lawgeek

Thanks for the review, I really got a feel for the cruise and the boat (😉).  We are sailing in June on the Glory and this makes me really look forward to it even more.  I am a bit cautiously optimistic about sailing on Carnival for the first time (only booked as we are going with a large group of like minded people), and this helped ease me! Fortunately, the wife and I tend to have fun no matter the circumstances!   

Thanks for the advice but the added-on, deck 11 cabins are nothing like the original aft cabins on an M-class ship. It isn't being on the aft but the size of the verandah. The verandah's on those new added-on Aqua cabins are in most cases smaller than a standard cabin and have the Sunset Bar right below them with its attendant noise and clatter. The aft cabins that were built with the ship originally have HUGE verandahs. That's what we are after.

This is not true. The deck 11 aft cabins (at least the four in the middle) are very large, at least twice as deep as regular. The cover over bar keeps most noise out and allows privacy. I rarely heard noise and slept a lot on my deck in 1138. Another plus is short walk downstairs to sunset bar and close stairwell to quick coffee and bagel from buffet in morning (yes also available from room service if you wait or plan ahead).

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I agree on Blu, never heard of an exception. Additionally, my experience has been that Blu is more crowded on M Class which could affect any potential special accommodations. With that said, it never hurts to ask! It would be tough to give up that sweet aft cabin. I assume none of the AQ afts are available? We stayed in 1138 once and it was awesome! By the way Jim...We loved our Solstice cruise a few weeks ago! Thanks for your insights, including for Seattle!

Solstice did Endicott/Dawes on 7/31. Spectacular, Cpt. Tasos did a few donuts in front of it, calved twice, one of which was very close to one of the small boats!

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Our fist stop was in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. One of our most anticipated excursions, a fishing trip, was set for that day. It poured rain all day, or at least until the ship started pulling out. Our fishing was cancelled, so we went into plan B although we had to make that up as we went. Took short bus tour, walked city, spent hour in a dive bar talking to locals. We had a great time and our positive attitude was rewarded with the best weather of the season for the rest of the cruise, per just about everyone!

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Thanks for all the responses.

 

I contacted both Dyea Dave and Chilkoot tours re: Emerald Lake/Yukon rail-bus excursions. Both were very nice and responsive and still have some available space for mid-September. I should make a decision within the next couple of days though.

 

What appeals to me about Dyea Dave is not paying until the end of tour (in case weather is really bad, that would help). Kathy the rep though suggested that we buy our return rail tickets ahead of time though as there will be 4 ships in port that day. It seems kind of crazy to spend another $170 (for 2 people) for the return RR tickets since the cost of the return ride is already included with Dyea Dave but we want to try the rail at least one way and may never be back in Skagway again. Does anyone know if Dyea Dave includes a stop to pet the husky puppies, like Chilkoot? Also--would we buy the Fraser one way train service...is that the correct one?

 

Chilkoot says they operate in rain or shine...so if the weather is bad, then we are still stuck with them (only refundable if ship does not make it to port or is very late). Also trying to justify the additional $20 pp for the BBQ lunch, as compared with Dyea Dave (where we would have to buy our own food).

 

Maybe I'll just flip a coin! haha.

 

Thanks!

I will chime in with another option. We were in Skagway on 7/30 and rented a keep from Green Jeep tours. We drove to emerald lake, had lunch at the bistro, which I highly recommend, and did the whole thing at our own pace. Jeep comes with narrative cd, that was ok and notebook full of information. If you want to stop at touristy places, then you do. You get some great views of the train going up as well. Cost was about two seventy five dollars once gas was added in. I highly recommend elk currywurst with poutin at bistro!

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$5 for toast/bagel, fruit and coffee. I like to spread my good fortune with others.

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I had a burger in MDR on Solstice last week...it was a glorious gray color and bun was slightly dry. Once I added deli mustard, it tasted like a large version of a White Castle burger, which I like. A lady at my table ordered same and are one bite. I did not eat at Mast Grill as my previous experiences were not that good (dry over cooked patty and lifeless fries). They had the "Crab Shack" offering there, which appeared to be a joke at $25 a plate.

Sushi on 5 was open on embarkation day and was very good. For most of meal, we were only ones there. A party of six came in as we finished up. There were no sliders on the menu. Rice paste ice cream was da bomb. We were turned away from SO5 on last sea day. They had tables, but were understaffed. I think they really denied because it was close to closing.

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We were on 7/28 in AQ and breezed through. There was slight delay in boarding all around as they had misplaced a passenger from prior cruise when doors opened they allowed boarding by priorities and we were called second I believe. It was virtually painless.

One note: on the port board I had read that the port was queuing private cars including uber/lyft in a staging zone. Cabs and busses were not subject to this. Based on this we chose to cab from our airport hotel. The intel was correct and we whizzed by the car lines. Both embark and disembark were painless on this awesome cruise!

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On Solstice last week, our waiter told us that he could bring anything we want from MDR Menu. We did not partake , but appreciated the offer.

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I think you will enjoy Constellation! Reflection would be awesome, but you are not losing that much on an M class. Connie is beautiful!

