englander

23 hours ago, quiltmaker55 said:

I was at Icy Point yesterday,  May 10, 2023, with Holland America.  The gondola which goes to the top of the mountain, The Sky Glider is $49.95. 

Do tell!  What's up there at the top for those not looking for the zipline? 

Well, thanks to everyone for their input! I redeemed reward points on my RCCL VISA  and it took almost 2 weeks, but the OBC is there now, available to use for online pre-cruise purchases!

Yeah, we have lots of time too. Don't need to turn the car in until 11 pm for a 1:30 am flight. I  was thinking of going to Noth Pole and the museum. Still open to where to get dinner before heading to the airport. 

5 minutes ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

i did something very similar in july. (one night in denali, two in fairbanks). there are buses right at the port in seward. you get your luggage like you normally would when you disembark, and then you go right to the bus where they load you up. we had maybe 90 minutes in anchorage to find some place to eat and then get back on the bus. really not a lot of time at all. i think we were dropped off right near the cultural center. we also stopped at a grocery store on the way up to denali to get snacks and stuff. enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the great information!!

On 4/9/2023 at 9:59 PM, Northern Aurora said:

Are you retired Air Force?  Eielson is about eighteen miles from Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy.  Ft. Wainwright is contiguous to Fairbanks.

I reserved a car with budget at the FAI airport. Any tips on best route to Eielson? We are retired AF so we have IDs. Do both Eielson and Wainwright have a PX/BX/ Exchange store? I might have to visit the Post Office if I have accumulated too many souvenirs to fit into luggage.

On 4/10/2023 at 9:25 AM, reallyitsmema said:

 

Sounds like you are doing 4A?  We did 4B, so the reverse of what you are doing.  Our cruise tour picked us up at the airport and took us to Pikes Waterfront Lodge.  I would expect yours to pick you up in Seward at the ship.  Not sure if you have seen this link but it has some times in it for the first day and also lists all the additional excursions you can buy once you meet your cruise tour guide.

 

https://www.royalcaribbeancruisetours.com/

 

https://www.royalcaribbeancruisetours.com/content/uploads/2022/10/4A.pdf

 

edit to add:  the excursions that you can buy are under the resources tab.

Yes we are doing 4A. Thanks for the links.

Third time to Alaska and first time on cruisetour post cruise 4 nights, 2 in Denali Village Park and 2 in Pikes Waterfront Lodge in Fairbanks. 

Can anyone who has done this tell me how RCI handles this at the end of the cruise? Where in Anchorage do we get dropped off and how long before we have to board bus to Denali in afternoon? 

Any other tips?

10 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

Are you retired Air Force?  Eielson is about eighteen miles from Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy.  Ft. Wainwright is contiguous to Fairbanks.

Yes we are. We like to visit bases wherever we go, especially ones we've never seen. Thanks, we've been looking at maps and Google to get a feel for the area. At least with a car rental we have a place to stash our luggage while looking around. We want to check out Ft Wainwright too.

Actually curious about how the switch to the land tour happens. TA is not any help. And how long do we stay, and where, in Anchorage. Description says time for early lunch.

On 2/16/2023 at 4:06 PM, wolfie11 said:

If you post the tour specifics we can comment more effectively.  General advice is to have at least two nights at Denali National Park and upgrade to the tundra wilderness tour (it's a shorter tour now because of the Pretty Rocks landslide.)  Fairbanks is light out all night.  You can grab a drink at a local colorful bar or do some last minute shopping at Freddie's.

May 26 Am coach transfer Seward to Anchorage ; PM coach transfer to Denali. Stay 2 nights at Denali Park Village. 

May 27 AM Tundra Wilderness tour

May 28 PM Railway to Fairbanks; stay 2 nights at Pike Waterfront resort. 

May 29 Riverboat Discovery tour.

May 30 all day offering transfers to airport. 

Our flight is May 31 at 01:30 am.

We're thinking of renting a car from airport for the day of May 30 and drive around. Will go find Eielson Air Force Base.

I emailed Crucon ( my TA) and was told they don't buy the perks till a few days before sail date. Also she checked about Visa card rewards and said RCI said they don't apply it till about 2 weeks prior to sail date. Same goes for Shareholder credits. So I  guess we wait. Hope the discount prices are still available for Excursions. 

I looked again just now ... only payment option is my credit card. Thanks for the tip ... I thought maybe I was missing something. Maybe RCI has changed?

I want to reserve a shore excursion for my upcoming Alaska cruise in May 2023; but I want to use some of my OBC for it, not my credit card. On previous cruises there was a pop-up stating how much OBC I had available to use for shore excursions, etc. This time I do not see it.

