jennianne
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Posts posted by jennianne
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I wasn’t planning on getting the internet package for my upcoming cruise to Alaska on Quantum, but we have some family stuff going on and I’d like to stay connected. Ideally I’d like to have the ability to FaceTime. Has anyone done this with the basic package? Or do I need to get the stream package? Thanks for any help!
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47 minutes ago, Catmomma said:
I didn’t work with a TA and haven’t heard anything from RCCL. We board in 11 days
The work appears to be starting on the August 1 sailing. All July sailings are still in the clear. 🙂
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I booked through a TA for my upcoming Alaska cruise, and prepaid gratuities. I was just looking through my edoc Cruise Summary and where it lists my name, C&A #, prepaid grat, and travel protection it says "NO" for prepaid gratuities. I reached out to my TA as I don't want this to be an issue that I have to stand in line for on the cruise! They said it shows I DID prepay my gratuities. I guess my question is, do I push to make sure RCI has it written down correctly? Or do I just bring my emails from my TA and hope it's not an issue on ship? Thanks!
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1 hour ago, CTSandy said:
Got the email today for the August 8 sailing - no Icy Strait Point, no Dawes Glacier - substitution of Ketchikan and shortened time in ports. Not happy about sailing on a ship that is having some type of mechanical issues before we even get out of port.
uh oh, that's the same itinerary as the July 25th sailing. I haven't received any email yet though. weird that the cruise the week before yours wouldn't have a change...
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2 minutes ago, HibiscusHoney said:
We are sailing on Quantum on 7/25 and I haven't gotten any notifications of change, but our excursions keep getting cancelled for various unknown reasons (Canadian border issues, train issues...).
i'm on this one too! our itinerary is different than the ones affected though. i'm wondering if that's why we haven't had any changes (yet)?
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7 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:
Our next step is to get the person recovered and get a COR from RC. RC has been informed, via our TA, and we're getting a refund. Our reservation has been moved to the October cruise.
oh man, i'm glad you were able to get a refund and get yourself rebooked! October will be past the 90 day window you won't be able to use a doctor's note, correct?
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I currently am recovering from Covid and leave for Alaska in 26 days. I know I am able to get a letter from my doctor saying I have had Covid within the last 90 days, but is embarkation just easier with a negative test? I already have the positive PCR results, so it might be nice to save some $$ and not do another test in July. But wondering if anyone has any experience with the recovery letter process. Is it a hassle? Thanks!
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2 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:
I was wondering if they knew Royal now uses pier 91 instead of 66. Not much to do there at all. OP, if you are reading this just hang out at your hotel until last minute and then head to the port.
Yup, planning on pier 91, but I hadn’t really done a deep dive into what all is around there. Sounds like a leisurely morning at the hotel is our new plan! Thank you!
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My 89 year old mom and I will be traveling to alaska the end of July on RC. We have a boarding time of 11am, but our hotel is out by the airport. We are both pretty early risers, so we'd like to head downtown as soon as we are up so we aren't stressed about traffic issues. We won't want to sit at the port for hours, though! I was wondering if we would be able to drop our bags off early and then uber or walk over to a coffee shop for a light breakfast and people watching. We won't want to do this with our big rolling bags, since i'll probably be the one schlepping everything around, though. Anyone know what time the porters are able to start taking checked bags? Thanks!
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My 89 year old mom and I will be traveling to alaska the end of July on RC. We have a boarding time of 11am, but our hotel is out by the airport. We are both pretty early risers, so we'd like to head downtown as soon as we are up so we aren't stressed about traffic issues. We won't want to sit at the port for hours, though! I was wondering if we would be able to drop our bags off early and then uber or walk over to a coffee shop for a light breakfast and people watching. We won't want to do this with our big rolling bags, since i'll probably be the one schlepping everything around! Anyone know what time the porters are able to start taking checked bags? Thanks!
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Good to see that Alaskan ports are working out emergency plans for cruise season!
