BuckeyeMark
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Posts posted by BuckeyeMark
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We depart home on Tuesday for Fridays sailing, we are all getting pretty excited.
Do you recall if there was any offers on laundry, such as a bag for x dollars?
We are travelling for three weeks and will need a 'pitstop' clothing wise.
Thanks Debbie
Sorry - I don't recall seeing anything like that. That said the daily activities paper always had a couple of flyers folded into it that didn't get a lot of my attention (translation: right into the trash can) so there may have been such a deal and I just didn't notice it.
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Was it easy to get tender tickets to disembark at Juneau? I understand those on Celebrity tours get preference. What time can other passengers disembark ?
Very easy ... because we docked at Juneau. :D
We were at the AJ Dock. I loved it because I sure don't like tendering!
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I'm on this cruise in 27 days! How was the weather and the seas? Should I prepare for rough waters?
the first sea day was mildly rough, meaning you could fill the boat pretty good and that some of our group needed the sea bands and the patches. I didn't think it was all that bad and heard plenty of stories of other cruises with rough seas where drawers were flying open and you couldn't stand, etc. it didn't seem too bad to me and there were few complaints.
the weather was classic AK: rainy. poured in Ketchikan, skies were grey and threatening in Juneau (not much rain though), prettier in Skagway. didn't really see the sun good until we got to Victoria.
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Hi ... Glad you had a good time ... We loved Alaska when we did it. I have a question about the specialty restaurants. Did you notice whether any specials were offered during the cruise for these places?
Sent from my iPad using Forums
Yes, they offered specials the entire week. Seems like I saw two for $60 a couple of times.
We did eat in Murano's (lunch) and enjoyed it.
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Just got off the Solstice this morning in Seattle. Wonderful boat and a wonderful cruise. The boards here have been so helpful to me I'd be glad to try and return the favor by answering any questions I can about the boat and cruise. A few notes:
* I don't drink so I can't answer any questions about bars, drinks, drink packages, etc.
* We did Ketchikan, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria. Great ports.
* The boat is amazing and wonderful. We enjoyed it a bunch. Doesn't mean it's perfect (hey - not much is!) but we think this cruise and this boat is about the tops. No negativity here.
* Had an interior room on deck 7. Can't help much with balcony questions.
So fire away and I'll do the best I can to help out. Thanks everybody.
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Thanks for that good info!
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Sky Observation Lounge looks great! Thanks everybody!
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I'm taking a group of 75 on the Solstice to AK. People are coming from all over the USA and are anxious to meet, greet and generally get to know the folks in the group.
Where's a good spot on the boat to do that? I'm nervous I'm going to say "Let's all go to Deck ___ and meet up at ___" and then find out something is happening there and that won't work. Then, of course, it'd be too late to tell everyone "Plan B! Go to _____"
Ideas? Suggestions? -
Have read some about ships tendering in Juneau? Last time we just docked it. Too many boats in one port? How can I tell if we'll tender or dock?
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Asked through our TA and am told we're coming back to the boat. I hope so!
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Can any of you upload the daily activity newsletter? I think they are Celebrities Dailies, but can't remember for sure.
Also, I head that quite a bit of activities on ship may be shut down on the last night when we are in Victoria. Any truth to this?
Thanks.
would love to see those daily activity newsletters too!
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We just did this but we were on Holland America. They brought us back to the ship and we entered through the tender doors of the ship.
Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app
did you get to the boat before it docked?
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The same way I would charge my phone, the charger has a USB port that you can plug any charging cable into.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app
Ah ... my problem is I don't have a camcorder battery charger that with a USB port or cable. All my camcorder stuff is 110v.
I have an Anker battery for my ipad and cell phone - it has two USB ports. Just don't have any way to connect that camcorder battery charger to it.
Will prolly get that "clip" from staples. Looks like it'll do the job.
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H & M are the tops. Just the best. So much better than the crazy cruise expeditions where they pack a boat with a zillion people on them.
Harv and Marv are wonderful. Small boats, good captain, took us to see the whales, really handled everything with such class and grace. Just a great experience.
