rj59

August starts to get rainy. April and October will be very rainy and cold, so mountain activities will be difficult. All ships in Alaska have kids now during the summer, with huge demand, especially out of Seattle. The best option to avoid kids and crowded ships and get more glacier and port times is to do a north-south cruise. I recommend leaving out of Whittier in Alaska, because it visits the majestic Hubbard Glacier, as well as Glacier Bay. Alternately, I'd recommend Zaandam out of Vancouver, which has a max of 1400 passengers so probably fewer families and smaller crowds and better viewing of wildlife and glaciers. Weather is changeable in Alaska, so it can rain for a week and then be warm and sunny. Personally, I'd just tour on my own in Alaska for several days, and then catch a cruise back to Vancouver from there.

Last dry dock was October 2019--I was on the first sailing after it, which went from Vancouver to Australia. I remember the new TV in my room didn't work and I didn't have hot water the entire time until I got off in Hawaii. It also had to spend an hour or so doing circles outside Vancouver, to get its gyrocompass or something synchronized.

They use tokens, except for Discovery, where it's free all the time. After restart, Majestic just left bins of tokens out, because they didn't want to keep stocking token machines. If you're Elite, you can ask the front desk for tokens for free, and keep them for future cruises.

I bought one on HAL, marked down after the Alaska season. It's a complete gimmick, because neither side is warm enough, with just a coating of fleece and then nylon on the other side, and it's not the same material across the coat on either side, so it feels uncomfortable and has no waterproofing. So definitely try on board before buying, and don't get seduced by the urge to buy or brand loyalty, since there are probably better options. You would get hypothermia in half an hour standing in Glacier Bay in such a coat--I use thermal jackets or fleece under a good raincoat.

I think most lines are having an identity crisis, but that's to do with changing generations and the surge in cruising demand, people just want to go on any ship, anywhere. Lines are also getting aggressive about reducing debt and expenses, to justify their very high stock prices now. I've done mostly HAL and Princess, which are getting more young people, more families, more diverse crowds, and the old-timers hate it, and want Tradition upheld (they get really upset when people aren't forced to dress up for Senior Prom nights). I did Solstice in Alaska, and several times out of LA, and really loved the vibe and layout and art, although it felt sometimes just like every other cruise line, albeit more aggressive about drinks pricing, pushing packages and upgrades, and begging for good reviews, but I learned to adjust (no I'm not going to order a $5 latte if you're going to give me a package pitch too). Then I tried Apex in March, and it felt very upscale, and even the large number of teens felt reasonably well-behaved, even the boys I spotted climbing all over railings in the Retreat (I wish my parents were that generous). I thought, cool, upscale, younger line, edgy ships (pun intended), great shows and theaters, and then I booked Reflection and it was...same old thing, emphasis on old. Full ship, bickering couples (I even heard 'if you want a divorce I'll give you one!' shouted in the buffet), complaining, sea of white hair boogying at atrium parties. Maybe fewer carts and sticks and walkers than on Princess or HAL, but still very old, but also with redneck partiers and remarkable acts of rudeness, like people screaming and laughing and chatting over a captain's speech at the loyalty reception, and an entitled Karen refusing to go to the end of a line at embarkation when getting off an elevator. So I think part of it is full ships, older ships, Florida demographics, and more strained service, cutbacks, as well as some shows getting repetitive on the older ships, as well as MDR and buffet food getting underwhelming and overfamiliar and buffets getting scaled back at dinner. I loved Celebrity after restart, especially sailing out of LA on Solstice with under 1000 people and getting a solo inside for $300 or so, sometimes with all-included, so I put down deposits on 7 or so cruises. But after Reflection and reflecting, it just doesn't seem right for me, as a predominantly West Coast cruiser, especially with the really egregious discriminatory pricing for solos (I thought of Edge going from Hawaii in May for $550 pp for 9 days or so, but it was $2400 for a solo...really?). I'm really grateful to X for getting me to buy RCL at $40, though.

Most ships from Seattle go the outside passage either because of ship size, but also to make ports more quickly, especially the final-evening Victoria stop. They also probably need to have a pilot on board for the inside passage. This one is a scenery-intensive cruise, so inside passage both ways make sense. One benefit of the outside passage is that I've seen dozens of humpbach whales near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca--I also pick up a US cell signal most of the way along the WA coast.

