Langley Cruisers

Well, you know I had to look it up.... 😉

https://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/victoria/sights-and-flavors-of-victoria-230043

Trust me and others, I'm actually glad you won't be going as this can all be done for less money and you'd probably get more enjoyment out of it doing things on your own. Four hours is not a lot of time so you'll have to plan. Additionally, you may not be able to get off the ship right at 8, but I hope it will be as close as possible.

Others have and others will reply to you, but I think your best mileage might be to use the search function for this board using "Victoria". You'll pull up lots of threads as this has been discussed many times, and many of us have given advice.

Hope you get to cruise! 😊

Some people are scared, nervous, anxious - we don't know what we don't know. I choose to extend grace in these difficult times. Everyone has an opinion and it may differ from yours. That's OK. What is right for you is not right for me, for several reasons. It's still OK.

2 hours ago, trevandange said:

I had the coronavirus so I am not afraid of it, and since I can't give it or get it, I don't want to have to wear a mask.... Nothing else to say really. 

I'm sorry you feel your comment is true. You may not reply, but for others who are reading please know that some patients ARE being re-infected.  I would beg you to please consider others and wear a mask, even though you have had and recovered from Covid (happy to hear that, by the way - sincerely). Burying one's head in the sand or turning away when you don't like the answers you get is not going to help anyone get through this pandemic. 

For me, I don't think I could even enjoy the day's excursion with this in the back of my mind. Stress can be a silent beast... creeps up on you... there is absolutely no way I would book this tour, even with the so-called promise. I mean, it's all fun and games until the bus gets caught in traffic, someone is late returning to the bus and that makes everyone late, the bus breaks down... you get the idea. 😉

23 hours ago, trevandange said:

I am not afraid. I had the 'rona. I think its overblown for most people...

Hopefully sanity will win out at some point.

Wondering if you would please explain your two comments here...

7 hours ago, leck57 said:

We have done Concierge and wouldn't waste the money again. The extras are not worth it - the binoculars were barely better than having none, and on a cruise you hardly need the afternoon canapes.

Agreed - the afternoon canapes were sad little morsels, barely edible if they had been sitting for hours until you finally got back to your cabin to eat them. 🤪 We didn't use the binoculars (wouldn't anyway), but we did order the bottle of sparkling wine and shared a toast with my sister and BIL who were traveling in another cabin. That was nice, but not worth the extra money, for us.

50 minutes ago, southernshug said:

I am looking at the Koningsdam on HAL and Solstice or Eclipse on Celebrity

Thank you. We have sailed both Solstice and Eclipse, and they are phenomenal - the food, the service, the ships themselves are fabulous. I know you would have a wonderful experience on either ship. I'm sorry I can't speak to Koningsdam but perhaps someone else may.

I could look it up, but maybe you could just mention which specific ships you are looking at? Sometimes that helps sway me. 😊

7 hours ago, TravelerThom said:

“Happy picture to lift your day”. NOT!

Even if there was a picture (which there is not), I’d like to know what would be happy or lifting my day to see a picture of 3 cruise ships with ZERO passengers?

Do you think that someone who has no food and is starving would enjoy a nice picture of food?

Wow, rough crowd. 😦 

I'm sure OP only had good intentions. Gee.

3 hours ago, dkjretired said:

You do realize that Priority boarding really only means a separate line for Concierge.  Sometimes the regular lines are shorter.   

Agreed but the Concierge greets you in line for CC class so best to go where you "should" go, I suppose.

Also wanted to say that, obviously priority check-in and boarding are not the same thing. We checked in at San Diego in Concierge Class, but were not given priority boarding. We were given a group number and waited our turn, first come first served. ~shrug~

OP brenderlou, I know you are excited about your possible upcoming cruise but I just don't see it happening. I admire your optimism but this virus is far from contained and you just need to listen to the health experts to get the real facts. Among other bad news, there are outbreaks on college campuses in all fifty states. You couldn't pay me to cruise right now.😞

29 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

they should pair Derek Hough with Johnny Weir!!!  I'd actually pay to see that one!!   But, come on.  You put a gymnast or a skater in the mix and they basically have a lock.   Johnny W has wicked artistic skills that will translate to dance.

Mmmm, no - but agree with the rest of it.  😊 JW is artistic and athletic. I think he'll do well.

