Fog123

Good to know. I had assumed that since we had cleared US customs and that Alaska was part of the US that we wouldn't be considered smuggling. Sort of like how you can buy fruit in airport in Canada when you go through US customs at the airport in Canada and then can debark in the US wherever your flight takes you.

We're very law abiding folks, I'll make sure I bring suitable packaged snacks in our luggage. I'm the type short gets a bit cranky when the blood sugar starts to drop.

Better to know beforehand. Thanks for the help.

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I thought I saw somewhere that HAL won't let you take food from the ship to eat at the various excursion ports.

How do they go about checking? Are our bags searched as we disembark?

We had been planning on taking fruit from the room and maybe a cookie or two as munchies, particularly on the Tracy Arm excursion where they say food is limited or at a cost.

Is there anything else that we aren't allowed to take off ship?

I assume our bags are searched getting back on the ship because of alcohol, but I'm also assuming we can bring food back on the ship.

Feel free to correct me and thanks.

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Bclinton, you may still want too check with your TA, someone may just have the suite on hold.

With HAL we were given OBC and an upsell to a cabin we really wanted when the price dropped after final payment. We wouldn't have received anything if we hadn't asked.

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Jan, I hear you. Last year before our Iceland trip, I was down about 8 lbs from where I am now. Gained it and more in Iceland 😠. Since then I've been up and down but mostly up. Turning 50 this year and it seems like one of my birthday presents is a very stubborn 8 lbs.

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I maintained from last week but the clothes are starting to feel different. Still no obvious refined sugar for me so I considered it a successful week. Four more weeks to go!

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The OBC wasn't equal to the price drop in our case. The TA said that HAL bases it on a number of different things.

Still, we're h happy with the amounts.

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Thanks for the help. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.

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We are in open seating for our cruise. I've read some posts here that talk about making reservations each day.

I was under the impression that we could just show up any time we wanted.

Do we need to make reservations?

Thanks,

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Our final payment date was April 18th. Since then there have been two price drops of between $100-$150 each time per person. This last one is a one week sale that is still on the website.

The first time we took an upsell to a cabin that we really wanted.

This time we were offered $50 pp in OBC. I'll take that.

I almost didn't ask my TA this time since I figured we wouldn't be offered anything but I thought, what the heck, it never hurts to ask.

This whole concept of asking after final payment date is such a novel one. We normally don't see this with resorts or flights.

Thanks, Cruise Critic folks, for suggesting that it's still possible to get something even after final payment.

Prices have dropped over $150 pp this week on balcony cabins, at least for Volendam July 2 sailing.

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I should clarify. I bought a Nikon AW120. It says it's got WiFi capability, but what it actually does is create a WiFi hotspot between the camera and the tablet, phone, or IPod. The camera itself does not connect to the Internet. I can use the tablet to take pictures with the camera, like a remote.

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I only bought the features because it was marginally more expensive than without, but I find those are the features I'm really enjoying right now. I love being able to download the photos to my tablet and IPod. Still playing with this maps but I see liking that, too.

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We unfortunately are bringing all 3 each. The tablets will stay in the cabin though and will be loaded with library books. They're good on the plane as well.

We learned the importance of backup cameras in Iceland so are bringing two. We also have different photography styles.

The phones are good for quick shots and we'll be bringing them for communication regardless.

I'll actually do you one better. I'm also bringing my IPod because all my music is on that. And I have more storage space on it so can put the cruise photos on it pretty easily.

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Finally broke a plateau and am down a couple pounds from last week! Just under 6 weeks to go to the cruise and would be happy with 5more lbs lost. The dress would look good on me then.

Just over a week ago I gave up refined sugar. Trying to boost the immune system. I think it's definitely helping. Sleeping a bit better as well.

I'll probably fairly easily lose the next two or three pounds, my plateaus are on the threes and eights (143, 148, 153...).

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Don't get me started on partners who insist on getting to the airport super-early, especially when that means crawling out of bed at daft o'clock in the morning.

 

Wouldn't be so bad if we needed to allow for being delayed on the road to the airport by bears and sharks. ;)

 

JB :)

I've never heard the term daft o'clock, I love it!

Our flight leaves at 7:00 am, it's a 45 minute drive to the airport, another 15 for parking, and they want us there two hours before departure. DH has a doppelgänger who is on some do not fly list and always gets questioned so we've learned that we need to allow all the time we can. Daft o'clock it'll be.

But it just means we've started on our vacation journey sooner :D.

And you'll note I never said we actually fully tolerate each other's foibles gracefully ;), though we generally try. Hunger, fatigue, and delays like sharks and bears on the road (that might be our new term for construction) can quickly erode that at times.

DH only really gets grumpy about bears if I drag him out of the tent in the middle of the night to accompany me for a bio-break. But one time we did abandon the campsite because a mother bear and two cubs were just too close for comfort and weren't showing any signs of leaving.

And now the really dangerous question, do you suppose you can get this through room service? I think I've seen that you can get anything that's on the MDR menu.

I have visions of being cuddled up in bed in the evening, reading a book, looking out at the passing scenery occasionally and very slowly savouring the crème brulee. DH will be working on the apple tart.

I'm a bit surprised at how many people are trying to point out the error in OP's DH and the implication that there is something wrong with the OP for tolerating it. We all have our foibles and quirks and they aren't always rational.

I'm happy to have a husband that tolerates my obsessive travel planning, fear of bears and sharks, and absolute need to be at the airport early. It impacts him a few hours per year. I tolerate his occasional "make me want to strangle him" quirks as well because on the whole, we both feel very lucky to have found each other.

I don't know anything about the OP or her DH other than what she has posted, but I applaud her tolerance and the very respectful voice she uses when discussing DH.

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Yeah, I hear you, the balcony was the start of the trip for us, non-negotiable.

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Oops, hit return too soon. I meant to finish with, but I haven't looked at costs for other cruises, and I know we all have our own logistics that we have to work with. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find something perfect.

Actually, what gave me comfort when I was trying to decide was that most people were adamant that Alaska is beautiful and you can't really go wrong with any of the itineraries.

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Bummer, navybaby. I thought the Holland prices were reasonable of you were willing to not have a balcony?

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Our itinerary does both. We are paying for the smaller boat as an add on excursion. We chose the route because of Glacier Bay at the suggestion of others here, but I found myself feeling like I would be missing something if we didn't do Tracy Arm. Once I booked Tracy Arm I felt like the cruise was complete.

But your mileage may vary.

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I used Cruise Critic for advice when I was organizing my mother's trip to Russia. They went with a private company and had a private tour, just the two of them in a Mercedes with a driver and tour guide.

The private company organized the visas and anything else that was needed. I can't remember their name off the top of my head but they came very highly recommended and Mom still talks about Russia to this day.

You might try the Northern Europe and Baltics forum for information.

Uh oh, I did so not need to know this. A good creme brulée is so very tough to resist.

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I found a link to the Juneau cruise schedule for July 2015. It doesn't look like Holland has been added yet, and possibly a few others, but you can add them in yourself.

Actually if you click on the link below and then go to the top of the page you can see all of the ports and dates that you might be interested in.

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Alaska_USA/326-Juneau/July_2015/

Good luck with your decision. We can let you know about the Volendam in 42 days. We have a Vista Suite booked and I think it's called an aft wrap.

We are going on the Volendam. The big decision was how many other ships will be in the excursion ports at the same time. You might want to check that out. I don't see the Nordam listed in the 2014 itineraries, but I know that with the Zuiderdam the number of passengers in port was sometimes double.

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