Just Back...Island Princess w/ Victoria pre-cruise and Seward post-cruise...FABULOUS!

[Toyz711]

you can call and ask them to mark you for capt larry, but then not everyone can fit on his boat. capt sean (as mentioned in the review) takes out tours, he is great. if on his boat, i wouldn't complain. :D

the thing with the purple boat, if the whales are further out...the speed of the purple boats makes it possible to get out to them and still get back in time to leave on your ship. this poster had a much more exciting whale watching then is usual. recent reports were of a few tails from a distance.

[UTVOLS]

Thanks for such a great report so far! Both informative and entertaining.

 

I just booked yesterday w/ Orca Enterprises for next June! So early I know!!! How do I determine or request to be on the boat w/ Capt. Larry himself?

 

Thanks for your honesty and advice too, regarding "expectations." With the entire Alaska vacation, it seems very easy to expect the best experiences at each and every turn. I am trying to be realistic and I am sure many of my experiences will even exceed those expectations!

 

Can't wait for more!

 

Sharp,

Thank you for the encouragement. :)

 

I believe that when my SIL booked w/ Orca, she requested that they put it on our reservation that our preference was to be on Capt. Larry's boat.

However, with the disorganization in their office, I would not count on anything being firm until you check in the day of your watch. We arrived one and half hours early, specifically talked to Carol, and requested Capt. Larry's boat. She rewrote our names on a list and then we were handed a boarding pass with 'Odyssea' on it which is Capt. Larry's boat. By the way, when SIL booked in April, she never received a written confirmation by mail or email. She called multiple times to ensure all was good, confirming even the day before we arrived in Juneau and they assured her that we were in the computer. It would have been bad had their computer crashed and there was no record of us......

 

Two other smaller Orca boats went out at the same time. I do not know who the captains were or how their experience was. Capt. Sean does sometimes captain one of the other boats. On our particular watch, he just happened to go along w/ us.

 

As for expectations, I usually set them so high that I am usually let down.

When one plans a trip of a lifetime for such a great length of time, it's just hard not to be hopeful and to expect great things.

 

I am VERY fortunate that just prior to our cruise, several posters gave very honest and frank reviews sharing some of their disappointments. NancyIL was unable to get into Misty Fjords because they were too misty....KnoxvilleSam's wife ended up getting sick and they were refused embarkation...and many folks were disappointed with their sightings of wildlife and whales. A large portion of folks wore their rain gear the entire time.

 

By the time we left on our journey...I was able to re-adjust my expectations and had actually reset them quite low. Although I am not a pessimist, I began to set myself up to have rain everyday, to see very little wildlife, and when our group embarked the ship healthy, I said a prayer of thanksgiving:p . Each and every good thing that happened, I saw as a gift and a blessing. Prior to my 'expectation adjustment', I may have felt I was deserving of the best weather, the best excursions, and the best treatment....it's just human nature when you plan on something for so long and hand over an extreme amount of money for it... You would naturally expect that it would turn out PERFECT.

 

Moral of my story....Set yourself up for nothing....Everything above that is a Gift!

 

Thanks again for your nice comments.:p

[fti]

Great review so far, especially of your experience with Orca.

 

Anyway, after we completed our tour, Captain Sean asked us not to get off of the boat and 'announce' our experience to those standing on the dock as they might not be as fortunate in their experience as we had been. I thought that was wise advise. As we exited, several folks waiting asked how it had been. I said not very good and that we were headed back to the office to get a refund.

 

I loved this!!! Sounds like you and I would travel well together!

 

John

[UTVOLS]

5 plates of Crab legs and Could we possibly break the Dress Code?

 

After our day of touring Juneau, Whale Watching and our hike out to Mendenhall Glacier and Falls, we got back to the ship just before sailing and we were FAMISHED!!!!

 

Remember we had only had one chunk of cheese, a couple of crackers, and a Capri Sun each on the mighty Orca Odyssea.

 

Upon embarking the ship, we had a great discussion 'Should we go to the dining room dressed the way we were?', 'Should we spend almost an hour showering and dressing for dinner?' It was Business Casual night and the sign on the dinining door only said "NO SHORTS" in the dining room. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? (none of us were wearing shorts... and WE WERE FAMISHED!!! and it was crab night and my brother was dying to devour those guys and Marius was waiting to serve us THAI food to boot......

