Georgia Peaches heads to The Last Frontier…Seeking Answers…Will She Love Alaska? Live-May 31-June 7th…Teetering on The Edge

[cruzzzinma]

2 hours ago, LisaLeone said:

Carolyn, what month did you go? We are 3 weeks out and, while I don't want to over pack, I want to be prepared!

July 1. We did take lots of layers. I also had a lined rain jacket.

[SerraG]

9 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

@SerraG and @Georgia_Peaches would you agree with this for dinner attire.  I’m seriously contemplating packing designer jeans in dark and white with a mix and match of blouses and two easily packed dresses (not cocktail, more professional/work) for chic nights.  For DH, designer jeans and polos with black dress pants, dress shirt, two different ties for the chic nights.  I think this seems okay, but want to make sure. We aren’t opposed to dressing up but if it’s much more casual want to “fit in” and avoid excess luggage.

 

 

Agreed.  This sounds perfectly fine.  People are in a very wide range of clothing and that sounds right in the middle.  🙂

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, Reel Love said:

Loving your review Georgia_Peaches! (as always!)  🙂

In your first post you noted that you are in the retreat....we (group of eight) are planning an Alaskan cruise and hoping to all book in a suite for the first time.  Question for you (and others who have sailed in suites before) - are folks in suites allowed to attend/eat in the MDR's if they don't like the menu in Luminae?  (Apologies in advance for what is likely a rookie question lol.  We are seasoned X cruisers but know nothing about suites).  Thank you! 

Absolutely, yes!  In fact, we have found that the MDR staff are excited to have us. Tonight we dined in Blu. The menu was just better and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate us. I will note that we stopped in around 6 to make sure they could seat us at 8. No problem. 

Edited June 3 by Georgia_Peaches

[harrywpb]

On 6/1/2024 at 6:07 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

I think I understand what you are asking.  Due to congestion along the U shaped driveway in front of the terminal building, the Ride Share (Uber/Lyft) drivers are suppose to drop off passengers at an adjacent lot about a 7-10 minute walk from the terminal building.  If a ride share passenger is elderly, or has ADA needs, then the Uber/Lyft driver could drop the passengers along the drive area.

 

If you are worried about getting stuck in the congestion leading up to the driveway area in front of the terminal, then your best bet is to be dropped off at the RideShare lot and walk to the terminal building. 

 

The time of day you arrive is also a factor.  For Celebrity, the busiest times are between noon and 1:30 PM.  The Ovation tends to have an early morning rush, then a second one around 1 PM.  And, as always, it is best to have completely done your online check-in registration (credit card on file & emergency contact phone number listed).  Having that 100% completed, will get you thru the check-in process quicker.

Thank you for a great post. Do you happen to know where to meet an uber on disembarkation ? Can they pick up at the curb or do we have to meet them at the ride share lot ?

Thanks Harry

 

 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, harrywpb said:

Do you happen to know where to meet an uber on disembarkation

 

 Ride share is not allowed to pick up curbside.  You have to meet them at the rideshare lot.  This is based on our cruise in 2022. 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

2 hours ago, harrywpb said:

Can they pick up at the curb or do we have to meet them at the ride share lot ?

 

@DaKahuna is correct - ride share passengers must find their driver at the Ride share lot.  The lot is about a 7-10 minute walk from the terminal building.  There are parking slots numbered 1-34 and your driver should let you know what # slot the car is waiting in.

 

There is a shuttle that you can use, but if you are able, it is faster to walk rather than wait for the shuttle.

[Georgia_Peaches]

19 hours ago, hcat said:

some will be  more dressed up and some less!..we do not wear jeans on cruises..

   no ties required!

We usually don’t either but have worn jeans on this cruise. Feels strange, though. 
 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

I thought getting up early to see the icy straights leading to Mendenhal glacier would be difficult but it seems my internal clock is still on EST. This mornings scenery was some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. 
 

 

The sun has come out over the horizon creating what looks like sheets of green glass in the reflection of the water. 

 

It’s chilly outside but the sun’s warmth, along with cozy blankets made curling up on the Magic Carpet with a mimosa was heaven. 

[DaKahuna]

@Georgia_Peaches Beautify photo's.  The scenery in Alaska is why we have cruised there four times.

 

 I used photo's I took in Glacier Bay on our first Alaskan cruise as the screen saver on my laptop for years.  This has me wanting to break them back out and replace my Game of Thrones theme screen saver photo's with them.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

Last night we nearly missed dinner because DH was on a roll in the casino!  But still, we pulled away and went up one deck to dine in Blu. I’m sure we were the last to be seated. We had a nice 2 top in the middle of the venue and the view through the window was spectacular. One thing I noticed about Blu with regard to the view is that it’s mostly lacking. There are 5 banks of windows and only 40% have a view. The other 60% of windows are blocked by life boats just outside. Regardless, we enjoyed Blu all the same. 

 

We both had the beef short rib which was very tender and not very fatty. We shared a lobster and spinach pasta appetizer and way too much bread!

Edited June 3 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours ago, harrywpb said:

Thank you for a great post. Do you happen to know where to meet an uber on disembarkation ? Can they pick up at the curb or do we have to meet them at the ride share lot ?

Thanks Harry

 

 

We arranged a transfer with Seattle Express. It was $28 pp. I noticed when we pulled into the port the other day that the Seattle express shuttle busses were allowed to park closer than the ride share vehicles. 

[harrywpb]

8 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Ride share is not allowed to pick up curbside.  You have to meet them at the rideshare lot.  This is based on our cruise in 2022. 

