OhJinkies

Interesting what happens to people booked on Valor?

 

 

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Funny you should ask. I booked a cruise on the Carnival Valor for February and just received this email:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

CARNIVAL VALOR

CHANGE OF SISTER SHIPS

12/18/2016 - 04/30/2018

November 11, 2016

Dear Carnival Valor Guest,

We know you must be looking forward to your vacation, so we'd like to inform you of an important change to your cruise.

Carnival Valor will be changing her homeport to Galveston, Texas next month. This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston.

Not to worry, Carnival Liberty will be sailing year round from Port Canaveral beginning December 15, 2016 and will take over scheduled itineraries given that she is well equipped to handle our short duration cruises from Central Florida. Prior to repositioning to Port Canaveral, Carnival Liberty will have just completed a dry dock and will be refreshed for our guests.

Built only one year apart, Carnival Liberty is a sister ship to Carnival Valor and has similar accommodations, public venues and Fun Ship 2.0 features including Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar.

As a result of this repositioning, your reservation will be moved to a comparable stateroom aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. Your departure date and scheduled itinerary will remain the same.

Sit back and relax...we'll be doing all the work. Affected sailings are now temporarily closed in the system as our team prepares to make the necessary changes. This means that you, nor our contact center, will be able to make modifications to your reservation until it has been moved over to Carnival Liberty.

We will do everything possible to match your current accommodations. Fly2Fun flights, transfers and other vacation components such as dining, pre-paid gratuities, shore excursions, Fun Shop items and Spa reservations will be maintained on your booking.

We anticipate our work will be completed by the end of November. A confirmation with your stateroom assignment will be sent to you as soon as we have finished.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

We're looking forward to welcoming you aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty for a FUN and memorable cruise!

Sincerely,

Denese Waiters

Sr. Director, Guest Services - Contact Centers

This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston while Carnival Liberty is well equipped to handle shorter duration cruises from Central Florida.

 

Does this sound odd to anyone other than me? Shouldn't they be similarly suited for the same speeds since they are sister ships? Sounds like there is something major wrong with Liberty that they don't want to fix so they move it to a short Bahama run that allows for lower speeds. But I am no expert.

I'm booked on the Valor for a February cruise from Port Canaveral and just received an email informing me that the Valor will be switching with the Liberty:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

CARNIVAL VALOR

CHANGE OF SISTER SHIPS

12/18/2016 - 04/30/2018

November 11, 2016

Dear Carnival Valor Guest,

We know you must be looking forward to your vacation, so we'd like to inform you of an important change to your cruise.

Carnival Valor will be changing her homeport to Galveston, Texas next month. This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston.

Not to worry, Carnival Liberty will be sailing year round from Port Canaveral beginning December 15, 2016 and will take over scheduled itineraries given that she is well equipped to handle our short duration cruises from Central Florida. Prior to repositioning to Port Canaveral, Carnival Liberty will have just completed a dry dock and will be refreshed for our guests.

Built only one year apart, Carnival Liberty is a sister ship to Carnival Valor and has similar accommodations, public venues and Fun Ship 2.0 features including Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar.

As a result of this repositioning, your reservation will be moved to a comparable stateroom aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. Your departure date and scheduled itinerary will remain the same.

Sit back and relax...we'll be doing all the work. Affected sailings are now temporarily closed in the system as our team prepares to make the necessary changes. This means that you, nor our contact center, will be able to make modifications to your reservation until it has been moved over to Carnival Liberty.

We will do everything possible to match your current accommodations. Fly2Fun flights, transfers and other vacation components such as dining, pre-paid gratuities, shore excursions, Fun Shop items and Spa reservations will be maintained on your booking.

We anticipate our work will be completed by the end of November. A confirmation with your stateroom assignment will be sent to you as soon as we have finished.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

We're looking forward to welcoming you aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty for a FUN and memorable cruise!

