tonamie

I am in the process of scanning our vaccination and booster QR codes at Verifly for our upcoming HAL cruise.  Verifly is NOT accepting our QR scans. I realize the pre-cruise Covid tests must also be entered three days before departure.  Are we allowed to bring all proof of vaccinations & pre-cruise tests in paper form to embarkation?  This is the first time we have had to enter all this Covid information, and I am getting nervous about Verifly not accepting our QR codes from our health dept. and pharmacy. Has anyone had problems with Verifly? Any suggestions?

Thank you for keeping us posted on your trip. We are taking this exact same HA cruise in late August of this year. Anxious to read about your travels. We are leaving a day early so we can enjoy some time in Amsterdam too. We already bought tickets online for Anne Frank house visit, and we purchased our shore excursions too. It has been fun planning and anticipating our cruise. Enjoy your cruise! 

No.   April 25, 2020

How do I delete one of the photos in my review of the cruise ship? I immediately recognized my error, and I was able find a way to click away the photo, but the photo never went away. The “deleted photo” is still posted with my review. The new photos that I added showed up, but the lone original photo that I had hoped to eliminate still remains.  Any suggestions?

Thank you to all who responded with clarifications.  Much appreciated.  My DH is an Army veteran, and I taught high school for 42 years...enjoyed teaching so much. However, now I get to pursue many other interests, like travel, and that makes me smile! Those who wander are not always lost. 

We will have about 5 hours to wait at the airport before our flight leaves after our cruise. So we are thinking about storing our luggage and taking a taxi to downtown. How much does storage cost and  how much does a taxi cost from the airport to downtown Anchorage? Or, is there a better way to travel to downtown?

I just heard that the Princess military discount OBC  may not be used to pay for gratuities. Is that accurate? However, the military discount OBC may be used to purchase drinks, clothing, etc. onboard.  The military discount OBC may not be used in the casino;  I am pretty sure of that. Thanks for reply. 

Our group of four will be in Alaska the first week of August. Keeping our fingers crossed that the rain will be minimal, and that the temperatures will be more seasonal.  According to online weather forecasts, it looks like rain the next couple weeks, of and on. Our previous trips to Alaska have all been during the first two weeks of July, so early August will be interesting.

Before plastic sleeves became popular, we used to improvise by reinforcing our paper luggage tags with see-thru packing tape...so the paper luggage tag looked laminated. We either stapled or ziptied the tag securely to the luggage handle. Worked well for us!

We have been to Alaska three times, but never in early August.   Our previous trips were in early July. This time, we encouraged my husband's sister and her husband to travel with us. It is their first-ever Alaskan Cruise. I hope we made a good decision to travel with them during the first 7 days of August. 

If you have taken a cruise northbound  (Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway) in early August, I would love to hear from you.  Most of the information that I have found online predicts more rain in August than in July.  What has your experienced been in early August?

Thank You for such thorough coverage of your itinerary. We will be on the exact same tour on the Island Princess in July, 2019...northbound, Vancouver to Whittier.  My question is about the ship. Last year we did an Alaskan cruise on the Golden Princess, similar to the Island so I am a little familiar with the layout.  We have a balcony on the Dolphin deck -- a quiet deck!  After doing some research here at CC, we have learned that some open seating space on the Island was transformed into staterooms, so that open seating, viewing area is lost forever.  Would you please offer your opinions of the ship?  Much appreciated.  

This is our fourth Alaska cruise in six years, and we have always had a balcony room. Yes, I agree, a balcony room in Alaska is the ideal way to cruise. 

Are there any interior (or outside covered) viewing areas on the Island Princess? Areas where a person could just sit and enjoy the views? We have three cruising days in our itinerary.  We will be on an Alaskan cruise in July, and we were hoping that there would be some open seating areas onboard...preferably in the front of the ship with panoramic views.  When we traveled with Oceania recently, their Regatta ship had a wonderful, front-facing  public seating area which had lots of windows with amazing views. Any viewing recommendations would be appreciated. Thank You.

We just returned from the July 7-14 Awe of Alaska cruise. The only complaint we had was the weather...rain! We didn't mind the cooler temps at all...better cool than hot.The cruise was great.

We have traveled with Viking and Royal Caribbean. This was our first Oceania cruise. In our mid-60's, we are fortunate to be active and healthy. This cruise was a perfect fit for us. We enjoyed the laid-back vibe, the country club casual dress, the service, and the food. Great seafood! The open-seating Terrace Café had grilled lobster, shrimp, steak every night..of course other options were available buffet- style. We especially enjoyed the Alaskan dinner (salmon/halibut night). Even Waves had delicious grilled lobster medallions and filet from 11 til 4 every afternoon.

The Oceania excursions are pricey. Our room was on deck 6 and included a balcony. We got a great online promotional deal in March, and we felt our money was well- spent. We took a taxi to/from the airport; cost was $43, plus tip.

We really enjoyed being on a ship with only 675 people...certainly quieter and more relaxed than with thousands of people on the megaships.

The itinerary was good, but Prince Rupert was lacking in things to do. Perhaps the rain had something to do with our not particularly enjoying that city.

We enjoyed getting up early and heading to Horizons on deck 10 to take in the panoramic view. The ship is beautiful, elegant, quiet, and designed well. Overall...We loved our cruise, and we will recommend Oceania to our friends.

Thanks to all who responded to our transfer question! We are traveling to Alaska with Oceania in July so we are looking into all of your recommendations.:)

Needing advice on transfer from SEA airport to Pier 66. We noticed that it takes about a half hour to travel that route. Any recommendations on transfer? What is your personal experience? Thank you.

Thank you, Flatbush Flyer, Azam, & ClassicCruiser! :cool::ship:

To: LHT28, 4LakesLady, Marseydotes,

Thank you for sharing your special moments on Regatta....much appreciated! :):ship:

We will be on an Alaskan cruise in July on Regatta. We have a B2 veranda, and we look forward to our balcony. We are particularly anxious to experience the itinerary, food, and ship. So...In order to enjoy some hidden jems on a Regatta, we are asking veteran Regatta cruisers to share their "favorite find" that they have enjoyed while on their trips. For example, share the best spots for panoramic views, quiet getaway, seating, etc. In fact, please share any tips on how to enjoy the various areas and amenities of Regatta. Thank you for your tips!

We are looking into all forms of transfers: light rail, STILA town car, taxi, shared shuttle, Oceania, and Uber for transportation to/from SEATAC this summer.

Has anyone actually used any of these options? What did you like? What didn't you like about your choice (s)? We are not particularly interested in signing up for Oceania's transfers since they seem very pricey. We are looking for reliable transfers considering so many people need transportation on arrival/departure days. Thank you!

We are fortunate to have a $400 OBC on a July, 2017 Alaska cruise. What can we use this money for while on the ship? Excursions? Drinks? Gratuities? Clothing? Casino? This is a first for us, and we are unfamiliar with Oceania's OBC policy. Thank you for responses!