NoobCruise

We did Alaska the first week of September a few years ago and had everything from shorts weather (sunny and in the 80s) in Seattle and Victoria, rainy and chilly in Juneau and Sitka, sunshine in Ketchikan (really rare), to a beautiful sunny day in Glacier Bay that ran the gamut starting out with over-cast misty and light rain and multiple layers that we slowly peeled off to where we were in tshirts and jeans at Margery Glacier, then the closer and closer we got to Johns Hopkins Glacier the colder and colder it got to where we were bundled up in multiple layers again with ski jackets and rain pants pulled over top of jeans and long johns, gloves and beanies and still shivering and freezing our booties off. Pack for everything in September.

I left a note taped to the underside of a drawer for another Cruise Critic member that I knew would be staying in the same cabin a few weeks later. She found it!

If our cabin is ready, we go there first to drop our stuff off and check out our cabin and balcony, then go for a drink. If the cabin's not ready yet, then head to the Lido for a drink and check out the views.

at airport about to board for Anchorage

 

http://mysmallcorneroftheuniverse.com/Alaska-2017.php

 

Spending weekend in Denali and board ship Sunday

You probably won't like my opinion, but I think the airline made the right choice in removing your son from the flight. He was ACTIVELY VOMITING! Even though it was only motion sickness and not contagious like the flu, the thing about vomiting is it IS contagious like a yawn. If I hear and smell someone else vomiting, I will start vomiting too. This is a VERY common phenomenon. It is really not cool to expect the other passengers to have to sit there and see, hear, and smell your sons vomiting. It is very likely that if he continued on the flight and continued vomiting, that other passengers would start vomiting too. You all knew he got motion sick. They had meds ready. Your husband made the stupid choice not to give them to him. All the other passengers on that plane shouldn't have to suffer because your husband made a poor choice. I personally am glad to hear the airline considered the comfort of all of their passengers and booted em off. It was the right decision, even though it inconvenienced and stressed you all out. Next time, give the kid the meds!

We had it booked months in advance, but the morning we went to join the tour, we found out it was cancelled due to weather. Be aware that it is often cancelled due to weather and have a backup plan ready, just in case.

We were in 8147 on the Westerdam (identical layout to Zuiderdam), which is a corner aftwrap under the Sea View bar area. We were in Alaska in September, and it was cold, and the area wasn't greatly used, so it didn't bother us much.

BUT the day we were in Glacier Bay and when we pulled in and out of ports, we could definitely hear chairs sliding across the deck, we could hear people talking above us and smell their cigarette smoke. We also woke to a big piece of chocolate cake splatted on our railing and deck the morning we pulled into Glacier Bay, presumably blown down from above. I imagine if we were on a warm weather cruise it would have been more annoying. We were also out photographing a spectacular sunset one evening with fancy camera set up on a tripod when we suddenly had water pouring down on us from above. The crew were swabbing the pool deck above us. In the future, we'll try to book lower decks because of all this, but if deck 8 were the only aft facing cabins available, I'd book them again in a heartbeat.

Our first cruise was to the Mexican Riviera in February. Weather was supposed to be mid70s to 80s, so I packed accordingly. Froze my bootie off the entire time I was on the ship! The Pacific ocean is COLD, even when its warm on land!

We also flew the same day, and even though it was just San Francisco to LA, it was a long stressful day. We ended up not getting to eat all day, and the line at the pier was wrapped around the outside of the building. We stood in line about 4 hours before finally making it aboard, just in time for muster. We were so exhausted we didn't really enjoy the first 2 days.

I use an ap called White Noise by TM Soft. It helps immensely to drowned out all extraneous noise from DH snoring to outside noises. I highly recommend it!

Why paid for something that you don't need? It's not a simple, just learn how to use the phone and you won't need a wrist watch.

 

 

 

The easiest way is to just turn off automatic date/time update.

One of the best parts of cruising for us is ditching the cell phones. It's not about knowing how to use the phone. It's about unplugging for us.

My favorite is a towel and one shoe, with no sign of the other shoe. Does the shoe putter downer think we believe that there is someone out there walking around with one shoe?

Maybe it started out with 2 shoes and someone annoyed at the MIA chair hog managed to "accidentally" move one. So said chair hog returns to find only one shoe. In which case, said chair hog may actually end up walking back to cabin in one shoe.

I didn't know anyone involved, but I like to people watch, and I saw this happen once. The chair hog was a loud mouth narcicist and was seen frequently harrassing people around the ship. He came in one morning and set up his towel and left his shoes on a lounger, and left. I don't know where he went without his shoes (not in the pool), but he was gone awhile. 45 minutes to an hour later, I watch a young woman walk by, pick up one shoe, and keep walking up the stairs. She dropped the shoe several rows back, out of sight. Awhile later, loud mouth chair hog finally returns. Only one shoe. He looks around, harrasses a few people, makes a scene. I was far enough away to escape getting sucked in to the drama. He never did find the other shoe. He left with only one shoe on. Still makes me laugh out loud when I think of it. No, I never said anything. I didn't want to be accused of stealing his shoe when I had nothing to do with it.

You're going to be sorry you didn't get that SB instead of an SA!

 

I'm not sure I'd even take the PS over the aft corner balcony. Best rooms onboard, in my mind.

