LEtue

So, who has plunked down the money to do the glass blowing experience at Jewell Gardens in Skagway? I'm talking the real deal, make your own piece tour, not just the tour of the place, and watch other people doing the glassblowing.

 

Looking for some insight. My husband loves this stuff. My kids have marveled at glassblowing before, and I think they would love to try it.

 

Is it truly worth $800 for us to do this?

 

I forgot to mention that there is a third party site that you can book excursions through (starts with a V). Their price is $100pp so it may help you.

 

Just Google Jewell Gardens and they will come up :)

I think the shuttle is the best idea and will be doing the same.

 

Hi Sean! How are you doing?

 

Afterwards there are some nice hikes that you can take from downtown. Enjoy your trip - I'm still working on 2016!

Wondering what the timeline is myself since I am still pricing Alaska 2016.

 

I may be crossing off NCL based on all the recent changes :(

I did a side trip to Ranier on my one and only RT Seattle cruise. It was really nice and we actually played in the snow near the summit ( a treat for the group of us from FL). But, if I had my choice I would do a one way southbound and have a shorter flight home to FL at the end.

 

So, my recommendation is spend your extra days in Alaska and you will find lots of options from Anchorage :D Do your research and have fun planning!

Based on my experience - prices always drop. But you can't have your heart set on a certain sail date or cabin.....

I normally don't book that far our either but I just did - 2 days ago. The price was too good to pass up so I booked now rather than wait.

 

If you can sail later (April 14) you may want to look at Royal Caribbean and the Navigator of the Seas. It is a 9 night from Miami to their private island and the ABC's :D There are other sail dates if this date doesn't work for you.

 

I hope this helps....

Is there any specific time of year when fog is an issue? We are sailing January 11th out of Tampa :eek:

 

I was about to say January through March but I see December was thrown in so that is probably a possibility too :(

Our first trip on Celebrity was on the Connie and we'd been really looking forward to the Martini Bar before dinner, but we never used it. They were playing house music that was loud. As loud as being in a club - in fact the people in the atrium on the floor below were having to shout to hear each other. Didn't seem a good match to the passengers that were onboard.

 

We found somewhere else to drink, but we'd been looking forward to it and it was of the things that meant Celebrity wasn't a good match for us.

 

That must have been disappointing - especially since you were sailing the Med and not the Caribbean where you might have expected it. :(

 

A martini bar and soft music would be a better atmosphere!

Hard to imagine that the new sale will offer anything low enough for Alaska 2016 yet.

 

The best price right now for an inside cabin is over $2100 (solo passenger).

 

Yes, free gratuities are included (value $80.) but I don't care about the specialty dining when cruising alone. The bonus $100 OBC (RT Seattle sailings) is gone but that wouldn't have helped the bottom line much either :(

 

As in the past, I will be waiting until next year - even if I have to wait until after final payments are due.

A bit hard to do when the DJ's venue is the main atrium, as it was on Connie last week.

 

So right! I haven't sailed on Celebrity recently but this was also the case on the Star Princess in August. And unfortunately my cabin was right down the hall :mad: These cabins aren't the lowest inside cabins either and we actually received an upgrade????

 

So my issue is why are cruise lines moving entertainment out of the venues designed for it? It seems they thought everyone wanted entertainment all over the ship. :confused:

I believe it has to do with trying to make it so that everyone is equal. Meaning, everyone will go to dinner with wrinkled clothes, therefor no one will feel out of place.

 

Priceless! Thanks for the laugh :D

If we book an inside . It is almost always on Plaza deck near the Art Gallery.

 

Stayed in P323 on the Star in August and it was the worst cabin I have ever stayed in - as far a noise.

 

Some nights there was loud entertainment in the Piazza and other nights just loud bagging from below. At first I thought they were moving artwork around on the walls in preparation for the next day but one night I actually got dressed and went out to see. No one there so I'm not sure where the noises originated :mad:

Have you considered booking a shuttle bus tour independently? If you are staying the Denali Princess you can easily do that.

 

http://www.reservedenali.com/shuttles.aspx

If it is an upgrade - if you opt out is it really a refund? Sounds like it is automatically added?

 

Never done a cruise tour so I have no idea what is itemized on the cruise line invoice.....

As a solo - prices are too high and the OBC doesn't help enough to offset.

 

Now that Princess no longer offers a 150% supplement I need to wait for the sales next year.....:(

Wow, I sailed a 3 night Bahamas on the Empress way back in 1998 as part of a girls weekend.

 

The thing I remember most is the size of our inside cabin! I think it was 117 sq feet but felt even smaller :eek:

 

That was only my second cruise and we had a great time but I'm not sure I can go back to a ship that small. I like the Radiance class too much :)

I am curious now...what is the disadvantage of the Star? We are booked on the Star northbound next summer

 

Wondering too :confused:

 

I sailed in a mini suite on the Island (2006 -before the changes) and just recently in an inside cabin on the Star (August 2015).

