Worldtraveler 4727

Thanks so much for writing this review. I really enjoyed it. It sounds like the cruise tour was well organized and enjoyable. I may have to rethink doing one. I agree with you- you go to Alaska and it keeps calling you back.

 

 

 

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Thank you!

We normally rent a car in Juneau from Juneau Car Rental near the AJ Dock for about $70. We were being dropped at Auke Bay the end of May this year and picked up a rental at the airport for $18 from Alamo. At the same time Budget had a car for $16. We booked months in advance and checked the rate daily and it kept dropping. Takes a little effort but well worth it.

Great prices! Good for you! Our experience with Juneau Car Rental this past week was less than stellar:mad:

From my review of Juneau......The young girl on duty called up our reservation, and we handed over our credit card. She said, "That will be $94.30." That gave us a moment of pause. We had our reservation from last October printed out and right there on the counter. The total was supposed to be $67.85. She said she would check the emails on the computer to see if we had been notified of this increase. I was pretty certain she would not find an email sent to us since we had never received anything like that. She called up the first email sent to us, the one which the confirmation number and letter had been attached, and pointed out to us on the screen that it said on the bottom of the email: These are 2017 prices and 2018 prices may be different. Okay. We certainly understand how the cost of running a business often necessitates increases, but a 30% increase?? She apologized and said she could call her boss, but she said she already knows what his answer will be. He will not budge. She said she has been running into this numerous times now, and it is what it is. Having no Plan B, we paid the bill with the increase and as we walked to the one of cars, I couldn't help but to hear my dear departed father's voice in my head saying, "You've just been put on the elevator, my dear."

She lead us to an Oldsmobile Alero with 150,000 miles on it and with multiple dings and rust spots. We were not expecting a pristine new car. I knew from researching and reading that one of the reasons for their low prices is that they rent out old cars. However, at this cost their price point is close to the nationally recognized car rental companies. So bottom line advice here: The Juneau Car Rental Company is no longer the price friendly car rental company in the area. I would seriously instead consider the other major car rental companies in the area. Shop and compare. And if you do decide to go with the Juneau Car Rental Company, be advised that from the time you make your reservation and then pick up the car, the price could increase by 30% or more.

Hi all!

 

I'm way past-due for a cruise and, although I hugely favor the Caribbean, my mom (who I have NOT been able to talk into going on a cruise with me yet) would like to cruise Alaska. Tell me all about it!

A land & sea tour gives you the best of both worlds, if you can spare the time and money. We just returned:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193

does my husband and 20 year old son really need a sports jacket for formal nights or can they just wear a shirt and tie? Sports jackets take so much room in luggage.

Just off the Coral. Shirts and ties for your guys will be just fine. :)

For full review, please go to the address below on the Princess page.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193

Once again THANK YOU for great review and wonderful read.So glad your DH is ok.:D:D

Thanks so much! :)

Thanks for the detailed review. It will be of great benefit to a group of us taking a similar tour next year.

Great! Thanks! Have a great trip! :)

A few final thoughts:

#1: People often ask about which is best--the land tour before or after the cruise. We were very glad we took the land tour first. It was intense, and we were very glad to board the ship and have two seas days at the beginning to rest and regroup. Similarly, people often ask whether it is best to sail north to south or south to north. South to north has a "building up" effect in that you begin with the ports and end in Glacier Bay. We were very happy with the north to south cruise--again two sea days in the beginning and excursions later in the week in the ports. Also, our flights home (when you are anxious to get there after 15 days away) were much shorter going home from Vancouver. The flights were longer getting up to Fairbanks, and that was fine on the way up.

#2: I think that you got the idea from the review that the $79.99 "unlimited" Internet pkg wasn't worth the money. If I were to do it all over again, I would simply depend on my AT&T and free WiFi when available and let it go at that.

