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lobsternight

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  • Posts

    467
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About Me

  • Location
    Vancouver
  • Interests
    fishing, camping, boating
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    celebrity
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    alaska

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  1. Years ago we did 2 cruises on NCL Sun, 3 adults and 2 kids in an inside cabin. NEVER AGAIN!!! Please just don't do it.
  2. Ok so got me thinking about our August 18th departure. First of all look at the Canadian Hydrographic site. Region 6, scroll down to Campbell River for tides. There are a lot of apps that calculate these things and you will get a lot of different answers. The hyydrographi service has been doing this for more than a century, almways bang on In our case there is a high tide at 3:30pm, the following low is around 9pm, followed by the next high. The tidal difference is only 3ft between the tides, so really we are wide open to go through. Finally, published data is always given in standard time, so in August you will have to adjust an hour
  3. @JeffT237 lots of factors for sure we have passed northbound many times in daylight and it is truly spectacular scenery, a few times we have passed in darkness. You will probably awake at sea, but be back inside by early afternoon. I suggest you look online at the Canadian Tide and Current tables for your date of departure. As @wolfie11mentioned look the time for slack water, that will give you at least an hour. If its a minor tide change you may even have a larger window. I love to be on deck for that time, always see lots of good sea life, often Orcas
  4. Yes Alaska excursions are expensive. Also may want to check a bit deeper with the fishing trips as to what can be caught at the time of your trip. Always changing. If you want a life experience in Juneau consider the Taku Lodge 5 glacier flight and bbq. It will not disappoint, in my opinion money well spent Also think the White Pass train/bus combos an be good choice.
  5. Done many Alaskan Cruises saw them from the ship for the first time beginning of September 2023. Not a very spectacular show, but still nice to see just happened to be on deck around 10:30
  6. Reminds me of a college social over 35yrs ago. My best buddy was a non drinker, high balls were $1. So he would order rumon the side. Lets just say I did not feel well for class the next day. Taking my DbiL on cruise next August, he's been dry 37 years, guess I'm paying by the pop. All good
  7. Just want to add another comment: since we departed on HAL on our actual 30th, I decided to buy my DW some flowers for the room, maybe $60. The vow renewal was $250 plus 12 pp for guests. That included the girl from guest relations picking us up at the cabin, bouquet of flowers for DW, boutineer for me, private ceremony at at bar, all decorated with balloons and flowers, one other couple, tons of appetizers and champaign for everyone, captain spent half an hour with us before ceremony, photographer, photo album with certificate and 6 8x10 photos, escort back to our cabin, remainder of cake delivered to cabin, towel swans and rose petals on bed. Oh and dinner for two at the specialty restaurant. LOVE X but beat that
  8. We are frequent Alaska cruisers as it works out well for us, went twice this year and booked again for August next year. I highly suggest round trip out of Vancouver, less open water, great scenery, and so on. Check the Solstice Intinerary again, our sailing includes both Icy Strait and Skagway. We sailed HAL in April and yes things do seem to shut down a bit early compared to Celebrity. My eldest son(22) loves the variety of night life that Celebrity has to offer, both lines are great. The other thing to consider is how important is your visit to the glacier. As mentioned there are limited slots for each line. Weather is beyond our control, but even in a drenching downpour you will still have incredible views from the comfort of your ship. For me, I really don't care which one we visit Have a wonderful adventure with you daughter
  9. My suggestion is that he not surprise her and tell her ahead of time. She may want to be better prepared, such as a special outfit for photo ops and so on. My DW has horrified at the idea but after a few days warmed up to it. So glad I didn't spring it on her. We did our 30th last April but that was on a HAL cruise. All I can say is our experience was over the moon, but can't speak for X. Was nice as we had my inlaws and youngest son join us. I am sure X will do a great job, maybe we can do our 40th on X
  10. I like both destinations but hey, I'd choose Sitka, after all you are coming to see Alaska
  11. We have been on a lot of Alaska cruises. This year we did one departing April 30th, mostly we tend to book mid August onward, but will do May again some day, Seeing the extra snow was spectacular. We were lucky enough to go into Glacier Bay and it was stunning seeing the snow right to the waterline. Also did the White Pass in Skagway. Lack of leaves on the trees only enhanced the beauty of this excursion, and the heated rail cars made it very cozy. There are pros and cons to which departure month you choose, all im saying is we would not hesitate to book May again
  12. We booked through Celebrity in September, this is one fantastic excursion. Next time I will probably book direct in the time slot in the middle of our port time. When you are paying for 4 people its a big savings. My only concern would be with a delayed arrival time or a skipped port. We have cruised Alaska way too many times, and I must say we have never experienced either of the above in Juneau.
  13. Just a little followup. The first company I consulted with didn't think he would need a waiver. They suggested that he could go to a local RCMP detachment for finger printing and a record check. See what comes back with the very old charges and go from there. I assume there is a nominal fee. I had the same done years ago for clearance to be a parent school coach, but fees were waived for that. Will see what comes up for him and take it from there.
  14. Sorry for a late reply. Well wildlife is always hit and miss. Obviously always the usual culprits at every port: Eagles, ravens, seals. The Skagway rail tour is all about the beauty of nature and the engineering marvel of the railway. On the taku lodge 5 glacier tour I guess our highlights for animals was a black bear at the lodge (snuck over to a chair and took someone's coffee), and mountain goats on a ridge on the flight back to Juneau
  15. @Marronnier we are frequent alaskan cruisers and have done many self guided excursions as well as ship excursions. With minimal effort you should see lots of wildlife every day, but as mentioned a whale watch out of Juneau is always a good choice, and you should be able to get a decent price walking off the boat, the vendors are right there I would like to suggest, and it depends on your cruise line, the following: Ketchikan- the Blackbird Hovercraft Eco Tour. Reasonable price for what you experience, saw lots of seals, eagles, other birds, and a few whales. Highlight was scooting up on a beach and walking about. Juneau - 5 Glacier floatplane tour with lunch at Taku Glacier lodge. OK this one is expensive, but a life experience. Check the YouTube video Wings Airways has, it sums it up. Highly recommend. Skagway - the White Pass rail tour. Finally did this one and was better than I expected. On our sailing one of the options was for rail, then bus trip to the Yukon. Long 8 hour day but just worth it.
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