Century to Alaska Review and Pics Aug 11-18

[Iamthesea]

Hello,

Thanks for such a great review and pics so far. My hubby and his Mom are taking this cruise Sept. 8th and was wondering if you had a copy of the daily activity sheet you could share.

:)tcbenz

 

Hi, Please come over to the Roll Call for the 9/8 Century cruise. We are a small group of cruisers on the same cruise. Here is a direct link to the last page of the thread. you can go to the first page and read all 9 pages if you would like. ;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.phpp=39629131#post39629131

 

Also, we need 2 more persons to sign up for a CruiseCritic Meet&Mingle. There is no obligation and you don't even have to show up if you don't feel like it. The ship requires at least 25 to sign-up before they will give us a party. We need 2 more. Please sign up here: https://secure.celebritycruises.com/cruisecritic/getParty.do

 

islandjacquelin - Looking forward to seeing the Dailies. :)

[Advise]

Hi Jacquelin

 

What a wonderful review and some really nice pictures - thank you so much for posting them.

 

We are two days away from flying out to Vancouver for the cruise and would be very grateful if you can give me any tips on two points please -

 

Firstly, how were the laundry facilities on board?

 

And secondly, how was the weather along the way - did you feel the need to wrap up well at any point or was it fairly comfortable in casuals?

 

By the way, will you posting any pictures of Hubbard Glacier at all? Did you get good weather on the day and did the captain manage to get fairly close to the glacier?

 

Hope you can help with the above.

 

Once again, great review - thanks for posting.

 

Regards

Jim

[lovecruzin]

Hi Jacquelin

 

What a wonderful review and some really nice pictures - thank you so much for posting them.

 

We are two days away from flying out to Vancouver for the cruise and would be very grateful if you can give me any tips on two points please -

 

Firstly, how were the laundry facilities on board?

 

And secondly, how was the weather along the way - did you feel the need to wrap up well at any point or was it fairly comfortable in casuals?

 

By the way, will you posting any pictures of Hubbard Glacier at all? Did you get good weather on the day and did the captain manage to get fairly close to the glacier?

 

Hope you can help with the above.

 

Once again, great review - thanks for posting.

 

Regards

Jim

 

I saw you got an answer re laundry so I thought I would answer your question re weather.

Check the forecast before leaving, my friend is in Alaska now and it is cool and rainy, I was fine with a fleece vest and windbreaker when we went in June!

The cruise a week prior to ours didn't get very close to Hubbard glacier and we got within a mile, a ship the same day turned around at 3 miles. The weather conditions for the glacier can change from hour to hour.

 

Have a great time, Century is a wonderful ship with excellent crew and friendly officers.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

 

Keith

[islandjacquelin]

Wednesday began with a lovely breakfast in the MDR - sans kids. (Not sure if that is what made it lovely - definitely the mimosa helped!) It was a nice break from hunting for a table for 6 in the Islands Cafe ( no mean feat!). The waiters seemed a little rushed and not quite as attentive - but frankly the service was still fantastic - I think I am now ruined by the excellent service from our waitresses Candida and Azhari during dinner.

 

The weather was gray and overcast and I was feeling pretty discouraged about Hubbard Glacier as I had heard that it had been foggy and icy and some cruises were not getting very close.

 

Clearly, I am not a meteorologist, because as we entered into Yakutat Bay towards the Hubbard - the skies cleared into bright, sunny and blue.

 

If the next description sound over the top, well, you had to be there. Hubbard Glacier made me cry. I was not prepared for the stunning beauty and majesty. And I used to work in Banff National Park for Parks Canada. I have seen glaciers before. I think it was the sunshine, the crisp air and the stunning beauty that got to me. Honestly - I only had one Frangelico Hot Chocolate!

 

A true iceberg - big enough to be called that:

 

Where silty glacier water meets the salty ocean water:

 

Hubbard:

 

Up close and personal:

 

Amazing calving in action:

 

Captain Georges was able to get us less than a half mile away from the glacier! We were told that is the closest the Century has ever got to Hubbard. Milos the naturalist was actually speechless at how close we got. It really was the most incredible experience.

 

After an amazing morning, we headed back out, now on our way to Juneau. A fantastic day and it is only noon.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Loving your review and pics, please keep them coming! A little over two weeks until we sail, I'm getting very excited now thanks to you.:)

[Solution]

Nice glacier pictures... thank you.

[midwestchick]

I'm loving your review and pictures. We're actually talking about a cruise to Alaska.

You mentioned this...."Our stop at Icy Strait was at 3:30pm and we arrived a little early. Tendering has apparently been very slow this year and so we had checked in a day early to see if we could get Priority Tender passes as our private whale watching excursion began at 4pm. These were delivered to our cabin first thing in the morning, and made the tender process very easy for us. Others had a longer wait."

 

Can you please tell me where you went for Priority Tender passes, especially since you were doing a private excursion? We have a full day booked when we arrive in Naples and I'm hoping we don't have to wait forever to get off the ship. Our driver will be there by 8:00 and we dock at 7:00.

