Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[dani negreanu]

21 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Thanks Dani!  I'll check out L'Hermitage. 

 

I've also got a good rate for L'Hermitage through TripAdvisor.

 

If you have time, I highly recommend "Bimmer"s reviews. Much detail and a dry wit. A pleasure to read and "absorb".

Alaska --

 

 

21 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I'm not sold on the Skagway train for the same reason.  Between you and Keksie, I'll take a look at Emerald Lake. 

 

BTW, @Keksie and I used the same company -- http://www.*****/

Very pleased with the small van. Many stops along the way. Nice lunch provided.

 

 

21 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Good advice on checking weather for the Waimea canyon lookout.  I watched a couple of videos where people got to the end and couldn't see anything.  

 

That's exactly what happened to us -- "pea soup" at its best. Very frustrating.

 

16 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes but to me the Skagway train was kind of meh.  Mainly because it is not the kind of scenery that I like.  The history part of it was interesting though.

 

That. Emerald Lake seemed more to my taste, and it "delivered" 😁

 

OOppss - *Dyea Dave.

 

And even though we've never been to Seattle, Chihuly is an excellent choice.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by dani negreanu
oopppsss

[Ocean Boy]

St. Thomas and Allure with lights...

 

[bobmacliberty]

7 minutes ago, derorim said:

As much as I adore all the pics and videos of @Sea Dog's Lizzy and Charlie, I have to say I'm glad I have always have cats, and never a dog, just for the potty training issue.  

 

We've had both cats and dogs.  While potty training is not fun, it's usually over relatively quickly (relatively being the key word right now for @Sea Dog 😁).  Once trained, I always preferred letting a dog into our fenced back yard vs. cleaning a cat's litter box.  Our dog always did his business in the same area of our yard that got no human foot traffic.  I therefore always left things to nature and considered it fertilizer.  Micheline instead always wanted to pick up her poop rather than let it decompose, and that's definitely required when taking the dog for a walk.  In the end, it doesn't really matter.  We do what we must for our pets.  It's the least that we can do given everything that they give to us.

[NHProud]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

I've spent the last few days researching and planning for some of the missing pieces of our Alaska/Hawaii cruise this fall.  This is our first big trip in retirement (with most other plans having been cancelled) and we want to do it right.  Fingers (and toes) crossed that it still goes as planned. 

 

I'm interested in the thoughts of those of you who have been to the places that we are going.  Do you like the choices that we've made?  Do you have any alternate suggestions?  And before anyone says it, yes...I've been all over the port boards for info there as well.  There is a nice variety of people here who've been there/done that for a lot of places when it comes to cruising, and if Dani doesn't mind me using this thread, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  If this thread is still alive when we travel, I'll pay it back by posting pictures.

 

The main itinerary is as follows:

• Fly to Seattle on Sept 16. Spend 2.5 days in Seattle
• 7 nights on Quantum departing Sept 19 from Seattle, return Sept 25 to Seattle
• Fly Seattle to Vancouver on Sept 25.  Spend 3.5 days in Vancouver
• 9 nights on Ovation departing Sept 30 from Vancouver, arrive Oct 9 in Honolulu
• Fly to Kauai on Oct 9.  5 days in Kauai.
• Fly home on Oct 14.

 

For Seattle, we're booked in the Mayflower Park Hotel.  Downtown and walkable to Pike Place Market (currently planning a walking food tour of Pike Place Market) and several restaurants.  Right on the monorail to Seattle Center for the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass.  

 

The Alaska cruise stops at:

• Icy Strait Point - Probably will do the Ziprider
• Skagway - Probably the White Pass and Yukon Railway
• Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier
• Juneau - Helicopter Glacier tour.  Many choices...still need to pick one.
• Victoria - ???

 

For Vancouver, we're booked in the Pan Pacific Hotel.  Decided to spend a little extra and be right on the harbour/right at the cruise port.  Currently planning a walking food tour of Gastown, several hours (maybe a whole day?) in Stanley Park (may rent bikes), and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and/or Grouse Mountain.  If time, may also spend a few hours (including dinner?) on Granville Island.

 

The TP cruise to Hawaii stops at:

• Seattle - Will do something that we missed when there pre-cruise...Aquarium?  Museum of Flight?
• Lahaina for 2 days - Not sure yet what we will do.  We've been to Maui 3 times and have done all of the highlights, including Haleakula sunrise (brrr), Road to Hana, Old Lahaina Luau (3 times), helicopter tour (twice), Molokini snorkel.  We might do the OL Luau again as we do like it a lot, or may try a different one.

