OPINION: I decided to give an Alaska cruise a try. Then I got fined.

Anchorage Daily News ^ | 8-18-2023 | Jennifer Pemberton

[fortes fortuna juvat]

Should have used a US flagged vessel. Problem solved.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Master of the Obvious!

[fortes fortuna juvat]

Cancel the credit card you paid with and tell them to f*** off
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Won’t work, the CC bill will have to be paid unless the woman persuades the issuer of the card to rescind the charge. If she refuses to paid the card balance she will damage her credit.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

I’d rather take an ass-whipping than take a cruise or attend a sporting event.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
LOL! You must mean ANOTHER cruise or sporting event, but I’m fully aware of why you feel that way and I agree.

[Clutch Martin]

Cruises are incredibly over rated. I did some equipment inspection work on larger ships and got a boatload of good gouge and insider info.

A smaller boat/ship would be a lot healthier and safer IMHO.

No thank you

[7thson]

I took an Alaskan cruise the first week of July - Roayl Caribbean. From Seattle to Sitka to Skagway to Juneau to Victoria British Columbia and back to Seattle. Went with two of my brothers. We had a great time.

The only thing I did not like was the flight to and from Seattle, our home airport being Dulles International. Dulles is a crap airport and their baggage handling crews are crap. Some of our luggage was damaged.

I have been on about a dozen or more cruises - Carnival, Princess, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. I like RC and Norwegian the best. This Alaskan cruise I opted for a suite, which is always nice. You pay more, you get more. Close to 5,000 guests on the ship and I never felt crowed or rushed.

[Political Junkie Too]

I took an Alaskan cruise five years ago on the Island Princess. It departed from Whittier (Anchorage) and ended in Vancouver. That cruise departed on July 4.

I added a three-night land package before the cruise, then took the scenic train from Talkeetna to Whittier for the cruise.

-PJ

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I didn't expect 3 or 4 large cruise ships docking simultaneously in Juneau and Skagway each disgorging 3,000 to 4,000 people. Those little towns get hit with 10,000 to 12,000 people at one blow.

That said, I really enjoyed the canoe trip on Lake Mendhall in Juneau, even in the rain at the start. It was a good workout in the 18-man canoe and a lot of fun paddling synchronized.

I'm a history buff and really enjoyed the White Horse & Yukon Route railroad ride in Skagway and the scattered National Park exhibits in Skagway. People don't seem to seek out the historic sights so much, so, even with 10,000 people going ashore, they were not crowded which was great.

The National Park in Skagway is scattered around town. One part of it is a tiny park with a spectacular bronze statue of a 1898 "Stampeder" who's worn out and his faithful dog is giving him encouragement. That statue really spoke to me. To prevent mass starvation in the remote and inaccessible Yukon Territory, the Canadian government required every stampeder bring a year's supply of goods before crossing the border. Those crates around the prospector were his boxed supplies. It took 40 or more round trips for the men to haul their supplies up the steep Chilcoot or White Pass mountain trails.

A young woman ranger gave a great talk by that statue about the role of the 1896 Presidential election and how it helped cause the Yukon gold rush. She also talked about the women in the Yukon Gold Rush (one woman got rich being pies) and the women reporters from the big eastern newspapers who were there on the scene. The rangers in the Moore house were great; I had one-on-one discussions with a couple of them about the founding of Skagway.

[scrabblehack]

Would it work to simply get off and not tell them you’re not coming back? When they stop, don’t they say something like “be back by 4:00 or we’re going on without you?”

I guess you could lose your luggage that way. Maybe there’s a way to claim it later...

The only cruises I’ve been on are local (Creole Queen in New Orleans, Gateway Clipper in Pittsburgh, etc.)

[joma89]

Isn’t democrat party government grand? /s

[Sawdring]

I know a guy who would take you up on that.

[Jacquerie]

Congress has the power per Article 1 Section 8 to regulate commerce with foreign nations.

The vessel in the article is foreign-flagged.

[George from New England]

Nobody in our current corrupt world, has the time or patience to READ fine print today.

Home owner policies exceed 100 pages. Cruise ship docs exceed 10 pages.

Who is their right mind would think staying in the port you live in WOULD BE A CRIME and punishable.

What about the medical emergencies during a cruise. Are those that have to make their way back by air for medical treatment treated THIS WAY TOO and FINED ?

