Ihearttravel11

11 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

 

Do people even get off the ship in Victoria on those short night stops?

Yes! I live in WA state, and we go to Victoria a few times a year. 
We got off the ship and used Google Maps to find the closest store, and stocked up on delicious Canadian chocolate! (My stash was getting low!)

54 minutes ago, Etta1213 said:

We're all of the excursions more than $100pp? I've heard that Alaskan excursions run high.

Whale watch was over $100pp, train was over $100pp, and the Skagway Ghost/Goodtime Girl was under $100pp. 

The ship was great. Seriously, this whole trip, it ranks at the top for favorite vacations.

We saw humpback and orcas from the ship. Way more than we saw on our Juneau Express whale watching excursion. If we had to go back, we would not do the excursion.
On the way to Victoria, we saw bunches of whales. It was incredible. Our naturist, Louise, was so excited, saying that it was pretty rare to see so many. Of course, the weather may have had something to do with that, as it was beautiful weather the entire trip. Just a bit of rain at the fjord and the last hour in port in Juneau.

White Pass 3 hour railway excursion was fantastic - we would do the one up to Canada next time.

And Skagway was amazing. We loved Skagway. We did the railway and Goodtime Girls excursion there. 

We were on Spirit June 27-July 4.
It was fantastic! Shows were great. Jake (cruise director) was great. Staff was great. Frozen yogurt was great, lol.

And DH just tested positive for Covid. I'm negative still.

No real comments or tips, other than that. Anything specific you want to ask?

15 hours ago, Buffalobills said:

I’m on the Spirit the week before you.

I'm on the Spirit the same time as you, leaving June 27th. 🙂

14 minutes ago, CajunOyster said:

 

I think you MIGHT find that the amount of activity on the ship has a little more to do with the itinerary and passenger demographics than you think.  I hope not, but you might find that the "younger crowd with a little more nightlife" doesn't materialize on an Alaska itinerary.

 

We did Alaska last August on Splendor with our 25 year old son. He was so bored. There was little to no no nightlife for a single guy in his mid-20's. Even the dance club had less than 25 people in it. And he always found a seat at Alchemy. 
This time, DH and I are going to Alaska ourselves. And DS plans on doing a more "fun" and "party" cruise to the Caribbean with his friends.

7 hours ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

 

I always order coffee from room service the first morning and just keep the carafe.  I rinse it out in the sink and keep it in the cabinet so I have it to use every morning for the rest of the cruise. Since I am always up early, and my wife loves to sleep late, I grab the carafe and go for a nice walk around deck, than stop in the Lido to fill it up and bring hot coffee back to the room. 

This is brilliant!!

I bought the Blue Iguana on my first cruise, and the Red Frog on my last cruise (August). I did not get a drink - just the tumbler. I want to say the cost was around $16-$18. I bought it the first day of the cruise - it was behind a glass shelf.
I love the Tervis Tumblers! I have more of them than I want to admit. 😉

We did this excursion back in August on Splendor.
It was amazing! We got some beautiful photos, and got to see the beauty of Alaska first-hand.
My husband was not sure about the excursion, but afterward said that it was even more amazing than could be explained. He was very happy that I had booked it for our family trip.

We are going back to Alaska in June 2023, but not doing this excursion again. I think one time is plenty - especially with it being so limited for others.

 

I did Verifly for our entire family for our Alaska cruise and they didn't look at it at all. Just all of our paperwork.

This was out of Seattle. I don't know if things are different there, or were just different for us.
After all the hassle of uploading everything to it, I was like "Why did I do all of this"???

4 minutes ago, CorrieCJ said:

 

This is what I came here to find out. When I filled out my own info it seemed to just end the session. I don't think I got a code. What was your process? Did you do each one separately using the same link? I didn't want to do this because I was worried #2 would overwrite #1. I am going to have to sort it out this weekend (cruise 8/6) but if you remember your exact process I'd love the info! We have two appointments as we are 6 people. Thanks. 

After I completed my information, I just went back and completed information for the other 2 in my party - starting over from the link given. We all got different codes, so it worked out just fine!
The code is very important. It is what you give the virtual PA when you take your test so that they can register it with the HealthTrackRX page. You use the code and birthdate and other information to get your results. I believe they are also emailed and/or texted to you.

We pack clothespins for when we travel. Makes sealing curtains easier, plus we can use them to hang stuff up to dry.

