Alaskan Cruise

11 years ago

My husband and I will be taking our first cruise ever this summer. We're going on a Princess ship from Seattle to Alaska, and I am curious about any and all advice, tips, ideas, etc. that you all might have to share with us about cruising in general, excursions, when to fly out to the starting port town, when to return home. We appreciate experienced opinions and knowing what to expect.

We already booked the trip, have the room, and picked open instead of scheduled dining, but if you have any tips on those things for future trips, we'd appreciate it.

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Comments (16)

glenda_al
11 years ago
Been to Ak twice
First time was cruise and land
Second time I took GS on cruise only. Flew in and out of Seattle, and spent the night before boarding the ship.
Cruised on The Golden Princess and ship was outstanding. We lucked up with an upgrade from balcony to extended balcony with a mini suite. Perfect.

When you go to Anchorage by all means go to the Red Dog Saloon, just go see it :o) And be sure and ride the tram.

First time I was with a group several of us did the lumberjack show. If interested I can look it up, as I can't spell the town from the top of my head. Fun fun fun!

First and second time did the gold rush camp excursion, with an outdoor grilled salmon, AK cole slaw lunch, and they have a cute show telling about the gold rush and you end up panning for gold.

GS and I did The Deadliest Catch Aleutian boat excursion, saw whales, eagle, and got to see them bring in king crab, octopus. Most enjoyable.

First time did the whale watching excursion and very disappointed. If you do one of those be sure and read the reviews before booking one.

On board the ship, GS and I had anytime dining, which was fine for us, but I prefer early seated dining.

Be sure on the Princess you take advantage of the awesome International Cafe which is in the lobby and enjoy their fresly cooked chocolate chip or and both peanut butter cookies with a glass of milk. And anything they have is worth trying and all free.

I loaded up on sandwiches from the cafe for us to munch on flying back home.

If you want more specifics re the town's names I can tell you.
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you, Glenda. Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

I guess we will have to check out Red Dog Saloon. It wasn't on the top of our list, as we don't drink, but a friend of ours loves their chili. And if you recommend at least seeing it, I think we have to.

I have heard the International Cafe is a must, but isn't there a charge for some of the items? I don't mind small charges, but I just like to know what to expect when the bill comes.