Sincerely,

Denese Waiters

Sr. Director, Guest Services - Contact Centers

I booked a cruise on the Carnival Valor for February and just received this email:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

CARNIVAL VALOR

CHANGE OF SISTER SHIPS

12/18/2016 - 04/30/2018

November 11, 2016

Dear Carnival Valor Guest,

We know you must be looking forward to your vacation, so we'd like to inform you of an important change to your cruise.

Carnival Valor will be changing her homeport to Galveston, Texas next month. This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston.

Not to worry, Carnival Liberty will be sailing year round from Port Canaveral beginning December 15, 2016 and will take over scheduled itineraries given that she is well equipped to handle our short duration cruises from Central Florida. Prior to repositioning to Port Canaveral, Carnival Liberty will have just completed a dry dock and will be refreshed for our guests.

Built only one year apart, Carnival Liberty is a sister ship to Carnival Valor and has similar accommodations, public venues and Fun Ship 2.0 features including Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar.

As a result of this repositioning, your reservation will be moved to a comparable stateroom aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty. Your departure date and scheduled itinerary will remain the same.

Sit back and relax...we'll be doing all the work. Affected sailings are now temporarily closed in the system as our team prepares to make the necessary changes. This means that you, nor our contact center, will be able to make modifications to your reservation until it has been moved over to Carnival Liberty.

We will do everything possible to match your current accommodations. Fly2Fun flights, transfers and other vacation components such as dining, pre-paid gratuities, shore excursions, Fun Shop items and Spa reservations will be maintained on your booking.

We anticipate our work will be completed by the end of November. A confirmation with your stateroom assignment will be sent to you as soon as we have finished.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

We're looking forward to welcoming you aboard the beautiful Carnival Liberty for a FUN and memorable cruise!

Sincerely,

Denese Waiters

Sr. Director, Guest Services - Contact Centers

Posted in wrong thread - please disregard.

Overall, I just love to cruise. But the answer to the question "why" varies. I

I have three cruises planned: the biggest one is my Alaska cruise coming up in June, and that was all about the ports - seeing the beauty of Alaska. The ship was secondary, although I took great care in selecting my state room – for the first time ever, I'll be sailing in an aft facing balcony. I think this will be wonderful for seeing the scenery, especially in Glacier Bay.

After returning from a spring vacation, I could not bear the thought of waiting over a year until my next cruise, so I booked my December cruise on Carnival to the Western Caribbean. In addition to just enjoying being at sea, I have not yet visited two of these ports, and so I am really interested in seeing them.

Finally, seeing sales posted, I booked another short cruise in February. This one just goes to the Bahamas, and I have been there countless times. This one is all about just being at sea and enjoying a cruise ship that I have not yet experienced.

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I really enjoy the free style dining – I didn't realize how much until I cruised on a Disney ship (again) and felt very constricted as to dining time, table, servers, menu, etc.

Speaking as a solo cruiser, I really like NCL's focus on the solo cruiser, (well, at least with the newer ships), with the dedicated studios, lounge, and host to help you meet up with people when you want to dine or do other activities with others.

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I'm considering the DuckBoat, as well, and hoping they'll be available for walkups. I've got a flightseeing tour at 8 AM, so I expect I'll be back to the port around 10 AM and am wondering what else to do.

Have you already booked your trip? This board is set up in various ways: there are groups dedicated to specific cruise lines, and then you can search out posts for your ship, there are groups dedicated to the various ports on your cruise, and there are other roll call groups where you can join to meet others that are on your same sailing.

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I prefer balconies, but have booked insides for my last four cruises as I have been sailing solo and paying double. There is plenty of room in an inside state room, and I do prefer the ones with the drop-down beds. I have not had a state room with a balcony for about five years, and at the time, I had smokers nearby that prevented me from fully enjoying it. However, I have booked an Alaska cruise for next summer and splurged on an aft-facing balcony. It's costing me an arm and a leg, but we have lots of time sailing through Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, and the Inside Passage. I'm really looking forward to it!

