karatemom2

This is a smart plan. If time permits I also highly recommend the “Days of 98” show. It’s a very entertaining performance that provides wonderful historical perspective. A great thing to see before your visit to the cemetery.

We have spent three Easter’s onboard and there is some low key activity. Not like Christmas but there are usually some decorations, the kids club organizes an egg hunt, Easter bunny has shown up, there is usually some ham and/or lamb options on the menu and in the buffet. If there is a crew member so inclined we have seen a non denominational worship gathering - but that was just one time.

There was a place in Honolulu that we visited that made something called "Malasadas". They were the most delicious filled donuts we have ever had. I think it was Leonard's Bakery. Of course we never come home without a big load of Macadamia Nuts of all sorts, chocolate covered, honey roasted, salted, etc. And in Hilo we visited the Hawaiian Vanilla Company and had an amazing tour and lunch - and of course we brought home some beautiful vanilla. And on Kauai, in Poipu, we had to get a Puka Dog. I have tried my best over the years to duplicate their spicy pineapple relish, but can never get it just right!

No French Onion soup would be a real heartbreaker from my husband. I hope they don't extend that to other ships. Interesting about the soft serve - $5 for that little cone seems a little outlandish!

Is this an actual cabin balcony? It looks like a hallway!! Not too sure about this one!

Wow, that is next level. I want to make those kinds of friends. Actually, I am friends on certain social media platforms with a few of the entertainment staff we have befriended over the years and have met up for lunch in Los Angeles on one occasion when they were in port. Nice how these friendships form!

Oh my gosh - thanks for the trip down memory lane!! I live and grew up in Southern California and we spent a lot of time at Disneyland. My Mom loved that exhibit and it was always our first stop even though we were itching to just get to the rides. And E-ticket! I love that - nice to know there are those of us that still remember. In terms of the Arizona, I do think it is worth a visit, at least once. I'm the daughter of a WWII vet and found it a moving experience. But I do advise getting right off the ship and doing it first thing, early in the day and before crowds to allow yourself time for the many other wonderful things Honolulu and Oahu offers. My favorite was hiking to the top of Diamond Head and also heading to the other side of the island to visit Kualoa Ranch. Nice thing is most itineraries allow for a really long day in Honolulu, so time to do more than one thing!

Yes, we did take the bus for part of the route. We have done the train/bus combo a couple of times, but just the one time all the way to Lake Bennett, which was my favorite. The bus ride from Carcross is great as it gives you chances to stop along the way and take in the scenery from a different perspective. The trailhead for Yakutania point is within easy walking distance from town and the dock - just behind the airport. Look online for directions and just ask one of the locals if you need more direction once you get there. It is such a beautiful walk - super easy and the views are amazing!

Fatima, was she the one doing the domino move with the shots? Wow, that was impressive! Yes, the Cabana suites - yikes! Not sure who thought that was a good idea to place a literal public lounging area in front of what should be private balconies. Definitely would not be something I would choose.

The trip all the way to Bennett Lake is amazing!! We loved having the opportunity to explore around the Bennett Lake area and see the amount of artifacts still laying all around. It's like time stood still - a big outdoor museum. You will not regret the choice - it's a long train ride, but so worth it in my opinion and so much to see going up and back. Just really scenic!

Yes, classic soda package is $14.99 per day and includes fountain and canned sodas, smoothies and mocktails. We used to get this for our kids. Here is a link with more info: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/37-hawaii/

Great advice! Here is the link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/37-hawaii/ Renting cars in the ports is a great suggestion - we did that often on our trips as there is a lot to see and easy to access with your own vehicle!

Looks pretty impressive - not sure I love everything, but the magic venue and dining options look really exciting. That shiny new Craps table in the Casino will no doubt make my husband get teary! Interesting to see that Princess Live looks more like the Vista Lounge - a big improvement in my estimation. We are looking at a cruise on the Star next year which I'm assuming will be quite similar so I'm very excited to try out a new Princess ship!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. This tends to be a hot topic here but is in fact a very personal decision based on how you choose to cruise and what you consume. Personally, my husband and I don’t find the math works for us, however, we don't drink much alcohol or coffee, and we get some additional benefits by being long time Princess cruisers and Casino benefits that makes it less appealing for us. If you don’t consume much or any alcohol or specialty coffee beverages, and aren’t that concerned about both having the WiFi package, then you may not find it cost effective. You say your husband doesn’t drink alcohol, but perhaps he would use the coffee or juice component? I would suggest looking at all the features and then make a decision that pencils out for you. When you factor in the increased cost of the WiFi for those without a loyalty discount and add in the cost of a few alcoholic beverages, or special coffees, juices, or quite a few sodas per day – it does make sense for some people, but certainly not all. If you feel you won’t use it or even just barely break even, you might be better off going ala carte and buying what you want as you go. Another thing to consider is the number of days you will be in port. We tend to really be off ship for most of the time on port days and eat and drink on shore, so would be even less likely to get the full benefit those days. That might be something you want to take into account in making your decision. If your husband prefers soda or bottled water, you can preorder packages to be delivered to your stateroom in advance via the Princess beverage program that are quite cost effective and nice to have in your room. You will get lots of opinions here, but only you can decide if it matches your consumption onboard, so think it through and make a decision that works best for your personal case. Don't feel pressured if you aren't sure its right for you just because there is sometimes a "peer" pressure atmosphere that makes you feel you "have" to buy it. You can always purchase onboard if you prefer, a decision that many here suggest since buying it in advance increases the cost of your Princess Vacation insurance. Happy cruising, whatever you decide!

