JT1962

Technically Ketchikan is on the Inside Passage, but you will primarily be sailing in open ocean to get to / from Ketchikan since the cruise sails outside of Vancouver Island, not inside, which has much better scenery. You will only see glaciers if you take a flight seeing tour to Misty Fjords. The only real advantage I see to this itinerary is long times in port in Ketchikan and Victoria, giving you plenty of time to explore. Many itineraries from Seattle have 5 hours or less in those ports. The weather at that time of year can be rough, with rain & storms and many vendors / shops may be closed for the season. The likelihood of any flight seeing tours being canceled is fairly high. If you get a great deal, and have no other option to ever see Alaska, then it MIGHT be worth it. Otherwise, I would wait on seeing Alaska when you can book at least a 7 day cruise.

Sounds like it started this summer and will continue: “The Family Deck Party will debut on MSC Meraviglia as well, when the ship arrives in the U.S. in October.”

https://cruiseradio.net/msc-cruises-new-activities-us-based-ships/

It’s like refinancing your mortgage to give you some breathing room. Companies refinance debt often. Carnival has chosen to issue more stock recently to pay off debt, which reduces debt, but dilutes and lowers the value of the stock. All of the cruise lines have major debt issues and the next few years will be tough for some, if not all of them.

They are using the new debt, which will be due in 2027, to pay off some debt which is due in 2022 & 2023. So the total debt isn’t substantially increasing. “The Company intends to use the proceeds from the sale of the Notes to repay principal payments on debt maturing in 2022 and/or 2023 (including to pay fees and expenses in connection with such repayments).” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-caribbean-group-announces-upsizing-and-pricing-of-1-250-000-000-senior-unsecured-notes-to-refinance-near-term-debt-maturities-301605996.html

I would love to see larger ships and longer itineraries consistently offered. I’m not sure there is enough demand for the largest ships there in the next 5 years though.

Great news. Hopefully headed to no vaccine or testing requirements for anyone on any sailing by the end of the year.

There are a couple of options: Xpress Check has a location at SeaTac near baggage claim. The rapid test is $ 250: https://www.xprescheck.com/services Discovery Health is offsite near the airport and has reduced the price from $ 150 to $ 125: https://discoveryhealthmd.com/offer/dhmd-covid-19-testing-seatac/ The cheapest option is to use one of the free government tests and use the Onpoint proctoring from your cellphone for $ 16.99: https://onpoint-testing.com/product/certified-teleservice-covid-testing/

I would never do that, but the person I replied to said it was a burden to have to show your proof of vaccination. My point was if you don’t want to show your vaccination status, just take the test. Now people can choose to either show one or the other. Hopefully we will have to show neither soon.

You don’t have to show it if you choose not to. Just take a Covid test and show the negative results.

This tour is an excellent option and includes luggage handling and airport drop off: https://vancouvertours.com/tour/post-cruise-vancouver-delights-tour/

Splendor was in Australia for 2 years during the Covid shutdown, but not cruising with passengers. It arrived in Seattle in late April for the Alaska cruise season. I was on the May 2 sailing, which was the first cruise with passengers in over 2 years for Splendor. https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-splendor-heading-to-north-america-more-australia-sailings-canceled/65352

Rodents are a problem around most docks / piers, whether it is a small local marina or cruise ship pier. That is why you will see rat / rodent guards (circular discs) on most ropes used to tie the ship to the dock. They keep most, but not all, from getting past them. Look for the discs next time you cruise. Rodents also get onboard when the ships are being loaded with pallets and crates of food and supplies. They do their best to control them, but it’s impossible to stop them all. Here is a photo of rodent guards on ropes at the pier:

Thanks for the information. I sailed on the first sailing in over two years on the Splendor in May and had a great time with no issues.

The schedule shows Quantum will be using the Railroad Aft berth, which means you will be using tenders to the small boat harbor from the railroad dock. https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.189/2xl.54d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/SKG-Skagway-2022.pdf

Great news!

