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My first Alaska cruise!!! Who else is going?

Sorry if this is a silly question but I haven't cruised since the app was available. We are sailing to Alaska in July and have reserved the early seating time. My TA said it was 5:15 but the app says it's 5:30. There's nothing in my calendar. I know it's only 15 minutes and it doesn't really make a difference but I'm one of those crazy people that likes to have a pretty spreadsheet handy, lol. So when I look at the app, is the schedule I see on there for our trip or where the ship is currently located?

what is wrong with this picture? got an extra day in there. Day Port 1 Vancouver, British Columbia Departs At 5:00 PM 2 Inside Passage (Cruising), Canada Day At Sea 3 Sitka, Alaska From 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 4 Tracy Arm Fjord (Cruising), Alaska Day At Sea 5:00 AM - 9:00 AM 4 Juneau, Alaska From 1:00 PM - 10:00 PM 5 Haines, Alaska From 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM 6 Ketchikan, Alaska From 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM 7 Cruising Day At Sea

I have this booked for our upcoming Alaska cruise and was wondering if anyone has done this and could offer some insight. We are in Skagway from 7am - 2pm. This tour is booked at 11am & it's 2 hours long. Do these types of tours normally leave from the ship or a meeting point in town? Not sure how early we should be looking to head out in order to be back in time to make the tour. Also, it says "ends up at the Brothel" so does that mean we need to get back to the ship on our own afterwards?

This group was extremely helpful when I planned my last Caribbean cruise 3 years ago so here I am again. This time we are planning a trip with extended family so there may be 6-8 adults instead of just hubby & I. This was kind of last minute and we want to go next summer. I'm already overwhelmed. I reached out to MEI but haven't heard back yet. I am looking to the one way cruises as I want to travel to the Fairbanks area and go home from there. Will figure that part out once we book. Opinions on if it's better to do 2-3 days on land before or after the cruise? Not sure if we should book North or Southbound. Also, I'm directionally challenged so knowing what side of the ship is best for viewing the beauty of Alaska would be nice! The one way ship is Radiance. We won't have any kids with us & hubby & I are the only ones who have cruised before so I'm hoping it will be fine. I'm aware it's a smaller ship. For those who weren't sure to book roundtrip or one way I'd love to know how you made your choice. I know balcony rooms seem to be going quick and we need to book soon. I'm afraid to do so directly through RC as each group needs travel insurance. As overwhelmed as I am, it's exciting to be planning a cruise again! Appreciate any advice

As Royal Caribbean kicks off the 2022 Alaska cruise season it's time to look North, all the way North... to the Southeast coast. The Southeast coast of Alaska that is. Serenade of the Seas sails from the Canadian port city of Vancouver, British Columbia heading North to Alaska and back, round trip to Vancouver. Itinerary Sun 01May2022 Vancouver, British Columbia - 5:00 PM Boarding Mon 02May2022 Inside Passage - - Cruising Tue 03May2022 Sitka, Alaska 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked Wed 04May2022 Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska 5:00 AM 9:00 AM Cruising Wed 04May2022 Juneau, Alaska 12:00 PM 8:00 PM Docked Thu 05May2022 Hubbard Glacier (Cruising) 11:00 AM 2:00 PM Cruising Fri 06May2022 Ketchikan, Alaska 2:00 PM 10:00 PM Docked Sat 07May2022 Cruising - - Cruising Sun 08May2022 Vancouver, British Columbia 7:00 AM - Departure This is an unusual opportunity for Royal Caribbean International in a number of ways. First of all Vancouver roundtrip hasn't always been a Royal Caribbean International offering. Secondly an itinerary that includes sailing by two glaciers on Royal is not common. Thirdly, visiting Hubbard Glacier, the premiere tidewater glacier of Alaska, has traditionally meant sailing a one-way North or South itinerary on Royal. Lastly, sailing into Tracy Arm Fjord has not been offered by Royal in some time, even before the industry shutdown. Admittedly this thread may not be live at all times since the internet when sailing this far North can leave a lot to be desired. This year brings some additional requirements introduced since this cruise departs from another country (Canada) and that means satisfying both CDC requirements since we visit US ports and Canadian requirements since we sail from Canada. Despite the anticipated internet challenges as the cruise sails North I thought it would be helpful to discuss the additional requirements introduced by Canada this year due to the pandemic.

