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Jewel- Alaska last minute June 4th Review


bearette
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This board is filled with planners ,but we did something unprecedented. We booked a trip on Wednesday that sailed on Saturday. I will spare all of you the last minute details on how and why this happened, but an Alaska cruise has been on my mind for years. I saw some last minute sails I couldn't take advantage of last year so I kept my eye out this year. It started with a phone call to hubby at work that sounded liked this on Monday- hey did you see this price on the Pearl? ( yes the Pearl). Airfare is under $200 plus nonstop great flight times. Want to see if we can stay with your aunt?

 

Fast forward to Wednesday and we have the time off, the aunt from Washington is going,my mom and my twins (4 years old) are booked on the Jewel leaving Saturday. We lost out on the Pearl because we took too long to make a decision and it sold out, but for slightly more we were able to book the Jewel. So Alaska here here we come!

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Saturday: June 4th LAX

2:00 am we left for the airport and due to husband's work schedule (he works nights) we met up with him at the airport. I drove, all our stuff plus mom and kids, to the airport. We picked him up and then he dropped us off to park the car. I had checked in the day before online on Alaska Air and at that time I was able to select some nice seats together near the front. (So last minute my plane tickets did not allow for seat selection when I purchased them.) The printed luggage tags from home were a pain and did not work out too well so we reprinted the luggage tags at the counter when we dropped off our two checked bags. They were not opened when we arrived at 3am, but we're by 3:30. Not too long,but felt like it as my kids were tired and this was my first plane trip without a stroller. By the time we visited the restroom and went through screening we had about 15 minutes before the boarding at 5:15 am.

 

Once on the plane we settled in for an easy 2 .5 hour flight to SEA. My son fell right to sleep after the excitement of the Mickey plane.( our neighbor plane advertised Disneyland trips with the mouse and gang painted on the side. There were many happy comments from my kids about the Mickey and Minnie plane ). My daughter didn't sleep until near my the end of the flight. The adults of course did not get any sleep. How could we were were almost there?!

 

Once landed,early, we gathered our luggage and took a quick stop at the family restroom to change the kids from their P. J.s to real clothes. We were making our way with luggage to the rail link by 9am. The rail link was super easy to buy tickets and find. Just follow the signs. For $9 (kids free) we all rode to downtown Seattle for a stop at the Westlake station. NCL uses as pier 66 so after a 20 minute walk we arrived. I had planned on taking uber, but hubby had google mapped it on his phone and decided we could walk it. For those of you interested in saving money it was an easy walk down hill. Head towards the signs for pike place market and it will be very obvious. How easy depends on how much luggage you have as well. I was also seriously regretting my jackets because Seattle was having unusually hot weather and we were all in long sleeves and jackets. We peeled away the layers on the walk down and arrived hot and tired to drop off luggage.

 

After a quick call to my aunt we found her and were all happily reminiscing.

 

We had a late boarding time but we're more interested in hitting up Pike Place Market. We strolled back over and found a snack at the Pear restaurant and a cold coffee. We walked the market and the original Starbucks for a while before the kids get bored. My mom and I stayed behind to shop while hubby and aunty took the kids to the small green park to play. He quickly realized that was a bad idea as the now legal smell of marijuana was very pronounced in this area. He called and told me he would meet us by the ship by the fountain and seats we had meet up at earlier.

 

After happily spending on local items in the shops we made our way back to the ship. It was almost one and the kids needed a nap and lunch. That was when I got the phone call.

 

My son had joined local children in playing in the fountain right outside the pier. He slipped, not once but three times and on the last fall hit his head above his left eye right at the eyebrow. He hit it hard enough that blood was gushing out and a local family rushed into action to help. He required a trip to the hospital.

 

This nice family drove my husband and son to the Urgent care facility less then ten minutes away and waited for him to be seen. My son ended up with five stitches. All covered by my health plan too by shear luck. Meanwhile I stayed back to hear from my aunt and daughter what happened. We settled into a bench to chat and my daughter within minutes fell asleep. So we stayed there in the shade with a side view of the ship staring at the pier building for about two hours waiting for news and getting updates from my husband.

 

While we were obviously worried about my son, we were also concerned about them making the ship. My husband had told me to board because it was better to pay for two plane tickets then one, but I was worried about my baby. I'm not good in a crisis so I was glad I had sent hubby to deal with the doctor because the only way we could make the ship was for him to hold my poor sons head while they gave him several shots. This allowed them to do the stitches without sending him to the children's hospital where they had topical creams etc... to make the job easier. At 3:20 pm my husband said he was on his way back (thank you again to the family who stayed and chauffeured them around!)

 

At 3:30pm we met up in the terminal. I ran to my baby who was covered in blood, stickers and wet pants whose first words were "I'm brave. Mommy I'm a brave big boy".

 

Yes you are honey yes you are.

 

Now drama free and no lines at check in we completed the process and were on board by 4pm.

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Saturday continued

 

We went straight to our rooms but discovered none of the keys worked. As we were not on the list we had to head to guest services to get them fixed. They had just announced muster so we headed for the theatre to grab a spot. I gave the kids iPads to keep them quiet since we were there for about 30 minutes with tired and hungry kids. A bag of fruit snacks only goes so far.

