Planes, trains and more planes - Seattle, Vancouver and a 1 night plus 7 night cruise on the Crown

[geocruiser]

Sounds like you are having a great cruise. Alaska was one of my favorite cruises. I still have my $19.99 jacket that I brought in Skyaway. I just love it.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Geocruiser - I may be doing some shopping tomorrow before our excursion - it seems I didn't pack quite enough warm weather gear:)......on another note - the 5 plane glacier float plane was AWESOME. DH got to sit in co-pilot seat and got some great pics - I keep forgetting how to upload pictures so will let him try.....it was really a treat though. Off to the Red Dog Saloon for pre dinner drinks - Libby Riddles is in the theatre tonight giving a presentation - looking forward to that [emoji4]

[cruiseintoheaven]

Hello from Skagway.....we were here bright and early along with the Coral, two HAL ships and I believe the Celebrity solstice. Walked around town a bit and getting ready for our excursion to Jewell Gardens in a bit. Libby Riddle's presentation last night was very good, and for those of you interested - the sled dog puppies will be in the piazza today at 4:30 - I'm assuming the itineraries don't alter much. The naturalist will also be leading a talk as we sail away tonight for glacier bay. That's it for now [emoji4]

[cruiseintoheaven]

Well, let's see.....yesterday in Skagway we walked to our excursion at Jewell Gardens, a true off the beaten path excursion. Highly recommend. We enjoyed sailaway from Adagios, which was quite lovely.

 

The puppies (3) were indeed in the piazza yesterday....they are about 5-6 weeks old. Cute, cute, soooo dang cute! They set up a playpen of sorts and let 3 folks in at time for a snuggle and photo opp. DH and I have already gone through the "maybe we should get another dog.....no, we're empty nesters, owned by 3 cats....let's not spoil a good thing" discussion already.

 

The Liars club last night was hysterical. Dan Appleby does a bit that had us crying....we unfortunately missed Carlos Oscar, hoping he performs again.

 

Today was glacier day!! Thankfully, the temps were warm enough that being out and about was pleasant. We did get to see a small bit of calving. The Park Rangers set up camp in Skywalkers and narrated quite a bit throughout. There was a special "taste of Alaska" buffet in Cafe Caribe as well.

 

From 3 to 4 this afternoon, the naturalist onboard will be on the Lido deck as that is supposedly a good time to spot whales.

 

Tomorrow is Ketchikan......off to do laundry.....

[Eaglecw]

Lynn, Thanks for posting the little tidbits from your cruise. I’ve got a ton questions to ask.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Ask away! I may not know the answer but I'll try to find out if if I don't 😊

[cruiseintoheaven]

This morning we got our disembarkation paperwork.....sad, sad, sad.

 

So let's back up.....after we left Glacier Bay yesterday, the ban on straws and Styrofoam was lifted, which was met with much cheering from the many coffee fans. Protecting the environment is very much stressed - no feeding the seagulls on your balcony, as cute as it is. A normal day of sea day activities then ensued. Last night we enjoyed some music in the wheelhouse - I noticed a slight uptick in Pax trying The Salty Dog compared to the Emerald in February. DH surprised me with a few "trinkets" from the boutiques....I suspect this may be to make up for the fact that he FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR (it's ok, he doesn't read these boards)....in any case, he made up for it :)

 

We missed the magic show, but made a few rounds of trivia....and then off to bed. Vacationing is tiring!

 

Today in Ketchikan, we were treated to sunny skies and temps in the high 50's - not bad as the average high in July is a balmy 57. I'd forgotten what a walkable and neat town this is....perfect for a short stay, which is what we had. Had a nice walk, couple souvenirs and pictures and back to the ship for lunch - it has been a few hours since we've eaten.

 

Lots on the schedule today...movies, art auction, games, trivia, wine tasting, etc. Tonight is Magic to Do and the Marriage Match. We saw Magic to Do on the Emerald but plan to see it again as DH was exhausted and slept through it - so it will be a whole new show for him.

 

From the dept. of random:

 

-This is probably not news for more seasoned cruisers, but today I discovered that Cafe Caribe appears to have an entirely different menu than the main HC. Taste of Alaska is also being offered again.

 

-I pre-purchased the water package (think $6.90) for 12 bottles of water. Not a bad deal, and saves you from lugging it onboard. Note you can't get this deal once you are on the ship.

 

-DH was able to buy his coffee card on the one nighter and it's good for the entire (8 day) cruise. He was not able to purchase his soda package for the one nighter though (I believe this and the AIBP are not offered on the one nighters).

 

-The crew was supposed to hold emergency drills Tuesday while in Skagway - this was usurped by a surprise (?) visit by the CDC. My understanding is that the Crown received a 98 out of 100. Of note on that topic, the dining staff has been very diligent about enforcing the use of hand sanitizer at the buffets.

