Alaska Golden Princess Aug 4 - review and photos

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The Golden Princess - Alaska Cruise – RT Seattle – August 4–11, 2012

Itinerary and Ports: Seattle, Sea Day, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay scenic cruising, Ketchikan, Victoria Canada, Seattle.

 

 

IMG_0769 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

A little background:

DH and I have cruised with Princess several times. We did the Alaska Cruise Tour in 2008 and said that someday we would like to take our family.

 

Last week we did a “family cruise” - - the first time to take our adult daughters and one son-in-law along. We chose the Alaska cruise that is a round trip from Seattle for the convenience of air travel.

 

My daughters and I wanted some “girls getaway time” prior to the cruise, so we flew up to Seattle a few days before the guys. This was my first visit to Seattle and we had a blast!

 

Note: I divided this review in sections with titles. If the Seattle information is not of interest, just skip to the Ship, Ports and Excursions.

 

SEATTLE

Air travel: Orange County to Seattle, very easy on Alaska Airlines. Flight was smooth, and only took 21/2 hours.

 

Transportation from Sea Tac Airport to downtown Seattle:

Super easy on the Seattle Central Link from the airport to University Street stop, we had to walk about a block up a hill to our hotel.

http://www.soundtransit.org/Schedules/Central-Link-light-rail.xml/

 

 

IMG_0429 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

Lodging: We stayed at the Fairmont Olympic, a beautiful and centrally located hotel. We had a lovely room with luxurious amenities. We were able to walk to most of the sites, or catch the Link at the nearby station.

http://www.fairmont.com/seattle/

 

Good food in Seattle:

We went to a Tom Douglas restaurant, Serious Pie. Amazing pizza, great wine selection and good beer.

http://tomdouglas.com/index.php?page=serious-pie

 

For a unique dining experience, we loved the “fusion” restaurant, Japonessa.

The sushi rolls were fabulous and the cocktails were super good!

http://www.japonessa.com/

 

We had great food and wine at RN74 – a Michael Mina restaurant

http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/rnwa.php/

 

Seattle tours and places we visited:

We had so much fun doing the Savor Seattle Gourmet Walking Food Tour. http://www.savorseattletours.com/tours/gourmetseattle/

The Great Wheel was fun and we had fantastic views. We did this on Saturday morning and we could see our ship way down at Pier 91.

http://seattlegreatwheel.com/

 

This picture was taken from the Great Wheel:

 

IMG_0530 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

Smith Tower Observation Deck also is a great place to see the city from the 35th floor. http://www.smithtower.com/Observation.html

 

We visited many of the popular sites like Pike Place Market – amazing flowers, produce and fresh fish. We watched the excitement as the fish mongers threw fish and yelled out at The Fish Market. The Gum Wall is interesting and creepy.

The original Starbucks was jam packed, but we squeezed in and took a photograph. We ate lunch and enjoyed delicious clam chowder.

 

The Underground Tour was interesting: http://www.undergroundtour.com/

 

While walking around Seattle, we saw the Space Needle often, but we ran out of time and did not go up the elevator to the observation deck. Maybe next time!

 

We just happened to be in town for Seattle’s traditional summer festival, the Seafair. We took the Link out to a stop where there was a free shuttle that took us to the fair.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels were a highlight! I got some great pictures.

http://www.seafair.com/default.aspx?SecID=915

 

We walked all over beautiful Seattle, and enjoyed perfect weather. It was actually quite hot on Friday and Saturday!

 

Transportation to Pier 91 from our hotel:

Already There – Towncar service

With our family and luggage, they sent an SUV to accommodate us. They were prompt and affordable.

http://alreadytheretowncar.com/

 

The cruise is about to begin. To be continued...

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EMBARKATION and The Golden Princess:

We arrived around 2pm and embarkation process was quick and easy! Very organized.

 

This was our second time sailing on the Golden Princess. We love the ship and the crew couldn’t be better. The ship is beautiful, clean and comfortable. It shows a few signs of age and a little wear and tear, but nothing major. The crew is constantly cleaning.

 

Staterooms:

DH and I were in a mini-suite on Dolphin Deck. The room was great, my only complaint was the balcony. Somehow I had forgotten that the Dolphin deck has the exposed balcony. I would prefer a covered balcony for Alaska, as it always rains.

DD and SIL were in a balcony on Baja deck and their balcony was covered, very nice.

Single DD had an interior stateroom down the hall from us on the Dolphin deck. I had never been in an inside room and was surprised at how roomy it was. She loved it, and said it was quiet and very dark at night!

 

DINING and food in general:

We had Anytime Dining and it worked out well for us. We only waited for a few minutes to get seated. Overall we liked the food in all venues.

 

We especially love the convenience of grabbing a quick bite at the International Café. I purchased a Coffee Card, and used it often!

 

On embarkation day, the menu in Bernini’s was weird. The selections didn’t seem to go together. But after the first night, selections improved and we enjoyed the food.

 

We dined at The Crown Grill one night and the food was excellent.

 

Pub Lunch: we went on both the days it was offered. Great.

