May Cruisers - current conditions

[joyus]

Thank you Murray for being such a wealth of information. Just curious - how long have you lived in Alaska? Where are you from orginally?

[Yukon]

Phyllis - when you get off the bus or if you want to go between cars on the train, you may well find a very cold breeze blowing off the ice, so dress warmly.

 

lbs1216 - there's no snow on the road, just lots on the sides of the road in the summit area. IMO there's no need for a car in either Juneau or Ketchikan - in Juneau you can justify it by heading out to the glacier and beyond to the great beaches, St. Therese's, Auke Bay or so on, but in Ketchikan there aren't many roads that go to great places - I consider it and Sitka to be walking towns.

 

Joy - The first time I came North was in 1985, flying my own plane on a 3-week holiday from Vancouver, BC. Like a lot of people who live here permanently, I discovered a spot where I really feel like I belong. For all the talk by people from Outside who conduct tours here and then leave for the rest of the year that they give great tours, they can never tell you about what that feels like, and that's part of the magic of this place. Mosquitoes are seldom a problem in the ports, and not in May in any case. Bring some repellent just in case, though - Nature can be unpredictable.

 

Murray

 

[This message was edited by Yukon on 05-03-04 at 08:40 AM.]

[fmstl]

Question for Yukon or anyone else who knows....we will be in Skagway on May 12. We are currently scheduled to take the white rail pass both ways, but would really like to see Emerald Lake based on Yukon's pic of it!

 

I am still trying to get information from Princess regarding their other two Yukon tours to see if they go to Emerald Lake, haven't been successful so far.

 

But My question is, is it worthwhile to go there if there is still snow and the lake is frozen? Do you think the color will be visible by 5/12? Thank you so much for your help!

[seagoer]

I also have a question. I have heard that the long daylight hours start in May. We will be sailing on the NCL Spirit on May 15th, will we be experiencing any of the "midnight sun'? Thanks for your info.

 

CCL Tropicale Jan 99

CCL Celebration Feb 2000

CCL Paradise Feb 2001

RCCL Rhapsody of the Sea Feb 2003

RCCL Radiance of the Sea Oct 2003

NCL Spirit May 2004

[roohound]

fmstl, I take it you are on the Coral Princess?

 

Come on over to the Roll Call board...there are a few of us on that sailing

[Yukon]

There's a couple of questions I can answer with pictures (I love digital photography!):

 

fmstl - we got our first rain of the year 2 nights ago, and Spring happens in a hurry once that occurs. Here's a picture of Emerald Lake as of 9:30 this morning: http://www.yukonalaska.com/emerald_lake.jpg The ice is thin enough to allow the colour to show through now and will be gone in a few days. I saw the first crocus of the year on the hill I took that picture from.

 

seagoer - you won't quite get Midnight Sun, but you'll get a whole lotta light! This was taken in front of my cabin at 05:45 this morning -

http://www.yukonalaska.com/springmorning.jpg and we're gaining about 6 minutes of light a day. Sunset today is 10:08 p.m. and you can add a good hour and a half of twilight past that to get an idea of how much daylight threre is.

 

Murray

[Guest]

Yukon those pictures are beautiful. I leave in three days my first time to Alaska so am getting more excited with everything that I read about it.

 

5/6 Regal Princess/ San Francisco

[luv1another4ever]

Murray -

 

Thank you for all of the pictures - they are great. What a wonderful view out your cabin door!!

 

We are on the Mercury May 29th and we can't wait! Your post has just made us that much more excited.

 

Thanks again!

 

Shelly

[seagoer]

Thanks Murray for the picture it is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for the info on the daylight hours. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing that, it will be an interesting part of the Alaskan experience.

 

CCL Tropicale Jan 99

CCL Celebration Feb 2000

CCL Paradise Feb 2001

RCCL Rhapsody of the Sea Feb 2003

RCCL Radiance of the Sea Oct 2003

NCL Spirit May 2004

[BJS]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>We will be sailing on the NCL Spirit on May 15th, will we be experiencing any of the "midnight sun'? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Here is a link for daylight on the Kenai Peninsula which should give you some idea what to expect.

http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/travel_tips/daylight/may.htm

May 15th- Sunrise 4:23am, Sunset9:42pm daylight hours 17:19

By June 21,longest day of the year,-Sunrise 3:34am. Sunset-10:39pm, daylight hours-19:05

 

 

Future cruises:

May 04 Amsterdam

Sept. 04 Star Princess x 2

Jan. 05 Diamond Princess

July 05 Star Princess

Aug. 05 Star Pincess

 

Past cruises:

04 Dawn Princess x 2

03 Grand,Sun,Tahitian,

Royal Princess x 2,Island Princess

01 Ryndam x 2

00 Sky Princess

79 Sitmar's Fairwind

[BJS]

Apparently there are errors on this site and there is a much better site according to Travalot who pointed this out. http://www.sunrisesunset.com/usa/Alaska.asp

 

Future cruises:

May 04 Amsterdam

Sept. 04 Star Princess x 2

Jan. 05 Diamond Princess

July 05 Star Princess

Aug. 05 Star Pincess

 

Past cruises:

04 Dawn Princess x 2

03 Grand,Sun,Tahitian,

Royal Princess x 2,Island Princess

01 Ryndam x 2

00 Sky Princess

79 Sitmar's Fairwind

[Coral]

FMST -

 

I did the Experience the Yukon trip last year through Princess (7 hours) and we did go to Emerald Lake. My friends did the Bus/Train combo that goes into the Yukon and they also went to Emerald Lake last year.

