englishlady

That explain it. Thank you!

When I booked our October 2015 Panama cruise back in August 2014, under BOGOHO promotion, Royal Caribbean CSR told me I could redeem BoA reward points towards cost of my cruise, but advised I redeem them nearer to cruise time. Several months later 2 other RC CSRs told me, and confirmed, my BoA Rewards weren't combinable with the BOGOHO sale. I called again yesterday and asked again, and was told the rules had changed and now they could be used! Of course I didn't hesitate to redeem them right there and then! Have the rules changed a couple of times over the past 6 or 7 months? I'm just a bit confused!

Locomotiveman, I was so relieved to read your response; I was seriously considering not going to Antigua, We're not going to be there until October next year and I was already stressing about the restroom situation on the bus! I have an anxiety issue and couldn't go the 90 minutes it takes each way ... and the traffic delays? No way! Thanks!

Alma

Hi, I understand the motorcoach trip from the Puerto Quetzal port to Antigua takes anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours. Does anyone who has done this excursion know if the motor coaches have restrooms? Thanks!

Alma

Yes, that's the information I got today from a CC rep. I signed up for CC yesterday online and the system immediately saw I was Emerald on Royal and put me at the Select tier on X. I called today to confirm that once we become Diamond we'll automatically be upgraded to Elite, and they advised that the reciprocacy (sp?) only goes as high as Elite/Diamond tiers.

Thanks again for your help!

Thank you all so much for your responses which are really helpful. I think I'll take your advice and enroll in CC now and then ask them to do the one-time reciprocal status upgrade to Elite after we reach RC Diamond. It is only a one-time thing right? And yes, I should've used the word "reciprocal" vs. "grandfathering". I guess I had a little brain hiccup! :)

Yayyyyy! I get to book our first Celebrity cruise!!!!

Thanks again!

Cruising exclusively on Royal Caribbean thus far, DH and I have been planning to try Celebrity after we reach Royal’s Diamond status in 2015. Reason for this is we want to “grandfather” into Celebrity’s Captain’s Club at the Elite level.

Feeling the urge to take advantage of early pricing (sales), getting our choice of cabin, etc., and awwwww just for heck of it because I’m just so darned excited and impatient to have an actual Celebrity reservation (!) I’m seriously considering booking our 2016 Celebrity cruise when the new schedules come out in a few days. BUT …. I’m worried that if I DO book and DON’T enroll in the Captains Club, could I enroll in 2015 without having to make another reservation at that time and if I can, would Elite benefits be applied to the existing reservation?

I’ve spoken to both Celebrity and Royal customer service and have received two conflicting answers:

1. Yes. When you enroll in Captain’s Club at Elite level, you don’t need to make a new reservation if you already have an existing reservation. You will be regarded as Elite for all existing Celebrity reservations irrespective of when you made them or if they were booked prior to enrolling in Captain’s Club.

2. No. When enrolling in Captains’ Club and grandfathering in at the Elite level, you must, at that time, make a reservation. Only that, and all successive reservations, will be eligible for Elite benefits.

Does anyone have any idea what the correct response is? I’m hoping it’s #1!

Thanks!

First of all let me tell you I’m a consummate planner – a bit compulsive obsessive about it I guess, and our trip was 18 months in the planning. “Our” is DH and me in the 50-60 age range. We travelled from Long Island, New York and we preceded our southbound cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Of The Seas (out of Seward) with 5 nights self-guided tour (rental car) along the Seward and Glenn Highways . All in all, we were in Alaska for the last two weeks of August.

I purchased several travel books and read them, studied maps, bought coupon books and analyzed potential savings; I studied The Milepost for hours; I spent many, many, many hours surfing the web; I pestered tour operators via email and phone for information; I spent countless hours reading this Alaska board; and DH spent 18 months patiently listening to me ramble on about Alaska and all the information I’d discovered. It was this collective research that helped us plan every aspect of our trip. We started our Alaskan adventure with no expectations regarding weather or wildlife viewings, but knowing we would have a trip of a lifetime. And we did. It was an absolutely perfect 12 day land/cruise vacation!

Here’s a list of all the things we did. I’ll be glad to answer all and any questions. All our experiences were amazing … did I mention our trip was amazing?

