RaiderCruiser

On 1/28/2022 at 7:17 AM, Joseph2017China said:

I never use a TA.  How hard can it be to book a cruise online? Do a little research, look at dates and push the button

 

 

You are correct it may not be hard, but you may be missing on some good perks and lower prices. Larger travel agencies may have group rates or specially negotiated rates.

I am booked on the Radiance of the seas 10 night cruise from Sydney to Auckland. I have a balcony cabin and I hope to spend some time on it while sailing through Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound & Dusky Sound. Is there a better side of the ship to be on to see the waterfalls from my balcony? I know I will be out on deck as well, but just like Alaska, sometimes it's nice to be able to spend time on your own balcony and enjoy the scenery.

Any help would certainly be appreciated.

Ditto the others. Other than a discount for an early pay(very few have this offer) there's nothing financially beneficial.

No, it's really not to early to start assignments. If inventory is getting low, assignments are made. It is very difficult to determine what cabins and categories are available due to the number of GTYs that have been booked. Hope you get a great one!

To specifically answer a couple of your questions:

Yes, everyone needs their own if they expect to use them. The last thing you want to be doing is passing around a pair of binoculars when there are whales or other wildlife that come and go in an instance.

Secondly, one size does not fit all! There is a good chance you and your wife and children will all find a particular size and strength that will work for you best.

Finally, I would never purchase binoculars on line UNLESS YOU or the person that's going to use them have given them a complete test drive. Like I say what is perfect for one person may be very hard to focus or use for another.

I would agree with others, don't overspend. There are lots of options that are affordable and will leave funds for the excursions you will want to use the binoculars on.

How was the food in the MDR? What was your favorite food? Favorite place to eat?

As you can see everyone has an opinion on this subject. I believe everyone agrees itineraries are the most important thing to consider. Cruise line, one way, round trip, ship come second. An Alaskan trip is about Alaska, not the ship. But all things considered we found the balcony to be one of the crowning jewels on our trip on Princess Coral last year. Morning coffee on the balcony as we watched the scenery go by from the serenity of our balcony and evenings watching the world slowly move by were outstanding. I know I would not have enjoyed that portion of the trip nearly as much from an interior or ocean view room.

Now switching sides, I would certainly give up the balcony if it meant better excursions. If I had to make a choice, excursions would win out. We didn't want to have to make that choice so we budgeted early, made a lot of cut backs during the year leading up to the cruise and we were able to do all we wanted. Good Luck. It will be a great experience no matter.

Is it October 22nd yet?!?!

No, it can't be 10-22 yet because that's the day we get back from our 10-17 sailing. Soooo long a wait.

Coastal offered another excursion that included the trip to the dog sled camp and then added an additional landing further on the glacier. We choose that excursion and the nominal extra fee for this was truly worth it for us. It was so tranquil and beautiful it was every bit as good as the dog sledding.

We've used Coastal and it was fabulous. From what I've read they all do a great job!

I'll tell you what worked well for me. I read a lot and studied the different ports and what was available before I ever looked for help or read personal reviews. I then tried to line up what I thought was most interesting and then started reading reviews. In most cases the reviews helped solidify my opinions and a few moved me away from some excursions. In all the reviews and the opinions of people on this board were very helpful, but the help they provided were to add that little "insight" to the excursion, not make the decision on what excursion to take. have fun planning and enjoy the trip.

Hey this is fun spending your money! We debated the same things you are with the transfer. We decided on the rental car and it was well worth it for us. We made several stops along the way, including the wildlife center, and really enjoyed the 4 or so hours it took us to get from Whittier to Anchorage. We were able to get off the ship early and be the first in line at the Avis counter. Made the first tunnel and we were on our way. It was a great way to end to the sea portion of the trip.

I've got to agree with the others that tipping is a very personal thing. Watching while others left different excursions last year it appeared the majority extended some type of tip to the guides, but have no idea how much. I have also have no idea how my tipping matches up with others, but I believe I tipped, for the two of us, about $30 for the dog sledding and Misty Fjords flight and something less for the Dyea Dave excursion.

