Alaska - on board

We did one zodiac tour in Alert Bay BC, on September 8. It was a wonderful finale to our cruise: beautiful scenery, humpback whales spouting, porpoises frolicking around the zodiacs, sea lions and seals.

We didn't do any catamaran trips. The secondhand reports I heard were mixed. Some passengers felt that they didn't get close enough to glaciers/waterfalls/animals. Others were okay with them.

Hope you made it to Vancouver!

We did one zodiac tour in Alert Bay BC, on September 8. It was a wonderful finale to our cruise: beautiful scenery, humpback whales spouting, porpoises frolicking around the zodiacs, sea lions and seals.

 

We didn't do any catamaran trips. The secondhand reports I heard were mixed. Some passengers felt that they didn't get close enough to glaciers/waterfalls/animals. Others were okay with them.

 

Hope you made it to Vancouver!

To add to DC Travellers's comments, I did three catamaran trips so as to avoid missing photo ops but they were less than satisfactory, in my opinion, with what I felt were quite crowded conditions for the quite steep price. Some were better than others, however.

The one in Tracy Arm had enthusiastic local staff on the mikes inside explaining about the glacier, icebergs and animals etc. It visited both faces of the sawyer glacier.

The ailiak glacier one was abysmal. It tools us not far from the ship and pretty much stayed in the same location for the entire duration!!

Misty fjords catamaran was ok but I felt sorry that we hadn't sailed earlier to allow all on board to see them in the best light. Instead the trip ran 4pm to 7pm,after which time it was pretty dark for everyone else on board.

With hindsight I think seabourn should have increased the actual scenic cruising from the ship rather than remaining at the scenic fixed positions for sometimes an 8-12 hr stretch.

Also, the catamarans were always late. Some more than others. The Tracy arm one went up the wrong arm and was rescheduled by many hours. To seabourns credit we did receive 25% credit but it did waste a lot of time in the day with several schedule changes before the final. Not exactly their fault but it wasn't seamless.

My best trips by far were the adventures we planned independently with recommendations from Chairsin and frantic. Thanks both for your help. I'll go into more detail soon but they were cheaper, a more individual experience and had enthusiastic local guides who really knew the areas. Of course not all on the ship could've accommodated if everyone wanted so I appreciate the catamarans had a place and weren't seabourns intention at the start.

I will say that in alert bay we had a wildlife tour on a boat accommodating up to 12 people. There were 8 of us. The tour lasted 3.5 hours and was far cheaper than the zodiac tours. We covered much more ground I know luck comes into it but we saw lunge feeding and a full breach by a humpback,were surrounded in a "humpback soup" more humpbacks than you could count with bait balls all around and then went in search of orcas following a report the captain had received and found them albeit in the distance, for which he extended our tour at no extra cost.

I will report more on our cruise but have had little cell coverage during the trip after juneau, until Canada when it has been hectic!!

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Thanks Galeforce and DC Traveller,

Your comments on the tours was just what I am looking for. We have a huge OBC credit so I want to use it for ship tours, but only ones that are worthwhile.

DC Traveller, we will definitely do the zodiac at Albert Bay though I realize spotting's are really luck of the draw.

Galeforce, the Tracy Arm catamaran trip is on our list..glad it was nice...we will do that one too. I will check on the timing for the Misty fjords one...maybe do something else if the tour is late in the day.

We have enough OBC to do about four trips and were thinking about the ATV at Icy Straights and the Jet boat ride in Wrangell (I think) also. We have done private tours in the past and know they are usually the best, but we want to use up our credit on tours if poddible.

All this is contingent on actually making it to Vancouver!

The start to our trip has been less than wonderful! We made it out of Texas with no gas problems, but on Thurs, 50 miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a bearing went out and seized up the engine of our SUV as we tooled down I40 at 60 miles per hour. Fortunately we were able to coast the SUV off the highway to safety pulling the trailer.

After an interesting towing experience...car on the back of the flat bed tow truck and pulling the trailer behind, the car was dropped at a car dealer's repair shop in Edgewood where it was pronounced terminal Fri morning. The trailer was towed to a RV park nearby. We were able to rent a huge U-Haul moving truck and pulled the trailer back home Sat.

The silver lining is we had allowed plenty of time for the camping trip. So we are on to Plan C now and are leaving again for Vancouver. We will drive straight through and hopefully be in Vancouver to do the planned short pre cruise trip to Vancouver Island, then board the Sojourn on the 21st.

Once we get gone again I will look over the excursion list again. Any more suggestions?

Thanks for taking time to post.

Carolyn

I really recommend the zip line at icy strait point. Booked through the ship. Everyone in our party loved it from sporty to elderly to the scared of heights! It's a bit of a contrast to everything else.

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I'd really also recommend seasmoke whale watching out of alert bay but I appreciate you have much on board credit to spend.

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Cwn it sounds like you've had a difficult time but glad you're sorting it out now.!

We enjoyed walking to petroglyphs beach in wrangell if you get chance. Check the tide time tables on the internet though first as low tide is best. It's about a mile out of town. There were some tour groups there and the guides assisted their group (and by default us) spotting some nice ones.

We did a little hike in prince rupert at butze river rapids. We just took a cab (short ride) and asked him to return for us. The visitor centre called s cab for us and they were next to the ship along with local volunteers. We saw a deer in the woods and squirrels, some interesting caterpillars and birds and the trees were lovely. Cow bay was nice for a walk round in prince rupert as was the north b c museum.

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In Ketchikan we had their warmest September day on record and the temperature climbed to mid to late 70s. We booked island wings to go to traitors cove in a float plane and saw plenty of black bears. The journey was lovely in perfect conditions. Not sure how the ship group got on at anan creek from Wrangell but all the advice said it was off season and I wasn't prepared to risk it. Traitors cove is perfect in September. We enjoyed a late sail away (10pm) from Ketchikan with Mediterranean like conditions on board. The other ships left at 3pm so most shops shut but it was all the more peaceful around creek street for it.

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Sitka was stunning, again with great weather in the 70s. We rushed to the national park with totem polls and had a quick scoot around then to the raptor centre, back on board for a rushed lunch and off on the tender to meet up with Paul at gallant adventures, again recommended by frantic. Our wildlife trip was truly superb. Paul went out of his way and shared his enthusiasm for wildlife with us. There were just 6 on the boat, 4 from our party and another 2 from the ship. We saw 4 breaches at a distance, no pics, many humpbacks at close distance, a huge gathering of sea otters, black oyster catchers, star fish, tufted puffin, harbour seals and the mountains looked spectacular.

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I can recommend walking into hoonah from icy strait point if the weather is good. I found it a really picturesque place and very unspoilt. There seemed to be a lovely small brew pub on the harbour but we didn't have time unfortunately.

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I went to Anan in Wrangell and it was spectacular. Lots of black bears; the first group that got there said there was a brown but he/she left. Lots of cubs that were more than cute. Lots of interaction between the mothers and cubs. Mother with cub right up next to the platform. Lots and lots of fishing with much success. Lots of salmon in the stream. The bears were very fat. We did the short trip but those I knew on the long trip said it was worthwhile. Great views of eagles, too.

I went to Anan in Wrangell and it was spectacular. Lots of black bears; the first group that got there said there was a brown but he/she left. Lots of cubs that were more than cute. Lots of interaction between the mothers and cubs. Mother with cub right up next to the platform. Lots and lots of fishing with much success. Lots of salmon in the stream. The bears were very fat. We did the short trip but those I knew on the long trip said it was worthwhile. Great views of eagles, too.

Great news Hoosier. Seems we are all happy. We had a mother and cub and at one stage she was protecting her cub by giving another bear a swipe when he got too close. We also had a very dominant bear who seemed to be more expert at fishing than the rest. For much of the time we had the viewing platform to our group of 7.

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Regarding Anan creek: we too had a wonderful bear-watching experience, but we were told that the salmon that were attracting the bears were nearing the end of their run. So, it's worth checking whether the salmon (and bears) will still be around, and what will be done if they aren't (will you get a refund? Will they substitute another excursion?).

Also, note that there were two different Seabourn tours that went to Anan. The one we booked was a Ventures tour. It was supposed to be limited to 10 people and have a photographer on hand to offer suggestions re photographing wildlife. It cost $699 per person and lasted 7 hours.

We were extremely unhappy to discover that there were 15 guests on this tour, and that there was no photographer offering advice. Needless to say, I do not recommend booking this tour.

There were two other Seabourn tours that went to Anan. These tours were shorter (5 hours, I think), and cost $399 per person. Ironically, the groups on these two tours were much smaller than on our Ventures tour (which had 50% more guests than it was supposed to and cost $300 more per person).

Bottom line, if there are still bears at Anan (which I hope there are), I'd go with the shorter Seabourn excursion.

A can highly recommend the floatplane trip we took in Prince Rupert. We were blessed with clear weather, and flew over some absolutely spectacular Canadian wilderness: glaciers, endless mountains, waterfall, mountain goats, eagles. We even spotted humpback whale: the entire length of its body was visible just below the surface.

We booked this floatplane excursion through Seabourn, and it was a jaw-dropping experience.

First of all I have to again say how much I appreciate so many Alaska cruisers keeping Marazul's thread alive as they recount their varied experiences. I am vicariously reliving my cruise with each post.

It is clear from the various reports of tours -- Private, Seabourn and Seabourn Ventures (as well as DIY wandering) that enjoyment of a tour depends on so many factors such as weather, animal sightings (or not) and each cruisers interests and physical capabilities. There is no one size fits all, no perfect month to travel and no must do excursion. I recall a a friend who was with us mentioned that one of our excursions was her least favorite. I suspect that that had nothing to do with the location or the tour operator but rather our poor luck that day in not seeing much wildlife. Had we seen numerous moose, eagles, wolves etc. it may well have ranked as her most favorite tour. And of course you can't really plan for all of these variables even though for instance for some animals are reported to be more frequently sighted at X time of year at Y location. For me all of this simply makes me want to go back again because I know it will be a totally different but no doubt equally enjoyable experience.

And. Carolyn, what an ordeal you have had. I think after all of that I would have just said the heck with it and flown to Vancouver. I do hope the rest of your journey is less eventful.

Please let us know how it goes and tell us about your cruise.

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Oh Wow, thanks everyone for all the great information.

This last week has been trying to say the least, but we survived what could have been a terrible accident and have regrouped. We will leave in the morning for Vancouver. Yes, we did consider flying and I checked flights. But we had plans for after we get off the ship which has sort of driven this Alaskan cruise.

Chairsin, your comments are right on concerning cruising in Alaska. This is our 6th cruise and every one has been different and special in a different way. You just have to go with what you are dealt as far as weather and animals, but the scenery is so beautiful it is worth going again and again!

Galeforce, I can't thank you enough for all your comments on the different tours. I will look into island wings trip to traitors cove in Ketchikan.

We had thought about walking in to Hoonah. Good to know it is worthwhile. DH did the zip line the last time we were there and loved it also!

DC Traveler and Hoosier thanks for your input on Anan from Wrangell.

DC Traveller we will also look in to the float plane trip from Prince Rupert.

I will post a link to our Blog for this trip once we get on the road again. Didn't get far enough last week. Hope some of you will follow our adventures and you will see why we wanted to drive, besides just the fun we have camping.

Carolyn, Chairsin expressed it well. We're hoping that you have a scenic and enjoyable cruise when you reach Vancouver. You most definitely deserve it!

Looking forward to your blog posts!

best,

Anne

Carolyn, Chairsin expressed it well. We're hoping that you have a scenic and enjoyable cruise when you reach Vancouver. You most definitely deserve it!

 

Looking forward to your blog posts!

 

best,

Anne

I second that.

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First of all I have to again say how much I appreciate so many Alaska cruisers keeping Marazul's thread alive as they recount their varied experiences. I am vicariously reliving my cruise with each post.

And I am very happy for all the later contributions! It was fun being one of the pioneers, but I am glad to see how the experiences have evolved and improved.

Happy sailing!

We made it to Amarillo in the Texas panhandle this afternoon and I was able to get posts up on the blog. We plan to be in Vancouver this weekend hopefully getting this trip back on track.

Here is the link for our blog if you want to follow us on the so far crazy trip.

www.tigerbluecheese.blogspot.com

I've enjoyed these reports from Alaska and I was hoping someone would pick up the reports for September. I'm glad Seabourn cruises have been added to the Alaska season. The smaller ships can provide a unique but upscale experience and go where the big ships can't.

I've enjoyed these reports from Alaska and I was hoping someone would pick up the reports for September. I'm glad Seabourn cruises have been added to the Alaska season. The smaller ships can provide a unique but upscale experience and go where the big ships can't.

We made it to Vancouver area this afternoon. Will take ferry to Vancouver Island in the morning for two days on west coast. Then back to Vancouver for Thursday's sailing. It is the Sojourns last Alaska cruise of the year.

Can't wait. This time last week we were almost home driving the big Uhaul truck pulling the travel trailer. What a difference a week makes!!

How many miles have you travelled since leaving home cwn? I've just caught up with the latest posts on your blog. It seems incomprehensible to me as a Brit to drive such distances but I'm sure you've seen so much on the way and that the anticipation for your cruise has built to even greater levels as a result. You'll be ready for a rest!

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Carolyn congats on the completion of plan "C." Agree with Galeforce you have had quite the marathon. Hope once you are are board you have some time to relax (preferably with a glass of something in hand) as you turn the driving over to the Captain. Enjoy Vancouver Island -- I'd love to go there next time we go on the Alaska cruise do I will be interested to read about your visit there. And hopefully once on board you will find time to keep up with your posts here and on your blog.

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How many miles have you travelled since leaving home cwn? I've just caught up with the latest posts on your blog. It seems incomprehensible to me as a Brit to drive such distances but I'm sure you've seen so much on the way and that the anticipation for your cruise has built to even greater levels as a result. You'll be ready for a rest!

 

 

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2553 miles as of last night's arrival. It took us 6 days. Plus the 1500 miles on the aborted first try. We have seen some pretty parts of our country though.

Carolyn

Carolyn congats on the completion of plan "C." Agree with Galeforce you have had quite the marathon. Hope once you are are board you have some time to relax (preferably with a glass of something in hand) as you turn the driving over to the Captain. Enjoy Vancouver Island -- I'd love to go there next time we go on the Alaska cruise do I will be interested to read about your visit there. And hopefully once on board you will find time to keep up with your posts here and on your blog.

 

 

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Thanks! I plan to post daily as we have internet. Leave for the Island on the 10:15 ferry.

Carolyn