What We Did:

• Turnagain Arm

• Alyeska Tram

• Winner Creek Trail - Girdwood

• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

• Major Marine Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise

• Alpine Air Alaska/Seavey’s Ididaride Dog Sledding Adventure (MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP)

• Glenn Highway

• Palmer Musk Ox Farm (the only activity not in the “amazing” category, but it made for a nice stop)

• Independence Mine/Hatcher Pass

• Sheep Mountain Lodge

• Matanuska Glacier Hike with MICA Guides

• Alaska Railroad – Dome Star – Anchorage to Seward

• Alaska Heritage Tours Kenai Fjords National Park Tour (6 hours)

• Alaska Sea Life Center (Marine Mammal Encounter)

• Hubbard Glacier (cruising)

• Taku Lodge Flight and Feast (Juneau) (A DEFINITE HIGHLIGHT)

• Chilkoot Charters Yukon Bus and Rail Excursion (Skagway)

• Whale Watching with Glacier Wind (Icy Straight Point)

• Flightseeing to Traitors Cove to see bears (Ketchikan) (MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP)

• Creek Street, salmon run and spawning area (Ketchikan)

• Quick Shuttle from Vancouver to Seattle

Amazing Eats: (and Alaskan Ambers)

• Chair 5 (Girdwood)

• Double Musky Inn ( Girdwood) (FANTASTIC FOOD!)

• Varley’s Swiftwater Café (Whittier) (FISH AND CHIPS)

• Sheep Mountain Lodge (Glenn Hwy)

• Long Rifle Lodge (Matanuska) (GREAT VIEW)

• Glacier Brewhouse (Anchorage) (GOOD FOOD, BUT CROWDED)

• Alaska Railroad - breakfast

• Red Dog Saloon (Juneau)

• Tracey’s Crab Shack (Juneau) (AMAZING!)

• Red Onion Saloon (Skagway)

• The Office (Icy Straight Point) (DUNGEONESS CRAB!)

• Sharps Roasthouse (Seattle) (BEST TOMATO SOUP EVER!!!)

What We Wanted To Do And Didn’t:

• Explore more of Anchorage (no time). The Visitor Center really is lovely!

• Era Heli Glacier Adventure (Juneau). DH had a head cold and needed a timeout. Era let us cancel with no penalty despite their 48 hr cancellation policy. We had Mendenhall planned as an alternate but DH wasn’t up to that either.

• Exit Glacier (Seward). We’d had a full morning in Seward with a lot of walking and planned to go to Exit Glacier after boarding the ship, but we were a bit tired and the beckon of the cabin balcony was too great to resist!

Regrets:

• Only having two weeks (but DH can’t do more)

• Not being more familiar with my new camera purchased especially for the trip. Photographing winter birds and summer flowers in our back yard didn’t prepare me for the rain, mist, fog, rocky boats, etc. I had one of those “rain-sleeves”, but using it was a challenge too!

• Not going to Denali; and not going to Talkeetna for Mt. McKinley flightseeing. I wanted 2 nights minimum in Denali and wanted 1 night in Talkeetna (for increased opportunity in event of flight cancellation). I carefully considered my priorities, and the precious few land days/nights we had, and decided to save Denali and Talkeetna for a future trip when we’d have more time. It was a tough and painful decision that I went back and forth on a lot.

Souvenirs:

Purchased only ‘Made In Alaska’ souvenirs. Didn’t go shopping per se; didn’t bargain hunt; just quickly picked up a few relatively small things when we saw them. Silt soaps, fudge, bear claws, scrimshaw knives, Tlingit salves, Candle Factory candles, moose antler ulu knives … that kind of thing.

Want to hear a funny story about the knives? Despite the million and one warnings EVERYWHERE, throughout the entire trip, that you MUST put ulus in your checked baggage as you can’t get through security at the airport with them in your carryon, yours truly had them in the carry on luggage ---- and security discovered them! OMG what a panic that was! Thankfully we were in Seattle. There is, and what a blessing there is (or we would have had to surrender the scrimshaw knives), a convenient little mailing service drop-box close to the security area where you can arrange to have small illegal carry-on items - LIKE KNIVES - mailed to you. Whew!