 

When it was over I headed to O'Sheennans with the kids while hubby got the cards fixed. By the time he was done we were departing and enjoying a late lunch early dinner. My mom and aunt walked around the ship and we didn't meet up with them until later. This was a great spot to watch sail way because of the large picture Windows. My kids could see and I didn't have to worry about anyone climbing over rails. We also spotted the family members here of the people who had helped us with my son. We never did see them again, but told them how wonderful their family was and tried to find them later to send a gift to the family for their help.

 

I think sailing out of Seattle is my top three prettiest departure ports. Breathtaking screens for sail away.

 

 

Back to our room we unpacked and rested the kids who were too excited to sleep. We were in room 9513 forward. We had a guarantee and this is what they gave us,but it wouldn't have been my choice. I prefer aft and it was far from the kids club, buffet and restaurants. My mom and aunt were luckier and had a pothole upgrade on their inside in room 5092. They loved their room as it was midship and very convenient to disembarkation.

 

The room was small and made more so by the trundle bed stored under the left bed to form one large king. One bunk fell from the right wall so at night there was no space. Very tight is an understatement and one of the smallest insides I have ever stayed in. The bathroom was a little larger with a long shower with door which made bathing the kids easier. My mom's bathroom had a privacy door around the toilet but ours did not. I preferred without because it made the toilet area feel tight.

 

Now unpacked we headed up to check in the kids to the kids club and get them a snack at the buffet. There was no line at the kids club and we were settled in for a snack by 6:15pm. My aunt and mom joined us and we headed to the 7:15pm show together. The kids and my husband slept through most of it, but it was a little variety of all the entertainment we would see all week.

Now about 8 we took the kids to the kids club who were dying to play. The rest of us dined at Tsar and we thought all things considered does had a lovely day, let's just not count the Urgent care visit.

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Sunday: sea day

 

Exhausted we went to sleep quickly that night and stayed that way. I took the kids to breakfast because my husband was just not ready to get up at around 10am. We caught the tail end of breakfast and then the kids had an hour to play in the kids club. I called my mom, but they were up and about so I headed out to explore. I caught up with them at the shops and we spent the next hour buying all that interested us. I picked up the kids and the hubby was beginning to stir. He was hungry so we all decided to head to the dinning room for lunch.

 

While the food was good is was agonisingly slow. So much so that we left before dessert. My daughter had discovered the pool the first day had begged to partake, but it hadn't worked out so I promised to take her. She didn't let me forget so after lunch I took her to the pool. My son's head injury had meant that shouldn't partake of the pool. He is 90%potty trained ,but not trustworthy enough that I would let him use the pool so. My husband took him for an ice cream while we skipped dessert for the pool. The one pool was freezing, but I was happy to discover the other pool by the slide was heated.

 

We spent the next hour swimming and frolicking in the pool to my daughter's delight. When the cold got to much we went to a hot tub and had it to ourselves the majority of the time. The wind outside deterred many swimmers but it was nice in the pool where the hot tub blocked the wind. When mom had enough we returned to the room to shower,my blond kids don't look good with green hair, and dropped her off for the last hour or so of play with her brother who returned to the kids club after ice cream.

 

My husband had disappeared to the casino and was happy to display his winnings when I met up with everyone at the Whiskey bar. They were partaking of a drink of the day, but it didn't look good to me so I passed. However the coffee of the day that passed by was another story. We drank and caught up while snacking until it was almost five and they were closing for a private function. We had to get the kids and it was formal night (if you chose) so we picked up the kids and then got them ready for dinner.

 

But the kids were hungry so we got them something to eat first, but of course snacked ourselves. We ate a lot this trip.

 

They were doing a stage show so now that the kids were decked out we headed to the theatre and took some pictures along the way. They were dressed as sailors so they looked adorable. Mom and dad chose not to dress up like most of the other cruisers, but there were some suits and ties around. The show was good, and the kids enjoyed it though they napped through most of it. They didn't get their nap today and all that kids club and pool fun made the dark theatre too tempting. I have some cute pictures of my exhausted kids with the dancers and you can tell they are ready for bed. But they are on vacation so what do we do? Take them to the kids club of course. By the time we made it up there both kids were wide awake and ready to play.

 

Now kid free we headed to dinner which was how we spent most of our evenings after dropping off the kids. We went back to Tsar, because of all the large Windows there which allowed us to view the mountains. My biggest surprise was all the scenery between ports. I hadn't realized how much you were able to see while out to sea. I am used to the Caribbean and Mexico where there is only water between ports. The late sun set slowed us to enjoy dinner with a view.

 

By the time dinner was over it was time to pick up the kids again. We were earlier then closing time because we knew our first early port was the next day. These dockings at 7am were great because they allowed us a chance to beat the crowd, but for late risers these early mornings were no fun. Off to bed because the alarm was going off by 6am.

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Wow that was a close call! Glad your son was ok. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry your son had an accident. Hope the rest of your vacation goes smoothly.

 

 

Thanks. Better to get the problems over with at the beginning. Everything else went smoothly with only minor hiccups.

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You had one interesting send off. I was on the Jewel recently and didn't find the service fast enough in the restaurants either. We had the specialty restaurants for all our daily meals so I thought it would be better then the main dining rooms but it was slow. O'Sheehans had good wings with a ranch dip if you're in the mood.

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Day three Ketichikan

That alarm went off and we were not ready for it. We were late meeting my aunt and mom at breakfast because we had the slows. We were finishing breakfast when they announced you could get off at 7am. We were eating in La Cucina, which we need up doing every morning, because the buffet was so busy it was the only place with open seats. We were exiting the ship by 8am after going back to get our stuff and making one last restroom stop.

