Caribbean Allan

I have one more thing to add. The owner of the fur shop in Sitka has 3 or 4 shops. Besides the one in downtown Sitka, there is one at Old Sitka Dock. Since very few ships stop at Old Sitka Dock, it is unlikely you will see that one. And I hear that it is smaller than the one downtown. His other shops are in other Southeast Alaska ports. I don't know which ones. But what I am trying to say is this: If you find your fur coat in one port in Southeast Alaska, it is likely to be the same price as in other ports in Southeast Alaska, because the shops are likely owned by the same person. So if you can afford the price, and you want it.... better buy it while you can, as opposed to "shopping for a lower price, elsewhere."

Although I am a cruiser, I just happend to be working in Sitka for two straight months, and just returned a few days ago. VennD is correct. On Lincoln street, and about a block and a half west of the Russion Orthodox Church, is a fur shop. They have many kinds of fur clothing. Everything from a $99 hat, to full sable and mink coats, boots, etc. I could imagine a woman wearing the boots in Aspen, or the coats in Hollywood. They are that good of quality. When was there, there was a $150,000 sable coat that went out the door. After that, the most expensive coat remaining was about $44,000. But if you want a fur coat, or any other article of clothing, they do have them for much less, also. Like I said, $99 hats. They have gloves, too. But only because everything is real fur, generally speaking, the clothes are fairly expensive.

I'm currently in Sitka. Although I'm normally a cruiser, I just happened to be in town for two months for work. But I think, and act like a cruiser. I'm a cruiser at heart!. I've found that for the last 6 weeks or so, including today, June 4, I'm perfectly fine with a medium-weight jacket with a zippered front. Every so often there is a day or two where I can leave it off. But usually, I am wearing it with the zipper 1/2 open. If it's cold, I zip it all the way and have been toasty. I have never felt that I needed an extreemly warm jacket. I have with me a zippered lightweight sweatshirt that I had packed, because I envisioned wearing it underneath the jacket on cold days. I haven't needed to do that yet. I have heard from the locals, that, generally speaking, Juneau is usually colder than Sitka, where I am now. I hope that helps. On Memorial Day weekend, 2017, I did go to Juneau and it just happened to be a nice, sunny day. We took a helicopter to land on Taku Glacier, which was absolutly awsome. I used the same jacket, without sweatshirt. I did not need the gloves or beanie hat that I had brought. They stayed in my pockets. The helicopter pilot, a (95 lb?), 25 year young lady pilot, did not appear to have any gloves or hat in her posession. Her pants and her widbreaker were both of lightweight materials. FYI: If you decide to go on the helicopter: We went with ERA, and they provided us with "glacier boots" to put over our regular shoes. This is their way of making sure we had non-slip footwear. And no, you do not need insulated shoes, either. At least this time of year!

Sequim88:

I am currently in Sitka for two months, ending in June 17th. I am renting a house across from the Sitka Sound Science Center. I can tell you that the entrance to the SSSC has handicap ramps, and that there are paved city sidewalks between it and the Bishop's house. If you go to the Bishop's house, you should have a person with you to help with the wheelchair. That is because the building was built prior to the current building codes. The park service has outfitted it with ramps, so you can certainly get inside. But each of the interior doorways have an elevated threshold of several inches. The park service made short, steep ramps on both sides of the thresholds, but I don't think I'd want to try to traverse them without a helper. The ramps are steep, and short. You will have no problem AT ALL, as long as you have a helper. The bishop's house is free admission, with donations requested.

I have been on many cruises, and 100% of them have been in the Caribbean / Bahamas. That being said, I will say that for two months, ending June 17. 2017, I am living and working in Sitka, AK. I have not gone on any cruise-line sanctioned excursions, here. But I HAVE seen every land-based "attraction" in Sitka. I do plan on going on two different boat/ATV excursions Memorial Day 2017 weekend. If you would like to ask me any questions about Sitka, please feel free. After all, I am an experienced cruiser, and think like a cruiser. Every other day I see cruise ships come into at least one of the three ports, and I imagine that I'm stepping off them......