Celebrity and Royal post menus before the cruise. You don't see on HAL or Princess until you're on board, and usually day by day. You can look at this as a positive, because it allows for flexibility and pleasant surprises, like maybe trying a new item, bringing back an old one, or the locally-themed dishes--I was impressed by the Mexican and Alaska regional items. I found they also started a daily breakfast special, like a tempura chicken and waffle that was splendid.

There used to be Adagio piano/violin duos, who were able to play what they and the audience wanted. One Ukrainian pianist learned a Mozart sonata, just to please me. Every duo was unique, some bored, some inspired. It's what cruise ship music should be, full of variety, not playing the same sets from an ipad on every ship, every cruise, If they come up with an alternative to the three possible Step One dance shows, even better. It just gets as boring and repetitive for repeat HAL cruisers as the one lunch menu.

It sounds like HAL is tweaking the program to increase revenue potential. Another poster and I received suites on a January Koningsdam sailing, but not they appear to be giving people insides and then offering upgrades, just as they really push HAI. That's actually good for me, used to being solo on an inside, because those who can't contemplate the uncertainty or spending a week in an inside cabin might not be competing with me for a spot. I'm on standby for Noordam on April 30, which should be easy to make, since it's only 5 days so low demand, but I'm not sure where to try later in the summer for Alaska. Zaandam is lowest in fare now, most families will probably choose Koningsdam, Eurodam/Westerdam are much more expensive out of Seattle, so I figure that they're more likely to be sold out and even over 100%, with families. So I think I might try Zaandam, despite the 1400-pax limit, since it would be less crowded, visits Glacier Bay and goes the calmer inside side of Vancouver Island, and doesn't make the evening stop in Victoria on the way back. I live an hour away from Vancouver, so can keep trying if I don't make it at first. I'm already booked on Zaandam, since it was only $750 for the end of May, plus $200 in OBC, plus certainty, so it makes an interesting trade-off and calculation. All the other Mexico cruises I like have simply skyrocketed in price for a solo, due to huge demand, so the standby program really offers me a way to maintain my habit of 8 or so cruises a year.

It's not a good move to not do anything meaningful to gain the loyalty of Mariners. I used to love the Mariners lunch, the captain speaking, the simple menu and free drinks and meeting people and getting a tile. It made me feel valued, as did Mariner cocktail receptions where officers would mingle, as still happens on Celebrity and Princess. As a 3-star, they just hand out sparkling wine and that's it, so I stopped going. Also, getting a 100-cruise day medal also made me feel special and valued. Cutting costs might be appealing, but if your competitors are still providing the benefits, then you could lose market share and end up worse off. The most glaring example would be the amazing shows I've seen on Royal, Celebrity, NCL, and even one on Carnival I saw a few weeks ago, and even traditional song-and-dance ones on Princess and Cunard at least are better than interpretive dance shows that are the same on every ship, every cruise. One year I went on the Westerdam 7 times, to Alaska and Mexico, because I loved their shows, the loyalty events, treats like chocolate-covered strawberries in the coffee shop every evening, and there was a piano guy and a classical duo of Ukrainian babes I liked. I even recognized a Westerdam singer now on Celebrity Apex, doing amazing shows in 3 different venues, and he agreed how sad that HAL abandoned singers and dancers and shows.

I think you made the right choice. For one thing, Zaandam has a wraparound promenade next to the sea, which is perfect for viewing wildlife, whales, ice floes in Glacier Bay, or just doing laps on sea days--on Koningsdam the views are blocked by lifeboats mostly. Also, the buffet on Koningsdam is too busy and chaotic, with not enough seating, and the same can go for the dining room, with long waits, beepers, etc. In Alaska during the summer, the ships will be packed, so small is definitely better, I'd say. Koningsdam is also horrible for upper-deck viewing and navigating, with entire areas blocked off for crew smoking areas and restaurants, whereas above the Lido on Zaandam you can easily find viewing areas for glaciers and move around. The only virtues of Koningsdam are a two-level covered Lido deck, a Rolling Stone lounge, glass showers, and a bigger theater in the round, but since HAL doesn't have shows, just dance shows and lectures, it doesn't make any real difference. Zaandam has Canaletto and Pinnacle Grill, and I wouldn't go on Koningsdam just for sushi or Asian fusion (HAL has good Lido sushi at lunch). Finally, getting on and off the ship in ports is much easier, as is embarkation/debarkation on Wednesdays--Canada Place can be a zoo, and with a larger ship leaving on Saturdays, it's just nightmarish. I'm going on Zaandam at the end of May, and again in December to Mexico for 10 days, because in the era of mega ships and all lines building bigger and builder, there are few options for an older, smaller, quality ship. Oh, and Zaandam has better art and artifacts, like a guitar signed by Lou Reed and David Bowie and a sax signed by Clinton, as well as an odd Egyptian head. To me Alaska is more about the destination, so a smaller ship with great views is more important than amenities of a more modern ship, especially with only two sea days and evenings in a lot of ports (with very long daylight hours in May).

