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Denise T

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Everything posted by Denise T

  1. I think a lot depends on how many cruise ships are disembarking with yours. There was a total of 3 ships when I disembarked. If you are using a prepaid transfer, you will get information as to when you will be disembarking. My sister and I took a cab while my brother and sister-in-law took the transfer. We were staying at the same hotel post cruise. Despite waiting in a long line for the cab, we got to the hotel first before my brother and sister-in-law. Once you get off the ship, you retrieve your bag then go through customs. Prior to disembarking, you will be getting a customs form to complete. Bring that and your passport to go through customs. We breezed through. They took our forms and didn't even check the passports. There are signs numbered 1, 2, and 3 when you disembarked and there are staff that will guide you. I think your plan is doable. I had late disembarkation at 9:15 and the ship pretty much kept to that time. I think we got to our hotel about 11.
  2. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet report. Air quality is still bad here in Pennsylvania and may be for a while. I continue to get back to life on land. How I miss having my meals already prepared and my bed made up every day. I love oceans and I mis the sound of the waves lapping against the ship. Planning for a 2025 cruise somewhere. Thinking of all of you today. Have a safe and healthy day.
  3. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet report. Back to work for me. 🥲 I would much rather be on a cruise. It is hazy here in Pennsylvania. We can smell the smoke from the Canadian fires. Praying for those who are impacted by the fires. I will be celebrating National Chocolate Ice Cream Day today as chocolate is my favorite! I plan to begin downloading my photos from my cruise maybe starting today. Thinking of you all today. Have a safe and healthy day.
  4. I would always get a balcony especially for scenic cruising. I travel with my sister who is claustrophobic. We were on the balcony every day. I saw whales from my balcony. We were able to watch the scenery and come in when it's cold. My brother and sister-in-law had an inside room. With the walk around promenade, you can be out and see the views. Our balcony was covered so we were out in the rain.
  5. Of course, I am. Put down a future cruise deposit.
  6. After a long day traveling on Monday (first flight 6 am and did not get to Pennsylvania until almost 11:00 pm), I have finally arrived in the state of Pennsylvania. We spent the night in a hotel after getting off the flight because it was so late, and we were exhausted. Sunday, we disembarked in Vancouver. I read a lot about the chaos at this port and maybe it is with the embarkation process, but the longest line we were in was for the taxis. Three ships had just disembarked so this makes sense. They had it organized though, and the line moved pretty quickly. We didn't get to see a lot of Vancouver which I wish we had. It is such a pretty city. I think at this point we were all so tired. I am going to get some pictures up today and then share my overall thoughts. I really enjoyed this cruise and Holland America. I like the smaller ships and I did put down a deposit for a future cruise. Thank you all for following along.
  7. Hello everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet Report. I have returned. I am currently at the airport hotel due to flight delays and getting in around 11 pm last night. Was up at 3:00 am yesterday and spent the whole day flying from Vancouver to Dallas, to Charlotte and finally Pennsylvania. Love the destinations, just hate getting there. What a fantastic cruise! The views, the staff, the food, all were amazing. I loved the ship and I really enjoyed interacting with the staff. Such amazing people who work so hard to make our vacations the best they can be. Today I have to get the cats from boarding and will relax a little. Thinking of you all. Have a safe and healthy day.
  8. Our last sea day through the inside passage. Fun on the ship was the plan. Breakfast was in the main dining room. I cannot say enough about the quality of the food. Delicious. Service continues to be awesome. We walked the promenade and then watched the presentation about life on a cruise ship. Very interesting. After the presentation they had many members of the crew on stage. What hard working people. We then had some drinks in the pinnacle bar and then lunch at New York Pizza. I loved the pizza there. After lunch we walked some more and then played in the casino. Now luck there. We then played Bingo. I won a total of $1375.00! We had a blast. We then played in the casino, had more drinks and went to dinner in the MDR. I ate so much fish on this ship because I can't cook fish well. After dinner, it was time to pack. BOO! My family got together, and we had champagne in our cabin to celebrate the last day of the cruise. Before that we completed the customs forms and luggage tags with bags out. On our balcony we see a Celebrity ship and a Royal Carribean, all heading to Vancouver. I think we will actually see a sunset tonight for the first time in a while. Oh, and I found two cruise ducks! Tomorrow Vanvcouver. We will spend the day and fly out on Monday.