We have done this tour as well and it's a great option if offered via the cruise ship. This is really not something doable on one's own from Skagway with what the OP is considering with a do it yourself ferry trip. We booked it through our ship and were literally the last group walking onboard before they closed up the gangway to sail away. It would be a risky bet to try to make that work as an independent tour. But your point is a good one, in that if the OP wants to see Haines, a ship excursion might be the best (and safest) option!

We have visited both Haines and Skagway a few times. Although Haines is a great place, I wouldn't shortchange Skagway if it is your first visit and you have a chance to spend a couple of port days there - especially if one is pretty fully taken up by the train excursion, which is very worthwhile. If you can do the combination train one way and bus the other, that provides a great option to see as much as possible. Chilkoot Charters is an excellent company for that. On your second day in Skagway, you can take in the other sites like the cemetery, museum and perhaps the "Days of 98" show. As suggested, you could rent a car and take a drive to the scenic and historic Dyea area or maybe do one of the short hikes in the area, an easy option is one that goes around to Yakutania point. There really is enough to see and do in Skagway to fill two days. The ferry to Haines is scenic, but it covers the same route that you see from the ship so it doesn't add much in the way of scenic viewing. The actual town of Haines is small and not much to see - a small Hammer museum and local shops. If you can get out to Chilkoot lake at the right time of year, you can sometimes see bears, but if you don't have your own car that would really require a tour of some sort. Perhaps for this trip your best bet would be just to focus on getting the most out of Skagway. It's a charming and historic town!

Every Hawaii cruise will have specific cultural activities related to the Aloha theme like hula lessons, ukulele lessons, lei making, etc. The gold standard on these cruises is Elua - a husband and wife team who provide music and cultural experience. Most recently they were on the Crown sailings out of San Francisco to Hawaii. Not sure if they have announced what ship they will be on for the upcoming cruises. You can do some internet sleuthing or maybe someone here will have an update. They are amazing. But that being said, all the Hawaii cruises will offer music and cultural experiences.

Ah yes, I see I misread her post. I thought it said the TA got them on the wait list. Well as long as it says wait list open there is hope! Maybe Princess is trying to add capacity - usually if there are waitlist slots you can add yourself online. Sounds like a systems issue. I know there is a specific excursions department. Maybe you could see if you could get through to someone there. When you say excursion website, I’m assuming you mean the Princess excursion site, not the tour operator’s site? On the Princess excursion site if there are waitlist openings it usually lets you select that option? Hope you gets some answers!

Unfortunately there is no special secret. It’s just a matter of slots available. There are only two ways to move off a wait list. One is if it’s the type of tour, like a bus tour, where the vendor can add capacity by providing an additional vehicle and guide. Sometimes if there is enough demand more spaces will be made available. If it is a finite tour where, from the outset, the number of available spaces are set, the only way to move off the waitlist is if people already booked cancel. Since they have up to 48 hours before the tour to cancel, you may be waiting until the last couple of days prior to know if you made it on the tour. Not trying to discourage you, just sharing our real experiences. We have been on three waitlists for a Princess tour and never made the cut. One was for a horseback riding excursion, one a small boat trip, and the other a kayak tour. All were excursions where capacity could probably not be expanded and clearly no one dropped out. Really, all you can do is wait and see what happens, hope for the best, and have a plan b.

It is unforgettable sailing by Alcatraz and out of the bay under the bridge. Really a great way to start a cruise. In terms of some other information on the Hawaii cruises, Princess does a wonderful job of providing an immersive cultural experience from beginning to end even on the sea days. There is a Hawaiian musical group performing, hula lessons, ukulele lessons, crafts like lei making. There are usually a few special dishes in the MDR - like a macadamia nut encrusted mahi mahi as an example. I think they really try to imbue the whole cruise with an Aloha spirit. We loved each and every one - and of course your days in Hawaii are magical. I am sure you will have a fantastic vacation!

We have cruised to Hawaii from Los Angeles four times, once on the Grand. It’s a great cruise. We have also sailed several times on Princess ships out of San Francisco to Alaska, including on the Ruby. We like cruising out of LA because we live an hour away, but there is nothing particularly special about it unless you plan on spending a few days doing the Hollywood and Disney thing. The Grand is a nice ship and we have some lovely memories on her, but she is also the oldest ship in the Princess fleet and showing age. The Ruby is a beautiful ship and ten years newer than the Grand. San Francisco is an amazing port for departure - sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge is truly an unforgettable experience. Since you are flying in, either destination would likely be equally convenient. So with all that being the case, if cost and itinerary are comparable I would definitely recommend the Ruby out of San Francisco.

We are on the Sky for that same cruise in June - so excited! It feels like the ship is going to be pretty full. People are wanting to get to the fjords before the large ship restrictions go into effect.

Not sure what your itinerary would be on the cruise you are considering but my only caution about the forward balconies would be for a cruise with a lot of open ocean days - like a transatlantic or Pacific crossing. They can be fairly windy on sailing days when you are at open sea completely unprotected or transiting. As much as I love them for most cruises, I might not choose them for cruises with lots of open sea days. Just something to think about.

We have rented cars in Skagway, Juneau, Haines and Ketchikan on our cruises and honestly some of our best days in Alaska have been when we rented a vehicle and ventured out on our own. In Skagway we have rented from both Avis and Affordable. Avis is probably our preferences as the cars are nicer and newer but of course you pay extra for that, but we had no problem with Affordable - the car was a little more tired and beat up, but we were driving to Dyea that trip and it was nice not worrying about gravel hitting the windshield since it probably wouldn't have mattered. They were super nice and didn't have rules about not driving there. No matter what, you will enjoy your day - plenty of amazing things to see under your own power and control.

Early August is a better time if you want to catch the salmon run, which will improve your opportunities to see bears. Whales are there all summer, so either time would be fine in that regard. We have been in both time frames, and had a wonderful time - but slightly sunnier in July in most instances.