Very Short Report on the Rhapsody to Alaska

I am not a very lengthy cruise review person; and it will be even more so now that I have lost my notes; when I return, usually the next day, I jot down in writing all I can remember so it will be fresh and I can post; nope, I have lost the notes; so, this is coming from memory (which is not very good) but the main reason I post is to shout a thank you to everyone who answers my many questions and takes the time to post their reviews and gives us cruisers who have to prepare and question and think a million times before a cruise; so THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

Our group of 5 (two 40 somethings; two 21; and one 16) all headed to Aslaska out of Seattle on the Rhasody June 1st; went in a day early and did the Seattle tourist thing; loved Pike Place Market; took a first time visit to the Space Needle; Marriott Springhill downtown was nice and clean in of itself but the location left a lot to be desired; many people heading out for a cruise stayed in this hotel as we chatted with them, they were going on Holland America, RC and Princess; I highly recommend Seattle Shuttles if you desire someone ready and waiting for you as we do; they shuttled us from Airport to Hotel; Hotel to Port; and Port to Airport; very professional and reasonable

We boarded around 11:30, check in was a breeze; so easy in fact we looked at each other and were like, is that it? We have had some difficulty in the past and this was easy squeezy; we were told our cabin would be ready at 1:00, so the boys headed off to explore the ship and report back; DH and I were the guards of all the carry-on's but we looked around a bit; cabin was promptly ready at 1:00 and we were greeted by our steward Cherry who was absolutely awesome all week; as usual, any requests were prompt and remembered during the week; the boys were further down the hall and I met their steward Pedro later on; Pedro had a very big job ahead of him and I warned him to let me know if it got to be too much; I will not go into detail but three boys can live in utter chaos for a week and still manage to get ready every day; amazing; DH and I had a balcony cabin, no IPad as I thought there would be, but a nice flat screen TV; and everything was very clean, we loved the balcony, as usual, which is where we pretty much live when we aren't doing anything else; all in all very clean, very nice, small ship

Day 2 was at sea; and Day 3 was a Juneau; we had planned a "Triple Combo" day with Alaska Travel Adventures through the web site Ship to Shore, through the recommendation of a friend of a friend; not thrilled with everything, but it is what you make of it and it turned out okay; Triple Combo consisted of what we were told (1) whale watching; (2) salmon bake; and (3) Mendenhall Glacier; We caught the bus to the area where we were to meet at 11:30, as we thought we were short on time; and being that was Alaska we thought, okay, layers and heavy coats, it turned out fairly warm and very sunny that day; we were loaded onto the bus; with no air, no windows; and we waited and waited and waited for 2 people; layers and heavy coats quickly came off and I luckily had a tote bag to store lots of stuff; but I cannot complain; it was gorgeous weather; but, then we were told we were headed to the Salmon Bake - what? Everyone on the bus were from different ships and were all told the whale watching was first as we were; everyone had already eaten a late breakfast or early lunch; no one was hungry; many people were grumbling and some didn't eat a thing; we tried a few things but just were not hungry; that was disappointing; the whale watching was next; and we were loaded onto our boat, but then waited and waited and waited, as a group before us did not get picked up by their bus; we were given an extra 15 min for our tour and it turned out fine; the whale watching was the highlight of the day; amazing, breathtaking, awesome; our naturalist on board was excited, full of knowledge and enthusiasm; awesome, awesome, awesome; on to Mendhall Glacier; another small strike as we were told we had to be back in exactly one hour; that left us barely enough time to take our hike to the falls and glacier and hike it back; we felt very rushed and hurried; but the area was beautiful; back to Juneau, where we shopped a bit and walked back to the ship

Day 4 was Skagway; our absolutest bestest of the best day; we are still talking about it; we had booked a 7-hour tour with Becky at Beyond Skagway tours; she is absolutely delightful; I never felt so at ease and enjoyed a tour so much; she assured us the time was ours, to let her know when to stop; what we wanted to see; she was so patient with all our picture taking; we saw mountain goats, the state bird, went on a hike off the beaten path to a gorgeous waterfall (Becky's treat); went into the Yukon where she treated us again to the Suspension Bridge; many, many pictures were taken there, and we fell in love with the "shop dog" Jax; on to Carcross and a nice walk around, more pictures of course; on to lunch nearby with delicious sandwiches and ice cream; and on to Emerald Lake; we were never hurried and always had Becky telling us all about the area, what we were seeing, and it wasn't a manufactured tour speech; she loves the area and Alaska and Skagway and it shows; we met as a stranger and I feel we left as a friend; after the 7 hour drive she dropped us off to a nearby hiking area and said our goody-bye's; we hiked for a long time as we had a long port day here; and stopped off at the Skagway Brewery to partake of a local brew and rest; then shopping and a walk back to the ship; there are not enough adjectives to describe this day; we all highly, highly, highly recommend Becky and will hopefully see her again one day on another cruise