  9. A day behind. had every intention to post but fell asleep. Ketchikan. Started off with breakfast in the Lido Market. The Lido can be crowded but we found if you go near the end of the opening times, it was less crowded. We did not get into port until 11 so we walked the Promenade and enjoyed the view. No whales were spotted but we did see where Norwegian docks in Ward Cove. We were in berth 1 so it would be an easy walk into town. We had lunch at the Lido as well. The food continues to be wonderful. We let the rush of eager passengers get off the ship first. Be mindful of the gangways. They can be steep and slippery when it rains. The staff will assist you off if you have mobility issues. It was chilly and rainy. But that did not stop us from walking the town. What a great place. This has to be my favorite. Despite having a total of 6 cruise ships in, it did not feel like it. We wandered to Creek Street and visited the salmon ladder. Couldn't see any salmon but the rushing water was awesome. We went shopping and just walked along the harbor a little. We stayed out for several hours. Once onboard we warmed up with coffee and snacks. We rested from our long walk. We got our luggage tags (boo!) for disembarkation. My brother and sister-in-law had a date night and so my sister and I had dinner at the Lido. Can I say that people do forget all kinds of manners in the buffet. Walking through the buffet in your bare feet is unacceptable. Would you go through a restaurant on land like that? There continues to be a sense of superiority in some as they talk with disrespect to the staff. Totally uncalled for people! After dinner we sat in the Pinnacle bar enjoying drinks and people watching until we were too sleepy. We are going through the Inside Passage. I hope to get pictures downloaded when I get home. Internet is still sketchy. i will also share final views and tips about the cruise.
  10. The one thing that we learned is that the weather in Alaska is unpredictable. Today in Ketchikan, it is chilly and rainy. I packed in layers with a raincoat. Skagway was cold and extremely windy, and Juneau was warmish. I packed shorts that I have yet to way but may need to wear them when I fly home as it has been in the 90s in Pennsylvania.
  11. Pickleball is available. have not been up to the top deck due to many days of rain. They had several activities where they actually taught how to play pickleball. Every day you could reserve the court, or they had pickup games.
  12. Juneau was fantastic. The weather was much better as the wind had died down tremendously. We docked early and would be leaving early. I began the day with a massage. expect the spa to try and upsell your products and services. Just say no. Breakfast was in the Lido Market and I had a reindeer sausage. Most people had gotten of the ship, and we waited until the crowds left. Once off the ship we took photos of the many totems. My sister and I took the tram up the side of Mt. Roberts. Such beautiful sights going up. Once we got off the tram, we looked around and was able to see the ships below. great walking trails We then came back down. If you buy tram tickets, you can tram the entire day. We went shopping and then went back to the ship for lunch. We had three other ships in port so that the popular tourist attraction was full. These would be Tracy's Crab Shack and the Red Dog Saloon. Once onboard for lunch, we had lunch in the Lido. we had to stop by Customer Service do to misunderstanding the onboard statement. We returned to the Lido bar and relaxed a little. So many staff ae friendly. My room steward Ari is the best. He has many rooms to care for but always remembers are names. We went for a walk around the promenade. We watched sail away. We were warned the last two days that onboard was at 4:30. Alas, there were 2 pier runners who did not make it. Dinner was in the MDR. Service seemed a little longer, but I got my Baled Alaska! I noticed the staff are always attentive. They always try to be friendly. The night ended in the casino. Do not ask me how much I lost. Tomorrow is Ketchikan where there will be 6 cruise ships in port.
  13. I will wave to you all as I am on the NA now.
  14. I am currently on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Deck 7 verandah cabin. There is only USB by the beds. At the desk there is a USB, 2 115V North American outlets, and 2 220V European outlets. You would need an extension cord as @Haljo1935 said.
  15. Yes. Lots of the trivia we participated in is in the Billboard onboard and we would just sit in there in the middle of the day when it was quiet. We heard the BB King All Stars in BB King's and they were fantastic. We also played Bingo in BB King's.
