Suzanne123

Our first cruises were in 1983 on the SSNorway, an NCL ship, the largest cruise ship in the world at that time at 70,000 tons, followed the next year by Sitmar’s Fairsky. The Norway was so elegant with beautiful crystal and table linens. The Fairsky had six or seven course meals including different pasta courses every night.

I was in Juneau last week and amazed at the line for the tram. I was waiting for an excursion, and the line for the tram was only moving by inches. Maybe people bought their tickets ahead of time and wanted to use them regardless, but with four big ships in town, and the tram only holding maybe 10-15 at a time, a lot of folks wasted their precious time in Juneau just standing in line.

We did the Orca Cove and saw starfish and eagles. Nice day on the water, but not much in the way of other wildlife. Juneau, Homer and Seward have better luck with whales, sea lions, and otters.

I had to add my flight information and answer a couple Covid questions, but don’t waste your time. There is no Verifly line at checkin.

We are in a Neptune Suite now on the Eurodam, one of the older ships. Another nice perk is breakfast each morning in the Pinnacle Grill. I’m elite on Celebrity, but just booked another HAL cruise on board. Oops. Sorry. Didn’t see the above Re: Pinnacle breakfast.

I completed Verifly last week, and it was worthless at embarkation. Currently on the Eurodam ( having the most beautiful weather, ever.)

I think it is 1-888-628-8107

I fly a lot using Philadelphia, Charlotte, Detroit and Newark as connections. I wouldn’t do any of them these days with less than an hour. They don’t care if you’re in first class or economy and will close the doors 15 minutes prior to take off. So you really only have 25 minutes to get to your gate if everything runs as scheduled, and when is the last time that happened?

We stayed at the Mermaid Bed and Breakfast in Homer ( not on the spit ) several years ago. It’s above a bookstore and cafe. enjoyed our stay. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g31009-d1104620-Reviews-Mermaid_B_B-Homer_Alaska.html

On your way to or from Homer, stop at the Princess Kenai Lodge in Cooper Landing to have lunch overlooking the river. We stayed at Mt. Alyeska for a couple nights and then at Kenai Princess while touring the area for a week. Kenai Princess is more affordable, but Mt. Alyeska is really special.

Just a guess, but the insurance is linked to the trip booked with Costco and that would certainly have captured the travelers’ ages. I found this comparison with other policies, and insurance is age dependent. https://www.aardy.com/blog/costco-travel-insurance/

If you can possibly fit Homer into your plans, you absolutely should. IMO the drive along Kachemak Bay into Homer is stunning, and even nicer than the trip from Anchorage down to Seward. Homer has a lot to do, and the times I have been there it had much better weather than Seward on the same day.

Just FYI - Holland America’s plans https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html

I found this… https://order.veggiegrill.com/store/382/Downtown Seattle/60935/Gluten Friendly ?filter=105

Mt daughter and I ate here several times staying at the Grand Sheraton. Nice for lunch and dinner. Definitely not fine dining, though. https://veggiegrill.com/locations/downtown-seattle/

This is a nice resource for hiking. https://www.alltrails.com/us/alaska/skagway?search=true

My husband did the Fishing and Wilderness Dining excursion three or four times. If I recall, I think he mentioned that he was able to hold the rod whereas some fishing trips the guys had to take turns. Here’s a picture from one of those trips in 2010.

I bought a couple of the vases that are used in the Grand Dutch Cafe and wondered if anyone knew which other flowers are used on the vases. I bought red tulip and orange poppy. Now my neighbors all want their favorites. Next question, will the Eurodam have them for sale?

I called about paying for a signature suite (from balcony) and they gave me a suite guarantee at no cost. Two days later, I got an email for upsell to Neptune, and I got to pick the cabin.

I was going to book at Sitka for my daughter, who has done the snorkeling in Ketchikan. She decided to do Ketchikan again next month. Note the difference in “time in the water” between the snorkeling tours in Ketchikan and Sitka. Ketchikan guarantees at least an hour in the water. In Sitka, the time in the water is between 40 and 60 minutes. Both tours are 3 hours total. In Ketchikan The Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure is 3 hours from start to finish (For NCL guests and any ships docking at The Mill in Ward Cove plan on 4 hours). We guarantee you at least one hour in the water and up to an hour and 20 minutes depending on how quickly everyone gets into their wetsuits. Our shop is conveniently located 4 miles from town which is about a 10 minute bus ride. Mountain Point is another mile down the road. The rest of the time is spent changing, conducting safety briefings and enjoying hot showers and cocoa after the tour. We also have a great selection of souvenir hats, T-shirts and hoodies to choose from. In Sitka We will either pick you up 15 minutes before tour time at Centennial Hall downtown or meet you at the snorkel shop at 803 Halibut Point Road. For a pickup, please arrange plans with us by email at selkiesnorkels@gmail.com. At the snorkel shop we will fit you for wetsuits and give you an overview of the tour. We will then drive to Magic Island. At the dive site, we will walk down into the water over a rocky shore. Our knowledgable guides will swim with you, help point out wildlife, and keep everyone safe. After around 40-60 minutes in the water, we will return to the snorkel shop, change out of our suits, and drink hot chocolate and warm up.

It’s great. Very clean, safe and comfortable. We were there last year, and I booked again for our May cruise. Large Starbucks in the lobby. Do book directly with the hotel. The cruise line charges per person and not per room.

I just signed up for Port Valet for my May 13th cruise and got this confirmation: Thank you for choosing Bags together with the Port of Seattle to Make Travel Easier. **Important Information: *We have received your enrollment for Port Valet. This does not guarantee that you will be approved to participate in the Port Valet Program. Your information will be sent to the ship for processing. When approved you will receive your airline documents in the evening, the evening prior to disembarkation. Please be advised that the cruise ship can choose to not offer the service onboard at any time. Service may be canceled due to operational changes and needs that may impact the cruise, itinerary changes, weather, system connection, etc. This includes participating departure times and participating airlines. The cruise lines have the right to change this at any time for your voyage. " *Any enrollments made online after the first day of sailing will not be accepted." *If you are flying Southwest Airlines, please note that your departing flight must be between 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the day of the ship's arrival.

I was on the Celebrity Millennium for two weeks back to back last July. We had two solid weeks of nothing but rain, waves, and wind. It was my 21st cruise to Alaska, and I never had such rotten weather. OTOH, I’ve sailed mostly during Memorial Day weeks in May and although misty and a day or two of rain, especially in Ketchikan, we always had a few days of sunshine. I’m booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam 14 day trip beginning in early May next year just to see the new to me ports.

Looking for some advice. Have a deluxe balcony, very far forward on deck 12. If I bid on a mini suite, is it possible that cabin could be in an even worse location ( seasickness)? Cruise leaves on Sunday. Thanks.

We’ve been to Sitka several times and really enjoyed the Raptor Center and the Otter Quest. Also did some amazing stream fishing with Tad Kisaka. http://flyfishsitka.com