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First Star Legend Alaska cruise live-ish.


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What about the space on deck 5 behind the lounge? We used to sit there to view the ocean and don't recall any obstructions.

 

 

 

Crew only area except when coming back from a zodiac trip. All tours left from Compass Rose and back through the lounge. Security was just outside the door for scanning and re-scanning cards.

 

 

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We're considering the Star Legend for the August 4 departure from Vancouver. We watched the ship transit the Ballard locks on Wednesday this week. There were people on the bow and also a couple other decks but couldn't tell if those were public areas that were open during sailing. Are there areas of the ship with unobstructed forward viewing while underway? It would be nice to have an area to take photos without shooting through glass as we approach sites.

The bow is open and accessible at all times which is the closest space to the water. In addition there are lots of other open areas all over the ship. It was a fabulous cruise and going from Vancouver would be great. The trip will get better and better as you sail north. We were blown away by the proximity to the glaciers and even though the excursions were pricey, with just a couple of exceptions, they were worth it. It was one of those sailings that we would do again without hesitation.

 

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So glad the bow will be open. I was disappointed the kayak and skiff excursions were so pricey.

We thought they were pricey but each group has an excursion leader who is extremely knowledgeable in the glacier and the animal life in water and on shore. They make it worthwhile. They also give lectures onboard daily and are accessible throughout the cruise. Really several steps up from regular cruises. Both glacier zodiak excursions excellent. Misty Fjord has the ship deep into the fjord and so much is visible from the ship that you might want to pass on that one if money is a factor and you're doing only zodiaks. We did all three and each was different. Being in a zodiak with a calving glacier is really an amazing experience. We didn't do kayaks because of some physical limitations but everyone who did loved it and most went on all three. The kayaks are two person and out for over 2 hours. Wind can be a factor but the excursion leader makes sure it is all safe. The kayaks sold out pretty fast so if you're up for it I'd reserve in advance online. They assign the real departure times a day or two before depending on tides and weather. Again, great cruise all the way around.

 

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So glad the bow will be open. I was disappointed the kayak and skiff excursions were so pricey.

 

Appreciate these added details and follow-ups. But, the phrase "pricey" can have various, different meanings. Any chance for sharing some specific examples for how long of time and exact costs for a few of these excursions? Love to learn as much as possible as we compare Windstar's offerings versus a couple of the other major small-ship cruise options.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 227,736 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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Appreciate these added details and follow-ups. But, the phrase "pricey" can have various, different meanings. Any chance for sharing some specific examples for how long of time and exact costs for a few of these excursions? Love to learn as much as possible as we compare Windstar's offerings versus a couple of the other major small-ship cruise options.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 227,736 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

I would look on the Windstar website for up to date pricing for the cruise that you're interested in. If you pull up the sailing date it's under excursions.

 

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I planned to add some details about what I did in each port, but I broke my ankle shortly after returning home (at least it had the grace to happen after the trip rather than before or during). Because I had to keep the ankle elevated most of the time, my screen typing time has been too limited to do that. It has now settled down so that I can keep it down for longer without issue so I'll start adding some of the details.

 

Ocean crossing from Japan. We had part of the expedition team with us on the crossing.

 

Justin spent a lot of time on the bridge looking out for wildlife. There were several times that the ship was stopped or even turned back a bit to view view whales. One day we saw a sperm whale. Another day, there was a pod of killer whales that had injured a fur seal and were waiting to eat it so we had plenty of time to observe them. We also saw fin whales and humpback whales at the same time.

 

Some birds were observed too including an albatross.

 

I'd hoped to do some star-gazing during the cruise, but we had consistently cloudy days and nights. Sometimes rain but it was mostly light rain or cloudy. The sea was surprisingly calm for much of the crossing. We had 2 meter seas the first couple and last couple of days and many days when the sea was almost flat.

 

There were two lectures a day from the lecturer they had on board for the Asia season. He covered Japanese culture, art and history, as well as some lectures on China and Korea. Then did some lectures on Alaskan history.

 

Paul from the expedition team gave talks on how to use the iPhone for photos and video. I have an Android phone but was able to find most features he mentioned on my phone too and found out about some features I hadn't realized were there.

 

Seward

This was the turn around day. Because US regulations required getting rid of most food items that they had on board from Japan, there were some complications in food service. They docked early to bring on supplies to make breakfast and the start of breakfast was delayed. They didn't serve lunch on board but covered lunch ashore for those of us staying on (about 30 guests) by crediting $50 each to our shipboard accounts.

