Coral

On 6/9/2024 at 12:49 PM, vplsh said:

We are looking to book an Alaska cruise for next May. We have done an Alaskan cruise once before; last year we sailed Ovation of the Seas and stopped in Juneau, Skagway and Victoria BC out of Seattle. We enjoyed the cruise but felt we didn't get to see enough of Alaska, so we are looking for a different experience. The three cruises we have narrowed it down to are:

 

I am surprised they do that route. Yep - you missed out on a lot in Alaska. Glad you are able to go back.

My least favorite cruise to Alaska was on RCCL (Radiance). Poor times in port, tendering in Juneau, kids out of control on the ship and RCCL didn't care, no talks about Alaska on the ship (except for shopping) so I would rule RCCL out.

I like Princess's routes (2 glacier days, Glacier Bay) but I have never wanted to go on the Caribbean Princess. I am sure they have a few other ships doing that same itinerary that would be more desirable. I also like Princess's Alaska speakers (variety).

7 hours ago, sherryf said:

There are porters at Pier 91, but if a lot of people all arrive at once, especially the big buses, then there aren't enough porters to go around.  You must have arrived at a very busy time if there were no porters and you had to wait an hour.  I sailed out of Pier 91 a few weeks ago (on HAL) and did not have this problem at all.  We walked right in and dropped our luggage, and were on the ship within about 15 minutes. 

When I went (not this year) - I arrived at a very slow time and could not find any porters. No buses were there at the time.

20 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Hi all - we understand that Whittier is a small and seasonal port.  But having 3 security lines knowing that 500 plus people arrive at a time by train and hundreds by buses is unacceptable.  In over 20 cruises, this is the worst boarding process with the worst lines we have ever encountered.  3 lanes for trainloads or people at once.  0/10 boarding experience and total failure to start a cruise by Princess.  

 

We have taken many othe seaaonal cruises in small and large ports, never ever even close to this chaos.  So that isn’t an excuse.  We were told the ship decides to only put out 3 lanes. 

 

 

It is all in the timing. I have done B2B cruises with Whittier turnaround and the majority of the time, the building is empty. It has to do with the timing of the tunnel, how many buses, a lot of flights arriving at the same time, etc.....

I am sure with the medallions - people were checked in a whole lot quicker than a long time ago when we checked in the old fashion way.

Also - not sure what ship you were on but the majority of ships doing Alaska when the pier was built were between 77,000 tons and 109,000 tons. Fewer passengers than the ships sailing today (max 2600 passengers).

9 hours ago, hpeabody said:

I recently experienced boarding at Seattle Pier 91. It was not fun to stand and inch forward with checked suitcase and carry on for an hour or so. It was mayhem, could not even tell where the end of the line was.  I have never been at a port where there are no porters waiting curbside to take your luggage.  The situation was a looooooooong snaking line to get into the luggage check area which is inside a building.  Then proceed to the security metal detectors and check in lines snaking with the same people.  Not a good experience, oh it was cold and rainy too.

I ran into that also! I agree it was a pain.

11 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

There was a building in 2010.  I’ve never arrived by train, but lines were not a problem…. EM

I can imagine if there were a lot of buses arriving at once through the tunnel, there could be a line. I personally have not experienced any long lines.

Here is the building in 2004 (first year Princess was in Whittier):

8 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I see that there is now a "building".  When I was there...eons ago, it was just a canvas canape.  Making improvements.  Look on the bright side, only one ship in Whittier.  

 

I'm sorry @Thrak. That is a true travesty.  

I swore I was there the first year they used Whittier (2004?) and there was a building back then.

2003 was in Seward.

31 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Unfortunately it’s not my choice. The cruise itself isn’t more but the hotel is over 100$ more per night when booked with the TA. This is part of a big company but a local person. My uncle insists on using an agent. It’s causing me so much anxiety to not have control and to have to settle on things because of her.

I know when hotels are booked through the cruise line, they are often more expensive. I am guessing that is the situation here. Especially in Vancouver and Alaska.

I guess I don't have anxiety when using my agent as I trust her. She has known me since the late 90's. 

I hope everything works out for you and you can enjoy your cruise.

2 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

My experience so far is that TA cost more and I can’t stand having to wait on them to do something when I could do it myself. So I would say if your going to use a TA make sure they awnser promptly to questions.

If using an agent is costing you more - you definitely are using the wrong agent. 

On 6/10/2024 at 6:01 PM, MtnSeaGirl said:

So...the question in the original post remains, Where else can I go to obtain intergrity ( legit and not scamming ) on TAs other than Google customer reviews that can be made up?    I don't feel this is discussing TAs other than asking a sincere question.  TY for your help.  

I would strongly recommend you attend a CC gathering on your cruise. Ask fellow (well traveled) agents for their agents name and then contact them for your next cruise.

