Cruising June 25 to July 14

[born2cruize]

First things first. Had terrible cell service in Denali. Only Edge available and very very slow. Arrived at McKinley today still Edge cell service but faster. Will write longer tomorrow about Denali. Got to McKinley and the mountain came out pretty spectacular.

 

I'm to young to remember Treasure of the Sierra Madre very well but was in my twenties for Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks is famous for playing with other people's work. So that is how I remember it.

[born2cruize]

Having only cruised Alaska in late September, that's all I have to go on what Alaska weather might be. From your posts, it sounds like we should be prepared for any and all seasons (except maybe deep winter). :D Good to know. I'm looking forward to June/July in Alaska no matter what the weather.

 

My point really is that there is often very good information passed on these boards but in the case of weather in Alaska your better off getting a reliable weather app for a smart phone or iPad or weather web site than than reading about weather from three years ago.

 

I waited to pack until the week before because the trend was for bad weather. Unfortunately the forecast was more accurate than what I was hoping for. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. This isn't Hawaii or the Caribbean. I saw a lot of people spending time and money purchasing clothing in Ketchikan and Juneau because of the weather instead of enjoying Alaska.

[born2cruize]

On 3 July we were scheduled for Tundra Wilderness Tour. Instead of going the 53 miles as planned the driver actually went 62 miles. Saw a lot of animals except moose. Our count was 11 bears (though I suspect a mother and her two cubs in a stream area was the same as we saw that was in a high mountain area earlier). Saw two herds of caribou, ptarmigan, marmot, herd of dall sheep and I'm sure I have left something out. Also while coming back we had a couple of sightings of the mountain. We saw the north peak which is triangle shaped portion of the mountain and is about 700 feet lower than the main mountain and we did see the upper portion of the main mountain. But nothing like the next day when we arrived at McKinley Lodge.

 

I'd like back up a few days to our College Fjord day. Having not been here before I read many statements about the quality of these glaciers. I think these "experts" miss the point of these glacier. There not the biggest, they don't seem to be actively calving, but for beauty of a region one glacier followed by another followed by another was amazing. The only thing I can say is that each glacier has their own beauty if you look.

 

I'd like to mention about the connectivity I've had on land. Basically if you have AT&T the service is Edge or what was called 2.5 in the pre 3G days. I had Edge on the original iPhone but that didn't seem as slow as the Denali cell service. There is wi-fi in the lodge but it doesn't extend beyond the inside. The visitor center at the park also has wi-fi but again limited to inside. At McKinley it's about the same. Wi-fi inside the lodge except wifi does not reach into the main dining room. Yesterday AT&T showed Edge as the service but today I showing 3G. Wellive finished breakfast so I'll continue later.

[born2cruize]

Our time at McKinley Lodge has been about the mountin. On the back of the main lodge is a deck running the entire length, it faces the mountain. On Wednesday, when we arrived the majority of the mountain was out. Yesterday only bits and pieces showed throught the clouds. We leave later this morning and the mountain and foothills are out with just a wisp of cloud covering the top. But the most important thing for those here is that the surrounding area is clear except for some high clouds so there will be a lot of photos taken today.

[born2cruize]

A lot has been mentioned on this board about the Denali shuttle system compared to NHT or TWT. As a disabled person the shuttle is not an option as they can not accommodate wheelchairs or walkers. The company that runs the NHT and TWT are contracted by the Park System not Princess, Holland America or other cruise lines at least based on what I was told by the park services and tour company. Ever person needs to evaluate their level of comfort on "going your own" as compared to hand holding. Especially if one has any disabilities.

[born2cruize]

Even though the Sapphire Princess and Star Princess are sister ship so far I have found differences. The biggest is that the two anytime restaurants on deck 5 & 6 on the Star is 4 restaurants on the Sapphire. Also in the Horizon Court they moved the dessert display outside of the buffet section. A big improvement to the flow compared to the Grand class like the Coral. The Vivaldi dining room does not have two party tables. If you wish to eat there you must share a table unless you party is 4 or more. On the Coral you showed your card when entering a dining room indicating you are anytime diner. On the Sapphire they actually scan your card. Are they trying to prevent people from eating at more than 1 dining room at a sitting? :eek:

 

For those interested lifeboat drill is at 8:00 PM. Makeup is 8:30.

[vbmom87]

A lot has been mentioned on this board about the Denali shuttle system compared to NHT or TWT. As a disabled person the shuttle is not an option as they can not accommodate wheelchairs or walkers. The company that runs the NHT and TWT are contracted by the Park System not Princess, Holland America or other cruise lines at least based on what I was told by the park services and tour company. Ever person needs to evaluate their level of comfort on "going your own" as compared to hand holding. Especially if one has any disabilities.

 

Exactly. Some people have the misconception that the cruise ship runs its own buses. This is not the case. They are the same buses you would get if you booked the TWT independently. The cruiselines simply book the buses through the park vendor.

 

It was helpful info that wheelchairs are not accommodated on the shuttles. Thanks for sharing this info.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the information you have shared. Thanks!!

[born2cruize]

Today is Skagway but I haven't mentioned the previous two days. Sunday was Hubbard Glacier and we wound up having a lovely day. The naturalist kept saying she didn't know how close we were going to get to the face. We actually got very close. A lot of very small bergs in the water but they were on the port side of the ship, the right side of the bay was relatively clear. Glacier Bay was again overcast but again the Captain got us very close to Margerie Glacier. In fact when we turned to the starboard side you almost felt that you could reach out and touch the glacier. This was the closest in the 3 visits to Glacier Bay.

 

I've told people to be up 2 hours before we enter Glacier Bay to see whales and this day was no exception. Saw numerous whales including a mother and baby both doing multiple breaching. It helped that we didn't enter Glacier Bay until 9:30 so people had no problem being up. On the Coral we entered at 6:30.

 

Skagway was another cold and windy day, the water has numerous whitecaps in the bay. I'm glad we cancelled our wildlife adventure for Haines. Again we are at the Railroad pier but this time in the forward berth. The Golden Princess is behind us. Celebrity Infinity is at the Ore Dock with HAL's Zuiderdam at the Broadway berth. The cloud layer must not be very thick as occasionally you can see blue sky peek through then it's gone. Today is not a day for the summit.

 

Forgot to mention earlier that the TWT does have a wheelchair lift and can fit walkers in the storage compartment. Also the Emerald deck on the Sapphire Princess is the place to be for forward viewing coming into either Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay you can get there by either the stairs from the outside Promenade deck or through the Emergency doors on the Emerald deck forward.