RSVP Alaska AUG 09

[mikec5426]

Hi everyone,

 

Has there been a thread started for the RSVP cruise this summer to Alaska? If not, then perhaps we could start it here.

 

I know this won't be as popular as the Caribbean cruise. However, I was just curious if anyone from the Caribbean cruise will be on board OR if anyone has been to Alaska if you have any advice!

 

I will be on board with my partner of 11 years (July 1998)- Gary and our best friend Sam.

 

Please let me know!

[Hobie]

Mike,

Thanks for starting the thread. I don't think that there is an ongoing thread for this cruise yet.

I'm looking forward to Alaska in August.

I'll be on board on my birthday!

 

I'm also going on the RSVP Mexican cruise that leaves 6 weeks from today! I'm getting excited!

 

I look forward to meeting you and Gary.

 

Glenn

[howard-nysf]

Hi all,

 

I just booked my space today, sharing a Verandah Suite with a friend (not partner).

 

This will be my first cruise, gay or straight. I'm very excited.

 

Howard

[rnmikey]

Hi everyone, my partner Bruce and I signed up for Alaska cruise while on the Eurodam.

We were on the RSVP Alaskan cruise in 2005 and had a great time. The advice that immediately jumps to mind is to make sure you have plenty of memory for your camera. We were in a float plane over amazing scenery and guess who runs out of memory? Lots of great excursions. We went whale watching one day....amazing!

Howard, I think you'll really enjoy going on a cruise. Had to pretty much force Bruce to take our first cruise. By end of cruise he was grumbling how he didn't want to leave the ship.

Look foward to meeting you all,

Mike

[Boytjie]

The advice that immediately jumps to mind is to make sure you have plenty of memory for your camera. We were in a float plane over amazing scenery and guess who runs out of memory?

 

I'll add extra batteries to that. :)

[howard-nysf]

Hi all,

 

I just booked my space today, sharing a Verandah Suite with a friend (not partner).

 

This will be my first cruise, gay or straight. I'm very excited.

 

Howard

Well the "friend" pooped out on me before the deposit was due :mad:. But I'm going anyway :D.

 

Haven't decided yet whether to (a) put myself in the hands of the RSVP gurus and do a blind cabin share, or (b) book as a single paying double, with the chance that I might find a friend to join me before cruise time.

 

Any single gay cruisers on this board interested in going and joining me? We can chat first to see if we're compatible. PM me.

 

Howard

[Tamaracboy]

Hi everyone,

Has there been a thread started for the RSVP cruise this summer to Alaska? If not, then perhaps we could start it here.

I know this won't be as popular as the Caribbean cruise. However, I was just curious if anyone from the Caribbean cruise will be on board OR if anyone has been to Alaska if you have any advice!

I will be on board with my partner of 11 years (July 1998)- Gary and our best friend Sam.

Please let me know!

 

Mike,

Thanks for starting this thread, I almost started one till I found you bumped back here to the third page !

You know I'm on board, so let's keep this thread active enough to stay on the front page of the GLBTQC (:rolleyes:) groups.

Did I meet Sam on the Eurodam ?? :confused:

Reuel

 

Well the "friend" pooped out on me before the deposit was due. But I'm going anyway.

Haven't decided yet whether to (a) put myself in the hands of the RSVP gurus and do a blind cabin share, or (b) book as a single paying double, with the chance that I might find a friend to join me before cruise time.

Any single gay cruisers on this board interested in going and joining me? We can chat first to see if we're compatible. PM me.

Howard

 

Howard,

I have done both ways A & B with equal success.

But, caution, the CC rules prohibit looking for a cabin mate on the site.

You don't want to get censored. :(

Any friend should jump at the chance and you are allowed to search for cabin shares on Facebook if there is a thread started there.

For the last Eurodam there were threads on CC, Facebook and Yahoo Groups ! :)

You will be thrilled with your RSVP experience, and the best way to get in the mood is to stay current on this CC thread.

The thread for the most recent Eurodam reached 3,700 posts ! ! :eek:

AND it was a lot of fun, information, wit, and introductions. By the time we sailed we were all friends.

We had over 100 CC members for a M&G onboard ! :D

[TROHL]

We are thinking of booking this cruise. Do you believe it is selling well or almost sold out? I looked at the RSVP site and it seems that all the lowest price cabins are sold out. What is a good cabin choice on this ship?