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Can I actually use this card to pay for my cruise, or is it only for use once on board?

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The Comfort Inn in Anchorage is a nice modestly price hotel with free hot breakfast and great staff. It is very close to the rail station.

Does the hotel have a shuttle to/from the train station, or do I need a taxi?

If interested in what ships will be visiting GB here is a site for 2017 and part of 2018.

 

You can investigate any other port of call you would like.

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-glacier-bay-alaska.html

Thanks for sharing!!

I'm planning my own Alaska cruise for next summer and CruiseCritic has been a BIG help. I already had a future cruise credit from NCL, and I like them, so that streamlined my choices a bit. My trip is totaling about 14 days as well. With that kind of time, you need to decide whether to do a round trip, or a one-way sailing with time on land. Airfare may be a bit more with open-jaw flights but you'll be able to see a lot more of Alaska if you start or end in a port like Seward or Whittier. If you do decide to spend some time on land, you can either book a land/cruise package through the cruise line, or plan your own.

As much as I would probably save money and enjoy the convenience of a package, I like to set my own pace... so I've been planning my own land trip. Oh, and I'm traveling solo... so no compromising!!

I've changed up my land itinerary a couple of times but the most important advice I can give you is to really consider what is most important to you, i.e., scenery, wildlife, cool adventures (like ziplining, fishing), cultural/historical sites, shopping, dining, etc.

For example, my priorities are:

Beautiful scenery: I live in Florida, so mountains, glaciers, snow, waterfalls, etc. are important to me. I really hope I can see Denali (the mountain). I love taking photos of scenery, as well as...

Wildlife: I'd love to see some bears, moose, etc. and get some photos.

Flightseeing: I did this in Hawaii and I'm hooked. Some places are just made to be seen from the air.

Small boat tours: I also want to get close to the water to see the sealife and scenery up close.

Glacier: I want to walk on a glacier!

Sled Dogs: I'm not that excited about being on a sled dog ride, but I want to cuddle some puppies.

So... shopping, dining, museums, ziplining, fishing, etc... not on my wish list.

I AM doing flightseeing, a small boat excursion, a couple of walking tours with an emphasis on photography, and a combination train ride/van tour in Skagway (and PUPPIES).

For my land trip, everyone says Denali is a "must do." I looked into doing Denali on my own, and taking the 12-hour tour into the park. I would definitely enjoy the beauty of the park. But there is no guarantee on seeing wildlife, and the bus will not stop and let you get out to take photos except at pre-planned stops. It's a long day on a bus.

After much consideration, I decided only to go as far as Talkeetna, where I will take a flightseeing trip. The flight will take me to the Alaska range to get a birds-eye view of Denali (hopefully) and views of the waterfalls, etc. Then we land on a glacier! As for wildlife, I have plenty of chances on other excursions to see it, and I plan to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where I can see some of these animals up close.

I'm also planning to spend some extra time in Seward (Kenai Fjords National Park), taking the train to Anchorage, renting a car, and hoping to book a tour around the Knik Glacier area.

Enjoy the planning -- for me, it just adds to the enjoyment of the entire trip!

I'm booked on the Sun next summer -- I initially lamented the lack of solo studios then turned around and splurged on an aft-facing balcony!

So with this news, I had a brief moment of regret, then realized I chose a one-way itinerary so I could spend time doing my own land tour after the cruise.

Best of both worlds -- if I fall in love with Alaska, I may have a more cost-effective way to return!

Thank you for your review, I enjoyed it as well. Each review I read has a little influence on my choices as I plan my cruise for next summer.

Did you read that NCL will be debuting the new Norwegian Bliss in 2018 with a homeport in Seattle, sailing roundtrip to Alaska? I would not give up my one-way journey but maybe someday I'll return on the Bliss!

