We be Dancin' here....

[ekuhlman]

I already posted this on HAL's board, and I'm prbably not supposed to post it here also, but I just couldn't help myself from sharing with all you "Alaska" friends our great joy...............

 

Hello All,

We just received our long awaited Blue Folder from HAL today, along with another one for the couple who is traveling with us.

We are all set for a SB 14 day CruiseTour (#18) to begin on June 1st and ending up on the Volendam in Vancouver.

It appears they may need to begin making their blue folders a little larger... with all the stuff they have in there, the flaps wouldn't even close. On top of that, there is an included note that in order to reduce the amount of paper required, some things like certain transfers, excursion passes, etc. have been omitted.

What they really need to omit are those contract booklets that contain about 40 pages each of legaleze, disclaimers, CYA stuff, etc.;)

Of course I'm just kidding around here a bit, but there IS an awful lot of stuff in that folder.

If I hadn't already read up on all this stuff since last July, and had the amazing help from all you fine Cruise Critic folks, I would have been totally lost if I had just seen for the first time eveything in this floder.

 

From choosing verandah suites in the center of the ship on the port side, to selecting from the myriads of excursion choices we had to choose from, to when and where to eat, what to see, what to do.... the list goes on. Without this board, I'd have been a mess. :)

A special thank you to Budget Queen who helped to set me straight a couple of times and got me some great information.

 

From the train ride from Fairbanks (3) nights to Denali (2) nights to an overnight in Anchorage with another train ride to Seward the next morning, we can't help but see some incredible sights with flight landings on McKinley, the TWT tour, Sealife Center, Kenai Fjords cruise, Glacier watching, White Pass railway, Mendenhall & whale watching, Misty Fjords wilderness explorer.... WOW! I think we've got a great trip planned.

 

And I hope my wife enjoys the Vows Renewal ceremony I have planned for us.

 

Heck, with living on the East coast (Maryland), by golly, the trip on the planes ought to be an experience all by itself. ;)

 

And we are Ready to DO iT!

Let's get this show on the road.

 

Thanks again, everyone. Planning this trip has been a Major undertaking, and it wouldn't have gone nearly so well without the help, guidance, opinions, and just plain fun that you all have so amply and willingly supplied.

 

I promise to tell you all about it when we get back (which will be all too soon, by the way).

 

Bon Voyage in 16 days.

Ed

[WeRockChalkKU]

Congrats on doing the dance.....16 days for you and 26 days for me.

 

Interesting...I got my Princess documents on April 4th - I'm glad I didn't have to wait as long as you did. So, I don't know if it's cruiseline difference or a TA difference.....just glad I've had mine.

 

So, have a wonderful time and post all about it when you get back.

[CC Help Michell]

Dancin' with you, Ed -- and looking forward to meeting you at the Meet and Greet! :)

[ekuhlman]

Dancin' with you, Ed -- and looking forward to meeting you at the Meet and Greet! :)

 

Hi Michelle,

We'll keep the 'meet & greet' as an open event. Not having cruised before, the four of us do not know what all to expect. Also, we will want to see what transpires as we leave the College Fjord area.

We will keep the gathering on our list of "to-do's" for that time frame.

 

BTW... thanks for setting that all up. It's appreciated.

 

Ed

[CC Help Michell]

Hi Michelle,

We'll keep the 'meet & greet' as an open event. Not having cruised before, the four of us do not know what all to expect. Also, we will want to see what transpires as we leave the College Fjord area.

We will keep the gathering on our list of "to-do's" for that time frame.

 

BTW... thanks for setting that all up. It's appreciated.

 

Ed

 

;) No problem setting it up, as the cruiseline does most of the work. Also, no rule says you "have" to attend a M&G... from most CC boards, it's pretty rare that more than 50% of those on a roll call attend the M&G, and that's been my experience. It's truly no biggie.

 

If you find yourselves at loose ends after College Fjord that morning, with a full day at sea ahead of you, come on up to the Crow's Nest and say howdy for 5 minutes. If nothing else, you'll have some familiar faces saying "hello" the rest of the week as we all enjoy Alaska. (I, too, wouldn't ever go to these if it meant having to "adopt" everyone else there, but it doesn't mean that -- it's really sort of like going to a convention and attending the "morning coffee" part of the agenda).

 

Hope that helps, but if you choose to skip it, I'll look forward to comparing reviews! :)