Cruising Alaska!! - Montana Owners Club

D and M On The Road · 08-05-2006, 08:04 PM

The "M" of "D-and-M-On-The-Road is headed (flying) north in about 5 hours... yeesh!... I need to get some sleep!!

8/6: Vancouver, BC
8/7: Cruising the Inside Passage
8/8: Sitka, Alaska 11:00am to 7pm
8/9: Hubbard Glacier
8/10: Juneau, Alaska 8:00am to 8:45pm
8/11: Ketchikan, Alaska 2:00pm to 9:30pm
8/12: Cruising the Inside Passage
8/13: Back to Vancover, BC and then flying home to California

Any MOCers in the cities I will be in? I'll be on the Celebrity Cruise Line Ship "Infinity".

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

JH Sechelt · 08-05-2006, 10:31 PM

Doug & Margee,

You'll have a great trip. We did it 3 or 4 years ago.
You will be going right past our door. ( well 6 or 7 miles out in the Georgia Straight).
We live in Sechelt, B.C. You'll go by, 2 hours out of Vancouver.
We'll wave.
Have fun, don't forget your camera.

J & D

[IMG]John & Dawn

Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
2006 2980RL &
2005 F350 Lariet, Crewcab
Shortbox Powerstroke 4X4

jrgwdenner · 08-06-2006, 01:27 AM

Have a wonderful trip! The sights will be awesome! What a wonderful opportunity.

Judy
http://spaces.msn.com/bamatravelers/
http://bamatravelers.blogspot.com
Traveling with Glen and Greta in our 2004 Dodge dually and Montana 3380 RL

Parrothead · 08-06-2006, 07:17 AM

Margee
I know you are going to have a great time. We did this last year and would love to do it again. It is a great experience and you are going on a great line. My daughter is a cruise consultant and she gets to go on a lot of cruises and this is her favorite line.
Happy trails.....................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

Driftwoodgal · 08-06-2006, 11:32 AM

Margee,

Would love to hear what you do in your ports when yo get back. We are addicted to cruising and will be doing a 14 night cruise on the Radiance of the Seas in September 2007.

I wish I was in your luggage, it has to be cooler in Alaska !!

D and M On The Road · 08-07-2006, 01:14 PM

This is absolutely fabulous! And yes, it is much cooler...

Internet is expensive to use... so I will be quick.

I am now addicted to cruising and see it in my future again... and I have only been onboard 1 day...*LOL

Food is awesome and way too much of it is available 24 hours a day.

We have a cabin with a balcony and that is really the only way to go.

Alcohol is very inexpensive to buy onboard. Hmmmm... has anyone ever bought alcohol on board and brought more than the limit allowed back?

What I am interested in is the customs fine for bringing it from the ship into Canada.... and then also the USA customs fines for bringing it from Canada into Washington state. The guy who runs the liquor store onboard swears he doesn't know and wants me to buy mass quantities of course. I looked at the Canadian Customs online and it is so confusing, then I looked at the Washington State customs and it is also very confusing.

Anyways, if someone has recent experience bringing alcohol back.... post it here and I will check tonite or tomorrow.

Thanks alot........

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

Driftwoodgal · 08-07-2006, 01:40 PM

I can't help you with the fees that you would have to pay in Canada, but we have brought back more than the alloted amount in Florida and in Texas. We declared all of it and we weren't charged on one cruise but the other we had to pay the custom fee. I am sorry I can't remember how much it was but if it is expensive alcohol then the fee is worth the extra money if not I wouldn't bother.

Glad to hear that you are having a great time. We will have an aft cabin booked on the Radiance. Actually we have 5 afts cabins booked right now. Yes, I am addicted to cruising.

D and M On The Road · 08-07-2006, 07:39 PM

Thanks Driftwoodgal.... tomorrow we stop in Sitka and will be getting off the ship to go sightsee. I can't believe I waited until now to ever be on a cruise ship. I am certainly going again.

Now thinking of the Caribbean....hahaha... just have to let my husband know. He is home working, after all, someone has to pay for this cruise!!

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

Driftwoodgal · 08-08-2006, 03:23 AM

I would love for you to PM me when you get back so I can discuss what tours you did.

I can give you tons of information and private tour guides in the Caribbean. Yep a happy day is being retired and either on a cruise ship or in our RV traveling.

Colleen

Lije Baley · 08-11-2006, 07:11 PM

Margee,
What a thrill!!!! We love cruising too, and are planning an Alaska cruise in '08. We'll be cruising Mexico for Bill's B-day in Dec. We don't usually bring too much liquor back because of the weight, but we wonder if it is even possible to bring any on board now as carry on with the new regulations!
Have fun and look forward to hearing about your adventures,
Mariana

Bill and Mariana McCamy
'05 F-250 Lariat 6L PSD
'05 2955RL
Woodland, CA

Bill DeMeulle · 08-12-2006, 10:13 AM

Margee, you will be back when you read this, Carol & I are leaving on the 17th for Fairbanks then to Denali park & Mt. Mckinley the down to pick up the ship at Whittier cruising down to Vancouver. Five days on land & seven days on sea, I hope we have as good a time as you are having.

