time getting off ship in Juneau and a few more ?'s

[Tink56]

Sorry! Another few newbie questions -

1 - does it make sense to get off the ship explore Juneau and then get back on board for lunch if we have a shore excursion at 1pm? How long is the getting off/getting on process? Does the time of day matter?

2 - do you need to book spa appts or Sabatini's before the cruise? If not, how far ahead?

3 - laundry takes 48 hours, right? And I also read that there are specials for a whole bag - how much is this?

4 - how often does the self-service laundry close b/o pollution issues? (we are Vancouver-Whittier 7 days)

 

Trying to batch all of my questions! Thanks so much.

[Loonbeam]

You may want to search, as many of these have been discussed at length recently, but for short answers, see below:

 

Sorry! Another few newbie questions -

1 - does it make sense to get off the ship explore Juneau and then get back on board for lunch if we have a shore excursion at 1pm? How long is the getting off/getting on process? Does the time of day matter?

 

>>> Peak times are after docking and before departure, during the day it should not take more than a few mins either way

 

2 - do you need to book spa appts or Sabatini's before the cruise? If not, how far ahead?

 

No and you can only book Sabatinis on board respectively.

 

3 - laundry takes 48 hours, right? And I also read that there are specials for a whole bag - how much is this?

 

Whole bag specials are not always offered, do not expect them.

 

4 - how often does the self-service laundry close b/o pollution issues? (we are Vancouver-Whittier 7 days)

 

It varies based on a number of factors affecting ship water handling. There is a an expansive thread on this in the past 2 weeks or so

 

Trying to batch all of my questions! Thanks so much.

[Jasperdo]

To answer your first question ... my wife and I do that all the time. We usually have lunch on the ship on port days. It's much less crowded than sea days.

 

You didn't mention what your hours in Juneau are. But, downtown is a short walk from the ship (especially if you're docked at the main Franklin Street pier). Say you get in at 8AM. I would get off the ship immediately, spend about 3 hours exploring downtown Juneau. Get back on the ship about 11:30am. You can have a leisurely lunch and still have plenty of time for your 1PM shore excursion.

 

There shouldn't be any line getting back on the ship midday. The longer lines usually start about 2 hours before you leave port. You do have to go through airport style security every time you re-board the ship. But, it's always been fast for us to pop back on the ship for lunch. Have a great cruise!

[SlyOldLady]

For lunch, we always pack a bagel w/cream cheese, cookies, water, etc and take ashore with us and have a nice pinic. To be honest, after stuffing my face twenty times a day (I have nooooo self control) I am rarely hungry enough to want to get back for lunch. don't forget to take some zip-loc bags and a back-pack! :)

On all the Alaska cruises we've taken, the specialty restraunts have been rarely full and reservations have been easy to get any morning.

I think a bag of laundry runs around $18-20.00 the bags are smaller than a brown paper grcery bag and rip easily so don't try to stuff it too full, they charge by the garment unless they're running a special but I haven't seen those offered for quite a while in AK.

[Tink56]

Thank you so much for the great answers. I think I am not searching using the right words because I often can't find what I am looking for . . . So thank you for answering questions that have been asked before!

[caribill]

1 - does it make sense to get off the ship explore Juneau and then get back on board for lunch if we have a shore excursion at 1pm?

 

You will probably be asked to meet onshore for your excursion at 12:50 pm.

[donaldsc]

You could have lunch on shore. Juneau has some good quick takeout places near the dock. Then you do not have to waste time going back to the ship and having lunch.

 

DON