Just returned from Alaska on the Shadow

[Wellseasoned]

Glenda, yogagal, and duct tape, Many Thanks for the info and quick responses!

[south seas sue]

I didn't mention this in my review of various aspects of our cruise, because it was a real downer and I didn't want to be so negative. BUT, having said that, and having had the subject raised, the security business and customs at Vancouver Airport and the Cruise Terminal took forever! First, security/customs in Vancouver was about 45 minutes. Then a 40-30 minute cab ride to the Cruise Terminal, then another hour to stand in line to board the ship, courtesy of US customs. No place to sit obviously, so if you have bad knees or legs or in my case a bad back, forget it. You stand and suffer. I don't mean to sound whiny, but I just didn't expect so much delay. Guess we haven't traveled much internationally in the past few years.

 

We had asked for early embarcation, which begins 10:30 a.m. day of departure. Rest of pax get on at 3:00. Our plane arrived at 12:00 noon, but it took another 2 1/2 hrs. to get through all of the above. Needless to say, due to our final arrival at the ship to close to regular embarcation time, we did not pay the early fee.

 

Something for you all to consider if you arrive the day of departure.

 

glenda

[NJBelle]

Yes, just wanted to add that the Fairmont Waterfront is directly across from Canada Place. There is another Fairmont a few blocks away, but if you get a waterfront room at the Waterfront Fairmont, you will be able to watch the Shadow arrive from your room. We are currently on the Regent Mariner, but saw the Shadow arrive the day before we left. We also love Silversea and would have been jealous if we had not known we were leaving the next day on the Mariner! The earlier poster was correct that the bellman at the Fairmont will come to your room - check your bags and your passport and then the next time you see your bags is in your suite. Very nice!

 

Best, NJBelle

[PAJJJ]

Thanks for the great feedback so far:). We are booked on the Jul 8 SF to SF cruise on Shadow. My wife, son and very well-behaved 14-yr old who likes to read and relax (so please don't post on how we should reconsider;)). This is our first SS cruise and I am wondering about the facilities in the fitness center. What do they have (treadmills, elipticals, weights), what are the hours, how are the crowds? Do they have classes? Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, we are in a silver suite which includes free laundry. do you know what turnaround time is for the laundry?

[dusababy]

It's been my experience if you turn in laundry before 9 AM you'll probably have it back same day -- and for sure if you leave it out night before.

Great service --

P.S. This is LAUNDRY, not dry cleaning.

Dusababy

[unfathomable]

The fitness equipment is a fairly wide range of the usual machines, but it's a relatively small ship and the quantity is not large. On the other hand, many guests never darken the door!

[yogagal47]

Personal trainer Lori(a former bulgarian gymnast i believe) does classes in the morning and late afternoon. Some offerings included yoga, pilates, fitness walk and abs/buns sort of classes. Most were 30 mins long. The first sea day aboard the morning yoga class was quite full as the group exercise area(just adjacent to the fitness area) is a bit small. I did my own yoga with a friend most days in that room, in the observation lounge and also on a "secret" bit of deck we found just off the forward elevator deck six-it was sunny in ketchikan that afternoon so perfect for outside yoga! Lori also offered some fitness seminars which i stayed away from as i did not want to be sold products. I noticed once that she was doing the class in the observation lounge and had a couple of takers. The fitness center never seemed too terribly busy but of course that could change with a younger demographic of cruisers on the ship as the summer goes on.

[NJBelle]

Hi PAJJJ,

 

Just wanted to respond to your note about your 14 year old. We just got off the Regent Mariner but would have been very happy on the Shadow. We have been on Regent 6 times and like them very much, but 2 of our last 4 cruises were Silversea. Our daughter is 14 and she had a fabulous time on the Silver Çloud - 16 day around South America over the holidays. She can find things to do - she goes to play bridge with the adults, plays ping-pong with whomever is interested and hangs with her parents, even. People have always been very complimentary about her and her behavior - and your son sounds similar. So, I know that you and your son will have a great time.

[PAJJJ]

Thanks NJBelle! I'm sure my son will have fun. It's so funny because at this stage in my life I do understand some of the posts about "no kids wanted" but we all must realize that there are no absolutes. Many great parents have very well-behaved kids who can actually be more interesting and fun than some adults. Cheers!

[PAJJJ]

Yogagal thanks for your reply. I will look for the "secret" deck. Just curious, what do you mean by "did not want to be sold products" What can fitness instructors sell?

[Wellseasoned]

The "secret deck" is basically a veranda on the port side of the Whisper and Shadow, accessed by a regular glass door from the area of the forward stairs and elevator, opposite the 637-639 suite area. This is a very convenient feature if you have a starboard veranda suite on deck six. If there is a sight to see on the port side, you can dash over from your starboard location and have a great view without having to climb to another deck to get outside. We've made lots of use of this on previous cruises. This area is not apparent on the ship deck plans.

