Pictorial Review: Explorer of the Seas, Alaska, 3-10 June 2016

[Lynhay]

Following

[Mellkoh]

Then what is your advice for what to do at night there. We get there at 5:30 and leave at midnight:o Probably need just one thing to do with that time frame. We thought we may just sit on our balcony and watch the city lights...

 

 

 

When are you there? Butchart Gardens is likely to be open and their night display is beautiful. Book. an excursion though, as it's a good 45 min from the cruise terminal.

 

Barring that, the downtown area is great and you can walk there in about 15 minutes. You can watch the sun set on the inner harbour, while taking in some busker shows. There's a lot of great shops along Government St, many of whom stay open when ships are in town. There's a ton of great bars and restaurants downtown as well. If you're a reader, Munro's books, on Government St (started by Nobel Prize winning author, Alice Munro and her husband, hence the name) is not to be missed and Russell's books on Fort St is also a fave (the door to the upstairs haven is beside the street level entrance). You can wander through the Empress, you can walk the path around the inner harbour (you pick that up near the Coast hotel, just ask at the info desk by the cruise terminal). You can also walk along Dallas Rd (where the cruise terminal is) going right out of the terminal (downtown is left). It's a long, leisurely walk along the water that will take you to Beacon Hill park. A great place to relax! Take a carriage ride around downtown or just walk around James Bay, the neighbourhood by the terminal. You can also go whale watching (I much prefer a hard-sided boat to a bumpy, wet, zodiac style), lots of Orcas live nearby!

 

Bottom line, if you've never been to Victoria before, be sure to get off the boat and enjoy!!!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kbklcamp]

Hi Nekzaadvakil, sure hope things are going well and you'll put us back on the Explorer soon[emoji924]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CupcakeSusie]

I'm loving your review so far - can't wait to read the rest!

 

I'm so glad you loved the food. I've read a couple of negative reviews lately, so it's good to hear some positive feedback. DH and I are on Explorer in January for our first cruise.

[nekzaadvakil]

Hi Guys,

 

Sorry for the long delay, I was down with the flu and had a busy week at work, but I'm back now and will continue the review in detail with lots of pictures to make good for the long delay.

 

Ok, so after a really nice, fairly relaxing day on Day 1, we were all set to unwind with a nice sea day on Day 2. DW and I also needed to quickly decide on what excursions we wanted to do. We usually plan all our DIY trips / excursions way before our cruises but since there were 6 of us, we all couldn't agree on what we wanted to see.

 

 

After a nice lavish breakfast in the Windjammer, DW and I along with the group headed down to the Shore Excursion desk to plan our excursions for Juneau and Skagway.

 

After alot of deliberations, DW and I booked the following 2 excursions:

 

The Dog Sledging on the Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter - for Juneau

Glacier Point Wilderness Safari - in Skagway

 

These were by far the most expensive Excursions that DW and I had EVER purchased. The 2 excursions would set us back a little under $2000. We thought about it for sometime, since we'd really be going over budget but decided to go for it since we're really more interested in building our bank of good memories rather than a big bank balance. And one doesn't travel across the world from India to Alaska so frequently.

 

After getting our plans in place, we decided to head out to the Solarium. The place was not crowded at all, the headed jacuzzis always had people but were never full.

 

 

 

I love the cold weather and after 2 weeks in the Caribbean and Vegas, this was the weather I was looking forward to. You could really feel the weather getting cooler and cooler as we cruises away from Seattle and closer to Alaska.

 

I ate around 5-6 of these on the sea days but I think I was more interested in getting the perfect scoop, rather than eating them. There was ALWAYS a line for this (which moved pretty fast) so I know I was not alone in enjoying this frozen yogurt.

 

 

The views from our balcony kept getting better and better as we sailed into Alaska. We were so thrilled and grateful that we managed to grab that excellent deal on a balcony stateroom, it just wouldn't have been the same for us in an interior room.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

In the afternoon we played some BINGO. We had absolutely NO LUCK in Bingo on both our cruises. Although on the Explorer I was 1 number away from the big prize on 2 occasions. Anyway, it was good fun.

