others. Captain Larry knows the area and very quickly we were on another pod of Humpbacks. This time there were about 8 or 9 adults and 2 juveniles. They appeared to be having a good time in the water as we were treated to breach after breach after breach followed by more bubble netting and then even more breaching! I have some wonderful photos that show more than my words can ever say, but I cannot seem to get them to upload...will keep trying!

We headed back to the ship to change and have lunch then headed back on shore to wander the shops and have a look around town.

Thanks to recommendations on these boards, we spent the pre-cruise night in Vancouver at the Accent Inn, Richmond where we were joined by our older DD (19) who flew in early Tuesday morning. We spent the day giving her the quick tour of the city and then drove out to Lynn Canyon to do some hiking. Here we were treated to watching the on-location filming of the new Disney musical "Descendants" starring Kristin Chenowyth. It was a treat to watch and the girls got to talk to some of the crew and cast and get an inside sneak peek of some of the sets - now we are anxious to see the film when it comes out in 2015 and look for those scenes!

The afternoon was spent on Robson Street, helping the oldest DD catch up on the shopping that she missed out on! Spent a relaxing evening at the hotel repacking suitcases and, for the girls, cramming in last minute social media minutes before boarding the ship!

On the morning of sail away, we headed to the pier around 11. We had to leave the car in the over-height parking lot as we had a roof top cargo carrier for all of our tenting/camping supplies from our road trip. It was a bit unclear where to park, and we never did hook up with the free shuttle back to Canada Place, but it wasn't a huge deal. Our travel agent had arranged for the parking fees and it was convenient, especially post-cruise when we just hopped in the car and drove away! We arrived at the luggage drop around noon and by 12:30 we had dropped our carry on bags in our cabin, met our wonderful steward and were off to explore the ship. As this was a first time cruise for the girls, they were eager to see what the ship was going to offer them for the next 7 days. We agreed to meet up at the pool for sail away and they were off, ship maps in hand...not surprisingly we found youngest DD within a few minutes - lined up at the Lido buffet. The staff knew her by name very quickly!

The girls enjoyed Vancouver sail away from inside the Aft pool - they were the only ones in the pool and it was a beautiful sunny day! We spent the first evening lounging on deck, relaxing and enjoying the sunset. We headed to the main dining room for the first of many enjoyable dinners. The girls enjoyed being able to dress up a bit for dinner, while my DH enjoyed the option of remaining in semi-casual dress as he is generally in a suit and tie for work every day! The range of dress in Alaska allowed for everyone in our family to dress as they felt comfortable and never feel out of place.

Day two - at sea was spent by the pool and sampling the food from the Lido and Dive Inn. The girls were very happy to be able to go off on their own, doing what they wanted, when they wanted! They did not utilize any of the ship's teen programming, it just did not interest them but that was not any reflection on the ship or its programs. It just is not the nature of my children - they prefer to make their own adventures.

For our youngest (14) most of her time was spent in the hot tub, exploring her dining options or chatting with the elderly ladies and gentlemen she met everywhere she went. She loved to hear their stories, find out about the places they lived and had traveled and just get to know them. She just connects with people and enjoys talking with them - especially the elderly! She also enjoyed the shows in the Frans Hals lounge each night followed by the late night snack with her dad on the Lido.

Our middle DD (17) spent most of her day time in the hot-tub or the fitness center. Her evenings and late nights were spent in little nooks she would find or curled up in a windowsill, watching the scenery, reading her book or simply relaxing and enjoying her alone time. The late night crew knew her by name and she had many wonderful conversations with them, learning about their home countries and families.

The oldest DD (19) spent most of her down time in the day and evening in the Explorers Lounge - enjoying her Chai Tea Lattes and reading her book. The highlights for her evenings was always listening to the violin and piano duets. She is an old soul who enjoyed dressing up for the evenings, sitting by the window and watching the world float by. More than once she was the recipient of comments from the "older" crowd about how nice it was that a young lady would take time to enjoy the classical atmosphere of cruising.

