Ok, I have a new question regarding reservations for spa/resto. Do you have to present yourself at the spa and/or resto or can you do it from your cabin by phone? I hear about lining up for the spa reservations and while it won't be an issue if I can't get in as I'm doing it to occupy my time on the sea days, and as for resto reservations, am I correct in assuming that the Compass Rose is open seating (no reservations) and only the other 2 need reservations and what about La Veranda?

Thanks - Jean

Hi Jean,

This is what I have done the last 2x I have been on mariner (last year). I plan ahead as much as I can and know what days I will do spa and what evening I want Signatures and what evening I want Latitudes (you do not need reservations for Compass Rose and for La Veranda). BTW I always have backup dates for all of these, just in case my first choice is not available. We tend to board as soon as let us, usually around 12:00...we go have lunch at the Pool Grill. At around 2 or 2:30 (ask when you embark) they start taking reservations at both the Spa and the Restaurants...I usually hit the Spa first, get those done and then head straight on down to the Compass Rose, where they take the reservations for Signatures and Latitudes. This whole process does not take more than 45 minutes if you time it right...then I can go on to the suite, which is ready and enjoy pre-sail!!

The Spa sometimes is open earlier for appointments, so just be vigilant. Of course, you cannot "hit them" at those times you can always call on the phone and set up the appointments...a few times I have had to make changes and this has worked.

Cheers!

Hi Getowoman, thank you, that's what I wanted to know. Perfect! So I don't need to actually rush on the ship for the appts. I can board and go directly to the spa and then restos. For the 6 nights (I'm eating dinner in Juneau) any resto will work for me, so I'm open and very flexable as to what's available. For the spa, I know what days I want them (sea days and the half day after Sitka) and I've seen the spa menu from the Mariner so I already know what treatments I want.

May want some extra hair appts after shore excursions but not worried about that either. Just want to fill up the time for the sea days.

BTW, my husband loves those pictures, if he can get two like that he will be one very happy traveller.

I see you are going on the one after me, have a wonderful safe trip.

thanks again

Hi Jean,

Just to clarify, you do want to try to book as soon as they start taking so that your choices are available :)

I do hope we can see the eagles and bears up close!! We are getting excited over the upcoming cruise!! Enjoy the cruise!!

Hi Jean, a couple of other tips:

If you have something special, culinary wise that you may want to have or enjoy, when you are making your reservations, ask for the Dining Room Manager (he manages all the restaurants). In the past it has been Laurens Hazlebach (and I certainly do hope he still on board, anybody know for sure?) and he is very accommodating. For example, we like to do room service breakfast and I want to be able to order Crab Eggs Benedict...they need 24 hours advance notice, so if you do it when you board, you will be assured to be able to order it as of the next day...I know some other special requests include Grand marnier souffles (YUMMMY) and sushi for hors d'oevure in your suite. You will find they are very accommodating, once you give them advance notice.

Also, you can order off the Compass Rose dining room menu for room service between 7pm and 9pm...so you don't have to go down to the dining room if you don't feel like it! The menu changes daily and is posted on the TV so that you can figure out what you want.

Lastly, don't forget that as you enjoy drinks from your in room bar set up, you can always call for hors d'oevure and other additional things you may want for your drink (e.g. limes, olives, etc.)

I have found that AnaLuisa is right on. If I wait to make those Spa appointments for the Sea Days all the time is GONE! And one of the sea days you are in the Glacier, you won't want to miss that.

As for photography, there will be a number of us on the MUSH cruise with all of our camera gear attempting to get those kinds of shots. We'll be doing a few of our own excursions so we can take nothing but photos.

Hi, GatoW and ChatK

First I have to ask, what is the MUSH trip? I hope you get wonderful shots. My hubby's passion is photography that's why the Tracy Arm is so important to him.

Thank you so much for those tips, hubby and I do love sushi so may look into that. I always have room service breakfast when at a hotel so will do it on the ship as well, but not a big breakfast eater so I'm not worried, but may go for an eggs benedict once so good to know about advance notice.

Hubby will like the "olives" to go with his martini so will remember that. I rarely eat desert, but a chocolate souffle once would be a nice treat so thanks for the heads up.

I will get to the spa early in that case to make the appts but not stressing over that, the least of my concerns.

I really appreciate all the advice and "heads up".

How's the shopping? Any good? (on and off ship)my fav moto "when the going gets tough the tough go shopping". "Retail therapy works wonders".

thanks again, y'all are lovely. - Jean

Not much shopping in Alaska! Ulu's and salmon and t-shirts.

MUSH is the LCT group Alaska cruise next summer (8/31)

What about fur and jewelry?

