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blufroggirl79

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Posts posted by blufroggirl79

    Escape room upsell.... did we do the right thing?

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    My husband got an email offer to upsell from our balcony room on deck 11 to a haven room on deck 10 (forward) for $500 per person. He pulled the trigger and did it. Was this the right decision? Will we love it? We've only done balcony, outside, and inside rooms before. Will we love it too much that we won't want to go back? :D ;)

     

    I also received the upsell offer and we are considering it. Was 30 minutes too late calling. I think we are going to jump on it tomorrow morning if it's still available. I was originally booked in a spa mini suite, but don't want to lose my spa passes. That may be a deal breaker if so.

    Just returned from an amazing Alaska cruise! Pics and video.

    in Alaska

    Posted

    We were on the Norwegian Pearl from June 30-July 7, and it was just terrific. I traveled with a decent size group: myself, my girlfriend, my mother, my brother, my grandmother, my uncle, his son, and his son's friend! Such a rainy part of the world WITH rain in the forecast, but...it never rained where we were. In the Juneau area we got a few drops, but not even a true shower. We were lucky all the way.

     

    On the 4th of July we didn't get fireworks, but we got something better. The Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay CALVING ICE like it was going out of style! Here's a video I did of it, and I didn't even start shooting video until it had already calved three times.

     

     

    Speaking of Glacier Bay, I'm not sure how the other cruise lines work, but I know that with NCL they do two basic itineraries for roundtrips out of Seattle. I think they all hit Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Where they differ is on their Day at Sea "excursion" where the actual cruise ship sails into either Glacier Bay OR Tracy Arm (Sawyer Glacier). These are two MAJOR highlights in the area, so each itinerary gets a different one.

     

    I was having none of that, so I ended up seeing BOTH on a single cruise! The trick is to go on the Pearl because when it is stopped in Juneau, the cruise offers an excursion through Allen Marine that takes you to Tracy Arm and back in 6 1/2 hours (time in port 2 PM to 10 PM). As I was planning all this, I was worried there wouldn't be enough time. I thought the excursion would be rushed since Tracy Arm is some distance away from Juneau. But no one in our party felt it was rushed.

     

    We stopped a LONG TIME at a major waterfall, and both the North and South Sawyer glaciers. We even ran into the Norwegian Jewel in Tracy Arm, and being such a big ship, she couldn't go as far in as we did. I had heard that before... All the people that prefer Tracy Arm to Glacier Bay did Tracy Arm in a smaller boat (people who have done both in a large boat seem to uniformly prefer Glacier Bay).

     

    Tracy Arm is narrow where Glacier Bay is wide open. Tracy Arm is more dramatic in a sense, filled with waterfalls and huge chunks of bright blue ice. I can see how it wouldn't be as impressive from a big cruise ship. I feel like we got the best of both worlds doing it this way (Glacier Bay on the cruise ship, Tracy Arm on a smaller boat). As for which I like better...I almost can't choose. It's a tough, tough call. Both are great in their own way, they are both very different and both worth doing.

     

    Moving on, we also did the "Bennett Scenic Journey" excursion through Chilkoot Charters. It combines a train ride, bus ride, some nice stops for photos, and a surprisingly satisfying lunch. 8 hours is a long excursion, I must admit. Still, I loved getting all the way into the Yukon, and quite frankly I thought the best scenery of the day was in Canada, not Alaska. People who only do the White Pass Summit thing and then head back, well...I dunno. It's shorter and less taxing, but also less rewarding. Four people in our party did the short version and seemed happy with it. I loved the longer trip (which still left us four hours in Skagway!), but I won't deny it was a full and tiring day.

     

    Lastly, we did the Misty Fjord seaplane excursion out of Ketchikan with the best there is (from what I've read and what I experienced on the day). Island Wings, and their pilot, Michelle. My girlfriend was nervous about going up in a seaplane, but Michelle has over 22,000 hours flying the De Havilland Beaver. IT SHOWS! You don't even feel the take offs and landings. The whole thing was terrific, and she lands out in the middle of nothing but nature, where you get to walk around for about twenty minutes on land. From what I understand, the other excursions only let you stand out on the floats.

