- Joined
- Feb 8, 2003
- Messages
- 10,626
Here are the questions still needing answers!
Questions Needing Answers
01. Navigators - pretty,pretty please with cherry on top?
I believe have already been posted either here or linked to the thread where they are at
02. Timing/Open- Since the sun comes up so ding-dang early, do the fitness center and cove cafe open any earlier than normal?
Sorry I have no idea. I was up earlier than usual but didn't frequent either of those places early in the morning
03. On Deck - Are there blankets, hot cocoa, etc. on deck?
Yes- blankets on deck chairs or in the bins midship on deck 9. At first they had hot water with packages of hot cocoa but then they changed that to hot cocoa out of a machine which was much more convenient LOL
04. Dinner menus - anything different, what night was what?
I believe those are listed with the navigator and/or dinner menus elsewhere. There is Taste of Alaska themed dinner one night -salmon and one night alaskan kind crab which we actually enjoyed more than lobster night!
05. Excursion and port reviews?
Scagway- we did bus/train/lunch/dogsled excursion thru shoretrips and it was awesome! Port all I can say is that the ship docked RIGHT THERE near stores/shopping and our excursion started with a bus right there and ended with a train right there. Minimal walking to get to/from ship and shopping is an understatement. Prices at Alaska Shirt Co was extremely cheap in my opinion!
Juneau- we did whale watching and orca point lodge thru DCL- whale watching was good, we saw humpbacks. A little crowded on a larger boat so some photo opps were missed due to trying to view in/around other people at the windows but then again it also helped to have so many eyes watching and letting us know when they saw a whale each time. Salmon was DELICIOUS (and we don't really like salmon that much!) at the lodge, we had very warm weather- enough to take off jacket in short sleeves once at the lodge and outside the lodge- which is saying a lot for this Texan who is usually freezing in 50's weather LOL Port shopping is not too far away but they had free bus shuttling back and forth anyway. Again shopping at Alaska Shirt Co was extremely inexpensive!
Ketchikan- we booked flightseeing and crab feast thru DCL. Pricey- but turned out worth every penny! The flightseeing from float plane was incredible and the crab feast was to die for! We pigged out till we couldn't breathe. LOL The only downside to this was the 72 steps we had to walk up afterwards (they can get you up there even if you are unable to walk the steps and asked us if we could. We said yes, but maybe we shoulda said no. after stuffing ourselves with crab it was the longest 72 steps up everrrr LOL)
Port shopping is easily walking distance- they also have free bus shuttling back and forth but I decided not to wait for the bus (every 15min) and just walk there and back- no biggie at all. Didn't have Alaska Shirt Co but I walked around a bit window shopping until I found a similar store with similar prices. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the store but they gave specific bags with purchases and I noticed almost EVERYONE was getting on the ship, as I watched later from verandah, had one of their bags- so you'll find it easy I'm sure, if you want inexpensive souvies/clothing and stuff like that.
06. Boarding and Vancouver Cruise Terminal - wait times, boarding numbers, set up at terminal?
don't even get me started on boarding. Back to backers "procedure" didn't go as explained.... sigh
07. New - Anything at all new/different than normal for Alaska?
Not sure what you mean exactly. Beyond the alaska themed dinner one night, characters were dressed appropriate for the weather/climate and they did have narration/kids clubs up on top deck for Tracy Arm
08. Weather - What was the weather like? (both on ship and in ports)
I'm glad you specified between the two. LOL
Because at ports of call- the weather was actually quite nice. There was a bit of rain/sprinkling mostly in the morning in Scagway and again that evening but otherwise fine all day. Juneau and Ketchikan were apparently abnormally warm and sunny (awww, just for us Texans maybe? LOL) But the ship was rather cold -well anytime we were on it- which is when it wasn't at port and was moving! The weather on the ship was basically very cold anywhere there was wind- that means any open decks/verandahs except a few areas of deck 9 where the wind was blocked. The pools were basically almost completely empty the entire time- occasionally a couple people would swim and the water was kept quite warm. In fact my kids sometimes swam just to get really warmed up and then for awhile afterwards the cold didn't bother them. LOL
09. Mickey Bars - Can we get mickey bars from room service in Alaska?
Yes
10. Repellant - Is repellent is really a necessity for this cruise?
It wasn't for our cruise but every port we were at during our excursions it was mentioned how later the mosquitos would be really bad... that we were lucky we were there so early in the season. So I would say yes, repellent will be a necessity for this cruise in the future.
