Heidi13

I initially advised the L/A Office management clowns over 2 years ago and again last year, regarding the ridiculous statement that Canadians require a US Passport. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it hasn't changed. You can use this website to research the latest requirements for each port - https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

I believe they are referencing the 2025 HAL Pole to Pole cruise, which is R/T Ft. Lauderdale.

You need to be steaming due East at over 20 kts to need to change the cloxs 1 hr every day. The Azores is only 5 hrs difference from Galveston and Barcelona is 7 hrs difference. Although the OP didn't mention the length of the cruise, I highly doubt they are sailing to Barcelona in 7 days, with 2 stops. When sailing Eastbound, a number of Masters also change the cloxs at Noon/early afternoon, as it is easier to manage the crew hours of rest. Completed many East/West crossing at 20+ kts, with 1 hr cloxs every night and had no issues with the time difference, unlike air travel.

I'll suggest you are thinking of "Afternoon Tea", which is a different meal than "High Tea" and is also served at a different time. High Tea is a full plated hot meal, which is also served with tea and some treats. It is usually served from 17:00. When I was growing up, this was commonly served in the village pub, where we could have a beer or wine. Afternoon Tea is more common on cruise ships and is a lighter fare, served about 15:00 - 16:00. It includes tea and the triple decker plate of finger sarnies, scones and sweet treats.

Best indoor areas would be Viking, with a fwd lounge spanning 2 decks, a covered main pool and the entire buffet area. With considerably less pax, the viewing areas are generally not crowded.

With respect to wind, you need to consider both the relative wind (not the true wind) and the design of the fwd structure. Relative wind is what is experienced over the decks and is the result of the ships vector and the true wind vector. If the wind is from ahead, then yes, it will be extremely windy over the decks, with the ship's speed adding to the true wind speed. However, if the true wind is from astern or abaft the beam, the ship's speed reduces the true wind speed over the decks. If the wind is right astern and the ship's speed and wind speed are the same, you will not have any wind over the decks. Therefore, wind on a fwd balcony can be variable throughout the entire cruise and will change as the ship alters course. Having spent many hours on open Bridge Wings, even in head winds, the fwd structure deflects the wind, so it is actually fairly calm out on the wings. Had a similar cabin on our Viking World cruise and had no wind issues on the balcony. Haven't sailed with HAL yet, so can't comment on how effective the structure is at deflecting the wind away from balconies. Some other issues you may wish to consider. The increased distance from the ship's centre of gravity means more movement in a seaway, fwd cabins get noise/vibration from the thrusters and may also get noise from the anchor chains in a seaway, plus during anchoring operations. Another consideration for fwd cabins is having to keep the curtains closed from sunset to sunrise, as cabin lights shining fwd, negatively impact the night vision of the Bridge watchkeepers.

Viking had a reasonable Norwegian IPA, a Porter and an Amber Ale. On the World Cruise they also brought on some local craft beers.

In the US they may all work on commission, but that is not consistent throughout the World. Our TA works for an agency and is paid an annual base salary.

I hire a TA similar to my process for hiring employees. First task was developing an SoR on what we want from a TA. For interview candidates, I enlist recommendations from friends and also visit a number of local agencies. Process worked well for us, as since we ceased booking with a cruise line's friends & family program where you must book direct, we have used the same TA for 6 yrs.

Departing Miami to Bermuda, once offshore you may experience the NE Trades, which would be head winds, making it rather windy over the decks. Temps should be reasonably warm. From Bermuda, the prevailing wings are SW'ly, so mostly following winds, so relatively calm over the decks. Temperatures should be reasonable most of the way. In Portugal, I expect temps to be 20C/70F +. All subject to encountering a frontal depression. Chance of experiencing a TRS in May is extremely low.

Weather is always variable and the Atlantic is a huge ocean, so knowing the ports will help in providing an educated guess.

Northbound from Vancouver, the vessel will be entering Queen Charlotte Sound after Helmecken Island around 07:00/08:00 and then it is open water up Hecate Strait. You transit Johnstone Strait at night.

You can take children on a bus without an approved child seat. I believe approved car seats are also not mandatory in a taxi. We would never have taken the kids/grandkids without a car/booster seat, but I have seen kids entering taxis without seats. As per the previous post, it is a short scenic walk from Ogden Point to downtown.

On Viking Sun, the crew often handed out blankets, to those that wanted them, when entering Star Theatre. It was on the cooler side.

Spent 3 months in a cabin above the boats. Didn't experience Jim's issue, as he had already retrained the deck ratings. You do hear a faint electric motor occasionally, which is topping up the accumulator systems, which is required to launch the Survival Craft in the event of a power failure. Most pax probably didn't even hear it.

Please see posts 25 & 26 for the answer. Having completed 2 seasons R/T from Vancouver followed by many years on the BC coast, I have experienced the differences.