 

When you get on the bus - I would definitely tell the driver that you want to see Emerald Lake - it is just a few miles from where you eat lunch on the Experience the Yukon trip (I assume it is the same for bus/train combo). We went but didn't get to spend that much time there because we had a couple who was 30 minutes late getting back from lunch.

[fmstl]

Thanks Yukon and Coral - I have booked the combo bus/train thru princess and will make sure to mention to the driver we want to see Emerald Lake.

 

I had no luck trying to get a confirmation that it goes there thru princess, but I will try again at the shore excursions desk once we get on the ship.

[Yukon]

fmstl - get a firm answer about Emerald Lake if that is your focus. Telling the driver won't do anything - they go where Princess tells them to go. They didn't used to go that far, and although Coral's trip did last year, that is a very dangerous place to u-turn a motorcoach, and they may have re-thought the situation (the extra few miles isn't the issue).

 

Murray

[glgolfer]

Posted this on the other thread about daylight. Another site for sunrise/sunset for any city anytime in the U.S. Along with a lot of other info.

 

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/

 

Radiance to Alaska

Jewel of the Seas

 

<center>

<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

</center>

[Joanie510]

Murray: Photos are absolutely beautiful. We are leaving May 27th for pre-cruise stay in Vancouver and then boarding Infinity, May 30th, Inside Passage. In your opinion, which is the best city to visit doing the Inside Passage? Thanks, Joanie

[email]Joanie510@aol.com[/email]

[Yukon]

Thanks, Joanie! As far as ports go, they all have their attractions and their specific "feel". Which one(s) I prefer depends on what I'm looking for that day. Sitka for the music festival and kayaking, Juneau for the tram and beaches, Haines and Petersburg for the small "fishing village" feel, Ketchikan for totems and kayaking, Seward for marine tours and the Exit Glacier, Skagway for the history and hiking and so on. I'm certain that you won't be disappointed by any of them.

Murray

[srphnx]

Thanks for the great pics yukon, taking 4th cruise there in about (abooot) for you Canadians 2 weeks. My companion has never been and is very excited about the scenery.

[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04 ~~ Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98 ~~ Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 12/04
Diamond Princess 11/04 ~~ Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02 ~~ Vision o.t. Seas 04/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96

[razman]

Absolutely amazing photos. Thank you so much!

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;5;22;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
ms Oosterdam

[Gypsy509]

Murray
Thanks for your beautiful pictures I have saved them all for backround on my puter. Leaving three weeks from tomorrow on the Infinity May 30. Have read a lot of your posts and appreciate all you have to share about Alaska and your experiences. Mostly appreciated your views on helicopter safety as we have booked a glacier landing in Juneau on Coastal. If you ever need travel info on Florida I will be glad to oblige.
Thanks Again;
Diane

NCL Sunward 1983
Carnival 1995
Regal 1998
Explorer of the Seas 2001
Infinity May 2004

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;5;30;17;30;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]

I Love it when we're Cruisin together!!

[Cruisin Oma]

Murray:
Thanks so much! What great pictures and what a pleasure to hear from someone who takes pride in sharing information on their state. If you ever want to thaw out for awhile and would like some info on Arizona, I'd love to return the favor.

[email]coylkgolfr@aol.com[/email]

[jfjudge]

Murray, thanks for the info. Leaving on 5/15 on Diamond Princess, our first cruise to Alaska and we cannot wait. That weather actually sounds great compared to our Texas 80+ degrees. Beautiful picture too, we are taking the white mountain pass train trip - can't wait.

Thanks again,
Jane

[Yukon]

Hooray - although we got fresh snow on the mountaintops last night, the major breakup of the lakes has started! [url="http://www.yukonalaska.com/lake_bennett-breakup-6177-800.jpg"]http://www.yukonalaska.com/lake_bennett-breakup-6177-800.jpg[/url]
When the ice rots, it turns into what we call "candle ice". If you get the chance, stop by a lakeshore and see why - and if you get to hear it tinkling like a wind chime as it moves, you'll get another glimpse at the magic of this area. I love Spring! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Murray

[hondar]

Murray,

Yet another fantastic picture. Thanks so much. This one actually looks three dimensional.

OOSTERDAM 5/22/04
SPIRIT 12/9/03
LEGEND 2/14/03
IMAGINATION 10/19/02
PRIDE 3/16/02
INDEPENDENCE 8/2000