 

It was too early in the season to go to Exit Glacier (the road doesn't open until nearly the end of May) and they weren't running the longer Kenai Fjorts boat tours that early in the season either. If they were, I might have taken the Major Marine Northwest Fjords tour. Mid-May is a good time to see Orcas/Killer Whales near Seward as mammal hunting (migratory) pods are there at that time of year as well as the fish eating (resident) pods. So I booked Major Marine's Orca Quest tour for the afternoon.

 

In the morning, I took the free town shuttle to the far end of the small boat harbor and walked down the path along the coast from there to the Alaska Sealife Center. I'd hoped to see sea otters but didn't spot any. I did see some harbor seals I'd been to the Center the year before so I didn't get in. While I was waiting for the shuttle to go back to the small boat harbor, a taxi dropped someone off so I took that back instead.

 

I stopped by the Major Marine office to pick up the "ticket" (a plastic numbered tile that you turn in when you board) and confirm which dock and time to catch the boat. Then I went to Chinooks Restaurant for lunch. That was very good and came with an added bonus - 2 sea otters showed up to play in the marina. So fun to watch.

 

Generally, it seems to be the convention that an excursion in Alaska called an <animal> Watch it means you are almost sure to have some sightings of the animal - in many cases they even guarantee to refund part of the fare if they don't have sightings. If it is called an <animal> Quest it means that sightings are less certain. Major Marine said that the prior year they saw Orca's about 85% of the time on Orca Quest sailings. Our Quest was doubly successful. We saw one of the resident pods and a migratory pod. The migratory pod sighting was fairly brief but we had a longer view of the resident pod. They behave differently because one hunts mammals and the other hunts fish. We also saw some humpbacks.

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But, the phrase "pricey" can have various, different meanings. Any chance for sharing some specific examples for how long of time and exact costs for a few of these excursions?

 

The only experience we've had with an Alaska cruise having kayaks and skiffs that launch from the ship was with UnCruise and Alaskan Dream. While Windstar charges about $170 per excursion, both other lines included these excursions in the price although the base cost was more. Guess we're paying for it one way or another! We're looking forward to the Windstar experience this year.

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Seward was cloudy with light rain most of the day. Almost all of the cruise we had cloudy weather so if I don't mention the weather, you can assume it was cloudy. I was comfortable with a jeans and a turtleneck topped with a light wool shirt and an unlined rain shell (water-proof breathable, long enough to cover my hips, hooded) supplemented by a wool knit cap, a scarf and wool gloves. The gloves are fingerless gloves with a mitten cap that can fold back - that way I can keep my gloves on while operating my phone or camera touch screen and fold the mitten top over the fingers to keep them warm the rest of the time.. Wool socks from REI and Merrill Moab WP low-top hiking shoes kept my feet warm and dry. That was pretty much what i wore every day ashore other than sometimes with a t-shirt instead of a turtleneck.

Cruising Kenai Fjords

 

We spent most of the day anchored across the fjord from Aialik Glaciier. After breakfast, I spent some time looking for seals on the ice with my binoculars. I got pictures of one - 30x optical zoom on my camera was very helpful for getting a good picture.

 

There was a morning safety briefing mandatory for taking any of the kayak or zodiac tours which included a demonstration of how the life jackets used for the expeditions work. (These aren't the bulky ones used ship evacuation to lifeboats. They are very comfortable - they self inflate if submerged.) Then it was up to Compass Rose to gather for the first kayak expedition after a trip to my room to pick up my binoculars and switch to a t-shirt instead of a turtleneck.

 

For the kayak expeditions, you can get warm paddling so it is useful to dress such that you can adjust for temperature while wearing the life-jacket. For example, I could take the wool cap off and adjust my scarf to let more air in. Warmth layers that can be unbuttoned or unzipped are more useful than pull-overs.

 

From Compass Rose, we went down the outside stairs, swiped our key cards on Deck 5. Then down the stairs two more decks to the marina where we donned the provided waterproof pants and life vests. Most also used the provided waterproof lined gloves. My fingers are too short for them to be comfortable so I used my wool gloves which repelled water well enough and allowed me to operate my camera or hold binoculars easily. Once dressed we boarded zodiacs.

 

The kayaks are 2-person kayaks and they will pair you up with someone if you are solo. Most people were couples so my kayak partner was one of the ships staff. The zodiacs took us to where they had the kayaks near an island closer to the glacier. We transferred from the zodiac to the kayak. This was my first time in a kayak and the assistance provided helped me feel comfortable and secure in doing the transfer. When boarding, the kayak is held steady between the zodiac and Paul's (kayak expedition leader) kayak Once we had detached it took a moment as we got a feel for the balance of the kayak and then it was fine.

