Lazy K

I was told by Princess yesterday that they have instituted a new system that is not particularly compatible with Safari.  It is apparently not causing issues with Apple software.  They are aware and supposedly working on it.

Thank you all for your kind and very helpful replies. Sorry that I did not pick up on the fact that there was a Florida board. I think the HAL transfer will work best and I will also look at some tour options since my flight is so late. I do not use Uber or Lyft when I travel alone. I live in Alaska and it is considerably less expensive to get home from MIA when using AS miles to fly.

Ending a Canal Cruise at Port Everglades in mid December and need recommendations for reasonably priced transfer from Port Everglades to MIA International. Flight out of MIA is not until 8p. I have searched and can find every transfer combination imaginable except the one I need. Can anybody who has done this fairly recently offer any suggestions? I am a solo traveler. Thank you for any information you can share.

May I suggest that you, as a new Alaska cruiser, might do well to find yourself a well qualified Travel Agent who specializes in Alaska. Choose one who has actually been to many areas of the state (more than once hopefully), and has sailed on several cruise lines so they will be able to provide information on the unique differences among the several most popular lines. The services of an agent are generally free to you (some charge...ask!), and they do not have to be doing business in your town. I live in Alaska and my agent is in Ohio.

I would choose Princess over Norwegian. I have been on Norwegian but didn't care for the food and they don't have nearly as good a program for Alaska as Princess does. Princess has a naturalist, Tlingit cultural representative, local speakers, puppies in the piazza, Libby Riddles (first woman to win the Iditarod) etc.

I totally agree!!! I am an Alaskan and have cruised Alaska many times on various lines. I think Princess has by far the most "Alaskan" experience.

Thank you Lazy K! This is exactly what we were looking for. Having the luggage handled for us is a big deal. Do I understand correctly that if we have to go through customs at the border it would only be with our carry ons? No unloading from the cargo area of the bus and rolling multiple suitcases through? Been there and done that, don't want a repeat!

RoperDK...Of course I cannot guarantee that you will not have to haul everything out and go through the line at the border. Everything there is at the discretion of the officers. However, I have done this ship transfer many, many times from both HAL and Princess ships and have only twice had to get off and go through the line with hand luggage only...never with main luggage. Last trip they were clearly looking for something specific since there was a huge dog checking all the hand luggage as we waited in line. Mostly the passports are collected and checked while we wait on the bus.

On the regular Quick Shuttle I have had to get off with all my luggage and go through the line every time. Not so on ship transfers per my experience. You will be given the customs form on the ship during the week to fill out and drop in a box at the front desk. My assumption is that we are all pre-checked before we even get to the border. They do always check passports there.

You will be dropped on the curb near Gate 00 at SEA/TAC. You will have to manage your luggage from there.

I hope this information is helpful.

We disembark in Vancouver, but flights out of Seattle are less expensive. Does Princess offer a transfer from the ship to Seattle airport? How does customs and immigration work? Is it easier to fly out of Vancouver making the cost worthwhile? We are headed home to Atlanta so there are no direct flights from Vancouver. We will end up flying from Vancouver to Seattle and then Seattle to Atlanta. Would love to minimize the customs and immigration process if possible. TIA, we do not have any experience with this situation!

 

Dawn

You might want to check with your TA, or directly with Princess, depending on how you booked. There is a transfer available. If you are on the Voyage of the Glaciers southbound there is an option to add a transfer from the ship in Vancouver directly to SEA/TAC. I am booked on it for the Coral sailing next week and use this transfer every time I do this itinerary, which is usually two or three times a season. If you put your bag out the night before disembarkation, with the appropriate tag which will be distributed during the cruise, your bag will be loaded directly on the bus for you. You will be taken off the ship directly to the bus and off you go. This bus is usually "sealed" and sometimes goes right through at the border with only a passport check. Other times I have had to get off and go through the line with my hand luggage. Do check on the Princess web site about the timing of flights departing SEA/TAC. This transfer is usually 3-4 hours and the first week in May I was in the regular TSA line for nearly 2 hours. Hopefully that has improved by now but do not cut things too close. I paid $49.00/pp. for the transfer.

How long ago were you on the Pearl? We also used to feel the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was of poor quality because they were trying to get people to pay for specialty restaurants. However, we just got back from the Sun doing Vancouver to Seward and were very pleasantly surprised by how good the food was in the main dining rooms. (We preferred buffets for breakfast, but MDR for lunch and dinner)

 

To go back to your original question, I'd break down major pros and cons of the Sun:

 

PROS

Itinerary on Northbound - Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier and long times in ports

Small ship - easy to navigate

Lots of open spaces - easy to find a spot to view the outdoors

Decent sized rooms (and it was more affordable than other lines)

Music in the evenings was good

Kids Program counselors were excellent

 

CONS

No naturalist on board - really would have liked that

Small ship - not a lot of variety or excitement if that's what you prefer

Splash Academy physical space was depressing looking (pretty much an empty room)

Older ship and showing age. Our stateroom quality was more in line with a Super 8 than even a Marriott.

