Just off Regatta 12 day Alaskan Cruise

[jannray]

Hello!  We are first time Oceania Cruisers and I have to say it was a wonderful experience.  The ship was beautiful, quiet and elegant.  Service was beyond excellent in all areas. We enjoyed Abner Sanches' magic on the piano every evening as well as the Sunrise String Quartet. We fell in love with the Terrace Cafe the first night.  We loved walking along choosing as few or as many of each selection as we liked.  So many more choices that the GDR, and always fresh, hot and tasty.  I rarely made it to my table carrying my own plate. Never a problem getting a window seat for those wonderful views. And it was quiet enough for intimate conversation. The Chef's Market was so outstanding  they repeated it the next night.  The Rib eye my husband  got there was far better than the one in Polo's, and so was my grilled shrimp!  My fav's were frequently the wok specialties.  It was wonderful to watch them prepare my food and get it served fresh and hot onto my plate!  What wasnt to love? Were there a few misses? Sure.  But who cares when there are so many other tasty bites to enjoy!  All portions were small so you could enjoy many items each meal, with very few repeats. I have absolutely no complaints. Well done Oceania.

 

[jannray]

As far as shore excursions, we mostly booked our own and were very satisfied.  we have cruised to Alaska before, and highly recommend doing so. We did book two with the cruise line to use up our credit.  The first included a ferry to Haines from Skagway, with a wildlife boat tour afterward.  It was pricey but excellent. It took the entire day so we were glad it was with Oceania. The other was for Butchardt Gardens in Victoria.  We took it with Oceania because there was an advantage of being picked up at the dock. Both were efficient and as described. My advice regarding excursions in Alaska is do you research and go for the big ones. Ours were all unforgettable and will be cherished long after the often outrageous price is forgotten! And thats after 2 previous trips for me!

[jonthomas]

Thank you for your posts.

 

Looking forward to our 3rd to Alaska, in Sept.

[mauibabes]

@jannray, So glad you enjoyed your Alaskan cruise. We have done a lot of reading about this Alaskan season on Regatta on many social media sites about the huge numbers of First Timers on Oceania. Normally we find 60-70% of the guests to be Repeaters. Alaskan cruises on the smaller O ships are not the discount specials like on the mass market lines sailing their 3,000+ pax ships and deluging every port of call with hordes of people so we know you cruised with great expectations. Welcome to the Oceania family. We are preparing to sail on Oceania in November with family and friends from Houston, smaller world 👍🤪🛳️

We needed an Alaska fix so we are booked for a fourth Alaska cruise next year on Riviera and are “Really” looking forward to that trip. 
Enjoy O

Mauibabes

[bbqoug]

3 hours ago, jannray said:

 The other was for Butchardt Gardens in Victoria.  We took it with Oceania because there was an advantage of being picked up at the dock.

Thank you for your thoughts on your cruise.

We are on a Regatta cruise in September, and I'm trying to decide whether we should take the ship's tour to Butchart Gardens or grab a taxi or ride share.

Did you notice if taxis were prevalent at the port in Victoria?

[jannray]

Yes I believe there were some taxis waiting.I remember reading to expect long lines, but we saw none. I chose the O excursion for convenience.  We found we had long enough in the gardens, were not rushed, and got back to the ship in time to pack up our suitcases and have them out for pickup that night.

[ORV]

16 hours ago, bbqoug said:

Thank you for your thoughts on your cruise.

We are on a Regatta cruise in September, and I'm trying to decide whether we should take the ship's tour to Butchart Gardens or grab a taxi or ride share.

Did you notice if taxis were prevalent at the port in Victoria?

If you've never been to Butchart I highly recommend it. We've been twice, once on our own and again with friends that was on an Alaska cruise with us. Loved it. Of course it helps if you like flowers. 

[bbqoug]

46 minutes ago, ORV said:

If you've never been to Butchart I highly recommend it. We've been twice, once on our own and again with friends that was on an Alaska cruise with us. Loved it. Of course it helps if you like flowers. 

We are looking forward to visiting Butchart Gardens on this trip since we have never been before. I need to decide if the convenience of being picked up at & returned to the port is worth the extra  cost vs. doing it on our own.

Jannray stating that they didn't feel rushed on the O excursion is good to hear in helping me decide.

[ORV]

Have you googled the distance between the Gardens and the port? It's a ways out there. I've read somewhere that it's doable by bus, but that's more trouble than I care to go to. We took the ship's tour. Once on Oceania and once on Celebrity. 