11. Upgrades- Did anyone upgrade at port or look into upgrading, and how were the prices?
I heard from others there was some availability at first but when I finally got checked in (and yes I was a back-to-backer who was told to come back at 11am to get expedited onto the ship and returned at 10:30 and nothing was expedited at all but there was also a lot of b2b'ers on this cruise) there were signs up saying no availability.... however, then later many were upgraded or rooms changed for a variety of reasons, including ourselves, so that didn't mean every room was actually taken... obviously
12. Lobster - was there lobster available at the BBB table service?
I do not know for sure but I know we asked if they would and were told no, only in the dining rooms
13. Movies - What movies are playing?
Tron, Tangled, African Cats, Gnomeo & Juliet (loved it!), Mars needs moms (also loved it), Prom (didn't see it) gosh can't remember what else
14. Temp - Is the temperature in the indoor areas comfortable?
Yes very. Lots of jackets on/off between indoor and outdoor areas LOL
15. Cell - How was cell phone service in the Alaska ports?
Weird is the best I can describe it. AT&T text/calls was perfect at the ports and during excursions in the water, nonexistent if you went away from port- but even at port only text/calls worked. I couldn't send pics in texts, get on websites, or check email- it kept popping up on my iphone that data cellular network could not be accessed... while those things could be accessed at the same place/port if on ship's internet. Like I said, weird. Rogers (canadian connection) was common between Vancouver and the other ports, between Alaska ports "no service" the majority of the time
16. Luggage - if you booked DCL transfers for after the cruise, can you still check your luggage in with DCL since it is international and did they check you in for your flight and print your boarding passes if you book their transfers?
No clue- didn't book DCL transfers
17. DCL Pickup - What time was DCL's pick up from the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel to bring you to the port?
Also don't know this
18. Tracy Arm - What's the best spot for viewing during the day when you are sailing by Tracy Arm?
That's a tough one. It's like 5 hours.. so it's doubtful you'd want to stay in one spot. We found that from our verandah worked well for us because then we could watch out the verandah and just step out constantly to take pictures. Deck 10 is the best place to be when nearing the glacier and turning around there.
19 . Activities - what kind of Alaska-related activities where offered on board?
There were some presentations given by Alaska rangers, mountain climbers or something of that nature, Tracy Arm narration and kids clubs up on deck 10, etc.
20. Packing - Is there any thing that you didn't bring that you wished you had (i.e. warmers, etc.)?
Definitely an extension cord with multiple outlets. There are only 2 at the desk and 2 behind the tv- the tv using one. That leaves 3. I'm used to that BUT.... then you have to use one for the phone charger- that leaves 2. Then the 2 left by desk are often times blocked if you use one/the other is blocked. Especially if you use one to charge the phones- the other one is blocked... so we had to move the phone charger behind the tv so we could actually use both plugs near the desk and even then some things when plugged in there also block the other plug they need a space between those things! LOL
I wish I'd brought thermal underwear -pants specifically. I quickly realized it was best to wear jeans (first time ever on a disney ship! LOL) because wearing pants that any wind could get up into or thinner pants that the wind whipped right thru was brrrrrrr cold!
21. Tea - are they doing the Tea with Characters?
princess tea
22. Shows - What times are the shows for the Alaska cruise?
The same times they usually are
23. Age Group - What does the age of the crowd appear to be?
Ours may have been different because it was the inauragural cruise and during the school year obviously- but we did notice a lot more people in our age range (40's) and above. A lot more. And a lot less kids. I think there were more younger children (pre school aged or young elementary children) but the lab, edge and especially vibe were kinda empty. For example there were over 150 in the teen stack for the Transatlantic cruise when everyone said there were fewer kids.... there were 38 I think it was for the repo to vancouver cruise- only 18 in vibe for the first alaska cruise. Edge seemed pretty empty (just made for a tighter clique of kids really- they all knew each other by cruise end). Lab seemed pretty empty also. That'll all change once school is out though ofcourse
24. What dining rotation did you have
Early and it actually worked out okay for us this time- we usually do late dining or bypass dining in the dining rooms entirely when in a suite. The only day we had issues with this was in Ketchikan where our excursions thru DCL lasted right thru our dining time but it was okay since our excursion included a delicious -and I mean DELICIOUS- crab feast.