#3: We were certainly spoiled by having the mini suite on this cruise, and having a room so close to the bow of the ship was a real plus for overall outdoor viewing (not so much when getting to the MDR etc), but it was a plus to have the deck available and uncrowded. I was very glad we gave up our aft cabin. Viewing from the front of the ship was best.

#4: We were definitely glad to have had a cabin on the port side. For this particular north to south cruise, most of the land and glacier viewing is port side.

#5: I had taken notes on various sailaways as I was researching this trip and noting various comments. The sailaway from Skagway was supposed to be one of the best, and the sailaway from Juneau is supposed to also be great. I read they release salmon around Sheep Creek ,and there is great eagle and humpback whale sightings possible. Unfortunately, we were busy with other things at those particular times, but you might want to note them and give them a shot, if possible.

Finally--DH saw his dr the day after we returned. Fortunately, it wasn't shingles, but a skin infection introduced through some (mysterious) break in the skin. His dr said the ship's dr did exactly as he would have at the time. DH is all cleared up now and handsome as ever.

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading my review but hope even more that the information in it has or will help you make decisions and plans for visiting Alaska. It is an absolutely stunning state with so much to offer visitors. It is easy to see why there are people who say, "We're going on our 10th trip to Alaska..." It gets under your skin. Its beauty is unparalleled, and its people are some of the kindest you will ever meet. Lisa, our TWT driver remarked, "People come to Alaska and then never leave. It draws people who wish to live freely, and most have the live-and-let-live attitude and are very accepting and welcoming." So true. Happy Travels, everyone. Let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have. For now, over and out, and thanks for reading along.

~Kathy

Day #15 July 4, 2018 Vancouver, BC

We are self-disembarking today with our luggage and were instructed to meet on Deck 6 at 7:45AM. Thankfully, after a full day in bed, warding off chills here and there and taking his meds, DH was feeling pretty good. His face was still quite red and swollen. At 7:40 they announced we could disembark. However, we were told we all needed to to up to Deck 7 to disembark.

Wait. What??

On the way to the theater, we just passed a gangplank that was manned by staff, why in the world are you sending ALL these people with ALL these pieces of luggage on elevators and up one floor??

Of course, the nearest elevators were a madhouse scene. DH and I walked down the hall a bit further to another bank of elevators, got on one, and went up to Deck 7 to disembark. It was a ridiculous way for Princess to have "organized" self-disembark for people with tons of luggage in tow.

The walk was really quite a long one off the ship and into the building towards customs. Along the way there were many workers all holding customs forms and making sure that you had yours and that it was filled out. We had filled out our form the evening before ad had it in hand. Going through customs was simply a matter of handing an agent the form and moving on. Next up immigration and security. We were happy to see the Global Entry machines. We placed our passport on the machine, placed our fingers on the pad for fingerprints, and a photo was taken and it was spit out of the machine. All we needed to do was hand it to an agent. However, the agent took the paper receipts and our passports and went through the same routine he goes through with everyone else. What has been your business in Canada? How long have you been in Canada? Etc. Apparently Global Entry makes no difference here. Oh well.

On to security. I guess there is also no TSA pre-check here either. We were required to remove our shoes, belts, necklace, and empty pockets.

Once through security, and still inside the building, there were signs for various ways and means out. We were looking for a taxi, and there were many helpful workers directing people. We saw Area A to our left--the exit for taxis--and headed that way. I had read that if you are one of the first off, there will be plenty of taxis, but they do run out. We grabbed a taxi, and it was about 25 minutes to the airport. Cost was $31 Canadian. Taxis in Vancouver take credit cards, and that was easiest. They also take US dollars, but any change will always be in Canadian. (This was much cheaper and faster than the Princess transfer, and it was easy to do.)

We walked up to the Delta counter, received our tickets and left our luggage. Vancouver airport is much smaller than I expected. There are not a ton of places to eat, no water filling stations, few to no electronic boards for arrivals and departures and no free WiFi we could detect. We were the farthest gate in the airport and walked to the gate to await our first flight.

