LMKakaThing2

I just returned from my Canada/New England cruise yesterday. Absolutely loved Halifax and highly recommend Mel from Down East Tours. It was the best excursion we've ever done and since it was private, we were able to customize it to what we wanted to see.  I actually found Mel to be slightly cheaper than the cruise line. Plus, all your money is going to the local economy and not the cruise line.

https://www.downeasttours.ca/

On 2/13/2023 at 4:07 PM, vandercapellen said:

Has anyone had Faster to the Fun with a Baltimore Departure since it restarted? Just wondering if there is a quick easy line or if we wait in the regular line then eventually we get to a FTTF line?

Just returned Sunday from the Legend out of Baltimore and had FTTF.  There is a separate line for FTTF, Suites, and Diamonds...it's the first line as you approach the building. From the time we got in line to the time we boarded was maybe 30 minutes.  We got there around 11am when they opened the parking lot.  The Legend gets in around 8:30/9am and they don't open the parking lot until the previous cruisers get leave the lot.

Thanks for this info!  I'll be going to the Bahamas in 11 days and couldn't find anything about what was included at no extra cost with T-Mobile.

@YVRteacherhas a great review of the Jewel's NB itinerary with dailies.  

Received the following email from Carnival for my Legend cruise next month. Is Carnival quietly changing the rules on bringing wine onboard? 
 

FAQ’s still say you can bring a bottle but water must be in cartons. 🤷🏻‍♀️

When I was on the Jewel this past May, it was $139pp.  Passes came available to purchase 3 weeks before sailing.

Park as close to the water/ship as you can...the first 2 rows is best if there is a snowstorm.  Was due to return to port when snowstorm Jonas hit and since we were in the 2nd row by the water, a lot of the snow had been blown away from the car.  The further back you went, the deeper the snow and the lot was not plowed.  

4 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

As soon as I embarked on Elation, I went to the Guest Adventures desk across from Guest Services.  Make sure you know your cabin number so you can tell them.  I selected my cabana then, told them what we wanted for sodas and shoe sizes for my party for snorkel fins.  We loved cabana #10!  Close to bathroom, bar and a cove in front of it that was teeming with colorful fish.  Towels are provided. Lunch was a 5-10 minute walk away.  A tram will take you to your cabana from the tender port and a tram will pick you up to go back at the end of your day.  Bring cash to tip out cabana person and tram driver if you wish.

Have a great cruise!!

Thank you for the information!  Will definitely be heading over to Guest Adventures when we board.

I'll be on the Legend in February and have a cabana reserved for our stop at Princess Cay.  When do we get assigned our cabana?

Looking forward to your review!  It was great meeting you and your dad back in May on the Jewel!

On 7/28/2022 at 2:55 PM, NavyCruiser said:

 

Yes, that's what we worry about.

 

Interesting the RCCL & Celebrity allows us to book excursions before cruise, then deduct with OBC once onboard, but Carnival & HAL makes us pay first to book excursions before cruise...

On 7/28/2022 at 3:35 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

I can't speak as to RCL, but on Celebrity, it's even better than that.  If you have OBC, it shows up in your Cruise Planner prior to your cruise, and you can use it to pay for anything you can book pre-cruise, including shorex and specialty dining.  The amount is taken from your OBC as soon as you make the purchase on line.   

I have an upcoming Carnival cruise and you can now use your OBC to purchase items before boarding!

I was able to do a paid "upgrade" for my seats from economy to first class on a domestic flight earlier this week on United.  However, United wouldn't allow me to purchase an upgrade until I checked in for the flight.  

6 hours ago, dave34 said:

Thanks. A question on ArriveCAN, I’m arriving on Saturday for a Sunday north bound, do we just need to do ArriveCAN one time? Also is the process at the airport fairly simple? We have never been to Vancouver and little nervous about what we need to do. Thank you so much 

I found it to be simple until my luggage didn’t arrive. I had a feeling it wouldn’t since my flight from Chicago to Seattle was delayed to the point that I had minutes to make my connection. The Alaska Airlines employee at the luggage counter had the paperwork ready to go for me to sign. He was given a heads up and said it would be on the next flight 3hrs later. They delivered my luggage to the hotel by 10pm that night. I had to go to a side room for customs to turn in my paperwork allowing the airline to take my luggage. But from what I could tell, if I had my luggage, it would have been a quick 30 seconds. 
 

I arrived at 1:45 in the afternoon and I was out of the airport by 3pm. They’ll ask you why you’re entering Canada and ask you about the cruise. 

1 hour ago, disneylover89 said:

I do not see her live review, can you link it please?

4 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

We're not.... but what was it like LMKakaThing2? Anything stand out for you? 

