dijid

Have you considered that the gesture on your part may actually be a burden to them? You mentioned that their family moved - do they have kids that someone will have to watch during this time? Does one or both of them have to use precious vacation days to celebrate your wife's birthday, rather than spend time with family? Do you expect to pay for their shore excursions, or are you expecting them to pay for it? What about the gratuities? If they've never cruised before, they may not even know about it and be upset if they have to pay (and it could be more than they'd ever expect to pay for a birthday gift for your wife).

I think you need to talk about a lot more than telling them you're going to pay for them to get onboard, but they'll have to pony up if they want to be able to enjoy the same suite amenities you'll be getting. (Have you thought about what you'll do if they don't want to upgrade, and you either have to give up some of your perks like priority boarding if you want to be together?)

Be careful or this could end up your wife's ex-best friend. I went through a situation where after a move, the parents of one of my daughter's best friends wanted us to come visit and go to an amusement park with them for their daughter's birthday (Since she didn't have any friends in the new area yet). I jumped through hoops to make it happen and at let's just say we don't speak to them anymore.

How long ago were you on the Pearl? We also used to feel the food in the main dining rooms on NCL was of poor quality because they were trying to get people to pay for specialty restaurants. However, we just got back from the Sun doing Vancouver to Seward and were very pleasantly surprised by how good the food was in the main dining rooms. (We preferred buffets for breakfast, but MDR for lunch and dinner)

To go back to your original question, I'd break down major pros and cons of the Sun:

PROS

Itinerary on Northbound - Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier and long times in ports

Small ship - easy to navigate

Lots of open spaces - easy to find a spot to view the outdoors

Decent sized rooms (and it was more affordable than other lines)

Music in the evenings was good

Kids Program counselors were excellent

CONS

No naturalist on board - really would have liked that

Small ship - not a lot of variety or excitement if that's what you prefer

Splash Academy physical space was depressing looking (pretty much an empty room)

Older ship and showing age. Our stateroom quality was more in line with a Super 8 than even a Marriott.

We had a great time and I would recommend the Sun

Now you've got me curious, what was the difference between paperwork Set A and Set B?

Set A was for a passport renewal and used her current passport as the supporting document. Paperwork B was for a new application and required submitting birth certificate, etc. I even had to sign that one, although legally a 16yo can get a passport on their own. They both have different application forms as well.

I will never know why one was picked over the other. In the end it all worked out. We were able to print out the last of the visa application at the Ketchikan Library (take a taxi up there and walk back down if you ever go!) and then mail it FedEx from the Office Max by the Juneau airport. Used her passport card to get in to Canada and back when driving the Klondike highway.

I just spent 2 nights in Talkeetna with my husband and 3 kids and really enjoyed it. We saw the movie and spoke with people who had just summited Denali at the ranger station. Walked around the town, ate at the Talkeetna Roadhouse (and played some games there). Spent time at the river skipping stones and waiting for Denali and the Alaska range to be visible (we were successful!) Also drove up to Denali State Park and hiked around Byers Lake and spent time at the two lookouts for Denali (successful only on the south viewpoint). Saw a moose in the state park as well. We had wanted to zipline or river raft, but had spent more on the cruise than anticipated and there just wasn't money left. But somehow we found money to buy a bunch of beer tastings at the Denali Brewhouse and listen to the other patrons tell their stories of climbing Denali. (And watch them eat. One guy lost 18lbs on the mountain and was trying to put it all back on that night!)

If you're driving down to Anchorage, and have kids with you, I highly recommend a stop at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. The tiny museum, the movie, and playing with the puppies is free. A ride in a cart pulled by the sled dogs (our team had competed in the previous Iditarod) is only $10/person. Far cheaper than anything you can do in a port while cruising.

Dressing for the conditions will be key to enjoying your vacation. You don't have to be cold and wet. I live wear winter temps are often -20F. I wear what is needed to stay warm.

 

Not sure when you're going to be in Glacier Bay, but this is the forecast I found (which may change multiple times before you get there, anyway....)