The time is long overdue to rid ourselves of ‘fine print’ and getting legal-eased to death.

[George from New England]

“are primarily out to screw people!”

Can you spell Norwegian ?

[ConservativeInPA]

Congress has the power per Article 1 Section 8 to regulate commerce with foreign nations.

The vessel in the article is foreign-flagged.

Correct. Now the next step is to understand what the word “regulate” meant when the Constitution was written. Quite simply, it meant to make normal, as in regular. The tools of making commerce regular are weights and measures. Then you have tariffs. I cannot understand how it is “regular” to allow foreign flagged vessels to enter one of our ports and take on U.S. citizens as passengers and not allowing them to debark in another U.S. port without paying a fine.

Understand the constitution was abused from day one, it just wasn’t abused as much in the 19th Century as it is abused daily in present times.

[MayflowerMadam]

“nothing beats driving to Alaska....I like a boots on the ground experience.”

That’s where our divorce started. The Alcan in 1971. I’d say around Muncho Lake. A week of dusty Hell at 30 MPH.

[7thson]

It seems you had a better time than you initially let on.

Yes, on most cruises you have 3 to 5 different cruise lines leaving the same day and hitting the same ports every day. I got off in Skagway and roamed around the town. There were a lot of people but I did not feel crushed.

Your narative is very good. I would not mind going on another Alaskan cruise, except the plane ride out there (from Dulles International) is expensive and terrible.

I would recommend going on other cruises. Depending on where you live and what type of stateroom you purchase, that helps to have a good cruise. What cruise line were you on? I like Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. They tend to cater to seniors (I'm 65 and my brothers are 78 and 82), but I have a feeling that Royal Caribbean - with their new large ships - are morphing to catering to a younger crowd.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

We were on Royal Caribbean on the “Ovation of the Seas.” It’s a monster ship, about six years old. All the onboard entertainment was oriented towards kids and young adults. I liked the shore excursions the best, but it’s a tough way to get to two towns for 8 hour shore excursions.

My wife’s good friend just left for Seattle for an RC cruise to Alaska. It’s a smaller ship and seems to be more oriented toward older adults.

Our daughter and son in law (34 years old) LOVED the cruise.

I learned you need to carefully check your stateroom location. Deck 6 balcony views were ENTIRELYI obscured by the huge lifeboats. Our room on Deck 7 had the view partially obscured by the lifeboats. You need to be on 8 and above to avoid that. I read later you need to avoid certain areas to not hear all the bands. On the plus side, our stateroom was perfectly quiet and my wife (who really gets seasick) didn’t feel sick at all. There was a barely perceptible rolling motion.

[7thson]

I was also on the Ovation of the Seas the first week of July and yes, there were a lot of kids. I think due to school being out. I usually cruise during school time.

On the stateroom television, there was a video of the newest being launched in 2024 or 2025. Another huge ship and when they were showing everything it was going to have, it seemed to me it was geared to children and teenagers. Which is sad. I'm too old for that BS.

Do not know where you live but I live more or less in the Washington, DC metro area - Manassas, Virginia. My two brothers and I are going on another cruise in mid-October. New England cruise. The ports are Boston, Portsmoth, St. John's, and Halifax. Nine days. This will be my fifth time on this Royal Caribbean ship. It is a smaller ship and we like the ports. What I most like about it is that it leaves out of Baltimore so no airport or train ride. Just drive up there, they take your luggage right from your vehicle, and you park and leave your vehicle there for 9 days. Since no airport, no luggage weight restriction.

If you get a chance, and you are not too far away, you should try this one. There will not be too many kids onboard,.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That sounds wonderful. I’m from upstate NY originally (now North Idaho) and we did quite a few New England trips before kids and until the oldest was about 8. My folks lived outside Philly and my sister lives in MD between DC, Annapolis, and Baltimore. We did lots of trips to see family. When the kids got older we switched to family vacations at a California lake.

That’s an interesting thought to fly to Baltimore, visit my sister and then cruise up New England. Thanks for the idea!

I really wanted to try the SurfRider at the stern of the ship. That looked like great fun. But the thought of breaking my 72 year old neck kept me away.

We drove to Seattle, 5 hours, so avoided air fares and weight restrictions.

[dfwgator]

I did an Alaskan Cruise a few years ago. All I heard the whole time was how Climate Change was destroying the glaciers.