I do know the largest tip I gave was to the cabbie in Vancouver that took us from the airport to our Hotel across from the pier. I believe I tipped him $50 because he was so full of knowledge of his town and he enjoyed sharing it . We didn't want to get out of the cab he was so good.

Just a thought...But why not rent the mini van in Whittier and be at your leisure to drive from the port to Denali? Sure there is a hefty one way drop fee but $32 X 5 adults X price for three children will probably be very close to the same amount. You then have the freedom to explore other things from port to Anchorage and sites beyond.

And by the way I would find the stop worth while.

We had a similar experience to Lucky CAl. We too went with Harv & Marv and Captain Liz was at the helm. We found her to be very informative and passionate about her work. There was only one other couple on the boat with us so there was plenty of room to roam, as well as, have one on one conversations with Captain Liz.

On our next trip to Alaska we wouldn't hesitate in taking the same trip.

Here's another vote for Harv and Marv. After doing a lot of research we decided a small boat was the way to go for us. We had four folks plus the captain and it was great. It was very enjoyable to be able to talk directly to the captain and get her insite on the whales and wildlife in the area and her personal experiences. She truly loved what she was doing.

We had other tours after the whale watching so the shuttle dropped the other couple off at Mendenhall then took us on into town to meet up with our next group. Great time and very professionally run.

We did the reverse of this with Dyea Dave last year and totally enjoyed both. The train ride up was very relaxing and the scenery was beautiful. (personally I wouldn't want to take the train round trip). Dyea met us at the stop and we continued with him on into the Yukon and then back down. Dave is kind of quirky and I can certainly appreciate that. We stopped often and had plenty of time to see things and take pictures, while listening to his unique stories.

Whether you will enjoy the train ride is something only you can decide. Some are train enthusiast and others hate the idea. We thought it was a great combo. Enjoy.

Personally I think you made a great choice. I bought the same camera before our Alaskan cruise last year and got some fantastic shots, plus it was easy to carry and pack for all our excursions. Have a great time.

To add to what Lucky Cal said, Mark was usually stationed at the front of the ship behind the"secret" door on Baja Deck. I say secret because there are signs posted " do not enter", but low and behold there he was with several other passengers. It is a great vantage point to see the glaciers. However, there are times that being on a deck where you can quickly walk around to see developing wildlife adventures may be an advantage.

Mark was a very personable and knowledgeable gut. He was extremely sociable and happy to talk individually about what we were seeing and about his experiences. His "talks" on board ship were very interesting as well.

Just a couple of quick observations by my wife and myself. Any time dining was essential and Dining in general wasn't nearly the focal point of the evening as it is on most Caribbean cruises. We didn't want to be confined to the MDR at a certain time and point when there were sites to see from the ship. We ate and ate well, but it was very different.

Maybe we have been very lucky but on the 4 cruises we have taken and used any time dining, the max we have waited is 5 minutes and that's because we requested the same dining staff. We've requested and rec'd the same staff for the entire trips each time. Many have said if you don't want to wait use fixed time, but I'm not sure that's really true. While we are not in a hurry when we dine, we have found that fixed time dining is about 25-30 minutes longer than anytime.

For me 5 nights with a balcony trumps 4 nights with wrap. However, if you had said 5 with an interior I would probably re-think it.

I just emailed you the information. Have a great trip.

It's not what you asked but we were able to do all three last year. Whales with Marv & Harv in the a.m., then helicopter to glacier dog sledding. Made for one heck of a day. In Skagway, we took the train up then met Dyea Dave and the rest of the small tour to continue on up into the Yukon and back down. Another wonderful day.

If I had to pick, I would leave out the train, but I'm not going to do that, I'm going to do them all.

I think it would be #3 for me. 4 would be second. Not a big fan of Jamaica but like it more than the alternatives. Tour around Caymen Island, including the turtle farm is pretty entertaining, as well as the Sting Rays. All have some lovely beaches to just relax at and enjoy.

Bottom line, you're on vacation, you're on a cruise, it can't be all bad.