Back from Alaska!

[micheleb1219]

DD,

 

Thanks so much for posting this. I've been searching for a recent review for the Diamond, but came on here to find out about the weather and seas in Alaska.

 

I lucked out with your review!!!

 

I will be on the Diamond July 3 from Vancouver to Whittier...so excited, there will be 11 of us in total with 4 first time cruisers.

 

A friend came back from a R/T Seattle and said people were really sick the first day because the seas were so rough. I am going to send one of my fellow cruisers your review with how calm it was :)

 

Thanks again!

[Foxhill]

DD: Did you find the mosquitos to be a problem where you went? I noticed you mentioned them in Denali. I plan to take repellant, but was curious how bad they really are. Also, how did you find the weather to be in and around Denali? We have plans to river raft and take a shuttle into the park. Thanks for checking back on this post and giving follow up info. :D

[DD]

We had no issue with mosquitoes except at Jeff Kroschal's in Haines and at Denali at Wonder Lake. Compared to what I had expected, they weren't bad. We really lucked out as it was cool and there was a breeze. In only got one or two bites in almost three weeks.

 

We took 6 small canisters of DEET-based repellent and some natural stuff. I think we each took a couple sprays on two days. We didn't need it on other days.

 

The weather in mid-June in Denali was just perfect for me. It was jacket/coat weather in the early morning (5:30 shuttle and 6:00 shuttle) and then short sleeve weather by mid afternoon. Again, though, I think we lucked out. In almost three weeks, we had almost no rain.

 

When I sailed out of Seattle last September, seas were ROUGH. I don't get sea sick, but it was the roughest cruise I've experienced. It was worse than going to Bermuda through the remains of a hurricane. Vancouver to Whittier though was smooth as glass. YMMV

[CruisingGoddess]

Unofficial Trail at Mendenhall -- Go through the Viewing Area and down to the right. You'll see it clearly marked. It's not called Unofficial. It's something similar like "Undeveloped" or "Unfinished" or "Unapproved". It starts down through a small wooded area towards a little stream. It's about 3/4 of a mile to the waterfall. Ask one of the rangers, although you really can't miss it. You hike out to a rocky beach at the base of the waterfall. At this point, it's about as close as you'll get to Mendenhall unless you're in the water.

 

Thanks for your awesome review!! Do you recall how long this hike was to the waterfall? I know you say 3/4 of a mile but I'm not sure how long that would take to hike. Thanks in advance!

 

I'm going to be flying into achorage before our cruise, can I take the alaska rr to denali? Then, I find a hotel? I'm still a bit confused about the r.r. someone mentioned make sure you go all the way thru denali - how do we know if we're going all the way thru - how do we get back for our cruise - help pls?

 

Hollon - We booked a rail package through Princess (not a cruise tour). It includes the rail to Denali, motorcoach back to Anchorage, and 1 or 2 nights at the Denali Princess Lodge:

 

http://www.princesslodges.com/denali_rail_tours.cfm

 

There is a 2 for 1 coupon in the TourSaver coupon book.

[truffles68]

CruisingGoddess,

 

Hello ! What a surprise to run into you on this thread !

We were both on the Ruby Princess thread last year (Medit. cruise).

Did you enjoy the Medit. cruise ?

It looks like you are doing Alaska this year.

Same here but I will be doing two of them this summer!

 

Have a great cruise to Alaska !

 

Truffles68

[CruisingGoddess]

CruisingGoddess,

 

Hello ! What a surprise to run into you on this thread !

We were both on the Ruby Princess thread last year (Medit. cruise).

Did you enjoy the Medit. cruise ?

It looks like you are doing Alaska this year.

Same here but I will be doing two of them this summer!

 

Have a great cruise to Alaska !

 

Truffles68

 

Hi, Truffles68! I'm not sure if you got me confused with another person or wrote the cruise wrong. I was on Voyager of the Seas last year for a Med cruise but not Ruby Princess. :confused:

[truffles68]

CruisingGoddess,

 

Sorry, I meant on the Europe, Medit. thread !

[granniez]

Thanks for your awesome review!! Do you recall how long this hike was to the waterfall? I know you say 3/4 of a mile but I'm not sure how long that would take to hike. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Hollon - We booked a rail package through Princess (not a cruise tour). It includes the rail to Denali, motorcoach back to Anchorage, and 1 or 2 nights at the Denali Princess Lodge:

 

http://www.princesslodges.com/denali_rail_tours.cfm

 

There is a 2 for 1 coupon in the TourSaver coupon book.

 

As far as the hike/walk to the Nugget Falls, it took us 20-25 minutes one way. It was a very easy walk, and worth every step. You really do not see the beauty of the falls from the look-outs. We were quite close to the glacier also by being here. You might even see some with much younger blood trying to take a dip in the glacier water pools! Not for us-that water has to be cold.

