masterdrago

I've a friend that has a small vial of flakes panned from near her dads place in the Sierra mountains

Really appreciated all the info and pix. We're doing the Mountain Marvels 13 day next year. I enjoyed the details you provided concerning eateries and pix of lodges. also the pointers in Vancouver. I was amazed you did it without the rent car.

I really want to do Indy again, but I am the only one in our group that wants that as they don't like sailing out of Southampton.

 

Freedom is yet to have her refurb and is getting tired, so will save her for 2020 or later.

 

Liberty is the interesting one. I have wanted to see her after her refurb in 2016, but something scares me about sailing from Galveston.

Dang! Galveston is fast and easy. Scared?? And the ship was in great shape June 3, 2018.

Another vote for the Canon image stabilizer binos.

 

Also keep in mind that if you keep your optics (binos, camera, etc) in the stateroom changes in temp and humidity when you step onto the balcony can fog you up in seconds. You will definitely miss something then. I have been known to keep my optics on the balcony if I anticipate using them anytime soon. This is especially useful in the carribean. We will see about Alaska. ;)

 

I found this out and quickly learned to wrap the camera or binoculars in a towel and set them on the balcony either the night b4 or shortly b4 deciding to use them. That way, I found them acclimated to the outside temperature and ready to use when needed. Yes, in the Caribbean. Might not be an issue in Alaska because the outside temp will most likely be below the room temp - will fog up when brought back in - use the towel trick.

I’d say, like most things, it’s personal preference. On our recent trip we hiked/ice climbed on Spencer Glacier in Girdwood, saw Northwest Glacier during our 9-hour Kenai Fjord Tour (which was calving all over the place that day, very cool), went dog sledding on a glacier in Skagway, and saw Hubbard Glacier from the cruise ship (Radiance). We also saw other glaciers as we traveled from Fairbanks to Seward before the cruise.

 

For us, yes, we were kind of “glaciered out” in terms of seeing them from a distance but actually hiking on one, dog sledding on one that’s snow covered, and getting very close to one on a smaller boat like Kenai are all very different experiences.

 

Since you already plan to hike on one (one of our highlights), I would only consider adding more if it involved something beyond looking at them.

In '95, we overnighted on one in a tent (have to find my Fuji Velvia slides to ID it) so I mostly want to see one up close on a small boat and watch and hear it calve. Several of the ship and pre tours get within view but I want more.

We have the same situation as you - pre cruise land tour - day and a half in Anchorage. Looks like all the excursions are to Mendanhall. I've been emailing many glacier cruise companies about Prince William Sound and Tracy Arm (when in Juneau). Most are saying best to book through cruise line but also to reconnect in October after the season is over. Some have said excursions may be added at a later date to the other glaciers. It might be too much to cram in on our time at Anchorage but I'm looking at renting a car, driving up early to Whittier, take as long a glacier tour as can and eat dinner at Seven Glaciers. At some point (Seward or Anchorage??), Royal provides a Resurrection Bay Wildlife cruise. In Juneau, we want to work in either a whale tour on a small boot or another glacier tour. Not sure about the timing because Radiance does not get into Juneau until 9am. We are still exploring and have not heard back from Royal (email) concerning any changes they might have to excursions (whale watching, glacier watching).

We're looking for the same thing. Following.

Thanks for sharing. I took the "Behind the Scenes" in 2016 and again in 2018. The most recent one dropped the tour behind the stage of the theater, the look at the liqueur storage and a shortened helm time. We were told that if an uncontrolled fire broke out in the booze storage compartment, the entire room could be jettisoned out to sea. Yikes.

Do you have time before your cruise for a Prince William Sound glacier cruise out of Whittier or a Matansuka Glacier hike?

https://majormarine.com/tour/prince-william-sound-blackstone-bay-glacier-cruise/

https://micaguides.com/

That sounds like something I need to explore. I had not considered a Prince William Sound tour or cruise. We are taking the land tour pre-cruise 7b so will be in Anchorage - Seward. The itinerary is not very detailed at this time but it might fit in prior to a late supper at the Seven Glaciers Restaurant in Alyeska. Thanks for a great suggestion. Their are many Prince William cruises to study.

