cruisinqt

I was wondering why all of the dogsled tours were so expensive. It’s because of the helicopter ride. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be looking into some of the whale tours in Juneau then. Thanks.

As soon as you board go to your dining room and tell them about your situation. They can usually accommodate cruisers requests like this.

On longer cruises with fewer ports like this one the cruise line always plans lots of extra activities you don’t normally see on a cruise. Our 14 day transatlantic cruise is a “journeys” cruise where they do extra stuff. Maybe your is too.

This will be our first time in Alaska. We are a family of 4, we are in our 50’s and our 2 daughters are in their 20’s. The cruise is in late May of next year. Our ports are Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria BC. Since our cruise is almost 6 months out, I started researching excursions and got overwhelmed. There’s just so much info out there! We aren’t looking for anything in the water or overly physical like canoes or biking. My husband had back surgery a couple years ago and I had total knee replacement surgery last year. We could probably do snow mobiles since it’s mostly sitting but definitely no hiking. I’ve always wanted to go dogsledding, ride snow mobiles, see some whales, and see real igloos. I also saw some reviews of scenic railways that looked like fun. What are your favorite excursions on Alaskan cruises? Is there something that’s a must see or do in Alaska? Tell me where to start because there’s just too much to choose from for a first timer like me.

Only the Excel class: Mardi Gras, Celebration, and the Jubilee. I’ve heard that if it’s popular they’ll do it fleet wide. I hope that’s true because I loved it, flaws and all. Much better than waiting forever at a bar.

We just booked our first (14 day) transatlantic cruise too and it’s similar to yours. It starts in Barcelona Spain and ends in Orlando. We get $200 onboard credit, $500 in the casino and drinks on us (for the 2 of us) throughout the ship, we are in a balcony cabin on deck 8 and with taxes it cost us $508. They’re offering some amazing deals.

No you’re right. We will be flying from Texas to Barcelona for a transatlantic cruise. It’s just that Canada borders the US and customs tends to be a breeze for us when we travel there. If our layover is in Canada there’s no immigration to check, just show your customs form and boarding pass to get on the next leg of the flight.

Really? I didn’t know that.

Great info thanks. I was thinking customs would be easier in Canada but I’m still open to using anyone.

Yeah but the time allotted is very short. If you use that time to grab the glass and fill it with ice you don’t have enough time to even get half that amount. Most of the time I was heading out to a show or meeting up with family and didn’t have the time to wait around till it would let me get more soda. But like I said, if you have your glass ready and filled with ice before you swipe your card then you should be ok. I would also recommend bringing a yeti cup or tumbler. Half the time there weren’t any glasses available at odd times of the day like between lunch and dinner or late night. But even with the glitches I still liked it better than waiting at bars for drinks.

Yeah I’ve heard nightmare stories about lost luggage in those airports. Since we’re flying out of the USA I'm hoping to fly Air Canada and have my layover there. It’s close and customs would be a breeze for us. But I’m keeping my options open because other airlines might have better prices. Thanks for the info.

