Travel_Maven

Viking website just updated.  Due to new CDC guidelines, Viking is suspending Covid Testing Fleet Wide!

9 hours ago, cibaygirls said:

How about tests for returning back to the US? Does viking provide them?  I am cruising next week and am set to go just not sure what happens at the end of the cruise 

All of that information should be in your pre-cruise information from Viking. We lhave a September Cruise and received an email from Viking about all things Covid last week. 

I have Eddie Bauer pants and shirts that wash and hang dry overnight also. Most sporting goods stores have these types of travel clothing. I highly recommend!

5 hours ago, Norman P said:

I was on the Viking Delling 17/5-24/5, Lyon-Avignon. Viking announced that one couple had COVID by the second day and were disembarked. Viking said there would be no future announcements. By day five I tested positive, and was disembarked the next day, with my partner. There were another three couples, that I saw, who were also disembarked that day. We quarantined at Hilton Paris CDG airport hotel. We only had saliva COVID tests on the morning of day 2,3,4. None were required after that, but why? We also shared a taxi from the Hilton to the terminal, with a couple who had been disembarked from the Avignon-Lyon cruise.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to how Viking is handling the testing!  They need to get their act together so travelers can make educated decisions about their cruises.

I assume they will tell us where the ship will be docked?  Does anyone know approximately where that is?

Thanks!

Thanks folks!  We are boarding in Paris according to our itinerary.  We will end in Le Pecq. I just don't know what time we leave our pre-cruise hotel but we are in a suite so I think we board early.  Hopefully we can venture back out after we check-in, get tested, etc.  I was hoping someone who has done this cruise could give me some information.

We will be in Paris is September using the Pre-Cruise Extension with Viking.  There are no excursion options for that day and we would like to continue to enjoy Paris on our own if possible.  Will boarding take the entire day or will we have sufficient time to enjoy the city before or after boarding?  Thanks!!

Welcome back! We are leaving for the Northbound on the Coral in 2 weeks. I'm curious about the condition of the ship? How was your cabin and what did you think of the food? Also curious...was there still any snow on the mountains? I know it's been unusually warm there this spring. Thanks!

Thanks folks! Husband and I have done a whale watching tour and Mendenhall. Our daughter isn't so interested in the whale watching so we are curious about what others with teens have done. We are considering zip lining as a back up but I may let husband and daughter do that one without me! Also, we have made our dogsled reservations independently. Thanks BQ! Will make a list of independent tour #'s!

My husband, 13-year old daughter and I have reservations for a 1:00pm helicopter/dogsled tour in Juneau in June. We need a back-up plan in case the tour is cancelled. Ship leaves port at 9:00pm. Any suggestions other than whale-watching or Mendenhall Glacier??

Thank you all very much for your help!

 

The Avis rental car with drop-off fee is $320 for 1 day rental. It seems very expensive. I don't know if there is other less expensive rental options. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

I did find a few reasonable transfer/tour options (such as Anchorage Tour and Transfer) that available for the morning of the cruise disembarkation. But there is no good option (all very expensive) for the evening transfer/tour.

 

Travel_Maven;

How much does Magic bus charge for the transfer/tour to Anchorage?

 

 

I may have to skip the boat tour if I can't find reasonable transportation options.

I believe it's around $50pp. I also think they provide bus transportation for one of the PWS tour packages you can purchase. Most of the PWS tours provide luggage handling and transportation back to Anchorage.

I email with Tim from Magic Bus and he has been great! We have a group of 9 so we reserved it separately on this trip so we could have some more flexibility on our shuttle back to Anchorage.

We did a Southbound Princess Cruise 5 years ago and did the PWS tour the day we boarded the ship. We liked it so much we are doing it again with extended family the day we arrive in Whittier on our 2015 Northbound Cruise!

There are 9 of us so we have arranged for Magic Bus to pick us up at the end of the PWS cruise...stop at a few viewing spots on the way to Anchorage and then spending the night in Anchorage. We are then renting cars in Anchorage for the following day and sightseeing in the Anchorage area before our flights leave that evening. We are hoping to go back on Turnigain Arm but haven't completely decided yet.

Hope you have a great trip!:)

Hi. We are on a Princess cruise from Vancouver to Whittier. My understanding is that transportation leaving Whittier is difficult as there is a long tunnel (Whittier Access Tunnel). Also, the cruise arrives at 12:30 am and disembarks approximately 5-6 am in the morning. Princess offers transfersto ANC airport or their hospitality center. We are planning on driving to Denali after the cruise and spending several days before flying back home.

