rere827
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Posts posted by rere827
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2 minutes ago, calteacher said:
Updating our previous post. I tried for months to get rooms for two nights at the Anchorage Westmark prior to our tour. Every time "there was NO availability". I gave up and reserved a B&B we used 8 years ago. The owner was a little hesitant to take the reservation as he said when someone books 6 months in advance, they usually cancel. Hopefully we won't need to cancel.
Sorry to hear that.we are traveling in May so perhaps it is not as crowded. I went to the hotel's website to book.
Marie
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On 10/6/2019 at 11:54 PM, calteacher said:
We have a cruise booked which includes a "land first" tour followed by a cruise. The night prior to the start of the "tour" has the hotel accommodations included as part of the tour. I assume that it will be at the Westmark Hotel in Anchorage. Would we be better served by obtaining a couple of days room reservations at the same hotel (to avoid the problem of transferring luggage) or should we book on our own?
Discovered on a cruise to Europe that the cruise lines generally charge much more for those rooms than booking individually. Has anyone had experience with having HAL book the rooms?
We have the same issue. After researching many travel sites I found that our trip is booked in the westmark for the first night of our tour. We booked two additional nights ourselves through the website at a discount for multiple nights. Not thrilled with hotel reviews but we also figured it would be easier not to move. Marie
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On 1/28/2020 at 9:04 PM, LookingForward2 said:
Checking back in after staying at Hotel Morrison. It was okay. We would rate it about 7.5 out of 10.
(we used hotel shuttle service to POM.)
We’ve typically stayed at Hampton Inn Plantation and will go back to that.What where the pros and cons?
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On 1/18/2020 at 2:04 PM, LookingForward2 said:
We’re staying here next week, didn’t realize it was new. Price was very good, complimentary airport shuttle and very reasonable shuttle cost to cruise port (Miami for us).
We are staying here in February. What company did you use for the shuttle?
Marie
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14 hours ago, JohninDC said:
Paradise Beach charges $3 each for chair rental and requires that you spend $10 on food and drinks. Sit by the HUGE pool or near the beach.
Money Bar offers free admission, but it is polite to purchase some food/drinks. No real sandy beach, you enter the water via steps, but the do have lots of loungers, tables, etc. as well as a Sandy area for sunning and relaxing.
Both offer good facilites and good food & drinks. Check out their web sites as well as the Trip Advisor reviews.
Thanks. Paradise Beach looks great!!
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Are there any beaches that have umbrellas and chairs to rent? We do not require an all inclusive, would prefer pay as you go.
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Great hints, thanks. These are the little things that make for a much more comfortable trip!!
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1 hour ago, Marianne said:
This land/sea package is a great way to see Alaska, altho you will only be seeing a part of it. Holland America arranged our airfare for us. At that time we were living in Portland Oregon, and Holland charged us a total of $100 for out trip to Fairbanks, and then from Vancouver back to Portland. We flew via Alaska Airlines. We spent several days in Fairbanks and had such a good time in that city. The weather was warm, we walked all over or took public transportation. Regarding baggage handling: We were instructed to take one bag for train travel to live out during that time. The rest of our luggage was taken to the ship and in our room when we arrived. The baggage situation was no problem at all for us. Actually everything was well taken care of, Holland America did a good job of caring for us. While in Denali we stayed in a cabin, again arranged by the ship, and the bus tour of Denali was to me very interesting, saw animals and the weather was good. (not cold) Traveling this trip in the late summer/early fall we saw quite a bit of animal activity while on the train as well as in Denali, and in the towns as the moose were in rhut. This was truly a wonderful trip for us, and actually our first trip to Alaska. I'd like to do the Yukon segment for my next trip. I hope I answered your questions.
Marianne
Thank you Marianne. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. We are in Anchorage for two days pretour and 2 days Vancouver post tour. We are excited as this is our first trip to Alaska and not our first cruise but our first Holland America cruise. Always get the best info on cruide critic!!
Marie
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8 minutes ago, Crew News said:
On your way to Denali via bus/train you are not permtted to bring roller bags. There is only a small area to place a small backpack/purse that contains camera gear/meds/snacks/jacket on the train/bus. You are permitted one piece of luggage p/p that will be trucked to Denali and will arrive before you do. The rest of your luggage will be stored and will be delivered to the ship the day you arrive.
Before you arrive at the McKinley Resort, you will be given a packet with your chalet room key, personalized itinerary, and luggage tags for moving your luggage to Seward (again via truck to meet you at the ship).
Here is a link on the HAL website to help in you planning (not sure if 2020 version is posted yet):
Thank you so much!! You explained this very clearly and concisely
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On 1/7/2020 at 8:35 PM, Marianne said:
We went starting the first week in September in Fairbanks. Stayed there a few days before boarding the train. There we saw wildlife, some coming down from high country. We stayed only two days in Denali but there was a lot to see, altho the mountain hid from us. From thereon the moose were in rhut, and saw moose all over, even in the city streets. Fascinating. Then on to Anchorage, boarding the ship in Seward, with a restful trip sailing home. The weather was good except for one day while aboard the train with some rain. You will love this land/sea combination -- a great vacation trip.☺️
Marianne
We are booked on a similar trip in May although we start in Anchorage and then onto Denali for two days and then to a seven day cruise of Westerdam. Having trouble finding good information regarding baggage. Do they transfer all of your luggage to Denali then to the ship? We will have one full-size suitcase and a wheeled carryon.
