Review: Voyage of the Glaciers SB May 20-27 Coral Princess w/4 days DIY pre-cruise!

[Hdnwaters]

Be patient, we have a family reunion today! Hopefully will continue later this afternoon.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Enjoying your review as taking the same trip the end of August and we have not done the Southbound before, only RT's from Seattle.

 

When you made reservations that first night for your complimentary specialty restaurant, did you have an option to pick another night, since it was an 8:00PM departure? We don't eat that late and hoping we can switch it to a formal night. Or was it an option to book it when they opened at 5:30PM? Seems the muster drill will sorta be in the middle of second traditional dining time.

 

What did they do for dining that first day, were the MDR's open as usual, or everyone headed to th HC?

[Hdnwaters]

Enjoying your review as taking the same trip the end of August and we have not done the Southbound before, only RT's from Seattle.

 

 

 

When you made reservations that first night for your complimentary specialty restaurant, did you have an option to pick another night, since it was an 8:00PM departure? We don't eat that late and hoping we can switch it to a formal night. Or was it an option to book it when they opened at 5:30PM? Seems the muster drill will sorta be in the middle of second traditional dining time.

 

 

 

What did they do for dining that first day, were the MDR's open as usual, or everyone headed to th HC?

 

 

My understanding is you can switch times & days. I think we had a card with our reservation time on it. Like 8:30. We eat late so it was not an issue for us. The MDR was open for dinner. I guess the traditional dining second seating started later that evening. Not 100% sure since we went to Sabatini's.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hdnwaters]

Day 7

 

Upon awaking the seas had calmed a bit. I saw the boat bringing on the park rangers. It was a little clearer but still pretty dreary. Glacier Bay was probably one of the best parts of the whole trip. It was nice turning the TV on listening to the ranger & watching all the beautiful scenery. We stayed on our balcony most of the day and just watched.

 

 

The only time we ordered room service was this day. The club sandwich was awesome too! I just didn't want to miss seeing anything. Of course the highlight of the day was the Margerie Glacier. So cool and I bet we saw her calve at least 15 times. It would have been even more spectacular with some sun!

 

 

Just loved seeing the glaciers up close.

 

 

As we exited Glacier Bay the Captain announced a medical emergency. They took a sick one off the ship with the tender. Hope & pray everything is okay. The park rangers escorted the tender boat to their dock.

 

 

 

Dinner was good, love the cream brûlée!

 

 

Lost money in the casino! Imagine that! So just where is the sun? [emoji274]

 

Next up day 8 Skagway

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Hdnwaters]

Day 8 Skagway

 

Being from the east coast, I woke up everyday at 4am! Most days I was able to go back to sleep til around 7. First thing I would do in the morning would be to open the curtain in our sitting area. OMG!

 

 

I ran outside with just my nightgown on & my iPhone. It was chilly too. That is the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam at port also. This is one of my favorite pics of the whole trip & goes to show you don't need a fancy camera! I also took with me a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400. It's a bridge camera that does not require changing lenses.

 

I'm really excited about the sun! While DH was getting ready for breakfast, I went to the aft to see what I could see! We have neighbors!

 

 

The Ruby Princess was right behind us!

 

In one of my first posts on CC, I discussed my concerns about taking my husband on a cruise. I was asked to tell what he liked about the cruise. This was a Snapchat screen shot describing what DH likes!

 

 

We walked out on the front of the Caribe deck. It said emergency exit only but a cabin steward told us to go ahead through the doors.

 

Our excursion for the day was the train ride to White Pass Summit. We just did the up & back. The left side going up & right side going down has the best scenery but it doesn't matter where you sit because you reverse your seat backs & switch sides on the way back down. I actually stood outside most of the way except through the tunnels! [emoji79]and another Snapchat screenshot!

 

 

I would have liked to have gone further but needed to keep DH to a 4 hour max on organizing tours! This was a perfect short tour & so very beautiful. We were so lucky to have had such a beautiful day!

