donaldsc

There are companies that do Antarctica cruises that are less expensive. We are not allowed to discuss specific TAs but there are TAs that specialize in Antarctic cruises. Go onto the WEB and find them and maybe they will be able to help you. I did a Falklands and South Georgia cruise at a reasonable price that I found with the aid of one of these specialist TAs. DON

I did not see if you are getting to Fairbanks. There are several really good museums there including the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum and the University of Alaska Museum of the North · DON

Need a whole lot more info on your plans - where, when, what kind of excursions, cruise line or private tours, how flexible you are, how important specific excursions are and a whole lot more. Lacking this information your question is not answerable. DON

One of mine does and I have booked it. Three of them do not. Also we might be able to see them from the ship and even when the ship is moving but especially when we are in port it will be useful. DON

I read the article. It is a combination of total stupidity with a total lack of any usefulness. It has not redeeming value at all.It was a waste of 5 minutes of my life that I will never get back. DON

I have an interesting question. We all are doing evening tours on our aurora cruise. Many of them start at 6 PM or 7 PM. I just checked on the Viking chat line and they said that BOTH the buffet and the dining room open at 7 PM. Is this correct? Do they have earlier start time for the aurora cruises. Would room service possibly work? Are we going to go hungry? Any thoughts? DON

I am doing an aurora cruise and I will need a tripod. Any suggestions for one that is light and easy to pack. I would like to keep my costs down as I would not use one much for most of my photography. Also and ideas for a light ball head. DON

Only if you go around asking people which side is starboard and which side is port. Just kidding and don't worry. Enjoy yourself. DON

It is a lot easier to drive to Victoria and BC as a separate trip than to drive to Sitka. Also the port times in Victoria are awful. DON

If you read your cruise contract the cruise line has no responsibility for Acts of God. Since Viking did not cause the bad weather I don't why Viking owes you anything. In fact I would suggest that you should thank Viking for protecting you from possible problems caused by the bad weather by missing the port instead of looking for compensation. DON

Inquiring or maybe just curious minds have to ask - why?? DON

My attitude would be if the only place they have keno machines is in the bar that is the place where I will play keno. If you are taking a bar seat to play your favorite game that is their problem and not yours. DON

You could also make the same case for traveling in the Bahamas from June 1 to Nov 30 because it is hurricane season. DON

I do not quite see what this has to do w the topic of the post. DON

Let me tell you why I use a TA. We are flying to Greece from Las Vegas with a change of flight in Atlanta. We have plenty of time to make our Atlanta flight or so we thought except that we are stuck on the ground for an extended period because of bad weather and it looks we might not make it. I call my TA while we are sitting on the plane waiting to take off and tell her the problem and she says she will check on alternative options out of Atlanta. When we land in Atlanta she has left us a text message and she also calls us while we are sitting on the runway waiting to taxi to our gate telling us that it looks like we are OK but she has found an alternative flight with space available just in case. It turned out that we were OK but barely but if we hadn't made our flight we had an alternative thanks to our TA. Now tell me - would your Princess CVP provide that level of service. I doubt it. DON

The biggest advantage of using a TA is you have someone on your side when something bad happens either after you book and before you leave or when you are trying to get to the cruise or when you are on the cruise. This has happened to us more than a few times and our TA has fought for us. DON

How are you going to handle the documentation and clearance from local officials if they do not have any officers in place. If you try to walk off the ship early with luggage there are also ship security people at the ship departure spot who might have something to say if they figure out what you are trying to do. Might not be as your "try to stop me" plan. DON

Our answers really do not count. Only the cruise company's answer counts. Make sure that they approve it in writing and also make sure that the people on the ship know what will be happening. DON

I have been on many small ships with only a few hundred passengers. On most of them the bartenders are very good and the drinks are fresh. On a recent 200 passenger AK cruise the margaritas were the best I have ever had. Yet another advantage of small ship cruising. DON

There are 2 really great museums in Fairbanks that you can plan to visit. DON

If they need to be entertained Azamara is not for them. If they can entertain themselves and will enjoy the ports then an indefinite maybe. I have been on several Azamara cruises and the only kids we have seen were young kids traveling as part of a crew member family. DON

Why take a "something that contains a bit of ginger" stuff. Just take 100% candied ginger? DON

Your question can not be answered w/o knowing a lot about you and your BF. I can tell you what our first 2 cruises were and they are unusual 1st cruises. They also set my cruise preferences that any small ship will always be better than any big ship to a destination and also that what is outside of the ship is more important than what is inside of the ship. Pick your ships by destination and not by ship features. 1) Lewis R French, Maine Schooner. Sailboat. 22 passengers. Build in 1871. https://schoonerfrench.com/ 2) Alaska on a small ship. Alaska Dream. 40 passengers. https://adventuresmithexplorations.com/cruises/ships/alaskan-dream/ They were among the best cruises we have ever taken. DON

The information is on Google Maps DON

Looking for parking suggestions in Vancouver. I did a search on the AK board and did not see anything useful. Google also was not much help. I know that there are lots of motel stay-and-park options but my wife wants to stay at the US side of the border on the day before the cruise and drive from there to Vancouver on cruise day. She would also like to park in a covered lot with security. Any thoughts beside the Canada Place parking lot. DON