I'm planning my own Alaska trip for next summer, on NCL. This is what I know about NCL -- the two-hour timeframe is only for embarkation. You need to be on the ship two hours before the ship sets sail from the home port. That is all. For the rest of the cruise, I think they recommend that you're back on board 30 minutes before sailing. I've sailed three times with NCL and the food is fine. Nothing remarkable, but not bad either. I enjoy the freestyle dining, as I can choose what time I eat, and which dining area (included options are two full-service dining rooms, the buffet, a casual sports-type dining area and various pizza/grill options by the pool). I'm cruising solo. I can choose to have my own table, or they will ask me if I want to sit with others. Depends on my mood! Sometimes I just want to sit and read, other times I'm eager for conversation. Sometimes I meet up with people on my roll call. I can roll either way.

As far as choosing your cruise line/itinerary, ask what is most important to you...

Do you want to do a roundtrip cruise (cheaper airfare) or would you rather spend some time doing a land tour in Alaska before or after your sailing? Most (not all) of the roundtrip sailings sail from Seattle, while one-way voyages usually sail to or from Vancouver.

Many people really want to see Glacier Bay, to others it's not a priority. Only a few cruiselines visit Glacier Bay, as capacity is tightly controlled. If you really want to cruise this area, you'll need to choose a cruiseline and itinerary that includes it. NCL does include this on their seven-day Norwegian Sun itinerary, but only on the northbound voyages.

If you want to include a land tour, would you prefer booking one through the cruiseline that handles all transfers, bags, and some of your meals, or are you a more independent traveler? Holland America and Princess have the most experience with these, although some of the other cruise lines (including NCL) also offer land packages. I opted to plan my own time visiting some of the inland sites.

What's your cruising style? Do you like things casual? Lively? Low-key? From what I've read, Alaskan cruises are very different from Caribbean cruises -- you're not going to get the party crowd, and there is not a lot of night life as far as dance clubs, etc. being really active. You say you like to dress for dinner, but I've read that Alaskan cruises on the whole tend to be a bit more casual.

I chose NCL because I had purchased a future cruise credit (down payment) on a previous cruise that I needed to use, but I could have used that for a different cruise if I didn't like what they offered. But they met my needs as far as itinerary. I also splurged on an aft-facing balcony for this trip (my first ever) to really enjoy my sea days (glacier viewing and other scenic views).

So I hope this helps you narrow down your choices!

I'm doing a northbound cruise in early June and spending about six days traveling afterwards -- I've been planning this for over a year and have nearly everything booked:

Airfare - booked

Pre-cruise stay in Vancouver - hotel booked, food tour of Granville Island booked.

Cruise - Misty Fjords flightseeing tour booked with Island Wings (Ketchikan), Mendenhall Glacier Photography Hiking Tour booked with Adventure Flow (Juneau), and Yukon Rail and Bus Expedition booked with Chilkoot Charters (Skagway).

Post-cruise...

Seward - booked hotel, and Kenai Fjords tour with Alaska Saltwater Lodge (small boat)

Train from Seward to Anchorage booked

Anchorage, take 1 - one night stay, rental car from Avis

Wasilla - one night stay (Knik Glacier Tour pending/reservations not yet available)

Talkeetna - one night stay, flightseeing with glacier landing booked with Talkeetna Air Taxi

Anchorage, take 2 - one night stay

this family travelled during that same time period. Check out straychicken's trip report and their photo at Byron Glacier.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2376460&highlight=byron

Thanks - I've been reading trip reports and had actually already looked at that one! Looks like a pretty cool place (especially for a Florida girl)!

Day 2 you can often see otters and bald eagles near the harbor in Seward. There's a mile long path that runs from the Harbor, past the campgrounds, and into downtown (it ends by the Sealife Center). I've camped there a few times and would often see otters and bald eagles from our camper or while walking along the shore.

