trivia addict

You can absolutely wear jeans in the MDR on your Alaskan cruise. No one will care one way or the other. However, I will say that on my Alaskan cruise last summer, I saw an equal amount of nice slacks and casual tops as I did jeans during the evenings. Maybe because it was Holland and an older crowd? Or maybe people just wanted out of their rain soaked jeans that they wore that day.

Huh? What Jewish holiday is celebrated in January, other than Holocaust Memorial Day, which I don’t think is one for vacations?

psuboater has given you great suggestions of many of our favorite places. ( Full disclosure, she is my daughter!) I would add some places for recreation. The Chihuly Museum of Glass if you are into Art. It is conveniently located next to the Space Needle. The Museum of History and Industry, if you would like a comprehensive overview of the history of the Northwest. And, finally, the salmon ladder at the locks in Ballard. It is on the water next to a beautiful garden like setting. It is a relaxing afternoon where you can watch all kinds of boats travel through the locks, salmon swimming upstream, and you might even see a seal or two.

Definitely pack a GOOD pair of binoculars. You will not regret it. As for the umbrella, Alaska can be very rainy, but you may not want to take up packing space with it. Check with your cruise line to see if they provide umbrellas in the room. Both of our Alaskan cruises on Holland had one in our room closet, but since we packed rain gear, we never used the umbrella. In Seattle, contrary to its reputation, most July and August days are not rainy. And if it rains, it will only be light rain for part of the day. Of course, weather is unpredictable, but know that carrying an umbrella definitely marks you as a tourist!

Woodinville would be the largest concentration of wineries near Seattle, but you would need to rent a car to get there. Also, some of those tasting rooms have closed recently, so check on that. Now, if you are interested in Breweries, then Seattle is the place for you!

All of the suggestions here are good. We are frequent flyers in and out of Seatac. Definitely agree with the warnings about heavy traffic certain times of the day. I like the suggestion to “plan on an hour and be thrilled when it is only 35 minutes”! That is very true. Also agree that depending on your TSA security level, ( Precheck, Global, etc,), and the gate you are assigned, it can make a big difference, on the length of time that you will need to get to your flight. An 11:30 flight at the minimum is good advice.

No way you can “fit in” when there is so much disparity among the crowd. There will be many different clothing options around you. You have to be comfortable with what you are, and be confident with your own choices. If one wants to wear a sports jacket, no one is going to care or judge.

If someone wears shorts to dinner and does not feel out of place, why would DH feel out of place wearing a jacket? More importantly, why do you care? Be yourself and be happy.

There are so many threads on this topic. The best advice I see, and what I give is wear what you are comfortable with. My husband and I always bring cocktail attire for dressy nights, and in the past even did tuxes and long gowns which we do not do now, but enjoy seeing those others that do. My comment recently on one of these topics was that I feel that seeing people dressing for the occasion brings a certain civility to our world, and I was totally flamed on the board, for this opinion. Do I wear a dress when I go to the beach? No. Do I wear a nice outfit when I go to a nice restaurant? Yes. Just the way I was brought up many years ago, I guess.

eroller, your review of the NA pretty much sums up our experience on her on our cruise to Alaska in August. I agree with all of your positives, and while many of your negatives did not bother me, I totally agree with the lack of daytime activities and nighttime entertainment on the ship. And as someone mentioned, BB Kings is much too small considering it is one of the only evening entertainments. Although this is not a complete deal breaker for us, we would much prefer to sail Celebrity when it comes to shipboard entertainment.

I don’t want to seem condescending, but why not call RCC or one of the cruise companies to find this answer? I already have a cruise scheduled for 2024. ( but not to Alaska) Many cruises for 2024 are booking now. Unless….what you are asking is, when would be the best offers for 2024? Then you just have to watch and wait and be flexible. A word of advice. If you are going to Alaska, book the cruise tour that includes Denali, not just the 7 day cruise itself. I have done it both ways and the cruise tour was much more enjoyable and informative.