I’m going to start by saying that I have excursion anxiety after a member of our travel party made us nearly miss the ship years ago. So many times I book through the ship because this circumstance really shook me up. However as we are sailing to Alaska this year I’m feeling like if there is anywhere to trust a 3rd party it’s Alaska. No language barriers, easy to contact them etc. Would you agree with this? I’m ready to book outside RC and my husband is still worried. also if anyone has amazing suggestions for Juneau or Skagway I’m all ears! 2 adults and our 7 year old.

We are booked on an Alaskan cruise this coming June. A lot of the RC excursions are sold out. I found this Shore Excursions Group and was wondering if anyone had any experience booking through them instead of RC. They have some excursions we are interested in. Their website is: https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/ My biggest fear in not booking directly with RC is the "return to ship guarantee" which you know you have with RC. This group says they have it as well. This is a big trip for us and I am slightly overwhelmed with all the options. Eek! Thanks!

Curious to know if anyone has done an Alaska sailing from Seattle or Vancouver with Holland America, and if so how was the experience compared to RCL? The wife and I have only ever done Alaska on Celebrity and that was over a decade ago, but we have heard from colleagues and family who speak highly of Holland America, in terms of better service and food. A few family who have sailed HAL seem to prefer the experience on board as they have a very diverse Alaska program though not sure about the family demographic? Having only ever sailed Royal recently, what are some thoughts on Holland America for Alaska? They seem to have a great cruise-land tour program that RCL does not offer, and their ships boast on board lectures and chamber music though I also hear the ships shut down by 11 pm... Looking to do Alaska in 2023 when we return stateside again, nothing to Alaska from Singapore unfortunately.

It seems that the engine parts for the Alaska sailings in August and September on Quantum, will not be done on time. I just received an email From Royal that our itinerary for the Sept 12th Sailing from Seattle has been changed to new ports and times "Dear Guest, Due to speed limitations caused by a technical issue with one of the ship’s engines, we’ve replaced our visit to Skagway, Alaska and Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. Instead, we’ll visit Ketchikan, spend more time in Juneau, and we’ll visit Sitka a day later. Your safety, and that of our crew, is always our top priority. Our ship has four engines, but one requires some repair and there’s a delay in receiving the parts needed. Additionally, another engine is scheduled for routine maintenance soon, which means we’ll have to reduce our overall speed. Our ships can safely sail in these kinds of situations at reduced speeds, and while we’re working to expedite the repair process, the global supply chain issues that we’re all experiencing are complicating this situation. The decision to modify our itinerary wasn’t taken lightly. We’ve done everything possible to minimize the impact to your time with us, and we’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience." Mon Seattle, Washington 4:00 PM Tue Cruising Wed Ketchikan, Alaska 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Thu Sitka, Alaska 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Fri Juneau, Alaska 7:30 AM 3:00 PM Sat Cruising Sun Victoria, British Columbia 5:00 PM 10:00 PM Mon Seattle, Washington 7:00 AM We previously had the Glacier Inside passage and Skagway in our itinerary. At least they are providing us with an onboard credit: $75 USD for Interior and Ocean View staterooms $100 USD for Balcony staterooms $200 USD for Suites" Hopefully this information helps anyone on this particular cruising and others in September. Although frustrating we have booked a glacier viewing excursion that hopefully will make up for the loss of the inside passage.

