Who Has Booked Alaska for '09???

[Debathome]

We are celebrating our 30th anniversary as well on the Serenade May 30th. We are joining a group of wonderful C.C.'ers.

This will be my first trip to Alaska and I am happy to hear that there are so many returning because they enjoyed it so much. I am really looking forward to this one!

Happy Cruising All. :)

[traveler to be]

I'm booked on HAL Westerdam for May 17th round trip out of Seattle.. It is my first cruise and my moms dream vacation... We can't wait!!

[Hawaiian_A330]

We are cruising on NCL Sun out of Vancouver on 5/24. Third year in a row to Alaska:D Looking forward to visiting Vancouver and cruising the true inside passage.

[kazzacruise]

Four friends and I are booked on Zuiderdam on 09/05/09 round trip to/from Vancouver. First Alaska cruise for all of us and we are very excited!:)

hiall,we will keep the ship tidy for you as we are on the cruise before you kerrie

[HapiFeet]

We’ve done it!!! My wife and I have booked Northbound Vancouver - Seward on Statendam on June 7. We got a good discount from a ta offering a one-week sale on the Internet and this combined with some very good early-bird airfares tipped the balance.

This will be our first visit to Alaska an also our first cruise on HAL. We are planning on a one-week DIY tour including Seward, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks and are reading lots of good advice from this board.

 

Hi Justgottago - I just wanted to let you know I've started a roll call for our cruise on the Statendam, June 7. Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=880634

[jandjfun]

We will be on the Golden Princess, 8/22/09. Inside passage roundtrip from Seattle. This will be our first Princess cruise, but our 9th (I think) cruise total. We are going to be with a great group of roll call friends from cruise critic.

[tjcletsgo]

We will be sailing on the HAL Volendam 5/20/09 out of Vancouver. We have a deluxe verandah suite, and cannot wait! Now, if I can just figure out how to get my White Star for sail away,:p everything would be perfect!

[ike201]

We are sailing Radiance on 7/03/09. We picked RCL over Princess b/c

we are traveling with 4 kids & heard RCL was geared more for kids. However,I have two good friends who went on Princess with kids & absolutely loved it.

[markcoco]

We booked last April for Radiance OTS, southbound from Seward on 6/26/09. We're actually doing the land tour first, staying an extra night in Anchorage first, and staying two additional nights in Vancouver after disembarking. My hubby and I are five days apart, and we both turn 50 next July. He will actually turn 50 when the ship is in Ketchikan. With the state of Alaska turning 50 next year too, where else could be more perfect????

 

We are definitely newcomers to the whole process of cruising, but this board has been so helpful. Since we booked, the cruise price has already dropped once, and I was also able to take advantage of a great hotel deal mentioned on another thread. I want to leave tomorrow!!!! :D

[ike201]

You will be leaving the ship when we get on. I just got a huge price cut last Wedneday ($1200 for 2 cabins), so you should check again. We are arriving in Vancouver one day early, staying in Anchorage for 1 night, Denali National Park for 1 night & then heading home from Fairbanks. This board has helped me alot, especially with excursions.

[aditu]

We're booking next week for 8-31-09 on the Coral Princess (hopefully), 7 days. We're going fly in 2 weeks earlier and rent a car and do some sightseeing on our own first. I can't wait!!

[cruiserone]

Our first Alaska cruise. This one will be with friends, two couples that have not been to Alaska either. We are staying two nights in Seattle pre cruise as one of our friends used to do business there and said there are great places to eat!! What's a few more pounds:D

 

Looking forward to seeing a part of the USA that we have not seen before. Especially the animals.

 

Everyone enjoy your cruise!!!!

 

Cruiserone:D

[mjbearit]

We went to the Mex Riv for our first cruise this past March on the Carnival Spirit. We had such a great time we decided to take the exact same ship to Alaska! We are going May 13th as our Anniversary present to ourselves! We will be on the Northbound cruise! We are looking forward to it very much! I know a lot of people prefer one cruise line over another, but frankly any vacation is what you make it and the crew onboard the Spirit were just awesome to us! We're hoping some of the same folks will be there on this trip!

Mike

[silverado]

My mother and I and 2 friends from Florida have booked on Sapphire Princess southbound on September 12. Our first time on Princess and looking forward to the whole trip. We're doing an 8 day pre-cruise land tour on our own - Alaska Railroad and rental car. Also just booked Dyea Dave Tours for the day in Skagway based on reports on other Cruise Critic sites. Has anyone had any experience with this tour company? I spoke with Dave at length today and thought he sounded knowledgable, kind of a character and he offered a great price - $50 for the day per person in a van for 10 people. He is flexible and will combine with a one-way train trip (which we may book separately). He is meeting us in Fraser for the rest of the tour.

