disneyochem

This is what I did on our summer Alaskan cruise. I purchased a number of bottles of vodka and gin from a local distillery in Haines for Christmas gifts. I got onboard and left them with the gentleman manning the drink table. On the last night of the cruise, they were delivered to our stateroom. Just a cautionary tale--I took a picture of what I had purchased. Of the six bottles, two were of a smaller size and brand. My room steward took my picture and went away for an hour. My two bottles had been delivered to a different guest! I did finally get my purchases back but I'm glad I had photographic proof (yes, even though the receipt tag I received did indicate the correct number, size and brand!).

Sounds like a wonderful trip you've planned for your family! Enjoy.

Then I would still stay near Hatcher Pass for at least one night. The drive to Independence Mine is about two hours each way as is the glacier from Anchorage. Drive to the glacier for your hike, stay the night near Hatcher Pass, visit the Independence Mine and then drive back to Anchorage. How are you getting to Talkeetna? Train from Denali and then train from Talkeetna to Anchorage? BTW, we have done a couple of Matanuska glacier hikes as well as visiting the Independence Mine. Both are fantastic. I rate the glacier hikes as one of the best experiences we’ve had in Alaska.

We do this quite often (cruise north, DIY, cruise south). Last summer we cruised to Whittier, took the cruise transfer to Anchorage airport, rented a car, DIYed for about a week, returned rental, took the train to Seward, stayed a few nights in Seward and then hopped on a southbound cruise. (And the did a B2B out of Vancouve but that’s a different story!) My suggestion is to do that—include a visit to Seward in your itinerary. I would look at Princess or HAL as your cruise line for the northbound voyage. They both do a wonderful job with Alaskan cruises. I would not take a NCL cruise southbound. We’ve cruised quite a bit on NCL but will not do another Alaskan cruise with them. There was a lack of any Alaskan enrichment on the cruise and the stop at Ward Cove in Ketchikan was a waste (port is about 7 miles from downtown). Never again!

Sounds like a great trip. I do have a couple of suggestions but I’m not sure about how you’re getting around Alaska. Are you renting a car for your travels? There’s generally a pretty hefty price tag for one-way rentals but it sounds like that is what you are planning. A Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise is a must in Seward! If you are heading to Anchorage afterwards via car, I would suggest a stop at Exit Glacier as well as the Alaska Wildlife Center. With a car, you can make vista stops along the Turnagain Arm. Another suggestion would be to take the train to Anchorage if you don’t have a car—it’s a very scenic route! I second a previous poster not to make Anchorage a base for four nights. After your visit to the church in Anchorage (?), I would stay near Hatcher Pass for a couple of nights for your Independence Mine visit and Matanuska Glacier. Both places are north of Anchorage and are on your way to Denali. I don’t see much point in driving up and back from Anchorage to the same place. Staying closer would minimize your driving. Then after your stay in Talkeetna, drive back to Anchorage stopping along the way at some spots for lunch/hiking (Thunderbird Falls).

We’ve stayed at the BW Plus Bayfront a couple of times when we couldn’t get a good price at the Springhill (or it was sold out). It’s not bad. I like that it was closer to our favorite restaurant in Little Italy (we walk) and that walking to the port was downhill! Rooms were fine for a short stay and breakfast was just that—bagged. It works for us since hubby doesn’t eat breakfast and I usually can’t eat the breakfasts due to dietary issues. Staff is friendly and helpful. If you do walk to the port, just be aware that you have to cross railroad tracks. We travel lightly so it isn’t an issue with our carry-on rollers but hubby had to stop and assist a woman who was having difficulties with a large, heavy suitcase. I do prefer this hotel compared to the Wyndham. Our first choice is Springhill.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no! SF is our home port so we’ve cruised out of there about 15 times in addition to port visits on California coastal cruises. Our last visit to SF was last week on HAL for a port stop. Very smooth seas coming and going. (If you live in the area, I would suggest you check out Amtrak. We take the train to Emeryville and then Uber to port. Easy peasy and cheaper than driving/parking a vehicle.)

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Not private but certainly small group is Salmon Berry Tours (https://www.salmonberrytours.com/alaska-tours/cruise-transfers/). We have used them not only for cruise transfers but also tours. They are very professional, friendly and efficient. On one of our transfers, there were only 4 of us traveling to Anchorage. The driver was great--he asked us what we wanted to do and see. He took us places that were not generally included in the transfer.

I have done cruises on both lines and much prefer Major Marine. Customer service just seems better with them! Also, I think the food is better on Major Marine. I like the deli sandwich lunch over the Caesar chicken wrap. We were assigned tables on both lines. We’ve also been on the Fox Island lunch cruise. I’d save the money and spend more time on the water! The lunch is just a buffet and then you spend time waiting afterwards to get back on the boat. (We stayed a couple of nights on Fox Island and would watch the folks wander aimlessly on the beach until it was departure time. The beach is roped off so you only get limited access on 5he island.) I always recommend folks to take the longest cruise that they can. The more time on the water = more wildlife sightings possibilities.

Just contacted by a dining manager on the Volendam (not sure of his title?). Assured me that HAL never charges for regular coffee or tea at any of their restaurants. He did ask me which social media is posting this misinformation.

Currently on the Volendam. I just checked with Guest Services. No charge for regular coffee, tea (hot or iced). Dining at the Pinnacle Grill tonight—we’ll see if that is true!

I laughed out loud on reading this! That was my biggest complaint when we would eat out as a family when our kids were young! I don’t think I enjoyed a hot meal for 10 years! 🤣🤣. By the time I took care of the kids’ needs, my food was always lukewarm! Yes, I can see why you would complain!

