BF2S Forums Looking for more free advice for Europe

AussieReaper wrote:

Dilbert_X wrote:

I am not much of a cruise ship guy either, so we will see.

Me neither, never done one.
Did enjoy the train ride to Alice Springs though, two days of featureless desert, trick is not to worry about the cost, take in the scenery and relax.

Alice Springs has no scenery.

Way to be ignorant. Central Australia has some epic things to see.

Alice Springs itself is a shithole, but the McDonnell Ranges are worth a look.

lowing wrote:

1stSFOD-Delta wrote:

lowing wrote:

Yeah, not sure how I will feel about being stuck on a boat either. I hope the destinations and the sights will make up for it however.

By the way, did you go to Misty Fjords when you docked in Ketchican? ( if you docked there).


If so, was it worth the sea plane ride or boat ride to it?

We didn't go to Ketchican. We went to Skagway and then to Juneau. We did a helicopter tour of the mountains in Juneau(I think), that was pretty cool. The other one was going to see the glaciers, which the cruise ship pulled right up next to. Other than that it was cold, cloudy, windy, and rainy. We went in August 2004.

Ok, well, I will try and keep an open mind about it. I am not much of a cruise ship guy either, so we will see. Appreciate the input.

Boats are a typical thing, you either find them boring as shit or truly epic. The only thing it really depends on is you. I went from Ancona (Italy) to Patras (Greece) by means of a huge ferry and from Piraeus (Athens) to Santorini by means of a very crap ferry on rather rough seas (to an extend I figured my classmates could have flooded the Agean with their vomit). I enjoyed both trips, that were actually necesity trips rather than pleasure, to be priceless.

OK back in Seattle and we just got off the ship, here is the break down:

I have mixed emotions about the experience, first the pros

The food and the service and the shows were great. A balcony stateroom is a must for this land hugging cruise, the scenery was amazing. We did some excursions not associated with the ship and found them to be cheaper and less crowded. This included a seaplane flight to Misty Fjords, whale watching, zip lining through the trees (for my sons not me) a few tours of the towns. All were worth the money and the experiences. In Alaska eagles fly around like pigions. They are everywhere and a sight to behold if you have never seen them in the wild.


the cons.

THE COST: the drinks, the gratuities were EXPENSISIVE, even the shops in the ports are owned by the cruise lines, so they are going to get you one way or another.

Over all we are glad we did it and had a lot of fun, the tourist trapping was obvious however so be prepared. I would love to go back to Alaska again but not on a cruise ship.

The highlight of the trip was cruising right up to Hubbard Glacier, with .2 miles. We watched Massive ice chunks break away and fall into the sea. It was something to see.

We are gunna stay the night in Seattle and fly home tomorrow and stop the bleeding from our checking account.

FatherTed wrote:

i want to see icebergs

Those we saw, still on the camera though. Hit a few smaller ones as we made our way close to the glacier. Pretty loud as they scrapped down the ship