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Thank you so much for the pictures of the sideways inside cabin. I have been looking for as many pictures as I can find of them as we are booked in one for our two week adventure to Alaska on the Sun. We've sailed before, once with an oceanview on Carnival, once in a balcony room on Princess, and once in a balcony mini-suite on Princess. So this will be an adjustment for us. But I think we'll like it!

Thank you all for the information. Much appreciated.

Oh, and I did go back and find the westjet flight this evening that we wanted.

I have a cruise out of Vancouver in August, 2017, returning to Vancouver on 9-11, staying there for a couple days, then back to our home airport in ABQ on 9-13. I have been looking at flights returning to our home airport. I found the one I wanted, and have just been watching it, and waiting to buy our tickets, hoping for a "sale". Today and yesterday when I went to WestJet website, I could not find the flight. And I couldn't get it to come up on Travelocity either. But today, it comes up on Expedia as still there. If I purchase the tickets now, and they decide to cancel the flight, that will make us change our plans. We want to spend most of a full day in Vancouver on the last day and the flight out of YVR is at 425pm. I also don't want to take a flight first thing in the morning. We could fly out of Seattle - we are flying in to Seattle on 8-27, and taking the Amtrak train that evening to Vancouver. But I would rather spend that last day in Vancouver.

Can anyone give me a good idea about how likely it is that the flight gets cancelled and we have to figure something else out? I think I prefer to buy the ticket from the airline, instead of through Expedia. But obviously, if the flight isn't there, I won't be able to.

Just as a caveat, we haven't flown in years. We usually drive or take Amtrak. So I'm not as familiar with pricing and all of the things that come along with flying.

Thank you for your help.

I have a cruise out of Vancouver in August, 2017, returning to Vancouver on 9-11, staying there for a couple days, then back to our home airport in ABQ on 9-13. I have been looking at flights returning to our home airport. I found the one I wanted, and have just been watching it, and waiting to buy our tickets, hoping for a "sale". Today and yesterday when I went to WestJet website, I could not find the flight. And I couldn't get it to come up on Travelocity either. But today, it comes up on Expedia as still there. If I purchase the tickets now, and they decide to cancel the flight, that will make us change our plans. We want to spend most of a full day in Vancouver on the last day and the flight out of YVR is at 425pm. I also don't want to take a flight first thing in the morning. We could fly out of Seattle - we are flying in to Seattle on 8-27, and taking the Amtrak train that evening to Vancouver. But I would rather spend that last day in Vancouver.

Can anyone give me a good idea about how likely it is that the flight gets cancelled and we have to figure something else out? I think I prefer to buy the ticket from the airline, instead of through Expedia. But obviously, if the flight isn't there, I won't be able to.

Just as a caveat, we haven't flown in years. We usually drive or take Amtrak. So I'm not as familiar with pricing and all of the things that come along with flying.

Thank you for your help.

I meant to post this on the Cruise Air board.... but any help is appreciated.

If you get the Alaska TourSaver book (and there is another one, but the name escapes me), there are coupons in there that you may be able to use to reduce the cost of your excursions. You can check what coupons are available in the book before purchasing it. For us, it more than paid for itself many times over, but then again, we also used most of the coupons on the land portion of our trip - pre-cruise.

Where do you get the Alaska TourSaver book?

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful review and the pictures! I said "wow" more than a few times! My hubby and I are going on the NCL Sun in August/September from Vancouver to Seward and back! We are so excited, and this made us even more excited.

Thanks for the NCL shore excursion list as well. I've always tried to do my shore excursion planning on my own instead of through the cruise ship because it's so much cheaper, and this is a nice way to compare the prices.

I'm glad you and your family had such a wonderful time. I can't wait!

Congratulations! I checked for our dates, and of course, no luck. But I'll keep checking. You give me hope!!!

How does an airline lose luggage on a non-stop flight? yikes!!

I received one for being a VIP at a land casino and then won a second one during a drawing at the same casino. They were both the same - choice of over 15 cruises from a lot of different ports, and ships, valid through early 2018. Inside cabin of course. But we got a good sideways inside cabin.

Hubby and I decided to do a back to back Alaska cruise, Vancouver to Seward and back, so 14 days. Our certificate didn't cover a Seattle port. We both wanted to go Alaska for our retirement celebrations, and this made it quite a bit cheaper. I did not find out how much an upgrade would be because I'm fine with an inside cabin.

We had to pay $20 a day for an administrative fee, port fees and taxes. We were able to pay just $50 deposit on each cruise, per person. So with it all, for both of us it's around $1500 total, with insurance We also received one of the free at sea offers as well. We were allowed to choose from all of those offered.

We'll get a casino card in our room and free drinks in the casino with the card. (better than paying for the UBP, especially since we don't drink much.)

I certainly think it's worth looking into. The CAS reps were VERY helpful. Before we decided, I called and talked to one of the reps about the options, how much it would really cost. Then I did a lot of research before we decided to do the back to back to Alaska, instead of picking a Caribbean or Bermuda getaway.

Enjoy!

Wonderful pictures! Thank you!

Me too! And we don't go until late August! I am so excited I can't sleep. I stay up reading trip reports and enjoying the pictures. By the time August gets here, I'll be exhausted and forget everything! You better write a trip report when you get back so I can continue to read and re-read all the trip reports I can find!

We sailed shortly after September 11th. we were out in the middle of the ocean, and my husband insisted that there was an "amphibious assault ship"/aircraft carrier accompanying us, protecting us. I don't know if that's true, but we did see the ship throughout the whole cruise, just close enough where we could see it. it was such a scary time.

Will be on the Sun for Alaska in August/September? We'll be there for our back to back cruises and would love to tell her you said hello.

I did get YWCA for night before the cruise. It was $130 with tax, for a double with private bathroom. I'll work on priceline for after the cruise.

Thank you again for all your help.

Thank you so much for your input.

We are arriving 8-27, ship leaves 8-28, back on 9-11, and staying in Vancouver until 9-13.

I really appreciate the help. I think I will try the priceline route. I hadn't received that kind of feedback about how to bid on Priceline, so I wasn't sure about areas, but you clarified what I needed to do. I did start to reserve refundable rooms, but did not do that, so that's a great option as well.

Thank you again.

The list is VERY helpful.

But a few of the hotels I'm confused about because of names that are different.

For example, I saw a deal for Pinnacle at the Pier, but is that the same as Pinnacle Harbourfront?

I was interested in doing the YWCA for our first night since we're taking the late Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle, and will just have that one night before our cruise, although Pinnacle at the Pier was tempting. Hubby does not want to stay at the YWCA - but that may be out because last time I looked for our time frame, they no longer had a room with a private bathroom.

The biggest problem is that the prices vary so much from day to day, it makes it difficult. And then the groupon which has Moda (not on your list) and Executive Hotel Vintage Park (not on your list), but they expire in April, so I'd have to wait to see if they show up again for my time frame. I've been checking trivago which has prices from all the different providers (Booking.com included). Hubby likes the look of the Executive Hotel Vintage park. I thought about the Sylvia - but he wants something more modern.

So I guess the real question I have is - if I wait a couple months and keep watching, will there be nothing left except for the really expensive places? I really don't want to pay $400 a night for a place we're going to use to sleep and shower.

Thank you for all your help. It is very valuable. We have not been on a real vacation for a long time, and this is a once in a lifetime vacation so I want to make it very special.

I usually don't have that much trouble making decisions. We are doing a back to back cruise on the NCL Sun in August/September 2017 out of Vancouver to Seward and back to Vancouver. Then we'll be staying in Vancouver for a couple days.

I have figured out transportation, decided on excursions, what we're going to do in Vancouver, but am having lots of difficulty deciding on hotels! Part of the reason for this is that the prices really vary from day to day depending on which site I go to. I have it narrowed down to some degree, but not finalized. I watch the hotels, and read the reviews and see what I like about the area, with the google maps. All of this is due to everyone's help here, of course.

Am I making a mistake waiting a couple months to see if the hotel I want gets back up on Groupon for the time period we'll be there? Or should I just bite the bullet now and make a decision?

Will most places take US currency?

On one certificate, I only had a week to schedule the cruise. On the other certificate, I had two months to schedule the cruise. So it probably varies.

The great, unexpected thing was that when I scheduled, we only had to pay the deposit not the whole price of the cruise, unlike what I had read before here.

Good luck and happy planning!

Hubby and I are taking 2 7 day back to back cruises. Assuming we prepay our gratuities, will we be able to just put down $300 cash? And when we leave, if we haven't used that $300 cash, will we get the leftover in cash?

Thanks for all the great info on the boards. Very much appreciated!!!

Mine showed the same thing so I called yesterday. They said it was just something with the system and not to worry, that I was reserved, they had my deposit, and to just pay by the final payment date.

Thank you so much everyone! Very helpful information. There are lots of really kind of quirky places to stay. I do NOT want to drag luggage on the skytrain and will cab it, so that info is really helpful. I love the idea of the YWCA as I spent many years working with victims of abuse. So we may end up there, if they have availability of a room with a bathroom (not shared), at least the night before our cruise. For our couple days after the cruise in Vancouver, I'm hoping for a groupon to be back for the Executive Hotel Vintage Park. The current one expires in April.

Interesting how many places have shared bathrooms! Hubby would be upset if I got us that type of room. And he knows how much I research so knows I would have figured that out before.

Thank you again for answering my many questions.

Thank you so much for your wonderful review and pictures! We are heading out there in August 2017 on the Sun for our Alaska adventure. Wonderful pictures.

I know this has been asked about a lot, but in researching the different hotels in the area, hotels in different communities come up, like Surrey, Burnaby, Mount Pleasant, White Rock, Langley, and a Coq??? Should I avoid these and just stick with places that actually say Vancouver? or am I ok to get a hotel room in one of the other places? Can anyone help me figure out where these places are? Are they just neighborhoods like Gastown and Chinatown? or are they actual outside of Vancouver? Thank you all so much! I am really enjoying this researching and planning. Can't wait!

Mine was from a land based casino. So I assume it would apply to all.