What exactly so you want to know about fur and jewelry - I am sure I can help you

I had a wonderful time in the fur shops in Alaska! I didn't buy anything, but I surely did try on a lot of gorgeous coats.

My jewelry purchase was a pair of earrings out of that white quartz with the gold streaks through it; I bought those in Juneau. There was another store with incredible Tanzanite, but I just played there.

Jewlery and Fur? for bringing with you or for buying there? There are a few of the stores you might find in the Carribbean that are actually cruise line owned (like Little Switzerland and Columiban Emeralds). Either I never saw furriers there and come to think of it, we had 80 degree weather on our cruise and I never saw anyone wearing any. It's a Country Club CASUAL cruise.

Editing to add that while this is a 6 star line, it's a jeans, tshirts and flannel in the day with sweatshirts in the glaciers type of cruise. At night, a nice outfit from Chico's is more the norm. I don't recall any fur coats on this cruise whatsoever.

I love fur, I'm looking for one of those Eskimo parkas and some nugget jewelry and the gold in quartz. Maybe some of the new fashion Mucklucks, NYC is already sold out (wait lists longer than my arm for the ones that come from Alaska, apparently height of the fashion) As seen "IN STYLE" magazine.

My tag line should be "when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping".

Standard fur I can get here but something a bit unusual would be nice, same for jewelry.

Any info would be much appreciated.

I think you are on the wrong cruise and you will be disappointed. There is very little to buy there - different or otherwise, unless you want tshirts that say "I left my moose at the lodge."
This is not a shopping cruise.

Kathy and I were there four years ago (same cruise but didn't realize it until recently); I couldn't begin to guess which stores are still there. But the chase is as much fun as the "catch"..

I was quite surprised that RSSC had recommended shopping inserts in the daily "Passages" newsletter, as I had only read about those on mass market Caribbean cruises. If I had seen something unique, I was looking for my daughter-in-law's birthday, but didn't have a lot of time to look, so nothing. When we got off the tender in Sitka, a girl was passing out flyers for a fur shop. My only purchases were books for grandchildren, purchased in Ketchikan, killing time, "Grandparents went to Alaska and saw this!"

There is an Alaska shop on the ship in addition to regular shop, but lighting is poor and I couldn't read the price tags!

A lot of the native guides were quite vocal about the plethora of jewelry shops which cater to the tourist trade!

Oh, there are the Diamonds International and the Columbian Emeralds in several ports; I was amazed. But there were some locally-owned ones, too, at least in Juneau. Of course, all of this was before 9/11 so I have no idea what might still be there.

Hi Pam, thank you. actually, if I can buy it somehwere else, I probably don't want it. I was hopeing for some "gold nugget/gold in quartz", something unique to alaska. I also have a charm bracelet, one charm for every year after my checkup. This year I didn't get one as I figured I'd get something from Alaska.

I'm very interested in the gold rush days. The things I really want to see are Dolly's House and the Red Onion Saloon. I've also booked a tour that Radisson doesn't offer, it's a gold panning/salmon bake in Juneau. You go gold panning for maybe 45 min and then off to a Salmon Bake dinner with a show of some kind from the gold rush era. Then you can walk over to some falls or something. I wanted to do the Takau Lodge thing, but I had to choose, Takau or gold panning tour, I opted for the gold panning/dinner.

The one thing I must say that I'm disappointed in, is that you don't get actual times for the group tours from Radisson. It says am or pm, I did manage to call around and find the tour ops they use and they gave me the times for the Radisson tours.

Can't do the heli tours as they say you can't bring a handbag, or backpack on board and hubby won't leave his camera equipment and I won't leave my handbag so that was a no go. I called the heli tour ops and they confirmed this :(

I've done 2 helicopter tours in Alaska (not through RSSC though) and was able to bring on a small fanny pack with my digital camera. You may not be able to pack on a stuffed camera bag but you could bring a smaller camera.

Masaki

Mrs. Moose, If you are willing to lock your purse up on the ship (in your suite safe) that might enable you to take the heli tour. Also, I am sure your hubby could use the safe at the reception desk to put his camera equipment in for the tour. Just a thought, but Radisson is VERY accomodating, and would help you with the stuff you want locked up.
Pam

Taku Glacier Lodge excursion was the highlight of our trip.

The second highlight was the helicopter where we walked on top of the glaciers. We brought our camera and an extra lens. They are weight restricted because of flight requirements which is why no purse or backpack. WE wer on very early in the AM if I recall like 7am.

Mrs Moose - I think you meant the "Red Dog" saloon in Juneau - hate to see you wandering around looking for the "Red Onion" saloon! Its a hoot alright, a must do, but it is just a saloon.

Have a great time on your trip, we are doing MUSH next year, haven't been to Alaska in 20 years - will be interesting to see what has changed.

