Not as live reports: Y4Z prestige (Y4C Yukon/double Denali + SB cruise) 6/15/22 - 7/3/22

[shuyak]

We are value oriented and budget concise cruisers.  Found this package attractive over a year ago and booked. 

 

First time with HAL, to Alaska, to Vancouver and Yucon.  Do not have "Have it All", will solely rely on US T-mobile North America services and hotel internet.  Plan to focus less on ship life (plenty reports already) but more on land experience and perhaps excursions.

 

I am aware of a few fellow CC cruisers with identical or portion of this itinerary, please feel free to use this as a platform to share your experience.

 

Planning:  various original planned excursions are no longer offered by vendors or HAL.   We did not finalize activities until last few days mostly using the combinations of direct booking with vendors with early bird specials,  booking through Tripadvisor/Viator with coupon code found on line, and Chase reward points.

[shuyak]

We started journey on 6/12.

 

Air Canada: The only airline offers direct flight between Boston and Vancouver.  Surprised to find that airport counter without separate lines for check-in and for only drop bags.  No meal is provided and only once serving drinks for the 6 hour flight (delayed by 1 hr). 

 

YVR taxi: when asked, the driver declared trip to be 38 CAD when should be 34 CAD per published rate.  Glad we checked ahead.

 

The Burrard Hotel:  booked a year ago with its great special deal.  Room is on the smaller side but sufficient for our needs.  Location is convenient.

[shuyak]

Embarking covid test and Verifly:  We went to airport immediately after pcr at Walgreens, which is slightly less than 72hrs before our embarking time if was west coast time, but over it if counting the 3hr time difference.  We plan to take video monitored rapid test if verifly rejected the pcr test.  Got the verifly green check after uploaded pcr result.  In case you face similar situation.  Also, we learned verifly only recognize the digital certificate from a specific list of insurer (info in its site); if yours is not in that list, they need to do the manual check.

[shuyak]

Issuers. (Auto-correct!)

 

Power Pedal tours:  We choose this over offered by the big company for this essentially is a private e-bike tour for Patrick only takes 2 clients at a time.  Since I just started to re-gain the control of riding bike after the stroke in late January and never rode e-bike before, Patrick patiently coached me.  After two falls and 30 min of practicing, we are on the road.  The tour was modified to fit my conditions, but with him providing audio narrative along the way, this provides a great first introduction to city of Vancouver.  Gastown, Seawall, part of Stanley Park, English bay, ferry to Grainville market, (lunch provided), Olympic village, Science museum(?), Chinatown.  We made it without any incident!  The full loop would go around Stanley Park.  Strongly recommend if this is to your interest.

 

Landsea tours and adventures to North shore Capiano suspension bridge and Grouse Mountain.  Another Strongly recommended tour.  They use a separate buses to pick up guests to minimize wait time. Tour guide is very attentive and efficient.  For someone new to the city with limited time, tour might be the better way vs taking the free shuttle buses.

 

 

[shuyak]

At check-in, they checked boarding pass, verifly, and arrivecan.  With all those ready, we moved along and were waiting to board in ~15 min - but no one was allowed to board until after ~11:30.

 

Heard HAL port staff mentioned this Zuiderdam has 1,136 passengers, @ 50% capacity as we googled.

 

Mask is only "recommended" for this cruise, but we observed a good % of cruisers wearing mask.

 

Lots of confusions and long line in guest services: our cabin got changed w/o notice, then the new cabin key cards do not work.  Others do not have room key cards, or cards do not work, or some other issues.  

 

Saw the sign at guest services that there is no free upgrade.

 

Wonder what was the covid case count in the previous trip.

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, shuyak said:

YVR taxi: when asked, the driver declared trip to be 38 CAD when should be 34 CAD per published rate.  Glad we checked ahead

Taxi drivers have gotten so cheesy everywhere I go.  For us it is now Uber or service.  

