Cruisefanatic71

We are long time Carnival and Royal Carribbean cruisers. We are now looking at Costa cruise for next year for a Mediterranean cruise. What are the pros and cons of this cruise line? All information is greatly appreciated. We are a family of 3 with our daughter being a special needs cruiser. Thank you all for your thoughts and insights on this cruise line. 

6 hours ago, PIC33 said:

Woohoo! Looks like the duct tape and zip ties held. Radiance is backing in to the east berth at Canada Place cruise terminal.

 

 

 

Woohoo....hopefully all goes well over the next 2 weeks as I board her on the 17th!!! Can't wait!

I am sure that this has been discussed somewhere on CC before but I was not able to find it. I am cruising out of Vancouver in 2 weeks for the 1st time  and was wondering if it's better to have cash on hand or just use my card? I have a couple 100 CAD on hand already but was wondering about it since I'll be in Vancouver long enough to possibly use my card also. If it's better to have more cash on hand I can get more this week versus using my card in Canada and having my bank do the exchange on the purchases I make there. 

7 hours ago, STEVE-O said:

Yippee!

Got an email from Royal Caribbean..... All systems GO for this Friday!

That's great news!!! I board in 2 weeks so have been watching this issue very closely. Hope you enjoy your cruise. 

9 hours ago, JohnnyPro44 said:

On the ship right now we have to get off tomorrow one of the staff said it could be a month next cruise may 3 she said will be canceled don’t know if it’s been confirmed 

If this is true about a month before next sailing, one would hope that Royal would let those passengers know ahead of time instead of letting them travel to the port to tel them there isn't a cruise they knew about a month ago was not going to sail.

1 hour ago, IrishWhisperer said:

We have just been told the cruise is cancelled. We disembark tomorrow.

Oh man that sux...I was hoping they would be able to fix the issue and at least have somewhat of a cruise. Well now to see what happens over the next few weeks as I will be in Vancouver on May 16th for hopefully a cruise.

I am hoping that this gets sorted out before the May 17th sailing we are going to be on for our 1st Alaska cruise. 

We are cruising this May and will arrive in Seward. We are using Alaska Tour & Travel to go from Seward to Anchorage via bus as part of our after cruise plans. Good Luck. 

On 2/25/2024 at 8:38 PM, wolfie11 said:

Agreed.  Talkeetna is a small town and you can see it in an hour or two.  Also likely to be packed with cruise tour passengers.

So we were thinking if we went up for a couple hours it could be just a daytrip on one day. 

So we are thinking about taking the train up to Talkeetna and spending some time there and then grabbing the train back down to Anchorage. The question is is a same day train to and from the best or should we stay the evening in Talkeetna? We just don't want to really lug around our luggage if we were to stay over night. Is there much to do there? Thanks for all info.

John

I am currently looking at different options for some tours in Alaska once we arrive in Seward by cruise. I was wondering if anyone has used Gray Line Rail Tours in the past and would like your input on what your experience was like. Thanks for everyone's input. 

Does anyone have any good suggestions on getting from Port in Seward to Anchorage? I am looking at all options to get from the cruise port to our hotel in Anchorage. Thank you for all your suggestions. 

14 hours ago, jhenry1 said:

We will be in Alaska in May and there are 4 Adults. Our flight does not leave Anchorage airport until 8:45. Looking for suggestions for a private transfer including a tour on the way for 4 adults. Some of the group tours only allow 1 piece of luggage per person and we might have more. 

Am following as our family of 4 will be in Alaska in May also buy our daughter is handicapped so we have more than the usual 1 piece of luggage per since we have her medical supplies in a luggage bag when we travel. I had looked at taking the train to Anchorage but am still looking at other options. 

We were on the Adventure of the Seas in December and did not see anything that would detract from our vacation. For as old as the ship is, its in pretty good shape. 

14 hours ago, libtrek said:

It’s a couple miles to the port from the station. Not sure how walkable but I remember plenty of cabs at the station. We took the train the day before and stayed at a hotel. Toured Granville Island that day and cabbed to port in the morning. Depending on train times, I’d be comfortable going directly to ship. If I have to fly, I always go the day before a cruise.

We like to arrive the day before to ensure that there are no issues that would delay us from our cruise. I may look at flying into Seattle 2 days before the cruise then go up to Vancouver the next day and enjoy a day in Vancouver prior to heading out on our cruise. Thank you for the info. 

4 minutes ago, spedrson said:

We are planning on spending one night in Seward. We're doing a Kenai Fjords tour and will enjoy the town before heading to Anchorage via bus. Some of us will fly home from Anchorage and the rest of us will spend a few nights in Anchorage before getting the train to Denali for a few nights. 

This what we were looking at doing at first and then we thought about spending the day in Seward and then catching the train up to either Girdwood or Anchorage that evening and spending a day in one of these areas and then possibly a round trip to Denali with a night in Denali. Still working logistics of it though. 

Thanks for the input...will be looking at the logistics of what we would like to do and visit versus what may be feasible.  

8 hours ago, AKStafford said:

Don't underestimate your travel time in Southcentral Alaska. If you only have a few days and you want to include Denali, I would get to Anchorage that first morning, either by bus or the cruise line chartered train. Get your rental car and drive at as far as Talkeetna that afternoon.

Thanks...I probably misstated the amount of time we will be in Alaska. We are looking at least 4 days in Alaska after the cruise but I was of the thinking to at least get to Anchorage the 1st day post cruise. 

