cruisin0218

Per their web site Juneau Adventures says the 4 hour tour is 4 hours on the water and they advise to add 20 minutes transport time on each end. Looks like they will drop you at the glacier. So if you disembark by 2 you should be touring from 2:30-6:30 and at the visitor center by 7:00. The visitor Center closes at 7:30 so you should have a few minutes there. I would be sure to check with one of the rangers to obtain advise about calling a cab and call them and agree on a pickup time before the center closes So you will be sure to have a way back. I have not taken Nuggett trail but I understand that at a moderate pace it is about a 45 minute round trip time. With that said yes I think it is possible with the caviot that arrangements are made prior to visitor center closing time for a pick up. I would probably also call Juneau Adventures and run this by them. I have found these local tour compAries to be very knowledgeable and they may have an additional recommendation and/or assist you with rearranging transport from the glacier. Hopefully someone on this board that has stayed after hours can also advise you. I do think you will have plenty of time to do both of these things and a little wondering through shops close to the ship before you need to be aboard.

I know that a lot of people prefer the scenery going from Anchorage to Seward and it is gorgeous but I think my favorite scenery is between Anchorage and Denali if you are going northbound on the Parks highway. I'm not sure if it is quicker for us by car because we stop so often to gaze at the scenery and take pictures. I would not want to miss the scenery in either place. I could however do without seeing the sights between Denali and Fairbanks and the scenery going southbound on the Richardson Highway. The only thing I enjoyed there was seeing the pipeline. Someone posted earlier that they would love to camp but did not want to bring all the gear. We loved renting an RV. It came fully stocked. I don't know how much of a cost saver it was but I do know that we at least broke even with the quoted cost of the cruiseline cost when we added in the cost for rental, gas and campground fees plus we ate breafast and one other meal per day in the camper. That cost included gas to drive up the Parks highway to Fairbanks via Denali, down the Richardson Highway, across the Glenellen Highway and down to Seward.

If your ship is in port from 1pm to 10 pm you should be able to count on disembarking by 2 pm and needing to re board again by 9 pm. Therefore depending on the time the whale watching is scheduled there is plenty of time (7 hours) even if you want to spend as long as 2 1/2 hours at Mendenhall. Many of the shops stay open until the ships leave port. There are also evening whale watch excursions. Personally I would not need much time (maybe 30 min to 1 hour) at Mendenhall but that does depend upon the individual and what you want to do there. Also remember that if you only want to see the glacier you will see it as you drive right past it on the way to whale watching. Personally if it was my first time I would focus on the whale watching in Juneau, work in a visit to Mendahall as time allows and hit the shops either while waiting to go whale watching or upon return from whale watching/Mendehall. There are lots of shops right at the dock. To glass probably has the most variety of items in my opinion. If you feel like you would want to have something to eat before reboarding you might want to take some prepackaged crackers/snacks. You can snack during the whale watching or at Mendenhall.

Actually if your time in Juneau is 1pm to 10 pm you would have plenty of time for a whale watching excursion unless you already have other plans a d with that amount of time you might be able to do 2 different excursions if they are well coordinated.

I agree with your frustration. I think it's fine to accomodate a special group but it should not take away from the experience of the rest of the paying guests. I know several cruise lines are doing this but I think the cruise lines should work the needs of the group around the routinely scheduled activities. They should only be allowed exclusive use of a space if it is not routinely used at that time. Perhaps what they need to do is to have a few of their ships equipped for this type of arrangement and those ships could be constructed with a conference area for that purpose. I guarantee you that people in that group could attend any of the regular activities if they desired. They certainly should not be allowed priority disembarcation at any port.

While they certainly cannot replace this vacation they should be held accountable and about the only way to hold them accountable is financially. So I think at least some credit toward another cruise or refund for part of the cost of this cruise is in order.

