Star Princess, Round-Trip Seattle, May 25-June 1

Just got home from this fantastic sailing to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I plan to write a more detailed review, but thought I'd at least get the thread started in case there were any questions I could answer.

Pre-Trip

Apparently the Star's early-season itineraries weren't selling as well as Princess would have liked, because in mid-April there was a very attractive sale. So attractive that we jumped on board for this Alaska trip, even though we already have a different cruise planned for later this year. On the Friday night, we weren't even thinking about Alaska. By Sunday night, we had booked the cruise, air, hotel, and tours. Pretty intense couple of days! Booking only six weeks out made it a little more challenging to plan and arrange all the details, but everything worked out really, really well.

We briefly considered flying into Seattle early on Saturday morning, but decided it was too risky. So we booked for Friday night at the Best Western Executive Inn, only a block from Seattle Center. The plan was to walk over to the Chihuly Museum at Seattle Center on Saturday morning, before heading to the ship. And as it turned out, the hotel offered a cruise package that included transport by town car to the pier, at the same price as the AAA rate. Since we were taking the last flight and got in pretty late, we decided not to rely on public transport but instead booked a town car with Already There.

We booked tours with Harv & Marv's in Juneau (got the last two spots for the entire day) and Chilkoot Charters in Skagway (again, the last two spots for the day). Contacted Island Wings in Ketchikan, but Michelle was booked up. She recommended a company called Mountain Air, whose plane and pilot share her dock and office. We were able to book with Mountain Air.

We then had to figure out how to get back to the airport on the return. Our flight was a comfortable 2:30 p.m., but that's a lot of time to wait at the airport even with a late departure from the ship. And we weren't sure what we could do with luggage if we wanted to look around town before heading to the airport. The answer turned out to be Seattle Qwik Tour, which promised to pick us up at the pier, deliver us to Pike Place Market for an hour or so, then pick us up and give us a 90-minute tour of Seattle before delivering us to the airport. All while they kept the luggage in the bus. Sign me up!

Now, just had to wait out the six weeks.

Day 0 - Arrival in Seattle

Actually, the six weeks went by pretty fast. The highlight had to be going to the dentist because I had a funny feeling in a tooth and was a little afraid I might lose a crown during the trip -- only to find out that I need a root canal ASAP. I quickly had to meet with a specialist to confirm that I actually could go on the trip. Fortunately that meeting went well, and I departed with the assurance that I could look forward to an appointment on June 3. Of course it's never fun to come to the end of a vacation, but the end of this one I'm particularly dreading...

Everything went well with our Frontier flight (with Freedom the eagle on the tail) from DEN to SEA. Already There was prompt and deserved the many good recommendations on this board. The hotel was expecting us. Our room was fine, though a bit noisy from some type of blower or machinery. Since it was already past 1:00 a.m. Denver time, though, not too much kept us from sleeping.

ShipsandDipper,

Thanks for posting this.Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. We leave on the Star a week from today. Beautiful weather today in the Puget Sound region.

ShipsandDipper,

Thanks for posting this.Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. We leave on the Star a week from today. Beautiful weather today in the Puget Sound region.

Oh, you must be getting so excited! I'm sure you'll have a spectacular time! It was actually sunny this morning in Seattle.

Looking forward to your review.

I am enjoying your posts already.

Welcome home.

Keith

Looking forward to the rest of your report, we head out on the Star June 15th...can't wait!

Day 1 - Seattle

We woke up fairly early thanks to the one-hour time difference between Denver and Seattle, so we decided to head over to the Pike Place Market for some breakfast. It was a short ride on the city bus to reach the market. Once there, we visited the Pike Place Fish Market fish-throwing stall, where they also sell delicious crab cocktail (according to my DH, who even right now is rhapsodizing over its deliciousness).

Pike Place Fish Market:

Having been treated to a special crab cocktail chant, we then visited Sosio's fruit and produce stall, which had the best cherries and peaches! The signs all over the stall reminded cruisers that you can take fruit on the ship, you just can't take it off. Even though there was plenty of food on the ship, there was nothing of the quality of those cherries and peaches!

We also bought some pastries and tea at another couple of places and sat at a table in the little park adjoining the market. It was a nice morning--no rain--so after we finished our pastries, we walked back to Seattle Center in time for the opening of the Chihuly Garden and Glasshouse.

This was much more impressive than we thought it would be. We had seen the Garden part during the recent Top Chef Seattle, but the displays inside were gorgeous.

Chihuly:

All too soon, though, it was time to get back to the hotel for our transport to the pier. Our town car was ordered for noon. We were there a bit early, but unfortunately, there was some sort of mix-up. We had to enquire at the desk a couple of times, but a car finally arrived around 12:20. It was a short ride to the pier, so we ended up getting to Pier 91 just about 12:30.

