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Wow I will enjoy following your adventure! We did Alaska last summer with my in-laws. It was great. I have always sort of wanted to do a solo vacay but I’m afraid I would miss my husband too much and end up regretting it. I can’t wait to see how this goes for you. Oh and I think switching to an aft was a great decision!

Thanks! I treasure my time alone, and I remember coming back from my last cruise and REALLY being glad to see my boyfriend and liking that feeling. It might have even felt nicer if I didn’t equally miss the 5 week old kittens he had been caring for in my absence :)

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Yes, I know that’s not s Photo of Seattle or the Pearl, but I haven’t gotten on the trip yet, remember?

The first time on the breakaway I obsessed over whether our balconies were on the “right” side of the ship and all the things we might miss from them. Spoiler: it didn’t matter. However, the second time (my friend had won the trip and had a free balcony cabin) she tried to press her luck and request an aft facing one. We got it, and it was one of the best things about our trip. But now, I was going to Alaska. Alone. Surely not having an aft facing view for when I wanted to drink things in my mermaid blanket would be a mistake right? Surely I had paid all of this money for the trip, what’s a little more?

I changed my cabin to one of the two “best” aft facing cabins with giant balconies. Behold, I could sleep at night now.

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Thank you ashleyriley and megansdad1!

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Here’s a photo of one of my kittens for no good reason.

I booked this trip over a year in advance, under my blankets like a kid in a fort, like 15 months in advance, at something like 4 in the morning, via iPhone. I Had been going back and forth about the idea, and I do my best (or worst) financial decision making when the cats step on my head and I can’t get back to sleep. I got a balcony with a single supplement at a good price. The plan was to send a small amount of money every week on payday so that it almost didn’t feel like I was paying for the cruise. Additionally, I would buy an even smaller amount of on board credits every week so that once I was on the cruise, all those massages and stuff felt free.

Fun fact: I broke the time off request system at work because it didn’t understand that I wanted to take off 15 months from now. I also wanted to get the airfare over with but you can’t buy airfare more than 330 days out.

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Good for you! It is never too early to get into vacation mode. I am on the same Cruise in August but am secretly hoping to find a last second too hard to pass up deal in April or May.

Nice! I am on the first Alaska cruise of the season- April 29- holler if you end up finding a deal! I’m curious, being the first one of the season if the crew are going to be slightly unprepared, or extra energetic! We’ll see I suppose!

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My favorite things in the world (besides my cats... you’ll sense a theme here.) Are travel, photography, food, and exploring. While a trip to Alaska is more conventional than the type of exploring I normally do, it is in some ways more picturesque! The second post on this thread gives you a better idea of what I am used to.

My goals on this cruise are as follows:

-sleep in a bed with no cats

-wake up, drink Bloody Mary

-get massaged or facialed or pedicured whenever possible

-sing (badly, and not so loud as to disturb my neighbors.)in the shower

-take thousands of photos

-drink lots of drinks with stupid names

-sit on my balcony in my mermaid tail blanket. A lot.

-take some “adventures” in ports. With more photos.

-write.

Bonus: a few friendly faces at night for drinking companionship.

Anyway, let me get into the meat of my planning this trip.

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Background on me:

I am about to turn 40. This cruise, alone, is a gift to myself. I always thought the idea of cruising was stupid. Like being trapped in a hotel that you can’t leave. I would hate cruising with my partner of 11 years. We were made to vacation together, but this is not the kind of vacation we would enjoy together. When I told him I was doing this, he said “ok, it’s alaska, and it’s your 40th. I’ll suck it up for you. It could be fun.”

I told him he wasn’t invited. He could stay with the cats like the last time I went on a cruise.

My best friend, or “Person,” if you watch Grey’s Anatomy, sells cruises for a living. 5 years ago she invited me to go on one- but what she really meant was for me and my boyfriend to go. I said I would, and I would get my own room (she was going with a coworker. She expressed concern that me being there alone might cause her to ignore her coworker. I reminded her that I like to entertain myself at least 50% of the time. We got adjacent minisuites and at the last minute, added my runner up “Person,” my college roommate. It was a great time on the breakaway with my two closest friends and a new one. 3 years later my Person and I went on another cruise on the Breakaway, which she had won, while I left my poor boyfriend with 7 4 week old kittens born in my yard that I had begun raising, in addition to our 2 older cats. This trip was great, but I felt like a cruise alone would be my favorite. I guess we’ll find out in April.

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I thought I would do something a little different with my “live” review and start it a bit early, and go over some of the pre-cruise stuff. I am trying to write more, and let’s face it, who doesn’t start thinking about their vacation this far out?

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What would your explanation be for a higher bid for the same stateroom category to not be accepted, but a lower bid to be accepted?

I’m, just for fun (because it really doesn’t matter much in the scheme of things), trying to figure why this would happen?

 

 

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

Was it rejected or just not accepted yet? Did both cabins have 2 people in them? If the bid is per person, maybe the total for all people in one room is more than the total in the other room? Or maybe it has to do with capacity- rooms that can accommodate more than 2 people can’t always have more than 2 people depending on the lifeboat capacity for that section. Or maybe they accept/reject in waves.

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Ok, I understand what you are saying. What if the bids are different though? Is it possible that they would take the bid of the party that would end up paying more overall over the party that bid a higher amount for the upgrade?

 

Example:

Party # 1- Pays 1200.00 pp for an OV room and bids 100.00 pp for a balcony upgrade for a total of 2600.00

Party # 2- Pays 1000.00 pp for an OV room and bids 150.00 pp for a balcony upgrade for a total of 2300.00

 

 

 

 

Jenn

Myrtle Beach[emoji267]

No, because they already got that $1200 and $1000. No matter what, they have that money. So, if you had $2200 in the bank, would you rather get an check for $100 or $150 to add to it?

