My Great Alaskan Adventure on the Coral Princess. May 28th - June 9th

[cruisingw/mom]

MY GREAT ALASKAN ADVENTURE – Coral Princess Review Plus Land Tour

 

History: My mother (62) and me the daughter (39). This cruise should have been both my mom and dad going however he passed away 4 years ago in May. My parents did a lot of traveling (mostly driving vacation, 2 cruises) but since he is gone my mom and I have taken several cruises. This was our second with Princess. We choose Princess for Alaska because of the land tour itinerary. We did ALOT of research. I have gone on 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and 1 other Princess. My mother has been on Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, American Hawaii and 1 other Princess cruise.

 

On our past cruises we have mostly done the tours on our own via private tours, taxi tours or renting a vehicle. This trip for various reasons we decided to go completely with Princess on the few tours we did and for the land portion of the trip. My expectations were met and in many cases exceeded. Would I do the land portion again via a cruise line, yes, would I rent a car and do it myself, yes. The pros on going through the cruise line was the ease of traveling without hauling my own luggage and I really wanted to travel the old Denali highway which some rental places don’t allow. Our driver made many stops both at views and along the way for wildlife. You only had to yell stop and they did if it was safe to do so. The only con for me was the first coach felt little confining, the second one was better. Just be aware that it’s not like sitting in a car.

 

Itinerary: Tour 17N. We booked this trip last summer in mid-August. Since the ship left from Vancouver we decided to fly in 2 days early. We did the package thing with Princess for the hotel in Vancouver. We booked our own air.

 

Day 1: Fly into Vancouver and staying at the Pan Pacific.

Day 2: See sites of Vancouver

Day 3: Embark ship – Coral Princess

Day 4: Day at Sea

Day 5: Ketchikan

Day 6: Juneau

Day 7: Skagway

Day 8: Glacier Bay cruising

Day 9: College Forge cruising

Day 10: disembark Ship and travel various ways to Cooper River Princess Lodge

Day 11: Day of Leisure at Cooper River

Day 12: Motor coach to Denali Princess Lodge

Day 13: Tundra Wilderness Tour

Day 14: Train to Anchorage

Day 15: Fly home to Mpls

 

I hope you enjoy reading my review. If you have any questions just ask away. Either my mom or I will answer.

 

Day 0 Wednesday May 25th: Since we live about 60 miles out side of the Twin Cities and our flight left in the morning we decided to spend the night at a hotel by the airport. We normally do this as it makes it a lot easier with all the rush hour traffic.

 

I took the whole day off to finish packing and last minutes things. This would turn out to be a good thing as when I woke this morning and turned on the local news they announced the freeway was shut-down (both ways) due to a semi-rollover with the truck still on fire and some sort of chemical spill. It would affect the morning rush hour but they hope to have the road open by noon. Yes! They said those words (HOPEFULLY).

 

We stayed over at a hotel close to the airport as we usually do. Had a good flight into Vancouver. Had read about some of the delays at Vancouver due to customs but we were through customs in about 20 minutes. Perhaps that is because we flew in 2 days early on a Thurs. Upon picking up our luggage we saw the Princess rep. She checked our vouchers and took us to a cab that drove us to our hotel. We had chosen the Pan Pacific as we wanted to be right at Canada Place. Upon arriving at the check-in desk they asked us if we would be willing to stay at the hotel across the street for the first night as a group had not checked out and they were short of rooms. The choice was ours but if we did that they would upgrade our room and give us free breakfast both Fri. and Sat. at their breakfast buffet. We agreed and she walked us across the street to the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. They also delivered our luggage and arranged for the transfer to their hotel the next day. We had a lovely room, very comfortable, great view, down comforter. They have a resident dog that you can arrange to take for a walk. There is a fast food court and other shops below the hotel and that area has a tunnel to Canada Place.