Taking this is a slightly different direction. I have been to Labadee twice and would not go back. I didn’t like the beach, didn’t like the aggressive vendors and don’t zip line. I would stay on the ship next time next to the pool. As far as safety, no place in todays world can guarantee it, and I actually felt safer at Labadee than in some other ports I have visited.

I have no time to read 14 pages of opinion so if I repeat posts, sorry. 20 plus years ago, we cruised Europe a few times. My husband and son wore tuxes, my daughter and I long gowns. All of us loved the experience, feeling special and extravagant. Today on our cruises my husband wears a sport coat and I wear a cocktail dress. We still love “ dressing up”, and will do whatever we please. It makes our vacation special. I don’t care what others wear, but I do mourn the civility that we have lost.

I usually cruise on another line but the Pearl is a great ship that I like very much. She actually has the best spa facilities that I have yet to encounter. The sauna is beautiful. I also do my own excursions rather than the ones offered on the ship. In Halifax I recommend the Hop on Hop off bus. Also a walk along the boardwalk is nice. if you haven’t been to Boston, the Freedom Trail walk is a great way to experience history. Make sure that you have lobster in Bar Harbor. There is a restaurant next to the port that is good, but there are also others you can research. Also in Bar Harbor take the Acadia National Park tour given by the park. The headquarters are close to the port, and although it only uses a school bus, it will show you what you need to see and the cost is less than the ship.

I put a wreath on my front door at Christmas time. Is that egocentric and offensive to my neighbors?

Wow, tunafish, a pretty harsh put down to the OP, who was only asking for advice not a critique on something he likes to do. I hardly think a few door decorations ruins the ideas of those tasteful interior decorators.

You should be fine. In August, my cruise left on a late Sunday afternoon and we took our tests on Friday morning. My understanding is that the 48 hours is loosely counted as long as it is 2 days before the sailing. The same as the Celebrity cruise I took in June.

We had an Orange Party on the Neiuw Amsterdam on our cruise to Alaska in August. Music and dancing in one of the bar areas with lots of officers present and then many passed trays of Dutch snacks passed in BB Kings.

We just returned from Anchorage and our second time eating at Humpys. While we enjoy it, 49th Street gets good reviews and is closer to your hotel. Regardless, I highly recommend taking transportation and not walking that late. I think you will like breakfast on the train the next morning, we had a very nice lunch while riding it 2 weeks ago.

We were on that same cruise and also enjoyed everything about it. The land portion was particularly well done. The excursions were top notch. My husband, vaxxed and boosted, tested positive on return also. His symptoms were mild and disappeared in a few days. On the contrary I remain negative. We did not attend the Music of Denali and as Crystalspin said, we are all going to get it at sometime. It is everywhere, and strikes randomly. Glad that your husband had a mild case and is doing well.

Just got off Neiu Amsterdam. There was a package of 4 masks in our room, and I would say about 80 per cent of the guests wore them the entire time except while dining or at the pool.

Does anyone know if an antigen test is accepted by Canada for a Certificate of Recovery? Or does the COR have to be from a PCR test?

I think it depends on what you order. The one I used yesterday had only one test in the box. After reading your post, I checked the stack of them that I have, and see that one of the others has 2 separate tests in the box. Both are by Abbot and both are labeled “Binax Now”. The one with 2 tests is clearly marked in the upper right hand corner that proclaims “2 tests” Sorry for the confusion. I guess one has to carefully read the description when ordering. I have ordered several a few months ago, and don’t remember when I ordered what! Again, sorry for the misinformation.

We have used the Optum proctored test kit for two previous cruises with no problems. A 3 pack means only three tests not two in each box. So for two people you need at least2 boxes. My problem is a bit different. I am currently tested positive for Covid. My doctor tells me that by my scheduled cruise in August I will be negative. I’m not so sure that the antibodies will be gone by then. How does a certificate of recovery work and does this count for HAL and Canada?

Floral in BERMUDA on a dressy night? Of course!