Seasoned travel agent bringing you along on my cruise adventures!
I have been married to my best friend for 44 years! We have four adult children and six precious grandchildren.
I’m a woman who wears many hats. As wife and mother, Noni keeps busy with childcare as needed. Travel Agent Pam is blessed to work from home helping people achieve their travel dreams. Counselor Pam is blessed to spend some time at Impact Counseling and Guidance. In between, I administrate several travel-focused Facebook forums.
I love to travel...hate writing...but love to share a good story. I'm so glad you're along for the ride!!!
Outstanding, thorough, expert information and recommendations for choosing your Alaska Cruise-Tour. You need look no further than Pam for an expert to assist you with your booking.
My wife and I spent 19 days on Pursuit from Cape Town to Las Palmas in Feb-Mar2024. We were not impressed. Our mid-ship balcony cabin was good (and we found the small shower was fine), staff was great but not any better than the staff one finds on most cruise lines. The Living Room was a nice venue. Entertainment was passable given the small size of the ship. Food was a real disappointment. Small portions in the main dining room. Food in the cafeteria was pretty awful. I've never before been offered a banana so over-ripe it was black. Room service was the worst we've experienced at sea. Incorrect orders, delayed delivery. Rather than the upscale line we were expecting Azamara seemed more like a floating pub. Passengers seemed to be there for the free alcohol and the endless trivia sessions. Would we try Azamara again? Probably not.
Give big bags (with no valuables inside) to porters at the port If valuables are ALL in your personal item you can leave all bags (tagged with luggage tags w/ extra IDs inserted into each bag) with the baggage handlers. Never allow your ID, passport, and all important paperwork, credit cards, money, meds, medical equipment, jewelry and money on your person/in the personal item you keep at hand I always keep a change of clothes and anything needed for the pool in my personal item. (Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen)
For a trip to the mountains I ordered ski pants on Amazon. They don’t look like ski pants, just heavy weight leggings. They’re comfortable, warm, & well made. I wear them all of the time. I order thin black thermal tops made for low temps & layer. You can’t tell they’re thermals, bc they’re not the waffle material. They’re about 30.00+ each but they keep you warm. I wore my base layers over & over but changed the shirt or sweater.
So far, Whittier is our favorite port to board the ship. We like the ride into the port, plus we've never had to wait to board at all! Thanks for the video, Pam!
This was an interesting video. However, I would have liked some information about those who use mobility aids. Do they have a separate lane for rollator and wheelchair users? Do they have many buses taking people to Whittier? Did I really see train tracks inside the tunnel? Where does the train put their passengers off? Do they use the same processing building? We will be going on a Princess CruiseTour later this month (July 2024). We will be taking the train from Denali to Whittier.
There's not a separate lane but there are staff members on hand to assist with passengers with mobility aids. Yes, the train uses the same tunnel! Those passenger get off close by and use the same building for embarkation. Hope you have a great time on your cruisetour!!
The food is almost as good as SilverSea. The shower is very small. Azamara has 4 ships, all similar. The standard of the public areas was excelllent.[Travelled in May 2024].
Princess doesn’t have solo cabins but every once in a while has a solo discount. Regardless, I’d still recommend Princess over NCL for the overall experience.
I am going on my 1st Alaskan trip this Summer (2024). I enjoyed your video. I already knew most of your packing tips but a refresher is always good. I will be wearing my hiking shoes on the plane since I will need them on the land portion and shore excursions. They aren't really heavy but they are bulky. I am taking 2 pairs of HIKE barefoot shoes. They are very light and take up little room. They are waterproof and washable. One pair is completely black and can serve as evening shoes. The other pair is white with pink stripes. It goes nicely with several of my long skirts. I also have 3 short sleeved & 2 long sleeved morino wool t-shirts. (From MorinoTech and came with a pair of morino socks each.)They are great. Like the socks you mentioned they can be worn in hot and cold weather. They are hand washable and quick to dry. I will be packing at least 2 sweaters since I get cold easily. And they become another layer. I have several capri pants which I can wear under long slacks or skirts. More layers! They are water resistant. They can also be hand washed and are quick drying. You can handwash clothes with liquid hand soap or plain shampoo. Or get laundry strips. You can tear them into small pieces for a few clothes. Or use them in the washing machine for a full load. I have a rain jacket and a large poncho that came in their own bags to pack up small.
I liked how Princess had crab and lobster tail (as Alaska is known for their seafood) and Baked Alaska dessert on their menu in the complimentary restaurants. I was on NCL and they charge $25 USD for lobster tail and no Baked Alaska on their menu in Alaska. That’s kinda sad😔. Princess changes their restaurant menu everyday but NCL menu is the same everyday with the exception of 1 item in every section “appetizers, entree and dessert” that is different. But buffet in NCL is amazing and they have Starbucks onboard. Princess docks close by the ports. You can see the ship from far away sometimes depending on which ship but always closer than where NCL docks. Administration on Princess is organized whereas NCL isn’t. I didn’t even know that they leave their luggage tags for disembarkation downstairs across Guest Services desk until I inquired. NCL had great food regardless but their entertainment lacked. I enjoyed both of my cruises to Alaska but I think I also prefer Princess for Alaska.
I have take multiple flights on European legacy carriers around Europe carrying my CPAP machine as extra carry on, and not one airline has questioned this. In fact they have been more than happy for me carrying my CPAP as extra hand luggage. I would NEVER pack a CPAP machine in checked luggage, as the luggage handlers are not reliable looking after your case, and there are a lots of stories of damaged CPAP machines packed in checked luggage. Given the risk of damage, please don’t pack your CPAP machine, as the damage that can easily happen will ruin your holiday.
Great review! We are cruising Azamara in August and one reason I picked them was that I had read they had vegan menus and vegan options available in all restaurants. However, more recently I haven't heard about that and I am concerned that they took them away. Did you notice anyone with a vegan menu or talk to anybody who was eating vegan or plant-based during your cruise?
I agree with what you’ve said especially about the crew. As you know I was not happy with the small bathroom in the veranda rooms. Next time I’d get a suite. The small ship was wonderful.
We have sailed with Azamara quite a few times. It is one of our favorite brands. Your review was spot on. You didn't mention the very small bathrooms in most cabins - not suites. That feature certainly does not keep us away, though!
Hello Pam As one of the Azamara crew on board, I truly appreciate your fair assessment of us, which makes the entire staff proud. More power and I hope to see you on board once more.
If we are ever able to go on a cruise this would definitely be the cruise my wife and I would take. Only issue for limiting travel is of course health and mobility access for power wheelchair with limited walking distance but just sitting on the ship in and of itself is probably wonderful.
Although I'm Elite with Princess, I prefer Holland America for Alaska cruises because most of their ships have retractable roofs over the pool, so they can still be enjoyed even in inclement weather.