 

That afternoon we walked down to Gastown. We enjoyed walking this area. Went back to the hotel and took a short nap and then decided to walk to Gastown and eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It’s a family style restaurant. Both of us enjoyed the meal. We didn’t want anything fancy as we knew we would be having plenty of that type of food on the ship.

 

The next day we ate at the Pan Pacific breakfast and it was very good. Checked out of the Fairmont, confirmed that Pan Pacific would be picking up our luggage and went out to the trolley. They have a trolley that makes circuit and you can get off at various points and catch the next trolley. We got off at Stanley Park, Granville market, and Chinatown. Stanley Park is lovely, Granville market fun, visited Sun Yat-sen Chinese Garden in Chinatown. Thought the garden was nice but overpriced. Did not visit the aquarium.

 

That evening we asked if we could get back on the trolley and go to Robson Street and the driver said yes as it was his last circuit and not many were on. Walked around browsing in several shops, ate, and decided to buy water and Pepsi to take on the ship. We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed the walk as it was a beautiful evening.

 

The room we got at the Pan Pacific was lovely. This room also had down comforters, a great chaise lounge and being a corner unit two large picture windows overlooking the harbor with a wonderful view of the ships coming in under the bridge and the float planes taking off.

 

Looking forward to visiting Vancouver again as we did not have enough time to do all we had wanted to. We have a tendency to wander so others should be able to fit more in. Had considered seeing more of Vancouver Sat. before boarding but we were anxious to get on board and explore and enjoy the ship.

 

Sat. am after another great breakfast we saw the princess rep and she said we could either wait for her to lead us down to the embarkation area or we could go ourselves if we so chose to. About 10:30 we took the elevator down to the cruise terminal. We waited about 10 minutes for security to get ready, went through that and customs, checked in with Princess and then settled down to wait until they were ready for us on the ship.

We were in our room by 12:15. Most of the time was spent sitting waiting to board. Customs only took 5 to 10 minutes, Princess check-in the same.

 

The Coral is a very nice ship. We were in room 727 on the Caribe deck. More than enough storage in both bath and room. Closet space good. Floor to ceiling shelves behind cupboard door with safe on one shelf. We each put our smaller suitcase inside the larger one and stored under the bed. The crew was always friendly and always very helpful. Cabin steward and waiters were excellent.

 

We ate lunch in the buffet and explored the ship.

 

We had chosen personal choice dining as we didn’t want to be on a schedule for this trip.

Personal choice dining is great, however, when we asked to be seated at a certain table that was vacant and we were told it was reserved for all week. That to me takes away from the personal choice aspect of it.

We ended up reserving a table for the rest of the week. The food was very good both in the dining room and the buffet. I didn’t have any problems with food not being hot enough. We ate once at the pizza bar and twice at the grill for lunch. Ordered room service one day and food was good as was the service. I thought some of the selections for the entrees in the dining room were odd but we always found something we liked. The desserts are all wonderful. Loved the fruit tarts in the buffet. The coffee was good and I enjoyed it with my desserts. The evenings we were in Juneau and Glacier Bay we ate at the Horizon buffet.

 

We did not go to any of the shows as we were up early to see the scenery. Spent 20 minutes in the casino. The décor is cute. Had a drink in the explorers lounge and enjoyed that area also. This cruise for us was mainly about the view.

 

We were up and watched going through the narrows area. Just awesome. We ended up getting up very early each day so as not to miss anything. We saw humpbacks, orcas and sea otters both from our balcony and on deck. Loved our balcony, both for the ability to go out quickly and see something and also the full length view it gave when we were getting ready etc. Also enjoyed the aft deck on caribe. Found many wonderful areas both inside and out to be able to enjoy the views.

 

Ketchikan: Took a horse drawn trolley tour, went to the museum in town and to the Totem Heritage Centre, went up the hill on the tramway car to the Cape Fox lodge where we listened to a talk on the totem poles on their property, walked Creek street and the Front street area. A wonderful town to walk. We loved it.