Day 1 - Embarkation and Sailaway

I think this is one of the worst embarkations I have ever experienced. Forget staggered boarding -- I think most people arrived between 12:15 and 12:30. If we would have gotten there even 20 minutes earlier, we probably would have been just ahead of the surge. As it was, it took until after 2:00 to get aboard the ship.

First, there was an incredibly long line to drop off luggage. It would have been much better at this point to have used a porter, but we didn't know just how long this line was. (For this whole process, think Disney World -- you think you're making progress to the end of the line, only to turn a corner and find out that there's a whole different section of line that you didn't know about.)

Then there was a line leading to an escalator. They restricted access to groups of about 20 or so to go up the escalator.

Then you had a line for security, where they scanned carry-on luggage and you walk through a metal detector.

Then there was another incredibly long line for check-in, which actually exceeded its allotted boundaries. There was a separate check-in for premium passengers, but sadly we aren't there yet, either in loyalty status or in cabin status.

Check-in itself was pretty quick, less than 5 minutes. But then there was yet another line, the wait to actually get on the ship. This was one of the worst parts, because the lines were not controlled. Some people were sent straight ahead, some people through another door on the left, and yet there was really only one line. So people effectively cut in line, which was frustrating, especially when you're tired and frazzled from waiting well over an hour already. Then, at the gangplank, they also let premium passengers through in front of the regular line. In front of us, one such premium passenger was miffy with the guard, who reasonably wanted to see his cruise card before letting him access the gangplank. Finally, though, we got on board.

Interestingly, HAL's Westerdam was boarding on the other side of the pier. Its passengers shared the terminal building; they were just separated from us by barricades. But it didn't seem like they had nearly the problems Princess did. There was no baggage line for HAL, for example. Not sure why this was, whether it was the way HAL handles check-in, smaller number of passengers, or some other factor.

Once on board, we dropped our carry-ons in our room, secured our Thermal Suite passes, and had a bite to eat in the HC. After muster, we went to the Sun Deck for sailaway.

View from the Sun Deck:

After sailaway, it started to rain a bit, so we didn't stay too long. Instead, we unpacked and eventually went to dinner. We had anytime dining, so our choice was Capri (Capri was open 5:30-9:30, while Portofino only opened to anytime dining from 7:45-9:30). We asked for a table for 2, but still, dinner took over two hours due to the service. Our waiter coordinated the courses for all his tables, so we sat for long periods waiting while several other tables finished their courses.

Sunset Amidst Rain:

A visit to the Thermal Suite helped melt away the stress of embarkation and waiting through the long dinner. The cruise had begun!

OK, I really did not realize how excited I would get about this trip until I started reading your posts and looking at your pics! We leave on the Golden in less than two weeks for our very first cruise and your beautiful pictures have really got me ready to go! Seattle is my favorite city so your shot of the city scape from the ship, even on a cloudy day, has me pumped. I am very much looking forward to the rest of your report and pictures. Thank You!

Love the sunset shot!! So pretty!

Hope the dinner situation gets better as the nights go on!

Just got home from this fantastic sailing to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria. I plan to write a more detailed review, but thought I'd at least get the thread started in case there were any questions I could answer.

We will be taking this cruise in August...looking forward to reading your review!

Day 2 - At Sea

Sunday was the only "sea day" of the cruise, since Glacier Bay was designated as "scenic cruising." We slept in, and then actually went up to the gym and worked out! Who would have imagined it? The gym was quite busy, with all the treadmills and some of the other machines in use.

As an aside, I was disappointed in the Pilates schedule for the cruise. Classes were only offered at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Of course, Tuesday and Thursday were port days, and Wednesday was Glacier Bay day. So there were no Pilates classes on the two mornings that actually would have worked (Sunday and Monday).

After the workout and some time in the Thermal Suite, we had brunch at HC. Spent the afternoon quietly, reading in Skywalkers (great views of the water) and walking many times around the Sun Deck and then the Promenade (on 7 and 8). The Promenade was considerably less crowded than the Sun Deck and the Lido Deck. There may also have been a visit (or two) to the International Cafe (hence the need for the walking!).

Sunday was the first formal night, and since we had decided not to bring any formal clothes, we made a reservation for the Crown Grill. Even though we have cruised Princess several times, we had never eaten in one of the specialty restaurants. Dinner was very good, and not nearly so drawn out as on Saturday night. I liked our waiter quite a bit.

Another beautiful sunset tonight:

Day 3 - Juneau

Monday dawned sunny! So unexpected in Southeast Alaska. Rather than going to the gym, we took several turns around the deck early in the morning.

The ship held a Memorial Day ceremony at 9 a.m. Sadly it was not very well attended, so I was glad that we were there.

