gpb11

Sodas are supposed to come aboard as carry-on, although not necessarily inside your luggage. I just find it easier that way and less frought with possible issues.

Note - you can buy (liter) bottles of liquor in advance via HALs website and have them in your stateroom. You may avoid taxes if you specify them to be delivered later in the day, but I didn't bother with it. I'd order a bottle of Seagrams and brought on cokes, which I kept in the mini fridge after asking our steward to empty it out.

Can't help with cabanas. On the May 29th sailing I saw nobody bother with a cabana except some who walked up there in Glacier Bay. Not much lounging in the sun at 55F. Later in the year may be different of course.

My wife and I are off to 7-day cruise from Vancouver. We use Verizon, and will have 2 iphones and at least one iPad with us.

 

Does this sound like a good plan??

In the future you'd do better to create your own new thread for this sort of question. Many of those reading this thread won't (and haven't) realized the OP's question is a year old. They've sailed and returned long ago.

As AT&T subscribers, we had solid cellular and data service from our verandah room from when we neared port to after we'd left port. Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Seward all provided good coverage. Of course there was no service between Skagway and Seward, and no service during the Inside Passage. Still, the service in the ports provided all the connectivity we needed for our trip and we saw no need to pay for any shipboard connectivity. I would expect Verizon to provide similar levels of service.

For the day ahead of the cruise in Vancouver, we simply used the hotel wifi and AT&T's wifi-calling feature to touch base with folks at home. Your $2/day plan ought to work for that part, and maybe if you're doing an excursion later that takes you back into Canada in a location with cellular coverage.

So yes, put your devices into airplane mode when you're not at a US port. When you later disable airplane mode you should be able to clearly see whether or not you're roaming before you make any calls. By turning off Cellular Data While Roaming you prevent the background stuff from using data if you do turn on the phone and find you're roaming.

As to whether it's worth buying shipboard internet connectivity, we've never felt a need on any of our cruises. In a true emergency I figure our kids (adult) will push their way through the cruise line emergency ship contact numbers to reach us. Emails, facebook, instagram, etc. can all wait until our return.

We use these bright colored handle wraps/ID tags as well as these holders for cruise etags.

Nobody can really say whether or not you need a backpack. That's a very individual thing in terms of what you might be doing in terms of excursions and what sort of stuff you might be carrying during those times.

I carried a backpack everywhere off the ship; it held my camera gear as well as extra layers when we thought we might need them. My wife carried her backpack as well, both for her layers, and also to carry any stuff we bought while shopping.

For you, a tote bag may be all you need. Or maybe you'll need nothing at all.

In Anchorage we enjoyed dinner at Humpy's. Haddock fish and chips were very tasty.

For Fairbanks we enjoyed the Thai House on 5th street. We also ate at Sam's Sourdough Cafe, which was kind of homey; we enjoyed it.

As mentioned, that day is not a significant travel day in the US. Many people make it a four day weekend, either as their employer is closed or they take the day off. It is also unlikely that any road construction will be active that day to impede the drive.

Do be sure to have a backup plan if it should happen that your arrival is delayed due to fog. While it is infrequent, it does occur often enough from November through March that you ought to have the possibility in mind.

I do also suggest you post your question in the Florida Departures forum here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

In your all's opinion, is Fairbanks worth seeing? If so, is the riverboat cruise worth taking?

"Worth" is such a subjective thing. Here's MY thoughts having been there in early June this year.

The riverboat and Athabaskan village in Fairbanks were educational and we enjoyed them. Same for the Gold Dredge, it was interesting and educational. On our own the next day we also visited the town of North Pole, Chena Hot Springs (though it reminded us of the movie Cocoon), hiked part of the Angel Rocks trail, and visited the UAF Museum of the North.

In addition it was nice to see the differences in the interior vs. the coast. So yes, we felt it was worth going to Fairbanks. Whether the same applies to you isn't something anyone else can really assess.

Now with that said, you don't mention how visiting Fairbanks affects your ability to see/do other things. For example while we enjoyed Fairbanks, if we had to chose that or two nights in Denali we'd drop Fairbanks in a heartbeat. Others may choose differently.

Understand each cruise line offers different ports, amenities, etc., but for an Alaskan cruise would you choose Celebrity or Princess?

I would choose whichever line had the itinerary that best fit my goals. Particularly on an Alaskan cruise I viewed the ship itself as secondary to visiting the places I want to go for the times/duration that'd allow me to do the things I wanted to do.

Is there a side of the ship with better scenery for cabin location?

The best side for scenery is OUTside. Port vs Starboard doesn't really matter IMHO, I'd choose cabin location for ease of access to the outer decks more so than side of the ship. The only one I wouldn't choose would be an aft balcony as you'll have passed by any scenery by the time you can see it.