The girls shared their own inside cabin right across the hall from DH and I and we never once felt that we were concerned for their well being. Our cabin steward seemed to know their where-abouts and plans better then we did and he made sure they always had what they needed and felt safe and secure at all times! For me it was wonderful to see how well they got along in the somewhat cramped quarters - and also being able to give them the freedom to explore and feel independent!

Next up: A Rainy day in Juneau

Just got back and my personal recommendations are Whale Watching in Juneau (with Capt Larry) and Snorkeling in Ketchikan!!! We booked both tours independeant from the ship based on recommendations on these boards and were extremely pleased!

First off, let me say that this was my second cruise to Alaska. When I was there in 2009 with my mom, we were told by locals that we should never return as we would never again be treated to the 7 days of clear skies, low 20's (70's) temps (in May) and not a single drop of rain! So I was a bit afraid when I suggested this trip to my family - our family summer holidays have always been three weeks of camping in the mountains of Canada or the North-Western United states and usually are sunshine filled, active hiking and biking style trips. This would be a completely different type of holiday and I was a bit scared of the kids being disappointed....

The family agreed to try the cruise vacation this year - although, prior to leaving the girls wished I would have chosen the Caribbean for their first experience! I only asked them to keep open minds and hearts and be prepared for wet weather before passing judgement!

DH and I, along with our two younger DD's (14 & 17) set out on our pre-cruise adventure 10 days prior to sailing. We chose to drive the 2000km to Vancouver, exploring the North-Western States along the way. We spent most of those 10 nights in a tent - part of my calculated plan to help them appreciate the luxuries of cruising even more! Lets just say, I think the plan worked wonderfully! Our oldest DD (19) was to fly our to Vancouver the day before sailing, as her work schedule did not allow for the ten days of pre-cruise travel.

Sorry to leave you hanging, will continue this post in a bit, after preparing breakfast - oh, dear I wish for a Lido deck at home today!

Thanks for the Accent Inn recommendation! The hotel is wonderful, the staff super friendly and the hot tub was a wonderful bonus after spending a week in a tent! Can't wait to board that cruise tomorrow!

We actually rented an SUV identical to the one we drive at home so it will be fine, considering that the girls will be more than used to co-occupying the back seat as we are travelling half way across Canada before we board the ship!

Looks like the drive to Emerald lake, with stops at the Carcross Desert and perhaps the dog sled camp to play with a puppy?

When I was there (Without my family) five years ago I did the hikes from town and they were nice, but I kept hearing that the best way to do Skagway was in your own car, and head to Emerald Lake. But I figured there would be much more to do as well along the way! So I went ahead and reserved the car and now am just making the plans for the day! Thanks for the suggestions!

We are a family of five (three late-teen girls), very active and have decided to rent a car in Skagway to get out of town for a bit - any suggestions for what we should do?

Thanks for the advice! We decided to go with the Canada Place Parking for the convenience after the cruise and the Accent Inn Richmond for the ease of access to the airport for the other members of our party who are not driving across the country first!

Putterdude, you are very helpful on all of these forums! Thanks so much for taking time out of your life to help others who have so many questions,. I am sure you must get tired from answering the same questions multiple times, yet you never seem to add "attitude" to your posts! We are actually driving in from Saskatoon via Victoria via Seattle via Spokane via Kalispell Montana...hahaha no direct route for this family! Ending up 10 days in a tent with two teenage girls with the luxuries of a cruise for this momma!

I have a quote from both - which would be a more safer and more secure place to leave the car? As we are traveling across the country to get to the port, we will have a roof top cargo carrier on the SUV, as well as a significant amount of "stuff" to leave in the car... which location would be a better choice? Price-wise its about the same for the five of us when you consider the transfers etc.

Thanks for the advice!

We are 2 adults and 2 teens driving in to Vancouver 2 nights before our cruise. Early on the day before our ship leaves our 19 yo dd will fly into Van to meet us. Can anyone recommend a hotel in the airport area that is clean and affordable, will accommodate 5 persons, provides a SAFE, 8 night parking package for cruise passengers and hopefully provides transfers to Canada Place...although we are not opposed to hopping the train if need be!

Also - how long of a train ride into downtown from the airport?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated - I have only ever stayed out in Burnaby so unfamiliar with the Richmond/airport area.