 

Day 3 Consider a visit to Byron Glacier (Girdwood). It's a pretty short and easy hike to the foot of the glacier. Depending on when you travel you might be able to play in the snow.

Thanks for the suggestions!! My post-cruise days are June 12 - 17.

I think I'm on the same cruise as Mitch. I've planned my own itinerary and started with one of the pre-packaged ones for a starting point, then made adjustments based on my own priorities and suggestions from people here on Cruise Critic. Here are my priorities:

1) Beautiful scenery. I'm from Florida, so snow-capped mountains are very appealing! I'm also hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Mt. Denali.

2) Glaciers. I want to see them and want to walk on one.

3) Flightseeing. I love flying over beautiful places so I wanted to do at least one flightseeing tour.

4) Smaller boat cruises. I love being out on the water and getting close to wildlife, seeing whales, dolphins, etc.

5) Spotting wildlife - not as high on my list but I'd like to get some nice photos.

So here's what I've come up with.

Sailing from Vancouver -- I've booked a nice mix of excursions for our ports (hiking around Mendenhall Glacier, flightseeing in Misty Fjords, train/van ride from Skagway).

We disembark in Seward. Now on to my land trip:

Day One - Drop off luggage at hotel in Seward, meet up with group in town to take a small boat excursion into Kenai Fjords. Stay overnight in Seward.

Day Two - Stay in/around Seward, possibly visit Exit Glacier or aquarium. May do some laundry! Take 6 PM train to Anchorage (Goldstar service class for best scenic options). Catch cab to hotel.

Day Three - Pick up rental car from Avis. Don't have to be anywhere definite until 5:30 PM. Plan to drive down to Portage to visit Alaska Wildlife Center (I can probably get some great close-up photos here). If time permits, I may head over to the Alyeska Lodge for lunch. Then I'll head into Wasilla to check into my hotel and drop off my luggage. I'm planning to then drive over to the Knik Glacier area for their late afternoon glacier photography tour (combination 4x4 offroad vehicle and jetboat). Back to Wasilla for my overnight.

Day Four - Drive up to Talkeetna to take a Denali Flightseeing Tour. This one flies over/around the mountain range, and lands on a glacier. Have lunch in town, check into my overnight accommodations. If I have any energy left, I may pick up the late afternoon jetboat tour in Talkeetna.

Day Five - Morning is open to take that jetboat tour or just hang around funky little Talkeetna. Then it's time to return to Anchorage and check into my hotel. Afternoon open to explore Anchorage or rest.

Day Six - Need to return my rental car before lunch and catch my afternoon flight back home.

So as you see, I'm not actually going all the way to Denali NP, except for my flightseeing tour. It's a long drive there, then even more hours (8-12) on a bus inside the park with limited stops. I think I can see enough beautiful scenery with multiple opportunities (Talkeetna and my Denali flightseeing) to see "the mountain." I can get my wildlife fix at the conservation center. I have more opportunities to see beautiful scenery, glaciers, and wildlife in Seward and at the Knik Glacier.

So rather than just tick off locations, really think about what is important to you -- where do you want to invest not just your money, but your time?

Are you disembarking in Seward or Whittier? I'm staying overnight in Seward -- taking a Kenai Fjords glacier cruise. There is an evening train to Anchorage. I'll be taking that (the next night) and then renting a car in Anchorage. I'm only driving as far as Talkeetna, and doing a flightseeing trip to Denali from there. Flightseeing x 5 would be rather pricey, though.

Other stops to include the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and hopefully a Knik Glacier tour, with an overnight in Wasilla.

When you're a thirsty person like me, eating at the buffet can be a challenge -- what's going to happen to my food/table when I'm away? So I created this little sign I leave while I'm away:

I love the fluke shot (not doing a quote since that takes up so much room)!!

Was my lunchtime activity profitable?

 

 

[ No, this isn't the aftermath of a forest fire in Juneau! :) ]

Very nice!

How does this work out then?

 

AMF

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