geekypenguin

Snorkel! We went two years ago and loved it.

I'm not sure what vendor you'll be with, but we did a helicopter landing in Juneau two summers ago and were all given little fanny packs. Mine held my camera (not a DSLR), spare batteries for the camera, and a small pouch the size of a coin purse, along with some snacks the vendor gave us. I would think your camera and lens would fit in that. Enjoy!

Alaska in late May and early June is beautiful! This wouldn't be my choice of itinerary simply because I'd want to go to Glacier Bay if this is your only chance for Alaska.

 

That being said, if this is the only one that works for you, the time you have in Juneau would be just fine. We've done an afternoon docking in Juneau before and really enjoyed it.

We are going with an interior room to save the most $ possible. I noticed (and read on here) that the excursions are expensive and I want us to be able to do anything we want. We are usually pretty good at finding quiet spots on the public decks so hopefully that will work out. Oh and we are not the typical HAL customers seeing as how we are 31 & 32 years old but we are old souls and not into the party stuff. Thanks again!

 

I think you'll be able to find plenty of good spots on public decks. In Glacier Bay the doors to the front decks are opened and there's plenty of room to roam around and get good photos. We were definitely some of the few young people on the HAL ship (30 and 36) this summer but we still had a great time.

We really enjoy having a balcony (and have done it all three times) but I certainly don't think it's a necessity. We found on HAL this year that most people wanted to be in the inside observation lounge in Glacier Bay and there was plenty of room on the outer decks for anyone who wanted to see.

I believe the Jewel Box in Juneau is locally owned. I got a great aquamarine pendant there last year.

I hope they don't merge - Talbots is about the only place I can get plus sized suits that aren't completely cheap and crappy! I'm worried if they merge it would push out the suits. I do hope Coldwater Creek will come back, though, as they have great casual pieces.

Seems strange an Iphone wouldn't work. Wonder if they had roaming turned off? Or a limited service package like a pay as you go on something like Straight talk?

 

I have no idea why - we were on the bus in Juneau and he mentioned his didn't work as my Galaxy S5 was downloading all my work emails at 4G speeds. If this family can pick up Verizon, they should be fine in port.

I have a Verizon Android phone and had excellent coverage in all ports. Passengers on our ship last week with Verizon iPhone said their phone didn't work at all.

If you're into the history of a place, my husband and I spent an enjoyable few hours at the Alaska Capitol Building last year. We did the self-guided tour (there's a brochure) and were fascinated. We are big history nerds and probably could have stayed there all day.

That's very useful info, thank you for posting. Good to see the rates haven't changed for the service, and it appears they have greatly improved the timing as there used to be only an end-of-day delivery some time after 4pm.

 

Fingers crossed they will actually update their website some time in the future...

 

Their website is truly terrible, I wonder how much business they lose to ship transfers because people don't know they are there.

Thank you geekypenguin, this information certainly is useful.

 

If we decide to use the transfer, do we need to pre book or just turn up at the CDS Baggage desk (office?) in Canada Place when we disembark? Many Thanks!

 

We just turned up. We had to wait in line for about 5 minutes. There is a desk right next to the desk for the HOHO bus. If you are coming out of the cruise terminal, it'll be on your left past the rental car counters.

For that price difference, take the Best Western! We've stayed there twice, booking through the same big box agent at much higher prices, and it's perfectly nice. Not the fanciest hotel I've stayed at in my life, but it is clean, safe, and conveniently located. You can take the town shuttle from the SeaLife center anywhere you want to go and the hotel runs a shuttle to the ship.

Thank you ladies, for all of your great tips. I plan on using every one of them! I have only one remaining issue that has to do with hiking boots. I do not own any and usually wear Birkinstocks for everything. I did purchase a pair of Columbia sneakers for this trip , but now am concerned that they may not suffice for a whale watch boat trip and a visit to Mendenhall glacier. I own a pair of winter boots , but did not want the extra bulk in my suitcase. Any advice?

 

 

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Bearing in mind I've lived all my life in Wisconsin or Minnesota and I think I'm younger than your average cruiser...

 

I don't think you need winter boots. We just returned from our third Alaska trip. Most days I wore jeans, a 3/4 or long sleeve tee, and a fleece as needed. On deck I'd wear boat shoes, in port I'd wear waterproofed trail running shoes. I only wear long underwear on glacier day or if we're doing a really cold outdoor excursion. I do tend to wear wool socks, which helps stay warm.

 

We saw a LOT of people on our last cruise in UGG boots and down parkas. UGGs aren't great for slippery surfaces and the down parkas seemed extreme for me.

 

Pack a few pairs of jeans, lots of t-shirts, and a few fleeces or sweaters. ?You'll want to buy souvenirs, so get more sweatshirts there if you're cold!

[quote name='richarduk']Thanks for ALL the information. It will take SOME TIME do digest!

My Main issue with lots of the alternatives is that you don't seem to get a suitable dinner table on the balcony, and we use that a lot in the Med especially.

