Back from Alaska - Golden Princess 5/17 - 5/24

[TampaJules]

Finally returned from our absolutely wonderful trip to Alaska. I say finally because we got to stay an extra 18 hours in Denver. Gotta love United Airlines… that’s another story. I’m sure you want to hear about Alaska. Before I begin though, thank you to everyone for posting and giving thoughts, tips, and advice to fellow travelers. This trip would not have gone so well had it not been for everyone on here! I hope to continue that …

**Disclaimer** This message may contain opinions, which would be my own. I hope not to offend, lie, or mistreat anyone or anything.

First, words and pictures do not do Alaska justice. The size of it, the beauty, the peacefulness. It’s simply amazing. My jaw was on the floor pretty much the whole time. If anyone out there is thinking about going, book it! It’s so worth it. :D

Second, instead of a play by play, I’m going to talk about things that I realized\discovered that would be most helpful to everyone else. We were on Golden Princess, May 17th to 24th, sailing from Seattle with stops in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and sailing through Tracy Arm Fjord.

Seattle was awesome. It only took us about an hour and a half to get off the plane, collect our baggage, get a taxi, go to the hotel, and check in. We arrived at 12:30 PST on Friday. I guess we were in mid-day traffic, so there wasn’t any back up. I can’t imagine arriving the day of the cruise and attempting to make it to the boat on time. First, if your plane is delayed at all you are screwed. Second, I was exhausted after 8 hours in a plane (coming from Florida). I wouldn’t have been able to relax on the boat that first day if I had to rush around. Third, you spend some time in Seattle. I would have liked to have more time there than one day. Of course, I have never been on the west coast, so the scenery was all new to me (mountains in the distance, city on a hill, etc). Also, if you want to see Pike Place, make sure you go during the afternoon. We went late Friday after settling in to the hotel, and it was closing up (6 pm). Not sure if that’s the same everyday. I thought they would be open into the evening. Also check the Space Needle’s website before you go. The day we were there they closed at 6 pm for a private event, so I knew to go early.

We stayed at the Mediterranean Inn in the Queen Anne neighborhood. It was lovely. Not sure why the comments\reviews on it are not that great. It was perfectly fine for us. And it was very close to the needle. The view from the rooftop was to die for. It cost just under $200 for the one night (one queen size bed) and it had a kitchenette and huge bathroom. We ate breakfast on Saturday morning at Mecca Café down the street. It was very good.

We arrived at the dock at 10:30 Saturday morning. There had just been a fire alarm go off in the terminal so everyone was outside waiting for clearance. Once allowed back in, we were through check-in and in line waiting to be allowed on the boat by 11:15 or so, and then we actually got on about 11:30. Later, from the top deck (with beer in hand) we could see the line out the door for check-in. It seemed pretty well the same all day. I would say arriving at 11 am or so is the best bet.

Golden Princess is huge. It’s a lot bigger than the previous ship we were on. I finally got used to where things were on the last day. We had an obstructed oceanview (category HH, room E227). The bathroom was tiny. Shaving your legs was almost impossible. One thing the cabin lacked that we did not bring – a clock. I like being able to glance at a clock to see what time it is, especially in the morning. A simple travel fold-up one would have been great.

We had beautiful weather in Juneau and Skagway. At some points we just had on short sleeve shirts (with jeans). On the boat though, the wind is pretty chilly and I kept my hat on when on deck. The scarves helped a lot too. And gloves. Just take a fanny pack or backpack and keep them in there when not in use. Other than that, I wore a jogging suit type outfit, jeans, yoga-style pants, short and long sleeve cotton shirts, and my hoodie. My BF wore t-shirts, jeans and a hoodie pretty much the whole time. Of course, we had good weather… :cool:

In Juneau, we went whale watching with Marv of Harv & Marv. Great trip and worth every penny. Since there were just 6 guests on the boat, it was like being shown around by a friend. We saw Orcas, humpbacks, sea lions, and eagles. Since Marv lives close to the dock, he knows exactly where to find the whales.

We also visited Mendenhall Glacier and went up Mt Roberts Tramway. Both are must-dos. There are shuttle bus booths for the glacier right next to the tram – just look for the cheapest one (it was $6 each person, each way, if I remember correctly). Even the cheap one gave you a “ten cent” tour on the way to the glacier.

We rented a car with Avis in Skagway. We arrived at 8:30 am and there were still plenty of cars in the holding lot. I had called the day before to confirm the reservation just to be sure but it wasn’t really necessary. Of course it may get busier as the summer goes along. The drive was breathtaking and Murray’s Guide was wonderful because instead of just passing mountains and lakes, you knew what the names of them were and you knew how far you had been\still had to go. Before we left the city, we ate breakfast at the Sweettooth Café and did our shopping.

