No Help From Ports of Call Board

[sandydownunder]

Asked on Ports of Call Board who had been to Dutch Harbour, Aleutian Islands, Alaska but had no replies.

I'm sure Princess cruises have stopped here before.

We will be on the Sapphire Princess next May stopping in this port. Anyone been there? What advice do you have?

Thanks in anticipation.

[Michelene]

Hey SFDU,

 

Also in Brisbane, who would've guessed.

 

I have no idea about Aleutians, Dutch Harbour - but did do the Dawn Princess - Vancouver to Anchorage last year. We spent 2 days in Vancouver prior and the Princess Denali/Mt McKinley extension.

 

If you are interested in any of these ports, ask away,

Mich

[usavvy2]

just returned from King Salmon (Bristol Bay). Our Alaska Airlines flight continued on to Anak. The flight attendants told the pax (as we debarked in King Salmon) that Anak is "always" very windy and cold and to be prepared. Sorry that's all I can offer...

[Druke I]

We stopped there on Sky Princess, Osaka to Vancouver, May 97.

 

Not much there, just a small town, and I don't recall any organized shore excursions. We did get off, and wander about the town (pretty bleak - not my cup of tea). It was very cold - outside decks of the ship had been closed due to ice build-up before our arrival.

 

As the ship had not received some of its prepositioned food containers in Osaka, we ran out of fresh veggies, milk, and ice cream - and the chefs and Purser's staff literally bought out the local grocery store to reprovision the ship.

 

Interesting trip, what with the stop at Vladivostock Siberia, crossing the Bering Straits, etc.

[sandydownunder]

Mich

Sounds like your trip was great. I'd love to do Denali. Probably the only ports we'd have in common would be Seward (we are going to Sealife Park) & Juneau.We have been to Juneau before, but thought we might do Captain Larry's Whale Watching. It is very expensive. Wonder if Hervey Bay is just as good.(much closer to home) What did you do here? We did Mendenhall Glacier. We are scenic cruising in College Fjord & Glacier Bay. Our cruise takes in 3 ports in Japan, one in Korea & Vladivostok Russia.

 

usavvy2

Yes, I'm sure we'll get cold weather, with a bit of luck no rain. I think our whole trip will be cold as we start in April & reach Alaska in early May. This will be just the start of the season.

 

I think I did read someone posted that Dutch Harbour was a good place to stretch your legs. Maybe there is not a lot to see there. It is not one of the usual stops.

[Dorinda]

Hi Sandy - we were there on the old Sky a few years ago on a cruise from Vancouver to Hong Kong. We wandered off the ship and were offered a lift into town from a guy in a pick up truck! About 6 of us climbed in the back for the short ride into town. Locals were friendly - this guy wanted us to have a drink with him. There were things to see - cemetery, monuments, Russian Orthodox church (with a small museum), eagles, small gift ships, a very large supermarket (for supplying the fishing boats, I think). It was chilly but not bad. We walked back to the ship - maybe a mile away. We enjoyed the stop and liked experiencing a place so far off the beaten track. Some interesting WW2 history to be learned there, too.

 

Hope you enjoy Dutch Harbor!

Cheers,

Dee

[sandydownunder]

Druke I

 

Great story. I guess the locals wouldn't have been happy the cruise ship bought out their supplies.

 

I've read there is a WW2 Museum in Dutch Harbour. Did you go there?

 

If you have time I'd be pleased if you could tell me what you did in Osaka, Nagasaki, Sapporo, Pusan & Vladivostok (assuming your itinerary was the same as ours.)

 

Is Vladivostok similar to St Petersburg in that you don't need a Visa if you do a ship's tour, but one is required if you want to go out on your own. We'll do a ship's tour here. What we'd pay for a Visa would be well on the way to cover a ship's shore excursion.

[sandydownunder]

My replies seem to be out of step with the posters. But hey I'm getting responses on this board.

 

Thanks Dorinda. Sounds like you had a very interesting itinerary too.

 

We'll walk into town, it should keep the blood circulating. Hope our clothes will be suitable. We live in the tropics where shorts & a t-shirt are the norm. We do have scarves, beanies & mittens stashed away in the closet.

[mii]

As far as I know Princess does not go there anymore. I have been on two Alaska cruises and no where have I seen Dutch Harbour. I look pretty good at the initeries and have not seen that name.