[Iamthesea]

 

Can you please tell me where you went for Priority Tender passes, especially since you were doing a private excursion? We have a full day booked when we arrive in Naples and I'm hoping we don't have to wait forever to get off the ship. Our driver will be there by 8:00 and we dock at 7:00.

 

You should not have to wait at all in Naples. No tendering. We were there in May and walked right off the ship as soon as disembarkation was announced. Met our guide right at 8:00.

HINT: When you come out of the building from the ship, you may be on a lower level (where you will see a few guides). You will need to walk around to the front of the building, and then go back inside (another entrance). Walk up some stairs, across a mall and back down some stairs. You will walk out of the building again and your guide should be waiting. We made the mistake of stopping in the first area when we saw some guides. We were directed to go back inside and follow the directions I gave. On two previous cruises, we came off the ship on the upper level of the mall. Not on the Silhouette, however. It was confusing.

[islandjacquelin]

My apologies for those of you waiting for the dailies - little technical problem on my part, but I should have them ready for posting late this evening. Thanks for your patience.

 

In the meantime, the rest of Wednesday - post Hubbard. . .

 

I want to give a big shout out to the officers on board the Century - they set the tone for the entire crew and and this is one of the real strengths of the Century experience. Yes, she is an older ship, and doesn't have all the flash and glam of the newer ships. But seriously - her officers and crew are really fantastic.

 

Following our Hubbard experience, we headed to the pool deck for an Alaskan tradition - the Polar Plunge and Officer/Guest pool volleyball. Now, I don't want to scare any of you with my photos, but I had so much fun participating in these two events I forgot that I hate to be seen publicly in a bathing suit ( all that champagne and dessert means I am built for comfort, not speed ;) )!

 

Several officers and our wonderful cruise director Ben started off the fun:

 

Brrr - the water was definitely chilly - but not really polar for this hearty Canadian! The plunge was followed by a great game of pool volleyball:

 

But the guests were victorious! ( They said it was the first loss for the officers, but I find that hard to believe!) In any case - I am wearing my medal with pride:

 

There were many activities onboard and the officers were always willing to join in the fun! Here is Captain Georges and Hotel Manager Jamie playing Baggo:

 

I missed Dancing with the Stripes, but all of these are examples of how the officers and crew can make or break the cruise experience. In this case, they made a very positive impression on all the members of my family - the kids had opportunity to interact with the officers, and in particular, my youngest son who has high functioning autism, had a great conversation about navigation with the first officer.

 

Next stop Juneau!

[islandjacquelin]

Can you please tell me where you went for Priority Tender passes, especially since you were doing a private excursion? We have a full day booked when we arrive in Naples and I'm hoping we don't have to wait forever to get off the ship. Our driver will be there by 8:00 and we dock at 7:00.

 

We simply asked at guest relations. They were very helpful about lots of things - including the 6, yes 6, times one of our kids misplaced or demagnetized their sea passes!

[lovecruzin]

The officers lost in June as well and they lost on our Hawaii cruise, maybe the officers have blocked those losses from their minds :D

Maybe it was the first time they've lost in Alaska with Captain George :p.

[BrusselsGirl07]

Thanks for your review! We love the Century as well, we sailed on her to New Zealand for 13 nights for Christmas and NYE 2011/12 then got back on 6 weeks later for an 18 night cruise around the top of Australia. The ship was fantastic, and the staff were amazing! Hopefully we will get to sail on her again in the future.

[Advise]

I saw you got an answer re laundry so I thought I would answer your question re weather.

Check the forecast before leaving, my friend is in Alaska now and it is cool and rainy, I was fine with a fleece vest and windbreaker when we went in June!

The cruise a week prior to ours didn't get very close to Hubbard glacier and we got within a mile, a ship the same day turned around at 3 miles. The weather conditions for the glacier can change from hour to hour.

 

Have a great time, Century is a wonderful ship with excellent crew and friendly officers.

Hi Danna

 

Thank you for the reply regarding weather and also for your wonderful review and especially the lovely pictures.

 

Your tip regarding the whale watching was very good - I was in two minds whether to book it or not - but now that you have passed on a contact - I will try and ring them to see if they have any space left on the day we arrive.

 

24 hours left to our flight to Vancouver and your review has done wonders for building up the excitement even more, not to mention reminding me to go and buy some binoculars first thing in the morning.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is clear on the day we arrive at Hubbard.

 

Shame I will miss the rest of it because I will be away.

 

Thanks again.

 

Regards

Jim

 

ps - nice to see you in the picture and put a face to the author of this great review

[midwestchick]

You should not have to wait at all in Naples. No tendering. We were there in May and walked right off the ship as soon as disembarkation was announced. Met our guide right at 8:00.

HINT: When you come out of the building from the ship, you may be on a lower level (where you will see a few guides). You will need to walk around to the front of the building, and then go back inside (another entrance). Walk up some stairs, across a mall and back down some stairs. You will walk out of the building again and your guide should be waiting. We made the mistake of stopping in the first area when we saw some guides. We were directed to go back inside and follow the directions I gave. On two previous cruises, we came off the ship on the upper level of the mall. Not on the Silhouette, however. It was confusing.