 

-The Princess at Sea app seems to have been streamlined and upgraded a bit as it seems more intuitive/easier to use.

 

Tonight is also our last formal night. We are officially in our fat clothes after eating out 8 days in a row, so our casually clad selves will not be attending.

 

That's it for now....looking forward to our visit to Victoria tomorrow evening.

[Eaglecw]

Ask away! I may not know the answer but I'll try to find out if if I don't

Is the naturalist really Michael Modzelewski? Does he still have that condescending tone when he talks?

 

lumberjack Rob Sheer does he put on a little talk/show?

 

Do you have a balcony room? If so did you spend much time on the balcony on Glacier day?

 

How is the food in the MDR?

 

How was the buffet? We try to stay away from the buffet.

 

What kind of special items did they have at "taste of Alaska" buffet in Cafe Caribe?

 

Are you planning on posting the Platters from this cruise? I know a lot of people will be interested.

 

We leave in 8 days and we are getting a little excited.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Eaglecw

[cruiseintoheaven]

Is the naturalist really Michael Modzelewski? Does he still have that condescending tone when he talks?

 

lumberjack Rob Sheer does he put on a little talk/show?

 

Do you have a balcony room? If so did you spend much time on the balcony on Glacier day?

 

How is the food in the MDR?

 

How was the buffet? We try to stay away from the buffet.

 

What kind of special items did they have at "taste of Alaska" buffet in Cafe Caribe?

 

Are you planning on posting the Platters from this cruise? I know a lot of people will be interested.

 

We leave in 8 days and we are getting a little excited.

 

Michael is the naturalist - I'm not sure I hear a condescending tone - but he definitely has a unique style of speaking!

 

Yes - the Lumberjacks put on a show and are out and about - believe there was a related passenger game as well.

 

Yes - caribe balcony - have used it quite a bit to asses weather, some viewing - but we spent most of glacier bay top deck or in sky walkers.

 

We only ate in MDR on first formal night - it was quite good. Buffet has been a bit hit or miss, but plentiful. We did not go the the taste of Alaska, but I heard it was salmon, moose chili, etc....I will ask some friends that went and get more detail.

 

If I can get clean copies of the patters and DH will post them for me - you bet...😊

[kayred]

Thank you for your time (and Internet minutes). We fly to Seattle in 3 weeks and I am so excited. I am driving all my friends crazy talking about the cruise.......lol

[cruiseintoheaven]

Well, let's see where we are at as our journey on the Crown comes to an end. Last night Magic to Do was cancelled because the lead singer was ill. A bit surprising that there wasn't a stand-in, but life, and cruising, goes on. We did go to the Marriage Match game, always a hoot - Dan Appleby the CD hosted and he has a very quick wit - we've enjoyed him quite a bit. Though there was a lot going on we opted to head to bed on the early side as clocks would be moved forward an hour.

 

I will say that this is the first time that I have felt like I am on a fairly crowded ship - obviously people aren't out spending as much time on the open decks as much in Alaska, so every venue has been pretty full. I think if I were to do another Alaskan cruise, I'd opt for a smaller ship/passenger ratio with a covered pool. The grand class is wonderful for a warmer climate, but I find myself missing the larger Royal class and additional dining venues, though I do prefer Explorers over Princess Live. Bottom line, is if you want to attend an event, get there early!

 

Lots going on today....we attended the culinary presentation in the theater followed by a galley tour of the kitchen on deck 5. Very enjoyable.

 

We didn't go to the Captains reception last night, but friends reported that there are only 79 Elites on this cruise. I'm not horribly surprised as I've seen many, many blue cards. Kinda fun to see cruising through new eyes when you talk with folks that are on their very first cruise. Most traveled Pax had 616 sea days I believe.

 

Anywho, plan for rest of the day is to do some pre-packing and attend a few events, have an early dinner in the MDR and head into Victoria tonight for a bit, have never been and hear it's quite beautiful. :)

[Eaglecw]

Do you know which of the MDR was open on embarkation day in Seattle? The buffet is a zoo on embarkation day.

We enjoy both the culinary show, galley tour and the Captains reception.

 

Blue cards are always interesting. Last year we got to talking with a couple on the third day and they asked how much it cost to eat in the MDR, they didn’t have a clue about much of anything on the ship, totally unprepared.

[JF - retired RRT]

Blue cards are always interesting. Last year we got to talking with a couple on the third day and they asked how much it cost to eat in the MDR, they didn’t have a clue about much of anything on the ship, totally unprepared.

 

Oh my!!:eek:

 

Where were they getting their meals?

[idahospud]

Do you know which of the MDR was open on embarkation day in Seattle? The buffet is a zoo on embarkation day.

