KAYEF

Sorry if I duplicate but I just don't have time to read this whole thread; I got on to buy Trip Insurance and, as usual, stopped by CC.

 

CHECK OUT every inch of the ship the FIRST DAY ..................it's pretty sad to discover something wonderful on that next to the last day.:cool:

 

Take a couple of empty water bottles. You can fill them at the buffet before you get off in various ports and toss them into recycle before you disembark AND, that leaves room in your suitcase for some souvenirs!:D

 

DECIDE before you leave that you will have one FANTASTIC :D time and you will; AVOID negative people. Just get up and move if someone's trying to pop your bubble.;)

 

I have begun to use a lightweight backpack rather than a duffle or handbag for my second carry-on and then I use it when I go ashore. There's a place for my water bottle, for a snack bar if I so choose, I can stick my travel purse in there plus a windbreaker AND, if I buy "stuff" I can stick it in there as well.;)

 

I take two pieces of that "no slide" shelf stuff and put a small travel clock ON each..................one on the bedside table and one in the bathroom. Then, when I get up at night I know what time it is! The clocks never slide off the shelf/table. They are 99 cents at IKEA or a dollar store and just take one AA battery.

 

........and, some duct tape, for sure................you never know what's going to happen to your suitcase zipper on that airplane or on the ship.

 

ENJOY!!! When you get home you will want to get online right away and find another cruise bargain................immediately.

Long, long ago I believe I was the first one to say on these boards that our TRAC FONE was working "everywhere." :) WAY out to sea on a TA cruise, when they came on to say the towers had been activated, we were "down" inside the ship and thought it would be fun to awaken our friends back in Oregon EARLY. The "phone worked perfectly. It worked everywhere we were on that cruise. It uses the ship's towers, I guess, and they don't charge you more because a TRAC deducts just minutes.

We used it in Victoria (which is CANADA) and we used it in Mexico.

One place in Mexico I had to go into a calling center, pay 25 cents, call my Mother who then called me back................so, I'm saying calling "out" didn't work far south in Mexico.

The TRAC worked all over Alaska...........on land or on ship.........we were as far west at Seward last year..........excellent connections.

YES, I get what I pay for and MORE. I don't understand comments like that, either.:rolleyes:

On my second cruise I changed to a Lanyard but when going to dinner at night, I put it into my tiny, black satin purse with a lipstick, etc.

Around my neck is much easier for getting on and off the ship and when I'm in town, I just tuck it inside my top/shirt. I can have my credit card inside the same plastic pocket that's on my lanyard so everything's easy and also protected.

I found some for people I was taking on a "first cruise" at Wal-Mart (as mentioned above) for $2.

I was last on board in October, 2009 and they were $10. on the ship.

The Russians didn't stick around. They took the furs and left.........with their food.:(

We LOVED our stay at the Pinnacle and when we woke up and looked out our (corner) window, there was our ship, just waiting for us.:p

We took a walk...........stopped at Canada Place..........asked when we could board and were asked if we had our luggage with us!

We walked back to the M.P., pulled our luggage across the street(s) and boarded just after ten a.m. BOY!! Was that fun!:)

We stayed in a really neat b and b in Girdwood and enjoyed walking around the town (it wasn't ski season)............the place had huge windows that looked up toward the ski runs, etc.

If transportation is your problem, though, I don't know.........we had a rented car.

What kind of deal did you get at the Pan Pacific? What date(s)?

 

 

;)Well, let's put it this way.................two nights here would more than pay for our cruise ($449. plus $50. cabin credit and champagne)............but my sister-in-law can't walk much and this is her first cruise..............

the date will be early................June 4th.

The CA dollar is down; that helps!! Their taxes and extra fees add a lot as well.

You just can't shop or stay with much "economy" in Vancouver.:p

Bet it will be much worse when the Winter Olympics arrive...........those poor people living there are most likely having to put up with much construction and tax increases for all the building they're doing.

 

I figure I will always remember staying at Pan Pacific; it'll be my first and last, no doubt.

My daughter and I stayed at the Marriott Pinnacle just a couple of blocks away and awoke to see our ship awaiting us. It was an easy walk, pulling our suitcases, to Canada Place from there and the hotel was excellent.

:confused:I believe this was the name of the restaurant so many raved about a couple of years ago on CC chat lines and my DD and I dined there the night before our cruise. Is it still in business?