 

Now having booked last minute this was the place I had done the least research. We had looked into renting a car, but since there were six of us there went any left that fit us. We were hoping to find something off the ship and the local visitor center didn't disappoint. That's what they called it, but it was several vendors stationed there offering information on their business. Not really a visitor center in the true sense.

 

We looked at the offerings and debated but couldn't decide, the duck, helicopter ride, bus tour, sea plane ... most were all there. We looked into a helicopter but $750 for an hour wasn't in my budget, though it was better then than $700 a piece I had seen on board. After debating we ended up on a small van two hour tour. The bus tours were offering it for $45 and the van tour wanted $50. As we decided to walk back outside for the bus tour the van tour inside offered to match the price if we left right then (8:45am tour). So we did, they offered discounts for the kids, but I will admit I am bad and say my kids are younger then they are because they look small. They didn't really ask their age but asked if they could lap sit and if so they were free. I'm not sure of the kids price because once I said they could lap sit they didn't offer the price.

 

We loaded right by the visitor center and we were off. My tired daughter started it off right by screaming because she wanted to sit next to my aunt. After a minute and a stern talking to she quieted down, but she reminded me of why we don't usually do bus tours. After her initial tired melt down they were good. The other family was a set of four with an about 7 year old daughter, parents and grandma. We discovered they were from California as well and would say hi for the rest of the trip when we saw them.

 

Our first stop was the river with the salmon stair case. Too early yet for salmon to appear, but pretty for a photo up. We headed off to our next stop but on the way there we spotted a bald eagle in the river. Our driver stopped to let us take pictures. It was our first wildlife sighting so we were excited. It would be one of many. We made our way to the dock through the town, hearing some tidbits about the town along way, including seeing the small streets.

 

The dock had more eagles and were treated to a baby bald eagle as well. We walked up the dock and saw sea stars, bones, and tons of jelly fish. We were told which we could and could not touch. My son braved the first touch and eventually my daughter did as well too. Pretty spot, but it was crowded as another cruise line tour bus stopped while we were there.

 

We passed the totem pole park and made our way to the hatchery, but it was far away and we could only view from the street. Not ideal with two young kids. The little parking lot with small shop had a beautiful view of the water and tons of eagles. We took lots of pictures there, but my daughter enjoyed the rope swing attached to the tree more.

 

Back to the totem pole park he gave us some information about the totem poles before we walked around ourselves for about 20 minutes. We ended up at the bottom of the hill with the pictographs on the rocks where he had parked to save us the walk back up.

 

The other family had another tour at 11:15 so he raced us back into town for them to catch their tour. Our two hour tour was closer to 2.5. They dropped us of at Creek St. because the tour included tickets to Dolly's house afterwards. Dolly would have been $10 had we bought the tickets at the house.

 

Now my son just can't catch a break. Nana had brought one of his favorite monster trucks with her to entertain him. Creek St. is so named because it literally is over the creek and you walk along a deck with perfect car track openings. I think you see this coming, but as I told him to pull back his car before he dropped it there was the tell tale toddler scream of "my truck" followed by the splash. To make matters worse it landed in sight on the shallow rocks. The hysterical screams from my son took several minutes to calm as no one was down there to rescue his truck. We were able to thwart his attempts to scale the wall and dive in after it through everyone was forced to hear the hysterical cries of a boy who had lost his favorite toy. He quietly sobbed throughout our walk in Dolly's house. "My truck, mommy, my truck". He talked about it for the rest of the trip.

 

Now truckless we walked through the house and some of the shops in Creek St. before deciding the kids were hungry and tired and not going to be behaved enough for shopping. We made a quick exit and texted my mom and aunt we were heading back.

 

On our route back we passed by a local coffee shop and my husband couldn't turn that down. But it was crowded so we waited out the line in the next door store. The kids liked that as it was full of animal pelts and taxidermy animals. After looking around for while we grabbed a table and gave the kids a snack from our bag while daddy's drinks and a bear claw.

 

Now feed and rested we were all ready to shop and hit the ship. we stopped at a few stores where my daughter weasled her way into a new stuffed husky puppy. My mom shopped her way to the ship and you will be happy to know my son is now the proud owner of an Alaska truck. Courtesy of nana. Not realizing we had the time wrong on our phones we boarded the ship almost an hour early. (They change the time an hour back on the first sea day and an hour forward on the last sea day.) We wondered why they weren't pulling up the gangway when we got there. They were serving hot chocolate and cookies as we boarded which was an nice touch. Though our weather had been so nice it wasn't needed.

 

I could have shopped more,but we wanted real food so took the kids to the buffet for a real lunch. We ate and watched sail away from the buffet area.

 

That ended our port time in Ketchikan.

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Monday continued

We took advantage of th kids club for mom and daddy to take a nap. These long days were getting to us to. Once we picked them up at 5pm we wondered the ship and played a little in the arcade. By 6pm we headed to the buffet for what we have termed supper. ( Dinner for the kids but we always ended up with something and hot dinning room after the show .) Tonight it was the crepes and we all agreed the blueberry was the best.

 

To finish of our day we decided to go to the show, which would be our ritual. I believe today was the magician which my kids also fell asleep to. No naps meant a quiet theatre was too good to be true. Afterwards we dropped them at the kids club and headed to Alizir for dinner. The long line meant we changed it up to Tsar (right after the show Alizir was always busy since it was the second after chin chin, dinning room you would hit on the way out of the theatre, that was part of the included dinning). We had a leisurely dinner and then picked up the kids around ten, because we have to get up early again.

