Joanie's Alaskan Adventure 2011 has begun:)

Joanie's Alaskan Adventure 2011

Our Alaskan Adventure began months ago with every detail planned down to the most minute detail taken care of. From what itinerary, how many weeks, what cruise line (like there would be any doubt *Grin*), what ship, what stateroom, what excursions, when to dine on board the ship and where, what airlines and when we wanted to go.

We had decided on the last 2 weeks of the Alaskan cruising season (September 10th-24th 2011) as we had been on the first two weeks of the Alaskan cruising season (May 10th-17th 2008 and May 17th-24th 2009) with Holland America Line (HAL) and absolutely loved it with all of the snow still on the mountains and the wildlife just coming out of hibernation and waking up. Now we wanted to do the last two weeks so that we could see the other end of the spectrum. I'd been told by friends that we'd probably get to see what is called by Alaskans 'Termination Dust', that first trace of snow falling on the mountain tops, not much, just enough to show that summer was coming to an end and winter was on its way.

We chose HAL's ms Zuiderdam because of its itinerary and being the last HAL ship doing the Inside Passage from Vancouver, BC, Canada to Glacier Bay and Skagway. We've been to all the ports along the way, Juneau, and Ketchikan, and seen both Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay, but never Skagway or Vancouver. So we booked the Zuiderdam for 2 full weeks, chose United Airlines to get there and back home again, chose and paid for our excursions and our dining choices, and counted down to the big day of leaving the house on Friday 9 September 2011.

This was not to be as easy as we thought. On Saturday evening 3 September 2011 my hubby, Bless his heart, discovered while going to print out our flight schedules, that United Airlines had not only changed our flight schedules, but had also changed their policy regarding doctor statements for life saving medical devices, such as Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) now having to be signed and dated within 10 days of each and every flight aboard a United Airlines flight. This meant that even if you are on a cruise in a foreign country or just plain out of your home city for more than 10 days, you cannot fly on United Airlines as the now more than 10 day old signed and dated doctor's statement regarding your use and knowledge of the use of the POC is no longer valid. No amount of pleading would change the United Airlines Aero Medical peoples minds. Basically I was told, go find a doctor in the few hours you will be in Vancouver on the 24th of September 2011 because we will not let you on the plane to return home to Albuquerque New Mexico on the morning of 25 September 2011.

So we started the panicking!! Hubby found flights with Southwest Airlines to and from Seattle that we could get with no problems (flights home would be free as we could use our Rapid Rewards points.) The only problem now was to get from Seattle to Vancouver and return the same way.

I went to the wonderful and extremely knowledgeable experts on Cruise Critic and asked for help. Boy do they help! And they were so quick to tell me what, where, how, what not to do and where to avoid. Everyone was fantastic!!

By 4:45 p.m. MST (my time) everything was changed, and we were no longer in a panic, all thanks to Cruise Critic Members!!

So, our schedule now is flying out of Albuquerque, NM on Thursday evening to Seattle, pick up our rental car from Alamo, spend the night there at one of our favorite airport hotels, get up and leave the hotel around 9 a.m. (in order to miss most of the rush hour traffic) and drive the 240 or so miles to Vancouver, of course stopping along the scenic way and taking photos and me having my necessary smoke breaks (since I cannot smoke in a rental car *Grin*), and get into Vancouver and our HAL booked hotel at Canada Place LONG before we'd have gotten there aboard our originally planned United Airlines flight!!

Upon completion of our cruise on the 24th September 2011 into Vancouver we will check into our HAL post cruise hotel at Canada Place and hubby will go and pick up our rental car from Avis, just abut 7 blocks from our hotel, and park it in the hotel parking area ($35.00 overnight self park or valet park $39.00) and we will leave early the morning (before 7 a.m.) on the 25th to drive back leisurely to Seattle in order to make our 3:05 p.m. flight back home. BTW, with our new flights with Southwest Airlines we now have Direct flights, they are 3.15 hours long and we have been able to cancel our United Airlines flights and while we do not get the cash back for them, we were able to get a $548.00 USD voucher useable within 1 year from yesterday. So it is only costing us approximately $200.00 USD to make this change, including the extra hotel room in Seattle and the one way rental cars. Life is Good!!

It is now Monday morning, 5 September 2011, and I am once again my calm, cool, collected self (Yeah Right, like I am ever any of those things *Grin*) and I have decided that I will start this almost Live from the "Z" Alaska Adventurers Cruise off with a bang a few days early!!