 

For Kauai, we're booked in the Grand Hyatt and will have a rental car.  Planning on a day on the north coast (Princeville Botanical Gardens, Kilauea Lighthouse (if timing works for a tour), a few beaches.  Planning on a day driving along the Waimea Canyon to the Kalalau Lookout.  Planning on a Napali Coast Sunset boat tour.  May visit the Smith's Family Garden Luau and drive to a few waterfalls.  Will leave some time for pool and beach but we can do that most of the year and would rather spend limited time elsewhere.  We decided not to spend any time in Honolulu/Oahu.  Been there 3 times and have done all of the highlights there.  We decided to go straight to Kauai since we've never been there.

 

Because we will be gone for a month and will need clothes for potential cold/wet weather (layers) and warm/sunny weather, we need to figure out clothing/packing logistics.  We'll probably take advantage of laundry perks on the ships.

 

Everything is flexible right now (including hotels), so if anyone has any other ideas of places to stay/things to do, I am all ears.  We are somewhat adventurous and don't mind a little activity (e.g. short hikes), but are getting too old for anything overly strenuous or adrenaline inducing.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.  Thanks.

 

 

 

We had a Pacific Coastal  cruise planned for this coming May which we canceled. It is the May 3rd cruise on Celebrity Millennium.   There’s a woman on there BCHappyGirl who will be more than happy to answer all of your questions about Vancouver and Victoria .  She lives in Vancouver. She has her e-mail posted on the roll call .  She too has canceled however Ann is still answering questions and giving advice .  We were going to stay at the Metropolitan Vancouver because it is a Marriott. The Pan Pacific is highly recommended.  One of the ports is Seattle and we were going to Snoqualmie Falls and Salish lodge for lunch.

 

We have a round trip cruise from San Diego to Hawaii booked for next January.  I haven’t done any planning, yet.   

 

PS: I don’t know the proper etiquette of crashing a roll call but pretty certain Ann would answer any e-mail directed to her . We had the Butchart garden tour booked for Victoria. 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by NHProud

[bobmacliberty]

4 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

Victoria I would definitely visit the Butchart Gardens. They’re remarkable. 
After her wedding, a woman moved to her new husband’s home and the view from the back was a quarry. 
What she turned that quarry into is well worth a visit. The gardens are extensive and very beautiful. 
Depending on the time you’ll have on shore, another option is Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Elegant and expensive and you’ll need a reservation. 
Your planned itinerary looks wonderful. 
I don’t think you can make a bad choice in Alaska. I love the float planes, but would think twice now. 
I enjoy the White Pass train ride, but I am a train aficionado. 

 

Thanks Mimi.  Unfortunately, Victoria is 4-10pm.  The gardens sound like a great idea, especially for Micheline who really enjoys that.  I'll need to see when sunset is and what hours they are open.  I'll check out the Fairmont Hotel also.  While we might be too late for afternoon tea, we may be able to get a drink and an appetizer, or even get dinner there rather than on the ship.

[bobmacliberty]

1 minute ago, NHProud said:

We had a Pacific Coastal  cruise planned for this coming May which we canceled. It is the May 3rd cruise on Celebrity Millennium.   There’s a woman on there BCHappyGirl who will be more than happy to answer all of your questions about Vancouver and Victoria .  She lives in Vancouver. She has her e-mail posted on the roll call .  She too has canceled however Ann is still answering questions and giving advice .  We were going to stay at the Metropolitan Vancouver because it is a Marriott. The Pan Pacific is highly recommended.  One of the ports is Seattle and we were going to Snoqualmie Fall’s and Salish lodge for lunch.

 

We have a round trip cruise from San Diego to Hawaii booked for next January.  I haven’t done any planning, yet.   

 

Thanks!  I'll see if I can find BCHappyGirl on your X roll call.  I've not heard of Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge.  Sounds like it could be a great idea!

[NHProud]

4 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thanks!  I'll see if I can find BCHappyGirl on your X roll call.  I've not heard of Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge.  Sounds like it could be a great idea!

It was the setting for Twin Peaks .

[Sunshine3601]

23 minutes ago, derorim said:

 

As much as I adore all the pics and videos of @Sea Dog's Lizzy and Charlie, I have to say I'm glad I have always have cats, and never a dog, just for the potty training issue.  