 

I'll speak to dinning because everyone always asks about it. We stuck to the included dinning rooms this time and mostly the buffet. I normally am not a buffet person, but I really like NCLs buffet. We did all the kids dinners there and all breakfasts. It was fast and the food was great. The dinning room food was ok. If you are a big foody I would recommend the dinning packages because while good none of the food in the dining room is great. I didn't have anything that disgusted me,but it's not like Celebrity where the included dinning room is excellent. We avoided the dinning room for breakfast and lunch because they just took to long. After that first day we weren't interested in 2 hour meals again. We did O' Sheenan's a few times, but they were one step ahead of the pace of the dinning room.

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Tuesday Juneau

Again we got an early start and were late getting to breakfast again, because we are just not morning people. Again it was crazy busy and we ate in LaCucina. While we were late getting started we hurried through breakfast and nana had already gotten the kids some plates so we didn't take too long. We were exited the ship by 7:45am.

 

We arranged to meet on the gateway, but my mom misunderstood and we need up waiting on board for them which ate into our time. NCL docks at the farthest from the shopping area so they have a free ( we didn't use it but it appeared to be free) shuttle that takes you there. I was saying to get the blue shuttle we would have to go there, but let's look at the cost of the taxi. It ended up being cheaper for all of us to take the taxi instead of the blue shuttle. He charged us $67 to Mendenhel glacier, including all the entrance fees and charges to enter the port and park. On the way back he quoted $35, or cheaper if we went to the shopping area.

 

I selected the driver because he looked like Santa Claus. His name was Steve and he ended up giving us a nice tour as he drove. He talked about the city, the roads etc...He even pointed out the massive eagle colony with about 30 bald eagles sitting in a stream.

 

He was very friendly and helpful so much son that we got his number to call him when we were finished. It was about 8:20 am when we got to the glacier and there on one car in the parking lot. There were maybe a handful of people there as we exited tickets in hand.

 

We visited the restroom facilities and then started on the trail. It took us about an hour with some stops for pictures. Toward the end the kids got tired and wanted to be carried. There was about the same amount of people when we got to the waterfall and beach area. We spent another 30 or so minutes taking pictures, letting the kids draw in the sand and throw rocks.

 

 

By the time we started back you could see the crowds. While we saw maybe a dozen people on the trail on the way up, it was like grand central station on the way back. By the time we got to the visitor center it was elbow to elbow. It another 45 minutes with children begging to be carried but we did detour of the trail a little for some pictures. For those with strollers you could use a stroller, but it would require some maneuvering over rocks and puddles. We sat and rested while taking more pictures and then headed up the elevator to the visitor center. I was notching tired children up the stairs.

 

Inside it was just as busy as the trail and we waited for a few people to use the restroom. The visitor center took up about 15 minutes to look around, but more if you wanted to watch the little videos on the display. The line had formed for the movie so my husband got in it. As it got closer we joined him, but my kids don't do patient well so I waited near the entrance so they could move around a little and joined them as they got to the front. The theatre was full and worth the wait. My kids even said "I like the snow movie". It had taken 20 minutes and was about their sit still limit.

 

Now ready to go we called for the taxi. He was part way to us so we had about a ten minute wait for him. We made our way down to the parking lot and had time for a snack while we waited. I saw the full parking lot and the beach full of people and made me glad we got an early start with the taxi. Go early.

 

He picked us up again as it was starting to sprinkling so I was happy we didn't take the bus. I saw the bus stop and it was quit a ways from the entrance to the glacier. We decided we still had some time so we wanted to go to the brewery. He said it was half way between the glacier and port so we were their quickly. It was right about 11am as we got there. We arranged to have him pick us up in an hour unless we called sooner and it was barley enough time.

 

There was a sign that limited people under 21 and as I saw this I was opening the door. I told my husband I could wait outside with the kids while they went in,but they waved me in and said no problem. We went up to the counter and paid for three adult tours and they rushed us over to the already starting tour. We gave our kids our cell phones so they could entertain themselves and they were little angels. They sat on the floor playing games happily.

 

The tour didn't include looking into the actual area, they just had a room with windows into the brewing area. A lady was giving her talk as we drank, and then poured two more while discussing information about the company. The generous pourings made it worth the $5 plus an additional three from the bar. You were given three bottle caps that served as tickets for additional pours. Our favorites were the raspberry and summer beers. My aunt isn't a big drinker so she was passing of her drinks off of my husband. I helped but not enough. We sipped our drinks but we were feeling it by the time noon rolled around and our cab was back. We didn't even turn in all the caps. We bought a few things and got into the cab.

 

He entertained us back to the port while the kids snacked on fruit loops. Due to time we went right to the ship. Shopping would have to wait for another day. Steve was nice enough to take some pictures with the kids,he admitted he is in a lot of vacation photos. He was even nicer to come back after a quick call that I left my son's hat, and oops the beer I had brought for my friends, in the back seat.

 

While he wasn't a tour guide he had been one of the best we had on vacation. I highly recommend Steve.

 

Now with about 30 minutes before boarding time we made our way to lunch. We needed something to soak up the alcohol. ( For anyone wondering my aunt who was not drinking was helping watch the kids. )

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Tuesday continued

They were having a bar b que out on deck. It tasted like carniasada, then peppers, and potatoes. It was so good I had seconds. It was such a pleasant day we ate outside and watched as we set sail. I couldn't get enough of the view so we sat and watched while having dessert. The kids wanted to go to the kids club so we took them. We then decided it was nap time so after dessert and watching the world go by we headed back for a cat nap.

