WxNerd

You can do the salmon bake on its own. (Hopefully this is a legal link on CC) https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/aktraveladventures/items/311581/calendar/2022/08/?flow=583151&full-items=yes&back=https://www.alaskatraveladventures.com/day-tours/juneau/ We did the Glacier/Salmon Bake combo in 2019 and while we enjoyed both we are planning to do the salmon bake apart from the glacier next summer because like you said others reported, the time at the glacier was to short. My husband and I ended up jogging back from Nugget Falls to the bus. I just don’t see that happening next summer, I want our kids to enjoy the sights too. Looking at the time stamp on photos we got off the bus at the glacier at 4:15pm and pictures at the falls at 5pm and by 5:30pm we were taking pics at the salmon bake.

Good info on this thread You can also check the port schedule for changes at https://claalaska.com/?page_id=1551 Radiance and Ovation are scheduled to dock at RR fwd and aft on Aug 8th.

We don’t usually do anything real big for adult birthdays but for my 40th I did have a surprise party for him and he loved it. Like others have said you can note it on your reservation and let your waiter know at dinner. My oldest celebrated his birthday on embarkation day last year, the brought a slice of birthday cake (after dessert) and sang to him. We didn’t buy the decorations package but I packed some and hung them up with magnetic tape. The ones you can buy from the ship are so generic.

Has anyone sailed on Ovation recently booked at a specialty dining restaurant for lunch on embarkation day? What is actually open? Also, is Coastal Kitchen open for lunch in embarkation day? In 2019 we booked lunch at Jamie’s on embarkation day and they were not actually open. I noticed they have lunch reservations available at Jamie’s again and was wondering if they were actually open or not. As far as coastal kitchen goes, is lunch on embarkation day crowded? I am trying to plan ahead as we will have a 15 month old with us so I am thinking someplace to avoid the crowds would be a good idea. As we might have her stroller until we can put it away in our room (still working on the logistics of this as well).

No, the Royal Genie is your travel parties personal attendant and the concierge is available to all Star and Sky suite guests.

Heck no. We had a blast on the Adventure last summer but there is no way I would pay that much, especially without all the Royal Suite Class perks. We were in a GS (2 adults, 2 kids) for just a little bit more than our FCC that was from a balcony on Ovation to Alaska, we enjoyed the concierge lounge but that was about it as far as perks. We have a 2 bedroom GS on Ovation (2 adults and 3 kids) booked for next summer for significantly less than your quoted price.

Brilliant. I didn’t know inflatable pool noodles were even a thing.

Something like this is compact and lightweight, Delta Children Inflatable Bed Rails for Toddlers & Kids with Foot Pump (2 Pack) - Leak-Proof Portable Guardrails Great for Travel or at Home, White https://a.co/hJ7EPkI. If packing space isn’t an issue pool noodles taped together would also work to create a bed rail.

My parents have health issues too, we all take covid tests before going to visit.

We have two cabinets in the kitchen that are chalk boards. I usually do a chalk drawing on them as a countdown and I just looked through my pictures and apparently I have never taken a picture of them. Last summer one cabinet was a cruise countdown and the other was a countdown to camp. This year was WDW and camp. For Disney trips we also do family movie nights every Saturday for 2 months leading up to the trip with dinner or snacks themed to go with the movie. My boys asked if we could do the same for our Alaska cruise next summer, I have yet to figure out how to make that happen. I get @topnoles position. My boys are 12 and 9 and even without a countdown to remind them they keep track. In 2020 the cancelled vacations were more difficult to explain but they know know that most things are dependent on being COVID negative, even small things like visiting grandparents.

Same for our May 26 cruise, I think there have been some issues with excursions this season so they are probably working on new contracts. Lots of great discussion about excursions in the Alaska section of the Ports of Call board (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/). In 2019 we booked our own excursions and will likely do the same next summer.

Not just cruising, rethinking all trips that require airfare (even with an employee discount). It was cheaper for us to drive from Dallas to Orlando in May than it would have been to fly. Gas + 4 nights in a hotel + food over 6 days + parking at Disney was cheaper than 4 coach tickets + transportation between the hotel and airport. We also drive to Huntsville, AL this week for camp for our boys because of the airfare/rental car prices. Thankfully its not as long of a drive. DFW to SEA is currently about $400 per seat before my discount for our cruise next summer. We are definitely not making that drive.

I would like to think that it wouldn’t happen ever again, period. We pack pretty light and a pack of 4 extra toothbrushes doesn’t take up much space. If we were over a weight limit or needed that little bit of extra space for something we absolutely had to have I would leave the extra toothbrushes home.