In regards to the sea otters: As I'm sure you've researched, just about every single boat-related tour will show you otters. I have only seen them from land, or while walking along the docks lined with fishing boats, and only occasionally. If I look hard, I might seen one on any given day. If I'm not looking hard, I probably see at least one every few days. So, it's not like they are all over the place to be seen while walking around Sitka. It appears you have to take a boat, which I haven't done yet, but will soon, if you want to be absolutely sure to see some otters. I am currently renting a house across the street from the Sitka Sound Science Center. Sometimes, I do see an occasional whale from my living room window. But if I really wanted to see them, up close, I'd take a boat. Note: The Sitka Sound Science Center is pretty darn small, so I wouldn't get too excited about it. I won't mention the other excursions, as you can, and probably have, read up on them already. But if you have a specific question, I will be sure to answer! In the meantime, I am REALLY excited about Memorial Day weekend 2017 where I'm taking the raft trip to another island, and then will ride ATVs, and have lunch provided! The second day, I am renting a motor boat with a HEATED cabin. Open bow and back. This is a rental, not a charter, so I drive it myself. 150Hp primary motor, and then a smaller one, probably 90+hp as a backup. Only $450 for the entire day. They might have 1/2 day rentals available. I don't think I'm allowed to post the name of the outfit here, but I'm sure you can Google boat rentals in Sitka, and find it.

I am a cruiser that have taken 100% of my cruises in the Caribbean / Bahamas region. That being said, I am currently working away from home, and so I find myself in Sitka for two months, ending June 17, 2017. Although I have not taken any cruisehip-based excursions in Sitka, I have visited ALL the land-based sights and attractions on this island. So you can say that I've been on all the excursions, but without cruise ship involvement. I have not taken any water-born activities, although I have two scheduled for Memorial Day 2017 weekend. If anyone has any questions about Sitka, getting around, or any questions at all, please feel free to ask. After all, I am a cruiser at heart, and I think like a cruiser, even though, because of my work, I just happened to fly into this particular port.

So, regarding the Fortress Of The Bears: Here is my take on it. It really is nothing much more than a zoo, with the exception that instead of having a hundred different animal species, you have only two. And both of them are bears: Black bears and brown bears. In a typical zoo, you look at the bears through bars or glass. In this setting, you look down through the open top of large circular enclosures that the bears cannot climb out of. So..... if you have bears to look at in a big city zoo near your home, you could probably check this off your list. If you don't have that opportunity, (zoo near your home), well, then.... it is most definitely worth it. I would like to point out three points: 1. The bears here are ALWAYS much more active than any bear exhibit I've ever seen at a zoo. So if you want to watch bears frolic, eat food, or argue over food, then this may interest you, even if you have a zoo near home. 2. This place has both black and brown bears. The black bears are small. The brown bears are very large, with a hump on their back. The natives here, tell me that they are the exact same bears as the grizzly bears in Montana, and the Kodiak bears Alaska. They are just called different names in the different localities. 3. Another poster here, a few posts above this one, said that the concrete enclosures from a former sewage treatment facility. That is not true. They were pulp clarifying tanks from an old, now closed, pulp mill. (paper is made from pulp.)

I enjoy the mid and small sized ships. I really enjoy seeing at least some of the same people. Even if I don't talk to them, it makes me feel like we're kind of a family. After all, "we're all in the same boat". I think it's fun to get to know their personalities.... what to look for, what I like, what I roll my eyes for... just getting to "know" them. Of course, it's better when we really do talk as friends, and bump into our table mates. I've been on the Oasis and Allure, and I rarely saw, or probably should say, "noticed" more than just a very few, more than once. On the flight on the way to Ft Lauderdale, the day before the cruise, I happened to be seated next to a couple that we really enjoyed. We got to know each other a little bit. They were going on the same cruise, and we promised each other to meet up and have fun together. We never saw that couple again once we left the airport. And it was a 7 day cruise. The absolute ONLY reason we went on the sister ship, Allure, after that Oasis experience, is that we had two grandchildren and two young grown children, and we knew they'd have fun.