[Tamaracboy]

We are thinking of booking this cruise. Do you believe it is selling well or almost sold out? I looked at the RSVP site and it seems that all the lowest price cabins are sold out. What is a good cabin choice on this ship?

 

Throl,

I will be on this sailing.

This is a Vista Class ship and the entire range of "Deluxe Verandah OceanView Staterooms": V A-H, the largest single class of cabins, IMHO, are a no-brainer choice.

They are very comfortable and the verandahs are fantastic for room-service breakfasts and sunset cocktails.

There is no difference in the various letters H (least expensive) up to A (most $$$) except location on the ship. Inside the cabins they are all the same except for any Handicapped Cabins.

Less expensive are the Inside or obstructed view cabins or the relatively few Ocean view's (which are all on the lowest deck or between lifeboats). And more expensive jumps up to suites for a lot more $$$.

So this is how I parse out the various cabin choices.

Hope it is of some help.

r.

[rbyrd2531]

Hi there..me and my partner are going on our first cruise this August on the Westerdam to Alaska. Any tips on what we should expect or do ?

 

My partner is disabled so we are staying in a disabled Superior Veranda Suite..is this a nice suite?

 

We can't wait for this trip!

[rnmikey]

Welcome aboard!

rbyrd2531, although I cannot address disabled superior verandah suite on Westerdam, we had a superior verandah suite on Zuiderdam (we usually stay with the deluxe verhandah outside as we did with this cruise.) I would imagine all the vista class ships are about the same. Rooms on HAL are bigger than the other cruise lines and a bit more classy which is why we like them). You should have plenty of room. As far as what to expect....friendly relaxed atmosphere. Some of the crew have even mentioned to me how much they enjoy working the gay cruises. We were on the RSVP cruise to Alaska in 2005. Enjoyed it so much we decided to go back since there were so many excursions we would have loved to do but could only manage one in each port. As far as what to do....it's all up to you. There's usually great entertainment, games, parties, beautiful scenery etc. Multiple choices for excursions which open for booking online a couple of weeks before cruise. Makes it nice since you can look through the excursions and decide what you want to do. We've now been on 8 or 9 RSVP cruises and I think you'll find that you'd have to work pretty hard not to have great time.

TROHL, looks like there are still plenty of cabins. Seems the economy is having an effect on lots of folks. As far as what cabins are good, I think it depends on what you like. Our first cruise we had a window but next cruise upgraded to a balcony. Never looked back.

[rnmikey]

Howard, forget to check.....have you decided about cabin share?

[rbyrd2531]

thanks we really look forward to it!

 

Any suggestions about whether we should purchase a wine or cocktail card and should we upgrade to a suite package etc? (not sure what the prices are for this, but thought I would ask) :) We have already scheduled a few shore excursions, mainly because they need a lot of notice if someone is in a wheelchair. (my partner is paraplegic, but with strong upper body) We also want to book a plane or helicopter ride at one of the ports, but are unsure which one would be best. Thanks in advance for any advice....!

[rnmikey]

Unsure about wine/cocktail cards as we have never purchased them (not that we don't have a few drinks) although from what I've been told by others the wine card is apparently a pretty good deal. I've also been told (and I may well have misunderstood), the cocktail card is only good for their drink of the day so your very limited in selection. I just don't remember anyone mentioning that the cocktail card was worth it.

We took a float plane in Ketchikan and it really was fantastic. We took a helicopter ride in Hawaii and it was great too. The only hesitation I have about helicopters is that they assigned your seat position in the copter (has to do with balancing weight). My partner (who is slightly...ummm...vertically changelled) got stuck in the middle and had a little problems with viewing although the pilot did keep moving around to allow all of us to get good views. It really was a minor issue. I think anything you would take you will both enjoy immensely. We are actually considering doing another floatplane or helicopter tour ourselves.

You've already scheduled some excursions? Wow....talk about organized! Let us know if you find anything really fantasic.

Mike

[rbyrd2531]

ha...thanks so much for the response. I have a fear of heights, but am willing to suffer through but I was nervous during the helicopter ride in Hawaii. I would be fine riding in the middle wth no view :)

 

We have to plan ahead to find accessible things..so many cool things to do are not accessible for him....the Salmon bake sounded fun, but would not be possible according to the tour operators. We have scheduled a Jeep tour in Juneau....and a Catarmaran whale watching tour in Sitka....Allen Marine was so helpful in going out of their way to make sure things are accessible...very rare for a business to be like this.

