mr.roboto

Just got back from my post-cruise stay at the Springhill Suites and it was fabulous! I wish my stateroom was at least half this size and I would have been in heaven. They also have a really good breakfast and a complimentary shuttle to the Space Needle and Westlake Station for the monorail. Since it is almost a year till your stay, keep checking prices as it get nearer your departure date. The price on our room dropped 2 weeks before we got there.

As CruzinOwl said, there is plenty of shopping in all the ports. Juneau, although crowded when we were there, still had some decent shopping. Time was better spent on excursions in Juneau instead of shopping so our time in town was limited.

I got some Bushnell 10x42 on sale for under $60 and were compact, light weight, came with a case and lens covers. Worked wonderful for seeing wildlife off of our veranda. Also good for whale watching.

You can bring soft drinks with you, no maximum. Does not have to be in carry-on.

17 mile drive is not worth the price. You see mostly homes and golf courses.

Thank you very much. Hope to have many stories to share about my adventures in Alaska.

We are staying post cruise one night. Started by looking through the travel sites to see what hotels were available, and the amenities offered, reading various reviews and found most hotels less expensive through their own websites. Decided on Marriott Springhill Suites. Was about 295 on most travel sites. Booked with hotel for 263 (Senior Rate) no prepayment needed. Rate dropped last week on the travel sites so I called the hotel and got my reservation modified to 220!

Having been in the food & beverage industry as well as customer service my entire adult life, I feel for the poor gelato attendant. I good response to someone saying that they shouldn't pay would be "Sorry, but I am not allowed to charge any more than what I quoted you". Most time this approach would work, but it boils down to communication between the worker and their supervisor to get a good understanding of what's happening and how to diffuse the situation. Hoping for the best on our cruise next week.

I'm glad to hear that you had a wonderful Alaska cruise. I'd never heard of a cruise ship that went to Misty Fjord. Was that on an excursion? Also, I was under the impression that the first sailing on Radiance wasn't until June 2nd. Did they change or add itineraries?

Just checked SW for my flights. Glad I purchased tickets 2 months ago. My cost if bought this morning would almost triple!

Be there in 2 weeks. Can't wait. Except the same 4 ships will be there on my dates also. Not sure if I want to be there with 10,000 cruisers in port at the same time. :') Oh well, we'll just have to make the best of it and hope all goes as planned.

VE and VD are both the same size with the only difference being the location on the ship. Go to cruise reviews at the top of the page, choose the cruise line then the ship, then search. When the expert review comes up there is a row of options, just choose cabins, and it gives you size and layout of the various cabins. You can also go to the HAL website and get similar info. Happy cruising.

Check out the Alaska itineraries for the cruise lines you are contemplating and go from there. You still have plenty of time to make up your mind, so check out the various ports of call and embarkation points for your interests. The lines you mentioned are all mass market lines so just little differences that each excel in their own way. We decided on HAL Eurodam round trip Seattle because of itinerary and price.

Although we are not regular cruisers, we are not cruise virgins. We decided to take our first HAL cruise coming up in a couple weeks because of the Alaska itinerary on Eurodam. We felt that all the mass market lines offered comparable cabins, food and service (we never had any service that wasn't impeccable), some sort of entertainment and activities and delicious cocktails. On this trip, Alaska is the star attraction.

Wow, how stupid am I. This thread is over 10 years old!

unfortunately..it way too far for a day trip. 70 miles of VERY slow, steep cliffs and narrow road, often subject to closures for slides. (But if you have time...the best views in the world on a clear day). Hearst castle is near San Luis Obispo on the coast on highway one. Also you need to make reservations for tours in advance usually. However, if the ship offers a tour...go for it! They will be sure you get back in time. Monterey has lots of interesting historical sites from the "colonial" days (Mexico, Spain). and there's a lovely Mission in Carmel.

hope this helps...I check this site 2-3X week so ask more ?'s

Anniecat

Just did this drive last year. It's about 150 miles from Monterey to Hearst Castle. It is very deceiving time to distance as it is a very twisty road that is very crowded with cars going in and out of turnouts, plus the amount of time you take seeing all the sights yourself. I would not go without spending the night there. Not really a good idea when there is so much to see in Monterey itself.

We're doing it! We're taking our very first cruise and it's going to be to Alaska in June 2018. It will be a three generation family trip with (so far) eight of us. Having never cruised before, I just assumed I would book all of our excursions through the ship (leaning towards Holland America but have not decided yet.) Now I'm seeing that some people don't do that.

 

What do you recommend? As a first time cruiser, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the details and it seems doing it through the ship would be the most simple but I'm open to other ideas. Thank you!

You have over a year before your cruise which will give you plenty of time to make choices for your excursions. Look over the what the cruise line offers and then do an on-line search of the activities and cities you plan on visiting. Another resource is Trip Advisor, use their "things to do" in the various cities as well.

Thanks for all the info on your Eurodam cruise to Alaska. We are going in less than a month and picked this itinerary just for Glacier Bay. Hopefully the CD and the entertainment will improve by then. I remain optimistic.

If you book ahead of time before the cruise, you will need to pay in advance. If it's something that can wait until you're on board, do it then to use your OBC.

Thanks for sharing the dailies. As we are going June 10, it gives us a heads up on what to expect of the on board activities and entertainment.

And while you're at it, buy a bottle of Conundrum (yes, it's an actual wine and quite interesting.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Ah, yes, Conundrum by Caymus. I remember when that first came out in the late 80's or early 90's. Still can't find much food to go with it. Just going to have to drink the whole thing by itself.:evilsmile:

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. I guess I'll just go through my luggage before I check in and then put it in my carry-on.

I'd like to add this to the raw data before I send it back to kazu, but I need the year, please.

sorry, it is in my signature. 40th anniversary cruise, Eurodam to Alaska, June 10, 2017.:D

I seem to have a conundrum. To bring a special bottle of wine on the cruise ship, it has to be in the carry-on, but if flying to debarkation port, the airlines (TSA) won't let you. There it has to be in checked luggage. What do most people do to solve this problem?

I didn't see Eurodam, June 10th Alaska round trip out of Seattle, which we are celebrating our 40th anniversary.