 

I really enjoyed both cruises very much!

[quote name='Budget Queen']Glad it worked out for you. I've been taking advantage of late bookings for at least 10 years. I am extremely flexible, and have the luxury of not purchasing air.

This year I only did 4 Alaska cruises, picked up 3 2 weeks before the first one, with HAL and Princess. I had booked Carnival in advance- I have never seen them price dump, with only one ship- they probably don't have to. :)

Some people have specific dates, ships and cabins. Booking ahead works well for them. :) Nice that there is variety for everyone.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it worked out well last year :D

My challenge is working around important dates involving the grandkids so I don't have as much flexibility as I would like!

Fingers crossed for 2016 :D

[quote name='Budget Queen']For those who are flexible- I expect this to continue, as it has for my bookings over many years. I never fail to pick up absolutely give away prices- late booking.

For, those who may want to take advantage of this- and aren't fixed on cruiseline, or cabin, I suggest using the blocked time strategy- with at least 2 weeks 3 better. :) Book your flights ahead when you see good rates. Pick your dates around several cruises- with Princess, HAL and NCL, being the most likely to price dump- although I've seen good rates with RCI and Celebrity- one way Friday sailings.

Keep an eye out end of April. When you see a cruise that works with your dates- you have to book immediately. These go very quickly, don't even expect them to last 24 hours. I added 3 cruises- booked the second week of May this year, for the end of May for 3 additional weeks. as example.[/QUOTE]

This worked well for me in 2015 and I won't ever book early again :)

I will start watching in April this year per your suggestion though so thanks! I didn't book airfare early since I only have one week vacation time to work with but I had no problem getting FF seats in mid May for late August. Not sure if that would work from year to year :confused:

Have you also gone to Blackstone Bay?

 

Yes but I really liked the longer trip more :)

I agree, don't limit yourself to DCL or RCI.

 

Alaska is so different than sailing the Caribbean and you need to spend some time researching the itineraries, port times that allow you to take advantage of longer excursions or independent touring, and on board programs :)

On the inside passage, by the second week of Sept- it is dark by 7pm. the above reference for the first week being around 9pm is not correct. There is a wide range depending on where you are, but from a cruise and the southeast Alaska plan on 7pm by the second week, maybe 7:30p the first week with twilight.

 

According to the Patters and the website I use it is correct for Anchorage/Whittier but sailing south - the last port of Ketchikan was 7:26 pm with twilight ending by 8:07 pm. A good time to head in to dinner :)

 

Anyway, I was concerned about all of the post that I read about shorter days too before I sailed in late August. So, I think it is important to note that if it gets dark at 7:30 pm - it might not be considered a short day for everyone and it felt "normal' to me.

 

Just more information for the OP to make a decision around :)

I cruised from August 29 - September 5 from Whittier and was pleasantly surprised at how nice the weather was. From what I have read this was not a typical year though. All of my previous cruises have been late May into early June and this was the best weather cruise so far. So, who knows from year to year :confused:

 

I didn't mind that it got dark at a normal time for me. After a long day on deck or in port I was ready for some down time by 9 pm so it was no big deal.

 

August 29: sunrise 6:45 am - sunset 9:12 pm

September 5: sunrise 7:02 am - sunset 8:50 pm

I will be cruising the 7 day Southbound with Princess next summer leaving from Whittier, and am interested in taking a Prince William Sound cruise the day of departure. I had researched and was ready to book a Major Marine Surprise Glacier cruise, but it is not available the day I wanted! Now to decide between Phillips 26 Glacier, or the shorter Blackstone Cruises from either company. I am hesitant about the fast speeding Phillips 26 glacier boat, racing to get to the next glacier area...BUT it goes so much further than Blackstone Bay. Would I really be missing a lot by taking the more relaxing and slower Blackstone cruise? Would love to hear from those who have experiences both!

 

I just did the 26 Glacier Cruise on August 29 before boarding the Star Princess. It was fantastic and the catamaran isn't really racing from glacier to glacier. We lingered in many areas to view marine life so you don't need to worry about being on a racing boat ;) It really is the right pace and most stops are close together so you aren't always covering a long distance - except going out and back.....

 

The cruise gets great reviews so don't hesitate - book it! You won't be disappointed :D

 

If you get a chance take the Alaska RR from Anchorage. It leaves at 9:45 am and takes you right to the harbor where you just walk a short distance to Phillips Cruises for checkin. You check your bags with the RR in Anchorage (with Princess tags on) and they are delivered right to the ship. Just carry a day bag and enjoy!

Well this sale didn't do enough to make me book. A studio cabin for over $2200 before discounts is no deal :(