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My mom and I are sailing on the Oosterdam to Alaska the end of July. At booking I told our TA we could just do anytime dining because that's what I've always done with my family, but after talking with my mom and some friends that are going with us we decided to switch to early dining instead. My TA requested the change for me, but it looks like the early dining is waitlisted. My friends have early dining confirmed already and we would like to sit together each night. Does anyone know the chances of the waitlist going down or is there anything we can do once we get on board just incase the waitlist doesn't go down? Thanks!
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What a bummer it took 7 days of sub par service to discover this. [emoji35]
Girl, get yourself to a cruise line that celebrates and pampers you as a solo cruiser!! Good luck on your next cruise!!
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We love Ketchikan (we’ve been there 4 times and are going a 5th time in September). We’ve always done it on our own. You can catch the public bus by the pier and it will drop you off at a number of locations in the city. We like to go up Creek St. and work our way back to the pier. I think Creek St. has the best prices if you want to pick up things made in Alaska. If the salmon are running you can walk upstream along the creek to the salmon ladder (we found it quite fascinating). There is a funicular that will take you up the hill to a restaurant/coffee place. Working back through town there is a nice national forest discovery center. We like to wind up at The Alaskan Fish House for awesome fish tacos (we get there about 11:30 as it gets really crowded). A short walk and you’re back at your ship.
https://exclusivealaska.com/our-restaurant
Thanks gatorguy56! Great tips!
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I recently booked a cruise with my mom to Alaska on HAL the last week of July 2020. I love the beauty and cultural history of Ketchikan, but was noticing our ship will only be there from 7am-1pm! We had talked about doing the lumberjack show along with a crab feed, but the departure time is 7:45am on it. I love a good crab feed, but does anyone have any experience with this early morning trip? Are we going to be served a giant crab feed at 9am? I'm wondering if just doing the lumberjack show and then finding a good totum tour and doing crab/lunch on our own would be a better idea. Also, when it says 1pm departure, does that mean we need to be back on the ship a while before that time? Thanks for any help I can get, i've never visited a port with such an early and short visit!
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so when it says "for room consumption", are there rules about putting your wine in a glass/travel mug and leaving your room? I was thinking it would be fun for embarkation to pop open a bottle of bubbly in our room but then go check out the ship. i'd rather not chug the whole thing before we head out! 😉 I'm also a rule follower, so I don't want to break any big time rules! Thanks!
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14 hours ago, sevenseasnomad said:
Since your night at PG is part of your incentives, you can't dictate the date and time of the reservation. Don't despair, however. If the time and date don't suit you or your mom, go to PG early in the cruise and ask maître d' to change it to suit you. He may not be able to accommodate you if your preference is especially popular, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
My mom and I cruised three times together. Sadly, she's no longer alive, but I treasure those cruises we enjoyed together. If your mother has ANY medical issues/dietary restrictions, such as low-salt diet, alert the Special Needs department or Ship's Services. Do not wait until you board to take care of these concerns.
Can your mother walk up an incline? Although my mother resisted wheelchair assistance, I did request it for embarkation/disembarkation, and she later thanked me for it because she would have been unable to board by herself. Please consider asking for assistance. Again, make certain you request this assistance prior to the cruise. HAL will be more than happy to accommodate her, but they need to know weeks before you leave for the cruise. Keep all confirmations/emails with various departments. Take them with you to the port.
Months before the cruise, I begin a "cruise book." I use a small loose-leaf binder and store the pages in the clear plastic sleeves. As I use the pages, i.e. airplane reservations etc., I toss that page. By the end of the trip, the only pages left are plane/car rental (depending on how I'm getting home). Obviously, I arrange the pages as I progress through the trip. For our 24-day Med cruise, I had to use a larger binder, since we had so many excursions/hotels etc. Oh, don't forget to include your TA's number or the number of your HAL PCC and insurance carrier just in case.
I would also advise flying in the day prior to embarkation, maybe two days prior to the cruise. Traveling, even on a plane, would wear my mom out, and we first cruised when she was 84, slightly younger than your mom. We took our last cruise when she was 92! In fact, she celebrated that birthday aboard Westerdam, and HAL very generously moved us from OV to one of the suites for and extra $50 per person. We didn't ask for that upgrade but were very pleased to receive it.