Two flights home with no hiccups. Our last flight was after dark and since it was the 4th of July, there were a lot of fireworks we could see out the plane windows. It seemed fitting that this wonderful trip ended with fireworks.

Day #14 July 3, 2018 Sea Day

DH woke this morning looking awful. Very red and swollen. Sick Bay opened at 9, and we decided to he needed to be seen. We arrived shortly after they opened. The nurse at the desk asked if we wanted something over the counter or if we wanted to see the doctor. We opted to see the doctor. The doctor was a young man who asked various questions, examined DH and then took his best educated guess: a mild case of shingles (even though we've both had shingles shots, you can apparently still get them). He prescribed an anti-viral pill and an anti-bacterial pill hoping to catch whatever was happening here. We returned to our cabin, and DH climbed into bed and stayed there. We had nothing planned for the day anyway, so it was no biggie. I was grateful for all the room in the mini suite, and I sat in a chair at the window, read, watched a bit of TV and looked out on the of last Alaska and British Columbia passing by, keeping my fingers crossed DH would feel better in the morning and be able to travel home comfortably. I did regret not being able to have a final dinner with friends and enjoying the Baked Alaska in the MDR, but those were small things, to be sure.

It has been a great vacation with wonderful weather, spectacular scenery and adventures, and making new friends, but it certainly feels like it is time to head home.

For those of you who might be curious (I would be having never been to Sick Bay before):

Dr. consultation: $95

Two meds: $150

All billed to our ship account.

Day #13 July 2, 2018 Ketchikan, Alaska

DH was feeling okay this morning and we had a little later start today arriving in Ketchikan at 10 AM. We were ship number FOUR to arrive. Three were docked, and the Regent Mariner was moored on the bay and was tendering their people in. We were amazed that this small city could absorb the thousands and thousands of people fairly well.

It is a beautiful day! For a city that receives 141 inches of rain per year, we had brought some rain gear for this port in particular. But we lucked out again, and the weather forecast is 0% chance of rain. Temps in the high 60's. We walked out to the forward deck and watched the ship come into port. DH decided it was warm enough for shorts today, and I will wear capris.

At this port I would have loved to have taken the Misty Fjords flight, but DH is not a fan of heights. They sure get great reviews, and it's a perfect day for it.

The Patter states there is a free shuttle that runs from the ship into town every 15 - 20 minutes. We never saw it. Ketchikan is right on the dock, and it was all close enough for DH and I to walk to what we wanted to see. We began at the Tongass stores on the far end of the dock. There are a couple Tongass stores, and they had great prices on t-shirts and souvenirs. From the far end at the Tongass stores, you walk into town and shortly see the Creek Street sign. This is a walk along the river--the one where most people take their photos. There are restaurants, the Lumberjack show, souvenir shops, and LOTS of jewelry stores. (This is a THING in Alaska, to be sure. Every town has MANY of them. Most are owned by the cruise companies. I don't get it, but apparently there has to be a lot of people who buy jewelry onboard and in the 3 ports.) We enjoyed ourselves just walking around on this beautiful day, found a few treasures to bring home, and headed back to the ship early afternoon, having lunch onboard and were in our cabin before the 5:15PM all aboard.

We met our friends for cocktails and had dinner in the MDR. Dinner this evening included Beef Wellington and lobster. It was all very good.

DH's situation with redness and some swelling on the left side of his face was slowly becoming more prominent. We thought perhaps Benadryl might help. Wouldn't you know it--in my big box of meds I carry, I had no Benadryl. After sailing, we went to the ship's store. No luck. We had no idea what this could be. We made it an early evening.

The Alaska Connoisseur tours include most meals. It is not an option. That is one reason the Connoisseur tours cost so much more than the non-Connoisseur tours. However with the cost of restaurant meals being high in Alaska, it was nice to look at a menu and pick food I wanted, not just food I could afford.