 

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Glacier+Bay+National+Park+and+Preserve+AKGLBA:13:US

That link actually takes you to the (mislabeled) forecast for Glacier National Park in MT. The weather forecast for Glacier Bay in Alaska can be found here: https://www.wunderground.com/us/ak/glacier-bay-national-park If the temperatures really were in the 70s at Glacier Bay, we'd have some seriously melting glaciers!

We're back and the rain wasn't as much of a problem as we thought it would be. We got poured on unexpectedly in Vancouver and discovered that my and my daughter's "waterproof" rain coats weren't so. (They're the same brand. Had always held up in the rain but not so in a downpour.)

The days in ports all worked out. We seemed to get lucky and get most of our biggest sightseeing out of the way in between the periods of rain. Timed the drive in Skagway perfectly, as it rained on us only as we were returning. Got to walk around the town without many other people, too, as they'd gone back to the ship by then.

However, my husband and I felt the scenic cruising of the Inside Passage was severely hampered by the lack of visibility caused by rain at times. And we both feel the rain made the huge expense of renting a car to drive from Seward to Anchorage a waste of money. It was pouring most of the drive and we couldn't see squat. We had planned to take our time and stop at scenic places along the way and do some hiking. We stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and it didn't take long before we were miserable, despite dressing appropriately. It was windy, which made us cold and wet and we'd all stayed up too late the previous night. We just wanted to get the drive over with at this point and ended up going to the Anchorage Museum, which we enjoyed very much. The skies cleared the next two days, though, and we got excellent views of Denali, which made driving up north worth it. We were surprised at all the mountains surrounding Anchorage when we returned to fly home, as we hadn't seen anything other than just gray the day of disembarkation.

I was on the same sailing as 3Flufflies and had a similar experience. I thought the smell was strongest at embarkation. I occasionally got a whiff on a staircase, but never in the theatre or while eating and I had breakfast in The Great Outdoors most days.

Was on the May 30th northbound. Everyone in my family went for a swim except me. One pool was freezing cold, another tolerable. hot tubs err comfortable and not overly hot. My oldest daughter spent a surprising amount of time in the pool and hot tub and didn't get sick.

I'm trying hard not to get down about the forecast, but it's hard. We leave in hours and in most stops, they're predicting the rainfall amounts. Not just if, but how much. A light occasional rain I can handle, but the forecast in some parts is steady rain with an accumulation of 3/4". Not to mention it will be freezing temps and snow up to 1" for Glacier Bay day. We will make the most of it, but I know from experience that being constantly cold and wet doesn't make for a fun vacation.

Can you email me also: dijid3 - at - yahoo - dot - com

Thanks!

My kids aren't so little any more, but we're still planning to rent a car in Juneau and visit the salmon hatchery here: http://www.dipac.net/ Looks like it would be a good place to visit with younger ones, too. And then with the car you can easily get to/from Mendenhall Glacier and not have to worry about the timing of the shuttles.

Thanks, tree.star, that's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I live in the northeast, but that doesn't mean I like the cold. I really don't do well when cool/cold is coupled with wind - it goes right through me.

If wind is a problem for you, I'd highly recommend getting a wind-proof fleece jacket, or wind-proof shell. For regular day-to-day life and not just Alaska. I picked up a wind-proof fleece at REI this winter and have worn it a ton. Recently purchased another one because I'm tired of sharing with my daughters who wanted to use it all the time as well. I'm planning to take this to Alaska with my waterproof raincoat. The two are thin and easy to pack and surprisingly warm together. Figure with a hat and a long underwear shirt underneath, I'll be good for even the Glacier Bay day.