Dang. I just paid off $120/nt cruises to Alaska on Zaandam in May and Cunard in July, when I could have had cheaper Alaska standby options. I guess I'll August, and really get my fill of Alaska. High port fees make Alaska not such a great deal, especially with no shareholder/military OBC. Still, that's good news going forward for the Mexico season, since I was afraid it would just be a trial program. Having a 48-hour guarantee also helps, because I can book a flight to San Diego the evening before a cruise or morning of, but don't want to risk a last-minute standby award.

I'me Elite on Princess, so I can tell you it will be more sedate, overall (moreso on longer cruises, much less so during school breaks). HAL doesn't have production shows, just some dance shows, which can crank up the volume uncomfortably. There's no atrium, so no music there, and the only loud area will be the BB King's/Rolling Stone lounges, but those are easy to avoid. The Lido and Crow's Nest are quiet, especially in the evening. My favorite places on HAL for peace and quiet are deck 2 music venues during the day, and the outdoor promenade on deck 3, where you can sit all day or walk. That said, the explosion of cruise popularity has somewhat erased 'typical' cruise populations on every line, so I see families, loud drunks, and young people on every cruise line, including HAL and Princess now, and I see kids now on every cruise, with less devotion now to in-person schooling. I've been getting more and more annoyed by the Princess movie screens, blasting movies and concerts all day and night, so I find the quite Lido pool areas on HAL quite welcome, especially since they have retractable roofs. There's music piped in to the pool deck and buffet and throughout the ship, but I don't think you can escape that on any cruise line.

I'd recommend HAL, because the entire Lido deck is covered, whereas Sapphire Princess only has the Conservatory and Calypso pool covered. HAL also has a forward-facing Crow's Nest at the front, whereas Princess has a paid sanctuary that's not enclosed, so freezing and wet in Alaska. Finally, both have wraparound promenades by the water, excellent for viewing wildlife, ice floes in Glacier Bay, and whales, along with getting exercise, but HAL's is on a single level, whereas on Princess you have to go up stairs at the front and be exposed to really brutal winds on sea days (but great views in Glacier Bay, although it will be absolutely freezing, probably). NA also has 500 fewer passengers, 2100 vs 2700 or so on Princess. The advantages of Princess would be still having production shows, medallion technology, and I usually see better fares on Princess doing the N/S Alaska route, since they have 3 ships they have to fill, so it's easier to find cheaper airfare and cruise fares. Just be aware, August might seem ideal in the lower 48, but in Alaska August gets more rain than the other summer months, about 2" more than June, but weather there is unpredictable. In early August you can see late-season spawning salmon in rivers (the creeks in Ketchikan and at the Mendenhall Glacier parking lot are ideal).

It was always billed as a Mariners lunch, even though they never limited it to them. I think all lines try to direct people to the Lido, to avoid crowding in the MDR, which always has a partial staff, often with a 'I'd rather be shopping on shore" attitude. It's also been less worthwhile since they went to a single lunch menu--no reason to rush to get on the ship first just to get a burger and fries and tomato soup, and a sundae, and the same goes for sea day lunch. The good part is that I spent many years rushing to get in the waiting areas in San Diego and Vancouver, being forced to sit shoulder to shoulder in the latter, and incurred a lot of stress, and the joy when my boarding number was called in San Diego. I think I'd rather start off my cruise with Distant Lands, sushi, a healthy salad, and a few dessert selections than anything on the MDR lunch menu. I bring a plastic tray so I can eat by the pool or aft pool area, and avoid embarkation buffet zoo. On the new ships, it's a good time to visit the Dutch Cafe, and on any ship, doing the room service menu, if it's available on embarkation, or even to get a Dive-In burger, especially since so much of the MDR lunch menu is just burgers and sandwiches with fries anyway.

