Alaskan Cruisetour

[BigWI]

Enjoy your post everyday.

 

My cruisetour is coming this August, and I'm very interested in the excursions you are taking: Yukon Expedition and White Pass Rail in Skagway and Mendanhall Glacier, tramway and Rainforest Garden in Juneau. Look forward your detailed report after your cruise is over. :)

 

Thanks, but these posts are pretty much my detailed report;), but I will post a summary when I get home and caught up on over 500 Emails waiting for me......

[BigWI]

We loved the Yukon & White Pass excursion. We did it through Chilcoot (sp?) and it was fantastic. Did you have the bbq luch? That was very good also.:D:)

 

The Mendenhall Glacier is a nice trip. It is kind of sad to see how much of it has receded over the years. Makes you think.

 

Looking forward to your next update.

 

Yes, we had the BBQ. I counted 12 buses, it is amazing they feed that many people is such a short time.

 

Yes the receding makes you think, but the have been growing and receding since the beginning of time and will continue to do so.

[cas_pd]

We are doing the northbound cruise in June and 4 day land tour with 2 nights at Princess Wilderness Lodge, 1 night at McKinley Princess Lodge & 1 night at Hotel Captain Cook. Getting really excited! Appreciate so much all the comments each of you are making! Very helpful. This is our 1st trip to Alaska & so much planning has gone into this trip. We do have the Tundra Wilderness Tour as part of our package. Hope to see moose, bear, etc. Thanks everyone for commenting!

[BigWI]

Ketchikan

Docked in Ketchikan yesterday, had no excursions booked because nothing jumped out at us. Sop we figured we would just go downtown and walk around. Boy, are we glad we had nothing booked. It was cold and raining very hard so we stayed on board.

 

Today we are at sea, and tomorrow we get off in Vancouver. As much as we enjoyed the cruise, I think we are all ready to go home.

 

I will give you my post cruise thoughts on Sunday, after we get home.

[Northender]

Thanks for all the reports.:) Have a safe trip back to WI.:D

[hllwdcruiser]

We went to the Mendenhall Glacier, Nugget Falls and Glacial rain garden. The scenery was beautiful at the Glacier & Nugget Falls, but we found ourselves getting a little complacent. We have been surrounded but glaciers and beautiful scenery for the last 4 days so at a places that should have been really impressive we found ourselves almost to the point of saying oh well, there’s another one.

 

I can completely relate to this - for example, if we take that long train ride from Talkeetna to the ship, how different is the experience on the White Pass & Youkon route? Yet, from what I've read, the latter shouldn't be missed. It just seems like a lot of time on a train when we are only there for 11 days....

 

Thanks for your review - it has been enlightening for this Alaska newbie!

[hockeygal54]

We didn't take the White Rail/Yukon. We rented a jeep in Skagway and drove up the Klondike highway into Yukon. Stopped when we wanted, stayed @ Emerald Lake for awhile and various other places. Fun break away from the "herd"!

 

 

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[caribill]

Thank you so much for posting - we are booked on the Coral for Alaska in June 2015 with a short cruise tour prior - so I will be following your trip avidly!

How expensive are the meals? Can you give me an idea of how much we should budget to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner?

 

Thanks for posting this. Very helpful. Trying to decide in Connoisseur Escorted Tour is worth the extra $$ over the Off The Beaten Path tour

 

Maybe my report on our Connossseur tour can help you decide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

[diane.in.ny]

Maybe my report on our Connossseur tour can help you decide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

Thank you!

 

Going to book the Connosseur tour :)

[hllwdcruiser]

Maybe my report on our Connossseur tour can help you decide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

I have pored over your report several times already - I love all your photos and descriptions. It was and still is an inspiration for Alaska newbies like us.

 

The Connoisseur tour is too high for our budget right now. I am hoping for some deals before our final payment in March. We are booked for a June 13th 2015 Denali Explorer cruise tour on the Coral. That particular cruise tour is on sale right now for 2014 for about 1/2 of what we are paying. I wish we could go this year, but that is just not an option for us. Maybe we'll get lucky next year and get an amazing deal like you did! :)

[New York Nana]

I have pored over your report several times already - I love all your photos and descriptions. It was and still is an inspiration for Alaska newbies like us.