The captain found out we liked lighthouses - took us by the lighthouse. My girls loved the sea lions playing in the ocean. So he took us by a buoy where the sea lions hang out and sun. Just lots of stuff like that - real personal attention. Then at the end the van driver drove us by Mendenhall Hall glacier for a quick look, then some fast shopping and then back to the boat. All no extra charge.
You won't go wrong with H & M!
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Ok I spent just a little bit more on mine, It's the Concept green portable charger and lantern
http://conceptgreen.com/our-products/portable-chargers
I can charge my Galaxy phone at least 5 times or my tablet once. I haven't tried the camcorder but I did charge my digital camera battery with no problem.
How do you charge a camera battery w/that?
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lots of google'ing finds this:
http://www.modernoutpost.com/shop/universal-chargers/1212-lenmar-universal-usb-clip.html
need to look and see if my camcorder batts fall into this voltage spec range.
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I have a more basic question if you are seriously planning to shoot continuously on the Tracy Arm trip and then the whale watching trip.
Who is ever going to watch all those 7 hours of video? I doubt that even you are going to watch your own video for 7 hours.
I hope that you are planning to do some serious editing.
BTW - I agree with the suggestion that you just get more batteries.
DON
You don't want to come over and watch seven hours of home movies?! What are friends for?! :p
No, we won't shoot seven hours straight. And yes, I'll bring a spare battery. But I don't want to run out of batteries, especially if there is some way to rig up my Anker cell phone/iPad charger to charge them back up. And I don't want to be shooting footage thinking "I better shut down, something better may come up later and I'll need the juice."
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Ummm we have electricity up here. You can charge the batteries while you sleep.
Unless you are going to really rough it for a couple of weeks, you should be fine....
LOL! Well played! I'm thinking about what bringing a solar charger since I'll be out in the wilderness for sooo long!
Seriously, what I was thinking about is the day we get on a catamaran and go way up in the Tracy Arm fjord (shooting all the way), then head to Juneau and then do a whale watching excursion out of Juneau. All without being back on the boat...
Where am I charging my camcorder on the catamaran heading to Juneau? They got standard wall plugs on the boat? That's too much to hope for isn't it?
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Am worried I'm going to run out of battery in Alaska. I have one of those external batteries for my phone and iPad. It holds a monster charge. Anybody know of a camcorder battery charger that works off of USB?
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Several in our group are going on the "further up the fjord" expedition where the catamaran takes you off the boat (we're on Celebrity). The catamaran goes up to the glacier and then heads out to meet back up at Juneau.
I need to know how it'll work in Juneau because the group on the catamaran needs to meet up with the rest of the folks on the ship so we can then do waht we've planned in Juneau.
Anybody done this? How did they handle debarking in Juneau? Did you get back on the boat before it docked in Juneau or did they just put you out in Juneau on the docks close to where the big boat docked?
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This may be a dumb question but can you join the CC before your cruise goes? I've never been on Celebrity before but I looked at it on Celebrity's website and it didn't look like you had to cruise to get in. Is that possible?
And do you get perks immediately?
A few words on how the CC works from someone with experience would be appreciated.
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I did some looking and read this thread
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2031720&highlight=photographs&page=2
but didn't see an exact figure. What will a sheet of photos cost us if we don't get a photo package?
Can you buy the package on board for the same price as before you board?
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very interested in this too...
Just off the Solstice - 6/20-6/27
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
I did go on deck some before we moved over onto the catamaran that took us further up the Tracy Arm. A couple of thoughts:
* It was pretty cold that morning. The fjord is narrow and full of floating ice. It's cool.
* The deck wasn't too crowded but the deck was wet most of the cruise. I am a runner and I don't think there were many days I would have been comfortable running on that slippery deck. The running track is clearly marked on the deck but it's not some radically different material, like rubber, that makes it okay to run on even when wet. I think it is some kind of paint or marking.
It rained a LOT and the deck was wet virtually all the time. And - you won't believe this - but the deck isn't flat. Deck 14 has a hill on each end where it slants down to the stairs. Kinda different. All in all, I spent time on a treadmill, not running on deck.
* If you want UP CLOSE views of the glacier you need to book the Tracy Arm cat excursion because the ship cannot get up close to the glacier. Apparently that happens in Glacier Bay but not in TA. We saw the glacier but at a distance. It was very nice to get on a smaller boat and go see the glacier.