starfox

I enjoyed reading Robert Massie's 'Nicholas and Alexandra' and 'Catherine The Great: Portrait of a Woman' before my visit to St. Petersburg!

I also highly recommend SPB tours for St. Petersburg. They were wonderful and easy to work with. Much cheaper than Princess's excursion and much smaller group! I was also going to use them for Berlin as well, but we ended up being diverted to Kiel due to heavy winds :( so cannot comment on Berlin. We did all the other ports on our own. Many of them have HOHO buses (we only used the one in Oslo). I recommend looking into the Rick Steves' info/book. I was able to find many walking maps and directions on the forum before my trip.

We will also be sailing to Alaska in 2019 and we chose the Coral for its viewing areas!

Cobber76, we have decided on the Coral for our trip! The deck 7 promenade deck as well as the forward and aft viewing areas on some of the other decks (like you mentioned) were the deciding factors for us. For an itinerary such as Alaska, we felt those were vital! Good to know that the front viewing decks are not usually too crowded. We are most likely going to aim for a forward cabin on the first bump out.

I was on the Regal (sister ship) for a Scandinavia/Russia cruise a couple of years ago and it really is a wonderful ship (love Alfredo's!), but I don't think it would work for us for in Alaska. I mentioned Coral vs. Royal in Alaska on another thread as well and someone pointed out that the Royal won't be the only mega ship in Alaska and ports are bound to be crowded anyways, but I'd like to think being on the Coral will alleviate that even if it's only by a little. Ha!

Funny - we prefer cruise departures on the weekend, but we are planning a DIY land tour before our Southbound cruise and a few days in Vancouver so it works out for us too!

Thank you Coral! You are awesome!

Very true! Outdoor space seems especially important on an Alaskan cruise. Thank you!

I'm glad we're doing the Star this summer on the Vancouver/Anchorage route...I can't imagine how the Royal will do on that route. Seems way too big for the Alaska ports.

Do you think it is better to avoid the Royal for Alaska? I am currently planning for Summer 2019 and was planning to go on the Coral, but the allure of a newer ship... ;p I was on the Regal for a Scandinavia/Russia cruise and enjoyed it, but the idea of a ship that large in the Alaskan ports seems a bit much.

What is everyone's opinion on going on the Royal in Alaska? Too big/too many passengers for the small ports? Any effects on glacier viewing with the bigger ship?

Really enjoying your trip report so far! I noticed in many of the pictures you are wearing your Hunter boots - did you find those sufficient for getting around while staying comfortable? Did you feel hiking shoes were necessary or would have helped for your trip? Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Per CLIA , 65 percent of all cruises are booked using TA's :-) .

Just remember that all TA's are not Cruise Specialist's .

Interview that TA before ever booking .

Are there certain questions I should be asking or any red flags I should be looking out for? Many of the ones I am contacting now say they are specialized with the different cruise lines but I'm not sure how reliable that is in terms of how savvy they are with cruises.

Thanks everyone! Keep those opinions coming! I'll be reaching out to some travel agents in my area along with doing more price and itinerary comparisons online. I did not realize travel agents were still a thing nowadays hah!

Do you have enough time to take a cruise to Hawaii from the West Coast?

 

Roz

We just took a trip to Maui last year so I'm trying to pick a place he's never been!

Hello all! I am trying to plan a cruise trip with my bf who has never cruised before and has never been to the cruise locales in general and I am trying to get some input on what would be "best" for him.

I am not a first time cruiser myself, I just returned from a Scandinavia/Russia cruise aboard the Regal Princess a month ago (GREAT TRIP!!). I have also been on an Alaska Princess cruise and have been on a Mexican Riviera, Bahamas, and Caribbean on Carnival but these were 10+ years ago when I was a child and I'm not sure how relevant that experience is to how the ships are nowadays.

We are in our mid-20s. We do not like to party too much, I would prefer a less rowdy crowd and also less children running amok. He prefers relaxing activities while in port and I prefer scenic "adventures" (hiking, more active things, etc). He is of course willing to do whatever I plan :D but an itinerary with a good mix would be nice. We are not big on shopping and doing a lot of souvenir shopping while in port though I will pick up a trinket here and there. Budget-wise, we would prefer to spend $550~ or less on the base fare (not including gratuity, tax/fees, airfare, excursions, etc.). We will be booking an interior cabin since I think we will pretty much only be in there to sleep and maybe watch some TV. I enjoy watching the shows and the ship's trivia events and whatnot. I think he will be fine with just a casino. I have not been on a RCI cruise before, are the extra perks/activities worth it? I prefer to DIY most ports and book with private companies for excursions (perused this forum for WEEKS planning for Scandinavia cruise).

I would really prefer to leave from California so as to save on airfare, but that seems to really limit where we can go. If we were to fly somewhere, which area seems to cost least to fly to from the west coast? Quick searches seems to show me that flying to Texas is generally cheaper than Florida? I would rather spend money towards a more expensive cruise than on a flight so as to feel like I'm getting more bang for my buck lol

I have pretty much decided that the 3-4 day cruises are off the table. Seems pointless to travel to Catalina Island and Baja CA when I am from the area and I am not too keen on just going to Nassau (which I read is the east coast equivalent of Catalina/Ensenada).

I have somewhat narrowed down my options to 7-day Mexican Riviera (for convenience mostly), 7 day Western Caribbean (Mayan Ruins? Are there any other itineraries that have this?), and Alaska (So pretty! but so much more pricey! Northern lights possibility?). Anything special about the other Caribbean cruises? Western in particular appealed to me because of the ruins.

In terms of cruise lines, is there much difference between Carnival and Princess on the 7-day cruises? I would really prefer a more subdued crowd but am flexible depending on prices. I prefer a more classy look/feel overall, I have read the Carnival ships are a bit gaudy and over-glitzed out? I have never cruised on any other lines (RCI, NCL, Celebrity) and don't know much about them except what I have picked up here and there on the boards. I really enjoyed my last Princess cruise even though the crowd was in general much older than me :P but it was a very port intensive trip so not sure much how much difference that made.. I, of course, enjoyed Carnival as a kid but am very wary of it now. Bf does not seem to have a good opinion on cruises but he can't explain why haha maybe he is imagining a small boat?? I am obviously a huge fan of cruises and would like to "show him the light" :D

I am aiming to cruise in Feb 2016 for my birthday, but very flexible with any month after that in 2016.

I know what's "best" is different for everyone, but I would appreciate any advice/suggestions/info/your experiences you could provide. Perhaps people who were making similar decisions, what made you choose what you did? In the meantime, I'll be spending even more time info searching on the boards!

Random questions about Alaska: Generally, what is an ideal price? May and Sept are the cheapest times to go?