lax19

Do you want to head to Anchorage before 8:45 AM?  The cruise ship docks just after midnight and the transfer leaves 8 hours later.

One thing to remember about airfare...regardless of the change fee, you still pay the difference in fare if you change your trip. For a last minute change, the fare difference could easily be more than the change fee.

Unfortunately, Victory is a "technical" stop for Alaska cruises starting and ending in Seattle The ship is required to make a stop in a foreign port and Victoria fits the bill.  Most ships arrive late afternoon or early evening.  (A few years back I found a cruise that arrived in Victoria at noon). The ship may offer an excursion to Butchard Gardens. The gardens are stunning in the evening, plus the sun sets at about 10:00.  Otherwise, there is enough time to head to downtown Victoria and wonder around the harbour area which is very lively at night.

Another option is to disembark in Victoria, spend the night then explore the next day. You would have to work with the Cruise ship and Canadian immigration to arrange this. You would also have to arrange your own transportation back home.

Costco is located approximately 4 miles from the cruise port.  Not sure if taxis hang out at Costco, but you could Uber back the the port.

Costco Address: 3900 Dublin St, New Orleans, LA 70118 - using Google maps will give you an idea where it is compared to the Cruise Port.

Here are prices for Uber from SeaTac to Pier 91. (https://www.uber.com/fare-estimate/)

Thanks Tom

Would this impact those heading to Pier 66 (NCL) more than those going to Pier 91 (all others)?

It's usually in the $2.50 to 3.00 range for a can of pop which includes the automatic 18% gratuity...(Pepsi products on NCL.)  

I would guess each terminal would be different. At the Julia Street Terminal in New Orleans, there was a stand selling pop for $2.00 a bottle (Coke and Pepsi products)

4 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

"that group of tough-guy accountants in the hot tub ... that you don't want to hang out with. "

That's why I avoid cruises after April 15th.....

4 hours ago, coevan said:

Since someone has to be 25 in the cabin, not going to be a problem. I'm not quite sure what you think college students would do to interfere with your cruise. You are making quite a generalization. 

Per Carnival Policy:

Guests are required to be 21 years of age (on embarkation day) to travel on their own. Guest ages will be verified at embarkation. Guests not conforming to this policy will result in denied boarding and no compensation will be provided at embarkation. For additional minor age restriction guidelines while on board, click here.

Guests Under the Age of 21 MUST travel with a relative or guardian of 25 years of age or older

Most college graduates are over 21.

My wife and I have never cruised before and the number of excursions listed is endless....and expensive. Is it really worth purchasing any of these excursions? We will be in Bassettere (St. Kitts), Charlotte Amalie (St.Thomas), St. Johns (Antigua), St.Croix (Virgin Islands) & Phillipsburg (St.Maarten) and could use some travel tips and ideas for "must see" places.

Here are some recommendations for "first timer" DIY tours. The wife and I did these tours on our first time to these places.

St Maartins - Bernard's Tours - https://www.bernardstours.com/

Antigua - Antigua paddles - https://antiguapaddles.com/index.html

St. Kitts - Thenford Grey - http://www.thenfordgreytours.com/

503 - should I start packing?

Google maps shows Nesbit's Julia Street Market, 333 Julia St #1, New Orleans, LA 70130

About 0.6 miles from the cruise terminal. Their website shows soda and wine.

Great review...you may want to fix the first picture...it shows you sailing from Vancouver...

We've never used Uber before, so please forgive the dumb question. At San Pedro for instance, with 3000+ people disgorging, there must be quite a few who have called in an Uber ride. How do you identify YOUR specific driver?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

Once an Uber (or Lyft) driver accepts your request, the Uber App will show you the car make and model and license plate along with your driver's name and picture. You can also track the driver's location in the App. The driver also has your location. You just need to keep an eye out for your driver...

Carnival = Coke products plus you can bring on a limited amount (12?) of soda in cans

NCL = Pepsi products and you cannot bring your own soda,

Can't help with cab fare, but UBER XL was $47 from airport to Riverside Hilton last March.

Here is a link to a parking garage at the port (Pier 66 for NCL). It's $21 per day if you book in advance.

https://www.cruiseseattleparking.com/

We (Wife, Son and I) were in the same situation last March. We had a late afternoon flight (5:00PM). Here's what we did:

We check our bags with Advanced Check in (http://www.advancecheckin.com/) I think it was $40 for 5 bags. They were in the cruise terminal and they take the bags direct to the airport for pick up.

We than walked to Cafe Du Monde for Beignets. Wondered through the French Quarter and then hopped on a trolley to the Garden District. Had lunch at about 2:00 and then ordered a Lyft to the airport (about a thirty minute drive and $42 before tip). Gathered our luggage and checked in for our flight.

Oops...wrong city!

We were in cabin 4070 on the Eurodam last month. It was advertised as fully obstructed, but we could still see past the life boat.

Link to picture:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jNhHGdHUVamQL1wV3f80vDJQUoDS2RTa

For our cruise (Eurodam June 16) we arrived about 11:00 via the parking shuttle. Didn’t see any porters so took our luggage to the drop off and headed in. No porter no problem.

Did you book your excursions through the cruise line? If so, they will show how long each excursion takes. This will give you a rough idea of how much extra time you have.

One thing about Alaska is that the cruise ships dock right in town which makes exploring fairly easy.

I'd stay in Palm Springs and drive the next morning. Per Google Maps, the drive time at 9:30AM on Tuesday the 10th is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Google maps will give you a good estimate (though it will not account for accidents the day of).

If you leave Palm Springs at 9:00 you should easily make your check in window.

The critical time is getting to the ship prior to sail away (or two hours before).

As others have said...Alaska is more about the ports and the on-land experience and less about the ship.

Look at the itineraries and compare them. For my first trip to Alaska, I built a spreadsheet with ports and times in port. The times in port varied greatly. It really helped to make a decision. I looked at all cruise lines and ended up with NCL - (longer stay in Victoria).

The second trip was a last minute decision and price was the driver (Obstructed Outside on HAL Eurodam was cheaper than Inside on NCL Pearl).