My go-to place for current menus is Prof Cruise. Just google Celebrity drink menus and her name. She also has dining menus, money-saving tips, and humorous reviews.

Making general statements like that really isn't accurate, because it all depends on where and when you book, and what you spend on board. My first 5 X cruises in Solstice cost an average of $300, and a week on Apex cost $650 or so. Even last November/December I booked Mexico cruises on X for $300 or so, although for one I had to book a no-show second guest, to get around the price discrimination. I booked Ascent in January and Beyond next November for around $900, both with a solo discount--you just have to know when and where to book and grab deals when you see them. Next January I have Silhouette booked for $60/nt for a solo cabin. I find similar deals on other lines, like $100/nt for Azamara in Europe and the Caribbean solo, and last month I had a deluxe suite on HAL for $50/nt to Mexico under their standby program. As a solo cruiser, I also have complete control of onboard spending, so I skip packages, I buy e-sim passes for data in every port, and skip most excursions. I also had my first 5 X cruises paid for by buying RCL at $40 to get the OBC, and then selling at $120. No cruise line is perfect, they all have pluses and minuses, as do all ships and all destinations, which is why I'm agnostic about lines--I just returned from a Carnival cruise and last week booked 5 cruises on Quantum of the Seas to Mexico, since the Quantum class reminds me of Edge-class, but without the offensive-to-me closing of so much public space by the Retreat.

It all depends on what class of ship. Older Celebrity ships don't feel crowded, but Edge-class ones have more passengers and more public space removed for an expanded Retreat section, and two performance spaces, Eden and the Club, are small and get overflow crowds. Likewise, HAL really depends on class--I'm going on Zaandam in Alaska with 1400 passengers, perfect, but was on Koningsdam in January, 2800 or so, and it felt too crowded for comfort, especially the narrow buffet with reduced seating over older ships. It also depends on how willing you are to zig when others are zagging--so if you dine at 6-7 and eat at the buffet at 9 am and noon, you'll be in a packed place, and going to early shows as well, or the most popular excursions, like the White Pass Railway. Fortunately, HAL has venues to escape from crowds that Celebrity doesn't, such as a spacious, wraparound outside promenade deck (unless you're going on Koningsdam). That's also a great place for glacier/whale watching and getting exercise. The deck with the music venues, usually 2 on most ships, is fairly quiet during the day, so I have lounges to myself if I want to read and look outside a window. Then the Crow's Nest throughout the day can be quiet, the covered Lido pool deck is usually deserted in the evening, and I can always find a quiet spot in the buffet area in the evening. Most HAL ships are under 2000 passengers, so there will be less crowding and HAL makes it fairly easy to spread out. Having a covered Lido deck makes it far superior to other lines in Alaska, where the pool decks are too cold and windy and wet, so everyone crowds inside.

That's one trick I use--get dinner meats fresh, hot, and cooked properly in the buffet. Then have something else in the MDR. I usually do the buffet early, and the MDR late, which minimizes waits and crowds for both. I make the case that Carnival has great food, if you know when and where to find it. So my strange diet includes huevos rancheros at BI, a burger, prime rib, and a big Indian vegetarian meal. And of course, lots of ice cream cones. I'll be on Radiance tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to new dining spots and menus.

Celebrity Edge-class ships have a Virgin feel and decor, with things like silent discos and three different theatrical spaces with two singer/dancer groups. They have an amazing screen in their main theater, as well as shows in a Club and Eden, an aft cafe/bar/wake watching space. They also have really nice design choices, like a two-level up-and-down running/walking track and champagne-glass hot tubs that rise two decks, and a rooftop garden. Like Virgin, prices for those ships have gone through the roof, but it's because they're hugely popular. They also have four different smaller main dining rooms, with themed cuisine, although in practice they only have 5 or so appetizers and mains that are unique to that restaurant. The main drawback, apart from being decidedly not-all-included, is a very elaborate class system on the new ships, with a huge Retreat taking up much of the front part of the ship, and dining spaces also segregated by fare classes. NCL Viva and Prima are also attempting to capture some Virgin vibe, with a food hall and lots of smaller venues, and lots of upper-deck infinity pools and hang-out areas. In practice, it doesn't seem to work that well, because popular venues, like a music bar, get overcrowded, and much of the upper deck is taken up by a huge go-kart track, and their ship-within-a-ship privileged private areas, the Haven, is even larger.

