trivia addict

The company may not be “local” but the guides that are hired at the venues are local citizens who are trained to be guides. Obviously, if you have guides all over the world, your headquarters will not be “local”

Yes, the Schuyler/ Hamilton history is fascinating. There are many good biographies or historical novels of them all that make good reading. Can’t really judge the seating for you, it’s a big theater, but of course, lots of seats! And pictures posted, make me want to take another tour all over again!

For anyone who has not yet seen Hamilton ( in person) I highly recommend you make an effort to see it. Over 50 years and countless Broadway plays in my background, it is my all time favorite. I do suggest though, that before seeing it, you do a little background reading on his life. The music and acting is wonderful, but the dialogue is rapid. By knowing his story it is easy to follow. And if you are in the City beforehand, one of the downtown Hamilton walking tours is very educational and fun!

Check out Tours By Locals. Our family of 6 did a private excursion with them a few years ago in Oahu. We did a complete circle of the entire Island, stopping at places that our guide thought we would like and yet flexible enough to stop whenever we saw something interesting. We have also used that company in Austria and Budapest. Always very satisfied. In fact we had a tour booked with them for Italy for June 2020. Obviously didn’t go and had no problem getting our deposit back.

Add to that list The Painted Desert and Red Rock Canyon. The only time our luggage receipts were checked was back in the 70s. For a time at LaGuardia, the luggage area was fenced in and in order to get out with your luggage you had to show your receipt to a guard at the exit.

I love Vibe, but I have been to Alaska twice in May, once in July, and once in August and I would never consider paying for it on an Alaskan cruise. Thermal pass is a much better idea.

We have used Carmel. We used it once from Long Island to Manhattan Cruise Terminablev and once from LA to LAX. Found it very comparable in price to Lift or Uber. Each time reserved in advance and both times very satisfied.

I might go with the extra space in your case. I am claustrophobic and always get a balcony, but on my 4 trips to Alaska, I used the balcony less than other trips because of the weather. Weather in Alaska can be sunny and warm or cold and rainy. I seemed to get a lot of the cold and rainy. I was more comfortable sitting in the observation lounge with my coffee/ cocktail watching the mountains go by. And if you want to be outside, there is plenty of deck space to find and sit on. And as mentioned, will you be off of the ship on excursions a good part of the time? Will you need to sit on your balcony? On our first trip to Alaska, we were up early and on excursions all day long. A hard choice. If this is your first trip to Alaska and the Northwest you will be in awe of the scenery and use the balcony regardless. On the other hand, I can’t imagine the discomfort of 4 people in a small room for an entire week.

Also would recommend Edmonds. We go there a lot. And the whale watching boat is a bit expensive but is comfortable, educational and great with finding whales. We like taking visitors on it. But if you are going to Alaska, perhaps you already have a whale watching excursion?

Cavalier, please keep us posted on your final decisions. Would love to hear of your experiences!

So many great suggestions. As you can see, we Northwesterners are very proud of our beautiful area. But be aware that many of these places are very far from each other. You will have to look at a map and decide if you want to generally stay south, north, east or west of the city. Since Mt Ranier is on your bucket list, I would say stay in the southern to central quadrant. An excursion to Mt Ranier will take you an entire day. The suggestion of then spending another day on the Kitsap Pennisula, and one day in Ballard/ Fremont ( lots of good beer) would work for you.

All good ideas, but as a Whidbey Island resident I would consider staying on Whidbey itself rather than the Silver Cloud in Mulkiteo. Other than that small beach in Mulkiteo, there is not much there to fill 2 or 3 days. From the South end of Whidbey, one can only get here by ferry. By staying here you get to experience the beaches, beautiful mountain views, gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, breweries, wineries, trails and parks that are here without having to go back and forth to the Mainland. A large Island with a small population, Whidbey is perfect for outdoor activities. Our towns are small and we don’t have any major hotel chains or a lot of retail commerce. I might recommend looking at the seaside town of Coupeville for accommodations. Here you will find Inns and bed and breakfasts. One suggestion is The Captain Whidbey Inn which has been featured in various publications

Check out either Bainbridge or Vashon Island. Both accessible by a short ferry ride.

Most passes have been sold before boarding for several years now, not just recently. However a few were usually held back or were from recent cancellations that have been sold first come, first serve inside the Teppanyaki restaurant upon embarkation. Therefore, a lucky few were always able to snag a few passes onboard. I haven't heard that this policy has changed.

Can you elaborate? Changed in what way? What are your sources?

Like Graphic guy, I’d be so ticked off. I would have immediately said thanks for the drinks but I gotta go now. I really would have felt used. It seems tho that this sort of selling technique is not unusual on ships. Years ago my young adult daughter and I spent a few days in Florida before our cruise. On our first day it became apparent that she had been badly bitten by those pesky no see ums, and had a very bad reaction. We looked for Benadryl on the ship but the shops had nothing. ( of course now I wonder why we didn’t go to the infirmary!) Anyway, a woman we met by actually doing a favor for her young daughter, said that she had a cream in her cabin that would help. She took us to her cabin where she had a full case of skin creams that she was taking orders for. She gave us a sample, and darn if it didn’t give immediate relief!

If you have any interest in aviation, the Museum of Flight located between downtown Seattle and Seatac, is highly rated by all who visit it. You could spend a few hours there, find a nearby restaurant or bar for late lunch and then get to the airport in plenty of time for your flight without having to stress.

Thanks to both. Actually, it wouldn’t matter if it were sunset or sunrise, I just thought that it would be smarter to start out for RTH early and end up at HNP later. Agree that RTH can take the whole day done in totality so I thought that maybe I could only do a partial on day 1 and continue on to HNP for the end of the day. We have more than one driver and are used to long days of sightseeing. I probably will not do HNP on day 2 because I am a nervous Nellie that alway has to be back on board hours before sailaway! Will have to make my choice! Meanwhile, best beach suggestion for day 2?!

Ok my knowledgeable Hawaii friends, which should I choose? I’ve been to Maui before but not to either of these two. I know the answer is whichever most appeals to me but can you give me your thoughts. On the POA for two days. Arrives first day at 8am. Leaves the next at 6pm. Planning on car rental for two days and I think that I only have the first day to comfortably go to one of those. i did read a suggestion to drive the RTH partway, turn around at Waianapanapa State Park and continue to HNP for the sunset. Doable? Crazy?

We took the Basel to Amsterdam Viking Cruise last July. We were very happy with the entire week. Three things stand out. First the day long cruise down the Rhine, with narration from the onboard cruise director. Second, the bus trip to Strasburg, which was an included excursion. Highlight of that was the astronomical clock at the Cathedral. Hard to fathom how ancient people could mathematically be so exact. Third was the Viking excursion that took us to a dairy farm and then the windmills. The windmills can be seen on your own since the ship docks next to them, but do take the excursion, you will learn so much about this World Heritage site and the mechanics of environmental water control. Finally if you are a wine drinker or a cocktail maven, do take the silver package. I had wines that I could only dream about here in the States and my husband had scotches and cocktails that kept him happy all week!

Thank you Princeton 123211. I will use this information also!

Good advice to get on the waitlist as soon as you board. There could be a chance to grab a spot. I know that we have cancelled a few excursions in the past once on board That being said, almost all excursions we have taken have been private ones either booked ourselves or joined ones from a roll call. These work so much better.

Sorry, but to liken a hallowed resting place to a ride in Disney World is still disrespectful