I will have my new Net Book with me and will try to post from each of our US Ports of call, starting with our arrival in Vancouver on 9 September.

I just want to take this time to thank ALL of Cruise Critic for your Wonderful help and expertise in the United Airlines debacle/chaos!!

You guys are the best and if anyone tries to say differently, I am proof of just how good you are!!

Joanie

Joanie - have a fabulous cruise and a wonderful time :) Bon Voyage:D

Happy Sails to you, until you post again.:):) Have a wonderful time.

Best wishes Colleen

Glad to see everything turned out OK. Bon Voyage and have a great cruise on the MS Zuiderdam.

Bon Voyage! :)

Glad to hear that you got all the bumps in the road smoothed out.

Go, enjoy your cruise and here's hoping you see some "dust".

Joanie's Alaskan Adventure 2011

 

 

 

We chose HAL's ms Zuiderdam because of its itinerary and being the last HAL ship doing the Inside Passage from Vancouver, BC, Canada to Glacier Bay and Skagway.

Not so Joanie - The Zandaam cruises one day behind you and we leave Vancouver on the 18th!!

Have a great time, glad you got your travel problems sorted. And sure hope this fabulous weather we`ve been having in Vancouver holds up, but even in bad weather this part of the world is wonderful.

Your posting on this thread sounds a lot calmer than the thread where you were asking for help....that's good!

Wish the best for you on your cruise to Alaska and hope the weather is good. We look forward to reading your postings as you take the cruise.

Rick

Oh, and it`s about 120 miles from Seattle to Vancouver, not 240! Remember, when you cross the border all our signs are in kilometres, not miles so be very careful with your driving speed or you`ll be getting a speeding ticket:D

Joanie, I'm so glad to hear you got everything sorted out. Looking forward to reading your posts the first week you're on board Zuiderdam, and then we'll happily join you on the 17th! Happy travelling, Goosey! :D

...United Airlines ... policy regarding doctor statements for life saving medical devices, such as Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POC) now having to be signed and dated within 10 days of each and every flight aboard a United Airlines flight.

I am curious as to why there is this policy? Only on UA? It seems absurd to me - and not at all customer friendly, which is why they lost business.

This policy makes no sense. As you said, what happens if you go on vacation longer than 10 days? What is the doctor's statement supposed to say, that you really need the oxygen? I mean, if you needed it before leaving your home, doesn't it make sense that you would need it to get back home?

Despite this whole stressful situation, I am glad that you have worked out alternative plans that sound pretty good. Have a wonderful cruise - I look forward to your reports!

Joanie

I had read your problems yesterday and watched as different people suggested different things.

I couldn't help you -- so I delcined from answering.

But -- I am so glad to see that you have everything straightened out and your cruise is a go.

Bon Voyage!!

Have a wonderful cruise and thank you for your help these last few days. I really appreciate it!

Hope you have a wonderful cruise! :)

Joannie:

I am a former United Loyalist who has switched over to Southwest where "the bags fly free." I am sorry about your problems with United and I am happy you got booked on Southwest. Have a great flight and a great cruise out of Vancouver. When I am heading to Vancouver out of Seattle or returnning to Seattle from Vancouver I always book "Quick-Shuttle".

So glad everything worked out. Have a wonderful cruise - I'll be watching for your updates. Hope to do that cruise someday.

Looking foward to your posts & review. I will be sailing Zuiderdam in Oct. I cant tell you how helpful CC has been for me in my planning & I have been to your sight at least 20 times, looking at pictures, deck plans & reviewing cabin information. Thank you for all you do. Have a wonderful trip !!

Oh, and it`s about 120 miles from Seattle to Vancouver, not 240! Remember, when you cross the border all our signs are in kilometres, not miles so be very careful with your driving speed or you`ll be getting a speeding ticket:D

Annette, you are right about your ship being the last. When we booked, we booked I do remember seeing that the Zaandam was the last HAL cruise out. I should have stated the last Vista Class ship of the season. You know me and my Aft Wrap Around. Won't go if I cannot have that aft wrap:)

AH HA!!! Hubby did the mileage in Kilometers I think (I'll let him know that piece of good news when he wakes up). That is good to know only 120 miles instead. PHEW:) Less pressure to make it back to Seattle on the 25th!!

What is the normal speed in Canada? I know that it will probably vary, depending on where you are (just like here) but the average Freeway speed?

To all who asked why the policy by United, according to a neighbor who worked for 40 years with Continental, UA is in the process of the finishing touches of buying out or finishing transfering Continental Airlines. They are changing many things in orde to literally cover their backsides.