Susan

Fourth time Alaska cruise; first time doing the post cruise 4-nt tour ending in Fairbanks. I'm looking for information / comments on how it operates. Like where in Anchorage do we get dropped off for the few hours before we bus to Denali? The itinerary just says we "...have time to stroll around the big-city downtown and enjoy an early lunch on your own."

Then when we end the tour in Fairbanks, our flight is not until 1:50 am the following day after hotel checkout. What is there to do in Fairbanks for the day before heading to the airport at 10 - 11 pm?

So ... it is possible to buy SkyGlider tix at the 'entrance'? I like the idea of waiting to see what the weather is on the day we get there, May 22, 2023. Last time We were here was in May 2017!

Heads up - anyone having issues with airline flights missed at end of cruise in Amsterdam....

We arrived from our ship at 7:30 - 8:00 for an 11:15 flight, and I was stuck in the excessively long line for security at Schiphol on Jul 2nd. missed our flights, as did most people in that line of over 1000 people (no exaggeration!). My trip insurance refused to cover the unexpected expense of 2 nights in a hotel in Amsterdam due to earliest rebooking was for July 4th. I am now claiming through the Schiphol Airport. Use this website: www. Schiphol.nl/compensation.  These people are very responsive through emails, and I am now waiting on their decision. Also, I had to get the international wiring instructions from my USA bank to give them so they can forward compensation. If you're in Europe and your bank has an IBAN number you are all set.

Sure would be nice to get information we can believe! I hate having to spend so much money on emed tests and then bring them home unused. Did that on last cruise last nov - had 1. Unused test that is now expired. Just put the $35 into the trash! But I  now see it as a gamble to cover a possible risk of test not available. We are vaxed. I will wait a few weeks to order the tests for my Jun 20 - July 2 cruise to see if CDC changes any rules.....not very hopeful though. 

3 hours ago, Big_G said:

I haven't cruised in a few months but the testing on the ship was for B2B cruisers and anyone that needed a test to fly internationally. There was no test requirement for just arriving in the US by ship.

Just to verify Big-G, I was just on the phone with C&A. David told me we can get a test onboard for flying internationally. Cost will be $55 pp. It's done by a third-party so he didn't think we could use OBC to pay for it. No matter, I'm relieved to know I can get the test done onboard without worrying about the internet! We are sailing round trip Amsterdam and returning to USA July 2nd.

1 hour ago, johnjen said:

Question: They are testing everyone, on every cruise that arrives back to the US? How much is this extra boondoggle costing the passengers?

The test is required by US Gov't for re-entry into USA. Test must be within one day.  Nothing to do with the ship... At least until the rule is changed...

10 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

I boug disht 1 day surf & stream at the beginning for a conference call using my D+ discount but will look further.  Don't see anything on today's cruise compass and it's our last day.

We are D+ too

11 minutes ago, orville99 said:

That makes more sense. I guess the real question is whether testing is required to enter the Netherlands. If that is the case then RCL would be obligated to perform the tests on the last day of the cruise.

Netherlands doesn't require a test for vaccinated people. My only concern is getting test in time before our flight to USA.

30 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

On Jewel now.  Used surf & stream for a meeting Monday.  It was ok. Since we're b2b we were tested onboard this am. Resu,to back after breakfast.  Ours were free so not sure what they charge if not.

Have you seen anywhere if ship is offering a 1-day surf & stream for the last sea day prior to docking next morning? If you have the time could you ask guest services what they charge for 1 day purchase. I don't usually buy the Voom and stream pkg for the whole cruise. I would really appreciate your help.

5 minutes ago, Kellie in Texas said:

Whose requirement is it to test before coming back into the US?  I've been trying to figure that out. We're on RCCL's Serenade from Vancouver, round-trip to Alaska, in early June. I know Canada no longer has a pre-travel test requirement, but RCCL still does.  No problem there with getting tested before the cruise.  Just wondering why people are needing to test on board the ship.  

 

We are going to have surf and stream because one son is going to have to watch a couple of online classes for his summer college class, so if we need to do the proctored tests on the ship, we should be good.  

We are talking about the re-entry into the USA requirement for a 1-day test.

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I'd be hesitant to use ship internet for testing, especially on older ships like Jewel from Amsterdam.   Recent Voom reports from Jewel in Florida indicate a lot of unhappy guests and dreadful internet performance.

 

With my luck it would be raining which is known to kill satellite internet. 

 

Highly recommend you have a plan B. 

Funny you mentioned Jewel of all the ships .... that's the one we will be on!

I would like to hear from people who have done their test onboard their last day of a cruise.

Were there any connectivity problems using the ship internet?

Seems there would be a lot of people online holding on to their 20 minute time slot online to complete the test.

We will be returning from Amsterdam in June, flying on same day we leave the ship. I'm curious about other people's experiences.