I agree the service is the best more individualized and very gracious. I also don't know of any other cruiseline that allows you to order from both the room service menu and the main dining room menu for room service during the times the main dining room is open. I agree there is a more tranquil refined quality compared to Carnival or RCI. However a downside is the swimming pools close early in the evening. I wish they would leave them open until about midnight or so. Entertainment both during the day and evening is also quieter and shuts down earlier.

I have done 1roundtrip cruise on HAL Volendam, 1 southbound on Celebrity Mellinium and 1 southbound on HAL Statendam. All of these ended in Vancouver and both of the Southbound cruises started in Seward. I have also done 1 trip to Alaska which was totally landbased. I would first look at the different itenaries and it looks like since you are particularly interested in Glacier Bay that does narrow you down to HAL, Princess and NCL. I chose the HAL ships because we wanted inside or at the very most outside rooms so we liked the lower promenade rooms because it is just a few steps to an outside deck with lounge chairs. However these 2 ships are some of their older ones and are smaller. But some of the inside rooms on that deck are very large and HAL has small bathtubs in each one that is great for small children. There is however an up charge to request a refrig in these rooms. The ones toward the rear of the ship are particularly convenient to the outside and there is plenty of room out there for a large group to congregate for glacier viewing and still be very close to your room. We have been on both the iteninary that included Skagway and the one that went to Haines instead. Of the 2 Skagway would be my preference with the mixed age group because there is a wider range of activities plus anyone who particularly wanted to go to Haines can take the fast ferry from Skagway.

I have not been on Princess but I understand they also do a very good job in Alaska. Princess has an iteniary that I am tempted by because it goes to both Hubbard Glacier and to Glacier Bay. That gives you 2 chances to see the glaciers since the weather can be a factor.

With children I would also look for a ship with a retractable cover over the main pool area. This area was very comfortable for swimming no matter what the weather. I wish they stayed open later on HAL and they may on Princess or NCL. HAL closes the pool at about 8 pm I think.

Because of all the beauty of nature I'm not sure how important the children's programs will be. My daughter has cruised HAL several times since she was 9 years old and has enjoyed their programs. I think all 3 cruise lines have a policy that a child must be 3 years of age, out of diapers and able to potty independently before they can be left in their programs without a parent. I think only HAL offers the possibility of paying someone on their staff to babysit younger children.

I also think HAL is the only one that allows you to order from both the room service menu and the dining room menu during dining room hours. That is a good feature if a young child really needs to go to bed early then the parent can stay and enjoy the dining room food.

The advantage to Norwegian seems to be a more casual dress code in the main dining room if you don't want to pack dressy clothes. With that said we always make a point for our group to gather at our assigned table for early dining because it is a great time to share family time together and not having to poll the group about when or where to eat dinner because we all tend to scatter during sea days and after dinner. Early dining has seemed to work better for our seniors and young children.

I have been to Whittier and Seward and either is fine for departure. More activities in Seward but a little farther from Anchorage but Whittier is also unique with the one way tunnel used to access the town and there are also small boat tours there.

Many people have different opinions regarding roundtrip vs northbound vs southbound. I think you would enjoy any of them. My personal preference is to fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks and rent an RV then cruise Southbound. I really don't like the long flight home from Anc or Fairbanks. I'm really tempted to cruise northbound the get off and do my own tour then cruise a different iteniary southbound. Last time we were a group of 11 and wanted some personal space so we rented 3 rvs. This works great with the different ages (always have bathroom access, always have food and beds are available for naps). Distances are great in Alaska so always having that kind of access is a real plus ). I have rented through both ABC rentals and Great Alaskan Holidays and both gave good service.

Yes when you are in port. Not when in process of cruising or in Canada.

Here are the attachments I hope.

I would hate for you to miss Denali but f you only have a couple of nights the best use of your time might be to focus on the area between Seward and Anc. From Seward you can go out on boat tours both scenic and fishing for either Salmon or Halibut or both. There is Exit Glacier to explore and the Seaveys have a Itidarod dog tour that is great. Moving on toward Anc. There is Aalyeska and in that area you will find a beautiful area built around a ski resort, panning for gold, and portage glacier. If you want to go a little farther afield you can take the Sterling highway where you are likely to see Moose and as you follow the Kenai River you may see Salmon running and if the Salmon are running bears come especially at Russian falls.

