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We have early dining on our upcoming Coral Alaska cruise. I have heard that the time is not really 5:45 pm but 5:15 pm. I know 5:45 is early enough but if it is 5:15 that is pushing it. Does anyone know for sure? Do you know what the late time is? My reservation says 5:45 pm for dinner. Thanks.

Yes, RoobyDoo we ARE very excited. We are booked on the LB7 tour with Princess. We chose this tour as we will see Fairbanks, Copper River and Denali. A big circle where we can see a lot of different areas in one trip. We board the PP on the 20th which I think is the day you disembark.

 

We have heard so many fantastic things about this trip and decided to do it now while we can still afford it. :eek:

 

I hope you have a great trip and it will be everything you hope for!

We will be in Alaska the same time as you but we get in on the 10th and board the Coral on the 15th. Can't wait!!!! So excited. Hope you have a wonderful trip

I actually called the Princess toll free number and they booked it while I was on hold.

Great. Thanks so much.

I booked it a couple of weeks ago for upcoming June 1st cruise.

Where did you book that on? Just the Princess site? I do not see anything for it.

That's odd. Unless they booked through another TA? Princess should be able to link the booking numbers.

I agree. That is what I thought. No both through the same TA. I will try him again but I know we booked this over a year ago and that is what we were told and then I asked again a few months ago. I know I can ask when we get on but I would like to know it is taken care of before then.

The MDs do not have direct emails that I know of (not for the public anyway). If your TA cannot handle, there will be a note in the Patter where to meet him on Embarkation day to request the change..

Thank you. I know on Carnival you can contact them directly and I was hoping the same for Princess. Thanks for the information.

His name is Neville Seldana or Saldanha, but I don't have an email address.

However, if you have a travel agent, they can do this for you.

We do have a travel agent but he said because our trips are different they can't connect the two. I have asked several times.

Does anyone know the email for the maitre d on the Coral? We are sailing July and we are doing the land tour before cruise and our friends are not and they were not able to link our dining table together. Thanks.

I don't eat anything out of the water but I am sure my mum will eat enough to grow some gills. I booked the Glacier Bay Balcony Breakfast and the poor girl was so excited to tell me about the salmon on something and Alaskan King Crab Quiche. I had to ask her if there was alternatives available. I felt bad to taking the wind out of her sails.

Did you book the Glacier Bay balcony breakfast ahead of time or on the ship?

Just back off the Coral from Alaska 4 day sampler. They offered the Crab shack menu in the specialty restaurant only and it was at lunch for $20. Sorry I didn't get a pic of the menu. There was a choice of 2 or 3 plates. No crab or lobster in buffet or MDR. Seemed like a great deal as the same would cost more in Juneau. Unfortunately my mom doesn't eat seafood so we had to pass. (We were there on her birthday cruise)

We had the Crab Shack last year on the Coral and it was so good. I was hoping they would have it on the Coral again for our Alaska cruise this year. It was amazing.

Thank you for the information. I was wondering about that. I tried to call a month or so and ask but they were not open for the season yet. We are going horseback riding there so I know we will need to do laundry so the rest of our clothes do not stink. Thanks again for posting.

Is Kincaid Park part of the trail or is that located some place else? I do enjoying riding bikes but not sure about 22 miles. I would be ok with 10 miles. I like your suggestions. Thanks for the help.

I had some questions about the Tom Knowles Coastal Trail as well. I think I have everything set for our Alaska trip and was thinking about doing this trail. Everything I have seen it looks like it would be great to do. I have looked up about renting a bike for the tour. How long does it take to get around the whole trail approx? Anything special to know about the trail? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thank you everyone for your inputs. I do appreciate. I think I will stay with the long gowns. I have a new Mother of the Groom gown I would love to wear again. Of course this is assuming I have room in the luggage. LOL

I know there are 100 treads of this and I have just gone through them all. Now I am more confused. Fornal night on an Alaska cruise. I have read that it is less formal than other cruises, I read some still long gowns, tuxs, etc. I have read some just wear slacks and a shirt, women in dress pants. I have always worn a long gown and my hubby a tux on formal night but after going thourgh all the old treads I am not sure. Our last Alaska cruise in 2009 I seem to remember most dressing up. Not sure if things have changed that much in the past 6 years. Will we be overdressed in a long gown and tux? Thank you for any input you can give me.

