Suzanne123

The kayak tour and hiking tour were a lot of fun. https://beyondak.com

Thank you for posting. I just made reservations for our river cruise in the fall.

I have strayed at both the Marriott and AC at Dania Pointe several times. They are both very nice and I would stay there again.

We are booked for the March 30th Circle Japan. These are the tours listed for the last day.

I think Skagway is the better port for hiking, and Ketchikan has more opportunities for totem poles and native Alaskan history. The “Rainforest Hike” in Ketchikan that the cruiseline sells is really just a stroll through the forest with quick stops to see a totem pole and caged reindeer and raptors, so not really a hike, but it is a nice way to spend the morning. I thought it was geared more to kids and seniors. Just FYI, for hikes in Ketchikan https://www.alltrails.com/lists/ketchikan-ak

I did the exact same itinerary on Celebrity Millennium in 2022.

https://sunseekertours.com/our-tours/cruise-terminal-tours/

I made a reservation on board yesterday for Circle Japan 3/30/25 and my AARP and shareholder obc have already been applied to my invoice .

Thanks!

Sorry, I meant from the airport to the hotel.

I’m staying here tomorrow. Can you tell me if I have to call for their shuttle, or are they continually making the loop from the hotel? Long wait? Thanks.

I’ve done this trip more than five times with HAL and Princess, and I’m booked again for May. Very nice. https://www.stepintoalaska.com/excursions/whale-watching-mendenhall-glacier-photo-safari/

Thanks so much for the link!

I have always wanted to visit Antarctica, but stories about the storms of Drake Passage scare me to death. 30 ft waves?! Anyway, I am considering the “Fly the Drake” cruise with Lindblad. “Get a head start on your Antarctica experience by flying across the Drake Passage from Puerto Natales to King George Island, landing at the Chilean research station which permanently operates there.” So my question is if the winds/weather are bad at sea ( Drake Passage), would that not make flying really turbulent, too? Thanks.

I am considering the Fly the Drake cruise with Lindblad. They have 2 hour flights over the Drake Passage, then board the vessel in Antarctica for 5 or 6 days, and fly back. If the winds are bad at the Drake Passage, would that not make flying even worse than the ship for turbulence?

I’m so sorry that this happened to you. I have had more than a few “bad” taxis in FLL, so I wait for an Uber or book a shuttle. I think you’re correct. They prey on older solo travelers. No need to feel ashamed or embarrassed. You are not the problem. 😊 Thank you for the warning.

I spent about $50 on laundry last fall on the Moselle, but that allowed us to take just carry-ons and no checked luggage. Laundry was returned the same day or the next morning. Very neatly done. We mainly ate dinner upstairs at the buffet. The one thing that surprised me was the noise level in the mdr in the evening. More like a high school cafeteria than what I remembered from the cruises prior to last year that featured a more traditional, quiet, dinner. There was a made to order breakfast menu that had French toast and pancakes for sure ( I had them ), and a couple other options that I don’t remember. We are booked for October, so I’m curious to see if the noisy dinners were just an anomaly. As far as advice, I think Avalon is a great choice. They really take care of everything. Boats are beautiful and staff are exceptional.

I’ve stayed at Kenai Princess Lodge several times ( not on a land tour), and it’s very nice. Not fancy, but the rooms are clean, fairly large, and the food is good at both the main dining room and the smaller bar area. The view from the deck overlooking the river is beautiful. There is a small gift shop. You can walk down a steep hill to the river, but sometimes they will have a bear sighting, so be careful. 😳. Their web site just shows the main building, but the smaller cabins are arranged in rows around that. Kenai Princess is not near anything, but if you’re on the land tour, you probably don’t need anything. They do offer excursions.

Once we made it to Nugget Falls. Another time we went to the left and walked down to the beaver dam, but the last two times we walked on the mountain above the glacier to see how it has receded and ended up at the visitor’s center.

You probably mean Juneau, not Ketchikan. Anyway, it depends on whether you want to include a salmon bake. 😊 I’ve done 20+ whale watches in Juneau from the old 6 passenger Harv and Marv ( They called it the “Harvendam” back then ) to the evening whale watch with 100 passenger Allen Marine including a buffet. I think Allen Marine runs the Orca Point salmon bake. https://allenmarinetours.com You can save a few bucks using Juneau Whale Watch or one of the kiosks where you dock in Juneau. Their boats are perfectly fine. Not too big or too small. You might get a trail bar or some Oreos, but no salmon bake.😊 https://www.juneauwhalewatch.com My favorite, and we’re doing it again in May, is the Gastineau Guiding Mendenhall glacier and whale watch photo safari through the cruise ship. https://www.stepintoalaska.com/excursions/whale-watching-mendenhall-glacier-photo-safari/ You are going to see whales no matter which boat you choose. As soon as one captain sees a whale, he’s on the radio to other boats, and it’s not rare to have six or more boats of all sizes converging on the same area. It’s always exciting walking down that ramp to your boat in Auke Bay. Hope you see lots of whales. 😊

I’ve done this excursion several times, with and without the cruise booking. IIRC, there is one boat, Aleutian Ballad, that goes out twice a day. If you book directly, go down to the boat and pick your seat before the cruise crowd arrives.

On ours in 2025 they did drop Homer, but they added Glacier Bay in addition to Sitka.

Years ago, I took a river cruise ( German line) in France, and as part of their version of a “cruise personalizer” I was asked for my travel insurance name and contact information so that the cruise line could help quickly if they could not contact my emergency contact in the US. I thought that was great idea. I wish there were some place to register that information with Guest Relations on an ocean cruise.

Thanks!

Can someone clarify the itinerary for the 7 day March 24th sailing on the Caribbean Princess? The map doesn’t match the daily schedule. Cozumel or Grand Turk?