Do taxis offer flat rate from airport hotels to Pier 91?

the key words here are "on the website" . It's so goofed up, I'm surprised it doesn't tell you to arrive at midnight.

Yes, I assume as much. I must say, however, I have not had many problems with the new website.I have booked excursions and checked in on it. Never had problems finding my reservation and even ordered my luggage tags on it. After reading way too many posts on the website, I wonder what is difference for me. Probably has to do with country of origin and other issues such as available RAM, processor, browser and browser version, etc. Hopefully this does not turn intro website gripe thread though! I really am curious if others have had the same experience regarding embarkation time. Given ship arrival is at 6:00 am, I know it won't be turned by 8:30 for boarding. In fact, disembarkation won't be complete by then!

Awesome! Thanks for the info! How are the bars on ship? Any sports bars? World Cup will be going on while we are on the ship and I thought it'd be fun to be able to watch games with an international crowd.

 

 

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Sailed Connie in AQ 12/2015. Loved it thought the ship was in really good condition with wonderful staff. We were on Equinox in 2010 in the med, while World Cup was on. Showed many matches on board. Also watched italy get eliminated while eating pizza in Naples. Sad but cool to watch!

Was just looking at pre-cruise info on website and noticed that they have my check in time at 8:30 am.:confused::confused::confused:. I am assuming port does not open until around at best 10:00 am for actually checking in. Any recent cruisers have any intel on this issue? Much appreciated.

interesting topic and very glad to see the discussion has remained intelligent and not based on emotional outbursts. I certainly considered this issue when booking, but knew it was something I would do. I consider it a learning experience and I intend learn whatever the dogs and mushers teach me. I was always dead set against dolphin excursions as they are largely abusive (not to say putting these beautiful mammals in aquariums and forcing labor is not inherently bad). I also have seen horror stories about certain operators.

Regardless we decided to visit one of these placed in Grand Cayman. I was literally blown away by our dolphin friend. I gained such respect for him and also realized that the people around me (many of whom had never even seen a dolphin) were equally amazed and educated. You could see how smart these mammals truly are and how caring, especially when working with children. Our dolphin was tasked with pushing people across the pool. When working with a child who was frightened and did not position properly, the dolphin showed uncanny patience. I see dolphins quite often in the open water and after the swim encounter, I feel I understand and respect them much more.

This came from an article on silly things said by tourists. The rag was The Daily Mail Online, today's edition. I felt the first one was appropriate for here!

I would get spray for mosquitos as you will have many more encounters with them. My mother was an avid hiker in AK and carried noisemakers (don't remember exactly what they were but she also always had a .44 Magnum on her hip as well). Not sure I trust a spray can to save my life and you don't want to further agitate an agitated animal. Also keep in mind that the likelihood of that ever leaving its holster under attack by a bear is very limited. My point is that the spray should not be allowed to give you some false sense of security.

I just popped on the Juneau webcam and saw Solstice already docked. This is usually a 1-1:30 call. Anyone on board with an explanation for early arrival? She is typically last of four to arrive, today she is second. Still ended up on AJ dock though (lol).

On our last day in Bermuda two years ago, we took 7:30 ferry to Hamilton (very rough when you close Martini bar night before). Not crowded, mostly locals, although several scooters and might not have made it if we had not arrived early as we had two scooters. Also, ferry makes additional stop to pick up workers at that time. From Hamilton we went to St George (getting lost on the way! Had breakfast, rode to Cooper's Island snorkeled and laid on the beach, stopped at Swizzle Inn for lunch and swizzles. Rode back to St. George, turned scooters in and got on last ferry to Kings Wharf (full ferry). Had time to have a drink at Frog & Onion and do a little trinket shopping and listen to DW panic about getting back to ship timely (she will never let the Istanbul thing go). Point is, that was a lot to get in on the final day and it worked out with a lot of poor planning. From the description and in comparison, going to caves for a few hours should be no problem.

When we did Bermuda two years ago we made two reservations. My buddy and I booked a dive trip as they are limited. Our other reservation was two scooters for three days. The four of us had a trip for the ages and winged it all along (except scuba)! Thanks to the Bermudians who gladly offered help out of the blu (pun intended), we found remote beaches and fantastic sites!

Why?

The website allowed me to order tags about 55 days out. Received them six days ago or 37 days out. These are the narrow sticky types that you make loops with. They give extra as I always forget how to do them once, and refuse to read instructions.

I had same issue in May. I wanted to pay as late as possible for a couple of reasons (1. hold on to money until next credit card cycle; 2. Hope prices went down before paying). X CS said the date on invoice was correct. I went with that and cruise went down before I paid. When that happened, I went ahead and paid, with lower rate and extra OBC. Bottom line was, emails were erroneous. While I could have realized savings even if I had paid, this was much less hassle and I was pleased with result.

OK. That makes sense. 7 dayers it gets into Bermuda Wednesday morning and leaves Friday morning.

 

Thanx, was concerned that it broke down on the way.

I thought the same, and scoured the eastern seaboard for her. finally saw her just south of NY and remembered that Boston/AC itinerary. Great itinerary, although I would have missed seeing NCL Breakaway along the way!