Their new policy re the 10 days is according to her and one of the 3 people I talked to at UA's Aero Medical, ro make sure that my Oxygen level requirements have not changed in 10 days, that I still know how to use the equipment, that I know how to change the batteries, that I can still operate with full mental (DO NOT EVEN SAY IT YOU GUYS!!) capacity while operating the POC........ I think I may contact someone here in Albuquerque about United's new policy in regards to forcing a change (read Legally) I have another neighbor who is a lawyer and will ask him after I come home.

As you can see, yes, I am much much calmer today. But I think it is because all of you were here to help me out. I do not think this fast change for us would have gone as smoothly as it has without all of you!!! My thoughts this morning is that this is twice now that CC members have jumped in to help a fellow CC member with a major problem!! Kween-Karen's though in my opinion was much more dire!!!

Goosey, I am so looking forward to you and all ourr other CC members joining us on the cruise the 17th!! Talked to ButterflyGirl last night and wrote Gumballz (from the Golden Princess) to confirm our meeting location in Juneau.

It is going to be a beautiful 2 weeks and nothing is going to ruin it for us, not United, not the weather, Nothing:)

Joanie

Have a great time Joanie!:)

Sounds like the ship doctors may be getting requests from UA passengers for the doctor statements UA is requiring.

Have a great time Joanie.... The weather is fantastic in Vancouver right now and looks to be staying that way for atleast a week!!

Watch for the speed signs Joanie, but keep to about 80K (50 mph) and you should be OK. Having said that, I doubt you'll be able to get up too much speed from the border into Vancouver anyway, LOL. Traffic can be awful hereabouts. And it's road construction season, so there will be quite a few holdups. Speed limit is 60K in construction zones and speeding ticket fines are doubled through them.:(

Hello Joanie,

I'm truly happy that everything has worked out for you and your husband. I work for a major retailer that requires me to travel quite a bit, and it's not getting any easier with the airlines. I have a quick question. I love the aft wraparounds as well. My Wife, twenty year old Daughter and I are sailing on the Noordam in January. At present the only ones available are on deck 8 (Navigation Deck). Looks like they are the smallest and I would imagine the noisiest and least private being directly below the Lido. We've stayed in cabin 7142 (Rotterdam Deck) and enjoyed it very much. What deck are you on, and what would you recommend? I'll pass it on to my TA and hope for the best. I know some cabins may open up after the final deposit is due in early October. My hopes and prayers are that you guys will have a wonderful time on your cruise. It seems like when you overcome some of these weird events it makes for the most memorable vacations.

Thanks for all you do,

Michael

hi joanie,

looking forward to your posts as i'm looking at the zuiderdam

for may, 2012.

have a woderful cruise!!

there's more to life than the weather so don't sweat it.

enjoy enjoy,

cinnamon123:)

Hello Joanie,

 

I'm truly happy that everything has worked out for you and your husband. I work for a major retailer that requires me to travel quite a bit, and it's not getting any easier with the airlines. I have a quick question. I love the aft wraparounds as well. My Wife, twenty year old Daughter and I are sailing on the Noordam in January. At present the only ones available are on deck 8 (Navigation Deck). Looks like they are the smallest and I would imagine the noisiest and least private being directly below the Lido. We've stayed in cabin 7142 (Rotterdam Deck) and enjoyed it very much. What deck are you on, and what would you recommend? I'll pass it on to my TA and hope for the best. I know some cabins may open up after the final deposit is due in early October. My hopes and prayers are that you guys will have a wonderful time on your cruise. It seems like when you overcome some of these weird events it makes for the most memorable vacations.

 

Thanks for all you do,

Michael

So am I Michael, So am I:) The flying to Seattle and driving to Vancouver is what I wanted in the first place, so this last minute (literally) is proving to work out for me in the scheme of life:)

On this cruise 10-24 September I will be in SB 7142 (the same one you were in!! how cool is that??

For our Noordam cruise in March 2012 we have SC 5190. I have also done SC 6166 on Nieuw Amsterdam in Nov-Dec 2010 and SC 6177 on Oosterdam in April 2011.

I LOVE the Aft Wrap Arounds and will never do any other type of stateroom:) Even one offered for free:)

I had the chance ot one of the Deck 8 Aft Wraps on most of my cruises in the past year or so, but after reading all the comments, decided to not go higher than Deck 7. I would cruise in a Deck 4 Aft Wrap, but 5190 was available and I decided to grab it as it, I think, is slightly larger and I'll get a slightly better (higher) view:)

Joanie