Is anyone else overwhelmed?

[Aarons girl]

New here...

We are going to be going on a cruise to Alaska for our Honeymoon in May. (Diamond Princess round trip from Seattle.)

 

Is anyone else overwhelmed with having to learn all this new stuff just to go on a vacation?

 

Especially the excursions and the dress code. It seems like there is so much to figure out! :confused:

 

I am excited, but it seems like a lot of the advice doesn't apply to Alaska. Especially about packing mostly swimsuits and sundresses. Brrr!

 

The truth is, I don't even know where to start asking questions!

 

Just wondering if I'm the only one who is confused.

 

Chris

[familycruzer]

A good place to start for Alaska would be the port of call board for Alaska. Spend some time surfing the past post and questions.

[Canuck Cruzer]

I leave for my first cruise in 2 1/2 weeks. It is easy to get caught up in all the information posted. I have found a ton of useful info, but I also keep telling myself, "Self, as long as you get on the ship...you will have a great time."

[Allis154]

"Self, as long as you get on the ship...you will have a great time."

 

That is good advice!

[Wennfred]

This is a good website for info, but even if you never been to this website, the Cruise set up is done so that the first Cruiser will be able to get to the ship, board, Cruise and Debark with no problem, even get ya back on the plane.

 

They make it very simple you just follow the person infont of ya, when you get to the dinning room and sit with other cool people, just tell them, We are new, what should we expect, or what can we do around here or which excursion do you guys recommend.

 

Good luck !!

[Happy ks]

I only wish this web site would have been around when I was planning our first cruise! You're right, there is a lot to consider, plus, with a wedding, I would be a bit overwhelmed, too.

 

Just remember, most people pack way too much on their first cruise. Alaska is a bit tougher, because cool weather clothing takes up more room. Pack less than you think you need and take advantage of the laundry service onboard the ship. Mix and match evening clothes and wear everything at least twice. Even though Alaska sounds like it would be cold, make sure to take along short sleeved tops and some shorts, they do get warm weather, too. Don't forget your bathing suit, many of the ships have spa areas and hot tubs. You will need a raincoat, but take a lightweight that can be layered over other clothes. Some lucky people don't see a drop of rain in Alaska, most of the time you will have at least one day of rain.

 

I always say, if you get ahold of a packing list from this board, be careful to not take it too seriously. If you have to ask what an item is packed for, you don't need it, really. The ships are sophisticated enough they provide for almost every need. You really just need your clothing, toiletries, a small first aid kit and a very good camera with lots of film or memory. Leave behind all the post it note, thermal mugs, extension cords, alarm clocks, duct tape, bungee cords, highlighter pens, cases of soda, extra suitcases, the list goes on and on. If you pack light, you will have less to haul and organize. A week long cruise goes by pretty quick, you will be amazed at how much time you don't have to keep track of all the junk some people advise taking along.

 

The Alaska board is a wealth of information, well worth an evening or two to read and find out what questions you should be asking. Plan early and have your bags ready to go a week before the wedding, you don't want any of it left for the last minute. I keep our toiletry bag packed all the time, when we return home, I restock it for the next trip.

[cruizinwithkids]

Excellent, you don't have enough to worry about for your wedding now you're stressing about your honeymoon. LOL

 

I'm going on my 15th cruise and this is the first time I've seen these boards. I have gained some good insight but there is conflicting info that can be confusing. The cruise brochure will tell you what you need for clothes, casual, dress up, etc. I predict you will both overpack and forget at least one thing. I went to Alaska in May and needed NO SUNDRESSES. I will say we were on NCL so formal is optional. My kids went swimming, no adults were in the pool. It does rain a real lot in Alaska and one thing that we didn't encounter a problem with but everyone jokes about are the mosquitos. It was frequently referred to as the state bird because they are so big.

 

You will have an awesome time, enjoy, relax, don't stress!

[Happy ks]

From what I understand, mosquitos are a problem in August inland in Alaska. Unless you are going in August and have inland excursions, you will probably never see any mosquitos.

 

As far as excursions go, get yourself a good guidebook and study each port you will be visiting. You will be better off choosing one thing to do per port, allowing yourself a little time for a walk around town and a little down time. Pre-planning a little saves you from missing what you would really like to see and gives you answers as to what you may not want to be bothered with. You cannot see it all, that is not realistic, some of the port stops are 6-8 hours and if you consider the time for getting on and off the ship, perhaps some ports are tendered, the time is shortened to 5-7 hours.

 

One of the very best afternoons we had was when we were in Sitka, we didn't have any excursion planned, so we walked around town a bit. We got back onto the ship and had a wonderful lunch with a perfect view of Sitka. After lunch, we strolled around the upper decks, then went to the solarium and had the place to ourselves with a beautiful view of the opposite side of the town. Some of our favorite pictures are of those hours we spent.

[Happy ks]

From what I understand, mosquitos are a problem in August inland in Alaska. Unless you are going in August and have inland excursions, you will probably never see any mosquitos.

 

As far as excursions go, get yourself a good guidebook and study each port you will be visiting. You will be better off choosing one thing to do per port, allowing yourself a little time for a walk around town and a little down time. Pre-planning a little saves you from missing what you would really like to see and gives you answers as to what you may not want to be bothered with. You cannot see it all, that is not realistic, some of the port stops are 6-8 hours and if you consider the time for getting on and off the ship, perhaps some ports are tendered, the time is shortened to 5-7 hours.

 

One of the very best afternoons we had was when we were in Sitka, we didn't have any excursion planned, so we walked around town a bit. We got back onto the ship and had a wonderful lunch with a perfect view of Sitka. After lunch, we strolled around the upper decks, then went to the solarium and had the place to ourselves with a beautiful view of the opposite side of the town. Some of our favorite pictures are of those hours we spent.