Andie272

Thank you for posting this!  Any chance you can email the patters to me, andie272@gmail.com.

Where do we find the ArriveCan?  I have not seen that anyplace.

My husband has an Enhanced NY License, I know he can sail with that, will he have a problem in Canada?  

Thank you all. I ended up finding ones though Princess that were better times, and booked those. I was too nervous to book on my own. Thanks for the advice. 

40 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

We have used Viator, ShoreExcursioneer, Shore Excursions Group, TripAdvisor and others over the years with no issues. We generally like to book directly with the actual vendors when possible.
 

In Skagway we have used Chilkoot Charters and booked directly with the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. 

In Juneau, Juneau Whale Watch has a whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier tour that allows you a flexible amount of time at the glacier.  Harv & Marv tours are excellent if you just want whale watching. If you want to ride the Mt Roberts tram, you can purchase tickets directly.

 

in Ketchikan, you can book directly with the you can book directly with the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour, the Lumberjack show or walk Creek Street on your own for free.

Thank you, this is very helpful.

Are the whale watching one's worth it? Is the likelihood of seeing whales just as good on the ship?  Can we go to Mendanhall on our own, just walk there or is it too far? 

42 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

What ports? Try looking at tripadvisor or google what you want, like "whale watch Juneau" to get a basic idea of what you might want to do or ask about.

Thank you, we are going to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.  In some of the ports what we want to do is either sold out from the cruiseline or at a bad time, so I am looking for more options.

Can anybody recommend a company I can use to book excursions not through the cruiseline.

Thank you

Just now, CineGraphic said:

 

A roll call for that sailing does not currently exist. Go ahead and start one.

Thanks!  Wasn't sure if just anybody can start them, guess I can.  Appreciate the response

I searched but didn't see it and don't want to create in case I just missed it.  Looking for a roll call for Emerald Princess July 16th 2022 Alaska.  Anybody know if it exist?

A couple of specific questions about Dolphinaris -

 

My husband doesn't want to swim with the Dolphins - no real interest, and he said he'll get just as much joy out of watching the kids do it as doing it himself. Plus he's an amazing amateur photographer with a really decent camera/good zoom lens. So, my questions -

 

- How close is the observer area? Will he be able to get some good pictures of us?

 

- They charge $25 for observers. Does that include the buffet that dolphin swimmers get as part of their package?

 

- The website says there are kayaks and paddle boards. Anyone done these? Any good? And is that included in the observer entrance fee?

 

 

I realize Chankanaab has a better beach day experience. But for a few reasons, the main one being that it seems my husband can take some pictures from the observation area, we're leaning towards Dolphinaris. It doesn't seem like the Dolphin Discovery at Chankanaab does observers very well. You're either part of the dolphin swim, or you can't really watch (correct me if I'm wrong on that).

 

Thanks!

I know this post is old, but I am interested, did you get answers to this, did you do the excursion and was your husband able to take pictures from the observer deck?

You text via the app. When you sign up for that feature it has a code and you give that code to each of the other 2 and then it will connect you so you can see each of them to text to or make a group text.

 

edit to add...you only need to give them your code and then have them text you and that will input their codes in your phone.

Thanks, and then I guess my daughter can do it and give her code to her friends?

I have a question on this topic also, sort of.

I heard that you can text with people on the ship through the ship wifi for free through the Disney Cruise App. How does this work? My daughter and I both have iPhone 6s's and my husband has a Samsung, we will all be on the ship together and want to be able to text to keep in touch with each other when we go off on our own, especially daughter to us. Also will she be able to text friends she made on the ship?

We are doing these same Ports on the Fantasy in October. My daughter wants to swim with the dolphins, not sure which port to do it in. We have done an dolphin encounter and dunn Rivers on a previous cruise, and want to do Mragaritaville in Jamaica. SO I can do it at Grand Caymen or Cozumel.

How do I decide? I don't want to book an excursion and then be missing a really nice free or inexpensive experience. Does that make sense?

Any feedback or thoughts.

Great thanks!

We are looking to do something similar in October. Fly into MCO rent a car and drive to Cape Canaveral, do Kennedy Space Center on Friday, return car on Saturday before cruise (using National because of work discount) use free shuttle to the port.

Here is my question, how do we get back to the airport after the cruise for a 1pm flight?

Question about this, I know in WDW the cast members are not picky about what they trade for, we usually pick up some cheap pins for my daughter to trade as she doesn't like to part with her "good" ones. Are they like that on the ship also?

I am looking to book the Pearl for Summer 2017 when it opens up and I was looking at sailings for Summer 2016 to see the different excursions. Only Skagway has excursions listed though....am I missing something?

Thanks. I am not sure if it is too early, I am not trying to book them, just research them. I don't even have a cruise booked yet, just trying to research. I will post on NCL board also.

I am trying to look at excursions for a future sailing of The Pearl, why is Skagway the only port with excursions listed? Do they not have excursions in other ports from NCL?

Can I look at other cruise lines excursions to get an idea of what each port has to offer and see what we may want to do in each port?

