Photos/Review: Diamond 5/28 to Alaska

[Sheebah]

Hi All,

 

Here’s my quick summary (and a few PHOTOS) of our trip on Diamond 5/28 sailing to Alaska. Sailed with hubbie, 42, Mom, 64, and me- 32. We are very active and love this ship because of the lack of partying-oober loud teens, lack of crowding and the tranquil atmosphere- and oh yeah, food!!

 

AWESOME vacation, I could write all night, but will try to keep it brief and break it down into categories:

 

Cabin- mini suite just like we did on mex Riviera, same ship. Love this cabin. Pretty far forward, but minimal motion on the ocean compared to the Mexico cruise. Didn’t see one sick person, but did see the usual patches behind the ear.

 

Food- much better than our last cruise on same ship last November. Less salty, and higher quality. Crab legs Wednesday, lobster Thursday- loved it! Desserts were great, salads were fresh. Horizon Court buffet a bit more crowded most certainly due to lovely view up there, and gorgeous stuff going by outside, but hey, we ate! PC Dining works wonderfully for us, we like the flexibility. Had good luck with it all week, and were able to dine by the window almost nightly catching our port departure several times. What a treat.

 

Weather- don’t hate us. It was 93 in Alaska, and sunny the ENTIRE TRIP. Very cool in Tracy Arm (hat and cozy jacket), but other than that, it was flip flops most days on the ship.

 

Ports- loved Ketchikan and Skagway.

Missed Juneau and Victoria almost entirely (as most of you know, sick passenger delayed arrival in Juneau until after 7pm- scheduled to arrive at noon. High winds in Victoria delayed docking until after 10pm, scheduled to dock at 7pm). Cruise was still great, and we aren’t complaining.

Tracy Arm is amazing. Didn’t make it to the end to see glacier, but the “windex ice” and sights along the way are breathtaking. Next time, I will choose an Alaska cruise with more glacier, port time and fjord viewing and less sea time. It was awe inspiring in Tracy Arm.

 

Shore Excursions (all through Princess, all a bit overpriced, but worth the security- read on)

 

Juneau- Mendenhall Helicopter- cancelled due to sick passenger, so we did a heli in Skagway.

Victoria- Empress Tea cancelled so we paid a cab $30 to give us a turbo tour. Victoria is pretty at night, but there is so much more to see. Bummer, but we made the most of the situation.

 

Skagway- Valley of the Glaciers Helicopter- fantastic! Wonderful! Do this. Expensive, but memorable. This was our replacement for our missed heli tour in Juneau.

 

Skagway- also did rock climb and rappelling. I’m a whimp, but my husband DUG this one. Very challenging. In no way a “tamed down” shore excursion. Great staff!

 

Ketchikan- Adventure Karts- the BEST shore excursion of the trip. 2 excursions in one- Adventure Karts take you to a lovely inlet with a huge waterfall, and a stop for snacks and water, followed by a dusty ride back (wear the rain gear if you want to keep the dust off you- even if it is sunny!) Mom is 64 and loved this too. A very well organized, clean tour. Tip- go to the bathroom before the bumpy 1 hour ride into the wilderness to get to the place the tour begins. Yikes. No potty on the bus. Everyone made a mad dash for the porta potties when we got there. Clean, and nice, but still porta potties.

 

Cool secrets-

the hot tubs…shhh….why doesn’t anyone go in them? They were deserted the first 3 days.

Skywalkers during the day, amazing view. No people.

Mendenhall Margarita- just try it.

Last day spa specials – paid $79 for a facial, massage, and scalp massage. About an hour, and access to the spa facilities. Nice.

If you get cold viewing Tracy Arm, go to Skywalkers. Nice viewing, mellow crowd, cozy seats.

 

Overall great cruise. Ship felt more crowded to us than in Mexico, but it was a holiday weekend. Very, very diverse cruisers: from lots of Aussies, to British, to Canadians- and all over the US, including lots of people from the Midwest and the South.

 

Feel free to ask questions, and Happy Cruising!!

 

Here are the photos (let me know if the link is weird):

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeANnLJo3ZuGjI6g

[Hemi001]

Great photo's, thanks for sharing. Shame about the missed ports, there is so much to do in Juneau. I agree with the more ports less sea days. The north or southbound one way trips are the way to go, great for glaciers and ports.

[Sheebah]

Thanks Hemi! Yep, just another excuse to "try" another cruise

[momthecruisedirector]

Great photos and review - we leave on July2nd - can't wait!!! We watched your ship sail away on the 28th from Golden Gardens in Seattle - the sun was shimmering off the water and we envied your weather.

