Help me see the rainbow in this?

[Sailkeywest]

Oki, so Hubby and I more than likely will have to give up our Zuiderdam 9/18/10 SC aft suite (SC5190) from Vancouver in favor of a 5/9/10 Oosterdam suite (SC4180) from Seattle. We are doing it because 1) he is very uncomfortable in regular plane seats, and the flight from where we live to Vancouver will be at least 8 hours. With Sky miles, we could get first class seats for basically nothing to Seattle versus very very expensive to Vancouver. 2) refer to point #1.

 

I guess that I am just venting, because giving up that suite and itinerary (Tracy Ford, inside passage) makes me a bit sad. Dumb thing to be sad about I guess, when there are much more important things going on in the world. I also thought the Zuiderdam looked like a really beautiful ship!

 

So, help me see the rainbow in this and tell me something nice about our alternative cruise? Thank you, as always :)

 

P.S. We have deposits on both cruises at present, in case I can work any magic :P

 

and P.S.S! We took the last SC available on the Oosterdam, 4180. Does anyone think that perhaps I should just take an SC guarantee to possibly get an upgrade, or leave it marked as "no upgrade?" What I really wanted was 5190, being midship really doesn't mean much to me, I want that balcony! Thanks again :)

[CowPrincess]

Before you abandon all hope of the Vancouver cruise, investigate flying to Seattle and taking bus/rental car/Amtrak to Vancouver. Many MANY people do this. Check out the West Coast departures board -- there are LOTS of posts about doing this.

[Sailkeywest]

We already did, but thank you for the suggestion. Hubby doesn't want to be on a train or in a car for very long after getting off of a plane. I wasn't very good at telling him that it "wouldn't be so bad." :P Longest time I had him in a car that long was when we drove 4 hours through mudslides on mountaintops in Costa Rica just to get to a Volcano. In other words, he isn't falling for it :P

 

Might be able to sell him on Sleeping in Seattle and waking up early in the morning for the train, hmm. I might just check that thread out :)

[leoandhugh]

Your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is your hubby's comfort and what you will have to sacrifice for him to have that comfort. Sometimes the best rewards we get in life are based on bringing happiness and comfort to others rather than ourselves. If you keep that as your main objective, you may find that things will fall in place for you also:)

[Toad]

Rainbow..... you have two cruises booked and we have none.

[Sunshine91]

Oki, so Hubby and I more than likely will have to give up our Zuiderdam 9/18/10 SC aft suite (SC5190) from Vancouver in favor of a 5/9/10 Oosterdam suite (SC4180) from Seattle. We are doing it because 1) he is very uncomfortable in regular plane seats, and the flight from where we live to Vancouver will be at least 8 hours. With Sky miles, we could get first class seats for basically nothing to Seattle versus very very expensive to Vancouver. 2) refer to point #1.

 

I'm guessing by your handle that you're flying from Key West to catch the ship? Is it really an 8 hour flight, or is that total travel time?

 

I haven't even looked at the itineraries, but are they straight NB or are they RT? If one-way, then he's also looking at flying home from Anchorage. Ouch.

 

For some reason ?????? it's a whole lot cheaper to fly into SEA then YVR. I'd go for the 1st class into SEA, spend the night there to give him a break. Then hop on the quick shuttle/quick coach for the 4 hour ride to YVR the next day. Check their website or have your TA make your resos. It really is an easy ride. We used the service when Ryndam docked at Canada Place & we were flying home from SEA. The earliest departing bus was an express (we got on that one.) The express is also expedited at the border - yeah!

 

On the non-expresses, in the 2 prior weeks, we were told, the border back-up was up to 4-5 hours. Some pax missed their flights & cruise connections. :(

 

September in AK is beautiful!!!!! :)

[jtl513]

On the Oosterdam you will have a veranda where you can get some sun, whereas on the Zuiderdam deck 5 it will be completely covered - like a cave.