Have you been to Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau? I saw it on this last season of Top Chef, and my husband loves crab. He doesn't have it often though.
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I have only been on one cruise and that was in Alaska. I decided that I am not a cruise person, but that said, I would repeat the Alaskan cruise in a heartbeat. There is nothing to compare to being in front of a glacier when it calves (splits off). The sight and sound is unbelievable. My favorite excursion was the helicopter ride landing on a glacier. Again, beyond description. Before I went, I obsessively checked out all the excursions and the safety record of the various helicopter companies (I guess one doesn't become TKO by chance!) so I was confident in my selection. We sailed with Holland America (S.S. Statendam) one way down the inside passage. We went in late May 2000. I'm "cutting and pasting" a trip report I sent to someone from one of the message boards I had visited before my trip. I wish I could remember which one it was, but alas, my memory just isn't what it used to be! If there is anything else you'd like to know, I'll dig up my stuff from the trip and try to help you out. Here it is: Well Karl, I'm back! Where to start... Now first of all, remember this was my first cruise so I have nothing to compare to. I was however traveling with friends who have been on five other cruises... The ship is beautiful, with many lovely common rooms. The staterooms seemed quite spacious to me. I had an outside cabin on the main deck. I really enjoyed having the window! The Crow's Nest was gorgeous. From there you have a 365 degree view. We often had a pre-dinner drink there while soaking up the view. The entertainment was good. I particularly enjoyed the ventriloquist--he was incredible! I missed the banjo player, but EVERYONE raved about him. I did not play bingo or go to the casino. I did enjoy the movies a few times and they provide popcorn! I indulged myself with a massage--it was heavenly. Glacier bay was wonderful. The glaciers are just beyond words. Dress warm--in order to really appreciate them you need to be outside and bundled up! I hear it's the same in the summer. I had earmuffs, gloves, heavy socks, warm boots and a very warm coat and I was quite comfortable. Many were unprepared however and really couldn't be outside to enjoy the view. So much of the glacier experience is the sound, which of course you miss if you're viewing it from behind a window! Now the ports. Sitka is the most delightful city. I walked around, hiked a bit in the park and visited the Rapter Center which I thoroughly enjoyed. We did it all on our own. It was about a 30 minute walk to the center and we were happy for the exercise! We did not go to the Russian dancers--those that did said they were good. It is a very manageable town and you need not sign up for the excursions on the ship if you want to ride to these places. All arrangements can be easily made in town for less money. Of course, we were not there at the height of the season so I don't know what it will be like in July. If you decide to buy any of the Russian crafts (nesting eggs, lacquer boxes, etc.), wait until you get back on ship if they're advertising a sale on them that night. I didn't believe it, but the ship's prices really were significantly less expensive! In Juneau we took the "Pilot's Choice" helicopter ride and landed on two glaciers! It was absolutely the highlight of my vacation. Others took the wildlife cruise with Larry of Orca Enterprises (at my suggestion, off the cruise list) and said it was absolutely unbelievably wonderful (does that sound enthusiastic enough?) You book that yourself when you get off the boat. It cost $95. I was sorry I hadn't arranged to do both. Dress warmly if you go. In Ketchikan we did the Misty Fjords seaplane and cruise. It's a 25 minute flight over beautiful landscape, land in the fjord at a dock, catch a boat and see the view from that angle. It was great, but I wished the boat ride could have been shorter--the whole adventure took 4 hours, 3 hours on the boat, and it was a bit too long. I had done the national park wildlife cruise in Seward (great) before departing so I think I was a bit "boated out". The scenery was breathtaking though. Now the downside....I found the food to be average. I don't eat meat, so I was limited to fish and pasta, but it just wasn't anything to write home about. Others said the beef entrees were consistently good, but my friends felt it was the worse food they had ever had on a cruise. If you like desserts, the pastry chef is great--that's where most of my calories came from! The mango sorbet was to die for! Maybe my expectations were too high. I had been lead to believe I'd be getting 5 star meals every night and that was certainly not the case. I didn't starve mind you, I just wasn't overly impressed. I also found the service to be only okay. Examples: despite the fact that our table of 6 asked for more bread every night, it wasn't until the fifth night that it was automatically brought. The servers never introduced themselves (their names were on a card on the table, but they never stated them themselves). One afternoon in the Lido, I selected a dessert, but before the server even picked it up, I realized it was not chocolate, and changed my selection. He rolled his eyes. Our wine consistently arrived midway through dinner. My friend ordered a latte at the Java Cafe right before 5 o'clock when they were about to close--she was given it, but it was gently slammed down on the counter, as if to make a statement. Again, maybe I was expecting too much, this is the type of service I receive at home regularly, but I thought it would be different on the ship. Our room steward however was efficient and pleasant. Our room always looked great. All in all, I really did have a great time, but I think my bubble was burst regarding the quality of food and service. It was only the second sailing of the season, and obviously some of the crew is new (the gentleman sent to bring us to our cabin didn't know where it was!) so perhaps it will improve. I hope so. Hopefully my comments were helpful and not too negative. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Alaska is too gorgeous to do otherwise! If you have any specific questions, please feel free to e-mail me. As you can see, I'm still jet lagged--it's nearly 2 am! Good night, Debbie
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My wife and I took an Alaskan cruise last August (06') the only excursion we took was the train ride out of Ketchikan, it was very scenic but very boring on the way back, everybody was getting sleepy. All in all I guess I would recommend it. Definitely go to Mendenhall glacier, we just took a bus from town, it was like $6 apiece round trip. Hope you got a balcony room , it's worth the money. Our ship couldn't get in close enough to see the Sawyer glacier so you might consider taking an excursion to see it on a smaller boat. I'm sure you'll enjoy the trip overall, it's absolutely awe inspiring scenery, we plan on going back again someday.
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We did a land and cruise trip on Princess Sapphire. We did the whole trip through them but honestly, we could have easily did the land part ourselves. The did a good job, though. We did the land part first and I liked doing that way. They had us flying into Anchorage late one day and leaving the next morning on the land tour. We flew in a day early so we had an extra day and a half there. We took a train to Denali, that was fun. There are a couple of tours on Denali State Park, one goes much further into the park then the other. The one we took started early in the morning and lasted about 12 hours. It was great. Try to get a seat on the left side of the bus, it has better views. We saw lots of animals. We also got lucky and Denali was completely out, it's so often covered with clouds. On the boat we had a mini suite. Our kids (ages 21 and 16) shared an inside cabin down the hall. Having the suite was helpful with 4 people. I suggest at least getting a balcony but you will have a good time even if you get an inside room. We really loved Glacier Bay, the boat spent all day there. Not all boats go there, I recommend it. In Skagway we rented a car (reserve in advance) and drove ourselves into the Yukon. It was so much cheaper then having someone else drive you and the road was fine. I recommend doing this, with your own car you can stop and go as you please. Take plenty of warm clothes but also take some lighter clothes. We had a couple of days in the 70's on land but a couple of days on the boat were cold. I was fine with a winter coat, hat, and gloves. I also like the anytime dining option that Princess has. We could eat anytime we liked. We could make reservations or just walk in. We never had a long wait if we didn't have a reservation.
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glenda_al
11 years ago
Couple things I thought about:

Booking excursions: if you see something you THINK you might like to do, book it, as you can always cancel. You don't pay for the excursion until after the trip. It's added on along with your tips.

If there is one that you want and the excursion is already filled, which happened to me, I put it on my wish list, and I was able to get it later, and cancelled another excursion.

One excursion I would loved to have taken my GS on, but was out of my pocket, was dog sledding, like couple hundred per person.

If you are on Golden Princess, we had the most awesome naturalist on board the whole cruise and he gave nightly talks. GS was so intrigued with the man, he kept reminding me of the time and to let's go get our seats. I also bought his book and had him sign it. We also had another lady board the ship for a lecture, and she was the first woman to win an iditirod(sp) race.

Hope you have a balcony, as when you go to Glacier Bay, you can enjoy everything from your room.

Dressing for dinner was always casual except for the formal night, but if you are doing anytime dining, it's less formal.

Will see if I can find the name of the motel we stayed in the night before boarding the ship, it was one of the cleanest motels I have ever stayed in, even tv remotes were santiized, food was great and service terrific and was like $89 for the two of us. Had a shuttle pick us up at airport, that was free, and had shuttle take us to the ship which cost us plus tip.

This post was edited by glenda_al on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 19:42
glenda_al
11 years ago
International Cafe was totally free. Specialty coffee there is a charge, but don't think they serve it.

Juneau was where we did theThe Deadliest Catch Aleutian cruise, and we didn't walk about much afterwards, just ready to get back to the ship.

This post was edited by glenda_al on Thu, Feb 21, 13 at 19:40
susanjf_gw
11 years ago
and if you leave from seattle and can do it, save a day for pikes market, a trip up the space needle, and old town....all in the downtown area, but a distance from seatac...might want to rent a car...seatle has lots of hilly streets...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.undergroundtour.com/
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Susan, thank you for your suggestions. I lived in Seattle as a child, and I remember taking that tour as part of a field trip. I would enjoy doing it again as an adult. We have Chihuly Garden and Glass on our too see list.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chihuly Garden and Glass
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Glenda, thank you again. Those are great tips!

I will definitely be using your idea to pick up some sandwiches from the cafe for heading home and maybe to have a snack while out and about for the day.

My husband is very glad to hear that dress for dinner is casual. He was worried about having to be very formal, and I was trying to tell him khakis and a nice shirt (his normal attire) would be fine.

We'd also enjoy talks like the two you described, so I will have to make sure we check out the talks. I am getting even more excited to go. :)

I also was thinking we might do one of the tours of the ship during one of the days at sea. Have you done one of those?