[CruisingGoddess]

As far as the hike/walk to the Nugget Falls, it took us 20-25 minutes one way. It was a very easy walk, and worth every step. You really do not see the beauty of the falls from the look-outs. We were quite close to the glacier also by being here. You might even see some with much younger blood trying to take a dip in the glacier water pools! Not for us-that water has to be cold.

 

Thanks!! We'll pass on taking a dip in the glacier water but the trail sounds wonderful! :D

[cruisinzoe]

DD-Great review! We will be going on the Diamond, although starting in Anchorage, and doing many of the same things. We are staying at Embassy Suites in Anchorage so good to hear you liked it. We are doing Harv and Marv as well but I hope we have better luck seeing whales.

 

I am curious about Dave Freeman in Ketchikan. We are scheduled to go on a tour with him also, and I am wondering if you can tell me exactly what you did with him and how long your tour was. Were there places you wish you had gone to or not gone to?

 

Also, I am wondering how formal men were dressed on Formal nights? We keep debating whether the men should take jackets or if a shirt and tie would be acceptable. Thanks!

[fleckle]

As far as the hike/walk to the Nugget Falls, it took us 20-25 minutes one way. It was a very easy walk, and worth every step. You really do not see the beauty of the falls from the look-outs.

For those who are unable to walk out to the falls, don't miss the view of the falls through the telescope at the visitor center. It is amazing what a difference it makes getting that close-up view of the falls through the telescope compared to looking it through a regular zoom lens.

[DD]

DD-Great review! We will be going on the Diamond, although starting in Anchorage, and doing many of the same things. We are staying at Embassy Suites in Anchorage so good to hear you liked it. We are doing Harv and Marv as well but I hope we have better luck seeing whales.

 

I am curious about Dave Freeman in Ketchikan. We are scheduled to go on a tour with him also, and I am wondering if you can tell me exactly what you did with him and how long your tour was. Were there places you wish you had gone to or not gone to?

 

Also, I am wondering how formal men were dressed on Formal nights? We keep debating whether the men should take jackets or if a shirt and tie would be acceptable. Thanks!

 

We paid Dave per hour, so we could go wherever we wanted. We ended up staying with him almost 2 hours longer than we planned--we were having a great time. We went to a river to see eagles, walked through a park, went to Totem Bight State Park and Potlach Park, had a scenic tour, and ended up at Creek Street. He was great!

 

The vast majority of men wore jackets; however, DH didn't pack a jacket. He wore dark slack, a dress shirt, and tie. I didn't feel that anyone was looking at us strangely, although we had a table for two. There were other men without a jacket, but they were the minority. We've come a long way from the days where he used to wear a tux. Gradually, as we cruised more and more, and the weight restrictions got stricter and stricter, he loosened from a tux to a dark suit to today's no-jacket attire. We only went to one formal night as the first one's menu didn't appeal to us.

 

This varies from cruise line to cruise line, and even from ship to ship. We've been on ships where the majority were shirt & tie, not jackets. Princess tends to pull a stronger jacket & tie crowd. It's not just a matter of throwing a jacket in the suitcase -- DH is 6'4", and the weight of one of his suits adds up AND takes up space.

 

I think it boils down to whether or not you can personally live with not meeting the dress code for the evening 100%. I used to be strongly in the trenches of "follow it to the letter", but as I'm getting older and cruising more frequently, I'm seeing that dress code become so eroded that I no longer feel strongly about it. I mean, you can now wear jeans in the dining room, so I didn't think DH would be massacred for going sans-jacket. It was also HOT in the dining room, so even if he had worn one, he would've immediately taken it off.

[DD]

I forgot to add-- LOVED the Embassy Suites. The breakfast area is really nice, much more spread-out than other ES that we've stayed at. We also had a great suite. At the end of our trip, we spent two nights at the Sheraton Anchorage. I strongly prefered the Embassy Suites, even though the Sheraton was fine too.

[pamfj]

The haines tour took us out of Skagway altogether. We had a great ride over (the public ferry does not run on Saturday, so we were taken on a private tour boat). The eagle preserve people picked us up in a school bus and the driver gave us a good history of the area on the way to the preserve. It was misty, sprinkling when we got there. We were given time to visit the restrooms and were then outfitted with big jackets that fit over ours, ear muffs, wool gloves, and watherproof blankets for over our laps. The driver had warned us to accept all the gear we were offered, and he was right. We cruised the river on a jet boat and it got very cold. It was worth it though. Right off the dock we saw our first bald eagle (even though this is not the time of year they return to the area in large numbers). After that we saw moose two different times as well as more eagles and deer. When we returned to the dock and got out of all the gear, they had the fire going for a hot dog roast. There was also some great vegetarian chili, chips, homemade cookies, coffee, hotchocolate, lemonade etc. We got more local info on the way back to Haines and since we arrived early, got the driving tour--history of the fort etc. Haines is not at all touristy and there might not be much to do if you just visited the town, but we had a great time.

