toledo

Thanks for your review. What cabin were you in? Being you mentioned first set of elevators, was it the front or back of the ship? How was the motion? Were the seas rough on any days?

Not the OP, but should I pack summer dresses or winter dresses to wear to dinner?

The advantage of using carry-ons is that you are guaranteed to arrive with them.

You've still got formal nightS and I don't want to wear jeans/legging to the dining room on the other nights.

I'm stressing and hadn't even thought about "lost luggage". We've easily done European trips with a carry-on each, but cruises require more "dressy" clothing. Add that to all the layered clothing and it gets difficult. My husband and I are hoping we can get everything into 1 large checked bag and 2 carry-ons.

Dumb question here......but, do all the cabins have mini bars? And everything inside it is yours for consumption at no extra charge?

Terrific pictures. Thanks so much for sharing everything.

Nice cabin!

Were there any activities/shows that your particularly enjoyed? How about food on the ship? Any particular things that you enjoyed?

Patters have just been posted for the Star. The second formal night was Day 4, Juneau.

Thanks for the Patters. We're doing the same cruise in July. Did anyone else notice that the second formal night is in Juneau? Did I read that right? When I look closer, I see that your itinerary is different than mine. I'm Vancover, sea day, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Ford, and Whittier.

I got a "final payment" bill today, 91 days before my 7 day Alaskan cruise. It must be because my cruise compete TA is located in Great Britain.

Yes, azbirdmom, they do appear to be the same prices. Even though I'm on Princess, I'd never seen that lodging web site.

I just booked this great rate, which includes a domed car to and from Denali, lodging, and all transfers. Grey Line claims to be a sister company of Princess and Holland America, so these may be unsold seats/rooms.

https://www.graylinealaska.com/travel-specials/2-1-rail-tours/

Thanks, everyone. I'm actually cruising with Princess, but I don't care for their cruise tours. Plus I heard some seats are backwards and all seats in the HAL cars face forward.

I'm trying to book a train between Anchorage and Denali. Both of these options came up. Are they the same rail cars?

Black market?!! Does this mean the cards I just bought on eBay might be counterfeit?

Gorgeous pictures, Terry! Thank you. I can't wait!

On Carnival, my son came down with Noro. They did not charge him for "the shot".

I was concerned about the food in the main dining rooms, until I saw your pictures!:D

Yes, I meant meant that the bugs, themselves, can be hard to find.

I can't imagine having to watch for them all the time at work. That, coupled with the fact that I've had them in my home, would lead me to PTSD. It's hard to believe that there are people walking around with them on their person, too. And you have to catch one in order to call an exterminator?!! Are you in Cinci, by any chance?

Live bed bugs are hard to catch, but they "poop" a lot. You want to look mattresses cording and boxsprings for black fecal spots. Also check out nightstands and behind headboards, if possible. Here's a pictutre of what you don't want to see:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/emergingdiseases/mattress_fact_sheet_275417_7.pdf

It doesn't matter if you're on the Pearl or any ship, for that matter. If you're staying anywhere, you need to do a bed bug check. We believe we picked them up from a nice resort in Mexico. Someone on the Carnival board mentioned that the ship had a Packtite. This is large black bag with a heater. You place your suitcase inside and heat the contents to a temperature that kills any bugs. I don't know if the NCL ships have them, but it would be a good thing to have, should guests find out their cabin has bed bugs. Getting bit for a few nights on a cruise ship is no where near as serious as taking taking the bugs home with you. We battled them for over a year and have been bed bug free for two years.

Pineapplegal....you are too nice!! The cookbooks are availabel on Carnival's web site and on ebay. I just bought Carnival Creations on ebay for $5.