Questions Needing Answers
01. Navigators - pretty,pretty please with cherry on top?
I believe have already been posted either here or linked to the thread where they are at
02. Timing/Open- Since the sun comes up so ding-dang early, do the fitness center and cove cafe open any earlier than normal?
Sorry I have no idea. I was up earlier than usual but didn't frequent either of those places early in the morning
03. On Deck - Are there blankets, hot cocoa, etc. on deck?
Yes- blankets on deck chairs or in the bins midship on deck 9. At first they had hot water with packages of hot cocoa but then they changed that to hot cocoa out of a machine which was much more convenient LOL
04. Dinner menus - anything different, what night was what?
I believe those are listed with the navigator and/or dinner menus elsewhere. There is Taste of Alaska themed dinner one night -salmon and one night alaskan kind crab which we actually enjoyed more than lobster night!
05. Excursion and port reviews?
Scagway- we did bus/train/lunch/dogsled excursion thru shoretrips and it was awesome! Port all I can say is that the ship docked RIGHT THERE near stores/shopping and our excursion started with a bus right there and ended with a train right there. Minimal walking to get to/from ship and shopping is an understatement. Prices at Alaska Shirt Co was extremely cheap in my opinion!
Juneau- we did whale watching and orca point lodge thru DCL- whale watching was good, we saw humpbacks. A little crowded on a larger boat so some photo opps were missed due to trying to view in/around other people at the windows but then again it also helped to have so many eyes watching and letting us know when they saw a whale each time. Salmon was DELICIOUS (and we don't really like salmon that much!) at the lodge, we had very warm weather- enough to take off jacket in short sleeves once at the lodge and outside the lodge- which is saying a lot for this Texan who is usually freezing in 50's weather LOL Port shopping is not too far away but they had free bus shuttling back and forth anyway. Again shopping at Alaska Shirt Co was extremely inexpensive!
Ketchikan- we booked flightseeing and crab feast thru DCL. Pricey- but turned out worth every penny! The flightseeing from float plane was incredible and the crab feast was to die for! We pigged out till we couldn't breathe. LOL The only downside to this was the 72 steps we had to walk up afterwards (they can get you up there even if you are unable to walk the steps and asked us if we could. We said yes, but maybe we shoulda said no. after stuffing ourselves with crab it was the longest 72 steps up everrrr LOL)
Port shopping is easily walking distance- they also have free bus shuttling back and forth but I decided not to wait for the bus (every 15min) and just walk there and back- no biggie at all. Didn't have Alaska Shirt Co but I walked around a bit window shopping until I found a similar store with similar prices. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the store but they gave specific bags with purchases and I noticed almost EVERYONE was getting on the ship, as I watched later from verandah, had one of their bags- so you'll find it easy I'm sure, if you want inexpensive souvies/clothing and stuff like that.
06. Boarding and Vancouver Cruise Terminal - wait times, boarding numbers, set up at terminal?
don't even get me started on boarding. Back to backers "procedure" didn't go as explained.... sigh
07. New - Anything at all new/different than normal for Alaska?
Not sure what you mean exactly. Beyond the alaska themed dinner one night, characters were dressed appropriate for the weather/climate and they did have narration/kids clubs up on top deck for Tracy Arm
08. Weather - What was the weather like? (both on ship and in ports)
I'm glad you specified between the two. LOL
Because at ports of call- the weather was actually quite nice. There was a bit of rain/sprinkling mostly in the morning in Scagway and again that evening but otherwise fine all day. Juneau and Ketchikan were apparently abnormally warm and sunny (awww, just for us Texans maybe? LOL) But the ship was rather cold -well anytime we were on it- which is when it wasn't at port and was moving! The weather on the ship was basically very cold anywhere there was wind- that means any open decks/verandahs except a few areas of deck 9 where the wind was blocked. The pools were basically almost completely empty the entire time- occasionally a couple people would swim and the water was kept quite warm. In fact my kids sometimes swam just to get really warmed up and then for awhile afterwards the cold didn't bother them. LOL
09. Mickey Bars - Can we get mickey bars from room service in Alaska?
Yes
10. Repellant - Is repellent is really a necessity for this cruise?
It wasn't for our cruise but every port we were at during our excursions it was mentioned how later the mosquitos would be really bad... that we were lucky we were there so early in the season. So I would say yes, repellent will be a necessity for this cruise in the future.