 

Marilyn

[Michelene]

Hey Sandydownunder,

 

Best day ever, Skagway - Helicopter flight to the glacier / then 2 hours dog sledding - fantastic. White pass rail - a little boring

 

Ketichkan - shopping and kayaking - great day

 

Juneau - Whale watching trip - ok - much much better off the cliffs at Straddie.

 

Vancouver - ate well. Anchorage - not much, too little time, wandered and bought some beautiful glass -

 

Mt McKinnley lodge - really fun, we had perfect weather for the train and the entire 5 days - almost unheard off.

 

Denali - Lodge very sad really, but we did the Scenic flight over the Mountain, something I will never forget.

 

Your upcoming cruise sounds pretty exciting - whats the ship and trip??.

 

All in all loved Alaska - would love to go back.

Nice to meet you,

Mich

[Druke I]

Sandydownunder

 

Reference excursions on that itinerary:

 

We just used Osaka as a hotel base to recover jet lag. We had been there before, so did not attempt any sightseeing. If it had been my first time, I definitely would have gotten over to Kyoto - very pretty there!

 

Wife and I did different excursions at Nagasaki - but both did include the A-bomb memorial. Nagasaki is a beautiful, compact, and hilly city, somewhat like San Francisco. I jumped on a tram (trolley) and explored on my own later. I would love to go back to Nagasaki again. I liked it much better than Hiroshima, which we had visited on an earlier trip.

 

At Sapporro (we docked at Muroran), we took an excursion via aerial cable car (I hate them) to a ski resort area. I think we should have stayed on ship.

 

In Vladivostock, we took a tour that included a WW2 Russian submarine memorial, and the city aquarium (very run down - but being rehabilitated then). Vladivostock, like much of Russia, collapsing into itself - the people waiting for the government to "fix things" - having no idea how to do things for themselves, having been under the red system too long. It was certaining an interesting contrast to much of Asia.

 

Pusan we did a temple tour (very pretty) that later included a walkthrough of an international farmers' market and shopping area. Not being a shopper, I could have done without that portion, but my wife did enjoy it. Different tastes. Korea is not nearly as pretty as Japan, in my opinion.

 

Didn't know about any WW2 museum at Dutch Harbor until after the fact! We just kind of wandered about the town, gawking at locals!

 

All in all, a very good itinerary, we thought. We do like sea days!

 

Michael

[cruzenmama]

Aleutian Islands: rocky and numerous small animals...very few trees

Kodiak Island is largest of them. Beautiful place to visit.

 

 

Dutch Harbor: quiet port, fairly flat

 

 

I was stationed there in early 1970's. can't really say what it would be like today, but given the opportunity...I would go back.

 

 

Jim, DH to

[sandydownunder]

Michael,

A very comprehensive account of the ports we will visit. This will be a great help to others I have been in contact with on the Roll Call Board who are going on this cruise. Thanks for your time.

 

Jim,

Appreciate the physical description of Dutch Harbour. Kodiak Island would be a bonus but we are not calling there. I've seen interesting documentaries on the Kodiak bear.

 

Mich,

We are going on the Sapphire Princess. If you want to see her she is visiting Brisbane on the 9th March next year. Don't know if she'll be berthed at Hamilton or the Sugar Terminal (just under the Gateway bridge). Either way the passengers should enjoy our five star international terminal facilities. Did you really get a better view of whales from Stradbroke than on your Juneau trip?

[Michelene]

Hey SandyDownUnder, :D

 

Your trip sounds fantastic, I am going to have a look, I will be sailing next year, so no yummy cruises for me. :(

 

Whales - Not what I expected - It was not Capt Larrys, we did a tour off the ship - cannot remember who. We boarded the catamaran, and then spent the next 2 hours winging all around the bay chasing down whales. We did find a few but at a distance. And the constant pushing of people to get photos had me sulking. I am a short 5,2. I found a place to stand and as soon as I got settled, I was ordered off. Safety reasons. So I went down below and had a cup of coffee and enjoyed the ride. We did see Seals, birds, and it was a lovely day so all was not lost, and in reality I have seen a lot of whales in my time, so I was not stressed out and had a great time.

