quack2

I love the whale watching in Icy Strait/Hoonah. I also like the food, shops and exhibits in the area. What I don't like is their apparent limited operating hours when ships are in town. You can't just roll up the sidewalks at 5 p.m. when some ships don't even arrive until 6 p.m. and several others stay until 11 p.m. I love the port, but it could be so much better if they stayed open later for their customers willing to drop some revenue onshore.

Does anyone know if the Warehouse Shops at Icy Strait stay open past 5:00 p.m. when there is a ship in town?

Never mind. D'oh!

I finished check-in at about 8 am PDT yesterday and E-docs were accessible this morning when I got up at 6 am. Not quite the same level of excitement compared to receiving a document package in the mail in the olden days.

To where?

After checking in online, how long does is normally take until you can access your e-docs?

Outside. Preferably on a promenade deck.

Last year, the bellman advised checking only those bags without fragile stuff inside. I carried my camera bag through security and onto the ship where my big bag was waiting in my room. Nice service from a great hotel.

How much? A lot.

Kenai will as well.

I agree that both companies are excellent.

I'm looking to do the same thing after debarking the Spirit on June 28. Kenai Fjords 8 hour visit to Northwestern Fjords. Then to Anchorage on the train. Will be a long day. I've done the 6.5 hour tour several times before . This will be a first on the longer tour. Only problem I can see is getting from cruise terminal to Kenai Fjords offices to store my bags. I trust shuttles will be running. It's walkable but I'd rather not.

On the Spirit, arriving in Valdez on June 27. It appears we are docking at the CON terminal, which is a (paid, grrrr) shuttle ride away from downtown. I'm taking the Best of Valdez bus tour. Will it pick up and drop off at the CON terminal? Can I get dropped off in downtown instead and ride the shuttle back to CON? I'd like to do some exploring of downtown, if only for an hour or two.

One of my favorite excursions in Alaska. I've done both the drop-off version and the RT from Juneau version.

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Tip of the Iceberg, by Mark Adams.

In parts of the US, school librarians can be imprisoned for having the "wrong" books on the shelves. I presume Canada is far more enlightened than that.

Spirit on June 21. I have noticed that there were fewer excursions to choose from a couple of months ago and now many of those are sold out or no longer listed. I have rarely seen this in past, pre-covid years.

More and more it seems, customer service departments in all industries are doing everything they can to avoid communication with customers. My medical clinic says "don't call us, use MyChart messaging", then a few months later they say "don't message us, we're too busy". My investment company does their best to hide phone numbers and customer service email addresses. When do we stop using covid as an excuse and start getting people back to work? Not a fan of remote (non) working. This concludes my rant of the day.

I've taken a taxi from the Marriott to the train station for the early train.

Notwithstanding your Skagway plans, are there any itineraries that don't require a passport to board?

Icy STRAIT, not Icy Straight. ICY STRAIT. Sheesh.

House of Russia right on Franklin Street in Juneau. They may have changed their name after the Russia invaded Ukraine, but it still exists with a similar name that excludes "Russia". Perhaps someone who has been there this year can add to this. I can't say for certain that they are made in Alaska. I suspect not.

Let's be honest. The decision of cruise lines to drop vaccination and masking requirements was not based on public health. It's all about losing passenger revenue and placating the anti-vaxxers.

Doesn't seem like a good use of port time. But your call.