Sun Princess Alaska 8/6/06-8/13/06 (long review)

[wdblake]

We just got back from the Sun Princess on a cruise through the inside passage. This was our second sailing aboard this ship and was quite a different experience than our first time. 8/6/06-8/13/06

 

Seattle:

We flew into Seattle the day before the cruise arriving about 1pm in the afternoon. We took a limo from the airport which was $40 for the four of us. You can pick one up on the third floor of the parking garage. We stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites on Aurora Blvd. There were four of us (my wife and I and our two sons). The room was a King suite with the king room separate from the room with the two queen beds. The room was clean and relatively close to both the Pike Market and the Space Needle. We spent about $190 on the room and it was well worth it. It had a full kitchen with microwave, stove, refrigerator and dish washer as well as all the glasses and silverware you could want.

We walked to Pike Market and must admit we were not very impressed. The market was very crowded and filled with tattooed, body pierced, twenty year old vendors left over from the grunge period (that and 40 year olds trying to act like twenty year olds). Not being into the pseudo-intellectual art crowd we decided to return to our room to rest up.

That evening we went past the Space needle in search of a liquor store, which by the way seem to be a rarity in the Seattle area (I guess they are too busy smoking clove cigarettes and drinking coffee). The Space needle was a lot smaller than I thought it would be and was nestled in the center of a loud and obnoxious amusement park. Needless to say we didn’t linger.

 

Embarkation:

Welcome to the cattle line. Probably one of the worst embarkation experiences we have had yet. Oh they got through your paperwork fast enough, but then they line you up in a winding cattle line awaiting customs (sans chairs by the way so I hope you don’t mind standing for 45 minutes). We had arrived at 10:15 am and didn’t get on the boat until Noon.

 

We checked out our room and tried to communicate to Bastion our room steward that we wanted robes and egg crate mattresses (which we had requested earlier but never quite made it too our stateroom). The robes arrived quick enough but the mattresses took a while. Another thing we noticed was they no longer give you fruit in the room but instead make you fill out a request sheet (which is understandable with all the fruit they probably had to throw away). I guess Bastion at this point decided we were troublemakers because the head steward showed up and thought we had requested a new room (which we had not) and Bastion tried to convince us that Dolphin deck was so much better than the deck we were on. Too bad Bastion we are staying!

After a rather long day we decided to order a nice bottle of Crown Royal to our room, a service we had enjoyed on our last Sun Princess cruise. “So sorry, Princess no longer offers that service anymore since it was cutting into our liquor profits.” You used to be able to order a variety of spirits for personal consumption but now they only offer 5 different “packages” which include a 350ml bottle and 3 cans of soda for a mere $15. Back to the days of smuggling for us I guess.

 

At Sea:

 

We had a fairly relaxing sea day and enjoyed the cooler august temperatures. We attended a few of the demonstrations which were quite good. We also went to the first naturalist talk and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was very informative offering a lot of insight into Alaskan wildlife and his talks aided in our cruise enjoyment. If you love wildlife try to attend these!

The Terrace grill was as good as ever offering up yummy brats and hamburgers. Try to get there early though to beat the rush.

We attended the captains gala party where we discovered another Princess budget cut. They still offered drinks but absolutely no hors d’oeuvres whatsoever. We were kind of disappointed having told our sons they were coming.

We had a wonderful dinner in the dining room (where you should try to eat all your meals since the Horizon Court has lousy food and is packed with people). My eldest son who fancies himself a connoisseur really enjoyed the elegant dining and the diverse menu options.

We finished and arrived back at our room finding that it had not been cleaned at all. I guess Bastion had decided that since we forgot to put the little blue card in the door slot this alleviated him the responsibility of cleaning our room. A quick call to the purser’s office insured this never happened again. This was our seventh cruise and I have never had such a lax cabin steward. They could take a note from Holland America’s staff. They are the best at sea.

 

Ketchikan:

We arrived at Ketchikan and the Alaskan experience started to settle in. We explored the quaint creek street with its little shops lining the winding creek through town. There are a lot of nice little shops to explore and plenty of places to pick up souvenirs. We decided to look for a bottle of Crown to sneak back on board but found out that Alaskan liquor stores cost about twice as much as stores in the states. Next time we bring our own which I suggest you do if you don’t want to pay the outrageous bar prices on the ship.

