cattman
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Posts posted by cattman
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On 4/19/2024 at 2:02 AM, Kat915 said:
Another place to potentially see bears is at Mendenhall.
Another vote for Mendenhall. We have seen bears there the last three times we visited, especially on the East Glacier Trail
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47 minutes ago, Skicruiser55 said:
We are limber and can manage luggage but not a fan of luggage and escalators - are there elevators?
Yes, there are elevators from the street level to the boarding platform. At the airport, you will cross a short bridge from the train platform directly to check-in
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On 4/20/2024 at 5:02 AM, Jcol5786 said:
So I guess my questions are how easy is it to get from the checked bag pick area to the Skytrain platform and will there be ample room on the train car for our bags? I know this will depend on timing but generally is this what people do when they have luggage? Or since we are a party of 4 with 2 bags each should we be thinking about some other mode of transport? Thanks.
As the SkyTrain was designed for easy transport to and from the airport, you will find it very easy to get from the baggage claim to the train platform and lots of room for bags. Just take the seats near the open areas designed for bikes and baggage.
You will exit the airport, cross over to the escalators, and up to the train platform where you buy tickets and board.
As the Pan Pacific is at the last stop on the line, you will not need to watch for your station - just relax until you reach the end. Then it's easy getting from the train up to the station with escalators and elevators. Then a right out of the door, and a five minute walk will get you to the PP... there is a mild ascent, but nothing you should have a problem with.
We are in our late 60's, have two bags apiece, and always use SkyTrain - and will do so again this weekend when we stay at the PP before our cruise aboard Niew Amsterdam
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Great responses, all..
Nothing quite compares to Glacier Bay(except maybe College Fjord or Hubbard). And while I heartily recommend a whale watch tour or heli landing while in Juneau- we have done both - there are a few reasons besides the glacier to visit Mendenhall. Besides the aforementioned waterfall walk, we have found that some of the best wildlfe viewing on our many visits to Alaska has been in the Mendenhall area. Call us very lucky, but every time we have visited we have seen bears - sometimes extremely close-up.
There is also a fantastic trail if you like to hike - the East Glacier/Trail of Time that is very worthwhile, with amazing views, old mining relics and wildlife. We often see mountain goats and bears along this trail, once happening on a mother with her two cubs
While i will admit if you are making this cruise for the first time, the heli and whale tours should make the top of the list, as a repeat visitor we find the trip is also one of the most cost-effective excursions in Juneau, esp. for families
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2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:
Yes - we had a $249 upsell offer and had paid $250 for Club Orange, so we actually got a $1 pp refund to take the upsell to a Neptune! Hard to beat that deal.
That was because CO is included with the Neptune Suite.
CO is not included with the Signature Suites
So the question "can you play the CO upgrade game" if you move to a different category after final payment remains, and one your TA should inquire about. I would think this would be a cancel and rebook situation and subject to those terms.
Rather than waiting for HAL to send you one, I would call Inventory and see if any upsell offers for a Signature or Neptune exist for your sailing, that way your CO would follow you in the case of the Signature Suite(and you'll get choice of available cabin), or be refunded if you upsell to Neptune.
The upsell price of a Neptune might be cheaper than the Signature upsell price, once the CO is refunded.
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On 3/11/2024 at 7:25 AM, TAW1963 said:
If I were to call HAL and try and purchase the lowest category Signature suite as an upsell, would they apply my, already purchased, Club Orange and allow me to then upgrade to my choice of Signature suite? In this case, Club Orange pays for itself and then some, if this is allowed..
We do upsells all the time, and sometimes purchase CO.. but each time the upsell was to our choice of any available cabins within the suite class, I believe with or without CO. Our experience with upsells was they are based on availability rather than category based, and were one price for whatever was available regardless of category.
Some of our upsells were from VB balconies to Neptune Suites, and as CO is included in a NS, our original CO payments were deducted from - or applied to - the upsell price. Choice of Signature Suites in various categories were always available also, at a lower upsell price, but I do not believe CO made a difference there either and the upsell price was the same for all categories, whatever was available.
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On 2/16/2024 at 4:24 PM, sunviking90 said:
Likely a 14 day? Port fees and taxes are very high on Alaska cruises. They easily double any “deals” I see on the 7 day one way sailings.