I need a close place (got a DEAL at the Pan Pacific:p) because my sister-in-law can't walk very far.

Thanks!

definately the coffee from the buffet...water and syrop!

 

Which ship? Princess if "famous" for lousy coffee; it's good on HAL.

Just returned from the Spirit and the Lobster bisque in Cagneys was horrible. It had some spongy, non flavorful thing in the middle of it- cant even tell you what it was suppose to be.

 

Most probably it was a SPONGE they pulled in with the lobster.:D

The entire embarkation buffet on the Island Princess (to Hawaii and back). I was SO excited to take my "kids" on their first cruise and expected (my first error) this cruise to be like our HAL cruises. We boarded..........the buffet area was a filthy mess............"workers" were standing around refusing to work (this continued on the entire cruise, it felt as if they were about to mutiny). Salad was chopped iceberg lettuce, that's it. Meat was cold fried chicken. It was an awful introduction to the ship. There were no tables cleared for eating.

We gave Princess another chance on the Grand and it was magnificent, btw.

The buffet on Norwegian Dream..............oh, it was awful.

The Caesar Salad on the Island; it was "warmish" when it came. The next day many of us onboard had food poisoning and "no one" would agree it was f.p. They wanted us to stay in cabins and not "infect" others.......

many of us, discussing this, decided they didn't want us telling others of our f.p.:eek:

Our first cruise was on FAIRSKY (owned by Sitmar) from SanFrancisco to Alaska. I think it was fifteen days; the year was 1987. I got sick the second day but after that it was nice. We got hooked on ALASKA and spent the entire next summer in the far north............in our motorhome.............via the Alaska Marine System..........disembarked "everywhere" and finally hit land for good. Drove all over Alaska and all the way back home (Oregon) via Yukon, British Columbia, etc. It was SO wonderful.

Now we go to Alaska often (again this summer) via cruise ship but we cruise other areas as well..............what fun memories this thread brought up! Thanks!:)

Our first cruise was on FAIRSKY (owned by Sitmar) from SanFrancisco to Alaska. I think it was fifteen days; the year was 1987. I got sick the second day but after that it was nice. We got hooked on ALASKA and spent the entire next summer in the far north............in our motorhome.............via the Alaska Marine System..........disembarked "everywhere" and finally hit land for good. Drove all over Alaska and all the way back home (Oregon) via Yukon, British Columbia, etc. It was SO wonderful.

Now we go to Alaska often (again this summer) via cruise ship but we cruise other areas as well..............what fun memories this thread brought up! Thanks!:)

Long ago (last year?) there was a discussion regarding this and it just seemed that HAL people (ME!!) were not about to give up Traditional Dining just because they hadn't even tried the other.
We took our kids on a Princess and were SO sad (as I've written before) that we had to have Personal Choice Dining AND WE LOVED IT.
Now, I long for it..............especially when rushing back from a port so we make our assigned time................
once you enjoy the freedom of functioning on your own schedule (and learn it's easy and comfortable and can be just what YOU want) you can be more accepting of change.
You're correct, the thread is too long and is way off track............
a new one is needed.:)

I thought this thread was about DINING....................if you come on "fresh" it's sounding more than a bit "snipey" and that's one reason I abandoned CC for a few months.

Let people state their opinion regarding THE THREAD and accept it; don't argue.;)

Our first cruise was 23 days on the O

we are spoiled by that first experience...............one of my favorite things on a HAL ship is that they have small hand towels (washcloths) in the public bathrooms. What a difference that makes.

Go on a different line and those public bathrooms never feel as clean.......:(

and often there are PAPER towels on the floor.

I really look forward to the touch of cloth hand towels in the public baths.:)

momofone

I highly recommend NUMBER THE STARS for your daughter (and you, too, will love it).........it's not too long but tells of Danish families saving Jews by transporting them in their fishing boats. The kids of the families have jobs to do to support this; my 7th and 8th graders just devoured this book and I, too, learned something!;)

 

I am a BIG, BIG reader but I take a book to the airport, I take a book on a cruise and if I read ten pages, I'm lucky!

Tell me how you do it?

I get caught up people watching in the airport. I get caught up doing everything on the ship...............running here and there.

Twice I've taken my book to the forward lounge (different name on each ship) and what did I do? Start to read, get too warm, fall asleep.