nw gardener

Morning from windy and cool Skagway, no rain. More pics later today.

Not OP but on board, east side of Vancouver and Queen Charlotte NB.

Good morning from the balcony on the Koningsdam, maybe the weather forecast will be wrong today. Still plenty of snow on the mountain tops. Can see the Eurodam a few miles behind us and the pilot boat approaching from the bow.

Good morning from the Koningdam just north of Vancouver Island. Not the OP but our experience boarding with CO yesterday was the same. Having a wonderful time so far. May add pictures as the cruise progresses. Hopefully all that "exercise " doesn't slow down the OP's wonderful writing style!

Appears Koningsdam is going to the east of Haida Gwaii and I'm happy my guess was wrong as it is traveling the normal inside. Really looking forward to next week!

I hope I'm wrong!

I'll check vessel tracker tomorrow to see if I'm correct. Several of my previous AK cruises have done that and that would explain why several previous cruisers thought they skipped the inside passage going NB.

I believe part of the confusion is cruise mapper website that shows the incorrect route for most of the cruise ships out of Vancouver. Also going NB I think the Koningsdam goes west of Haida Gwaii ( Queen Charlotte Island), which is more open but allows the ship to make Juneau on time. And probably to dump gray water as well. After leaving Ketchikan and going SB the ship stays east of Queen Charlotte Island.

Checked 2 different marine vessel live tracking websites a few minutes ago, Koningsdam is taking the normal Inside Passage route SB to Vancouver today. Will check tomorrow evening to see what NB route it takes.

I added CO a few months ago to my June booking and no upgrades were available , and we were already in an aft veranda as well. We were given 100 off the CO price, I use the big box TA. The big box agent had never heard of CO so I explained it to her before she called HAL, and she may have done some wrangling with a supervisor.

Thanks, cleared the data and I'm back in!

Sadly I am resurrecting this thread due to the new update HAL just put out. My phone updated the app this morning and when I open it all I get is a blank white screen. I have a newer android phone, haven't had this issue previously, and cruising in 9 days and was hoping to use it...have sent off an email to HAL. Have deleted and reinstalled the app 2 times with no luck. Anyone else have an issue with the newest update (4.27.0)?

Reference the Inside Passage route, I do see that Cruise Mapper has the same map for every cruise ship leaving from Vancouver (going out the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west of Vancouver Island), so I have little faith in their maps. Will be looking at live ship tracking this Friday and Saturday to see the route Koningsdam takes. I'm on the June 3 cruise and am hoping for the traditional inside!

If you are committed to your SW flight, I'm afraid your options are slim. Take an Uber to the border, walk across and be processed as a pedestrian, take another uber after crossing into Canada. Expect at least an hour or 2 at the border if you are in a car , don't know how long as a pedestrian on a Saturday! You are correct that Uber drivers won't/can't cross the border but on both sides they can take you to the crossing. Wait times at both the Peace Arch and the truck crossing just east of there will be similar on a Saturday at that time of day. Best of luck to you, I'm cruising on the Koningsdam the week before you and I'm doing Flixbus NB and Quickshuttle SB to Bellingham, with a friend who lives in Blaine as my backup plan if all else fails lol.

LeftcoastBC, thank you for your input. I'm coming from Blaine , was planning on driving up early (have priority boarding) and in the past never had an Issue prepaying parking , or finding a parking spot in the mornings. May rethink driving and do Amtrak instead, or even catch an Uber across the border. It's going to be a 2 ship day when we cruise so there will be some folks leaving...will need to make a decision soon! Although in the past, precovid, I do remember reading someone's horror story of prepaying but got there early afternoon to find no parking spots and was told prepaying didn't mean a guarantee of an actual reserved spot!

Never had this issue previously with booking in advance...was told by Indigo parking that the dates I want next month are already booked...but I can park as first come first serve? If I get there without a reservation and find a parking spot I can do it that way? So do I roll the dice, don't know how many parking spots are left available for first come first serve. DH has mobility issues so don't want to do airport parking. I realize amount will be more by not prepaying, just wondering chances of getting a spot if I arrive before 10 AM

Following...last year there were porters in the parking garage and it was super easy handing off luggage and parking. Before Covid shutdown, there were none one year and that was a nightmare embarkation process. Hopefully it'll be staffed like last year!

To answer your original question, Uber and Lyft drivers won't cross the border, psuboater is correct on having to clear customs on foot and getting another driver to Bellingham. AND if you are coming through the border on a US or Canadian holiday weekend, be prepared to possibly add hours to cross. Yesterday early afternoon it was over a 3.5 hour SB wait at both the truck crossing and Peace Arch. Early in the morning and non holiday , chances are better on shorter lines (before 0900). If you have Nexus or Global entry, you have the best chance of a relatively quick SB crossing.

Thank you for taking the time to post and looking forward to future observations on HAL. DH and I aren't tied to one cruise line because variety is the spice of life....but we have sailed mostly HAL in the last few years. It seems to fit us best and we are looking forward to our AK cruise in June.

New update for the app, my Android phone can now access menus. No problems found (so far 😉) with the newest version.

Looking forward to reading more, have always enjoyed reading your posts on the Celebrity and MSC boards.

SIL got off the Westerdam last week, cruising with her adult daughter. Daughter got Covid on second day of cruise (thinks she picked it up on flight there even though she masked). Daughter quarantined in their inside cabin until she tested negative on day 8. SIL never got Covid, tested every morning by medical and was allowed out of cabin masked. Daughter got FCC's for the quarantined days, said room service was great for her, but will never do an inside again. Was told you are quarantined in the cabin you booked. She had fairly mild symptoms and always packs meds with her, just upset that she missed some ports important to her. Covid will be with us for the foreseeable future, along with flu, norovirus, and other bugs to catch when traveling. Prepare as best you can, pack extra OTC meds, have travel insurance, and book a cabin you don't mind being quarantined in. 😉

If you want to fly Southwest....they are starting to fly into Bellingham in April, 25 minutes south of the crossing. You would have to fly in the day before, a little cheaper than staying in Seattle. Quick Shuttle and Flix bus options, as well as Amtrak are available in Bellingham to get you across the border.

Have been in an aft cabin and aft corner Neptune suite on deck 8 on the NA , both times for an AK cruise. Would do them again in a hearbeat. Deck 8 aft is fully covered and perfect for the weather in AK. Heard some chairs being moved around on the lido deck above us one morning . Might be more noise on a warmer weather cruise from deck 9, but we didn't experience it on the AK cruises. Check out halfacts.com for pics too.

Norwaylady , thank you so much for taking us along on your cruise, wonderful post. Enjoy the rest of your trip and wishing you good health too.