Hsmama

Looks like 2 options here..... which is preferable? I am a bit nervous bout the little plane idea.... and wondering if the boat is a more majestic viewing of the scenery,vs. from high above? any opinions?

Ok I see the Misty Fjords option on my cruise,looks like it's only bookable through the cruise line.... Now I have to see if there are indepenent operators that do this also- if I book thru cruiseline, can I use OBC as part of payment?

TheCalicoCat- thank you for the advice! I will look into those.... looking at both Juneau,and ketchikan..... I am weighing possibly one more $$ excursion against another.... the Juneau whale watching vs. a possible Misty Fjords boat tour....opinions? I am leaning towards Misty Fjords,as I've done whale watches before, but never been to Alaska at all...

ok...thanks...I'm going to read some guidebooks-my kids aren't really 'kids' more like elderly teens:D so hale and hearty- i'll continue to read the trip reports.... but since there are so many varied choices,I am curious what would be on anyone absolute 'can't miss no matter the budget ' list kind of thing....and figured I'd ask that specifically.... say in this hypothetical scenario of not spending any more on excursions...(not saying we won't, but is that an advisable course?)

.... so.... my ports are Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. I am starting to get some ideas, but wondering how much we need to spend on excusrions in each of these ports to feel like we've seen the area/learned about it? I see whale watches,smaller boat excursions, flyplanes,etc. I know for sure we don't want any flying activities at all... but since this is a "budget" vacation for the family, I want to keep expenses down as much as possible, while not sacrificing getting to experience some of the natural wonders of where we visit. Looking for a balance, and looking for advice from experts. Our dates are early-first week of May,on HAL. I am planning to get to Mendenhall Glacierand to walk as much of the trails all around the visitor center as we can,and get as much viewing in as possible there-no tour, just going on our own schedule.

What are the 'can't miss' extras that we'll regret NOT doing in each port? We like hiking(mild) wildlife(x100) scenery,natural beauty,etc. And I know we'll be ready to get some exercise after days on a boat,eating.:D I see dogsledding is offered in some places, are there any that are near enough to a port to try out? Whale watching comes highly recommended (but we've done it a few times at home on the east coast too) thanks so much!

Love this thread BTW, but I'm getting confusedover gratuity policies again.... prepaid means no worries while cruising,right? And then at the end we can tip for great service? Like what amount per day per cabin for that extra tip? I assume the steward is the person who is like cabin housekeeping(?)

After 2 cruises my husband and I discovered that joining the "spa" meant that we had access to hot tubs, pools, heated rock lounges, special shower areas, discounts on services, etc. We now board and run right to the spa to book for the entire cruise.

wait...what? can you explain this one? You need to join the spa beforehand to get into all the hot tubs,etc? or you need to do it once you're onboard? Is this one of those things that makes early boarding a good thing?

Without a doubt, showing up at the time it told us to arrive to board on our boarding passes

 

Arrive noon at Vancouver, and there is half of the Zuiderdam complement waiting to go through security and customs ahead of us.

 

Two hours to snake through to get on board.

 

Now, barring last minute catastrophes in terms of ship turn around or arrival/mechanical issues, we have the time from leaving cab to walking on ship down to less than about 20 minutes.

 

For the most part, if you can hit the sweet spot where they have kicked off the final guests and opened processing, but just before the airport transfer folks arrive, you breeze through (at least in Vancouver and Seattle)

and how do you know when airport transfer folks are arriving?

thanks!

Ok as a newbie here I am confused, and the website isn't super helpful with details..... if I book a stateroom for 4 people, it will have 4 beds,right? or places to sleep for 4? in all the photos it looks like one bed,or two. I assume some rooms have more/less beds,and if it's booked for 4, it will be 4? (seems like an obvious question, just need reassurance on this one)

there are libraries on the ships??? :D that's exciting....

is there a dress code here for breakfast?

so...which is more appropriate? shirt and tie,or shirt and jacket if you chose just one of those options? (it's so easy to pack a tie vs. a suit jacket)

so there are town buses that run regularly between where we'd get off the ship,and the visitor center? I'm thinking that might be enough for us....

thanks for the note on the down coat..... I tend to wear it at home anywhere from 55 degrees on downward (hasn't gotten colder here than about 10 degrees tho) and I bring wool socks EVERYWHERE from Florida to Wyoming.....:D granted the lightweight wool is for warmer weather- I love wool socks for water repellency and overall comfort! I'm going to pack my Keens trail shoes then...(those work in cool weather hiking trails perfectly)

what is MDR?

Are we talking about ball gowns here? or just dresses or skirts for the ladies,and a button shirt and tie for the guys? we have plenty of simple dresses and shirt tie/ combos we can bring,and we don't want to dress like Cinderella at the ball.....

we'll be going 2 weeks before...and I was planning to pack my packable lightweight down coat (goes to my knees) for warmth,plus goretex rain jacket layer, plus a couple of sweatshirts too,just in case. My biggest question is footwear- would hiking shoes be ok for most things (or really good quality walking shoes) or are actual snow boots needed? I was thinking of the Mendenhall glacier trails,things like that.... I hate to bring winter boots if we won't use them..... but the wool socks of varying weights are a necessity!

what location does one choose to rent a car in Juneau? I see the airport...

well..... say we chose to utilize the dining that is included with our booking, not the extras.... does that need anything extra like a reservation? We chose open seating times- or is the reservation process only for the specialty restaurants onboard? (the ones with an extra fee)

with open seating,does that mean we just drop in whenever we want? (we'll try to avoid the busiest times) and on 'gala nights' that means a dress for dinner in any of the dining rooms? I'll look at the roll call and links...thanks!

Going to be on Oosterdam, to AK. What is the best way to learn about and prepare for what the ship offers? I've looked on the website for info,etc. I am thinking about shows, restaurants,food types,etc. How do I know if we need to reserve anything for a dinner?(or do we?) Apparently we will get info about nights where we have to dress for dinner, does this apply to certain dining places on ship? I am lost....

what is a muster drill? why is there so much to learn about cruising?:D this all seems so complicated!

cool.... as for the pier (91) itself, I am assuming there are signs,etc? was probably going to hire Uber for a ride over there

There's two kinds of pictures taken. The one Jacqui was referring to is taken of each individual at the check-in desk and recorded so that it displays on a monitor each time you get on and off the ship. The second type, that joekerstef said took 45 minutes, is taken by the ship's photograpy concession of your entire group, with the hopes that you will purchase a copy as a souvenir. You will find these photographers at the end of the gangway at each port as well. Whenever possible we just politely say "No thank you" and keep walking. :)

 

edit: sorry joek, your post hadn't appeared yet when I started typing. :)

 

Can we say 'no thanks; and keep walking, or is it required?the 'extra' photos....

If this is indeed the case, we found boarding and disembarkation in Seattle to be an absolute breeze. We were at Pier 91 just before 10:30 as I recall and were on board in less than 45 minutes. One of the biggest holdups was the taking of the embarkation photo (grr).

yes that is the case!:D an embarkation picture? what is that? what size card lanyard holder is good? and we're just an ordinary cabin, but getting there earlier always appeals