 

 

It sounds very confusing. I'm printing this up and I'll also check with guest relations to be sure I know where we are to go.

I'm so new to cruising and now I know why we loved Azamara...a lot of tender ports and it was so easy plus a small number of pax.

[midwestchick]

Can you please tell me where you went for Priority Tender passes, especially since you were doing a private excursion? We have a full day booked when we arrive in Naples and I'm hoping we don't have to wait forever to get off the ship. Our driver will be there by 8:00 and we dock at 7:00.

 

We simply asked at guest relations. They were very helpful about lots of things - including the 6, yes 6, times one of our kids misplaced or demagnetized their sea passes!

\

 

Thank you. And I just saw the picture of you. You are adorable and look so happy.

Our son used to do the polar plunge in WI on New Year's Eve day...I thought maybe he was daft.....lol

[islandjacquelin]

Thanks for your kind comments about my review - it is fun to reflect on the trip in this way.

 

Thursday morning had us arriving early into Juneau. Another lovely day - I started mine off bright and early with a visit to Cova Cafe - best latte's and great service, especially from Kristiane! I love that she remembered every time that I like my latte skinny and my croissants fat! ;) The pastries there are yummy and no, you don't have to purchase a coffee beverage to have a treat - just ask! The black and white cookies are also delicious - I mean, that is what I heard. . .

 

Onto Juneau - very easy and simply debarkation - we had a berth right at the dock where the info centre is. We had no planned excursions - a trip for 6 is expensive no matter what the cabin category, and we decided our big excursion would be whale watching - which was an excellent decision for us. Luckily there are many options to do on our own in both Juneau and Ketchikan.

 

We opted to take the blue shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier to start. It runs every half hour on the hour and half hour in both directions. The cost is $16 round trip and the tickets can be purchased from one of several booths. Because there were six of us, we got our tickets for $14. It was cheaper than renting a vehicle large enough to hold all of us!

 

Bus ride is mostly highway and takes about 15 min. We were let our near the Steep Creek trail. There were many, many salmon in the creek - check them out via salmon cam:

 

 

and a bear had been there earlier that morning - there was evidence! We just saw a few of these little guys -porcupines!

 

The glacier itself is very beautiful and there are a number of interpretive trails you can take. The visitor centre is pretty good -$3 entrance fee for those over 12.

 

 

There were lots of wildflowers:

 

 

We spent about an hour and half at the glacier and could have spent longer if we had hiked to Nugget Falls.

 

Next stop Mt Roberts Tram!

[Cruisin Kay D]

Hope you are not finished with this wonderful review with such fabulous pictures!!!!

[carlyshenk]

Wow! Great review and photos. Can't wait for the next segment!

[tlcoke]

Thanks for sharing your review.

[julie andrews]

looking forward to more information, as I sail with century on 8th sept (not long to wait)

[Kaz5153]

We were on the same cruise as you and your family and I am thoroughly enjoying and agreeing with your reviews. Your photos are wonderful and I am really looking forward to the next reviews.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

looking forward to more information, as I sail with century on 8th sept (not long to wait)

 

Come join us on the Century roll call. Right now we have 24 people signed up for a connection party. We would love to have some more people join us :D.

[Iamthesea]

Yes, Julie Andrews...please join us.:)

 

Please come over to the Roll Call for the 9/8 Century cruise. We are a small group of cruisers on the same cruise. Here is a direct link to the last page of the thread. You can go to the first page and read all 10 pages if you would like. ;)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1734491&page=10

 

Also, we need 2 more persons to sign up for a CruiseCritic Meet&Mingle. There is no obligation and you don't even have to show up if you don't feel like it. The ship requires at least 25 to sign-up before they will give us a party. We need 2 more. Please sign up here: https://secure.celebritycruises.com/...ic/getParty.do

[islandjacquelin]

Next stop is the Mount Roberts Tramway. We were not sure about this, and had decided to wait and see based on weather. Do not book in advance - if it is overcast foggy or windy, this would not be fun! As it was, we had a gorgeous sunny day, so purchased our tickets from the base-right next to our cruise ship.

Admission Includes:

- All-day unlimited rides on the Mount Roberts Tramway

- The 18-minute film Seeing Daylight

- Juneau Raptor Center Bald Eagle Display

 

They had pretty good espresso at the top and the demonstrations by artists were good. We all enjoyed the movie about Tlingit culture - even the museum haters among us!

 

Mount Roberts Tramway Cost*:

- $31/adult; $15.50/child 6-12; Free/Child 5 & Under

* Local tax included

 

The views were fantastic:

 

Our ship from above

 

Looking down the valley

 

We walked the Alpine Loop at the top - it took about 30 minutes and there were additional loops that could be done. The trail was manageable even for the slow mom(!), but if you have significant mobility issues, it would be challenging. Lots of interesting sights along the trail

 

 

The Nature Centre has some interesting items and good info.

My daughter loved the eagle, but I felt sorry for it.

 

After the tram we did some shopping and headed back to the ship, as it was the second formal night ( which I thought was strange, as many people had excursions and missed it!) I had yummy lobster and baked alaska, and perhaps a glass, maybe two, of bubbly!!