Roll Call for Atlantis Alaska Cruise (40 days and counting)

[NYC95]

Is anyone here joining me on this cruise? The time is drawing near and I'm getting excited. I'll be in Vancouver 2 days prior to embarkation. I hear,Davie Street, is the place to be. Any suggestions on where I should go?

[Two Boys Cruising]

Will be our first time to Vancouver as well. The Pacific National Exhibition is going on and we plan to visit that one day. Would love to hear other suggestions. We booked this when it was first offered aboard the Hawaii cruise last year, hard to believe it is finally almost here!

[KauaiBruce]

Hi Two Boys. I thought you moved to LA!. Your profile still says you are in Atlanta. I have 46 people from this cruise registered on my website now. It has started picking up fast.

 

We will be staying in the Atlantis Host Hotel for two nights prior to the cruise. Booked the 4 Points Sheriton for the sunday night after the cruise because it is impossible to get to Hawaii from there on the same day as a cruise.

 

Getting excited. This is our 8th Atlantis cruise.

Bruce

[Diamond Graham]

I am joining you on this sailing, this will be my 29th cruise and my 2nd with Atlantis. We are flying into Vancouver on the 20th. Looking forward to actually enjoying Alaska with fellow pax under the age of 70.... ;-)

[capeboy96]

Hello! Definately looking forward to sailing back to Alaska. This will be cruise #21 for me and my second on Atlantis. Was on the Atlantis cruise to the Southern Caribbean in March on the sister ship Constellation and had an awesome time. Alaska is great. Used to live there but now enjoy visiting frequently. Vancouver is an amazing city. If it was in the US I would definately be living there. If you have time, check out Stanley Park, Gasville, and Granville Island. If you have a second day Grouse Mountain is great as is the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Meeting a friend in Seattle a couple of days before sailing and not coming into Vancouver until Sunday when we sail. Those of you doing the pre-sail stay at the Sheraton Wall Center will find it convenient for accessing the whole city. Stayed on the 25th floor a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Very close to the gay section of town as well. Have been to all the ports before so feel free to ask any questions.

[Two Boys Cruising]

capeboy96

 

You would be the perfect one to look at the excursion list and make some recommendations on the better ones and maybe ones to avoid because they are not worth the trip for those of us who have never been to Alaska. Lately Atlantis does not customize excursions at all, so I am sure our choices will be the same as those listed for each port on the Celebrity web site. Any info you can provide would be appreciated. We have all booked an excursion where we ended up thinking that it was a waste of port time and money. :)

 

Glad to hear the comments about Sheraton Wall Centre. We are staying there, but not as part of the Atlantis group. God bless Priceline. ;)

 

TBC

[capeboy96]

Hey Two Boys!

 

Just looked at your profile and it seems like our paths have or have almost crossed several times. I was on the Atlantis cruise last March on the Constellation. Loved it! We must have just missed you on the Norwegian Star (sailed 2/1/05) and on the Regal Empress and SS Norway. Love the older ships.

 

Just booked recently as a third in a cabin with friends. Haven't seen the shore excursion list yet. Have been to all the ports. They're all small and can be explored on foot in little time.

 

Ketchikan is really wet. Tons of rain annually, I've never seen the sun there. Top picks if money was no object would be flightseeing over Misty Fjords or kayaking if the trip goes by Creek Street. There is an overpriced lumberjack show in town but very touristy. Two totem pole parks, Saxman and Totem Bight. I like TB better but it is further from town and you'd really need to take a tour out to see it. Tons of shopping (do the names Del Sol, Columia Emeralds, or Diamonds Int'l sound familiar). Creek Street is cool. Lots of little shops andcafes on a street built on stilts that used to be home to a number of brothels. Think I'm going to do the snorkeling tour here. Very different from the Caribbean.

 

Juneau is one of my favorite places in Alaska. Spent a month here in January 2002 supervising class trips when I worked as a School Counselor in an Eskimo village out in the Bush. One day of sunlight the whole time. Have been in the summer as well and weather was decent. Trip to definately avoid is the river rafting trip. Expensive and boring. No waves. I plan to take the hiker's shuttle for $5 out to Mendenhall Glacier (20 mins. out of town) where you can hike up close to the face and see a neat waterfall. This is the place to do flightseeing if you want to fly over and walk on a glacier. The AK Museum is downtown and interesting for an hour or 2 if you like history. Nightlife (think we're there until 10) features the Red Dog Saloon for tourists and the Alaska Hotel if you want to see some locals perform. Kind of an artsy city.

 

Sitka is beautiful as well. I plan to walk over to the National Park (15 min. walk) and hike around a trail through the temperate rain forest where there are lots of totems. Then want to see the Raptor Center where they care for wounded eagles. In town, St. Michael's Cathedral is the main attraction. There is a local dance group called Archangels (I think) who do a cute 45 min. show a couple times a day. Lots of people take wildlife cruises from here which can be hit or miss.

 

Let me know what type of activities you like or if you have specific questions on a tour and I'll see what I can find out. Still have contacts up there who are resourceful. Would love to catch up with you two sometime for a drink. Always like meeting younger guys like myself who are addicted to cruising.

 

Rob

[Two Boys Cruising]

Thanks for the info! That gives me some good ideas and confirms my suspicions on others. In Alaska I am going with a friend rather than a partner. Have you signed up on the other Atlantis only web sites?

 

TBC

[capeboy96]

TBC-

 

Found Bruce's website and posting on it is definately on my to-do list. Are there others?

 

Rob

[CruisinMaterial]

Well, there's a site on MSN, it's part of the groups... don't know if you've found or heard about that one?? :cool:

 

Hey Kaui! Long-time, no-see! My buds from Carlisle, MA are going! If you bump into them, say hello! Dale & Kirk is the names! Fun going guys and very excited to be back with Atlantis. They kept trying to get me to go. Not sure Alaska's for me though...

 

Have fun on the trip guys!

~Jake

[LVMediaboy]

Can we leave tomorrow? It was 116 in Las Vegas yesterday. We'll be there on the 19th at Pan Pacific with a gaggle of 13 Vegas guys (and 2 girls). Decided to splurge a lil and got a good Pan Pacific deal. Most surprised when the said they take luggage from your hotel room directly to ship! Also, there's a special hotel elevator that takes you directly to the port terminal. Woohoo!

Lee & Robert

[NYC95]

Sounds like ,Vegas, is trying to give,Hell, a run for its money.

[jjtsfca]

I'm ready for Alaska now. Ironically, I'm going to Vegas twice before the Alaska cruise (one trip fun, one for work.) Hmmm -

 

Vegas high today = 115 degrees

Sitka high today = about half that - 58 degrees

 

Extreme climate wardrobe makeovers for me in August ;)

[LVMediaboy]

The good news is the recordbreaking heat wave is giving way to at least 5 days of monsoon season. Iceburg here I come!

[Diamond Graham]

We are now down to less than 3 weeks....We are flying in to Vancouver the day before the cruise and are going to try to see as much of Vancouver as we can in one short day.

 

 

See you all on board...

[cscott36]

Craig and Vance from Detroit area....can't WAIT to get to some cooler weather!! (we lost count at how many 90+ degree days we've had since June)