NWA395

We cruised on the Sapphire in April/May 2023 on an 11 night RT from Vancouver in a mini suite. Loved the ship and there was plenty to keep us busy and we were determined to return for a land portion. Alaska is about the ports and scenery. This year we doing a 29 day land/sea/land/sea trip beginning with a few days in Vancouver. We are on the Sapphire for the 18 August northbound. We chose to do a DIY land portion (car rental and air B&B's). We then board the Grand for the September 4th southbound. We chose an inside cabin both ways which saved us several thousand which afforded more on the DIY land portion. Based on our previous Alaska cruise we will miss waking up to the beautiful views, but in retrospect, we spent so little time in the room, the additional cost was not worth it to us for this trip. I don't think you can go wrong with either ship and there are plenty of places to relax and view the scenery on both ships.

Definitely not too early. We cruised last year from April 29th to May 10th. Beautiful weather.

Thank you for the feedback on the Taku glacier flight. Our original plan was a 7 day northbound followed by 7 days land on our own and a 7 day southbound. It has now morphed to 7 day NB and 11 night land..... I'm not sure where this one will end.

Looking for feedback on what I don't know and suggestions. This will be a 40th wedding anniversary trip for my wife and I. We are both in our 60's and there are some mobility issues which will prevent longer hikes, glacier walks etc. Easy hikes of 1.5 miles RT and semi flat are likely doable. We have a couple of options which I will discuss at the end. The lodging goal for Alaska is to keep lodging under $200.00 per night utilizing Air B&B's and military lodging as practical. This may be a challenge as it pertains to Vancouver. We chose an inside room on the cruise to apply the saved $$ toward our land portion. We are flying in to YVR two days early as we enjoyed the city last year when we visited. 8/15 - Vancouver, Fly in to YVR - Last year we stayed at Blue Horizon for two nights and enjoyed it but may look for something along the lines of the YMCA to save overall trip cost 8/16 - Vancouver, sightsee, etc. 8/17 - Embark Sapphire Princess. We did an 11 night cruise on the Sapphire Princess in April/May 2023 and really enjoyed it. Very familiar with the ports so I will leave this out of the equation with the exception of Juneau. 8/20 - Juneau from 0800 to 2100. We are looking for feedback on the Taku Lodge and Flight excursion and would welcome further input. 8/24- Whittier, disembark in the morning. Transfer method to Anchorage is undecided at this point (i.e. ship transfer, private etc) but would like to be in Anchorage by noon. Pick up rental car from Enterprise downtown (car is reserved and have auto slash following). Make a grocery run to one of the big box stores and then drive toward Glacier View. Overnight Glacier View Tundra Rose Cottages. Head toward Valdez the next morning. 8/25 - Depart Glacier View for GlennAllen and Valdez. Stop in GlennAllen for flight seeing trip with Copper Valley Air of the Wrangell - St. Elias NF. Stop at Copper River area and Wrangell - St. Elias NF HQ. Short hikes, visitor center etc. and continue to Valdez stopping for photos and sightseeing as the mood strikes. Overnight Valdez at an Air B&B 8/26 - Valdez, Salmon Gulch Hatchery, bear viewing, Stan Stephens Glacier/Wildlife cruise, glacier lake depending on weather and mood. Overnight Valdez at Air B&B 8/27 - Depart Valdez for the Long drive (360 plus miles) to Fairbanks stopping at our leisure for photos, lunch etc.. We are figuring 8 to 10 hours with stops, unknown traffic/road construction etc. If time allows we will visit Pioneer Park for supper. Overnight Holiday Inn Express on Ft. Wainwright. 8/28 - Fairbanks, UoF museum, Gold panning/Stern wheel tour, auto museum and Chena Hot springs or substitute for whatever else floats our boat. Overnight Holiday Inn express. 8/29 - Drive to Denali. Visitor center, drive the rental out to mile 15(?) turnaround, visit the dogs. Dinner and overnight in Healy, Lodging TBD. 8/30 - Denali bus and park, overnight Healy 8/31- Drive to Palmer, visit Independence mines at Hatcher Pass and leisure the remainder of the day. Overnight air B&B. 9/1 - Drive to Seward, Sealife Center, possible short Exit Glacier hike or 1/2 day Kenai Fjords tour. Overnight Seward Military Resort 9/2 - Fishing, overnight Seward 9/3 - Drive to Soldotna, Talon Air Bear Viewing, overnight Soldotna 9/4 - We are undecided at this point and have three options (1) Drive back to Anchorage to return rental and fly home (2) Extend trip for a few more days and head to Homer; or (3) Book a Southbound cruise back to YVR. We are trying to keep BIG drive days to a minimum and we want the freedom to stop where and when we want. I know the Valdez to Fairbanks leg is a lot of driving but figured a counter-clockwise loop would keep the backtracking to a minimum. I welcome feedback from those who hit AK by land and any other information you may deem appropriate.

