jelund

Thanks for a great review. Well done.

 

We did our first Alaska cruise in September of 2007 (on the 19th or so) round trip San Francisco, so 11 days. In Canada, we hit a huge storm, port of Sitka - missed. We then had rain every day, except the last port day in Victoria.

 

We originally planned the Misty Fjords sightseeing through Princess but cancelled it after there were two fatal crashes that season. I did at one team email Island Wings but they never replied.

 

Our helicopter ride to the top of Mendenhall Glacier was cancelled due to rain. So, September weather can be dicey.

Ugh, sounds like you had a similar experience as us. September can definitely be dicey, I would choose the summer months if I had to do it again.

Thanks for this review! I'm planning an Alaskan cruise with my parents as well! I've selected the Ruby because a round trip works better for us, and the recent low reviews have made me nervous!

I loved the Ruby!! I loved the crew members, food, and the boat overall. I think you will love it!

Thank you so much for the fabulous cruise review! I am sorry to hear about your experience with Island Wings. It is one thing to have them cancel due to weather which I understand but there is no reason for them to be rude to you and it concerns me that you still have not been reimbursed.

We are booked with Michell and Island Wings July 2018 and it is a rather expensive excursion I will be devastated if it doesn't pan out! Looking forward to your final thoughts of your overall experience!

Unfortunately, we still haven't been reimbursed. However, Michelle did contact me last week asking for my address (though I have given it to them before) so I am hopeful the check is coming soon. Hopefully it works out for you! I've heard great things and I wish we could've gone!

What a fantastic review - thank you. We sailed 2 days after you - 25th Sept - from Vancouver and we had the complete opposite to you. We had rain in Juneau and then after that the weather got better and better. Skagway was amazing full sunshine and blue sky - we took the train up and then a Van - we went up to Emerald Lake and back down the road - really good. That night and for the next 2 nights we saw the northern lights too.

Glacier bay we woke up to fog - but that literally passed one minute later to a stunning cloudless day. To top that day off we saw humpbacks 'bubble netting'. Ketchikan the weather was good - we grabbed a tour by the port where we were hoping to see bear but we didn't and the driver seemed to drive round in circles the full time - we ate at the inn by the port and have to say the food was good - it was not my favourite port - the smell of the rotting salmon on creek street was awful. I am so sorry that you were ill. Victoria was a highlight for us - the weather was amazing and we grabbed a whale watching tour -saw loads and we loved victoria. We then went on to Astoria and finally San Francisco - as it was the last cruise of the season. Just goes to show that 2 days later what a difference it can be.

I'm so glad you had a wonderful cruise!! The weather the week before us and the week after was great. We missed out ;p. Yours is a good perspective for other travelers though!

Finally updating this, sorry about the wait. So some last thoughts about our Alaska cruise...

Pros:

• Fall is beautiful at the end of September (if it isn't pouring!). I loved seeing the fall colors, especially in the Yukon. Juneau also had some fall colors that were gorgeous
  
• The crew on the Ruby were phenomenal. We will never forget our steward and waiters from the dining room.
  
• The bed was comfortable and the room was spacious enough for our needs
  
• We loved having a balcony
  
• It was amazing to see Glacier Bay and all the sea animals
  
• Harv and Marv's Whale Watching was probably my favorite excursion
  
• Renting a car from Avis for the Yukon was easy and it was fun going at our own pace
  
• We had great weather in Seattle and Juneau
  
• The ports were fairly quiet since there were only 1-2 boats docked with us at each port. I cannot imagine ports during busy season because I felt like Ketchikan was populated to the max when we were there
  
• Souvenirs were on sale since we were the last boat of the season
  
• We were sailing out of Alaska when pods of whales were also leaving and it was AMAZING (unforgettable!) to have them swim alongside the boat
  
• I really enjoyed the food. My DH and I agree that doing the traditional dining with my parents was the highlight of the ship
  

Cons:

• Weather was terrible for the last few days of our cruise
  
• Victoria got cancelled due to the weather
  
• Our seaplane excursion got cancelled due to the weather
  
• Everyone that I went with got sick (my mom and stepdad with pneumonia, my DH with a cold, and me with some stomach stuff). Talking to other people on the ship, it seemed like everyone was sick.
  
• Glacier Bay was beautiful but we didn't get to see very much further out because of the fog
  
• Alaska (at least the inside passage) is not as beautiful as any of us (in my party) were expecting. I had too high of expectations of the beauty and wish I would've been more realistic.
  

Things I wish I had known beforehand:

• The ports are very geared to tourists. They do not seem very authentic and there are the same stores in every ports (SO MANY jewelry stores). I would not recommend going to just enjoy a port. I would definitely do an excursion at each port
  
• I had heard about the bad weather at the end of September but I was hopeful that we would either have nice weather or that the bad wouldn't be so bad. Well, it was bad. If I were to ever go back, I would go in July or August. I know that people will tell you that you can have bad weather anytime you go and that you can have good weather in September. However, why even take the chance? Spend the extra money and get better chances of sunny weather
  
• Many things are shut down at the end of September. Carcross was closed for the season in the Yukon, stores in ports were shut down. Plus, you could tell that employers were just ready to be done. Many of the souvenirs were either sold out or we got the bottom of the barrel (broken ornaments, scratched magnets, leftover clothing sizes)
  
• I would not pay more for the speciality restaurants. It wasn't that much extra and the food was good, but I really enjoyed the main dining room and didn't feel like it was a necessary splurge.
  