[Mary229]

Thank you.  I will be following along.  We are doing this in reverse in late August 

[oakridger]

24 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Taxi drivers have gotten so cheesy everywhere I go.  For us it is now Uber or service.  

 

I went and checked this fare out right away and, yes, Burrard Street is in the taxi fare zone #8 which is $34 CAD.  I then saw that the tiny portion of downtown right along the bay and Canada Place is actually in a separate zone #9 for $38 CAD!!!  When I first looked at the zone map, I didn't see this so I can understand where people may look and think they are in the $38 zone when their hotel is actually in the $34 zone!  Shame on the taxi guy for quoting $38 unless he actually first thought the OP was going to the cruise port directly.  Thanks @shuyak for highlighting this fare difference and sharing your great information.  Continue having a good time!

 

Taxis | YVR

 

 

~Nancy

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, oakridger said:

 

I went and checked this fare out right away and, yes, Burrard Street is in the taxi fare zone #8 which is $34 CAD.  I then saw that the tiny portion of downtown right along the bay and Canada Place is actually in a separate zone #9 for $38 CAD!!!  When I first looked at the zone map, I didn't see this so I can understand where people may look and think they are in the $38 zone when their hotel is actually in the $34 zone!  Shame on the taxi guy for quoting $38 unless he actually first thought the OP was going to the cruise port directly.  Thanks @shuyak for highlighting this fare difference and sharing your great information.  Continue having a good time!

 

Taxis | YVR

 

 

~Nancy

I still like Uber, I know up front what I will pay.  It is generally close to the taxi price maybe a bit lower but no surprises and it is on my credit card.  I had two taxi drivers insist upon cash for long rides, that truly irritated me. 

[shuyak]

Missing btb cruise in Navigator:

Like another cruiser said, our missing 2nd leg of the btb shows up in Navigator after we are on board.  Just thought any of the 7 HAL customer service agents we called/chatted could have told us.

 

T-mobile signal remains strong (4 -5 bars) along Vancouver coast.

[shuyak]

13 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I still like Uber, I know up front what I will pay.  It is generally close to the taxi price maybe a bit lower but no surprises and it is on my credit card.  I had two taxi drivers insist upon cash for long rides, that truly irritated me. 

 

We made sure the taxi had credit card machine before we got on.

[Mary229]

Just now, shuyak said:

 

We made sure the taxi had credit card machine before we got on.

I did too, it must be me….

[shuyak]

Bring CAD cash or not?

Like other posters said, near all places in Vancouver will take credit card with provision to add tip. 

 

We only used CAD cash for tour guide tips, porter tip, and change to coins for using hotel's laundry facility.  

[ewildcat7]

3 hours ago, shuyak said:

Mask is only "recommended" for this cruise, but we observed a good % of cruisers wearing mask.

Am I reading this correctly?  Are you saying that you boarded a ship to Alaska from Vancouver and masks were recommended, but not required?  Thanks in advance!

[shuyak]

35 minutes ago, ewildcat7 said:

Am I reading this correctly?  Are you saying that you boarded a ship to Alaska from Vancouver and masks were recommended, but not required?  Thanks in advance!

Correct.  This 6/15/22 Zuiderdam Vancouver roundtrip, mask is recommended only.  See Navigator screenshot beliw:

 

[shuyak]

We find the curtain separate closets/bathroom from the rest is good.  Also, a light at bottom of a closet with motion sensor makes sense.

 

 

[shuyak]

Ship laundry fyi.

 

[shuyak]

It is beautiful in Juneau today!

 

Juneau Tours Whale Watch and Glacier:  We were not as lucky as some, only saw a few whales doing the show from distance.  Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Fall are very nice to visit.  Only 3 ships today, including a mega one.  The tour seems a not yet well oiled but ok operation.  Guess it will be tested on our return cruise when many more cruisers will arrive.

 

Saw quite a few bald eagles in town.

 

[shuyak]

Yesterday we received $35 credit each for the included but cancelled Klondike Spirit's excursion at Dawson City.  Not sure if HAL voluntarily provided it or because we asked our TA and requested for credit before we left home.