 

Hope this helps.

[karatemom2]

Let me warn your husband about the many, many low door frames he'll encounter. Ugh, DH hit his head SO many times in AK! I'm surprised he didn't get a concussion. Talkeetna was the worst!

 

I feel your pain!! Or maybe his pain! My DH is 6'7" and my son is 6'6" and I seem to make a career of saying, "Watch your head guys!" I can't even begin to count all the times they have smacked their heads on doors, light fixtures, etc. I'm always trying to plan our tours with their height in mind, but sometimes the best I can do is just remind them to "duck"!

[cruisinzoe]

Thanks so much for your feedback DD! You were very helpful. It is nice that you are checking back so often.

[negc]

Just back from a fabulous RCI cruisetour of Alaska. Did Princess previously and thought they handled everything very well but RCI beat them hands down in every department. You won't go wrong with either line, but IMHO, RCI has come up with an excellent program on both land and sea. Did the land portion first and I definitely recommend doing it that way.:)

[vbmom87]

Just back from a fabulous RCI cruisetour of Alaska. Did Princess previously and thought they handled everything very well but RCI beat them hands down in every department. You won't go wrong with either line, but IMHO, RCI has come up with an excellent program on both land and sea. Did the land portion first and I definitely recommend doing it that way.:)

 

Which cruise tour did you take, and what made it stand out?

[DD]

Just remembered that I left off at the McKinley Creekside Cabins...

 

Ok, we then drove up to Fairbanks for the day. LOVED it! Definitely go see the museum at the University of Alaska. It's so worth the $6 entrance fee! They have this amazing listening room where you can hear the musical sounds that the earth makes -- you can hear bell-like sounds when the Northern Lights go overhead.

 

We then spent two nights in Talkeetna at the Denali Fireside Cabins. They were amazing. They were so nice, so big, so clean, and so comfortable. The cabins were probably the nicest accommodations of our entire trip. I would not hesitate to recommend them. The owner is great, the location is great, and you just can't help but love staying there.

 

Talkeetna is a fun little town. We loved our pancake breakfast at the Roadhouse where the sourdough pancake starter dates back over 100 years. We loved shopping in the cute little stores. We just liked walking and relaxing. We ate at the Wildflower Cafe, which supposedly has a former White House chef (Bush Sr era). I don't know if that's still true, but I do know that the food was excellent. We got a growler from the Denali Brewing Company -- that was a lot of fun. It seems to be run by some very hard-working, serious-about-their-business kids. We enjoyed it. My one disappointment, and my main reason for going to Talkeetna, was our flight seeing. We were supposed to go out first thing in the morning, but weather cancelled the flights. I understand that; I don't blame them for that. I made the stupid mistake, though, of telling them that we'd be in town until the next afternoon. Instead of just cancelling and getting our money back, we had to check in with them like every two hours. It just made the whole day a waiting game. You couldn't really plan to do anything because you were constantly on the phone seeing if a later flight was going to go.

 

Finally, around 5 pm, the in-town branch of the flight seeing place made a call and was told that we weren't going at all that day. We decided to get pizza, growlers, and settle in for Game 7 (if I have to explain Game 7, then it probably isn't important to you). Literally we just settled in to our comfy cabins with our food and were ready to watch the game, and they tracked us down to tell us to come immediately. I do mean tracked us down -- called our cell phone AND sent the owner of the cabins to find us. Ok, dinner was now a waste. We raced over to the flight seeing place. It was such a disappointment. It was so cloudy that we couldn't see the vast majority of what we should have seen. We couldn't land on the glacier (to their credit, they did not charge us the glacier landing upcharge), but we also couldn't see much. It was really a disappointment. I never would have gone out if I knew it would be like that. I've done several other flightseeings in AK, and I've always loved them. On the plus side, they were pleasant, the pilot seemed safety-conscious, and the plane appeared to be in good shape. It's just like we wasted an entire day and then went out for a flight that I could have easily skipped. Lesson learned -- if your flight is cancelled, DON'T tell them that you'll be around. Get your refund, cut your losses, and do something else fun.

 

From there we went back to Anchorage. We stayed at the Sheraton. It was ok. I think we were in that end-of-vacation mind-set, so that may have colored our expectations. The next day we went to the Saturday Market and had a great time. We also really liked the ULU Factory. We drove out to Earthquake Park -- there wasn't much to see without getting out of your car and walking. Since it was raining, we opted not to do that.

