ljandiernp

I am booked at the Aviator Hotel for $241.00 per night via hotels.com; they have been undergoing renovations and have reduced prices to some point in May. It looks very nice on their web site; be careful to look at newer reviews, as the older ones are prerenovation and not very complementary at all. Laurie

Are any of the pools on Grand enclosed? Wondering about using pools or hot tubs on an Alaskan cruise. Laurie

Hi Coral, and If anyone else is following this thread, I called the reservation line and talked to an agent about my options. Turns out one can travel on Adventure class in one direction and Gold Star in the other. So, we are going to Seward on Adventure class in the morning, going on the Kanai Fjords trip and then traveling back on the Gold Star level on the way back, allowing us to have dinner in the dining room. She told me that although their web site indicates that one can eat in the dining room even if not in Gold Star class, that is entirely dependent on available seating. At the end of May, when we are traveling, she expected we'd be shut out of dining room seating. I am now very excited about this first excursion of our Alaskan vacation. Thank you for helping me out, Coral! Laurie

Thanks for your reply. I think I may splurge on an add on boat trip to Kenai Fjords over the Gold Star seats as I haven't found an appealing thing to do in town. The big attraction there seems to be the aquarium, and I'd prefer to chance seeing wildlife in the wild. What did you enjoy doing in Seward? Laurie

I'm interested in whether or not anyone has an opinion about the Gold Star vs Adventure class seats? Since an Adventure class passenger can chose to purchase a dining room meal and an adult beverage if they want to, the only real difference seems to be access to the high-up dome seating. Even the Adventure class information refers to some seats that sound like they are large-paned, just not up at a height. Having viewed the videos on You-tube, I think that there may be advantages in either location. If an animal were at a distance, up high would be good. If it were close to the tracks, lower might be better. Laurie

Yes, that's what happened. The purpose of my post was to encourage others to take a chance on calling. Laurie

Hi, I stumbled across this thread looking for another topic. I called NCL and was told that I had already been linked and the 10% discount was already applied, however, she gave me the price drop! Saved me a little over $300.00, so it was worth the call. Laurie

I am comparing Grand and Royal class ships and it appears that the route is the same, at least for May of 2024 for these two classes. This is one of those on the Sapphire: Cruise Details - 7-Day Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound) - Princess Cruises If I did have to take an "outside" passage, how are the seas? Some people report that the inside option is better for those who get seasick. I think it has as much to do with ship size and cabin location, but I'm happy to hear about the experience of others. Thanks, Laurie

I have been looking at Princess cruises in AK. I am wondering if ship size, Grand vs Royal classes, makes any difference in terms of port or scenic cruising access? I have done a lot of reading about cabin choices, lack of promenade deck on Royal class ships, balconies or not, and where on the ship to be if you want various balcony options. I love ships in both of these classes for different reasons, and I can easily make a choice if it's not going to be a hinderance in what I get to see. After all I'm going to Alaska, I want to see all that I can. Thanks in advance for your responses! Laurie

Disneyochem, thanks for these specific and great sounding ideas! Laurie

Thanks everyone for the responses; gives me food for thought. There's no reason for me not to rent a car, just like public transportation so that I can enjoy the scenery rather than have to focus on driving in an area I don't know. We will have 3 or 4 days to explore before we have to return to the east coast. I appreciate any ongoing suggestions and I'm going to look at the boards for guides for the area. Keep the ideas coming, Laurie

I'd like to spend more than 7 cruise days in Alaska than provided by a cruise, but don't think a cruise tour is valuable option for me. I'm wondering if there is anyone who can comment about staying in Anchorage. From my reading it seems as though there is a lot to do there, including hiking, birding and going to the botanical gardens. If you can comment from your own experiences, please tell me about transportation there. Can one take public transportation (bus? cab? does Uber exist there??) to locations outside the city? Thank you, Laurie

Thank you but they are above my expense limit. Laurie

Hi, I'm planning a 2024 Alaskan cruise and beginning to read about options now. I am enquiring about your reference to the 10- and 11-day cruises. Are these all "roundtrip" cruises? I can't seem to find one that is this length and one way. Thank you, Laurie

The book is about the situation VERY early in the pandemic. Obviously, the cruise lines have had time to learn, assess and change their protocols by now. I have cruised once this year and never felt uncomfortable about my Covid risk, and I flew from the east to west coast to cruise. I believe that the cruise lines are making an effort to reduce risk for everyone. Despite their efforts however, responses here on the message board would suggest that we have traded one unknown, that is how the virus is transmitted, for another, the risk of exposure to someone on board who believes their vacation is more important than mine. This makes me hesitant to cruise again for a while. I miss the direct supervision by the CDC because one can no longer track a ship or cruise line's Covid patterns. Laurie