Since no one has replied I will give you our experience. We did an 11 night RT Alaska cruise out of Vancouver with Princess, late April to Early May 2023 and stayed in a mini suite with balcony. We flew in to YVR two days early and enjoyed the site(s) and food of Vancouver. We took an Uber for the airport to our hotel, the Blue Horizon. Very clean and while not waterfront, we stayed 2 nights for less than one night at other hotels. Depending on your mobility levels, very walkable. Embarkation day was an Uber to Canada Place and went smoothly. As Alaska is about scenery we absolutely enjoyed having the mini suite. The curtains were more than ample for keeping the light out and after spending the majority of each day in port(s) on the go followed by excellent meals and adult beverages, sleep came without issue. For us, the balcony was absolutely worth the cost, especially for 11 nights. During the days we did Hubbard and Glacier bay, after spending hours on deck, we could enjoy the views from the balcony while relaxing in comfort of the room. On the Hubbard glacier day it rained a lot and the ability to move from the balcony, take pictures and retreat to the room and dry equipment was very convenient. When in port, it was nice to have the scenery of the port area while relaxing in the room. As far as ports/sea days, we had the following in no particular order and I will list the excursion and our opinion. 3 days at sea: Enjoyed getting to know the ship and activities. Saw whales from the balcony Hubbard Glacier: Glacier viewing from the upper decks and room balcony (rained most of the day) Glacier Bay: Glacier viewing and got sunburn. Spent the majority of the time on the upper deck but enjoyed the balcony late afternoon and evening. Icy Straight Point: No excursion, walked and explored on our own. Saw many whales, seals eagles and otters within 100 yards for the ship while enjoying the balcony. Skagway: White Pass/Yukon railroad. Explored afterwards. Enjoyed this a bunch Juneau: Whale watching with Harv and Marv. 15 pax boat but only six of us on board. Countless whales, sea lions, seals and otter. Absolutely would book with them again. I would also consider renting a car for exploring on own. Ketchikan: Lumberjack show and explore the town on our own. Sitka: Explored on own, Fortress of the Bear, totem park and general walking. We are currently planning our August 2024 trip which will include a 7 day northbound cruise (booked) followed by 11 to 14 day land tour (DIY) on our own and a potential 7 day southbound cruise. For the northbound portion we booked an interior room ONLY for the cost savings which will equate to 4 to 5 days on land. We will likely book a balcony southbound or whatever is available. Rental car is already reserved for the DIY land portion. YMMV on if the cost of a balcony or mini suite is worth the it. To us, it was on our last cruise. On our upcoming trip, for the shorter duration, we are applying the saving to the land portion.

The Military OBC is considered non-refundable due to showing on the portfolio but is not available until you are on the ship. If you qualify, it is applied for every cruise you book. At least this has been our experience.

We booked Harv and Marv's in May 2023. A 15 pax boat and there were only 8 of us onboard. Very comfortable and they provide transportation to and from the pier. Saw many whales and did not have to fight crowds. Snacks an water provided.

According to a current steavador (whom I have no reason to disbelieve) entry level is $23.06 per hour. The five year average according to him is about $37.50 per hour and 10 year plus employees are averaging $51.00 to $55.00 per hour.

Your call but we did not tip the dock workers. Their unions and contracts provide a VERY livable wage. At $5.00 a bag/person, imagine each one tipping when 1500 cruisers come through.

Our experience in April and May was the complete opposite. Taxi from YVR was as posted and Uber for the rest of the days was seamless. Hate to hear you got taken by a shady cab driver.

We were first time cruisers on the Sapphire in May. Had the plus package that included crew appreciation. The only extra tipping we did was to the person who delivered room service orders. Usually 2 bucks which they seemed appreciative of. This seemed the norm with the other passengers we spoke with. YMMV

Not on the Sapphire Princess

We chose to stay an extra night in Vancouver and catch a 0700 flight out the next morning

I believe the confusion is, you titled your thread "Bridge Cam", but your question is about transportation from the port to the glass factory. Perhaps renaming the thread to match your question would get you more helpful replies.