Memorial Day Ceremony:

The ceremony included a speech about the history of Memorial Day, a tribute wreath that two passenger veterans deposited over the side, and a reading of In Flanders Fields. (This last bit was especially poignant to me and my DH, since we visited Ypres, Belgium last year and visited where John McCrae served and was inspired to write the poem.) The ceremony was especially moving silhouetted against the majestic backdrop of the channel leading to Juneau, where we landed at 11 a.m.

On the approach to Juneau, there was a bald eagle in a perfect observation tree on the port side -- and then to the starboard side there were two eagles on the beach. I always picture them in a tree, not standing on a beach!

Four ships were in town. We were not at the closest dock to town, but luckily we were not the furthest either (Celebrity Solstice drew that distinction). One of the two HAL ships was the unluckiest, as they got to tender. It was a 10-minute walk or so past the tram into town.

We had been to Juneau before and been to Mendenhall Glacier and ridden the tram, so we decided to visit Glacier Gardens. The difficulty was in getting there. Unfortunately Juneau does not run public buses on major national holidays, including Memorial Day, so we called for a taxi. While we were waiting, we got to see a Memorial Day motorcycle ride.

Glacier Gardens was interesting, but I think the admission fee was pretty steep for what there is to see. The upside-down tree planters were really neat; we enjoyed a ride through the rain forest; and the view from the top was pretty in the sunshine. The guides were quite enthusiastic and welcoming. But I just thought that there would be a bit more to see.

Glacier Gardens:

After getting back to Juneau, I tracked down the Changing Tides Quilt Shop and enjoyed viewing their Alaska-themed fabrics. After a quick visit back to the ship to drop off stuff, it was time to meet for our Harv & Marv's whale-watching tour.

We were assigned with four other folks to Captain Steve in the good whale-watching boat Merlin. We went out of Auke Bay, a few miles out of Juneau. Can't say enough good things about this tour. Captain Steve was happy to discuss whales and even happier to track down whales. We saw several humpbacks, and then a pod of orcas! DH and I had never seen orcas, and it was amazing. But there sure were a lot, a really lot, of whale-watching boats, some with dozens and dozens of people.

We spent the rest of our time with the orcas. Captain Steve asked if we wanted to stay there or go to see Stellar sea lions and maybe other humpbacks, and we unanimously voted to stay with the orcas. He was able to get fairly close, but I was just glad that we were not harassing the whales. A sparkling day of sunshine on glimmering water surrounded by snow-capped peaks!

At the end of the tour, our bus stopped by Mendenhall Glacier for a quick look, and then dropped us off at our ship.

We chose Portofino for dinner, since it was well past 7:45. Our waiter Monday night was one of the best of the week. When DH couldn't decide between a hot or a cold soup, he recommended getting the cold soup in a glass, which turned out to be an excellent idea, since the soup made a great non-alcoholic fruity drink. Also, he served us and another adjacent two-top with an exquisite sense of timing. All around, we were quite pleased with the meal.

An early night for me, since Skagway would be a long day.

OK, I really did not realize how excited I would get about this trip until I started reading your posts and looking at your pics! We leave on the Golden in less than two weeks for our very first cruise and your beautiful pictures have really got me ready to go! Seattle is my favorite city so your shot of the city scape from the ship, even on a cloudy day, has me pumped. I am very much looking forward to the rest of your report and pictures. Thank You!

My DH is the photographer. He always has some really excellent pictures, so I'm glad to be able to put a few out for display!

Great report. Love the tip on the quilt store.

Great report. Love the tip on the quilt store.

There are quilt shops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan that are right in town, easily accessible. Skagway's Rushin' Tailor might be the best, but Ketchikan's Silver Thimble is where I bought the most.:)

My DH is the photographer. He always has some really excellent pictures, so I'm glad to be able to put a few out for display!

Love the pictures! Your report is excellent, also. Can't wait to hear more. We have 3 more days until we are on the Star!

Day 4 - Skagway (Part 1)

We were in Skagway when we woke up, but from announcements it seemed like debarking only started around 7 a.m. Again, amazingly, it was sunny!

We were to meet for our Chilkoot Charters tour (train up, bus back) at 7:30 a.m., and fortunately the meeting place was right next to the ship. We were docked at the Ore dock, the farthest one to the left. There were three other ships as well, the Celebrity Solstice, Sapphire Princess, and either Westerdam or Zuiderdam (we kept seeing one or the other or both of those everywhere).

We and others from the Star were collected and delivered to our guide, who was collecting other guests from the ships at the Railroad Docks. We went past the Skagway Fish Company, which I read on CC recently suffered a terrible fire, and signs of the fire were obvious.