We ended up driving (~8 hours round trip) to our nearest Passport Agency yesterday to get an expedited passport card. They processed everything and it should be mailed out today and in our hands in about 3 days. This way we don't have to change our plans in Skagway, and can mail the passport in with the visa application from Vancouver if need be. We did not use an expediter because there wasn't consensus on what paperwork was needed. Two calls to CIBT got me two different answers. I ended up taking "paperwork set A" and "paperwork set B" with me to the agency. At the first window, the lady told me "set A" wasn't right and went and talked to a supervisor, who agreed we should switch to "set B." At the next window, the agent told me "set B" wasn't right and I needed "set A." (This whole situation was as clear as mud.) I informed him of the conversation at the previous window, and after he talked to the supervisor, he accepted "set B" and we were on our way home.

So the basic plan is to fly to Vancouver using the passport. At some point after that, the passport will be surrendered with the visa application, but the passport card will allow her to board the cruise (if passport has been surrendered) and let us drive to Emerald Lake and bake when we're in Skagway. IMO it wasn't a waste of money, but a decent price to pay for peace of mind knowing that we can get the visa application in on time without having to change the vacation plans.

Thanks for the quick replies. Good to know that she doesn't need it in Seward. ALthough I think to play it safe, we are going to expedite a passport card. I called CIBT and while it isn't cheap, it's actually not as big of a deal to get the passport card than to get a second passport. As a bonus, we'll still be able to drive to Emerald Lake, as the passport card is sufficient for the border crossing by land.

Do you need your passport to debark a one-way cruise from Vancouver to Seward? Would a passport card work?

A while back I posted this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2338652&highlight=passport about my daughter having to surrender her passport for a visa application. Well, the plan to get the second passport just fell apart, as the visa invitation letter won't be ready for 3 (more) weeks. Which falls when we are on our cruise. To make the timing work, the coordinating agency wants us to submit everything from Juneau when we are there. In doing so, we know we would not be able to drive to Emerald Lake the next day in Skagway. We're fine with that.

What worries me is whether we'll need to show her passport to debark in Seward. We've got a flight from Anchorage that goes to Atlanta, so that part isn't a problem and has been confirmed with the Airline that the passport isn't needed. NCL's website doesn't address this, and the person I spoke to today couldn't figure out what documents anyone needed, yet alone specifically for debarkation. (The answer was, "It would be best if she had it at disembarkation." When pressed, she couldn't give an actual yes or no, and neither could her supervisor)

If it makes a difference, she is 16yo. I know that minors under 16 traveling across the border to Canada via train or car only need a birth certificate if they're with parents, but at 16 you need a passport, passport card or enhanced driver's license.

I still have time to get an expedited passport card if that would work for dearkation.

Hmmmmm, things are getting alittle more clear now......Had NO idea they GOT anything.

Kind of defeats the purpose of Doing the M&G out of the goodness of your heart. :cool:

I think most people do it out of the goodness of their hearts; feel like it's time to give back a little for all the times you've been just an attendee. Although it can also be because of let down in the past and you know that you will actually follow-through with things.

Delta seems to change flights more than any other airline out there. Happens to me all the time. What I've learned, is that if I'm unhappy with the changes, Delta will usually let you switch to something else without any fight. Doesn't have to be same connecting airport, or even same day. So take a look at all the flights originating in YVR and ending at your final destination that day. We got the cheapest tickets to YVR for our upcoming cruise, which had us changing planes twice. After Delta changed our flights, I was able to get us all on the one-stop, most direct flights, without having to change in Seattle.

I've also only seen Passports accepted for transit on the Klondike Highway (likely what the op meant and not "Yukon" Highway).

Passport card is acceptable for land crossings between US And Canada. (Also acceptable for sea crossings, but not relevant to Klondike Highway)

National Park Service Website about Chilkoot Trail says Passport Card is acceptable https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/bordercrossing.htm. So does the Milepost (I have a copy at home) several tour company and cruise line's descriptions of some of the excursions in Skagway.

I second the CIBT recommendation. When I used it for a business trip, they turned around my passport for a China visa in a matter of days. There was an additional charge to expedite the visa process.