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Our flight for our Celebrity cruise does not leave Miami until 3;35. We are looking for a brief overview of Miami (probably 3-3.5 houts). Celebrity has a few tours but we are not sure if they are exactly what we had in mind. Any suggestions>
Marie
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For the luggage valet, do you remember what the earliest flight it was available for? We are flying delta leaving at 1:00. That sounds very convenient.
Marie
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I've continued digging for the answer. It looks like it will be the "list" price. So, I'll take the $750 credit and look for a new card.
Actually there are better cards out there offering more perks and you can then just apply your points to your cruise balance.
Marie
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Newbie Diamond - I remember seeing somewhere that you get a free photo but I do not see it listed on the benefit list. Also is there any free internet minutes for diamond? I see that were were supposed to get a pin for each level, never got one and don't want them lol.
Marie
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Thinking of booking first time cruise with RCCL.
For those who have booked a Promenade stateroom what is your opinion? Pros and cons. It's either that or an inside, or I can if my budget allows, ocean view stateroom.
TIA.
We love them - we have had them a few times - better than a inside and because they seem to be unpopular, usually a good price. We have had them on 12 day cruises and loved the extra seating. (Note: we have done everything except an oceanview- have one on an upcoming cruise - not totally sold on the concept of a window).
Marie
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It is not fun when that happens but the cruise line, any cruise line is happy to sell out the entire ship when they can do it. Is it right? no, not really but it is legal. They normally offer some alternate cruises plus some onboard credit. If you are flying to the departure port and have already booked your flights you can ask for and push to get some compensation for the change fees. We are lucky that we have not had to deal with this situation yet but when it happens and I am sure it will some day, I will feel like you and see what other lines have to offer. Loyalty is a two way street and status benefits only go so far.
Our January 2018 cruise on Adventurer was cancelled due to the ship going into dry dock. Not that we were happy about it, but we were priced protected on a selection of cruises, we received our change fees for our airline tickets and received $200.00 obc. We did not have to push for any of these compensations, they were offered by the cruiseline and because our category was not offered on the replacement cruise, we actually got upgraded. So we are sailing out a day later, and making lemonade out of lemons!!
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Not sure about your dates but we got LaConcha on priceline for a very good price for the end of January (98.00!!) Someone on my rollcall had booked it so they directed me to the right hotel. It was an express deal which cannot be cancelled.
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I turned Platinum three cruises ago. Never got a pin. Oh, the last night of our last cruise we got a pin. Great. 1 night shy of Emerald and they give me my Platinum pin. I just figured it was a cost saving method such as a way to pay for Pinnacles to get name tags. At least they get one per person. The Platinum pin is apparently one per household. :rolleyes:
We turned Diamond on our last cruise. We have never gotten any pins as a matter of fact we never knew they existed until our traveling companions received their Emerald one. Who knew??:)
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Does anyone know if Embassy Suites has a park and stay package? Flying out of Newark need parking for 7 additional days.
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Yep the room steward has caught me cleaning.... I have found a wet washcloth in the shower. Wonder if they even wipe the showers down. So yes I pack a small pack of Lysol wipes and wipes all surfaces and drawers out. Makes me feel better. Sometimes the desk area is really drungy. After it dries we unpack. DH does the bathroom and I do the rest. Takes 10 minutes maybe. Then wrap the remote in a wipe and let it sit there awhile. I clean the remote in hotels too.
Gross that someone would put dirty clothes in the drawers but I am sure some do that and worse.
You can put your remote in a ziplock bag and it will work and you never have to touch it :)
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I wear sea bands - they are elasticized bracelets that have a plastic disc for pressure on your inner wrist. I carried them with me through 5 cruises and then on number 6 I felt a little sick. Put them on and within 5 minutes it passed. i now faithfully wear them. Not much of a fashion accessory but better safe than sorry!!
Marie :)
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Just off the Grandeur - your description of the cabin is spot on!!! Had the same experience. It has been a long time since we did an inside cabin - and we have decided NEVER AGAIN!!! We found it comical that we had to announce where we were going to walk in the room to stay out of each other's way!!! Cant imagine more than two people in that room. Again, a day on a cruise is better than any day on land!!!
Marie
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Went third week of June last year and the water was warm enough to swim; we usually go in September and the water in September is much warmer. I think it would definitely be warm enough to enough the beaches.
Marie
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Just came off the Ruby Princess and stingray city was closed by the Grand Cayman govt so we couldn't feed the rays.
Why was it closed? We were there on February 13 -sorry you missed it = never thought I would like it but it was awesome!!
Odyssey Balconies by Guaranty
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
Do you have any pictures? How was the obstruction?