 

Juneau: Went on a whale watching trip through Princess. Was not crowded at all. Saw whales (one gave us quite a show) a sea lion rookery and of course eagles. Saw Mendenhall from the boat. Ate lunch on board ship then went to do our walking tour. Had a drink in the Red Dog Saloon and just wandered. Went up Mt. Roberts tram which has a nice trail.

 

Skagway: Took the railroad roundtrip through Princess. The train was very interesting, scenery great. In the afternoon we went to town and wandered once again stopping at the various places we wanted to see.

 

Glacier Bay and College Fjord were awesome. The glaciers make sounds constantly and yet it seems so peaceful. The calving while not large was awesome. Icebergs floating in the sea, the ice a blue color, and very quiet except for the crackling of the ice.

 

Disembarkation went smoothly. We went by boat across Prince William Sound to Valdez. Once again saw whales, sea otters and eagles. Also saw Columbia glacier, Bligh reef (that’s where the Exxon Valdez ran aground), and oil tankers. Was a great trip, better than I had expected due to the stopping to see things and the narration that was given of the sights. In Valdez we transferred to a coach and then had 1 ½ hours in town. Back in the coach and up the Richardson highway stopping at several waterfalls, views and at Worthington glacier which we were able to spend some time. Also stopped on the pipeline and we were able to walk beneath it. Arrived at Copper River Princess Lodge late afternoon. Beautiful lodge with great views of Wrangell-St Elias National Pk. Walking paths and beautiful grounds. We spent 2 nights here. Took the jet boat tour, an ATV ride and ate lunch at the roadhouse in Copper Center, visited their small museum, and visited the National Pk. Visitor center. Both of the tours we took were very much enjoyed.

 

The next day we got back on the coach and drove the gravel Denali highway. This is a long drive but we made stops for wildlife etc. We were prepared for this long drive and think it would have been okay except the road was being graded and the bus hit a rock that ripped something and could not be driven. Luckily it happened right before the lunch stop at a nice lodge so we were quite comfortable waiting the 4 ½ hrs. for the replacement bus. They packed sandwiches and treats to eat for our supper as we were driving. I enjoyed this drive and feel enough stops were made but because of the break-down got very tired. We arrived at Denali Princess around 10:15. This Lodge is also very nice.

 

The next day we were up early and did the Wilderness Tundra Tour. Saw moose, caribou, bear and sheep. You do need binoculars in order to really see the details. This tour was great, our driver very interesting but we were tired after our long day the day before. We explored the grounds, walked across to a small shopping area and just hung out the rest of the evening. We were on the Tundra tour from 7 to about 3:45.

 

Arriving back at the Lodge found out a tunnel for the train had a rock slide and the train wasn’t running. It was between Fairbanks and the Park so the train could not get through. They thought it would be cleared in time for us to leave the next day at our scheduled time of 11:15. After breakfast we found out that they could not clear it and we were scheduled to go by coach to Anchorage at 12:45. I was greatly disappointed as I was looking forward to the train. I did not want to sit and wait for a bus on my last day in Alaska. We decided to rent a car and drive it ourselves. Spoke to the princess tour manager and he totally understood and helped us with the car rental. Left Denali about 10:15. We had a great time driving down to Anchorage, saw moose and caribou, and ate lunch at the McKinley Princess lodge arriving about 4: 15 in Anchorage. Stayed at Captain Cook Hotel.

 

Anchorage is a city I would have liked to have had an extra day in. The hotel was very comfortable. We ate at the Fletcher’s at the hotel and had an excellent spaghetti dinner.

 

The next morning took a cab to airport. Long line at security—moved very slowly but we had allowed enough time.

 

A few trip notes. Princess gave us vouchers for the various problems that we had on the land portion. We did not ask for these nor did we complain so I felt this was very generous of them as the problems were beyond their control. Princess also arranged for our rental car ---they did not have to do this.