[Tamaracboy]

ha...thanks so much for the response. I have a fear of heights, but am willing to suffer through but I was nervous during the helicopter ride in Hawaii. I would be fine riding in the middle wth no view :)

We have to plan ahead to find accessible things..so many cool things to do are not accessible for him....the Salmon bake sounded fun, but would not be possible according to the tour operators. We have scheduled a Jeep tour in Juneau....and a Catarmaran whale watching tour in Sitka....Allen Marine was so helpful in going out of their way to make sure things are accessible...very rare for a business to be like this.

 

Re: Wine Card, I have used it on a couple of HAL sailings and think it is a good bargain. You can by one with 10 or with 20 punches. Two people can use the same card. They usually have 2 or 3 reds and 2 or 3 whites they pour. The Cabernet and Pino Grigio are very drinkable. And, depending on the waiter (all is not clear) the house Champaign is also included. It is best to purchase it onboard AFTER sailing and out at sea. That way there is no sales tax, thus increasing your savings.

Most people on the HAL boards agree that the Cocktail Card is NOT worth it.

Both HAL and RSVP seem to go the extra mile to enable the physically challenged. I have seen people in regular & motorized chairs and carts on each cruise.

I have done helicopter tour in St. Thomas and really enjoyed it and plan on doing at least one in Alaska (great way to land on a Glacier). They do have to balance the weight. I have one or two ;) "cruise pounds" too many and was also placed in the center seat. I could see that it might be difficult to impossible for boarding a helicopter unless lifting is an option. Have never done a sea plane, but would love to do one.

If you go to the regular HAL boards here on CC there is a WEALTH of information about each port and all the shore excursions. Many with comments on accommodating the disabled.

Have checked and there is a CC board for Disabled :

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/area.cfm?area=30

There's got to be something there of use to you. (probably too much info to wade through).

Looking forward to meeting you onboard.

r.

[Boytjie]

I have done helicopter tour in St. Thomas and really enjoyed it and plan on doing at least one in Alaska (great way to land on a Glacier).

 

The helicopter landing on a glacier excursion is great!

 

If you go to the regular HAL boards here on CC there is a WEALTH of information about each port and all the shore excursions.

 

The Ports of Call boards have much more excursion information than the HAL boards: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[rbyrd2531]

thanks for all the info..I will read the disabled boards as well.

 

The wine card sounds good...I read somewhere it is better to buy it after on the ship so the employees get the funds from the sale instead of the HA company?

 

There is an accessible helicopter ride that even has a lift..but I believe it stops on several glaciers, which would leave Steve left stuck in the helicopter while other passengers got out to explore the glacier (There is no room for a wheelchair) While I applaud any company that thinks to install a lift..I find it unacceptable in my mind that he would be left behind while others went exploring. What I might do is find a company that offers arial only tours as well (helicopter or float plane). Is nothing personal to the helicopter company, but I want this trip to accent things he can do rather than point out things he can't be a part of.

We look forward to meeting y'all on board...

 

oh, the tipping policy...I know they say it is billed daily, but is it a good idea to tip extra for dinner or drinks, room service, etc? It will be hard not to.......

[zrob]

Well the "friend" pooped out on me before the deposit was due :mad:. But I'm going anyway :D.

 

Haven't decided yet whether to (a) put myself in the hands of the RSVP gurus and do a blind cabin share, or (b) book as a single paying double, with the chance that I might find a friend to join me before cruise time.

 

Any single gay cruisers on this board interested in going and joining me? We can chat first to see if we're compatible. PM me.

 

Howard

 

Howard,have you investigated cabin share at all ? Wondering about it for the Mexican Rivera cruise up coming

[rnmikey]

thanks for all the info..I will read the disabled boards as well.

oh, the tipping policy...I know they say it is billed daily, but is it a good idea to tip extra for dinner or drinks, room service, etc? It will be hard not to.......

 

We always give additional tips to our cabin attendant. Some folks like to tip at start of cruise...we normally wait a couple of days to see how good the service is and than will decide how much extra to give. Guess I'm set in my ways and just don't want to give a really good tip and than get only mediocre service. On last cruise service was not as good, but attendants still got a good tip. Apparently even HAL has greatly increased the number of cabins each team needs to take care of and we noticed how hard they were working and they still did a great job and they were very pleasant and helpful considering the number of cabins. We also always tip when we have room service and sometimes to a crewmember that we think has gone above and beyond. Being an ex bartender from many many years ago I have a tendency to overtip but they have all always been so greatful so what the heck. :)

[JonV]

Reuel RU going on this too? I'm envious. Did I get the 2 ee's right this time.