[bbqoug]

19 minutes ago, ORV said:

Have you googled the distance between the Gardens and the port? It's a ways out there. I've read somewhere that it's doable by bus, but that's more trouble than I care to go to. We took the ship's tour. Once on Oceania and once on Celebrity. 

Yes. It looks like about a 40 minute ride from the port. I was thinking of taking a taxi, but after paying the fare to Butchart + entrance fees + return fare, the marginal cost savings doesn't seem to be worth the extra effort.

Thanks for your help. I have decided to book the ship's tour & not stress about it.

[bbqoug]

21 hours ago, jannray said:

 The Chef's Market was so outstanding  they repeated it the next night. 

 

I'm intrigued. I don't remember a chef's market at TC on our previous O cruise, but we may have just not known it was happening.

What sets the Chef's Market apart from a regular night at the buffet? What kind of special foods did they have there for your Alaskan cruise?

 

[Woofa]

If you have the opportunity, Butchart Gardens also has a nice tea service.  With nice weather you can sit outside and still view the gardens.  Not inexpensive but a nice treat.

If in the main part of town, grab a bite at Redfish, Bluefish.  Best fish and chips we ever had ( try the salmon or Hailbut to take it up a notch.). Just a little shack on the harbor but a great snack.

[AMHuntFerry]

1 hour ago, bbqoug said:

Yes. It looks like about a 40 minute ride from the port. I was thinking of taking a taxi, but after paying the fare to Butchart + entrance fees + return fare, the marginal cost savings doesn't seem to be worth the extra effort.

Thanks for your help. I have decided to book the ship's tour & not stress about it.

I dug out my shore excursion doc that is on the bed on embarkation day. The description says drive is ~45 minutes, self-guided visit to garden is ~2 hours, and drive back is ~45 minutes. So if 2 hours is satisfactory, you're good to go. I would feel rushed, but I tend to dawdle in gardens.

If you want other options:

https://www.butchartgardens.com/how-to-get-here/

The taxi fare is not horrible.

Edited Sunday at 07:44 PM by AMHuntFerry

[jannray]

Regarding the Chef's Market in TC, It was billed as a fresh locally supplied seafood market presentation.All kinds of seafood, which i love, was prepared multiple ways throughout the buffet. It happened about midway through our 12 day cruise, and as I said, was so popular it was repeated the next night.  Those were the only evenings the TC was a bit crowded, but still quiet and enjoyable with outstanding service. Noteworthy were the "hot smoked salmon" and the "Baked Halibut w sour cream and lemon basil" (also served as GDR entre). You can check your TV menus each night for all restaurant menus.

[tarhoosier]

There is a motor coach that leaves from The Empress Hotel in central Victoria every hour or so. The bus and Butchart ticket is combined. ~40 minutes is right. Our driver gave commentary on the way. The Empress is a magnificent pile as are all the CP railroad hotels.The waterfront at The Empress is delightful. Seaplanes arriving and departing, great seafood restaurants and the Hotel as an attraction to visit.

 

[jannray]

Thought I would say a word or two about our shore excursions.

 

Ketchikan:  Photo Safari Off the Beaten Track.  Ended up being a private  tour! Just us and a photographer guide.  Very pleasant day poking around uncrowded places. Included Saxman Village and Creek Street, which we somehow hit without crowds! Took some nice photos at our leisure. Recommend if you've been to Ketchikan before as we have, and want to get out and enjoy the rainforest without a lot of bells and whistles and noisy hype!

 

Juneau:  5 Glacier seaplane tour to Taku Lodge w Salmon feast.  Fantastic for scenery and food.  Flew right on top of the mountains and glaciers! And yes, every person gets a window seat. Highly recommend. This was the best flightseeing tour we have taken. We had really good view from multiple perspectives of all five glaciers.(I'm so glad we didn't waste time going to Mendenhall again.)

 

Skagway: O excursion  Took scenic Fast Ferry to Haines, then bussed to Chilkat  River Valley where we took wildlife boat tour up Chilkat River.  Phenomenal scenery and a Brown Mama Bear w cubs so close she could have jumped into boat!  Then manuevered into shallow lake to view moose.  No salmon yet so no eagles, but  surrounded by snow capped mountains. Only one other couple with us on boat that held 16. Great guide. Highly recommend. (When we previously visited Skagway we rented a car and drove up the mountain rd to emerald lake.  That was a very enjoyable day trip which i would also highly recommend.)