I’m fully aware of what it takes to go on an Anan bear tour —haven’t gone as much as you but we’ve gone twice before! I think we should be okay. Viator didn’t confirm the tour until the tour provider confirmed our spots. I called the tour provider afterwards to make sure we were booked. They say they have us confirmed on our date. We used this provider previously so am pretty confident they’ll get the permits/slots to visit.

Short answer to your question is that I don’t have much experience with Viator in Alaska—I’m using them in Alaska for the first time next summer. I usually book directly or DIY. My experience with Viator in other parts of the world (3x) have been positive—-Costa Rica, Roatan, Mexico When I do use Viator, I use ‘book now, pay later.’ I like not having to put a chunk of change down on an expensive excursion a year or more in advance. Sometimes my hubby or traveling companions will change their minds about going on an excursion. For example, we have an Anan bear tour booked for August 2024. I called the vendor—they required payment in full when booking with no refund. The same tour was offered on Viator—I booked the day/time I wanted with no money down. Cost for four (hubby and kids) is about $2000. (One of my daughters is not sure if she’ll be comfortable with flying in the small plane. She’s a bit of a nervous flyer so I don’t want to commit $500 if she ends up not going.)

Are you on the Volendam on the 27th? If so, we’ll see you on board!

One of my favorite "non-water" excursion in Puerto Vallarta was a trip to the small village of San Sebastian. It was a day-long tour that went up into the hills. We visited an organic coffee farm, a tequila distillery, and a colonial town for lunch.

We loved our time in Homer. We were there two years ago for a couple of days. In addition to seeing all the shops on the Spit, I highly recommend at trip across Kachemak Bay to visit the Grewingk Glacier. We took a boat across the bay and got dropped off at one end of the park, hiked to the glacier, had a packed lunch and then hiked to the pickup point. Absolutely beautiful! The hike isn't too difficult. The ride to and from is like a wildlife cruise--saw otters, seals, puffins, etc. We did not get to go to Seldovia due to weather. This summer we hope to take the boat over to Seldovia and spend the day. Haven't been to Dutch Harbor or Kodiak yet--we're scheduled to visit them this summer.

Ouch! On our 2024 June cruise on HAL, the Hubbard Glacier excursion costs $299.99 pp. (I know since I just booked it on Monday!)

I would not wait on booking a 2024 Alaskan cruise. We have 3 cruises (including a 28-day HAL cruise) already booked for a total of 49 days and are thinking about squeezing in another one! Just this past week we've started planning our 2025 summer.... July is also a pretty popular month to cruise in Alaska. If you really want a balcony, I would look at "shoulder' cruises--May/September. There may be more balcony availability. We love to cruise in Alaska in May--we've have the best weather on those cruises. I don't have too much experience with September cruises (I teach at a university--our semester starts late August every year!) but just take a look at some current trip reports to get an idea of weather and what still might be open this late in the season.

Nice that one can do Goldleaf through Princess. We weren’t able to do it this past summer. Yes, we’ll be doing the Whistler to Jasper route this time and Gold leaf cars are the only ones available (but we would be fine with Silverleaf again). Route is called Rainforest to Gold Rush. We’re pairing the train ride with a tour through Rocky Mountaineer. Only been to Whistler once and am looking forward to going back. I enjoyed your trip review of your visit there this past summer. Helped us decide to start the trip there! (Sorry OP for the tangent discussion!)

Yes, we took the Rocky Mountaineer from Jasper to Vancouver. Princess cruise tour only offered the Silverleaf. We enjoyed the experience! Yep, pricey but OMG, the scenery and experiences! We’d do it again in a heartbeat!

It was one of the best trips we’ve ever done! The land tour consisted of a dedicated tour host and driver, only 26 people, the majority of meals, and staying only at Fairmont hotels. The Canadian Rockies were spectacular. We enjoyed it so much that we’re going back next with the same tour company Princess used. Our view of Lake Louise from our hotel…

Good advice from previous posters. I’m celiac and HAL is great accommodating my dietary needs. But, one still needs to be a strong advocate once on board. Even though I fill out the special needs form every sailing, I don’t assume that all staff know about my needs. On the first day, I meet with the restaurant manager ( not quite such of the title) and find out what to do/who to talk to on the ship. Getting gf food is pretty consistent in the MDR—just be sure to request the same table and staff for each night. Your hubby and son will be given the MDR menus for the following day and they will select what meals/food they want. HAL will try to accommodate their wishes. Ask to meet with the chef in the buffet. He/she/they will walk you around the buffet and let you know what is safe and where to get the gluten free food. Sometimes there are signs. One can get gf pasta at the buffet, gf pizza and gf buns at the Dive In (the fries are not gf). I also stay away from drink mixes and ask for gf alcohol in my drinks. I ask staff to use clean spoons/scoops/ladles if I notice some cross contamination issues. Just pay attention to what and how the food is served! I also bring on board my own crackers/cookies/snacks. A lot of times the ship runs out of gf snacks or doesn’t provide them! I personally get tired of crème brûlée or ice cream for dessert and like other options! It does take some time and effort to sail safely with celiac but it is doable!

Not sure but I have celiac. All my meals have to be gluten free. There are a number of items offered at Tamarind that are gluten-free (red curry, thai beef salad). The soy sauce on board is not gluten-free. I have been assured by HAL staff that the gf items at the restaurant at gluten- and soy-free. No reactions on my part (a sensitive celiac) so I do believe they are soy-free. In general, HAL does a good job of providing safe food to eat once they are aware of one's dietary issues. However, I would encourage your wife to fill out the special services form prior to your sailing and then to double check with the staff at the restaurant.