 

Activities on board:

We typically do very port intensive cruises, so it was nice to have the time to enjoy some of the activities on this cruise.

Zumba class was a great work out! The Culinary Demonstration and Galley Tour was fun.

Our kids went to several other things like the Ice Carving, MUTS, Yoga, Skywalkers for dancing.

 

Entertainment:

The comedian, Carlos Oscar, is hilarious. We went to both of his shows. Probably the best comedian I have heard on a cruise!

Illusionist show was good.

British Invasion – the first 15 minutes was entertaining, after that it went down hill.

Motor City was good, we have seen it several times.

 

Park Rangers Glacier Bay Talks: very interesting through out the cruise.

 

Lotus Spa: Our kids surprised us with a gift for a Couples Massage. I usually love getting a massage on a cruise, but I had the worst massage ever. My husband said his was just okay. I should have spoken up, but since our kids made all the arrangements, I didn’t want to make a big fuss over it. It was very expensive and such a nice gesture, and I didn’t want to disappoint them.

 

PORTS and excursions:

Juneau – the kids did the Princess sponsored Helicopter Glacier Trek and loved it.

DH and I did the Whale Watching with a private tour, Harv & Marv. It was the highlight of our cruise, as we saw orcas and humpbacks. There were so many humpbacks and they were bubble-net feeding. It was thrilling! I captured it on video and got lots of candid shots. On the way back to the ship, our driver stopped at Mendenhall and we saw the amazing glacier and bears! Two cubs up in a tree and mama bear down below.

Harv and Marv website: http://www.harvandmarvs.com/alaskawhalewatching.html

 

 

Humpbacks bubble net feeding

 

IMG_0626 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

They were so close! The fluke is beautiful!

 

IMG_0613 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

Orcas - Killer Whales

 

 

IMG_0575 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

More ports and photos coming...

[bobalink]

We took the Harv & Marv Whale Watching tour and on our way back to the ship, our driver stopped at Mendenhall Glacier Ranger visitor center:

 

Magnificent!

IMG_0657 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

God's creation

IMG_0671 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

I wish I had my camera on the right setting! Kinda fuzzy.

IMG_0678 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

More ports coming...

[cellyml12]

Thanks for sharing! The pic entitled God's Creation is one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen! LOVED IT!!

[bobalink]

Skagway: We did the Eagle Preserve Rafting Wildlife Quest which was lots of fun. We took a catamaran out to Haines, along the way we saw beautiful waterfalls and the scenery was gorgeous. Then a bus ride to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve to get our gear on for the float ride. We saw many eagles and enjoyed the tranquil rafting. Our guide was excellent and provided so much information about the river and wildlife . After the excursion we walked around Skagway and stopped for a beer and dinner at The Skagway Brewing Company. The Spruce Tip Blonde beer is delicious.

 

 

Getting prepared for our adventure:

 

IMG_0703 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0734 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0737 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

[bobalink]

Thanks for sharing! The pic entitled God's Creation is one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen! LOVED IT!!

 

Thanks so much. I am going to have it framed.

I had adjusted my camera to "landscape" for that photo, then turned off my camera and that was when we saw the bears. I quickly turned my camera back on, and should have changed the setting but didn't have time. So, the bear photo is a bit fuzzy.

 

bobalink

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Beautiful photos! Thank you for posting your review. What is "Bubble Net Feeding"?

[bobalink]

Our friends were on the Sapphire so I took this picture of the two beautiful Princess ships in port at Skagway.

 

 

 

IMG_0775 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

[JWJs]

 

Humpbacks bubble net feeding

 

IMG_0626 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

 

Wonderful photo! It had to be totally awesome and exciting to see the Humpbacks bubble net feeding!

[bobalink]

Glacier Bay: The weather was fairly good for viewing the glaciers, some drizzle, and cold. We saw some glacier calving.

 

 

IMG_0827 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0840 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0878 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

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Taken from our balcony

 

IMG_0909 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0912 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0916 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

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Taken from our balcony

 

IMG_0909 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0912 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

IMG_0916 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

After leaving Glacier Bay, Naturalist, Michael Modzelewski, was on the bridge and he pointed out humpback whales. We saw killer whales (orcas), too. He said it had been years since he saw them so close to the ship.

[bobalink]

After leaving Glacier Bay, Naturalist, Michael Modzelewski, was on the bridge and he pointed out humpback whales. We saw killer whales (orcas), too. He said it had been years since he saw them so close to the ship.

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Ketchikan: We did the Back Country Zodiac Expedition and it was great fun. The zodiac boats are easy to drive. We had to split up in groups, as each one can hold 4 persons. We saw humpback whales, eagles and seals.

 

 

We did not have much time in port while in Ketchikan so after the excursion, we did some shopping.

 

 

Eagle snatched a fish:

IMG_0948 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

Zodiac boats are a blast to drive!

IMG_0943 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

 

On our way back to Ketchikan

IMG_0988 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

[bobalink]

Some unexpected excitement on our way to Victoria on Friday, August 10:

 

Friday was a relaxing day because we were at sea most of the day. Our scheduled port stop at Victoria was 7:00pm.