Day 5 was the Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier day; we were told the week before the weather was not good and too many icebergs and they had to go to another area; the weather was good this time and we spent a good morning here and took a ton of pictures and enjoyed the 5 of us crammed on our balcony and spending this time together at this incredible glacier; amazing and awesome (some of my favorite adjectives this cruise, sorry)

Day 6 was at sea, booked another cruise on board for March, and Day 7 was in Victoria, Canada; through CC and Trip Advisor I planned this day to do all on our own; we thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing day; we walked from the port to town; bought tickets in front of the Empress to shuttle to the Butchart Gardens; spent a couple of hours at the Gardens; came back; walked around and went to a local pub for lunch and brews; and walked back down Government Street to window shop and then walked back to the ship by Inner Harbor; we got back right at 5:30, last call! Walking takes a lot of time but you get to see so much and take LOTS of pictures

Everything went smoothly at Customs and checking out; Seattle Shuttle was called and they were there for us in about 5 minutes

We have now seen the light and understand why people take multiple cruises to Alaska; you get a small taste and realize you have to have more; it was all in all an amazing trip with the most incredible scenery; thank you again everyone; if anyone has any questions let me know!

Very good report with the things families need to know! This will certainly help other folks.

Glad you had a great time.

Great report. We begin our first cruise in a couple of weeks. We are getting excited. Thank you for sharing.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Enjoyed your report.

Keith

Thanks for the report!

Thanks very much for the report, I appreciate it.

We are going on the Rhapsody in a couple of weeks. Do you remember the overall range of temperatures while in port----60s, 70s? I know weather changes, just wonder what you experienced.

Thanks for the review! Planning our trip on Rhapsody for next summer. How was the ship itself? Dining room? Did you eat at any specialty restaurants?

Hi there Italy52 and MomtoCCC: We had some unusually warm weather when we went to Alaska early June, the high's were in the mid to upper 50's and one day in the low 60's, layers are definitely recommended; the ship was small, but still with plenty to do; we never ate in the specialty restaurants, the food in the Windjammer and main dining room is always delicious in our opinion; we went to a few shows but our main time was spent on our balcony; so much to see and ogle at; definitely worth the expense

I was on rhapsody to Alaska out of Seattle on May 31st and the weather was absolutely perfect for us that week. Low to mid 60's all week!

The ship, the crew and especially the Captain were terrific!!

Have a great cruise!

Hi there Italy52 and MomtoCCC: We had some unusually warm weather when we went to Alaska early June, the high's were in the mid to upper 50's and one day in the low 60's, layers are definitely recommended; the ship was small, but still with plenty to do; we never ate in the specialty restaurants, the food in the Windjammer and main dining room is always delicious in our opinion; we went to a few shows but our main time was spent on our balcony; so much to see and ogle at; definitely worth the expense

Thanks, I appreciate the weather feedback.

I was on rhapsody to Alaska out of Seattle on May 31st and the weather was absolutely perfect for us that week. Low to mid 60's all week!

 

The ship, the crew and especially the Captain were terrific!!

 

Have a great cruise!

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback on the weather.

Loved the report! Straight forward and honest and that's appreciated. We only recently considered an Alaskan cruise. We've always enjoyed heading south for warmer weather but as I read about other cruises to Alaska and saw the photos people have posted, I put it on my bucket list. Lately it seems to be moving up the list too. I guess the costs of both the excursions and the flight across the country are the biggest drawbacks but it certainly seems like a must do.

Our air fare was going to be a deal killer for us too; from San Antonio to Seattle; but, I registered for alerts at airfarewatchdog.com, kayak and trip advisor; for this trip it helped a little, but we just had to bite the bullet, book it and not look back; I really wanted to cruise Alaska, and now that we have we are trying to figure out when we can go back! We want to do an Inside Passage next time. It is worth all cost involved. Any questions anyone has I will try and answer! Now I am starting to think about the delicious brew I had at the Skagway Brew Pub:) And the burger and brew in Victoria:) Okay, I will go eat my boring lunch now.