 

Soooooooo yes, we DID it:confused:

WE BROKE THE DRESS CODE!!!!!:eek:

 

Actually, I don't know that we OFFICIALLY broke the dress code since none of us were wearing shorts, but I didn't feel like I was wearing Business casual either....but Business in Alaska is certainly different than 'business' other places.;)

 

Anyway, when we approached the Maitre de, I asked if he would let us in, in our jeans and hiking pants, and sweatshirts, and ballcaps, carrying our backpacks and parkas, and he said........ 'ABSOLUTELY!...it would be his pleasure!'

 

I requested that he seat us in a very discreet place away from anyone that might get offended. I wanted to be sensitive to those folks that are serious about their attire..... and THAT was the night that he marched us right through the middle of the dinner room to PRIME TABLE #95 by the WINDOW with Dennis and Ferdinand.... and we had the most heavenly dinner ever!

 

I believe that I heard several whispers and gasps as we walked through, however, and out of the corner of my eye I believe I saw people pointing and calling us 'Dress code violators'....

As my husband, my brother, and my sister-in-law held their heads high and marched proudly through the dining room....I kept quietly saying to those we passed...."I'm sorry.....Quite sorry":o

 

and then as if I wasn’t already humiliated enough....

 

I think I heard someone say IT!

 

Isn't she the one that also got BANNED from Cruise Critic????:D

 

 

 

 

Stay turned....

 

SKAGWAY and the Land of MURRAY!!!!!!

[NancyIL]

As for expectations, I usually set them so high that I am usually let down.

When one plans a trip of a lifetime for such a great length of time, it's just hard not to be hopeful and to expect great things.

 

I am VERY fortunate that just prior to our cruise, several posters gave very honest and frank reviews sharing some of their disappointments. NancyIL was unable to get into Misty Fjords because they were too misty....KnoxvilleSam's wife ended up getting sick and they were refused embarkation...and many folks were disappointed with their sightings of wildlife and whales. A large portion of folks wore their rain gear the entire time.

 

By the time we left on our journey...I was able to re-adjust my expectations and had actually reset them quite low. Although I am not a pessimist, I began to set myself up to have rain everyday, to see very little wildlife, and when our group embarked the ship healthy, I said a prayer of thanksgiving:p . Each and every good thing that happened, I saw as a gift and a blessing. Prior to my 'expectation adjustment', I may have felt I was deserving of the best weather, the best excursions, and the best treatment....it's just human nature when you plan on something for so long and hand over an extreme amount of money for it... You would naturally expect that it would turn out PERFECT.

 

Moral of my story....Set yourself up for nothing....Everything above that is a Gift!

 

 

You have a GREAT attitude! Yes, I was very disappointed with our Misty Fjords flight. From all the trip reports I've read from this summer, I have to wonder if ours was the ONLY morning where visitors to Misty Fjords had a crappy flight! It never occurred to me that we would fly if the weather was bad. Live and learn, and don't book flights ahead of time again.

[UTVOLS]

Great review so far, especially of your experience with Orca.

 

 

 

I loved this!!! Sounds like you and I would travel well together!

 

John

 

Thanks John! although you would probably not put up well with my whining about bugs in the tent....and then I have to have a noise maker to block out all of the creepy sounds, and then if there's no place to plug it in....that's another issue....and I also have this problem w/ peeing in the wilderness.

 

Nah.....I would NOT be a good traveling companion for the way you do things.;)

[NancyIL]

5 plates of Crab legs and Could we possibly break the Dress Code?

 

After our day of touring Juneau, Whale Watching and our hike out to Mendenhall Glacier and Falls, we got back to the ship just before sailing and we were FAMISHED!!!!

 

Remember we had only had one chunk of cheese, a couple of crackers, and a Capri Sun each on the mighty Orca Odyssea.

 

Upon embarking the ship, we had a great discussion 'Should we go to the dining room dressed the way we were?', 'Should we spend almost an hour showering and dressing for dinner?' It was Business Casual night and the sign on the dinining door only said "NO SHORTS" in the dining room. WHAT SHOULD WE DO? (none of us were wearing shorts... and WE WERE FAMISHED!!! and it was crab night and my brother was dying to devour those guys and Marius was waiting to serve us THAI food to boot......