• Definitely dress up for formal nights. It makes it so much more fun!
  
• Make back-up plans for if weather cancels your excursions. Ketchikan and Victoria were the worst days of our cruise due to cancellations. I wish we would've planned ahead a little better.
  
• Do not overplan. I know this advice will fall on deaf-ears since you're on a cruise-planning website. However, I feel like I way, way, way overplanned. It caused me to have high expectations that weren't met. Try to relax about planning and expect things to go wrong.
  
• I was expecting so much more from our naturalist onboard. He was a major disappointment for me. The park rangers at Glacier Bay were fabulous though.
  
• Would I go on another Alaskan cruise? Maybe but probably not. I don't know if I am a cruising person and I'm not sure I would take the chance to get rained-out again. I will definitely go back to Alaska though. I don't regret going and I'm glad I experienced an Alaska cruise.
  

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope my review wasn't too negative; I just want to be realistic and present a different view of the cruise than we usually read on these sites. I do have enjoyable memories from the cruise and I'm glad I went. The first half of the trip was great!

I'll post some final thoughts tomorrow. Including: pros/cons of September cruising, packing tips, and other miscellaneous words of advice.

Day 8: Disembarkment

I woke up very early. I wasn't feeling well and I was worried about potentially being actually stomach-sick rather than just suffering from food poisoning. I actually ended up calling the passenger service desk and asked if I should get off the ship as soon as possible or if I should go to the medical wing when it opened so I wouldn't pass around any sickness. They were so nice and told me that I was welcome to disembark at 7:30 when we arrived in Seattle. I called my mom and told her that I would be getting off with them. My DH would stay behind to collect our bags and then meet up with me. Luckily for us, my sister currently lives in Boston but has a condo in Seattle. She sent her friend over with a spare set of keys and my mom and stepdad agreed to drive me there in their rental car.

Disembarkment was way easier than I thought it would be. We gathered on deck 7 and quickly were off the ship and through customs. Unfortunately, I realized after I got off the ship that I had packed my DH's passport with mine (since the original plan was for us to disembark together). Customs told me that he would not be allowed to get off without a passport so he had to come get it. And then, once he was off the ship, he was not allowed back on. So my poor DH had to get off the ship, come get his passport, and then hang out around customs until 8:45 when our bags were ready to go. He is the best and I'm so thankful to have him.

My mom, stepdad, and I made our way to the rental car area and then rode the shuttle to the downtown garage. I believe they used Enterprise. The check out was easy and we were soon on our way to my sister's condo. I immediately went in and fell asleep. My DH took an Uber from the pier and also took a nap. When I woke up I realized that we were so over this vacation and it was worth whatever price to get home earlier. I called Alaska Airlines and the customer service rep could not have been nicer. For $50 we were able to change our flight and were leaving 5 hours earlier than expected.

We took an Uber to the airport and it was easy getting through security. The plane ride was uneventful and finally we were home. Never had we been so happy to be in the Vegas heat. We were home by the time our original flight would have been taking off and we soon received word from my mom that they also made it home. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

Day 7: Victoria

We actually slept in a bit this day due to not having any plans until later. We went to the buffet for breakfast (I didn't eat anything due to still feeling a little funky from the night before). Then we went back to our room to pack. Packing was quick and easy.

We decided to set our luggage out to be picked up the next day and found out we were in the pink group (to get off at 9:30). My mom and stepdad decided to walk off with their luggage so they were planning to get off at 7:30. They had decided to rent a car to drive back home instead of fly so they wanted to get an early start. Our plane didn't leave until 7:30 on Saturday so we didn't want to get off at 7:30 with a whole day ahead of us.

To be honest, today was just a rest day for us. Neither of us can remember anything we did other than hung out in the room. It was sunny and beautiful out. The highlight of the day was whale watching from our balcony. We heard our neighbors shouting about whales and so we went out to our balcony. There were at least a dozen whales leaping and showing their tails. It was pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, they were too far away for my camera to get a picture and my DH had already packed away his camera.

I ordered room service for lunch. I got a chef's salad, tea, and a slice of cake. It was good and it was so nice to eat in the comfort of our room. We brought dollar bills along to tip but we did not order room service as much as I had thought we would.

We went to the dining room for dinner. It was supposed to be open seating due to being in Victoria that night but we were lucky enough to get our same table and servers. What a wonderful last dinner! Of course, we can't remember what we ate this last night. I'm sorry, guys, I really should have written this stuff down. Those last couple days were kind of a blur. I do remember that we had the baked Alaska with the waiter parade. It was so fun! Like I said, a great way to end our dining experience on the ship.

However (warning: more doom and gloom), we were met with an unexpected and unwanted surprise announcement over dinner. The captain came on the sound system and told us that we would not be going to Victoria as planned. Even though the weather was sunny and no clouds outside of the Victoria harbor, he said that the harbor had a terrible storm that made it unsafe to port. There were audible gasps across the dining room. We were so disappointed. But, what could we do?