3 hours ago, Stevepcb64 said:

IMHO TA's are for people that either don't have time or just don't want to do the research. There is a ton of good info out there between this website and other "trip" related ones as well as the actual cruise websites. They may or may not be able to save you a few bucks but it won't be a lot over what you could do if you put in a little time. Remember there ultimate goal is to make money no neccasarily save you money. You really need to start watching prices as soon as you decide to go and once you book keep watching them. I was able to knock $600 off my original booked price by keeping an eye on it. Good luck and sorry I couldn't help you with your actual question.

I am very well traveled. I also use a TA. 99% of the time, I know what I want when I contact my TA. She saves me money over booking direct (she rebates part of her commission to me). Though that isn't the reason I use her. When everything goes great - one may not see a value in a travel agent. When things go wrong - that is when you realize your travel agent's weight in gold. Mine has high connections with all the cruise lines and can easily get a hold of someone if necessary. All the cruise line VP's know her. Plus, if I am speaking up for myself with the cruise line, I am just one person. My agent sells millions with several cruise lines each year. They want to keep her happy. If they lose me, no big deal. If they lose a travel agent who books more cruises with them than 99% of other travel agents, they are going to jump through hoops to fix the issue and make her happy.

I hope this is true.

@carlp What are your sources?

It depends on the single rate that the original person was priced at. It can vary quite a bit. 

I believe these cabins are all the way forward. If you are prone to sea sickness, you may want to think twice.

We had sleet in July once. A few years later, that same week - it felt like 90. Go figure.

Expect anything and be prepared for rain and wind.

3 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

We did an AK cruise this year that started on late April.  We had no problem w Glacier Bay.  Note to the OP - is your April cruise date a firm date and why did you pick that date?

 

DON

I actually don't think access to Glacier Bay would be a huge issue. The pictures I have seen in April are absolutely stunning. It is like a winter wonderland.

White Pass could be an issue.

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Wow...not sure how you knew that someone was expecting! 😄

Thanks. Typo - "berth". Thanks for correcting.

Definitely book (2) tables of 8. One long table doesn't really allow people to talk and it will hold up food longer.

Contact a travel agent before people book. You may qualify as a group which could give you group amenities and maybe one free cabin or one free birth. I forget what it is with Princess. Also do a referral before for those who haven't sailed Princess.

The only delay would be if your ship is tendering. Then it is a pain. Otherwise, it is easy.

1 hour ago, Stevepcb64 said:

We just got back from our cruise yesterday, We did the combo whale watch and Mendehall Glacier tour. To be honest the whale watching in Icy Straight was better partially because they have Orca's and Humpbacks and we saw plenty of both plus Bears on the beach, sea lions, eagles, otters. We only saw a couple of Humpbacks in Juneau but I think we just had a bad luck day there. For me we saw other Glaciers (Hubbard & Glacier Bay) that where more impresive than Mendenhall Glacier but, when you add in Nugget Falls it really made it worth going to see if you have time.

Juneau in the past had both orcas and humpbacks. Though last year, I have to agree ISP was better for whale watching than Juneau the days I went. I have seen bears, sea lions, eagles and otters in Juneau as well.

I do not think Mendenhall is a must. I think it is a let down actually. 

I would contact White Pass off of their website and see what date they start operating. There is snow in the Yukon in April (and May also). They may not be operating when you are planning on going.

18 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

April is too early. They might not be running yet. I'd also be concerned about getting into Glacier Bay that early.

Someone on these cruise boards did a cruise from Asia to Alaska and went to Glacier Bay in April on Crystal. Their picture of Glacier Bay was absolutely amazing with all the snow. So if one gets in, it will be worthy of a sight.

6 hours ago, royal3 said:

When your ship pulls into Skagway there is a rock hillside that has been painted by multiple visiting ship crews with their visit date, and logos. It is a neat history of the visits. We then walk around town for a while before heading on a self booked shore excursion (Shore Excursion Group -  Yukon Klondike Adventure by bus, Puppy Camp, and Lunch - $165 pp). As you take the bus ride to the Yukon, there is a very good chance you will see some bears. Have done this several times. 

I don't know how many are still there. I docked last year at the other dock. There was a rock slide 2 years ago (I think). It appears some are still there.

14 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

We were in the Falklands in 2015 while on a B2B2B which included Antarctica.  If your reference to air fare is in reference to a trip the the Falklands (at least in 2015) the only flights to Port Stanley were a weekly flight to and from Heathrow and another weekly flight from Chile.  The air fare into Buenos Aires is generally reasonable (even in business class) so cruises out of BA are an option.

I was looking at a RT Buenos Aires trip this Christmas that included Antarctica (drive by). I can afford the cruise - it is the air and routing of air that is difficult for me. In the past I have looked at Buenos Aires and Santiago. I am pretty tall so want Economy Plus or Business. It is funny - I had no problems getting FF miles to Paris Business Class but I can't even touch them in South America. I live near a small airport which doesn't help. Though my guess is flights from Fairbanks can't be cheap either! I am flying from Lincoln to State College this summer for a conference and the air for regular economy is $1000. I am blown away from those who live on the East Coast and get amazing flight pricing and routing they get.

I hope in the future (when retired) I can do a B2B2B like you did in South America. That would be a trip of a lifetime.