 

Soooooooo yes, we DID it:confused:

WE BROKE THE DRESS CODE!!!!!:eek:

 

Actually, I don't know that we OFFICIALLY broke the dress code since none of us were wearing shorts, but I didn't feel like I was wearing Business casual either....but Business in Alaska is certainly different than 'business' other places.;)

 

Anyway, when we approached the Maitre de, I asked if he would let us in, in our jeans and hiking pants, and sweatshirts, and ballcaps, carrying our backpacks and parkas, and he said........ 'ABSOLUTELY!...it would be his pleasure!'

 

I requested that he seat us in a very discreet place away from anyone that might get offended. I wanted to be sensitive to those folks that are serious about their attire..... and THAT was the night that he marched us right through the middle of the dinner room to PRIME TABLE #95 by the WINDOW with Dennis and Ferdinand.... and we had the most heavenly dinner ever!

 

I believe that I heard several whispers and gasps as we walked through, however, and out of the corner of my eye I believe I saw people pointing and calling us 'Dress code violators'....

As my husband, my brother, and my sister-in-law held their heads high and marched proudly through the dining room....I kept quietly saying to those we passed...."I'm sorry.....Quite sorry":o

 

and then as if I wasn’t already humiliated enough....

 

I think I heard someone say IT!

 

Isn't she the one that also got BANNED from Cruise Critic????:D

 

 

 

 

Stay turned....

 

SKAGWAY and the Land of MURRAY!!!!!!

 

 

You are TOO funny! Did someone pass you the Scarlet Letter - B for banned? :D

[UTVOLS]

don't book flights ahead of time again.

 

My only issue with that is, it appears the 'Prime' companies book up way in advance and then you might be stuck on the pier scrambling from one company to another trying to find an opening.....especially if it IS a beautiful day.

 

The guy that's left with an opening maybe someone who's plane is held together w/ duct tape and Elmer's glue. (not being completely serious here, but you get what I'm saying.;) )

[UTVOLS]

You are TOO funny! Did someone pass you the Scarlet Letter - B for banned? :D

 

 

 

:D :D :D

I will say there was VERY little wearing of UT apparel on this trip....

;) Trying to keep a low profile;)

[Toyz711]

this is much more entertaining then anything on tv today , better reading then the book i just put down. :D

you can travel with me...i gave up peeing in nature a long time ago. i would give you a biggold star for going ahead with the dining room. you were in alaska for goodness sakes...!! good heavens, after this trip...anything is possible for you!!!! rules breaking:eek: and capt larry...you naughtly girl.

[UTVOLS]

good heavens, after this trip...anything is possible for you!!!! rules breaking:eek: and capt larry...you naughtly girl.

 

:D Yep,

That's what CC will do to ya!!!!

 

I have always been a Rule Follower...remember my father is an Army Colonel;) , and literally the first 'crossing of the line' I've done, was at age 40 when I got Banned from CC.....It's all been down hill since then!

[Toyz711]

my brother was the trouble maker, i was the peace maker..i never even raised my voice until i was 30. that last 15 years i have learn to let go (of some things). the best part of getting older...i don't have to worry about what others think. i won't go out to "break" the rules, but i am not going to worry about it if i do. after all, stuff happens..sometimes you just have to roll with it. on this trip. you certain "rolled with it" with style. congrats..you have become my hero.

[mii]

I am just curious about something. I have been on 7 Princess cruises and have never heard the term "business casual" dress. Do you mean Smart Casual? I am just curious . By the way am enjoying your review. Keep it up.

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. The Coral is my very favorite ship. Have been on her twice and have 3 more trips on her next year on a B2B2B.

 

Marilyn

[NancyIL]

My only issue with that is, it appears the 'Prime' companies book up way in advance and then you might be stuck on the pier scrambling from one company to another trying to find an opening.....especially if it IS a beautiful day.