JoAnn,

You're right! When we went on the Alaska cruise we had lunch there and it was, as you say, a hoot.

However, there IS a Red Onion Saloon...it is in Skagway!! :D It's still open for "business"...the drinking kind...

It was a bordello and apparently now its haunted!!

The Red Onion Saloon was originally built to be a whorehouse. This white, with dark trim building has two stories, with a storefront window. The first floor was & is now a saloon, and the second floor has 10 small rooms, which were called cribs. In 1898, the ladies of the night working at this establishment serviced their customers there. Now, an office, some dressing rooms for employees, and a refurbished bedroom, called the Madam's Room, now occupy this second floor.

Ghostly Happenings on the Second Floor - Caused by at least one female presence, who is sometimes hostile toward men.

* Foot steps were heard upstairs, when no one living was up there. A spooked employee called the police, who also heard running feet and pounding on the 2nd floor. When he and other officers went up to investigate, he saw a shadow go down the hall and slip into the Madam's Room, but found nothing visible there.

* Cold patches and areas upstairs have been felt by employees.

* The Strong aroma of perfume, permeates and travels along the 2nd floor hall.

* Some unseen presence likes to be helpful, and waters the living plants on the second floor, when no living human could've done this chore.

* A shadowy form of a woman has been seen watering non-existing plants in the Madam's Room.

* A musician who once lived on the second floor for a short period, while playing downstairs in the Saloon, awoke one night to seeing a shimmering light in his room, and he had a very strange sensation.

* One of the local town leaders has felt twice in the hall a strong presence, in sort of a hostile mood.

from the website haunted houses.com


The Red Dog seems to be more commercialized

http://www.reddogsaloon.cc/

I'll be sure to check both and report back!!

Jean, yes, there are lots of tee-shirt shops, like Chatkat said, but also some nice galleries in Juneau and Ketchikan, I just can't remember the names. (But I was last there in 2002 I think) Denise knows some, but she is in Europe right now. I bought a really pretty bronze bear bookend at one of them (cast by local artist). I try to get something not too tacky at least once on every cruise, and that thing seemed apt. There are some nice shops in Anchorage for nice coats and sweaters, but honestly I don't remember furs. I was into them in the late 70's and 80's, so warm they are. But they have been hiding in my closet since. In Sitka, it is mostly the Russian stuff, nesting dolls, and other beautifully laquered boxes. These will also be sold onboard the ship, and there will be a lecture about the differences in quality, (or maybe that was on my Baltics cruise)
Anyway, there are a few quality shops in each port...you just have to look to find them. I don't think you are on the wrong cruise, nor do I think you will be disappointed, unless weather gets under your skin. Don't count heavily on seeing bears though. I think most sightings are when the salmon are swimming upstream earlier in the summer. Not positive about this, so good luck!

Hi, just a few min to post, as I said, the next two weeks will be "rushing" for me.
Gatowman thank you for that, love it,
First, yes, it's the Red Onion in Skagway, I can't wait, I love haunted houses, thanks so much I knew it was a bordello, but didn't know it was haunted, that's on my list. The Red Dog in Juneau is on my list for lunch or drinks depending on the time we get in.

As for the heli tours, that's the problem, hubby has a camera bag, (rucksack) style. He won't leave it, and he will want it as he switches lens depending on the shot and to much trouble to go back to the ship and get it so we will skip that one, unless one there spur of the moment will let us on with it. I'm not overly concerned, if I do it, great, it not, that's ok too.

JPH, thank you for the info on the shopping, I do hope there will be a lecture about the russian stuff as I would really interested as I wanted to buy a box and dolls while in Sitka

I too don't think I'll be disappointed in Alaska, as shopping is secondary. They tour op in Haines said that it's still bear viewing there as the salmon are still swimming so we'll see, but any wildlife will be a welcome sight.

Thanks to all for all your good wishes and kind responses, I'll be checking in here and there before I go but not a lot of "posting time" left.

If anyone is sailing I wish you happy and safe travels.

Jean

For those of you who might be shopping for grandchildren, there is a phenomenal store right with all the honky tonk shops in Juneau. Just ask them for items that do not come from the lower 48. They had games and puzzles that they held and mailed for us at the appropriate time. I am truly sorry that I don't remember the name--they were so nice.

As to seeing bears, eagles, and humpback whales--you will definitely see them. Personally I was never able to see any orcas, but other passengers did, and last year there were two belugas (also not seen by me). My husband came running to get me, but by then they had stopped "playing" with the ship.

Enjoy, and let the Mariner staff pamper you. Welcome to the board! I am not an active poster, but I just wanted to put your mind at ease.
M.

M.

Thank you Marinergal, your thoughts, good wishes, comments and advice are very much appreciated.