I would rather have the longer flight at the start of my trip so therefore land portion first then cruise. The flight home is a lot less from Vancouver. The excitment about the trip ahead of us I don't mind a longer flight, but coming home after it is all over I would rather have a shorter flight. We are doing the land part first then cruise. I can't wait for July. :)

That URL is incorrect - they've never owned .com and granville is mispelled. Try the real False Creek Ferries site (they rebranded a long time ago, but kept the website) here. Either them or Aquabus will get you over to GI from the same docks near the Hampton.

 

The closest one to walk to would be the Plaza of Nations, but it's a lot harder to find than the next-closest, the Yaletown dock at the foot of Davie so I'd actually recommend the latter. It's not only visible without having to loop around the stadium then find your way to the back of the casino, but it's cheaper and faster on the ferry - two fewer stops.

 

From the Hampton, walk this way - you can take either ferry, but the docks on GI itself make the Aquabus slightly more convenient (they're right behind the Public Market rather than around the corner a hundred yards or so).

 

You answered your own question about whether it's worthwhile when you said you'd looked at the market website and found it interesting! In addition to that, there are brewpubs, theatres, and many other small artisanal stores scattered around GI. It's one of the most popular attractions in town - so if you have a choice when to go, I suggest going in the afternoon to avoid all the pre/post cruise bus tours that stop there. It will be a bit quieter and easy to move around.

Thanks again so much. I knew you would come through for me once again. I really do owe you a beer or two now.

Vancouver looks so nice, I wish I was gong to have more time there to explore. Thanks again.

There is a ferry that a loop around False Creek . Here is a link to the ferry

 

http://Www.grandvilleislandferries.ca

 

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Thank you. I have tried to pull that link up but it says it is not available. Is it worth the time? How long does it take by ferry?

Whether it was Capilano (convenient 'free' shuttle included in the ~$30pp entrance fee) or Lynn Canyon (free, but lengthy by Transit if you don't hire a car) I simply can't recommend visiting either bridge if you aren't confident you can handle wobbly bridges. Without the bridges, you don't really get much more of an experience than you would in Stanley Park, which has plenty of big trees and quiet areas you can just about escape from the rest of humanity (or at least pretend to for a little bit).

 

I always recommend people have a Plan B focused on indoor options - it rains here a lot, and while we've had three very sunny summers in a row it just takes one day of rain on the day you allocated to sightseeing to put the proverbial damper on things. Should the weather cooperate, which it probably will July/August, then if you get through your Plan A things quicker than expected you can also hit your Plan Bs - you don't have to wait for a rainy day to enjoy the Aquarium, Science World, our various Museums or Galleries.

 

 

 

If you're biking, a great shortcut is to take the ferry across False Creek south of Stanley Park - that gets you over to the Granville Island & then Kitsilano sections of the Seawall without going all the way around the shore. Even if you want to see Science World or the Athlete's Village, you can always cycle one way and ferry the other.

 

Aquabus have dedicated 'cyquabus' boats that you can roll your bikes on and off very easily, but False Creek Ferries go right to the Maritime Museum - personally I'd opt for the latter as it cuts even more distance off on one leg, and the views back across to downtown from the seawall near Vanier Park (where you can also do the Space Centre and City of Vancouver Museum, plus Bard on the Beach if you're a Shakespeare buff) are great.

 

Here's a Google Map showing what I mean about the distances - if you take the ferry you go from A to B via E, instead of the entire loop via B & C. There are nice views, and some of the best patios in the city, along the south shore of the creek though so it is worth doing one way - especially if you want to see our Olympic legacy, as the village is the biggest part of it. Hinge Park (locally more often referred to as Beer Island) is worth wandering onto - entirely man-made, but very natural-looking, to replace the shoreline that was lost when the village was built (the original waterfront was under the Salt building, which now houses Craft an Albertan alehouse which I do NOT recommend - hit the Tap & Barrel across the square for bigger and better value beers as well as better food and the best patio).

Hello. Me again. I was hoping you could help me with one more thing please. I know you had said about Granville island and taking a ferry. I have been looking at different things on that. Where would we catch the ferry staying at the hampton on Robson. Also is it worth going over there. I was looking at the information on the market and it sounds interesting. Thanks again for your help.

Try it now - I changed the settings to be shared publicly.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

WOW thanks for sharing the pictures. We will be there a few days in July and I can't wait.

Does anyone know if they have laundry machines in the Alaska Princess lodges, Denali and Mt McKinley Lodge. Thanks.

