azevedan

I just got a supercompact Canon Powershot SX700HS. 30X optical zoom; 60X digital without losing resolution; still fits in a pocket.

DH just upgraded his compact to a Canon SX50HS 50X optical zoom. We would've held out for the 100X Canon is reportedly coming out with, but we wanted an upgrade for our upcoming DIY trip. We plan to be hiking a lot, so not hauling around lenses is a choice for reduced fussing.

If you are into the long lenses and don't mind switching them on and off, do indeed take your best cameras. We go by the adage that 'the best camera is the one you'll have in your hand', and so we go with self-contained units.

Mine is June 2016, and final payment is due THIS MONTH. Neither my TA nor I could believe it. I am assured (in writing) that the cancellation policies hold, which means fully refundable (except for that $100PP) until a few minths before the actual cruise. Otherwise I'd owe the full brochure rate. Oh, come now, Viking....you're not going to get many newbies unless you realize you are way outside the standard. I guess they need the money for those new ships!

I also verified that my insurance covers me if they go under!

So, a 2-3 hour moderate, yet scenic hike would be ideal. :) Does anything fit the bill???

Yeah, lots. :p

I'm in the same boat (well, on the same shuttle...) So many gorgeous places. Do you want the best chance at wildlife? Down in a basin. Want to climb and see the mountains? Any ridge, I guess. I don't think you can go wrong whatever you pick.

The book has an overview (the important points you can probably get on the nps.gov site for Denali.) It also provides about 60 hikes in various spots, following 'social trails' (i.e., trails that people and animals have made by repeated walking), giving conditions, how to follow the outlined route, etc. If you're off to do only a short hike, I think you can easily get by on your own by getting off wherever strikes your fancy (which is what we will probably end up doing, anyway!) We'll be in the area for 5 days. Planning on doing Little Coal Creek in Denali *State* Park, then 4 days in Denali *National* Park (staying up in Healy). Whatever day has the clearest weather, we'll go all the way out to Wonder Lake and hike up to the ridges. The other days, we'd like to do something in the Polychrome Basin or ridges (best area for spotting wolves, according to the book), Thoro Ridge or something else around the Elieson area, and then something near the entrance or Savage River for the day we don't have shuttle tickets.

We did a cruise in early May a few years ago. We walked around the deck (on the jogging path) every night after dinner, and we saw TONS (literally! :p) of whales, on all sides of the ship, including tailfin dives. Without binoculars. Yes, they were in the distance, but they were easy to see. Also saw otters and sea lions. You can see plenty of whales if you're outside and looking. As a benefit, you get your exercise.

We heard a woman complaining while waiting to disembark that she hadn't seen any whales. Guess they weren't in the casino or lounges.

Since 2000 there have been a total of 23 fatal bear attacks in the United States. On average in 2011, 89 people were killed on the roadways of the U.S. each day. It's all about perspective. I hike in bear country all the time, have been for almost 50 years, and carry only common sense. As with plane crashes, I'm far more likely to die on the way to the trail or airport.

You are talking numerators with vastly different denominators. (In other words, far more people drive daily than hike in bear country.)

As with both driving and hiking, it makes sense to take reasonable precautions while enjoying the freedom and benefits offered by both activities.

I just got "Denali NP Guide to Hiking, Photography and Camping" by Ike Waits. Someone had published a link to it in this forum. Has a lot of info about various spots to hikes in all areas.

http://denaliguidebook.com/

Our first trip to Alaska was an early May cruise a few years back. One of our 'hikes' turned out to be a snowshoe hike - it was one of the highlights of our trip! Neither of us had snowshoed before, btw.

We had an excursion out of Skagway that was supposed to be a hike but because of being early in the season was a snowshoe hike. It was one of the highlights of our trip!

I've stayed at the Courtyard before. It's a good choice.

Good to know. We're using points to stay there overnight before heading down to Seward.

Cruising is actually not our favorite method of travel, but we've done a fair number. Sail mainly on Azamara these days; prefer smaller ships. Planning on trying Windstar at some point. Loved the look of the Viking Homelands itinerary on Viking Oceans, and am looking forward to a shiny new ship! Not onboard until 2016, though....the balconies certainly sold out quickly for 2015!

