Live From Discovery Princess - Alaska w/ Glacier Bay - 7/6/24 to 7/13/24

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I am really enjoying your trip report. You and your husband are on my favorite ship. I can’t believe the amount of ships that will be in port with you.

 

Someone at Princess told me that they would work on this but they have no way to access the application to see if it’s been completed yet. If you have time and you feel like doing it would you please check the OceanNow part of the app and see if the option to Leave Off the Cheese has been added to the Chef Salad? I know it’s a strange request but I am getting ready for a 17 day cruise and I am allergic to dairy. Thank you. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, BeforeSunsetLemonade said:

The Elliott Hunter illusionist show is not a ho-hum magic show that we're used to seeing on Princess. It's extremely well done. Don't miss it. 

[startedwithamouse]

16 hours ago, BeforeSunsetLemonade said:

 

STARBUCKS RESERVE 

We woke up really early this morning at 5 AM when the sun rose. The early morning rise really does wonder for not being able to sleep. We lounged around a bit, read, showered, and got our stuff ready for the day. By 7:30 AM, we made our way to the Starbucks Reserve. 

 

Getting there that early, we had our pick of seats and plopped ourselves right at some bar seats. We both ordered some salmon brioche sandwich, while DH had an almond milk coffee drink, and I had a tea latte. We sat there for about an hour enjoying our leisurely breakfast, while the hectic of the store happened around us. 

 

 

GETTING TO THE SHIP

After dinner last night, we went to QFC to see if they had the Coffeemate Italian Sweet Cream creamer. Seeing as they only had one left, we strategically hid it behind some other creamers hoping it would be there in the morning. 

 

After Starbucks, we went back to the same QFC, and lo and behold, it was just where we put it. So we grabbed that, a bottle of Chandon, checked out, and headed back to the Moxy to grab our luggage. 

 

We ended up ordering an Uber from the Moxy at 10:45, we’re picked up promptly at 10:47, these Ubers are quick in Seattle, and were dropped off at 11:00 AM. The fare was slightly more than what we expected. 

 

 

When we were dropped off, there was a LONG line that snaked around. This line was for people dropping off their luggage. We decided to forgo this, and instead were directed around the line to right to the security check. The line for the security check took about 5 minutes, and within 18 minutes of being dropped off, we were right on board! 

 

LUGGAGE

Seeing as it was only, 11:18 and rooms wouldn’t be available till 1:00, we found some seats in the Wheelhouse bar. DH had the great idea to see if the room steward was out there to ask if we could just drop our bags off. He found our room steward, asked if we could drop our bags off, gave him a $20, and came back down to retrieve me and our luggage. Thus, we were free of our luggage and proceeded to meet up with our friends. 

 

UNPACKING

After chatting with our friends, we decided to grab a light lunch at the International Cafe. They had a mixed seafood soup, which was ok, though the caprese salad sandwich was amazing. By this point, it turned to 1:00 and they announced that our rooms would be ready. Since we had all our luggage, we unpacked, ironed the shirts that needed to be ironed, and made our way up to the adults only pool for sail away. 

 

We’re now relaxing with our Aperol spritzes watching the land pass us by. So with that…

 

Till we wave 🌊 again.

We always hit the Starbucks Reserve in Seattle, and have visited the one in NYC too. 

 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

8 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I am really enjoying your trip report. You and your husband are on my favorite ship. I can’t believe the amount of ships that will be in port with you.

 

Someone at Princess told me that they would work on this but they have no way to access the application to see if it’s been completed yet. If you have time and you feel like doing it would you please check the OceanNow part of the app and see if the option to Leave Off the Cheese has been added to the Chef Salad? I know it’s a strange request but I am getting ready for a 17 day cruise and I am allergic to dairy. Thank you. 

Thanks for following along. 
 

It does not appear that one can leave off cheese on the chef’s salad when ordering through the app on OceanNow. 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

8 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

We always hit the Starbucks Reserve in Seattle, and have visited the one in NYC too. 

 

We’ve also done the one on Chicago. Still needing to do the one in NYC. 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, BeforeSunsetLemonade said:

Thanks for following along. 
 