My mom and stepdad went back to their rooms and we wandered around to try to figure out what to do. We expected them to put on a show or something but instead they played reruns of movies in the theater and did a few more trivia activities in the bars.

We had fun at the trivia activities. We participated in a couple games, including: close-up items trivia, myth or truth one, musical numbers, and then we went to another one but left pretty soon after it started since it was already late by the time it started.

Overall, not a fantastic day. The whales were amazing (keep your eyes out while you're sailing back south from Alaska) and the last dinner in the dining room was great. The trivia was good but did not make up for missing Victoria.

Luckily, we had booked our excursion for Victoria through Princess (the only Princess one we did). It was the horse drawn trolley tour of Victoria. We just got our refund a couple weeks ago. It was such an easy process to get refunded through a cruise ship rather than having to figure it out later. It makes me reconsider paying a little extra through the cruise line. Especially since we still haven't been paid back from Island Wings.

Day 6: Ketchikan continued:While we were on our tour, my mom and stepdad went on their own. They had arranged a walking tour through Princess. My mom raved about it. She said she learned so much and the rain really wasn't a problem for them. I think she enjoyed this tour the most (other than the Harv & Marv one).

I'm happy my mom had a good time on the tour because when she got back to the ship, she found out that her flight back home for the upcoming Saturday had been cancelled. She had to spend the afternoon trying to figuring out other options with spotty cell phone service and slow internet.

By the time we were back on the boat, I definitely felt a little under the weather. My DH decided to take a quick nap and I sat outside and watched us sail away from Ketchikan (and Alaska!). I had mixed feelings... I was sad to have the Alaska portion over but also relieved to be out of the rain with Victoria to look forward to (sunny weather in the forecast!).

It was formal night so we started getting ready (early dinner meant we also need to be ready earlier). I started feeling really sick while getting ready. I didn't want to miss the formal night and figured I could always come back to my room if I got too nauseous. We didn't even take pictures so you can tell that I was not feeling my best. At this point, I knew I was feeling this way due to the grilled crab sandwich at lunch.

My mom had told me that the previous night, while we were celebrating our anniversary in the Crown Grill, one of our waiters came by and asked where we were. My mom said we were at CG and he told her that he had a surprise for us. She reassured him that we could be coming tonight (Thursday). Needless to say, she was not about to let me go back to my room once I started feeling even worse at dinner.

I ordered the main course (lobster and prawns) but declined an appetizer or soup. And I wasn't able to even try my main course. I just felt miserable by this point and wanted it to be over. The rest of my table raved about the lobster so I'm so disappointed I wasn't able to eat any.

Our waiters were so nice and brought us a cake for our anniversary. They also sang for us. It was one thing that made me feel a little better!

I cannot rave enough about the servers in the main dining room. We still miss them!

I ended up going back up to our room and my DH went to the show alone. I'm sorry to admit I don't even know what the show was or how it was. I think he enjoyed it and I'm glad he got to experience one more night of fun.

Quick note, even though I knew my stomach issues were related to my lunch, I was very careful to keep my germs (just in case) to myself. I didn't touch the handrails or elevator button and didn't touch silverware or plates at dinner. I also used hand sanitizer and washed my hands whenever I was by a bathroom. I did not want to potentially spread anything to others, even though I knew it was my grilled crab sandwich.

Day 6: Ketchikan

So... this is where our trip kind of took a turn for the worse. I apologize in advance for doom and gloom you're about to read. Part of the reason it has taken me so long to finish this review is because the last couple days didn't turn out how we expected.

We woke up early (common trend on this cruise). We were both excited for Ketchikan-- me because of the cute little town, my DH due to Alaskan Bush People, and both of us because we were most looking forward to the day's excursion. We had been planning our seaplane excursion with Island Wings for the past year. It was the first excursion we booked and the most expensive by far. We packed up our necessities and went down a couple levels to get off the ship. I will say that we never had much of a wait to get off and Princess did a great job of making it orderly and quick.

We made our way to the famous Ketchikan rain gauge where we were instructed to meet our tour guide. We had received an email the week before that, due to unforeseen events, we were going to be going up with Randy instead of Michelle. I was a little disappointed but quickly got over it... we were just excited to see Alaska by air!

We got there early so my DH took pictures and I took shelter under the visitor center's awning. It was definitely raining hard!

We waited around a bit but started to get concerned since no one else was there and we didn't see anyone holding up a sign. About 5 minutes before we were supposed to meet our tour, a women came out and stood talking to a man. I wandered over thinking I might be able to hear if they were also on our tour. I heard the woman mention that she was waiting for two customers. I went over and asked if she was with Island Wings. It turned out to be Shona. I quickly motioned for my DH to come over.

Unfortunately, Shona gave us the bad news that the cloud cover wouldn't allow us to go up after all. She stated that it wasn't due to safety reasons but due to not being able to give us a good tour of the area due to low visibility. I was appreciative that they would cancel (and refund our money) since we wouldn't be able to see the fjords. She told us to go with the man she was talking to and he could help us find something else.