 

By five we had to pick the kids up from the club again. They weren't sleepy so we let them play in the arcade a little before taking them to eat again as was our ritual. They are starting to realise you have to put money in the machines so my cheap form of entertainment is almost over.

 

The show was comedy tonight so we dropped the kids off at the club again much to my daughter's delight as it was "tiger paint" which is survivor night. I guess she goes on too many cruises since she knew by the decorations what they would be doing. The comedian was very funny,but a little adult we would skip it with the kids.

We wanted to do Alizir but the 30 minutes wait was too much for us so we decided to hit Tsar again. My husband who was in a long sleeve shirt was turned away due to not having a collar. It wasn't a t shirt so we were surprised he was turned away. He decided to go back to the room to change since he was carrying around his camera and it would be faster then the other dinning room (which allows shorts and t-shirts). He met back with us within ten minutes and we laughed at him for being so dressed down. He opted for collard shirts the rest of the evenings to avoid further problems.

 

Again it was time to get the kids and I showed up with two tigers. Which meant showers before bed. My little tigers cubs were not to happy to remove their paint, but the bed sheets thanked me. (I forgot to mention it but night three was pirate night and also included paint and a little parade through the main deck). Our early night was closer to 11:30pm so our morning the next day would start out with the slows.

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Wednesday Skagway

 

We prearranged two cars with Green Jeep Tours before we left home, the only prearrangement I made. We couldn't get one car for the six of us due to the last minute nature of our trip and the cost for one car was $165 plus some fees while the jeeps were $240 and included some tour information. The rental car company when I called said they had no cars, but we're showing three for $165, $210 and $250. We opted for the safe bet of Green Jeeps Tours which I had also seen recommended on the Alaska boards on trip advisor.

 

We met at the buffet for breakfast again where my husband had his typical coffee. My mom had finished her breakfast so my aunt stayed to help me with the kids while my mom and husband ( our two drivers) went to get the car. We stayed together to get items, so by the time we had feed the kids, gathered belongings at my room, used the bathroom, and gathered my aunt's stuff they were ready. Then I realized I didn't have our passports so I had to go back to get them which meant my husband was waiting 30 minutes for us. Not quit the quick start we were hoping for.

 

The cars themselves had seen better days. No air conditioning, which we didn't need, and everything was manuel from the windows to the locks. The bright green was easy to spot which made caravaning with my mom easier,as we could keep and eye on them. The two door rentals were cheaper than the four door so we had a two to save money. They only fit four vs the four door which could seat five. We had our own cars seats which were a hassle in the jeep because the easiest way to access the back seat was through the back door. By the end of the day the kids were good at jumping/climbing over the back seat.

They gave us a large notebook with information by mile markers, map, and a usb which we had plugged in to give us the guide part. The guide book was great. But the audio left a lot to be desired. The audio ran out by the time we got to Canada which was only 14 miles into the 76 mile drive. There was a lot of info. about town but we had to fiddle with it a little to get it to start at the beginning, it tried to start at the end. By the time we got it working right we were out of town almost to the cemetery. The guide at the office had recommended to my husband we hit the cemetery first, but I would recommend it at the end since it would have been better to beat the crowds along the road.

 

Within ten minutes we had arrived at our first stop, the cemetery and were leaving the ship dock area at 8:15am.

Edited by bearette
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Glad your son was okay to travel!

 

We were on the Pearl that week. Here is a photo of the Jewel leaving Juneau as we pulled in right behind you!

 

showphoto.php?photo=38204&cat=521

 

(noto sure how to make the photo show the post, but the link works!)

 

Lori

Edited by lorifl2
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Skagway continued...

The cemetery was not very big and only a small shuttle bus and some local cars were there when we arrived. We looked around at the different stones,some of them had some interesting information on them about the deceased. A very interesting stop. Up hill was the short trail to the waterfall. Its not very long so unless you have mobility issues it's worth the quick trip. We took some pictures as we had the area most to s,. We made it quick as we wanted to get on our way to beat the traffic/ buses to Carcross. A quick bathroom stop, a rural but functional toilet at the cemetery,and we were on our way.

 

As I said the tour part ran out really quickly so I read out of the book and looked for the mile markers. (My aunt gets car sick while reading so they had to read up at the stops. It is a windy road.) Breathtakingly beautiful is how I would describe the drive. My kids even enjoyed the view with calls of "waterfall" and my personal favorite "momma it is pretty here". All the early mornings were getting to the kids so right after Bridal Falls both of them fell asleep. Even the snowy mountains where Elsa lived couldn't keep them awake. They slept all the way to Carcross with only one brief interruption at the Canadian border.

 

The border didn't take too long,the right hand side was for the busses/shuttles, and the left cars. There weren't very many cars so once you get to the lane that branched off it was very quick. Maybe ten minutes for the whole thing.

 

I laughed a little when I saw how tiny Fraser was. It's the railroad stop and one building beside the border control center. They use the term town loosely. We skipped Fraser and kept driving enjoying the view and taking notes of places we wanted to stop until we arrived in Carcross around ten. Only a few cars were there and one Holland America bus arrived while we got a coffee. I highly recommend the cherry and raspberry mooches coffees.

