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Kirsten T

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    Feeding Hills, MA

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  1. I used Tours By Locals in Vancouver in 2022, to kill time between disembarking and airport hotel with elderly parents. It was a great experience; pricey, but worth it. Easy to book, questions were answered by the specific guide very quickly, and the city driving tour was exactly as described - with changes based on my parents mobility issues, no problem customizing. Sandy G was terrific, and she appears to still be doing tours when I just checked.
  2. We're Elite Plus on Celebrity, mostly in the standard or Concierge veranda "hump" cabins with the oversized verandas. We did Sky Suites in the early 2000s, but they're out of our price range now. We do book either Signature or occasionally Neptunes on HAL because they've been more reasonable than Celebrity's suite pricing, and we primarily care about the cabin and not so much about the perks. If a HAL Signature Suite is around the same price as a Celebrity "deluxe veranda" (the location we like) then we always go with the Signature Suite. It's WAY nicer in all respects than a standard Celebrity veranda cabin. No, you don't get any higher level of service, but we love the standard service on both HAL and Celebrity, and a Signature is much larger, has an amazing bathroom, large veranda, tons more storage than Celebrity's veranda cabins... there's no comparison. We've also had Neptunes on HAL, and totally loved the extras that come with it. We've always found, with both lines, that "your mileage may vary" depending on the ship and the particular cruise; sometimes things are different now than they were last year or on another ship. The Neptune Concierges have, in our experience, been incredibly caring and helpful in making plans, correcting problems and explaining policies and services, which can vary. (Should they vary from HAL's marketing? Arguably no, but that's what we've seen, on both cruise lines.) Having a suite - of either kind on HAL is what we prefer, but that said, we've had many great cruises in a Celebrity deluxe veranda, too. We go with whichever has the better itinerary and price, because the overall experience will be great either way.
  3. We've stayed at the Blue Horizon (pre-COVID, not recently) and in 2022 the Coast Coal Harbor and liked both. Coast CH is more upscale and closer to the harbor, easier walk to Canada Place and is a little more money, but not as much as the Pinnacle or Pan Pacific. We're staying at the Coast this summer because we liked it so much.
  4. We just went totally "no package" on Silhouette and were completely satisfied with just our Elite Plus perks. My husband doesn't drink alcohol and I don't drink much, so it was way more cost-effective for us. We picked a bar (Sky Lounge) and went there each night, which seemed to be what a lot of people did because we saw the same folks most nights. The staff filled up my wine glass basically to the top every night so I had dinner wine- it was laughable - and would hand out unopened water, soda and beer when asked. They also made really fun mocktails for my husband, no charge during the happy hour. It worked really well for us.
  5. It does seem really strange. I clicked through the email and tested the minimum bids and the email had them right - but I was surprised by the difference between my offer and Cruise a holic's.
  6. Ship: Silhouette Length of Cruise: 9 Cruise Sail Date: 01/02/24 Date email offer received: 10/10/23 Captain’s Club Tier Elite Plus Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA Current Cabin: DV deluxe veranda (hump) Bid? Yes/No: No If YES - Bidding Details: Cabin Categories Bid Offer: No Notification Date: - Accepted / Rejected - General Comments Royal suite :from $3000 pp Celebrity Suite :from $1500 pp - one left, 1617 AQ sky suite :from $200 pp SS Suite Sunset: from $450 pp - one left, 2125 **Horizon Suite- from $350 pp - one left, 7108 Sky Suite: from $900 pp Aqua class: from $700 pp Sunset Concierge: from $300 pp Concierge Class: from $200 pp Sunset Veranda: from $200 pp My offer looked a little different from Cruise a holic's for the same cruise, received offer the same day. Interesting. We have a favorite hump cabin and will probably stick with it; looked at what Horizon Suite might be available and seems to be just 7108; decided we didn't like the forward location, even with the nice perks.
  7. We've had mixed results when ordering a mocktail by the name on the menu; sometimes waiters know what it is, sometimes not. Bartenders are more savvy about the silly names HAL gives them. Sometimes nobody knows what it is. It seems to depend on the bar or dining location and the staff's experience. Most of the mocktails listed on the Quench package have been too sweet for our taste, but they can be altered on request - a lot of them use Sprite, and plain seltzer can be substituted if you ask. The virgin Mojito is probably my husband's favorite, and I like the Grapefruit "not a Cosmo". Ginger mango splash is yummy, I agree! It's a nice sugar splurge. It is always safer to specify "no alcohol", in our experience, when ordering something that normally comes high-test like mojitos, pina coladas, daquiris and so on. Sometimes a high-test version shows up. We've also had good luck ordering the mocktail I make at home by just explaining it, which is basically a Nojito using tonic water instead of seltzer, with a splash of cranberry. As others have said, if they have the ingredients, they'll make what you like. You can make your own Arnold Palmer at the buffet beverage stations, and buffet and dining room waiters do know what that is. I don't think iced tea is available anywhere else, but I've never asked.
  8. Thanks very much for taking the time to post such an interesting thread, with lovely photos! Enjoy the rest of summer and your Alaska cruise!
  9. The thread on S-class cabins has a lot of good info - including where the bed is located for specific cabins. I usually check that thread when I'm picking a cabin.
  10. T29 is our least favorite terminal, but it's a little better than it used to be. We departed from there in January (came back to T19) and having pre-assigned departure times definitely helps a lot. The main issue is its traffic pattern, which isn't as passenger-friendly as most other terminals. Because T29 is stuffed in between cargo containers and cars, you're not dropped directly in front of the terminal - I tried to show in the photo that the Luggage (see the L) and taxi/shuttle plaza is a ways in front of the terminal entrance; you walk from there across the traffic pattern and if there's a line, it snakes under the metal awning. Pre-COVID that line would sometimes go beyond the covered part, but in January we walked right into the terminal, no line. It's not as fancy inside as T25 but you probably won't be there long. It's a good ways from the garage - not walkable. But if you're at a hotel, very often their shuttles go to T29 first as it's the farthest from the entrances, so that's a plus!
  11. Had a family veranda on Connie and loved it - it was quiet, spacious, great view. I think you made a good decision, especially for Alaska where you really want to be outside a lot. It'll give you a wide field of view with plenty of space and some cover if it's raining. Good call!
  12. On Zuiderdam 2 weeks ago, Neptune Lounge was 100% self-service. Lido was mostly staff-served except for pre-plated dessert items, boxed cereal, whole fruit (bananas, kiwi, oranges etc.) and still no Mexican bar outside the Dive-In. They did have a taco bar, staff-served, in the area with the pizza and pasta.
  13. Kirsten T

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  14. HAL Zuiderdam has moved from RRF to the Broadway dock next week.
  15. Looking at the 2023 schedule here https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1250 on the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska site, looks like HAL, NCL, Princess regularly and occasionally Cunard, Viking and Seaborn. I've never been on NCL but I'd guess that's going to be a generally younger crowd than Princess and HAL (although I love both lines.) Check out the individual cruise line boards to get some good info from CC members.
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