rtread

We are about to pull the trigger on booking a Christmas cruise (this year) on Celebrity Reflection. We've never done Celebrity, but this cruise satisfies our wants and needs. Has anyone had experiences with this ship? How about Celebrity? I know Celebrity is a subsidiary of RCL and I know it is a little pricier ($50 a day for balcony) than a comparable RCL cruise. Any info would be appreciated!

Good info here! We are booked on Ovation mid-July next year and I had planned on sweater/light jacket but I didn't think about waterproof. Will definitely look for light jacket that sheds water! Thx

We have been trying! We have had 5 cruises cancelled in the last 2 years.....2 Greek Isles, 2 Alaskan, 1 Caribbean. We now have 2 cruises booked, this Christmas on Allure to Caribbean and July on Ovation to Alaska. If the ships are only half full.....great! From a passenger standpoint it would be great. I can understand how it wouldn't be so great for RCL. It will get better.

We are booked on Odyssey for a 9 night Greek Isles cruise May 7 out of Civitavecchia, hope you are still aboard. We will be watching your vlogs!

I can't see one cruise line (NCL for example) handling this one way while the rest of the industry handles it another. Money talks and it wouldn't take long for this to change. 

Any chance of the CDC getting involved in this?

I hope ALL of these summer cruises happen! That will mean our 2 September cruises on Liberty will happen!

17 minutes ago, princevaliantus said:

 Odyssey of the Seas is a new ship that has not even sailed. They are no experiences to share.

Ahhhhh, ok. Shows how much I've been keeping up with the ships lately. Anyway, we are going to give it a try next year, maybe I'll have some experiences to share. Thanks!

We are booked on Odyssey for May 7 of next year out of Civitavecchia. At this point, all I know about Odyssey is that it is big and new and a Quantum class ship. Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, or any info?

Our May Caribbean cruise was radically changed and the new ports of call are Oranjestad, Aruba....Willemstad, Curacao....and La Romana, Dominican Republic. I don't know anything about these ports (except I know Natalie Hollaway disappeared on Aruba). If anyone has been to any of these ports and has tips, info, warnings, etc. I would appreciate any heads up! Thx

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Here's a helpful post about what to do once they do cancel: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/06/23/what-you-should-do-now-royal-caribbean-cancelled-your-cruise

Thanks Matt! That blog is VERY helpful. 

I cruised with Uncle Sam years ago and fell in love with the oceans, the ports, the sea gulls, the marine life, seeing merchant ships at sea, the tug boats, the junks....the whole deal. Unfortunately we were busy raising a family and couldn't afford cruises for many years. Now we can and I still love the sea. I don't know if we are addicted to cruising  yet but it seems like we are getting that way. We see the cruises as a great way to see new places, get entertained, eat well, and relax if we want to or get exhausted if we want to....our choice. And this takes place all in a relatively small area. Compared to a vacation where we would be flying or driving, staying in a hotel, eating wherever, maybe renting a car, paying for entertainment....cruising is more appealing! Can't wait for our next one!

I am anticipating my Halloween birthday cruise being cancelled. How do they (RCL) handle communications about the cancellation and refunds? Do they contact you in any way or are you expected to contact them? I'm not looking forward to that process but I certainly want to be up on procedures. I know there are many that have already enjoyed this process and many more in the same boat (no pun intended) that I am. All help, advice appreciated!

I'm in the same boat. Keep booking cruises and watch them go south (not literally). Ahhh well, at some point this will all be a memory. My thinking is at some point everybody is going to want to cruise and fly.....you'll find everything booked up. Might as well try to get ahead of that......

We have an October 25 cruise coming up on Liberty. It looks like it will be on the Covid 19 chopping block, I held out hope but hope is diminishing fast. A couple of questions on what to expect....

First, at what point in relation to the cruise date will RCL make the decision and announce the cancellation? 

Second, my wife booked this cruise with the help of the  "Casino Free" deal. What can we expect as far as cancellation refunds or future cruise vouchers?

Thanks for your replies!

35 minutes ago, Scrumps said:

I would go as far as to say that if they restart and there is a mass inflection, you will likely see no cruises way into 2021 and the cruise industry lifeline hanging by a thread.  

Agreed. Remembering back to PRE-Covid19, every time a cruise ship anywhere had a large number of infections of ANYKIND, the media was on it like a duck on a june bug. If any ship POST-Covid19 had an outbreak of anykind, especially Covid19, it will be a huge media circus.