 

We paddled together to toward the glacier stopping occasionally for Paul to point things out and to take pictures. There were seals on the ice (they are pupping in spring and it is important not to disturb them by getting too close). The glacier calved quite a lot. We got about as close to the glacier as safety allows (perhaps a quarter of a mile. It was interesting learning to paddle through the ice. The day was rainy (mostly light rain) and my gear kept me warm and dry enough.

 

The safety boat passed out hot cocoa and cookies to those who wanted a snack in the middle of the excursion. I didn't have the hot cocoa (I didn't want to deal with it and paddling) but the cookie was a nice treat.

 

On the way back to the zodiacs, we saw raucous gulls nesting on the island (and living up to their names with quite a racket). A bald eagle swooped into one of the nests and succeeded in grabbing a chick. The we transferred back to zodiacs for the ride back to the ship. Getting out of the kayak was the hardest part but there was plenty of patient help and after a bit I managed it.

 

Back on board, I had lunch. Then it was back out for an afternoon zodiac expedition because I wanted to try both. On the kayaks, we had approached from toward the left side of the glacier toward the rocky beach on that side. In the zodiacs, we went toward it on the other side where the shore is grassy. We had a good long time to observe a black bear on the shore. (The morning zodiacs had seen several black bears on the shore.) Then we moved toward the cliff to the right of the glacier where there was a mountain goat. The morning zodiacs saw a kid with the mountain goat and had a very rare sighting of a wolverine who was stalking the kid. Unfortunately the kid must have fallen from the cliff in the time in between and we saw its body in the water. The zodiacs also got close to the glacier and observed calving.

 

For the afternoon in the zodiacs, I didn't bother with putting on the rain pants - that was a mistake (though not a terrible one). Even if it is just raining lightly or not raining, the zodiac sides that you sit on often get wet so it is best to wear waterproof pants.

 

The kayak expeditions are priced at $175 and last about 2 and a half hours. Zodiacs are $170 and last about an hour. I'd say anyone who can manage the stairs down to the marina is fit enough to do the zodiac tours. The kayaks obviously require some arm strength and endurance though nothing extraordinary (you aren't racing them) and some balance. If you think you can manage them, I wouldn't let a lack of experience deter you.

 

At the end of expedition days (and most or all shore days) there is an expedition team talk where they provide more information about things you saw that day and show pictures of the animals sighted.

 

Sea day crossing the Gulf of Alaska

 

Seas were pretty rough during the night after leaving Kenai Fjords and for much of the sea day - for part of the day, the elevators were off-line as the sea was too rough and apparently there can be issues with them jamming if operated in that condition.

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Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)

 

Icy Strait Point is the dock and developed area around it. Hoonah is the town about a mile and a half away.

 

I'd hoped to book a whale watch on a 6-passenger boat. Glacier Wind was available but needed at least 4 passengers. There was one other couple that wanted to go but that only made 3. I called when in Seward to check if they had had an additional passenger or two book but they hadn't. I should have thought to ask earlier about the three of us covering the extra cost. Glacier Wind was willing and said they could work out something that would be under the full fare for the 4th person. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to contact the other couple to see if they were willing to split the cost before we left Seward.

 

I booked the Windstar excursion on a 24-passenger boat instead. They ran 3 boats and I was on the afternoon one.

 

In the morning, I walked from the ship to where the shuttle into Hoonah is. The shuttle costs $5 for the day.

Not much was open in Hoonah on Sunday with just a small ship in port. The carving shed wasn't working on the weekend. There is a canoe building where the shuttle drops off and there were helpful volunteers there to tell us about the town, the local Tlingit people, how they made canoes and paddles, etc. They pointed out an eagle's nest nearby. I strolled around and got some good pictures of an eagle.

 

I stopped at the Ace hardware store and picked up some lens wipes for my camera and binoculars as I'd forgotten to pack anything and they'd gotten splashed with rain and sea water. It gives an interesting view of life in a small Alaska town - the building is a former cannery I think - built partly out over the water. The local grocery store is also there. Then I continued walking back to Icy Strait Point along with another couple. We didn't see any whales, but some others did see some bubble feeding just off the shore near the entrance to Icy Strait Point. Actually, we did see a circle in the water that looked like what I saw on the video the other people took of the water before the whales surfaced and we watched it for a while, but not long enough I guess. The herring are running at that time of year and that's what the bubble feeding whales are eating.