I wasn’t finding much on Royal’s website but cruise mapper has deck plans and the key says the ones with an * have a Pullman bed. Looks like there are a few on each deck and even a few connecting rooms. I would verify with riyal before booking though.

My question is, what are the things you wish you took on your first trip that you forgot? I think we were pretty happy with what we packed….I will however be packing an extra toothbrush for everyone on our next AK cruise. Mine performed some pretty intense acrobatics and bounced several times before landing between the back of the toilet and the toilet lid. They didn’t have any to buy on the ship and I had a hard time finding one in Juneau. Not how I wanted to spend my port time. What are the must haves? Layers. No need for a heavy winter coat jacket, just plan to wear layers. Fleece, something to cut the wind (bonus pints if it is water proof) and something to protect you from the rain. We only experienced rain for about 2 hours in Juneau on our late July cruise in 2019. Sometimes I wore just my fleece for warmth, sometimes I wore just the wind jacket because the wind was kicking and a few times I layered to two. I never once needed a heavy winter coat though. What could you have easily left home? Extra workout clothes. We did lots of hiking on our shore excursions so I didn’t always feel like getting up for a morning run. Just trying to figure out how to best utilize our luggage space. Thank you!!

You are like my packing soul sister, I have photo ideas and a spread sheet started for our cruise next summer. The spreadsheet gets packed and hung up in the room so that everyone knows what clothes are planned, particularly for dinners since my boys LOVE to dress up for formal nights. I love your review so far. We are in a very similar situation, we booked an Alaskan cruise for 2020 when our boys would have been 10 and 8, we rebooked for 2021 but since it didn’t look like sailings to Alaska were going to start before the hoys went back to school we switched to a Caribbean cruise and this summer we are unable to cruise as we added one to our ranks in March. We will just booked on Royal Caribbean for next summer when our boys will be 12 (just shy of 13), 10 and our daughter will be 15months.

I felt the same way last summer. My husband was so sweet and booked me a massage and I was so tense afterward. The woman would not stop. Nothing boosts your self esteem like being told how old you look for 15 minutes after a massage. Not only was I supper stressed I felt like crap 😩.

Port is the left side and right is starboard. Looks like your cabin is starboard. I don’t think that either side is bad. We had amazing views from out starboard balcony on Ovation in 2019 and booked a starboard cabin for our cruise Ovation next may.

My packing list is not unique to cruising except for 1 thing. When we cruise I bring an extra toothbrush for everyone. In 2019 I dropped mine while reaching to put it back in its case, it bounced off the counter and fell down in the small space between the toilet lid and the back of the toilet. No toothbrushes on the ship and I ended up paying a ton for a crappy toothbrush in Juneau. Other than that I bring the same stuff on all vacations, non-surge protecting power strip, pop up laundry hamper, medication.

You could always make the drive all the way to Emerald Lake and make note of the places you would like to stop on the way back and prioritize before you leave Caribou Crossing (each person pick one or two stops and set a time limit for each stop?) I just saw the other posts about the Jeeps 😕 sad they were bought out but I did email that other company to ask what size cars they have. It would be so convenient for the car to be waiting at the dock, but with two tall boys and a little one in a car seat a small-mid size sedan wont work for us. Edited for typos. The gremlins in my phone are misbehaving again.

Such a bummer. We really enjoyed DIY Jeeps in 2019 and were looking forward to renting from them again next summer.

Our last time in Skagway (2019) we rented from DIY Jeep Tours and plan to do the same next summer with our boys who will be 12 and 10 and daughter who will be 15 months. The boys were really looking forward to doing this when we originally planned to take them (2020). You get an iPad with the Jeep that gives you all sorts of information about the things you will see along the way and the best part is you can stop and explore for as long as you like, as long as you make it back to the ship on time. You can also take bus tours but they stop, everyone piles off the bus for a selfie and off you go again. You would have to be careful on time because of your departure time. We hiked quite a bit and stopped a lot, had lunch in Caribou Crossing played with puppies at a sled camp for at least an hour and still made it back to Skagway about 4pm. The pictures don’t do it justice, its just so beautiful.

Based on the current forecast I would skip the winter coats. In 2019 the temps were about 10*F cooler than the current forecast and were fine in a shirt and hoodie or windbreaker.

We sailed out of Nassau as well, and I agree it was super smooth even with our boys having to get tested. If only all embarkation experiences were that easy.

Good to know. Sounds like things aren’t any better post shutdown, probably far fetched to think they will get it together before next May. I will make sure to pack activities/snacks to keep our little one who will be 15 months entertained in line.