Sun princess 8/6-8/13 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!!!!!

[dizbuster]

That was an excellent review, thank you! From reading yours and other reviews, I am starting to think that Tracy Fjord is best observed from a smaller boat rather than a cruise ship.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Thank for the review, we will be in Alaska next week and on the Sun Princess next year from Seattle to Sydney, how were the kids facilities as we will have our kids with us??

[tleeg]

Excellent review.

 

im glad you left the links and gave a detailed opinion on everything because i am going on the same cruise next july 2007 but im taking the Golden Princess and its nice to see someone leaving from seattle on Princess. i see alot of people taking Holland or leaving from Canada and not seattle.

[tristero]

Wow, I have *never* heard of someone disliking Pike Place Market! We do have few booze stores in Seattle (and all state run), but there is one *right* near the Space Needle - literally a 2 minute walk. Sorry you missed out!

[travelpeon]

We were on the same sailing in cabin C423. We had a rather fantastic cabin steward(ess) named Ana and I made sure to leave fabulous comments and letters about her. She was the total opposite of your lackluster cabin steward. Our room, even if we didn't leave the sign out, was always nicely turned down at dinner (she asked our seating at the first meeting). She opened our cabin door when she saw us coming. She chatted with me if I saw her in the hallway and asked about the trip. She put a nice duvet on the upper bunk instead of the poly blanket when I asked on the second day of the cruise (I was cold). We always had a few clean mugs in our room, just like we asked for. Two patters were almost always in the box beside the door each night (except for the night the patters were out late and someone else put them in). She forgot to put one additional set of towels in the room on the embarkation day and once when she had someone helping her in the evening, but every other day she ALWAYS had three sets of clean towels in the room, including replacing them every morning and evening. Yeah, Ana, she was divine. This was an inside cabin so don't assume that you'll get lesser service just because you paid less for your cabin.

 

Tracy Arm was pretty but people shouldn't count on going all the way in to see the Glacier. We learned by talking with crew that it made it to the glacier the previous week for the first time that season, after the ice had finally cleared. Our weather was cold so it might have re-frozen.

 

Also, we were on the 4:30 departure with Capt. Larry, too. Captain Shawn, the gentleman who did a lot of the announcing, was a good guide. The lady on the back was a lots of fun, too. This was a stellar excursion with an excellent staff. The whales got much closer to our boat and Capt. Larry has an uncanny ability to find whales. At one point, we even saw a small glacier off in the distance. The fast ride back was gorgeous and we saw a fresh Alaskan King Crab being shelled at the dock.

 

My best food memory is of the crab legs, night before the lobster tails. The crab legs were frozen but almost tasted fresh. They came out warm (legs are often served cold and this changes the taste) and split right down the side for easy eating. Compared to the slightly chewy and gummy lobster tails, I'd have preferred a special order of crab legs. Just saying.

 

The worst part of our cruise was probably disembarkation because we went for early disembarkation. Our flight was at 11:50 am, I think. The early disembarkation line was already long when we got there at 6:15 (once again, I think. I didn't have caffeine that morning so it is all a bit blurry). We were kept waiting for a while, perhaps an hour, standing in the hallway around the wheelbarrow. It really wasn't the most efficient disembarkation process and the early part was a bit laughable. Do yourself a favor and get a flight after noon so you can disembark at your leisure.

 

Two private shuttle express vans were allocated to pick us up and take us to the airport. I visited the Marketplace area in Seatac, bought a book at the Border's bookstore, ate take-out from Anthony's (? Still no caffeine at this point) and got on a plane for home. If you get to the airport early, I'd advise trekking to the Marketplace area where there is a Dilletante (seattle local) chocolate stand, Borders bookstore, and several decent places for clam chowder or fish and chips.

 

It was a nice cruise but the I hope my next cruise will bit more active. I found that Bingo doesn't hold my attention as much as it used to. The shopping was a bit lackluster at sea and full of imported jewelry stores on land. The scenery was fantastic, the food was above average, and the ship in tip top shape.