oaktreerb

Has anybody found it in writing that alcoholic drinks in the Neptune Lounge are included in the drinks package? If so, where, I want to print the confirmation for my next cruise. Thank you.

Neptune Suites dine in Club Orange dining room for breakfast and dinner on the Pinnacle ships. The menu and the hours are the same for MDR and CO. The menu for CO has one extra entree even in the MDR on the non-Pinnacle ships.

@oakridger see above. If you can travel the Yukon on your own, it will be a fantastic trip!

The shorter the tour the more rushed you will be. You will never have to check in to your hotel, your keys will be given to you on the bus. Early mornings are necessary since the itineraries cover a lot of territory. Our first Yukon trip at least 15 years ago was entirely by bus and train and the Yukon Queen up the Yukon river from Eagle to Dawson City. Now HAL flies people from Vancouver, Fairbanks, Dawson City, and Whitehorse on some of the tours but you miss the special out of the way places like Tok, Eagle, Chicken, Bennett Lake, the Top of the World highway. So glad we went when we did but those were long days on the bus (interesting stops and people along the way). If you can drive the route yourself, it would be an amazing but lengthly trip!

We’ll be there, too. We enjoy the overnight in San Francisco. Welcome Aboard!

The times are so close and it really doesn’t matter anyway. You can all go together. The ship probably won’t start boarding until around 11:30. You’ll go through immigration and check in and be sent to wait in a seating area until the ship is ready. Then you can go to your stateroom to drop your luggage before going to Lido or dining room for lunch.

We’ve been to Bennett Lake many years ago on a different Holland America itinerary. If you are a photographer you will love the scenery at Bennett Lake. It is a unique opportunity. Otherwise the bus up and the train back to Skagway would be my choice. On our drive up the road we saw a bear eating dandelions long the side of the road. That’s the only time we have seen a bear near Skagway. Comfort stops are planned for bus transportation. Drivers try to stop every 2 hours.

Are you traveling independently? Where does the continuation of the journey take you? Alaska Wildlife Safari tour on the Alaska Railroad is over for 2023. It ends mid September. Maybe 2024 will have it available again. You can still find the itinerary online.

Will you see Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier? What do you want to experience in Alaska? Do you have enough time in port?

Breakfast at Karstens in Denali is buffet in the early morning so everybody can get out on their tours. You have a choice of full buffet (eggs & meat) or the continental including fruit and oatmeal which is plenty of food and is cheaper. Breakfast at Belinda’s at the Westmark hotel in Dawson City is very nice. Usually you will be having breakfast at the hotels because you are short on time to meet the bus or an excursion. We did not have an option to purchase breakfast only vouchers.

The food plan is not worth it unless you eat a lot. You have to use the vouchers at the HAL hotels. You will find better places to eat in Whitehorse (Klondike Rib) and Dawson City. We’ve done a few of the Yukon itineraries through the years…and HAL has changed mostly the transportation modes….more flights these days. It’s all good. The bus is very nice and they stop along the way for “comfort “ stops. The TWT bus in Denali is rustic but nicer than the camper bus. If you have one night in Whitehorse you don’t have much time to be a tourist, Dawson City is the best stop and Parks Canada has some wonderful tourist offerings. We have done the land tour first. We also have done the Y1 which was the longest Yukon tour. There are lots of options. You’ll have a journey host traveling with you and will get to know your fellow travelers. You’ll have a great time.

I think you’ve got it. We always choose early dining and I love just walking into the dining room without checking in at the podium. With an assigned table you just walk in and sit down at your table. It is much easier for you and for your dining room stewards, you’ll develop a comfortable, friendly relationship. Enjoy your Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam!

You can always ask for early fixed seating at a particular table if you request it when you book your cruise. You may or may not get it. With CO I would certainly speak with the maitre’d on the first day to make your request. Usually it is no problem at early dining if you will be there every evening within the first 15 minutes. If you will not be there one evening, let them know so they can seat someone else.

On Pinnacle Class ships Club Orange has a separate dining room. It is not big enough to serve everyone at the same time. Some people come early, some late. It takes about an hour to finish a meal. There are a lot of two tops and four tops with only two people dining. It may be full at times but the wait is generally pretty short and the hostess will come get you when your table is ready. On the older ships where Club Orange diners eat in the MDR there is a dedicated line for Club Orange participants and you shouldn’t have to wait. Club Orange line gets priority. In the MDR you “show up when you want and CO has priority seating”. The assumption is that the OP is on a Pinnacle Class ship. If eating in the dining room on the older ships they could make reservations but it is not necessary since CO entry has priority. CO has other advantages besides the dining arrangements. They are listed online.

