Aquahound

Oof. That's a tough one for me. I agree with ruling out the NCL option....not because they somehow don't do a great job with Alaska, but because the other 3 itineraries are better. I think I would lean toward Grand. I think it's the best itinerary because it hits 3 of the musts....Hubbard, GB, and Inside Passage. Yes, it's an old ship and yes, Princess kinda sucks at modernizing the looks and feels of Grand Class, but Princess does offer good food and great entertainment, and there are still parts of the ship that are pretty nice. Royal Class is terrible for Alaska. Can't cruise Inside Passage, and the ships have no lounges with outward facing views.

Not sure I would choose this over a nice, comfy suite but to each their own. I can definitely see the draw to this though.

My last 4 cruises were on RCI and they were very good at enforcing the Solarium age rules. I saw pool attendants pouncing on parents almost immediately after entering the Solarium with kids and if they made it past that layer of defense, the lifeguards were excellent at politely redirected them toward the exits. Regarding other rules, I don't think everything can be enforced all the time. You have to accept that if you choose to cruise a mega ship with more people than a small town on board, the likelihood of observing abhorrent behavior is pretty good. Just gotta be patient.

The only thing I can think of are lines that give reciprocity for your status elsewhere. RCI and Celebrity do it among each other, and MSC does it for almost any loyalty program. I think HAL grants 1-star status for having been on any Carnival Corp line.

That is a good point as well. Not sure how other lines treat their mini suites but on RCI, junior suites are granted access to the suites restaurant based on availability. I have been very happy with my meals in Coastal Kitchen.

That is Spring Break season and 3 cruise lines I generally avoid out of South Florida that time of year are Carnival, NCL, and RCI. Book Celebrity.

You can see the face of the glacier from the visitor's center and from Nugget Falls trail, but you will not be anywhere close to ice caves. If memory serves me right, you have to hike the West Glacier Trail to get to the caves, and the trek down to the glacier itself is pretty sketchy. It's about a 5-6 hour round trip hike.

RCI Quantum Class has some balcony rooms that can sleep 5. I know you said no suites, but they also have junior suites that are connected to interior rooms. The JS has 2 toilet rooms, so this option would provide 3 toilets.

Unfortunately, main dining room food quality is not a priority on the mainstream lines. But of them, I'd rate Celebrity and Holland America best. Very subjective and just my opinion, of course.

I've seen entertainment staff and Cruise Director staff in the dining rooms. I'm sure there's others I'm not remembering.

Well, if the hammock doesn't work, you can always do what this clown did. Throw in the cigarettes and matchbox, and you've got yourself your own little campsite.

Thank you! I agree 100% with this. For me, like many, the ship is also very important.

Douglas is the island on the other side of the channel from where the ships dock. It's a short drive from downtown and from there, you can get a great view of all the ships. Like the previous poster said, I most often see black bears in the wetlands at the intersection of Egan and Vanderbilt Hill, near Lemon Creek.

I love the little town of Talkeetna. It's worth the trip with a rental car and if making other stops. But train to/from? Nah. Not that great.

Both. As I said, I've rented a lot of cars in Skagway. Both for work and on cruises. My rental recommendations are based on my experience. My last rental was from Drive About and it had a coolant leak and stunk inside. Affordable has been ok, but only for in town. If heading out to Carcross or further, I recommend the better cars.

It's easy. Just go on their site and reserve a car as you would anywhere. In Skagway, some car rental businesses will deliver the car to the pier. Be careful with those, however, because they tend to be junk. If you're planning on getting the most use of the car, crossing the border, and heading out as far as you can, it is worth it to pay a couple extra bucks and rent a good car. I've rented a lot of cars in Skagway, and I recommend Avis and Klondike. Avoid Drive About and Affordable.

Heidi13 hit the nail square on the head. Round trip from Seward with a B2B in Vancouver is totally legal under the PVSA. I'm not gonna say get a new TA because I do not know your relationship with them but at minimum, they need to be educated on this.

To actually answer this question, I'm not aware of any issues recently. She does have a history of engine trouble and engine room fire, but I don't think anything major has happened in the past 8 or 9 years.

Yeah, it's gotta be about the layout because looking at the numbers, you wouldn't know it. Something about the primary corridors that lead fore and aft, and go through lounges create a lot of bottlenecks. K'dam is more open feeling with less bottlenecks. In fact, I can honestly say I've never felt crowded on any HAL ship.

So? What's your point?

Saturday Night Fever and Up in the Air are 2 of my favorites, and why Liberty is one of my favorite ships for entertainment.

My clear favorite of those 3 is Koningsdam. I've cruised Princess Grand Class and not only are the ships extremely dated with small standard cabins that have no seating area, but those ships are also some of the most crowded I've ever felt. Never cruised Zaandam but based on my experience with older HAL ships, I have a very sleepy perception of her. I loved Koningsdam. She is a beautiful new(er) HAL ship with great public spaces and really nice cabins. I generally recommend a high deck room, but 2 decks below lido. So, on K'dam, I believe that is deck 7.

Honestly, it sounds like you would have a great time on any of those lines, including Princess. From my Princess cruises, I thought the entertainment was right in line with RCI's older ships. That said, I never found Princess to be anything special. Just kinda good all-around but with nothing particular that stands out. I think RCI is the better choice but if you decide to stick with your decision, you'll still have a great time on Princess.

Oof. There is soooo much beauty to see in the PNW that it is hard to narrow it down. First, I recommend scratching downtown Seattle off the list. I work downtown and the stuff I see every day is both sad and infuriating. I think a good southern route would be taking the Chuckanut exit in Bellingham and driving down through the Chuckanut Scenic Byway. Then head west, hit Anacortes, drive across Deception Pass, through Whidby, and then ferry over to Port Townsend. From there, head west to Port Angeles and hit Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics. Hit some of the parks along the way. Or, head into the Cascades, check out Leavenworth and then make your way down to Mt Rainier and maybe even further down to Mt. St Helens. That's just a start. Anything specific you are in to?

Frankly, even if it is costly, the freedom of having your own car and exploring at will is worth far more than the taxi fare. You're on vacation. Just pay the money and go have an extraordinary day.