 

The shops and cannery museum at Icy Strait Point were open when we got back and we took a look at the museum. Then I walked along the nature trail before returning to the ship for lunch followed by the whale watch (Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise $165). The nature trail was quiet and peaceful.

 

I wasn't entirely happy with the whale watch. 24-passenger boat sounded like it would be nice and not too crowded. The boat had a row of bench seats on each side (similar to a party bus) so when you are sitting down while cruising, you can only easily look out the windows on the far side of the boat. There isn't much to hold on to, the benches were crammed full with 24-passengers, and the ride at speed was very bumpy - overall fairly uncomfortable. There is a small viewing deck at the bow and one at the stern (maybe 5 of us went our on the bow deck). The windows on the sides hinge up and most people were viewing from there. I missed seeing a whale one time because we couldn't be on the front deck while moving and there were too many people between me and the window when it surfaced. Overall, I was happier with the experience on a big whale watch boat that I'd taken out of Juneau last August. That boat can carry around 100 people but had lots of deck space and I was always able to get to the rail to watch the whales.

 

Despite the problems, I did get to see some humpbacks and seals. Also a sea otter that was much bigger than the sea otters in Seward. The boat captain said that the sea otters near Hoonah can get to be around 6 feet long.

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Thanks for posting updates. We go in August and are looking forward to hearing about the trip.

 

 

 

We are also going on August 4 after first going on the Denali trip. We would love to connect up. I started a thread for our cruise today but it may take a while to get through.

 

 

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Haines

 

We were tendered in Haines. Haines has cruise ship docks and we were the only ship in port - I don't know why we tendered.

 

In the morning I set out to see as much of Haines on my own as I could before returning to the ship for an afternoon excursion. First up Portage Drive from the tender dock to Fort Seward. A tour of the exhibits at Alaska Indian Arts (a couple of rooms of displays, a carving workshop with work in progress). A clan house in the grassy area at the center of the fort was open for visiting. A group was there (possibly the Guides Choice Photography Discovery excursion) was there with the guide briefing the group on taking photos of the carvings in the low light.)

 

Then along 2nd Street to the Raptor Center and Natural History Museum where I bought a combo ticket that also included the Hammer Museum and Sheldon Museum. Because time was limited I only visited the Raptor Center side and skipped the Natural History museum. Helpful docents told me about the birds. It was enjoyable, but doesn't have as many birds as the Raptor Center in Sitka so if you are prioritizing your time, you might skip it and just go to the one in Sitka.

 

On to the Hammer Museum. I expected this to be a quirky and kind of fun tourist attraction. It was actually very interesting and I was sorry I didn't have more time there. John Hodgman says that the difference between a hoard and a collection is that a collection is curated - this is definitely a comprehensive and well organized collection. There are a lot more kinds of hammers than I'd realized. Some of us were joking that hammers are analog unlike the modern digital age. The attendant pointed out that they have a digital hammer in the collection - it is a hammer attached to a box labeled "digital rebound hammer" that monitors the vibrations. It is tapped on a metal part and analyses the vibrations to tell if there are internal flaws such as stress fractures.

 

On to the Sheldon Museum. This was a very nice collection focused on Tlingit culture. It isn't huge - the display area is one large room but there are drawers below some of the displays with more artifacts for viewing so there is a lot packed into the space. The descriptions on the signage are well done - interesting and informative.

 

Back along the waterfront on Front Street to catch a tender to the ship for lunch and meeting up for Klukwan Cultural Tour $129. This tour was okay but not great for the amount of time spent. The bus windows were very foggy (the bus had been sitting in the parking lot for a while before we boarded and there was light rain so plenty of water around) so the "40-minute scenic drive" wasn't very scenic through the windows that we tried to wipe clear enough to see something. The artifacts in the Visitor Center are very good ones but it is a very small collection and after seeing the Sheldon Museum, it added little. The tour description says you arrive in the Klukwan Village, but we didn't actually get to go in or see the village, just the Visitor Center which is outside the village. The bus ride back was better because the windows weren't fogging but still not a great use of the time. For a native culture excursion, the one in Metlakatla or in Prince Rupert would be better.

 

People who were on the Alaska River Wilderness Adventure were very positive about it - they had good wildlife sightings. This one uses boats with motors so they can hold in position to observe wildlife on shore. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Float tour was canceled due to wind conditions.