It does not appear that one can leave off cheese on the chef’s salad when ordering through the app on OceanNow. 

@BeforeSunsetLemonade,Thank you so much for checking this for me. Someone from Princess is supposed to follow up with me tomorrow, so now I can let them know that it still has not been added. 
 

Enjoy your cruise! 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

DAY 2 - SEA DAY

We started our day sitting on the balcony, drinking our hot beverage while watching the waves go by. The temperature was 55° and completely sunny. It was pleasant enough to sit outside in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Though at one point, I exclaimed to DH, “It’s so cold, I can see my breadth.” It actually wasn’t, I was just drinking a hot tea and that’s what was producing the visible water vapor. 
 

SPIN CLASS

At 9:00, we ventured up to the gym for the spin class that we had signed up for on Day 1. The gym on the Discovery is well equipped with a large selection of treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines. They have a nice selection of weight machines, dumbbells, y-bells, kettlebells, medicine balls, sandbags, and they even had battle ropes which was wonderfully surprising. 

 

As we entered, the spin instructor greeted us with “you look familiar.” We shared that we were on the ship in February and that we recalled taking spin class from him. It’s awesome and surprising that after five months of a 30-minute interaction how we can quickly recall others who we briefly met. 

 

This spin class, while 30 minutes, was well worth it and quite tough. It was also full! There were many people who thought they could just walk in and take the class. Pre-registration is a must. 

 

We regularly work out and we were certainly pushed to the maximum. It was also hot in the group class room that by the end of the class, we were both soaked with sweat. It was also just nice to sweat out the previous day’s alcohol consumption. 

 

NATURALIST PRESENTATION

After the spin class, we headed to the theatre for the naturalist presentation by Michael Modzelewski. He is FANTASTIC! This presentation highlighted what it was like for him to live in Alaska and gave a preview of what we would see, hear, and experience on this journey. Michael is a skilled orator and was engaging the entire 45 minutes. We will certainly be going to his other three talks this week. 

 

LUNCH

For lunch, we decided to do the Crab Shack, which was held at the Crown Grill. The restaurant host mentioned that there is an up charge of $46. We knew about the cover charge of $39 and figured the remaining was the gratuity. However, when looking at our folio, we were only charged $39. Not sure when or where the gratuity will be added. 

 

When ordering drinks, I ordered a Stella and my table mates plus the waiter looked at me inquisitively. It appears that I was handed an older menu from when the ship was in Mexico, as the others had an Alaskan White as the option for beer. So, I ordered that instead. 

 

We started with hush puppies and a clam chowder in a bread bowl. The clam chowder was creamy and delicious and a clam in the clamshell inside. The bread, however, was hard as a rock. For the main course, I had the seafood mix, which was spectacular! The dungengess crab was the star of the show. It was sweet enough that I didn’t use any of the supplied butter. 
 

MORE DUCKS

We found more ducks around the ship. They were all from the same people as they were stamped with the Idaho symbol. We left these for others to find. 

 

CREW CHAT

We periodically look at our folio and saw a random bar charge of $8.85. Using crew chat, I was informed that this was for two Amaretto Manhattans. Well, we had ordered two  Disaronno’s on the rocks and asked that the charge be reversed. They took care of it right away. It was a seamless process. 

 

DINNER - THE CATCH BY RUDI

Prior to the cruise, we made and paid for our specialty dining reservations. For this night, we reserved The Catch. This dinner didn’t start off too strong. We were seated immediately. It then took 20 minutes for the waiter to introduce himself and pour us some water. It took another hour for someone to come over to take our drink order. 

 

Beyond that, the food was spectacular. The liver pate was accompanied by a raspberry puree which complemented the pate really well. The catch of the day was amazing tasty with a crispy skin on top. For dessert, I had ordered a mixed berry something or other. I didn’t realize that, (1) it was a mixed berry soufflé and (2) it would be humongous. Needless to say, I was expecting fruit, so I didn’t quite eat any of this dessert. 

