Nerfball6

Thanks for all the great responses. I guess since I'll be going through Canadian customs (on my way from Wisconsin to Alaska) I'll feel safest keeping them in their originals bottles ... even though they take up a big chunk of room in my back pack. This is the first time traveling out of Country and cruising, so I'm playing it safe. ;)

Hi All, I take a number of prescription and over the counter meds, and to travel with them in their original plastic bottle takes up a lot of space in my luggage. has anyone run into problems having them in small ziplock pill bags and marked with a sharpie? I don't want to take a whole bottle for 11 days worth of meds. Somewhere I read they should be in their original bottles and packaging for air travel. Thanks!

Well, less than a week to go.

I've got pretty much everything ready to go into the suitcases but just can't decide if I should take my laptop (13" MacBook Pro). I'm on it all the time and the idea of leaving it home seems hard for me. However, the land portion of the cruise is on a train and tour bus, and I'll only be able to carry a backpack along for that.. and I really don't want to lug it in that, and don't want to check it. Has anyone else taken a laptop along on a land/sea tour? I do have a smart phone for email. So I guess, I'm just having a hard time leaving it because I'm so used to it.

Also, how cold do the cabin's get at night. Are they individually climate controlled? Trying to decide what sleepwear to take. I normally sleep in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Should that be fine?

thanks again!

Hey Nerfball. We are on the same sailing as you. :) Hope you and your family have a great time!

Hey, thanks Brooke! You too!!!

Shipboard television channels:

26 – Onboard Channel (Ship/Cruise Video Promo)

27 – CNN

28 – Shore Excursion Channel

29 – ESPN (usually ESPN International)

30 – Documentaries (some reality stuff i.e. American Chopper)

31 – Turner Network Television (TNT)

32 – Boomerang (Cartoon Network)

33 – Discovery Channel

34 – Movies

35 – Movies

36 – Onboard Channel (crew show/coffee talk, etc)

37 – Movies

38 – Port & Shopping Channel

39 - Turner Classic Movies

40 – Ship, Weather & Port Information

41 – Music 1 (Classical Music)

42 – Music 2 (Great Standards)

43 – TV Channel Guide (Music3 - Hit Sweep)

44 – Bridge Cam – Adult Contemporary

Just curious if anyone knows if this channel list is still the same? Thanks!!

I was the same way about Alaska. To me cruises meant palm trees and sand. But my DW wanted to go to Alaska and it was the only one of the 50 states I hadn't set foot on so I surprised her with an Alaska cruise for our 35th anniversary.

 

And so I was officially converted! I loved it - even the cloudy, rainy times which surprised me as a sun lover. Then 2 years after that first one we took a 10-day Alaska cruise to some different ports.

 

And now I even track ship deck cams on Alaska cruises and dream about returning a third time!

Fantastic!!! Hope you get to go again!

Hey Nerfball. We are on the same sailing as you. :) Hope you and your family have a great time!

Thanks so much!!! Starting to get a little nervous now, and obsessing about packing and what to take. ;)

This is correct information. Everything was handled so well by HAL that we really didn't even need our E-Doc/Boarding Pass print off. We arrived at Seward by bus, walked into the terminal, were asked our names, welcomed aboard, showed credit card and passport, given room "key" and walked on board all in about a 15 minute time span. Our two buses of those who had just completed the land tour were the first people there. We left the ship for several hours and explored Seward (interesting place) and when we came to reboard there was a long line of people checking in, but it was moving right along. HAL does a really great job, I think, with their Alaska passengers. Enjoy your trip!!

Thank you! I can't wait! We are actually going the opposite direct, starting in Vancouver and ending in Fairbanks. Plane, Cruise, Train, Tour bus, and plane again. ;)

The first page is your boarding pass and many of us only print that.

It is likely they will begin embarkation around 11:15 - 11:30 A.M. It can vary somewhat depending how smoothly disembarkation proceeded or if there might be some out of the ordinary activity on-going.

 

Great! Thank you so much!!!

Thank you so much! I'll be sailing on this ship in a couple of weeks doing the Cruise and land/Denali trip.

Maybe you can answer a question for me ... is the first page of the express docs your Signature Express Boarding pass? It appears to be, and there is a box with the cruise information on it, But it's not very clear if that is the actual boarding pass, and I don't see any embarkation times anywhere, which the express docs says is supposed to be on the pass. Thanks!!

I haven't had the chance yet to go through the whole thread yet, but it looks great!!! I'll finish it up when I get back from work. I really appreciate you taking your time to do that!

If you have the time check out my review from Oosterdam, it will let you know what to expect and there are more than 200 photos of my AK trip.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2046463

First time cruise, AND first time to Alaska. I can't wait. And everybody says the same thing about how great it is. Interestingly, I wouldn't have probably picked Alaska for my first cruise but it's a place my Dad has always wanted to go. Now, I think it was the perfect choice.

If you have never been to Alaska -- you will love it.

Thanks so much everyone for all the great responses. You've answered those questions and more. I'm sure I'm way over thinking everything at this point. I'll be traveling with my Dad, brother in law and sister, and getting pretty excited.

Hi all,

I hope you will forgive for asking some noob questions about the Oosterdam. I've never cruised before and will be leaving in about three weeks for Alaska on a 7-day cruise/4 day land journey. Sailing out of Vancouver and ending in Fairbanks, with a stay in Denali. As I've been preparing for the trip, a few questions have been coming to mind I hope you won't mind answering.

1. Are there self-serve ice machines on each deck (like in a hotel)?

2. Is the water out of the bathroom tap purified to use in a water bottle? (I plan on using water and water-flavoring mix packets for most of my drinks and for excursions)

3. How much does it cost for a load of Laundry? I know there are no self-service machines on this ship and that I'll need to use the ships laundry. I'm guessing it's not cheap.

4. Is there a way to string up a cloths line on the balcony if I choose to wash some clothes in the bathroom sink?

5. Are the dinners on the 2 formal nights included in the price of the cruise?

6. What non-alcoholic drinks are included in the price of the cruise?

7. Are you allowed to take plates of food back to your room from the buffet if you want to eat on the balcony?

8. If I want to walk from my cabin to the pool or hot tub, are flip flops ok? Do I need to wear a robe over my swimming suit, or will a t-shirt be OK? I'm male BTW.

9. are Walkie Talkies a good idea to communicate with my relatives in another cabin?

I'm sure I'll have more as I get close, but I appreciate any answers and advice you can give me.

Thanks!!

Thanks for all the fantastic advice everyone. Some great tips!!

I apologize if this is a commonly asked question; I searched but couldn't find the answer. This will be my first cruise, and I am flying in to Vancouver the evening before departure and staying at a hotel prior to a sea/land tour of Alaska. I was wondering if on my luggage tags for the flight out, I shouldn't put the cruise ship information (ship name/departure city/Pier) as the address, instead of my home address. Thinking that if the bags should get lost, they would deliver it to the ship instead of back to my home. Would the airline do this? I would also have my full regular contact information inside the bags.

Any advice will be appreciated!

Thanks!!

Dave

Sorry, I posted information I decided to delete. Unfortunately, I can not find any way to delete the post, even after hitting the 'edit' button.

Bought mine right here and they are great!..:)

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/store/product.cfm?ID=46

Thank you! I just bought some.