| Cruise Related |
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Q1. What does my cruise fare include?
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Q2. What is not included on the cruise? |
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Q3. How do I make a reservation? |
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Q4. How do I pay for onboard expenses? |
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Q5. What currency is used onboard? |
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Q6. How many suitcases can I bring? |
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Q7. Is there smoking allowed onboard the ship? |
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Q8. What happens if I have to cancel? |
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Q9. How much do I have to pay when I book a cruise? |
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Q10. What is there to do onboard the ship? |
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Q11. Will I get sea-sick? |
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Q12. Will I be able to work-out and eat healthy
onboard? |
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Q13. Do I have to eat at a certain time everyday? |
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Q14. What if I need special meals? |
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Q15. What is the dress code on the ship? |
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Q16. How should I pack? |
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Q17. Are there laundry services available? |
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Q18. What happens if I get sick on the cruise? |
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Q19. Can I bring a visitor onboard the ship for
a tour? |
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Q20. Are gratuities/tips included? |
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Q21. Are there activities for children? Is there
any age restriction? |
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Q22. How much is
Travel Insurance?
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| Alaska Related |
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Q23. When is the best time to travel to Alaska? |
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Q24. Will I see wildlife on an Alaska Cruise? |
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Q25. What shore excursions are available? |
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Q26. Can I add a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay? |
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Q27. Do I need to know English to get around? |
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Q28. How far away is Alaska? |
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Q29. What is the weather like in Alaska? |
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Q30. Is a passport and/or visa required? |
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Q1. What does my cruise fare include? |
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A1. Most cruises include
food (3 meals a day plus room service), regular drinks
(like coffee, tea, juice, iced tea & lemonade), entertainment,
use of the ship's facilities, and accommodations. Some
luxury cruise lines include more, such as alcoholic beverages,
gratuities and more. Please ask your Cruise Consultant
for more details. |
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Q2. What is not included on the cruise? |
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A2.Most cruises do not include
gratuities, alcoholic beverages, soda pop, shore excursions,
gambling, spa or beauty treatments, and personal items.
Some luxury cruise lines are slightly different, please
ask for details. |
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Q3. How do I make a reservation? |
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A3. Call one of our Alaska
Specialists at #1-800-738-8837 or fill out the quote form. |
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Q4. How do I pay for onboard expenses? |
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A4.For your convenience most cruise ships set-up a stateroom account when you check-in. Similar to a hotel, everything you purchase onboard gets charged to this account and at the end of your cruise the account can be settled by credit card, travelers cheque's or cash. |
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Q5. What currency is used onboard? |
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A5. Onboard a cruise ship the currency
used is US Dollars. The purser's desk will cash travellers cheques
and some foreign currency. |
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Q6. How many suitcases can I bring? |
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A6. There is no limit to the amount of personal luggage allowed onboard a cruise ship. However, the airlines do have restrictions. It is best to contact the airline you are travelling with to find out the specifics of what they allow. |
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Q7. Is there smoking allowed onboard the ship? |
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A7. Smoking is permitted in designated areas in bars onboard and outside on open decks. |
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Q8. What happens if I have to cancel? |
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A8. If you
are cancelling over 75 days in advance you will receive
the deposit you paid back (on most cruise lines). However,
our agency has a cancellation/administration fee of $100
US per room. This fee is flexible, for example: if you
were to change to another cruise the fee is waived or
if you were to rebook a future cruise the fee would be
taken off your cruise amount. If you are cancelling within
75 days of the cruise you are subject to the cruise line
penalties. These vary depending on the cruise line. Please
contact one of our Cruise Consultants for exact details. |
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Q9. How much do I have to pay when I book a cruise? |
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A9. If you are booking a
cruise over 75 days in advance we only require a deposit.
The deposit amount varies depending on the cruise line
between $350-900 US per person. If you are booking within
75 days of the cruise the full payment is required.
Most cruise line deposits are fully refundable up
until the final payment date (75 days prior to sailing).
However, our agency has a cancellation/administration
fee of $100 US per room. This fee is flexible, for example:
if you were to change to another cruise the fee is waived
or if you were to rebook a future cruise the fee would
be taken off your cruise amount. After the final payment
is made cruise line penalties come into effect. |
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Q10. What is there to do onboard the ship? |
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A10. Each night when you are at dinner your cabin steward will clean up your room. During this process he/she will leave a guide for the next day's events onboard. Activities offered onboard include port lectures, movies, dance classes, bingo, live music in various lounges or at the pool, entertainment shows each evening and much more! Plus, you can use the ship's facilities like whirlpools, swimming pools, fitness center, watersports platform is offered, etc. |
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Q11. Will I get sea-sick? |
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A11. It is possible to get sea-sick on a cruise. However, all the major cruise lines have added stabilizers to each ship when they are built. These stabilizers are used to keep the ship steady when it is in rouge water.
If you are used to getting car sick, then you could get sea-sick. We suggest that you visit your local doctor prior to the cruise and discuss methods to avoid this. One popular method is purchasing the patch (which is placed behind your ear) or taking gravel.
