Turangi!

MWF,

So glad you enjoyed Venice! It is a magical place…We spent a week there before a cruise and enjoyed, the art, the architecture and the ambiance of this unique place… We stayed off the beaten path in a glorious apartment in the Dosoduro… A day trip on a boat from Venice to Padua on the Brenta Canal was a highlight as was taking the Vaporetta out to the Lido!  I can’t wait to go back again! My most outrageous picture was of a glass sculpture on Murano!  We always try to spend time before and after a cruise in the places we start and disembark! 

We had been tracking our recently booked June AZ Norway cruise for years…(precovid it was on the list)  and I print out prices so I know what has been offered and might be again! DH wanted to book Norway in late August and I said wait until the Labour Day sales and that I wanted to wait for the balcony deal! i.e., the double upgrade, which as luck would have it was offered in September. I usually compare prices between Big TAs and the cruise line and do a spread sheet weighing what’s on offer…  

There is never a right time to buy a cruise, it’s all about what you want and what you get… yes, there might be a lower price but without the perks… we got a great deal to our minds with a ton of OBC, balcony for interior price… [which is always inflated during the double upgrade sale but considerably less than an earlier offering I had on file…] and we booked it because it was a “good deal” after diligient research!  … With the OBC we  have found that we have to use it or lose it, and once ended up on an ship’s excursion we didn’t really want after the one we had booked was cancelled and didn’t have anywhere else to spend it…

Black Friday sales might be worth waiting for but they are usually more flash than substance… Tracking on multiple sites (and even though I have booked, I am still tracking) will give you the best information to make a decision… if you can wait to last minute, those do offer the cheapest base prices for cruises but getting there by air will cost a whole lot more… so maybe not a win/win strategy!

Turangi!

Currently on the Radiance and I only have high praise for th RCI port staff that managed efficiently and calmly to get me and my lost passport (left on the plane) reunited and on the ship before sailing! I was on the floor of the embarkation hall emptying out my purse after having all the right forms for all the health requirements. Shout out to the wonderful RCI rep who had all the contacts to make it happen and the wonderul  Dana who walked us through security and customs to keep me calm!  I definitely got the Royal treatment and appreciate everyone who helped us that day.

Quick question about Juneau’s Blue Bus to Mendelhall Glacier….do we need to book in advance or can we wait to arrival and walk up to book … if the sun is shining?

Thanks!

Congratulations to Harold! 

REPOSTING FROM A REPOSTING FROM ANOTHER RC GROUP…  

From another post FYI

 I have just received this response from Canada.gc regarding the additional Marine Arrivecan:

"If you are travelling to Canada by air or land and then travelling straight to a marine terminal to embark on a cruise, or you are planning to stay in Canada overnight in order to embark on a cruise leaving Canada the next day, you will need to create two ArriveCAN submissions. The first submission should represent your air or land travels into Canada, whereas the second submission should represent your cruise trip. You must enter your cruise stateroom as your suitable place of quarantine in both ArriveCAN submissions, in the ‘Other’ field. List your city of embarkation in the mandatory city field, your province of embarkation in the mandatory province field, the address of the port where the stop is occurring, and the postal code “A1A 1A1” in the mandatory postal code field"

PRINT THESE INSTRUCTION SO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO ON THE ARRIVECAN  APP WHEN YOU CHECK “ENTRY BY MARINE” IN THE “HOW YOU ARE ARRIVING IN CANADA?” SCREEN ON THE ARRIVECAN APP. 

In reading about the UDP and the other speciality dining packages, no one seems to mention the wine discount… we have in the past found that a very nice perk with the dining package! 

Has anyone had experience with take away and the UDP at Izumi or other specialty restaurants… we have a balcony on our upcoming Alaska cruise and hope to be able to enjoy the scenery as we eat in the fresh air!

Thanks for the advice. Better times from a live person does make sense since they seem to have more control. We like to eat late so we are flexible!

We have booked unlimited dining. Can anyone give me a quick walk through on the meal time booking process on the APP once we get on board in June!!  

Logged in the Royal App for my cruise… where do I start?  My Calendar or under Dining???  I have already looked at the restaurant venues and know which are open for lunch from the Royal App, more than I expected! How does it know we have unlimited dining?!?