 

The Connoisseur tour is too high for our budget right now. I am hoping for some deals before our final payment in March. We are booked for a June 13th 2015 Denali Explorer cruise tour on the Coral. That particular cruise tour is on sale right now for 2014 for about 1/2 of what we are paying. I wish we could go this year, but that is just not an option for us. Maybe we'll get lucky next year and get an amazing deal like you did! :)

I had booked our cruise for next month when they came available. Last September, I happened to catch the "3 for free" sale promo that included a price drop of over $600. We're not on the land tour, but friends are and they were also able to get the promo and discount. Just keep checking regularly, especially later this summer. You might be able to grab a special.

[BigWI]

I have over 800 Emails I need to go through (probably 500 Junk but still...), so in a couple of days I will try top put my thoughts together and summerize the trip for anyone considering going in the future.

[BigWI]

We certainly appreciate you taking the time to post your results as there are 6 of us doing the Southbound on the Crown with land tour beginning May 26th. Any and all info is very helpful plus entertaining.:)

Skip

 

I won't be able to have my summary by then, so I will do a very short one for you.

 

YOU WILL HAVE A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D

 

Enjoy!

 

Will be interested in seeing if your opinion is similar to mine.

 

Good news, no Sign of Norovirus :)

Bad news, mosquitoes are as big as eagles :rolleyes:

Good News, they weren't biting - YET

Edited May 25, 2014 by BigWI

[BigWI]

Maybe my report on our Connossseur tour can help you decide.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

I wish I had seen that before I left, would have eased my mind quite a bit as to what to expect.

[BigWI]

I can completely relate to this - for example, if we take that long train ride from Talkeetna to the ship, how different is the experience on the White Pass & Youkon route? Yet, from what I've read, the latter shouldn't be missed. It just seems like a lot of time on a train when we are only there for 11 days....

 

Thanks for your review - it has been enlightening for this Alaska newbie!

 

There is no comparison between the two. I definitely recommend the Yukon and White Pass.

 

If I can figure out how :rolleyes: to post pictures here I will try to within the next week.

[diane.in.ny]

I am hoping for some deals before our final payment in March. We are booked for a June 13th 2015 Denali Explorer cruise tour on the Coral. That particular cruise tour is on sale right now for 2014 for about 1/2 of what we are paying. I wish we could go this year, but that is just not an option for us. Maybe we'll get lucky next year and get an amazing deal like you did! :)

 

And I'm hoping for the same. Just keep watching the mails and web site and hopefully can catch a price break before final payment.

[shukapaw]

Coffee is one of the highest priced grocery products in AK from what I understand, none can be produced there and it all has to come in via ship or train with a perishable date.

 

Hi, Nice review. Although we live in Alaska, we sailed the Coral southbound last year and loved it. It is nice reading other people's impressions of things. You were VERY lucky to see as much of Denali as you did. You have a far greater chance of seeing a bear in the Natl Park than the mountain. (If you call it Mt McKinley, you identify yourself as a tourist! ;) ) It's either "Denali" or "the mountain"

 

Lemme set people straight about coffee. It is no more expensive than any other grocery item we have here. Everything pretty much comes from outside. We do pay a small premium over what you probably pay at your local grocery store. We do have a number of coffee roasters here. Many hotels have free coffee in the lobby. I know of a number of grocery stores, hardware stores, veterinarian's offices, etc where there is always a pot brewin' for customers.

 

Thanks for your impressions!

 

Brian

[Loonbeam]

I sit corrected. I was going by what one of the train guides told us when talkingabout produce, etc.

Hi, Nice review. Although we live in Alaska, we sailed the Coral southbound last year and loved it. It is nice reading other people's impressions of things. You were VERY lucky to see as much of Denali as you did. You have a far greater chance of seeing a bear in the Natl Park than the mountain. (If you call it Mt McKinley, you identify yourself as a tourist! ;) ) It's either "Denali" or "the mountain"

 

Lemme set people straight about coffee. It is no more expensive than any other grocery item we have here. Everything pretty much comes from outside. We do pay a small premium over what you probably pay at your local grocery store. We do have a number of coffee roasters here. Many hotels have free coffee in the lobby. I know of a number of grocery stores, hardware stores, veterinarian's offices, etc where there is always a pot brewin' for customers.