Weather and Clothing:

We were very lucky in respect to weather. For the most part the weather was lovely, sunny and fairly warm. But the weather can, and often does, change hour-by-hour. It rained unfortunately the whole time we were on either small boats (PWS and Kenai Fjords Nat Park) or on trains (Alaska RR and White Pass and Yukon RR), but as we dressed as advised, in layers with waterproofed outer layers, and wore waterproof hiking shoes and carried waterproofed day packs, we weren’t uncomfortable, cold, wet, damp, or chilled in any way – not for a single moment. We enjoyed all our activities unaffected by the weather. We took our rain-pants and wore them! We even wore our long johns (light hats and light gloves) on glacier days! In contrast, we got rather warm when it was sunny and were glad to have short-sleeved t-shirts as our base layer.

NEXT TIME: We’re not sure yet, but maybe we’ll fly into Fairbanks next time and do a land-only trip. We’ll definitely be putting Denali, Mt. McKinley flightseeing, and Homer/Katmai our top of our list of priorities.

The information that’s so freely shared on this Alaska board is wonderful, and I’m 100% certain that if I hadn’t been on the receiving end of that information, our trip wouldn’t have been nearly so wonderful. I’m so grateful to all you … thanks again EVERYONE!

Alma

Just off Allure 1 week ago - aft boardwalk cabin - with A/C turned down all the way, it was just barely comfortable and at times, positively warm. We had several nights we couldn't sleep. No cold water either!

Alma

She's on her way! All present and accounted for!

It's sounding like they found the missing person. Word from the bridge about 5:15 said they didn't want to delay departure for missing guests, but coastguard/harbormaster said that if any missing guest was a minor they couldn't leave until that minor is located. I'm rather relieved to hear they've located everyone! Hope they can leave now.

I've been listening to the audio on the webcam. There were originally 8 passengers who were unaccounted for (checked in, boarded, but showing as going back ashore and not returning). Now it appears they are looking for 1 remaining passenger - possibly a minor. The last I heard was they were searching all open decks and crew areas.

Interesting ... thank you Bob for the confirmation. Now I feel better, and I must admit the Supervisor handled my dismay very well and made me happy with the OBC.

Alma

Has anyone heard of RCI re-quoting the value of redeemed BoA points - after they've been redeemed, credit calculated, and applied to a booking? My credit was recalculated today when I took advantage of lower pricing and upgraded our cabin category on a reservation which is already paid in full - and is more than 3 months from final payment date.

Back in 2013, I booked a cruise and redeemed 125,000 BoA points for the free cruise for two people. The value of the cruise credit was based on the 2-person fare in the lowest category oceanview cabin at the time of booking --- $2,296. My reservation was credited this amount and I was told the value of the credit was fixed, and would not change, irrespective of pricing fluctuations.

When I upgraded today I was told they needed to re-quote the cruise credit. I spoke to a C&A Supervisor who said it's policy to re-quote the value of cruise credits when upgrading because pricing could be very different than when the credit was originally applied. In my case, the price of the lowest category oceanview cabin is lower today than when I originally booked --- it's $2,198 --- $98 lower. So because I decided to upgrade, I'm losing out on $98 cruise credit.

The C&A Supervisor was super professional and after listening to me belabor the point that I was told the value of the cruise credit would not change, he offered me a $100 OBC by way of compensation.

So I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering if this has happened to anyone else, and if this is indeed the policy, it would be great to get it confirmed by those "in the know" here on CC!

Thanks!

Alma

Just being very nosey.

Can I ask our friends on here from around the World how they plan to watch the parbuckle on Monday (God willing).

For me I plan to get up a couple of hours earlier than usual and ,cameras working hopefully, I will watch it through the day. But I know many of you are from United States with a rather large time difference that will put the parbuckle in the middle of your night.

I'm based on the East Coast of the USA (6 hrs behind Giglio time) and like many, many people, I've been an "observer" here since that fateful day in January last year. I'll probably stay up half the night on Sunday to see the start of the parbuckle ops and will catch as much of it as I can during daylight hours on Monday (on the webcam of course). Luckily I work from home and watch on a computer not used for business purposes.

I have to reitterate the sentiments already stated here in that I wish Nick Sloane and his entire team the very best of luck during this critical stage of the salvage process. I hope that the people of Giglio will soon have their beautiful island returned to its quiet calm serenity. And lastly, my prayers go out to the families of the two remaining missing passengers with hope that their loved ones will soon be returned to them.

Alma

My Oasis trip is May 2014, I may have 125,000 by then. As it looks, are the new rules saying I CAN'T use that free trip for two people on the Oasis/Allure anymore. So, I should just use the remainder of the 75,000 as money off my cruise or obc.?