Thanks for providing a Dummy’s Guide to On Board Booking of RCI Specialty Restaurants!  

Also very much like that we can Take Out and dine on our deck under the Midnight Sun on our Alaskan cruise! 

We did the train in 1982 on our honeymoon from Whitehorse to Skagway and it was spectacular.  Disappointed that we can’t go to Carcross on the train as planned for our 40th Anniversary with Chilkoot but still highly recommend doing the White Pass and Yukon Route to anyone undecided.

 Chilkoot has transfered our reservation to their White Pass Roundtrip and the City Tour and refunded the difference promptly. I can see the reasoning behind the White Pass & Yukon Route, trying to juggle thousands of tourists through Canadian customs for a few hours and think they decided to just keep it simple this year than to risks delays and unhappy customers.  As I told Stacy at Chilkoot, “it is what it is” and she thanked us for staying with their company for the shorter tour. I said we would be back for our 50th!

Alohayall,

Great pictures… especially of Denali from the train!  Like that your Dome  car was not crowded… Thanks for sharing your experience.  I also like to see what others take for pictures so I know what I should be taking!!!  I get home and wish I had taken more picture!  Looking at our honeymoon slides from 1982, there is only one picture of both of us on the Alaska State ferry with the sun behind us!  Hopefully I can photoshop our faces so you can see it is us! 🌞

We are not hotel snobs, so as long as it is clean and the bed not too bad, it is only for a night or two!  That said it looks like the nightly rates are outrageous in Alaska and we are expecting to stay in as you so succinctly put it “tourist storage”!  As long as the screens work and the insects don’t get in, we will be fine!

GTJ,

Wow, never even heard of Deadhorse but sounds like an interesting adventure if I was much younger!!   Do not really want to ever spend 16 hours on a bus!   We did look at going to Fairbanks but decided that flights were better out of Anchorage but hard to tell from this year’s schedules! 

ML

Northern Aurora!

Thanks, will  contact the vendor once we figure out everything!  We are undecided between the 6-hour tour on the bigger boat vs the smaller boat getting into smaller bays!  

ML

GTJ,

We realize that we won’t see much of Anchorage on this trip, just stopping to sleep,  but the purpose of this post cruise trip is to ride the Alaska rails and see Denali, which has been on the bucket list for years.  This cruise is to celebrate our 40th anniversary and return to the Alaska panhandle where we went on our honeymoon.  We flew up to Whitehorse and took the WP&YR in April 1982!  —  the last year it was in operation before shutting down when the mine closed (coming back a few years later as a tourist train).  We had to get up in the middle of the night to leave at 5 a.m. to avoid avalanches!!!   We then flew to Juneau from Skagway and took the Alaska Ferry to Prince Rupert and  VIA back to Edmonton! As much as I like the idea of riding the White Pass both ways, unfortunately  our cruise leaves at 5 p.m. out of Skagway and I don’t think the WP&YR gets back for ALL ABOARD at 4:30! I would worry too much to cut it close!

My DH wonders if we need another day in Denali but I think the two nights in Talkeekna and two nights in Denali should be enough, especially with staying overnight in Seward!

Northern Aurora,

Will we see Puffins on the 6-hour Kenai tour or do we have to do the 8.5 hour trip? 

ML

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Northern Aurora,

Many thanks for the advice on Seward... you sold us on the extra day, but we are an easy sell and I had looked at the Major Marine website earlier so we will look seriously at what they have to offer,  but having the NPS ranger on board is a big plus!  

We live with mosquitos all summer and know what to wear and how to avoid the worst.  I though attraction had to do with blood chemistry and what one uses for shampoo and soap....  Like Alaska we don’t have a tick problem YET in Northern Alberta but they are coming North and so every winter I hope for a spell of really cold weather to kill them!  We saw a week of minus 30s C this year.... Mosquitos are not bad this year but rain next week is due, so I am enjoying the weather now!!!

