Alaska0799

Friends cruising on Serenade of the Seas to Alaska next week. Do the RC ships provide info channels regarding each cruise, i.e., current location, weather conditions, etc.?

2 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

The are 3 Info channels:

1. Bridge Cam

2. Weather + Forecast for the next days

3. Ships position & track on a zoomable map

No more sea conditions to be found.

 

That’s great news. We’ve always found the location coordinates helpful for knowing when we’re approaching potentially good areas for seeing whales in Alaska!🐋

Is Princess still showing current ship location, weather/sea conditions, etc., on one of the TV channels?

Would appreciate any observations on the onboard naturalist this season. Thank you!

1 hour ago, westcoaster said:

For some reason, Royal Princess has been stopping in Victoria for most of her southbound trips this season.  She was here on May 27, June 10,  and June 24. However, based on the port schedule for Victoria, it looks like tomorrow (July 22) is the Royal's last call in Victoria until the repositioning cruise later in September.

Great information, thank you! We have family on the July 23 departure of the 14-day itinerary, which doesn’t show Victoria. Now I understand there is no contradiction to be resolved!

Correction— position is west of Prince Rupert Island, not Vancouver.

Bridge cam description indicates the Royal is bound for Victoria (should have docked in Ketchikan within the last hour). CruiseMapper site shows current position cruising south along the west side of Vancouver Island. Has anyone heard any related reports today?

15 hours ago, Glaciers said:

Rob Raincock is the naturalist on Royal this season. He is very good. We went to his first presentation on the Royal in May. Afterwards he met anyone interested in the possibility of seeing the northern lights and writing down their cabin numbers. He would call them in the middle of the night if the lights showed. Certainly much more of a benefit during the shoulder season and darker skies. In addition to several presentations he has informal Q&A sessions by the excursions desk daily. He is active on Instagram, “the_ship_naturalist”.

That’s great to hear! An involved naturalist can greatly enhance the cruise experience. Thank you for the helpful information!

Wondering who the Naturalist onboard the Royal is this Alaska season, as well as any other speakers who are giving presentations on wildlife, glaciers, etc.

23 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Princess stopped doing logs.  Pre-Covid, you had to request one.  Post Covid, I did not receive any during my 4 voyages. 

 

Some of Princess' attempt at saving the environment is not for the better.

 

1.  No more stationary for suites

2.  No more comment cards

3.  No more cruise logs

Thank you for the update. Always found the Logs helpful on our next Alaska cruise and have kept them every year. Will miss them! 2019 was our last. 

It seems I recall reading a few years ago that one or more of the larger ships (Princess line) could not traverse the Canada Inside Passage to get back to Vancouver so they had to cruise down the west side of Vancouver Island.  Researching for family who are cruising on the Royal Princess late this month.  Thank you to anyone who has current knowledge to share!

In our experience with numerous captains since our first AK cruise in 1999 (19 whale watching trips out of Juneau), Captain Steve (Olmstead), owner of Alaska Humpback Adventures, has consistently ranked #1 in every way.  He started many years ago with the original Harv & Marv (actually part of the Beedle family) then launched his own whale watching operation a number of years ago.  Jayleen (another excellent captain) is his niece.

Captain Steve's knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm for the marine mammals and other wildlife in the waters around Juneau have made each of our trips with him unforgettable.  More than once, he's located humpbacks bubble-net feeding in the area before any other boats have found them.  Since his boat has a hydrophone, we've been able to hear the whales signaling seconds before they surfaced, which often enabled us to capture the bubble-netting behavior on camera!

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a small-boat (6 passengers) whale watching experience.  Round-trip transportation to the Marina is included in the fare.  Browse the website at  www.alaskahumpbackadventures.com or call 907.419.5881.

If anyone has the Logs for this season's NB and SB Voyage of the Glacier itineraries, we'd love to have a copy!  Advising aunt and uncle of things to watch for (with approximate times) along their 14-day route (July 23 departure of the Royal).  We know everything is subject to change but the Logs are a good place to start!

Thanks and Happy Cruising!