 

Please give me suggestions. Reserve the Princess transfers? Independent transfer? Where to rent a car...wait till we get to Anchorage after the transfer?

The Alaska Railroad or The Magic Bus have great transportation from Whittier. The Magic Bus can take you to several places in Anchorage, perhaps even your rental car agency. There are also great Prince William Sound tours out of Whittier with train or bus transportation at the end of your tour...if you're not in a hurry to get to Denali and can spend the night in Anchorage.

That's what I remember from our trip 5 years ago Mapleleaves and why I doubted it would be worth the $. Thanks! Also, we've snorkled in the Caribbean and Hawaii. Thinking it would be awfully cold in Alaska and less to see but maybe I'm wrong. Right now ziplining and canoeing look to be our best options. Keep the ideas coming though everyone! Thanks!!

Anan opened last year on the 25 or 26-I'd giver Michelle a call and see if there is a chance-all of you would fill her plane or if others do it

 

 

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Thanks 5Waldos! I just may do that!

They begin trips the last week in June- to Anan which apparently starts earlier than many other places. How late in June are you going?

 

We took the float plane with Michelle at Island Wings but are you flying into the dog sledding? That would make it less interesting to them.

 

After that I run out of suggestions.

Just checked into Island Wings online and it says her Anan Creek tours don't start until July 1. We will be in Ketchikan on June 26. :-(

Just thinking about the kayaking! That is an option. I'll check with Island Wings. I assumed we were a bit too early for bears but it is worth checking into! We have also thought about zip lining but wondering if it isn't worth it compared to Juneau.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! :)

If money is no object there are float plane trips out to see the Bears at salmon runs up close-but they are quite pricy. I think anan may be open by then but not certain

 

 

 

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Sorry to keep shooting down your suggestions but since we are there in June, I doubt the salmon will be running. Would do it in a heartbeat though!

Are they fans of the Alaska crabfisherman show? Great excursion. And recommend booking directly-

Bit less expensive and they board about a half block from the cruise ships.

My husband and I did it 5 years ago so we are hoping to find something we haven't done...but we are considering it if we can't find anything else she likes.

Our extended family will be on the Coral Princess in late June 2015. My husband and I have been to Alaska before but now we will be with 3 teenagers (our 13 year old daughter and 2 male cousins). Our stop in Ketchikan is brief but we are willing to do what our 13 year old wants to do. She is not a fan of "museums" so I'm not sure the totem pole stuff will be interesting to her. The ziplines are an option but it seems like the Juneau ones get better reviews. Right now we are hoping to do a glacier dogsledding tour in Juneau (weather permitting) and the train in Skagway with the grandparents. So...does anyone have ideas for teenagers in Ketchikan? Should we just go with a zipline anyway? We've considered the Crab Fisherman tour but my husband and I have done it and it eats up our whole day in the town. Welcome any suggestions!

Having done Alaska 5 years ago with my husband and now planning to go with extended family again, I have to agree with Budget Queen as to choosing what is important to you and maximizing your opportunity to see wildlife. I did months of research before the first trip and ended up spending more $ than we had planned...but Wow was it worth it!! Including Seward, PWS and the train between Anchorage and Seward, and renting a car was well worth the effort and $ because seeing the scenery and wildlife was our priority. We also learned that you can't do it all in one trip so setting a priority list was crucial. Now that we are going back with kids, our priorities are different and our activities will probably be different. Realizing what is most important to you and your travelers will help make your planning a lot easier!

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We are in the Northbound Coral leaving June 24 with 3 teenagers...ages 13-16. Would love to hear from previous Alaska cruisers with teens! Husband and I have done Alaska but now going with kids and extended family.

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Took North Face 3-in-one 5 years ago. It was perfect! Wore each layer separately and together. Taking it again Summer 2015!

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Thanks Budget Queen! 👏 I agree! Thinking the smaller Blackstone tour with Major Marine may be a better choice for our group considering ages and interests. A more low-key tour with bigger meal while still enjoying a nice glacier tour and an opportunity to see some wildlife should work fine. My husband and I went to Kenai last time but can't make it in this trip. We're just thrilled to be back in Akaska! 😃

Will do! Hope that's true and not just a marketing gimmick. Would love to hear from folks with previous experience.