[Hulagirl]

Sheebah: Great review. Looking forward to the ship in a couple of weeks. Thanks again for the information as to what night the crab legs are. We are really looking forward to the cruise.

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise. Can't wait.

 

Hulagirl

[Trovador]

Hey Sheebah, we were on the same cruise!

 

My wife and I LOVED it. I'm 31, she's 28, so we were part of the younger crowd, but like you, loved the ship for the same reasons.

 

I did a review of the trip: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=187505 . I went into more detail about the missed time in the ports and what could've been done better, so I'm getting some heat back, but what to do.

 

We were on the waiting list for the helicopter tour in Skagway but couldn't get it because we were late to request it (we tried getting it after glacier flightseeing in Juneau was cancelled the second time). We got lucky in Skagway and found a glacier bay flightseeing excursion with an independent company (1.5 hour flightime) WOW is all I can say. We are very glad we took it as we got ALL the glacier viewing we'll ever need, which the cruise lacked without the shore excursions. The tour in Ketchikan sounds very nice, wish I'd known about it, but we had a great time exploring the town nonetheless.

 

Overall, it was a great experience and would do it again without thinking about it for a second.

[Janie1111]

Loved your pictures. We leave on the 26th. Can't wait.

[emmysmom]

:) Thanks for your review. Your pictures are great! :D It is getting harder and harder to wait after seeing all the reviews and gorgeous pictures.

[Sheebah]

Trovador,

Your review was great. We shared MANY similar opinions on the entire experience. I'm so sorry you took the heat for expressing yourself. I was MAD when I read what those jerks wrote on your thread.

 

I'm so glad you were able to fly (at least somehow). Next time, I'd really like to flightsee. Any photos for us yet? I wanted to see more glaciers, and am glad to know you had that experience in Skagway. I loved Skagway.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Hey Sheebah, we were on the same cruise!

 

My wife and I LOVED it. I'm 31, she's 28, so we were part of the younger crowd, but like you, loved the ship for the same reasons.

 

I did a review of the trip: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=187505 . I went into more detail about the missed time in the ports and what could've been done better, so I'm getting some heat back, but what to do.

 

We were on the waiting list for the helicopter tour in Skagway but couldn't get it because we were late to request it (we tried getting it after glacier flightseeing in Juneau was cancelled the second time). We got lucky in Skagway and found a glacier bay flightseeing excursion with an independent company (1.5 hour flightime) WOW is all I can say. We are very glad we took it as we got ALL the glacier viewing we'll ever need, which the cruise lacked without the shore excursions. The tour in Ketchikan sounds very nice, wish I'd known about it, but we had a great time exploring the town nonetheless.

 

Overall, it was a great experience and would do it again without thinking about it for a second.

[Sheebah]

:) Thanks for your review. Your pictures are great! :D It is getting harder and harder to wait after seeing all the reviews and gorgeous pictures.

 

Just look at it this way Emmy's mom- by the time you get there, you will get to see the Glacier in Tracy Arm because the ice will have thinned. You will have such a wonderful time. Look forward to your review and photos upon return.

[Irishjayne]

Fabulous pics. Thanks for sharing. Panama Canal is next for us but I see Alaska in my future.

[TexasAggie05]

Here are some more pictures from the cruise for you guys. Tracy Arm was amazing. The helicopter tour in Skagway was an unforgettable experience. I don't know if you guys got to see the massive iceberg break and roll over in Tracy Arm but we got it on video. Once I get through editting everything (3 hours worth) I'll try to get it posted up on my website.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEOXDRs5cNnYw

 

Enjoy!

[Sheebah]

Awesome pics Texas Aggie, I can't believe we missed the ice break and roll!!

 

 

Here are some more pictures from the cruise for you guys. Tracy Arm was amazing. The helicopter tour in Skagway was an unforgettable experience. I don't know if you guys got to see the massive iceberg break and roll over in Tracy Arm but we got it on video. Once I get through editting everything (3 hours worth) I'll try to get it posted up on my website.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEOXDRs5cNnYw

 

Enjoy!

[Trovador]

Here are some more pictures from the cruise for you guys. Tracy Arm was amazing. The helicopter tour in Skagway was an unforgettable experience. I don't know if you guys got to see the massive iceberg break and roll over in Tracy Arm but we got it on video. Once I get through editting everything (3 hours worth) I'll try to get it posted up on my website.

 

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeEOXDRs5cNnYw

 

Enjoy!

 

 

:lol: I have the last few seconds when the iceberg just rolled over. I filmed over 3 hours as well, will not edit though. We went to the observatory in front of the sip for practically the entire time in Tracy Arm. Chocolate with a touch of Bailey's is now on my list of best drinks for cold weather. ;)

[Trovador]

Trovador,

Your review was great. We shared MANY similar opinions on the entire experience. I'm so sorry you took the heat for expressing yourself. I was MAD when I read what those jerks wrote on your thread.