If you were feeling a little woosy there is a medical center onboard with a doctor and nurses to help you! Plus, if you visit the purser's desk gravol is available. |
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Q12. Will I be able to work-out and eat healthy onboard? |
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A12. Yes. Most ships offer fitness facilities and many are open 24 hours a day. As well, the dining room menu offers light menu choices and vegetarian dishes. |
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Q13. Do I have to eat at a certain time everyday? |
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A13. No. Most ships offer 24 hour room. No matter what time of day you are hungry something is available for you! |
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Q14. What if I need special meals? |
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A14. Special meals can be accommodated if you inform us when booking the cruise. Vegetarian meals, kosher, diabetic, no dairy, low salt, low cholesterol, and many more can be taken care of. |
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Q15. What is the dress code on the ship? |
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A15. During the day on
any cruise casual attire is accepted. During the evening
dress codes vary. Some cruise lines, such as Radisson
Seven Seas Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, offer a
'Country Club Casual' or elegant resort wear for every
night of their cruises. An example of this is pleated
dress pants with a silk shirt for men and a pantsuit or
informal attire for a women. No ties or jackets required,
although it is recommended for a man to bring one jacket
for the Captain's welcome reception. Most other cruise
lines have two formal nights on a 7 night cruise, three
formal nights on 10 or 12 night cruise and four formal
nights on a 14 night cruise. |
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Q16. How should I pack? |
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A16. When travelling to
a warm climate, like the Mediterranean, we recommend the
following for daytime: shorts, slacks, tops, swimsuit
and comfortable walking shoes. Sunglasses, sunblock and
hat/visor are also recommended. When travelling to Northern
Europe make sure you have a light jacket in case of wind
or cooler weather.
For dinner in most restaurants onboard resort casual attire is acceptable. They do not allow jeans, t-shirts, shorts, cut-offs, tank tops or bare feet.
If you need to bring prescription medicines don't forget to bring the original containers. Please keep all prescriptions in your carry-on or purse with you. |
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Q17. Are there laundry services available? |
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A17. Onboard most ships laundry service is available through room service. Washing, pressing and steaming is available at a cost. |
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Q18. What happens if I get sick on the cruise? |
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A18. There is a medical center onboard all large ships. In the medical center there is a doctor and nurses to assist with injuries or questions. The medical center hours are limited, however the doctor is on-call 24 hours a day. |
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Q19. Can I bring a visitor onboard the ship for a tour? |
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A19. Unfortunately, due to security issue no. |
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Q20. Are gratuities/tips included? |
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A20. This depends on the
cruise line/ship. Some luxury cruise lines include gratuities
in the cost of the cruise. Many of the other cruise lines
do not include gratuities. Each day of the cruise your
onboard account is charged $10 US (per guest). This covers
all gratuities for the staff onboard. This amount can
be adjusted by contacting the purser's desk. |
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Q21. Are there activities for children? Is there any age restriction? |
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A21. Many of the large ship cruise
lines offer children's programs and activities when cruising
Europe. Some cruise lines do have an age restriction of
6 months, but many do not. Please contact one of our Alaska
Cruise Consultants for more details. |
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Q22. How much is Travel Insurance? |
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A22. Travel Insurance premiums
and coverage change depending on the person being insured.
Please contact one of our Europe Cruise Consultants for
more details. |
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Q23. When is the best time to travel to Alaska? |
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A23. The Alaska Cruise season is only from May to September each year. May and September are considered low season, June is shoulder season and July and August are peak season. In our opinion June is the best time to travel to Alaska because of its mild weather, longest days of the year, and shoulder season pricing. |
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Q24. Will I see wildlife on an Alaska Cruise? |
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A24. Yes, it is possible to see wildlife on an Alaska Cruise. During May, June and September many passengers spot whales right from the cruise ships, however it is not guaranteed and therefore taking a specific whale watching excursion is recommended. When cruising glacier areas it is quite common to view birds, seals and dall sheep. Bear watching is offered by excursion, but only between late July and September. |
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Q25. What shore excursions are available? |
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A25. Many shore excursions are available in each port of call. Click here to view our destination information. |
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Q26. Can I add pre- or post-cruise hotel stay?
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A26. Yes, pre and post hotel packages are available. We can package it with the cruise line or book it separately for you. If you are looking for a week long stay our Alaska Specialist can help with packaging air, hotel and tours for you. Just ask! |
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Q27. Do I need to know English
to get around? |
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A27. The major laguage in Alaska is English. However, onboard many cruise ships is international staff that can speak many languages. For more details contact our Alaska specialist. |
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Q28. Where do I fly to and what airlines go there? |
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A28. Most cruises travel from Vancouver, Seattle, Anchorage or San Francisco. If you are taking a one-way cruise between Vancouver and Seward or Whittier you will need to buy an one-jaw airline ticket. Most major airlines offer this. Ask our Alaska specialist for more information. |
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Q29. What is the weather like in Alaska? |
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A29. Below is a list of the average temperatures per month in Alaska in Celsius.
Juneau & Inside Passage: May 12C, June 16C, July 18C, August 17C, Sept 13C
Anchorage: May 12C, June 17C, July 18, August 17C, Sept 13
Fairbanks: May 21C, June 21C, July 24C, August 21C, Sept 12C |
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Q30. Is a passport and/or visa required? |
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A30. Yes. US and Canadian citizens are required to have a passport in 2007 and beyond. All other citizens travelling should contact a local Canadian and US Consulate in their country for visa requirements. Cruising2Alaska.com is not responsible for issuing or informing passengers of passport or visa requirements. |
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