The guide then took us to the railroad depot and put us on the correct train. Our bus had a couple of empty seats; apparently some folks disregarded the multiple warnings and cautions from Chilkoot that passports are required for this trip. Our group was fortunate because the designated Chilkoot train car was empty when we got there, so nearly everyone got seats on the left (the more scenic side). Another group came later, so they had to settle for the seats on the right.

The train supplied a brochure with information and a map (and a catalog of souvenirs available at their store). We found the map pretty useful to follow our progress. There was a narrator over the loudspeaker, and there also were two women who went through the train and would answer questions (and sell train-only merchandise).

It is permissible to stand on the observation platforms for your car (you just can't cross into other cars). Those platforms were pretty crowded throughout the ride. And you can't hear announcements while on the observation platforms.

Beautiful views throughout the ride, though the whole experience was quite similar to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge R.R. here in Colorado. Quite a bit of snow at the end of the ride, and the lake at the depot was still partially frozen.

Upon arrival in Fraser, we had to remain in our car and hold up our passport by our heads for the Canadian immigration official to scrutinize. Then we were allowed to debark and found our guide.

I was pretty impressed with our group. No one ever held up the bus; everyone was early or on-time and ready to go when required. For example, the guide had warned us that the bathrooms in Fraser were minimal and could take a half-hour wait in line, and that folks should use the train bathrooms before reaching Fraser. And not one of our folks was in those half-hour lines in Fraser!

The bus took us past Tutshi and Tagish lakes.

We then passed the small town of Carcross and stopped for lunch at Caribou Crossing, a tourist trap if ever there was one. It's where all the tours seem to stop for lunch. Two good things: (1) they are amazingly efficient at getting lunches for dozens and hundreds of people, almost all at once, and (2) the food wasn't too bad. BBQ chicken, potato, coleslaw, rolls, donuts, tea, and coffee. Afterward we visited the taxidermy museum, with impressive local specimens, the gift shop, the small petting zoo area, and the summer camp of Michelle Phillilps, an Iditarod and Yukon Quest musher. She had a few puppies and dogs for visitors to pet and offered dog cart rides.

Day 4 - Skagway (Part 2)

After lunch, the group regrouped (all on time!) and we continued to Emerald Lake. There was a small snafu in the form of road construction that kept us waiting for a pilot car for around 15-20 minutes. The bus in front of us ended up turning around and going back because those folks had to meet the afternoon train, but we waited. After visiting Emerald Lake and waiting for the pilot car to return us back through the construction zone, we stopped in the town of Carcross. This is on the shores of Bennett Lake, where the gold rushers waited for the lake and Yukon River to unfreeze. After the short stop, we headed back to Skagway.

On the way back, starting near the top of the pass we saw several bicycle groups. Apparently they will take you to the top of the road, then you can ride back downhill to Skagway. There is a bridge that is anchored only on one side, for stability in earthquakes.

We got back to Skagway a bit late, thanks to the construction delay, but still plenty of time to look around since the Star Princess wasn't leaving until 8. I went to the Rushin' Tailor quilt shop on Third Street and spent some enjoyable browsing time, then headed back to the ship and the Thermal Suite.

In the meantime, my DH rented a bicycle from Sockeye Cycle Company on Fifth Street and went back to take pictures of the gold-rush era cemetary, about 2.5 miles out of town along the train tracks. He then took the opportunity to cycle to an overlook and a waterfall that the cycle folks pointed out on a map for him. When he got back, he said that the next time we're in Skagway, he just wants to rent some bicycles because it was so quiet and uncrowded away from town.

After dinner in Capri (with service neither wonderful nor horrible), we headed up to the Sun Deck for sailaway. Lots of waterfalls along the sides of the Lynn Canal, since the weather had been so warm. From a distance saw the town of Haines, which we visited on an earlier cruise and really enjoyed (there's not much there, but to me that beats 10,000-12,000 tourists when there are four ships in Skagway).

Another beautiful sunset and early night for me. Alarm was set for 4:45 a.m., to be ready for whale-watching before we entered Glacier Bay the next morning at 6!

If you were the farthest from the train, how did Chilkoot Charters did you from the ship to the train ie. walk, bus?

Was this their Bennett Scenic tour?

I am loving your review and great pictures.

We have used AlreadyThereTownCar for years. Small company -- but great service.

I don't like pier 91. HAL never has enough porters when you get off the ship. For HAL you have to stand in a special line and wait for a porter to become available. One time it took us 30 minutes to get a porter.

LOVE your latest update!! Your pictures are amazing!! We are doing a chilkoot tour as well, and you have me so excited for it...although I'll admit I'm a little bummed now we're going in August and wont have all the snow like you have in your pictures- it's beautiful!!!

Thanks so much for sharing with us, and keep it coming! :)

Thanks for the review! We were on this cruise also - and in the Chilkoot bus that had to turn around before Emerald Lake because we had to get back to catch the train. :(