On 2/16/2024 at 3:29 PM, AKJonesy said:Not sure but I just pulled up a cruise and fees were $777 pp so that's $1500 before the fare. In other words, that's $200 plus per day for the fees before the fare and before the daily housekeeping fees. For the heck of it, because I saw Celebrity advertising an Alaska cruise for cheap and there was a ton of rooms available on a May sailing. I just took a peek.
That's interesting.. looking at the May 24 sailing of the Koningsdam R/T Vancouver, taxes, fees and port charges only total $277pp.. maybe your figures include Cruise Protection and transfers, etc
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But of course, their a-- is covered by the fine print😒
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Our May 13 sailing did sail the BC Inside Passage on the Southbound, but it was not until late afternoon/evening, so you're trying to pack and view the scenery at the same time! On previous sailings - we have sailed this itinerary many times on HAL, Princess and Celebrity, and try to do it every year - we had always sailed this portion of the IP in the daytime.
And yes, seas were somewhat rough on the NB portion as we were in open ocean.
Seems YMMV as to which route your sailing will take.. as for us, while we prefer HAL, and as enjoyable as the rest of the sailing was, sailing the BC IP Northbound is so important to us that if we can't count on it this will be our last HAL sailing to Alaska.
Shame.
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3 hours ago, decrepit old man said:
But then someone else said that that person was wrong...🤔
Cannot speak for the OP's cruise date, but our May 13 - 20 KD cruise DID NOT sail the BC Inside Passage between Vancouver Island and the mainland on the NB leg, but did sail through it on the SB leg, however, we did not reach it until late afternoon/evening.
That said, our cruise experience was much like the OP's - and we really enjoyed it. Just don't expect the BC IP on the ride up.
Thanks for the excellent review!
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17 hours ago, vino100 said:
We cruise this Saturday on the konsingdam, i too will be so disappointed if we miss the inside passage going north. Specially cruised out of Vancouver at a significantly higher price, air hotel etc.
I will report back. Hopefully with good news
I wish you the best!
We still had a wonderful time, as we had an easy, uneventful boarding, perfect weather(shorts and tshirts everyday, not a cloud in the sky for seven days), and great food and service from a great crew.
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16 hours ago, visagrunt said:
In six inside passage cruises in the last 10 years (4 on HAL and 1 each on Regent and Seabourn), I have only taken the true Inside passage going north on Seabourn, which had the advantage of a significantly smaller ship and a 14 day itinerary.
Navigation through the IP is much slower than Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait, especially after the sinking of the Queen of the North. A true IP northbound would make it impossible to reach Juneau on Day three until the evening. Even steaming through the Sound, the Strait and Dixon entrance still only puts Juneau in reach by late morning.
i am talking about the BC Inside Passage, between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Every RT Alaskan voyage we have taken from Vancouver has used this route, and is the one we were looking forward to(this from HAL website listing for our cruise):
.. not this one, which was the route of our 5/13 sailing(from CruiseMapper):
If I had wanted to sail in the open ocean I would have saved a ton of money and hassle and sailed out of Seattle.
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On 5/18/2023 at 10:42 AM, Colorado Klutch said:
I was on the same cruise. I'm wondering if there was no Tracy Arm because we didn't take the Inside Passage going north. Sure, the HAL tracker maps indicated we took the Inside Passage. But anyone familiar with the Inside Passage knows we didn't take that route. If you look at our path on CruiseTracker, it clearly shows we did not take the Inside Passage going north. We did take the Inside Passage going south.
I haven't found out why we didn't take the Inside Passage north. And I didn't hear any announcements about it on the ship.Just off the May 13 KD cruise and we were extremely disappointed that we also missed the Inside Passage cruising north.. with nary a mention of the change. The IP days are the reason we choose to cruise out of Vancouver(rather than Seattle), as this is some of the best scenery on the itinerary!
We sail to Alaska often, sometimes twice a season, and always out of Vancouver. We always look forward to waking up on that first morning to the sights - and scents - of the BC IP coastline. This time we woke to.. open ocean.
If we had known the itinerary had dropped the NB Inside Passage we would have sailed a different line.