 

I thought I downloaded a couple good White Pass photos on my phone. So I will continue Day 8 and leave you with a shot of the Coral Princess in Skagway.

 

 

To be continued

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[BarbinMich]

Enjoying your "live" report from the Coral! We've been to Alaska 4x: twice in May (both Inside P), once each in June (NB), & Sep. (IP). May is our favorite time as the snow on the mountains is at its best!

[Hdnwaters]

Back to Day 8

 

White Pass photos. This first one is looking down into the harbor of Skagway and you can see the HAL ship!

 

 

Good shot of the train headed out of the tunnel.

 

 

Up on the top at White Pass Summit. The blue streaks are actually a lake.

 

 

After our train ride & a snack at Horizon Court we took a walk to town. Nice place with some interesting buildings. It was so nice when we got back, we had a cocktail on the balcony.

 

 

Dinner was Italian night. I was so confused as to what to eat! I love Italian food. So they just brought me 2 entrees!

 

 

The sail away from Scagway was spectacular. Hate I was on the cell looking out the MDR window!

 

 

The Ruby was in front of us.

 

Next up Day 9 Juneau

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hdnwaters]

Day 9 Juneau

 

Open the curtains this morning & there is a Bald Eagle in the trees right across from the ship! Never got a great eagle photo but there are lots of eagles around Juneau & Ketchikan.

 

 

This was my port view today. Our excursion was whale watching. We booked through Juneau Tours/Juneau Whale Watch. We met a representative right in front of the tram station & were take by bus to Auke Bay. Our diver was a great tour guide. You go right past the Mendenhall Glacier. Our Captain was Dirk with mates Jon & Sam. Sam was from NC! We had 30 to 40 on a nice sized boat. We saw whales! I decided I pretty much suck at whale photography. It's not like I've had much practice but did get this one.

 

 

We had fun & saw several whales & seals. It was a bit chilly but you could go inside the cabin if you need to get warm. Back in Juneau we stopped in Tracy's King Crab Shack for a couple of crab legs. They were pretty good. I will say one thing about Tracy's, they only have one single stall unisex bathroom. There was a line too! I told DH I would be back in a bit and I felt like Catherine in "Hidden Figures" sprinting to the Tram station to use the restroom!

 

 

Sailing away from Juneau we passed the Emerald Princess & the HAL Noordam.

 

 

Dinner was our second formal night.

 

.

 

And again I just could not decide on dinner so I had beef Wellington with a lobster tail on the side!

 

 

Next up Day 10 Ketchikan

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[maggieq]

Such beautiful pictures. Thanks for doing this lovely review

[JanetAlice]

Day 3

 

My husband loves a big breakfast so we ate at the hotel which was good! They had a buffet also but it was pretty pricey. (most restaurants in AK are) Our waiter, Alex, gave us some good tips about Talkeetna and Anchorage. So we headed North and it was raining...AGAIN. The Seward Hwy is still amazing even in bad weather. Our first stop was Potter's Marsh. A wildlife area South of Anchorage. Lot's of birds, waterfowl and of course moose! (I didn't tell my husband, I drive him nutty!)

 

 

Very pretty area and saw ducks, a few eagles, and a moose! The moose had 2 calves which I was dying to see but you don't upset "BIG MOMMA!" She was actually on the news that night with her little ones!

 

 

From Anchorage we traveled to Wasilla. Ate lunch at the Loose Moose. It is a burger place with a mixed burger of Bison, Pork, and Beef. A nice place to stop and a big step above fast food. Then on to Talkeetna. We rented a cabin at the Denali Fireside Cabins. Very cute and would have loved to have stayed longer!

 

 

 

The Princess buses were all coming to town for the train stop and so on. I waved to all the buses! We had a short walk to town. Light rain mixed with sun so it wasn't too bad. Welcome to Talkeetna!