 

We checked out the general store and let the kids run around the play area (plastic like you have in your house that my kids were just to big for) and the train structure. The general store has two stamps if you want to stamp your passport, there is a moose and bear stamp. After using the restroom and contributing to the Canadian economy we got two loaves of sourdough bread and hit the road. Almost one loaf was gone by the time we made the ten minute drive to Emerald Lake. It was super soft but didn't taste like the sourdough we are used to. Yummy.

 

It had started to rain once we passed the tiny dessert. Once at Emerald Lake it was sprinkling so we made it quick. It does look green so it is aptly named. My husband wanted pictures at the bottom so we accessed a small road where he walked a few yards to get some pictures. The rest of us ate bread. There was no amenities to speak of at the lake, but you could see the former ranch where horses used to be rented and amenities used to be that is now privately owned.

We had passed a dog camp, village style area so we stopped to see what that was about. Also we needed the restroom again. It was still sprinkling so my husband ducked into the shop and got us all tickets( $8) to pet animals and the little museum. It was very tourist trap but perfect for the kids. They were advertising dog cart rides for $35 and the rain had scared everyone off so they had availability in five minutes. We new the kids would love it so we jumped on it.

 

We went right to the dog mushing and hopped on a three level cart with bench seats. Two were in each row, but since my kids are small we didn't have to pay for them to be lap seaters. They had a last minute addition who joined my husband in the last row. My daughter wanted her own seat so my husband moved her to my bench with my son. She wasn't interested in lap seating. The whole thing was maybe 15 minutes. The kids leaned over so they could see the dogs my daughter screaming "go puppies go!" at the top of her lungs and giggling like mad. Absolutely worth it for the kids. When we were done they had dogs and a few puppies you could pet.

 

The bugs loved the dogs too so we got chased out of petting the puppies pretty quickly. We checked out the other animals and then headed for the museum. The museum had mostly taxidermy animals who were"not moving". A small Canadian Mounty museum and we were done. One more bathroom break and a coffee for the hubby and we were off. Cute but I would skip unless you want to do the dog cart or have kids.

 

On the way back we stopped at the traditional stops plus a few scenic ones. A lake for pictures, the Yukon sign,the log cabin that we couldn't see the cabin, and the best bear viewing! Cell phone service is non existent so when my aunt spotted a bear on the drive up we made an agreement if they saw something to stop and we would realize we were missing them and turn around. Right before Fraser they disappeared so we headed back and caught the sight of a bear on the railroad tracks. I took my kids out of the car but I wasn't fast enough for them to see. My aunt was worried , but the bear was about two stories down and I had no intention of getting close. Plus I could outrun most of the people on the shuttle who had also stopped. We had discussed silly tourist behavior with the lady selling trinkets at the Yukon sign so I knew to keep my distance from the bear. (She had some nice necklaces and used rail road tires to make some cute items. Stop and chat with her and make some purchases).

 

Just past the Canadian border was the welcome to Alaska sign. It was cold and windy so I can see why they have their border control farther away from there. There were steep cliff so we carried the kids as I was concerned about the steep edge. Once our pictures was taken we were back on the way quickly because that was the coldest and most windy spot on our while trip.

 

Just before the U S border control on a runaway truck ramp we were again greeted by a small bear. He was too close for me so we stayed in the car,but my husband took some pictures. The kids were excited since they had a great view of the bear from in the car. The US border control guy told us he hadn't seen one yet, but he had heard stories of them coming right up to the station when we got there a few minutes later. The US border took about the same amount of time,10 minutes.

 

We took the small turn for Dinah and saw the lovely view of the harbor, town and ships. My mom and aunt were itching to do some shopping so they took the car back while we headed for the ghost town. The drive was beautiful slow so by the time we got there we only had time for the cemetery. My daughter had fallen asleep so only my husband got out of the car to see it before we rushed back. We got gas and cleaned out the car which gave us 30 minutes to see the town and shop.

 

We took a few pictures and got the kids a free train charm from the jewelry store, but we just didn't have any time. Next time will stay in town and check out the saloon which looked fun. They also advertised a walking tour thAt sounded fu, maintenance working girl driven. We settled for waving at the working girls through the window as we walked back to the ship. I could see the $2 ship shuttle but it wasn't that far so we walked. We wanted to see as much as we could. Most of the ship was getting on with us and I swipped my card just after 5pm after waiting with everyone else. The cookies were much appreciated as we entered. I love this feature. We dumped our stuff off at the room and headed to get something to eat. Easily our favorite day.

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Wednesday night

 

The kids were excited to go to the kids club so once they ate they made a bolt for "play". We went to the show which I believe was another song and dance performance,( but they tend to blur together.) We were about finished with our meal when I got a call from the kids club, I couldn't understand them as the connection on the phone was bad, but I headed towards the kids club because it sounded like I needed to pick him up.

 

When I got there they brought him out and I found out he had thrown up a little. He was acting like his wild self, but the rules state they have to be separated and see the ships doctor to be cleared. Since it was late I took him back to the room where he continued to play and normal. I guess too much ice cream? Not long later my husband went to get our daughter, who was acting just fine. We watched some tv and went to bed.

 

Thursday Sea day

We all slept in, thankful for a non-early day. My son had been fine all night and was asking to go play. We took them to breakfast first, barely made it, and since he wasn't having any problems we took him to get cleared by the doctor. We dropped my daughter off first and they were ready to take our son, but we decided to follow the rules and said we needed to have him looked at first.