 

When we had six-days on an Alaska Connoisseur tour, there were about three meals not included.

For us-- out of 8 days there were 6 lunch vouchers not included.

1. Day of Tundra Wilderness Tour (received box lunch)

2. Travel day between Denali and McKinley (When we got to McKinley, we sat on the deck to watch the mountain and had a beer and a snack. Full lunches were available)

3. Travel day between McKinley and Kenai (Stopped in Anchorage with lunch on our own)

4/5. The two full days at Kenai (people were on excursions) One of these days we were on the Kenai Fjord tour, and I neglected to talk about the lunch that was provided: It was okay but not very memorable. It was a box lunch that included a turkey wrap, chips and a granola bar. A bottle of water was supposed to be passed out as well, but we didn't see anyone get one. (We had brought water with us.) Later on the way back, they passed out a chocolate chip cookie. Many people took advantage of the food and drink available on the boat. $3 for a cup of coffee for example. They had a special with all-you-care-to drink coffee and specialty mug for $9.)

Note: There were some really cute shops near the Kenai Boat Tour place in Seward that several people wanted to go to, but there was very little time to shop--even in the Boat Tour gift shop. It was a tight schedule getting on the boat and then getting back on the bus to go back to the lodge. Now that I think about it, maybe those people we had to go back for had been shopping somewhere. :confused:

6. Travel day to the ship (lunch available onboard in Horizon Court and MDR)

The two included lunches were:

1. Day 1 in Fairbanks at Riverboat Tour

2. Day 1 in Denali. Got there about 12:15 from Fairbanks after the glass domed train, and we used the voucher at Lynx Pizza

Worldtraveler 4727,

 

What a wonderful review! I have read every post this evening and am looking forward to the rest of your posts. Thank you very much for taking the time and such care with your review. It will be a great reference as we prepare for our Connoisseur tour in May 2019! I will be printing it, getting out my trusty highlighter and referring to it often over the coming months

and, adding a link to it on our roll call

!

Thanks so much! I'm thrilled the review will help you and your group! :)

We were at so many of the places you discribe. As I read your review, I feel like I am with you. With all your research, you should be a vacation planner. You are doing an excellent job of giving us great tips for our future trips.

Thank you! So glad you are reading along! :)

Wow!! Your review is amazing with great information! We are doing a 4 night cruisetour in August.

Thank you!

You will have a great time in August! :)

We considered walking through some of the shops in downtown Juneau on our way back to the ship. Although there is limited to no parking in downtown Juneau, there is free parking underneath the library, which is easy to find and right in the downtown area. However, after lunch since we both knew we would not be buying any souvenirs, and certainly not be stopping in any of the multiple jewelry stores, we decided to head back, turn in the car, head to our cabin, and rest a bit this afternoon. DH was feeling unusually tired this afternoon, and that was my foreshadowing of things to come....

We drove up to Dock B hoping there would be a cab there and we could ask them to follow us up the hill and bring us back down to the ship after returning the car. There were no cabs there, but there was a small church tour van, and the driver kindly agreed to do that for us. We gave the driver a tip, grateful smiles, and boarded the ship.

Tonight is the second formal night, and we have invitations to go to the Captain's Circle cocktail party at 6:45 in the Universal Lounge. I had tried to make dinner reservations as we had the last couple evenings, but there were no available reservations. The only times they ever gave for reservations was 5:15 and 7:30. Having a reservation seemed to be the easiest way to go, but tonight we would have to play it by ear and by beeper.

After resting this afternoon, DH took a hot shower and got dressed, and we made it to cocktails, but he only ordered a Sprite. By the time he finished that and I had finished my first cocktail, he was having chills again. We needed to go back to the cabin, and our friends carried on without us this evening.

