Giantfan13

I'm so glad you mentioned about the drive to Talkeetna. I would have thought it a very picturesque type drive, but will have to rethink that option. Cheers Len

Thanks for the heads up. We have been here several years ago but it was wonderful and maybe worth another visit. Cheers Len

Palmer is one of the places we were planning on visiting, Thanks for the heads up on the other things./ Cheers Len

Super pixs. Now that is something I'd be interested in. Are the trails marked, as to know where they are, or did you discover them by chance? thanks Cheers Len

WOW, some terrific suggestions. Too bad we only have 3 days to try and fit a lot of this in. Cheers Len

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions. I've printed them out and will carry them with us and plan out our 3 days. We are so excited. Is it worth the trip going North, say to Talkeetna, as just a drive for a day. That is about how far North we want to venture in a day. Cheers Len

We are leaving from Seward and we plan on staying the night there. We are taking the bus to Seward and then doing a Kenai Fiord cruise. seems if you book both with this company, you get a rebate for the entire bus fare which makes it a pretty good deal. Cheers Len

If you are looking at a 'high end' ship, then obviously money isn't an issue. Also look at where the cruise leaves from. When we toured, our ship left from Dover which meant, for us anyway, a week in London pre and post cruise. AND the ports of call should make a difference also. Most cruises do the regulars, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki, but some do Oslo and others do Rostock (another Berlin port). If you have 3 days in St Petersburg, it may be at the expense of missing other wonderful ports. 3 Days in St Petersburg would be great, but many use that extra day to travel to Moscow. Again, with those 3 days, you have to see what other ports you will NOT visit and decide if that is worth it. I, like JB, feel 2 days with a good tour company, you can see most of St Petersburg, at least what most people want to see. And DO try and pick a line that does stop in Stockholm proper. You really need to do some homework instead of asking which line you should use. Cheers Len

And I thought WE had this great idea. but seems everyone has done the exact same thing. We also had the 'red eye' from NY to Barcelona and stayed in the Las Rambles area. We must have gotten to our hotel about 10:30, they stored our luggage and we went out to see this area. We NEVER sleep on the plane so we were tired, but it was a gorgeous day, and by 1-2:00. Las Rambles was in full stride, all the vendors out, restaurants open, shops looking for customers. We wandered about, grabbed some lunch, visited the market, sat for a while just admiring where we were. We found this great falafel place which we ended up using for dinner as we just didn't want a heavy meal and then go to sleep. We really wanted to stay up till it got dark, but we decided to get to bed by 8, which we did. Since this was such a great plan, we are doing it again this November. Hey, if something works, why change. Cheers Len

We are leaving for Alaska next Wednesday (Aug 28), flying into Anchorage. We have rented a car and will be in Anchorage for 3 full days and need some advice what to see and do? We are not going to Denali as it is too far a ride for one day and we cannot stay over. I don't mind driving so I was wondering how to plan our 3 days there. We don't have to stay in the Anchorage vicinity. I am an avid amateur photographer and we just love to view spectacular sites. We are seniors and don't mind doing some short hikes but nothing really strenuous. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. Cheers Len

Looking at the routes, we are staying in the Las Rambles area, without getting off, about how long is each route, time wise? Cheers Len

Reading some of the info, seems parking is a major headache. Say we just want to drive around Stanley park, stopping as we go, is there parking available all over, only in certain areas> I also have a handicapped plaquard, would that help me be able to park in places. I know, when we were in Quebec, displaying that plaquard, allowed me to park on the street, at meters without having to pay. Is this the same in and around Vancouver? Cheers Len

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions. We did decide to book the late flight and will rent a car. We will take the advice offered by some here and see what we can see in Vancouver, return the car and fly home. Hopefully we will have a wonderful day in this lovely city. Cheers Len

Thank you so much for all this valuable info, If I may add on, if we look to do the rental, and want to avoid a lot of the city stuff, what might you recommend for a day out? We really aren't museum type people and love scenery and I am an amateur photographer so I love taking pix. I don't mind driving either. One other point, on looking at 'other' airlines, I see I may be able to get a flight out of Vancouver at 12:30PM. Would we be able to make that flight from the cruise? We are seniors and carrying our luggage off is really not a very good thing for us. We could ask for an earlier dismemberment though. I would assume taxi's are readily available at the airport. I am not one to 'want to cut it close'. If this might, in any way, be 'cutting it close' then I would rather avoid it and enjoy our vacation and not have to worry if we might miss our flight. If you think this is 'plenty of time' we might go for it. And again, thanks for all your suggestions and help. Cheers Len

We are arriving Vancouver on Sep 9 (Monday) off a cruise and we have a very late flight out 11:30PM. Since we have never been to Vancouver and would like to see something, rather than sitting at the airport all day, what options do we have? We were seriously considering renting a car for the day (about $30 US) and seeing what we can see, then returning to the airport, drop off the car and proceed to check in for our flight. Is that a reasonable plan? What might we want to see in our short time there? How is the driving in Vancouver and will our GPS device help us to get around? I was reading about a HoHo bus and that is a decent option but what do we do with our luggage? From the cruise terminal, where would be the closest place to catch a HoHo and does it stop anywhere near the airport, or do we have to taxi around also? Thanks for any and all info. Cheers Len