 

Checking the folio, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been charged the anticipated gratuity for dinner. Maybe that will appear later. 

So with that…

 

Till we wave 🌊 again.

 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

[voljeep]

an hour and 20 minutes to order - completely unacceptable - Please complain to the Hotel Manager and ask for a refund.  No questions no matter how good the food was.

[wallyj]

@BeforeSunsetLemonade, did you try any of the ‘sides’ at The Catch. Last month on the Enchanted, the waiter brought ALL the side dishes. The fingerling potatoes were our favorite and the vegetable was Bok Choy. You also did not share what dishes your other half ordered?

 

It has been my experience, most specialty restaurants will allow you to order multiple apps and desserts, so they would have brought you another,  if the soufflé was not to your liking. I know they have minted berries with ice cream.

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

21 hours ago, wallyj said:

@BeforeSunsetLemonade, did you try any of the ‘sides’ at The Catch. Last month on the Enchanted, the waiter brought ALL the side dishes. The fingerling potatoes were our favorite and the vegetable was Bok Choy. You also did not share what dishes your other half ordered?

 

It has been my experience, most specialty restaurants will allow you to order multiple apps and desserts, so they would have brought you another,  if the soufflé was not to your liking. I know they have minted berries with ice cream.

We did try the sides and our favorite was the mashed cauliflower and the bok choy. It was great. 
 

As for dessert, we were already there for 3 hours and I wasn’t interested in waiting around for another dessert. Thanks for letting me know that I could have ordered another one. I will keep that in mind for the next time. 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

DAY 3 - JUNEAU 

Today was a very spectacular day! The weather remained in the high 60s and was mostly sunny, which made it pleasant enough to be in a T-shirt and jeans. 

 

The naturalist shared that one of the best times for whale watching would be the 8:00 to 9:30 on morning of the day as we headed to Juneau. In preparation, we started with breakfast in the buffet at 7:00. At about 7:30, whales appeared off the starboard side. It’s fun to watch the entire half of the ship turn to get a look. 

 

Once we finished breakfast, we headed back to our room to whale watch. The naturalist was live reporting from the bridge, so we turned our tv full blast, kept the sliding door open, and looked into the distance. With the sound of the wake, we barely were able to hear the naturalist, but no worries, we saw plenty of whales without the naturalist assistance. There were pods of humpbacks, mother’s and their newborn, flutes of water, and tails as they dove. We probably saw roughly 20 to 25 whales in this timespan. It was magical! 

 

 

 

 

JUNEAU

With a scheduled arrival of 1:00 PM, we ventured up to the buffet for what we thought would be a quick lunch. However with the excitement of being at our first port, it seemed as if the entire ship had the same idea to eat lunch right before getting off. It was so crowded that it made it difficult to find a seat and overwhelming to pursue what was available for lunch. With that, I made myself a large salad. I love this salad bar. They provide these large bowls and all the fixings one could want. This self made salad was delicious! 

 

Once it turned 1 and was time to get off, we ventured downstairs and was greeted by a LONG line. It stretched from the atrium, through Princess Live, continued past the Crown Grill Bar, and into the Vista Lounge. Since we were docked, we thought it would be a quick scan of a medallion and one could be off and running. Well, it turned out that to get off the ship, they had these rickety stairs that creaked and swayed as one walked down them. It also had a net underneath that was meant to catch things that would fall. This is what caused the delay as it was treacherous getting off the ship. Thankfully, it only took 15 minutes, but it was unexpected. 

 

EXPLORING JUNEAU

With five other ships at port, all docking at roughly the same time, it was busy! I’m thankful that we had someone who was familiar with the area, had access to a car, and could whisk us away from the touristy nature of downtown. However, downtown Juneau is beautiful with beautiful pieces of art everywhere one looked. 

 

 

 

 

SECOND LUNCH

Our first stop once we left downtown was to the Forbidden Peak Brewery. This brewery has a wonderful outdoor patio, that overlooked the marina in the foreground and the snowcapped mountains in the background. 