 

AT&T has the strongest signal here, Verizon also has strong signal.  Fyi

[shuyak]

Today, we started the land tour.

 

Received the debarkation instruction yesterday that contains conflicting info such as when to leave luggage out and when to meet tour director in the morning.  A visit to guest service was in order.

 

Met our first timer cruise director today.  The poor young fellow does not know nor suspect the itinerary he has is different from ours' even after many of us asked based on bus drive's comments.

 

Anyway, tomorrow AM's White Pass Summit train ride is moved to this afternoon (luckily we did not book any excursion).  Tomorrow afternoon's bus ride to Whitehorse will start in AM and with stop at Carcross and likely others that we could not poke out of him.  He won't give us the trip package until tomorrow after we board the bus.  Will see.

 

Today, weather is beautiful as is the train ride. 

 

 

None of our group was offered with tour meal plan. 

 

Saw some restaurants and stores with sign stated not opening this season.

[shuyak]

Breakfast at Skagway

Both places (outside Westmark) offering breakfast that we are aware are closed on Sunday. 

 

It was some experience for us without the breakfast voucher from the meal plan.  Go up the host stand, host searched around looking for the menu (a small plastic stand listing options), guests look at the menu host held to your face and decide on the spot your choice, then, next in line.

 

The options are (as we recall):

Dine in:

Full buffet (hot and cold) @$20.99

Continental buffet (cold) @$16.99

Take out - two choices:

A kind of Burrito and something else, around $13-15?  Coffee/drinks are ordered separately.

 

It started to rain as the bus leaves Skagway.  Brighten up before the boarder.  Arrivecan is not required for this entering, we were told the one submitted for embarkation served the purpose.

 

Stopped at Carcross and a few others on way to Whitehorse.  Emerland lake is impressive!

 

 

On a different note, while walking across from Tim Horton on 2nd st in Whitehorse, someone rode a bike approached us.  After brief greeting, he asked for spare changes and intended to follow us back to the hotel to get cash.  Just fyi

[shuyak]

Thanks to @Alphen, we went to Fortune House for dinner.  Shrimps are good size, plump and crunchy, vegi's are fresh, portions are BIG, and prices are more than reasonable.

[shuyak]

Luggage out by 6:15 and bus leaving at 7:45.  Tim Horton it is for breakfast.  The meal's contains a hot item (wrap, bagel snadwarch, etc), a sweet item (muffin, donut, etc), and a medium coffee for ~8.5 - 9.5 CAD.

 

Not as scenery, but very educational.  The pbs Klondike Gold Rush is a very nice compliment to the movie shown in Skagway national park info center.   Had a glimp of a bear crossing highway ahead.

 

Mosquito:  lots of them at each stop.  Especially the 1st stop at a roadhouse historic site.  They will follow people into bus!  We all become mosquito exterminators!  The champion lost count after got over a dozen.

 

Road work made it a 10 hr trip.  Rain started early PM and continue.  Road at Dawson City is muddy silt.  Rain jacket and hiker are in use.

 

The driver told us Yukon had 200% above usual snow, all rivers are either approaching or at flood stage.  Yes, we witnessed it.  Guess high water level is why Klondike Spirit's can not build dock hence excursion is cancelled.

 

As reported in another post, we called all hotels along our trip, Westmark Anchorage is the only one does not have laundry facility.  Fyi

 

T-Mobile's partner in Canada is Telus, it has been providing good coverage in Canada.

 

[shuyak]

Dawson dollars:  paper voucher can be redeemed in hotel restaurants or hotel managed excursions.  Very limited excursions offered, and will not cancel if rains.  (And the rain will continue tomorrow)  

 

Beakfast in hotel:  has more extensive menu then in Skagway, and is available for viewing.  Full buffet 23 CAD, Continental 17(?), etc.

[shuyak]

Forgot to mention that the toilet seat at both Whitehorse and Dawson City hotel rooms are low that some may find challenging.