During an inside passage you have great scenery to both sides, same for coming into port at Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, and Seward. Although port side was toward the pier in three of the four, that's seems to be random enough not to make a difference in your choice. In Glacier Bay not only would you want to be outside anyway, they also spin the ship so everyone gets a look. On sea days the coastline is a smudge on the horizon at best, so again side doesn't matter.

I want the best view for a once in a lifetime experience. :rolleyes:

*That* is found outside on the platforms at each end of the rail cars IMHO.

Still useful info for others who may be planning their trip and either read this thread now or find it later via search.

Are you asking because you have some sort of medical or psychological condition that requires you to keep your head covered even when going to the MDR or causes you discomfiture should you observe a stranger wearing a hat in the MDR?

Outside of those two cases, I'm unsure why someone who's cleaned up and dressed nicely to go to dinner would then put on a ball cap, nor do I know why one would be concerned whether or not some stranger across the room did so.

Let me ask a question in return: Do you think the float plane pilot is deeply invested in returning safely him/herself?

HAL has done away with "formal" nights and replaced them with "gala" nights where men are not required to wear jackets in the main dining rooms.

Correct. OP is making a poor assumption. Khakis and a polo or dress shirt was middle of the road on men. On the evening I wore a sport coat and bow tie I was a full step above most other men. We skipped gala night and ate on Lido simply because we were tired and grabbed a quick bite at Lido, so I can't say what the reality was, but walking around we saw a mix of sport coats and dress shirts with no jacket.

Here's the text copied from our boarding docs for Noordam this year:

Clothing

Daytime

dress is casual. Pack appropriately for the climate in which you’re sailing. We suggest clothes that can be layered and possibly a raincoat, waterproof hat or umbrella for time ashore. Shirts/cover-ups and footwear are required at all times in the ship’s interior.

 

Most evenings

smart casual attire is appropriate. Pool/beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops should be left to daytime and poolside.

 

Gala Nights

evoke the grand traditions of cruising as guests dress to impress for special events on board, including a five-course gourmet dinner in the Dining Room. For gentlemen, jacket and tie are appropriate, collared shirt and slacks are required in all restaurants

except

those on Lido Deck which permit jeans, shorts and T-shirts.

There is a LOT of "I heard", stuff, with a "shut off", that frankly- usually isn't accurate. I would suggest, keeping options open and don't be so quick to cross ideas off your list.

 

I see this frequently based on costs. I caution to look further at what that "cost" buys you, In my cases, the value is the experience, not the money. :) Good example of this on trip advisor today with someone, claiming there was "nothing" in Seward. The next post ranting about the costs of kayaking and it being ridiculous. Well guess what, that "cost" caused the poster to sit on a bench doing nothing staring at the marina, and me, I was kayaking among ice and harbor seals, deafening silence, enjoyed the transit which was a wildlife jackpot and on a tour for hours. A tremendous value for that cost and my time.

Yes, great example of taking others reports with a grain of salt. The Kenai Fjords tour we did in Seward was one of the top highlights of our trip. No it wasn't cheap, but it forged far more memories than sitting at the hotel or wandering around town.

Headed to Alaska August 2017! Lots of time to shop for bargins! I do not have a rain jacket just a big umbrella. Don't want to lug that around when I am sightseeing.

Yes, and I'd certainly go with a light rain shell over an umbrella. Doesn't have to be expensive; I used an Eddie Bauer rain jacket I'd bought on sale for $30 a couple years prior. I just freshened the water repellency by treating it with wash-in DWR. Instead of rain pants, I used convertible nylon hiking pants I already owned, which I also treated with wash-in DWR. On rainy days I wore those instead of jeans.

While I'm not sure you'd need such in August, for our May/June cruise we carried lightweight packable down jackets and were glad to have them at times. Bought them during the end-of-season clearance sales at REI for a fraction of the new price. Down has an advantage in packed size and weight, but you do need to be more careful in keeping it dry.

You have the cart ahead of the horse.

The most important thing IMHO is to decide on where you want to go, what you want to do, when you want to travel, and what your budget is for the trip.

Then narrow down to the different itineraries and ships which meet these goals, including times in ports.

This book was helpful in initially figuring out where we wished to visit: https://www.amazon.com/Alaska-Cruise-Ship-Anne-Vipond/dp/1927747031

I chose our "must do's" and narrowed down when we wished to travel. That really helped cut down the zillions of choices into a much more manageable set.

As mentioned, Holland America and Princess both have a significant presence in Alaska. Makes sense as they're both owned by Carnival Corp and operate the joint Holland America Princess Alaska Tours tour compand. See http://www.hollandamerica.com/welcometohal/AboutUs.action

Still, they're by far not the only lines on which people have had trips of a lifetime.

we did drive through a stream and other places I would not have done with a regular rental car.

Heh, reminds me of the old joke: What's the difference between a Jeep and a rental car? A rental car can go anywhere!

