jodaytona

What’s the best travel insurance 

Cruising out of Miami Fl celebrity silhouette 4/20/23 want to spend a few days in London prior to departure home around May 5 th would love Tap transportation, information, as well as sightseeing, hotels, etc. thanks in advance so much

It was well worth the price. Be careful when you’re booking a Travelzoo deal that your agent knows and guarantees the perks included. We missed lots perks as neither Holland or your guide had our vouchers despite several hours of calls to all parties before during and after our trip. A land sea was a great option but with any tour it’s bags out by 6 on the bus by 7:30 the price you pay to see so much in 11 days. My favorite the seaplane pricy at $320 p/p but up close to polar bears and salmon bake includes with air tour. Don’t forget bug spray , mosquitoes at some spots

Amen

Roger Amazing detail! Did you do the helicopter? Thoughts on best excursion if you only took one?

Amazing photos thank you!!

Jo[

quote=scrappytraveler;56156034]Thanks for all your post. I went to look at the New Canaletto and the updated When and Where and they are not available. Hope it is just a quick fix for you as I am really enjoying the info. The Beverage post does work.

Excursion info please

:)Please let us know how everything goes! Very interested in what tours you took also

so looking forward to your excursions and Alaska info!

Hi since you live in Vancouver what are the must do's for vacationers? do you have uber there? how much is transportation to cruise line? Thanks

getting excited leaving on the Volendam June 13 cant wait to meet some you cruisers

Hi, this is my first time going on a Holland America cruise (we're going to Alaska) and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with any special information such as menus on board or secrets/tricks specially geared toward to ship. As well as where I'd be able to access complementary food/snacks/drinks outside of meals.

Hi Welcome! food available almost 24 hrs a day.Ice tea/lemonade coffee and tea free as well as juice and milk for breakfast menu on all cruiselines seems repetitive. if you go on your account/ship you can se the specialty restaurants menu (extra charge). Don't worry you will eat very well!!

Thank you for all of the information pictures were helpful!

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Allan I tried to start one after not finding one for this trip. Followed the directions but to complicated for this gal! Lol

thank you so much for the information, trying to tie all of our plans together

thank you so much for your information

Our route was Anchorage, dome car train to Denali, bus to Fairbanks, plane to Dawson, bus to Whitehorse, then bus and train to Skagway. We spent 10 days on land and five on the ship.

 

There were several excursions built into the itinerary: the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali, an afternoon seeing a gold dredge and the Alaska pipeline in Fairbanks, a riverboat excursion in Dawson, and a two-hour ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad from the U.S.-Canada border into Skagway. We had a journey host (tour leader), and so were pretty thoroughly scheduled during our 10 days on land save for a one day each in Denali and Skagway, and a half-day in Dawson (riverboat trip in the morning). You could decline to take any of them (I presume you could ride on the bus with the luggage into Skagway), but they were already paid for.

 

The Tundra Wilderness Tour took most of the day (about seven hours in late May, longer after June 1). I think it's included with any trip that stays more than one night in Denali.

 

My wife walked to the Denali park visitor center on our free day and saw sled dogs and the park exhibits (I think it was a mile or two from McKinley Chalet, HAL's lodging there). She enjoyed that a lot. In Skagway, she took a walking tour offered by the National Park Service (it was free, but there was a nominal charge to reserve tickets online). We also took a one-hour NPS ranger-led tour of Jeff Smith's bar and headquarters for $5 (again, reserve online). We visited the Skagway city museum, about four blocks from the hotel: it's a hidden gem, and would not be out of place in a big city.

 

Other than these, we didn't have time to do much on our own, but we saw and learned so much (the land portion was fully narrated by our journey host and bus driver) that we welcomed a little time to be off schedule.

 

A gentleman from Oregon took the Y2C tour (cruise first) and wrote an extensive review of it: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2380606 I highly recommend reading it. After I did, my wife and I decided this was the trip for us.

 

Hope this all makes sense. Good luck!

i think your credit card company could resolve this easily!

so many questions! what were your favorite excursions? any information you can think of that will help first time Alaska cruisers

thank you:)

did your cruise originate from Vancouver?

please tell me the excursions you went on favs please

You're welcome, and while an Alaska itinerary makes it more challenging to pack in a carry-on only, I think you can still pack somewhat lightly. In the example I gave, a lightweight sweater and lightweight fleece jacket or vest don't take up much room and can be worn repeatedly as simply a layering piece for warmth. They key is choosing these items in lightweight materials. A thin wool, crew neck sweater can be just as warm as a bulky, cable knit, turtleneck cotton sweater, and a good quality fleece can be likewise thin but warm. Jeans an be worn over and over without needing to be washed after every single wear. Put on a different t-shirt every day, but if you just accept that you're going to send a load of laundry out mid-cruise, you can get away with 4 or 5 tees. For evenings, stick with 2-3 neutral bottoms and a few dressier tops that mix and match, rather than 7 completely different outfits. Nobody cares if you wear the same top or bottom to dinner a couple of times, and unless you spill something they'll stay clean enough to wear again.