We've done:

May 1993 Royal Caribbean - Eastern Caribbean (fun in the sun)

May 2002 Royal Caribbean - Southern Caribbean (fun in the sun II)

May 2008 Norwegian - Alaska (gorgeous scenery but not a fan of NCL)

Dec 2009 Costa - Western Caribbean (kitschy fun for New Year's, but organizational disaster)

May 2011 Azamara Quest - Eastern Med (found our cruising home)

Oct 2011 Galapagos Explorer II - Galapagos (great trip, but I'd do a tiny boat next time)

Mar 2012 A&K Sun Boat IV - Nile River (fabulous!)

May 2013 Pacific Catalyst (12 pax!) - Glacier Bay (unbelievably wonderful!)

Jan 2014 Azamara Quest - through the Panama Canal (another lovely trip on Azamara)

Mar 2014 Celebrity Reflection - Eastern Caribbean (fun in the sun III girls trip with my SIL)

and have an Azamara RT from Venice to Croatia and Montenegro and Paul Gauguin in Tahiti planned in addition to the Viking Oceans

Anyone getting any discount of any kind?

We got a 25% discount on the cost of our CA King. This discount was in place during January (plus 4 free pillows). You can always ask to see if they will offer you one; what have you got to lose?

However, I advise NOT asking if they can also do better on the delivery price. I ended up having to help move the mattress off the truck and all the way up our driveway and into the house because there was only one guy on the delivery truck (which was huge, so it couldn't fit up our driveway (yes, I had explained our driveway to the delivery company)). So I'm guessing they went with a cheaper company when I asked about the delivery price.

Love the bed; no more sore back when I wake up.

Ann

Be aware that the benefits for particular levels won't carry over; just whatever benefits Celebrity will give for the equivalent level. For example, while I got 85 free minutes of internet on my last Azamara cruise, Celebrity would only give a 10% discount on purchased internet plans.

or the odd variant on Egg Beaters used to make the thin, nasty omelettes.

I can only imagine they ran out of eggs on a transatlantic? We certainly had fresh eggs for our omelets. I would get two egg/one yolk omelets. Also watched all the others being made up fresh.

I can personally vouch for the Pacific Catalyst small boat (75' wooden) cruise. Wonderful people; fabulous trip. Would do it again in an instant. This year, though, we are doing the DIY land trip (no RV). Enjoy your travels! It's a fabulous place to visit, no matter how you see it.

And then there's our experience..... (Which was, in fairness, early May). On the open-water overnight on our penultimate night, we hit a hellacious storm. They stopped updating the weather on the TV. They closed the outside decks. We were on Deck 7, And every 4th wave *broke* across our balcony (granted, that's a combination of the ship heading down in to the trough while the next wave hits). No sleep for us....we went out into the public areas and hung out with the other "misery loves company" peeps, listening to a piano player (!) and watching the officers walk around exuding calm. :eek:

So rough seas exist. We made it through; so will you.

Trip up from Seattle in the open waters had been fine, but that's when my husband needed the Bonine. go figure.

I will echo the recommendation to move around. We went through the Canal on Quest in January. Spent time up top, on our balcony, on the Promenade Deck (5) and on the stern outside of Windows Cafe, which gives you the panoramic view (just backwards). I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Azamara had a great guest lecturer (Richard Wainio) who was head of the Canal Strategic Planning division).

Day 1 to Anchorage

Day 2 stock up on supplies, drive down to Seward, taking our time to sightsee in Turnagain Arm

Day 3 Kenai Fjords boat trip (all day)

Day 4 hike, wildlife center

Day 5 all-day kayak in Aialik Bay

Day 6 more Kenai sightseeing/hiking maybe another boat trip

Days 7-8 up to Healy (near Denali), one night along the way in Trapper Creek; hike in Denali State Park

Days 9-12 Denali NP, shuttles, hiking

Days 13-14 back to Anchorage late night flight home

Alright, I'm weird. 1 pair of jeans lasts me a whole cruise.

You're not weird.

I love the EBags packing cubes.

http://www.ebags.com/category/travel-accessories/packing-aids/packing-cubes?lastSearchTerm=packing+cubes

Thanks for that link! I just ordered a couple of sets.