 

There was also good feedback on the White Pass Railroad Excursion, but that is a very long day with a quite early start (they started breakfast on board early so people could have breakfast before leaving) as there is a ferry ride to Skagway to get the train. Haines is a much less common port than Skagway on Alaska cruises so unless you think this will be your only Alaska cruise, it makes more sense to spend the day in Haines and save visiting Skagway for when you are in that port. Some also commented that Skagway was very crowded for the town part of the tour - there were 4 large ships in port that morning.

 

Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm

 

The reports said that due to the amount of ice in Tracy Arm and pupping seals on the ice it wasn't likely that the ship could get close to the glacier in Tracy Arm. We went to Endicott Arm. We spent most of the day hanging out near the glacier (not anchored because the water was too deep to anchor). The ship got reasonably close to the glacier and the glacier obliged with some good calving. I took the kayak expedition and got even closer to the glacier. I enjoyed the views and the exercise. We saw some harbor porpoises near the glacier and lots of birds as well as some seals.

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Icy Strait Point (Hoonah)

 

Icy Strait Point is the dock and developed area around it. Hoonah is the town about a mile and a half away.

 

I'd hoped to book a whale watch on a 6-passenger boat. Glacier Wind was available but needed at least 4 passengers. There was one other couple that wanted to go but that only made 3. I called when in Seward to check if they had had an additional passenger or two book but they hadn't. I should have thought to ask earlier about the three of us covering the extra cost. Glacier Wind was willing and said they could work out something that would be under the full fare for the 4th person. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to contact the other couple to see if they were willing to split the cost before we left Seward.

 

I booked the Windstar excursion on a 24-passenger boat instead. They ran 3 boats and I was on the afternoon one.

 

In the morning, I walked from the ship to where the shuttle into Hoonah is. The shuttle costs $5 for the day.

Not much was open in Hoonah on Sunday with just a small ship in port. The carving shed wasn't working on the weekend. There is a canoe building where the shuttle drops off and there were helpful volunteers there to tell us about the town, the local Tlingit people, how they made canoes and paddles, etc. They pointed out an eagle's nest nearby. I strolled around and got some good pictures of an eagle.

 

I stopped at the Ace hardware store and picked up some lens wipes for my camera and binoculars as I'd forgotten to pack anything and they'd gotten splashed with rain and sea water. It gives an interesting view of life in a small Alaska town - the building is a former cannery I think - built partly out over the water. The local grocery store is also there. Then I continued walking back to Icy Strait Point along with another couple. We didn't see any whales, but some others did see some bubble feeding just off the shore near the entrance to Icy Strait Point. Actually, we did see a circle in the water that looked like what I saw on the video the other people took of the water before the whales surfaced and we watched it for a while, but not long enough I guess. The herring are running at that time of year and that's what the bubble feeding whales are eating.

 

The shops and cannery museum at Icy Strait Point were open when we got back and we took a look at the museum. Then I walked along the nature trail before returning to the ship for lunch followed by the whale watch (Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise $165). The nature trail was quiet and peaceful.

 

I wasn't entirely happy with the whale watch. 24-passenger boat sounded like it would be nice and not too crowded. The boat had a row of bench seats on each side (similar to a party bus) so when you are sitting down while cruising, you can only easily look out the windows on the far side of the boat. There isn't much to hold on to, the benches were crammed full with 24-passengers, and the ride at speed was very bumpy - overall fairly uncomfortable. There is a small viewing deck at the bow and one at the stern (maybe 5 of us went our on the bow deck). The windows on the sides hinge up and most people were viewing from there. I missed seeing a whale one time because we couldn't be on the front deck while moving and there were too many people between me and the window when it surfaced. Overall, I was happier with the experience on a big whale watch boat that I'd taken out of Juneau last August. That boat can carry around 100 people but had lots of deck space and I was always able to get to the rail to watch the whales.

 

Despite the problems, I did get to see some humpbacks and seals. Also a sea otter that was much bigger than the sea otters in Seward. The boat captain said that the sea otters near Hoonah can get to be around 6 feet long.

We did Glacier Wind for our whale watching. They were great; sorry you missed them.

 

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We were 2 sailings after yours and got into Tracy Arm. From what I understand we were first ship to make it in this season. Spectacular day with bright blue sky. We did Zodiac and were lucky enough to see the goats on the cliffs right next to the glacier. Captain moved the ship closer in while we were on Zodiac. He also had fun doing 360's later in the day. Beautiful spot.

