cruisewiththekids

That's disappointing to hear.    I'm booked on the Sun next May with Kotor and Santorini on the itinerary.   I have some time, but I will cancel and look for another ship if it appears that the Sun will be missing those ports.

We have a sunset verandah booked on the Summit.    We may be adding a third person and was trying to find a photo of what the single sofa bed is like when it's pulled out, but I haven't been able to find anything.    Anyone have a photo or can report how comfortable it would be for a young adult?

I hope it's ok to ask a different question about basic wifi.   I want to purchase it for my Summit sailing to Alaska, but the only option available is premium.  There's no option to purchase basic.  Anyone know why?

Is traffic more manageable early Saturday morning than on a weekday?    We travel with only carryon and have TSA precheck and are currently weighing our flight options from Pier 91. 

Is the marathon going to be an issue for disembarking passengers going to the airport?

I wanted to try deck 9 so it had the coverage overhead for shade.    It did get hot in the daytime on those lower balconies with no covering.   But I will have to decide if that is more valuable than Havana.    We are not lay by the pool people though, so we didn't use Havana all that much.    We will probably just stick with deck 9.

I noticed on Horizon the Havana aft extended balconies are on decks 6, 7, 8 and 9, but on the Vista they are only on decks 6 and 7.     Has that always been the case?    I've  been on the Horizon in one of those cabins on deck 8 and went to book the Vista and found they were not Havana cabins.

Just coming back to give an update.   The key apparently is not to call in the evenings.   I tried the general phone number for the PVPs during the day, and I was able to get another PVP on the phone who took care of everything.    In the evenings, that number must roll over to the foreign call center.

I emailed my vacation planner to book a cruise, but her email reply states she is on vacation and won't be checking email.  She stated to call the PVP phone number and whoever answers can help and to tell them I am working with her.   When I did that, I got the foreign call center and someone clueless that I wanted to book and keep my PVP of record.    Any idea how to go about this?   She won't be back for over a week.

We will be sailing soon from the Manhattan terminal returning on a Wednesday.    We will be parked at the pier.   Any advice on where to move the car for parking and then lunch before a 2:00 matinee?    Also need to take into account we will probably want to stop at the TKTS booth for our tickets.    It looks like recently there have been tickets available for several matinees on Wednesdays.

I've done one Viking river cruise a few years ago and was recently looking at the Paris RT itinerary but want to look at alternatives because of their ridiculous final payment terms.    What company would you say is most similar to Viking that I could look at?   

49 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

Just a few random thoughts from someone who actually lives in Alaska and has done at least 7 Alaska itineraries.

 

My preference is the one ways itineraries between Seward and Vancouver, followed by the RTs out of Vancouver.  We have done the RTs out of Seattle when it was convenient since we were visiting Seattle.

 

Princess is not my favorite.  While they own lodges both at the Denali National Park entrance and the McKinley View Lodge (much farther south of the DNP entrance and a 45 minute drive from Talkeetna) that also means that they are tied to certain itineraries for their land trips.  And I am of the opinion that anyone who visits DNP short changes themselves when they don't go into the park as far as Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66);  In 2021 the NPS closed the single road into DNP at mile 42 due to the road issues at the Pretty Rocks area.  While there are funds to bridge the problematic area it is anticipated that the road will not be open the entire length until 2025 at the earliest,  But Princess is still selling land trips which include the Denali experience.

 

Instead of a cruise line sponsored land trip I would suggest that folks consider a DIY trip.  Select what you want to see and do.  Alaska is easy to navigate.  And if folks want to get really creative consider flying to Kotzebue or Utqiagvik. 

With the road closure at Denali, would you recommend skipping a visit while the road is closed?   And if so, do you have suggested alternatives for 2 - 3 days post-cruise from Seward?

The cruise I was looking at yesterday to Alaska went up $300 pp overnight with this promo.

10 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

After you select the stateroom type:

You’ll see the first choice: Standard 

You choose

Just above the price per guest

It should say…

Deposit is fully refundable 

 

The next category…Princess chooses

Deposit is non refundable 

 

At least on the Sun cruises that I’ve seen.

 

Yes, today I see it says "refundable", but yesterday when I booked, it said "non-refundable".    I wonder if it was the promotion that ended yesterday that didn't give the option.    The price is higher today.

I'm reaching out to a CVP now that was referred to me, but does anyone know if they still receive credit for a cruise that's on hold with deposit not yet paid?    I know Carnival recently changed the policy regarding that issue.  

I'm tearing my hair out with the Princess customer service reps.    How does one choose a refundable deposit?   It didn't give me the option at booking, so I thought maybe I had to call.    As I've read in another post, the customer service is atrocious.    Is the refundable deposit sometimes not available, depending on the cruise or the category you book?    I'm trying to book Sun Princess.

I'm looking at this small boat tour to Hubbard through Celebrity also.   It is offered for May 16 next year, but for the whopping price of $425.99 pp.    What glacier does the Kenai Fjord cruise from Seward go to, and how does it compare to Hubbard?

1 hour ago, Coral said:

This is a weird itinerary for Royal Princess:

 

https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details/?voyageCode=1411 

 

It spends the night in Vancouver at the end.

 

I would look for more sailings beyond these 2.

I haven't been able to find any other cruises that include Sitka and Glacier Bay.

I think I will eliminate Royal Princess based on that ship not doing the true inside passage and only two port days.   

donaldsc, what do you consider a good itinerary?    I've been to Alaska a couple times before, but my requirement this time is that it includes Sitka, so that eliminates quite a few cruises.    Port times on both itineraries are full days in port.  

I did a little more searching, and I was able to find an itinerary map for the Princess cruise.   It shows a route with a dotted line indicating Royal class ships going to the west of Vancouver Island and a solid line for non-Royal class ships to the east of the island, so no inside passage on the Royal Princess.

I am looking at two cruises next May and would love some input.

Option #1   Celebrity Summit 7 nt northbound May 10, 2024.   Ports Vancouver, Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Icy Straight Point, Hubbard Glacier, Seward

Pros - Smaller ship.  Does it sail inside passage?    4 ports

Cons - No Glacier Bay.  No status with Celebrity.  Old ship.   Too early to access Hubbard?

Option #2   Royal Princess 7 nt southbound May 11, 2024.   Ports Whittier, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Juneau, Vancouver

Pros - Glacier Bay.  Elite status with Princess.   Newer ship that we've sailed before and enjoy

Cons - Only two ports.   Can Royal Princess not sail inside passage?  Very early in season for pre-cruise land exploring

Thanks for any input on which you would choose.

12 hours ago, jack300s said:

The Ferry Terminal from Port Imperial is Pier 79. I've walked it a couple of times with luggage to ship the ship in 10 to 15 minutes. Once in the rain and I'm 75.

I was looking at the walking route on Maps, and it looks like you have to cross over to the other side of the street at some point, up to Pier 90 and then back down to Pier 88.    Is that correct?   Or can you stay on the river side of the street all the way to Pier 88?

How was the cruise overall?   Did you miss not having snow?   Looks like excursions like dog sledding don't start until mid December.   How were the sea conditions?  Usually this cruise is offered in October,  but I see next year it will be in September. 

I'm pretty sure that tour no longer goes onto the ice.   I checked on it last year, and that's what I was told.   Best to check so you're not disappointed.