16 year olds get embarassed fairly easily. Do him a favor and get long pants. He will not enjoy it AT ALL if he walks to the dining room and sees girls in their prom dresses....

Many times, you will hear people suggesting to use a travel agent. For me, personally, I also heard that over and over. But I figured that i am pretty darn good, and persistant, and will take a lot of time researching to find the good deals. I did that for many years. Then, about two years ago, I decided to try the travel agent route. WOW!!! I was not aware that the travel agent was able to give me prices MUCH, MUCH lower than any advertised price that I could find, including directly from the cruise lines. Then, on top of the already well discounted price, I got shipboard credit from the travel agency, on top of the shipboard credit that the cruise line was offering. I don't believe that I am able to state here the name of the travel agency. But it was an online agency that specializes in cruises. They were able to offer the low rate, by purchasing a very large bulk of rooms at a discount, and then reselling them to the public, yet still at a discount.

For the people who like to do it on your own via the Internet: You can still do that all you want, if you like. But when it comes time to make the purchase, at least go through the travel agent to get it cheaper. In my case, I already knew the ship and sailing date I wanted. I placed the online inquiry. Two minutes lateer a lady called me on the phone. I was on my computer at the same time she was on her computer. She offered rooms, and I looked at the deck plans to select the ones I wanted. Of course, you don't have to do that. But I always select my own rooms, so that I dont' have a noisy nightclub above me, an anchor below me, or an elevator beside me. LOL.

does the $19 a day drink package include all non-alcoholic drinks of any type at the places that sell Seattle best coffee? heard there was Creek Cafe Promenade and one other place. I did found out on a previous thread that the package does not include Starbucks on the Oasis and Allure. Bummer.so now we are looking at the Seattle best places.

The $19/day drink package includes specialty coffees. Does that include Starbucks? (Allure Of The Seas.) If not, what kind of coffees, and where are they vended from?

We will be on the Allure in May. We have a total of 6 people that want to take the class. Grandma (age 55), Mom (age 28), Another female (22), and three boys: (age 1 year, 11 months; 8, and 7).

Grandma, Mom, and female are wanting to take the class for the sole reason of wanting to sit next to the children as they decorate the cupcake.

The RCI website says the Kids Class is for ages 6 and under. If so, will the 7 and 8 year olds be bored? I don't think the boys would want to sit in the adult class because it's an hour long. The kids class is a half hour long. Must the three adults pay if they are sitting next to, and helping the kids? Will a boy that is older than 6, need to pay the adult price, in this Kids Class that is designed for 6 years and younger?

Since you are looking for prices, I thought I'd throw this in: For many cruises, I've researched online and booked my own cruise directly from Royal Caribbean. I constantly kept checking for price drops, which, on a few occasions there were. But one year, I finally decided to try my hand at going to a travel agent that specializes in cruises, as others have suggested. OMG! The prices I got were incredible! Well below the published rates that I was looking at directly on the RCC web page. I mean...... great rates! I was kicking myself in the pants for not doing this years ago. I don't think I'm allowed to name travel agents here, but I will say that it is one of the major online agencies that advertises that they specialize in cruises. Once I placed an interest online, very shortly later I got a telephone call from the travel agent. I was talking to a human body. Of course, I could have let her do all the arrangements, but I really do like to pick my own cabin. So I got on my computer at the same time the agent was on the computer, and looked at my options and then the agent made the actual reservation. Saved me a TON of money for my party of 8 and three cabins. The agent's rates were so low that they could not advertise them. So when you see an ad that says, "Call for rates", you can be assured that they are much lower rates than you can get on your own. And the travel agency threw in a small on-board credit in addition to the RCC on board credit. Give it a try, even for you solo cruise! Good luck!

