kwb101

And perfect for one person without the outrageous single supplement for a Vista!

Quite so: the increase for the lanai over an ocean-view is considerably less than the difference between a lanai and a verandah or other suite. We thought it was a good compromise, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, the field of view from a deck chair (or the cabin's glass) is considerably wider than a verandah or other balcony cabin that has privacy walls.

That is correct. The lanai & outside cabins on Lower Promenade are both smaller than the outside cabins on the lower decks, however.

Good info. The cabin wasn't spacious, but we considered it snug and cozy :)

I agree. I have visited friends lanai cabins and they are much smaller than an ocean view on the same deck. Now THAT would be cause for claustrophobia 😎 Also seems the reserved chairs stay vacant most of the time.

We had a lanai cabin in June on Volendam, and, as far as I know, lanais were ocean-view cabins with the outside door added, so there's no size change. Also, they have been rearranged (bed moved to middle of cabin, loveseat and desk moved to by the door), so may seem smaller because of this.

We really enjoyed our deck chairs, and appreciated that our fare included having these reserved for us. It was one of best perks of the cabin. I didn't see too many others in lanais using the chairs, but that may have been because it was an Alaska trip, and others may not have liked the cool weather...but that didn't stop us. I suspect they'll be much more heavily used in warmer climes.

We were on the Volendam at the beginning of June in a lanai cabin, and had the same experience: a couple of crew members cleaned and primed the railing one day, then repainted the next. The fume were quite strong, but there was a breeze, which helped to mitigate it. We had to abandon our deck chairs for a bit while the smell dissipated.

When do you buy shore excursions either private or through the ship.

 

My husband and I are going on a cruise through the canal in November with another couple. I have already bought excursions in 3 ports and one of the tours is private through our roll call, but my friends want to wait until they are on the ship to buy anything.

 

What does CC members do?

 

Thanks

Lynn

We're new to shore excursions, and are going through the Panama Canal next spring. Can you recommend where we can find info on private tours? Thanks!

Contrary to what it says in all the docs, there was no overweight cost last month - and our rep told us so when we were there. However, I suggest you don't accept that for your particular flight, unless you are told so - and don't overdo it!!

We sweated the weight problem beforehand, and weren't able to get a straight answer from HAL in advance (and I tried twice). We were much relieved with the solution once we were there.

Also, despite in-advance info to the contrary, we weren't able to send one any luggage ahead of us to the ship, so had to take that with us on land as well.

HAL needs to correct this info discrepancy.

Good luck!

By the way, I forgot to mention one important thing: both the Air North web site and HAL's "2017 Alaska Land+Sea Journey" tips doc (p6) say that there is a limit for number of pieces of luggage (2) and total weight (Air North 44 lbs, HAL 50 lbs), plus one carry-one of no more than 13 lbs. Our Journey Host said that because it was a charter flight, HAL would cover any overweight costs (Air North says it charges $1/lb for this).

It was a great relief to learn this, even though we were already in Alaska when we did.

Good luck!

My wife and I flew from Fairbanks to Dawson on May 29 (Memorial Day) as part of our Y2L itinerary, and were told it was a charter for HAL. We had no docs beforehand, and the Air North ticket counter staff had a list of our names when our group got there. All we did was show them our passports and we got our boarding passes. I don't think we had reserved seats, and the cabin crew asked that everyone sit as much to the rear of the plane as possible.

Hope this helps, enjoy your flight: the scenery was gorgeous.

My wife and I completed our Y2L journey on June 7. It's the same itinerary as Y3L but with an extra night in Denali and two nights in Skagway. We sailed on the Volendam in a lanai cabin.

According to HAL's Alaska brochure, you will take the Tundra Wilderness Tour on your only full day in Denali. It's fun, but a long ride (about 8 hours). After it's over, you may want to go back to the park's visitor center and sled dog area. At the end of our TWT, we got off the bus and walked across the highway from the main lodge building to Prospector's Pizza. It was very good, and seemed to be a local watering hole, much friendlier than the two restaurants at the lodge.

Our flight from Fairbanks to Dawson left at 11.20 and arrived about 2 (there's a 1-hour time change). We visited the Dawson City Museum (down the street from the hotel), and it was well worth the time. They had a very good video of a professional film about Dawson made in the late '50s, and some interesting artifacts. We had dinner at the Aurora Inn, one block down from the hotel, and one of the best meals we had on our trip. The next day you'll take a 90-minute riverboat ride and have the rest of the day free. My wife enjoyed walking to the cabins of both author Jack London and poet Robert Service, about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. She also enjoyed to the Cultural Center. There are plenty of places to see in Dawson.

You won't have much time in Whitehorse: we left Dawson about 8.45 and didn't arrive until almost 5.30. You won't have much time to see anything there, sadly. We would've like a day to explore.

On the way to Fraser, where you'll board a train, you'll stop in Carcross. You won't have much time, but do explore the shops next to the parking lot. They're tucked in behind the building with the restrooms. My wife went over there and was glad she did.

I'm not sure how much time you'll have in Skagway. We arrived about noon, and I think your ship will depart about 9, so you may have the afternoon available. The National Park Service has several buildings to visit, and conducts free 45-minute walking tours throughout the day. However, you should book them online: I think there's a very nominal fee to pay for the booking site. You can also pay $5 to see Jeff Smith's saloon (he was the town boss, and a notorious boodler), which is narrated by a ranger. We booked our tours on May 9 (we arrived in Skagway June 1 for two nights), and the June 2 free walking tours were almost full (however, we were the only ones on the Jeff Smith tour).

Our bus driver tipped us off about the Skagway Museum, a gem that wouldn't be out of place in a big city. It's at 7th & Spring Streets, about four blocks from the hotel. It's not very big, but it's beautifully done, and has a very nice compact museum store, where I bought too many books. Fortunately, there's a post office on Broadway where you can get USPS flat-rate boxes and mail things home. (The Fairbanks hotel gift shop also sells these flat-rate boxes plus a $7 handling fee, well worth it to lighten or un-bulk your luggage.)

Except for dinners in Denali and Dawson (noted above), and one dinner in Skagway (at Starfire, a Thai restaurant), we ate in the hotel restaurants. The food and service was generally very good (save our overdone fish in Whitehorse), and my wife was very pleased with an unusual breakfast option in Skagway: you could get any one hot buffet item for $4. She likes just oatmeal and avoids buffets, so this saved quite a bit on the bill.

One last thing: I'd read quite a bit about how expensive food was in Alaska, but didn't find it to be so, quite likely because I'm from California, where food often costs more. Canada was actually cheaper. We changed $100US and got $130Cd, so our actual cost was only 75% of the Canadian menu price. If you're going to use credit cards there, check the conversion rate: our Costco Visa rate was 3%, but our credit union Visa was only 1%.

Happy travels, and good weather!