We are taking a post-cruise excursion in Vancouver on the Serenade of the Seas in June 2022. Since we are staying overnight in Vancouver to fly out the next day, we decided to take a post-cruise excursion. Specifically, the Sea to Sky Experience and Shannon Falls with Airport Transfer excursion. We chose this excursion because it was on the list of places we wanted to see and since we are staying at the Fairmont Airport Hotel it is where we will be dropped off. We also chose this hotel because we have a morning US flight and the wanted convenience of being right their to catch our flight. I've searched around but couldn't find the answer to my question. If we leave our bags out the night before the end of the cruise, what happens to our bags? Do we claim them then lug them over to the excursion bus? Or do they load them on the tour bus? The tour leaves at 8:30 and ends at the airport. Thank you all for your great advice!

Will be going on a cruise to Alaska soon. Which company should I book my whale watching excursion with? If you can, can you put a link to the website as well

We are sailing on ML in a few weeks from Seward. Prior to joining the ship, we are doing a Celebrity Cruise Tour. I know we need a COVID test no more than two days before the land portion starts, which we will do before we leave home. Then we also need one no more than two days before the cruise starts. On boarding day (Friday) we take a bus from Denali to Seward to join the ship. I've read somewhere that they will stop somewhere in Anchorage where people can get COVID testing done. But, then I've also read that isn't true, that we need to either bring a self-test with us and do the testing (via tele-health monitoring) on our own, or arrange testing on our own. When I called Celebrity they said they will stop in Anchorage for testing, but I don't know if the person understood my question. Would anyone happen to know if they will be stopping somewhere for testing? I am sure it will be more expensive, but it would probably be more convenient. And I've also read that if you do the monitored at home test, that you can't use a cell phone or tablet for that, it has to either be a desktop or laptop computer. Which would be really inconvenient to have to bring a desktop computer!

Going with our 3 grown kids and spouses/partners. Had to schedule that far out due to summer plans already in place for 2022. Really juiced about going since we have been pretty much locked down due to Covid. Mrs Fan and I retired Jan 2020, about 2 months before Covid slammed everything. We had hoped to travel a bunch, but it was not to be. We had to cancel an Alaska Cruise that was supposed to sail in May 2020. We've been to Alaska before with Princess, the others have not. We did a bunch of excursions on our last trip (float plane, whale watching, White Pass train). This time, I want to do a fishing charter for salmon or halibut at one of the stops. Mrs Fan says she will cancel unless she is booked for at least 1 spa day on board - LOL. Probably nothing else at the other stops, but I am telling the kids to do the White Pass Train. Never sailed with RCCL and really look forward to the new experience.

RC cruise planner for our May 23-30, 2022 Alaska cruise on Quantum states, "Two70 and Theater capacity restrictions are allowing us to only offer one show reservation per guest for this voyage." Yikes! Can anyone tell me more about this? We enjoy the various shows on the RC cruises. Thanks for any info you can provide.

I have the opportunity to sail Alaska sept 23rd of this year. Would be my husband, myself and our cruise loving 7 year old. Im worried about weather etc that late in the Alaska season. Anyone sail around then and have opinions? Good and bad welcome!

Hi Cruise Friends- We’re sailing out on Serenade on 9/6/21 with ports of call in Sitka, Icy Straight Point, Juneau and Ketchikan. This will be our first time experiencing Alaska. We’d really like to go whale watching, but was wondering if the experience would be better in Juneau or Icy Strait Point. It appears Juneau has a greater variety of whale watching adventures compared to Icy Strait. Are the whales more plentiful in Juneau? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

Are there any off the beaten path things to see/do in either of these towns? We’re already whale watching in Icy Strait and kayaking in Juneau and was hoping to find some unique experiences here. Decided not to do any organized excursions in either place. Thanks in advance!

The wife and I along with some friends are thinking of going on an Alaskan Cruise in June 2022. I was wondering if anyone has a preference on which ship they liked and why? I also would like to know if June is the best time to go or should be move the dates (we would like to see the northern lights if possible)? Also one itinerary goes through Ketchikan and the other through Skagway. I would like to hear some opinions on which one you liked more and why. Any help would be great! This is only our second cruise so we are still kind of new to this but loved our other Royal Caribbean cruise so we thought we would try another!

We've been Royal Loyal and have not ventured to other cruise lines. We are booked for an 2022 Alaskan cruise on the Solstice [Sky Suite]. We've done the Radiance AK Cruise before and I've lived in Alaska for several years. So, most of my questions are about Celebrity benefits and ship questions. 1. What should I not miss on the ship? 2. Thoughts of The Retreat versus Royal's Sky Class? 3. Restaurant recommendations? 4. Seattle Port tips for embarkation and debarkation. 5. Thoughts on Celebrity's Captains Club Elite level. 6. Daily routine recommendations? 7. Define Chic dress code? Thanks!

Very excited about this news! So excited that we changed our Serenade July 2021 sailing to the Quantum out of Seattle! This change leads me to wonder if QOS will receive a refurb/update besides the laser tag to appeal to the American market. Since this ship has been in the Asian market for quite some time, it has a noodle shop among other Asian specialties and interests. Does anyone have any idea? Heard anything? Granted, we will still be in the #teamCK crew as we will be Sky Class, but just wondering about some of the other offerings. So Psyched! Now, if we could get that intern to show up again! Thanks Sharla at MEI for making this happen!!

Finally the 2019 Alaska cruise season is beginning and so has the single digit dance! Looking back I always put off an Alaska cruise despite all the good things I heard over and again. Now I can't get enough. This will be my fourth cruise to Alaska and hopefully it will not be my last. Why did I wait so long to cruise to Alaska? Itinerary Day Port of Call Arrive Depart 1 Vancouver 5pm 2 At Sea 3 At Sea 4 Icy Strait Point (ISP) 9am 8pm 5 Sitka 7am 6pm 6 Hubbard Glacier 8am 11am 7 Juneau 7am 9pm 8 Skagway 7am 8:30pm 9 Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier 7am 12pm 10 At Sea 11 At Sea 12 Seattle 6am source: CruiseCharts.com The Ship This is a special cruise in many ways. This will be Ovation's first cruise to Alaska and the first time a Quantum class ship visits Alaska. It will be the largest cruise ship ever to visit Alaska edging out the NCL Bliss by a small margin. It's a repositioning itinerary unique for this season, starting in Vancouver and ending in Seattle. There are two glaciers on the itinerary, Hubbard and Dawes. The itinerary includes two ports not normally on Royal itineraries from the South - Sitka and Icy Straight Point. It's eleven nights compared to the normal 7 night Alaska cruise. This will be the earliest in the Alaska cruise season for me, beating out my previous early Alaska season cruise by several weeks. Hubbard Glacier is pretty far North and it's not normally on Seattle based itineraries. Sitka is infrequently on Royal itineraries. Icy Strait Point is a favorite port for me and usually only found on Royal's North or South one-way Alaska itineraries. When considering any Alaska cruise paying attention to the times in port is important and Royal has planned some awesome times in each port on this itinerary. Ovation is a "cold weather" ship which should pair very well with Alaska. The ample sized indoor pool will be great for families leaving the beautiful Solarium for adults to enjoy the sweeping views forward as we sail the Alaskan inside passages. Combined with the sweeping views aft from Two70° and this is shaping up to be a fantastic Alaska cruise experience. Pre-Cruise Plans I fly to Vancouver with a connection in Salt Lake City arriving noon the day before the cruise departs Vancouver. I found a nice but inexpensive hotel near the airport with a free airport shuttle. Vancouver features a train system that will allow me to reach downtown pretty easily while saving substantially by not staying downtown. Once settled I plan to visit downtown and may even head out to the Lion's Gate Bridge Sunday evening to watch Ovation arrive being the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver harbor. Cabin I normally scale back my cabin to Alaska so I can splurge on excursions but Ovation changes the math. Quantum class ships have a much higher balcony cabin count relative to interior or ocean view cabins. Because of the balcony cabin ratio on Ovation the marginal price difference to book a balcony was small enough to motivate me to spend a few extra hundred dollars and book a balcony plus it's eleven nights. In years past an interior cabin was less than half the price of a balcony so the savings basically paid for the excursions. Consequently this year I am in a 2D ocean view balcony on deck 11 forward port side. On these ships I like being close to the pool deck so I can take the stairs and my cabin is a few steps to the elevator lobby. Specialty Dining None planned. My travel agent did throw in one specialty dinner so I'll probably visit Jamie's based on an Anthem cruise where I really enjoyed Jamie's over all the other options. Excursions To experience Alaska you need to get out of the ports and see Alaska. To this end I always plan a healthy Alaska excursion budget and this year's excursion budget approaches $900 per person. When I booked this cruise I grabbed a bunch of Royal excursions as place holders while I looked at all options. Several cruise planner sales occurred and I was able to save hundreds by cancelling and rebooking my excursions. With those price drops I couldn't find many cheaper options and all things being equal I always prefer booking excursion through Royal in case of itinerary changes. I did find one Viator excursion in Sitka that looked interesting so I booked it outside of Royal. Icy Strait Point (ISP) With Royal gaining access to Glacier Bay in future years I thought a fly over Glacier Bay National Park would be a great way to look forward to a future visit by ship. Going on a bear hunt to shoot pictures has always appealed to me in ISP so these are my two excursions for this day leaving lots of time to explore ISP on my own. Sitka The raptor center in Sitka sounded like a great way to see some birds including (hopefully) some Eagles. Throw in a nature walk and it sounded like a winner. Having hopefully seen bears by this point, I thought beers and bears sounded pretty good so I found this Viator option in Sitka. Juneau Visiting Juneau I have always watched the float planes coming and going but always found something else to do. So this year I am going to continue my small plane obsession and see some glaciers from the air in a SeaPlane. Skagway Glass blowing has always fascinated me and having done many of the other must do Skagway activities this year is going to blow. I figure what better way to find a keepsake memento from an Alaska cruise than on a glassblowing activity leaving me a lot of daylight to explore Skagway on my own. Internet I bought Voom Surf and Stream on sale for $11.99 per day. Given the 11 night duration this was more economical compared to buying it on board with my Crown and Anchor discount and waiting until day two. While Ovation uses the newest O3b satellite platform I'm not sure that is going to help North in Alaska where O3b has "limited services". source: www.ses.com/our-coverage A Royal O3b enabled ship has never ventured this far North into the limited services area so I'm not sure what to expect from Voom. If the ship switches to conventional satellite internet I know from past experiences that can be hit or miss at times while cruising Alaska. Consequently this may not be a live blog and I might have to finish and post pictures once home. With that the count down continues... more to come.

Today is day 4 of our cruise and I purposely delayed starting this blog. Voom suffers in Alaska being so far North and knowing I would take a bunch of photos I will be writing the bulk of thread after I return home and can go through thousands of photos to select the best ones. Consequently keep any eye out for updates next week, but in the interim if anyone has any questions they would like to ask while I am on board feel free to add those now. Itinerary Day 1 - Embark in Seward Day 2 - Hubbard Glacier Day 3 - Juneau Day 4 - Skagway Day 5 - Icy Strait Point Day 6 - Ketchikan Day 7 - Inside Passage Day 8 - Disembark in Vancouver So far every port has been awesome and weather has been great. Our time at Hubbard Glacier was incredible and very different from Explorer's trip to the Dawes Glacier in June. That's just a tease, I'll get into that in more detail once I go through the pictures and videos of calving I have. We've just arrived in Skagway and I am heading out for my day of self exploring. Later...

Hey fellows and learned cruisers. I am just about to sail on Ovation of the Seas for a 7 night journey to Alaska .... set to depart on 31st May, 2019. I was just curious, is there any chance I can get to see Northern Lights from aboard the ship ????? Royal Caribbean does mention on the Ovation of the Seas webpage ... "See the Northern Lights in Juneau" Its hard to believe..... any experiences / thoughts ? See the Northern Lights in Juneau