We debated that when we booked an aft wrap and decided to check the no changes or upgrades box. We decided we preferred the aft wrap balcony to the penthouse.

The easiest way to stay on ship time is a plain old fashioned wrist watch.

OMG They're booked in a corner aft wrap! I'd take that over an SA any day! We cruised in SB8147 on the Westerdam to Alaska and the balcony is incredible. I predict you will ALL be spending a lot of time together on that balcony. We could easily have fit a good size crowd out there 15 or 20 people. There were 2 chaise lounge chairs, 2 chairs with foot stools, and a table with 4 chairs, and that was just on the back facing part. I would book an aft wrap again in a heart beat!

This is pics of our aft wrap:

I would say really consider your GF's personality. I'm an introvert and would be horrified at a public proposal! I hate my own birthday because I hate being the center of attention, even within our extended family lol

I would love a romantic sunset on our private balcony.

We eat normal, but with a few more desserts than usual. Still tend to lose a few pounds on a cruise though due to a ton of walking and we usually take the stairs.

This is really something only you and your dr can decide because everyone's case is different and experiences vary widely. We sailed to Alaska before my surgery and back pain really slowed me down. We had a great time, but I was in pain the whole time, and at that time, I wished I had waited until after surgery.

However, I had complications (explained in my previous post) and the expected recovery of 2 to 3 months turned into well over a year. If I had had a cruise booked in that time, I would have missed it. But again, that's really something only you and your dr can decide. My advice would be if you book knowing you're going in to surgery, then definitely get the Cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance, just in case.

I had a Thoracic laminectomy and placement of spinal cord stimulator and generator and two days later drove to Canada. I think it is all about attitude and what you are willing to make work. Whiners will have a harder time. Non whiners will get out there and do it because they want to push themselves to get stronger.

This is one of the most arrogant and ignorant comments I've read on here in awhile lol First, you didn't even have a fusion, so you're not exactly in a position to judge what someone elses fusion recovery should be. It's great that your experience was a breeze and your case was easy, but not everyone has the same problems and complications do NOT mean they're "just whiners". Backsurgery is not a one size fits all and its just plain stupid to assume it should be.

My first fusion was at age 14 for a 50% spondylolisthesis at l5-S1. For those that don't know the terminology, that means the whole vertebra had slipped forward 1.4 centimeter and my spinal cord was getting pinched. The surgery helped a lot and I returned to snow skiing, running, and whatever else struck my fancy.

30 years later, and l3 and l4 also started to slip. I had blown discs compressing nerve roots and a couple of grape-sized cysts due to instability. I had surgery at Stanford University. I went expecting l3-l5 to be fused and a 2 to 3 month recovery. Easy-peezy, right?

Once they got in there, they discovered my fusion at l5-S1 had completely failed and it had not been visible on any of my imaging. They did not use hardware in my first fusion, but they removed the lamina and the disc and with a 50% slip, it got complicated fast. I came out with l4-S1 fused and was not allowed to bend, twist, or lift more than a gallon of milk for six months, and that had nothing to do with being "a whiner". It had to do with my dr wanting to give a revision of a failed fusion the highest chance of success. I was only allowed to sit for 30 minutes at a time a couple of times a day for 2 months. My dr would have flipped out at a long road trip and there's no way I would have been allowed on a cruise.

Again, back surgery is not a one size fits all and its ridiculous to assume that everyone should have as easy a time as you had.

Another case of "Captain's Choice" but in College Fjord the Captain decided it was OK to get real close (or so it seemed) to Harvard Glacier. In his announcement he did mention he had to go slow due to so much ice in the water and something about Seattle not liking it if he scratched the paint. Close enough so when a city bus sized chunk calved the wave rocked the ship pretty good. We were far closer than other ships at Glacier Bay too.

We experienced this at Johns Hopkins Glacier on the Westerdam as well. I couldn't believe it rocked the whole ship!

LOL, In defense of my sleepy question..... It was our 3rd typhoon that week (17-24 September 2011)...........

 

Hey, at least after the worst of the 1st one, I was not the one lying prone on the bed asking, "Where's my cell phone?" When asked why you wanted it, your reply of, "So I can call 911," was priceless. That was my most memorable part of that cruise:D

 

Joanie

That made me laugh out loud

More info

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/protected_species/marine_mammals/pinnipeds/brandingq_a.pdf

This is just one example of why. They use branding to track for many reasons, from research, to tracking specific trouble-makers. We have a few in Monterey branded because they keep damaging property on the docks and may be aggressive to humans.

http://www.orcanetwork.org/marinemammals/sealionsightings.html

Alaska has tons of stuff for every age. Go now while you're young and active and can hike, kayak, bike etc. We were early 40s our first trip and frequently hike in the Sierras, and were still exhausted every night. You can always go back when you're older for less physical sights, but it may be difficult to do some of the most adventurous tours if you wait until you're "old".

It's weird. But the world would be a dull place if we were all carbon copies of "normal". So own it and trot that weirdness out with pride ;)

"Like Romeo and Juliet"

 

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the play, but Romeo and Juliet is classified as a tragedy.

My first thought when I saw the title, before I even opened the thread was "Well this isn't going to end well."

Thank you all for your feedback! This turned into a very interesting thread!