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BarbinMich

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Everything posted by BarbinMich

  1. Nice to hear that my next TA cruise will be on the recently updated Emerald (Nov. 7 TA)! Last time on this ship was in 2013 also doing a TA <g>.
  2. I've cruised to Alaska 5 times from 1996 to 2022. Once on Celebrity (1st cruise, 1996), twice on HAL (2004, 2005) and twice on Princess (2014, 2022). Enjoyed them all and can't remember any significant differences among them.
  3. The Mendenhall glacier is much diminished. We were there 5 times between 2005 and 2013 and that last time it was not really visible from the Visitors' Center (across the lake). When my great aunt visited there in the 1920-30s, it came out the highway! I think all those times we were there it barely made it to the lake. A very big disappointment but it shows the result of global warming.
  4. I may have to look into this cruise for next year. I've done several WB TA's (2009, 2010) that made stops in Greenland, but only saw an iceberg once. So would like to see more!
  5. I didn't arrange it. My daughter found out online about it, but I don't know where from (probably either Princess or Port of Seattle). I don't believe there was any cost, but I could be wrong.
  6. When I boarded the Crown Princess at Seattle back in May, they were doing testing on the dock, which was quite convenient.
  7. There's a webcam at Hall's Harbor, which is on the opposite side of the peninsula from Halifax. So you watch the tidal tide change to your heart's content <g>. Although it's a very slow process. You can watch a video of the latest change on their website: https://www.novascotiawebcams.com/en/webcams/halls-harbour-1/ After we were last there, I used to keep that site open on my screen so I could watch the change <G>. We had lunch at a restaurant on the dock on one of our visits there. A bit more exciting that the reversing falls seen in Halifax.
  8. We did this cruise once on the Celebrity Summit (2015) and prior to that we had driven out to NE and Canada and saw many of the same things. Also have hit several of the ports at the end of WB TA's. Really like that area! Enjoy!
  9. I've done over 50 cruises in my lifetime and I never stayed in the cabin while the ship was at sea. I roam the outer decks if weather is suitable or stay near a large window in the public areas to see what there is to be seen. FWIW I usually get an ocean-view cabin as I don't feel the need for a balcony, esp. on the itinerary you'll be sailing on--it can get cool/cold out there when the ship is moving! Have a great cruise!
  10. Princess doesn't start sailing in the Caribbean until November. They're busy in Alaska thru Sept. and in Oct. I assume they're doing maintenance on the ships that do Alaska in the summer and the Caribbean in in the late fall (Nov) and thru next spring.
  11. Interested to hear about this Iceland itinerary RT from Boston. We've visited Iceland several times, but always near the end of a WB TA. Looks like you'll be getting a real in-depth visit! I'll have to put this on my future-cruise-to-do list!
  12. I was just looking over my past sailings and these "rewards" I got were in lieu of the WB TA cruise I was to take in April of this year, but had to cancel at the last minute. So no "gift" but a "refund" from that cancelled cruise. Still grateful, though! FWIW, I did 30+ Princess cruises between 2000 (Dawn P) and May 2022 (Crown P).
  13. I was just looking at my two future cruise bookings (WB TA this Nov; Carib next Jan) and discovered extremely pleasant surprises for both! On the Emerald TA I don't think my cabin was upgraded as it's still on my "usual" deck- Plaza (possibly moved from inside to outside cabin). On the Enchanted cruise to the Caribbean, I've been moved from Plaza to Caribe cabin with a balcony (perfect for that itinerary). I had been paying for them gradually and they were both nearly paid for. On the TA, they have now included airfare, transfers [which I never usually buy], and insurance. Hope this is happening for others! Now traveling as a solo, really appreciated all these upgrades.
  14. Yes, it certainly was! Copenhagen is one my favorite ports. We were there five times and the last time (2017), I walked around quite a bit revisiting some of my favorite sites and seeing one new one. We've been watching the Tour de France for some years now and the scenery is always one of the "side benefits" for me! Especially those places we've never been, like the mountain portions.
  15. Ok, I guess I didn't see rock exactly (just looked at my photos). But the glacier was very "dirty" and the day was overcast so it wasn't the same as when my DH and I had visited in May and the glacier was "cleaner" looking and larger.
  16. I was on the Crown in May this year and I didn't find Glacier Bay's glaciers to be anything other than white. I went in May to see the most possible snow--presumably there will be somewhat less in July. I also took the train ride out of Skagway and there was plenty of snow near the turnaround point (and elsewhere), but again there will be less in July. Enjoy your first trip to Alaska!
  17. I've just read thru this thread and want to share what was my (much better) experience on the Crown in mid-May. I sailed to Alaska out of Seattle (a first for that departure port for me). In my humble opinion it was a great cruise. Made all the ports, generally when scheduled. I had a cabin just "outside" the Art Gallery on Deck 5 so it was quite convenient. I qualified for the "most traveled pax" luncheon with the captain, to my surprise (1st time in 30+ cruises). Glacier Bay was outstanding--why I went in May to see as much snow on the mountains as possible. The snow was also good on the train ride out of Ketchikan. I always ate at the buffet because it's faster and food is ok to good. There were no issues with the ship's propulsion as far as I could tell (i.e. schedule changes, etc.) The only port I didn't care for was Icy Strait Point. Should have taken a whale watch trip there as an amusement park (the main other thing there) is not my go-to place. This was my fifth cruise on the ship since 2009 (60 days in all) and I've enjoyed them all.
  18. I was on the Crown a month ago and I don't recall any problems. Made all the ports on time, etc.
  19. Thanks for the corrections! It's been 9 years since we were at both those ports so guess my memory isn't what it used to be!
  20. At St. John you can't walk on the ocean floor, at least not in town and there it is a river which you can't walk on either. My DH and I had driven out there years before we did that cruise and I was quite into the tidal situation. We were able to walk on the floor of a cove on our way to St. John and saw the effects of the tide at other places.
  21. Never been to Newport, but it looks wonderful. Been to all the other ports as well. In Boston we used the Hop-on, Hop-off trolley to get around to the sites. In Bar Harbor, the park is accessible by a bus as I recall. St. John is walkable (New Brunswick, I assume) although it's a steep uphill to the main city, Citadel, etc. There is a nice museum near the dock, though. Sydney is quite walkable as is Charlottetown unless you want to see the "Anne of Green Gables" house. Likewise with Quebec city--there is a water level and more historic area near the ship. They have an escalator (something similar to get up to the main part of the city). Enjoy!
  22. I treated my sister to an Alaskan cruise when she retired five years ago. We went in Sept. and I would never go at that time again. It was rainy in Juneau, Glacier Bay's main glacier had no snow, just bare rock, etc. Not much of a treat for her 😞. The only bright, sunny day was when we went to Dawes Glacier (up Endicott Arm). I'd been to Alaska a number of times, but had never been to that fjord/glacier.
  23. I was in Alaska a month ago and didn't bother getting off the ship at Juneau (or maybe we missed it on the Crown). But I did see it a few years ago and then there was hardly anything to see of the glacier from the Visitors Center. You can hike to it, but I wonder if it can even be seen doing that. FWIW, my great aunt traveled to Alaska in the 1920s or 30s and according to her diary the glacier came out to the highway!! I have also been up Endicott Arm and we did see Dawes and this was in Sept., an otherwise terrible time to see the glaciers (e.g. there was basically no snow at the main glacier at Glacier Bay--just bare rock).
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