Tananda

Hi! I will be in St Thomas in early April. I had planned this as our shopping stop, but I am now wondering what is still around/open since the hurricane? Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Anywhere there are fish you should see eagles. We toured South central Alaska independently years ago and didn't see them until we got to the coast.

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Thank You! I love seeing the Bon Voyage threads! I have two HAL cruises coming up!

March 31st NA Eastern Caribbean 7 day with my Mom. This will be our 2nd cruise on NA. We fell in love last year!

May 19th Eurodam Alaska 7 day r/t from Seattle with DH. This is his first HAL cruise and our third trip although 1st cruise to Alaska.

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We did a glacier hike near Anchorage and were surprised at how warm we got. I kept peeling off layers until I was down to my short sleeve bottom layer. That was an overcast day in late August. I was glad to be able to carry my backpack. My suggestion is layers that wou can easily carry should you get warm

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I also recommend the glacier landing. We have done both over our 2 trips to Alaska, and DH and I still rave about the glacier landing. Being from Atlanta where we don't get much snow, I was totally mesmerized.

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Thank you all for your replies! We will be on Holland America Eurodam. Not sure about docking versus tendering. I really like the car rental idea. We can then explore at our leisure. I will check that out this morning! Thank you again!

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Hello! DH and I will be cruising in mid May. One of our stops is Sitka. I would like to see Fortress of the Bear and the Raptor Center, but I really don't want to be on a big tour. We are both relatively new to cruising and have only done ship excursions. How would you recommend getting to these locations? Taxi, bus, private tour? I appreciate any insight you could offer!

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Eko is a name often give to the 1st son in Indonesia, (like Ketut to the 4st son in Bali) so you will find some waiters with this name. We had an Eko last summer on Koningsdam, like we had a few Ketuts on other sailings.

Difficult to tell if you can still find the Eko you mean.

I had not realized it was such a common name. As my given name is Jennifer (very common), that could be partly why we got along so well. I will check with the dining room manager. It won't hurt to ask. Thanks, everyone!

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Was Eko the steward and Anto his assistant?

I believe Anto was the steward and Eko his assistant but I could be mistaken.

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I had a fantastic cruise on the NA last spring and will be on her again this year. I know staff moves from ship to ship, but we had an amazing dining team. If they are still onboard, we would love to request their section. Is there a way to find out? Incidentally, they are Anto and Eko. Thank you!

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Very small world indeed! The service on Holland America was excellent last year, and my mother told me that she really wanted a retreat cabana again. I don't know what we would do without being spoiled so much! We will look for you on the ship! 60 days to go!

Thank you for all the replies! The last time we were in Alaska was late August. We were able to see the lights from Talkeetna and they were amazing. Hopefully, we will luck out again despite being in a solar minimal.

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Will be cruising the Eurodam in mid May so it should still be getting dark enough at night for a glimpse of the lights if there is ample activity. Can you request a wakeup call if the lights should present themselves like you can in a land based hotel? Or should we set an alarm to check in the wee hours when the skies are clear? Thanks for your help!

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Not sure about the buses as we have driven it several times. I think it took 4ish hours Denali to Anchorage and 2ish Anchorage to Seward. That is without stops, construction, or accidents. I am sure there will be multiples of each. Enjoy your trip! Denali is incredible!

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I was on the NA last April and pre ordered each night for the following night.

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Congratulations! That was our first Holland America cruise. Now we have the Eastern Caribbean on the NA and Alaska on the Eurodam booked. You will love it!

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I was finally able to book PG for my May Eurodam cruise! Now what to do to keep me busy????

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My husband and I did an excursion in Cozumel to swim where there were a number of sea turtles. It was the very end of October and we saw many while snorkeling.

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I am having the same issue for my May cruise on Eurodam. I just keep checking. My March NA had it open in early November. Good luck! I hope you get the reservation you want!

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I love all the replies, thank you very much.

 

One question, if I may. If two itineraries are identical, but one sailing shares its Half Moon day with another ship, is that enough to persuade you to the other sailing? Just wondering how big of a deal this is.

I have been to Half Moon Cay twice but never when there was another ship there. Tendering is not fun, even on the shore side tenders. If there are two ships, then one will be using their own tenders. I have a hard time with crowds in small spaces which is what I have gotten on ship tenders. The chance of having to deal with that just to get to the island would be enough to convince me.

Good luck with the decision making! I am sure you will have a great time on either one!

Then you would be cruising prior to the Eurodam dry dock and just after the Nieuw Amsterdam one. I am not sure if there are major changes planned or just sprucing.

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Thank you, kazu. Just checked and our dates are not available yet. DH has learned my planning nature and now just asks what is on the agenda. He just shakes his head as I research and plan.

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You couldn't pay me to go back to Amber Cove. The only positive there was the cute Amber turtle charm I bought. We missed Grand Turk as only one ship could be in port at the time. Not sure when you are looking but I believe Eurodam will be in dry dock early spring.

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Thank you! I will keep checking daily. Everything else is planned. I am such a geek!

Can't wait to cruise again!

Ditto :). No problem at all :)

Perfect! Thanks to everyone! I will plan to send my first bad on night 1.