 

At around 1:30pm, we were in the Crown Grill having the Pub Lunch when a very loud alarm went off and over the PA loudspeaker the message went out, “Assessment Team, Assessment Team, Deck 2, Zone 4”.

 

I noticed the waiters had stopped to listen, then carried on. A minute or two later, the announcement came on for “the crew to report to their stations.” I saw the waiters stop in their tracks and then very quickly take off.

 

One of the waiters calmly instructed us to, “enjoy your lunch”. We got up and walked up to our stateroom on deck 9. The staircases were starting to get crowded and the smell of smoke permeated the air. Crew members were walking briskly to get to their stations with their lifejackets on.

 

My daughter went to her room just down the hall from ours, and got her wallet and life jacket and was on her way to our cabin. A crew member saw her and told her to put her lifejacket away, it wasn’t necessary.

 

Our other daughter and SIL, called us from their cabin on deck 11. I was relieved to hear from her, as they had been out at the pool.

 

A few minutes later the announcement came on explaining that there had been a fire in the Main Laundry room on Deck 2.

 

A minute or so after that the announcement came on for the “crew to stand down.”

 

The smell of smoke was very noticeable even up on deck 11 in my daughter’s cabin.

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In Victoria:

We took the shuttle into downtown and just walked around Victoria. We would have enjoyed more time there.

 

We got back on the ship around 10:30pm and we could still faintly smell smoke. I noticed that the doors on Deck 7 Promenade were open, apparently to air out the smell.

 

We have never experienced anything like this before on a cruise. It was unsettling, and of course I was concerned, but I was not panicked. It really made me aware of how quickly a catastrophe could happen.

 

It was unnerving and at the same time reassuring to see the crew react so swiftly. It was apparent that they have been trained for these situations.

 

Seattle - Disembarkation and back to reality:

We did the self disembark and it was easy and quick. Our driver from Already There was waiting for us and off we went to SeaTac. Our flight home was smooth and on time, always a good thing!

 

Random fun things about this cruise: We have friends who were on the Sapphire Princess and other friends who were on the Celebrity Infinity this week in Alaska. We were in some of the same ports on some days!

 

I got to meet a Cruise Critic friend, JanetAlice, for coffee. It is always fun to meet someone from the roll call. Our roll call was super quiet, so for months it was just me and JanetAlice.

 

The cruise was fantastic and we made wonderful memories with our family.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruise to Alaska!

 

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[bobalink]

Beautiful photos! Thank you for posting your review. What is "Bubble Net Feeding"?

 

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in wildlife!

 

Here is a link to a video that shows and explains bubble net feeding:

 

[jrobinso]

Thank you. Nice review and awesome pictures. Makes me want to take another cruise to Alaska.

[mkerner]

Great review. We will be on the Golden Saturday!

[ladyco4]

Thank you for taking the time to write this wonderful review. And your pictures are gorgeous! We are sailing on the Golden next month with our family of 20! I hope that we have as good a time as your family seemed to.

 

Ladyco4

[sherryf]

After leaving Glacier Bay, Naturalist, Michael Modzelewski, was on the bridge and he pointed out humpback whales. We saw killer whales (orcas), too. He said it had been years since he saw them so close to the ship.

 

I think he says stuff like that to make you feel like you are experiencing the best trip ever. We saw orcas close to the ship on the Golden last summer, and he was there to see them too. I seem to recall him saying that a couple of things this year were "the best he's seen in years" but I thought were not as good as last year.

 

Thanks for your review and all the great photos. You were so lucky to see bubble net feeding. People that went whale watching the week we were there saw it too, and I so regretted not going whale watching! I've done it once in the past, but didn't get so lucky.

[Vanilla]

Thank you for that wonderful review. Your pictures are awesome! We leave Saturday on the Golden - I hope we get as lucky as you with the scenery.

[vmom]

Your pictures are spectacular. We were with Harv and Marv in Juneau this last week and had a wonderful time whale watching. Wish we had been able to see bubble netting, but I have heard that it is not a common occurrence. We were lucky enough to see both Orcas and humpbacks on our excursion.

 

I read your comments about the "assessment team" occurrence with the fire. It is very reassuring that Princess does not take any incident lightly and the crew is well trained to act appropriately.

[JanetAlice]

It was so nice to meet you as well Bobbie. It was a great cruise and the whale watching was even better than last time. I thought the food was very good except for, of all things, the baked salmon. The crew"s reaction to the alarm was indeed stellar. Princess should be very proud of its crew. I will post my husband video when it is completed though it will also include our land trip to Oregon.

 

ONE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE TO CRUISERS FLYING SOUTHWEST OUT OF SEATTLE. If you have a flight Saturday morning give yourself three hours lead time. We only had two and barely made our flights. The lines were the longest I've ever seen and I've been at some the the busiest airports in the world.

 

Thanks again for the review Bobbie

[mj]

Great review and pictures. Especially loved the one with the whales.