GTJ,

Wow thanks for all the info on the Alaska trains and the old timetables, which I have studied!!   We are not mileage collectors, but I do like to take lots of pictures from the train and I like to be able to not shoot through glass.  My little Nikon J1 will look mouse compared to a lot of other travellers’ cameras but it takes great pictures and I do have a long range lens!  Hopefully we might return to Alaska another time and get to take the Glacier Discovery train... it was considered when we thought we might cruise back to Vancouver out of Whittier but instead thought we might save it for another trip!

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Here’s what we are thinking, with the extra day in Seward...

Vancouver to Seward  Radiance of the Seas🚢

Overnight in Seward,  Major Marine 6 hour (or more?) tour, more research needed⛴

Coastal Classic to Anchorage, overnight 🚂

Denali Star Anchorage to Talkeetna  🚂 ,  two days — rafting, ziplining, 🌲

Denali Star Talkeetna to Denali, GOLDSTAR (this leg only)🚂

Denali NP, two nights 🏔— Tundra Wildeness Tour 🚌,   Dinner Theatre (any recommendations)

Denali Star return to Anchorage, 🚂   flyout redeye to Seattle...🛫

Had a nice online chat with Chilkoot Tours in Skagway about their White Pass and Yukon Tours so we planning on going up to Carcross on the WP&YR 🚂 and returning with them🚌, so lots of photo ops!

Plans are shaping up and will start booking sometime soon on trains and accomodations!   But still keeping some options open so suggestions are welcome!

ML

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Looking at Alaska Tour and Travel package tours... anyone have any experience dealing with them?  Again, like the Alaska Railroad, they can customize your tour!

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DURN,

So glad to hear that the mosquitos will live up to expectations. Will come prepared with extra bug juice... and my Mosquito Hat!

Signed up for the Alaska Railroad promo emails...  since we can’t travel yet, we can at least plan!  

Coral,

Yes, who knows what the rules will be next year... booking with the cruise line to be safe you can always cancel up to a certain time before, but they take your money. We prefer to book excursions direct with local companies but New Rules could change that! 

Alaska looks like mostly bus and boat tours, very different than touring Europe...so ship excursions won’t be too bad, especially if they limit group sizes!

I have been researching our Alaska cruise in June 2022 and there are lots of private companies offering tours.

Perhaps you can look at booking the sold out tours you want directly with another local company. Look carefully at their payment and cancellation policies... I always make sure that if the ship doesn’t dock, we get our money back and some companies have a policy if the tour misses the ship due to the tour company...they will get you to the next port. Not sure for helicopter and flight seeing but land or boat tours usually don’t expect full payment until a few months out... Check Tripadvisor and local sources to find well established credible companies. One of the advantages to being on Cruise Critic is that people will share their experiences!  

DURN!

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Love that the “train will slow for a photo opt” which is why we love train rides!!!

One Alaska package tour site I looked at was selling the private cruise company cars... so my most important question is there OUTSIDE ACCESS for photos opts on those cars....  the AR GOLDSTAR cars have an open air area in the dome car... and for Adventure Class they have an open  window between railcars...  We did the Glacier Express in Switzerland and the windows did not open, but on the return on the regular local train, the windows opened wide for MUCH better pictures... so I have definite requirements!

Downloaded the Seward Travel guide from their CofC and am wondering if Seward is worth an extra day... I want to see Puffins!!!  Plans now are that we will do a Kenai Fjords tour and take a 6 pm train to Anchorage! But we are flexible and don’t want to wish we had stayed longer  or after cruising will we have seen enough of the Alaskan coast!  

Does anyone know if we can check our bags at the Seward train station  VERY early???

The more research I do on this trip, the more things we want to do!!!

Finally, living in Northern Alberta... have to ask how bad are the mosquitos in June in Alaska? I already have a mosquito hat for my daily dog walk in the summer here and so I think it can’t be much worse!?!

ML

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Many thanks for all the great Alaska advice!  Have been doing my internet research and getting sidetracked 🚂🚂🚂 (pun intended) with all the options.  

Have been reading through lots of Alaska tourist sites and the official NPS Denali info... and am starting to get a good idea of where we want to go and do on our Alaska land tour after our cruise!

Here’s the link that explains the NPS busses... believe me there’s a ton of info on the Denali site!

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https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/visiting-denali.htm#onthisPage-2

Looks like the Tundra Wilderness Tour is a must do to see the Park!