 

 

The first sea day was also our first Formal Night.

 

 

The group couldn't agree on where to eat since the food at the Windjammer looks absolutely brilliant. Since DW is a vegetarian and prefers spicy Indian/Thai/Chinese food - she always prefers the buffet where all kinds of dishes were available. I love my meat. I guess what they say is true, opposites do attract.

 

After much deliberation, we decided to split up for dinner. DW and her parents would eat at the Windjammer. They absolutely loved it. I went with DW's grandmum and uncle to the MDR and we really enjoyed our meal here.

 

The presentation of the food wasn't as great, but it sure did taste good.

 

 

 

 

Stuffed up to our necks with great food, we headed to the casino to try out luck at slots and then turned in for the night. We wanted to be well rested for our day in Juneau.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Day 3 included an early morning sailing in the inside passage and arrival into Juneau at Noon.

 

DW was very very excited about the Dog Sledging excursion via Helicopter even though she is a nervous flyer.

 

We woke up early in the morning to check out the inside passage sailing. I am no nature lover, infact I am exactly the opposite. But I have to say that even I was completely mesmerized with the raw beauty of what was in front of us. Amazing snow capped mountains, with clouds right outside your balcony windows, this was something else. Little did I know at this time that it gets even better.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately when we docked in Juneau, the weather was gloomy, rainy and very very overcast.

 

 

DW and I got out at the meeting point on the dock and waited for our guide. We were pretty sure that there was a high chance that our tour would not happen. Sure enough, the people in charge of shore excursions came across and told our relatively small group that due to the weather, it would be unsafe to fly the helicopters and hence we had 2 choices.

 

1- cancel the tour for a full refund.

2- wait for 2 hours and see if the weather changes, if it did, we could go, but if not, then get a full refund.

 

DW and I thought about it for a couple of minutes and decided to cancel it and book a normal dog sledging excursion. We checked with the shore excursion reps and he confirmed that one group had 2 openings and that they were leaving in the next 2 minutes. We immediately decided to take it.

 

We were not willing to risk waiting for 2 hours for the weather to clear, and then not see anything in Juneau. While we were disappointed at losing an opportunity like this, we really understand that on holidays, everything will NOT go according to plan. One has to be flexible, take it in your stride and be grateful that we're in a minority to even be here.

 

The bus trip to the dog sled camp was around 45 minutes and highly entertaining because the 2 girls behind us just kept talking about how one of them passed out the night before after drinking too much. Haha, it was free entertainment.

 

At the camp we were introduced to a few handlers who all owned over 10 dogs. DW and I are huge dog lovers. I had to put down my dog, Magnus exactly 5 years ago (to the date) so I was feeling depressed but it also felt good to be around dogs again. DW has 5 dogs of her own and I take care of 7 strays, so we felt right at home around them.

 

 

This is Mika, she was the first dog we were introduced to at the camp. She was so friendly, and had the most beautiful eyes.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

After playing with Mika for a bit, all of us were split into smaller groups and we each got to ride in the dog sleds. These dogs are so well trained, the handler just had to give his commands and all of them would follow through diligently.

 

 

 

We felt very guilty for making the dogs pull us. Usually DW and I NEVER sit in horse drawn carriages, we both support banning anything that is cruel to animals, but these crazy dogs just wanted to run. Their handlers told us that they can get depressed if they don't run and for them this is their way of playing.

 

We got off the ride which was very enjoyable and then proceeded to pat them and play with them. They enjoyed the attention, back rubs and kisses.

 

 

 

After saying goodbye to them, we got to play with puppies for a bit. DW completely fell in love with a couple of them and was ready to take them home with us. Look at this little fellow and his blue eyes!

 

 

We were so happy we decided to do this tour instead of just wait for the weather to clear. On the way back the bus dropped us off at the town square which was full of cosy streets and small souvenir shops. It was a longish walk back to the ship and a bit of an uphill climb. But DW and I are very comfortable walking long distances and it was no problem for us.

