Trip Report

9 years ago

Well, we're back from our Alaska Cruise and overall it was a nice experience. I had a just a little bit of sea sickness the first day and the last since we were out in open water, but the little watch gadget I previously described did the trick. It's probably just a distraction, but I don't care why it worked. :) The crew and staff were so very polite and pleasant; most of them seemed to be from Indonesia and put on a dance show on one of the last nights that I had to miss--darn. We were astounded at how much storage we were given in our cabin and dh especially appreciated the balcony. All in all, the accommodations were great. The food was delicious and though they didn't serve huge portions, it was still too much and probably too rich for me. I didn't appreciate the constant "opportunities" to buy things, especially jewelry. (Friend told me someone in the know told her the jewelry stores in port are also owned by the cruise lines.)

We visited Ketchikan where we took a little nature walk and observed brown bears eating salmon with bald eagles looking on; Juneau where we took a boat to see humpbacks--one even breached in front of us which was such a thrill!--and visited Mendenhall Glacier (beautiful;) then Skagway where we took a small-gauge train up the side of a mountain--eek!--so hard for me with my fear of heights. The ports were beautifully picturesque as we slipped into port. It's crazy how smoothly and quickly the ship travels.

We spent one full day in Glacier Bay, with a naturalist on board to give a little commentary. According to dh, this was the best day of all and the sights were spectacular. Unfortunately, this was the day I obtained the norovirus, as did sixty of my shipmates. So hubby would run out to the decks then back to me to see how I was doing. The medical center was able to give me something to help the vomiting stop, after which I slept from then on and the next day, with small breaks in between. Four other ships reported noro, (our ship had been cleared of a previous outbreak a couple days before,) and apparently some hotels in Juneau were also reporting cases of the virus. Here it is almost a week later and I'm still tired and taking a daily nap.

I'm glad we went and I so enjoyed having our friends there to share it with us. I'm not sure I'd opt to cruise again though most likely the illness colored my overall feeling for the experience. They certainly have the whole thing well planned and things ran perfectly and without a hitch. I would have liked to have seen the captain who gave us daily updates on schedule, wildlife sightings (one day there were gray whales near the ship,) and virus updates, but we were visiting a different restaurant on the day he gave a toast during dinner. It would have been nice to put a face to the voice I came to know so well. :)

Anyone else want to share their memories of a cruise?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

bob_cville
9 years ago
Its probably far more than anyone would want to read, but the following is the link to the blog I wrote in conjunction with a month-long voyage around the Caribbean on the Semester-at-Sea ship back in 2011.

https://bobcville.wordpress.com/

My wife was teaching an engineering course on Human-Computer Interaction on the ship, whereas I was basically doing nothing. I adopted the mantra "Just because you are doing nothing, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it well."

I had always thought I wouldn't like being on a cruise, and that may still be true, since this trip was like a cruise in the things that people bring up as postives of being on a cruise, and unlike a cruise in the ways that are usually brought up as negative aspects of a cruise.
sleeperblues
9 years ago
We did that same itinerary about 5 or 6 years ago with my whole family (4 sibs, their kids and spouses and our Mother). Plus we took a long train ride as part of the 10 day cruise and stayed at the Princess lodges in Denali. It will always be one of my best memories! We did and saw all that you did. I remember our first night at the lodge, and it was 1:00 AM and still light out. We had the best time, no seasickness or noro virus.
Related Discussions
another trip report - interesting trees at Udel, summer edition
Q
Comments (67)
I hate to bump a thread that once-upon-a-time had 'drama' (albeit, a couple posts now deleted for some reason...) but I think this is the most recent one mentioning the Udel live oak. I was annoyed with a long backup on I-95 (DelDOT seems to have an interminable construction project these days) so pulled off to see the arboretum again. Alas, the famous 'northernmost live oak on the east coast' is GONE. Replaced with a Stewartia for some reason, which at least bucks the natives-only trend! (of course there are native species, but this was an Asian one) This garden has had its ups and downs over the years. It went to hell during COVID, presumably due to a lack of volunteer access, then got back in shape. Now, it's sliding again. I narrowly escaped wandering into a huge patch of poison ivy; that really would have ruined my day to have to rush home for a shower. Also, their apparent wastefulness with rare plants is beginning to be tiresome. The Torreya jackii appears to have died. I can remember a few other rare plants that seemed to not get the early-years cosseting they merited. OTOH, things like Magnolia maudiae have really taken off and demonstrate that those can grow this far north, at least with a lot of shelter. I finally got to see M. yuyuanensis blooming this time, and was very underwhelmed. I hope the F2 hybrid of it that I bought from Camforest is an improvement! (hybrids often are...) A lot of the trees and shrubs are getting too crowded; the plantings, in narrow building alcoves, weren't really planned with the mature size of some of the specimens in mind. I sense they are probably entering the part of the 'cycle of institutional ineptness' where in a few years, someone new is going to come in with guns blazing and do something very drastic to the collection. I hope it's a drastic improvement but I hope for a lot of things that don't come true. 🤣 Btw, didn't take a pic of the M. maudiae, but is is now HUGE. Up around the 3rd story of the building, so >> 25'. Both it and M. yuyuanensis looked totally undamaged. Newark hit at least 5F this winter, maybe lower.
...See More
Trip report - Winter Park, FL and question about STR
Q
Comments (40)
Mtn we were going to build, we have our lot (which is also now for sale) but we decided we 1. Didn't want to wait the time it would take to build, as our temporary house is really too small now w/ two kids. 2. More importantly, didn't want to be in the area where we bought the lot after visiting it often and dealing with traffic. Honestly, traffic in Orlando is just god-awful everywhere. And we want to go places with the kids (and ourselves). We want to be in the most central close-to-everything location we can, which basically means buying an existing house. We also visited Celebration a lot and we really do love it. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but we think the downtown is so cute and there are 26 miles of walking paths for us to walk the dogs, and tons of activities for the kids. And it is so close to everywhere. It's just a matter now for us of waiting for a house we want to come on the market there. We will not tolerate rear neighbors (which many Celebration houses have) so we are waiting for one of around 40 houses w/ lake views or conservation to come on the market) If you are going to find a place anywhere w/in the greater Orlando area, drive to where you might want to go at different busy times of the day (including and perhaps most especially the airport if you want to be able to travel easily) and see if you really want to live there.
...See More
Trip Report - Savannah Hotels
Q
Comments (9)
Just a quick update - loved the Perry Lane Hotel and our time in Savannah. Hot and humid as expected so the rooftop pool was very much appreciated. Ran into old friends from our town at the Pink House tavern (the couple who introduced me to my ex (and DD's dad) and that was an unexpected fun time. Had brunch at SCAD's Gryphon and shopped at the SCAD store but also found this wonderful little shop called "Southern Crafted". Beautiful locally made oyster and deviled egg plates which were very tempting! Despite the fact that I do not eat/serve oysters and only make deviled eggs once a year. A great trip and thanks for the recommendations for the Perry Lane - it was perfect for us! ETA: Savannah would make a great GWGTG location...
...See More
Iceland Trip Report
Q
Comments (16)
HH, I love the idea of the kids being responsible for a portion of the trip. Our Boston itinerary was influenced by DGD1 wanting to see the USS Constitution. Somehow, it had been mentioned at school. This fall we are going to Utah and one of the things we are going to see is the Golden Spike National Historic Site, because she’s learned about it in school. I love when I can make history a little more real for them. One of the projects for 3rd graders at DGDs’ school is the Parade of States. Each girl is assigned a state which she then researches in depth. Toward the end of the school year, they present their reports (complete with appropriate costumes, I’m told). I can’t wait to see which state DGD1 is assigned. There may be a research trip on the horizon!
...See More
Elmer J Fudd
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We did Seward to Vancouver some years ago and enjoyed the route and the stops along the way. In addition to Alaska, over many decades we've taken just under 10 cruises - from LA down to Puerto Vallarta and back, in the Mediterranean several times, the Baltic, West and East Caribbean, elsewhere, and so on.

