Worldtraveler 4727

Thanks AKStafford - You saved me $70. I went on YouTube and watched a bunch of videos for where we'll be going. This convinced me we're not going to bother with the Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, thus saving $70. The jury is still out on Talkeetna. Depends on what the weather is like and how bored I am at the McKinley Wilderness Lodge.

I have to agree. After AKStafford's suggestion of looking at YouTube videos of Talkeetna, we would have to be very bored at the lodge to take a bus ride into Talkeetna, and I don't plan on being bored at any time while in Alaska!

Thanks for all the input everyone.

Interesting options. Thanks.

Thank you all

Is it worth the 2 hour drive time and $10 round trip cost on the shuttle from the Princess Lodge to go into Talkeetna? Not really interested in eating in the town. Might be interested in a quirky bar and unique shopping. Anything like that there? If so, how much time in town would you recommend?

TIA!

Martincath, your information and explanations of the various ways to get from the port to the airport in Vancouver have been extremely helpful! I have printed off all of it and have it in my folder for next June so we can make informed decisions.

Thanks so much for your time and expertise! Much appreciated!

Sorry--ONE more question, please...

What about the Canada Line (subway)?

Oh, Martincath, one more question, please...

You mention SkyTrain above. Is that another way to get from Port to Airport??

TIA

Martincath--Thanks for the info!

I won't hold my breath for Uber in Vancouver, but I will keep my fingers crossed.

A correction - no delays at Canadian Customs are possible when leaving from YVR, as you never see our CBSA folks unless you're Arriving rather than Departing.

 

Your delay was with US Immigration Preclearance - staffed entirely by US CBP. With the new kiosks this is generally MUCH smoother than it used to be, especially customs as it's now wrapped into the kiosk functionality. The queue is the long part - you will only save moments by pre-filling a customs form as you still have to queue up for the same kiosk to do your immigration declaration!

 

I'm actually surprised that the biggest delay wasn't with Security - which comes before immigration - as the kiosks have made the US immigration process way faster than back in the day so security queues virtually always have a longer wait as these processes only get more complicated with laptops, suitcase batteries etc. on top of the personal scanner/search. With so many people doing online check-in and thus only needing to drop bags, it's also unusual to have a long delay for check-in these days - you must have been on a very popular airline!

 

Your choice of a cruiseline transfer guaranteed that you would be caught up in queues - even the first of these never leave port before several hundred fellow pax have already headed to YVR in taxis, limos, and SkyTrain. I can appreciate your reasoning for just getting the line to book everything from a convenience perspective, but for 6 people you could have paid a porter to carry your bags from bag collection point to limos, had a stretch limo waiting for you (with an hour of free wait time if you were delayed disembarking), been at the airport faster with almost certainly shorter queues, and still saved at least a third of the cost of your Princess Transfers. Each person pays pretty much one full cab fare for these (and all lines are equally bad at gouging pax here in Vancouver, it's not just Princess) as it's ~CAD$35 per carload by taxi, which is about US$27...

 

Hopefully on a return visit, and anyone else reading your fabulously detailed review who is enticed, will be able to save a few bucks and have a better experience disembarking now (although of course the best thing anyone could do on disembarking in Vancouver is to stay on for a nice long stay!!!)

Martincath-- Thank you for the cab cost info above. Are there cabs available right at the Port to go to the Airport, or must they be called/reserved for walk off disembarking? What is the current and future state of Uber (and the like) in Vancouver??

TIA!

Thanks for that vote of confidence in the binoculars! Much appreciated!

My husband and I are going next June (land and cruise), and I bought him a nice set of binoculars for Christmas. People who have cruised Alaska and toured the interior say they are a must. These Nikon 16031 Prostaff 3S Roof Prism Waterproof Binocular, 10x42 got good reviews on Amazon.

I will, indeed, keep watch. It will be interesting to see if any of the sales will make a difference in the bottom line.

I'm also going to keep the booking myself and work through Princess myself, although I wouldn't mind turning it over to a TA at some point to see if a small office or a big box office would give me any perks for the booking.

Any advice on that move and the timing of it would be welcome.

TIA

Thanks. All of this has been really helpful.

I did read here on CC that the BEST price for the cruise is the first day the cruise is posted--beats future "sales" etc. I will be very interested to watch the price on this one.

Thanks for all the responses!

1. When Princess opens cruises for Europe summer 2019, does anyone know if the deposit will a refundable one or not and what the deposit will likely be for a 12 day cruise?

2. Also, I intend to use Future Cruise Deposits for the deposit. By using FCDs, does that automatically mean the deposit is either refundable or non-refundable?

3. Having never used a FCD before, is there a place on the online booking form to record my and my husband's FCD numbers? (I am not using a TA for this cruise yet. Booking through Princess myself right now.)

4. And if the deposit is non-refundable, does that mean that if I cancel the cruise at some point I simply lose the deposit, or can I apply the deposit to a future cruise?

5. Finally, is it really true that THE BEST prices on a cruise are the ones published the day the cruise debuts??

TIA!

Following

Following

Budget Queen~ We are at the Kenai for three nights.

It is still 239 days away...I will wait a while and continue to watch for updates on the excursions, hoping since it's still pretty far away, the contract for the tour simply has not been settled yet.

I, too, have read there is a restriction on commercial vendors at the property, but another poster answered my thread that she and her husband were picked up at the lodge by a vendor for a couple days of fishing.

I called the Kenai Lodge--it is closed until spring. I then called their alternative number (800-426-0500) and was told (once again) that there is the POSSIBILITY of the Kenai Fjord cruise being eventually added to the excursion list. No promises. No time frame. "Keep checking."

I then asked if the Kenai Lodge had a shuttle running to Seward. I was told, "No. Never."

Thank you, AKStafford.

I will look into that.

Appreciate your time and thoughts.

I know the tour on the website also states it is a 10 hour day--the boat has to get to the Seward area and back etc.

DH is wondering if that is too long of a day....we'll have to give that some thought and read some more reviews of it--although all I've found are reviews of visiting the Kenai Fjords from Seward (a 6 hour tour, I believe).

Ours includes meals as well--thanks for the tip! The crab sounds delicious! :0

Thanks for the info JoRoy218~

I am becoming more excited by the minute! :)

Thanks Linda for sharing that specific information!

We are on the 15 day interior tour and cruise in late June. We are really looking forward to it!

I've read and seen the pictures of the Kenai lodge rooms, and we are excited to stay there. :)

Thank you mapleleaves. I didn't think I'd be able to get to Seward on my own...

I know that this excursion is listed on the Pricess Kenai Lodge website, but it is not an option in the listings of excursions for our late June land and sea trip.

I did call Princess, and they told me it was possible but unlikely any more excursions would be added.

Calling the lodge is a good idea, but when I needed to contact the Princess Fairbanks Lodge, a recording told me they were closed down for the season. I assume they are all presently closed for the season.