Moparop

We are going to be staying at the Hampton Downtown next weekend and my husband is currently training for a half marathon and would like to do a couple of runs one of 6 miles and one of 12. Just looking for flat and if there is something other than sidewalk to look at that would be great. We are staying at the Hampton on Robson street. Thanks in advance!

Glad we are sailing out next Sunday!

What sorts of evening entertainment did you find onboard?

I have thoroughly enjoyed your review of the cruise. We will be doing a giant cruise next month and it's given us a sense of what to expect.

Lunch time at Tracy's Crab Shack, yum :)

 

 

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Are those king or Dungeness crab?

The Mendenhall Glacier web site ( above, in this thread) lists transportation options to the park, including the 2 shuttle companies. I believe it is up to $35pp now, to include the $5 park fee.

Did I read that you can get portion of this back as a senior with a card?

We are going out with Dolphin Jet Boat with our group of 14 next month. We wanted a shorter cruise and the price was right!

Yay!! We board next month!

When you say one bag for Denali does that mean a bag per person or per stateroom? Just trying to think ahead!

I've gone to charity shops thinking if it's cheap enough, I can leave it behind. Twice I've bought jackets like that--one a lightweight knit and one a wool blazer--and after wearing them a few times I liked them so much I kept them.

 

 

 

Moparop, I second RocketMan's congratulations and also the suggestion that you don't need a new outfit every night. Ripped jeans are "distressed." I don't know about faded. If you're buying new clothes for Alaska, buy a pair of jeans that isn't ripped or faded. You'll want jeans for daytime anyway. As for "slacks," to me that means pants that aren't jeans or yoga pants. I don't know about leggings and tunics. Can't remember seeing them at dinner, but that doesn't mean that somebody wasn't wearing them.

 

 

 

I don't see why a v-neck tee would be a problem. Tees aren't supposed to be graphic (nothing printed on them), but that's the only restriction I've read about. As part of your shopping, pick up a black or tan t-shirt to use as a neutral. You can add a scarf or different jewelry and change the look for a few wearings.

I am a definite thrift store junkie but the pickings are pretty slim in larger sizes. I'll continue to look!

Thanks for the help so far!

I'm not trying to skirt the dress code but I have lost about 35 pounds and will be buying all new clothes to go on my Alaska cruise. Since I am continuing to lose weight, what I buy may or may not work by the time fall rolls around. I don't work outside the home and currently live in yoga pants. I have a family of 5 and will be traveling in a group of 14 so locking myself in my room with room service is not an option.

So... I'm trying I'm trying to be deliberate and as minimal in my purchases as possible. I'm planning on buying two knit dresses for the Gala nights. Knit is forgiving and will last longer. For non gala nights, how distressed are jeans that are too distressed for regular dinners. Do they mean ripped or faded as well? When people say "just wear slacks" what does that mean for women? Are leggings and tunics acceptable? What about capris? Are there any rules about tops for women on nights that aren't gala? My wardrobe has been all V-neck tees.

Thanks for the report. We will be on the Zaandam with a group of 14 heading north in July!

We have a 2pm Tundra Wilderness Tour scheduled as part of our HAL package in July. With 3 small children, I'm thinking a highlight for them would be seeing the sled dog demonstration. Can we get to the 10am show and then make it back for the tour? if we do both am I over scheduling for a 7 year old? If she loses patience with the tour, is there a way back to the hotel midtour or are we stuck?

Cause I think that still puts the 12yo (who I presume is the oldest of the 3 children) sleeping in a room by himself.

 

 

 

Cheers,

Yes, exactly. None of the options are good for us but this seems like the best option. We had hoped to find connecting rooms but none are available. If HAL wants to get into the family market, they need better sleeping options for larger families.

We had a similar experience with our family of 16 and we were paying for everything. I'll try to make a long story short on what we did. We all checked in as we booked. After we boarded we got some extra cards (room only) at the front desk and those that changed rooms had to use 2 cards - the original one for drinks and leaving the ship and the other to get into their room.

 

They really didn't care who slept where.

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Since he had the poor judgment to meet her too late, leave fiancee in the single room and let your brother figure it out!;)

That was my original thought!! My mom then pointed out, if my brother decided to sleep in her room one night then I'd have a 12 year old in a single. This way he's not alone for who knows how long. Who knew being a family of 5 was so tough!?

OP: This not a "lesson learned" case. My apologies. What a mix-up! But I am sure that everything will work out in the end. I like the suggestion of giving the bar bill to your father since it was his action, albeit a very generous one, which precipitated this confusion. Nonetheless, enjoy your cruise - which will be even more enjoyable because it is free!