We booked a float plane trip to Anan creek with Family air. The pilot was very friendly and the float plane offered us an eagle eye view of the pristine wilderness around us. Speaking of eagles they seem more frequent here than pigeons in New York! They were everywhere and quite a sight to see.

We arrived at Anan creek and made our way up the board walked trail to the observatory. This was one of the greatest vacation experiences we had ever had. We saw about twenty black bears strolling around the stream looking for salmon to scoop up for lunch. We were so close we could reach out and touch them. They didn’t seem to even notice us as they swatted at the water and snatched salmon up in their jaws. We saw a mother bear take her two cubs looking for fish as well as experiencing two bears fight over a fish rather loudly. I took over a hundred pictures at least. I will include a link to my photo website at the end to show off some of these pictures.

Bears seemed to stroll all around us. They came right up to the blind and looked at us as if to say Hello.

They were awesome and majestic and a few other adjectives that can’t fully describe how cool it was to be that close to them.

When you get to the observatory be sure to sign up to go down into the photo blind even if you don’t take pictures since this puts you right next to the water and right next to them.

On the way back to the plane we were finally treated to a large brown bear fishing in a lake not far from us at all. I snapped a few pictures of him and marveled at the beauty of this fabulous creature.

All said this excursion was worth every penny! If you like seeing bears it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I would go back again and again and never be bored.

 

Tracy Arm Fjord:

 

We arose early to secure a deck chair on the promenade deck and cover up with blankets to experience the fjord. We started winding our way through misty waterfall filled mountains as chucks of ice slowly flowed past our ship. It was very peaceful and quiet. The Naturalist occasionally came on to give us tidbits of information.

He was entertaining and informative but we had to joke about his staccato Captain Kirklike delivery. “Over there………a bear………nestles among the trees………breathtaking.”

Then came the bad news. We were going to have to turn around since the current and the size of the ice proved to be too dangerous for the ship. So we never got to see the Glaciers at all. My wife and I were very disappointed since this was going to be our only up close and person glacier experience. The worst part was the Captain didn’t offer an explanation himself, but instead made the naturalist tell everyone (pretty lame of him if you ask me).

 

 

Juneau:

 

We arrived in Juneau in mid-afternoon and were glad we booked a later shore excursion since the boat arrived late due to two ships delayed leaving. We have read countless posts about Captain Larry and decided to give him a try. After paying for another shuttle  we arrive in town. Orca Enterprises is right across the street from the shuttle drop off. We shopped around town. Bought another overpriced bottle of Crown and some souvenirs then made our way to Orca Enterprises.

We boarded a shuttle with a friendly little guy who gave us his own tour of the town on the way to the dock. He seemed to want to share “everything” he could. Where the new Wal-Mart was going, where the high school was, what kinds of trees and berries were on the side of the road. Normally this would be annoying but his quaint manners and charm made the experience fun.

We arrived at the dock and boarded Captain Larry’s Jet Boat. He specially designed the boat himself just for whale watching. It is a wide jet boat surrounded by large windows and an observation deck that can hold about twelve people. Inside were comfortable padded benches and tables. Also they have a mini kitchen for making snacks and a bathroom for, well, you know.

We launched and within 1 minute we spotted our first whale. A humpback was swimming just of the shore. We saw the water spout up and soon a large body broke through the water followed by a huge tail sinking into the depths.

Next we moved further on and hit pay dirt. A mother and her calf appeared right beside the boat. It was awe inspiring seeing these massive yet gentle creatures gliding through the water.

Just when we thought we couldn’t top this experience we saw the ultimate. A huge whale breached just a short distance from us. Even the staff was awed since this behavior is rarer than you think in Alaska. In all we saw seven breaches back to back. It was a godsend. I tried to snap a picture but they happened so fast and I did not want to miss one breach with my eyes. I didn’t get a picture but I’ll always remember this spectacular sight.