Thank you!

If anyone has the Logs for this season's NB and SB Voyage of the Glacier itineraries, we'd love to have a copy!  Advising aunt and uncle of things to watch for (with approximate times) along their 14-day route (July 23 departure of the Royal).  We know everything is subject to change but the Logs are a good place to start!

Many thanks and Happy Cruising!

Of the options in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, is Saxman Village in Ketchikan the best place for viewing totem poles? Thanks for any suggestions!

If you are interested in viewing wildlife, you'll want to be out on deck at least a half hour before entering Glacier Bay and remain on deck for at least an hour or two.  You may see whales (more than one type), sea lions, sea otters, puffins and other birds.  As you get further into the Bay, where the passage narrows and the land is closer, you could see mountain goats on the hillsides, brown bears walking along the shore or browsing the hillsides for blueberries, or even an occasional moose walking along the shoreline.

In our 14 Alaska cruises, Glacier Bay has never disappointed us!  In our opinion, the breathtaking glaciers are just a few of the many treasures it holds.  The more you know about Glacier Bay National Park, the more you will enjoy the few hours you'll be spending there. I'd suggest visiting the National Park Service link as a starter...https://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm

The waters of Icy Strait, through which you'll be cruising outside Glacier Bay, are also known for the wildlife that inhabit them.  Humpback whales are often seen near Point Adolphus, across Icy Strait from the mouth of Glacier Bay, to the southeast. If you're interested in seeing wildlife from the ship, be sure to have binoculars with you at all times because the wildlife is usually quite a distance away!

Hope you have a fantastic and memorable cruise!

56 minutes ago, Bluestar01 said:

thanks for this detailed description.

I've booked through Capt Steve as well for upcoming voyage. As someone mentioned before he appears very knowledgeable and  compassionate through his correspondence, so looking forward to meet him. My school aged daughters are extremely excited about this excursion. 

Nice to hear!  Captain Steve is great with kids--he and his wife still have two school age daughters at home.  Know your trip will be an educational and memorable one for the whole family!

Just back from the 14-day Voyage of the Glaciers on the Island Princess.  Went out with Captain Steve (Harv & Marv's #1 captain for years but has started his own Alaska Humpback Adventures--see previous posts and TripAdvisor for reviews) on the northbound and southbound Juneau port days.  We thought our first trip was great, as we watched a humpback cow and calf feeding together as well as another 4 or 5 humpbacks.  But the next week Captain Steve followed a hunch and found a large group of bubblenet feeding humpbacks that hadn't been seen in the waters of Auke Bay (Juneau) yet this summer.  We watched them net about every 5 minutes for as long as the regulations allow and got amazing video footage and stills.  Captain Steve's boat has a hydrophone, which enabled us to hear the whales signaling so we knew when they are about to surface!  Steve seems to have a sixth sense about finding the whales, as he's proven many times over the years.  Of course, all the captains radio each other when they find the whales (his first call was to Jaylee, who happens to be his niece!) because they want everyone to have a great experience, so within a short time many boats were gathered to enjoy the most uncommon spectacle of bubblenet feeding. It was an amazing whale watching experience that was one of the major highlights of our cruise!  

If you'd prefer to let someone else do the driving so you can just enjoy the experience, we'd highly recommend contacting Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours.  They use minivans so they can accommodate a small group.  Dave and Kat are great.  I believe you can engage them for a specific number of hours and they'll be happy to help you create a tour that includes anything you'd like to see.  We happened to see a black bear sow and her two cubs at Herring Cove when we were there one July.  And we saw scores of bald eagles in the same area.  Dave also dropped us off at one end of an easy trail (can't remember now just where it was!) and picked us up at the other end.  I recommend contacting Dave directly at 907.254.7286 and telling him what you have in mind.  He is very easy to work with and knowledgeable about the area.  They stay very busy so you may want to touch base soon!

On 7/16/2019 at 9:07 PM, kochleffel said:

 

Is it safe to walk from the train depot to this hotel when the train from Seward arrives at 10:15 p.m.?