Hecate Strait definitely isn't scenic, as all you see is the top of mountains on the horizon. Queen Charlotte Strait is probably OK the first time, if you don't live close to mountains, but after seeing it every day for 2-weeks per month, it pales in comparison to the really scenic areas of the coast.

Princess used to have their best 4 ships in Alaska - Diamond, Sapphire, Island & Coral. Of those ships, I believe only Sapphire remains in Alaska. She is a traditional Grand Class that was built in Japan, so has vastly superior build quality to the Italian & French built ships. She also doesn't have the additional deck with 500 extra pax that started with Caribbean Princess.

A cruise originating in one country and disembarking in a different country is classed as an International Voyage, so Cabotage Laws are not applicable.

As a non-cruiser, I'll suggest your summation is quite accurate. Personally, having spent many 30+ days at sea (continuous) voyages on cargo ships and also a cruise ship, I never once got bored. Our last cruise, as pax, had > 35 continuous sea days, and even on the 25 hr days, there wasn't sufficient time to fit in everything and get a full night's kip. However, we aren't interested in the glitzy cruise shows, marriage shows, pool games, etc. Much happier attending educational lectures, good music or sitting in a quiet nook/cranny reading a book, or working on photos, while watching the ocean. In Alaska, we usually booked mid/end June at the Solstice, so as to maximise daylight. Rather than attend a cruise ship glitzy show/marriage game, etc, we prefer enjoying the spectacular scenery. Having spent many years navigating BC waters & a few years in Alaska, I never get tired of the scenery. If pax are bored on any cruise ship, perhaps they need to reconsider their choice of holiday.

Lots of variables, especially whether the ship is alongside or tendering. It is at the discretion of the Master, but is normally 1/2 hr when alongside and 1 hr when tendering. It is printed in the Viking Daily, but the definitive time is posted at the gangway.

Back in the days when we sailed with Princess, the Sapphire and Diamond were our favourite ships. They are standard Grand Class ships that were built in Japan. The build quality is significantly superior to those built in Italy or France. Your concerns are valid regarding mid-September. In addition to decreasing daylight hours, you have a greater chance to experiencing one of the first storms. Unfortunately in Alaska the weather is constantly changing, as I did 2 complete seasons and almost every week had different weather. However, I believe from your original post, the Grand departs 4th Sept and the Sapphire departs 7th Sept, so really not much difference. If the difference was only 3 days, my personal preference would be Sapphire over Grand. Note - while I used to work for Princess and cruised with them, we have not sailed Princess since 2015, so I have no current knowledge of the condition of each ship.

If food is a key consideration, perhaps you may also want to consider one of the smaller ship premium cruise lines. Although highly subjective, the premium cruise lines generally have superior quality meals. The Inside Passage runs from Olympia all the way up to Skagway, but the cruise line marketing types usually promote the waters between the Canadian mainland and Vancouver Island as the Inside Passage. You should also consider, when Northbound, these waters are cruised at night. Comments on the 4 options - # 1 Royal Princess - in my experience this is the 2nd worst option, as these ships do not manoeuvre well enough for Alaska Cruising. Way too big and they don't have a Prom Deck. Having to sail up the Pacific Ocean from Vancouver reduces the hours in Alaska. - # 2 Ruby Princess - is a super Grand Class. The Grand Class was an exceptional class of ship built by P&O, but after Carnivalisation, they added another full deck of cabins (500 pax) to the same hull. Basically a really crowded ship. R/T Vancouver it only does SE Alaska, so you don't experience Prince William Sound - # 3 Grand Princess - of your 4 options, in my opinion this is the best ship. It was the lead ship of it's class. Dating from 1998, it is getting a little older, but still a great design. Probably also the best itinerary. - #4 NCL Encore - in my experience, this is the worst option. Similar to Royal Princess, the ship is too big for Alaska. Being R/T from Seattle, you will spend > 2 days in the Pacific Ocean and less time in Alaska ports.

If you are sailing R/T from a US port, you can stop in any foreign port. However, if you are sailing to Alaska from a US Port, unless it is a R/T cruise, you must visit a distant foreign port. BTW - worked this coast for almost 35 years and Victoria Island is a new port for me. The City of Victoria is a port often visited by cruise ships. It is located on Vancouver Island.

Unfortunately, there are no tentative times, when booking ports. The cruise line will submit a request to a port for space on a specific date and times. Submitting a request is hardly a tentative time. Once the first port is confirmed, it still isn't tentative, as it can easily change based on subsequent ports. You also need to consider the entire itinerary, as once the first port is confirmed, if different to the requested times, it may impact the 2nd and subsequent ports. Failure to receive confirmation of requested times can actually result in port changes. My definition of tentative is the entire itinerary is confirmed, but they are still working on ship's agents, shore-ex, stores, bunkers, etc. Therefore, nothing is tentative until the entire itinerary is confirmed.