Walt fan---I have already booked Chops for our first formal night. Do you remember when the second formal night was?

Very good report.

Keith

Another question:

Does the ship stay on pacific time for the entire trip? or does the time change? I guess I should see what time zone the ports are in so I know if I'm looking at a 1:00pm tour, I'll know which time it really is..

Another question:

 

Does the ship stay on pacific time for the entire trip? or does the time change? I guess I should see what time zone the ports are in so I know if I'm looking at a 1:00pm tour, I'll know which time it really is..

Alaska is all one time zone, one hour behind the west coast. You will switch time on the way up (the 2nd night out usually on the cruises I've been on) and gain the hour on the way back down. It will be announced in your daily newsletter. The ship will always be on the same time as the ports.

Italy52 - second formal night was Thursday

I did not have any problems with booking our private shore excursions; I just kept up with the time changes posted in our Compass; there was the one main time change sherry mentioned; the times requested for meeting at the ports coincided with the time change; does that make sense?

Italy52 - second formal night was Thursday

Victoria? Seems a shame if Thursday is correct --- Wednesday is a sea day and would make better sense since we are in Victoria a long time on Thursday.

Thank you all for your info!

In Victoria, can anybody tell me if there is a ship shuttle into town? If so, is there a cost?

In Juneau, we are renting a car at Avis. Is the office very far from the ship and what dock were you at?

Thanks a bunch!

Arleen

Victoria? Seems a shame if Thursday is correct --- Wednesday is a sea day and would make better sense since we are in Victoria a long time on Thursday.

I don't think 2nd formal night would be the last night when we have to pack up luggage (this cruise is Friday - Friday). I'm betting it is Wed night (sea day).

Lol, so I just decided on an Alaskan cruise today! Of course....our dates (June 2015) are not out yet. ;) I am curious on what your young adults thought. What surprised them/you. Any changes looking back that you would suggest? Lastly, was the packing a pain in the rear?:rolleyes:

Britney- sorry it took so long to reply, I was out of town over the weekend. I don't know what you consider young adults:) but I had two 22-year olds and one 17-year old young men with us on the Alaska cruise; it was a very different cruise age wise for sure; they made the comment there wasn't hardly anyone their age to hang around with like on the Caribbean cruises; but, they said Alaska made up for it; they were as in awe of everything as we were; they loved, loved, loved Alaska, loved the port stops, loved the tours, and they made the comment they want to go back; so, there aren't as many people their age and not as much entertainment; but they still had a blast; and yes, packing was HORRIBLE; I pack too much as it is and you never know what weather you are going to have; our weather was unexpectedly warm and I had too much cold gear; but people said the week before it was rainy and much colder; so you have to pack your suitcases with a variety; please let me know if you have any other questions; I will try to help

Britney- sorry it took so long to reply, I was out of town over the weekend. I don't know what you consider young adults:) but I had two 22-year olds and one 17-year old young men with us on the Alaska cruise; it was a very different cruise age wise for sure; they made the comment there wasn't hardly anyone their age to hang around with like on the Caribbean cruises; but, they said Alaska made up for it; they were as in awe of everything as we were; they loved, loved, loved Alaska, loved the port stops, loved the tours, and they made the comment they want to go back; so, there aren't as many people their age and not as much entertainment; but they still had a blast; and yes, packing was HORRIBLE; I pack too much as it is and you never know what weather you are going to have; our weather was unexpectedly warm and I had too much cold gear; but people said the week before it was rainy and much colder; so you have to pack your suitcases with a variety; please let me know if you have any other questions; I will try to help

Giggles, can you believe that I JUST popped back on to see IF there was a reply?! :p Your "kids" ages are exactly what I consider young adults. I am hoping that our '15 vacation will be to Alaska. :rolleyes: I think my kids will be DD19, DS16. Can you believe my almost 15 year old son suggested it???!!! Hee hee, that or a mediterranean cruise! :eek::D I have created travel monsters!!!! Thanks again for your review & reply.

Thank you so much for popping in! Let me know if you have any questions; we are already planning a 2015 return to Alaska cruise.