I can not imagine wearing the same pjs for a 13 day trip.

There's an obvious alternative to this that makes packing light even easier.

We've done many 7-10 day trips with backpacks. It's actually easier these days, with microfiber clothing that is very light and dries very quickly after rinsing. Ex officio underwear is great - we take 3 pairs but could get by with 2. Sweater/hoodie and rain jacket can be worn or carried on board separate from your carryon. Microfiber long underwear can go under your regular pants for any colder days.

We are aiming to do our upcoming 2-week DIY to Alaska with just our backpacks.

Carrying on has saved me more times than I can mention, including last week (Caribbean cruise) when flight delays and rebookings would have meant a checked bag would NOT have made it to the boat (yes, I normally go a day early, but there were things going on that meant I couldn't this time).

on Reflection.

And, on reflection:

The ship was gorgeous, but too dang big. And there were too many people (and it was spring break and this was the Caribbean). The pool area was packed solid and noisy, and yes, the music was really really LOUD. Even the Solstice Deck (the top small deck where I like to hide out to get my sun) got crowded with others seeking sun with quiet (there's an indoor pool area for quiet, but that was pretty crowded, too, and doesn't get sun). It took forever to get anywhere, and I never did get to know the boat in the week I was on it. There were lots of nice little nooks all over. The Promenade Deck (as on Azamara) was a much quieter place to hang out.

There are a lot more smoking areas on Celebrity, but it wasn't a big issue. Frankly, the smoking situation was worse on my last Azamara cruise, due to a continual cigar smoker and the fact that the odor affected a much larger (proportionally) area of the ship.

I had a soda package, but still had to hand over my card to be rung up each time I got one. Why couldn't I just show it? (Yes, I know - bookkeeping.) I forgot it at a bar one time and had to retrieve it. The bartender lectured me about not losing it again, then (after I said I was used to not having to give my card to get a soda) lectured me that I was "on Celebrity now, and you have to obey Celebrity's rules!" Yes, a direct quote. :eek: Most of the crew and workers, though, were friendly and had a smile and hello. The captain even introduced himself to me as we were both getting a late lunch in the cafe.

I think the live entertainment was a step above Azamara. There was a female guitar player/vocalist who was fabulous, and they were a couple of amazing acrobatic/artistic shows. The production shows/singers were fairly typical.

The food was mostly very good. I didn't sample the ice cream or gelato, except for the day they had a delicious low-fat peach ice cream, with real peaches. The service in the MDR was up and down, but mostly up. Sometimes they worked with requests for meal alterations; other times, it was 'this is just the way it comes.' They also didn't make any reference to the dietary restrictions I had filed before sailing, unlike Azamara, where the maitre d' had a lengthy discussion with me at the start of the cruise.

I did one ship excursion, which I was very pleased with. We only had 27 snorkelers on a boat meant for over 100, and it was a great trip. Also, there were crew members waiting with fruit punch and cold towels when we returned. The cruise only had 3 ports - San Juan, St Thomas and St Maarten. I would've preferred a cruise that stopped more places, but I was traveling last minute with family (but without the DH) on a pre-arranged cruise.

Due to flight problems, I got to Miami later than planned and boarded well after the rush, so checkin was a breeze (normally, I'd go down the day before, but it was a short flight and I'd returned from a business trip the day before). Walking off at the end was also a breeze. I got off even before the announcement, and the wait at customs was minimal. No problem getting a cab to the airport (but there were flight problems AGAIN getting home.)

There was certainly a broader age spectrum of passengers, and lots of families. Also, those passengers who were of the age that you typically see on Azamara represented a much broader (shall we say) behavioral spectrum.

Two formal nights; I brought a cocktail length dress, which I wore for the first formal night. A wide variety of what constituted 'formal' wear. :rolleyes: The second formal night (which I skipped) appeared to be a lot more 'formal', judging by the attire of people walking around that evening.

It was a nice break, the weather was fabulous, I had a couple of great snorkel days in crystal blue waters, but the ship was just too dang big and crowded for my taste.

I've come across it in hotels (the a/c is hooked up to a motion detection, so it shuts off when you sleep during the night). Haven't come across it in on cruise ships. Sailing on Celebrity for the first time this month.