JT1962

The only way they would know would be to test everyone prior to letting them off the ship. That appears to be what is happening in Australia, least on one ship: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11007377/amp/Coronavirus-cruise-ship-nightmare-100-passengers-stay-ship-test-negative.html

There are tour booths at the pier in Juneau and Ketchikan. I prefer to book a well-reviewed independent tour rather than taking a chance on what is available at the pier. I did the whale watch & Mendenhall Glacier combo tour when Juneau Whale Watch in May and enjoyed it. They do the whale watching first and give you flexible time at the glacier, with buses returning every 1/2 hour. The Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan is excellent, but sometimes the same price as booking it through the ship. We had a great experience with Southeast Kayaks a few years ago. You can also pick up a free walking tour map at the Visitor Center on the pier and tour on your own.

I would cancel since it is an issue for you. As fast as cases are spreading now, including on ships, it is possible they will add the mask requirement prior to your cruise even if they do not have it in place today.

A one-way from Vancouver to Alaska with Glacier Bay and a land tour for several days after the cruise to include Denali National Park. Glacier Bay is beautiful and the land tour will give you see there is a lot more to Alaska than the Southeast Coast.

Carnival decided in Jan / Feb to move Splendor to Alaska, relatively late to try and fill ships for the summer. They have been offering cheap rates to try and fill the ship. I went in May for $ 125 solo and was lucky to get r/t airfare less than $ 300 when booking in February. I received similar cruise offers for June & July, but airfares jumped to $ 800 - $ 1,200+, so I passed on the great cruise fare. I suspect many booked cheap rates, then saw the prices of airfare and canceled before final payment or forfeited their deposit rather than pay the high airfares. With the increase of Covid cases across the country, and numerous reports of positive tests after cruises, I’m sure many have canceled out of those concerns as well.

Thanks for the review. I was in the Meraviglia in January and am looking forward to cruising on the Divina in October.

You will get lots of opinions as to “best”. I have taken 3 cruises to Alaska (Princess, Royal Caribbean & Carnival) and believe the itinerary and times in port are more important than the specific ship or cruise line. I would start by reading trip reports / reviews on this and other sites to see what might be if interest to you in the ports, then try to find an itinerary that spends the most time in those ports. A one-way itinerary between Vancouver and Alaska will almost always give you more time in ports (and possibly an extra port or glacier day) than the roundtrip cruises from Seattle. Another upside to the one-way itinerary is that you can add a land tour in Alaska before or after your cruise and also spend a few days in Vancouver before or after the cruise. Glacier Bay is a highlight for many and is primarily visited by Princes & Holland America with some Norwegian Cruise Line itineraries as well. Hubbard Glacier is impressive and visited by several cruise lines. Tracy Arm Fjord with Sawyer Glacier and Endicott Arm with Dawes Glacier are visited by many cruise lines, but ships can’t always get close to the glaciers due to ice. The small boat excursions from the ship are excellent for a better experience. For us, the ship is primarily used for breakfast / dinner, sleeping and transportation in Alaska, so we don’t need the latest / greatest / largest ship. We rarely go to any entertainment / activities on a cruise to Alaska and prefer to watch the beautiful scenery. I have cruised Alaska with and without a balcony. A balcony is nice to have, but I would not choose a balcony at the expense of not being able to do some excursions I was interested in. There are plenty of places inside and outside to relax and observe the scenery and possibly wildlife. Being outside on an upper deck gives you the ability to quickly move from one side to the other if whales or other wildlife is spotted. Excursions in Alaska are expensive compared to what many are used to in the Caribbean, especially anything involving flights. Read reviews and watch YouTube videos to find those you want to do. Money is always a consideration, but I would recommend not skipping something you really want to do just to save a few hundred dollars. You will want to go back and do it eventually and the cost in both time and money to get back to Alaska will be much more than you saved by skipping it originally. The memories will last a lifetime.