I’ve done both and the whole party boat booze cruise reputation Carnival has is an old wives tale told by cruisers partial to upscale cruise lines that have never even been on a Carnival cruise before. They just make assumptions based on unfounded gossip. Yes it gets a bit rowdy during spring break or in the summer months when there’s lots of kids. But what cruise doesn’t have this problem? I saw one of the worst drunken fights ever on a Princess cruise during spring break. The differences are like the differences between going to a 5 star Michelin restaurant and a normal (but very highly rated) restaurant. At the 5 star restaurant you’re in your high heels, dressed to the nines watching your “p’s & q’s” and on your best behavior. It’s a bit stiff and formal but an experience to remember. With the more laidback (but highly rated) restaurant the food is just as good but it’s more laidback. You can wear more comfy clothes, the waiter may joke with you, everyone’s laughing and having a good time and there’s dancing and singing too. Both are good experiences it’s just up to you as far as your preferences go. For my husband and I, Hal and Princess were nice but just not our cup of tea. We loved the boujee feel to everything but it just felt a little too stiff and formal for our tastes. One of our main gripes is that everything pretty much closed down (except for a bar or 2 and the casino) by 10 pm. On the other hand, Carnival and Royal Caribbean were right up our alley and very very similar to one another. One thing that stands out with Carnival is how much is going on after 10 pm. Like the late night adult comedy shows, midnight chocolate buffets, and shows in the main theater starting at 9:30 or 10:00 pm. Plus there’s late night karaoke and sing alongs in the piano bar going on into the wee hours of the night. I just hate going to bed at 10 pm when I’m on vacation. I also like the thermal suites in the spa. For a reasonable fee you can get a weekly pass for unlimited use of the saunas, steam rooms, heated bubbly therapy pool, and heated marble loungers. It’s adults only with spa music playing in the background. I’ve had some of my best naps in those heated marble loungers after having a good soak in the hot therapy pool. Carnival also has the adults only serenity area with some of the best drinks and tastiest salads. There’s tons of sofas, chaise lounges, chairs, hammocks, etc to relax in there. I usually go there to read a book while dh tans. But to answer your question about kids and partying, it all depends on when you cruise. So yes there will be tons of kids but only during the summer months and when schools closed for a holiday. And you’ll see more of a party crowd but only during spring break, new year’s, and July 4th. But any other time Carnival is like all the other cruise ships except that the median age is much younger than what you’ll see on Hal or Princess, and there’s lots more activities to do, especially at night. Over the past 20 years I’ve cruised Norwegian, Hal, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. They were all great cruises but Carnival and Royal fit us best. I’m 54 and dh is 62. We both agree we aren’t ready for Hal or Princess yet. Maybe someday when we get older and slow down a bit. But for now we are loving what Carnival is offering. It sounds like you’re looking for a little bit of adventure but afraid because of the partying rumors. Could I suggest something? Try one of the Carnival Mardi Gras class of ships like the Mardi Gras, the Celebration, or the Jubilee. They have top notch restaurants like Emeril’s Cajun (Emeril Lagasse), Rudy’s Seagrill (Rudy Sodamin), Bonsai Teppanyaki (food is cooked in front of you by a chef) and Guy Fieri has 2 great restaurants there too that you’ll love. There’s a great roller coaster on board, you can sign up for cooking classes (they even teach how to bbq and smoke meats if your husband is interested), there’s a mini golf, and a theater too. And if you’re like me you’ll love the live interactive game shows in the main theater like Deal or No Deal and Family Feud. They’re so much fun. Just be sure to book your cruise off season, no summer months or holidays. Good luck I hope this helps.

Just be prepared because the timer is very short and once you’ve used it you can’t go back for a few minutes. I’m sure it’s to keep people from having the whole family fill up on one bottomless bubbles account but it’s just not enough time. If you swipe your card then go to grab a glass, then fill your cup with ice then go to choose your soda, you’ll only get a half a glass at best. So be sure to grab your glass and fill it with ice first and have it ready to go BEFORE you swipe your card.

I’m in Texas and I rarely cruise out of Galveston or Houston. For the past 20 years it’s been cheaper to fly to Florida and cruise from there than to cruise out of Texas. Yes, believe it or not, even with airfare included it’s cheaper cruising out of Florida. I think it’s because there’s only 2 ports here and 5 in Florida. And some of those ports in Florida are massive with lots of sailings. Texas has tons of customers and very little competition. On the other hand Florida has tons of ports with numerous sailings to choose from so with so much competition the prices go down.

Yeah I’m seeing a lot of airlines I’ve never heard of like Iberia and Finnair. That’s why I’m by a bit concerned about booking our airfare. Transatlantic flights are a lot more complicated and use airlines we’ve never heard of or flown on. I’m trying to make sure I get everything right.

So if I use Expedia or Kayak or something similar I’ll be lugging bags around. But if I go directly to the website like Air Canada for instance, whatever I book through them even if it’s connecting, the bags will be moved to the connecting flight for us, correct? That’s fine with me because I usually use Kayak to see who has the best fares then I go directly to that carriers website and play around till I find the perfect flight.

Oh wow I would never have known that if you hadn’t said anything. Thanks I’ll definitely be checking seatguru before I purchase our flight.

My husband has had 3 spinal surgeries and swears by the spa showers. They are much larger, with bars to hold onto with large built in seats to sit on. He used to bring the foldable shower seat but now he only uses the spa showers. They have fresh clean towels, large mirrors, and much nicer hair dryers too. You might try showering there.

On the Mardi Gras there was a gelato place on the lido deck that had great cake. There were 2 flavors that changed each day and they were way above average. They were open most of the day. Oh and the gelato was amazing.

Thanks. I’ll start looking right away then

This is exactly the type of info I was looking for with hotel and restaurant info too, thanks. I’m definitely looking into the upgraded seats since my husband is 6’6” and will need the additional leg room. How far out did you make your reservations? We are almost a year out. I’m not sure if I should look now or wait till 6 months out.

So the bags will be transferred to the connecting flight for me? Great to know. That map and instructions is exactly what I needed. Thanks.

Ooh good point I’ll watch out for that. Thanks.

Yes we will be doing DFW to BCN. I’ll start keeping an eye on Air Canada for any sales between now and then.

Great advice. Thanks.