 

Hubbard Glacier.  A bit disappointing due to low clouds and grey drizzle.  Would have liked to get closer, but still lots of ice.  Shocked by how much snow was still on mountains all the way up there.

 

Icy Straight Point,  A former favorite port of ours, when we took whale watching w Glacier Wind Tours and saw non-stop bubble net feeding!  This time, no excursion.  Hoards of people.  To escape we took the nature trail over to the port area, which was delightful. We hadn't set our feet into the rainforest since Ketchikan, and needed our rainforest fix by now. Ahhhh.  Space to breathe that wonderful cool moist fresh air again and feel our feet quish the thick moos that devours everything that doesn't move in a day!  Then we descended again into the hoards of people, got on the return gondola and headed back to the ship! What a disappointment compared to our previous experience.  Makes me seriously think they should limit the number of ships/passenger on any given day.  We did also walk along the beach, enjoying the viewing many sea urchins and other tide pool critters. If you haven't figured it out, we are nature lovers! Recommend a private whale watching tour w Glacier wind.  Book way in advance. I think we were very lucky not to have hit the other ports on such crowded days.

 

Sitka:  Private wildlife boat tour with Gallant Adventures.  Highly recommend.  Paul Davis is owner/tour guide.  Great! Long time resident naturalist boat owner fisherman from Sitka.  Id go out with him any time, regardless of the conditions and I know I would return  satisfied. The waters and Islands around Sitka are so beautiful and rich with wildlife, and he knows how to find it all.  We went after grey whales because Paul knew the usual humpbacks hadn't come in yet. He found the cove where maybe 10 were playing, mating, feeding.  We stayed maybe an hour and a half or so.  We were the only boat there.  On the way back we visited some sea otters floating and feeding in the kelp.  Saw lots of birds, scenery.  One other couple on the boat with us plus captain Paul.  Doesn't get any better.

 

Klawock:  Stayed on ship.  Not feeling well and needed to rest!

 

Victoria: O excursion to Butchart Gardens.  Picked up tour bus right at dock.  Nice narrated ride to gardens. Enjoyed leisurely stroll through gardens.  Favorite section was Japanese garden.  Had time to see everything and take pics.  Enjoyed ice cream cone at cafe afterwards.  Got back with time to eat, pack up and bid farewell to a wonderful Cruise.

[WESTEAST]

38 minutes ago, jannray said:

Thought I would say a word or two about our shore excursions.

 

Ketchikan:  Photo Safari Off the Beaten Track.  Ended up being a private  tour! Just us and a photographer guide.  Very pleasant day poking around uncrowded places. Included Saxman Village and Creek Street, which we somehow hit without crowds! Took some nice photos at our leisure. Recommend if you've been to Ketchikan before as we have, and want to get out and enjoy the rainforest without a lot of bells and whistles and noisy hype!

 

Juneau:  5 Glacier seaplane tour to Taku Lodge w Salmon feast.  Fantastic for scenery and food.  Flew right on top of the mountains and glaciers! And yes, every person gets a window seat. Highly recommend. This was the best flightseeing tour we have taken. We had really good view from multiple perspectives of all five glaciers.(I'm so glad we didn't waste time going to Mendenhall again.)

 

Skagway: O excursion  Took scenic Fast Ferry to Haines, then bussed to Chilkat  River Valley where we took wildlife boat tour up Chilkat River.  Phenomenal scenery and a Brown Mama Bear w cubs so close she could have jumped into boat!  Then manuevered into shallow lake to view moose.  No salmon yet so no eagles, but  surrounded by snow capped mountains. Only one other couple with us on boat that held 16. Great guide. Highly recommend. (When we previously visited Skagway we rented a car and drove up the mountain rd to emerald lake.  That was a very enjoyable day trip which i would also highly recommend.)

 

Hubbard Glacier.  A bit disappointing due to low clouds and grey drizzle.  Would have liked to get closer, but still lots of ice.  Shocked by how much snow was still on mountains all the way up there.

