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Last day of the cruise


SoBaycruiser
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We have our first Seabourn cruise booked in June and bought our airline tickets during the Christmas sales. This week we got notice that the schedules for both our flights have been revised by about two hours. The arriving flight is the day before the cruise so the delay is no more than an inconvenience. However our departing flight may now require a lot of extra waiting at the airport.

1) what time do guests have to be out of their staterooms?

2) what time must guests be off the ship?

3) how is the last day organized?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

 

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Usually they ask you to be out of cabin by 8am, then you can go for breakfast. They do disembark in a colours system, but i have know independent travellers get off around the 9-930 time. To be fair i would say that is the latest you could leave it. SB do sometimes offer a tour of the area for those who need to be at the airport later.

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Pretty always out of suite by 8 a.m., but breakfast goes on for a fair time. Although the official time to leave the ship is 9.30 latest, I have seen people in the Square who were leaving noticeably later - I am sure it is necessary to ask at Reception, but I do not think they would mind too much if you stayed on until say 10, well before the new people board.

 

There will not be anything to do on board, but a quiet sit in the Square should not be too much of a problem. However, there are usually tours ending at the airport for people whose planes leave after, say, 3 p.m.

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Thanks! That is helpful. I just learned that in Vancouver we go through US customs at the airport before boarding the plane which takes extra time. So I think our wait won’t be too bad if we stay on the ship till 9:30.

 

 

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Our Seabourn Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver last September. At the port we were able to check our luggage for transfer to the airport, for $40 Canadian for the three bags. We walked around downtown for a few hours, had lunch, and took the quite reasonably price train to the airport. Of course, the luggage claim was at the far side of the airport, but it was not too long a walk.

 

Also, if you have Global Entry, remember to take your GE card in addition to your passport. You will need to show the card to get into the global entry area.

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Yes - a very important point that FlyingScotSailors made. It is not enough just to have Global Entry and know the number - they insist you show them the physical card before they let you into the GE queue. Many behind us were turned away last summer because they had their number but not the card. Were it not for CC and a post I read about this I would have been in the same position.

 

 

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Our Seabourn Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver last September. At the port we were able to check our luggage for transfer to the airport, for $40 Canadian for the three bags. We walked around downtown for a few hours, had lunch, and took the quite reasonably price train to the airport. Of course, the luggage claim was at the far side of the airport, but it was not too long a walk.

 

 

 

Also, if you have Global Entry, remember to take your GE card in addition to your passport. You will need to show the card to get into the global entry area.

 

 

 

Great ideas. I like the idea of the luggage transfer and not having to lug it on the train.

 

We applied for our GE card in January (long overdue). After partial approval the earliest interview appt we could get was 1 March. With a grandchild due at that time and us on call to watch to other two, we delayed the interview a couple weeks. We are hoping two months will be sufficient to get our cards.

 

Did you do the Inland Passage with all the small BC ports? I have questions that never get answered in the general Alaska destination folder because so few go to those ports.

 

 

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We did the 14 day that included Prince Rupert, Klemtu and Alert Bay. If you have a specific question about the cruise I’ll be happy to try to answer. Also there was a thread that ran on this board through the entire Alaska season last summer detailing different Seabourn CC posters experiences. You might way to read that as well if you have not done so already. We enjoyed the Alaska cruise so much we are planning on returning in 2019.

 

 

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We also did the 14 day from Seward to Vancouver, stopping at Prince Rupert, Klemtu and Alert Bay. As Chairsin said, the "Alaska Onboard" thread may answer many of your questions. If not, feel free to ask us.

 

 

 

Chairsin and FlyingScotSailors,

 

Thank you so much for pointing out that thread. I read all 17 pages with interest. There is a lot of info and I took notes. There was one mention of private tours being in another thread... maybe a roll call. It seems like many did the private tours rather than Sojourn’s excursions. I’ll have to try to find it.

 

I love nature and look forward to this trip. Having just come off a NE Greenland fjord excursion this last summer with daily zodiac trips among the ice, I am more interested in the wildlife on this trip. I’m starting to realize that our early June trip may be too early for the bears.

 

I do have a question about the shoes. Hiking boots are so big and heavy to pack. Are they really necessary or can one get by with good walking shoes that have been water proofed?

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

 

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Oh my, you are a glutton for punishment - all 17 pages!!!

 

As to footwear, waterproof is the key. If your feet are wet you will be miserable. The advantage to hiking boots comes into play if you are going to be doing any hiking. In that case having good treads to grip slippery surfaces and ankle support for uneven terrain are critical. We did quite a bit of hiking so we did bring hiking boots but I would say most passengers did not. And in case your feet do get wet I suggest bringing a few pairs of good wool hiking socks (I am a big fan of Smartwool).

 

And yes sadly June is most likely too early for the bears because the salmon won’t have started running and that is what attracts the bears. But what you will likely have in June is dryer cooler weather. And supposedly the snowy scenery and glaciers are lovely that time of year.