Thanks for this - and to peety3 for sharing your experience. I looked at CIBT and it does not appear that they do student visas for the country she is traveling to. I will ask the organization that is taking care of the visas if it is possible for us to pay an expediting fee. It's tricky because we don't do anything for this program other than hand over the passport. They do the visa application, make the travel arrangements, etc. It's hard having the timing of everything be completely out of your control!

It is possible to have two passports for this very type of thing. My husband was living in China for a period of time and is a U.S. citizen - he was allowed to have two passports so that if one was away for visas he still had one to travel with.

Thank you for this information! I looked it up and it seems that as soon as she surrenders her passport for the visa, we can turn around and apply for the second passport. It won't be cheap (because at that point we will have to expedite the passport application) but less expensive than my original Plan B.

So now this is my new Plan B. Looks like this one will definitely work without any question.

Posts about wine always make me laugh. There have been many, many studies that have shown there is very little difference between wine that are labeled as "cheap", and the "expensive" wines. It's also funny because people think they are being fancy, but 9/10 they would be fooled by a blind taste test.

While the average person may not be able to distinguish the difference between a $15 and $40 bottle of wine, the average wine drinker can distinguish between a Cabernet and a Pinot Noir or between a Pinot Grigio and a Chardonnay. There is a huge difference between types of white wines and types of red wines. The average wine drinker can also distinguish between the bottom-of-the-barrel NCL offerings and any decent bottle of wine. That's why the issue being discussed here is that NCL no longer offers individual glasses of many types of wine and that diminishes both the drinking and dining experience for some.

why do you need a visa?

It's not for this trip. She was awarded a scholarship for a study abroad opportunity and needs to hand over her passport as part of the visa application. We aren't sure of the timing of the application and whether she will have it for our family vacation. While it's likely she'll have her passport for our family vacation, it's not a guarantee, so I need a backup plan.

A travel forum is the last place you want to go for this type of vital information. You have no idea if the advice you receive here is correct or not. What will you say at the border " well, cruise critic people said it was ok."

Seriously, for something this important you need to go directly to the source. Otherwise you might be left behind at the airport or at the pier.

 

For border crossings you need to look at the Canada and US requirements. The child's age is a critical factor.

 

Beyond that if you have concerns, you need to talk to the various vendors NCL, train, etc) about THEIR requirements which may or may not be more strict than the govt.

 

Canada

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ivc-rnc-eng.html

 

US

http://www.cbp.gov/travel

 

But please do not rely on information from this forum. I can't speak for other cruiselines, but I know that for EVERY HAL sailing out of Seattle, someone is left behind because they don't have proper documentation (or arrived late). Don't risk it.

I've researched it as best I could online, and was hoping that someone who posts here would be able to say that they used a passport card in similar situations. Calling NCL is worthless. I could call three different times and get three different answers. They are notorious for handing out wrong information. Everything I've read says that land crossings and cruises work with a passport card. I'm just looking for a person who has had that experience.

One of my children may not be able to have their passport with them on our NCL Sun cruise (Vancouver to Seward) as they need to hand it over to apply for a visa.

So I'm working on Plan B and want to make sure it would work. I apply for a passport card ASAP (cruise is 7 weeks away). Flights for child and I get changed so we fly to Seattle instead of Vancouver. We then take the train across the border to meet up with the rest of the family. Cruise with the passport card. Use passport card when driving Yukon highway. Flights back flies nonstop Anchorage to Atlanta, so no issues there.

Am I missing something that would cause this not to work? Any other options? Thanks.

Maybe I'm weird. I just don't understand what makes Johnny Walker Blue better tha JW Black. They both taste like whiskey and both will get someone drunk. Is it just being able to say "hey I only drink this super expensive stuff"? I mean, sure, fancy Mac and cheese with truffles is good, but I can eat Kraft dinner and be just fine.

Not everyone drinks to get drunk. Some people have a favorite drink that they choose because of the taste. As I've gotten older, I've learned how good pairings of wine and food can enhance the dining experience. So a reduction in available wines (or brands of a particular liquor) do diminish the value of the UBP for some.