 

I'm so glad you were able to fly (at least somehow). Next time, I'd really like to flightsee. Any photos for us yet? I wanted to see more glaciers, and am glad to know you had that experience in Skagway. I loved Skagway.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Thanks Sheebah!

 

We already downloaded and printed the pics, planning to do an online album soon, probably during the weekend (had to go straight to work :( ) I'll post it as soon as I get it done.

[emmysmom]

Sheebah - we can't wait - Tracy Arm was beautiful on our last cruise and we did get to see the glaciers. One of the many highlights of our trip. We plan on taking lots of pictures and having another great cruise! :D

[Sheebah]

I hear ya! It doesn't get much better than Baileys. In fact, I bought a small bottle of it in port in Skagway ...much better to buy the SMALL bottle....I'd drink the whole thing in my morning coffee without thinking twice. Looking forward to your pics.

 

Aren't the memories great? Looking at the webcam today of Tracy Arm made me so nostalgic. Host Caroline said they got to see the glaciers! How cool.

 

 

:lol: I have the last few seconds when the iceberg just rolled over. I filmed over 3 hours as well, will not edit though. We went to the observatory in front of the sip for practically the entire time in Tracy Arm. Chocolate with a touch of Bailey's is now on my list of best drinks for cold weather. ;)

[Sheebah]

Emmys mom,

Have you ever done Glacier Bay? If so, how does it compare? I heard the ship went all the way to the Glaciers in Tracy Arm on Wednesday. So wonderful. Have a great trip - not too much longer!

 

Sheebah - we can't wait - Tracy Arm was beautiful on our last cruise and we did get to see the glaciers. One of the many highlights of our trip. We plan on taking lots of pictures and having another great cruise! :D

[Blamar]

Thanks for posting your pictures and review. We were going the opposite direction on the Island Princess at the same time. We also had our little bottle of baily's with us and since the steward would bring us extra hot chocolate for breakfast, it mixed up nicely and stayed warm in our 'coke' tumblers. I was really surprized how well the coke glasses kept things warm.

 

Glacier Bay was phenomonal and I can't wait to see it again. Although, we had a perfect warm day with clear skies, I might be dissappointed if it was in the grey a grizzle of a rainy day.

 

To bad you missed out in Victoria, I live there and it is a great city to visit. I hope you will be able to come back. However, next time, skip tea at the Empress and come explore the quiet spots like the James Bay Tea Room http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/417.asp?id=A0001498. Then it is a wonderful walk about the inner harbour. Better tea, same scenery one/fifth the cost.

 

happy sails

[Sheebah]

Blamar,

Awesome tip on using tumblers for hot drinks. I love that idea.

Thankfully, I've been to Victoria in the "daylight", but I was still sad to miss out on the town. Its so beautiful! You are so lucky to live there.

 

Thanks for posting your pictures and review. We were going the opposite direction on the Island Princess at the same time. We also had our little bottle of baily's with us and since the steward would bring us extra hot chocolate for breakfast, it mixed up nicely and stayed warm in our 'coke' tumblers. I was really surprized how well the coke glasses kept things warm.

 

Glacier Bay was phenomonal and I can't wait to see it again. Although, we had a perfect warm day with clear skies, I might be dissappointed if it was in the grey a grizzle of a rainy day.

 

To bad you missed out in Victoria, I live there and it is a great city to visit. I hope you will be able to come back. However, next time, skip tea at the Empress and come explore the quiet spots like the James Bay Tea Room http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/417.asp?id=A0001498. Then it is a wonderful walk about the inner harbour. Better tea, same scenery one/fifth the cost.

 

happy sails

[WannaBpele]

Very professional grade photos. Excellent work. Did you use a 35mm or a digital camera? Roughly how many photos did you take over the course of your cruise? Curious. Thanks!

[TexasAggie05]

My pics were taken with a 4 megapixel digital camera. Canon A85 model I believe it was (borrowed from a friend).

[pjm327]

Just wonderful pics. We go in September. Anyone know what the weather will be like? DW and I are so excited. Again great pics.

[Flintstone]

"Weather- don’t hate us. It was 93 in Alaska, and sunny the ENTIRE TRIP. Very cool in Tracy Arm (hat and cozy jacket), but other than that, it was flip flops most days on the ship."

GRRR...out with some of the jeans and in with more shorts!!! I'll never get packed for this trip!:D

Thanks for all the wonderful pictures!!

 

Deb

 

 

 

[sunprincess]

Thanks for sharing your pics. Brings back fond memories of my Alaska cruises ;)