Tippyton

Not a recession. A "Special Economic Operation".

Ours SB in 2018 on Princess did. both

Skagway get over to Haines and the Chilkoot River. Lots of bears too.

This is the definition of anti-climactic. We get caught up in the hype, the perfect visuals, the imagined execution, and then its just "meh". Chasing girls in my younger years was the same. Hunting is the same...the thrill is in the journey, not necessarily the destination. BTW I have found myself in that place. While a planner, I still try to "just let the vacation happen."

If you are going to Skagway ferry over to Haines and go to the Chilkoot River. Many bears.

Same. Government is forcing rules on companies where the rules don't exist. Forced submissions though regulatory overreach. This is not political but factual.

But Canada....😒 Lemme see....August 28th departure. Must test no earlier than August 25th, to ensure I dont bring Covid to Victoria on....September 3rd? FFS.

Hope so....

Thanks for the advice. Not going to Tracy Arm this run. We did go there on CCL on our 1st AK cruise about 12 years ago - we were poor and had kids with us that trip, and it was beautiful nonetheless. I do believe we are going to do a whale watching tour through the ship in Juneau. Prices are similar but we have a short port time and I'm ok paying for a little insurance - not enough difference to warrant the risk, plus we get $50 off the excursion price.

looking forward to it!

Going to Alaska on the Encore end of August. Been to Alaska 2x and have done NCL once out of Galveston (Star I think?) about 8 years ago. What should we expect besides a fun cruise?

From September 2018. Small boat for scale (it was still faaaaarrrr from the face.

Annndddd.... Our 2nd trip in 2018 we ferried over to Haines and rented a car and went up the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers, and to Chilkat Lake. Watched the bears and the Salmon. These were the big brown Kodiak bears.

Photos from our DIY Tour ~ 12 years ago.

No problem. We had great weather. As I replied to someone else, I'll try to drum up a few pics.

We had lunch in Carcross. Nothing in between. We saw bears both directions, and there are some cool stops along the way. There are no expansive bridges to go over but the scenery is great nonetheless. Ill see if I can drum up some pics.

Adventurous? Years ago we rented a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. We could stop anywhere for however long we wanted. See a bear? Cool - stop. Waterfall? Cool - stop. Awesome trip.

Jumping to Mom's defense here... I think there is no harm in having an overabundance of intellectual curiosity and garnering opinions not of your own or your own liking. I do that all the time. I may have my mind up but I'll play devil's advocate and argue the other side to see if I am missing something that may sway my opinion. I actually think its a positive and admirable attribute as the sentiment I gather from OP is genuine. Our world would be better if we all kept open minds and truly listen to others. That's how I try to make myself a better person (failing often I might add).

I've played golf before myself. Not a golfer at all - work related mostly and only a handful of times. Not my thing, primarily due to the types of people on the course. Better experience was with friends and family on public courses. I don't care for mouthy frat-boy types, drunks, and snobs. Like I said before....fine lines. But to each his own and I don't begrudge anybody for what they like or enjoy - I can control only me.

Aaaaaaannnndddddd my point was made.

Out-of-the-box idea..... We rented a car and went to the far end of the island and worked our way back, beach hopping and snorkeling along the way [researched all of the beaches ahead of time]. Awesome fun - of all the places we've been it has the most beautiful beaches. Snorkeling at each was pretty good too.

Oh, and to answer the OPs question, we did a HAL Mexican Riviera years ago on a big family Christmas Cruise (mom chose the cruise so....). Stodgy and banal. We did a NCL a few years ago as a last-minute deal out of Galveston. We had fun (DW and I only). Did Princess Alaska SB in 2018 (for itinerary foremost). Great cruise, very few kids, but the place was dead by 9:00 PM. We still didn't lack for entertainment and we didn't feel it was pretentious. All the rest on CCL with family, all of which are fun. DW does not drink at all, and I am a minimalist drinker. There is a fine line between having fun and being an obnoxious drunk. We don't mind the former but have no time for the latter. I know you all know the difference. Hope that answers your question further.

Many moons ago a had a summer job at a Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate office. I was debating with one of those guys with the slick Italian shoes about country clubs. He tried to tell me the courses are better and it is worth the $$. My argument was that most people's golf game cannot tell the difference between a public course and a nice CC, but the sole purpose of the $100K initiation fee was a guarantee to be away from the riff raff. I know I was right then at the age of 19 and it still holds true. Why pay $5000 PP for a one week cruise? Because you can. I've told many a friend that if I win the lottery and change who I am to put a bullet in me. Without regard to specifics about any of us, it seems quite a few of us have the same sentiments, regardless of our wallet size. DW and I like simple folk for many reasons. To quote Groucho Marx "I would never join a club that would have me as a member."

Sadly, Blerk and I agree again.

we did SEPT 2018 southbound. perfect weather the whole trip. was in shorts in Juneau.