 

Please note: There was a lady with her mother in a wheelchair who was told that there would be buses that could accommodate a wheelchair from the town centre to the port. Apparently she had waited for quite sometime and multiple bus drivers told her that they didn't know anything about it. So she had started to push her mother up-hill on the wheelchair in cold weather and a slight drizzle.

 

We took over from her and pushed her mother in her wheelchair and dropped them to the ship. For us youngsters it was manageable but if anyone is planning to get off at the town centre instead of the ship, please be careful.

 

The extra exercise earned me an extra dessert that evening.

[BettyPC]

Great review and pictures! Very nice of you to help the older people with the wheel chair!! I look forward to more of your adventures!

 

Betty

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[kbklcamp]

What a wonderful day y'all had[emoji3]. So glad for you. Would you mind telling how much the excursion you did was? Thank you for the pictures.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nekzaadvakil]

What a wonderful day y'all had[emoji3]. So glad for you. Would you mind telling how much the excursion you did was? Thank you for the pictures.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

The Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier was for USD 624 per person ($1248 for the 2 of us)

 

The Glacier point Wilderness (which is coming up next in the review) was for USD 249 per person (so thats $498 that we paid)

 

Since the Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier was cancelled, we took the normal dog sledding and if I remember correctly that was also around $260 per person.

[nekzaadvakil]

Here are some more pictures of our day in Juneau. As you can see from the pictures, it was a very cold and overcast day, but absolutely beautiful.

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Day 4: Skagway. I like port days where you have over 12 hours to explore. We woke up early in the morning and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We headed out to port to meet our group at the pier. We were slightly worried that we would miss our excursion as the meeting point was at the end of the pier which was a good 10 minute walk.

 

Luckily we were well in time. We caught up with DW's uncle who was joining us on this excursion. There were quite a few people who had signed up for this tour. Many from our ship, many from Celebrity Millennium which was docked right next to us and even a few who were not from any cruise.

 

We were divided into smaller groups of around 25-30 and we boarded a small jetty. We were told that it would be a 45-60 minute ride to where we would start our tour from (to see the Davidson Glacier)

 

 

 

Our tour guide (I think her name was Jo) was really good. She was knowledgeable, but more importantly, she was really really calm since the ride was extremely bumpy. There were many people who started to feel sea sick, and many were genuinely scared. The boat was really taking a beating in these waters which were quite rough. Anyone with a back problem should not be on this tour as it could do some serious damage. And the scary part was when they mentioned that it might be worse on the way back.

 

 

Anyway, we reached our starting point, called Beach Road on a tiny island where only 11 guides stay permanently (when the weather permits). Jo introduced us to a couple of them who would be our lead guides for the day. These guys were absolutely brilliant. It was evident that they LOVED their jobs and they had a wicked sense of humor. They kept us entertained throughout the day.

 

We jumped into old school buses where they took us around the small island over a 10-15 minute ride. They showed us where their camp was, the 'airport road' which was just an open piece of land where planes could land (wasn't even tarmac) and our base site where we would start.

 

We were given good old gum boots and rain gear and once all of us were ready, we hiked a small distance from the camp site to the river. The hike was really simple, through the trees, no major inclines, very simple for everyone. At the river were our large canoes which could fit upto 12-14 people and our guide.

 

 

We were given instructions on how to get in and out and told that no one had ever fallen into the lake so we shouldn't worry if we followed instructions.

 

The scenery as you could imagine was breathtaking.

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Here's a couple of pictures from the canoe approaching the Glacier.

 

 

 

Once you reached the other side, we could get off from the canoe and walk around closer to the Glacier.

 

 

A huge piece of clear ice that was close to the Glacier.

 

 

The whole experience could not be described in words. We felt very very fortunate to be able to visit a place like this. Money will come and go but these memories would be with us forever. Certainly a day I would not forget anytime soon.

 

 

After heading back, we were given some amazing sandwiches which we could eat on the bus. We were informed that one of the boats which had left with the next group had to turn back since many passengers on that boat were quite frightened due to the choppy waters. We could see for ourselves that the water had become quite choppy and we were wondering if it made sense to risk going back in these waters.

 

There were 5-6 people who volunteered to stay back for a couple of hours (since the next boat would take that long to come back). We boarded the boat and headed back to Skagway. The ride was definitely choppy but only for around 15-20 minutes. Plus we knew that it would be choppy so we were more prepared. Those 15-20 minutes did feel like a long time, but we made our way back safety and without any issues.

 

 

The amazing experience more than made up for the horrible rides. Would I do this again? In a heartbeat. This was definitely the highlight of our Alaskan cruise.

[niklynn1]

We will be on the Explorer to Alaska in June of 2017, so I am thrilled to be reading your report. Thank you so much for the pictures and detailed descriptions!

[nekzaadvakil]

Days 6 and 7: Tracy Arm Fjord/ Cruising

 

We were scheduled to cruise by the Tracy Arm Fjord between 7 AM - 12 PM and we had heard that this was supposed to be a magical experience. We woke up sometime between 7 and 8 AM and I was totally astonished to see what was outside our Balcony window.

 

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The captain managed to turn the ship completely so that both the starboard side and the port side, each had a magnificent view. I thought that was really nice since it didn't make sense for anyone to miss out on this view. We were really lucky to have decent weather to be able to make it so close.

 

[nekzaadvakil]

Our sea days consisted of pretty much our usual list of activities. Eat, gamble in the casino, eat, gawk out of the balcony, BINGO, and really relax and unwind to some amazing views.

 

 

 

 

I loved this hilarious animal droppings that we saw in Alaska!

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2016 by nekzaadvakil

[nekzaadvakil]

Victoria was our last stop on the cruise, before we headed back to Seattle. We were asked to get our passports and be present early in the morning in the theater since the Canadian authorities needed to see the visitors personally. We were really annoyed with having to wake up early and do this, as this was the first time we had ever needed to do this on a cruise ship!

 

DW's uncle managed to sleep in since he's a New Zealand citizen and didn't need a Canadian visa. However the process was really fast and well organized by the ship staff.

 

We really didn't have any major plans for the day. DW and I wanted to walk around and her mother and uncle decided to join us, which her grandmum and dad decided to leave later and take a cab to the Downtown area.

 

We were all amazed by the sheer beauty of this little city. It was a perfect day (weather wise) with bright blue skies and just cold enough for us to walk.

 

We walked all the way from the port, past the Fisherman's Wharf (which was just amazing); to Belleville Street which had the beautiful coast on one side and the BC Legislature building, Fairmont empress hotel on the other. We even managed to shop quite a bit at the Bay Centre and Market Square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nekzaadvakil]

On the way back we had to stop again at the Fisherman's Wharf as DW wanted to feed the seals/ sea lions who were very hungry and playful. I also managed to grab some amazing fresh fish tacos.

 

 

 

 

 

DW could have easily spent more time here. She loves animals and i think one of the seals was flirting a little too much.

 

 

 

We absolutely loved our day in Victoria and everyone we spoke to said that Vancouver was a tad better. So we know that we definitely want to visit Vancouver and more of Canada the next time we save up enough money and time off from work for such a long trip.

[Mellkoh]

 

 

 

 

 

We absolutely loved our day in Victoria and everyone we spoke to said that Vancouver was a tad better. So we know that we definitely want to visit Vancouver and more of Canada the next time we save up enough money and time off from work for such a long trip.

 

 

Vancouver is bigger, but I wouldn't say better!! It's lovely as well, don't get me wrong, I guess you'll just have to come back here and decide for yourself!! [emoji12]

 

And those seals are the best fed seals in the world, I think!! They're getting a wee bit pudgy!

 

So glad you liked Victoria and your trip overall!! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm looking forward to our own trip next May!!!

 

Melanie

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk