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We used the ACT Big Bus last July for our Whittier departure. We chose their option that had some photo stops, as well as a visit to the Wildlife Conservation Center. The bus picked us up at our hotel at 11:15 a.m. It was immaculate, with large (clean) windows for optimal viewing. The driver and the tour guide (who happened to be brothers) were friendly, courteous and a pleasure to travel with. Photo stops were made at Beluga Point and Portage Glacier. We had an hour and 45 minutes at the wildlife conservation center, which gave us time for lunch as well as getting some great photos. We were brought directly to the embarkation dock, and the luggage was removed from the bus for us, so all we had to do was walk through the boarding area and on to the ship. We were on board at 4 p.m. For our family group of 12, this was a great way to travel from Anchorage to Whittier. Editing to add: the cost of the Big Bus, with wildlife conservation center visit, was $67 per person; without the wildlife stop it was $45. The HAL bus was $69 per person. The train would have been $98 per person. For the HAL bus, and for the train, we would have had the additional cost/time factor of getting our party from the hotel to the appropriate departure points. ACT picked us up right at our hotel, so no extra cost.

Hi CC friends, Since posting this narrative regarding the sights to see as you cruise down the Mississippi River from New Orleans, my husband received some requests for an upriver version. He has recently rewritten the original narrative into a much more detailed one, including photos, which describes the trip upriver from the Gulf to New Orleans on a cruise ship. Perhaps it will be interesting to others. Happy travels! Tour up the Mississippi.pdf

@tbmrt Here you go! Post if you have questions. 🙂 Tour up the Mississippi.pdf

@tbmrt I didn't notice what time of year you will be sailing, but as it takes several hours for a ship to make its way upriver from the Gulf to New Orleans, a large portion of your journey will likely be before day break, which will limit what you may be able to see. But some of the larger landmarks, like the Pilot Station and pilot boats will be well-lit. My husband wrote the original narrative that Saint Greg referred to in his post. It describes the views from the cruise ship in 2019, and he has an updated version, with photos, that I can send you if you're interested.

I was in 6117 on the Noordam for our Alaska cruise this past summer. Loved everything about this suite!! I posted photos on Halfacts.

Forgot to mention something else regarding driving on this island: the roads are narrow and lacking in signage. It was a good thing that we downloaded an offline map in the google maps app so we could get around without using cellular data roaming. Also, they drive a lot of motorcycles, very fast, and often right down the center of the highway even though there are cars in both lanes already! They zoom up from behind you so quickly that you don’t realize they’re there until they are inches from your driver’s door. A little nerve-racking. Just be aware.

We had no problems. Their office is located right outside the cruise port entrance (in the parking lot area). Excellent communication and a good price. We prepaid the minimum deposit, and then paid the balance when we picked up the car. They put a $500 hold on your credit card to cover possible damages. When we returned the car in the afternoon, they were not in the office but there was a key drop. We made sure to photograph all sides of the car before we returned to ship, in case any damage happened in the parking lot. Our $500 credit card hold was released by the next day.

I’m sorry I don’t have any photos of the vehicle. It was a large passenger van. Very comfortable. He provided us with cold water or other drinks. We paid him in cash at the end of the tour. He pointed out sights as we drove out of the city into the countryside. At the national park we spent time up on Shirley Heights at two different locations, and Mr. Lawrence provided historical information for us there. There are ruins of fortress buildings there and beautiful lookouts over the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. Then at the bottom of the hill at Nelson’s Dockyard, which is also part of the park, Mr. Lawrence waited for us while the park guide gave us a tour and then we had a little time to walk around on our own. From here we took a different route back to the port so we saw new sights along the way. Hope this helps.

The tour was almost 4 hours because we did not choose to go to the beach. The cost was $50 each plus admission to the national park was $15 each. We paid him in cash.

I'm happy to say that Mr. Lawrence Leston is still giving excellent tours of Antigua! We recently spent a half-day touring with him on a small-group tour. There was only one other couple with us, who happened to be from the same ship. We took the tour to Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, with many other lovely sights along the way. We booked this tour in advance via email, and no pre-payment was required. All emails were answered promptly, and he gave us excellent directions to meet up with him. Even though our ship changed its docking berth at the last minute, he adjusted his location and was right there waiting for us. If you want a friendly, knowledgeable guide who is an excellent driver, you will like Lawrence of Antigua.

We took a half-day private tour with Kurt, and it was one of the highlights of our cruise. He is a very pleasant person, knowledgeable about the island, and an excellent driver. Since we had previously visited the Pitons and volcano area on another trip, this time we chose to stay on the north side of the island. We were treated to beautiful vistas in the hills above Castries, a beach stop at Rodney Bay, time at Pigeon Island National Park, the Vigie beach and lighthouse, and the "Moonrise" scenic spot, to name a few highlights. It was a most enjoyable day.

We used Waitukubuli Adventure Tours for our recent port call to Roseau, Dominica. We booked online in advance; the company has great communications via website as well as email. We were picked up at our ship, even though we were docked at the container port and not the main cruise port. Since it was a semi-private tour, there was another couple in the van with us. Our driver guide was Lennard, and he did an excellent job in showing us this beautiful island. We saw the highlights of Roseau, and then headed through the lovely countryside to visit Trafalgar Falls. We also made stops at the hot sulphur springs in Wotten Waven, the Dominica Botanical Gardens, and the park atop Morne Bruce. I highly recommend this tour company.

We will be using Coastal Car Rental in January. It was less expensive than Hertz, and right by the cruise port.

Great information and beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing!