AKJonesy

In Ketchikan I wanted to get a few snacks and soda and took the free (orange?) downtown bus to Carrs Safeway and McDonalds. I asked at the Ketchikan Visitor's Bureau right outside the berth at the dock on how to catch the bus and it's across the street in front of a coffee shop. I'm not sure where you will be berthed so ask where to catch the bus at the Visitor's Bureau. They had free wifi at both the Safeway store and McDonalds. The free bus stops right outside of Carrs Safeway and McDonalds so you can't miss it, and it runs about every 15 minutes doing a continuous loop. Look at google maps and type in the Visitor's Bureau and McDonalds on the directions and you will see the orange bus. Just make sure to ask in case anything has changed.

Let us know about your lunch at the Pinnacle if anything has changed, price, etc? Have fun.

I think they kind of count on that. I would simply tell them in advance that I don't want to talk during my massage.

@Razz21 I would not think to check to see if my cruise was chartered and I've been cruising for a long time. I guess I've just lucked out. But, now that it is brought up, I will look for the charter information. Still, have a wonderful cruise and btw, don't mind any snarky answer here. You have to ignore people like that.

@MtnSeaGirl Sorry I didn't see this until now. You didn't really tag me so I received no notice. You need to use the @ sign in front of the name and then you will get a drop down. You are not going to get ANY affordable places in Girdwood. I can't speak to Denali unless you want to head up to Fairbanks at the end of one of your days. Even then, I'd choose an airbnb over a hotel because FB hotels are insane and not worth the money. I don't know anything about you...if you are young, etc. Are you willing to camp? Have you considered an RV rental? I'm not sure how much you are paying per day for your accommodations and where but that's a thought. A cooler is a good idea. Get your groceries at Fred Meyer or Carrs Safeway. Both use those stupid cards to get the discounts in the store. If you have a Kroger or Smith's where you live, that's the same as Fred Meyer. Regardless, go to the service desk and get a club card free so you at least get the discounts. In Homer, there are more affordable places to stay. Instead of posting here which is someone else's thread, I want to send you over to TA for these questions. We have a number of people on the forum that can give more information. Hold your ground and don't just accept what anyone says. Don't worry about asking question after question to hone in on an answer. Read some of the current posts. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

Walking around Seward is ok I guess. But, I'd suggest you get out to Exit Glacier. It is very picturesque. Along the way, you will see signs on the road where the glacier was in years past. There is a cab in town and you can ask how much it would be to drop you off and pick you up, or you can go with a tour. I wouldn't just settle for walking around town and seeing all of the shops like every other town. At around 3 or 4pm head over to the waterfront where the charters come in and see all of the fish catch. They hang them up so people on the charters can get their pictures taken. Keep in mind, there are two "areas" in Seward; downtown and the harbor area. As long as you are there, I would walk around both. Head over to Resurrection Coffee. Why? It is unique and quiet as compared to downtown and it's only a couple of blocks away. https://www.resurrectart.com/ If you are into beer, you head to Seward Brewing downtown. https://www.sewardbrewery.com/

I wish we had taken more cruises right after covid.

We will be bringing her from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in November. We've never sailed her and am looking forward to it.

I agree with this and one of those loyal HAL customers is my husband. If there were a cruise to nowhere, he would support it. What does he do on cruises? He eats, takes naps, watches movies, exercises, goes to tea and that's about it. So, I've had to find a way to fit into his downtime. I've been on a few cruises and couldn't wait to get off. Then, I figured out how to make it work for me. I reach out to other cruisers and go on private excursions; sometimes with him and sometimes without him. I use the time to study and read which I don't allow myself to do very often while at home. I've made it work for me, but I'm not going to be one of HAL biggest cheerleaders, and I'm ok with that.

Westmark is a dump. It's been a dump for a long time. The Captain Cook is the best hotel in Anchorage IMHO. But, when people come in before or after their cruise, I encourage them not to stay in Anchorage. Vagrancy is a big problem in Anchorage and its getting worse. On top of that, Anchorage doesn't have much to offer other than some good restaurants.

Is the first day of that 3 day rental an arrival day? I assume you would be dropping the car off on Saturday to catch your cruise? Three day rental honestly means nothing, and it matters when you arrive, collect the car and when you have to drop it off.

How many days are you dedicating to your DIY land portion? It makes a huge difference.

Upvote #3. Look at the posts on TA for Alaska. There are tons of itinerary recommendations. Be aware that everything here takes time to get there...probably more time than you think. We have sometimes significant construction on the roads in the summer with pilot cars and delays, so that has to be added in for time. Ignore google maps for driving time...LOL. Don't be a drive by visitor. When you come, get in there and SEE ALASKA. You cannot possible do this place in a week, so you will have to choose. Don't let anyone tell you to drive to DNP then all the way to Seward or Homer for a week. You will spend 2-3 of your days on the road. Pick a place; go all in and see it well.

What are your dates? Who did you try to book with? Try Midnight Sun Car and Van Rental or even Turo which is like airbnb for cars. I don't know if you are too far out or not. I fly into various Alaska towns and I seem to be able to find rental cars. I do agree to get a rental for a "few days" before your cruise. What dates do you fly in and cruise out and where is your cruise departing from?. It does make a difference in terms of where you will be able to go and for how long.

Have you already booked accommodations? You are staying too many nights in each place as already mentioned. I don't recommend Alyeska Hotel (alyeskaresort) because it is not worth $500 per night. I stay there about 3x per year under a "Alaska Resident rate" and even at that, it's too much. I do recommend Girdwood for a great hike. Girdwood is on the Seward Highway and is where the Alyeska Resort is. Seward will also be insanely priced and you have to dumb down your expectations. There are more "affordable" places and IMHO, more "alaskan". I do like the recommendation of Sheep Mountain Lodge which is mile 113.5 on the Glenn Hwy. You could either drive up to Fairbanks and then down the Richardson to the Glenn so that you are NOT REPEATING driving the Parks Hwy. The Parks will be busier than the Richardson. Get gas in Fairbanks before heading down. It's too bad you have to go all the way over to Homer. Don't get me wrong; I like Homer, but the drive is long. Take advantage on the long drive to stop for photos and pop into the little towns for a bite or brew. Four nights in Homer; not worth it IMHO. You will get views of several glaciers along your journey, but Exit Glacier in Seward is the most accessible. Stay your last night in Anchorage and don't be in a hurry to get there. Arrive for dinner. The Moose's Tooth is a favorite. Don't be discouraged by the number of people there. Grab a beer or their root beer and hang out while waiting for your table.

Also, keep in mind WHICH pier you need to go to. We boarded at the SHINKO PIER and my post was based on that in post #2 above. We got off the bus at the Intercontinental Pier 8 and as I said in my post, it was a short walk with luggage on a pretty flat sidewalk to the pier. You can see the other stops on my link to the bus.

In your case it means bringing in. Medication can be imported in but it sounds like you are bringing the medication with you for PERSONAL use.

More information: https://partners-pamph.jnto.go.jp/simg/pamph/2349.pdf

This was from my post when I returned from japan. In short, my answer to your question and my entire post which may or may not be helpful to you. We checked out late then took the Keikyu Bus which was the best option to get to Yokohama for us. I had already known from watching YT vids that there was a manned bus ticketing counter at the airport, so we didn't have to fiddle figuring out how to buy the tickets. The counter is right when you come out of arrivals after clearing customs. We paid with cc and opted for the YEN price vs USD (better rate). The cost was $6.60 each. We took the elevator down one floor to #8 bus stand. The bus stand attendant took our tickets and put our luggage under the bus. We did not have to handle it as you would on the train. (A downside to the train was having to transfer at the big station and we didn't want to do that, nor take a taxi from there to the pier as many did). We were dropped about 100m from the pier and it was easy to roll the bag on the sidewalk. We got on board all said and done around 2pm and left the ship to walk around Yokohama (much to do there) until dinner time. Our ship departed at 8pm. Keikyu Bus: https://www.keikyu-bus.co.jp/en/airport/h-yamashita/ You can read my post here. I AM THE ORIGINAL POSTER AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. POST #1 ON THE FOLLOWING LINK.

Here is link that should help. My husband needed to apply for one for his medication. You will have to take a photo of the medication and attach to your request. It took about 3-4 days and we received the certificate which you will show upon arrival. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/dl/qa2.pdf

You can check in on day of with Air Canada. Don't worry about it at all.

Make sure to check out the Russian Orthodox Cemetery. https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1980102/russian-orthodox-cemetery/photo Also, there is public transportation in Sitka if you want to go for a hike or get to some other places a little farther away from Main St. https://ridesitka.com

https://sitkatrailworks.org/indian-river-trail/ You can ride the bus also to the area where the hike begins https://ridesitka.com

A little bit different option would be to do the cruise portion but then land portion on your own. Research the amount of time you would need to spend on the bus by doing the combo Land + Sea. The reason I mention this is because you are coming a long way to "see" Alaska. For the land portion and since you have a 14 year old, I would suggest renting an RV which is what many people do here. Why do I say RV v rental car and accommodations? With an RV you can go where you want, and when you want instead of being tied to a reservation. Yes, it will take a bit more planning, but with some advice from locals, it will make the planning easier. We are long time cruisers and sadly the mood for cruisers in port towns is beginning to wear on locals. Alaska is probably the most popular cruise destination and you will see a number of ships in port. You have to get away from the people when you are there. As someone said, don't just walk around. Go on an excursion with a local, rent a car, etc. Do your research on each port once you decide on the itinerary. If you decide to take my advice to do the land portion on your own, then you need to end your cruise in Seward or Whittier (Anchorage). Go all in and make it a bucket list trip.

I usually check the US State Department for information on any country before traveling. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/the-bahamas-travel-advisory.html