I was there in 1967. Brings back memories..... I was there compliments of Uncle Sam. We sure had fun at Blackbeards with some people off the cruise ships. Full stop....

Well, after thinking about it, I think I was at BLUEBEARD'S Castle at St. Thomas. Sorry 'bout that...

This may seem minor, but to my better half it is major. On a future cruise we purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package. One of the items in the package is bottled water. On past cruises we have pre-paid for like 12 bottles of water to be in our room on arrival. My wife likes that. She wants to know if the Deluxe Beverage Package includes bottled water in the room or will we need to purchase the separate bottled water deal as we have in the past? Thanks!

Thanks all! As usual you gave me all the information I need. I couldn't do this without you, for sure!

21 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

If the excursion is purchased through Royal in the Cruise Planner, it would be refunded just like any other Cruise Planner purchase.  Obviously, if you book directly with the vendor, you would have to confirm the vendor’s cancellation policy.

Thank you very much! We are booking all excursions through Royal in the cruise planner. I know there are cheaper alternatives but I seem to be more confident in purchasing through RCL....like my thinking is they won't run off and leave us. LOL maybe unfounded?

I should know this and don't..... If you book excursions ahead of time and then have to cancel the cruise, what is the policy for excursion refunds? We are booking through a TA and have the insurance. Thanks for your reply!

1 hour ago, Pima1988 said:

@rtread  

 

If you are staying a night in Anchorage than I would suggest Captain Cook Hotel.  It is $$$$, but it is well worth it.  The Hilton is farther away from the downtown walking wise.  The Hilton is also a great hotel.  Loved both of these hotels. The Hilton is more modern than Captain Cook.  Service level is the same impo.

 

 

 

Actually we are staying two nights at The Lakefront Anchorage. I did see the Captain Cook Hotel and the reviews were very favorable as was the Hilton. My Activity Director opted for the Lakefront Anchorage and that was that. 

Sounds like your husband had quite a career! I was enlisted and was only in for four years....2 extended tours crediting me with 4 tours....entirely in the Danang area.

I do have grandkids and will look for the book you mentioned. I'll also look for the moose....for me. 

40 minutes ago, Pima1988 said:

@rtread  I lived in Anchorage for @4 yrs.  I am originally from NJ.  Believe it or not it is short weather in June.  My best advice is to dress like an onion.  I.E. wear shorts and a tee shirt with a sweater or sweatshirt.  It will be chilly in the a.m.,  but by 3 or 4 in the afternoon you will feel comfortable without the sweater.   There is little humidity in Anchorage, so it feels a lot warmer than you think, even in the high 70s/low 80s.

As for the Fjords, you will feel the coolness of the glaciers.  If you get  chilly easy than this is when you want to wear long pants.  If you are comfortable in shorts in 70 degrees, than you will be okay.  Remember though, that the Fjords or any place with glaciers will not be like Anchorage or Denali because it will be damp, in other words it will feel like it is down to the bone. 

In June you will be coming close to the solstice,  basically 2 a.m. in AK will look like 7 p..m. in NJ.  I would suggest that if you are like me, and need darkness to sleep, you might want to bring a sleeping eye mask.  Most Alaskans have what is called black out curtains because the sun just dips down and pops right back up.  

We camped all over AK from May to Sept.  Our tried and true items we took for every trip were:

1.  Anorak jacket with a hood, and removeable fleece lining, such as North Face.  Somedays it will be warmer, but "spitting"" aka almost a drizzle, so you want the outer shell, but not the fleece.  Some days it will be cool and sunny, so you want the fleece, but not the outer jacket.
2.  A good pair of hiking boots if you are doing any excursions where it involves a trail.  They don't have to be expensive, you just need it to have a good sole to the shoe, and you want it to be more waterproof than a sneaker.  April is break up (you finally see your black top on the drive way).  May is rainy.  Thus,  early June can be sunny, but the ground still damp.
3.  Good warm socks.  My husband flew fighters for the AF, and because he did winter survival in AK in Jan. this was droned into our heads.  If your feet are warm, you will feel much warmer.  Hence, the boots, not sneakers and good quality socks.  White cotton socks you wear to the gym were not a go!  