     

    Anyway, loved the whole trip. No issues. It was a real joy from start to finish, aboard the boat as well (doesn't hurt that I won some money at Blackjack in the casino). If any of you are interested, here is my photo album of the trip with scenes from every excursion and Seattle pre-cruise.

     

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200249984351768.1073741828.1217675523&type=1&l=9b3e46bed1

     

    Love the pictures!!! Thank you for sharing.

    Overwhelmed by choices!

    in Alaska

    Posted

    I suggest, you, first, make your own list of YOUR interests and narrow down the excursion list.

     

    I caution against, considering "popular" tours, when you have more interest in other possibilities. And the bad news is- it will take you at least 10 trips, make any dent in a "must do" list, as it is far more, then the few "popular" tours.

     

    There are plenty of people who, are bored on trains, don't care much about seeing "whales"- which ONLY can be expected to see, blows, backs and tails on a "normal" trip- which are seldom reported, and I've seen scared "sh***) people on flights, along with sick ones- who KNEW in advance their trends- and never should have wasted their money, with time standing still, and them only wanting OUT.

     

    Be true to yourself. And make YOUR selections, based on your interests, time and budget. There are countless possibilities to enjoy your very short Alaska time. Make the most of it.

     

    I appreciate your view--very valid points. :-)

    Overwhelmed by choices!

    in Alaska

    Posted

    In Skagway, we are opting out of the White Pass Rail and renting a jeep from Alaska Green Jeeps. We will drive the same route to the pass the train takes, but we do not have to be crammed into a train, and we do not have to worry about whether or not we get the best seats. Plus, we can take our time and get out and take pictures.

     

    In Juneau we are taking a tour of the Tracy Arm Fjord with Adventure Bound. In Seward we are taking a 8.5 hr Northwestern Fjord cruise with Major Marine Tours.

     

    Just some of the other options.

     

    Happy cruising.

     

    I am looking at the same jeep rental in Skagway. We enjoy sightseeing on our own versus large group. They offer 4 door jeeps at a very reasonable rate.

    Overwhelmed by choices!

    in Alaska

    Posted

    We will be on the Celebrity Solstice in May 2016 for 7 nights. Will be in Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria BC. I'm just starting to look at excursions and am overwhelmed by all of the choices. Can anyone recommend the "do not miss" things to do in these ports?

    Any suggestions for South Beach Hotel?

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    I just started looking, but has anyone booked on VRBO instead of booking a hotel? Just wondering.

     

     

    I found a jr suite at the Bentley hotel on VRBO for a very reasonable rate. Much cheaper than standard hotel rates. Two nights with tax and cleaning under $450.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Post Cruise Miami Hotel

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    Can anyone tell me if you have gotten a better deal through the cruise line (NCL) versus booking yourself on the hotels in Miami? Hotels on Miami Beach seem to start in the $300's the time we will be there. Just wondering if the cruise line can get me a better deal before I start making phone calls.

    Thanks!

    Post Cruise Miami Hotel

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    Can anyone tell me if you have gotten a better deal through the cruise line (NCL) versus booking yourself on the hotels in Miami? Hotels on Miami Beach seem to start in the $300's the time we will be there. Just wondering if the cruise line can get me a better deal before I start making phone calls.

    Thanks!

    Christmas Day

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    I'll be on the Escape for Christmas. Just wondering if the ship will have any type of religous services? We will be in Nassau (12-7) that day along with 5 other ships. Would love to attend a Catholic mass if at all possible. Any suggestion?

    Pictorial walk to Baths beach

    in Tortola

    Posted

    That other pic of the water was on a cloudy day...and a little churned up. We had never seen it like that before, was always so clear and much calmer, that was very unusual for there...

     

    lol....you won't have to crawl on your hands and knees...absolutely go and enjoy it for everything it is. It truly is amazing....you won't be disappointed.

     

    I think all the reviews of walking down the path and 'crouching' down scares people. It really isn't all as difficult as some people make it seem.

     

    Bottom line: if you can walk and are steady on your feet, you will be able to walk down to the beach and through the caves absolutely NO problem.

     

    Enjoy it and have fun! :)

     

    Thank you for all of your info! You are right, so many of the reviews do scare me. But, your post really helps!

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