Coral

I saw several whale watching tours.

If you stay at Pan Pacific - for a $10-$15 tip or so, they will take your bags to the ship for you.

I personally liked the ships that came before the Emerald/Caribbean Princess. The Grand, Golden, (old) Star, Sapphire and Diamond Princess. They had 500 less passengers and seem less crowded. Unfortunately most are gone. I agree about the Promenade deck. That is a huge plus. I just wish they had a covered pool.

I would think if you didn't like Caribbean Princess, you probably would not like Emerald.

I have friends who have seen Northern Lights on a 7 night RT cruise out of Vancouver in September. No land trip. So Fairbanks isn't a requirement for Northern Lights. If someone is only doing 3-4 nights land, Fairbanks is really far to go. Too much transportation, not enough time to see things if going to Fairbanks for that short of time.

Further out at sea.

The cruise line could care less if you have insurance or not as you are paying before you leave the ship. I would be curious what happens when one doesn't have space on a credit card before one leaves the ship.

On my Allianz claim. I went to the hospital, found out the full diagnosis (had x-rays, consultation with the doctor and then decided to go home for surgery) before I called Allianz. They paid my hospital claim in full. I never even thought to call Allianz first.

I remember back in the 90's when one would call the airlines and confirm a flight. I remember doing that and the next day showing up for my flight only to find it was cancelled the day before (when I called to confirm the flight). You would have thought we had come a long way since then. Though Princess's technology has never been that great (nor has their telephone support).

While not Juneau - on May 16th in Hoonah last summer, we had bubble feeding. I hadn't planned on taking pictures but did snap a few a little too late (they are not great). I always go whale watching when in Alaska in May and am rarely disappointed. We did not see Orcas last year (in Juneau or Hoonah).

I am so sorry this happened. Though I am not surprised at all. I dread calling Princess. I deal with a TA who I trust. I would email Customer Relations right away. You may want to post the shore excursion you lost. There are only a few I can think of that are "Princess only". This is a great example that Princess needs to bring back their reservations and train them well!

I have done both via small boat. Tracy Arm is better than Endicott Arm IMO. Overall - cruise ships can make it to Endicott Arm easier than Tracy Arm due to the twists and turns Tracy Arm has. I prefer the fjords in Tracy Arm - they are more dramatic. Though I would do either again.

I am curious what your son did to land this job? Is he in college?

Have you seen any large NCL or RCCL ships sail inside Vancouver Island? In the past, these ships have been out of Seattle though they will often go to Vancouver to sail to Hawaii.

The Summit is only 90,000 tonnage which isn't that large by today's standards. There are several Princess ships larger that can sail inside passage (not Royal class).

I honestly think the ship is always "concerned about the current sailing". Unless they need to add food at the pier for a specific diet (Kosher, baby food) - I don't think they will do anything before ones gets on a ship.

Technically - Edge is somewhere between Crown Princess size and Royal Princess size. It will be interesting which way it goes.

Most lines put their big ships out of Seattle. I am trying to think of which large ships are out of Vancouver? I don't know if the large ships are out of Seattle (best ships in some people's mind) are put there to attract people on an inferior route or because they are unable to sail inside passage? Good question. Can you think of other large ships docked in Vancouver? Celebrity Edge is the only one I can see on the schedule that is equivalent in size. I don't know what route they take.

I am not sure if the Edge would, with her size - if she was sailing from Vancouver.

You will be pleased. I promise. I went with them again last year. People in your van will most likely come from your ship.

I did one also (May 2023):

It took me 1 minute in Vancouver for my Alaskan cruise last year.

The other option is to switch your sled dog excursion to Skagway and then do whale watching in Juneau. Though - there is a chance in both ports that weather or other conditions could prevent the helicopter ride from happening.

This is a booking site. I prefer to deal direct with the vendor for tours. As @wolfie11 noted, Dyea Dave is no longer alive. He had cancer and his tours hadn't run in many years.

I am going to encourage you to book independently. Chilkoot Tours has a great reputation. You will not miss the ship. I personally will always try to book independently and have never missed the ship. You will be in a much smaller group (van vs bus). https://chilkootcharters.com