Once again, thanks for all the helpful suggestions. Cheers Len

Sorry if I have to ask another question, this time about Anchorage. We are flying into Anchorage and need a hotel there for the night. Looking at several of the hotel sites, most of the hotels seem to be about 2-3 miles from what they call 'city center'. Should we try and be right in 'city center'? We don't plan on having a car and we were looking at a hotel about 2.3 miles from city center that has an airport shuttle. So, I guess my main question is again, do we want to be right in 'city center' and if not, is there transportation to get us there if that's where we want to be? Would it be more beneficial to rent a car in Anchorage and try and stay some where out of the city where the rates are much cheaper? We will have 3 nights before our cruise and we thought of spending one night in Anchorage and maybe 2 in Seward. Would it be better to spend 2 nights in Anchorage and one in Seward? Again, thanks for any help and suggestions. Believe me they are much appreciated. Cheers Len

Thank you all so much for the help with this port. One more thing, as I asked before, if we wanted to book something, a tour or whatever, when we disembarked the ship, are there 'vendors' looking for people to tour with them around the port area? Cheers Len

We have been to Alaska twice already but this is our first time in this port. We are seniors and we were wondering what are the things to do in this port?. We have done Alaskan whale watches already, and we really don't want to 'break the bank' just trying to do things in this port. We have all day here, from 7AM till 6PM. If we just wanted to wander about the town is there enough to do to occupy a full day or is getting around a must?. Is there any 'must' do things here?. We will be having quieter days in Juneau and Ketchikan so we wouldn't mind a tour but not with the cruise line. Are there 'vendors' around when you disembark the ship looking for people to do tours? And any recommendations would be much appreciated. Cheers Len

Last time, about 8 years ago, we rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. We are again visiting Skagway in early September and would like to, once again, rent a car and drive somewhere. First, since I am getting older and don't remember where we rented this car and from whom, what are our choices in Skagway?. If whatever memory I still have, I seem to recall there being an AVIS place, is that still the main car rental. Are there other choices? Our time in Skagway is from 7AM till 5PM. We don't mind doing the Emerald Lake drive again, but we would also like to maybe see a different drive and other sites. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Cheers Len

Thanks for all the great advice. I know it's a bit late, but you've got to do what you got to do, when you can. Can some one recommend a bus company that goes from Anchorage to Seward. I googled it and only one came up, which leaves Anchorage late afternoon and arrives after our ship has sailed. Are there other options by bus/shuttle? Cheers Len

We are flying into Anchorage, last week in August. We are booked on an NCL cruise Sept 2 southbound Seward to Vancouver. We plan on renting a car in Anchorage and driving to Denali. My questions Is it best to rent a car right at the airport, or might it be cheaper in town. Is there a preferred rental place that some would use and does anyone have any codes for discounts on a rental? We plan on getting to Seward a day early. From Anchorage, what are our options to get to Seward?. Private car or taxi are just a bit too expensive. Is there a train or bus we can sue and if so, where can we find a timetable? Appreciate any help with these questions. Cheers Len

We just did an MSC cruise in December and stopped in Livorno. They also, like the other cruise lines, offer a shuttle to the city center, and like the others, it wasn't free. Is anything free these days from the cruise lines? Cheers Len

We were in the Vatican on a weekday mid December last year. We were told it was an 'off' day, not as crowded as a busy day.' I have never seen so many people crowded into this place as when we were there and if this was an 'off' day, I would hate to see what it is like on a crowded day. We had a Vatican tour booked and my DW got separated from the tour. Trying to find her thru that crowd was impossible. Lucky we had those head buds and I was able to tell her where to be thru the microphone and we were all reunited. In the Sistine Chapel it was like cramming little sardines into a small can as to the amount of people in that room, again, on an 'off' day. Maybe the latter you go will be better, but certainly not in the AM. Be prepared for mass crowds and we are from NY and suppose to be used to crowds. Cheers Len

Add another vote to going to see Florence. We did a day trip there, off our pre cruise stay in Rome about a year ago. We downloaded several free walking tours, places to see and visit, for free, and we were prepared for everything and anything. Florence is just a wonderful city to just forget your cares and woes and just wander about and enjoy everything, from the narrow side streets to the glorious buildings. On another note, we had a cruise stop in Livorno in December off an MSC cruise. We chose to go to Pisa and Lucca, but a word on this if you want transportation to Florence. At the port there are many, and I do mean many, taxi's and vans, and the like, all offering to take you where you might want to go, like Florence, Pisa, Lucca and others. I cannot say if their prices are good or not as we didn't use them, but I would assume they would be better than any private tour or ship's tour you would want to book. If you think this may be your one time to see Florence, go for it. You won't be sorry. Cheers Len