It's ok! The backstory is so convoluted that I didn't want to get into it if I didn't have to. He's covering airfare and the land package for everyone, so I really feel like I cannot ask him to pay for beyond that. We've been told that any room charges are our own to cover. My mom has told the fiancee to pack bottles of wine to drink since she won't have the package. Each of the rooms has the Explore 4/signature drink package for the adults in the room, except the fiancee. Because my son was the second person assigned to his room, he became an adult fare at the age of 12 and thus has the full explore 4. She may end up a big winner while I end up the loser.

This all would have been a lot easier if my brother met her 6 months earlier. ;p:')

To the OP - For basic information could you please explain the following with a little more specificity::

 

1. What were the original reservations

2. What do you want to accomplish with the change

 

Why you did the first reservation and why you now want the change would be interesting, but not necessary.

My husband , my children, and I make up a family of 5. This trip is being paid for by my parents to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We originally had 4 cabins for my siblings and I. Since HAL sleeps a max of 4 people per cabin, my oldest was put in my brother's cabin. Our cabins all are slated to have the full drink package for adults and then do a land trip. Since booking, my brother gained a fiancée. My parents want her to come on the trip. In order to accommodate her, my dad had to book a 5th cabin as a single. This cabin does not have the drink package attached nor the land trip. The fiancée will be sleeping in my brother's room and my son will be back in the room I was booked in. Since the room cannot sleep 5 and my son is a 12 year old and I didn't want him in a single alone. I then decided to take DD to the fiancée's room, which is directly across the hall from our original room so that my husband wasn't having all three kids by himself in a room.

So, none of this is my doing but the problems are all mine. It's a free trip so I am trying not to complain, but it definitely puts a major hiccup in our plans. My parents are very much of the "it'll all work out and you'll be fine" philosophy but if I am thinking when I get on the ship that I had Explore 4 and now I don't -- I need to get my anger about this before it ruins my parents' celebration.

By packages do you mean promos, like Ready,Set,Sail? I think those would stay with the original room booking and whoever is staying in that room. You should be able to have your credit card pay for anyone that you choose.

Yes, I'm wondering about a promo. We have an explore4 for the people assigned to the room I was originally to sleep in, as well as my son who was staying with his uncle. The room I will be switching to does not have the explore 4 promo associated with it. Does that mean that we would each lose the promo?

Also, the room I will be sleeping in is currently a single, but once all of the shuffling is done my 7 year old daughter will be in there as well. Not a problem, right?

OP here

Talked to my dad about the gala nights this past weekend. He's a very seasoned cruiser, 30-40 nights a year. When he dresses for a gala night, he wears a suit coat, tie, and dress shirt while wearing Columbia type hiking pants. After learning that, I'm figuring that my boys will more than me his level of expectation in an oxford cloth shirt, regular khakis, and a tie -- and if they want to wear casual shoes, it's fine by me.

Thanks to those of you who weighed in!

Hi! We just back from cruising to Alaska. The tween group is 7-12 now, and older kids are no longer allowed to participate in activities with the younger kids, which was hard for my 13 year old boy. I did see some mixing of the 3-6's and the tweens, for movie night, for example. But teenagers are kept separate.

Wonderful!! This conversation came up again today and your information will make my daughter's day!!

We have about 48 hours over the course of 3 days in Vancouver before we get on our cruise in July. We arrive midday Friday and will be getting on the ship midday on Sunday. Based on time, energy and money, I pretty much think we are going to do either Grouse Mtn or Capilano bridges. Which do you like better for a family of 5, kids between 8-12? I was feeling pretty convinced we would do Grouse on Sunday morning before boarding, but now I'm wondering about Capilano Friday evening. If Sunday, it's possible that the rest of our group (9 more adults) will be joining us.

Right now, we are also looking at walking down to Gastown, Fly Over Canada/Canada Place, and Granville Island. Does that sound like enough to do without exhausting ourselves and still giving us the decent sense of the city?

We are traveling in a large group on Zaandam this summer. Because of booking issues, I will be sleeping in a room that is currently assigned to someone else in our party.My son is assigned to his uncle's room, but will now be in our room.

I understand that we can go to the purser's office and get things switched around, but what exactly do they switch there? I've already got all of my son's charges linked to my credit card. Will that just change who is holding which room key? Does it change how packages are linked and such?

I didn't even think about seasickness - we did a Mexican Riviera cruise with her several years ago and she was fine. But lately she's been prone to carsickness on long rides. Was dramamine or anything else helpful to your son?

We used Bonine with my son. It's supposed to be less drowsy.

We are taking an almost 13 year old in July. I've told all three of my kids (7, 11, and the 13) that they need to go for at least an hour of the 7pm meet-up on the first night. While we haven't cruised HAL, we have cruised before and that first night is key. The counselors work hard to make a community quickly and if they skip that night, it's much harder to break into the group.