 

Hopefully Sparky is all better now.  We'll probably be in the same boat with giving Marcel excess treats when we get back from our Odyssey cruise in a couple of weeks.  I must admit, I already feel really guilty about leaving him with the pet sitter for 10 days.

 

 

Marcel has such a sweet loving face, beautiful kitty!

I know, it is so difficult to leave them.    I know my neighbor that cat sits takes very good care of them as they are always so happy to see her.     I think the fact that we work from home a lot lately has made it even more difficult for us and them when we leave.   

 

[Sea Viewer]

@bobmacliberty

We visited Kauai as a land based trip 10 years ago. The absolute highlight was a helicopter ride into Waimea Canyon with a landing and lunch by a waterfall. The ride was "doors off" I didn't tell my husband until we got there!! He still talks about that ride as one of the best things he has ever done.

 

Mary

[reallyitsmema]

28 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thanks Dani!  I'll check out L'Hermitage.  I ended up looking at so many Vancouver hotels that they all started to run together and I finally just gave up and went with the Pan Pacific.  I stayed there once before on business and enjoyed watching the seaplanes come and go.  I got what I think is a good deal on the Pan Pacific (thru TripAdvisor Plus, which I think I can mention here) but wouldn't mind saving a couple hundred dollars. 

 

I'm not sold on the Skagway train for the same reason.  Between you and Keksie, I'll take a look at Emerald Lake.  Good advice on checking weather for the Waimea canyon lookout.  I watched a couple of videos where people got to the end and couldn't see anything.  We've not yet been to Alaska so I don't know if it will be one and done for us, or if we will want to go back.  Time will tell (hopefully).

 

We enjoy staying at the Marriott Pinnacle hotel in Vancouver.  It has a great harbor view and is very close to the pier.  We are also on Quantum to Alaska.  We are doing a whale watch in Icy Strait Point with Glacier Wind.  It is a small family run company with two boats, one 6 passenger and one 13 passenger.  We used them in 2018 and highly recommend them.  Teresa picks you up at the excursion hub and drives you to their boats.  Her husband and son are the boast captains and work together tracking the whales.  We saw tons of whales and also bears when we went with the before.  We are doing White Pass in Skagway as we didn't do the train last time.  In Juneau, we have rented a car again and will take ourselves to Mendenhall Glacier. Eagle Beach and the Shrine.  This gives us more flexibility to stay at Mendenhall a lot longer than any of the tours.  In Victoria, we haven't planned anything yet as I think we are there 6pm to 10pm or something useless like that.  Not really conducive to going to Butchart Gardens, but we have been there before.

 

For a Seattle hotel, we are staying at the Marriott Waterfront, which is right across from the NCL pier and down the hill from Pike Market.  We stayed there before and like the location.  The view is like the opening shot on Grey's Anatomy, watching the ferries across the Puget Sound. 🙂 

[Sea Viewer]

12 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thanks Mimi.  Unfortunately, Victoria is 4-10pm.  The gardens sound like a great idea, especially for Micheline who really enjoys that.  I'll need to see when sunset is and what hours they are open.  I'll check out the Fairmont Hotel also.  While we might be too late for afternoon tea, we may be able to get a drink and an appetizer, or even get dinner there rather than on the ship.

 

We also had a late Victoria visit and did take the ship tour to Buchart. It stayed light fairly late and there were fireworks and classical music concert that evening. I think our tour was last back to the ship! It was well worth it. 

[Sea Dog]

50 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

You may not be able to give me advice on Alaska or Hawaii (yet!), but I'm sitting here drinking one of your Old Fashioneds.  Very tasty every time!

 

 

 

Cheers to you!

 

 

[Sea Dog]

38 minutes ago, derorim said:

 

As much as I adore all the pics and videos of @Sea Dog's Lizzy and Charlie, I have to say I'm glad I have always have cats, and never a dog, just for the potty training issue.  

 

Hopefully Sparky is all better now.  We'll probably be in the same boat with giving Marcel excess treats when we get back from our Odyssey cruise in a couple of weeks.  I must admit, I already feel really guilty about leaving him with the pet sitter for 10 days.

 

 

thats what I love about cats, such low maintenance. Marcel is beautiful. I’m like you even though we have a good pet sitter I feel guilty too.

[bobmacliberty]

9 minutes ago, Sea Viewer said:

@bobmacliberty

We visited Kauai as a land based trip 10 years ago. The absolute highlight was a helicopter ride into Waimea Canyon with a landing and lunch by a waterfall. The ride was "doors off" I didn't tell my husband until we got there!! He still talks about that ride as one of the best things he has ever done.