It was spectacular! Saw a bunch of calving at Glacier Bay and Hubbard glacier. Mountains were still covered with snow. Didn’t see much wildlife but heard orca’s were seen from the ship one evening. Ship was only at 30% and ports weren’t crowded. @YVRteacher is doing a live review over on the NCL board. She is currently on a b2b on the Jewel and giving great info about everything. Highly recommend Jayleen’s whale watching tour in Juneau. My mom and I ended up being her only guests that day. She took us by Mendenhall and it was amazing to see it from water. She grew up in Juneau and knows the different whales. 

Just got home from a northbound cruise. Masks must be worn on flights arriving into Vancouver, even if coming from the states. As stated already, they are required in YVR. They are also required in the cruise ship terminal. 

On 5/2/2022 at 2:10 AM, YVRteacher said:

If the Skagway streetcar trolley tour is running, it goes to the cemetery and you get out for a tour.  Highly recommend this.

Highly recommend the streetcar! They give great information about some of people buried there. Was very informative and entertaining. 

Was just in Skagway on Friday. We were informed the Haines ferries aren’t running as often. They’re only running 3 or 4 days a week now. 

On 5/9/2022 at 3:56 AM, worldtraveller99 said:

Thank you all. No we aren't on Princess or Royal Caribbean, so any info here would be so helpful, thank you especially JT1962. Please do keep it coming!

Are you on NCL? Just got home from the May 2nd cruise. 

Just got home today from a northbound cruise that left Vancouver last Monday. Filled it out for my Saturday flight and again for my Monday departure. They checked it numerous times when boarding the flight but not in Vancouver. They never asked for it when boarding the ship last Monday. 
 

Don’t worry about filling out the customs declaration. When you land, you scan your passport and it’s a quick 30 second questionaire. 

On 5/5/2022 at 2:01 AM, SeattleAl said:

Currently docked at Ward Cove and they’ve had buses running all day. Drop off and pick up was at berth 2. 

 

--Did you have to wait long for a bus?

No we didn’t. They had 5 or 6 busses lined up when we docked and more parked up on the hill waiting for an open parking spot. When we headed back to the ship, they had 3 busses waiting to take passengers back to the ship. 
 

After experiencing Ward Cove, I would do it again. They had plenty of busses and it was like getting a free excursion because you got to see a different part of town. 

I booked directly with George Inlet Lodge and it honestly was a huge disappointment based on what I had read. We only had 6 in our tour and it honestly felt rushed. It was supposed to be 2.5 hours and was maybe 1.5 hours. They were aware of some mobility issues ahead of time but didn’t have a step to help get into the van that you had to literally climb into. It was about a 3 foot step into the van with 1 hand grab in the worst location. Even those of us with no mobility problems struggled to get in. We were told they would have a step when we got back to the van but they didn’t. They did have a vehicle that took those with mobility issues down to the dining room. 
 

We asked if it was the same experience as the cruise ship excursion and were told it was…it wasn’t. Cruise excursion gives you pasta and chicken as well. They came around 4 times with crab but if you weren’t done with the one on your plate, you weren’t given another serving. We could have all eaten more, but instead dessert was given out. No sides were given and by time the second serving came around, the butter had solidified. 
 

Definitely wouldn’t do again. You can get more Dungeness crab at Tracy’s crab shack in Juneau for the same price. 

On 5/5/2022 at 4:08 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

How do they regulate the time period?  There's a whistle at the start of the 45 minutes and another one at the end of the 45 minutes?  

I think they have a schedule they stick to. They know how long you have for the “feast” portion of the tour. 

It’s all you can eat in a 45 minute period. Just got back to the ship from the feast. 

On 4/29/2022 at 8:59 AM, Glaciers said:

Interesting post from someone who lives in Ketchikan and reported issues with one of the first ships at Ward Cove this year.

 

 

“Just a heads up Ketchikan travelers, that Norwegian Cruise Lines has developed an exclusive new dock some 7 miles from downtown Ketchikan with an old pulp mill building acting as a visitors center after a multi-million dollar remodel. The visitors center has some shopping, some entertaining diversions and a few local shops setting up kiosks. Travelers today were outraged to find out they had to take a shuttle to town, arriving only at Berth 4, a half mile walk from downtown and Creek St., and could only stay 90 minutes as NCL wants to stagger return times. One enterprising family called a cab and found it was $40 each way to town and back. Our one Uber driver had no comment. Not a great situation for the NCL passengers. That said, if you are doing excursions only, you might find it a better option because it's closer to many drop off points and flight seeing operations.”  Posted by rainbirdreader on Trip Advisor

Currently docked at Ward Cove and they’ve had buses running all day. Drop off and pick up was at berth 2.