 

I was over at Straddie 3 weeks ago and had a house on the hill. With Binos, we spotted over 7 breaching, playing whales just off the beach. Its whale season and there are plenty of them, the count from the Pub was 132 so far which is fantastic for the whales. Migalo (sp) has also been spotted but further off shore. Great to see this whale back. Hervey Bay - I have spent some time on but never during whale season, except for a quick trip across to Fraser. It was busy with boats and activity - and great reports of whales. At the least, the weather is warmer ;). But - after all of this - Capt Larrys gets rave reviews, I did not hear of any dissappointments back on ship, so its just me.

 

I look at it this way, I can see whales here, but scenery like Alaska is hard to come by, so when in the mountains, we do mountain stuff. -

 

Except for Kayaking. Fun Day, spent the time sneaking up on Eagles, - magnificient birds.

 

How long will be the Sapphire be in Brisbane?. What a hoot. March - weather will be beautiful.

 

Bye,

Mich

[sandydownunder]

Mich,

The Sapphire Princess will be in Brisbane for just one day.

We have US friends who are doing the 30 day cruise from LA to Sydney on Sapphire arriving Dec 23rd. Then she does a few trips backwards & forwards to NZ. When she comes to Brisbane she is on her way to China (via Darwin).

We board in Osaka on April 23rd. If we win lotto before then we could get on in Brisbane.

Cheers,

Sandra

[Michelene]

Hey Sandra, :)

 

Sounds fantastic, good luck for the lotto win. I have heard great reviews from most of the previous Princesss psgrs that have done the Australian / New Zealand Itins. The Sapphire will look beautiful in Brisbane - 30 Days La to Syd - wow, and to arrive in Sydney on the 23rd of Dec, Sydney will be in full swing. Are you all going to meet for New Years eve ??. That would be a party.

 

We are boarding the Tahitian Princess for 10 days next week and can hardly wait. R and R is needed.

Soon,

Michelene :)

[sandydownunder]

Hope you have a wonderful time, Michelene.

Sandra

[Gardyloo]

I've spent way too many days in Dutch Harbor (the actual name of the place is Unalaska - Dutch Harbor itself is a body of water between Amaknak Island and Unalaska Island; the WW 2 presence was mainly on the "Dutch" side of the bay, i.e., Amaknak.) We used to have a saying that if you wait long enough at the airport at DUT you'll meet everyone you've ever known. (See, air service was dicey - you often had to wait days for the weather to permit landings.)

 

For years, Unalaska had the highest revenue of any port in the US - it was the capital of the King Crab industry in the Bering Sea and N. Pacific. Since Kings got over-fished, I imagine it's lost that status, but it's still a fascinating place. It's lost some of its wild west feel, but in its heyday it was the equal of Dodge - lots of kids who risk their lives all week, suddenly in possession of a ton of money. Watch out.

 

The Russian Orthodox church in Unalaska is by far the most beautiful Russian church in Alaska; it was presided over by Bishop (later Saint) Veniaminov, who was key in the development of the Russian Aleutians and who helped slow down (not prevent, alas) the enslavement of the Aleuts by the Russian merchants.

 

There are few stops on any cruise tour of Alaska that have more history - some of it not pretty - as Unalaska.

 

The Aleutians are magnificent. Yes, the weather sucks ("Where the Storms are Born") and they're really hard to get to. But talk to the locals, have a beer in the bar, and you'll see a side of Alaska you'll never forget.

[jocelysue]

Sorry to contanct you ths way but I don't know how to use this forum. would you please suggest the best thiings to do and places to visit on day trips on an alaska cruise. We are going northward to Alaska on Island Princess aug 21-Aug 28, staying overnight in Anchorage, the returning southbound on Holland America's Veendam aug29-Sept. 5.

 

We really do want to get the best bang for our bucks. My husband is 75 and quite adventurous. I'm quite a bit younger but do not share his love for the outside (I'm mor of an architecture and museum person). We do not have to do the same thing . He can go on shore; I can stay on ship or simply visit towns although I definitely want to go and stand on a glacier.

 

On readingyour post I felt that you could give us good advice.

 

Thanks very much.BTW, how will I find your answer on the board? Please email me at girard.leblanc@cgocable.ca totell me how to use this board more efficiently. TIA

 

 

 

 

Hey Sandydownunder,

 

Best day ever, Skagway - Helicopter flight to the glacier / then 2 hours dog sledding - fantastic. White pass rail - a little boring

 

Ketichkan - shopping and kayaking - great day

 

Juneau - Whale watching trip - ok - much much better off the cliffs at Straddie.