The dining hours for Club Orange are the same as the hours for the dining room. They don’t accept reservations, just go when you are ready for dinner. If the CO dining room is full you may have to wait for a table. The hostess will come to get you when a table is available. You can wait at the tables just outside the CO dining room or in the bar nearby.

HAL no longer has the small ships like the Maasdam. I have great hopes for the Westerdam 28 day Alaska itinerary for 2024 and 2025. I hope it will be as enriched as the previous 21 day Maasdam in Alaska before the Covid shutdown. I have found the first year of the new longer Alaska itineraries has been exceptional (14 and 21 days) and yes I cruised on both. The 14 day has now been revised a few times and has become just a shoulder season cruise. HAL will put great energy into this new Alaska itinerary in 2024 and 2025 . They are even offered in prime Alaska season (June/July). Long daylight hours for scenic cruising. No zodiacs for HAL (Seabourn has that enhancement).

It sounds like the Orange Party is finally gaining favor with HAL cruisers, much like Club Orange! It has taken awhile for Club Orange to catch on with long time Mariners. I have noticed that the Orange Party has become more and more popular on our most recent cruises! Love the idea of the pumpkin and orange horse (and they were passengers?). We’ll be in a NS on the Westerdam to Alaska next year. I’m enjoying your review.

That EXC program is back. We were on a 21 day Maasdam Alaska cruise prior to Covid, just as HAL was returning to the EXC platform. The cruise was amazing. We had great entertainment, local experts who sailed with us and enhanced our Alaska experience with lectures and local art. There were so many activities that it was hard to choose among them. We are booked on the 2024 28 day Alaska Solstice cruise on the Westerdam and I am expecting the same in-depth EXC quality programming as our 21 day cruise. HAL has been cruising in Alaska for a very long time and I can’t wait to see what experiences they have planned for us.

There is a lot of information online. You can order a travel brochure from the Alaska visitor centers and the Alaska Railroad will probably send you a brochure. It’s easier if you have a hard copy to look at. The railroad runs from Seward to Fairbanks and side trips. Do you know a trusted travel advisor or the auto club travel agency. Gather some information, decide what you want to do, how many and what ages will participate and let an agency do the work for you and relieve the stress of keeping everybody happy. Alaska has an amazing tourist industry and the different parts…train, bus, hotels, etc will work together for your trip. I have traveled by train, bus, ship, car in Alaska and there is always someone to help if you need assistance. Alaska Railroad has a variety of tours and they are well organized. When we signed up for our first trip to Alaska we went to a TA and she said, “What do you want to see?” She found an itinerary for us and we keep going back to see more. Ask your MIL what she wants to see and what she wants the family to experience.

DIY. Especially with the kids you will enjoy the trip so much more because you are on your own schedule. You may or may not want to do Denali. If you do Denali the camper bus will be fun and you may decide to get off and hike. I would skip Denali and spend the time in the Turnagain Arm area between Seward and Anchorage. There is a lot to do around Seward. Rent the car in Anchorage and drive to Seward for lodging. Look online for Seward and Anchorage visitor information. Rent the car now. You’ll all have a great time!

Yes, cruising only in Glacier Bay. The Captain will cruise close to some of the glaciers and stop and turn the ship starboard and port for viewing. If you see Tracy Arm as a service stop that means there is an excursion you can take by transferring to a smaller vessel which will take passengers into Tracy Arm for a closer viewing of the glaciers and the area.

Thanks for posting. Maui needs the tourist dollars. People need to get back to work. Good news.

Are you sure this is true for HAL? Azamara and Seabourn CD’s seem to be talented performers and they have shared their performing skills. HAL CD’s have seemed to me to have a host/hostess role. Reading the text for the Origin Story is more of a lecture role than a performance role. EXC uses location specialists for enrichment. Comedians should steer clear of edgy humor.

If you are sailing south you will want some time on land. August is a good time for Denali. Late August may give you fall colors around Anchorage. Sail mid August if the prices are good. Remember that the days are quickly getting shorter in August and September. You want the daylight for scenic cruising.

Most of the shops will be open until the ships “all aboard” time.