Leaving Mendenhall Glacier we headed out of town again on the Glacier Highway toward the Shrine of St Therese, the Arboretum, and Eagle Beach. As we drove, we saw too many bald eagles to count! Many were just sitting on top of the light posts lining the highway. Each of the above places looked like they had multiple and lovely hiking trails. Perhaps one day we will be able to return and explore a few of those.

When I asked the young woman at the car rental if she could give us some recommendations for lunch, she said The Twisted Fish nearby was very good but very pricey. She said if we wanted to eat where the locals eat and get a really good halibut fish fry, there is a bar called The Sandbar at 2525 Industrial Blvd. She marked the approximate spot on our map, but since my AT&T was working when we were close to town, we followed the GPS to the Sandbar. We pulled in for lunch about 11:30. The woman behind the bar greeted us, and we said we were there to try the halibut fish fry. She said, "Wonderful! Ours is great!" In talking to her for a few minutes, she shared that her husband is a commercial fisherman and halibut is currently in season, so they serve their own freshly caught halibut. We ordered the 5 oz portion of batter fried halibut and fries with tartar sauce. They also offer an 8 oz portion, but the 5 oz portion was more than enough and a great price at $17.50. It was DELICIOUS! It was everything we had hoped it would be. We'd had halibut several times at the various lodges and onboard the ship, but we still had wanted to try it as a traditional fish fry. The restaurant is well worth your time finding when you are in Juneau. It is very close to Mendenhall.

Day #12 Juneau, Alaska

The Coral arrived in Juneau this morning at 6:30 AM and pulled into Dock B. DH and I had made a reservation with the Juneau Car Rental Company last October (2017), knowing that they have a limited amount of cars available, and also knowing they are cheaper than the big-name companies. Their charge was $59 plus city sales tax and vehicle rental tax bringing the total to $67.85 for the day for a midsize car.

We felt this would be our best option for the day since the bus/shuttle is up to $45 per person, and we wanted to go to several places in Juneau.

We knew it was likely going to be too far for us to walk to the car rental hut with our mobility issues this trip because it is a mile uphill from Dock B to it. We disembarked just before 8AM and tried to find a cab at the dock. There was one black and yellow cab where the tour vans loaded, and we walked over to him to ask him if he could give us a ride up to the car rental place. He said he was waiting for a tour, but since they had not come out yet and since the car rental place was about three minutes away, he said he'd be happy to help us out. Once again, the kindness and friendliness of Alaskans! He dropped us off, we tipped him, and went into the little hut. The young girl on duty called up our reservation and we handed over our credit card. She said, "That will be $94.30." That gave us a moment of pause. We had our reservation from last October printed out and right there on the counter. The total was supposed to be $67.85. She said she would check the emails on the computer to see if we had been notified of this increase. I was pretty certain she would not find an email sent to us since we had never received anything like that. She called up the first email sent to us, the one which the confirmation number and letter had been attached, and pointed out to us on the screen that it said on the bottom of the email: These are 2017 prices and 2018 prices may be different. Okay. We certainly understand how the cost of running a business often necessitates increases, but a 30% increase?? She apologized and said she could call her boss, but she said she already knows what his answer will be. He will not budge. She said she has been running into this numerous times now, and it is what it is. Having no Plan B, we paid the bill with the increase and as we walked to the one of cars, I couldn't help but to hear my dear departed father's voice in my head saying, "You've just been put on the elevator, my dear."

She lead us to an Oldsmobile Alero with 150,000 miles on it and with multiple dings and rust spots. We were not expecting a pristine new car. I knew from researching and reading that one of the reasons for their low prices is that they rent out old cars. However, at this cost their price point is close to the nationally recognized car rental companies. So bottom line advice here: The Juneau Car Rental Company is no longer the price friendly car rental company in the area. I would seriously instead consider the other major car rental companies in the area. Shop and compare. And if you do decide to go with the Juneau Car Rental Company, be advised that from the time you make your reservation and then pick up the car, the price could increase by 30% or more.