 

Very important to research. Someone traveling on our coach did not realize the distance on Denali highway or the length of the Tundra tour. Allow enough time---that being said—I never have enough time as I like to talk to people so I am kind of pokey. I know this so for me I plan enough down time to do this.

 

Lodges. Upon arriving at each lodge someone greets you with a packet containing your room key, info and any tickets for tours you have purchased. I had expected Denali to be very hectic but because of the organization was not. There were a lot of people but the reception area is very large with many different sitting areas. Our room at both lodges was excellent. We were in building 7 at Denali. Very convenient. Super clean at both places.

 

Food: The food was good with the prices being what I had expected. We ate in the dining room and at the bar at Copper River. At Denali we ate in the dining room (had an excellent halibut meal) and at the pizza place on premises. For breakfast we just picked up fruit and a scone at the deli. The one night I wanted just soup and toast and the main restaurant was happy to do that for me. The service was excellent in all the lodges.

 

Luggage: We were given tags for our luggage that read either meet me in Anchorage or travel with me. One piece went on to Anchorage and the other was waiting in our room when we arrived or was delivered shortly after. We each had one small bag that contained our papers, meds, etc. This bag was supposed to be not larger than 14x17x4. We saw many that had larger. Wondered how that would have worked on the train. The day we had the rental car Princess still took our luggage.

 

Clothes: We had jeans, tees, a couple long sleeve tees, 1 sweatshirt, sweater and a light weight lined jacket. We had gloves and hat plus a rain poncho which we did not need but would pack again. Also packed a small umbrella. We brought the normal evening cruise wear except we doubled up for the formal nights and also for the casual to cut back on packing. Also had 1 pair of capri’s and 1 pair of shorts that I wore in Vancouver. We each did a load of laundry on board ship and at Denali. 1.00 to wash and also to dry. Very easy to do.

 

Alaska is wonderful. Looking forward to planning another trip to Alaska as there is so much to see and do that you can’t possibly see it all in one trip.

 

If you have questions just ask away!!

 

Thanks

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the review.. Did you have any interaction with Generoso? What was your table number in the PC dining room?

[crusdiva]

Shelly,

 

Thank you, great review. DH and I are taking the Coral southbound after a 4 day land tour that includes Denali and Mt. McKinley Lodges in September. Could you tell me where and when you were able to book excursions on the land portion. Thanks again for all the great info.

[cruisingw/mom]

Largin: We booked a table for two. Table number 74. Great table. We cannot remember the waiters name (Girl). But she was wonderful.

 

Crusdiva: During the boat ride to Valdez they passed out info and we booked for Copper River. For Denali I think they did it on the bus. Since we had the Tundra Wilderness tour we did not book any other tours in Denali. Each lodge has a tour desk called "the outfitters". You can book your tours when you arrive at the lodge also.

[crusdiva]

Crusdiva: During the boat ride to Valdez they passed out info and we booked for Copper River. For Denali I think they did it on the bus. Since we had the Tundra Wilderness tour we did not book any other tours in Denali. Each lodge has a tour desk called "the outfitters". You can book your tours when you arrive at the lodge also.

 

Shelly,

Thank you so much for the quick response and the great info. :)

[LARGIN]

Thanks.. We usually have table 81 next to the window. It is a table for two..

[dazee8]

Hi Shelly,

 

Thanks for being so detailed in your review. This land tour is one that I've been meaning to book and I loved hearing your take on the place. Did they have white-water rafting up at the Copper River Lodge or is that more at the Kenai??

 

:) Nora

[dazee8]

Hey Shelly,

 

One other question about the lodges... My understanding is that you have to pay for all your meals, right? Are there any complimentary perks while staying at the lodge?

 

Thanks,

:) Nora

[garycarla]

There is an entire board DEVOTED to Alaska cruises, you might want to share this information there.

[cruisingw/mom]

dazee8: Hi, yes we paid for all of our meals at the lodges. Also paid for our meals while on the road. Food was good--prices were between 12 and 22 dollars for most of the entrees and the lodges. The pizza at Denali per slice was around $4.00.

