3308 replies to this topic

[Bingo]

What was the bus back like in 1903?

[HB]

The Death Ship was in Skagway Yesterday

[Mike K.]

Oh, and don't forget to say hi to HB!

[jonny]

We are on Princess. The Star Princess is the ship we ar on, I believe.

Apparently we are already booked on an excursion out of Skagway, so no Whitehorse or train ride for us this time around.

What's HB up to up there? Hopefully not running the river boat outing!

[Nparker]

...What's HB up to up there? Hopefully not running the river boat outing!

Proselytizing to the local heathens?

[HB]

Well maybe Ill see you.

[Nparker]

Well maybe Ill see you.

I am well-beyond redemption.

[HB]

This is a great River Boat excursion and the creeks ditches and rivers in Skagway are full of Spawning Pink Salmon right now.

 

watch in HD otherwise video looks bad

 

 

Also if you like walking and exploring away form the crowds head over to the Skagway Airport then look for teh foot bridge that crosses teh river.Cross it then turn left and walk for 15 minutes where you come to a viewpoint on teh rock at the ocean that looks straight down Lynn Canal. Its great and no crowds.

 

 

http://youtu.be/ogbGkDWqHqk

 

 

 

Also when in Skagway on a 3 or 4 ship day the crowds are absurd. Here is a video I shot 2 nights ago at about 10 pm when all the crowds are gone. During the day there are upwards of 10 000 walking the streets throughout the day

 

http://youtu.be/BoUtdYU9w-M

Edited by HB, 05 August 2017 - 08:55 AM.

[jonny]

Great content and tips HB. Thanks!

[Bingo]

Greg Wirtz, president of the Cruise Lines International Association in the North West and Canada, says Vancouver is lagging behind other cities, such as Seattle, that are investing heavily in their port infrastructure.

In May, port officials in Seattle unveiled a $30 million renovation at the Bell Street Cruise Terminal at Pier 66.

"We've kind of done the opposite in Vancouver. We've disinvested in facilities," Wirtz said.

The Port of Vancouver shut down the Ballantyne Pier to cruise ships in 2014, leaving Canada Place as the city's only remaining cruise terminal.

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...emand-1.4243518

[Nparker]

 

The Port of Vancouver shut down the Ballantyne Pier to cruise ships in 2014, leaving Canada Place as the city's only remaining cruise terminal.

Ballantyne Pier made Ogden Point seem like the Taj Mahal. If it was going to continue to be used it needed a lot of upgrades.

[VicHockeyFan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94gp0TTQ4w

 

4,250 passengers, 2,100 crew.  Coming here every week next summer.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 12 August 2017 - 01:06 PM.

[lanforod]

The biggest to dock here perhaps?

[HB]

Here some interesting tidbits I was told  at an industry (cruise) meeting this afternoon.

 

 

Preliminary Count for cruise ships calling Victoria in 2017  247 ...20 more than 2016 however not all 227 were able to dock this year due to weather conditions. (wind)

 

Forecast for 2018  270 ships

 

Up until now the largest ship to ply the waters on the Alaska run is the Explorer of the seas.

 

NCL ( Norwegian Cruise Lines) is building a new ship right now and it has been confirmed that it will home port in Seattle and is being made primarily for the Alaska runs. The ship is so tall it will not fit under Lions Gate Bridge. It will be the largest cruise ship ever seen in these waters. It will make Victoria stops on Fridays staring in summer 2018. You can read all the details in the attached link.

Well known Mural (Whale ) artist Wyland is painting the art on the side of the ship.

I thought it would be great if he came on the inaugural run and when they stop in Victoria he could run over the the Ship Chandlers building and touch up the mural he painted there in around 1987

1454-dcbea107be10157b4891e85f7beba9b1.jpg

 

NORWEGIAN BLISS

Experience the newest way to cruise Alaska aboard Norwegian Bliss. As the 3rd ship in the Breakaway Plus class, Norwegian Bliss is designed with features and amenities to offer guests the ultimate Alaska cruising experience. Sailing seasonally from Seattle to Alaska, Norwegian Bliss will be the youngest ship cruising the Last Frontier. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about her features and amenities.