My younger brother just got back from a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska. Within 3 days he was sick and tested positive for Covid within the week.
Covid is going to spread, like a cold (albeit worse than a common cold). You cannot stop it 100%.
I agree that a person knows the risk when boarding a ship. We leave in 2 weeks. We know that the chance of us coming home with Covid are there. We are all in good health and willing to accept that fact.

23 hours ago, odiesam said:

We (2 of us) just did this. Yes you have to complete the patient information for each person. The Onboard rep asked us for these 2 separate confirmation numbers in our Zoom call. 

 

Process was easy - we used the free tests from the US government. Call was on time. Received pdfs of negative results within 20 minutes.

Excellent! Thank you so much for your response!

I purchased 3 slots (at one time) for covid testing with Onpoint for our August cruise.
I have confirmation and everything.
I have a patient portal area through HealthTrack RX link.
I filled it out for myself. Got a wierd code at the end, which I am guessing signifies I am who I am.
Do I need to fill it out for the other 2 who will be testing with me?
Might seem like a ridiculous question, and I am guessing that yes, I will have to.
But this whole thing is incredibly confusing to me - maybe I am really overthinking things.
Thanks, in advance.

-----------------------
edited to add : I just registered everyone. We all got different confirmation numbers, so I'm guessing I did it right. 

47 minutes ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

I hope they do start charging for testing, and a lot at every outlet. I think that would change the minds of the people controlling the "testing prior to cruise policy" due to all the complaints. Carnival says it's because ports require it.  Mexico doesn't require it and my last 2 cruises have been to only US or Mexico ports so dump the testing, it's pointless and a waste of money and resources.

I live in WA.
I can go to Canada without taking a Covid test, since I am fully vaccinated.
I can go to Alaska without taking a Covid test.
But I cannot take an Alaska Cruise that stops in Canada without taking a Covid test. 
I don't think it makes any bit of sense. 
I get that it is currently a requirement, but still doesn't make any sense - at least for my cruise.
Planning on the Emed proctored testing, as we have plenty of free tests in the house from the government. But deep down, I am hoping for a "Hail Mary" come August, and no testing requirements. (Not holding my breath though.) 

Thanks so much everyone! I appreciate the information!!
💖

Just now, mz-s said:

You can spend the OBC in the casino no problem. If you're looking to get cash. Have heard that you can just get cash out of the kiosks now. Have not tried this however.

I'm not looking to just cash it out. I think DH and DS would love to have casino time, and if we can use our OBC to do so, that would be great. If they win, even better, and yes, we would probably cash out some of it. 

Just now, mdsgu said:

What I have done in the past is transfer OBC to a slot machine, played one pull, then cashed out.  Took the receipt to the cashier and got cash.  YMMV.

How would I transfer OBC to a slot machine? Would I need to go to the casino cage to do so? Or guest services?

Sorry, I can't find any somewhat recent posts in the search engine.
We have $700 in OBC - not from cancelled cruises, but from early saver price difference during the anniversary sale.

Has anyone successfully used their OBC at the casino recently?
If so, how exactly do you go about doing this?

We cruise at the beginning of August, and I am trying to figure out, for sure, what we are going to do with our remaining OBC (we started out with $1k, but purchased an excursion).

Thanks, in advance.

23 hours ago, Kokomo_Man said:

 

Until you get to your cabin, you use the boarding paperwork to buy drinks… perhaps a frozen concoction to help you hang on.

 

Hang on, hang on, hang on!!

10 minutes ago, sarmat1 said:

The April "$1 for 3rd and 4th guests" sale, got us a $1,000 immediate reduction for our kids on our July cruise.  Just took one quick phone call for that adjustment.

Ditto. We ended up with over $900 OBC due to this sale.  🙂 

I wouldn't mind a wristband. 
I wear an ID badge for work. A lot of people have theirs on a lanyard.
I ended up putting mine in a badge protector, and using a carabiner, attached it to my belt loop. It works so much easier for me. I highly recommend trying this out (as long as you have on something with a belt loop) if a lanyard is not something you like.
I plan on doing the same thing for my sign and sail card. 
 

It looks like the Walgreens Rapid Antigen tests are free?? Is that the case, from anyone who has gotten one there? You do need to say that you were around someone for 15+ minutes before/after they were diagnosed with Covid though.

NM - Stevethepirate just answered my question!! Thanks!

Please let us know what you think of the excursion. So far, we have nothing booked for Ketchikan, except hoping to go to The Asylum Bar and Burger Queen.