Also I have never yet found another line with a spacious balcony/furniture and full room service for anything like the price of a HAL Signature Suite. We also travel Neptune, but in this instance I'm talking about the Signature Suites (Cat SZ, SY, SS) on newer ships.

After all this I'm still not sure about switching from HAL suites!

HELP!![/QUOTE]

We just returned from an SS suite on HAL. Our past cruises have been with Celebrity in an aft Concierge Class or aft AquaClass room. The only difference we noticed in favor of the HAL suite was the larger bathroom. In other respects our cabins were quite similar. The HAL cabin was slightly larger with more storage, but we found the Celebrity cabins better appointed and an aft balcony in either Concierge Class or AquaClass would be larger than our SS balcony was.

Do the luggage transfer to YVR! It's worth it. I just made a post about the prices, it's $40 for four bags. We did the HOHO last year and it wasn't terrible, but if I did that again, I'd just buy a transit pass.

The CDS Baggage website never seems to work for me, so in case anyone is wondering about Canada Place luggage transfer, here's what I did yesterday.

 

You can transfer 4 bags to YVR for $40. Additional bags after that are $10 a bag. They will take credit cards, Canadian money, or US money on a 1:1 exchange ratio. We transferred two large LL Bean duffels, a large garment suitcase, and a carry-on with no problems. Dropped off around 9:30, picked up at the airport at 12:30.

 

If people were interested in storing bags at Canada Place for pickup at Canada Place, I believe it was $6.50 for a small carry-on and $7.50 for larger bags. We did not use this service.

 

I hope this information is helpful to someone!

Was this trip with Joe Ordonez, Rainbow Glacier Adventures ?http://joeordonez.com/

 

A long time resident of Haines recommended that I take a tour with him when I visit next summer. I'll be interested in your report if you go.

 

No, it was with Chilkat Guides, LTD. http://www.chilkatguides.com/adventures/skagway-hike-float/

 

We're looking at doing a Rainbow Glacier trip this summer and will let you know if we do!

I've taken two cruises on Celebrity, both to Alaska. People tend to wear what I'd wear to work on casual nights - so a nicer end of business casual. My DH usually wore an oxford shirt and chinos, with a sweater if it was cold. I wore a knit dress or sundress with sweater most nights. We never felt out of place and tended to be among the more dressed up people on non-formal nights. Lots of women seemed to be in capris or dressy slacks. On formal night, my DH wore a dark suit and I wore a knee-length cocktail dress. Everyone we've met on Celebrity was polite and nobody seemed to be too focused on what others were doing, despite what you see on these forums! I think as long as you aren't on the crazy end of the spectrum (jeans and t-shirts on non-formal night, ballgown with a train and tiara on formal night) you should fit right in.

Wow, that looks awesome! Do they stop and rest at times?

 

For a little bit, but not more than a few minutes. It was definitely worth it as the views were amazing, but if I did it again, I'd put in some more Stairmaster time and practice hiking on trails more like the first part and less like the second park! :)

We did this last year in June. I thought the hike was tough, my husband thought it was a little harder than average. The first mile or so is on up and down terrain with lots of tree roots and rocks and the trail can be a bit narrow and slippery if it has been raining, which it probably has been. The guide we had, Joey, was incredibly helpful if you were a less experienced hiker, right down to telling you where to place your feet if you needed him to. I'm also afraid of heights, which probably contributed to me not liking this part since it is a dropoff on your left. The next mile is mostly a flat, well-maintained trail. It had beautiful views and I'd consider doing it again!

 

Early part of the trail:

 

 

Side view of early part of the trail:

 

 

Shot showing narrow part of trail - the dropoff is on the side:

 

 

Steps - you actually go down these steps on the hike right where the trail flattens out, but we took a shot of my husband heading back up for some reason:

 

 

Flat part - just about anyone who can walk could do this portion:

 

 

View from the float trip:

 

We've been to Alaska twice in recent years (July 2012 and May/June 2013) and had good coverage with Verizon in the following places:

• Anchorage
  
• Anchor Point
  
• Ninilchik
  
• Seward
  
• Homer
  
• Skagway
  
• Hoonah/Icy Strait
  
• Juneau
  
• Ketchikan
  

 

The only issues we had were if we were in the bottom of a gulley or between two mountains - downtown in all the ports and cities was fine. We keep our phones in airplane mode when we're on the ship, then turn them back on once we're in port. I was able to email, download a book, and make/receive calls. The two years we did this were with a Droid Bionic and a Droid 3. We're going back this year with Galaxy S5s and will report on how that works.

What great photos! Thank you for sharing your experiences! We've visited Hubbard Glacier 2x, Mendenhall Glacier 2x, Exit Glacier once, and are looking forward to Glacier Bay this year! :)

This thread was in response to a question I asked about the Noordam which is also a Vista Class ship. It's got a lot of good tips that should apply to the Oosterdam as well.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1994829

 

Have a great trip.

 

Thanks so much! I did a search but somehow missed that thread.

My husband and I just booked our first HAL cruise on the Oosterdam. We got a great last minute deal and are wondering what suggestions you have for first-time HAL cruisers. We're in our 30s, no kids, and will be celebrating our second anniversary.