 

Sounds like Alaska will have lots of visitors in 2009!

[jer_l]

We have booked the Ryndam northbound on June 19 and the Statendam southbound on the 28th which will give us a great itinerary (Vancouver-Inside Passage-Ketchikan-Haines-Juneau-Sitka-Hubbard Glacier-two days in Seward-College Fjord-Glacier Bay-Haines-Juneau-Vancouver-Inside Passage-Vancouver).

 

We will be staying at a B&B in Seward two nights between the two sailings. We will also take the ferry to Skagway on one of the visits to Haines.

 

We took a 14 cruise on the Veendam last year and were not planning to return to Alaska, but my MIL is giving this to us as a gift!!

[alaskagirl3]

My parents surprised us with this wonderful gift. Now I am researching, taking notes, getting ready to get passports, looking into the ports and what is offered, etc, etc!!

 

We are really excited! We will drive to Seattle and need to find a hotel and a home for our car for the week.

 

I know I'll have many questions as the months go by!

[azrose]

We're still booked for 2009.....only we moved it up from Sept to May 22, 2009!! Just couldn't wait to get back to Alaska!! :D

[Pete's Ma]

We are booked on the Spirit for June 3rd . (aft wrap around) :D

 

Anyone else going on that date?

[BobandBrenda]

We are going Jun 12, 2009 on the Rapsody. My husband has stage 4 cancer and this trip is part of the bucket list. His grandfather was a goldminer there so were following some of the places he went. There was a book written about his grandfather called the "The many ways I went". Most of it is about his goldmining days. My husbands father always wanted to go to Alaska and see these places in the book but he died before he could go. So my hubby is going for his dad. His sister felt the same way and she is coming. Were bringing the mother also. This is going to be a different cruise for me and bitter sweet for my husbands family.

I hear its absolutely amazing there. 6 months to! Seattle to Seattle helps with flight pricing.

 

Just a side note have any of you seen the movie Glory with Matthew Broderick?

If so this was about my husbands relative who was a Colonel with the first black infantry.

Colonel Robert Shaw. Guess what my hubbys name is?

 

Anybody have tips on what clothes to bring? Ive never cruise in cold weather.

 

Thanks

Brenda

[silverado]

Dear Brenda,

 

Thank goodness your husband is able to do something that means so much and that his loved ones will be able to share it with him. I haven't sailed in Alaska yet (next September), but have sailed in Russia and the Baltics in April, which is often very cold. We found layering, with a windbreaker weight long jacket (that covers your rear) works well. Also, my Mom, who spent 6 weeks in Alaska in August/Sept. says don't forget light weight thermal underwear for the cold nights (and some days) you will spend outdoors at sea or in port. Good hiking boots are useful on any uneven terrain and also keep your feet warm - make sure they are large enough so you can wear heavy socks if you like them.

 

I hope this trip is all you and your husband hope for. You will be in our thoughts.

[BobandBrenda]

I'll be searching for the boots and socks today and probably the jackets.

 

They can be part of his Christmas presents. He always says he needs nothing.

I seem to find alot of nothing he needs he uses.

 

How do the women keep warm in formals. Faux furs?

 

Thanks

Brenda

[tvaud]

I'll be searching for the boots and socks today and probably the jackets.

 

They can be part of his Christmas presents. He always says he needs nothing.

I seem to find alot of nothing he needs he uses.

 

How do the women keep warm in formals. Faux furs?

 

Thanks

Brenda

 

Brenda,

I have been told that the interior of the ship is kept warm, so you can wear your barest formalwear...with maybe a pashmina, if you tend to be cold normally.:)

[silverado]

Brenda,

 

I have been told that the interior of the ship is kept warm, so you can wear your barest formalwear...with maybe a pashmina, if you tend to be cold normally.:)

 

True enough. I never have a problem with shipboard temps, but some (like my sister) who naturally feel the cold more are comfortable with a sweater, jacket, shawl, etc. Again - layers.

[chattercafe]

hiall,we will keep the ship tidy for you as we are on the cruise before you kerrie

 

 

Thanks Kerie - I am sure we will appreciate your efforts. Have a great trip! Nan

[Host Caroline]

wow.. this thread is busy busy now.... :)... only 5 months and 6 days for us .... 10th Alaska cruise and I still get excited.... we are May 16 on Golden Princess unless we switch to Amsterdam same day which we are thinking of for the itinerary... if you have to chose an itinerary and one has Sitka and all else is equal highly recommend Sitka..