That's not been available because it came with super-cheap fares, so got sold out in a few days. Ironically, it was right after the announced delay for Brilliant Lady, so cruises were switched to Resilient in the Med. Hopefully the Resilient ones out of San Juan will also have some attractive pricing, or at least less painful than the current pricing, especially for solo cruisers. The current $250-300/nt for most solo cabins isn't enough to tempt me, especially if I add Seattle-San Juan airfare.

I've been on ships just out of dry dock, and have had problems with no hot water in the showers mostly, including 7 nights going to Hawaii with just lukewarm water. Then they have to sail in circles after leaving port the first time in order to recalibrate a gyrocompass that's a backup form of navigation. BTW, if you sail out of LA, they just put up a season of 2-6 night Mexico cruises on Quantum from Oct 25-Apr 26, instead of going to Oz after the Alaska season. I just booked 5 of them, since the inside studios are affordable for me as a solo, and Princess, HAL, and NCL to Mexico now are out of my affordability zone. I'm trying Carnival Firenze in October, but I had so much fun on Ovation in Alaska after restart (especially at 30% occupancy), that I think Quantum is the ideal ship for Cabo trips, with lots to do, inside and out. I couldn't believe that after the first post-Alaska season after restart, RC let Ovation sit idle off of Mexico while Oz/NZ were closed, instead of doing Mexico cruises. Hopefully they'll keep Ovation, Quantum, or Anthem in Mexico going forward in between Alaska seasons, as an alternative to 3-4 night Navigator sailings and to somewhat balance out the incredible number of newer ships filling the Caribbean.

When you sail into the fjord for glacier viewing, go outside on the outside promenade deck and cross from side to side, where you can have space for viewing wildlife on ice floes in the water. The ship will turn around slowly if it gets close to the glacier (on my cruise it stopped before a narrow turn because of too much ice in the water, so people were upset at only getting a distant view). On sailing out of the fjord, most of the people who got the forward outside seating on top of the ship will have left, so you can sit up there. The most whales I see are on the return trip, just before the Washington coast is in sight, so on the Victoria day, also hanging out on the lower promenade deck can give some good whale sightings--once I saw a dozen or so flopping and splashing. There's kind of a secret walkway around the showroom, with some seating and wall painting, with also some windows by the water, which is a nice place to escape people, if you want. If you want to see Mendenhall Glacier, skip ship tours and just walk to a parking lot by the tram and buy tickets for the Blue Bus, which runs every 15 minutes or so, so you can go and return when you want. Likewise, if you want to go on the tram, wait until you get there, since if it's rainy and foggy, you won't see anything and it isn't worth it. Most ports have kiosks and tour centers, although with record cruising now and limited employees to actually run tours, many might sell out. If you see what looks like black-and-white mini-orcas in the water, often playing around the ship and jumping its wake, those are Dall's porpoises. If you have T-Mobile, I don't believe they have native coverage in Alaska, just roaming, but I get good ATT reception, including sailing between islands and sailing along the WA coast on the way to Victoria, so I don't bother with buying wifi. In Victoria, if you walk to downtown, they try to push you towards a narrow, long path along the harbor, when it's quicker and more pleasant to cut straight through the neighborhoods--use the maps they hand out to just go on a direct route.

You can also ask the front desk for tokens and do your own. If you send out, the charge will appear on your account, but then credited, so don't panic, as I did.

I sailed a day before Princess leaving Seattle on Sept 22 or so. Our ship had sunny weather, whereas Princess spent the first day in Seattle, because of severe storms off Vancouver Island. On the way home, my ship returned 4 hours late because of rough seas, but just missed hurricane-force winds. September has the most rain of May-Sept, but it can change by the day, or even hour. Rivers are full of rotting salmon, so there were bear warnings posted at a park in Sitka. On the way back, I've seen many whales as soon as you near the WA coast and enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca--outside aft areas on deck 8 on Discovery are good for seeing whales up close. Uncovered pool decks are going to be cold, wet, and miserable, which means more people crowded inside.