The cruise industry has changed from when we took our first trip in the early 80s. I'm not a formal or fancy person but the standards of service, food, and overall ambiance have dropped considerably. Back then, want lobster every night for dinner in the dining room? Fine. Oh, we remember, you like your Eggs Benedict a certain way - no problem. Yes, you'd like a BLT for lunch again, with a beer? Great. Etc. Ships were much smaller, service was more professional and personal, and all this left passengers with a shipboard experience that was at least as memorable, or more, as the ports of call. Today, most ships are too big (leading to lines and waiting for most things), impersonal service except for the cabin attendants, mediocre dining room food to push you to the premium restaurants. Fine, except those aren't that great either. And so on.

After a few experiences like that, we drew the line and when we do go (which is occasionally but not regularly), we drift toward the premium lines which are much more expensive but still offer great service and shipboard experiences as was more common in the past. We've taken trips on Azamara and Seabourn and also with smaller operators that can be found most everywhere. We find those much more to their liking. I know that some of these premium lines are owned by the larger operators but their approach and service are run separately and at a higher standard.

If your only option is to take an inexpensive trip on one of the large ships run by one of the mega-operators, by all means, leave home and go, have a great time and gain forever memories of exotic experiences in places you'd never otherwise have seen. If you can afford to spend more, it's worth it to do so.
Rosie
9 years ago
We took a 14 day cruise though the Panama Canal in January and had port calls in Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Cartagena, Columbia before ending up in Miami. I enjoyed the cruise immensely and would have been happy had there been no port stops. Great crew, good food, lots to do on board or not and just all around fun. It's currently rated among my top 10 experiences and I look forward to cruising again. Maybe next year!

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise but sorry to read that you were ill part of the time.
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
9 years ago
The missus and I have been married almost 22 years (second time for each of us). During that time, we have completed 429 days of cruising (no river cruises).

In 1999, we sailed from San Francisco on an old Princess ship, 11 days up to Alaska and back. We did sail in the open waters and also the inside passage. It rained in Vancouver, Victoria, Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka - we had a blast.

In early June of this year, we completed a 14-day Holland America cruise (1350 passengers) to Alaska. What made this one grand was that we were in ports that most other cruise ships never get to. Homer, Kodiak, Icy Point Strait and we tied up in Anchorage. It too was a great cruise.

Next up, 19 days from Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale, we'll stop in a lot of ports where Dawn was and we have been to all but one before. We have no problem staying on the ship if we have been there enough times to just do the ho-hum thing.

So glad that you will have good memories of most of your trip. That sickness thing can happen ashore, too. All one has to go is eat a little something that isn't quite right and you get ill.

Trip Report

Comments (5)

bob_cville

sleeperblues

Related Discussions

Elmer J Fudd

Rosie

jim_1 (Zone 5B)

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US