 

The guy that's left with an opening maybe someone who's plane is held together w/ duct tape and Elmer's glue. (not being completely serious here, but you get what I'm saying.;) )

 

I'm really not interested in trying Misty Fjords again - should I find myself in Ketchikan. Unlike Denali flights that are cancelled if there's poor visibility - apparently Misty Fjords flights DO go - and that's a waste of the customer's time and especially money. (Can you tell that I am really sour on MF flights?)

[Thankful...]

.......great review......thank you for posting......

[UTVOLS]

Skagway and the Land of MURRAY!

 

We loved the town of Skagway…Everything about it was what we had hoped for.

 

It actually looked like it had been designed by Disney to be an Old Gold Rush Town....I'm sorry if this offends anyone....I happen to REALLY love Disney....and I loved Skagway.

 

We picked up our Avis rental car promptly at 8:00 (a cute little blackSubaru Forester), grabbed a Starbucks, popped into the NP Visitor’s Center for their film, (which we were glad we did!), visited w/ the Ranger, and headed to MurrayLand following his guide! (For those of you newcomers who don't know who I am refering to...Murray is the infamous YUKON on these boards, and he lives in Carcross and has constructed a fabulous mile by mile driving guide from Skagway to Emerald Lake. He is a wealth of information on this board. His website link http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html is where you can make a copy of his guide.:)

 

I would highly recommend viewing the 30 minute film in the NP Visitor's Center prior to your drive up to Emerald Lake if you don't have any indepth knowledge of the details of the Gold Rush and the importance of Skagway and Yukon or if you just want to refresh your memory. Nice show.

 

The sun was shining again on this day and was actually, almost too bright. We are certainly not compainining but we had a bit of trouble with overexposing our pictures, so they appear a bit hazy in a few….

 

Anyway, we LOVED Murray’s roadtrip, stopping at all of his pitstops along the way. My husband was the driver and my SIL was the navigator. With guide and pen in hand, SIL read all of Murray's tips and circled stops we wanted to see again on our way back. My brother and I sat in the back seat sipping coffee and enjoying the incredible scenery. Okay, we're spoiled...our parents didn't raise any dumbies...(Love you DH and SIL....*smooch*)

 

Two stops in particular, I will make mention of as they made quite an impression on me....I shall not allow my children to know of their mother's stupidity, however.

 

From Murray's guide.

Mile 11.1 / Km 17.9: The William Moore Bridge crosses a very active earthquake fault, and is only firmly anchored on the right side so that it can move freely with the earth! The gorge that the bridge crosses is only 110 feet wide, but 180 feet deep. Captain Moore was a famous steamboat captain and the first settler in Skagway (among many other exploits).

 

 

 

From me.....

If one walks out onto the bridge, (although there are no sidewalks, shoulders, or walk ways,) it is an extremely beautiful view straight down! Glad I did it, BUT one must be mindful that there are a large number of TOUR BUSSes that also share that bridge!:eek:

 

 

 

From Murray's Guide...

Mile 52.5 / Km 84.5: Pooley Canyon to the left, the former service area of the Venus silver mine to the right. The narrow ridge running up the right side of the canyon provides excellent hiking for those in good shape and with no fear of heights. The view of the canyon from 10 minutes up is quite remarkable, particularly when you realize that a mine was built at the bottom of it in 1905, with an aerial tramway running to it. Two of the wooden towers for it are visible from the highway. There is parking for small vehicles on the wide shoulders.

 

 

 

From me...

This was a stop that we circled on our guide to make sure that we stopped at on the way back. My husband is an avid hiker, and made mention that if time permitted he would like to do this 'hike'. So we made sure to catch it on our way back. We pulled off, and UP we went. I was dying to see the view from the edge of the canyon, and so I kept slowly creeping over until it ended up being a bit treacherous.:o I was able to get my hand over the edge to take a picture downward but I got too close to the edge for comfort and ended up doing a belly crawl to get myself out of there. Dumb moment! Note of caution......the trek down is worse than the trek up....the loose gravel will slide out from under you and down you go....I found it helpful to walk on the scrubby lowlying evergreen plants as they acted like velcro to the bottom of my shoes.

 

Now, on with the 'Lower Blood Pressure' stops.....