Glad you are excited, I hope you get to go and are on a healthy ship. 😊 

I have not done this so cannot recommend by name, but have you researched online? What about Uber?

You guys, happy wife=happy life. We all have our opinions and he has stated she wants to stay at the QM. We don't know the circumstances... at the risk of sounding crass, perhaps it's for a very good reason like an illness. I am battling cancer and you can bet yer boots my hubby would book me in anywhere I wanted to go. 😊

Having said that, klfrodo as an alternative (which I believe you are still asking for) we have stayed at two of the hotels on Bruin Steve's short list, and they were fabulous. We enjoyed the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel and the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, both amazing and located in a good area.

Personally, I wouldn't stay there because it smelled when we did the self-tour some years ago.I don't know about the rooms, but I would assume the musty smell gets everywhere...

We just happened to see Rick Steeves' episode on cruising last night and it all came flooding back. I miss the food, the service, doing something different every day, the relaxation, the different experiences (have you seen the pilot drop off and pick up when porting in Astoria? Like a James Bond movie!!), and of course, the ocean. My husband and I just love being together and to do so at sea is just the best. 😊

1 hour ago, Auntiemomo said:

  Celebrity should consider using Vancouver as embarkation for Alaska cruises.  

While I respect yours and everyone's opinions about Seattle at this time, for the reason already mentioned earlier in this thread, many ships are simply too large to port into Vancouver on a regular basis. I believe having both Seattle and Vancouver, as co-home ports for Alaskan cruises, works well at this time (or whenever cruising starts up again).

Uber is available in both cities, which I hope you would be comfortable using as it is an excellent alternative to cabs and per-person transfers. There is loads of time to do your research, so try not to focus on shuttles to and from but more so, which areas are attractive to you (further down this board there are many threads which discuss hotels for Seattle). We have stayed twice at the Mediterranean Inn in Seattle, and it was a quick ride over to the pier in the morning. Have not stayed in San Francisco but have ported there a few times and there is nothing like the exhilaration of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. 😊

2 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

I agree that US customs should be done on US soil....

I can say with some confidence that most passengers would rather pre-clear US C&I in Vancouver for a U.S.-bound flight than to do so in the American city they land in. Makes every flight a domestic flight. Vancouver or New York? Vancouver or Miami? Vancouver or Chicago? Vancouver or Dallas? Vancouver wins every time. 

On 8/9/2020 at 9:09 PM, Tree_skier said:

I won't recommend where to stay but I will recommend where not to stay.  I would not stay at any hotel near the airport. They are all, without exception, substandard....

4 hours ago, Roz said:

I've stayed at 4 different hotels at or near SeaTac and did not find any of them to be substandard.

2 hours ago, Husky61 said:

I live near Seattle and would disagree with you that all of the airport hotels are substandard.  There are some very nice hotels near the airport.

Agreed, and I should have said this when I replied yesterday. Tree-skier, with due respect, you make it sound like there is not a Seattle airport hotel worth your time and money. I, and others, would disagree. We have stayed several times at hotels that service SEA and they were wonderful. It's disparaging to paint all the hotels with the same brush when there are many options that would do nicely.

(Having said that, again, OP is not staying at the airport so the point is moot to him/her.)

On 8/9/2020 at 9:09 PM, Tree_skier said:

I won't recommend where to stay but I will recommend where not to stay.  I would not stay at any hotel near the airport. They are all, without exception, substandard....

Cedarbrook Lodge is the exception. It is phenomenal. Not sure OP wants to be by the airport, but I felt the need to mention this after your comment.

https://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/

Are you thinking of this year to try and save the season? If so, it's a no-go as the Canadian government has banned all cruise ships until October 31, at which time, obviously, Alaska is done anyway. If you are wondering for next year, it's still a guessing game at this point.

44 minutes ago, cellfree said:

Good to know about the Scones, thank you. 

Well, don't count on the scones. It is called "Afternoon Snacks" in the Windjammer buffet (depends on your ship) and you will find different offerings each day such as tacos, hamburgers, cakes and sweets, etc. It is definitely not a proper tea service, just so you know.

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

Great suggestion! I wish cruise critic required learning how to use forms before posting.

Some members have difficulty navigating the sheer number of these boards. There are literally hundreds of boards here. 

A little grace goes a long way...