Hello!  The Comfort Inn Ship Creek provides courtesy transportation to/from the airport and the train depot.  Even though the depot is very close to the hotel, it would be much more convenient to use the shuttle!

Harv and Marv and Jayleen are very good. But over our 12 cruises and numerous whale watch operators, Captain Steve of Alaska Humpback Adventures is unparalleled for small boat whale watching!  Check out reviews on TripAdvisor.  Connect with him at 907.209.7005.

6 hours ago, chuckles60 said:

what is your must do excursion or way to explore Juneau

The first excursion we book the minute we confirm our Alaska cruise dates each year is whale watching. After going out with numerous captains during our dozen Alaska cruises, we can say that Captain Steve of Alaska Humpback Adventures is unparalleled in the waters around Juneau. Cannot recommend them enough for an intimate whale watching experience (6-passenger boat).  A longtime Juneau resident, Captain Steve was the #1 captain for Harv & Marv's whale watching operation for years (which is where we "discovered" him) before he started his own company. The waters around Juneau are teeming with life so even if you don't luck out with a sighting of bubble-net feeding humpbacks, Captain Steve will make sure you've had a wildlife adventure by the time you return to the dock!  We usually see humpbacks, orcas, Stellar sea lions, bald eagles, various water fowl, and often Dall's porpoises. This year, there are at least two humpback calves in the area so there should be plenty of breaching and frolicking to be observed!  With the wildlife and the gorgeous scenery (including glaciers), this excursion is always memorable.

Check out the fantastic reviews on TripAdvisor (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31020-d14070218-Reviews-Alaska_Humpback_Adventures-Juneau_Alaska.html\).  The four-hour excursion still leaves time to check out Mendenhall Glacier, Mt. Roberts Tram or any number of other Juneau attractions. They can be reached at 907.209.7005 and www.alaskahumpbackadventures.com. 

3 hours ago, geoherb said:

Having few Elites on board has been great in terms of laundry service. I have sent out a few items every other day. My cabin steward delivers the items he picks up in the morning the next evening. If I had known how efficient it was going to be, I could have packed even fewer clothes. 

 

It’s a beautiful day for Glacier Bay. The sun rose at 3:59 a.m. Even with my curtains closed, I’m still waking up early. Today it was 4:30. Once I do, it’s hard to go back to sleep. My body is sticking closer to Eastern Time than it has on my previous cruises to Alaska. I napped yesterday morning before trivia and may have taken a little nap during last night’s show by comedian Steve Bruner. He did a good show, but I was tired after walking about 10 miles in Skagway and around the ship. Once the show was over, I walked out on the Promenade Deck. It was nice to see so many other passengers out on it to watch the gorgeous scenery as we sailed away from Skagway. Sunset was 10:23 p.m. It’s at 10:21 p.m. tonight, so the days are already getting shorter.

 

The ship is scheduled to view two glaciers today: Margerie and Lamplugh. When we sailed on the Sapphire Princess on our southbound cruise in 2012, we saw just Margerie Glacier up close. The captain announced that it was calving so actively that he decided to give us longer there. 

 

I attended the evening cocktail event again last night for the first time in a couple of nights. There were very few people there—no more than five at any one time while I was there. They are having the Captain’s Circle party tonight, so they won’t have the cocktail event. I had the Mayan mule the first night I attended the event and a deep blue sea martini on the rocks last night. Both are enjoyable drinks.

So enjoying your detailed posts!  Hope you're having a fabulous day in Glacier Bay.  Love watching for marine mammals around the mouth of the Bay--the waters always seem to be teeming with life!

Quick question re: laundry.  A few cruises ago the ship's laundry service shrunk a couple of our shirts (polo-type) so we've been hesitant to use them again.  We'd take fewer clothes if we could rely on the laundry service to not shrink any items.  Are there special instructions you can suggest that may help prevent that problem?

We're boarding the Island soon and are wondering if anyone who has recently cruised on her has had a power strip confiscated. We've read conflicting posts so would greatly appreciate some reliable information.  Many thanks!