I hope you and your mom enjoy your time together, and I know you'll love Alaska. How could anyone not love it?
our flight is short (Boise to Seattle), but we definitely will be coming in a day early and possibly staying a day after. She lived in Seattle in the 50's so it'd be fun to spend a little time exploring too!
She is really healthy still, but I'm thinking getting wheelchair for embarkation might be a great idea! no one wants to start out a trip already exhausted! We are celebrating her 87th birthday on this cruise! Our TA set up a little birthday celebration for her ❤️
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1 hour ago, oaktreerb said:
We have found the fellow cruisers on HAL to be very friendly. You are cruising for a common purpose...to see Alaska so you will always have something in common. When you go to the dining room for breakfast just indicate that you will sit with others. A table for six is perfect for conversation. If you request fixed seating for dinner ask for a table for 6 and you will get to know these people really well as you will see them every day at dinner. If it’s not a good fit just let the maitre’d know and they will change the arrangements. In my experience HAL maitre’d’s have a knack for seating compatible groupings. If you have “anytime” dining follow the breakfast seating plan. You will both make new friends and share some stimulating conversations.
I didn't realize this was a possibility! I love the idea of eating with new people!
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45 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:
The Alaska Cruise Handbook by Joe Upton is a great resource. Probably have to get it used now on Amazon for the paperback version (Kindle version is available but Id go for paper myself) but very much worth the trouble. The fold maps are wonderful. It is filled with mile by mile detail of your journey, great Alaska stories, and good info for the ports. I enjoyed reading about what we would see from our balcony everyday.
http://alaskacruisehandbook.com/index.html
Enjoy your cruise!!
Perfect! I'll check it out now!
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1 hour ago, VennDiagram said:
In addition to joining the Roll Call, once you are on the ship check the When & Where to see if there's an event for singles and solos. I've seen mostly lunches in the MDR for the first (possibly only) meet up.
Get a hard copy map of the Inside Passage, and a book about cruising the area. Easier for her to see the hard copy map. Then you can discuss the actual journey.
Once you are onboard, go to the Pinnacle Grill and book lunch for one of the sea days. $15/person, it is SO WORTH the price
I think the Oosterdam has on-demand movies in the cabin.
Take along some source material on the whales in the area. Watch for whales, and discuss the whales. (Mostly humpbacks, some orcas, we've seen a few minkes....)
great idea about the hard copy map and book! Her parents explored all over Alaska in the 20's so it'll be fun to look up those places and see if we'll be close to any of them!
Our booking includes one night at Pinnacle Grill yahoo!
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First off, thanks so much all you cruise experts for helping me decide which type of cruise to take my mom on! My dad passed away this year and my mom is 86 and has never gone on a cruise! So we are going to Alaska in July on the Oosterdam! I'm so excited for this trip, I know she is going to love cruising with Holland America, everything I read about it just sounds perfect for her. I'm looking forward to the mellowed down atmosphere also, since I've only done Carnival cruises with my husband and kids (and we haven't ever LOVED the experience.)
Most of my questions have been answered just from perusing the forums, but I haven't found a really definitive answer for a few questions I have.
1. Water. Are there plenty of places for us to fill up water bottles? Both of us would prefer to use refillable, if that's an option, but it's really important for her to stay hydrated, so if the water fill stations are only on the Lido deck we might bring some disposable water bottles. Also, can you bring in as much bottled water as you want? I know we can each bring in a bottle of wine (which is my main form of hydration....) but I'm not seeing much about water bottles.
2. when we booked we got $500 in OBC and it looks like it's split between us. My mom doesn't drink or gamble or do anything fun at all, so can I use her credit? we are sharing a veranda room.
3. any other late 30's ladies going to Alaska with their 80 something moms the last week of July and want to be friends? I'm a little nervous I'm going to get stir crazy and run out of things to talk about with her! How does one find friends on a cruise ship? (without accidentally finding myself a silver fox to complicate things back home?)
Thanks for all the help you've given so far!
Internet package for FaceTime?
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
That's why i wasn't planning on getting a package in the first place, but it's actually our first 3 days (which one is a full sailing day) that there's some really time sensitive stuff that i need to be available for. Maybe i'll just get a one day pass for that particular day.