Under the new terms, the 120,000 point redemption for free cruise cannot be applied to either Oasis or Allure. I have Allure booked for August 2014 and I redeemed 125,000 and applied the redemption to my reservation a few weeks ago - but the redemption hasn't actually been applied to my account yet. I was a bit concerned so I called the Redemption department at 1-888-305-4626 and was told that as I had already applied the redemption to the reservation, it would be grandfathered (i.e. honored). New 125,000 free cruise redemptions for Oasis or Allure will not, however, be accepted.

Hope this helps!

Alma

Does anyone have word if the Port Liberty Cruise Port parking lot flooded or received the effects of the storm surge? I am wondering if I should be there to assist my son, his wife, and friends when they arrive home on Sunday.

I read on another thread that an email response fron the Mayor of Bayonne's office stated that there had been some flooding at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port, and that it depends where vehicles are parked as to what impact that flooding had.

Alma

As I read this, it is almost the same as Englishlady! I might be bumping into you!

Are we on the same cruise? 8-24-12?

Yes we are on the same cruise! We may be bumping into each other quite a bit! :) Our itinerary has changed very slightly, but not much. What have you scheduled for the ports of call?

I'd love to hear any comments you might have about our planned itinerary for our August 2012 trip. This is going to be our (DH's and my) first trip to Alaska, and after many, many months reading, researching and more reading, we came up with a list of priorities and planned around them. We decided against Denali for this trip, as we just couldn't add any more days, and we didn't want to sacrifice any of the other things on our priority list. The only thing I'd hoped to be able to include was a Mt. McKinley flightseeing tour from Talkeetna - but we just won't have time - and weather is always a gamble. Just a little background DH and I are 60'ish, and not the most fit or adventuresome. Hence, we've steered clear from kayaking, rafting, ice climbing etc. :) The information here on CC has been invaluable to me during the planning process, and I'd like to thank all the regular posters, and others, who have provided so much in the way of advice and guidance!! I'm finally at the stage where I'm quite happy with what we have planned ... but I'd be interested to know what you guys (the experts) think. Thanks so much!

By the way, everything's booked, excepted the highlighted stuff. I used the coupon books and have saved over $500 with potential to save another $100 when we get there!

Day 1: Travel Day [Fly from New York to Seattle[/color]

Overnight: Hotel at Seattle airport

Day 2: Early morning flight from Seattle to Anchorage

Pick up Alamo rental car at airport

Drive to Girdwood (approx 40 miles) via Turnagain

Arm stopping at Beluga Point, Potter Marsh, etc.

Hotel Alyeska – take tram up the mountain (if

weather is good)

Walk part of Winner Creek Trail (trail head behind Aleyska tram – also available from Crow Creek Mine) if we have the energy

Alaska Candle Factory?

Dinner: Double Musky Restaurant

Overnight: Girdwood - Timberline Vacation Rentals

Day 3: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Drive to Whittier (coordinate with tunnel opening time)

Prince William Sound - 4½ hrs Blackstone Glacier cruise - Major Marine

Dinner: Swiftwater Café in Whittier?

Overnight: Girdwood - Timberline Vacation Rentals

Day 4: Glacier dog sledding - Alpine Air Alaska/Seavey's Ididaride

Crow Creek Mine, pan for gold maybe? (if time)

Drive to Palmer via Glenn Hwy (2.5 hrs from Girdwood), making stops at Eagle River Nature Center, Eklutna Spirit Houses, and Musk Ox Farm (if time).

Visit Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine

Dinner: Turkey Red or Noisy Goose in Palmer

Overnight: Palmer - Hatcher Pass B&B

Day 5: Drive to Matanuska (1.5 hrs)

Matanuska Glacier Hike with MICA Guides

Lunch: Long Rifle Lodge for burgers – Next to MICA

Return to Anchorage (2.5 hrs)

Return Alamo Car Rental to airport

Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage

If time, maybe Segway tour of Anchorage?

Dinner: Glacier Brewhouse or Sourdough Mining Company

Overnight: Anchorage - Comfort Inn Ship Creek

(do laundry)

Day 6: Seward: Alaska Railroad Anchorage-Seward

(Goldstar Dome Class)

Kenai Fjords Tours - 6 hr National Park Cruise

Dinner: Maxines (?)