While I appreciated that she cancelled the tour and came to meet us, I felt like her attitude put a damper on the interaction. It felt like she was putting the blame on us for making her come meet us. I guess she had tried to call but my phone never registered a missed call and she didn't leave a voicemail. She also didn't make an effort to apologize... she just stated it was cancelled and that was it. It wasn't until I asked that she gave a reason and offered to refund us. She also rolled her eyes at one point. Then, instead of offering advice on things for us to do instead, she quickly pushed us onto another guy and quickly left. As of today, we still haven't received our refund. I'm glad I'm writing this because it is reminding me to call tomorrow to ask about it. I would still recommend Island Wings because I do appreciate that they would cancel if the weather would impact the tour and I have heard such great things from others. I just wish the interaction would have been friendlier.

So we walked with the guy into the visitor's center. It turned out that that's where the different tours are offered. He was very pushy and came off like a salesman (I never got his name or else I would advise against working with him). When we declined an expensive tour, he looked at us in disgust and shook his head like we were cheap. He also talked bad about the other tour operators that were by our boat and said that his was the only good tour.

Already disappointed by our cancelled excursion, we were not in the mood to be bossed around so we said we would find our own tour. I'm glad we did because I looked up reviews later for the tour he was pushing us to go on and they were not good.

We decided to walk around a bit and gather our thoughts on what to do for the day. As we were walking, we came across a store that offered tickets for the Duck Tour. We at least wanted a bit of a tour of the town and figured most other things would be cancelled due to the rain. Plus, it was fairly inexpensive so we could save money and use our refunded seaplane money for another vacation.

The next tour was leaving in about 10 minutes so we made our way to the duck boat (stationed by the Ruby). It was covered from the rain and there were blankets on each seat... I thought that was a nice touch. There weren't many people on the tour so we ended up each getting our own row so we could each have window seats.

The tour started by picking up people from the other ship and then we made our way through town. The driver and the guide were very funny and made the tour. The guide made jokes and also gave a history of Ketchikan as we drove through. I wish I could remember their names! The salmon were just about dying out while we were there. It was pretty sad to see them dying as they attempted to swim. Later we saw dead fish along the banks.

We drove to the water and then just boated around the harbor. It was pretty anticlimactic. I'm glad the guide was funny because otherwise we would have just sat looking at the town from the water (something we could've done from our ship). The boat dropped us back in town and that was that. Would I recommend this tour? Hmm... I would say yes, if you have nothing else planned and want a brief history and introduction to the town. If you are hoping for a tour to see sights you wouldn't get just by walking around then I would skip it. The driver and guide made it worth it and it was interesting to hear about their lives in Alaska.

We felt pretty crummy by the time we got back to town. The rain was never-ending and had gotten worse while we were on our tour. There were tons of people just walking around and barely any room on the sidewalk (I'm assuming people either didn't go on tours or theirs were also cancelled).

The only souvenir that I really wanted (other than ornaments) on this trip was a wooden bear puzzle that someone had posted on this forum. We made our way to the gift shop that sold it. Unfortunately, the puzzle was sold out. So we just walked around town a bit (until we were too drenched to enjoy it) and then went back toward the ship.

I wanted to salvage the day a little bit so I suggested we grab a bite to eat before getting back on the ship. We chose a restaurant on the way back to the ship. I wish we hadn't. We both ordered the crab grilled cheese sandwiches. We waited for a bit and finally one of the sandwiches came out. The waitress realized she only put in one order. So I let my DH eat and waited for mine. Mine finally came out and tasted a little funky but I was so hungry I ate it anyway (anyone notice any foreshadowing?). We went back to the ship and gladly took off our rain gear and decided to relax until dinner.

Sorry, everyone, for keeping you waiting for the rest. I remember reading reviews this summer and checking every day to see if there was a new post. Now I realize that it is much harder to finish these than I previously thought.

Also, not sure why some of the pictures won't post... I went to edit those posts but can't figure it out. Luckily, none of the pictures seem too be too important for the review :)

Really enjoying your trip report so far! I noticed in many of the pictures you are wearing your Hunter boots - did you find those sufficient for getting around while staying comfortable? Did you feel hiking shoes were necessary or would have helped for your trip? Looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Hi! I loved my Hunters! However, I wouldn't recommend them if you plan to do excursions that require a lot of walking. I loved them for the ones we did, especially since it rained in the majority of our ports. I mostly brought them along because I live in Las Vegas and don't get many chances to wear them ;). I did have one day (in Juneau) that they were a little uncomfortable due to the socks I wore that day. Luckily, we were just on the whale watching boat so it barely affected me. Make sure to break them in if you choose to bring a pair along!

Day 5: Glacier Bay cruising and Crown Grill continued

My mom and stepdad were able to come over to view the glacier but then went right back to their room due to feeling a little sick and they decided to wait until the boat turned. Unfortunately, they missed the calving and the fog moved in so missed some of the views.

We stayed out on our balcony until the ship turned and then went to my mom's. There were otters on that side so we were able to track them as they swam toward the glacier. We stayed at Marjerie for an hour and then made our way to Lamplugh glacier.

