donaldsc

As per Nini's post you should repost on the AK board. However I have done numerous AK trips and while the city of Anchorage may not be really worth it there is lots of stuff in and around Anchorage that is worth it. I have never done a round trip AK trip and would never do so in the future but I have done one way cruises. DON

If specific tours are a necessity it is always better to book ahead of time and not on the ship. This also gives you an opportunity to discuss your problems w your TA or travel consultant ahead of time. DON

Wines change from cruise to cruise. Any specific list of wines will be useless. DON

I would ask the cruise line about this before I got onto the ship. You don't want to have a problem and have to haul all the stuff home. DON

You left off your espresso machine. Don't laugh. There was a recent post that I read somewhere that a couple tried to bring their full sized espresso machine on the ship. DON

Missed the quotes. Sorry. DON

They are not tame. They are human habituated. There is a difference. " the process of people or animals becoming used to something, so that they no longer find it unpleasant or think it is a threat: Increased sightings of coyotes are the result of habituation, as coyotes become accustomed to humans and unafraid of them." DON

https://northpacificcannery.ca/. Also there is also a great museum in town. We spend 2 or 3 days in Prince Rupert when we got off the Alaska Marine Highway ferry in Prince Rupert on our AK driving trip. Loved the place. DON

We were in Australia a few years back on a land trip and we did a 10 day or so outback tour. Most of the people on the tour were Australians but there were 4 Americans - us and another couple. We did not want to be the ugly American in either a positive or negative sense so we asked the Australians what the tipping protocol was. Remember this was a 10 day tour so we were close to the 2 guides for an extended period. The Australians said that the guides were well paid so no tips were necessary but buying a few rounds of beer at the last day would be a nice gesture. We did not tip but we did [ay for some beer. None of the Australians tipped. The other American couple tipped. DON

I would say that this was our experience exactly. DON

We are now on a Viking cruise. We have been tipping $5 for the 2 of us for one of their 2 - 3 hour tours and we just tipped $10 for the 2 of us for a very good 6 hour tour. Because the driving was very difficult we also gave the driver $5. I saw some people who tipped $2 or $3 for this tour. IMHO they should be ashamed of themselves.. DON

We took the bus. DON

He almost certainly knocked and you did not respond because you were sleep, Since you did not respond he assumed that the cabin was empty and came in to do whatever he had to do. You could have just woken up and asked him to come back later, This could happen on any cruise line. You are over VERY much over responding. Did you actually "run" him out of the cabin? What did you think that he was going to do to you? DON

I asked them and they confirmed in writing that they will. However as you suggest I have my doubts. Plan B is to go to the airport and read. I have plenty of books on my Kindle. I will report on CC when I return. It is obviously easier for them to do it on a river boat with only a few passengers as opposed to a much larger cruise ship. DON

One learns something new everyday. Thanks. DON

Are you sure about that? I have been to Deception Bay and I do remember the volcano and sitting in a hot pool and also remnants of a whaling station but I do not remember a Chilean research center. My trip was maybe 12 years ago so this may have changed. However this is a list of the Chilean research stations from Wikipedia and it does not show Deception Bay. DON al List of Chilean Antarctic Bases: Name Country Location Type Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Chile King George Island P Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme Chile Antarctic Peninsula P Base Capitán Arturo Prat Chile Greenwich Island P Base Professor Julio Escudero Chile King George Island P Estación Polar Científica Conjunta "Glaciar Unión" Chile Union Glacier S Base Yelcho Chile Doumer Island S Base Doctor Guillermo Mann Chile Livingston Island S Base Presidente Gabriel González Videla Chile Paradise Bay S Base Carvajal Chile Adelaide Island S Refugio Julio Ripamonti Chile Ardley Island S Refugio Luis Risopatrón Chile Robert Island S Refugio General Jorge Boonen Rivera Chile Duse Bay S Refugio Collins Chile Collins Bay S

This is not relevant to an Azamara cruise but we did a Viking riverboat cruise last fall. We had to vacate our cabin by 8 AM but our train to Paris did not leave until 2 PM. They said that we could stay on board until it was time for us to leave for the train station and even have lunch on board or else leave the luggage on board and wander around Lyon and then come back to pick up our luggage. We chose the former. We are leave on a Viking ocean cruise tomorrow and we have the same problem as our flight out of Puerto Rico does not leave until 4 PM. I asked Viking if they have the same policy on their cruise ships and they said that they do. We shall see. DON

Was it loud enough to complain to the hotel about this issue? DON

Knowing that Lada Lada was going to be on the cruise would make it absolutely certain that I would cancel. DON

Neither. Coral is correct about Juneau which is were we did it. Other people on CC have said that Icy Strait is also a good place to see whales. DON

You have to be kidding. Please tell me that you are not serious about your question. DON

For some people a $99 per night inside cabin on Carnival is what they are looking for. For others a several thousands of dollars per night in the owner's suite on a luxury cruise line is their style of cruising and if they can't have the owner's suite they won't cruise. They are both right. You pay for what you want for what you can afford. There are lots of adventure cruises that go to inhospitable and difficult-to-get-to places that cost as much as $40,000 for a 10 to 12 day cruise. I would gladly take one of those cruises if my budget and more important my wife would let me do it. DON

What is so silly about the idea. I think that it is great idea. Often my wife wants to watch something on TV in the cabin and I am not interested in what she is watching. I would not be able to avoid the annoyance of the picture but at least I would not have to be bothered by the sound. DON

Are you seriously considering flying Southwest? Just ask the people that Southwest sc****ed if they would ever fly on that airline again? DON

The moderator may feel that he has to delete this and I know the rules about recommending TAs. However a Google search will lead you to TAs that do only Antarctica cruises. That is how I booked my Falklands and S. Georgia cruise a few years ago. They will be able to answer all of your questilns if you find the right Antarctica TA. DON