mlbcruiser

I got the same message on a search, but the search engine on here isn't that accurate I've found over time and many searches when I KNEW for sure there were posts about whatever I was looking for since I had come across them at other times. Thanks for the comments!

Isn't that the truth?! Gotta figure out how to pack things like sweaters, jackets, "big shoes" (the type that are not sandals or flip flops), long pants, and cool//cold weather accessories and stay within the luggage wt. limits. Snow skiing has always required a lot of bulky stuff, too, but most of the time we drove to CO to ski so no baggage wt. limits or fees. I think we'll have to make our formal night clothing do double duty and just change accessories or something.

We definitely like do dine with others so perhaps we'd have a better chance of that doing early seating. Hmmmmm. We aren't the type that likes empty-ish dining rooms for sure. Perhaps we can stick with it the first night and then switch or go to anytime dining. Something to think about anyway.

Thanks for the post and I hope we get lucky with the whales, too!

Thanks so much for the tip! I think I found the same ship on a ports of call thead as well.

Just rec'd. a travel newsletter where this ship is mentioned and is being sold by large travel agency as a completely escorted style of cruise with one or more lecturers on board, someone who acts as a sort of tour host. Supposedly it has been arranged that guests take part in a people to people program. It sounds different than how it was done in the review posted above. Looks interesting but I''m hesitant to book and wonder if we would be better off waiting, though knowing how many Americans are dying to go to Cuba, by then it might be so changed we'd miss a lot! I went to high school in Tampa, FL and knew many people who were 2nd generation and a few first generation Cubans. (I would love to have some boliche and plantains right now, LOL!)

We are veterans of many cruises but only on major mainstream lines. Our first cruise was on a 25,000 ton ship so I do have an accurate idea of that size and think we'd be fine. I wasn't expecting a cruise with a whole lot of razzmataz, bells and whistles, but at least hoped for good service and organization. Frankly, almost any Cuban itinerary would probably interest us, but the cruise I saw left from Jamaica as is discussed in some older posts above.

I speak a fair amount Spanish - enough to get by decently as a tourist for sure. I'm so tempted to book this cruise for next yr. but have some concerns besides poor service on board, etc. My dh had a medical issue last fall so his walking is now slightly impaired and one arm is close to being useless. (Thankfully his mind wasn't affected.) He can walk steps and can walk up to a mile and a half, though not as fast as before. He now cannot dive or truly swim, but can go into a pool or into the ocean as long as the surf isn't rough; he wouldn't really be able to dance or hike down steep paths. I wonder how he'd do on this type of cruise? (We did visit an all inclusve in the Dominican Republic a month ago whereas normally we'd have stayed in a hotel and driven all over the place, dined out, etc. He did fine there and there was a fair amount of walking.) He doesn't use a wheelchair or cane. He could handle cobblestone streets (with care) and a flight or two of stairs.

I would very be interested to hear if his type of physical limitation would make this a tough trip for us? Hoping someone who has cruised to Cuba w/or w/out a land trip as well could comment on just how someone with my husband's limitations would do.

Thanks for any helpful input!

Small ship used by Celestyl Journeys for cultural/educational cruise. Anyone been on this ship? If so, would love to hear about your experience.

Thanks for any first hand info!

Thanks a bunch, Peety3. I wondered about our chances of seeing whales without taking a whale watching tour (we've done them in Monterrey, CA, Massachusetts and saw some off the coast of Moorea and wasn't sure we wanted to spend the $ to do another one). Our neighbors did an AK cruise in early to mid-June, twice, and said they saw them at various times while cruising, which we are hoping to do.

We have been on the Coral Princess but its been several years. Maybe due to it being the Caribbean, lines were LONG around 7 to 7:30 on that ship for anytime dining. I remember there was a dining room for set dining times and a much smaller one for anytime dining. However, the ship has probably been refurbished by now so who knows what it's like now. I can look at the deck plans further. (Actually, when I was looking at the cabin locations, there was a notation indicating one chart for deck plans prior to - I think it was - May 8 and one for after that date. So I wonder if the Coral will go into dry dock in May- ?)

Thanks again!

cruisingwithcarrie, I'm more like you and like to eat later. We've always been able to grab a slice of pizza or something if we get hungry earlier. (Also, we sail a lot on Royal Caribbean and are at their Diamond level, so we get free drinks and hor d'oeuves between 5 & 8:30. Of course, we won't get these on Princess.)

Glad to see some of you still like late seating for AK cruises.

On other cruises we don't like to have to rush and like having time to hang out on deck to watch sailaway or the sunset, THEN go clean up after a day of being (usually) IN the water or at a beach. Early dining would NEVER work for us in tropical ports. On tropical and European cruises it seems late seating is more popular than early, but I think we might find it the opposite in AK. Partially due to the time zone and partially due to the demographics - esp. at time when schools are still in session.

Glacier, thanks for the info. re: getting info. on the shore sights from the naturalist!

Good point, GUT2307. I usually don't like going to an early show but do like to at least check most shows out. Don't want to miss good scenery, though, either!

