victw

Update on our Mid may 2017 cruise

Astoria – it rained like crazy. We walked the down to the pier with the small cannery museum and back. Nice to see waterfront property that’s still used for everyday businesses. We also stopped in a fantastic local game shop called Purple Cow Toys. Super helpful.

Ketchikan – we took the free shuttle to the Totem Center. The driver told us which direction to head for the Deer Mountain hike. We followed the signs –were slightly confused when a local pointed towards the trailhead. He also told us that it was likely to still be snowy above the 1 mile mark. Great introduction to the rainforest. We hiked up the mile which was 1000+ ft elevation gain. Fantastic views and lots of interesting elements. We did not go much further because the trail was getting wetter and wetter. And I had not anticipated how quick the elevation gain would be. We took a brief walk through the Totem center and took the shuttle back into town. Per the drivers recommendation we had lunch at the New York Cafe – they had some great veggie options. We went back to the ship about an hour early – just before heavy rains started.

In Juneau we stopped at Glacier Gardens – although it felt early for the gardens we received a personal tour and were thrilled to have Bald Eagles flying directly over our heads up at their viewing area. We headed to Mendenhall next. Per my other post - picnic lunches are not an option at Mendenhall. We did the trail to the falls and then two side trails - the time loop and creek trails. I wasn’t sure about timing for the larger loop. But one of the rangers had clued us in to some baby salmon in the creek. At the last bridge just when I was about to give up I spotted them. Rangers in the center are super helpful – ask your questions. We did not have time for the tram – although the skies had cleared on our way to Juneau and stayed clear for the remainder of the cruise. Unbelievable.

Hoonah turned out to be the big surprise. Another couple on the roll call was looking for additional people to join them for a Glacier Winds whale watching excursion. We signed up. Saw lots of eagles on the way out of the harbor. The captain found a pod that we followed for some time seeing multiple bubble net feedings. We saw a larger more active pod not too faraway and also followed them for a while. Based on reports back on the ship we had the best luck for wildlife activity.

At Sitka we caught the 10 shuttle right where the tenders come in. We went out to the Fortress of the Bears. We were thrilled that they had so many people to answer our many questions. We learned a lot about the bears. Take your time – and ask all your questions. We took the shuttle to the Raptor center but skipped it in favor of walking across the street and through the park and totem trail. We also walked back to the tender port.

At Prince Rupert we took the local bus out to Butze Regional Park. Did the loop and headed back. We had lunch and took a walk towards the railroad station. Get Canadian money before you get on the bus (just buy a coffee at one of the local shops and eat the exchange rate.) The locals were super helpful at making sure we got off at the right stop.

Thoughts – I was kind of overwhelmed by the touristy nature of many of the ports. But the hiking and walking we did got us away from these areas.

Hiking in multiple areas was interesting because it was all rainforest but at different latitudes. You could really see the difference – particularly with the skunk cabbage. The only place we saw wildflowers was Prince Rupert. I think we were too early for flowers.

In retrospect I would have tried to find more ranger led talks and/or found some guidebooks. We gained some knowledge along the way – but especially in the beginning at Ketchikan we did not know what we were seeing during our hike.

Super lucky – we had fantastic weather. And were delighted by all the friendly locals.

Thanks for all the contributors here - other's questions and answers helped me make decisions about what to do and where to do it.

FYI I averaged17738 steps a day on our cruise to Alaska. That includes port days when we did hikes. Deer Mountain in Ketchikan. Side trails around Mendenhall and walking back from our whale watching excursion in Hoonah and from the raptor center through the totem trail in Sitka.

We were in steerage (deck 3) which to the MDR meant low steps. But the stairs up to the Terrace/fitness track were good.

I used the fitness track enough that folks commented on seeing me up there - but rarely used it more than a mile at a time.

I did not gain weight on the cruise. But am finding it a little challenging to dial back the eating post cruise. Desserts twice a day plus yums at tea time became habit forming.

FYI - Just got back from the trip. There are no picnic benches at Mendenhall and lots of NO FOOD signs.

We took the bus to Glacier Gardens - saw some beautiful Eagles - but I think it was a little early for the gardens. We did get some good info that explained some of the things we saw on our hike in Ketchikan.

We took a cab from the Gardens to Mendenhall. And caught a shared cab back from Mendenhall.

The bus does not run frequently - but we got lucky and did not have to wait long for bus or cabs. A rental car might have been just a little more - but I couldn't really wrap my head around renting a car for just one day.

Thanks.

Vic

OP here.

Thanks everyone super interesting thread.

I won't worry about the freshness but will enjoy the hype at a few places. I saw pictures of a crab leg bloody mary in ISP that looked like fun.

One of our pair is a vegetarian - so a place like Tracy's just isn't a draw. We both love good food - so I'll keep my eyes open for fresh - and ask lots of questions. Probably enjoying most of my seafood on the ship - ship is supposed to server great food.