There's a few other good places on Robson; certainly not destination places, but great for a bite to eat inexpensively:

India Gate

Viet Sub (best Banh Mi in the city in my mind)

Five Guys Burgers

Thanks. I will keep those in mind as well - well expect Five Guys - love it but I have one 3 minutes from me now LOL

Does anyone know about the coral? Card or quarters? Thanks.

No problem; it's very nice of you to consistently come back and thank all the posters! If you're visiting mid-late July I'll be in town without anything particular to do - happy to walk your round a few local alehouses in exchange for a beer or three;-)

 

As to the White Spot & Memphis Blues notes from your other posts above:

White Spot is great at what it does, but you might find it too quiet for your 'good times' criteria - it's a family restaurant with a broad menu (and aside from the utterly inauthentic Sticky Toffee Pudding, a generally decent quality menu) that copes well with everything from a quick fried breakfast to a sit-down dinner. While they do have a few beers on, including their own house pale ale, it's not somewhere to hang around for the craic after dining - OTOH if you want to go somewhere guaranteed to be free of frat boys & hipsters, White Spot is the bees knees!

 

 

 

BBQ in Vancouver is not something I could recommend to anyone who is picky about BBQ - if you want charcoal not gas grills, all-day or multi-day smoking, molasses & vinegar, rubs rather than sauces, mustard over tomato, best to eat other kinds of food here. If you like pulled pork or ribs slathered in sauce you'll do just fine though.

 

 

 

I actually really like the smoked sausage in Memphis Blues, they always have at least a couple of local ales on, and their pulled pork & ribs are just fine - but the sides vary from OK (corn bread, slaw, fries) to god-awful (collard greens boiled so long there's barely any green left, beans that taste like someone bought catering size tins of Heinz baked beans, a cup of sugar, and a bottle of Bullseye BBQ sauce then mixed 'em and warmed 'em up).

 

Despite the caveats, I'd still recommend MB as the best BBQ option downtown.

Thanks again. I always appreciate the time people take to answer the questions I have and trust me, I have a lot. Cruise critic has always been so helpful. We will be in town late July. I will keep your offer in mind. You have given me great information and a lot to think about.

Whether it was Capilano (convenient 'free' shuttle included in the ~$30pp entrance fee) or Lynn Canyon (free, but lengthy by Transit if you don't hire a car) I simply can't recommend visiting either bridge if you aren't confident you can handle wobbly bridges. Without the bridges, you don't really get much more of an experience than you would in Stanley Park, which has plenty of big trees and quiet areas you can just about escape from the rest of humanity (or at least pretend to for a little bit).

 

I always recommend people have a Plan B focused on indoor options - it rains here a lot, and while we've had three very sunny summers in a row it just takes one day of rain on the day you allocated to sightseeing to put the proverbial damper on things. Should the weather cooperate, which it probably will July/August, then if you get through your Plan A things quicker than expected you can also hit your Plan Bs - you don't have to wait for a rainy day to enjoy the Aquarium, Science World, our various Museums or Galleries.

 

If you're biking, a great shortcut is to take the ferry across False Creek south of Stanley Park - that gets you over to the Granville Island & then Kitsilano sections of the Seawall without going all the way around the shore. Even if you want to see Science World or the Athlete's Village, you can always cycle one way and ferry the other.

 

Aquabus have dedicated 'cyquabus' boats that you can roll your bikes on and off very easily, but False Creek Ferries go right to the Maritime Museum - personally I'd opt for the latter as it cuts even more distance off on one leg, and the views back across to downtown from the seawall near Vanier Park (where you can also do the Space Centre and City of Vancouver Museum, plus Bard on the Beach if you're a Shakespeare buff) are great.

 

Here's a Google Map showing what I mean about the distances - if you take the ferry you go from A to B via E, instead of the entire loop via B & C. There are nice views, and some of the best patios in the city, along the south shore of the creek though so it is worth doing one way - especially if you want to see our Olympic legacy, as the village is the biggest part of it. Hinge Park (locally more often referred to as Beer Island) is worth wandering onto - entirely man-made, but very natural-looking, to replace the shoreline that was lost when the village was built (the original waterfront was under the Salt building, which now houses Craft an Albertan alehouse which I do NOT recommend - hit the Tap & Barrel across the square for bigger and better value beers as well as better food and the best patio).

OMG Thank you so much. You have been wonderful with all the restaurant choices and now this. I can't thank you enough. Maybe you can be our tour guide LOL. We are very excited about our time in Vancouver, wish we had longer, but hope to make the most of it that we can while we are there. And rain, it better not rain on our parade. I was hoping for a nice sunny, 80 degree day - to much to wish for?? One can only hope.