donaldsc

You get and set up a personal relationship w a GOOD and KNOWLEDGEABLE travel agent and let them worry about then details. When you book your cruise do not TA shop to save a few bucks because you need that good TA when issues arise as they will inevitably do. DON

I regard the ship as a big bus to get me to the places I want to visit. I regard sea days as monumentally boring w nothing to do but stare at the ocean. The main ship board activity that I like is attending a good lecture and good lecturers are rare because they do not generate revenue for the cruise company. My ideal cruise would be mostly if not all port days. The only type of sea days that I like are scenic cruising days. DON

Perhaps I should post this on the Princess board but I will try this one 1st. We are doing a B2B Princess Japan cruise with a changeover in Yokohama. We have done long cruises but never a true B2B. In theory the ship starts debarking at 6:30. People will be embarking and debarking on that date but we are staying on board. I want to set up a tour for the changeover date. Does anyone know how Princess this. Can we just walk off the ship at any time or do we have to sit around on the ship until they release us. If the latter what time will we be able to get off the ship and meet our guide. DON

Have a cheap copy made and wear them when you travel. Wear the good stuff at home. DON

Have you seen what they do in schools when they take young kids on a field trip - use a leash. DON

This isn't on Princess but on Azamara they have white nights. I bring an all black outfit to wear on white nights. DON

Try checking on the Family Cruises board. DON

Tell me about it. I am trying to book private tours in Japan on a cruise that stops in some smaller ports such as Aomori and Sakaminato and finding almost no guides. I planned a Japan trip a few years ago and pre-Covid and had to cancel the cruise and had no problems finding guides. Now not so easy. DON

The whole point is that you use the 3d party sites to find your hotel. Then you go directly on the hotel web site to make your reservation. DON

Bottom line is that it is their ship, their cruise line and their rules. Whether the rules make any sense to you or anyone else is irrelevant. DON

Since your king crabs are all frozen, it really does not matter where you buy them. You can get them in a crab place anywhere in AK or in the lower 48 and assuming that they are prepared properly you will get the same stuff. Why not order something that is freshly caught and in season and that probably came off the boat yesterday or today. When you think about it the AK king crab schtick is a bit of a scam. I do have do admit that the scenery in AK outside of your restaurant is better than the scenery outside of your restaurant in Chicago. DON

stating: How about you send them a check in the mail to cover your cruise balance and make the check out in the amount of $0.01. That might confuse them a bit. DON

You get a lot more mechanical action in the old locks as compared to the new ones. You also get to appreciate how well 120 year purely mechanical technology still works. Who want to bet with me that 120 years from now the new locks will still be working. As I said in my response - I do think that the new locks will be totally boring. DON

Most of us are old or older. Most of us look pretty bad naked. They really want to see me naked I don't really care as long as they do not post the videos. DON

Even if the food is the same, the food in the MDR is cooked to order and is fresh. The buffet food has been on the steam table for nobody knows how long. DON

As sort of an aside are you doing the old locks or the new ones. I have done the old locks several times and have seen videos of the new ones. In my opinion doing an old locks transit is much more interesting and certainly much more historical. From seeing new lock transit they seem totally boring. DON

I pick my cruises based on itinerary and port times and not on status. I have never been able to figure out why people let their status on a cruise line have so much influence on who they cruise with. To answer the OP and not Sirclean, Hurtigruten has a cruise that might fit their needs although not 28 days - https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-us/expeditions/cruises/inside-passage-bears-and-aleutian-islands-northbound/ . I was booked on that cruise and then Covid hit. Goes to lots of really interesting posts and stops. DON

I do not know for sure but a good TA might have tools that you don't have. I know that my TA always seems to be able to quickly tell me what is available when I ask. TAs are useful for much more than getting a few perks here and there. DON

The railroad station is on Google maps. You have to know what ship you are on and where you are going to dock to answer your question. DON

When we were in Longyearbyen we took a tour. The guide told us that when we were outside of the village the group had to stick together because he was the one with the gun. Check out the blogs from this lady - https://www.youtube.com/@CeciliaBlomdahl. She lives in Svalbard and her blogs about what it is like to live there are interesting. DON

Could be worse. You could be on this cruise - https://pipersdojo.lpages.co/dojo-university-bagpipe-cruise/. Make February 6th the beginning of a life-long memory by attending the world's only Bagpipe-School-Vacation Combo. Again I like a good bagpipe but a ship load of them. DON

Not according to the itinerary posted by the OP who did not post the name of their ship. Are you sure that ALL of the Princess ships that are doing AK do Glacier Bay for EVERY cruise. DON

Imagine a cruise w people playing accordions all over the place. One or 2 accordions at times would be OK but hundreds of them!!! DON

Cunard goes to Glacier Bay and Hubbard. Princess doesn't go to Glacier Bay. This means that w Princess you get a maybe glacier. With Cunard you get a for certain glacier and a maybe glacier. You have to ask? DON

What are the itineraries? DON