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**Golden Princess May 14, 2011 - Vancouver To Seattle**

LEtue

By LEtue,
in Princess Cruises

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LEtue

LEtue

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I saw that Pan Pacific rate in Seattle a few days ago, sorry I didn't post it here for everyone. We're considering that one, simply because of its Trip Advisor rating, plus I know the Pan Pacific hotels are usually pretty nice. I am also a bit concerned about it being too far away from the city. I'm thinking of paying the extra dough and staying at Inn on the Market. Certainly can't beat it as far as location...

 

Margie and I really want to stay there! The perfect location :D Problem is a room with 2 beds is really pricey :(

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LEtue

LEtue

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Location, location, location....:D

 

Mary

 

Yes, that is for sure! Plus they have a limited number of rooms with more than 1 queen bed so they can price them accordingly. Sure do love the view from their deck though :D

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willysgrandma

willysgrandma

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We are 20 minutes from JFK but can fly out of LGA or Islip on L.I. too. I prefer going out of JFK, try to avoid LGA if I can as the runways are so short. Would have liked Southwest out of Islip but some of their flights to Seattle would have required 2 plane changes and we would have likely had to stay overnight on the return home because of the flight times that see currently for the Saturdays listed up until March.

 

With the air pricing we saw when we first booked the cruise, when we found something for under $500, we decided to grab it rather than wait longer and see if it went down. I had checked pricing before we ever booked the cruise and that is pretty much what we have been seeing.

 

Coming home the flight times were tricky - they are either really early or red eyes. When I saw a direct flight on Delta leaving at 1 PM, we grabbed it, as the time was the most convenient.

 

I have replaced hips and replaced knees and it takes me FOREVER to get through security because I have to be pulled aside and patted down. I get too stressed knowing sometimes how long it takes to find a "female assist" to have to worry about getting through Security for an 11 am flight home.

 

I wish every airport had those body scanners - I am the only one who actively looks for them because it is so much faster for me to be scanned than have to be patted down. None at the 3 major New York airports yet.

 

Where are you located in NY? Do you have a choice of airports? I always see great fares from there so I can't imagine why it is so much to fly to SEA. We did book RT with a one way Amtrak ride to YVR on the day of the cruise. We enjoyed the train the last time we rode it :D
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LEtue

LEtue

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I have the same problem with Southwest from Florida. I really don't want to make 2 stops and change planes twice. It isn't worth any savings and lately they have been priced higher than both Continental and American. When I look for flights to Texas to visit my son and family - Southwest is significantly higher. Plus I would have to fly though Denver before heading south to Florida on my return :eek:

 

I'm glad you found flights that work for you. Isn't it nice to have those paid for? Now you can concentrate on the cruise :D

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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Good Morning...

 

I have a pat on the back for Princess this morning.

 

We cancelled a Princess sailing back in 2008. Used the cancel for any reason provision of the Princess Vacation Protection and received future cruise credits. I used mine on a solo Caribbean Princess sailing this year. We still had $425 remaining for my DH which has a "sail by" expiration date of 12/31/2010. I always assumed we'd take a last minute cruise this fall and use the credit. As the latter months of 2010 are upon us, I realized we won't have the opportunity to cruise again this year.

 

I called Princess yesterday and they agreed to honor the credit for our sailing in May. I didn't expect anything... a deal is a deal, but am impressed. It really didn't cost them a cent... they already had our money. But, they did satisfy a customer that will remember this the next time I'm looking for a cruise. All things being equal, I would choose Princess because they treated me fairly.

 

Guess I'll have some extra $$$ for discretionary spending! :D

 

Mary

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LEtue

LEtue

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That is a great story Mary! And good for Princess for treating you right :D

 

Margie and I had a conversation recently about the new policies that RCI has been rolling out and neither of us are anxious to cruise with them any time soon. We both enjoy the treatment we get from Princess and that led to to the move from Carnival for our Hawaii cruise :)

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kath00

kath00

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Isn't Princess the best? They are just so nice about these little "rules" and restrictions!

 

My secretary just got her 2nd upgrade notice for the Sea Princess! She booked GTY obst. OV for Aug 30th to Alaska. She got upgraded initially to an unbstructed view about a month ago. Today she got a midship BALCONY on the Carribe deck!!! Soooo happy. She's been giddy with joy all day. :)

 

Katherine

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hmstins

hmstins

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Mary, that's awesome! I think Princess has the BEST customer service and that is one major reason why I sail on their ships. RCCL has fallen way below par IMHO. Good for you.

 

Kath00, your admin doesn't really know how lucky she is, does she? That is so awesome! Congrats to her.

 

I am so glad I picked up the Continental flights when I did. I quit checking since I bought, but I'm ecstatic with the price and the times.

 

It's getting closer for all of us!

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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Princess was in NO WAY obligated to extend the credit expiration. I called without expectation knowing I had nothing to lose. Decided it couldn't hurt to ask. They were very professional, told me they would contact the revenue department and let me know via my TA. It took about 24 hours to get the credit applied to this sailing.

 

I read so many complaints about all of the cruiselines that I want to also speak up when something great happens.

 

Mary

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deej696

deej696

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Wow, two great stories indeed. Nice to hear stories about companies that understand the value of a customer!

 

So a question for all my Alaska expert friends. In Skagway, everyone says "Do the railroad, to the railroad." but I dont wanna just do the railroad. So I got to looking and came across a tour that does a bit of both. You take the railroad to the "Glacier Stop" which is about 14 miles up, and then you do a snowshoe hike to Laughton Glacier. This, to me anyway, sounds amazing. My question, however, is will we be missing out by not seeing the last several miles on White Pass? Will we still get a lot of the same effect?

 

My theory here is that this will satisfy my desire to get up close to a glacier, and free up some time in Juneau....(Read 'Tracy's Crab Shack'):D BTW we are really leaning toward Harv and Marv there. Guess I better get the move on deciding though...

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deej696

deej696

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Yeah, we're pretty well sold on it I think. In my mind, whale watching, the RR/Hike, plus whatever we do in Ketchikan, will give us a nice mix for our first Alaskan adventure...

 

Oh, and I just booked Inn at Market for Seattle post cruise. Location is just too good to pass up...

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hmstins

hmstins

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DJ, I know you will get people who say you HAVE to do the railroad, and some who will say no, you HAVE to rent a car. I have done both, and I think the railroad is expensive and not as good a deal as renting a car and doing the drive to the Yukon Territory. HOWEVER, your combo deal sounds like a great compromise. You will see some great scenery from the train and still be able to do something you want to do.

 

Alaska is not going anywhere -- do what you want this time and go back nex year!

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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Yeah, we're pretty well sold on it I think. In my mind, whale watching, the RR/Hike, plus whatever we do in Ketchikan, will give us a nice mix for our first Alaskan adventure...

 

Oh, and I just booked Inn at Market for Seattle post cruise. Location is just too good to pass up...

 

deej... I haven't been on the RR/Snowshoe hike, but one of my good friends has. I don't think she went on a showshoe hike, but did a train/hike combo. I'll ask her tomorrow or Friday and let you know.

 

Inn at the Market... sounds good! What are your plans for Saturday in Seattle?

 

Mary

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deej696

deej696

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deej... I haven't been on the RR/Snowshoe hike, but one of my good friends has. I don't think she went on a showshoe hike, but did a train/hike combo. I'll ask her tomorrow or Friday and let you know.

 

Inn at the Market... sounds good! What are your plans for Saturday in Seattle?

 

Mary

 

Thanks Mary. The tour is through Packer Expeditions, and is usually just a normal hike, but I contacted the company about pricing and because we are going in May, it will have to be snowshoe as a lot of pack will remain.

 

No real defined plans in Seattle yet. Actually, none really in Vancouver either and we are doing two nights there. From what I'm reading, sunset on the deck at the Inn is a must, so I see that as well as a visit to the market in the plans for sure...

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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My friend's cruise was on NCL. Many more active excursions through the cruiseline than HAL or Princess. I'll let you know.

 

We don't have plans in Seattle for Saturday yet. As I said earlier, we plan to go on the Boeing tour Sunday morning... I'm not that excited about it, but my DH is an engineer... As he has been on many an excursion with me, I'll take one for the team! :eek:

 

I love Vancouver. You'll find more to do than you'll have time for in 2 days. We're still toying with taking a float plane over to Victoria on Friday. We'll see...

 

Mary

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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Thanks Mary. The tour is through Packer Expeditions, and is usually just a normal hike, but I contacted the company about pricing and because we are going in May, it will have to be snowshoe as a lot of pack will remain.

 

No real defined plans in Seattle yet. Actually, none really in Vancouver either and we are doing two nights there. From what I'm reading, sunset on the deck at the Inn is a must, so I see that as well as a visit to the market in the plans for sure...

 

From my friend:

 

We absolutely loved the train/rainforest hike combo. It was the best tour that we did on the entire trip. I don't feel as if we missed a thing. Even had enough time to do a little shopping (and buy myself a beaver vest).

 

This is the description on NCL's website of the excursion they took:

 

Port: Skagway

Destination: Alaska

 

This trip combines a train ride aboard the Historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railway with a wilderness trek to the magnificent Laughton Glacier. You’ll board the train for a one-hour scenic journey filled with spectacular waterfalls, rushing rivers and jagged mountain peaks. At Glacier Station, you’ll begin a fully guided, eight-mile round-trip hike in the clean mountain air. The magnificent sub-Alpine rainforest valley is home to an abundance of moose, bear, and mountain goats. This spectacular trail winds along the raging Skagway River to the majestic Laughton Glacier. The terrain changes dramatically as you leave the rocky riverbed and climb over a boulder field and onto the glacier. Enjoy the breathtaking views, exposed crevasses and mullions of the great frozen river of ice, ever changing in the harsh Alaskan environment. Upon your return to the trailhead, you’ll be greeted with our traditional 'Bush Buffet,' complete with beverages. Relax and enjoy the ride back to town on 'The Scenic Railway of the World

 

 

 

 

Mary

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deej696

deej696

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Yup, its the exact same tour. The guy at the company said they work with most the cruise lines, but Princess isn't offering it on our sailing, so they can work with me directly. Not really sure if its a bummer or not, but they said because of the snow its not likely we'd get to actually walk on the glacier. Either way, it sounds awesome and I'm pretty well sold on it...

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bellebaby

bellebaby

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deej... Glad to hear you are finding excursions. IMO it's best to get out of town, away from the trinket and jewelry shops, and experience Alaska's natural beauty. It's beyond amazing.

 

Am I dreaming? College football starts in... TWO WEEKS? :D

 

Mary

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