Because of all the warmth the prior two days, a lot of ice had calved off Sawyer Glacier and clogged up Tracy Arm. We only made it about half way through. It was still gorgeous. Very cold though. You definitely need to bundle up for that day!

In Ketchikan, definitely walk the few blocks out to Creek Street. Its not far and seems more “Alaska-like” than the stores right up next to the dock. Another note on stores: so many of them sell products made in China or Taiwan (that you would think are from Alaska). They all have tags so you can easily see where it’s from. It’s really hard to avoid buying them, especially if you are buying a lot of souvenirs for friends back home. Do try to buy Alaska-made products though. It feels a lot better knowing you supported not only the store, but the (Alaskan) person that made the item.

Victoria was beautiful too. If you are thinking of skipping this port and staying on the ship since it’s the last night, don’t. Pack in the afternoon and go ashore. There are shuttle buses right off the pier ($6 roundtrip per person) that take you to the Empress Hotel\Parliament building. We took a Ghostly Walk with John Adams (booked independently) that was neat ($12 per person, 90 minutes). The horse-drawn carriages looked cool too. The city is full of flowers and beautiful trees. The stores take American dollars but have to give change in Canadian. Or you can use credit cards.

We bought the Princess transfer back to the airport. There was no advantage to this. You still had to grab your bags when you got off the ship, then you had to wait in line for a bus, then when at the airport (in a tent set up for the cruise passengers), there was one person checking in for United. We waited over an hour and realized later we should have just gone in to the normal check-in inside. We should have just gotten a taxi off the boat (there were plenty) and checked-in at the airport as normal. We still had plenty of time since our plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until 2:30 pm. Of course United delayed it for an hour, which made pretty much everyone on that flight miss their transfer in Denver. They had to buy a lot of dinners and hotel rooms that night. Per the hotel, this is very common for United. And then on Sunday, our new plane was supposed to leave at 10:20 am but we didn’t take off until 1 pm! Bottom line – don’t fly United if you are trying to make it to your ship on the same day. Really, don’t try to go same-day with any airline. Why risk missing the boat! :eek:

One more piece of advice – if you plan on sending any postcards (and I suggest you do, its cheap!) – buy a few postcard stamps at home before you leave, and put them in your wallet or backpack so you can actually send the card from the port. I ended up buying a few in Seattle but forgot to take them with us until the last day. There is a mail bin near the purser’s desk but I’m sure they drop it off in the next port (not the one you got the postcard from).

I hope this helps some of you. As I have time, I will come back on and answer any questions you may have. We’re trying to wade through all our pictures – about 2000 of them! Not sure if I’ll post any… they are all taken at a 8 megapixel level so they are about 2 mb each!

 

I sure wish I was back in Alaska…….. :p

[vbmom87]

Thanks for posting. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. We are looking forward to our upcoming trip and hope we will also have good weather. I can deal with cold, just hoping for little rain.

[sharp_cruiser]

Thanks for posting that great review... I appreciate your post since I can't wait to go myself!

 

A couple things though... it is really too bad we feel like we should add a disclaimer to our trip review. I hope no one gets hollered at for an opinion in a review. :(

 

I also really liked your format... the play by play report can sometime get long. I am glad you pointed out some of the things that affected you the most.

 

Oh and lastly I am glad someone here had a great time on a round trip Seattle... seems like around here that is one of the "least desired trips". But I can see so much convenience in it for so many people!

 

Thanks again!

[TampaJules]

Oh and lastly I am glad someone here had a great time on a round trip Seattle... seems like around here that is one of the "least desired trips". But I can see so much convenience in it for so many people!

 

Hmm. I didn't really get that vibe before going but I had already booked the ship before reading these boards - solely based on dates, plane tix costs, and the fact that we don't have passports.

 

The seas were pretty heavy Thursday night heading from Ketchikan back down to Victoria. I have to admit I was scared and it was hard to fall asleep. It wasn't as bad on the trip up (Saturday night). But wouldn't you get the same on a Vancouver round trip?? I assume this is what you were referring to about it being least desired. Heck, I was going to Alaska, I was happy!

[sharp_cruiser]

I'd be happy too! Any trip to Alaska is better than staying at home and working!

 

Just for the reasons you referenced (rough seas) some people don't recommend this cruise. Seems like you made it through OK and had a great trip at the ports.

[Provb3110]

Great review. We leave on the 7th and I'm trying to finalize everything. Thanks for giving me more great ideas and information!

