Feeling stressed

I am very excited about our upcoming cruise. Sea and land. A few things are getting me to feel stressed. First one is packing. I know it is fairly casual. Since we will be gone for close to 2 weeks and one that hate re wearing clothes, trying to pack only one suitcase each. I get cold easy so need to bring layers. We had planned on bringing 3 suitcases all together until I read that on the land portion we will only see one suitcase each and they will hold the other one. Is it safe to do that? Another thing that ponder on is internet and cell service. I hate being without it. Husband mother is having some health issues and of course want to be able to be reached is something happens. ( my father died 10 years ago before we could get home from a cruise, we did not keep our phones on and did not know until we docked). Also want to talk with our daughter thought the trip. We will be on Holland and have Verizon. I am a worry wart.

Give Verizon a call - my provider informed me that I would have service most of the time. There are some areas with no service but just the very isolated areas. They did warn me about charges I might have to be concerned about if I hit a Canadian tower.

You should have service while in port (likely not in Denali or other outlying areas). You should also check HAL's internet packages to get a good deal so you can check in often.

Give Verizon a call - my provider informed me that I would have service most of the time. There are some areas with no service but just the very isolated areas. They did warn me about charges I might have to be concerned about if I hit a Canadian tower.

I also have Verizon and will be cruising in June leaving out of Vancouver. They said to contact them prior to us going to get us on an international plan that covers Canada so we won't have roaming charges. Then, when we return, we just call Verizon and switch back.

I also have Verizon and will be cruising in June leaving out of Vancouver. They said to contact them prior to us going to get us on an international plan that covers Canada so we won't have roaming charges. Then, when we return, we just call Verizon and switch back.

We also have Verizon and use the TravelPass. You can add it to your account via the Verizon website. Once you add it to your phone lines, TravelPass lets us use your domestic talk, text & data allowances while traveling outside the US. In Canada, it only costs a daily rate $2 per day per line. You are charged only for the days that you actually use your phone in Canada..

It works well for us and costs much less than an international plan.

Kathy

Most cruise lines offer laundry service. Most are fill the bag for a minimal amount of money. I'm going in July for 12 days. I plan to have my clothes laundered while on board so I can wear clean clothes.

Check with HAL on how much and how quickly you can get yours back.

Charlie

I will be on a HAL cruise + land itinerary in June and can vouch for the HAL laundry service. For a 7-day cruise the cost is $49 and the laundry bag holds at least three complete outfits. In my experience, I turn in my wrinkled clothes on Embarkation night (by placing the filled bag and laundry list on the bed when I go to dinner) and it is returned before noon the next day. You can turn in laundry through Day Five of the cruise and will have it returned the day before you disembark.

Alaska cruising is very casual with lots of sweatshirts, flannel, jeans, hiking shoes being worn. HAL Gala Nights require only a collared shirt and slacks for males so packing formal attire can be skipped. You can also eat the same meal in your stateroom and skip packing the collared shirts.

I normally pack for three days and use the laundry service. With three days in Denali following my cruise portion, I will have to pack for four days. My traveling-home clothing will be in the roller bag that will catch up with me in Anchorage. In all of my cruising, I have never heard of anything missing from a piece of luggage under HAL's control.

If you read the HAL travel tips you will see that in addition to your one piece of luggage for the Denali portion, you can bring a small backpack with you (check size restrictions) that can hold cameras, laptop, valuables,etc.

It is important to remember that your fellow passengers will never see you again so dressing to impress them is not necessary.

The ship has various internet plans that vary by ship and cell service is good in all Alaska ports. There is also free Wifi in all ports - just ask a crew member where they go to contact their families at home. The ship also has a telephone number where you can be reached in emergencies while on board.

Enjoy your HAL planning and make sure that you join your roll call.

I will be on my Noordam cruise on June 4 and will happy to find any answers to your questions.

To ensure our family members can reach us during an EMERGENCY we all ways give them the direct ship number. To reach this number the caller must place the call charge on a credit card. In addition to that number we also give them the corporate emergency contact number(s).

For Holland America this information is located on their website under: Already Booked - Shipboard Life - On Board Communications.

We also have Verizon and use the TravelPass. You can add it to your account via the Verizon website. Once you add it to your phone lines, TravelPass lets us use your domestic talk, text & data allowances while traveling outside the US. In Canada, it only costs a daily rate $2 per day per line. You are charged only for the days that you actually use your phone in Canada..

 

It works well for us and costs much less than an international plan.

 

Kathy

Thanks, I have Verizon and this is very helpful.

As far as leaving your extra suitcase with the cruise line, yes, it's safe. They do it all the time and it's no more risky than checking a bag with an airline. That might not be comforting. Since it's not going anywhere, it's actually less risky than the airline.

If you try to get it down to just one suitcase each, you are right, layers are your friend instead of bulky items. Keep in mind that things like jeans can be worn multiple times without being washed. I don't know about HAL, but Princess has self-serve laundry, so it might be worth it to take a couple hours in the middle of the trip and do a load or two.

Have fun!

Thanks, I have Verizon and this is very helpful.

You're welcome! The $2 daily rate is also good in Mexico. I believe this is also available in about 100 other countries at different daily rates.

Kathy

We also have Verizon and use the TravelPass. You can add it to your account via the Verizon website. Once you add it to your phone lines, TravelPass lets us use your domestic talk, text & data allowances while traveling outside the US. In Canada, it only costs a daily rate $2 per day per line. You are charged only for the days that you actually use your phone in Canada..

 

It works well for us and costs much less than an international plan.

 

Kathy

We used the TravelPass in Bermuda last year and did only have the charges for the days we used it which was 3. It actually goes by a 24 hour period of time so if you time it right you can get 2 days out of it. I plan on using it for the night we are spending in Vancouver after our cruise. Glad to hear that Verizon still offers it.

We used the TravelPass in Bermuda last year and did only have the charges for the days we used it which was 3. It actually goes by a 24 hour period of time so if you time it right you can get 2 days out of it. I plan on using it for the night we are spending in Vancouver after our cruise. Glad to hear that Verizon still offers it.

We love the TravelPass! Verizon even sent us a text every day to let us know when our next 24 hours started. We were in Canada for over a week and between our 2 phones our charges for TravelPass were less than $10.

Kathy

Does the Travelpass even for when you hit Canadian towers? Do you have to sign up for it or does it automatically apply?

Does the Travelpass even for when you hit Canadian towers? Do you have to sign up for it or does it automatically apply?

I guess once you cross into Canada, they see you are going through Canadian towers.

You need to sign up for TravelPass for every line that you may use while there. It doesn't cost you anything to sign up and you can sign up by going into your Verizon account online. Then, only if you use your phone are you charged $2 per day and only for any phone used. If you only use your phone 1 day in Canada, it only charges for that day. We signed up last September before going to Canada and it's still on our accounts for when we go back to Canada.

Good to know. I'll have to tell my husband to sign up for it.