sharichka

We just got off the Crown on 2/17. In our cabin (A640), the balcony door opened right next to the tv. My 6'3" husband caught his shoulder on it several times as he was going out to the balcony. I wish it had been wall mounted, but it was a small inconvenience to deal with.

I highly recommend Alaska Humpback Adventures. The boat only takes 6, I believe. When we went, my husband and I were the only ones. We were picked up at the pier and got a great tour of the area as we drove to where the boat was. I would definitely choose one of the independent companies over the ship tour for this.

We are on this same trip in February. I'm excited to read your recap and "get to know" the ship and itinerary.

We loved whale watching with Humpback Adventures in Juneau. The boat can take 6 passengers, but when we went in 2018, my husband and I were the only ones. Captain Steve was so kind and gave us a great overview of Juneau and Alaska. We can't wait to go out again with him in July.

Update: Passport arrived today! I feel like now I can really start to get excited about our trip.

I submitted my online renewal on Feb. 6. Today I received an email letting me know it was shipped.

I'm trying to figure out what we want to do on this stop as well. I'm wondering if it is feasible to do the cannery on our own, as opposed to the ship excursion.

Where do I go on the website to pre-purchase water? I did it on my last cruise 5 years ago,but I have no recollection of where I found it.

Thanks for these tips. This will be our first time on the Ruby. I never would have thought about getting a couple of blankets to use on the balcony.

We will be on this cruise as well! This will be our 2nd Alaska cruise out of San Francisco, but our very first trip with a balcony. One of the best things anyone ever told me before our first cruise is the great thing about cruising is you can do as little or as much as you want. I like to try all the things. Crafts? Sure! Exercise class? Why not! Fruit carving demonstration, towel folding, bingo, naturalist talk? Sign me up! My husband wants to get his coffee, sit with his book and look at the ocean. We're both happy! One of the dining rooms will be open on embarkation day and we find having a nice relaxed lunch is a great way to start the trip. They will try to steer you to the buffet, but you can ask which dining room is open. Be sure to be out on deck for sail away. Sailing under the Golden Gate bridge is amazing! The walls of your cabin are magnetic, so bring some magnetic clips to hang anything you need. There aren't alot of outlets in the cabin, so a power strip is handy. Make sure it does not have a surge protector. Some people bring some sort of a door decoration to make their cabin door stand out from the hall way. On the day we cruised the glaciers in 2018, they had the most amazing pizza slices available. It was a white pizza and they only served it that day. We were on the Grand and I'm hoping the Ruby serves it as well!! Are you planning any excursions? I hope you have an awesome trip!!

Did you do a ship excursion for this or on your own? If on your own, how did you get there?

I just wanted to mention Alaska Humpback Adventures as another option. We had a fantastic trip with them in 2018 and will be doing it again this summer. The boat can carry 6, but my husband and I were the only ones on our tour. Captain Steve previously was a captain for Harv and Marv. I'm sure whatever one you choose, you'll have a great time!

We loved our whale watching with Alaska Humpback Adventures out of Juneau in 2018. It is a small boat, that just takes 6 passengers. It was such a great experience, that we just booked it again for this summer.

I wonder if there will be any excursions through the ship offered. Time to start researching what there is to do.

We loved our tour with Alaska Humpback Adventures in 2018. We are looking forward to booking with them again for our 2023 cruise. I highly recommend!