 

Mary

 

You are definitely speaking my language.  That sounds amazing.

 

6 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

We enjoy staying at the Marriott Pinnacle hotel in Vancouver.  It has a great harbor view and is very close to the pier.  We are also on Quantum to Alaska.  We are doing a whale watch in Icy Strait Point with Glacier Wind.  It is a small family run company with two boats, one 6 passenger and one 13 passenger.  We used them in 2018 and highly recommend them.  Teresa picks you up at the excursion hub and drives you to their boats.  Her husband and son are the boast captains and work together tracking the whales.  We saw tons of whales and also bears when we went with the before.  We are doing White Pass in Skagway as we didn't do the train last time.  In Juneau, we have rented a car again and will take ourselves to Mendenhall Glacier. Eagle Beach and the Shrine.  This gives us more flexibility to stay at Mendenhall a lot longer than any of the tours.  In Victoria, we haven't planned anything yet as I think we are there 6pm to 10pm or something useless like that.  Not really conducive to going to Butchart Gardens, but we have been there before.

 

For a Seattle hotel, we are staying at the Marriott Waterfront, which is right across from the NCL pier and down the hill from Pike Market.  We stayed there before and like the location.  The view is like the opening shot on Grey's Anatomy, watching the ferries across the Puget Sound. 🙂 

 

Thanks for the whale watching tip at ISP.  I'll check them out quickly as I'd guess that they'd sell out.  We are fans of small group tours.  

 

3 minutes ago, Sea Viewer said:

 

We also had a late Victoria visit and did take the ship tour to Buchart. It stayed light fairly late and there were fireworks and classical music concert that evening. I think our tour was last back to the ship! It was well worth it. 

 

Buchart sounds like a great choice.  Their website currently only lists hours through the spring.  Good to know they were open late when you visited and will hopefully be the same this coming fall.

[bobmacliberty]

2 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Cheers to you!

 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Thanks for the whale watching tip at ISP.  I'll check them out quickly as I'd guess that they'd sell out.  We are fans of small group tours.  

 

They do definitely sell out.  They will refund if the ship doesn't not make the port and refunded me very quickly last year when Quantum cancelled its Alaska season.  Ships are clean and new.  They have snacks and hot chocolate.  Captain Shaun was great at narrating and answering questions.  We are on Captain Casey's boat this year, he is the son, I hope he is as good as his Dad.

 

https://www.g-wind.com/

 

[Coralc]

53 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes but to me the Skagway train was kind of meh.  Mainly because it is not the kind of scenery that I like.  The history part of it was interesting though.

All we saw was snow, and more snow. I dozed off.  But it was May, and very snowy that year. 

[George C]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

You may not be able to give me advice on Alaska or Hawaii (yet!), but I'm sitting here drinking one of your Old Fashioneds.  Very tasty every time!

 

 

Thanks for the input.  Off to check out whale watching tours in ISP.  What's with the yarn stores?  Is Alaska known for their yarn?

We did a cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver a long time ago, for most of the cruise gift shop on board was selling shorts and bathing suits, when we got half way to Vancouver store was selling sweatshirts and other warmer apparel. Still haven’t cruised Alaska yet. Your vacation sounds great.

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I've spent the last few days researching and planning for some of the missing pieces of our Alaska/Hawaii cruise this fall.  This is our first big trip in retirement (with most other plans having been cancelled) and we want to do it right.  Fingers (and toes) crossed that it still goes as planned. 

 

I'm interested in the thoughts of those of you who have been to the places that we are going.  Do you like the choices that we've made?  Do you have any alternate suggestions?  And before anyone says it, yes...I've been all over the port boards for info there as well.  There is a nice variety of people here who've been there/done that for a lot of places when it comes to cruising, and if Dani doesn't mind me using this thread, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  If this thread is still alive when we travel, I'll pay it back by posting pictures.

 

The main itinerary is as follows:

• Fly to Seattle on Sept 16. Spend 2.5 days in Seattle
• 7 nights on Quantum departing Sept 19 from Seattle, return Sept 25 to Seattle
• Fly Seattle to Vancouver on Sept 25.  Spend 3.5 days in Vancouver
• 9 nights on Ovation departing Sept 30 from Vancouver, arrive Oct 9 in Honolulu
• Fly to Kauai on Oct 9.  5 days in Kauai.
• Fly home on Oct 14.