 

Vancouver - ate well. Anchorage - not much, too little time, wandered and bought some beautiful glass -

 

Mt McKinnley lodge - really fun, we had perfect weather for the train and the entire 5 days - almost unheard off.

 

Denali - Lodge very sad really, but we did the Scenic flight over the Mountain, something I will never forget.

 

Your upcoming cruise sounds pretty exciting - whats the ship and trip??.

 

All in all loved Alaska - would love to go back.

Nice to meet you,

Mich

[sandydownunder]

Thanks Gardyloo,

The background & advice you provided was excellent. We'll certainly aim for meeting the locals. We still have frontier areas like that in Australia in remote places where young people can earn big money ,not so much in fishing but oil and mineral exploration.

 

I have tried to find out if we tender or berth. I imagine if there is a hive of activity in the fishing industry they have a pier. Big enough for Sapphire Princess?

 

We feel very priviledged stopping in the Aleutians. One of the reasons we chose this interesting itinerary.

 

Sandra

[Gardyloo]

I excpect you'll be able to dock; the city built a huge pier some years ago for American President Lines (freighters) only to have APL pull the APLug. But not sure. If tendering wait for a calm day. Big, big ocean in these parts.

[Druke I]

Sandy

 

We stopped in Brisbane Sep 2000, on the old Sky Princess, San Francisco to Sydney, 27 nights.

 

As we were part and parcel of a vet's group on a WW2 Battlefields cruise, we were met and hosted by representatives of the local veteran's group, so didn't do an organized tour there. We did stop at a pier (don't know whose), and went to a vet's hall, besides a horse race track. The horses down under run in the opposite direction that horses in the US race. US tracks run counterclockwise, they ran clockwise down there.

 

Little I did see of the city I remember as rather pretty, but not nearly as cosmopolitan as Sydney. Parts of it seemed like the East Bay of San Francisco Bay Area, rather hilly.

 

Michael

[Nancyquilts]

We've stopped at Dutch Harbor twice. It would be possible to walk to the airport and see the exhibit on World War II.

Both times there has been local bus service (old school buses) - the last time it was $10 each, but is generally the only way to get around, as it is a long way to Unalaska across the bridge. The church is beautiful if it is open. The library has internet service. The hotel has a good gift shop. There is also a new museum in town, not too far from the hotel - very well done.

 

In Vladivostok, I'm sure we didn't need a visa. We bought some local money and took a bus ride. DH went through the submarine on the way back and enjoyed it. There's not a lot to buy - maybe one tourist shop. There is a very interesting museum with amber at a good price. The art gallery used to have objects to sell, but there wasn't much there a year ago.

If you are in Ketchikan, there is a large building on the pier where tours are sold, so you can wait until you see what the weather is, if you wish.

 

Coming from Anchorage to Whittier or Seward (see, I forgot where you were going already), it is better to sit on the right side of the bus or train for the views - vice versa going to Anchorage. Nancy

[spatz]

Hey, Thought since I didn't get any replies on the Ports of Call I'd try here.

 

I need to know if anyone has done the dune buggys in Cost Maya? We will be there in sept. 04 on the EOS.

 

My husband had a stroke 6 years ago and is in reality good health other than speech and can't do too rough of walking. I was wondering if the ride is extremely rough or bumpy? We are both 59 and in pretty good health.

 

Thanks for any response. Sorry for interruppting your threads.

 

just spatz

[sandydownunder]

Thanks Nancyquilts,

You have helped me pinpoint the location of the WW2 Museum (at the airport). I think those two school buses will be in great demand with a ship as large as Sapphire.

 

Amazing that you can wander around Vladivostok on your own. We'd like to see the submarine. Is the harbour a grave yard for rusting ships?

 

Michael,

Glad you were hosted in Brisbane. Both those race tracks would have been fairly close to where you docked. They are also near the airport. Yes, Brisbane is very hilly. That's why our bike riders do well. If you come in October the Jacaranda trees are in bloom and when you are on any of those hills you look out over a beautiful mauve haze. Great weather, great city.

 

Sandra