Mare10

Thanks! We're so anxious to be on board!

We'll be on the Ruby in two weeks! Did you go to Crooners at night? Wondering who the entertainer is.

Thank you so much for the speedy replies. It's our favorite place to hang at night especially if the entertainer is good!

Has anyone been on the Ruby recently who could tell me who is performing in Crooners? Thank you!

What wonderful pictures and review!!! You have me all the more excited for my 4th Alaska cruise coming up in May! I especially loved seeing your photos and comments about your Ketchikan tour since we signed up for the same one. I would love to meet up with you on a cruise.... I can tell you are a lot of fun!

Thank you all for the positive comments! We have booked with Wild Wolf and are so looking forward to our hike!!! :)

We LOVED (repeat LOVED) Tracy's tour from Wild Wolf Tours. Tracy gave us a great history of Ketchikan (she's a native) as we drove to the Totem Village . We learned a lot about totems and the symbols and history/legends behind them. The ride to Tongass Nat'l Park was not too long and again, Tracy shared a lot of information about the area and history. The hike along the Lunch Creek Trail was great-full of info, beautiful spots for pictures and lots of lovely nature. She even had info (and swaps to share) about geocaching for our 13 yr old Girl Scout to do. She went at a pace that was good--we had a few folks who straggled behind--and we never felt rushed nor too slow. After the hike, Tracy had some wonderful salmon spread for us to taste and shared more information about her clan and some blankets, drums and other native pieces.

 

I feel we got so much more out of this hike than if we had just gone on our own-even with a map/info guide. Tracy is wonderful and very knowledgeable. Wild Wolf Tours is a family owned business and they were very accommodating to us when we had to cancel last year (cruise cancelled when I went into the hospital). Would highly recommend them to anyone visiting Ketchikan.

Thank you for the good review! We have booked with wild Wolf Tours as well and we are looking forward to it. I've done guided hikes before and I enjoy them a lot and have not been disappointed yet!

I realize you said you wanted guided hikes, but thought I'd answer anyway... I have done self guided hikes in Ketchikan, and used the US Forest Service trails guide: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5413489.pdf. The guide has descriptions, ratings for difficulty, and maps. Some trails are accessible by foot from the dock, whereas others require a ride. I generally rent a car from Alaskan Car Rental, a local rental agency.

Thanks for your input!

I'm hoping some of you have taken guided hikes in Ketchikan. We aren't comfortable venturing out on our own and have enjoyed going with a guide on other cruises.

Thanks for any ideas. We'll be there next May but only have the morning in Ketchikan.

Marilyn :)

I'm loving this thread! We'll be on the Ruby in May for Alaska. Hoping we'll hear about your excursions as well. I've been on the Ruby before and know it's a wonderful ship!

Marilyn :)

We had no problem getting the OBC for a cruise we recently booked rather than the beverage package. Told the TA what we would like and it's done!

We enjoyed it on the Caribbean Princess in February. Hope they are doing this on all ships!

Mike,

I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to thank you sooner for your response to my question about Crooners! I've been busy and haven't had a chance to get on here much!

Anyway, I do appreciate your reply as well as the time you took to post the pictures and help so many of us. I plan to go back and look at all of them again. We're leaving in just 3 short weeks!

Marilyn :)

Hi all!

 

Just returned from Crown Princess on a 7 day California Coastal Cruise that included Los Angeles (San Pedro), San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Encenada. For those interested, I've included some Princess Patter info, menu's and plenty of photos from our cruise. I'm in the process of labeling the pics and they should be finished by the end of the weekend. Hope you enjoy if you haven't been on Crown or are just interested. It is the last album in my sets.

 

--Mike

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotsauce34/sets/

I just looked at all your pictures Mike. Thanks for sharing! I'll be on the Crown for a Pacific Coastal April 30th. My friend and I love to sit in Crooners in the evenings. Would you be able to tell me about the entertainer there?

Marilyn

I'll be on the Crown April 30th for a Pacific Coastal. Does anyone know who is performing in Crooners. Thanks!

Greetings Mare10! It's been a long time since we chatted! So you are looking at a Repositioning Cruise! Good luck and happy sailing!

 

Just Mike

Hi Mike!!!! This is what I love about cruising..... Making connections with people and continuing to stay in touch! I will always remember our chat at the meet & greet on the New England cruise in Oct. 13! You got me so excited about our Hawaii cruise!

I made Platinum and continue cruising as much as I can! Hubby and I did a Western Caribbean recently with friends from our Hawaii cruise. My friend Mary Ellen and I are cruising again this spring!

Sure hope our paths will cross again one day.

Yes, but many other people may have the same idea, so go there to make a reservation ASAP after boarding.

Thanks for the tip! Is it best to go in person or call the dine line for reservations?

Good news! It's obviously our first time. Looking forward to the Vancouver to Seattle cruise!

yes. at least on the last 2 one day cruise i have taken.

Thank you! Another question! Do they have a show and most of the other things that longer cruises have?

I'm not sure where to post this question but here goes. Does anyone know on the overnight cruise if the speciality restaurants are open? We will be on the Ruby from Vancouver BC to Seattle and would love to be able to dine in the Crown Grill! Appreciate your input!

We were recently on the Caribbean Princess. We did not receive bags and were told they're changing them from the 50th anniversary. Hope to get them on our next cruise!

You made good decision. Houston has large population and still growing fast. Traffic around Houston can be bad in the weekend.

 

There is always traffic on I-45 going through downtown. Which airport are you leaving from? Hobby or IAH? For IAH it is further north of Houston going through downtown area and takes longer time than Hobby which is south of Houston and not going through downtown area.

We're flying out of Hobby but I still think we made the right decision. I would hate to waste a minute of our cruise worrying about getting to the airport on time!

I appreciate your input. Having never been much of a gambler I decided to change to a later flight. It's not worth worrying about! As you said we can leisurely get to the airport without the worries!

Marilyn 😊

I know this has been discussed before but I'm really needing some help. We will be returning from a cruise into Houston on Feb. 21st. I booked a flight leaving Houston Hobby at 12:25 pm. I'm hearing from some that there are often delays in cruises returning due to fog.

My question is...... Should we change our flight to a later departure out of Houston? I would hate to miss the flight.

Thank you!

I'm so glad you posted this information! My friend and I have booked the same 1 day cruise on the Ruby next spring. We're taking the cruise from Vancouver to Seattle after a Pacific Coastal. We thought it would be a fun way to get back to Seattle for our flight! Sounds like fun and your thread gave me some good information!