Captain Larry and his staff are trained naturalists and offered lots of great information with plenty of humor mixed in.

When they found out my wife was interested in the Stellar seal lions they made a quick trip to a sea lion spot just for us. Huge sea lions lazed on the beach sleeping the day away. A large male stuck his head up and started swaying from side to side to let us know we were in his backyard. We snapped some pictures and moved on.

We were given some snacks composed of fresh caught salmon, cheese, Ritz crackers and some Capri Sun drinks or Coffee to chase it down. As we returned the naturalists and Captain Larry both shared some fun stories about their lives, Alaska facts as well as some serious discussion on the whales and sea lions we saw. You could tell that everyone who works with Larry and Larry himself have a deep love of the whales and the environment. It makes you think about how callous we are to natures beauty and that if we aren’t more careful one day our descendents might not get to enjoy what we have now (Ok I’m stepping back off the soapbox).

We had a fabulous time and can’t recommend this tour enough. It will not disappoint.

Our friendly little shuttle guy even drove us right back to the ship instead of making us take the shuttle.

 

Skagway and The Klondike Highway:

 

We rented a car from Avis and with our “Murray’s Guide” in hand we prepared to se out on the Klondike Highway. Avis was easy to find and the car was clean and in good condition. We rented the smallest car for $77. They gave us a Nissan Sentra which was roomy enough for all four of us. The Klondike highway was easy to find being the only road leaving Skagway.

We set out on what would be the most incredibly breathtaking drive of our lives. Alaska is referred to as the last frontier and this drive proves that. There is literally no development off the highway whatsoever. About 30 minutes into the drive and we are surrounded by huge majestic mountains powdered with permafrost. Crystal clear blue lakes flanked by untouched forest. If you pull the car over and shut off the engine the only sound you hear is the wind rushing along the lakes. You feel like you are in a living post card. The highway had very few cars on it and at times we felt like we were the only ones on the road basking in all this beauty.

We arrived at the little (and I do mean little) town of Carcross and took some pictures of the “worlds smallest desert”. Carcross Information center has lots of literature and brochures to look through and they have clean bathrooms. It’s a good place to take a pit stop.

Finally we arrived at our destination Emerald Lake. Wow. Words cannot convey the beauty of this lake. It was like a huge gem swimming with blue and green streaks through it. I am going to include a link to my photo website for you to check it out.

We drove back to Skagway and gassed up the car. We burned about a half tank so it cost us about $17 to fill the car back up.

The total trip time with plenty of stops was about four hours total.

If you are going to Skagway do yourself a favor, avoid the crowded buses and trains, stay out of the tourist shops and bars and drive this magnificent highway. You will not regret it.

Be sure to pack your identification since you will have to go through both Canadian and U.S. customs.

Bring lots of film or save a lot of space on your digital camera!

 

At Sea

 

Time to relax! We spent the day reading our books. We went to the naturalist lecture which was very interesting. We played Uno with the boys and ate as much food as we could possibly cram into our already over stretched stomachs.

It was another formal night so we snapped some photos of the boys in their Sunday best.

We indulged our lobster fantasies by eating ourselves silly. Lobster is one of my wife and mines favorites. They were cooked just right!

We called it an early night to rest up from all our nature experiences.

 

Victoria

 

Our final stop was Victoria, Canada. I was very impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of this very British town. Double-decker buses and horse-drawn carriages were commonplace. Lots of quaint little shops, some touristy others offering unique wares. Be sure to check out the all Irish Store for some neat Irish and Celtic items.

China town was a bit of a disappointment. The statues and archway were interesting but the shops were dingy and dirty looking. Homeless people dotted the streets looking for hand outs. At the end of the street we looked to our right and saw what appeared to be a drug dealing going on in pain sight. We decided to head back to the shopping district.

We tried to go to a pub but since my youngest was only 16 they wanted us to sit in a very crowded restaurant section. We chose to leave since none of us were really beer drinkers.

We meandered back towards the Parliament building and snapped some great pictures of Parliament lit up at night. It is a sight not to be missed in Victoria.

There was a night market down by the water with various art wares and performers. We saw a harpist singing with an opera like voice and a juggler was drawing quite a crowd.

Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to return since the return busses have long lines you have to wait in to board.

We returned to the ship for our final Verdi’s pig out of Pizza, Calzone, and pasta.

 

The worst part of any cruise…leaving the ship :

 

We went and enjoyed our last breakfast in the dining room. We had a flight at 12:45 so we were in no hurry to leave the ship.

Disembarkation went smooth and without a problem. We called the Seattle Shuttle service who agreed to meet us at the dock. This was a good idea since it helped us avoid the cattle lines waiting for taxis and shuttles.

 

In closing this was one of the best experiences I ever had and the chance to share it with my family made it even more special.

 

Notes:

 

The inability to order liquor to you stateroom really tainted my opinion of this line because this was a recent change we were unaware of.

 

It is obvious Princess is making a lot of cuts in service, No hors d’oeuvres at the captain’s party, shuttles to town you have to pay for, no prizes at games or contests.

 

Auto-tipping is definitely affecting the service on board. While our waiter was top notch we had several breakfast and lunch waiters who were apathetic and had no charm or personality whatsoever. It was like having a zombie shove a menu in your face. Our cabin steward was the worst we have had yet.

It’s a shame that those who excel and give great service are relegated to the same tips their slacker coworkers are getting. And if someone is giving you bad service they don’t deserve to be tipped. We always remove the auto tipping and tip ourselves which must be common due to the envelopes they put by the purser’s desk just for this. I know it all gets divided up the same but maybe if enough of us refuse to auto-tip they will stop this practice all together.

 

Pack layers, take a small alarm clock, remember your multiplug.

 

Contacts:

 

Seattle Shuttle phone (206) 423-8388 email aos@ix.netcom.com

 

Quality Inn & Suites Seattle

http://www.qualityinnseattle.com/

 

Family Air Tours

http://www.familyairtours.com/

 

Orca Enterprises

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

 

Avis (Skagway)

http://www.avisalaska.com/rentalspecials.html

 

Murray’s Guide

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html

 

My Photos of Klondike Highway and the bears of Anan Creek

http://wblake1.photosite.com/

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!!!

[tequilasunrise]

Thanks for posting. Your descriptions of Alaska's beauty were very well written, I felt like I was there and I really appreciated them. I hope you and your family really did have a great time, overall I was uncertain.

 

In defense of Seattle: Seattle is a beautiful city imho. It is a bit of a culture shock from most other large US cities perhaps. Next time go to the top of the space needle, the view is breathtaking. I'm really confused about the clove cigarettes comment tho, because it is illegal to smoke in public in Washington--except in designated smoking areas, which all must be outside only and more than 25 feet from the entrance of any building. You can go for literally years without smelling smoke. Even taverns are nonsmoking. That there are more coffee houses than liquor stores is no doubt true, but on a day to day basis (not necessarily vacation) people drink more coffee than booze--tho your point about many NW people being especially caffeinated I can't argue. And for the record, most middle aged Seattle residents aren't multi-pierced, grunge throwback, artistically pseudo-intellectual, 20 something wannabes. I'd encourage anyone who is considering visiting to do so.

 

Btw for people from other areas of the world who might not know; Alaska IS a US state. If liquor is more exensive than in some other states it might be that it all has to be shipped up there. But it could be taxes, I don't know--if you'd found that Seattle liquor store, Washington's liquor taxes probably would have choked you :eek:

 

Security lines probably are longer right now, but blame the terrorists who were recently caught for that, not Princess. I'm sorry you didn't see the Glaciers in Tracy Arm, I would have been disappointed too, but I applaud the captain's attention to safety. You make a good point that people should know; Princess has in small print in the Alaska brochures that Glacier sightings are not guaranteed on inside passage cruises for that very reason. It is not uncommon that weather conditions do not permit them to sail down the full arm.

 

The room steward probably would have made up your room if, noting that you'd forgotten to signal him with the blue card, you had placed it in your door before going to your evening's activities. Bet you wouldn't have had to get him in trouble. I've had that happen before, and after placing my card it was quickly done.

 

Hope you have a better experience on your next vacation :(