 

 

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We applied for our GE card in January (long overdue). After partial approval the earliest interview appt we could get was 1 March. With a grandchild due at that time and us on call to watch to other two, we delayed the interview a couple weeks. We are hoping two months will be sufficient to get our cards.

 

Two months will be *more* than sufficient. On both my original application (2012) and my renewal, I was immediately approved at the interview and the card arrived on the mail within the week.

 

As far as interviews go, when you initially schedule they push you dates that are prettty far out (ie the end of the schedule) but if you live close enough to an airport with a GE interview office, keep checking regularly. I finally found a “same week” opening that worked for me. For whatever reason, the schedules start opening up close in, but they don’t always show you those dates when initially scheduling.

 

Also, after you are approved, don’t forget to put your GOES number in the profile of all of your frequent flyer program profiles. Getting Global Entry automatically clears you for TSA PreCheck as well for the full five years. But you can only use it if they’ve got the number in advance (hence storing it in your profile). As great as Global Entry is - and it’s pretty awesome - I use the PreCheck benefit even more.

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Two months will be *more* than sufficient. On both my original application (2012) and my renewal, I was immediately approved at the interview and the card arrived on the mail within the week.

 

 

 

As far as interviews go, when you initially schedule they push you dates that are prettty far out (ie the end of the schedule) but if you live close enough to an airport with a GE interview office, keep checking regularly. I finally found a “same week” opening that worked for me. For whatever reason, the schedules start opening up close in, but they don’t always show you those dates when initially scheduling.

 

 

 

Also, after you are approved, don’t forget to put your GOES number in the profile of all of your frequent flyer program profiles. Getting Global Entry automatically clears you for TSA PreCheck as well for the full five years. But you can only use it if they’ve got the number in advance (hence storing it in your profile). As great as Global Entry is - and it’s pretty awesome - I use the PreCheck benefit even more.

 

 

 

Thanks so much for this info. We originally applied for the TSA PreCheck and when we got to the interview and before anything was paid, the receptionist said if we did any international flying than for $15 more we should get the Global Entry. Since most of our travel is international, we rushed home and started the process anew for that.

I assumed the delay for the interviews is because they need time for a general background check... which is why you pay up front.

 

I didn’t realize that the GOES number had to be on file, but that makes sense.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
Our Seabourn Alaska cruise ended in Vancouver last September. At the port we were able to check our luggage for transfer to the airport, for $40 Canadian for the three bags. We walked around downtown for a few hours, had lunch, and took the quite reasonably price train to the airport. Of course, the luggage claim was at the far side of the airport, but it was not too long a walk.

 

 

 

Also, if you have Global Entry, remember to take your GE card in addition to your passport. You will need to show the card to get into the global entry area.

 

 

 

I have a couple more questions concerning both your trip and GE. First of all did your Alaskan cruise include the small Inland Passage ports? If so did you have to go through Canadian customs at the first Canadian stop or did it happen in Vancouver?

 

Secondly, we just had our GE interview yesterday and were approved. (Our initial appt had to be rescheduled due to a new grandchild’s arrival). Anyway, we are cutting it close for receiving our card before we depart home. The info booklet they gave us says to activate your card before using it. Does that mean I can’t even use the TSA Precheck if it doesn’t arrive in time?

 

Also, I was adding my GE number to my airline profile for TSA preapproval and it states that one’s full name has to appear as it does with your passport. I never use my middle name because I hate it and yet it is on my passport. Do you or anyone know if I have to change all my FF accounts to my full name so that it matches?

 

 

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Do you or anyone know if I have to change all my FF accounts to my full name so that it matches?

 

 

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Probably. I am a Jr. My passport has the Jr. as part of my surname, but my Global Entry card does not. That wasn't a problem until recently, but for some reason it has become an issue and I've been denied TSA Pre the last couple of times. I am in the process of GE renewal, and I've specifically asked that they make my name on the renewal card the same as on my passport. And, yes, the information that the airline has must match the GE name. Long answer, but I think you need to add your (hated) middle name.

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Probably. I am a Jr. My passport has the Jr. as part of my surname, but my Global Entry card does not. That wasn't a problem until recently, but for some reason it has become an issue and I've been denied TSA Pre the last couple of times. I am in the process of GE renewal, and I've specifically asked that they make my name on the renewal card the same as on my passport. And, yes, the information that the airline has must match the GE name. Long answer, but I think you need to add your (hated) middle name.

 

 

 

Thanks! It may not be the answer I wanted to hear, but it at least gives me some time to sort it out before I travel.

 

 

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Another option now is mobile passport (US at least). People say it is faster than Global Entry when entering the country. https://mobilepassport.us/

 

Thanks so much for this info. We originally applied for the TSA PreCheck and when we got to the interview and before anything was paid, the receptionist said if we did any international flying than for $15 more we should get the Global Entry. Since most of our travel is international, we rushed home and started the process anew for that.

I assumed the delay for the interviews is because they need time for a general background check... which is why you pay up front.

 

I didn’t realize that the GOES number had to be on file, but that makes sense.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

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