 

We had a great time and I would recommend the Sun

I had not been on NCL for more than 20 years plus. I had heard that they were making some good changes so I decided to give them another try. I did a 10 day Alaska repo in early May on the Pearl and was most pleasantly surprised by the experience. I will say, however, that it was an early sailing and the 800 kids that we were told are sometimes on board, who were not aboard this sailing, would be a deal breaker for me...no matter the quality of the food and service. I will be looking at NCL selectively going forward.

I know you said the train wasn't important to you but its worth taking a second look at that option. You will be traversing mountains, lakes, and icebergs and go through a massive tunnel to get from Anchorage to Whittier. The scenery is gorgeous! The trains have glass domes and window that open and decks to stand on at the end of the cars so it really is a great way to spend a couple of hours getting your first glimpse of the Alaskan wilderness.

As an Alaskan, I second the comments of Mindershire. I, too, hope you will take another look at the train. The Anchorage depot is within east walking distance from many downtown hotels. The Comfort Inn Ship Creek is right next door. The Hilton is right up the hill.

Not only is the scenery fabulous, as Mindershire points out, but you can get up and walk around to take pictures, etc. as you travel. The train lets you off in Whittier at a covered walkway that leads right to the ship. You can check your bags directly through to your cabin from the depot in Anchorage as well. The railroad/cruise line runs a special truck for cruise luggage from Anchorage directly to the ship in Whittier.

Additionally, you will avoid the potential of traffic delays on the Seward Highway which is the only road between Anchorage and Whittier. There are often delays on this highway in summer and any busses would be delayed in traffic if that were to occur.

I was on the Pearl May 5-15 and we were scheduled to be in Glacier Bay until about 3pm, but because the weather and wildlife sightings were so spectacular we got to view some additional glaciers that aren't usually on the schedule, which added another hour and a half to our time there. It was such a great day!! I'm grateful that the captain appreciated nature and wildlife enough to provide us an extra treat like that.

I concur, tree.star. I, too, was on this sailing and the captain was wonderful! ...even if he claimed to not be good at math and to not know which way to go... The Glacier Bay day was the best I have seen in a long time and I do this itinerary at least once, sometimes twice, a season, usually on other lines. I have not sailed NCL in many years but must say I was generally very pleasantly surprised at the ambiance aboard and the level of service in addition to the value for money. I will consider the Pearl again for Alaska.

nu2crusin,

Did Harv and Marv last year on the bigger boat. It was a catamaran type vessel with good viewing windows and some open deck space. They cancelled the smaller boats due to rough seas the day we were there and condensed everyone on the larger boat. I had not been particularly prone to sea sickness prior to this excursion but surely did get sick on this one. I suggest you medicate prior to this excursion if you even think you may be ill. Having said all that, I would go again in a minute. We saw many, many breaching mamas and babies very close to the boat. One mama swam directly under the boat and came up on the opposite side next to the boat. We could have reached out and touched her...if we had not been so surprised and amazed.

Flatlander321,

The catamaran was amazingly steady even when running full out. It was quite large. If we saw wildlife the captain would stop and maneuver around so we (there were several other much more experienced photographers out in the rain with us), could get different angles. When we saw the bear foraging on the beach he stopped and drifted us as close as possible. We were very close to shore. At the waterfall, he nearly backed us into it. I suggest simple gear for this excursion...especially if it is wet. My 100/300 zoom was way too much in most cases. My little 10X Canon point and shoot did amazingly well, as did my sister's, and was easier to keep dry in the rain than my bigger Canon. We had so much fun! Go! Enjoy!

TSG,

My sister and I sailed HAL round trip from Vancouver two years ago to be able to visit both GB and Sawyer. Sawyer was offered as an excursion off the ship and listed as a "Service Call" on the published itinerary. They off-loaded us at the mouth of the fjord to a large catamaran which went to the glacier and eventually ended in Juneau. It was a fairly spendy excursion (around $225.00 pp at the time I think), but worth every penny. In typical summer Juneau fashion it poured the whole time, but the catamaran had a large heated indoor seating area, steam free panoramic windows and hot drinks available. We wanted to take pictures so came prepared with full rain suits and other waterproof gear and spent the entire trip outside on the deck. We got some great pictures...eagles on bergs, bear on the beach, whale in a cove, waterfalls and lots of ice. We had a fabulous experience!