 

Thanks for your impressions!

 

Brian

[hockeygal54]

The free or lack thereof coffee thing is just another way for PCL to make a few bucks IMO. This is actually kinda funny to me. My traveling companion considers herself a "coffee snob" and thinks the sun rises and sets on SB. I personally find it bitter and too strong and McDs suits me just fine! We were in the lodge @ Denali using the wifi, watching people etc and got coffee and a snack @ that food area. Their coffee was Dewers or something like that. Comes out of a machine. It's a concentrate I guess that mixes with hot water. It's nothing special IMO again. We have that system @ work! She raved and raved about that coffee! Didn't have the heart to tell her how it was "brewed"! LOL.

 

 

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[diane.in.ny]

. It's a concentrate I guess that mixes with hot water. It's nothing special IMO again.

 

Based on information I have from past cruises, that is exactly what Princess uses on board ship. If you want fresh brewed coffee, you have to go to the coffee bar and pay for it.

 

Previously I purchased the coffee card which allowed me to get as much fresh brewed coffee as I wanted without add'l charge. (I always like a cappuccino at dinner so used my coffee card for that and the fresh brewed, during the day, was a bonus.)

[BigWI]

I agree, it is simply a way to squeeze more $$$ from the tourists. While I don't like it, it is their business to run as they like.

 

I too prefer MickyD's coffee over Starbucks and don't drink the fancy drinks, so I found the dining room coffee to be just fine for me. In fact when I bought coffee in the IC, I couldn't taste much difference, so I did not buy the coffee card.

[hllwdcruiser]

There is no comparison between the two. I definitely recommend the Yukon and White Pass.

 

If I can figure out how :rolleyes: to post pictures here I will try to within the next week.

 

Ahhh - this is why I love this site so much. We will definitely book the Yukon and White Pass - all doubt is now erased and I can move on to what to do on the other 10 days!

 

I once tried to upload photos of the ultimate balcony breakfast using the attachment tab - and for some reason it just wouldn't work. :confused: Please let me in on the secret if you ever figure out how to post your pictures!

[hllwdcruiser]

I had booked our cruise for next month when they came available. Last September, I happened to catch the "3 for free" sale promo that included a price drop of over $600. We're not on the land tour, but friends are and they were also able to get the promo and discount. Just keep checking regularly, especially later this summer. You might be able to grab a special.

 

That is indeed heartening - I can only hope we will be so lucky!

 

On a side note - DH and I have a house in Crown Point - just north of Ticonderoga. We love Saratoga Springs and everything else about upstate NY. The beauty up there is just breathtaking. People think we are crazy since most want to retire to FL and we can't wait to escape from here. Instead of "snowbirds" - we call ourselves "sunbirds" escaping the brutal Florida summers!

[New York Nana]

That is indeed heartening - I can only hope we will be so lucky!

 

On a side note - DH and I have a house in Crown Point - just north of Ticonderoga. We love Saratoga Springs and everything else about upstate NY. The beauty up there is just breathtaking. People think we are crazy since most want to retire to FL and we can't wait to escape from here. Instead of "snowbirds" - we call ourselves "sunbirds" escaping the brutal Florida summers!

I agree about upstate NY. We'd actually owned our 'retirement' home in Florida and sold it and decided to stay up here. I've been around the country and I have to say that upstate NY offers some of the most beautiful lands I've seen. When we need our winter 'sun' fix - we head south for a few weeks!

If you are interested, I have my review and info from our June 2011 trip to Alaska. We did 5 day land tour prior to the cruise SB on the Island P. Email me at beh614@gmail.com and put "Alaska' in the subject. I will be doing another review when we return for our 2nd trip!

[caribill]

I once tried to upload photos of the ultimate balcony breakfast using the attachment tab - and for some reason it just wouldn't work. :confused: Please let me in on the secret if you ever figure out how to post your pictures!

 

Each picture must be less than 2MB in size. A bigger picture will be rejected.

 

If your pictures are larger than 2MB each, you will need to reduce their size before uploading.