We decided to use our 2 nights in the area to focus on the Kenai. We took Sterling highway and stayed for 2 nights at Redfish lodge which we thoroughly enjoyed. Our group of 11 rented 3 cabins (each cabin will sleep 4). Our 2 nights were between our 6 night land tour and our cruise so some of us washed clothes while others walked the very short distance to the Kenai and fished or watched the fishermen. We had a rented 15 passenger van so instead of cooking we chose to drive the short distance to Soldotna to eat dinner each night. However if you choose to cook each cabin has an outdoor grill and a kitchenette.

You can rent a car through Hertz in Seward If you desire. I really prefer renting a vehicle because you have so much more flexability. However if you decide to stay in Seward you can do fine without a vehicle and use the train or bus tour to get to And when you are ready to leave. We did not go to Homer due to our time limitations but that is another option.

I have tried to attach 2 photos. I hope it works. One is of our cabin at Redfish Lodge in Sterling and the other is of our group preparing for Seaveys. We actually saw Seaveys in Sterling with arrangements made through the great folks ad Redfish Lodge.

I hope you have a wonderful time!

Thank you for sending it to him!

Yes Don was our tour guide and he was wonderful!

I do think a guided trek with a reservation is best at Matanuska if you really want to do any significant walking on the glacier. Some of your folks would probably really like that. Our group was made up of people in their 50s and 60s. You have to pay a small per person fee to drive up to the glacier but you can park right beside the glacier. There are picnic tables there. Some of our group went no farther and just enjoyed the scenery. Others walked just barely onto the glacier always in sight of where the gritty area at the end of the glacier starts. They at least got to experience a glacier up close and personally. It would be dangerous to go any further without appropriate equipment and a guide. I don't think you would have time for Wasilla, Talkeetna or anything else that day since you would need to turn in your van unless you decide to keep the van and drive to Seward rather than take the train. As I said, though, we were very happy just to experience what we did at Matanuska. You can call the people that run the trecking at Matanuska and they could probably offer suggestions regarding timing. I found that with our large group size people would often arrange a tour just for us and accommodate our needs, although, we did not ask for that there.

We were very pleased with the service we received from abc. They did not charge mileage. It was a daily fee. They ask that you call them after picking up your luggage. Then they come to the airport and transport your group to their office. Their office is not far from the airport so you could just send 1 or 2 people to the office then they could come back for the rest of you and you would just load the luggage once. Our situation was a little different because we rented 3 RVs from them and took a week touring Denali, then on to Fairbanks, Northpole, Then Richardson Highway down to Glenellen and then Glenellen Highway to Matanuska spent that night just north of Anc. Drove back to ABU traded RVs for 1 15 passenger van with luggage trailer and drove down toward Seward. We stayed 2 nights at Red Fish Lodge in Sterling (did laundry and Salmon fishing with the great folks there then left there for Seward. Stopped at Seaveys, rode through Seward just to see the area, then boarded the ship around lunchtime. Had plenty of time so that if anyone wanted to they could easily have done some hiking or a boat tour or gone to the sea life aquarium. We paid quite a hearty fee for SVC to let us drop off the van and trailer in Seward but it was worth it to us and still less than all of us paying train fare. Plus we got to stop where and when we wanted. Once you are in Seward there are free shuttles and most of the tours will provide transport if no shuttle goes to their location.

I have been in the process of researching this and am placing an order for the Travelscoot. It weighs 37 pounds. If I remove the battery it weighs 32 pounds and if I pull off the seat (which is very easy to do) then it weighs about 27 pounds. It will fold down to about the size of an umbrella stroller. I have talked with people who own it and read reviews of many travelers who use it and the reports are very positive for all kinds of travel including cruise ships. It is 23 inches wide so folks say it will roll into some standard cabins but sometimes you have to tilt it slightly to the side to access a regular cabin. No problem with a handicapped cabin. It seems to also be welcome by most standard cab drivers and aboard tenders if you are able to walk down the ramp to the tender. If you cannot walk down the tender ramp then the rules for other scooters apply and if the sea is rough you may not be able to tender. It can also be ridden to the plane at the airport and checked at the gate like they do for strollers. The web site is http://www.travelscoot.com I made this decision because I would like to be able to handle it on my own without having to rely on my husband and I can walk and stand on my own just have increased back pain if either is done for a long time. Best of luck in your search.