When we got there, I didn't realize that we were just making a quick turn and then leaving. We approached from the port side again so by the time we realized that that was the only view we were going to get, the boat had almost completely turned away from it.

This was the only picture we got

At this point, I was almost relieved to be leaving the scenic cruising. It was freezing and, other than parts covered with rainproof clothing, we were wet. A helpful hint: we brought along hand and toe warmers. My mom and DH teased me when I bought them and insisted that we wouldn't need them. Well, guess what, everyone used them and was grateful that I brought them. I'm not sure I could've stayed outside the entire morning without them.

We spent the rest of the day watching the scenery pass from the inside of our cabin and watching TV. We had dinner reservations at the Crown Grill at 5:30 (I told you that we like to eat early) so we wanted to rest up and have time to get dressed up.

Dinner was very good. We were seated promptly when we got there and the restaurant was not very busy. There were a few big groups but we were one of the only couples. We both ordered the lobster and crab cakes, delicious! I got the french onion soup which was very good (though I liked the dining room french onion better). For our main course, I ordered the filet mignon with asparagus and mashed potatoes. DH ordered the New York strip steak with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. He was very impressed though he said that the steak tasted the same as the one he had the following night in the dining room.

We each got dessert. I got the dessert sampler and DH got the lava cake.

The sampler

Overall, I think it was very good and we would do it again. However, we missed our normal waitstaff from the dining room and I didn't feel like the quality was that much greater than the dining room. It did make our anniversary feel more special so I'm glad we went. I loved having a booth right next to the window!

We are super lame and can't remember what we did after dinner. I think we might have gone to Crooner's but we went almost every night. DH was starting to get a cold so we wanted to rest up before Ketchikan the next day. We were most looking forward to Ketchikan and wanted to get as much rest as possible.

Day 5: Glacier Bay cruising and Crown Grill

Once again I was up early today to see the scenery as we cruised into Glacier Bay. This was one of the days when the balcony came in so handy. I jumped out of bed, put on my boots, and went outside with bedhead. DH took a shower and started to get ready for the day but I was insistent on seeing some early morning wildlife. I'm happy that I did, too, because I was able to see groups of otters floating together. Some were holding hands and most had their feet up floating on their backs. Probably one of the most adorable sights I have seen. Unfortunately, I had left my phone in the room and didn't want to miss them, so I didn't get any pictures. I yelled at my DH to come out but, by the time he got out of the shower, he missed them.

It was freezing today and drizzling so I was glad to have a partially covered balcony. Part of me even wished for a fully-covered balcony but it was the best of both worlds to have covered and uncovered. I noticed that the people with uncovered balconies didn't spend nearly as much time outside as the people above us or next to us. The rain was rather miserable all week so I couldn't imagine getting the full impact of it whenever we used our balcony. I spent a lot of the time sitting on our table (happily didn't break it) to be able to see over the railing. However, my stepdad showed us that he sat on a life jacket to boost up the chair height. After that, I used one of my own and it worked wonderfully.

It was our 3-year anniversary today so we decided to get breakfast in the dining room. I'm not a big breakfast person so this hadn't been a priority before this. When we left our room, we noticed that our fantastic steward decorated our door with an anniversary sign and balloons. I had seen other rooms decorated when we first got on the ship and just figured that our steward didn't know or forgot. Shout out to Angelo, he really was the best steward!

Don't mind my bedhead and sleepy eyes, this cruise was anything but restful :)

We went to the Da Vinci dining room for breakfast. We asked to not share a table and were seated right away. We each ordered pancakes and my DH ordered extra bacon on the side. I really enjoyed this breakfast and my DH said it was the best one of the cruise. It was fairly quiet in the dining room and the waiter was prompt.

We hurried up since we wanted to make sure to see everything before getting to the glaciers. Like I said, it was very rainy and freezing today. We bundled up and I think we looked quite silly in all of our layers... another benefit of having our own balcony.

It was really foggy and hard to see anything farther than the shoreline. There were so many waterfalls running down the mountains to the bay and I was happy to have fog-proof and water-proof binoculars to view everything. The binoculars I got for the trip were the Bushnell 157050 H20 7X50 Waterproof/Fog-proof from Amazon. They were a little spendy but I thought it was worth it since we spent pretty much the whole week in rain and fog.

It was pretty amazing to see how the landscape changed the closer we got to the glaciers. At one point, the water had a clear line that showed the silt.

You can see how foggy it was and see the silt against the blue water

We had the park ranger's narration on all morning. I loved listening to her and she did a great job talking us through the park's history and science behind the glaciers. Unfortunately, my mom had their TV on the wrong channel for almost the whole morning. She called me at one point and asked why the ranger hadn't started talking yet. By this point, we were at the glacier and they weren't even aware of it due to being on the opposite side of the ship and not hearing any narration. Luckily she called or else they might have missed seeing it (at this point, they were both feeling a little under the weather so they weren't sitting out on the balconies). Make sure to set your channel to the one with the navigational information.

The port side (our side) was the first to approach Margerie glacier and we were lucky enough to see some calving. The sound really was like thunder and it made my stomach jump. We were so lucky to have a view from the port side because it calved a couple times and did not calve at all for the starboard viewers.