  16. Yes. Lots of the trivia we participated in is in the Billboard onboard and we would just sit in there in the middle of the day when it was quiet. We heard the BB King All Stars in BB King's and they were fantastic. We also played Bingo in BB King's.
  17. Skagway was very windy and chilly. We were in port with the Celebrity Millenium, Majestic Princess, and Norwegian Encore. We got in about 5:00 or so. We sailed away around 9:00 pm. The wind was a challenge but doable if you dress warmly. We walked the town and shopped. Skagway was packed. We watched several trains come and go. We also saw the helicopters for the glacier tours. We came back after a few hours to warm ourselves in the Lido buffet. We had lunch there and then walked around on the promenade and explored more of the ship as it was less crowded. Try as I might, I am having trouble finding any of those hidden cruise ducks. I have a few more days to find. After lunch, we walked around the ship and settled in our favorite Ocean bar. it is so nice to just sit and relax and talk. We stayed until dinner in the MDR. I am so impressed with the staff. They are helpful and work very hard to make the cruise experience wonderful. I will say that my experience has not been the same as the many people who have complained or been critical. This has been a wonderful cruise so far. We had a couple of medical responses this week. Not sure of the details. Did not do much in the evening except watch sail way. Very exhausted with all of the walking. Tomorrow is Juneau.
  18. We had four cruise ships in today including the Nieuw Amsterdam. The two ships docked near the rockslide were the Majestic Princess which tendered passengers to port and the Norwegian Encore which shuttles passengers to the port. No one walked. Other than that, the Skagway was hopping and busy. There are lots of stores thought that never reopened after the pandemic, but it seems that all excursions were happening. Several train trips, bus trips, and helicopter and whale watching tours were happening.
  19. Hello everyone. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet Report. We docked in Skagway at about 5 am I believe. We have three other ships in port with us. All aboard time is 8:30 pm. Going to explore the town. Thinking of you all. have a safe and healthy day.
  20. I have a verandah on deck 7. This is the balcony cabin. The room is comfortable. It does lack drawer storage compared to when I had a balcony on the Norwegian Pearl. They have good size closets for hanging. The bathroom is a decent size. with a shower/tub combo. There is a small desk with mini fridge and a sofa and little table. The beds are comfortable. It works for two people. The balcony is vey nice. The heat and air work nicely. It is a basic cabin that works for us.
  21. Glacier Bay. What can I say? How about AWESOME! Forst, for those new to Alaska, be prepared for varying weather. It changes at the drop of a hat. We went from chilly and rainy, to bright and sunny, and back to rain. Dress accordingly in layers. We had breakfast in the buffet. What is it about buffet's that people forget their manners? We then stopped in on the bow of the ship for a bit in the rain and wind. We then settled for a while on the promenade deck. We warmed up in the buffet and had lunch. We then spent the rest of the time on our verandah. We spotted lots of otters and even some coastal brown bears. We visited Reed Glacier, John Hopkins, Lamplugh, and Margorie Glacier. Sadly, Margorie did not calve for us. I have many pictures. When we get into Skagway, the Internet may be a little better to download some of them. Dinner was in the MDR. Staff continue to be attentive and the food delicious. I find that there is something for everyone in the buffet and Main Dining Room. We played trivia (not our best attempt), then hit the casino, which is no smoking for those interested. Tomorrow we are in Skagway. Captain says we will arrive two hours early and that there will be four cruise ships. We are docking at Broadway dock. Hope to have some time to eat the local cuisine. Looking forward to it.
  22. Hello everyone and thanks for the Daily and Fleet report. Happy birthday @kazu! It's Glacier Bay Day today. It will be a cold one today with a possibility of some snow. Exactly what you expect traveling around Glaciers. Looking forward to some beautiful scenery. Thinking of everyone. Have a safe and Healthy Day.
  23. I just boarded this past Sunday. We had the train transfer. We were originally told at the Hospitality booth at the airport to come back to the airport (we stayed overnight) and a bus would take us to the train. My brother and sister-in-law were taking the bus so that stayed. My sister and I were out in a cab and sent to the Egan convention Center for a bus to the train station. While there, they were people also waiting for the bus transfer to the ship. There is no information about the transfers. One of the HAL staff took a picture of my boarding pass because she wanted to show the higher ups that no information is being given.
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