Caribbean Weather in Alaska

[Cruz4Sun]

Golden Princess July 25, 09

My best friend and I (active women in our 50’s) just returned from a wonderful 7 day Inside Passage cruise to Alaska on the Golden. The weather was unbelievable and really added to the experience.

We arrived in Seattle a day early and took the Go Airport shuttle to the Travelodge at the Space Needle. While the newly remodeled room was quite nice, the rest of the motel was very tired looking. We did enjoy the complimentary breakfast and used their $7 shuttle to the port the next morning. In the afternoon we took at taxi to Pikes Market and ate a fabulous seafood spread at the Crab Pot. That evening we went to Lula’s Restaurant and Jazz Club for Greek food and good music.

The next morning we arrived at Pier 91 at 11:00 and were in our room by 11:30.

Here is my commentary on our cruise, arranged by subject:

Ship: The refurbished Golden had so much to offer. Because of the unusual weather we utilized Movies Under the Stars twice. We watched “She’s Just Not That Into You” one evening and “Shopping Mall Cop” on a sunny afternoon. The covered Calypso pool was great even when the weather was cool. I loved the International Café and their pastries and light lunch options. The internet café is nice and the atrium entertainment is good.

Staff: We thought CD David Cole and his staff were great. I especially enjoyed the “Life on a Cruise Ship” talk and Q&A by Dave and his deputy director.

Room: We had a mid-ship inside room, A514. This was a very quiet location nice and close to the Horizon Court and main pools. Just as other reviewers have noted, the bedspread and mattresses in the room are in quite poor shape. Everything else about the room was fine.

Food: We enjoyed the food more than we should have. We visited the special sushi bar and dessert extravaganza when they were offered. The Horizon Court buffet can be a little chaotic, but I found most of the food quite good. We had anytime dining and ate dinner most nights at the Bernini dining room as it was less crowded than the Donatello. I highly recommend the lamb chops and Beef Wellington.

Daytime: My friend and I participated in line dancing lessons several times. It was really a blast, but should be held at the Vista lounge instead of the Atrium. I think more people would participate if there wasn’t a large audience viewing from decks 5, 6 and 7. I used the gym on several occasions as well as the Spa pool and hot tubs. I didn’t try the casino, art auctions, bingo or other fee offering because I wanted to spend my money on tours.

Evening Entertainment: There was lots of great entertainment. Our favorite was the comedian Carlos Oscar. The magician put on a great show also, with a surprise ending. We saw the production shows Cinematastic and Motown. Both were high energy fun. Once night we went to a New Years Eve party at Skywalkers that was jammed and another evening we lost at the “Majority Rules Game show”, a fun twist on trivia.

Ports:

Juneau: We did the Alpine Zip and Glacier Adventure. The zip line was great thanks to the enthusiasm and assurances from Zach and Julie. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center has fantastic views of the glacier. After the tour we went to the Red Dog Saloon for seafood chowder and draft beer.

Skagway: We took the Yukon Expedition and White Pass Rail tour offered by the ship. What a great day! The sun never stopped shining and the weather was in the 80’s. The views from the train are breathtaking and the motor coach trip to Carcross was fun thanks to our driver and guide Mel. After the tour we still had time to stop at the Red Onion Saloon for another Alaskan Ale.

Tracy Arm Fjord: This was the only time I got out my headband and gloves. It was chilly but the natural beauty was well worth it. Although the ship was unable to proceed to see the Sawyer Glacier due to the ice, we did have fun waving to the Star Princess passengers when they turned around also and passed us coming out.

Ketchikan: Early morning we left the ship and looked at the offerings that the non-ship vendors had. We quickly decided on a two hour wilderness/Saxman Village tour for $40 per person from North Shore. We saw eagles, hawks, and even a starfish on the tour, but the bears decided to stay out of sight. The visit to the Saxman Totems was so interesting because our guide had told us a story about each totem during our driving time. After a quick run into some souvenir shops we were back on the ship.

Victoria, BC: We signed up for the Enchanted Butchart Gardens tour. We had about 45 minutes of daylight then another hour of viewing with the lights. The gardens are beautiful, but I preferred the daytime tour I took there previously.

Summary: Alaska beauty and tons of sunny weather. I don’t think it could get too much better.My friend and I both put $100 down on our next cruise.

[49er]

Cruz4sun
Thanks for the review. We were on the Golden the week after your cruise and the weather was the same (very warm) although we had a lot of Smoke in Juneau due to fire burning to the east. Skagway was smokey too but we rented a car and drove up into the Yukon where it was much clearer. Beautiful weather in Tracy Arm too and it was a great sight to see the Star leaving as we were entering.
We thought the ship was in great shape but our cabin was showing it's age. We did notice that when we were disembarking, loads of old mattresses were being put into dumpsters. The new areas that were added during drydock were great especially the Crown Grill.
We will be on the Golden again five weeks from this Sunday for her 1st RT to Hawaii from LA for the season. Working hard to lose the weight I gained so I can put right back on:-)
Again, thanks for the review

49er

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review, on the Golden in the first week of June I was in shorts from the time I left Denver until the end of the cruise other then dinner time.

[kooljamming]

Were you able to hike ot the waterfall?. We sailed August 7-15. I am tempted to do the new itinerary to Glacier Bay next summer (Jluy 7th). We rented a car in Juneau and drove to Mendenhall Glacier, hiked to the waterfalls (easy 20 min. hike w/o a whine from the kids), and stopped by the brewery. Free beer in large glasses kinda end our day. The Alaska White beer was fantastic or it just be free beer We loved Skagway, almost picture book perfect, with lots of great bargains. We drove to the White Pass, stopped to admire the several waterfalls and viewed the train go by. The place is amazing so fingers crossed for next summer or else it going to be another hot summer in the Caribbean.

Thanks for the review

[CruisinEars]

I was on the same trip as Kooljamming and we had rather cool weather most of the week. But that worked to our advantage, we were the first sailing of the season to go all the way to the glacier. Here is what you missed:


I too thought the abundance of food was terrific and I wasn't hungry the entire week.

[cruisingready]

We were on the July 4th sailing and wow the weather was great. last year at the same time we were in hats gloves coats and freezing. What a change this year. Were planning to do Alaska every July as it is the most beautiful cruise We've ever been on. cOLD OR WARM!!!!!

[franklin1]

Your pictures are great. Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to our connoisseur trip next year.

Nancy

[mii]

I might add that that weather that Alaska has been experiencing is very rare. I have been to alaska 7 times and this May when I went for my 7th trip it was the warmest of all of my trips there. So it is very rare that Alaska is experiencing this warm weather. It is not the same every year. You just never know. I do know that it is more colder than warmer there.

Marilyn

[Cruz4Sun]

Originally Posted by CruisinEars

I was on the same trip as Kooljamming and we had rather cool weather most of the week. But that worked to our advantage, we were the first sailing of the season to go all the way to the glacier. Here is what you missed:


I too thought the abundance of food was terrific and I wasn't hungry the entire week.

Wow! What a fantastic photo. Thanks.