kctwinmommy

Oops!

I was curious as to what others have done in Ketchikan on the stop there? We're already booked for excursion on our other stops, so we were keeping this one a little more open. I know the town itself is nice for walking around and such. I know we get in early, and are there for 6 hours.

Any suggestions on fun things to do? Oh, we're doing the wilderness safari in Skagway, the glacier helicopter in Juneau, and the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion. So with all of that going on during those days, we don't necessarily need something high adventure! ;)

I was just thinking to come ask this same question, but you already did! LOL!

I have a Canon, and my go to lens is my 18-200, which I like for most everyday things, and some of the traveling we've done. But this trip, I want to make sure I've got what I need.

I'm most likely borrowing my dad's 100-400 and his wide angle lens as well. I usually only bring 1 lens on our Caribbean cruises, but this is a different type of trip for sure.

Honestly, I thought it would be a problem not being able to communicate on the ship, but we did just fine. Our son (who is 12) would check in on occasion (he was usually with the Circle C club anyway, if he wasn't with us). And my husband would wander off while I sat by the pool. We got into a routine pretty quick and never really missed anything or anyone. It seems like the ships are so big, and yet we were able to figure out where others were at.

We booked both our cruises in January and only our November one had FTTF available. Our July one has been sold out since then. I do check it though, usually once/day, or when I remember. Our agent told us that they do sometimes release more or people cancel, etc...

Haha! My son caught it too! We'd been on a few, but it had been almost 10 years. We took him on his first this past fall and he loved it! So as you can see, we've got 2 more booked this year! LOL! And we're looking at doing a Galapagos one in 2018!

I would love to hear how your excursions are. Have fun!!!

Thanks! We're so looking forward to this! We've only done Caribbean ones, so this is new and exciting.

I was going to say it only took like 1-2 days to get our response. It was quick, I know that. There may have been a longer delay in the response if they were adding times. But I saw you got yours, so that's all the matters.

We're doing the helicopter to the glacier in Juneau and the rain forest hike thing in Skagway. We decided not to book anything in Ketchikan and just explore. We're going in July!

Thanks for such a great review! I've only read part of it, the intro post for sure, which gives such great information.

We're looking at doing this in 2018, with our then 14 year old son. He's been asking to go to the Galapagos for years though!! But this would be a very different adventure for us. So I want to make sure we plan properly. I saw you mentioned using a TA for this type of a trip, and I mentioned to my husband that we might want to consider doing that as well. We're also talking with another couple who might join us with their son.

I'm sure there aren't a ton of kids, but hopefully there are a few...

We're actually looking into this cruise now, but for summer 2018! Our son will be almost 14 then. He's been asking to go to the Galapagos for a few years now! LOL! This would definitely be something new for us, quite an adventure. So I want to make sure we're prepared for everything. That's why we're planning 2 years away.

I believe you said your son was with. Were there any other kids? Or teens at least? I realize snorkeling is a big thing, but I'm assuming there are a few people who don't do that? Just trying to get a handle on what kinds of things will be going on, if that makes sense! LOL!

We've been staying at the Radisson since we started cruising from PC in 2005. Always had good service, nice & clean rooms, never had any problems. And like someone else said, yes they have the shuttle to the terminal, but nothing to do with airport shuttles. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle this past time and they were great!! We had them bring us to the hotel the night before our cruise, and then we were booked with them to pick us up at the terminal after the cruise, and that went super smooth too!

I would also recommend the Radisson if you choose to stay in the Cocoa Beach area. We've been doing that for 10+ years now and it's still a great place to stay. Never had any problems with our rooms, the property or the shuttle service they offer.

So it sounds like the Costco Amex doesn't have this offer... :(

Super Stoked.... as our 10 day Med cruise will take me to 25 days total. So I get the amazing GOLD benefits of the free drink and a snazzy pin on this cruise. Baby steps.... gonna slowly make my way up, but every bit helps and no matter what WE ARE CRUISING!!

I feel the same way!! :D

So, while not as exciting, we will be moving up to Gold during our cruise in the fall. Is it the same process for that as well? We'll have 24 points when we board, so we'll be at 25 points (Gold minimum) when we start that cruise. So will we get upgraded to Gold when we board?

I wear a sweatshirt jacket all the time on the ship. It isn't that warm. As mentioned, layers are a must, also needing hat and gloves. Hopefully you already know- it is common for this ship NOT to get anything, but a partial distance glacier view in Tracy Arm. IF a priority to see glaciers, then you need to book the add on Tracy Arm ship tour, FAR superior to the cruise ship transit.

 

It's easy to add a Mendenhall look out of Juneau, but pretty so so glacier on the wow scale. :)

 

Figure out your port activities in advance and what you want out of your trip. A lot of opportunity. :)

Yes, thanks... we already booked our excursions. We're doing the Tracy Arm one for sure, the up close boat one. And then one in Skagway and Juneau (helicopter glacier tour there).

Off the ship you just never know. Key is to layer clothing. It could be cool, warm or even hot or sunny, windy or rainy or a combination of some of this on the same day. History means nothing. Bring some shorts but you might or might not wear them. A waterproof jacket with hood is helpful. Be able to layer underneath a fleece/sweathshirt or sweater but also some short sleeve shirts. You just never know what the weather will be like.

 

Keith

Thanks, I figured that's what it would be like. I'm more curious as to how things are on the ship.

We went there in November, being detoured from St. Thomas due to a tropical storm. So it caught us a little off guard, just not sure what we wanted to do, Someone in our group had been to DR before, so he had some suggestions of what not to do, but Amber Cove wasn't where he had been before.

Anyway, we had two tween boys with us, so we ended up going to the nearby resort, Riu Bachata. It was an excursion, so it gave us access to the pool, beach, activities on the beach, drinks, food, etc... We spent like 5 hours there I think. It was nice, not crowded, the boys had a great time just hanging in the pool (without the salt! LOL!). We just lounged around for the day.

The stores and things weren't open for the most part. I believe we were like the 5th or 6th ship to dock there. And like I said, it wasn't planned. Talking to others on the ship it sounded like others explored around and enjoyed it.

Hello all,

We're just getting back into cruising again, having been on a few in the warm climates, but never in Alaska. Really looking forward to it! We're going in July and I was curious as to how the temperatures have been? I realize nothing is set in stone and it can always change, but just looking for what past cruisers have found during that month.

My other question is how are the temps on the ship? I get cold easily, like even on the Caribbean cruises, I wear a light sweater in the evening, and in the dining room. So I'm just looking for suggestions on what to pack for evenings and dining room options. I'm used to packing cute summer dresses and such.

Thanks for any advice...

We've done this for all 3 of our cruises out of Port Canaveral too. We stayed at the Radisson all 3 times too. This past time, in November, we used Cocoa Beach Shuttle and were very happy with them. I know all the shuttle companies have OK reviews, but we also went in with average expectations. Know that they're most likely going to be picking up 2 or 3 other passengers/groups, and same going back, but it was really good, no complaints at all. And the hotels there offer shuttles to the port.