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Just got an email from NCL saying something about "iConcierge." Anyone use this service, is it really free?

All it is is it shows your account and ship information. If you pay $10 per person as you board you can use it to text/call other people who are on board, although it doesn’t always always tell you that you have a message waiting.

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I’m doing it the first week of May, by myself, it looks easier than the Hana Highway which I don’t mind doing. I do plan on taking a go pro timelapse of it which I will put in a live-ish review so you could check it out before you go.

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You mean those cars moonlighting as taxis with no ins to convey passengers? God forbid you were ever in an accident in one of those. The insurance company will void the ins in a second. Try making a claim. Remember every cent you spend in Alaska in an Alaskan business stays in Alaska. In those other things as you close the door 30% vanishes to a bank in San Francisco.

 

 

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With all due respect you have no idea what you are talking about.

insurance for a rider is not an issue with uber/Lyft. You are covered. As a driver for Lyft/uber, you might be SOL with your own insurance if you don’t report that you are driving for them, but as a passenger you are fine. Alaska is getting plenty of my money, and the drivers live in alaska, so I am not losing any sleep.

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:D Well its $300 for both of us, so that is $150 each, and we might drink a beer or two or even three ;p each day and some wine to supper and so, so I guess it is worth the $300 for the drinks, then we don't have to think about that at least. :beer-toast::wine-glass:

Definitely worth your while then :)

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I have been completely unsuccessful for finding a Roll Call for this sailing. I am aware that it goes back and forth from Barcelona but can't locate that one either ;)

 

 

 

I would like to ask anyone who has been to the various ports of call for recommendations for excursions they have found of great value and those that have been 'bummers'. I would be especially interested in obtaining recommendations for private tours and if there is anyone who would like to share such a tour with the four of us - one is 18!]

 

 

 

Our ports of call are Livorno [Florence/Pisa]; Cannes, Palma Majorca, Barcelona, Naples/Pompeii and Rome.

If there’s no roll call, create one! There may be another half dozen people in the same boat as you, hoping for a roll call to show up!

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How prolific are Ubers at Mendenhall glacier, to get back to the ship? How about at totem blight?

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Hello,

 

 

 

Thank you to everyone already - I have done so much research on this board and it has been incredibly helpful.

 

 

 

We are a family of 3 plus two grandparents who will be going to Alaska on HAL, inside passage, departing Vancouver in late August. We are active, while the grandparents are not quite as much - so they will likely be joining us for some of these activities and not for the others.

 

 

 

In general, we don't like feeling rushed, however, I'm having trouble picking and choosing. Not having a great sense of distance or time is not helping. We do not want to rent a car, which i know makes things more difficult.

 

 

 

ANY feedback on the following would be so appreciated!

 

 

 

Juneau, arrive 1:00 PM, depart 10:00 PM

 

• 
   
  
• Whale watching 2 - 6 with grandparents
   
  
• Mendenhall Glacier, without grandparents.
   
  

The challenge I have is that we will want to stay longer at the glacier than the 45-60 minutes that is offered on a combined tour, walking to Nugget Falls at the very least. Should I look for a shorter, private whale watching tour, 2 - 5 and then shuttle or cab to Mendenhall? Transportation back from Mendenhall would be via cab?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skagway: 7:00 am - Depart9:00 pm

 

• 
   
  
• White Pass train and bus – book through Chilkoot charters? 8:30 – 11:30 - Grandparents would join on this
   
  
• Chilkoot Float and Hike 2:30 - 7:00 book through Skagway float tours? Chilkat? or maybe just through the cruise ship? 2:30– 7:00
   
  

This seems like a long day but there's so much to do...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ketchikan: Arrive 10:00 am - Depart6:00 pm

 

• 
   
  
• Looking at a private guided tour that includes totem park, possibly herring cove, and a hike through Tongass National Park. Grandparents would join for part but skip the hike. This would be 12:30 - 3:30 or so.
   
  

 

Once again, thank you for any help. Writing this all out makes it feel a little too packed - is it too early to plan another trip?

Your first question is pretty much exactly what I came to ask.

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Hi all,

I am on the pearl April 29-May 6.

Can anyone recommend a whale/wildlife tour that ends with enough time that I can go privately to Mendenhall, OR, one that does whales/wildlife, and then takes you to Mendenhall second, where I can just take my time and stay on when the tour leaves?

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Which tour company?

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Want to share your idea?

If I decide to do it i will share here after my cruise. If I don’t, I will share once I know I am not doing it. It’s a mixer thing, but it wouldn’t be as fun if people going read about it now :)

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The M & G usually are as others have posted reserved for about an hour.

 

Depending on the needs of the Officers and chief cooks and bottle washers the M & G could last

 

longer but not likely - the more interesting questions asked could push this to the 1 hour mark.

 

For your after M & G ideas consider a Cabin Crawl - see other cabins on the ship

 

A Slot Pull - everyone interested pools their money to win more

 

A gift exchange - attendees bringing gifts exchange with others - not as frequent as it has been in the past.

Yeah I have no problem coming up with ideas, I just had a unique idea that I am trying to figure

Out if it’s doable. I think I can do it if I scale back :)

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I am organizing my meet and greet and I have a couple ideas to make it memorable and fun and different- how long do they usually last?

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Any answer someone gives would be a wild guess since no one has ever been on it. Good luck!

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If no one helps you by the end of April, I’ll do it- just pm me when it gets close.

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Yes.

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