I guess a rental Jeep is doubly capable then. :)

Excellent resource. A simple Google search...

I might also suggest that five weeks before the autumn equinox is a big hint that there will be at least twelve hours of daylight anywhere in the northern hemisphere. :D

Good site above. For more detailed info including Civil and Nautical twilight times as well as direction of sunrise and more, see The Photographer's Ephemeris. Desktop webpage version is free.

http://photoephemeris.com

The challenge is air, either to or from Alaska.

Definitely. I watched fares via flights.google.com and got a decent deal booking booking our cross-country flights 3-4 months in advance of our cruise. We'd booked the cruise itself through a certain red and blue members only big box store about six months in advance, but I booked airfare independently.

When I checked flights again(*) close to departure the airfare for our specific itinerary had gone up $1000 per person, and the lowest price options (with long layovers and crappy flight times) were still $500-600pp higher and several would require an extra night hotel stay before or after the trip.

I'd also watched the cruise fares, and while there was one price drop early on before final payment (which I cashed in on), I saw no other real drops. YMMV.

Meh. I wouldn't be too hard on folks who are concerned to make sure everything goes okay and avoid unexpected complications. I can imagine people being anxious when they've put up a small fortune for their trip-of-a-lifetime, especially if they're expecting to be exhausted late at night after a long flight. not get stranded or something after a long flight.

I know the Westmark Fairbanks has a specific schedule for when the HAL/Princess transport went to/from the airport. I'd talk to them to check on timings and how luggage transfer works inbound. Whether at that hotel or not, there's a high probability that many others on the plane are also starting their cruise tours.

Alternately, as mentioned, cab fare shouldn't be expensive. It was $18 from the Westmark to the airport. I'd recommend you have a handful of cab company phone numbers with you though just in case.

If you haven't done so, do some testing with the TG4. I've been quite pleased with its output even at 8x10. Certainly enough for a midsize photo book, but you're not going to make poster size prints and examine them up close.

It's no DSLR by any means, but when you have good light the 16MP sensor does a good job given all the compromises built into the camera to make it rugged and waterproof. As to noise and DR, since it has RAW you have more flexibility to process out noise and recover DR than you might with a JPEG only camera.

Backpacks are great for carrying stuff but terrible for using stuff. If my wife is going along, I can bend over at the waist and she can retrieve something for me, but otherwise it's got to come off my back and go on the ground.

Not to be too much the contrarian, but I must respectfully challenge this generalization. Certainly many backpacks are made this way, but to dissuade someone from the entire category because of some units design is a disservice.

Some backpack bags have side-access, allowing you to sling the bag under your arm and access your gear. Think Tank Photo Trifecta and Photo Sport BP 200 AW II are examples of this style.

Others open from the backpanel, letting you access your stuff without putting the bag down. Loosen the hipbelt slightlly, shrug off the shoulder straps and spin it around to the side or front, and let the bag hang towards the horizontal. The hipbelt keeps it from flopping down, and you have your stuff right there at hand. Examples of this style include the Burton Zoom 26L and many of the F-stop Gear bags (I have the Guru V2).

Mindshift Gear also has a "rotation180" series of bags where the camera bag is integrated to the hipbelt and slides around front for access without removing the main bag / shoulder straps.

Water activities...I've got nothing. If I were to take part, I wouild likely just get a waterproof P&S and only take it on those days. Unless you have a non-participant to watch your stuff, you're pretty likely to donate your gear to the local economy.

Yep, this is why I bought an Olympus TG4. I just carry it while at the beach and in the water, works nicely for snorkling too. Decent enough quality considering the folded lens as is typical of waterproof cameras. Plus it supports RAW format and has its own GPS for geotagging. Plus it's fun for the shipboard pool, water slides, etc.

For my other valuables (money/ID/passport) at a port beach I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4CEH48

Can anyone enlighten me on what bourbons they offer and the approximate cost? We will be doing a 7 day Alaska cruise this September....thanks

If you're booked just login and you can see what's orderable.

I recall Segrams 7 and VO as options, and we got the VO for something like $35 for the liter bottle. Brought our own 12 pack of cokes aboard and kept them in the in-room fridge. (our steward cheerfully cleared out all the minibar items at our request)

Of the three cabins, I'd go with either of the side cabins over the aft. The scenery is more often to the side than it is behind you.

In my opinion it doesn't really matter which side you're on. We ended up port side for our trip earlier this year, though we were on deck ten and thus had easy access to starboard side either outside above Lido or inside the Crows Nest.

As narrow as the inside passage is, there's great scenery and wildlife on both sides of the ship. Same was true as we were entering/departing Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Seward. Our ship (Noordam) was port side to the dock in Juneau, Skagway, and Seward; though that's often luck of the draw and can go either way. In Glacier Bay you'll want to be outside on the bow or observation deck anyway, and they spin the ship at the glacier so everyone gets a look.