donaldsc

If you want to go to Totem Bight which is highly recommended check out Google Maps. DON

I would guess that you are 180 degrees wrong. They would be more likely to open your luggage because they will figure that you are trying to hide something. I remember reading a while back that traffic cops watch put for cars that are driving very slowly and carefully because they feel that these people are trying to make sure that they will not be stopped by the cops. S ame deal w the luggage. DON

Just type "cruises in port" into Google. DON

My daughter has celiacs disease. Princess has always handled her absolute GF requirements very well even to having a GF toaster in the back at the buffet. DON

Here is my take on the Glacer versus Hubbard question having been to Glacier maybe 8 times and Hubbard maybe 4 times - they are fundamentally different experiences. With Glacier you have a full day experience w a park ranger and you are almost guaranteed o get in. You get a bunch of glaciers but many are not tidewater glaciers. You do not get really close to any of the glaciers so you do not get the feeling of awe about the huge size of the glacier. Because you are not close any calving will seem less special than if you are up close to the glacier. Hubbard is only a single glacier but it is a really really big glacier and you can get fairly close to it. Also Hubbard is a tidewater glacier. You will not get to spend a whole day at Hubbard. Hubbard does a lot of calving and because you will be closer than at Glacier the calving will be more spectacular. The really big negative about Hubbard is that if ice conditions are bad you may not get very close to the glacier and you might not get in at all. Also once you are done with your viewing time at Hubbard you are out of there. So you pays your money and you make your choice or if you are really smart you find a cruise that gets to both of them. Hope this helps. DON

I do that all the time but at a very far vacant table. DON

I was 22 on my 1st cruise - a Maine windjammer that was pure sail without a motor. DON

You guys have been very helpful. My plan is to fly to Lanzarote immediately after the cruise and spend maybe 3 days in Lanzarote. Then fly back to Gran Canaria and spend 2 days there. Finally fly to Madrid and get a plane home. It is amazing how different the cost of flying to Madrid is from day to day. Depending upon which day I fly my ticket will cost from $34 to $160. I do have z quick question about lodging. I will obviously stay in a hotel in Artifice for my visit to Lanzarote or is that a bad idea? I do not need fancy but just a comfortable place to sleep. I am trying to figure out where to stay on Gran Canaria. The cruise ship drops me off in Las Palmas ion the NE corner of the island. However many of the attractions and many of the tours start in the SW corner. Any thought here. Thanks for the additional info. DON

Great info. Many thanks. DON

I have a suggestion for the bigger is better people. They should go 100 miles off shore so that they are in international waters and then go around in little circles without docking anywhere. This would make the people who have the "ship is the destination" mentality. There might be a requirement and the ship dock somewhere for a few hours but other than that the ship would spend the entire week at sea. Since the ship would be barely moving it wouldn't even burn much fuel so the running costs would be low. I will bet that they would sell out all of the cruises. DON

My mistake. I misread. Sorry. DON

This thread was started in 2007 which is 17 years ago.. Enough already!!! I suggest that the moderator should lock this thread. DON

Not sure why any of us our wasting our time answering this question but no - bigger is never better and the bigger the the ship the worser it is. My sweet spot is less than 500 people but I will go up to 1000 if the itinerary is great and there is no alternative. I did a cruise once on a ship that held 22 people. DON

I have been on private tours where the guide told an interloper that this was a private tour and to go away. I guess that if they did not go away there was not much that the guide could do about it but they did. If it was me I would at least make sure to jostle them or step in front of them every time they tried to take a picture. DON

Yet another advantage of using a good TA. When I call my TA and ask her about what is available on a few lines that I am interested in she can immediately tell me what is available. DON