 

Icy Straight Point,  A former favorite port of ours, when we took whale watching w Glacier Wind Tours and saw non-stop bubble net feeding!  This time, no excursion.  Hoards of people.  To escape we took the nature trail over to the port area, which was delightful. We hadn't set our feet into the rainforest since Ketchikan, and needed our rainforest fix by now. Ahhhh.  Space to breathe that wonderful cool moist fresh air again and feel our feet quish the thick moos that devours everything that doesn't move in a day!  Then we descended again into the hoards of people, got on the return gondola and headed back to the ship! What a disappointment compared to our previous experience.  Makes me seriously think they should limit the number of ships/passenger on any given day.  We did also walk along the beach, enjoying the viewing many sea urchins and other tide pool critters. If you haven't figured it out, we are nature lovers! Recommend a private whale watching tour w Glacier wind.  Book way in advance. I think we were very lucky not to have hit the other ports on such crowded days.

 

Sitka:  Private wildlife boat tour with Gallant Adventures.  Highly recommend.  Paul Davis is owner/tour guide.  Great! Long time resident naturalist boat owner fisherman from Sitka.  Id go out with him any time, regardless of the conditions and I know I would return  satisfied. The waters and Islands around Sitka are so beautiful and rich with wildlife, and he knows how to find it all.  We went after grey whales because Paul knew the usual humpbacks hadn't come in yet. He found the cove where maybe 10 were playing, mating, feeding.  We stayed maybe an hour and a half or so.  We were the only boat there.  On the way back we visited some sea otters floating and feeding in the kelp.  Saw lots of birds, scenery.  One other couple on the boat with us plus captain Paul.  Doesn't get any better.

 

Klawock:  Stayed on ship.  Not feeling well and needed to rest!

 

Victoria: O excursion to Butchart Gardens.  Picked up tour bus right at dock.  Nice narrated ride to gardens. Enjoyed leisurely stroll through gardens.  Favorite section was Japanese garden.  Had time to see everything and take pics.  Enjoyed ice cream cone at cafe afterwards.  Got back with time to eat, pack up and bid farewell to a wonderful Cruise.

Thank you for your posts and will save these excursion recommendations for future reference as we have yet to take an Alaskan cruise.

[WESTEAST]

2 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

There is a motor coach that leaves from The Empress Hotel in central Victoria every hour or so. The bus and Butchart ticket is combined. ~40 minutes is right. Our driver gave commentary on the way. The Empress is a magnificent pile as are all the CP railroad hotels.The waterfront at The Empress is delightful. Seaplanes arriving and departing, great seafood restaurants and the Hotel as an attraction to visit.

 

Not only is The Empress stunning but if time permits, it is famous for their Afternoon Tea in the Lobby Lounge which has been served since the hotel opened probably about 100 years ago. Other stunning former CP Rail hotels (now Fairmont) and our favourites are in Alberta (Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper Park). We order our Empress Tea online at the Fairmont Store: https://canada.fairmontstore.com/collections/tea-at-the-empress. 

 

Edited Sunday at 11:02 PM by WESTEAST

[ronrick1943]

Sounds like a nice cruise, happy to hear how much you enjoyed yourself.  I also enjoy the TC, always had great food.  Thank you for taking the time.

[jannray]

One more word regarding shore excursions. Ive read a lot about the negatives of docking at Ward Cove in Ketchikan. Some local excursions will pick you up at Ward cove dock. Ours did.That completely eliminated any inconvenience and we avoided the noisy chaos on the crowded docks where the large ships dock.  At the end of our excursion we had our choice of being returned to Ward cove or being left in Ketchikan to shop on our own, which we did.  When ready we simply walked to the shuttle pick up spot and caught the shuttle bus back.  Being on a smaller ship, there was no waiting in line as the larger NCL ship docked out there had a much earlier "all aboard" than we did. The shuttle busses were sitting there empty and waiting! A most pleasant experience.

[Jim_Iain]

On 6/30/2024 at 1:02 PM, tarhoosier said:

There is a motor coach that leaves from The Empress Hotel in central Victoria every hour or so. The bus and Butchart ticket is combined. ~40 minutes is right. Our driver gave commentary on the way. The Empress is a magnificent pile as are all the CP railroad hotels.The waterfront at The Empress is delightful. Seaplanes arriving and departing, great seafood restaurants and the Hotel as an attraction to visit.

 

I've taken the bus YEAR's ago and it was very convenient and worked smoothly.

 

For our visit in September we booked Tea at Empress hotel on our own at about 50% of what Oceania was charging and got a time which worked better with our schedule. 

[Jim_Iain]

Thank you for your wonderful report.  We will be taking our first Oceania cruise on Regatta in September.   Getting excited by you commentary.