Day 4: Skagway continued:

Once back, we got lunch at the buffet. It was okay. I don't remember what we ate but I think I got the salad bar and lots of desserts.

We went back to the room and my DH took a quick nap (this was the time of the cruise where we all started to get the sniffles). My mom called our room and told me that there were puppies in the piazza so we went to see them. Everyone lined up to hold a puppy and get a picture. I had my mom take a picture when I held one so I didn't have to buy a $25 picture.

We went to the dining room again for dinner and it was good, like always :). I think this was the King crab legs night. So good! They come to the table already cut so it made it super easy. Sorry to lack so much information on dinners. They were all so good and we got so caught up in eating and talking that we didn't take pictures or document what we ordered.

Tonight was another show by the dancers and singers "Once Upon a Dream". (I think it was tonight, like I said, my timeline is so off because the days blended together). It was interesting and entertaining again. You can't go into the shows expecting much, and if you don't, then they are good.

We got back to our room while we were still in port and enjoyed sitting on our balcony taking in the views as the sky got dark.

Day 4: Skagway continued:

On the other side of the bridge there are informational signs and a little cabin that you can go into to see how people would've survived there.

We went back across and went to the gift shop. I got my Yukon Christmas ornament and we all stamped out passports. My stepdad got coffee and we were off again back to Skagway. We made this whole trip was much quicker than I imagined. The gift shop cashier was surprised that we had already been to Carcross and were already heading back. I think we left the suspension bridge around 12:30. The drive back was uneventful other than seeing tons of cars and tour buses coming into the Yukon.

We took this picture on the way in but it looks more in order to post it now :)

Customs was easy again and then we took the car back to the rental office. We were going to stop at the cemetery but I was the only one interested in it and when we missed the tour, I wasn't enthusiastic enough to try to get us to turn around. It was super easy to turn in the car and then we walked around Skagway for awhile.

There were tons of people in the shops so we didn't spend too much time shopping. They have a Christmas shop so we got a few gifts in there (a cute Alaska book for my step-niece and another ornament). We took pictures by the train and snowplow and then went back to the ship.

Day 4: Skagway continued

We decided that since we weren't able to explore much in Carcross we would stop at the suspension bridge on our way back. My stepdad was especially excited about this stop while my mom decided to stay in the gift shop/car.

The tickets were quite expensive. My stepdad got a senior discount and we all got $5 off from having a copy of the Murray guide. I believe it was $13 each for my DH and I and then $9 for my stepdad. We were the only people there for the first part of our visit and then a tour bus came by as we were leaving.

There were different information points as we walked toward the bridge. We didn't stay long at each informational area since it was quite cold and rainy, however, I bet you could take quite a bit of time just reading about the history.

The bridge itself was as fun as you would expect a bridge to be. It isn't for the faint of heart. You can see the river below you as you walk across and it moves around.

Day 4: Skagway continued

We drove straight through until Emerald Lake. I can't remember how long it took us to get there but it didn't feel long at all. My DH is a quick (but safe) driver and we didn't stop too much because of the rain. I think our only stops on the way up were at the two signs, customs, and a couple super quick stops at some of the scenic lookouts.

Emerald Lake was gorgeous. Definitely my favorite part of the day. It is almost unimaginable to see the green in person.

We then turned around and started the drive back. We stopped at Carcross Desert (the smallest desert in the world). My parents gratefully used the bathroom and my DH and I trekked around in the sand.

We then made our way into Carcross. I was so excited to go to the general store and get my passport stamped. Unfortunately, the general store was boarded up for the season and most of the other stores were closed, too. The only building that appeared open was a coffee shop. We disappointedly went in and got some hot drinks and my stepdad got a sandwich. My parents chose to stay in the car while my DH and I explored the quiet little town. There is a boat ashore that was once used to take tourists around the lake. There is also a river running through town and some totem poles.

Day 4: Skagway

We were up early enough to watch the sail into Skagway. Since we were there in late September, we didn't have as many hours of daylight so it was dark until we approached Skagway. Another consideration when sailing late in the season. My DH grabbed breakfast to go from the buffet but I wasn't hungry so I just nibbled on a banana.

Disembarkment was easy. We met my mom and stepdad, got into line, and were off the ship by 7:15. It was pouring rain so my mom and stepdad took the shuttle into town (I believe it was $2.50/person and my mom raved about the driver, said that she gave a narration of the town and dropped them off exactly where they wanted to go). My DH and I decided to walk and it was an easy walk, though very wet.

We had reserved a rental car to go to the Yukon so we immediately went to the Avis office. We were the first ones there and it was a super easy check-in process. The man behind the counter said that there were 18 other reservations that day and that the Avis shop was closing down at the end of this week. We got the keys and walked across the street to the parking lot to get our car. We had a newer Toyota Camry. It had bluetooth capabilities and USB plug-ins. That might seem like miscellaneous information but I was so curious about that prior to going to Alaska because we downloaded the the Trapper Dan audio tour of the highway so we wanted to be able to play it through the sound system from my phone. We were easily able to and also charged our phones. There is no cell service/or it is Canadian cell coverage so make sure to put your phones on airplane mode.