 

 

Let's talk a little about temperature. As I said above, it had been pretty rainy. In the photo I have on a waterproof ski shell, a vest, a light hoodie and jeans. Also waterproof boots. This was May and Talkeetna so a little chiller than the cruise ports. It was a steady 40 degrees with drizzle and a slight breeze. None of the planes were flying, no one was climbing mountains, local shops were just opening for business.

 

I won't show you photos of all the shops and restaurants that I took. You've seen most of them if you've done any research on the town. But the most intriguing was the legal marijuana shop! Our waiter in Alyeska had told us about it or we would have had no clue. Being a child of the 60s.....I did have to go inside! They card you and you have to smoke it in private. I never asked the prices, just went to say "I've been there!"

 

 

We had dinner at the Wildflower Cafe. The chef was George Bush's private chef. It was good. After dinner we asked were the locals go and we were told the Fairview Inn. The bar was pretty much what you would imagine for Talkeeta! We loved it!

 

 

 

Everyone we talked to was very friendly. I'm sure the locals get more of an attitude as the tourist season ramps up.

 

Next Day 4

 

 

We are staying at the Denali Fireside Cabins. Glad to hear you liked it. So you didn't go up to Denali NP?

[Woobstr112G]

Amazing pictures.....:):):)

Bob

[Hdnwaters]

We are staying at the Denali Fireside Cabins. Glad to hear you liked it. So you didn't go up to Denali NP?

 

 

Loved the cabins. No, we didn't go to the park. They only let Private vehicles go so far. Plus the weather was pretty nasty up there. They were not even taking the flight seeing planes out.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hdnwaters]

Day 10 Ketchikan

 

Aw Ketchikan! The rainiest city in North America! You have all seen photos of the broken liquid sunshine meter in the center of town....take a good look.

 

 

IT's NOT RAINING!!! Yay!!!! The Coral docked around 9:30am & we bounded off the ship to meet Captain Jim Parrott. Going Salmon fishing! We were supposed to fish with Captain Bill Meck but Bill had a shoulder injury & sent Jim as a replacement. I had done my fishing homework & knew we were in good hands.

 

They call it fishing not catching. So basically we went on a really nice (expensive) 4 hour boat ride. The next pic is of Captain Clay's boat. Jim told us Captain Clay was the best! The name of the boat sums up the day!

 

 

Our boat was the Miss Parker. Ironically, Parker boats are made in NC! It was Bill's boat, once owned by Jim! It was a beautiful day & we saw whales, seals, & lots of eagles. Just no fish. I was able to get a good shot of the Coral on the way back to the dock.

 

 

The first thing I did when I boarded the ship was get my name on the list for the Chef's table. Normally they do the Chef's table 2 nights but only 4 couples signed up earlier in the week. By the time Thursday rolled around there was a waiting list. The cost is $95 per person & they take 12 people. Let me say that this was an incredible experience & well worth the money.

 

 

At some point I will do a separate review of just the Chef's table. I have photos of the whole experience! Too much food for anyone to eat for sure!

 

 

Next up Day 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hdnwaters]

Day 11 Sailing the Inside Passage

 

I woke up with what I thought was just a normal run of the mill head cold. Believe me, I had taken every precaution I could think of to keep from getting sick. The Coral had Purell dispensers everywhere & we bought anti-bacterial hand soap back in Seward. I guess it just takes being near that one cough or sneeze from an infected person. By lunch time I was running fever almost 101. Advil & Pseudofed worked there magic so I was able to function. I did stay in the cabin most of the day & was happy that from the suite I was able to enjoy the scenery.

 

 

u

 

I rallied for dinner & was glad I did 'cause they had the Parade of the Baked Alaska! What a hoot! BTW...Irish Coffee is medicinal also! I took a video & heres a screen shot. They turned the lights off!

 

 

Back to the cabin to pack. For disembark Princess sent out a letter for you to check what time you wanted to disembark & your luggage options. We chose to have Princess pick up our luggage so we needed to have it ready by 8pm. They provided us with luggage tags & a meeting place. We decided to do the late disembark since we were staying over in Vancouver. We kept our smaller roller bags with us. The evening sail was beautiful.

