1st Alaskan Cruise

[mildavis]

We will have most of the day Friday and all Friday night to see Vancouver. We now have another family of 4 joining our party making it 6 adults and 6 children. 3 of the kids will be 12 yrs old, 1 age 11, 1 age 9, and 1 age 7. What would be the best course of action for all of us to do in vancouver on Friday? We are taking the Amtrak over Friday morning from Seattle. Hit me with exciting highlights of Vancouver, Jennifer!

[mildavis]

I also have a question on clothing for the Alaskan cruises. I've heard layers, layers, layers. Sometimes it's freezing (like on the glaciers) and others it is just cool, maybe a light jacket. Are we talking a ton of clothes here?

[hazelson]

Gastown is a must see - lots of interesting shops and old buildings as well as great places to eat. If you get a chance you can hop on the "SeaBus" to North Vancouver then take a bus up to Cleveland Dam or over to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. I would suggest Robson Street, as well, for great browsing and shopping. Stanley Park is really pretty - with lots of walks along the oceanfront and several garden areas as well as the Aquarium.

The area around False Creek and the Science Centre - very close to the Amtrak Station also has a lot to see. Granville Island has great shops and restaurants as well as a very large market. It also has a wonderful shopping arcade for the kids. If any of your party is into beer- check out the Granville Island Brewery for a taste of the Maple Ale - supergood suds!

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Suzila]

I have to agree with Jennifer...Capilano Suspension Bridge is wonderful to see, and exciting. My kids were about 14 and 15 years old when we took them on an Alaskan cruise out of Vancouver. They loved the bridge.

There are signs all over it NOT to swing the bridge, but there are always idiots doing it. I'm usually a pretty mild-mannered person, but there were people on the bridge walking towards us, purposely swinging it. I was scared out of my wits and grabbed a guy's arm and told him if he didn't stop, I would personally throw him over. My kids were astonished and proud of me. The idiot stopped swinging and his friends all laughed at him.

Robson Street is great, but nothing special for the kids...just fun shopping for adults. I think the kids might like Gastown better. Take the ferry over to Granville Island...lots of shopping there too, but the kids might like the ferry ride...it's only about 10 minutes long.

[hazelson]

A couple of years back a woman actually "dropped" her child off the Capilano Suspension Bridge - attempted murder. The little girl survived the fall with barely a scratch and the Mother got off with a plea of temporary insanity or something like that. The little girl had Downs Syndrome and the mother had a hard time coping with it and thought she had figured a good way out.

I have never heard of anyone actually falling off the brigde otherwise so it is safe :grin: :grin: :grin:

[Mebert]

The Capilano Suspension Bridge vibrates slightly when many people walk across at the same time. It's very exhilarating to cross.

It's a miracle that the little girl was able to surviive being thrown off of that bridge. It's quite a fall to the bottom.

[mildavis]

Thanks everyone. Actually, Jennifer, my husband loves to try new beers. He has brewed some of his own before. We just might have to check that out. After traveling from Mobile, AL to Vancouver with 6 kids and 4 other adults we will probably need a beer or two.

The kids would probably love that bridge and we will definitely put that on the list.

Completely off that subject, on the formal nights on Holland America, are they pretty similar to other ships in that you see all kinds of "formal" on formal night. I really do not plan to bring a long formal dress.

[Grdner]

If you choose the railroad trip out of Skagway be sure to sit on the left hand side of the train and near the front - the spectacular scenery is on that side and at the back of the car you can't hear the commentary. Some couples split up and try to hog the window seats - you can politely ask them to move if you are sure this is what they are doing. they also pass out free bottles of water but they don't tell you they are free, they just walk down the car and if you don't ask for one you don't get it.

Personally I was disappointed in the rail trip - it is so similar to where we live that there was nothing new. If there is snow on the mountains it is spectacular but there was none when we were there.

I really like the idea of renting a car and driving - that is what we would do next time.

In Vancouver - our grandkids love the Science Center - Granville Island is a delight or you can take the ferry to North vancouver and browse there. If you really like to shop you can take the skytrain out to Burnaby and get off at Metrotown - tons of stores there and right beside the skytrain station.

In Juneau and Ketchican we hopped on the local buses to get around - a lot cheaper than the tours offered and they often go right to the areas of interest - certainly to the totem poles.

Formal nights - men are expected to wear suits and ties but women can wear short or long dresses or pant suits. We have seen some very casual outfits but a man in shorts was told that he had to change.