 

Juneau

I took a helicopter to a glacier and hiked on it and got glacier water while I wa up there. There is a gay fireman in Juneau with a special place in my heart.

 

Sitka

I took the semisubmerisible and it was fantastic. And one of the cheaper tours available.

 

Ketchikan

We took the bush plane into Misty Fijords and landed in Misty Fijords.

 

This was my first cruise where the shore excursions cost more than the cruise but every shore excursion was worth it. Especially the Helicopter to Norris Glacier and hiking around it. We flew right above the cruise ship.

 

Alaska was better than the pictures and I was so very impressed with our most beautiful and vast 49th state. The people in Alaska were so very friendly too.

 

I think this is amazing that is the first cruise for some of you and I know it will be memorable.

[rbyrd2531]

OK, very cool because we tend to over tip as well...so if after a few days the service is really good what amounts would be considered good for the stewerds and the room service...15-20% room service? or would that be too much considering the tip already being added?

 

Thanks for all the info and sorry for all the dumb questions.

No we have a house/ petsitter lined up..and now we just need to get over not seeing the pets for the trip. (I doubt the HAL line would believe one of our Siberian Huskies was an assistance animal !:)

[rnmikey]

OK, very cool because we tend to over tip as well...so if after a few days the service is really good what amounts would be considered good for the stewerds and the room service...15-20% room service? or would that be too much considering the tip already being added?

 

Thanks for all the info and sorry for all the dumb questions.

No we have a house/ petsitter lined up..and now we just need to get over not seeing the pets for the trip. (I doubt the HAL line would believe one of our Siberian Huskies was an assistance animal !:)

 

Ain't no dumb question. On our first cruise we had no clue what to expect. That's what so great about CC. I just happened to stumble onto RSVP website. Had no idea there was even such a thing as a gay cruise (we in the midwest are rather sheltered). Now of course this was about 11 years ago. Fair warning...cruises can become addictive:cool:

 

I think for us it probably works out to 10-15% of total gratuity charge. I realize we each get charged $11 daily for gratuities but since thats split between all the staff am not sure how much the cabin stewarts actually get. I think it's very individualized if, and how much extra everyone tips.

 

Your pre cruise checklist must be almost complete.:) Hope you got your flights. I noticed prices have been going up recently as they decrease number of daily flights (at least out of Kansas City).

[Tamaracboy]

Reuel RU going on this too? I'm envious. Did I get the 2 ee's right this time.

Juneau

I took a helicopter to a glacier and hiked on it and got glacier water while I wa up there. There is a gay fireman in Juneau with a special place in my heart.

Sitka

I took the semisubmerisible and it was fantastic. And one of the cheaper tours available.

Ketchikan

We took the bush plane into Misty Fijords and landed in Misty Fijords.

This was my first cruise where the shore excursions cost more than the cruise but every shore excursion was worth it. Especially the Helicopter to Norris Glacier and hiking around it. We flew right above the cruise ship.

Alaska was better than the pictures and I was so very impressed with our most beautiful and vast 49th state. The people in Alaska were so very friendly too.

I think this is amazing that is the first cruise for some of you and I know it will be memorable.

 

Jon,

Yes on the two E's :)

Yes on the Westerdam to Alaska.

Thanks for the tips on shore excursions.

I definitely plan on taking the helicopter to a glacier.

And I just adore Firemen, so I'll be waiting for his contact info. ;)

However, Took a full submersible sub tour in St. Thomas and it was such a rip-off that I am disinclined to do something similar again.

You mention a Bush plane, and I have heard about a great Sea Plane trip. Could these be one and the same ? :confused:

I have been to Alaska before, but never on a cruise.

Guess I will have to start budgeting for shore excursions. :eek:

Thanks,

r.

[rbyrd2531]

Your pre cruise checklist must be almost complete.:) Hope you got your flights. I noticed prices have been going up recently as they decrease number of daily flights (at least out of Kansas City).

 

 

It is...we booked the flights about a month ago to reserve the bulkhead seats for easier transferring to his seat......now if I can figure out to only have carry on luggage with all we need to take it will be a miracle. If they decide there will be a formal night we will opt out or find some wrinkle free tux that can reverse to become a hoodie t-shirt and sweat pants ;)

 

have they ever had to cancel an RSVP cruise from lack of sales? I noticed there are still a lot of cabins available

 

thanks again for all the ino..we are getting excited about this trip!