I completed the survey and maybe read too much into some of the questions, but it seemed like they were wanting to see how many would be willing to pay for additional or certain programming. I can see them offering several levels of tv programming options, similar to the different wifi packages - Basic package, add movies / sports / kids programming for an additional fee, adult movies, etc. They need to increase revenue and charging for additional tv programming may be a way to get revenue from those that don’t spend money in the casinos, shops or bars.

I sailed on the Splendor for 8 days in May for $125 solo plus port charges/taxes for an inside cabin. I got similar offers for June and July, but airfare has increased from $ 300 for my May cruise to $1000 or more, so I passed.

I was on the Yukon bus adventure with Chilkoot Charters in May, and highly recommend it. I took the combination bus and train tour with them a few years ago, and it was excellent as well, but was not an option this year. I have also taken the roundtrip Summit train ride in the past. It is well worth it if you have not done it before. You actually are on the train longer than the bus / train combo trips to Fraser into Canada that are not operating this year. if you have never done either one, you will be satisfied which ever one you choose. The advantage of the small bus tour is that it goes further, actually stops multiple times so you can take photographs, includes scenery you will not see on the train, etc.

I don’t think that has anything to do with SeaTac or a specific airport. That can happen at any airport and has more to do with the airline scheduling.

Have them use the SEA Spot Saver to schedule an appointment for security if they do not have TSA Pre-Check. It will save lots of time. https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver

I booked a Bella cabin for my October cruise and was assigned a Fantastica Cabin on Deck 10. I will see if I get any offers to bid on an upgrade, but will probably stick with what they assigned unless it’s a great deal.

The excursion with Adventure Bound from Juneau is 10 hours. We took this a few years ago. The ship excursions are usually through Allen Marine and are likely shorter since they don’t make as many stops.

The 10 hour excursion likely left from & returned to Juneau. This is what the private company Adventure Bound does. The 5 hour excursion likely departs from the ship and either returns to Juneau to meet the ship or returns to the ship as it is sailing to the next port. I would definitely reconsider booking the excursion on the small boat since it get you much closer to the Glacier and a total different perspective than seeing Tracy arm from the ship.

Hopefully you have a good travel insurance policy that will cover any costs related to flights / hotels that cannot be refunded.

The trolley on the pier is inconsistent on when it runs. That was an issue even before Covid. I have heard if they exceed a certain number of ships or total passengers arriving, they don’t run the shuttle due to the crowds on the pier making it unsafe. Not sure if that is accurate, but the pier can get very crowded.

There are usually tours available at the port at Juneau & Ketchikan. Other ports, not as much, it at all. I would try and book independent excursions ahead of time for all the ports, just to be safe. Several ship excursions on my May cruise on Carnival were canceled and people were scrambling for other options. If you have something already booked, you won’t be fighting for limited space on last minute tours.

If not renting a car, check Chilkoot Charters. They have a few options, including a trip into the Yukon to Emerald Lake, Carcross and more using small buses with less than 20 passengers.

I took a tour with Glacier Winds a few years ago and highly recommend them as well.

I was on the Splendor in May and had cell service in all of the ports other than Icy Strait Point. I had some service when sailing as well, but it was hit or miss. I did not have a WiFi package, but would randomly receive or be able to send iMessages while connected to the ship’s wifi in airplane mode to use the HUB app.

Aren’t ships still docking at both berths at the Railroad Dock? I don’t believe any rocks that would prevent ships from docking went in the water on the most recent slide. From reports I have seen, passengers on the ships docking in the Forward Berth are able to debark as normal. The ships docking in the Rear Berth are having to tender passengers.

Once you load your Covid test results, it should allow you to answer the health questions again.

This is from the website at the link below: “The grounds surrounding the visitor center are open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight year-round.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800 I would check with some of the tour operators that provide bus transportation to see when their last bus runs. If you use a cab / Uber / Lyft, I would try to schedule a pickup time when they drop you off, in case you don’t have cell phone service to request a return ride.

I went in May and loved it, in spite of the additional hassles of testing & ArriveCAN. It was my 3rd cruise to Alaska and it never disappoints.