rwethereyet1969

I agree that Peet's has the best decaf! Does Explorations or Dutch Cafe offer a decaf latte?

Great info, thanks! We are coming from Wisconsin so central time zone. We tend to eat an early lunch and early dinner. Planning to do our specialty dining on embarkation day to avoid the MDR and Lido chaos of day 1. Thinking of a reservation at Tamarind for 5:30 so having lunch around 11 or 11:30am feels more ideal. I don't mind waiting and I am a pro at wasting time on my phone BUT.....I really don't like close quarters sitting next to and across from people with bad manners. Coughing, sneezing, etc. and not properly covering their mouths. I can get through it on an airplane by having the air nozzle blowing in my face. But from the pictures I have seen of the waiting area at CP, it gives me the willies.

As a first time cruiser, I find this thread very informative. It had not "clicked" for me previously that check-in and boarding times were separate things. If I am understanding correctly, is the following a plausible scenario? -If staying at Pan Pacific or Fairmont Waterfront which offers luggage service, we could use this service to drop off our large bags for the ship. -Check-out of the hotel taking our carry-ons with us. Go eat lunch in the hotel or somewhere nearby. -Around 1:00pm, we would proceed to check-in, then follow all of the "steps" to clear customs and security. Once completed, we could possibly avoid the "sitting in rows waiting" and just breeze through to board around 1:30ish. I would gladly give up my already included lunch onboard if it means not sitting awkwardly in close quarters with masses of people.

I am curious....We are cruising to AK on the K'd from Vancouver. Does Vancouver, being a non-US based port, make it more likely or less likely to have non-service dogs "pets" on our cruise? I am not against actual service dogs but I do not want pets wandering the ship or barking in the next room. It's funny because our family loves vacationing at WDW and I am a bit of a Disney parks nerd. I belong to a well-known Disney discussion board. There have been several threads over the past several years regarding pets at WDW resorts since the corporate heads decided to allow guests to bring their pet dogs to certain resorts deemed as "pet friendly." These guests must abide by a set of rules for their dogs and are charged an additional fee. Of course, predictably, many guests do not follow the rules. On a recent topical thread, a woman admitted to bringing her pet dog into the food court at a resort "because she asked and the CM said OK." Said pet owner was not happy when I called her out for breaking the rules and putting the CM in a position that could result in a reprimand. Of course, myself and others were branded as "dog haters" which isn't the case but it satisfied the poster's need to rationalize why it was OK for her to break the rules. Hogwash. She just feels entitled and that she and her dog are more special. She can't see beyond herself to understand how her actions could impede on others and she doesn't care as long as she gets what she wants. Sadly, this is true for many in society. If HAL doesn't crack down on pet dogs coming aboard, sadly, this may be our first and only cruise. If Hal wants to appeal to the pet dog sector, perhaps they could designate certain cruise sailings and certain staterooms as pet-friendly and charge said cruisers an extra fee for the deep cleaning of their cabins after disembarkation. This would also alert others who do not wish to cruise with pets to avoid these sailing dates.

So happy the OP asked this question as I have been contemplating the same thing. Great info!

I am lazy at home and I put my bras through the washer and dryer. I always use a lingerie bag--thus my inquiry--and I wash on warm and dry on low. The only thing I handwash on vacation are reusable cups/mugs. I am pleasantly surprised by the reports of HAL's laundry services and the price is a steal. I plan to send laundry a few times to avoid extra work after vacation. If you have ever visited a WDW resort and looked at their laundry service prices, you might faint. It would be cheaper to throw away your dirty clothes and buy new....LOL

Oh my gosh! Ya'll have breathtaking photos. It's so hard WAITING until May 2025,,,,, Thank you both for sharing 🙂

Great info! I didn't realize the excursion would take us back to the ship first. That will be SO NICE to go to our cabin to drop off extra coats, hats and such as well as a quick refresh before exploring Juneau by foot. I am planning to keep a list of "cc poster recommendations" in the notes on my cellphone for quick reference in port. I will definitely add those food spots. I will wave as I cry disembarking in Vancouver.....

Thank you all for the replies. Since you all--including her Majesty (; have had no issues just sending bras to the laundry "bagless," I shall do the same. One more thing I can leave off my packing list.

SO......a question for the ladies.... When sending your laundry in the HAL bag, do you put your bra in loose or do you bring a lingerie bag for your bra? Just wondering if I should bring a lingerie bag to keep my bras from getting too twisted or snagged on other items or do the laundry staff automatically put bras in a lingerie bag when washing?

@RuthC and @oaktreerb Thank you for the suggestions. It sounds like we can find a few things to do in Juneau after our Tracy Arm excursion to fill the time without purchasing another excursion. That tram sounds great as we are suckers for a good view. Maybe we will buy some of that fudge to bring home for our DDs and some for the plane home.

First time cruisers, we are booked on the Koningsdam 7 day Alaska inside passage May 31 - June 7, 2025. I booked this hoping for less rain, more sunlight, less mosquitos, snow-capped mountains, and *hopefully* less children since many schools are still in class through first week of June. The temperature wasn't really a factor for us as we live in Wisconsin and it will feel mostly like home....lol. I have already booked our Tracy Arm excursion. For those who have done this excursion, what do you typically do in Juneau afterwards? Will we be too tired to book a Juneau excursion as well? Is there enough to do in port just walking around without booking something? Very torn on this.

Thank you @Fouremco. That is what I was hoping to hear!

Thank you for the detailed reply. To clarify, could my DH take both of our cards and have one drink applied to each card without me being physically present?

So.....what happens when a couple books a suite with an occupancy available for 4? We are booked on the Koningsdam for an Alaskan cruise in a Signature Suite which has a murphy bed and a sofa that can be used as a bed. Don't ALL SS on the K'd technically sleep 4? Would they bump us down to a V category that sleeps 2? We have never cruised before and this will be our first adventure. I specifically chose our stateroom for the large balcony, large bathroom, extra room space, and the midship location to avoid motion sickness.