It was still early when we started driving (about 7:45) so the grocery store wasn't open. Starting on Sept 6, it didn't open until 9:00 so we went to a convenience store to get drinks and snacks. Snacks are so spendy in these ports. I got a small bag of chips for $5. In Juneau, my DH almost bought a bag of chips but then realized they were $7.

The drive was super easy even though it was rainy. The clouds were low all day so we weren't able to see the mountain tops but we were lucky enough to see lots of fall foliage. We followed advice that I had read on these forums and stopped at each of the signs (Alaska and Yukon) on our way into the Yukon. I'm so glad we did because we saw so many tour buses stopped when we drove back to Skagway. We left so early that we didn't see another car for pretty much the whole trip into Canada.

Going through customs was super easy with no wait. We had the Murray guide printed out and also had the Trapper Dan audio tour to give us some history of the area. Both were helpful but I much preferred the Murray guide. It had way more information. The car ride was beautiful and easy going. There are so many waterfalls, mountains, and lakes.

Your review is excellent. I see you're from Las Vegas. I sincerely hope you and all of your loved ones are okay.

Thank you! Thankfully, we are okay. It's been a rough week here in Vegas. That is part of the reason I took a break from writing, it was hard to write about our vacation when so many serious things are happening in our community.

Thank you everyone for the encouragement! Definitely motivates me to continue with this review.

Day 3: Juneau continued

The van/bus took us back to Juneau and we all elected to get dropped off in town rather than back by the boat. My DH and I went souvenir shopping and then decided to get back to the Ruby for dinner. I have a tradition of buying Christmas ornaments wherever we travel. They are small, easy to pack, and get used more than any other souvenirs I can think of. I got an ornament with whales on it for Juneau.

We had time to change out of our clothes and head down to our dining room for our early seating. Tonight I got two entrees: the fried chicken and the scallops. Both were good. We were glad we came back to the ship for dinner... it saved money and we also loved being waited on by our servers.

After dinner, we sat in the Crooner's bar for awhile and then went back to our room. It had been a long day and we knew we were going to be up early the next day for Skagway. I think I was sleeping before we even left Juneau.

Day 3: Juneau continued

Our first stop was by an island where we saw bald eagles in the trees. Captain Brent did a great job explaining the history and culture of the area as well as providing some interesting scientific tidbits. With only 6 of us onboard, it was easy to have a conversation with him.

The captains of the boats are able to communicate with each other so we found out about a pod of orcas in one of the bays. Captain Brent got us there quickly and we were able to see at least a handful of orcas. He told us that this is the first pod he has seen in weeks and he had though they had already left the area. It was amazing to get close to the orcas. There were only two boats present (our boat and the other Harv and Marv boat). One of the larger 40 person boats had been there but did not get as close and did not stay long. We spent quite a while following them through the bay. I didn't get good pictures (they are in and out of the water so quickly) but here are some I did get:

We then went back out and saw a bunch of boats in an area (a good sign that whales are around). There were probably 3-5 humpbacks in the area. It was really magnificent to be so close to them and hear the blows. The two Harv & Marv boats were definitely the smallest of the group of boats and we were able to get closer than any of the large boats. The other boat of Harv & Marv passengers actually had a humpback surface right next to them. I was jealous! My DH got some great pictures. We relied on him to take pictures so the rest of us could just enjoy the experience. I would definitely recommend putting the camera down and just enjoying being so close to these wonderful creatures. This is one of the only pictures I took because I was so in the moment:

We also got up close to Steller Sea Lions:

And there was a California Sea Lion on the dock:

Overall, we spent the entire afternoon out with Captain Brent and the time went by so quickly. It was a beautiful day and the whales definitely cooperated. I would highly recommend this excursion. I felt like our captains definitely knew the right spots and got us so close to the whales. Captain Brent was a wealth of information and I loved the intimate feeling of just 6 passengers on the boat.

Day 3: Juneau continued

We got off right away and made our way into town. My DH decided he wanted a better zoom lens for his camera so he went to poke around at photo shops while I walked around.

We went back to the dock to meet our representative from Harv & Marv. It was packed with people and we had a hard time finding our rep with the sign. Our rep turned out to be meeting multiple groups from different companies so it was a little overwhelming to figure out exactly where we were supposed to go. Luckily, he pulled us Harv & Marv people aside and we were able to board our van right away. There were about 14 of us in the van (it was more of a bus/van, we did not need to climb over each other to get on). We drove through town and then stopped at the bridge to view Mendenhall Glacier from afar. I mentioned before that I'm from Montana and am actually from the same area as Glacier National Park. Therefore, I don't think seeing the Mendenhall impressed me as much as it did others. However, it was pretty and I was glad to see it.

We made it to the harbor and met with two captains. The 4 of us in my party plus another couple went with Captain Brent. He was great and personable. We each had our own row on the boat (it fits 12 people but we had paid for the 6 person boat). It was wonderful to be able to look out the window on either side without a crowd. We were also able to go outside to the front or back of the boat. Harv & Marv also provided snacks and drinks along with binoculars.