 

 

 

I'm doing an Alaska cruise in June, and will pretty much follow my own advice as I've given it above. I expect to take my medium sized suitcase...bigger than a carry on, but definitely smaller than my big, max-size-the-airline-will-allow suitcase. That and my large travel purse will be it.

We are doing a cruise tour HAL June 13 starting in Vancouver ending in Anchorage can I pick your brain on excursions? THanks

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Thank you so much!!

Thanks for your reply!!What were the best excursions and anything else I need to know about trip? Did you end in Anchorage? If so where did you stay? Thank you

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Can’t seem to find any other land sea cruisers to pick their brains , leaves Vancouver 6/13 . Land tour ends in Anchorage 6/23. Any others out there?

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The ship should be able to help you off first but seems testy to say the least

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Just returned home from our first cruise, the June 5-19 Great Alaskan Explorer on Amsterdam in a vista suite. We had open seating for MDR (flexibility is the way to go on this itinerary). Did 3 dinners in Pinnacle Grill including Le Cirque, all superb. 1 night in Canneletto was a nice diversion from MDR too. Amsterdam is showing her age in style and design but is well maintained and I found her to be very comfortable. The crew clearly has one goal - to make sure you have a great time on board. Our CD Jorge, stateroom stewards Deden and Putu, location guide Ryan, Mei in Pinnacle, Ferdi in MDR, Elvira in the photo studio, all excellent!

 

 

 

Here are some notes, ask any questions you have!

 

 

 

Amsterdam- loved this smaller ship. You can be anywhere in minutes and even though it was sold out it never seemed to be crowded.

 

 

 

Vista Suite- more like a balcony stateroom then an actual suite but to me it was worth it to have a floor to ceiling wall of windows to take in the never ending Alaska scenery and we enjoyed having a private SHELTERED (from wind and rain) outdoor space to enjoy it. On glacier viewing we did the approach on the crowded bow and then retreated to our balcony for quiet up close viewing.

 

 

 

Ports -

 

 

 

Ketchican, walked around Creek Street. Quaint, almost looks like Disney built an Alaskan town.

 

 

 

Tracy Arm, iced in. Diverted to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Excellent. We were able to get very close and saw seals on the icebergs.

 

 

 

Juneau. We prebooked HAL tour Taku Glacier by Air, Water, and Ice. This includes helicopter, air boat, and a hike on the glacier but all helicopters were grounded due to low clouds/visibility. Saved a lot of money but was really looking forward to this excursion.

 

 

 

Icy Straight Point, loved this port. ZIPLINE! Don't worry about getting scared just do it. Worth every penny. Also very nice trails along beach and in the forest. No tanzanite in the gift shop :cool:

 

 

 

Anchorage, we rented a car and drove up scenic Turnagain Arm to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Bears, moose, raindeer, elk, buffalo. Then on to portage bay glacier and up close viewing on the M/V Patarmigan.

 

 

 

Homer - walked the spit and enjoyed a very sunny day on the beach.

 

 

 

Kodiak, walked cannery row to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Alutiq Museum.

 

 

 

Hubbard Glacier. Stunning! The conditions were good and the captain got us up close to see the glacier calve new icebergs.

 

 

 

Sitka, took the HAL tour Sea Otter Quest and Fortress of the Bear. A quick bus ride through town and then a stop at the Fortress to watch the bears play. Then onto a boat to see otters, humpbacks lunge feeding, and lots of eagles. The waterways around Sitka are full of small forested rocky islands, very scenic. Advice - bring rain gear. It is WET in Sitka. No joke, I say this as an Oregonian, i got SOAKED, but had a great time!

 

 

 

Victoria, obligatory Butchart Gardens. On the way back our tour bus driver offred to drop us downtown rather than return to ship. Explored and then took a $5 tourist shuttle back to the ship.

 

 

 

Questions about the ship, itinerary, or anything else? Fire away!

Thank you so much for your info. I assume your itinerary was different as depart from Vancouver arrive in Skagway for a land sea tour.

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Thanks