Author: mmmtravelmemories

Bags are packed. Only few things left to put in backpacks tomorrow morning. Heading out tomorrow afternoon for a quick stop at the ATM and then on to our shuttle to Atlanta. Our cat sitter will arrive tomorrow afternoon. So glad she will be able to stay at the house for the duration of the trip.

Forecast calls for a cloudy day tomorrow but sunny on Sunday. Seattle has been plagued by smoke from the wildfires but prediction calls for all smoke to be cleared out by Sunday. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Will probably toss and turn all night like I usually do before a big trip.

I really tried to get our stuff into one large checked bag and two carry-on bags. I thought by just packing as if we would be gone for 7 days would help, especially with the laundry package. Just didn’t happen. I think it would not have been a problem if we were going on a Caribbean cruise – shorts and t-shirts and bathing suits.

However, for Alaska, and the need to dress in layers – plus Seattle is predicted to be in the 80’s, there were too many options. And the clothes are heavier and bulkier.

Also, in truth, we didn’t want to be like one couple we saw one 10 day cruise – appeared they had 2 outfits each – it was very noticeable. Wore one outfit one day, the other the next. They never went to the gala dinners so no need for nicer clothes. But I bet they were able to pack with carry-on bags only.

I might have gotten the large suitcase closed but it was too heavy and I would have hated to see it bust open.

I was able to eliminate one carry-on. Got all of Chuck’s stuff into the one large suitcase. Mine are in the medium bag and one carry-on.  All the bags roll so it will be better than last time when Chuck brought his hanging bag that nearly ruined his shoulder carrying it in and out of hotels and thru airports.

Next, I will pack the backpacks with electronics, file folder of paperwork, passports, etc.

This time next Sunday we will be leaving our Atlanta hotel to go to the airport. So excited!

Last item on the To Do List (besides packing) was to find us reasonable transportation to and from our hotels in Seattle to the Pier. The Holland America transfers were $29 per person and we would have to go from the hotel back to the airport to catch the bus. No.

I thought I would use Uber or Lyft but with the luggage we will have, I knew we would have to order Uber XL or Lyft XL to be sure to get a large enough car and the estimated prices for one way to the port was $60 – so No. Typically the airport and cruise port are near each other, but not in Seattle.

After much research, decided to go with Seattle Express Shuttle. Their website says they will pick you up at your airport hotel and take you directly to the Port for $15 per person. When we return, we go to their station at the Port and they will take us to our hotel. So for $60, we get round-trip. OK. They get good Yelp and Cruise Critic reviews so I am hoping for the best.

Even though we got the email asking us not to arrive until 2:00, I chose the 10:45 shuttle. For the 45 minute ride, we should get to the port between 11:30 and 12:00. We like to eat in the main dining room for lunch on embarkation day and it is only open from noon to 1:30. All the information I read is that it is being offered that day so why shouldn’t we be allowed to eat? That is what I am going to say if we are given any hassle about our arrival time.

Worst case scenario – we get there at 12:00 and are not allowed in the terminal until 2:00. Chuck will not be pleased. But, it’s either hang out at the terminal or hang out in the hotel lobby until the last Shuttle Express at 12:45 which would still get us there between 1:30 and 2:00.

Keeping my fingers crossed that we don’t get any hassle.

We typically book a Guarantee room assignment. Sometimes we have gotten fortunate to have an upgrade. We were offered several upsell offers to a window room but Chuck loves the inside cabins. He says he can sleep better. I think he likes the price.

We got what we paid for this time – an L room on the Main Deck. The description said it was a Quad room – queen bed, pullout couch, and an overhead pulldown bed. Hope it means that it is on the larger side of the inside cabins. Difference this time for us is that it is far forward. We are usually in the aft portion. Last time we were far forward was on Norwegian. I think it will be OK since there are rooms above us and the medical center below us. I was worried that the main stage would be above us and the noise would be bad but we have a floor separating us from it.

Zaandam is a smaller ship so getting from one end to another is easier than on the bigger ships so being far forward, except for the possible motion, is not a big deal.

Nine days before we leave for Atlanta to begin the Alaska adventure.

After reading some comments on Cruise Critic and verifying that Icy Strait Point was not going to be a tender port, I signed us up for the Wilderness Tour and Brown Bear Search with Hoonah Adventures. It gets good ratings with TripAdvisor and only takes groups of 12. I noticed that they had 2 groups going out at 8:30 or at least it appeared that way when I signed up online. Anyway, I’m pretty excited.

Most of the other Bear watching excursions were anywhere from $300 – $500 per person and involved flying. This was around $100 per person. I’m really hoping that the bears haven’t already started to hibernate by September 1.

The reason I am reluctant to sign up with an independent tour when it is a tender port, especially when it is short hours, is because you have to wait in a long line to get tender tickets and if you miss the last tender out – there is no pier running. So we either just go with a ship tour or just play it by ear and get on a tender when they start having a general call for tenders.

I hope I didn’t get fooled by the comments.

We loved Alaska so much in 2017 that we are going again in 2018. There will be differences in this trip. We will be going in August/September instead of June so I expect the weather will be colder and rainier. We will also not be visiting Denali. Instead, this trip is a two-week, round-trip cruise only out of Seattle.

We will visit new ports: Sitka, Homer, Icy Strait Point, Kodiak, and Victoria, BC. We will also have more time in Anchorage. Last time, we got off the train from Denali, had dinner, and then went to bed.

We only have one ship-sponsored tour this time in Sitka. The other ports we plan to hike some trails and see the sites on our own.

Can’t wait to get back.