On 10/3/2023 at 9:16 PM, libtrek said:

We have done Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, a shuttle, and last June, the bus. They all worked very well and were cheaper than a flight direct to Vancouver. IMHO, the scenery was very nice too. Mary

I am looking at taking Amtrack into Vancouver. I had a couple quick questions about this plan. How far away from the port is the train station in Vancouver? Did you take the train from Seattle to Vancouver on the day of your cruise or the day before? Thank you for your assistance. 

We will be on Royal Carribbean Radiance of the Seas in May 2024 ending our Northbound cruise. Being that we end the cruise in Seward, I was looking at a couple different options for our 1st day off the ship. We are going to stay in Alaska for a few extra days. My 2 options for Seward are as follows:

Option 1: stay in Seward for the whole day and see the sights before boarding the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage the next day.

Option 2: Do some sight seeing in Seward for the day and then catch the Coastal Classic out of Seward to Anchorage that same day.

We are looking at options since our ultimate goal is to get to Danali Park and return back to Anchorage for our flight out of Alaska. I am looking for suggestions on which option could give us the best ability to enjoy our time in Seward. Thanks in advance  

1 hour ago, SirTomster said:

 

I am looking at Quick Shuttle    https://quickcoach.com/

 

The price was about $50 per person but there would be some baggage fees.

 

I will be picked up at the Cruise Port in Vancouver and dropped off at the Seatac airport.  They do the reverse too.

 

Currently, for me to fly from Vancouver to Salt Lake is about $700 more than Seattle to Salt Lake.  So paying $130 (ish) for a bus to Seattle sounds like a deal.  Granted my Sunday will be getting off the ship, hopping on a bus for a 4 to 5 hour drive to Seattle, then flying home from Seattle.  

 

But with that price difference, I am leaning towards that.  If the price was closer, I would fly from Vancouver, but right now a bus ride looks a lot better to my wallet.

 

 

Thank you for the info. I have actually looked at taking an Amtrack train from Seattle to Vancouver. For 4 of us it looks like it will be about $135 so flying into Seattle may be the better option and taking the train in for the cruise. 

On 9/30/2023 at 7:37 PM, SirTomster said:

Look into Glacier Bay.  We have only done one cruise and that was to Alaska and I LOVE Glacier Bay.  I would not consider a cruise without it.

 

Both Princess and Holland America have the longest history in Alaska and that can be a plus.

 

If you have the time/money, I would look into a one-way cruise so you can start/stop in Alaska and do some touring before the cruise.   These start/end in Vancouver and either Whittier or Seward in Alaska.

 

Check out this thread of ideas to do in Alaska either at the beginning or end.

 

Ports to research:

 

Ketchikan

Juneau

Skagway

Sitka

Icy Strait Point

 

The first three are the most common with sometimes one of the last two being a replacement.  There might be others on some lines but I think I got the most common ports.  So you can research locations and activities and see what sounds like the most fun.  Then find a cruise that makes that port and also has enough time since some ships do not stay in the port the same amount of time.  Some are shorter than others.

 

This can help you decide what itinerary you want to do.

 

To give you an idea, here is my itinerary for June 2024.   Check the above thread for other great examples.

 

Holland America Nordam Southbound

7/14  Fly to Anchorage

7/14  Rent a car and drive to Seward.  Visiting various sights on the way including the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center

7/15  8.5 hour Cruise in the Kenai Fjords with Major Marine

7/16 Drive back to Anchorage to drop off the car

7/16 Bus to Whitter to board the ship

7/17 Hubbard Glacier

7/18 Glacier Bay

7/19 Skagway, doing a train/bus ride up the Yukon

7/20 Juneau, doing a whale watching excursion.

7/21 Ketchikan, doing a walkabout unless I change my mind and do the Rain Forest hike.

7/22 Sea day

7/23 Arrive in Vancouver, take a bus down to seattle and fly home.

 

By adding a short land tour before the cruise, my costs are going up by around $2,000.   So it can be cheaper if I cut out that Kenai Fjords part but heck no!  The one-way options also seem to have more time in ports than a round trip.

 

But the one-way will cost more than a round trip from Seattle or Vancouver.  Including flights.

 

In case you do not know it.  Alaska is expensive.  You might be able to do two Caribbean cruises for the price of one Alaskan one.  So be aware of that.

 

My personal view is that Alaska is a cruise for people who want to see nature.  Either the landscapes or the wildlife.  Thus, if you are more into hitting a beach and chilling, then Alaska might not be the option for you.  

 

 

I see on your itinerary for your cruise you are taking a bus from Vancouver to Seattle. What company are you using? I was looking at flying into Seattle first and the possibility of either a car rental or a flight into Vancouver for our May 2024 Alaska cruise. Thank you for the information.  

Loved following you in your Alaska journey. I am also looking forward to doing this exact itinerary on the Radiance in May 2024. Your review has definitely gotten the excitement going and I can't wait to see Alaska for myself. 

We are doing a Northbound Alaska trip on Royal Caribbean from May 17-24, 2024. We were wondering on clothing to bring since we figure the weather will still be a bit cold for us since we live in Florida. Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated. 

I wanted to inquire if anyone has used Viator for their Alaska excursions when in port? What was your experience with them? Was it easy to navigate pickup or meeting locations for your excursion? I usually either do a self guided tour of the port we sre at or I look for private tours at the port. I have been looking at the Viator website and they have some excursions that I am thinking about purchasing. Thank you for all your input.