We took a cruise from Vancouver up the inward passage of Alaska. It was FABULOUS! I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
The whole trip was great. We left Dallas by train to LA. Spent a few days with family, then went to Seattle and spent a few days before the cruise.
Returning, we took the train to Chicago, again for a few days, then back to Dallas.
The trip of a lifetime!
@hchavers@Lynnerizer couple my parents go to church with, just went on an Alaska cruse…came down with covid…spent the whole cruise locked in their cabin.
(though knowing the extreme red state nature of this area…good chance they weren’t vaccinated…)
I just did my third, 11 days in the Caribbean, ending in New York, so I got to sail past the Statue of Liberty and all. Great time. And I liked knowing every single person on board was vaccinated and had tested negative within a day or two of sailing.
(Five years ago I did one that went through the Panama Canal. Also extremely cool.)
When I lived in South Florida, we would go on a cruise twice a year. It was a 30 minute drive to the port, ships were smaller, and they were safer, infection-wise. Now its a two day drive, huge crowded ships, spreading all kinds of illnesses. Not cool any more.
I once took a 2 week cruise from Auckland NZ to Los Angeles, with stops in Fiji, Hawaii and Vancouver BC.
Unfortunately, I was 5, so I mostly remember the swimming pool and playground. (And my first experience of TV.)
Oh, and also the terrifying experience of crossing the equator, when a crew member dressed as King Neptune grabbed all the kids, sprayed their heads with shaving cream and threw them in the pool.
@macromeh the routing had me until you got to Vancouver…WTF? Why go that far north, just to come all the way back down the pacific coast to LA…
I suppose it could be scenic/picturesque after all that time on the open ocean… but the routing just hurts my brain
@earlyre This was in 1962. The ship (the SS Oriana) was a passenger + cargo ship (as opposed to the vacation cruise ships of today). Presumably, there was demand for passage from the southern hemisphere to BC? Back then, the fare for the trip by ship was comparable to that of air travel (smaller planes, no direct flights).
My Mom’s Parents were Brethren Missionaries, and in…'47? Moved From Oakland/Berkley CA, to China on an “old” troop transporter turned cargo ship with some passenger capacity. (mom was ~1, Grandma was Pregnant with my aunt, who was Born in China.)
After the revolution, after they got back to the states, after a couple years took a similar voyage on another cargo ship to their new Mission field in India.
My second and last cruise was the inside passage to Alaska from Seattle. Of all the ports, Juneau had the most to offer yet we spent the least amount of time there. Other ports were tiny with nothing but tourist traps and extremely overpriced excursions. Fortunately the weather was very warm (80s) and the sights were very nice. Sure, cruises are cheap, but you don’t get a good feel for people and place unless you spend at least a couple nights exploring each city. Considering foodborne illnesses and COVID/cold/flu, I’ll never get on one of those floating petri dishes again.
@conradw My wife and I did an Alaska cruise about 20 years ago. I agree with you about
port cities. Though we did like Skagway and that was the only excursion we paid extra for, the train up to the top of the pass. Also in Juneau instead of a high-priced excursion (helicopter, bus ride to glaciers, etc) we hiked for a few hours up in the hills behind the city. It was beautiful and cheap (like us.) It was the first cruise of the year, and not hot at all, but that was fine.
But mostly we travel by RV (went to Alaska with a 4WD truck camper 30 years ago first!) and being able to spend as much time as you want in a good place to explore.
Definitely no cruises for me for a while, agree on the floating petri dish kind, and not only that, you’re a captive and there’s no escape, except the permanent kind, in those bags they keep in a refrigerator down in the hold.
EDIT and the thing about the driving – one reason we did that cruise is that you get to places you can’t drive to, which is actually a lot of SouthWestern AK.
I’ve only been on the smaller cruise ships that are the 2 night cruises from FL to the Bahamas. I’ve done that twice. The first time was awesome. For a day trip we went snorkeling and then to the island were they shot Island of the Blue Lagoon, the island was so beautiful. It was a very photo worthy island, they had a huge grilled lunch for us and lots of very unique shopping set up in certain spots but the people didn’t try to sell you anything (if you know anything about the Bahamas it’s very in your face buy, buy, buy shopping). When we went back years later hoping to return to that island it had been destroyed in a hurricane. The shopping at the straw mart is very in your face. If you don’t know how to barter, don’t even go.
The second time on the cruise I noticed my motion sickness getting worse and wasn’t able to have as much fun. It take me so long to get adjusted to the ship and then back adjusted to land. Anymore I’d rather just fly to an island and spend my time there.