Bill

D and M On The Road · 08-14-2006, 07:34 AM

Yep, we arrived back home last night about 11pm...

The cruise was absolutely fabulous and I recommend to anyone thinking of booking a cruise to make sure your room has a private balcony.

We had to put all our liquids & gels (shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, make-up, etc...) into the checked luggage to fly home. We weren't allowed to have it in our carry-on luggage.

So that means if you buy alcohol on the ship, you'll have to have it in your checked luggage. I didn't buy any alcohol onboard, it was going to be too much hassle with the Canadian government with large fines. Next time I book a cruise, I'll make sure to leave from a port in the USA so we can by-pass the customs from another country.

Going through Canadian customs and then USA customs was a headache. Canadian customs didn't want to accept my birth certificate and allow me back into the USA so I told them I'd be happy to stay and live in Canada.... unfortunately they finally decided to let me back in. Now I have to try and see if the state/county I was born in sooo long ago can give me something else to use as a birth certificate as I'll need it to obtain a passport.

Anyways, I highly recommend cruising on a ship.

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

Bill DeMeulle · 08-15-2006, 04:02 AM

I received your e-mail and thank you for the offer, this will be our fifth cruise and they are fun. Were you able to see any animal life there? That is the reason we are taking the 5 days on land and 7 days on sea, I'll be happy to share the pictures if your interested. It's always nice to be home.

Bill

JH Sechelt · 08-27-2006, 11:50 AM

Hi Margee,

I forgot I took a picture of your ship as it went by our front door.
Glad you had a great cruise. We also love cruising and plan to do a lot more in the near future.
( time to sale business and retire ).

J&D

[img]http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/big2_both_cond/language/www/global/stations/71892.gif" border=0
alt="Click for Vancouver, British Columbia Forecast" height=60 width=468[/img]

[IMG]John & Dawn

Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
2006 2980RL &
2005 F350 Lariet, Crewcab
Shortbox Powerstroke 4X4

Bill DeMeulle · 08-31-2006, 07:08 AM

We are back now, the land tour was a bust, unfortunately the roads were washed out and we could not go to Denali Park or Mt. Mckinley then after waiting an extra day for the railroads to clear we were off to Whittier to pick up the ship. The 5 hour train ride took 13 hours due to landslides and boulders on the tracks, but we arrived safe and sound and boarded the ship at midnight. We didn't see any wild life other than some of the passengers on the trip, but the glaciers and cruise were very nice. It had rained up in Fairbanks/Denali for 18 straight days and were told it was very unusual this time of year. It's nice to be home and over-all we had a good time, just not "Fantastic".

Bill

D and M On The Road · 09-09-2006, 07:06 PM

Hey J&D.... that's a great picture and yep, that was our ship!

If you look real close, that's me with a glas of wine in my hand and waving to you with my other hand!...

It was an awesome trip and I can't wait to do it again, we just have to pay off this trip first before I can book another one.

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

CountryGuy · 09-10-2006, 04:07 AM

Margee,

Do you know, just what was the problem with your birth certificate?? Did they say??

Sounds like you had a great time!

(Thanks Glenn)

Al & Carol Stevens Tipton, Mi.
Retired - Traveling with 4 Yorkies
2004 3295RK
2003 GMC 3500 Allison/8.1
PullRite 15.5K Super 5th
Line-X
JackRabbit tonneau cover
Bilstein shocks
Isolator Pin Box

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D and M On The Road · 09-12-2006, 08:52 PM

Canadian customs said it was issued by the hospital (Seattle General) I was born at and not issued by the county/state. Details, details.

He was right though. If you really looked at the seal on it with a magnifying glass you definitely could tell it was hospital issued. I have been out of the country before and never had anyone look so close at it.

I already contacted King County's online site and was able to order a REAL birth certificate which by the way already arrived.

Now, I have to get a passport as all USA citizens will need to re-enter the USA starting 01/01/07.

Doug & Margee
Davis,California
MOC-49
"On the Road Again.."
"Just Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again..."
2000 Dodge Ram SB 2500 4x4 Quad Turbo Cummings
2002 Montana 3295RK
2001 Onan 3600 (propane)

"The MOC isn't just a group of people, they're family".

Driftwoodgal · 09-13-2006, 03:46 AM

We will be sailing on the Radiance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, in September 07. I would love to know about the tours that you did from the ship.

Also would love information about Vancouver. We will sail from Vancouver and get off in Los Angeles.

Any tips on tours, hotels, places to eat etc would be helpful.

We love cruising, but this will be our first one to Alaska.

Colleen

D and M On The Road · 09-14-2006, 08:58 PM

Driftwoodgal... I'll email you with some information. I don't want to get folks rattled up with some of what I might say!...*LOL

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