Armed with maps, we made our way to the Mendenhall Glacier. The first turn around the corner to the glacier is breathtaking! This glacier is massive. We have seen many glaciers now as we have traveled the Kenai peninsula and through Glacier Bay. Mendenhall is jaw-dropping as is Nugget Falls next to it. Perhaps the glacier looks so big because we can see so much of the top of it and not just its face. This morning it was a bit rainy with some low clouds, but it stopped raining by the time we reached the glacier. I had read there was a $5 parking fee, but although parking was very limited, there was no fee to pay. We were also armed with our National Park passes, but there was no where and no one around to show them to, nor was there anywhere we could see where someone would be stopped and asked to buy a pass. We were there about 9AM, and although there were several buses parked in the bus lot, it was all pretty deserted. We took our photographs and walked to the Visitor's Center. There is an elevator up and down into the Visitor's Center, so there is no need to walk up the multiple, daunting-looking stairs. We were not able to walk down to the glacier or the falls, unfortunately, but we spent a bit of time in the Visitor's Center. Most noteworthy was a time lapse film from 2007 to present documenting the glacier melting. Incredible.

Incredible review!

Thanks for taking the time to post this! :)

Thanks, Keith! :)

I was there during the same days and wished that I had brought my thick down jacket. Maybe not for Ketchikan, but certainly up to Skagway.

Hence, again--this question is nearly impossible to answer. Way too subjective. What is cold or warm to one is not to another.

We saw another black bear along the side of the road. Jamison remarked that it was quite unusual to see that many black bears. He said the dandelions are out now, but in another week or so, they will have bloomed out, and the bears will not be close to the road anymore.

We wound up back in Skagway about 3:30PM. Jamison gave everyone the option of being dropped off in town or being taken back to the ship. Almost everyone chose to be dropped off in town. DH and I made our way to the Skagway Brewery to try a pint of their famous Spruce Tip beer. We were finally able to connect to some WiFi there and checked our emails and texts while we had our beer. Back on the ship and docked in Skagway harbor, we were unable to use either the Coral's WiFi or AT&T.

There are blue signs all over the streets where a shuttle will take you along the downtown area and back to the ship for $2 pp. Once at the dock, there was another small shuttle we caught that took us to the Princess gangplank.

Dinner in the MDR was very good again this evening. It was Italian night, and the trout, scallops, penne pasta and chicken scaloppini were all great.

Another wonderful day in Alaska.

We eventually arrived at Caribou Crossing where we had lunch.

Lunch --as is the railway pass--included in the cost for the day. We were each given a wristband and went into lunch. Lunch consisted of a quarter dark meat chicken, half of a baked potato, coleslaw, rolls and butter, and a doughnut. It was all pretty good. We were then at liberty to walk around the property to look at the many gift shops and museums, visit with the goats, alpacas, puppies and horses. They were running a dog sled ride, and we went over to watch. One of the young men running the dog sled ride explained to a person nearby that they have 130 dogs there for the summer. Mushers bring their dogs to summer there where they are cared for and exercised. Then the mushers pick their dogs up again in the fall. Several people in our group decided to take a dog sled ride. Twelve dogs were hitched up to a vehicle, and they took about a mile ride. The cost was $45 pp Canadian.

We went as far as Emerald Lake and then turned around and came back. The reason Emerald Lake is so green is because it is a very shallow lake and all the lime deposits on its bottom show up in the color of emerald green.

We stopped to take pictures at the Yukon sign and at the Carcross Desert

It was another absolutely glorious day with mostly sunshine and temps climbing to the low 70's but the afternoon.

We got extremely lucky. As we were traveling north, there was a mother back bear and two cubs right alongside the road. She was calmly eating dandelions, and the cubs were playing next to her. Suddenly, both the cubs ran up and tree. The mother continued to eat dandelions, the cubs finally came down, and they all sauntered off into the brush.