Thanks to everyone for their input!

REALLY glad I asked! Thanks so much for this info!

We ALWAYS prefer late dining in the main D.R. on cruises. Have done the anytime dining before and except when doing that just to have a night to dine w/newfound friends on board, we haven't found it to our liking. Usually there's a line and sometimes we end up dining alone when we'd rather dine with others. HOWEVER, we've never cruised in AK before.

Considerations: I am not an early riser, which is almost somewhat required if we want to do some things we are planning to do this cruise. If we stay on our Midwest time schedule, perhaps a 6 pm dinner will seem later to us. (Though usually we adapt to the true time zone we are in.)

It's been over 9 yrs. since we've cruised on Princess, so I can't recall how the shows are done. It seems to me that shows for late seating diners were not always following dinner. How are those usually scheduled w/regard to dining times?

Is there any way to gauge times we'll likely want to be out on deck to see some particularly great scenery along the inside passage in the evenings? (Mendenhall Glacier is NOT on our itinerary.)

I find myself almost answering my own question with "choose anytime dining", but my neighbor did this last June and said the lines required a long wait nearly every time. (I know we wouldn't want to dine extra early to avoid the rush!)

So - for those of you who have always preferred late dining, please report your experience and what you decided re: dining times.

Thanks for any input!

We have always cruised in warm to hot weather, no matter what continent. Therefore, I often end up wearing capris and "nice" tops in the dining rooms on non-formal nights. Sometimes sleeveless long sun dresses, too. I'm usually cold in the dining rooms (AC!). and don't really think the look of these dresses is suitable for an AK cruise, even with a shrug or shawl. My non-winter wardrobe consists mostly of capris, and while many of the tops I usually wear will work, they won't work that well with black or other basic colors you often find in winter. So - is it likely that I'll find it too cool or unusual to be wearing pastel colored capris on board in the evenings? I kind of think it will be, but am just wondering if those of you who have cruised in this area before find it appropriate to wear clothes usually worn in summer or tropical areas? (I know I am overthinking this and no one will care one way or the other, but just had to ask!)

BTW, I know that there could be days in May in AK where some may find it warm enough to wear shorts or capris - esp. inland. I'm asking about evenings onboard only.

Thanks for any replies.

Some great info. posted here!

xlxo, loved the videos! The ride and movie do remind me of something I was on at Epcot, as well as the 360 degree movie "American the Beautiful", also at Epcot - and you stand for that one, too. (Are there bannister-like things to lean against or hold on to, like at some of these types of things at Epcot?)

These videos are VERY helpful! I think we'll really enjoy it and hope we do manage to do this attraction. Thanks for taking the time to search out this video and post it.

Thanks to you all for the info. and help! Very appreciated! (Didn't think about the Senior pass but my husband will have his along because it will help us save at Denali, too.)

So how much of the Flyover Canada thing is a movie (time-wise, that is), and how much of it is the ride? I was under the impression we would be on the ride while we are seeing a movie - or something like a flight simulator experience.

Thanks for the snow update, dyeadave! Hope you save some of that avalanche snow and put it back up there in case what's up top melts before we get to see it! ;) (Hmmm. Seems I'd better check out the Emerald Lake tour!)

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and the info, rennaissancewoman101! That is what I had hoped. That way, if the weather is lousy we won't be stuck doing something we'd rather skip under the circumstances. I appreciate the help.

We haven't decided on what to do in Juneau yet, but I think we'd enjoy seeing Mendenhall Glacier and maybe riding the tram up the mt. in town for a nice view. My husband can walk about a mile to a mile and a half at most if walking on a fairly level surface most of the way.

I'm not sure how much walking is required at Mendenhall Park to get a decent look at this glacier, or if it would be worth the visit for someone with somewhat limited mobility. :confused: While I'm sure as long as there was someplace decent to sit and chill out a while, he wouldn't mind if I walked around a while, but I'd like a better idea of whether or not this would be worthwhile excursion for him?

Advice, please!

We don't have anything planned excursion-wise in Juneau (mid-May). Wondering what our chances would be if we decided upon arrival that we'd like to do a whale watching tour? I'd prefer to know the weather before deciding to go and am hoping we can grab one on the spot for less than the cruise line charges. Especially since we've done a couple of whale watching tours before - just not in AK.

Is it easy to get a cab to/from Mendenhall glacier? If so, does anyone know about how much this would cost? Will there be independent tour reps hanging around the port who offer tours there? How long does it take to get from the port to Mendenhall? I know there are buses from town that go there, but don't know if that would involve transferring to another bus or if the buses make a lot of stops (?). Would prefer to get transport that goes directly to the park.

We've done whale watching trips in other places, so if we don't do one, guess we'll just try to get to Mendenhall, walk around the near ship area of Juneau and possibly ride the tram to see the view. (Can we expect long lines for the tram? Esp. since we won't have reservations or tickets ahead of time.)

Thanks for any info!