Homeport: Seattle

Launching: Summer 2018

Open for Sale: January 2017

Norwegian BlissItinerary

Norwegian Bliss will sail weekly 7-day Alaska cruises departing Seattle on Saturdays. Guests will experience the beauty and wildlife of Alaska while visiting Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and enjoy the charm of Victoria, British Columbia. Plus with awe inspiring scenic glacier cruising Norwegian Bliss will provide guests with the premier way to explore Alaska.

Learn About Hull ArtistWyland

The world's leading marine life artist, Wyland, has been commissioned to design the hull artwork for Norwegian Bliss. Known for his iconic whale murals, marine life paintings and sculptures, Wyland has inspired generations to be passionate about the importance of marine life conservation. The enormous extent of Wyland's public artworks, his award-winning art galleries and his non-profit foundation's community service projects have made him one of the world's most recognized and beloved artist

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94gp0TTQ4w

 

4,250 passengers, 2,100 crew.  Coming here every week next summer.

Old News Reported last year with great detail.

 

Thanks for letting all the new members know.

 

This will be the largest cruise ship to ever ply the Alaskan Circuit. Too big to fit under Lions Gate Bridge that is why it is home ported in Seattle

Edited by HB, 12 August 2017 - 08:38 PM.

[HB]

Big Ships are not the best way to cruise.

Almost every ship up here is on Red level due to Norovirus outbreaks.

Quarantined etc etc were have land based passengers who are being held back form their land tours

The outbreaks are coming from south to north. Not much going on in the Anchorage and Seward port

 

Highly contagious we need to fumigate buses and wipe down all touch able surface with virox.

 

Symptoms... Explosive diarrhea  and projectile vomiting.  Still active 2 weeks past last symptoms.. Also its a great weight loss program lasting about 48 hours. easily able to lose 5 or 8 pounds when infected.he smaller ships obviously have them too but less people at risk.

 

 

Big ships have more kids more noise less privacy and more BS. Also takes forever to load them and unload. Huge lines for disembarkation. My choice is always smaller ships and prefer HA. Holland America average age of cruises is 56 rarely inundated with children. More staff per passenger ratio..

Edited by HB, 12 August 2017 - 09:12 PM.

[lanforod]

I took my baby and 3 yr old on HAL in May. It was fine but there's a reason there isn't many kids in board.

[Nparker]

The demographics of a cruise can also be affected by the time of year, the destination and length of cruise. In my experience, the longer the cruise the older the passengers. Many working people and families simply cannot take a lot of time away from their jobs and homes. This is why on sailings during the school year (with the exception of holidays like Xmas and Spring Break) you'll find a lot fewer under-18s aboard. I've sailed 5 different cruise lines and this seems to hold true for all of them. I still remark that when I did a Panama Canal cruise (17 days) the ship was full of retirees taking their parents and grandparents on vacation - and this was not Holland America. That being said, HA has the reputation for being an older persons' cruise line, just as Carnival has traditionally had the party ships. Personally, I prefer Celebrity, especially when I have been fortunate enough to get into a suite. 

[VicHockeyFan]

Where all have you cruised NParker?

[Nparker]

Where all have you cruised NParker?

Hmmm...let's see. The Caribbean multiple times, both East & West, but not the South. Mexico at least 5 times. Pacific coast once. Panama Canal once. Alaska once (which actually terminated in LA). Hawaii twice. Atlantic coast once (from NYC via Florida to the Caribbean). Departure ports have included Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, the aforementioned New York City, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans. I might have missed one or two as well.

My next goal is the Baltic (Scandinavia etc.) and the Mediterranean. Doing these two back-to-back would be ideal. Also hope to do South America at some point, although I did briefly visit this continent (Cartagena, Columbia) on my Panama Canal adventure. I don't have any particular interest in Asian-Pacific cruises since the ports of call would likely be too humid for me. About as close as I'd want to get would probably be an Australia-NZ itinerary.

[VicHockeyFan]

I've always thought the south america one would be interesting.