Thanks.

Vic

The main commercial King crab fishery (as in the TV shows) is in the winter.

 

Where are you sailing from/to? Your odds of getting good fish including shellfish are probably better in Seattle/Vancouver than elsewhere.

Sailing from San Francisco to Vancouver - we will be staying a few days in Vancouver.

I realize that most of the fish is frozen on the boat when it's caught. But I wondered what I'd be eating at places like Tracy's crab shack where the prices seem to match the reputation.

Vic

Hi all,

We are in port at Juneau between 11 and 8. We booked the gardens for 12:30 and the plan is after the gardens to go up to Mendenhall and do two hikes - Nugget Falls and East Glacier.

The shuttles do not look like a good option because they do not allow for a stop at the gardens and they stop running at 6. We'd like to enjoy our time at Mendenhall and don't want to feel rushed to get back. Because we aren't trying to do too much I thought a cab might do the trick (we are also considering the bus - but don't want to lose a lot of time waiting for the bus.

I don't think we will want to take an early lunch on the ship. But I also don't think we will want to go back to town from the gardens to get lunch. A couple of thoughts have occurred - we pick up some kind of picnic lunch to have after the gardens - but before or at Mendenhall. If so - where's a good place to pick up a lunch that will keep for a couple of hours? I've also looked for restaurants on the way from the Gardens to the glacier but nothing stands out - any recommendations? One of us is a vegetarian.

Do you think a car would be a better option than a cab?

We are also considering the Mt. Roberts tram for the early evening. But will do this based on weather and timing.

Thanks.

Vic

Cruising in a week.

I've seen all the recommendations for crab and seafood. But what's in season and when?

Lots of the recommended places are pricey. I'd love to focus on what's fished fresh and local. Would be a bummer to get some frozen.

Anyone have this information? I'm particularly curious about the famous crab.

Thanks.

Vic

Mura,

I looked at the deck plans a half dozen times and wasn't getting it until I posted on a thread that had a side view picture of the regatta. Found it right after posting this question. We are in steerage. Looks like I don't have to worry about gym time if I'm hoofing it up and down the stairs. Fantastic - I will enjoy my desserts.

Looking forward to this new experience.

Vic

I have two thoughts:

1) Will these be healthy options? Vegan and healthy aren't synonymous.

2) Will there be some soup options.

I just booked our first cruise ever with Oceania. Because we like quality food. Since we lean towards being healthy low fat vegetarians I hoped that Oceania would be a good fit food wise. I'm getting the vibe that I made a good choice.

Vic

Hi all,

For those of you that count steps - I'm wondering what your average step count on the Regatta or similar sized ship is?

I'm not normally a gym goer - but I will schedule time if needed to keep healthy during the cruise. Even though I hear the gym has a great view - I don't want to spend more time at it than needed.

We have never cruised before. Plan to use the stairs and not the elevator. And expect to spend a good amount of the few sea days walking the deck as we are cruising in Alaska.

Thanks.

Vic

Guarantees are now being offered on my May Alaska cruise. I could have sworn when I booked the F&G categories were wait listed. The G is now listed as Guaranteed.

This is my first cruise ever. Hard to tell if I'm getting a good deal or not.

It's the change from wait listed to Guaranteed that confuses me.

Vic

Hi all,

I’m all a jumble try to sort excursions out for our Alaska cruise. We are leaving Mid May. And we have never cruised before. I booked a cruise with 3 shore excusions (basic excursions only.)

We are active people and I’m interested in:

Whales – particularly the humpbacks – not sure about seeing whales in May– trying to decide if it’s worth the extra for a small boat whale excursion at ISP

Bears – I understand there might not be abundant sightings because it’s not time for the salmon runs

Rainforest – hiking

Kayaking

Native culture

Ports we stop in are:

Astoria

Ketchikan

Juneau

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)

Prince Rupert

Here are my thoughts on excursions:

Ketchikan –Eagle Island Sea Kayak

Junea – Mendenhall Lake Kayak

ISP – ISP Kayak Adventure

Sitka – we will likely hike and/or go to Raptor center and/or Fortress of the Bear – depending on what we’ve seen along the way – this is also the town that seems the most interesting to me

Prince Rupert – do on our own and/or nature walk and/or kayak

I was considering a splurge in Juneau for the canoe and trek to the ice caves. But I contacted the operator and they say it’s not always a go for the ice caves which would really be a bummer for me.

Second possible splurge would be whale watching at ISP on a small 6 person charter.

Would we see whales kayaking?

For the charter would we see whales – particularly humpbacks in May?

Ultimate splurge might be the Orca Cove/seaplane combo in Ketchikan. Seems to be rather weather dependent.

We normally hike more than we kayak – I’m leaning towards active shore excursions.

I know it’s all subjective – I’ve seen some solid feedback and insight on this site – your thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.

Vic