 

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... Captain moved the ship closer in while we were on Zodiac. He also had fun doing 360's later in the day. Beautiful spot.

I'm glad to see that Windstar still permits its Captains to do things like this which is one thing that adds so much to any Windstar cruise.

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Juneau

 

What's that bright ball up in the sky? The sun at last!! It was certainly the first sunny day since leaving Japan - 15 days - and perhaps the first time it had shown it's face since leaving Tokyo.

 

Last August I'd gone on a whale watch in Juneau and along with a too brief visit to Mendenhall Glacier (salmon were running and we did get a chance to watch 3 bear cubs waiting for mom to return from the boardwalk over Steep Creek). This time, my first priority was to do some hiking at Mendenhall. Once we had docked, I headed off to buy a ticket for the shuttle to Mendenhall so I could explore on my own time.

 

I did the easy hike out to Nugget Falls (~ 2 miles round trip, fairly flat). It was a peaceful, pleasant hike with enough other people on the trail to feel you aren't totally alone without being at all crowded. No big animal sightings but views of the lake, bird calls and songs, a nice balance of sun and shade. It takes you out to the falls and as close the glacier as you can easily get.

 

Then I visited the visitor center and watched the film there before heading out on the Trail of Time loop trail (~ 0.5 mile). This has interpretive signs about the timeline for the retreat of the glacier. It is through an area where the glacier was longer ago (~70 years) so you see a later stage in the plant succession that follows retreat of the glacier. I came up to a mother and 2 children and the little boy said "Did you see the porcupine?" I was just too late to see one crossing the road - that would have been my first sighting of one in the wild. Anyway, it was a pleasant hike through a deep green forest (mostly Sitka spruce and hemlock with lots of moss and lichen) passing Steep Creek where it really is steep.

 

Back to town on the shuttle. I had been thinking of going to the Alaska State Museum as I hadn't made it there last time, but it seemed a shame to waste the sunny day by going inside. I bought a Mount Roberts tram ticket instead. I started along the alpine loop trail starting to the left (the half of the loop that has stair steps). For me, these steps were difficult - each step is formed by wood boards at the front and sides with the rest of the riser filled in with dirt. The dirt has settled so the dirt half of the step is significantly lower than the board part and neither is wide enough for your foot to rest solely on dirt or solely on the wood so it just felt really unsteady.

 

I continued up anyway and got to a point where people were looking at something - a porcupine off to the side of the trail. I found it with my binoculars. It was hard to see when it was standing still as it blended in to the brush and ground so well. Its quills waved as it waddled around so it was easier to spot when moving. I continued a bit further on the trail but was only about half way up the 60 steps. There had been no line for the tram going up the hill but there had been a line at the top to get the tram down and I started to worry about getting back to the ship on time. So, satisfied that I had seen my porcupine, I turned around and went back down to the tram. It was a good decision as the line was long enough that I had to wait for the third tram load to board (there is a tram every 6 minutes). There was a pair of bald eagles in a tree top near the tram to observe while waiting.

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The only experience we've had with an Alaska cruise having kayaks and skiffs that launch from the ship was with UnCruise and Alaskan Dream. While Windstar charges about $170 per excursion, both other lines included these excursions in the price although the base cost was more. Guess we're paying for it one way or another! We're looking forward to the Windstar experience this year.

 

What is the date of your cruise?

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Sitka

 

Once again it is cloudy with light rain.

 

This was my first visit to Sitka - there was plenty and near town so it's another DIY day. There was a free shuttle from the dock to town (about a 10 minute drive). The shuttle drops off near the Sitka Visitor Center.

 

I headed along the waterfront to Sitka National Historic Park passing the Sheldon Jackson Museum on the way. It would have been more efficient to see the Museum first, but the rain was fairly light so I decided to do the Totem trail at the park first and then decide on whether to walk through the park to the Raptor Center or the museum depending on weather. At the Park Visitor Center, a ranger was just about to start a totem tour covering the beginning of the Totem Trail so I checked out a few exhibits and joined the tour when it started. I enjoyed the park and the totems. There is a QR code on the back of the totems that brings you to a website with audio and text descriptions of each totem. (For the first time since Seward, I had good data service on my Verizon phone so I was able to use the audio after the ranger tour ended. In Icy Strait Point and Haines, I got cell signal but it had only brief moments when data worked.)

 

After completing the trail, I returned to the Visitor Center. They had a couple of crafts people demonstrating native crafts. One was doing beading and had a sample piece that she taught me how to add beads to. Another was working with furs.