What possible reason would HAL have to change the itinerary after all these years, especially after selling with the itinerary intact and showing it on the HAL tracker?? Looking at Cruise Mapper, it seems this Is the 'new' route going forward, at least for this Summer season. As far as we are concerned, this is as bad as if they had cancelled a port and never made mention of it!
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17 hours ago, dreamer321 said:
I boarded the same day on Koningsdam. I had a 10:40 checking time with priority boarding. Super smooth process. I took a taxi from my hotel at 9:45 am, dropped my suitcase with the porter just past 10:00 am went up to HAL priority check-in line and was called up to agent immediately. All my paperwork was in order and went through security very quickly. I then went to the Nexus/Global Entry line and only had 4 people ahead of me. I presented my passport and was cleared quickly. I was then directed to the HAL waiting area about 10:40 am. They started boarding the ship about 11:10 am and I dropped off my carry-on luggage in my room and was ordering a cocktail at the Ocean bar by 11:15 am. All in all, a very smooth process. I’m glad they improved the customer experience from a couple weeks earlier.
Our boarding experience was the same for our May 13 Koningsdam cruise. One of the easiest of our 15 Alaska cruises. We were in our Neptune Suite by 11:15
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Aboard the Koningsdam now.
Arrived Canada Place at 10:45am
Aboard and in our Neptune Suite at 11:15am.
Easy Peasy. Previous poster was correct, there are no signs for Priority, but when asked we were directed to separate lines for Priority at check-in and boarding.
Two ships in port, Majestic & Koningsdam. Seems each ship had its own security line, determined by the colored tags we received before scanning passports. Lots of kiosks and customs agents
This was one of the easiest boardings of our ten sailings out of Vancouver. Just remember to drop off your bags at P4(we were dropped off by taxi) first, then you work your way up the levels. There were at least 75 people waiting in the general boarding area, in the Priority area, maybe 30.
YMMV of course, but having Priority - either with a Suite or CO - made a big difference.
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21 hours ago, bundtkate said:
We're planning very early June. The idea was to balance weather concerns where hopefully it's a bit warmer than May but still relatively dry. I know there's risk always, but we're hoping that timing minimizes it. We also did consider Club Orange as a means of getting an upgrade, but the difference between inside + The Retreat and lowest balcony + CO was about $1500. Given the cost of excursions in Alaska it feels worthwhile to save that money and spend it on experiences, but we'll see. If we change our minds we can always upgrade later.
Sounds good!
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We like Rodney's Oyster House, in Gastown, about a twenty - minute walk(approx.) from Canada Place. Casual, fun atmosphere, and their Potato-encrusted Halibut is to die for
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18 hours ago, OlsSalt said:
Bring rain gear and a sturdy umbrella - much of the Retreat Cabana area is exposed to the elements. Just the side units are covered and enclosed. Rain and wind splashing into your cabana when you try to open the heavy curtains will limit the cabana viewing enjoyment too.
Your Cabana steward will need to brave those same elements too crossing the open deck areas to serve your cabana ...if/when it rains in Alaska. Be prepared.
^ This. Of course, your ability to use and enjoy your cabana could be dependent on when you cruise. May is the driest month in Alaska, worth considering as is the option of Lowest Category Balcony+Club Orange which includes an upgrade to best available balcony(on the Koningsdam, this could mean a Cat VB with a large balcony on Deck 4).. on most of our five Alaska sailings on HAL, the Category VH balconies - the lowest category - were not much more than an inside.
There is nothing quite like stepping out on your balcony in the morning with your room service coffee, or stepping out at night to enjoy the Midnight sun before bed. That said, your idea of choosing a well-located Inside with quick access to the Crow's Nest and outside deck is a good alternative!
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34 minutes ago, cattman said:
Called today, snagged a Neptune for $499pp(plus increase in CP) with a refund of $175pp(for CO as it is included in a Neptune Suite).
Sorry, should have said Less the $175pp paid for Club Orange. It is deducted from the upsell price.
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We have always had good luck with upsells.. we always book the lowest category balcony with CO which includes an auto upgrade to the highest category balcony, pick a cabin we won't mind sailing in, then start calling Inventory three or four weeks out, twice a week, looking for a Neptune. We have found a reasonable offer on our last four cruises and have taken advantage of them all.