Once down there the doctor looked at us like we were crazy. Our son was talking up a storm and climbing on the chairs to entertain himself. Basically acting like his wild self. Without giving him a real exam he asked us some questions which basically determined he was a acting normal. He then called the kids club to give him permission to enter, and he was on his way to play.

 

Now mama and daddy planned on packing because the next day was a port day, but that didn't end up happening. Instead we donated some money in the casino. I say donated because the machine I picked just took our money. My husband is always lucky so he picked another machine that won my money back plus a little more. By then we picked up the kids,and wait it has been two hours since we ate so we tried to give the kids some lunch. They were doing the circus today so we planned our day around that and my daughter already had her face painted like a tiger.( because of his stitches they asked if my son could have his face painted. He did we just said to stay away from the stitches so he got his done later). Feeding kids with paint on is not easy.

 

We took them to the bar and got a drink (and snacks for them ) with my mom and aunt while we played some board games. My husband went to some onboard activity he wanted to attend while the rest of the family had family game time. My daughter is excellent at chutes and ladders, my son needs some practice playing games as he gave up within five minutes in favor of the iPad. After a few games where my daughter and nana came out victorious it was time to drop them off again.

 

My husband met us in the bar and we decided to attend the crew talent show in the theatre which was immediately followed by the circus. The crew show was cute with some really funny items and lots of singing and dancing crew members. Then I was time for the highlight, the circus!

 

Unless you have kids participating it is a bit silly, but the young tigers who wiggle their tails, jump through the "hoop" of fire, and roar is a proud parents dream. Some of the kids get shy and other like mine ham it up so what the kids do is always interesting. After the clowns, jugglers, and various other acts the performance was over. We had a spot right by the front so we were one of the first to check out our kids ( who could be checked out at the theatre.)

 

The kid were tired and I wanted a nap too so I stayed and napped with the kids in the room while the hubby went back to the casino to bring the house down. He came back an hour and a half later having won a few hundred playing craps.

 

My daughter woke up once daddy came back and she had been asking about the pool again so I decided it was daddy's turn to nap. He stayed with our son while the girls hit the pool. We even braved the big slide! After an hour we were pooled out so we headed back where my son was just waking up.

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*I knew I forgot something, this is why you need to take notes when reviewing a cruise. I was mixing up my evenings so I want to amend the even in Juneau which was Tuesday night. This was the glacier sailing night! We left Juneau so early they used this day to visit Endicott glacier. So our evening for Tuesday was this, the one I wrote I believe was Skagway Wednesday.

 

Our itinerary says Sawyer , but that is not the one we visited. I hope I spelled it right. We visited Endicott We were supposed to sail by around 6pm but people we out much earlier as the ice floating in the water started around 4pm and the views were so gorgeous everyone was out anywhere you could see out.

 

 

Where we left off was lunch after our day out,then a nap for the parents while the kids played in the club. Around 4:30 pm we got up and checked out the view which was already breathtaking. We got the camera scoped out a spot on the front area that had been opened up just for glacier viewing. Already crowded my husband found a spot near the rail. I went to get the kids. I decided to treat the kids into getting an ice cream. Then we headed towait with daddy and after five minutes of waiting for the glacier with daddy we realized that was not going to happen. The kids were hungry so I took the kids to O Sheenan's and called my mom and aunt to join us. They didn't get the message until later and when they did missed fining us in the restaurant until much later.

 

When I checked in I requested a seat by the window which would allow the kids and I to see and also had the benefit of letting me trap them inside the booth once I sat on the outside. I ordered the kids some food and a snack for myself. It took about 30 minutes for the food to come out but the chocolate milk that came out right away quieted them down quickly.

 

After their food and some animal viewing ( we missed seeing the whales but did see the seals) my daughter could not keep her eyes open. She layed down and was asleep within seconds. My son enjoyed the artichoke dip and I had just order him some fruit for dessert when nana and auntie showed up.

 

The glacier was starting to come into view for us at the table so we had tea and watched the glacier appear. The waiter had taken it upon himself to get my son some ice cream so the adults ate the fruit while my son devoured the two scoops of ice cream the waiter had brought for him and his sister (it is no wonder this was the day my son got sick, three scoops of ice cream will do that to you).

 

After all that ice cream my son started to lay down and within minutes was asleep as well. Just in time to miss seeing the glacier. Right around then we decided we needed some dessert to go with the views and ordered some apple pie. My husband appeared just before the dessert and showed off his whale and glacier pictures.

 

To warn glacier photographers my husband said it only got busier after I left. There was a roped off area with a sign for picture takers only that was there for the sole purpose of allowing people to snap a picture so everyone could get the perfect shot. This did not stop some people from telling my husband to move because it was his turn to see the glacier. My husband, and all the people around him, informed this individual that after waiting for over an hour, he was not entitled to the better spot on the rail. He could utilize the picture spot to get his picture and view. This is when having a balcony would be nice.

 

I enjoyed my view from the glass in a climate controlled environment, but it was not the best for taking pictures. I had my husband for that so it worked out great for us. We enjoyed dessert and I shared my pie with the hubby. It was almost seven so we decided to hit the show, which was the acrobat act. We took the kids, but they were lethargic and my son slept through the whole thing. Too much vacation.