[sarbah77]

Thanks for your review! While I haven't had the same sort of delays that you had with United, they decided over Christmas that our luggage meant more to them than it did to us and they kept it for a week, returning it to us the day before we flew back (we shipped it all home via UPS and mailed them the bill - which they paid, lol, as well as all our clothes for the week!).

 

Did you have any particular favorite store in Ketchikan?

[TampaJules]

We didn't have much time in Ketchikan since we were doing a floatplane trip. We went through several stores on Creek Street but I don't remember which one I bought stuff in. There were so many last week! I really liked Creek St for the scene, and the smaller stores.

[jojamidwood]

Thanks so much for the great review--I really appreciated your style of writing and unbiased comments. I too chose Seattle r/t because I liked the itinerary and the fact that you didn't need to go thru customs either coming or going on the trip ( I've been thru Vancouver at least ten times visiting B.C and I have waited for over 1.5 hours on that customs line in both directions)

 

Thanks again for the great review--I really am not that concerned about the food because someone else will cook it and clean up the dishes for me. What I wanted to know was the ambiance of the cruise

[Droop]

It was good to meet you on the Golden (Alaskan) trip. Your review was really well done. I don't think we could have gotten better weather on this trip. There were a few things that bothered us on this trip but my hubby and I had a really good time. Sorry that I kept losing my husband on the ship. I really would have liked participating in the trivia game with you guys. Anywho, I just wanted to let you know that it was really nice meeting you two.

 

 

Tootles,

Droop:)

[sail-a-bration]

Thanks for the information on Seattle, and how long it took to deplane and get baggage. I was going to go to Pikes Mkt. after we arrived at 7pm. It was great that you had warm weather in May so you could enjoy being on deck.

[TampaJules]

Thanks again for the great review--I really am not that concerned about the food because someone else will cook it and clean up the dishes for me. What I wanted to know was the ambiance of the cruise

 

Yes! I love that part (the dishes). :D

 

Ambiance. Hmm. A lot of older people (I'm 29 and BF is 37) - like 60's, 70s. But there were middle aged couples too. Only a few families, I'm sure since school is still in. Not many drinkers it seemed (at least not lounging around with a bucket of beer). Of course you're not in the Caribbean... Let's see - quiet, respectful, lazy in a way. Everyone was very nice. Staff was great. Our steward was awesome - he knew our names the first day. We didn't get any towel animals though. :rolleyes: It was just very relaxed.

[TampaJules]

It was good to meet you on the Golden (Alaskan) trip. Your review was really well done. I don't think we could have gotten better weather on this trip. There were a few things that bothered us on this trip but my hubby and I had a really good time. Sorry that I kept losing my husband on the ship. I really would have liked participating in the trivia game with you guys. Anywho, I just wanted to let you know that it was really nice meeting you two.

 

Tootles,

Droop:)

 

Hey! Yes it was awesome to meet someone from on here. I'm sorry no one else showed up to our meeting, but everyone seems to meet a bunch of new people on board anyway. Ah yes the weather. I'm usually not lucky but wow that was awesome! :D

[TampaJules]

Thanks for the information on Seattle, and how long it took to deplane and get baggage. I was going to go to Pikes Mkt. after we arrived at 7pm. It was great that you had warm weather in May so you could enjoy being on deck.

 

It probably took the longest to get the bags. Seemed like half hour before they started the belt up. But if you get there at 7 pm, you might be in traffic for a while.

 

Make sure you check on the times for Pike Place so you don't miss it (maybe go the next day?). The whole place was closed up right after 6 pm. Its right near the dock so you could go the morning of the cruise...

[JerseyJaguar]

One more piece of advice – if you plan on sending any postcards (and I suggest you do, its cheap!) – buy a few postcard stamps at home before you leave, and put them in your wallet or backpack so you can actually send the card from the port. I ended up buying a few in Seattle but forgot to take them with us until the last day. There is a mail bin near the purser’s desk but I’m sure they drop it off in the next port (not the one you got the postcard from).

I was on the Oosterdam at the same time, what great weather we had!!! I made up address labels before I left, made sure I had postcard stamps and then I bought a bunch of postcards on the ship and wrote them out before we got to Juneau (I figured once I started hitting the ports and excursions I might not have the energy or time to write postcards). I had them in my hand when I got my tram ticket and the woman working the ticket desk offered to mail them for me since they were all stamped. Everyone had gotten them before I got back.