[English_in_Spain]

One rainbow - You will not have so long to wait until your cruise :)

[babyorca]

Hello,

I live in Vancouver and have regularly driven down to Seattle. pretty normal activity for us folks here to go down to go shopping, etc. It's not a bad drive at all! It's one highway I-5. It's pretty painless a drive. It's definately not the same as a 4 hour drive on a mudroad to see a volcano! I know driving a car, it takes only 3 hours. I've done it by bus as well. Actually my aunt comes regularly from Seattle to Vancouver on the bus. I hope your DH will change his mind. It's really not so bad. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. i hope you get the cruise you want.

[pipedreams62]

[COLLEYBERRY]

Oh how I envy you your decision.:) I hope you can indeed find a travel solution that will make the Zuiderdam possible.( we enjoyed our Zuiderdam cruise very much)

Both cabins IMO are the best seat in the house,do not give up the location.You may very well get upgraded but to a different area of the ship.

You already have a double rainbow...one just involves a less "grumpy" husband:D The choice is clear to me:D

[Sailkeywest]

Leo, I know you are right. His comfort means more to me than making him miserable just to get to a vacation. Good news though, he said that since we have 2 bookings now, we can 'keep an eye' on the prices and still try for the Vancouver route. :D But at the same time, I know how miserable he would be if he was packed like a sardine into a flight for 8 or so hours.

 

Toad -- very true, I thought of that :P Be happy for what I do have :P

 

Sunshine, we are actually from Orlando, but all flights to Vancouver from here have at least a 30 minute layover. He also checked out the train/bus thing to see if we could make it happen, but he was like 4 hours?! Maybe he will warm up to the idea :) Thank you for the IMPORTANT TIP regarding the express versus non-express buses, that would be a bad mistake to make in case we do end up doing that.

 

JTL, I thought that it would be good to have a completely covered deck in September in case of rain? I thought it also might shelter us from the wind. Please correct me if my thinking is wrong as I have never actually been to Alaska.

 

EnglishinSpain, hehe you are so right, I thought of that too! :)

 

babyorca, TY for the words of encouragement, they say everything happens for a reason :)

[Jade13]

The rainbow is that you are going on as cruise in MAY vs waiting until SEPTEMBER.

[happy cruzer]

We are all very uncomfortable in coach but that's what many of us can afford.

 

So another rainbow at least you get to think about not being in coach.

 

enjoy!

[jtl513]

JTL, I thought that it would be good to have a completely covered deck in September in case of rain? I thought it also might shelter us from the wind.

That's true. I was thinking the view would be so much more restricted on deck 5. Unless you're up close to the rail, it would be like looking out of a cave.

[Sailkeywest]

PipedDreams - LOL!!! I laughed so hard when I saw the photo you posted, you always seem to hit the nail on the head :D

 

Colley, I agree, I'd really only want an 'upgrade' to another aft suite. The major concern that I have with 4180 is being so low for viewing? and the possible vibration down there that I have read about.

 

Jade, very very true :)

 

HappyCruzer, I have never flown first class before, just am hoping that it makes Hubby happier and not groan when I mention taking 'far away vacations.' He has a bad back and was absolutely miserable with the last long flight that we took.

[suse]

It's all around you.:)

[Love the beach]

 

Might be able to sell him on Sleeping in Seattle and waking up early in the morning for the train, hmm. I might just check that thread out :)

 

That's what we did. It was like taking an excursion! The train ride was fabulous--great scenery---and you can get up and walk around--no need to sit the whole time. :)

[patseacruiser]

Keep checking until final payment to see if maybe the cabin you want someone withdraws their deposit on.

[Budget Queen]

Hope this works out for you, but as already stated, it is simple to get between Seattle and Vancouver. The train, is NOT the same day as your Seattle arrival, a one way rental car is simple. I most always stay in Bellingham the night before, 2 hours from Seattle, then another 1++ hour to Vancouver, with an early start- less border lines.

 

A significant factor, you really should be aware of is the routing. It is FAR superior to sail out of Vancouver vs Seattle. Seattle is the roughest sailing potential and the least scenic. You have 2 open ocean sea days with Seattle. You have close up inside Vancouver Island scenic sailing with Vancouver.

 

 

It sounds like you need a support group as this decision is not yours??

 

Are the reasons valid for these compromises?? No need to answer. :)

[mamaofami]

If the cruise you picked means so much to you, could you just upgrade his flight and you stay with the masses? That's what I would consider. Makes everyone happy.