11. Upgrades- Did anyone upgrade at port or look into upgrading, and how were the prices?
I heard from others there was some availability at first but when I finally got checked in (and yes I was a back-to-backer who was told to come back at 11am to get expedited onto the ship and returned at 10:30 and nothing was expedited at all but there was also a lot of b2b'ers on this cruise) there were signs up saying no availability.... however, then later many were upgraded or rooms changed for a variety of reasons, including ourselves, so that didn't mean every room was actually taken... obviously
12. Lobster - was there lobster available at the BBB table service?
I do not know for sure but I know we asked if they would and were told no, only in the dining rooms
13. Movies - What movies are playing?
Tron, Tangled, African Cats, Gnomeo & Juliet (loved it!), Mars needs moms (also loved it), Prom (didn't see it) gosh can't remember what else
14. Temp - Is the temperature in the indoor areas comfortable?
Yes very. Lots of jackets on/off between indoor and outdoor areas LOL
15. Cell - How was cell phone service in the Alaska ports?
Weird is the best I can describe it. AT&T text/calls was perfect at the ports and during excursions in the water, nonexistent if you went away from port- but even at port only text/calls worked. I couldn't send pics in texts, get on websites, or check email- it kept popping up on my iphone that data cellular network could not be accessed... while those things could be accessed at the same place/port if on ship's internet. Like I said, weird. Rogers (canadian connection) was common between Vancouver and the other ports, between Alaska ports "no service" the majority of the time
16. Luggage - if you booked DCL transfers for after the cruise, can you still check your luggage in with DCL since it is international and did they check you in for your flight and print your boarding passes if you book their transfers?
No clue- didn't book DCL transfers
17. DCL Pickup - What time was DCL's pick up from the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel to bring you to the port?
Also don't know this
18. Tracy Arm - What's the best spot for viewing during the day when you are sailing by Tracy Arm?
That's a tough one. It's like 5 hours.. so it's doubtful you'd want to stay in one spot. We found that from our verandah worked well for us because then we could watch out the verandah and just step out constantly to take pictures. Deck 10 is the best place to be when nearing the glacier and turning around there.
19 . Activities - what kind of Alaska-related activities where offered on board?
There were some presentations given by Alaska rangers, mountain climbers or something of that nature, Tracy Arm narration and kids clubs up on deck 10, etc.
20. Packing - Is there any thing that you didn't bring that you wished you had (i.e. warmers, etc.)?
Definitely an extension cord with multiple outlets. There are only 2 at the desk and 2 behind the tv- the tv using one. That leaves 3. I'm used to that BUT.... then you have to use one for the phone charger- that leaves 2. Then the 2 left by desk are often times blocked if you use one/the other is blocked. Especially if you use one to charge the phones- the other one is blocked... so we had to move the phone charger behind the tv so we could actually use both plugs near the desk and even then some things when plugged in there also block the other plug they need a space between those things! LOL
I wish I'd brought thermal underwear -pants specifically. I quickly realized it was best to wear jeans (first time ever on a disney ship! LOL) because wearing pants that any wind could get up into or thinner pants that the wind whipped right thru was brrrrrrr cold!
21. Tea - are they doing the Tea with Characters?
princess tea
22. Shows - What times are the shows for the Alaska cruise?
The same times they usually are
23. Age Group - What does the age of the crowd appear to be?
Ours may have been different because it was the inauragural cruise and during the school year obviously- but we did notice a lot more people in our age range (40's) and above. A lot more. And a lot less kids. I think there were more younger children (pre school aged or young elementary children) but the lab, edge and especially vibe were kinda empty. For example there were over 150 in the teen stack for the Transatlantic cruise when everyone said there were fewer kids.... there were 38 I think it was for the repo to vancouver cruise- only 18 in vibe for the first alaska cruise. Edge seemed pretty empty (just made for a tighter clique of kids really- they all knew each other by cruise end). Lab seemed pretty empty also. That'll all change once school is out though ofcourse
24. What dining rotation did you have
Early and it actually worked out okay for us this time- we usually do late dining or bypass dining in the dining rooms entirely when in a suite. The only day we had issues with this was in Ketchikan where our excursions thru DCL lasted right thru our dining time but it was okay since our excursion included a delicious -and I mean DELICIOUS- crab feast.
(bring money)