Looking at the excursions on the 7 night southbound from Seward on RC. Mostly all I'm seeing is Mendenhall stuff and of course the 2 hours spent cruising the Hubbard Glacier. I was hoping to find some tours into Tracy Arms and had contacted directly several (Adventure Bound, Glacier Wind & True Alaskan). Most said best to book through the cruise line. Is it possible that after the first of the year, the excursions for our cruise (May '19) will be updated to include more glacier tours while in Juneau? Or does that not happen? I'm wanting something on a small boat with not so many folks but none of the timing looks right because of our port arrival time (9am). Anyone with experience on Royal 7nt southbound, I would really appreciate input.

How was embarkation process? C&A "Priority boarding" any faster than reg line?

Much faster. Having a suite was somehow a special line that was a super short wait in a large area uncrowded. Wife has C&A. That might have helped. There was a separate line. Much faster. It was like we were given some special treatment.

Thanks for following along! I appreciate your support!

 

Yes, we live in The Woodlands near Conroe. Dropping off our luggage was very easy. I dropped my husband off, since he has a bad ankle, and he gave all our luggage to the porters with a $20 and I parked the car at Cruise Park.

 

Once onboard around 11:15 or so I went up to our room. I saw a guy who was picking up wheelchairs from the previous cruise and he told me to just ask the room steward. I saw her (not mine) but I asked and she said sure just leave it OUTSIDE the room. So I did. I appreciated her so much because lugging that around is NO FUN! I think it is just one of those things... Just ask. Of course, they may say no but at least you can try!

 

We went straight to the Lido deck when we got on and then back to the Promenade to eat at Cafe Promenade.

 

I hope this helps!

We did your cruise June 3 and were super surprised at the new terminal system. We are from up Willis way and we stayed at the Tremont Saturday night - didn't want any unexpected fun driving down Sunday morning. We did the same thing you did - drop of wife with luggage and park in lot B. Worked great - having our drinks b4 11:30. Awesome system.

I would be very uncomfortable traveling with just the passport card. If there was an emergency you would not be able to fly with just the card. I have both the card and book. I would use the card on a day excursion or if I lost my passport book, as it contains my information.

In all my poking around over the last two weeks, I've read several that emergencies were allowed using the card - emergency flight back to U.S. from both eastern and western Caribbean and also the Bahamas. So, historically, the passport card did not hinder an emergency flight back into U.S.

That tells you what the immigration rules are. Doesn't tell you if RCI has a stricter/different requirement....

Finally got a written answer from RCI. All their web pages say is passport needed - not which one!! With all now in writing, It is clear that what we have (passport cards) will do the job. Do not have to go out and spend another $262USD! From RCI.......

 

Dear Mr. Drake: Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delay in our response. For sailing that begin and/or end in a Canadian port a passport is required. However, a U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver License, or Trusted Travel Program Card from Nexus, Sentri or Fast is also acceptable. We are proud to introduce a new way for our guests to experience the amazing locales and activities our ports-of-call have to offer. Private Journeys is an exciting program that allows you to work with our Destination Insiders to create a customized experience in any port-of-call on your itinerary. Our Destination Insiders have years of expertise and can assist you in crafting your personalized scheduled journey, which can be flexible in duration and can even include meals and entrance fees to local attractions. For more information, please visit: www.royalcaribbean.com/privatejourneys To start planning your Private Journey today, please call our Destination Insiders at 1-844-571-7851 or send an e-mail to privatejourneys@rccl.com. Their hours of operation are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. As a Gold Crown & Anchor Society member, Mr. Drake, we thank you for your loyalty to Royal Caribbean International. We look forward to welcoming you aboard the Radiance of the Seas in May of 2019. Sincerely, Michelle Peacock Royal Caribbean Customer Support -----------------------------

Finally got something official in writing. Since RCI has not responded to several emails and their web pages only say passport needed, I wanted to know which one. Below is the answer from the National Passport Information Center (NPIC.state.gov........

 

 

Thank you for contacting the National Passport Information Center Valid US Passport cards will be accepted in place of the passport book at land and sea points of entry between the United States and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Passport cards are NOT accepted for international air travel, but can be used as identification for travel on domestic flights. For further information, please refer to our website www.travel.state.gov or call (877) 487-2778, for TDD/TTY users 1-888-874-7793 (Mon-Fri 8:00AM to 10:00PM ET; excluding federal holidays). If you need to contact us again by email, please include all prior messages/correspondence in your reply so we can review what has previously taken place. Thank you. National Passport Information Center Agent # 55349

Also found on cruise line web pages:

The Passport Card

 

The passport card cannot be used to travel by air outside the United States nor travel to Cuba.