[kyriecat]

My husband is 6'3" with bad knees so coach seats are a problem for him. When we did our AK cruise, we flew into Seattle. For us it was a matter of price. It was over twice as much to fly into Vancouver than into Seattle. Even with a hotel and train tickets, we saved money by flying into Seattle.

 

We took the Amtrak train from Seattle to Vancouver the following morning. We pre-booked a shuttle from the hotel to the train station. For the train ride, we booked business class seats, which were a little more than coach (in 2006 $64 vs. $38) but roomy. The good thing about the train is you can walk around, get something (overpriced!) to eat, view the scenery, or just take a nap. Plus, you don't have to deal with the backup at the border with driving. The train gets in around 11:30 AM so you have time to get to the port via taxi (around $20).

 

The above worked well for us, but obviously it isn't for everyone since there is some logistics involved in getting from the Seattle airport to a hotel to the train station to the Vancouver port.

[LVSue]

Dee, that sounds like a super idea!

 

Sailkeywest, another rainbow: no flames, just friends.

[Pokeynose]

[

I have never flown first class before, just am hoping that it makes Hubby happier and not groan when I mention taking 'far away vacations.' He has a bad back and was absolutely miserable with the last long flight that we took.

 

I know how your DH feels. We always try to fly first class, much more comfortable, especially to Seattle which we did twice but now our FF flier miles are 0. I also have a bad back, spinal stensosis, compacted discs, etc. so being in coach kills me too. We are flying coach to fla. in Jan. but the trip will be broke up into connecting flights. I would have considered surgery before now but with the Jan. cruise I didn't know the recovery time especially at my age. So will see the doc in Feb. Until then I take 3 Vicodin, strongest dosage every 8 hrs. which is not helping much anymore. If you afford first class do it for him, didn't read all the posts too good so don't know your situation. I hope you find a good solution. I will say this, on our last trip to Alaska in Sept., my back felt better for the first time in a couple of years, didn't take much Vicodin. DH said it was the low pressure. I walked those halls like I was 50 again.:eek: Please keep us up to date. Barb:)

 

P.S. We looked at taking the train, Empire Builder, but the beds were one on the bottom and climb stairs to the top one. This has been DH's dream since he is a model railroader but it wouldn't work out.:(

[TahoeTraveler]

For what it's worth, I have cruised on both the Oosterdam in cabin SC4185 (the one identical to yours, but on the opposite side of the ship) and on the Zuiderdam in the same cabin. I absolutely, postively, will book that same cabin in the future and would never consider the aft wraparound suites on Deck 5 because of the new configuration that has the verandah completely covered. Not only is the verandah covered, but they had to add support posts on each side of the aft portion of the verandah to hold up the extended portion of Deck 6. So not only is it like a cave, but you have posts to block your view from within the cabin itself. You're paying for a fantastic verandah and view...and I just don't think Deck 5 provides that.

 

I would never ask for an upgrade from an aft wraparound suite...even though the SA category suites are much larger, you miss so much by being on only one side of the ship. I think cruising Alaska in an aft suite would be the perfect way to see it.

 

Vibration isn't an issue unless one of the azipods isn't working (which happened to us on the Oosterdam). You really don't notice it any more than anywhere else on the ship.

 

Tracy Arm was a complete disappointment to us the last time we cruised Alaska because you can't get nearly as close to the glacier as you could 10 years ago when we cruised it. I don't know about other glaciers there, but it did seem that everything had receeded pretty badly.

 

And I understand completely about your husband's travel restrictions, even if some other posters here seem not to. My husband fell off our roof last year and broke his femur and got a blood clot, and his leg will never be the same. I fly him first class everywhere because it is too uncomfortable for him to sit in cramped quarters for any length of time...to include getting from Vancouver to Seattle. This is creating a lot of logistical and financial issues for me as I try to arrange travel for us and our two teens to Amsterdam next year for our Eurodam cruise (we're in an aft wraparound suite on Deck 4 there too, by the way!). But I have to consider my husband's health and comfort above all else. You, obviously, feel the same.

 

Good luck, and remember, everything always works out for a reason.