[PAJJJ]

Dittos to pretty much everything Sue has said. Our group of six had a fantastic time on the cruise. Glad to hear you mention the quartet Sue-we thought they were fabulous. More passengers need to check them out in the Panorama Lounge before dinner and after the shows(we really enjoyed the Jean Ann Ryan productions shows by the way). One night my husband who is a jazz pianist played a bit with them so on jazz night they made a special effort to include him in a few numbers. Fernando even announced it to the ship in advance!

We took several of the adventurous excursions including Misty Fjords Floatplane(absolutely gorgeous and we even saw a grizzly when we landed on a lake in the back country), Stikine River Jet boat trip out of Wrangell(lots of fun and beautiful scenery)and helicoptering to Mendenhall Glacier(two in our group did the ship's tour and 3 of us booked indep. with Northstar for the Heli and walk on the glacier for 3 hours which also included ice climbing).

We also did the jetboat Orca Quest in Victoria and did see some Transient Orcas on the trip.

On our Skagway day we rented a van from Sourdough rentals and drove the Klondike Highway all the way to Emerald Lake. We had lunch @ the Cinamon Cache and stopped in Carcross for a while. We spotted bears along the road in both directions. When we got back we went to Dyea and saw seals in the bay as well as a giant porcupine!

We had a terrace cabin and enjoyed being able to pop out and look @ the gorgeous scenery any time we desired. The weather was so agreeable during the cruise we actually went out on the pool deck in bathing suits several times and we were quite comfortable(no water in the pool though and the hot tubs were not very hot).

There were indeed, lots of activities offered on the sea days. We attended trivia most days and it was usually just the 6 of us but we still got our "points!" Chef Sean did a cooking demo with wine pairing which was fun. He is a great chef by the way. We loved Jovi, the wine waitress-she is very very knowledgable and Alex in The Bar was super also. The bartender @ the Pool bar(can't remember his name)makes a great Mojito and was alway willing to stay open a bit past 6pm if we needed a drink after we returned from an excursion!

I would be happy to answer any ?'s relating to specifics of the cruise.

 

Yogagal: We are debating whether to do Northstar heli glacier trek or cruise's. It looks like your group did both. Any recs?

[yogagal47]

Ship's glacier/heli ex. was with Temsco. They are actually owned by the same company as Northstar-both are great. Northstar is the only one who does the longer trek on the glacier. I suggest you read the description on their website of the three levels. The trip offered by the Ship was very good according to the two in our group that went. They provided them with jackets but they walked around on the glacier for 20 mins or so. The Northstar treks involve wearing crampons. They outfit you in heavy boots before boarding the heli and once up on the glacier they put the crampons on your boots. They are definitely not the easiest things to walk in. I am very fit but happened to have a bad toe so jamming my toe into the ice was not the easiest. On our level 3 trek we also did the actual ice climbing which was just enough excitement for me but they make sure it is very safe. The rapelling on the way down is a bit scary when you take the first step back over the edge. Overall you probably can't go wrong either way. Our trips were all afternoon departures by the way. Have a great time!

[lairrah]

I am traveling with my parents on the 9 day Alaskan RT out of Vancouver in August.

Several questions: I'm trying to decide whether to stay at the Pan Pacific for ease of boarding or staying downtown at another hotel and having a car take us there. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I was also wondering how many formal nights onboard - I want to make sure I bring enough formal attire! I don't think my parents will be able to do any of the excursions unless there is almost no walking involved - has anyone done the Mendenhall glacier heli tour and dog sledding? That is one that I am interested in doing. Thanks! Lara

[Host Dan]

I am traveling with my parents on the 9 day Alaskan RT out of Vancouver in August.

Several questions: I'm trying to decide whether to stay at the Pan Pacific for ease of boarding or staying downtown at another hotel and having a car take us there. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I was also wondering how many formal nights onboard - I want to make sure I bring enough formal attire! I don't think my parents will be able to do any of the excursions unless there is almost no walking involved - has anyone done the Mendenhall glacier heli tour and dog sledding? That is one that I am interested in doing. Thanks! Lara

I stayed at the Pacific Palisades Hotel on Robson Street. An upscale 4 star boutique hotel with a lovely restaurant affiliated with it- "Zin". They offer free wine tasting every evening at the adjacent art gallery. A really nice place to stay. The difference in cost from either the Pan Pacific or the Fairmont is quite sizeable.

 

Host Dan

[south seas sue]

Lairrah, as I mentioned in my discussion of our 9 day RT Vancouver trip that ended June 16, we only did a couple of boat excursions and the Skagway train. The only real walking is from the boat down to the departure security gate. Once you board a van taking you to where the boat departs (Juneau), or board the boat right alongside the same pier (Ketchikan), there is no walking involved and the boat is very, very comfortable. There is a bit of a walk boarding the train in Skagway, walking down the pier from the ship past the security gate.

 

Also, on our 9 day itinerary, we had 2 forml nights, 2 casual nights (first night and last night), and the rest were "informal" - which to them means coat or suit, tie as you please.

 

If the walk from the ship to the security gate is too daunting for your parents, you probably can get a ride on a cart......I saw them whizzing around in a few places.

 

Glenda