 

As for the land excursion they have the following at Cooper River:

A)Historic Kennicott and Wrangell - St. Elias Flight adventure (8 hours $329.00 pp)

 

B). ATV (4-Wheeling Trail Ride) (2 hours $86.00 pp). We did this. Was fun and it was my moms first time riding/driving an ATV. She had a blast too.

 

C) Historic Chitina And Copper River Tour (3 1/2 to 4 hours $54.00pp)

 

D)Liberty Falls and Wrangell Mountains Nature Hike (3 1/2 hours $57.00pp)

 

E) Kennicott & McCarthy Shuttle (11 hours $99.00 pp)

 

F) Dog Sled Demonstration & ride (20-25 minutes $29.00). He is right there at the lodge. We watched other people. It is a 4 person wheeled ride.

 

G) Salmon Fishing (4 to 6 hours $205.00 pp)

 

H)Copper River Wilderness Adventure (Jet Boat Ride) (3 1/2 hours $99 pp). We also did this and it was fun. If you go on this bring BUG SPRAY. The water was fine but when you get on the land portion you will get eaten up.

 

I) Scenic Wilderness Rafting (4 hours $99 pp) Per the picture in the book we received from Princess it looks like a leisure float trip. The books states "This World-class scenic rafting trip is an Alaskan Adventure "must do".

 

J) Backcountry Whitewater Rafting (4 hours $99pp) Per the book it states "the whitewater River is Class III + and offers coutinuous splashy white water as it cascades over the large boulders . It also states this tour is great for the whole family and must be 7 years and older.

 

k) Sea Kayaking (Shoup Glacier) ( 7 to 8 hours $205 pp)

 

L) Prince William Sound Columbia Glacier Cruise (6 hours $145.00 pp)

 

M) Wrangell - St. Elias Air Panorama (2 hours $ 149 pp)

 

 

For Denali the tours offered are:

 

a) Music of Denali Dinner Theatre (2 hours meal included $49 pp)

 

b) Husky Homestead tour (2 1/2 hours $39pp)

 

c) Denali Jeep Adventure (4 1/2 hours $99 pp)

 

d) Denali Horse Trail Adventure (2 to 3 1/2 hours $65to $95 pp depending upon the length of the tour you choose)

 

e) Midnight Sun Golfing - 2 1/2 hours $63pp)

 

f) horse-drawn wagon ride (2 1/2 hours $55pp)

 

G Atv Adventure (2 to 3 hours $75pp)

 

H) Denali Fly Fishing (4 hours $140 pp)

 

i) Denali Rive Safari ( 3 1/2 hours $89 - $99 depending if you choose the snack or the lunch meal) It is a soft adventure jet boat trip down the Nenana River.

 

J) Jet Boat Excitement ( 2 hours $ 69pp) White-water excitement on a jet boat. Travel in a heated, covered boat along a stretch of Class 2 and 3 rapids.

 

K) Nenana Gorge White Water (3 hours $75pp) Traveling down the Nenana River Gorge on the white water rapids. Class III and Class IV rapids.

 

L) Nenana Wilderness Run (3 hours $ 75pp) - this is the scenic version of the Nenana River with no rapids.

 

m) Mt. McKinley Summit Flight Tour - (2 hours $260 pp)

 

n) McKinley glacier Landing by Plan ( 3 1/2 hours $325 pp)

 

o) DenaliGlacie Landing via helicopter (2 hours $369 pp)

 

p) Denali Helicopter flightseeing (2 hours $ 269pp)

 

Q) Denali Heli-hiking Adventure (4 hours $359 pp)

 

R) Glacier Trekking Adventure (4 hours $469 pp)

 

s) Denali Glacier Dog Adventure (3 hours $469 pp)

 

T) Science of predators and prey (3 hours $38 pp)

 

Let me know if a tour catches your eye and I can write more about what the book states. Hope this helps.