My cruising experiences have been mostly positive. Got to visit a lot of places, I would never have gotten to otherwise. Been to Alaska 3 times, Panama canal once, did both transatlantic (Spain to Fort Lauderdale) and transpacific (SF to Japan with stop in Sitka Alaska on the way), flew to Australia and cruised around Australia and New Zealand) and flew to Hawaii and cruised around the Islands. Also several cruises around the caribbean (3 of which were family cruises).
Australia and transpacific were the best of the bunch. Each 14-15 day cruises-love the time and relaxation on the ships.
We had a Hawaii cruise scheduled for our 50th wedding anniversary but it got cancelled and rescheduled for January. 15 days-5 days from SF to islands, 5 days around the islands and 5 days back. Not sure we are going to do it as fear of getting covid and being locked in a cabin is really a disincentive.
@Felton10 The bad news is that with the CDC’s reduction in hazard avoidance requirements, and general acknowledgement that the bug is now pretty much endemic and unstoppable, you get an increased chance of catching it. The “good” news (if you can call it that) is that there’s a near zero likelihood that the ship will go into lockdown. The experience-based news is that Omicron is deadly or long-Covid-inducing for a smaller but nonzero percentage of the population, who apparently no longer matter enough to the majority to justify any preventive measures on the part of others.
@Felton10@werehatrack Just my own personal experience, but I’ve had Covid (last May, so likely Omicron) and I’ve had the flu - the flu was at least an order of magnitude worse (and I was only 29 then).
@Felton10@macromeh
I had the plague over NYE weekend, almost certainly Omicron, with similar results, but my S. O. Is minus one son-in-law who caught the previous variant. He didn’t feel awful at all, right up to the last few hours when he couldn’t seem to get enough air. This bug can kill without making you feel very sick.
First one I ever did was back in 1984.
The last Friday was Friday the 13th close to the Bermuda Triangle. Just after dinner (7:00pm)the ship dies. Only lights are back up lights. They finally open up the bars for all those that want. They finally get ship started about 2:00am.
We managed to get back to Miami just about on time. Must have really kicked it down.
Been on many since and just about to leave on an Alaskan inside passage.
Will say this, you either like them or you don’t : )
@Kimbob252 That’s a good story! I was amazed at how little “redundancy” these ships have. Not like space missions and stuff. Like there is only 1 big generator and if it goes out, there’s not like a second one to switch to. I saw a TV program where to actually replace one of the big ones, they had to cut a hole in the steel side of the ship, because they are normally assembled in the hull as the ship is built!
Anyway Alaska is great; I posted something earlier about a trip there 20 years ago. I actually would do that one again, even though as I mentioned I’m not quite comfy with the Covid situation yet, and I don’t know how much the industry has changed since then, but it’s good news that you have been a regular cruiser and still like it – maybe it’s not as bad the horror stories I hear sometimes.
BTW remember it was the Norwegian Wind ship we were on. Looks like it’s still in service. It had just been renovated I think and sailed up to Vancouver WA to start the Alaska cruising season. In the early days of the internet, booked a balcony suite at what seemed like a really good price; was skeptical but it was legit. Some company canceled a contract or something and so they had a bunch of suites to book before the sailing date!
Very old cruise story, back when it was a “passage” you booked like a plane trip today. In the 1960s I was a wee lad, and both of my parents were from Europe originally (met in San Francisco) and we lived in the US. My father did not want to fly. In those days there were regular trans-Atlantic sailings on several ocean lines. These weren’t the mega-hotels with pools and roller-coasters that sail in calm seas in the Caribbean. Just functional ocean-going ships for open-ocean travel. I think we were about the middle of the “classes” – definitely not up in the fancy suites on the top floor. We did have a room with a porthole window to look out of, which my father insisted on. But he was very upset when we hit rough seas and they closed a metal waterproof plate over the porthole in case we got smashed by a wave, didn’t want to sink, you know…
@Salanth I’ve done one, in 2020. We got back just a couple of weeks before the whole industry basically shut down. I’m booked on the one in 2023 that’s hitting Mazatlan and a couple of other places in that general area.
@Salanth@werehatrack nice! I do the 80s cruise which is the same company that runs it and same ship. Star Trek docks and they redecorate for the 80s cruise which departs later that same day. I love it!
Thought he just flew airplanes?
@phendrick No, it’s about the women in his life.
We took a cruise from Vancouver up the inward passage of Alaska. It was FABULOUS! I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
The whole trip was great. We left Dallas by train to LA. Spent a few days with family, then went to Seattle and spent a few days before the cruise.
Returning, we took the train to Chicago, again for a few days, then back to Dallas.
The trip of a lifetime!
@Tadlem43
Travel by train really is special. Alaska cruises are also pretty awesome
VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!