 

We stopped at Caribou Crossing, which MercedMike raves about and got a kick out of the plastic goats they have stuck up on the mountainside. Okay, I was so anxious to see some wildlife, that for a moment I believed they were real and actually pointed them out to a few other folks, until my husband burst my bubble. :o Met a sweet old Husky named Howler. (okay, not wild, but she was breathing) Used their very nice potties and purchased some souvenirs in their gift shop.

 

Then we made it to Emerald Lake!!!! As teenages say today OMG!!!

 

As my husband and I held hands and gazed at the splendor of that beautiful sight, I gently leaned over to Hubby, gave him a sweet little kiss, and whispered in his ear.....

"I wouldn't mind having a ring made out of something that looked like that ..............(just kidding! I didn't do THAT!).

We took a bunch of pictures and pondered if that was actually Murray’s cabin on the lake. Convinced everyone that it was.

In unison, our group yelled "THANK YOU, MURRAY!"

 

Again, I will say it to him here.....THANK YOU, MURRAY!.....You live in a divine place!

 

We stopped for blueberry “Pie” as suggested on CC, met some other CCers who were also stopping for "Pie", (we did not exchange usernames:cool: ) and popped into Carcross on our way out. We went into the Post Office to get our Passports ‘stamped’ and chatted w/ the two sweet clerks there about Murray. Learned that he was actually cruising that week as well! We left a message with them to pass on to him, and they actually pointed out his real house further down on the ‘beach’. Murray, you need to have a talk w/ those gals....they shouldn't have told us WHERE you lived and that YOU were GONE! We could have been stalkers who decided to break into your house and get some souvenirs from a celebrity such as yourself;) You haven't noticed anything missing, have you???? I am seriously just kidding now!

 

We completed the incredible drive with one ‘bear viewing’ from the road. We broke out our binoculars and observed the guy eating berries for over ½ hour. We even witnessed what happens when you put all of those berries IN….. "Berries IN, Berries OUT"! My brother especially got a kick out of that!

 

Got back into Skagway and visited the Gold Rush Cemetery and saw the Soapy Smith and Frank Reid graves and the WaterFall....We really enjoyed that whole time. (but what was the deal with Soapy's tombstone...did someone steal the old concrete one and replace it w/ a piece of plywood?)....p.s. and for anyone looking for 'his' tombstone....his name is Jefferson Smith....Not Soapy. *wink*

 

GREAT GREAT DAY.

 

We headed back to the ship just before sailing, and OOPS, we did it again! We ate in the Dining Room without changing into 'Business Casual' attire.....

TABLE #95 by the window w/ Dennis and Ferdinand!

 

 

 

Gosh, this has gotten really LONG hasn't it? I warned you....

Do I still have ANY readers?

 

Next Installment:

 

Champagne Balcony Breakfast and Glacier Bay!

[fti]

You are sure giving Larry a run for his money with your trip report. Thanks again for the great lighthearted way you write and throw in very humorous (to me anyway!) anecdotes.

 

John

[UTVOLS]

Champagne Balcony Breakfast and Glacier Bay….

 

We woke up early and hit out portside balcony....

BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

We would NOT be having our Champagne Balcony Breakfast on the Balcony.....

 

Actually, we would be having it in bed and we would be having it with my Brother and SIL!

 

Our Travel agent had arranged, as a gift, a Champagne Balcony Breakfast for each of our staterooms, and we had read on the Princess boards that there was food enough for 4, so we scheduled them on two different days, knowing that there would be plenty to share. My brother and SIL had scheduled their’s for Glacier Bay morning and 8 plates of food were brought in. Crab legs and smoked salmon, cantalope filled w/ fresh berries, omelettes, danish & muffins etc. Coffee, tea, juices......The Champagne, unfortunately was not very tasty even when mixed w/ juice, so that ended up going to waste.

 

The food was yummy and a fun way to start our Glacier Bay Day.

 

After breakfast I bundled in 3 shirts, 2 fleeces, my parka, long under wear, jeans, muffs, scarf, and gloves and was ‘just right’….brrrrrrr.

Bring your cold weather gear, People!!!

My hubby thought I was overdoing it a bit, and he went for a 'run' around the promenade in shorts and a running shirt....Show Off!