Overnight: Seward - Holiday Inn Express

Day 7: Seward Alaska Sea Life Center (Marine Mammal Encounter)

Check-in for cruise/board ship and have lunch

Exit Glacier – take cab or shuttle - walk 1hr trail to face of glacier

Return to ship for Dinner and Set Sail at 8pm

Day 8: At Sea Cruising Hubbard Glacier

Day 9: Juneau Taku Lodge Flight and Feast (salmon lunch)

Flight-seeing with ERA Helicopters – Glacier Adventure w/landing

[in event of cancellation: go to Mendenhall Glacier

on our own]

Mt. Roberts Tramway (if time and weather

permitting)

Red Dog Saloon for refreshments followed by …

King Crab dinner at Tracey’s before returning to ship

Day 10: Skagway Yukon Bus and Rail Excursion - Chilkoot Charters (7.5

hrs)

Red Onion Saloon for refreshments before returning

to ship

Day 11: Hoonah Whale Watching - Glacier Wind

Lunch: The Office (dungeoness crab .. yummy!)

Scenic walk along the forest trail back to tender dock

Visit Cannery, Museum and Gift Shops/Watch Tlingit Indian Dancers

Day 12: Ketchikan Traitors Cove Bear Observation - Southeast Aviation

Wander and shop Creek Street – souvenir shopping/salmon run

Totem Blight? (if time, but doubtful)

Day 13: At Sea Inside Passage-Cruising

Day 14: Disembark in Vancouver

Quick Shuttle Vancouver to Seattle

Dinner: Pike Place Market

Overnight: Hotel at Seattle Airport

Day 15: Travel Day Fly from Seattle back to New York

... and so good of you to respond to posts right away! Thank you! Did you have the most amazing time? I can't wait to hear all about it! But first you need rest and adjustment. I'll be looking forward to reading your report with great anticipation as DH and I are seriously considering doing this same tour in October/November 2012, and your experiences will very well illustrate for us what to expect when we go.

Welcome Home!

Alma

P.S. Sorry for mis-spelling "TEXANCRUZER"

Thank you so much Seafun for such a prompt response! I have to tell you how much I've enjoyed reading this thread, your detailed trip report, and your photos! I've decided .... "I want to do exactly what Seafun did!" and DH agrees with me. This thread contains so much valuable information and is such a great resource for someone like me in the planning stages, so many thanks to you and everyone else who's kept up with it. I was born in Egypt (British military), but evacuated as an infant. Throughout my entire life I've wanted to go back and visit, but never had the opportunity. Now at last I'm going to make it happen! Believe it or not, my only concern is the convenience of "facilities" on the buses (frequency of stops etc.) as we'll be on those buses quite a bit. So thank you again for your response.

Alma

Apologies if I'm off topic, but I have an "IMPORTANT" question to ask! A friend pointed me to this site as I mentioned I was thinking of going to Egypt. After reading Seafun's report and all the other posts here, I'm ready to book the 15-day Gate 1 tour. I have just one issue/question, which maybe Seafun or anyone else who has travelled Gate 1, can answer. Specifically, are there toilets on the tour buses that Gate 1 uses? I have a situation where going an hour between bus stops may be a problem for me. I've found several posts on this board about toilets on the motor coaches used for ship's excursions, but not for the busses Gate 1 uses, which I'm more interested in. I suspect information provided by a past Gate 1 traveller to Egypt may be more reliable that a U.S. based agent of Gate 1, so I'm hoping you don't mind me bring this up on this thread - off topic though it is.

Thanks!

What an amazing review! The best I've ever read. I actually had a little dampness around the eyes when I finished! You so wonderfully illustrated that Hawaii is an "experience" - not just a "trip". So many of us get caught up in the planning (how far this ... how long that ...) that we don't allow ourselves to experience the wonder.

Thank you for sharing!

We went to my nephew's wedding last December in Key West (destination wedding, so no one knew too much about Key West), and after doing alot of research, etc., my sister chose Blue Heaven for the Rehearsal Dinner and wow, what, a good choice. Great food, great service, great music, great atmosphere. I would highly recommend it!!!!!! Here's a link I found about it:

 

http://blueheavenkw.homestead.com/Blue_Heaven_Restaurant_Key_West.html

I wholeheartedly second that! Try the yellowtail snapper - never had anything to beat it!