The link for Luxury Tours is

http://www.luxbus.com/

We had a group of 12 people last summer and we used Luxury tours. We could only do the 4 hour tour and they modified it to get us from the cruise ship to our afternoon flight. We really enjoyed their service and would not hesitate to take their longer tour. If I were in your situation I might have them pick me up at the ship and then do their longer tour.

As for Vancouver I would recommend the Ho Ho. Especially since you have a group.

Also I meant to say that I too think your schedule to fly into Anc. And drive all the way to Denali that night is really pushing it to the point of maybe not being realistic. I dont know of many flights that arrive before about 1 pm. By the time you collect your luggage and get the van you would be closer to about 2pm and probably needing to eat so 3 pm. Then a grocery store stop no later than Wasilla puts you at 4-4:30 pm before you get out of Wasilla. Add time for the time zones you have crossed and in our case from the east coast if Alaska time is 4:30 our bodies are at 8:30 pm and tired from traveling all day. Add to that that prime scenery viewing is going from Wasilla to toward Anc. I know it might not work but if you could possibly delete the first night at Denali, spend 1 night in Anc or Wasilla then get groceries that night then get an early start the next day then your trip would probably go much better.If your flight comes in later than 1 pm your problem is magnified. Whatever you decide I hope you have a wonderful trip.

One thing you might consider is doing Mantanuska glacier on your return trip from Denali to Anchorage. When we were there last summer exit glacier had receeded so much that it was more difficult to access than Mantanuska. We had a group of 12 last year and one of the highlights for many of them was walking on Mantanuska. Another highlight for them was doing the dogs led excursion with the Seaveys near Seward And as has been said before there is plenary of time for either that tour or one of the boat tours out of Seward. We weren't impressed with Talkeetna. I think many people go there to do the flight seeing so if you don't plan to flight see I'd replace Talkeetna with Mantanuska. We rented 1 15 passenger van with a luggage trailer from abc rentals in Anchorage and that worked well for us.

My husband usually wears tan khaki pants and loafers for any evening meal in the main dining room. For formal night's he wears a button down dress shirt and navey blue dress jacket and the other night's he wears a polo shirt. He does carry a tie in his jacket pocket in case he needs it for formal night. I have also seen some men wear a turtle neck shirt and jacket which looked very nice.

I like to use the bra stash both on and off the ship, except instead of attaching it to my bra I safety pin the ribbon like strap to the waistband of my pants. That way it is very convenient to access. It will hold my room key, a credit card and the ship's program for the day and paper money. If I think that I might need some cash that I need to access more easily then I put some cash in my pocket. I also have a very lightweight back pack that folds in upon itself to store very easily. If I am leaving the ship I put in it a windbreaker, binoculars, sunscreen, insect repellant, a bottle of water and any purchases that I make. The only thing that I do differently if I will be swimming is to include a waterproof case then just before swimming I place my bra stash in the waterproof case and pin the waterproof case to my suit. I like to be hands free and I don't like wearing the lanyard around my neck And I'm a little concerned about having my room key and credit card in my backpack since I can envision someone taking off with my backpacK or someone just taking a wallet out of the pack. Here is the bra stash that I use.

Yes, it is wonderful how helpful people on this forum have been. I'm hoping that after I have some experience under my belt I will be able to pass the good will and and help as well.

Thanks katisdale for checking the battery size for me. And thank your husband as well. Please keep us posted on your upcoming cruise. I would love to cruise for that long--well retirement for me isn't that far off--maybe then.