 

--Shelly

[naplesam]

Thanks for the review. We are on Tour 17S in August so it was fun to preview our trip "in reverse". Thanks for taking the time to post.

[dazee8]

Hi Shelly,

 

I've been asking our TA for years to get some info on the lodges and what they offer. Thanks mucho for letting me know what was there and what you experienced first hand. Sounds like you really liked your trip and from all that you listed I am sure it was difficult to pick and choose. Hopefully you will get the chance to go back someday... or would you want to? I just love Alaska.

 

Many thanks again for everything you posted. I am going to print it out.

:) Nora

[crusdiva]

Shelly, thanks again for all the great information. Did your land portion include McKinley? DH and I are looking at horseback riding and have a full day on our own in McKinley and a half day free at Denali. Can you tell me more about this tour?

Denali Horse Trail Adventure (2 to 3 1/2 hours $65to $95 pp depending upon the length of the tour you choose)

Thanks again;)

[Genessa]

Shelly, thanks again for all the great information. Did your land portion include McKinley? DH and I are looking at horseback riding and have a full day on our own in McKinley and a half day free at Denali. Can you tell me more about this tour?

 

Thanks again;)

 

we took the 2 hour horseback riding at Denali in July of 2003 and were very disappointed. The vendor is located about half an hour away from Denali Lodge. You ride over tundra - which is like a cross between craters and little lumps, sort of all pot holes with a little road between - so you are basically limited to walking to prevent injuries to the horses (and the people). The wranglers were excellent and really tried to "fit" the horse with the rider as well as give excellent directions for novice riders. They took our cameras and photographed us on the horses. We saw little in the way of anything scenic and saw no wildlife. We were on the horses for maybe an hour. Those on the longer tour went further down the "road" before going "off road" and seemed to be people with a great deal of riding experience. Unless Princess has chosen a different vendor, I would never go horseback riding there again.

 

If you are going to be staying at Mt.McKinley Wilderness Lodge, that is where I would pick to go riding. We did the horse drawn wagon ride (I know, a little hokey, but it was great fun). The wranglers were the same that we saw on an earlier horseback riding trip (that we didn't do). They pick the riders up at the lodge and the "ranch" is only a few minutes away. The scenery is much prettier and if Denali is "out" they take you to a place where you can see the mountain.

[crusdiva]

Genessa,

 

If you are going to be staying at Mt.McKinley Wilderness Lodge, that is where I would pick to go riding....They pick the riders up at the lodge and the "ranch" is only a few minutes away. The scenery is much prettier and if Denali is "out" they take you to a place where you can see the mountain.

 

Thank you so much for all the great the information. We do have more time in McKinley so may be that would be the place to ride.

So if I understand you correctly horseback riding was offered a McKinley as well?

Thank again.

[Genessa]

Genessa,

 

 

 

Thank you so much for all the great the information. We do have more time in McKinley so may be that would be the place to ride.

So if I understand you correctly horseback riding was offered a McKinley as well?

Thank again.

 

it was definitely offered in 2003, but we had already gone at Denali and were also looking for an excursion all 6 of us would/could do and that's why we went with the wagon ride.

 

There was another half day excursion offered at Mt.McKinley which 4 of us went on and loved. If it would be of any interest to you, and it is still offered, I'd highly recommend it. It was a jet boat ride to a private homestead, run by the homesteader. While it seems like it would feel weird for someone to get paid for having strangers visit their home, since we didn't give the cash to him, it felt like you were visiting with "cousins of your neighbors friend's son" . We really enjoyed the entire experience, from the jet boat ride (where we saw our first eagle and our first salmon (in the river)) to the visit in the homestead with him and his wife and daughter and hearing about what it was like when he first arrived in Alaska and what their typical lives are now.

 

Unfortunately, the other two travelling with us kept trying to take one of the flightseeing excursions, but it kept getting cancelled due to weather.

[crusdiva]

Genessa,

 

Great news and another excursion to think about;) ...thank you again.