U.S. citizens may present a limited-use, wallet-size passport card. The passport card will only be valid for land and sea travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region and Bermuda.

Last summer we did this trip from DFW to Seattle to Vancouver to Victoria and back. The terminals in Canada are not close to the either city. From Vancouver, you board the Ferry in Tsawwassen. The Butchart Gardens are outside of the city. You will probably spend more than $100 CAD on taxis if you objective is to accomplish this in one day.

 

My sons are piano players so we had to stop at the beach for them to take turns playing the piano on the beach.

We gave up on the Gardens. Called them and May is the month they transition from Spring to Summer and not much to see at least according to the folks there we talked with.

Depends on who you ask. I wouldn’t want to risk it and would just get the booklet version and know I’m safe than find out I’m not. Plus I’m flying into Vancouver anyway so need that regardless.

 

 

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If we do not fly out of Vancouver, it will be about a $500 savings - no renewed passport, cheaper air back home from Seattle and a nonstop flight to boot. The nonstop part really makes us happy since it will be a 4 hour trip instead of a 10 to 17 hour trip with one or more stops. We are still waiting on email confirmation that all we need is the passport card. Most of the references that this thread has provided and others I've found indicate that only the card is needed if not flying out of or into Canada. Yes, I could call RCI, but a phone conversation is hardly hard evidence. We would much rather spend the coin on excursions and sight seeing.

Per the US Government: The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

 

 

It cannot be used for international air travel (I.E. from Vancouver to Seattle by air). It can be used to go from the ship to Canada.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Passport_Card

also https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/999/~/information-about-u.s.-passport-cards

 

 

I've sent several email request out and am still waiting for answers. Thanks all.

I would be very uncomfortable traveling with just the passport card. If there was an emergency you would not be able to fly with just the card. I have both the card and book. I would use ithe card on a day excursion or if I lost my passport book, as it contains my information.

We do not ever plan to fly over any international border to enter that country. Fly Houston to Fairbanks, then cruise on ship into Vancouver. We have no need for the book and even in an emergency, we will be just miles from the border so a land crossing would work. We are wanting to avoid spending the $260 for a book we will never use. That's why we are exploring the options to take the car, train or bus to Seattle. That will also save us some cash. Also a nonstop from Seattle to Houston can be had for as little as $99. It's simply a win-win for us - having no need ever for a passport book.

I consider weight a very important consideration. Especially if you'll be carrying them around on your neck most of the day. Someone mentioned the Canon 10x30 IS. While they are excellent binoculars optically and structurally, keep in mind they have low light grasp (30mm objective) and weigh 21oz. A non IS pair the same size (10x30) might weigh only 9oz. I will repeat that in my opinion any binocular 10x or over needs IS or a tripod. Clearly a tripod is out of the question for portable, quick use, so the IS (and extra weight & cost) clearly is on the wanted list.

We have passport cards. Read that we need to renew to passport book ($131/each). Our cruise ends at Vancouver, Canada from a start in Fairbanks. Looking to rent a car and explore Victoria, Vancouver, & Seattle. If we are crossing to U.S. by car and will get a flight from Seattle to home (Texas), will not the passport cards be all we need? Having a difficult time finding this info online. Anybody share info on this and maybe a contact email for customs or border immigration?

Well, have not heard back from customs but all I've read on their web pages indicate driving back to U.S. we will only need the cards not book. Now if I can just find a rent car that I can pick up in Vancouver and drop at Seattle Tacoma Airport!!

STRANGE! The heart icon is supposed to say less than 30 ??

Where I live, the wait might be <30 minutes unless on a busy holiday weekend. And no charge to make the crossing - run by the highway dept. - taxes pay for the service. Things sure seem different in Canada. Heck, I'm even finding it difficult to rent the car - either not available or sold out. When making the call to the rental services (Hertz and others), after ~15 minutes on the phone, find out car has to come back to pick up location. Maybe just get off ship ASAP, then get to Seattle (out of Canada) ASAP. Still looking at options - pricing, time required, etc.

We were looking at Adventure Bound Alaska out of Juneau to Tracy Arm. They are mostly an up close glacier tour but they have many whale pix on their web pages. Their tour is an all day thing and it looks like they board about 15 minutes b4 our ship gets in. I've sent them two inquiries with no response. They do get very high reviews - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g31020-Activities-c55-Juneau_Alaska.html