 

The ANC airport is easy to navigate. One final shoutout to the Alamo Car Rental desk at the airport. They were fabulous. By far, it was the nicest car rental experience I've ever encountered. The agent was just so friendly and helpful. The process was painless. I don't expect renting a car to be pleasant, but it was. The agent went out of her way to talk to us like we were her personal guests. Seriously, I've never before had a car rental experience that I felt the need to rave about -- GO ALAMO!!!

[hollon]

I also ask what was the difference between rcl that you liked better - i'm a rccl royal fan, but i'm thinking about princess for alaska - but i won't be doing a landtour (maybe on my own) which ships did you take? Thanks :)

[bearbait]

Whittier isn't a tourist port nor was it intended to be. It's where people go to get on and off of the ships. I like the Whittier. It's got tons of history behind it.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you for the review!:)

[Adri204]

Whittier isn't a tourist port nor was it intended to be. It's where people go to get on and off of the ships. I like the Whittier. It's got tons of history behind it.

 

 

I agree and I think thier is a lot of misunderstandings about Whitter. It is what it is and its not going to change. It cant expand to much as thier is a tunnel thier that prevents growth. Its a fishing port, a old military base and it has its own quirks and charms like the fact that the residents live in two differnt Apartment buildings former army barricks.

 

Adri :)

[negc]

Which cruise tour did you take, and what made it stand out?

We took cruise tour #11 (2 nights in Fairbanks at the Wedgewood Resort, 1 night in Denali at the Grande Denali Lodge- wonderful location and attractive property ruined by poorly trained dining room and bar staff and less than memorable food), 1 night in Talkeetna at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (beautiful property, location, excellent food and service- well trained staff and operation that seemed like they had been doing this for years not just the month or so that they had opened for the season), and 1night in Anchorage at the Downtown Anchorage Marriott - typical of a good Marriott property.

What made it stand out was our wonderful tour conductor Claudia, our driver Sarah-Dawn, the personnel at the Wedgewood Resort and at the Talkeetna Lodge. The seating arrangement on the RCI railcars for the two legs of the trip (Fairbanks to Denali and Denali to Talkeetna), excellent excursions in Fairbanks and Denali (TWT was far superior to the NHT that Princess included when we were on their cruise tour), and the overall organization of every aspect of our trip. Topping it off was having the option to upgrade our bus transfer from Anchorage to Seward to the Alaska Railroad train for only $25 per person.

Everything was handled efficiently and scheduling was just about perfect.

Only negatives that we encountered were the food and service at Grande Denali Lodge and the mixup with our luggage when we arrived in Vancouver. In that situation, the cruise line people located our luggage which had been transferred to the airport and deliver it to us at our Vancouver hotel by early afternoon. Radiance was wonderful,casino generous, and Hubbard Glacier was great (Captain managed to get us within 400 meters of the glacier and we saw a lot of spectacular calving.

As close to a perfect Alaska cruisetour as I can imagine. We had several first timers with us and they were definitely thrilled with the entire experience.:)

[vbmom87]

We took cruise tour #11 (2 nights in Fairbanks at the Wedgewood Resort, 1 night in Denali at the Grande Denali Lodge- wonderful location and attractive property ruined by poorly trained dining room and bar staff and less than memorable food), 1 night in Talkeetna at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge (beautiful property, location, excellent food and service- well trained staff and operation that seemed like they had been doing this for years not just the month or so that they had opened for the season), and 1night in Anchorage at the Downtown Anchorage Marriott - typical of a good Marriott property.

What made it stand out was our wonderful tour conductor Claudia, our driver Sarah-Dawn, the personnel at the Wedgewood Resort and at the Talkeetna Lodge. The seating arrangement on the RCI railcars for the two legs of the trip (Fairbanks to Denali and Denali to Talkeetna), excellent excursions in Fairbanks and Denali (TWT was far superior to the NHT that Princess included when we were on their cruise tour), and the overall organization of every aspect of our trip. Topping it off was having the option to upgrade our bus transfer from Anchorage to Seward to the Alaska Railroad train for only $25 per person.

Everything was handled efficiently and scheduling was just about perfect.

Only negatives that we encountered were the food and service at Grande Denali Lodge and the mixup with our luggage when we arrived in Vancouver. In that situation, the cruise line people located our luggage which had been transferred to the airport and deliver it to us at our Vancouver hotel by early afternoon. Radiance was wonderful,casino generous, and Hubbard Glacier was great (Captain managed to get us within 400 meters of the glacier and we saw a lot of spectacular calving.

As close to a perfect Alaska cruisetour as I can imagine. We had several first timers with us and they were definitely thrilled with the entire experience.:)

 

Good to hear about your experience. I know many others will appreciate this information. There are some posters who always criticize cruise tours and to my knowledge they have never been on one. I think it is important to know that you can have a great vacation experience whether you do a cruise tour or plan an indepedent tour. The key is to know yourself and what you like and then choose accordingly.