[TampaJules]

I was on the Oosterdam at the same time, what great weather we had!!! I made up address labels before I left, made sure I had postcard stamps and then I bought a bunch of postcards on the ship and wrote them out before we got to Juneau (I figured once I started hitting the ports and excursions I might not have the energy or time to write postcards). I had them in my hand when I got my tram ticket and the woman working the ticket desk offered to mail them for me since they were all stamped. Everyone had gotten them before I got back.

 

Hey - you were the shipped that seemed to follow us everywhere I think. I had dropped one postcard in the on-ship mail drop on the evening of the 19th but it didn't get postmarked until the 22nd. So - if you drop mail on the ship, they don't necessarily send it at the next port.

 

ONE MORE THING I REMEMBERED - the rental car in Skagway. There are no radio stations. I think there was one in Skagway but it was talk radio. Once out in Canada it was nothing. I usually have to have music on but I got used to the quiet. Only a few times did I wish there was some noise. There was a CD player in the car, so you may want to bring a couple CDs for the ride.

[grangermom]

Our RT Seattle-Alaska trip is coming up in 1 1/2 weeks. I booked it back in January, and really didn't do my homework as far as reading about rough seas on this itinerary. My husband gets really motion sick, and I am so worried about him. His doctor has prescribed a patch for him. Did you use anything? And why were you scared? Did it feel like something bad was going to happen?:eek:

[sail-a-bration]

TJ, I was going to stay on board in Victoria because it docks in the evening, but the Ghost Walk sounds cool. Was it like Whooooh scary or just interesting? Is it a HAL excursion or independent?

[teachergal29]

We are leaving for Alaska this Sat. on the Golden and found your review very helpful. Thanks for the heads up about rough seas. I will definitely hae our patches with us...

[krogerlady]

You can go to this site http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

and download a very small program called image resizer that will allow you to right click on any picture and save a smaller copy in the same folder. You have your choice of four sizes, and it really comes in handy. If all of your photo's are in the 4-6 mg size, as mine will be, in order to share them, anywhere, they have to be resized, and in order to not have to go into a photo program and resize and save, just to send one quickly, you can right click, right in the picture folder, and save it smaller, then send the smaller one. I have been using this little jewel for close to ten years, and its a fantastic time saver!! The program is a ways down the right side of the page, small print, in the narrow collumn. Image Resizer.

[cynt]

Thanks for the review and especially the weather and what apparel you wore for the trip. That's my biggest dilemna right now - what to pack to wear. I have my caribbean cruise attire down to a "T" but this Alaska cruise I'm having trouble. I'm VERY COLD natured. I think I'm going to pack my 'cuddles"/longjohns and call it a day. I can put them on or take them off as needed. They're light weight and I can keep them in my napsack while touring and if I get cold a quick trip to the restroom will solve my problem.

 

I selected the Seattle RT for much of the same reasons - airfare and customs and of course to give me another reason to cruise Alaska. Next time I really wanted to vacation an extra week in Denali as well.

[NancyIL]

We didn't have much time in Ketchikan since we were doing a floatplane trip.

 

You didn't mention the floatplane excursion in your review. How was that? And thanks for your review!

[robinsegg]

Tampa Jules,

 

thanks for the excellent review (and for sparing us the details of where you ate breakfast each morning!) I got a couple of great hints from you - especially about bringing a couple of CD's with us for the drive up to Emerald Lake.

 

We leave June 9 on the Coral and it sounds as if we've planned identical acitivities - Harv & Marv, Island Wings, and renting a car in Skagway.

 

Cheers

 

Robin

[muncybob]

Yes, good & concise review! We also wish we had a cd or 2 for the Avis rental car but after awhile we really didn't miss the tunes much as we kept commenting about the scenary! We did r/t out of Vancouver and had some rough seas for 1 night but other than that the water was fairly calm. The ginger pills I bought seemed to help us.

 

I do miss my eggs benedcit and smoked salmon breakfast though!:) I'm looking at my pictures on a fairly regular basis wishing I was still up there! We hope to take a 1 way cruise and then rent an RV to see the interior when we retire.

[TampaJules]

Our RT Seattle-Alaska trip is coming up in 1 1/2 weeks. I booked it back in January, and really didn't do my homework as far as reading about rough seas on this itinerary. My husband gets really motion sick, and I am so worried about him. His doctor has prescribed a patch for him. Did you use anything? And why were you scared? Did it feel like something bad was going to happen?:eek:

 

If he gets motion sick I would definitely say to get something for him for those 2 nights. I did not use anything, since I do not get sick. It was just scary since it was rolling pretty heavy. I'm sure nothing would happen, it was just a little un-nerving. Maybe some Xanax to take the edge off too would be good. :p