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Aquahound

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  • Location
    United States of America
  • Interests
    Cruising...of course!
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Changes with the tide
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Anywhere on a Ship

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  1. Good luck on your quest. For brown bears, your itinerary isn't the greatest. Black bears are aplenty in those areas but not so much brownies. Maybe, in Juneau, see if there are any guides that take you to Admiralty Island which, last I heard, has the highest concentration in the world. Maybe Dyea Flats in Skagway?
  2. I haven't sailed those ships, but I've sailed sister ships of all 3. I would drop the NCL option for a couple reasons. One, their docking location in Ketch is terrible. Two, I really do not like that class of ships. The HAL option is nice but the active side of you may very well find you bored on the ship. HAL's entertainment and activities have been dwindled down to very little. If ship entertainment is of zero concern, this would actually be my recommendation. Their ships are really nice and great for scenic cruising. If you enjoy a good evening show or a gameshow that makes you laugh, pick Sapphire. However, with this option, you'll sacrifice a little bit of room comfort. No couches or seating other than vanity chair in standard rooms.
  3. Active 50-somethings on a Caribbean cruise? I recommend a B2B on Virgin.
  4. I love the Solstice Class (Equinox) ships and looking at just ships alone, I would pick Equinox. However, I think the second itinerary is far superior. Constellation is older but still a really nice ship design, so I recommend the second option.
  5. No. Well, yes, maybe, but they are very few and far between.
  6. And you may not be wrong. It just depends on how much weight you put into shipboard activities. Many folks are totally fine with little to no activities and are almost entirely interested in the scenery only. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. After all, it is Alaska. However, if the shows, lounges, activities, etc, are things you enjoy and expect in a cruise vacation, certain cruise lines, like HAL, are almost certain to be a disappointment.
  7. So true about triggering certain people with that. 😁 I am one of the few who absolutely will NOT cringe at that. You pick whatever line, ship, and itinerary you like. Like you, I want a great ship experience as well. I cruised AK on Eurodam a few years ago and yes, the ship experience was dead. It made me swear off anything older than HAL's newest Pinnacle Class (Koningsdam and newer). Movies and port lectures as the main evening show was not my idea of fun. If you choose RCI's Quantum Class, you will not be disappointed with the ship. The live entertainment is as good as it gets on a cruise. And if pools/hot tubs with a view is your thing, you can't do much better than this. DW and I spent a lot of time here while cruising Stephens Passage...
  8. Agreed. There should be no debate on whether or not this is ok.
  9. Sapphire. She is an early Grand Class ship that was built before they expanded the ship design by adding an extra deck and creating crowd problems. From reading the Alaska boards, Sapphire seems to be a favorite among regular Princess cruisers.
  10. At some point, you gotta just pull the trigger and be firm with your choice. I, too, would much rather sail RCI, or even Celebrity. They do have nice one-way itineraries that go to Hubbard and cruise the IP, but none go to Glacier Bay. If...say...Radiance of the Seas had Grand's itinerary, this would be a no-brainer for me. Those who know Princess well seem to prefer Sapphire. Just do it. The itinerary is as good as they come. Do not worry about it being a sleepy experience on board. Princess is really good with entertainment, including game shows and other activities. The Piazza, which is Princess' central atrium, commonly has live music. The entertainment is pretty much exactly what you would find on RCI's Vision and Radiance Class ships.
  11. On some ships, yes. On RCI Quantum Class ships, you have to walk through the handwashing station to enter the buffet and there is a crewmember standing there enforcing it. In truth, one could just walk right through it and get away with it, but at least they try to enforce it by at least directing you into the station.
  12. I don't think this is feasible. I've embarked a few times in Vancouver, and I'd be very surprised if they allowed you to disembark after boarding. The whole check-in process, including pre-clearing Customs, is so onerous that I don't think you can do it. I will happily eat crow if I'm wrong though. Some people, like me, prefer to board early in order to make the most of the ship. You could drop off your luggage early, go explore the city for a little bit, and then return in the early afternoon.
  13. Other options were provided. American Cruise Line and Uncruise are 2 US flagged cruise lines that do not need to make foreign port. They're pricey and small but still options, nonetheless. The few people I know who have cruised them speak very highly of their experience. Just FYI, Victoria isn't an island. It's on Vancouver Island.
  14. I don't think it's much of a hassle to rent a car. The airport is close, and an easy taxi from the port. I'm in Kodiak once or twice a year for work, so I'm very comfortable driving the area with a rental car, and I totally recommend it. You'd be doing yourself a HUGE disservice if you only got off the ship and walked to the downtown area....which is very unimpressive, by the way.
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