TMC,

The shop in Juneau is also closed on Sundays no matter how many ships are in port. I bought their products at a shop on Creek Street in Ketchikan called Sam McGee's last year. They did not carry the full Glacier line but enough to pick up some nice gifts.

I wondered if the Chef's Table would be held in that nook in the pictures. Does anyone know the price?

Nobody we spoke with in Share seemed to know what the price was going to be. My guess is that it will be a bit more than the current Chef's Table pricing.

Has anyone heard anything about the schedule of rolling out the Curtis Stone Chef Table across the fleet? The Princess site just says across the entire fleet beginning January 2016. We are on the Crown in April, wondering if it might be there by then.

Just off the Ruby and according to Christian, the Curtis Stone executive chef, and several staff members working in Share, the Curtis Stone Chef's table will be offered in the small dining room adjacent to the main room in Share (old Sabatini's), beginning in early March.

My traveling companion and I dined in Share twice last week and found both the food and service to be exceptional. I do, however, think that the marketing folks need to revisit the name of the restaurant and the promotional campaign. The word "share" has too many connotations to be meaningful, in my opinion. I also find some of the promotional material to be confusing, at best. Some of the promotions discuss "family". Share is most certainely not a "family" venue, in my opinion.

Thank you all for your kind responses. It appears that the set dinner menu is going to be a bit of a challenge. Has anyone any experience with the a-la-carte option? Yes, the Hurtigruden reservation agent did tell me that we could request a vegetarian entré. Depending on the chef, those have been "interesting" when we have opted for that on other cruise lines.

Richard: The fall menu is very helpful. I have shared it with my sister. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

Splinter: Thank you for the information about the vegetarian at your table. We may have to try the vegetarian option. Normally we can find something on a menu that will work but on such a rigid menu this does not look like it will be possible.

My sister and I are planning a voyage on the Nordlys in October. Neither of us eat red meat. The buffet breakfast and lunch should be fine but the dinners may (or may not), be challenging. Can anyone please describe how the "set three course dinner", and the a-la-carte option works? Is the "set" dinner one starter, one entre' and one desert or is there some minimal choice of entrées?

Additionally, if we choose to not have a full dinner can we get food at the "Café"? Is there an additional charge for "Café" items if you are a full board passenger?

Neither my agent, nor the reservation person I talked to at Hurtigruten, seem to have any experience actually sailing this line. Getting information has been challenging.

Thank you for any information you can share.

I would suggest checking either with your TA (if you booked through one), or directly with the cruise line regarding possible itinerary changes.

The OP does not mention the date of her planned visit to Sitka but please be aware that Sitka is currently experiencing some serious flooding and mud slides. It has been declared a disaster area. Three people have lost their lives.

http://www.weather.com/news/news/alaska-landslide

Serious high wind warnings for Skagway through this evening.

Sunrise today in Anchorage was at 6:15A.

Sunset is at 9:49P today in Anchorage.

Today there will be 15 hours, 33 minutes and 27 seconds of daylight.

We are losing about 5 minutes of daylight each day this time of year.

Daylight hours will shorten some for locations south of Anchorage.

According to a friend who lives in Skagway and works in tourism, the serious high winds have caused three ships to turn around and not port. She did say that one was dockside but did not say which one. She says the sun is out but the winds are still strong. This is not especially unusual weather for Skagway this time of year.

Trying to plan Alaska cruise. So confused between inside passage, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm, and Denali Natl Park. Trying to plan the best itinerary. Please help with explanation. Thxs

May I suggest that you try and locate a good TA who specializes in Alaska and get them to assist you with itinerary planning. Ask around. Some will have fees for this service. Many who do charge planning fees will apply this amount to your purchase after the decisions are made. If you decide not to purchase through them it is simply a fee for their service and expertise.

Agents with CTC (Certified Travel Consultant), or DS (Destination Specialist) Alaska or ACE (Alaska Certified Expert), after their names are a good place to start. Many agencies in Alaska have "experts". Additionally, many agencies specializing in cruises have "Alaska specialists".

Jormot,

I am a little confused when you state that you can only do a one way via Seattle or Vancouver and then discuss a round trip on Celebrity. Maybe you felt this was the only option, not sure.

In any case, if you want to see both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay on the same cruise take a look at a southbound "Voyage of the Glaciers" on Princess. There are several ships doing this itinerary. They leave from Whittier (near Anchorage), and end in Vancouver. They are 7 day itineraries.

I have done this cruise several times and the glacier experiences are superb.