 

We had the foresight before we left O' Sheenan's to put in a reservation for Chin Chin so we wouldn't have to wait for dinner. That worked out great because once we dropped the kids off at the kids club kids we went right in. The food was excellent and we tried a few dishes and shared,but my aunt only snacked because as she put it she just couldn't eat any more.

 

This was when I realized I mixed up my dates because we were here when I got the call that I needed to get my son. The rest of the review is accurate but instead of the sea day visiting the doctor, we did it in the evening after coming back from Skagway. The doctor was only open for two hours in the morning and evening. Having spent all day in Skagway with our son we knew he was alright. Now that I corrected my mistake I can finish off the review correctly.

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Thursday night

 

I had messed up my days so I didn't have what occupied the night of the sea day correctly. So let me adjust that now. The sea day evening after the pool we woke up the kids and got them dressed in their dress up clothes because the captain was available for pictures. I had sailor outfits so I wanted them to get a picture but because my son was still a bed it didn't happen. We took the kids to the show which I was right was the better one, the Cirque Du Soleil style show. My kids watched the show but they were only mildly interested as my son was begging to eat.

After a quick buffet stop where I fed my son we dropped the kids off at the kids club and went to our typical Tsar for dinner. About 30 minutes later I got a call that my daughter was sick. I went back to pick her up and the Rom to change her outfit where e she got sick again so I new we were in form the night. About ten minutes later I joined my daughter in not feeling well. I called my husband at dinner but they couldn't locate him to tell him I was staying. He showed up a few minutes later and offered to stay with our daughter but one look at me and he decided to free himself from our germs. He brought us a drink later (tea and water) but stayed out until the kids club closed and he brought our son back. My daughter and I cuddled and watched movies and by midnights were both feeling better. Whatever it was, it came on suddenly and disappeared suddenly.

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Friday morning

We slept in and took it easy. We gingerly took the kids to breakfast and myself though we were all feeling fine. My daughter was acting normal, but we missed the doctors hours so we took my daughter with us while my son played for the hour left in the kids club. We entertained her by playing a competitive game of chutes and ladders, but the library was so hot that didn't last long. Our original plan was to pack but not as easy with my daughter in tow. After the hour was up we headed to pick up my son who thankfully did not have the superhero face paint like other kids- I think my daughter would have been inconsolable.

 

We decide my husband would pack because he is a better packer and I headed to my family's room to hang out and keep the kids out of the way. We could barley move in there without the burden of suitcases. My mom and aunt had already packed so they were lounging.

 

I had hoped the kids would nap but my mom gave them a new toy so that didn't happen . Plus Sponge Bob the Movie was on which created zombie tv watchers because I won't let them watch it at home. By the end of the movie it was about one and dock time for Victoria was at 2pm so that means lunch.

 

My husband skipped lunch because he wasn't hungry and was still packing. We enjoyed the buffet from our unusual spot and watched the docking process. By the time we got back he was finished packing. We loaded up our supply needs for the day and we were out a little after two.

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Victoria

 

We decided we wanted to go to Beacon Hill park to see it and then let the kids play in the play area. It took us about 45 minutes to walk to the play area. We missed the petting zoo area but we did see signs for it. On a tour we found out later it is free with donations suggested. Also the park land was required to maintain a percentage of the natural form and commerce is not allowed on the property. That is why you will find no vendors and the petting zoo is free. It makes for peaceful and beautiful grounds.

 

The walk is mostly flat with a pretty view over the waterfront and then park. It felt long because it was a nice day and started to feel really warm by the time we walked it. The kids were starting to get tired, but the squirrels, swans, and then playground made them rally. We let them play about 30 minutes before heading over to the main area by the Empress.

 

On the walk over at the corner of the park on the back end of the Empress (diagonally across from the British museum) we discovered Spaghetti Factory. Now for most people this isn't exciting, but we love this restaurant at home and have made it our mission to eat at all of them, including the Canadian representations. My husband who skipped lunch was hungry and the rest of us could use a drink so we headed in. We got a nice spot outside by a heater so enjoyed the back view of the Empress while the kids and husband ate and rest of us had a drink, about half the cost of ships drinks. My daughter didn't make it past the salad before she fell asleep at the table. She stayed that way the rest of the visit. My son who never passes up noodles gorged himself and fell asleep before ice cream. They had blankets outside in case you were cold so once we gave him the blanket and he was out. ( My son is a blanket kid).

 

Afterwards we walked over to the capital building which was about two blocks away. It was about 6pm and still bright outside. The kids were not too happy about getting woken up but once they saw the horse they perked right up. They charged the carriages by the time no matter how many people. The carriages could fit all six of us. It was about $150 Canadian and they took US cashx but at an even exchange so we played with credit. Now in the carriage my kids were very happy and we took of for what we thought was the port area but our driver ended up heading toward the park. We had asked for the city version since we had already been to the park, but no one told our driver. She ended up giving us 15 minutes in the park and the rest in town. We enjoyed the drive/ride and if you only do one I recommend the park as it's more scenic, but we loved driving past the heritage houses. After our tour was over we didn't have much time left so we made a bee line for shopping.

 

By then the kids had had enough of behaving so we had all split up in the shops while my mom did what could only be described as power buying. With about 30 minutes to boarding time we decided a cab would be the best option. We tried to hail a van, but someone had called him for a pick up so we walked back by the Empress where many were waiting. We ended up squeezing into the biggest car we saw and thankfully we did because I don't think we could have walked it in the time left. Only $12 Canadian for the cab so money well spent.

 

We were back on the ship with some time to spare.

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