 

I wanted a break from the rain so I headed to the Sheldon Jackson Museum. Another museum that isn't large but it is packed with artifacts from many the native cultures in Alaska (the one in Haines was more focused on only the local Tlingits so each is nice in different ways).

 

I had a couple of numbers for cab companies and decided to call one of them to take me to the Fortress of the Bears. Sunset Cab was available to pick me up in 5 minutes. The driver Scott provided nice commentary on the drive and life in Sitka during the 5 and a half mile drive. Since it usually takes about 30 minutes to see the bears and the drive into town and back would take more than that, he opted to wait for me.

 

When I was done, he took me to the Raptor Center and we agreed when he would return for me. During the drive, we spotted a whale spout in the inlet to Silver Bay. As there were no cars coming behind us, he stopped so we could watch until the whale surfaced to dive. He thought it might be a gray whale.

 

I was the only visitor at the Raptor Center so I got a personal tour of the center. They have a lot of bald eagles (some that are recovering and will be able to be released into the wild) as well as other raptors and owls.

 

There was a native dance performance on board (at 4 PM IIRC) so I had him drive me back to the ship. I enjoyed the dance performance.

 

The cab rides were about $17 each. Admission to the Fortress of the Bears is $10 and Raptor Center is $13. So even after tipping the cab driver, I ended up spending slightly less than the Best of Stika excursion ($99) that visits all 3. The excursion would have included a presentation with one of the Raptor Center's demonstration birds but going on my own allowed me to spend longer at the National Park.

 

I heard from people who did the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest or the Sitkine River and Glacier by Jet Boat that they liked the excursions and had good luck with wildlife sightings.

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The only experience we've had with an Alaska cruise having kayaks and skiffs that launch from the ship was with UnCruise and Alaskan Dream. While Windstar charges about $170 per excursion, both other lines included these excursions in the price although the base cost was more. Guess we're paying for it one way or another! We're looking forward to the Windstar experience this year.

 

I priced out both UnCruise and Alaska Dream before booking and it is a lot more expensive. UnCruise has a lower single supplement (about 50%) rate for a small cabin and Alaska Dream has a special with no single supplement for shoulder season in the lowest categories on one of their ships (earlier I think they had more than one ship with that). The fare would still have been more than twice as much for a 14 day on UnCruise and more for 7 days on Alaska Dream Chichagof Dream (the ship without a single supplement in shoulder season) as the 14 days on Windstar. The price difference would be more for dual occupancy because the lower or no solo supplement is helping my price.

 

Overall, I did a lot of excursions. My shipboard account plus prepaid excursions for the Wonders of Alaska and Canada portion of the cruise came to about $1500. I had free laundry due to being on a Star Collector - that would have added about $100 if just on the 14 day cruise. I'm a light drinker so there are about 9 drinks I paid for (plus the free ones at the captains reception and Yacht club reception). And I had over $600 in OBC from my travel agent. So my total additional expense from the cruise was less than $900. Paying for a laundry package would have raised it to about $1000. No comparison to the thousands more that UnCruise or Alaska Dream would have been.

 

Now I'm not saying that the experiences are the same or not worth the money. I still would like to take UnCruise or Alaska Dream in the future. It's an even smaller ship. One would probably end up doing more zodiac and kayak time as they spend more days in wilderness areas. On the 14-days with UnCruise, only 2 or 3 ports are traditional cruise ports. An overnight in Glacier Bay sounds pretty fantastic too.

 

For what I wanted out of this cruise, I was happy with a more luxury, less expedition time, more Alaska town time and a way lower price tag.

Edited by new_cruiser
Edited because I forgot to include that I'd prepayed for the kayak in the calculation of expenses.
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Wrangell

I made an error in the Sitka post - the Stikine River and Glacier by Jet Boat excursion was from Wrangell, not Sitka. Anyway, the people who went on it reported good wildlife sightings. It is unusual in that both black and brown bears coexist there. Usually they don't coexist.

 

My day started with the Wrangell Interpretive Walk ($40). This was labeled moderate. It probably should have said moderate to strenuous at least given the way Windstar uses those terms. We hiked to the top of Mt Dewey (which really isn't a mountain as it is about 400 feet high). Most of the path was stair steps (generally easy wooden steps and in the few places they are steeper steps, there is a hand rail). Our guides from the expedition team explained some of the plants and the traditional uses for the native people. They don't seem to be offering this excursion on the website anymore.

