fourcruisin

We (3 couples) sailed for 15 days from Long Beach to Hawaii and then back.  It was a very nice cruise but the 4 sea days on the return were a bit much.  Both dh and I were sick and were ready to get home to the East Coast.  The 4 days dragged on.

I'm looking at a 14 day to Alaska but there are only a couple of sea days and it's port intensive so that may work better for us.

Um, am I the only one totally appalled by the lady on the video constantly coughing into her hand?  OMG, have we not learned anything about the spread of diseases?  And this is why COVID-19 is spreading so rapidly. 

5 hours ago, ColleenandDanny said:

Hi! Do you mind sharing where you stopped along the way that were notable?

We stopped at many of the "turn out" areas just to marvel at the sheer beauty of the views. 

There are many photo ops right along the highway including the Yukon and  Welcome to Alaska signs.  We spotted sheep on a mountain side so we stopped to take pics of those.  We spotted bears along the road so we pulled over to watch them.

We stopped at view points for Tutshi lake and the Carcross desert.  We also stopped at Carcross where there is a visitor's center and some small shops.

We stopped at Emerald lake and went about 4 - 5 miles further up the highway from there but then turned around and headed back.  There are 2 sled dog camps where you can stop but we decided not to because we wanted to get back to Skagway.

I would urge you to checkout Murray's guide if you plan on driving the highway.  It's a comprehensive guide that has tons of information about the road and it's interest points.

I hope you have great trip!

Update.  We rented a car from Affordable Car Rental in Skagway.  Nils had the car waiting for us as promised.  We drove up the Klondike Highway past Emerald Lake and it was the best thing we did. The scenery was amazing.  The weather was great and we were able to stop when and where we wanted.  I'll definitely do the same thing next time we get to Skagway.

Thanks again to everyone that responded and put my mind at ease!

Thanks again to everyone that responded and put my mind at ease.  We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time and we are very excited!

Awesome.  Thank you for the responses.  I just got the feeling that the road may have been more of a challenge than we wanted on vacation.  You both have put my mind at ease.

Hi,

We are renting a car in Skagway and planning on driving the South Klondike highway in lieu of taking a ship sponsored excursion.  I was reading Murray's Guide and now I'm having 2nd thoughts.  It seems like there are some dangerous areas on the highway like steep declines and curves.  My dh will be doing the driving and I don't want him to be stressed out and not able to enjoy the drive.

For anyone that has done this on their own, please put my mind at ease??????????

Thanks.

Toilet paper for use in ports.

Funny story.

I always pack a couple of "travel size" rolls just in case. My dh was making fun of me and told me it was a waste of money and space. Well, during one of our excursions in Belize, dh needed to use the porta potti.

He went in and came right back out and said "where is the tp you bought." I should have handed him a leaf but I gave him the Charmin instead. lol

He's never made fun of my packing again.:cool:

Thank you so much.

Just called HAL and was able to add this promo to my August 2016 Westerdam Alaskan cruise. Now we have $500 obc!! Awesome.

Latest post from a social media site from CCL.

CARNIVAL LIBERTY STATEMENT

September 10, 2015 – 11am

The Carnival Liberty continues to remain in St. Thomas following an engine fire that occurred on Monday, Sept. 7, while the ship was docked there during a scheduled port of call visit. Guests are in the process of being flown home from St. Thomas. Several hundred were transported from St. Thomas yesterday and charter flights will continue throughout the day today to a variety of destinations within the U.S. based on where guests live. Charter flights are being utilized based on the limited availability of commercial flights.

Carnival Liberty will depart St. Thomas once the U.S. Coast Guard has fully completed their activities on board. All future cruises, including the next voyage departing Sunday, September 13, are scheduled to operate as planned.

All guests are being provided with a full refund of their cruise as well as a 50 percent discount on a future cruise. This is in addition to a $150 per person credit that has already been applied to guests’ shipboard accounts.

There were no injuries to guests or crew as a result of the fire which was extinguished by the ship’s automated suppression system. All hotel services including air conditioning, elevators, toilets, galleys, etc. are fully functional and the ship's normal array of activities, entertainment, dining options and programming are being offered. All guests are being accommodated on board until their scheduled charter flights depart and are free to enjoy the beaches, shopping, watersports and variety of activities available in St. Thomas.

We apologize to our guests for this unexpected disruption to their vacation and the inconvenience they are experiencing.

Carnival Liberty departed San Juan on Sunday for a seven-day Caribbean cruise with 3,346 guests and 1,150 crew on board.

I wish carnival would send out something to the next cruisers. I'm booked on the 9-13 trip. All i get is "our last update says your trip will be on schedule." Going to be some crap if we are told Saturday day "after flying to SJ on Friday" that our trip is canceled. and the circus of trying to find 7 nights of hotels in SJ along with 3000 others.

Honestly, if I was in your position, I would definitely be looking to make alternate plans just in case. See if you can book a hotel with a liberal cancellation policy. It's Wednesday and they are still having issues. I wouldn't get my hopes up that you will sail this weekend. JMHO. And I'm sorry for you and all the other cruisers waiting to hear word from CCL. It stinks not knowing.

Here is the update...we will return to San Juan once clearance is granted. Guests are welcome to stay on the ship in San Juan until Sunday. All guests will receive a full refund of the cruise, all pre paid shore excursions and gratuities will also be refunded. Guests will also receive 50% off a future 2 to 7 day cruise. If we do not receive clearance from the coast guard by 9:00 pm, Carnival will arrange travel from St Thomas to our homes.

So sorry that this is the way your cruise will end. Thank you for your excellent reports and keeping us all informed. You've done an amazing job.

First of all, thank you Pauleydm for your updates and posting facts and not speculations! I'm so thankful that no one was hurt and I hope that everyone is still making the best of the situation and having a good time!

 

This is our fear right now...we are super stressed waiting to hear if we will even have a cruise on 9/20. We booked this nearly a year ago and I've been working all kinds of overtime all year to have the money for this trip. We have an extra week planned in Puerto Rico, 4 days before the cruise and 3 days after...we are hoping this doesn't turn into a 2 week stay in Puerto Rico. We have non refundable plane tickets and non refundable condo rental. I have already tentatively booked a hotel for the week of the cruise (that we have up until the 17th to cancel), so that if the cruise is canceled we have a back up plan. But this is nail biting!

I'm sorry for you and everyone else that is waiting for news. That would be so disappointing if the cruise has to be cancelled. Good for you though for making contingency plans in the meantime. I'll keep thinking good thoughts that the ship can be repaired and you will be sailing on the 20th as planned.

I must have a different attitude than some posting. As long as my family is safe, and have basic comforts, I wouldn't be worried about what compensation we would be getting. I would be disappointed in missing some ports, but that would give me an excuse to sail again to hit those ports. (we have been diverted due to hurricane before) Plane flights can always be re-booked. Hotel rooms can always be found. Yes, we would miss some work, but I am sure they would understand, given the circumstances. If not, use my sick/personal days, or dock me. Yes, some people have waited a year (or more) for this cruise, have no vacation days left, have kids/pets left at home with relatives, and many different problems they now may have to work out. CCL is giving free phone calls/internet to contact them. I am sure CCL will come through with other comps, but that wouldn't be my main concern. (plus we always buy travel insurance just in case.) At least they are on the beautiful island of St. Thomas - not stuck floating at sea somewhere! Had this happened when sailing, and all had to evacuate into lifeboats, that is a different story. Ship has full facilities working - except engines at this moment, till they rev those up. Safety first.

Agreed. This is our thought process as well. Traveling is an adventure. There are never any guarantees about ports etc. Sure, people will be disappointed if you miss a port but demanding compensation is ridiculous.

Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident and the ship was already in port. The Captain's first concern was for the safety of the passengers and crew still on board.

Several years ago, we were docking in St. Kitts while it was very windy. A gust came up, blew us into the pier and caused a very large hole in the ship. We were "stuck" overnight in St. Kitts while technicians, equipment and reps from Lloyd's of London were flown in. DH was concerned at first. "How are we going to get home?" was his first question to which I answered "who cares, we're stuck in St. Kitts". I knew that CCL would take care of things one way or another. I emailed work immediately since we were due home the next day and I wasn't sure we would make it back in time. After that, I just relaxed and looked forward to the next update from the Captain. He did a fantastic job of keeping everyone informed and Guest Services was available to assist with anything that we needed. As it turned out, he "floored it" returning to Ft. Lauderdale and made up for lost time. I think we got back about 5 hours late but all in all, it worked out just fine. From my experience, CCL will do whatever it takes to make the situation right for all involved. Being stuck in St. Thomas is not the worst thing that could happen.

Happy Anniversary! Hope the Captain is wrong and the storm fizzles out. Looking forward to hearing more of your live reports.

Thanks for the great review. We just booked this trip for next August. I enjoyed reading about the different excursions!

Fourcruisin,

 

I can't compare HAL vs NCL, as I have only sailed on HAL Westerdam (twice) and Oosterdam (once). And we will be back on the Westerdam this fall. What I CAN tell you is that we keep coming back to the HAL ships because (and I am quoting what they say on their recorded message when you call in) "We want to give you the experience of a lifetime every time." The staff all treat you like a combination of royalty and your best friend. The ship is beautifully decorated with artwork everywhere. The entertainment is classy. (OK it can get a little loud and rowdy at the piano bar sing alongs!) HAL gives me the same feeling I get in my favorite robe and slippers, curled up in my most comfortable chair. The ship oozes with class but isn't stuffy. (Sorry, I am rambling. :o SNAP back to reality.) And every time I have compared prices, HAL comes in at the lowest.