 

My SIL and I hit the Secret deck and the Promenade, but decided that with the way the Captain was turning the ship, that our balcony was the best place to be….With the TV on, we could hear all of the Park Ranger’s commentary. The area was BEAUTIFUL...A bit cloudy which made the glaciers extremely blue. We saw the 3 big Glaciers Majorie, Grand Pacific, and the Lumpbeau of which the Lumpbeau was our favorite. Better lighting and better pictures. We were a bit disappointed that the Captain didn’t linger longer at Majorie Glacier. It was, however, the first real glacier for us and we were trying to figure out where on deck we should be. Being on our balcony afforded us the opportunity to 'listen' to the Glaciers and not be distracted by those around us. I wish we had figured that out ahead of time. SIL spotted a Grizzly digging clams near the water.

 

Champagne Balcony Breakfast and College Fjord.

 

We had our CB Breakfast the morning we were traveling to College Fjord, and we hosted my brother and SIL in our stateroom. The night before, I called to enquire if they could substitute anything for the champagne. They sent up a nice bottle of wine instead. All of the food was again delicious, and we saved the bottle of wine to have with a cheese platter as we cruised through College Fjord that evening. We preferred College Fjord to Glacier Bay and the port side balcony was a great place for viewing especially w/ Dr. Eley’s commentary on the TV. We much preferred Dr. Eley's commentary to the Park Ranger's the day before simply because she appeared to be reading a 'script'. We sailed College Fjord between 5:30-8:30 pm on our final night and it was fun to view and pack and get ready for formal night all at the same time. It was a nice way to end the cruise. And yes, we actually dressed for formal night!;)

 

Coming up later.....

 

Whittier....poor, poor Whittier.......

 

[UTVOLS]

I am just curious about something. I have been on 7 Princess cruises and have never heard the term "business casual" dress. Do you mean Smart Casual? I am just curious . By the way am enjoying your review. Keep it up.

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. The Coral is my very favorite ship. Have been on her twice and have 3 more trips on her next year on a B2B2B.

 

Marilyn

 

I'm sorry Marilyn, I just noticed your post...

My mistake.... what I referred to as Business Casual is the same as Smart Casual onboard...

For work, my husband dresses in Business Casual 'as it is referred to' by his company...by all accounts they are the same.

B2B2B !!!!! You are a LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY lady!

Please tell....what kind of stateroom did you choose and does it have a covered, uncovered, or partially covered balcony....?

[UTVOLS]

you have become my hero.

 

Ahhhh...

That's nice of you to say....(but what I really want... is to be Queen):rolleyes:

[UTVOLS]

. (Can you tell that I am really sour on MF flights?)

 

Please don't be bitter...:( Maybe a little bit of crab dip might help?;)

[UTVOLS]

....thank you for posting......

 

You are quite welcome. :)

[mii]

I'm sorry Marilyn, I just noticed your post...

 

My mistake.... what I referred to as Business Casual is the same as Smart Casual onboard...

 

For work, my husband dresses in Business Casual 'as it is referred to' by his company...by all accounts they are the same.

 

B2B2B !!!!! You are a LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY lady!

Please tell....what kind of stateroom did you choose and does it have a covered, uncovered, or partially covered balcony....?

 

Our B2B2B stateroom is D706 which is a covered mini-suite. In the back on the Dolphin deck the balconies are covered. That is why we chose that cabin for all 3 of our cruises. One cruise is from S.F. to Vancouver, Then Vancouver to Whittier, then Whittier back to Vancouver and then fly home.

 

Marilyn

[UTVOLS]

Thanks again for the great lighthearted way you write and throw in very humorous (to me anyway!) anecdotes.

 

John

 

Thanks so much John!

Sometimes I think I crack myself up more than I do others!:D

[UTVOLS]

Our B2B2B stateroom is D706 which is a covered mini-suite. In the back on the Dolphin deck the balconies are covered. That is why we chose that cabin for all 3 of our cruises. One cruise is from S.F. to Vancouver, Then Vancouver to Whittier, then Whittier back to Vancouver and then fly home.

 

Marilyn

 

What a GLORIOUS place to be....

Again, I say...you lucky, lucky, lady!

May you have beautiful blues skies and calm seas for the entire 3 weeks.....