And if you do find the name of the hotel in Seattle, we would be very appreciative about you sharing that too. It's always nice to have a recommendation from a real person, especially when they say the place is nice and clean! Inexpensive is a bonus too. Thanks again!
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh, and we do have a balcony room. We thought exactly what you mentioned, that the views would be great on the scenic day at sea. Glad to know that was a good idea.
eileen101
11 years ago
We've done the ship's tours a few times and it's just wonderful and worth every penny! You get to see the parts of the ship that are "out of bounds" for everyone....where the crew eats, where the captain lives, the crews' disco, bar, swimming area, etc. It's a long tour, but so informational.
Eileen
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts, Eileen! We think it would be fun, so I'm glad to hear it is.
sleeperblues
11 years ago
We are doing an 11 day cruisetour in July with the whole family, Glenda. Flying into Anchorage and embarking in Whittier and then flying home out of Vancouver. Thanks for the saloon tip, we will have to check it out as we arrive in Anchorage early afternoon. Any tips regarding the cruisetour portion of the journey?
satine_gw
11 years ago
I would suggest to anyone getting ready to cruise to join cruise critic where there are tips etc. Also there is a place on cc to "meet" others who will be on your ship and the ship may do a "meet and greet" which is fun. I have gotten some really good information from the cruise critic site and also met nice people. Have fun! Glenda, I am surprised that you can take food from the ship-thought that was a no no. Satine
glenda_al
11 years ago
I have a travel compactible cooler, that Carnival gave me couple years ago. I use it when flying, for snacks to the port, and when disembarking both cruises I have done with GS, pick up sandwiches at the deli's on the ship and put them in plastic sandwich bags that I carry with me for that purpose.

No problem!

You are NOT allowed to take fruit, etc , tropical plants from countries you visit back into the US, satine.
trixietx
11 years ago
We have cruised Alaska twice, once an inside passage cruiuse out of Vancouver and last September did a 15 day cruisetour, a week inland and inside passage cruise from Seward to Vancouver. I loved the train portion of the trip.

If time allows I would also suggest staying a day or two in Seattle. We fly into Seattle a day or two early and love Pike's Fish Market and the farmers market. Also across from Pike's is a wonderful place to have lunch, Matt's in the Market.

Here are some of the things we did and enjoyed,
Denali Park-The Tundra Wilderness tour, it is all day but so beautiful and we saw so much wildlife, brown bears, moose, sheep and eagles.
Talkeetna-Booked Talkeetna Air Taxi to fly around Mt. McKinley. Lunch at the Wildflower Cafe was delicious, the best salmon I have ever had. Our guide said the chef was at one time a chef at the White House.
Anchorage-Went to the mint and stopped at the Wildlife Conservation Center on our way to Girdwood.
Seward-Resurrection Bay cruise was wonderful, lots of sea life and beautiful scenery.
Juneau-Red Dog Saloon, a must see.
Skagway-Took the ferry to Haines and toured the Big Nugget Mine at Porcupine Creek, it was a wonderful day.
Last time we took a helicopter and landed on a glacier, it was a great excursion. Don't miss going in the Red Onion Saloon, it's a must see also.
Icy Strait Point-First time we went whale watching and halibut fishing. This last time we took the bus to Hoonah and went to the Tribal House Carving Project.
Ketchican-Deadliest catch excursion, we loved it.
We also like to stay an additional day or two in Vancouver, a beautiful city.

I also suggest getting on cruise critic, a wonderful forum for information.

Enjoy your time in Alaska it is a beautiful, almost magical place!
joan_mn
11 years ago
I would go a day ahead of time, in case something goes wrong, you wouldn't want to miss your cruise! Take a jacket, you will need it when you get near the glaciers.
And it will be foggy and chilly in most every town you cruise to, at least in the a.m.
You will adore the spectacular scenery!!
Alice_sj
Original Author
11 years ago
Satine, Trixie, and Joan,a thank you for your suggestions! It's been a long day, so I will dive into them this weekend, but from a quick glance, I'll be taking away a lot of great ideas. :)

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