 

Bottom line, I think you made a wise decision. Please come back and let us know.

 

Mocha

Thanks Mocha. Don't get me wrong, DH and I like to have fun and love the piano bar too. The most fun we had on one of the DCL cruises was spending time with the dueling piano guys. They were the best. We just like more of a relaxed atmosphere and it sounds like HAL offers that over some of the other choices we looked at. DH and I were looking at you tube last night to see some videos of the Westerdam. It looks lovely.

We don't find cruises a very relaxing vacation because we always feel we need to see a lot while in ports. For relaxing vacations, we always head to Sanibel. Now there's a place where you can totally zone out and not have to do a thing!

I can't speak to how NCL would be.

I can say that the HAL Westerdam will offer what you say you are looking for.

 

I have sailed to Alaska 8 times, 7 of them on HAL---including twice last summer. It must have offered something for me to return on that line so many times.

I have sailed on the Westerdam, although not to Alaska. You will love your time there!

7 cruises on HAL? They definitely are doing something right if you enjoy it that much.

We can't wait to see the beauty of Alaska!

Thanks so much. Your responses are all making me feel better with my decision. I was concerned that Sitka may offer less than Skagway but even that doesn't seem true.

I'm sure that if we only saw Glacier Bay on the cruise, it would still be magnificent. I am so excited and can't stop reading everything I can find related to the Westerdam and the Alaska ports of call.

You are the best! Thanks for your help. Keep the info coming!

I have booked suite SY8043 for next July to Alaska on the Westerdam. This is my first cruise ever and very excited to hear everyone's comments and suggestions.

 

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Congrats Kathy. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. I just put the deposit on the August cruise. We are very excited.

Thanks Krazy Kruizers and Cruzin.

I've had a few minutes this morning to look at the deck plans on HAL and I think I'm going to put the deposit on the trip. So excited! I'm booking cabin 6117 which is on the "curve" of the ship. DH gets motion sick so we usually go for a mid ship cabin but this one doesn't really look too far aft that it will make a difference. And from what I've read, it's a bit larger than other SS due to the configuration.

The only downside to HAL vs NCL is that smoking is allowed on balconies but I figure if we get a smoker on either side of us and it bothers me, I'll just go up on deck more rather than use our balcony. There are always ways to get around the negatives!

Now, on to the real planning. Looking forward to reading more info from everyone.

Thanks bjarrett7. Looking forward to hearing about your cruise. I guess any cruise is a good cruise lol but I really want this to be something special for dh and myself. My sister just got off the NCL Pearl last week and they enjoyed it but the ship had it's ups and downs. The cabin on HAL looks a bit bigger and nicer.

Our last cruise was 15 days to Hawaii on Carnival and I was disappointed in the food, service and overall cleanliness of the ship. We aren't high maintenance at all but just felt that CCL wasn't as good as it could be.

Wishing you a wonderful cruise to Alaska and I will be waiting to read your trip report!!

This was very timely for me as we are trying to compare NCL Pearl vs HAL Westerdam for a cruise to Alaska next August. Glad to hear you enjoyed the Westerdam. We have always cruised CCL but have been disappointed in the last couple of cruises.

I think you just helped to make up our minds on which cruise to book!

I am trying to book a cruise to Alaska for August 2016. We are 2 adults, mid 50's and this will be our 8th cruise. Never been on NCL or HAL. I have a cruise on the Westerdam on courtesy hold until later today. I booked a Signature Suite. The itineraries are basically the same.

We've cruised Disney (loved it but too expensive) and Carnival. Carnival seemed to have gone downhill in my estimation over the last few cruises. We are not drinkers or party people so we like more "quiet" activities.

Our requests are nice cabin, decent food (not gourmet, just good), quality service and laid back atmosphere.

Can anyone give me tips on which cruise line would be better for us? I'm trying to compare but it gets difficult and there is so much info out there.

Thanks for any insight you can give me.

I've been on many, many cruises. Gone to every one of the muster drills, even on my B2B cruises. I have never missed one and I will never miss one. Even during the cruise I revisit my muster station to make sure I know where it is. I am not paranoid but I know Cruise ships are not unsinkable and emergencies do and will happen. I want to be level headed and know exactly where I am going if something happens. The people who miss the musters are probably going to be the ones who panic and may lose their own life or cause someone else's life to be lost because of their irresponsibility.

 

Sorry, but that is my opinion.

Yup, what Umbarger said!!!!

Last thing I want to do in an emergency is try to find our station..........I want to get there as quickly and safely as possible and be ready to get into that lifeboat if the Captain says go.....................