Thread: Hello and Love the site so far!

I came up on this site by accidentally clicking in to it, but so far, am very glad I did. I look forward to reading your comments and finding out the ins and outs of all the different cruise lines, places to cruise to, things to know before cruising, etc.

Personally, my husband and I have only been on one cruise, which was in the year 2000 and was taken as part of a "Time Share" attendance prize. The "Time Share" presentation itself was a nightmare, but the flight, hotel stay, and cruise were winners all the way. Considering that our 3 night, 4 day cruise on the Carnival Ecstacy "Time Share" cruise was our first and we knew little to nothing about what would be happening and what the cruise would be like, it went surprisingly well. We went on 2 excursions, which were purchased after arriving on the ship, and they were great! All in all, this cruise experience was a winner!

For our next cruise experience, we hope to sail to Alaska. We have always wanted to see the beauty of this area and look forward to planning our trip. At this point in time, we are checking prices, looking at the various cruise lines to see the good and bad of each, and trying to figure out what kind of cruise is the best for us. We are in our early 50's and I am not in the best of health. I am forced to use a wheelchair at times and must rest often, in order to keep going. Because of these health issues, a cruise that allows downtime for its guests, is a must. A room with a balcony would be fabulous, as I could lie or sit down and still enjoy the beauty of the land around us. We would also like the ability to eat whenever we want. We both suffer with insulin issues and often eat at odd times, as a result. Being able to have meals as needed, is something we must have.

If you have any suggestions or ideas that would help us to make a decision, we would appreciate it. Money is tight, so we have to book a reasonably priced cruise, yet the luxuries are something we value. I do hope that we are not expecting the impossible, and hope that you can guide us in seeing that we aren't. Thank you, in advance, for any help, advice, or words or encouragement you could give us in our search for the "Perfect" Alaskan cruise, with the "Perfect" cruise line, and all the "Perfect" activities, dining, room, and other needs that we would like.

Tim and Cindi H

aboard Cindi and Tim.

I'm glad you are looking at an Alaskan cruise. The beauty there is breathtaking.
Please, when you go, for sure get a balcony. Just cruising the inside passage is gorgeous, and with a balcony you are sure to sit out there(blankets are supplied) and thoroughly enjoy yourself.

Most of the cruise lines now have "anytime" dining for dinner. I would think that be of interest to you. And the buffets are usually all open most of the day.

One thing to consider is a "handicapped" cabin. They are usually larger than the normal cabins and will accommodate a wheelchair.

Please enjoy our site and if you have questions, just ask.

Again, welcome aboard.

Welcome to CLF - the friendliest cruise board on the net!! Lots of wonderful people with great information, so feel free to ask your questions.

Glad you thought enough about cruising to try it again. Those timeshare sales pitches can put a damper on a cruise experience, especially given they are usually on smaller older ships.

Hanna has provided some great information for you. And I agree that you need to consider getting a wheelchair accessible cabin - this will make it much easier for you as it's larger and specifically designed to accommodate a wheelchair, even in the bathroom area.

As she pointed out, all of the major cruise lines and ships doing Alaska will give you a choice of anytime or personal choice dining along with traditional dining. NCL is the only one that does not give you that choice because they do not have traditional dining.

Keep in mind that everyone has their opinion on cruise ships and itineraries, and what one person loves, another will hate. So it's important to do your homework in order to decide what's best for you. But most of all, do not book through the cruise line or an online site. You really need to deal with a reputable cruise specialist who will help you through the process and provide you with all the information you need.

But you will absolutely love Alaska! It's truly a magical place that everyone has to visit at least once in their lifetime.

You can either do a roundtrip cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver, or do a one-way cruise to or from Alaska. Here's something to consider; itineraries out of Seattle must include a stop in a Canadian port, whereas those out of Vancouver do not, so those itineraries will have one more port stop in Alaska. Also, you need to decide whether you want to see one of the larger glaciers (Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay) and, if so, which one. Some cruise lines do not go to the glaciers, while others will visit one or the other.

Let us know if you have any questions as there are many people here who have been to Alaska and can offer some very useful information.

Pete

I would like to suggest either Celebrity, Princess, or Holland America as the cruiseline of choice. While I am still mad at Holland Amercia, they have an excellent product in Alaska and there are more older people who need assistance on their ships, so they are very good at it. For the best food and the most luxurious experience, I would suggest Celebrity. BTW, we had a tablemate who was confined to a wheelchair for one of our cruises on Celebrity. She had no problem with anything Passengers and crew made room for her at all functions and no one acted as if it were any sort of imposition. On both Celebrity and Holland America it is easy to find quiet areas of the ship. In the estimation of some, Holland America is actually too quiet. Most activity stops at 11 and you would be hard pressed to find anyone up after that. Princess has a slightly younger crowd but I have not been on their ships yet. They are a tad more boisterous but still have an excellent product. They also have a few more kids on board.

Welcome to Cruise Line Fans!!


We have done quite a few Alaskan cruises.

One of our favorites was last year on Holland -- 14 days round trip from Seattle -- doing ports that most of the other cruise lines do not do.

Kodiak, Homer, Anchorage and Icy Straight Point.

All the cruise lines for one itinerary or another will do Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm, plus a couple of others.

Hi and welcome to www.cruiselinefans.com

Hello guys !
Hope all is going well for the new year, as you may know already, I am searching for work at the moment (seeming endless search) on a cruise liner, so encourage anyone how might have a position for me, to mamke me aware. My email is : CLICK HERE Peace out.

Admin note: We have removed your e-mail address since it is a bad practice to put your e-mail address out on a public board. Instead, we ask that people contact you directly through our internal IM system. They can get your e-mail then.

Welcome to CLF, you found the best cruise place to be! As stated by others Alaska is a Great cruise so take your time planning and be sure to work with an agent for sound advice that meets your needs.

Great having you as a member of CLF!

We often get the cards about freebie Carnival cruises but toss them because they involve timeshare presentations (I think my hubby would divorce me if I made him sit through one of those).

We did the round trip cruise out of Seattle on the Sapphire Princess back in 2004 and really loved the ship and enjoyed the scenery. Princess (Holland too) has a naturalist onboard during the glacial cruising, providing narration. We're even thinking about doing a road trip in the coming summers, maybe in 2013, going up the west coast, ending up in Vancouver. Then do a back to back and then back down to Los Angeles.