......

RKA, 

Yes, both Princess/Holland and RoyalCaribbean/Celebrity have their own railroad cars but I can’t find a tour that does ONLY the train... most have tours that use busses and only do the train ONE WAY to Denali!  

Back to my researching!

....🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂  ML

DURN!

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Many thanks for all your suggestions.  Obviously you have ridden these rails a lot!

Am looking at the Alaska Rail tours because the RCI tours use buses and only do one way back to Anchorage on the train.  I really also want to do the Coastal Classic and at one point thought about doing the Glacier Discovery route to Whittier when we thought about cruising SB.

Do you have an opinion on doing an overnight in Talkeetna?  And which way, NB on the way to Denali or SB on the way back?  I have studied the AR time tables and roughly cast a “on our own” budget versus their package tours and when you get to the accommodations, that is when being part of a package tour kicks in... also they get your baggage to hotel if you are on an excursion...  A lot of the accommodations in Denali look like you have to have a car to even get to or be able to eat dinner .... and I don’t know which ones are close to the Train Station but am assuming from what I have seen that Alaska Rail uses the big lodges.

Will take your advice and fly out of Anchorage...  Maybe save Fairbanks for our 50th! We get Northern Lights in our backyard so don’t have to so the winter train!

One thing mentioned in the brochure and website is that the itineraries are flexible so we can tell them what we want to do, so we can add Talkeetna.

Going back to Skagway to ride the White Pass is the reason for this 40th anniversary trip! We did the YPYR on our honeymoon in Alaska in April 1982...Whitehorse to Skagway... to Juneau, Alaska State Ferry to Prince Rupert, VIA back to Alberta!  There were 5 passengers in an old caboose with seats and the rest of the train was ore cars. The mine shut that year and the White Pass also shut down for a few years before it came back as a tourist train!  We also left Whitehorse at 5 a.m. to avoid avalanches and had breakfast in Lake Bennett!  I have some old slides of the White Pass in winter that I have started scanning!  Want to get the 40 years later shots!

Thanks for the advice... will help me with the planning. 

ML

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Hello!

🚂🚂🚂🚂   We are TRAIN PEOPLE, so we are looking at the Alaska Railroad Tour options after our RCI Alaska cruise, June 2022, celebrating our 40th anniversary and returning to Alaska where we honeymooned in 1982. We want to ride the rails everywhere instead of a bus tour from Seward up to Denali. Looking for advice from anyone who has done this instead of the Cruise Line Land tours.  I know it might be a bit more expensive but it seems much more flexible. Have looked at doing Alaska Railroad on our own and booking our accomodations and excursions separately but their package looks like it covers the highlights.  Also booking accomodations in Denali without a car seems problematical. 

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel-planning/packages/cruise-packages

Also, should we consider going to Fairbanks on the train? Some Cruise Line tours start or end there but the connections back to Vancouver are not showing this year for next because of the travel bans. 

Advice and opinions welcomed!   🚂🚂🚂🚂

To even know if Northern Lights are active, especially in shoulder months, try signing up with this Alaskan website... not quite sure how it works, but imagine it is similar to our AuroraWatch out of the Uof Alberta! 

https://auroranotify.com/

Living in Northern Alberta, we get Northern lights occasionally... the city has moved out and we don’t see them as well as we did 30 years ago. But the only way to know if Northern Lights are active is to follow our local University’s AuroraWatch and get notifications ... and unfortunately I am not awake at 2 am when emails are often sent out!  We had faint strands last week not worth photographing according to my son, who get the twitter notifications.

Photo taken outside of Edmonton, Alberta in 2019.

We were in Wengen in September a few years ago and the train  to Jungfraujoch was cancelled  due to HIGH WINDS so plan on  few days in the area because weather can be a factor...   We did the Swiss Rail pass and had a fabulous trip!

Just want to report that we were booked for the March 24th Sydney to Singapore Azamara Journey.  We booked directly with AZ on board last year and we put in our request for the refund officially at the beginning of April and we were paid in full in two payments (Mix up with Canadian dollars) by the end of April so we are very happy with how AZ handled our reimbursement.  We are looking forward to booking AZ when it is safe to  cruise again!