 

For Seattle, we're booked in the Mayflower Park Hotel.  Downtown and walkable to Pike Place Market (currently planning a walking food tour of Pike Place Market) and several restaurants.  Right on the monorail to Seattle Center for the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass.  

 

The Alaska cruise stops at:

• Icy Strait Point - Probably will do the Ziprider
• Skagway - Probably the White Pass and Yukon Railway
• Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier
• Juneau - Helicopter Glacier tour.  Many choices...still need to pick one.
• Victoria - ???

 

For Vancouver, we're booked in the Pan Pacific Hotel.  Decided to spend a little extra and be right on the harbour/right at the cruise port.  Currently planning a walking food tour of Gastown, several hours (maybe a whole day?) in Stanley Park (may rent bikes), and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and/or Grouse Mountain.  If time, may also spend a few hours (including dinner?) on Granville Island.

 

The TP cruise to Hawaii stops at:

• Seattle - Will do something that we missed when there pre-cruise...Aquarium?  Museum of Flight?
• Lahaina for 2 days - Not sure yet what we will do.  We've been to Maui 3 times and have done all of the highlights, including Haleakula sunrise (brrr), Road to Hana, Old Lahaina Luau (3 times), helicopter tour (twice), Molokini snorkel.  We might do the OL Luau again as we do like it a lot, or may try a different one.

 

For Kauai, we're booked in the Grand Hyatt and will have a rental car.  Planning on a day on the north coast (Princeville Botanical Gardens, Kilauea Lighthouse (if timing works for a tour), a few beaches.  Planning on a day driving along the Waimea Canyon to the Kalalau Lookout.  Planning on a Napali Coast Sunset boat tour.  May visit the Smith's Family Garden Luau and drive to a few waterfalls.  Will leave some time for pool and beach but we can do that most of the year and would rather spend limited time elsewhere.  We decided not to spend any time in Honolulu/Oahu.  Been there 3 times and have done all of the highlights there.  We decided to go straight to Kauai since we've never been there.

 

Because we will be gone for a month and will need clothes for potential cold/wet weather (layers) and warm/sunny weather, we need to figure out clothing/packing logistics.  We'll probably take advantage of laundry perks on the ships.

 

Everything is flexible right now (including hotels), so if anyone has any other ideas of places to stay/things to do, I am all ears.  We are somewhat adventurous and don't mind a little activity (e.g. short hikes), but are getting too old for anything overly strenuous or adrenaline inducing.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.  Thanks.

 

 

 

Why not drive from Seattle to Vancouver, it's an easy drive. Why hassle with both airports?

[Ocean Boy]

Since we seem to love showing pictures of our pets....

 

 

 

[DaniDanielle]

55 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Those are the ones that were in a crate marked...Allure.

I will fed ex them to you!

[MJSailors]

@bobmacliberty Your plans for Alaska and Hawaii seem to be very good.

MY DH and I took a Princess cruise to Alaska out of Seattle and enjoyed it very much. 

I did a land trip with a friend when I was single many years ago. It was quite a trip as we visited Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Kona on the Big Island- Hawaii. 

With that being said,I have a few thoughts about some of the places you will be visiting.

Seattle- Depending on the teams’ schedule when you visit in September,would you want to see a Mariners or Seahawks game? We went to a Mariners’ game,more to experience the the stadium than root for the team.

You could take a round trip ferry ride out of Seattle to a nearby island. That way, you could experience seeing the harbor a bit more than when you leave  on the ship.

There may also be harbor tours offered and on a pretty day, it could be a relaxing way to see part of the city.

Skagway- we took the train and enjoyed it. My DH got some spectacular scenery photos from the observation platform at the end of the train.

There are walking tours of the town of Skagway or you can take a walk for yourself. I think there is a historic cemetery in the area as well as a local history museum.

Victoria- I agree with Mimi about the Fairmont Empress hotel. It is a lovely place, worth a visit for drinks,dinner or both.

Maui- Would you consider a day pass at one of the resorts? Since you have visited the island a few times,it may be an opportunity to relax.

Hoping that the trip is all that you are anticipating and more !

[Coralc]

Skagway train. Snow. 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Coralc

[reallyitsmema]

2 minutes ago, Coralc said:

Skagway train. Snow. 

 

Wow!  That was a snowy year.  We went in May 2018 and did the excursion called To The Top.  We saw snow up in the mountains but nothing like that at all.

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

I would definitely visit the Butchart Gardens. They’re remarkable. 

Absolutely!!  Just unbelievable!!