DaVinci, midship Deck 6

[donswife]

Did you try any of the "local" specialties that they are supposed to be serving at the grill by the pool? They sounded good on the Princess website.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience, I will be on this itinerary in August.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Regarding the local food, we didn't try but heard it was good - many types of fish, reign deer chili etc. So, unfortunately - we were not able to make our stop in Vancouver last night. Though it didn't look too bad to the untrained (my) eyes - Captain reported high winds (40 knot) - he and local pilot deemed it unsafe so what can you do? Our group chose to attend majority rules and have fun aided by some libations.....many Pax chose to get drunk, rowdy and challenge the decision with lots of cursing aimed toward the captain......not cool. Dinner in MDR (ok we had some dressier clothes left that still fit) was quite good and included the baked Alaska procession......very enjoyable....so now we are back to Seattle - it's 8:37 and still no "all clear" to disembark - I fear some folks will miss their early flights.....we are over-nighting in Seattle.....home tomorrow night and back to real life....[emoji38]

[cruisinfanatic]

[quote name='cruiseintoheaven']Regarding the local food, we didn't try but heard it was good - many types of fish, reign deer chili etc. So, unfortunately - we were not able to make our stop in Vancouver last night. Though it didn't look too bad to the untrained (my) eyes - Captain reported high winds (40 knot) - he and local pilot deemed it unsafe so what can you do? Our group chose to attend majority rules and have fun aided by some libations.....many Pax chose to get drunk, rowdy and challenge the decision with lots of cursing aimed toward the captain......not cool. Dinner in MDR (ok we had some dressier clothes left that still fit) was quite good and included the baked Alaska procession......very enjoyable....so now we are back to Seattle - it's 8:37 and still no "all clear" to disembark - I fear some folks will miss their early flights.....we are over-nighting in Seattle.....home tomorrow night and back to real life....[emoji38][/quote]Was EZ Check offered for luggage?

[Eaglecw]

[quote name='cruiseintoheaven']Regarding the local food, we didn't try but heard it was good - many types of fish, reign deer chili etc. So, unfortunately - we were not able to make our stop in Vancouver last night. Though it didn't look too bad to the untrained (my) eyes - Captain reported high winds (40 knot) - he and local pilot deemed it unsafe so what can you do? Our group chose to attend majority rules and have fun aided by some libations.....many Pax chose to get drunk, rowdy and challenge the decision with lots of cursing aimed toward the captain......not cool. Dinner in MDR (ok we had some dressier clothes left that still fit) was quite good and included the baked Alaska procession......very enjoyable....so now we are back to Seattle - it's 8:37 and still no "all clear" to disembark - I fear some folks will miss their early flights.....we are over-nighting in Seattle.....home tomorrow night and back to real life....[emoji38][/quote]

I can understand the Capitan’s reluctance in not wanting try to dock in Victoria yesterday evening. The wind was blowing pretty hard at my house yesterday, it’s blowing pretty hard today also. The slip that they berth the cruises in Victoria is pretty narrow. Most people don’t understand the complexity of mooring a huge ship in high winds, the ship turns into a giant sail. The Captain is one who is ultimately responsible for the ship, I don’t blame him at all for not going into Victoria.
Thank you for posting all your comments and have a safe trip home.

[cruiseintoheaven]

No EZ check currently - it should be back in mid to late June from what I understand

[cruiseintoheaven]

Eaglecw - thanks for explaining the variables - I'd much rather be safe and miss a port....just not worth it.

[cruiseintoheaven]

This was the first time that the Crown had the "Voice of the Ocean" - held on Friday afternoon at 4:00 in the theatre (happy coincidence that happy hour in the wheelhouse was 3-4) .....We had seen snippets on the Regal, but it was the first time we'd watched the entire finale - it was well done and you couldn't help but admire the courage it took for the contestants to perform - some of them were really really good! We both felt the best singer was chosen as the winner as well.

[Orangefan]

[quote name='cruiseintoheaven']This was the first time that the Crown had the "Voice of the Ocean" - held on Friday afternoon at 4:00 in the theatre (happy coincidence that happy hour in the wheelhouse was 3-4) .....We had seen snippets on the Regal, but it was the first time we'd watched the entire finale - it was well done and you couldn't help but admire the courage it took for the contestants to perform - some of them were really really good! We both felt the best singer was chosen as the winner as well.[/QUOTE]


Lynn, What a pleasant surprise to see your name ! You did a great job. I am glad you had enjoyed the company, Alaska and the cruise.
By the way will your daughter's wedding be this year or next ?
Sali

[cruiseintoheaven]

A few pics to add to this review (a bit late)[attachment=310949:name]. These are from our float plane glacier excursion in Juneau - crossing fingers that they post!


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[cruiseintoheaven]

The Red Dog Saloon[attachment=310955:name]


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[cruiseintoheaven]

Jewell Gardens and in Skagway and some shots of the town as we walked there[attachment=310965:name]


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