We are sure hoping there IS snow on the mts! I read a post where someone said there was hardly any last yr. by May. About 2 mos. ago S.E. AK did not have the usual amounts of snow it normally gets by then, according to the stats at that point. But most of all I hope it's not too rainy and misty. Rain is what I wish it wouldn't do, though I realize that is probably about impossible!

Thanks everyone and I really appreciate the input. A couple of points that are affecting what we bring:

My dh's walking is a bit impaired as of last fall. That is the reason we won't be doing a lot of hiking or walks longer than 1-1 1/2 mi. Handling very uneven or steep terrain is difficult for him. (Yes, it's certainly been an adjustment as we have always done pretty active things. But you have to adapt to what life hands you!) Guess we'll stick with the Nikes and spray them with the heavy duty waterproofing spray. (I live in Clark clogs most of the time so just wearing totally enclosed shoes is a switch for me! I have Tevas I only wear very occasionally but they are sandals.) Taking into account the advice, perhaps we'll pick up some waterproof pants, leave the tags on them, and if we don't need/use them, when we return home, back to the sporting goods store they will go! I di have a Columbia rainproof (short) jacket w/a hood (question is, will it fit over a fleece jacket, L/S tee shirt and silk long underwear???) We both have fleece jackets and pullovers, plus sweatshirts. In our part of the Midwest, we get temps from below zero to over 100 degrees F. Major humidity at times, rain, snow, ice, oppressive heat, etc. The weather we are having the last couple wks. - rain, clouds, wind, sun, temps between 35 and 75 depending on the day -well, it sounds quite similar to what we should expect in AK in May!

BTW, Denali Nat'l. Park DOES open before June 1. However, the buses only run to the Toklat area (mi. 53, I think) when they first start, about May 20, and since we are doing the land tour last, we'll just make it to be able to go that far in. Of course, to go to mile 90, you have to wait - I think until June 8 or so. Good point, though.

Thanks again for the helpful and thoughtful replies!

Mid-May cruise and land tour to Denali Nat'l. Park:

Hiking boots? We'll not likely be doing any true hikes, but we will walk around in the park and in ports. We usually only wear them in snowy places anyway as they are thick enough to keep our feet dry. Plus, they are heavy so add too much weight to our luggage. Plan to be mostly in jogging style shoes. Can use spray waterproofing on those. Suitable for most outings? What about the Deadliest Catch (AK Crab Fisherman's) Tour?

Should we really waterproof our jeans? Don't want to have to buy waterproof pants we'll never use again, most likely. (My ski pants are a bit too thick w the insulation layer in them.)

Like most people, we'd like to avoid bringing tons of stuff with us and finding out we didn't need most of it. Yet if we don't bring it, we'll likely need it! :rolleyes:

Good tips, all. However, as I said, whether I like it or not, it usually works out that I automatically end up adapting (or maybe a better term would be "operating") in the time zone I am in. It'll be late afternoon Vancouver time by the time we check into our hotel. Then we hope to maybe go to Fly Over Canada, then out for dinner (by then it'll be about 10 p.m. on our body clocks though likely heading intothe shank of the evening dining time locally). After that we'll head back to our hotel. It'll take me a WHILE to settle down for the night. To stay on my home body clock, I might have to make a very concerted effort to get up earlier than necessary in Vancouver. We also prefer late seating on cruises and will have that this time. Doesn't go well with early rising, so may have to switch this time.

RE: excursions, yes, we've had a few excursions booked for a while now. Of course I avoided early ones where possible. But too many interesting activities require being off the ship by 8 a.m. or so. (The things I will do to travel!) That may not be early to many people, but it is to me!

Thanks for the suggestions!

Sounds pretty much like I thought - an advantage for those in the central or eastern time zones w/regard to being able to rise early. We don't have any super early excursions (by most standards 8:15 a.m. isn't that early), but by MINE it is! I just cannot take naps, though that seems to be my dh's specialty!

I'm usually pretty good at getting on the local schedule when traveling (even in China!) and that may be my downfall. I will have to make a concerted effort NOT to in AK so mornings won't feel so early to me. Thanks for the input!

OMG, I hyperventilate reading posts about getting off the ship at 6 or 7 a.m. for tours, etc! As a veteran of about 40 cruises, we have never cruised to AK before. Yes, I know these cruises aren't like most tropical or Mediterranean cruises (with pax still heading to breakfast at 10:30 a.m.) and know I'm in for it with regard to not having a leisurely breakfast and having to get in gear a lot earlier than usual.

Basically, my question is for those who are NOT normally early risers in general: Did those of you from time zones a few hours earlier than Alaska's find it a pain to have to be out and about that early in the ports or were you able to rise easily since 6 a.m. in AK is later in the morning where you are from?

While the park road isn't open all the way (90 something miles into the park, I think), the road will open for the first 53 miles on May 20. On that date the shuttles and tours will go to Toklat, but not to the Just mentioning this in case there is a reason you end up wanting to do your cruise tour before the very end of May. However, it's true you can't go to Eileson Visitor Center (which is supposed to be very interesting) or Wonder Lake that early in the season.