If you are extending your trip in Anchorage, here are my see/do:

1.  Go to the Simon and Seaforts.  Make a reservation ahead of your trip.  It is pretty much booked solid.  It sits overlooking Cook Inlet with amazing views.  Order their crab dip. It is made with Dungeness crab and has sour dough bread to use for dipping.  Get their Prime Rib.  Best you will ever have. Beware it is pricey, but between the views, service and food you will not regret it..
2.  Go to the Hilton for drinks.  They have a bar/restaurant on the top floor that overlooks Anchorage and Ft. Rich mountain.  I don't care for their restaurant as much as Simon & Seaforts.  We would always go to Simons, and than walk to the Hilton for after dinner drinks.  It is maybe a 10-15 min walk.
3.  If they have an excursion to Mirror Lake, take it.  The lake is so still that it actually looks like it is a mirror.
4.  Eagle River has a very easy white water rafting trip. I would not call it white water, but they do and if you have small ones it is a fun excursion.  Eagle River from downtown is maybe 25 mins.
5.  Go to a local fish store.  They will ship to your home in dry ice king crab legs.  Unlike the ones you get in the lower 48, they don't have the salty taste to them.  They are naturally sweet, and more importantly they all will snap when you break the leg. 
6.  Curling is a thing in AK.  Right up the road from the Hilton you can do this, maybe a 2 min car ride.  Kind of like saying I swam with the pigs in the Caribbean, how many of your friends can say I learned how to do an Olympic sport, such as, curling.  Might sound geeky, but it is actually a lot of fun. 

If Portage Glacier (Williwaw) in Anchorage is offered, it would be on the bottom of my excursion list. It is melting away fast.  We would camp there, but it really feels touristy, same with Alyeska.  

I see Ulu knives like the Russian nesting dolls and mini-totem poles.  Unless, you are really into them, don't buy one, they know that tourists are wanting these items, and you can find these things everywhere.  Heck, even at the airport the Ulu is 1 of their questions.  If jewelry is your thing, go to any small jewelry store.  I own a charm bracelet, I have a dog sled charm for my bracelet.  They also sell them as pins (to make an entire team) and pendants with a mushers basket.  

You will love this trip.  Hope this gives you some ideas.  

 

 Curling is a thing in AK.  Right up the road from the Hilton you can do this, maybe a 2 min car ride.  Kind of like saying I swam with the pigs in the Caribbean, how many of your friends can say I learned how to do an Olympic sport, such as, curling.  Might sound geeky, but it is actually a lot of fun. 

Great information, Pima! This will be very helpful in buying clothes, deciding what to take, etc.

Thank your husband for his service. I'm a Vietnam vet, agent orange exposure and disability. That limits my activities these days but I like the guided tours, as does my wife.

Curling is a favorite of mine in the olympics! 

Thanks for the info!

One more question..... we are planning ahead as to what kind of clothes we will need, both on the cruise ship and ashore in places like Seward and Anchorage. This will be early June and where we live it's shorts and tee shirts time but I'm seeing pictures of the Seward Fjords boat tours (obviously warmer months) where there is plenty of ice and snow around. So it's obviously cold, what would be appropriate outdoor dress for early June?

Figuring in airlines policies on luggage , being on a 7 day cruise, and plans before and after the cruise, we will really have to plan for this. Normally we overpack on a warm weather cruise, going to have to dress differently on this one.

Any and all suggestions appreciated!

1 hour ago, MichelleB1234 said:

Interested to see what other responses you receive.   Next June, I am doing the trip in reverse order from you.  We are planning to stay 2 nights in Seward do the 6 hour Kenai Fjords cruise plus the Sealife Center.  There are a couple of other things I have heard about.  You can take a cab or shuttle to the Exit Glacier and hike that.  We are planning to do the easier hike but there is also a very challenging hike called the Harding Icefield Hike.  There also is a dog sled experience with a company called Seaveys.

After finding out more about Seward, I wish we had figured in more time there. Pictures I'm seeing of the area are breathtaking. The hiking you mentioned sounds great.... I'm afraid my disabilities prevent me from doing that these days. That brings up a very important point.....enjoy those things while you can, things change as you age and you have to give up much that you love. Just a fact of life.

For those who have been  on the Vancouver to Seward cruise, we have booked for June of next year and I'm working on plans for what to do in Seward. Radiance gets in to Seward like 5:00 AM one day and we are staying one night and leaving on the train to Anchorage at 6:00 PM the next day, so we will have parts of two days for looking around. I have considered Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier & Wildlife Cruise, which looks like a half day, and the Alaska Sealife Center. Any comments, recommendations, opinions? Thanks!