 

 

Next up Day 12 disembark & Vancouver.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited June 6, 2017 by Hdnwaters

[Hdnwaters]

Day 12 Disembark & Vancouver

 

Sad to leave the Coral Princess. We went down for breakfast in the MDR, I will tell you the breakfast was no where near as good as Sabatini's. (Not open on disembark) We needed to be out of our cabin by 8am. Our suite perk along with elite passengers was to go to the Wheelhouse Bar. They had coffee, juice, and pastries available for us. I think our disembark time was 10 or 10:30. They called our color tag about 9:30 so we headed off the ship. We were directed to a spot to collect our bags, I handed a lady our custom declaration paper that we filled out the night before. Not sure if I ever showed my passport and never got it stamped! They directed us to the taxis which was a short wait and we were at Hotel Blu by 10am! They told us we could probably get in our room by 12 and directed us about a nice bar/restaurant, The Distillery, that was a short walk. We were staying in the Yaletown area. I was starting to feel a bit under the weather so it was nice to get in the room for a nap!

 

I'm not a huge fan of big cities. Vancouver is HUGE! Way too many homeless folks. A very expensive place to live. Being the weekend, clear skies, and highs in the 70s, everyone in the city was out and about. We did have 2 really good meals in Vancouver. The first night we ate at Lupo Restaurant & Vinoteca and the second night, we ate at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House. I would recommend either one but they are pricey.

 

 

Sunday we wanted to go to Stanley Park. I was feeling better but DH started to feel sick! We decided to do the Hop-On-Hop-Off Trolley. We waited forever and never saw a trolley. We even tried calling the trolley company. No luck. So we got a cab to take us to the aquarium. The jelly fish and frog exhibits were really unique. Back in the taxi, we talked the driver into being our tour guide the rest of the afternoon. He did a great job and we gave him a good tip. It was much cheaper than the trolley ride anyway.

 

 

On Monday, we headed to the airport....not feeling too bad for the ride home. Went through US customs in the airport. Pretty painless except our boarding pass said we had TSA pre-check & Canada does not have a pre-check line. DH was just not prepared! [emoji16] One last moose!

 

 

 

Wine & movies helped me tolerate the flight home.

 

 

That's about it! Hope you enjoyed my trip and I hope it gives some of you that are new to cruising and Alaska some insight. BTW....with all the food, I actually lost 2 pounds! I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have. Happy Cruising!

Edited June 6, 2017 by Hdnwaters

[Tyskie]

Great review! Thanks [emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[NancyIL]

Thank you for your wonderful review! I'm glad you both had a great trip. :)

[notateach]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this. Makes me even more excited for my trip.

[JimAOk1945]

I enjoyed reading your review. Looking at your pictures brought back so many happy memories of our three Alaska cruises. It looks like you had beautiful weather and a wonderful experience. Happy traveling wherever you may go on your next cruise!

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks again for taking the time to post your review and pictures.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Canberra forever !]

Thank you for a wonderful review I'm now even more excited for our trip ... :)

We are doing the Southbound cruise in Sept 2018 as part of a 6 week tour of Canada for our 25th Wedding Anniversary & I am so excited already I will be completely hyper by next August :)

 

We are staying in Vancouver for a couple of days prior to flying up to Alaska to pick up the ship, has anyone done this through Princess EZ fly (not available yet) or have you organised your own flights the itinerary princess sent me for the cruise had us out of Seattle ??

 

Once again thank you so much for your review and pics, I love CC :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

You did an excellent review and great pictures.

Sorry you got sick at the end of the cruise.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Since you departed late Saturday night, and the first formal night was Sunday.

 

Do you remember which other night was formal night as we are looking to book a speciality restaurant in advance for it?

 

Thanks,

[Hdnwaters]

Since you departed late Saturday night, and the first formal night was Sunday.

 

Do you remember which other night was formal night as we are looking to book a speciality restaurant in advance for it?

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

The second formal night was Wednesday.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums