arctickitty

Thanks for posting & taking us along w. Have a great trip!

Thanks for posting your review & your comments comparing the 2 lines.

Thank you for posting your review; it was very easy to read and get the details.

 

I understand your knowledge of what a remote location is since you are from Adak. I got to spend some interesting time there many years ago courtesy of the U.S. Navy. That was my first experience with Alaska. I have been back to that state many times since but not to Adak.

 

Now imagine the same place you were stationed in, decommissioned, with only 100 people left...

 

For the record folks, the store here has celery today in addition to onions and potatoes.

If you say which ship you will get more specific answers about ice cream options from the other posters. My 2 cents is that they serve homemade ice cream in the MDRs during lunch and dinner, a couple flavors each day, some basic some artisan. MDR lunch open only on sea/embarkation days.

I would like to see the MDR menus for the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) available on the Princess messenger app.

That would be cool!

Thanks for posting your review & the menus. I enjoyed reading them.

Thanks for posting your review

I will respond to some of your items with my experiences on Princess.

- Like active events like a golf chipping contest for example

I played ping pong, mini golf, bocce/lawn bowling, croquet, giant chess, and shuffle board. There were sometimes activities in the patter (daily newsletter) for ring toss and ping pong contests and things like that. There was also a basketball court.

- Free cooking demos are always fun

I went to a free cooking demo followed by a galley tour. I also went to a fruit & vegetable carving demo. I have seen additional events in the patter, such a martini demonstration.

- Not a fan of sitting around all day reading and laying out in the sun, so activities to keep us busy are key

I enjoyed playing the above-mentioned games and found that the areas with them were often empty, so it was easy to walk by and start playing.

- Would be interested in what type of sports activities are available, mini golf, rock climbing, ropes course, etc

See above

- We generally eat in the mdrs, so decent food there is a must

I enjoyed the MDRs for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. I appreciated that most of the menu changed everyday. I loved the ice cream the make on board--different flavors every day. I liked having foods from all over the world.

I tend to prefer the appetizers, veggie dishes, and seafood so my tastes are different from a lot of other posters

I also appreciated their 3-5pm "snack" buffet in that it had light food that was appropriate imo for that time of day (sandwiches, salads).

- A good buffet for lunch and breakfast

I found both to have a wide variety, from healthy to decadent, and always something from another cuisine as well. In addition, there are free alternatives at the International Cafe--I often liked their desserts better perhaps because they were cuter.

- General theme is a decent selection of free food available on the ship, not a fan of upcharge meals

Only a couple upcharge places. Food at International Cafe is free. I mentioned above I liked their desserts. They have a lot of other options to offer, all free, that are not available elsewhere.

Also many ships have Alfredo's which is bills itself as an Sicilian-style pizza spot. I absolutely loved it and with help, tried everything on the menu there. This spot is free.

Also by perusing this board and looking at ship maps, you can find lots of other free spots.

Afternoon Tea was a delight as well--and free in the MDR.

- Also looking for friendly service, I have a hard time believing that DCL hired the only good cms

Compared to one experience on NCL, I found the staff on Princess to be more sincere

I can't compare any of the lines, but that's how I would describe my experience on Princess with the items important to you. Have fun!

The Fred Meyer in Juneau is one of the nicest in Alaska IMHO.

At first I was surprised to hear that Wal-Mart was closing in Juneau but the town leans blue.

 

Our ship is scheduled 10am-6pm, and I've discerned by reading the boards that the all aboard will be around 5:30pm. Does anyone know if 10am is the time we can walk off? Or will it be later?

 

Are there off the beaten path places worth seeing that we'd be able to access better with a car?

 

Any advice or help you can give is appreciated.:)

I've been in ports in which I could get off earlier than the scheduled time as well as ports where no one could get off quite at the scheduled time.

If you choose to get a rental car, I second the suggestion to see Totem Bight State Park. There is also a nice park beyond it on the same road.

I don't recall experiencing mosquitoes in May, but it depends on each year's weather. Most use/recommend DEET products but they are nasty. Whether or not you really need it depends on how much you will be outside in buggy areas (eg hiking vs. riding a tour bus). Many tour and activity operators will have a couple of cans on hand.

http://www.alaska.org/advice/mosquitoes-in-alaska

PS: I know you didn't ask about food, but Homer is one town that is worth eating out in! Have halibut anything pretty much anywhere and it will be awesome. It's also a good place to pick up jars of jams & jellies made from local berries, either made in Homer or in Seldovia (which is just across Kachemak Bay).

Quote:

Originally Posted by arctickitty

When you said Rookery the first thing that came to mind for me (as mentioned by someone else) was Gull Island outside of Homer. Any water taxi or boat trip out of Homer will at least stop there.

Something that can be done on the fly at the dock? (inexpensively?)

Normally it could be done on the fly, but I would make reservations on a cruise ship day. Homer doesn't get that many cruise ships so they aren't used to it on a regular basis. Some companies I can think of off the top of my head include the Danny J which runs trips to Halibut Cove & The Saltry Restaurant, Mako's Water Taxi, and several companies that run across to Seldovia (do a search for "boat to Seldovia"). The other thing about reserving in advance is that the Spit is already usually crowded and will only be more crowded on a cruise ship day. My experience also is that you can't really use your phone for directions on the spit. Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies might have some other suggestions for water taxis--my most recent tour with them last September used a different water taxi company than Mako's but I don't remember the name of it. Also the Islands & Ocean Center is the inter-agency visitor's center designed to help visitors learn about the natural features around. You can look them up and call them too for suggestions.

A fun nature thing you can do out of Homer is anything run by Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. I did their tour to Peterson Bay Field Station twice (goes across the bay, includes tide pooling, birding, forest hikes, touch tanks, with a naturalist). I've also been to their nature center and trails near it.

That sounds right up our alley - will definitely look more closely at this idea.

Thanks for your review, patters, & other links

When you said Rookery the first thing that came to mind for me (as mentioned by someone else) was Gull Island outside of Homer. Any water taxi or boat trip out of Homer will at least stop there. They also have web cams at the Pratt Museum in downtown Homer. Homer Spit doesn't have quite so many eagles as they used to since The Eagle Lady died, but you can still see birds there. A fun nature thing you can do out of Homer is anything run by Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. I did their tour to Peterson Bay Field Station twice (goes across the bay, includes tide pooling, birding, forest hikes, touch tanks, with a naturalist). I've also been to their nature center and trails near it. They have a small visitor info area in a yurt right on the Spit. (The Spit is the main tourist drag during the summer).

September ... so my day light hours are not that bad.

I am arriving at least 2 days early to try and adjust.

My worst morning will be my 7am arrival in Skagway.

As others have mentioned, the parts of Alaska you visit on a cruise will be 4 hours different.

Since this is a new experience for you, I think arriving 2 days ahead is a great idea. Other suggestions I use include:

-Getting enough & if possible, a little extra sleep leading up to the trip

-Adjusting your bed time/wake time at home slightly as possible

-Changing the time on your watch as soon as you get on the plane for your destination (eg if you are flying east coast to Seattle, change it 3 hours right away and start thinking that way and then once you board again in Seattle, change it one more hour)

-Plan your meals en route for your destination time

-If you arrive in the morning, stay up, go out, and keep going

-If you arrive at night, make yourself go to bed

-Try an eye mask. You will also be dealing with late nights and early mornings with the sun

-Have a positive attitude (eg "this is a neat fun experience" instead of "boy is this going to stink")

You may find it interesting to "google" the history of Alaskan time zones. Our state is so large that at one point we actually had four time zones!

We still have 2 time zones here in Alaska!

I think it depends on what you want to do. The other big factor is the major size different between the two. Keep in mind that population statistics for Fairbanks can either represent the city or the Borough whereas in Anchorage its always the MOA (Municipality of Anchorage). Fairbanksans are spread over a very large area, with many folks hiding out in the woods.

I've lived in both and found it quite humorous how many tour buses circled around Fairbanks. Sometimes they'd drop groups off downtown for several hours of free time and many looked bewildered or underwhelmed. The Anchorage downtown is quite crowded and busy (by Alaska standards) during the summer. The Fairbanks downtown has many vacant buildings and little "buzz." The Museum of the North in Fairbanks is very nice but its much smaller than the Anchorage Museum, not to mention the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Fairbanks is much warmer in the summer than Anchorage, so some appreciate that. I feel that Chena Hot Springs (near Fairbanks) is a quality location with a variety of activities that is one major thing the Fairbanks area has that the Anchorage area doesn't have. Driving a little ways up the pipeline highway is beautiful, but so are most drives outside Anchorage. Lots of hiking, multi-use trails, and outdoor opportunities in both area. Both areas have nature centers to visit. More variety of dining opportunities in Anchorage; most of my friends in Fairbanks eat out for Thai and not much else. I enjoyed the farmers market in Fairbanks immensely but my parents, visiting from the Lower 48, were not impressed. They did, however, find it quaint to go on a tour of my dry cabin (no plumbing) and visit the public well where I drove to get water. More variety of hotels in Anchorage than Fairbanks, but there are some nice B&Bs in both.

Thank you for posting your review here.

I would call Princess.

So true! Personally, I love the advice for the low key options. Can you tell me how far it is to the Southeast Discovery Center? We have a fishing excursion booked for Ketchikan, but we'd like to see a little in port; however, walking long distances is not an option? How far from the ship to Creek Street?

As others mentioned there is variability in where your ship docks. Right in front of the main dock area there is a tightly-packed downtown with gift shops, outdoor gear shops, excursion booths, and non-tourist related things that you'd find in a small downtown. (Although Ketchikan is big by Alaskan standards...and more like the Lower 48 than most areas of the state). Southeast Alaska Discovery Center is right in this area. The other museums are longer walks up in residential areas.

Thanks for the ideas. Is the coastal trail an improved mostly flat path or more of a hike - not paved, not flat, changes in elevation, etc.?

The Coastal Trail is an improved multi-use trail with runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, baby strollers, and hikers. It's paved but has ups and downs and curves. To go for more than a short stroll can involve good effort as it is quite long.

When I visited Ketchikan, a friend of mine who lives there advised eating on the ship.

When I visited Skagway, a friend of mine who lives there took me to a fantastic seafood place and disadvised eating on the ship.

My advice is to try to think like an Alaskan. Alaskans take their newborns on airplanes, floatplanes, helicopters, ferries, dog sleds, 4 wheelers, snow machines, etc...because it is our way of life and how we get around. For you, this is a once in a lifetime adventure to get to travel with your little one! Just go with the flow and be prepared.