For our May 13 Alaska cruise on the Koningsdam neither my TA nor I ever received an email offer, but I called four weeks out and was offered only a Vista for $199pp, Inventory, TA and website showed all Neptunes sold out, as they were when we booked in February. Wasn't interested as we had booked a VB cabin with a large balcony we were perfectly happy with.
Three weeks, same Vista offer available, one Neptune now available at $899pp. Passed.
Called yesterday, same Vista offer, all Neptunes sold out.
Called today, snagged a Neptune for $499pp(plus increase in CP) with a refund of $175pp(for CO as it is included in a Neptune Suite). Had choice of six different cabins(!), got one directly across from Neptune Lounge, Starboard, just like our original cabin.
So.. yesterday, none available, today choice of six. Go figure.
in our experience, price drops even further a week out(on a Eurodam sailing before Covid we paid $199pp for a NS a week before sailing), but we were comfortable with this price point - and we got a location we like. Moral of my(long winded) story: if you want an upsell, have a bottom line price you are happy paying and keep calling - even several times a week - all the way up to sailing date.
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We were on the Koningsdam last December(10 - 17) and had few issues with anything.. did notice the long lines to the MDR(anytime dining), but we were Club Orange and found the CO dining room delightful, with no waiting, good service and a very good menu.. In fact, one day had THE best veal chop I've had anywhere.
Looking forward to being back aboard her next month to Alaska
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On 6/21/2022 at 2:40 PM, 5waldos said:
The trip up from Vancouver is lovely and far more interesting than the open ocean cruising from Seattle. The scenery is amazing. Also much less rough. So I would strongly vote for the Vancouver trip. In fact have- 5th trip next month-only 1 out of Seattle.
On 6/21/2022 at 12:01 PM, martincath said:- cruising saves hours of Zero View sail time around the outside of Vancouver Island and replaces it with the actually-more-scenic-than-anywhere-in-Alaskan-waters lower reaches of the Inside Passage, including some parts so narrow it feels like you can reach out and high-five pax on ships passing the other direction;
On 6/21/2022 at 2:36 PM, TashaB said:The principal difference is that Alaska sailings from Vancouver take the Inside Passage of Vancouver Island and the Seattle sailings are on the Pacific (outside) of Vancouver Island where it is somewhat windier and less scenic. There are other cruise lines which sail from Vancouver roundtrip in 7 days including Celebrity, Princess and Holland America.
This. And if you choose a R/T Vancouver - we sail HAL - the last day of your cruise will be one of the best, with a full daylight sail of the Inside Passage of BC(with your best chance of Orca sightings)rather than a view of open ocean. It's unforgetable.
Also, better for those subject to motion sickness as your entire trip will be in protected waters.
On 6/25/2022 at 11:51 AM, quack2 said:The Couv. Not even close.
Absolutely, and IMO, worth the extra 'hoops'..
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On 4/18/2022 at 9:48 AM, PROCRUISE said:
Had to cancel February 2022 Panama Canal transit cruise due to positive COVID test even though I had no symptoms. HAL allowed us to move to another cruise in March 2022, which was covered completely cost wise, and even left some additional FCC that they then placed on our December 2022 cruise balance due.
I assume you also purchased the HAL policy. Since you did not use your purchased policy(Covid is covered by the COVID-19 Protection Program, available to all), did HAL 'move' your insurance to the new cruise or did you lose it?
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I would take some non-proctored Antigen tests with me on the cruise to take the day before arriving in Vancouver. That way, should you test positive, you can bring it to the med center attention, they will retest you and if still positive your quarantine will be covered by the cruise line.
If negative, and if Princess will not test you at the port, when you get to the airport get tested there for your flight home:
https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/travel-planning/takecare/covid-19-testing
You have multiple options, from $79CAN(about $62US)pp. Yeah, it's a bummer to have to pay for the test, but at least you won't have to hassle with a proctored test onboard.. just make sure you budget enough time before your flight.
Juneau to limit cruise passengers
in Alaska
Posted
That sounds like a great itinerary! I'm in!