 

At this brewery, one could get a flight of four different 4 ounce pours, which one could select which beers they wanted. I went with the hard seltzer watermelon, CRANRAZZ lager, Stroller White, and Egan is Guava. We also shared a wonderful basket of fries. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEACH TIME

We then ventured deeper into Juneau, parked, and readied ourselves for a 2-mile stroll to the beach. Along the way we saw a plethora of animals including ravens, squirrels, jumping fish, and eagles. We were hoping to spot a bear, and we knew one was around because there was fresh bear dung in multiple places. Sadly (or thankfully), no bear appeared. 

 

During the walk, we were also greeted by beautiful flora and fauna one could imagine. There was also wild fruit that we enjoyed as we walked including the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever had. 

 

Once we completed the hike, we were greeted by a secluded beach, with views of the Inside Passage and mountains in the distance. This was a magical experience that has been the highlight of the trip so far. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

END OF THE MAGICAL DAY

We ended our day with relaxing on the balcony watching the “sunset” savoring a glass of Camus. PERFECT! 

 

 

 

So with that…

 

Till we wave 🌊 again.

 

 

Edited July 9 by BeforeSunsetLemonade

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

[XBGuy]

On your next visit to Juneau skip the buffet and head to Deckhand Dave's--awesome fish tacos.  Then you can go to that brew pub and have your flight of beers.

 

That beach looks very cool.  Please do not post directions.  I'll figure it out.

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

36 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

On your next visit to Juneau skip the buffet and head to Deckhand Dave's--awesome fish tacos.  Then you can go to that brew pub and have your flight of beers.

 

That beach looks very cool.  Please do not post directions.  I'll figure it out.

Thanks for the tip about Deckhand Dave’s. We will keep that in mind when we are hopefully back here one day. 
 

And I have no plans to share where that beach is at. I don’t want the TikTok tourists overrunning it. If you figure it out, please do go. It’s amazing! 

[Priszm]

@BeforeSunsetLemonade I'm really looking forward to hearing about your Skagway bike ride. If I'm correct, this is the one that takes you up to White Pass and then you bike down, right? We're looking into that for our trip next year.

[Keanster]

I love hearing about your travels and living vicariously. 

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

 

DAY 4 - SKAGWAY

When we awoke, we were already at the dock and opened the curtains to the Celebrity Edge staring right into our room. It was quite a surprise to find that as the first thing that greeted us. 

 

Since our tour was to meet at the theatre at 10:45, we had a leisurely morning with having breakfast in the buffet, followed by sitting on our balcony watching the Celebrity crew clean their windows. It was amazing how nimble the crew were in strapping themselves in, climbing up or down, and contorting themselves to get to the correct angle to wash their windows. 

 

 

 

 

KLONDIKE SUMMIT TO SEA BICYCLE TOUR

We gathered in the Princess Theatre at 11:45 to a well organized staging area. We were handed our tour sticker, shown where to sit, and within 10 minutes, all of the scheduled tours were led to the waiting tender. This process was seamless uneventful. 

 

Once on dock, we were greeted by our tour guides, filled out a short form, asked to see our passports, and loaded into a van. On the way up, they provided commentary about what we were seeing. 

 

Once we arrived at the summit, they instructed us to retrieve our helmet under the seat and proceed to grab some gloves as they took the bikes off the trolley. Once setup, they walked through how to use the bike, gave us a safety demonstration, and allowed us to practice riding on the side of the road. 

 

Once on the bike, I asked if they could adjust the handlebars height and that wasn’t possible as they were all set to the same height. The only thing that could be adjusted was the height of the seat. While trying the bike out, I also tried gear switching, and got the hang out it. Now it was time to go. 

 

The ten people in the group all lined up with one guide at the front and one guide in the back and away we went. The first section was all down hill and we went pretty fast, about 15 to 20 miles per hour. Since we were on the road it was bumpy and there were cars passing us by. 