Ketchikan is very easy to do on your own. You can pick up a walking tour map at the Visitor Center at the pier. The Lumberjack show might be of interest to the kids. The Bering Sea Crab Boat tour is excellent, but relatively expensive. In Juneau, check the whale watching & Mendenhall Glacier combo with Juneau Whale Watch. They have boats that hold around 25 people and have plenty of outside deck space for viewing the whales. They go to the glacier after the whale watch and allow you to decide when to return (buses run every 30 min). You can take your time and hike some of the trails at the glacier. The Mt Roberts / Greenbelt tram is a less costly option in Juneau that also has some hiking at the top. I would wait until you arrive to buy tickets since rain / fog would make it not worth doing. If everyone in your party has a Passport or Passport Card, renting a car and driving into the Yukon is a good option. Look up Tom’s Guide online for a good guide of where to stop along the way. You can drive to Emerald Lake, stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch and take a dog cart ride and play with the husky puppies. Chilkoot Charters offers a similar bus tour if you prefer not to drive on your own, but a bus may not be the best option for younger children if they get bored easily. The White Pass & Yukon Railway is another good option, but relatively expensive and the children may get bored before it is over. There are some good local hikes as well. Here is a link to some good options in Skagway: https://familydestinationsguide.com/fun-things-to-do-in-skagway-with-kids-ak/

Better book quickly. Royal Caribbean just announced that they will be allowing unvaccinated passengers on cruises from some ports, including New Orleans, Galveston and Los Angeles, starting in early September. I look for Carnival to follow quickly. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center?icid=hlthys_wrnssn_hlt_nbrdxp_pghdr_3467

Their wording is confusing. It is the Aug 11 stop in Skagway for the Aug 7 cruise that was moved to Sitka, not the Aug 11 “sailing”. Aug 14 cruise still has Skagway on the itinerary. You will be dock at the Aft Berth of the Railroad Dock and tender to the small boat harbor dock. Allow extra time for getting from the ship to shore if you have any private excursions booked. https://www.skagway.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/skagway_visitor_department/page/33137/aug_5_2022_update_skagway_cruise_ship_schedule.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0RmSq_aZ3PfkfX1eeTVKjoz3dsMeZx6auBicjL6vxKu6JqQ8ahHv-K3QQ

I’m sure they have something wrong in their press release or the website got it wrong when they printed it. Most things that are published have something incorrect if you know the actual details. Hopefully they will update anything that is incorrect.

Both are worth seeing. The Klondike Hwy is more of a mountainous drive (until Carcross) than the Haines Hwy (at least to the Canadian border). In addition to Chilkoot Lake in Haines, also see Chilkat State Park, if you have time. If you go to Haines, I recommend seeing the Kroschel Wildlife Center. It is not far off the Haines Hwy. I would contact them before your arrival to make arrangements since they usually do schedule tours from the cruise lines, used to accept independent visitors as well.

Update from Princess on Cruise Industry News: “…because the forward dock that has been closed for the season is the primary location where Princess Royal Class ships dock, and because there are no other viable alternatives, Princess is making adjustments to 10 itineraries, including: - the August 23 and September 6 sail dates for Majestic Princess and August 25 and September 1 sailings for Discovery Princess will now feature Icy Strait Point - the August 16 and August 30 sail dates for Royal Princess will feature Haines - the August 11, September 8, and September 22 sail dates for Discovery Princess and September 13 sail date for Royal Princess will feature Sitka https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28029-princess-cruises-makes-more-changes-to-skagway-calls.html

Here is a link to to updated Royal Caribbean website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/the-healthy-sail-center?icid=hlthys_wrnssn_hlt_nbrdxp_pghdr_3467

Royal Caribbean is dropping its Covid vaccine requirement for sailings from SOME US ports: https://cruisefever.net/royal-caribbean-ditching-vaccine-requirement-for-some-homeports-in-the-u-s/