Recent Cruise Review

[Mike2131]

This was not our first cruise (15 and counting), but the initial sailing with Oceania. In a word, Outstanding! We were on the 7/7/14 Regatta 7-Night RT Alaska cruise out of Seattle and my full review was just posted in the member review section. We were so impressed that we booked another cruise on-board.

 

Except for expedition cruises, I think we have found our new cruise line of choice.

[Jay23]

for your review. We will be going on Riviera in a couple of months, and it will be our first Oceania cruise. Your review said all the things I wanted to hear! :)

[kazu]

Thanks for the heads uo:)

 

Enjoyed your review and helpful to another fellow first timer;)

[Riverroad]

Thanks for the review. We've cruised on O before so I was looking for a review of the ports rather than the ship. What did you think of the ports on this 7-day? We're looking at this cruise as a possibility for our family next year but I wondered if you actually see enough of Alaska? May not be able to do longer cruise due to scheduling issues. I'd appreciate your input.

[CintiPam]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[Mike2131]

for your review. We will be going on Riviera in a couple of months, and it will be our first Oceania cruise. Your review said all the things I wanted to hear! :)

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did ours.

[Mike2131]

Thanks for the review. We've cruised on O before so I was looking for a review of the ports rather than the ship. What did you think of the ports on this 7-day? We're looking at this cruise as a possibility for our family next year but I wondered if you actually see enough of Alaska? May not be able to do longer cruise due to scheduling issues. I'd appreciate your input.

This was our 4th Alaskan cruise, 2 of which were cruise tours. It is one of our favorites because we had never visited Wrangell or Prince Rupert. In addition, we had never cruised Tracy Arm (very scenic with glacier calving). The balance of 3 ports, 2 sea days + the day of scenic cruising was very restful. Great pacing.

 

Ketchikan is a nice port with a great combination of history and nature. From wildlife tours (we had done the Neet's Bay Bear Watch Tour on a previous cruise) to wilderness fly-in fishing to kayaking and canoeing to a stroll of historic Creek Street to just walking and shopping, there is something for everyone. Definitely the only real shopping port on the itinerary - if that is of interest.

 

Wrangell - Brown bears, black bears, eagles, and maybe whales!!! If up close and personal wildlife viewing - especially bears - is what you seek, then the Wild Bears of Anan tour is for you. This is one of the best wildlife tours I have ever taken. This is not a controlled environment. The guides are armed, but you will literally be perhaps within 6-10 feet (usually further) of wild bears. They are habituated to humans but, make no mistake, it is definitely their domain. Highest recommendation! At the bottom of my main review you should see a review of the ports. Wrangell was not one of the choices, so I put it under Petersburg.

 

Prince Rupert, B.C. - This was a real surprise and the Bear Reserve (Khutzeymateen?) was an excellent excursion. It is 2 hours each way by a small, very comfortable, custom designed, tour boat named the Inside Passage. Great wildlife (Brown Bears, Orcas, Humpback Whales, a Bald Eagle "show" (see my port review)), etc. Again, highly recommended.

 

For us, we knew from our first visit that we would be back to Alaska multiple times. For us, another draw was the RT from Seattle. Having visited Vancouver and Victoria multiple times, not visiting those ports was actually a plus for us.

 

It is impossible to see all of Alaska on one visit. I think it might come down to what your interests are. Alaska holds a fascination for us (and a lot of other people) so I would recommend looking at the possible itineraries and select on what comes closest to ticking all the boxes for time and budget. No matter which you select, I think you are going to have a great cruise.

[Mike2131]

Thanks for the heads uo:)

 

Enjoyed your review and helpful to another fellow first timer;)

I hope you enjoy the experience as much as we did.

[Mike2131]

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Whether a great cruise or a disappointment, I always try to post a fair and balanced review. Opinions and impressions will always vary, but I always hope that relaying what we experienced will be helpful.

[Riverroad]

Mike, do you mind commenting on the ports and excursions? If you'd rather, you could email me.

[Mike2131]

Mike, do you mind commenting on the ports and excursions? If you'd rather, you could email me.

I am going to check my review to see if the port reviews pulled in. My post #7 above on this thread is pretty extensive regarding excursions and a little on the ports. Was there something else you specifically wondered about or had questions on? Are there particular options that you would like to know more about?

 

We liked all the ports and enjoyed the sea days (also counting the scenic cruising as a sea day). Sometimes a really port intensive itinerary can start to get pretty hectic and you don't feel you have time to catch your breath much less enjoy the ship.

[Riverroad]

Thanks, Mike. My apologies. I somehow missed your post #7 before I posted. It's just the information I was looking for.

[Riverroad]

Mike, did you take O 's excursions or were they private? If private, would you be able to give me the companies you used? We would be 9 people so O's tours would be very pricey.

[Mike2131]

Mike, did you take O 's excursions or were they private? If private, would you be able to give me the companies you used? We would be 9 people so O's tours would be very pricey.

We opted for them because of the usual reasons - the ship will wait for you, a member of the staff comes along to more or less make sure the value is being provided (a good leverage point), etc. We ended up buying the Unlimited Package. The Ketchikan excursion (Canoe and Nature Walk) was N/C with the package. The Wild Bears of Anan and the Khutzymateen Bear Reserve excursion (both pretty pricey) were reduced enough that, even with the Unlimited package, the final overall cost was cheaper than booking a la carte with Oceania. The discounted advance booking option was not available on this itinerary since there were only 3 ports - but it was still cheaper than that option if it had been offered. I think it might well come down to what excursions you are interested in whether you could do better with a private excursion. With very limited access tours (like Anan), the ship's tour might be the best way to insure you don't get shut out - but I am sure it would probably not be the most economical approach - especially for a group of 9.

 

In Anan, there are only 64 permits daily so, with a ship in town, I am not sure how many other permits might be available. There were 2 departures offered by Oceania. There 2 boats on our morning departure and our group was, I believe 16 people. If there were 2 boats on each departure, all with groups the size of ours, that is all the daily permits. There was a small boat (perhaps 6-10 people) off-shore when we were headed back that was not allowed to land until the ranger could do a count to see if it was possible to accommodate them. I am not sure if they made it in.

 

In Prince Rupert, I believe the boat had Oceania and non-Oceania passengers aboard. I am not sure I am permitted to mention the company, but I suggest you check on-line for bear watching tours in Prince Rupert, B.C. That was pretty much an all day tour (sandwich and a drink on-board is included) and there was only one Oceania departure.

 

In Ketchikan, there are lots of private options. There were, however, 4 other much larger ships in port that day.

 

I hope that helps.