 

I found it exhilarating, though had a hunch that DH was not enjoying this. We finally stopped at an overlook where I turned to DH and asked him how he was doing. Without even saying a word, I knew he wanted this to end. We were given the option at the start of the trip that once we got to the first stop, the van that took us up would be there and, if one wanted, could choose to abandon the group and ride back down. So, with that option available to us, we informed the tour guide that we wanted to ride in the van. On the way down in the van, the driver did stop at other of the overlooks so we could take pictures. It was also interesting going through the border check and seeing how that process worked. 

 

For us, this was the right decision to leave the tour. I value both mental and physical safety. If we were anxious throughout the ride, that wouldn’t be enjoyable. I’m proud of us for making this choice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TENDERING PROCESS

Once we were dropped off back in town, the guide informed us that the riders would have about another hour before they arrived. We figured that could be enough time to head back to the shop, do a quick costume change, and make it back to meet our friends. 

 

Once we found where to board, we waited in line for about 15 minutes. Then once on the tender, we sat on the tender for about another 30 minutes while they proceeded to fill the boat. They were using two tenders, so what should have been a quick process of once one tender arrives, the other tender would leave, wasn’t the case. Instead we had to wait and wait and wait and wait. It was maddening and frustrating. Needless to say that once we were back on the ship, there was no chance that I was going back to shore, so we told our friends we would meet us back on the ship. 

 

REST OF THE EVENING

Once back on the ship, we took a shower, picked up our books, and headed to Crooners to read. This was much more our style and this began to relax us. Once the PES lounge opened, we ventured in there, where our friends met us and we recapped our day. Sitting with them and annoying their company, while listening to the performers was a lovely way to end the afternoon. 

 

DINNER

We had dinner in MDR, which they had pasta being prepared in the dining room. The flagrant smell of the garlic was amazing and we asked for a bowl to share. It was delicious and we asked for more. 

 

GASTROINTESTINAL SICKNESS

Before we end this day’s recap, there’s a quick detour to share. In Day 2, the captain informed us that a number of passengers had gone to the medical center complaining about gastrointestinal sickness and due to that, they would be implementing a number of procedures to curb this from further spread. So over the past two days, we have seen them being diligent about wiping every table after usage and constantly wiping hand rails and frequently touched surfaces. They have removed menus from the bars, though one could still have a menu at the eating establishments. In the buffet, they are handing out the plates and silverware. They are more diligent about people washing their hands or using hand sanitizer before entering into the buffet. In the bathrooms, they have placed sickness bags. The captain has also been giving daily updates and constantly reminds everyone to wash their hands. 

 

So with that…

 

Till we wave 🌊 again.

 

[bearleftsoiwenthome]

Bears, please.

[BeforeSunsetLemonade]

[azbirdmom]

Thanks for sharing your trip, both the good and not so pleasant.  We board on Saturday and I already have a variety of medicines to be packed but as usual we will be diligent in trying to avoid nasty bugs.  I wish they would serve guests at the buffet instead of it being self serve - all too often poor hygiene habits reveal themselves after the hand wash station.

 

I'm not surprised by your report on the bicycle trip.  We've made 3 trips into the Yukon in a mini bus (plus one other shorter trip) and we've seen the bicycle tours going downhill.  On those roads it truly does look scary so I applaud you for trying it!

 

Will keep following along as we start to pack for our own adventure.

[memoak]

On 7/5/2024 at 8:59 PM, sherryf said:

This is the first time I've seen confirmation that they pipe in lavender scent.  Thank you!  Now I know I will definitely NOT do the 360, due to allergies.

The aromas are very light. We did this last year and it was probably the best dinner at sea in at least 20 years

[startedwithamouse]

On 7/9/2024 at 9:32 AM, XBGuy said:

On your next visit to Juneau skip the buffet and head to Deckhand Dave's--awesome fish tacos.  Then you can go to that brew pub and have your flight of beers.

 

That beach looks very cool.  Please do not post directions.  I'll figure it out.

Shhhhhh!  Beach, what beach!  We've walked there too. 

[sherryf]

10 hours ago, memoak said:

The aromas are very light. We did this last year and it was probably the best dinner at sea in at least 20 years

It doesn't matter how light.  I am allergic.  I cannot eat the dessert and the scent would trigger me too.