Here is the schedule of OBC and deposit (they are the same):

 

•5-7 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $50

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $100

◦Grand Suite and above: $200

 

•8-10 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $100

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $150

◦Grand Suite and above: $300

 

•11-14 night cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $150

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $200

◦Grand Suite and above: $400

 

•15 nights or longer cruises

◦Interior/Oceanview: $200

◦Balcony/Junior Suite: $250

◦Grand Suite and above: $500

Thank you

Is the deposit still per person? How long is it good for, does it have to be used in a certain time frame?

How long do you have to use it?

I have a similar question, my DH and I are cruising a week from tomorrow, we are thinking about an Alaska cruise in July/August 2017, should we do this onboard booking while on our cruise?

What exactly do you get when you book while on a cruise? (we have never done it)

Also is it refundable, since we don't know what cruiseline we want to sail yet to Alaska.

OK, I'm going to be blunt. :) (actually I'm an ex Long Islander- Farmingdale :) )

 

With you claiming you can be "swayed"- then back up. Consider my suggestion about= doing your homework on the ports and determine what activities you are going to select- first. You also need to work on the differences in Alaska routes. An example- Seattle round trip cruises are the least scenic. The pluses are the Seattle convenience and touring activities there as well. :) Would you be interested in that?

 

You can still use Seattle for flights- several options to get to/from Vancouver.

 

Is there an interest/possibility of a mainland Alaska interest? I recommend at least a 2 week time investment.

 

Narrowing down these points- will direct you toward a more manageable list of cruise choices.

Hello to a fellow Long Islander, I am in Lindenhurst now but grew up in Massapequa Park.

A 2 week vacation I don't think we can swing, because of work and school....but maybe. Any particular books or sites I can use that are recommended for research.

It appears you are selecting round trip Seattle- this is firm in your decision?

I think so, only because I think it is easier, flight wise. I think I can be swayed on this though.

There are some wrong assumptions. Your "kids" reference is off. That only pertains to the Caribbean. On Alaska sailings, there is very little difference in the number of kids on board with similar demographics on all lines with the exception of Disney perhaps? But even Disney won't have the numbers they have sailing the Caribbean. IF you are going to Alaska for Alaska then get knowledgeable about WHAT you are reading- DETAILS.

 

As for "inside passage", it's a generic term that is applied to EVERY Alaska cruise.

 

As for your Tracy Arm question. In my opinion it is "necessary" to purchase the add on ship tour- grossly superior to the cruise line transit. Only about 25% of the cruise ships get within view of the South Sawyer glacier. Most- turn around at Sawyer Island- which gives only a partial distant view.

 

Why is your search so narrow at this point? What cruise doesn't include Ketchikan? Generally for a first timer Alaska visitor, you WANT an itinerary that has at least 3 Alaska ports and a glacier. Any less in my opinion are lacking, and overall not good choices.

Thank you, I was thinking that about the kids part. Plus she is just as excited to see Alaska as we are and on a normal cruise we enjoy our time together. My search was so narrow because I was told that they are the more kid friendly cruises. I also don't have a set budget in mind but I would like it to be as reasonable as possible. The RCI Explore of the Sea does not stop in Ketchikan. The cruises I have been seeing all basically have the same ports, it's just a difference of how long in each port and which glacier they go to. That is what is making it so hard for me, as a newby to this I am thinking, pick based on price as a glacier is a glacier....BUT I don't think that is true. UGH this is hard :p

This will be the first of MANY posts as I start to research my cruise. We (DH and I both 43) and DD (who will be almost 14 at time of cruise) are looking to do our first ever Alaska cruise in August 2017. We are not new to cruising, have done 3 Carnival cruises, DH and I are doing a RCI end of this month and we have our first DCL booked for October 2016.

We are looking at RCI, Carnival, Norwegian and maybe Disney. I have heard this are the better cruise lines for teens. Is this true? Should I look for the cruise we would enjoy most for the "Alaska" experience and not worry so much about my DD teen experience?

The first thing I am looking at is the different glaciers, from my preliminary research Glacier Bay is the better choice. With Tracy Arm you don't always make it all the way through to Sawyer Glacier. How often don't you get to the Sawyer do you think?

I ask this because I was also informed by my TA that Inside Passage is amazing, and to him is a must do. Problem I have is that only RCI does Inside passage, and the cruise I am looking at doesn't go to Glacier Bay or Ketchikan, SO this all leads to my first BIG decision...

Inside Passage AND NO Glacier Bay AND Ketchikan OR NO Inside Passage AND Glacier Bay and Ketchikan.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

I am thinking way into the future, into 2017, and thinking about a cruise to Alaska, it's my 20th Anniversary and would love to cruise to Alaska for it.

A few questions:

1. When is the best time to sail to Alaska?

2. Is one cruise line better than others?

3.When does pricing open up for 2017?

4. Is a 7 day cruise long enough?

My daughter will be 14 then, and I think we would take her since I think this is (at least for us) a once in a lifetime thing and I want her to experience it.

Anything else you think I should be thinking about now?