Mendenhall from the water

Day 3: Juneau

I woke up early in order to see the first glimpse of Alaska. It was already a very nice day and I was able to get a couple pictures of a sorta sunrise.

We grabbed breakfast to-go at the buffet and ate it while sailing into Juneau from our balcony. I didn't eat very much because I was just excited to get to our first port. Also, since I have been seasick on small boats in the past (and we were doing a whale watching tour today) I didn't want to give myself much to get sick on.

Quick note about sea sick medicine: I got a prescription for the patch from my doctor and wore it throughout the cruise. This worked well for me because I never felt sea sick even though we did have some rough waves. I also brought along some bonine and the wrist bands. I took bonine on the last day of cruising because I was feeling a little sick (though I don't think it was seasickness). And my DH took one/day. He only felt a tiny bit of seasickness on the first sea day but it subsided quickly. We never even opened the wrist bands.

We bundled up in our warm clothes and went to deck 7 to disembark.

A quick note on outer clothing since I know that was my main concern prior to the cruise. I made sure to bring the essentials (rain jacket, rain boots, gloves, hats, fleece). I used these essentials every single day. I also was so happy I brought my scarf. It was so nice to be able to wear it for extra warmth around my face while watching from my balcony. I paid more for gloves that allowed me to manage my phone with them on. I am so glad I did! I can't imagine having to remove my gloves every time I wanted to take a picture.

Day 2: Sea Day

We woke up to much colder weather on this day. We bundled up and enjoyed watching the waves from our balcony. We were lucky enough to see Dall's porpoises jumping next to the boat. I was really happy I brought along my Alaska guide because it made it easier to identify animals.

We ate breakfast in the Horizon Court. I wasn't a big fan of the buffet mainly due to having to find a table and I felt like it was always crowded. But I'm sure we just went at bad times. I usually grabbed a small box of cereal and fruit to go if I needed to eat there. My DH enjoyed the unlimited bacon.

After breakfast, we explored the ship and got our bearings. The ship actually doesn't feel too big once you know where you are in it. We explored the shops but didn't buy anything. We also watched a few of the events happening in the Piazzo.

We ate lunch at the pizza place on deck 15. The pizza was pretty good. We meant to get ice cream, too but were so full after the pizza that we didn't. I'm disappointed because I just realized that we never got ice cream. There is just so much to do, and eat, and see that things tend to go by the wayside.

We went to the "North to Alaska" presentation by the nature lecturer. It was okay but I expected more. He was a little long-winded and dramatic. I thought it would be more educational but it felt like he was just talking about his own experience and adding a lot of dramatic flare to it. I was quite disappointed because I love learning about science, history, and other cultures and didn't feel like I got much from this lecture. He might have been better in other talks but this is the only one we went to because we weren't impressed.

My DH felt tired so we got drinks from the coffee shop and went back to our room. I sat out and read on the balcony (with my extra blanket that my amazing steward brought me) while DH napped.

This was our formal night so we started getting ready a little earlier than we usually would for dinner. We saw a wide range of formal wear this day. I would say that, on average, most men were wearing at least slacks and a collared shirt. I would even say most men wore suit jackets. The majority of women wore dresses. There were a handful of people that showed up in jeans and t-shirts and they were seated without difficulty.

I was worried about being cold in a dress but the whole ship is at a nice temperature. I also brought a fancier coat for the boat and I'm glad I did. I got use out of it almost every day either at dinner and just wanting to be warmer and not having to wear my fleece.

Dinner was once again very good. I think this is the night that I had the cheese souffle which was my absolute favorite starter of the whole cruise. I wish I could have had it every night! For the life of me, I can't remember what I ordered for dinner. I think it was beef medallions. They were wonderful. I really should have taken pictures of every meal but I was so busy talking and enjoying the food that I forgot. For dessert, I know I got banana foster this night, it was okay. My DH and mom always ordered the chocolate desserts because they are chocolate fiends. They were always very impressed.

After dinner, we went to Crooner's to get some drinks and then went to the Princess Theater to watch the Whitney Houston tribute singer. We got there about 20 minutes early so we got seats but it was standing room only by the time it started. She was VERY good. She got the audience singing and clapping along. I was very impressed by how much she sounded like Whitney. This was definitely the best show of the week.

We decided that we would try the hot tubs tonight so we went back to the room to get changed and grabbed our robes. My silly husband made sure to stay warm on the way up (see picture below ;p). The hot tubs were almost hot. They were fine to sit in but I would have loved them to be a little warmer. Helpful hint: turn on the jets and hot water will come out. We did this on and off a couple times and got it warmer. We had one hot tub to ourselves the entire time. Another couple was in the hot tub on the other side of the deck. It was so amazing to sit out in the Pacific ocean in a hot tub just listening to the waves.

After the hot tub we went back to our room to relax. We are introverts so some of our favorite times of the week were just being able to look out onto our balcony while reading or watching movies on TV. We both enjoyed some of the movies they showed this week, including: Table 19, Eddie the Eagle, Secret Life of Pets, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and a few others. I know it sounds horrible to spend your cruise watching TV but after a full day of exploring the ship, it was so nice to curl up in the comfortable bed.