 

Thanks ,Harry

[harrywpb]

7 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

@DaKahuna is correct - ride share passengers must find their driver at the Ride share lot.  The lot is about a 7-10 minute walk from the terminal building.  There are parking slots numbered 1-34 and your driver should let you know what # slot the car is waiting in.

 

There is a shuttle that you can use, but if you are able, it is faster to walk rather than wait for the shuttle.

Thanks , Harry

[abbydancer2003]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We arranged a transfer with Seattle Express. It was $28 pp. I noticed when we pulled into the port the other day that the Seattle express shuttle busses were allowed to park closer than the ride share vehicles. 

We used Seattle Express in 2022.  We were happy,

[cruisebeachgirl703]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Last night we nearly missed dinner because DH was on a roll in the casino!  But still, we pulled away and went up one deck to dine in Blu. I’m sure we were the last to be seated. We had a nice 2 top in the middle of the venue and the view through the window was spectacular. One thing I noticed about Blu with regard to the view is that it’s mostly lacking. There are 5 banks of windows and only 40% have a view. The other 60% of windows are blocked by life boats just outside. Regardless, we enjoyed Blu all the same. 

 

We both had the beef short rib which was very tender and not very fatty. We shared a lobster and spinach pasta appetizer and way too much bread!

Nice to hear about the casino being good to DH. Can you post the hours if you have them. Thanks.

[sunpsyche]

On 5/29/2024 at 6:20 PM, abbydancer2003 said:

.

 

And for the glacier viewing, as @Jim_Iain just said, it can get very cold.  As far as weather I've been in April, May, July, August and September.  Weather varied from nicely in the high 50s every day, to wet and rainly every day.  YMMV.

 

Have a blast.

I’m a Florida girl and the coldest I’ve ever been in my life has been on the helipad watching the icebergs calve. If it wasn’t for the kindness of the Canadian friends we met in the retreat the first day, we would have froze. They generously lent us their gear and we survived! We were colder than in Iceland and Antarctica. Still, Alaska, Antarctica,  and Iceland remain our favorite cruises, save for Galapagos, which is unsurpassed. 
 

I’m happily following along. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Juneau was magical!  Not sure how else to describe it. I don’t mean the touristy downtown, although that was very nice, I mean the scenery. From glacier bay in the wee hours of the morning to landing on the glacier itself later in the day. It was my favorite cruise day in a very long time. 
 

Our excursion was the helicopter ride and dog sled adventure. Over 50% of this particular excursion gets cancelled due to weather. But our weather was near perfect yesterday. After meeting for transportation at the designated area, we boarded a bus and were taken to the airfield about 15 minutes away. We saw bald eagles and even a random brown bear ambling along a median next to the highway. Just wow!

 

Once we signed a waiver and received our safety briefing, we were off!

[Georgia_Peaches]

The helicopter was arranged by weight based on total occupancy. We were given a card to declare our weight but were not asked to step on the scale. I had visions of stepping on a scale and having my weight broadcast across the airfield 😳😂…. Once on board we were given a headset so we could hear the commentary of our pilot. 
 

 

Edited June 4 by Georgia_Peaches

[DaKahuna]

48 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

The helicopter was arranged by weight based on total occupancy.

 

 How many passengers do they carry per helicopter?  Would be a bummer to get stuck in a middle seat if they were packing folks in. 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 How many passengers do they carry per helicopter?  Would be a bummer to get stuck in a middle seat if they were packing folks in. 

 

There were 3 ( 2 pax plus pilot) in the front and 2 in the back. Max passenger load was 5. We were a group of 4 plus the pilot. 

Edited June 4 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 6/3/2024 at 5:08 PM, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Nice to hear about the casino being good to DH. Can you post the hours if you have them. Thanks.

Unfortunately, the hours are very inconsistent. Last night it was after 11 and the previous day it was at 5. It really depends on the departure time and how long it takes to get into international waters. Sorry I can’t be more specific. 

[cruisebeachgirl703]

22 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Unfortunately, the hours are very inconsistent. Last night it was after 11 and the previous day it was at 5. It really depends on the departure time and how long it takes to get into international waters. Sorry I can’t be more specific. 

This is helpful, thanks.

[Georgia_Peaches]

We finally dined in Luminae last night and had a very nice meal. Over all I’ve found the Luminae menu to be very uninspired and at times, even strange. 

Tonight’s menu is posted above. We were supposed to go to Rooftop garden grill tomorrow but we switched our reservation to tonight instead. 
 

Today’s excursion in Skagway included a ride on the train up the pass and into Canada. The scenery was beautiful. I had hoped to see some wildlife but except for a single duck, they were too well hidden. 
Sitting on the left side of the train is a must if you don’t plan to take the train back down to Skagway. 

Our return trip was a 15 mile bike ride…in the rain…and clouds back to the downtown area. This portion is not for the faint of heart. I wouldn’t trade the experience… I mean, I was 3000 ft up, literally in the clouds… biking through Alaska!  Those who take this excursion should plan for rain and rejoice if it’s sunny. Our bike company provided rain gear and bike helmets and the guides were awesome!

[markeb]

You were there a day late…

 

Crossed in front of our bus less than a mile north of the train station! (Summit)

[Georgia_Peaches]

53 minutes ago, markeb said:

You were there a day late…

 

Crossed in front of our bus less than a mile north of the train station! (Summit)

OMG that is FANTASTIC!  So happy you got to see this in real time. How cool!  Thank you for sharing this!!!  Mama bear crossing the road with her cubs ❤️❤️❤️.