 

After the excursion, I went to the Wrangell Museum, Totem Park and the Chief Shakes Longhouse stopping for a bite at Zak's Cafe (which was okay but not great). Once again my Verizon phone wasn't getting cell service so I went to the library to use the WiFi for a bit before heading back to the ship. The WiFi there was good.

 

Misty Fjords

 

The fjords were beautiful. I took a kayak excursion again. There was a brown bear on the shore that we got to observe for a while. All the zodiac and kayak expeditions that day saw brown bears nearby on the shore. The grassy shore where we saw the bear was also visible to the ship but much farther away. We boarded the kayaks from the zodiac near the ship and paddled away from the ship then we were picked up by the zodiacs to go back to the ship. There was a humpback whale in the fjord near us on the way back. The humpback was near the ship in the fjord for part of the day too.

 

As it was spring time, we heard a lot of bird calls and songs as we paddled along. The evening expedition recap included an lecture on bird calls and songs.

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Ketchican

Rainforest Hike, Bird Sanctuary& Totems. This was a nice excursion. Note that it is more a walk than a hike. Some people looking for something more active complained about that though the description says that it is only a half-mile. You stroll along a mostly flat, gravel surfaced trail with frequent stops for the guide to tell you about the plants and animals in the area. This was followed by a visit to the carving shed (but there wasn't a carver there at the time) in an old lumber mill and a visit to the small bird sanctuary where the handler tells you about the birds. There was time to visit the gift shop or look at the totems (about 10 poles).

 

Some of us asked if the bus driver could drop us off in the center of Ketchican on the way back so he made a stop at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center for those that wanted it. I showed my National Parks Pass for free admission to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center (you can use that for yourself plus 3 other adults). The bus driver had pointed out some restaurants he recommended on the drive. So after visiting the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, I went to the Alaska Fish House for a delicious lunch of salmon chowder and salmon fish tacos (one blackened and one grilled) with Southwest Coleslaw (this was yummy, but if you are one of those people who can't stand cilantro, chose the fish burger or fried fish and fries instead as there is a good dose of cilantro in the coleslaw and the tacos).

 

Then I went for a stroll around Creek Street, up Married Mans Trail and back down the hill to the Tongass Historic Museum. I'd had a thorough visit to the Totem Heritage Center and to Totem Bight last August so I didn't revisit those but they are worth a visit.

 

Then I headed back along the waterfront to Star Legend.

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Metlakatla

The stop where no one had been before. It was difficult to get information ahead of time because this small native reserve is pretty rare on itineraries.

 

Tsimshian Cultural Exploration ($89 - the prices I've been putting up are what I paid; I notice on Windstar's site this one is now $95). The highlight of this tour was the excellent dance performance. Someone who went on multiple native culture excursions said this was the best dance performance. Another person preferred the one in Prince Rupert but both agreed that those two were the best ones.

 

After the excursion, I walked out of town to the grave yard (about 1 mile each way) and then walked back to the tender dock. I chatted with several residents met along the way. It was Memorial Day so the small grocery and hardware stores were closed. I took the tender back to the ship.

 

There was an afternoon zodiac tour that I hadn't signed up for but decided to go up to the Compass Rose and see if they had space for one more. They did. In their scouting the area in the morning, they hadn't spotted any thing much as far as wildlife. Before we left the Compass Rose, we were told that they weren't charging for the excursion as they were just gaining experience with it. Other than some birds, we didn't spot wildlife. Still the scenery was pleasant. There was a small waterfall where there might be salmon later in the year. This zodiac tour doesn't show up on the excursion list on-line any more so perhaps they decided not to run it on future cruises.

 

Prince Rupert

Last stop before Vancouver. I've been on the ship so long starting in Japan that it is hard to believe the trip is almost over.

 

Butze Rainforest Nature Hike - this was a really nice hike. There were some ups and downs on the trail. The longest uphill stretch is at the end just before returning to the bus. The hike is mainly in the rain forest, but you also cross a boggy area (muskeg) so you see multiple habitats. The guide is very informative describing the plants and animals as well as how the native people used the resources.

 

I went on a walk around the Cow Bay area. At the Port Interpretive Center (tourist info spot with some exhibits about how the port operates) I caught the end of a tour through the exhibits. There is a lot of information here about how a cargo port operates and how they are revitalizing Prince Rupert as a port. A couple of ship mates and I went to lunch at Dolly's Fish Market. It was okay but not as good as Alaska Fish House in Ketchican.

 

Then it was time to go back to the ship as we were leaving at 2 PM.

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