Two words: Covid quarantine
@hchavers
My aunt and uncle just came back from a cruise to the Bahamas. Guess what he brought back, COVID! No surprise there!
@hchavers @Lynnerizer couple my parents go to church with, just went on an Alaska cruse…came down with covid…spent the whole cruise locked in their cabin.
(though knowing the extreme red state nature of this area…good chance they weren’t vaccinated…)
Better known as floating incubators.
@rtjhnstn I tend to go with Floating Petri Dish, but same. you’ll never get me on one.
How would I know? Never been on one. Heck, I’ve never even seen one in person.
I haven’t been on one…yet. I go at the end of September. I’ll be on a cruise to Alaska. I’m excited.
I just did my third, 11 days in the Caribbean, ending in New York, so I got to sail past the Statue of Liberty and all. Great time. And I liked knowing every single person on board was vaccinated and had tested negative within a day or two of sailing.
(Five years ago I did one that went through the Panama Canal. Also extremely cool.)
When I lived in South Florida, we would go on a cruise twice a year. It was a 30 minute drive to the port, ships were smaller, and they were safer, infection-wise. Now its a two day drive, huge crowded ships, spreading all kinds of illnesses. Not cool any more.
I once took a 2 week cruise from Auckland NZ to Los Angeles, with stops in Fiji, Hawaii and Vancouver BC.
Unfortunately, I was 5, so I mostly remember the swimming pool and playground. (And my first experience of TV.)
Oh, and also the terrifying experience of crossing the equator, when a crew member dressed as King Neptune grabbed all the kids, sprayed their heads with shaving cream and threw them in the pool.
@macromeh the routing had me until you got to Vancouver…WTF? Why go that far north, just to come all the way back down the pacific coast to LA…
I suppose it could be scenic/picturesque after all that time on the open ocean… but the routing just hurts my brain
@earlyre This was in 1962. The ship (the SS Oriana) was a passenger + cargo ship (as opposed to the vacation cruise ships of today). Presumably, there was demand for passage from the southern hemisphere to BC? Back then, the fare for the trip by ship was comparable to that of air travel (smaller planes, no direct flights).
@macromeh that makes more sense…
My Mom’s Parents were Brethren Missionaries, and in…'47? Moved From Oakland/Berkley CA, to China on an “old” troop transporter turned cargo ship with some passenger capacity. (mom was ~1, Grandma was Pregnant with my aunt, who was Born in China.)
After the revolution, after they got back to the states, after a couple years took a similar voyage on another cargo ship to their new Mission field in India.
My childhood dream was to go on a cruise for my honeymoon. Then I woke up!
@Lynnerizer So after you woke up, did you find out you had gotten married overnight?
My second and last cruise was the inside passage to Alaska from Seattle. Of all the ports, Juneau had the most to offer yet we spent the least amount of time there. Other ports were tiny with nothing but tourist traps and extremely overpriced excursions. Fortunately the weather was very warm (80s) and the sights were very nice. Sure, cruises are cheap, but you don’t get a good feel for people and place unless you spend at least a couple nights exploring each city. Considering foodborne illnesses and COVID/cold/flu, I’ll never get on one of those floating petri dishes again.
@conradw My wife and I did an Alaska cruise about 20 years ago. I agree with you about
port cities. Though we did like Skagway and that was the only excursion we paid extra for, the train up to the top of the pass. Also in Juneau instead of a high-priced excursion (helicopter, bus ride to glaciers, etc) we hiked for a few hours up in the hills behind the city. It was beautiful and cheap (like us.) It was the first cruise of the year, and not hot at all, but that was fine.
But mostly we travel by RV (went to Alaska with a 4WD truck camper 30 years ago first!) and being able to spend as much time as you want in a good place to explore.
Definitely no cruises for me for a while, agree on the floating petri dish kind, and not only that, you’re a captive and there’s no escape, except the permanent kind, in those bags they keep in a refrigerator down in the hold.
EDIT and the thing about the driving – one reason we did that cruise is that you get to places you can’t drive to, which is actually a lot of SouthWestern AK.
I’ve only been on the smaller cruise ships that are the 2 night cruises from FL to the Bahamas. I’ve done that twice. The first time was awesome. For a day trip we went snorkeling and then to the island were they shot Island of the Blue Lagoon, the island was so beautiful. It was a very photo worthy island, they had a huge grilled lunch for us and lots of very unique shopping set up in certain spots but the people didn’t try to sell you anything (if you know anything about the Bahamas it’s very in your face buy, buy, buy shopping). When we went back years later hoping to return to that island it had been destroyed in a hurricane. The shopping at the straw mart is very in your face. If you don’t know how to barter, don’t even go.
The second time on the cruise I noticed my motion sickness getting worse and wasn’t able to have as much fun. It take me so long to get adjusted to the ship and then back adjusted to land. Anymore I’d rather just fly to an island and spend my time there.
LEGOS! EGGOS! STRATEGO! AWESOME!
My cruising experiences have been mostly positive. Got to visit a lot of places, I would never have gotten to otherwise. Been to Alaska 3 times, Panama canal once, did both transatlantic (Spain to Fort Lauderdale) and transpacific (SF to Japan with stop in Sitka Alaska on the way), flew to Australia and cruised around Australia and New Zealand) and flew to Hawaii and cruised around the Islands. Also several cruises around the caribbean (3 of which were family cruises).
Australia and transpacific were the best of the bunch. Each 14-15 day cruises-love the time and relaxation on the ships.
We had a Hawaii cruise scheduled for our 50th wedding anniversary but it got cancelled and rescheduled for January. 15 days-5 days from SF to islands, 5 days around the islands and 5 days back. Not sure we are going to do it as fear of getting covid and being locked in a cabin is really a disincentive.
@Felton10 The bad news is that with the CDC’s reduction in hazard avoidance requirements, and general acknowledgement that the bug is now pretty much endemic and unstoppable, you get an increased chance of catching it. The “good” news (if you can call it that) is that there’s a near zero likelihood that the ship will go into lockdown. The experience-based news is that Omicron is deadly or long-Covid-inducing for a smaller but nonzero percentage of the population, who apparently no longer matter enough to the majority to justify any preventive measures on the part of others.
I understand your reticence.
@Felton10 @werehatrack Just my own personal experience, but I’ve had Covid (last May, so likely Omicron) and I’ve had the flu - the flu was at least an order of magnitude worse (and I was only 29 then).
@Felton10 @macromeh
I had the plague over NYE weekend, almost certainly Omicron, with similar results, but my S. O. Is minus one son-in-law who caught the previous variant. He didn’t feel awful at all, right up to the last few hours when he couldn’t seem to get enough air. This bug can kill without making you feel very sick.
First one I ever did was back in 1984.
The last Friday was Friday the 13th close to the Bermuda Triangle. Just after dinner (7:00pm)the ship dies. Only lights are back up lights. They finally open up the bars for all those that want. They finally get ship started about 2:00am.
We managed to get back to Miami just about on time. Must have really kicked it down.
Been on many since and just about to leave on an Alaskan inside passage.
Will say this, you either like them or you don’t : )
@Kimbob252 That’s a good story! I was amazed at how little “redundancy” these ships have. Not like space missions and stuff. Like there is only 1 big generator and if it goes out, there’s not like a second one to switch to. I saw a TV program where to actually replace one of the big ones, they had to cut a hole in the steel side of the ship, because they are normally assembled in the hull as the ship is built!
Anyway Alaska is great; I posted something earlier about a trip there 20 years ago. I actually would do that one again, even though as I mentioned I’m not quite comfy with the Covid situation yet, and I don’t know how much the industry has changed since then, but it’s good news that you have been a regular cruiser and still like it – maybe it’s not as bad the horror stories I hear sometimes.
BTW remember it was the Norwegian Wind ship we were on. Looks like it’s still in service. It had just been renovated I think and sailed up to Vancouver WA to start the Alaska cruising season. In the early days of the internet, booked a balcony suite at what seemed like a really good price; was skeptical but it was legit. Some company canceled a contract or something and so they had a bunch of suites to book before the sailing date!
Very old cruise story, back when it was a “passage” you booked like a plane trip today. In the 1960s I was a wee lad, and both of my parents were from Europe originally (met in San Francisco) and we lived in the US. My father did not want to fly. In those days there were regular trans-Atlantic sailings on several ocean lines. These weren’t the mega-hotels with pools and roller-coasters that sail in calm seas in the Caribbean. Just functional ocean-going ships for open-ocean travel. I think we were about the middle of the “classes” – definitely not up in the fancy suites on the top floor. We did have a room with a porthole window to look out of, which my father insisted on. But he was very upset when we hit rough seas and they closed a metal waterproof plate over the porthole in case we got smashed by a wave, didn’t want to sink, you know…
Hoping to do the Star Trek cruise one day.
@Salanth I’ve done one, in 2020. We got back just a couple of weeks before the whole industry basically shut down. I’m booked on the one in 2023 that’s hitting Mazatlan and a couple of other places in that general area.
@Salanth @werehatrack nice! I do the 80s cruise which is the same company that runs it and same ship. Star Trek docks and they redecorate for the 80s cruise which departs later that same day. I love it!