Family with Teens to Alaska on Vision

[Math4Aggies]

Howdy!

 

We are a family of first time cruisers going to Alaska on the Vision (departing Vancouver May 27, 2005). Besides looking for others on this cruise, I have two questions:

 

* If the Vision arrives in Vancouver at 7A and departs at 5P, what time is it likely that we should arrive at the pier? I hate waiting in line, but I was hoping to upgrade at the pier. (we have a oceanview and inside - the teens get the inside :)), but all I have read about balconies are making me long for one! Our only plans for the day in Vancouver (we arrive the night before) is to view some of the places that they shoot the WB show Smallville.

 

* What can I expect for my teens? DS will be 15 for all of 2 weeks when we leave. He will have finished 9th grade the day before we leave. DD is 12, but she will have just finished 8th grade and her friends are all 13/14 now. We will do family shore excursions, but there are a couple of sea days on our northbound Alaska trip.

 

thanks!!!

[Blizzard54]

If you want to attempt a pier upgrade you should get there early. There may be few or none available for that cruise. The Vision does not have a lot of balconies. I would suggest about 11 to 11:30 arrival. Ask for the pier coordinator at check in.

 

The Vision has youth programs for different age groups. That early in the season there may not be too many kids because most schools are not out yet.

 

I would suggest that you go to the ROLL CALL section and look for a thread for your cruise. You can do a search for Vision in the title.

[dougp26364]

We sailed Vision in Alaska in 2003. About 30 days before our cruise, I decided I had enough money to upgrade from an outside to a balcony. There were only two balcony's left at that time and both were in less than desirable locations. Balcony's go pretty fast on the Alaskan cruises since there is so much to see. My advice is if you want a baclony you had better start looking at booking one now if you still can. By the time you get to the pier, I wouldn't expect there to be any available.

 

I have some pictures from both our Alaskan cruises at my webshots page if you'd like to see them. http://community.webshots.com/user/dougp26364

[barbgazz]

It will be really tough to get cabins close to each other, and RCCl won't/shouldn't let your kids be more than a room or two away from you. You should have booked the rooms you wanted rather than waiting to upgrade two rooms at the pier.

[Math4Aggies]

Thanks (sort of). I guess there is a learning curve for everything. I will call my TA and see what can be done. May 27 is still early, but I am longing for fresh air. Of course, I read that there can be problems with smokers near your balcony - have you run into that?

 

dougp26364 - love the pics! The solarium looked pretty quiet. Is it going to be adults only? If so, what is an adult? My kids swim competitively and it would be nice if they could stay in shape!

 

Blizzard54 - I am trying on the meet 'n' mingle (you can seach by my name...), but only one other cruiser has been posting :(

 

Need a cross my fingers icon for contacting the TA today....

[barbgazz]

Adults only means 18

[Blizzard54]

keep trying to keep your roll call near the front.

 

sometimes it take a while to find people

[winterstar]

My husband and I are on your cruise! I posted a reply on your "roll call" yesterday, but posts get lost so quickly in that section. We are actually not planning on going to a meet and mingle if there is one, but you are not alone!

We pretty much have everything all planned out now...(er...well...*I* do and DH will just follow where I go) :D

Now just the waiting.....

[Math4Aggies]

The wait is killing me!! I have been studying and planning and it makes me more anxious than ever to be off on this vacation. Of course, the weather right now in Alaska is not really what works for a pleasure cruise...

 

My DH also prefers me to do the arrangement. Nice when it works out. He has helped some with the land part (we will drive around from 6/3 to 6/7 - mostly to see Denali)

As I "got told", it is too late to have a balcony and the kids near us. <img>

I will console my self with thoughts of cold rain and smokers all around.

 

Still not sure about the kids on sea days - will the covered pool be available at all? We are real wimps when it comes to cool weather! If it is 65, I will wear a sweater! <img>

[AAL]

We were on Vision in January to Mexico. My girls are 12 and 17, and there was enough going on in the "kids club" to keep them entertained. There weren't many kids on the cruise, so they were able to do activities together when they wanted; your daughter will probably have that flexibility too.

 

The kids loved room service. We really liked the dining room food, too.

 

The age for the solarium pool was 16, but on the cloudy days to and from LA, kids could swim there. They didn't make an announcement (that I heard), but kids were obviously allowed to be there. But it would be a challenge to do lengths in either pool -- they are quite short.

 

You will have a wonderful time. Be sure to pack lots of layers -- fleece jackets and raincoats to go over them, and hats and gloves. Temperatures on your trip will be anywhere from 40 to 80 degrees, so be prepared for any weather.

[winterstar]

We booked an interior cabin. This is my first cruise so I will not know what I am missing not having a balcony. It was a difference of about 2000. Cdn, so we used that money to book expensive excursions we otherwise might not have done. Good trade in my opinion. Don't worry --it's going to be awesome!! :D

[Math4Aggies]

Internet was out Saturday - thought I would go nuts! We will stick to enjoying our cabins (#3553 and #3554). Hopefully I can find a nice quiet place to hangout with fresh air and a view. I am sure I can find a place to spend the extra $$ we will have by keeping the original rooms. In fact, I have noticed the price has increased quite a bit since the end of December. Makes me so glad we took care of this early!

 

ardithl - can you give me more info about the "kids club" activity times? I've see stuff for the younger ones, but not so much about the 12+. My main interest is the evening. Did you do the first or second seating for dinner. How did you feel about that choice? 40 to 80 is quite a range! But we have lots of light jackets and rain coats to choose from. Too bad the pool is small - I have been checking on the fitness room in another thread, and we may be able to manage that. I really hate age rules. I know it is hard to base decisions on maturity, but my 12 yo DD is more mature than most of the 18 yo freshmen guys at Texas A&M University!