I wasn't implying that I wanted to stay onboard as long as possible to somehow extend our cruise. In the past, we carried our own luggage and were one of the first off the ship. But since we have kids this time (for the first time), I just didn't want to have my car rental reserved at an unnecessarily early time, say, 7:30am, when I could have had an extra hour to deal with the kids. Thanks for the info. Unless someone tells me differently, I will have the 17st causeway car rental (not sure which one yet) reserved for 9:30am.

Thanks again, everyone!

There is absolutely no question in my mind that I would go over to the Park Café and have 2 or 3 roast beef sandwiches!

There are so many posts about cruisers timing their departure off the ship to catch a flight. We're in a different boat. We're NOT catching a flight. With our group of 8, including 3 small children, I would rather have more time in the morning to get the kids ready, to eat breakfast, and to get off the ship, and have our luggage taken off the ship. We will not be in a hurry to get off the ship. But I do need to know what time I will be off the ship, so I can reserve my car rental pick-up time. What time should I plan for? This is for the Allure, at Ft Lauderdale on Sunday, June 6.

I see that a lot of the replies to this post are from 2007. But I'm sure that a lot of people just now are reading this. So I will provide an update. As of October, 2015, you do NOT need a passport to get on a cruise ship in Florida, sail the Caribbean in different ports, and returns to Florida all on the same cruise. If you do not have a passport, you will need a photo ID (driver's license) and a CERTIFIED copy of your birth certificate. In other words, it needs to have that embossed seal from the county clerk. If you got the birth certificate at the hospital, it is not official!

Those are the legal requirements. HOWEVER: If God forbid something happens were you get off the boat in another country, and then you don't get back on the boat. You have a very major problem. And this could easily happen if you forgot the time and missed the departure, or you got hurt and had to seek medical attention, or had a police involvement (drink too much?). Now you are in another country without a passport. By the time you somehow make it to the US Embassy and secure travel papers, you may be stuck in the country for a couple days. At your own expense. It can also be very frustrating to be in another country several days without your phone charger, or extra money, etc.

Bring a passport!

Someday, even my post here will become outdated and someone will want to know the answer to the original question. So for those people: Go to the official US Government State Department website, and you will have up to date travel requirements and recommendations. It will list all the passport issuing offices near you (not just post offices!), where passports are required, and immunization recommendations and hazardous conditions (political unrest, violence, hurricanes).

All of these posts are correct: You need to either get an expedited passport or bring ALL the documents that establish the change in name. But I would add a few other items to your list:

1. If you bring all your documents, bring originals, and any certified copies of originals form the country clerk. You want the raised seal embossed on them. A photocopy of a birth certificate is worthless. Same thing for when you apply for a passport. Photocopies are not acceptable.

2. Many people believe that you must go to a post office to get a passport. Those people will find out that most post offices don't do passports. You may be surprised that there other other places that issues them, such as most county clerks, and a few federal offices. (I forgot which ones.) Go to the US State Department website and look at passport issuing locations near you. Just enter your zip code.

3. If you decide to get a passport, they WILL take your originals and originals are required. Because your cruise is so close, I would ALSO go to the county clerk and procure certified replacement originals, so that you have all those documents in place, in case you need them.

My overall recommendation at this point since your cruise is so close: Make SURE you have originals of all supporting documents. Don't try for the passport at this point. Make all your effort on securing original documents. Get a passport after the cruise.

If you decide that you will be buying inside cabins...... try to buy at least ONE cabin with a balcony. Whoever in the family gets that room should have the understanding that when a little one needs to take a nap... that is the room that will be used. That way, the person that is babysitting while the child is asleep, will not be stuck inside of a small, dark cabin without a window during the daytime napping session. By the way, Royal Caribbean will have a pak-n-play for use upon request to the cabin attendant.

I would certainly pay an extra tip, equivalent to the normal tip per person/per day/week to the cabin attendant that is handling the extra person, such as a baby, who is not registered for that room. So yes, you'd be tipping twice for the baby: Once for the room where he is registered, and another for the balcony cabin for napping.

Our party had two identical staterooms. We had a total of two identical power strips in our luggage. One for each stateroom. One of them got confiscated and one did not.

This was our confiscation process: We went to our staterooms on the first day to retrieve our luggage from the hallway and put them in our room in the normal fashion. We found one of our suitcases missing. We came back about an hour later and found the suitcase was still missing. Thinking that our suitcase was stolen, we went to Guest Services. The agent looked up our suitcase on the computer and said that we needed to go to Security to claim it. We went to Security on deck 2, where there was a small line of people claiming their suitcases. The security guard said that our power strip and a small pair of sizzors had been confiscated, and that we'd get it back at the end of our cruise. He gave us a claim check and our suitcase. I asked him why the identical power strip was not confiscated from our other suitcase (different stateroom.). He said "It probably wasn't noticed on the X-ray machine." So that is why sometimes power strips are confiscated and some are not. I asked him why the sizzors were confiscated, when there are steak knives all over the ship. He didn't have an answer but we both had a laugh. My suggestion for the power strip: Don't bring one. Bring a short extension cord with a tri-tap on the end. Or attach a tri-tap to it.

At the end of the cruise, after you are off the ship and OUT of the terminal, you claim your confiscated items. Ask any security guard outside where to claim them and they will point to an area 100 yards to the north and then inside another door.

Are you talking about the one in the bathroom being a Euro/US jack? I don't remember any standard American outlet in the bathrooms (meaning one that could perhaps be used for a curling iron). Was this done with dry dock?

I've only been on the Oasis this one time, so I don't know what was done or not done in dry dock. But the outlets, including the one in the bathroom, are combo Auro/American outlets. You do not need an adapter for your USA curling iron. But if you need two hands to curl your hair with a curling iron:

Note: The plug in the bathroom hangs from the ceiling by the mirror. Our outlet was all worn out from repeated use. So the weight of a cord would cause the cord to fall out of the outlet. I needed one hand to hold the cord in place, and the other hand to hold my shaver. (No I don't have a curling iron. LOL.) I told myself that the next time I go on the Oasis, I would bring a small strip of velcro. I would use the velcro to temporarily tie my shaver cord to a part of the small shelving unit nearby the outlet. That way I would have both hands free and be more comfortable without holding a hand over my head the whole time.

Thanks, All! Now I don't need to waste any more time trying to search the information out!

Happy sailing!

Thanks to you both. For the director's thread and about Mama Mia. I had guessed Mama Mia based on what is currently playing, and what is being auditioned. But my real question was for future cruises in general. Without me having to play a sleuth game. Doesn't RCI simply put straight out on a web page somewhere, exactly who is playing/entertaining on which ship and where? Definitely? If not, I will email them as suggested.

Thanks again!

We were in the Oasis in May. It was too hot to sleep with our balcony door open, so we had to close it. Our AC was perfect: Just so ever slightly cool. You do have to remember to LOCK your balcony door closed, or the AC won't work. Simply closing the sliding door isn't enough. I would bring a 9" or 10" electric fan if you're worried. No need for batteries. I've heard though that larger fans will get confiscated. (You can retrieve any confiscated items after the cruise.)

I don't know what was done at dry dock, except for them removing my favorite Viking Crown Lounge! As far as the outlets go: I plugged my USA Norelco shaver into the bathroom outlet. And a standard extension cord in the outlet over the vanity in our balcony cabin. (sleeping area.) Since you mentioned a curling iron, and I know you will use two hands to curl your hair, I would recommend bringing a 3"-6" piece of velcro, so that you can wrap it around the cord and a bathroom shelf bracket, so that the cord won't keep falling down. I had that happen with my shaver, because the outlet is getting worn, and the plug is overhead, facing the floor. So the heavy cord kept on falling out of the socket. If I had that piece of velcro, or even a shoestring, then I could secure it to the nearby shelf bracket so the cord wouldn't fall out of the ceiling. Unless you do something like that, you may end up holding your curler with one hand, and the cord with the other.