Alaska Trip Report & Photos: DIY Seward/Denali + Star Princess Southbound

emeybee · September 8, 2015

DIY Seward/Denali + Star Princess Southbound Alaska

Warning: Pour a cup of coffee and get comfortable. This is long.

NOTE: Cruise Critic limits how many photos can be posted, but there are many more of my photos from this trip on Flickr

Itinerary:

Sunday, August 23: Airport to Seward
Monday, August 24: Seward
Tuesday, August 25: Seward to Talkeetna
Wednesday, August 26: Talkeetna to Denali
Thursday, August 27: Denali
Friday, August 28: Denali to Talkeetna

Saturday, August 29: Talkeetna to Anchorage, Star Princess embarkation in Whittier
Sunday, August 30: Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)
Monday, August 31: Glacier Bay (Cruising)
Tuesday, September 1: Skagway (7am-8:30pm)
Wednesday, September 2: Juneau (6:30am-4pm)
Thursday, September 3: Ketchikan (10am-6pm)
Friday, September 4: Inside Passage (Cruising)
Saturday, September 5: Debarkation in Vancouver
Sunday, September 6: Fly home

Background:

I'm in my mid 30s and have

traveled extensively

around the world. I typically travel by myself-- I'm an only child and an introvert, plus I'm a counselor at juvenile hall (stressful!), so going off on my own is how I unwind. Most of my trips are relatively long (4 weeks+) and generally to off-the-beaten-path destinations (favorite places: Burma and Rwanda), so this trip was a little weird for me all-around. I am a fast traveler (not a lingerer), and love to fit in as much as I can. For me, planning is almost as much fun as traveling. My style is decidedly not for everyone, but it works for me.

I shared the cruise with my mom and aunt. They are both in their 60s, and were both still recovering from surgeries (wrist for mom, foot for aunt). They also have stricter budgets and very different traveling styles than I do-- I'm a planner; they're wanderers. We agreed to do our own things in port for the most part, so that we could all enjoy the trip in our own ways.

I have only cruised once before, on the Crown Princess to the Baltics (it was okay-- not enough time on land for me). My mom loves cruising and has sailed with a number of different lines (FWIW, she likes Royal Caribbean and Princess best, hates Carnival and doesn't care for Norwegian). My aunt had never been on a cruise but has traveled quite a bit, though not so much recently.

Planning:

To get in my much-needed alone time, I spent a week in Alaska on my own before the cruise. There was a lot to choose from but I ended up settling on Seward and Denali, stopping in Talkeetna to break up the drive. I know there are cruise-tours available, but to be honest, it never crossed my mind to take one. To each their own, but for me it would've been torture to spend so many days playing follow the leader, with no input on my itinerary.

Originally I was going to do the cruise solo as well, so most of the initial planning I did on my own. But with singles paying double anyway I decided to take my mom, and then my aunt was able to join us, making for a fun reunion (we all live in different states). Since I was paying double the fare, the peak season wasn't an option-- I had May, late August and September to choose from. Denali isn't fully open in May, and by September a lot of things would've started shutting down, so I ended up picking late August. Plus, it had the added bonus of fall colors in Denali (I'm a bit of a photographer).

For the cruise, after a lot of research I settled on Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier as priorities. That narrowed the decision to Princess and Norwegian, since they were the only ones that had cruises visiting both. Their itineraries were almost identical, so Princess won out due to my mom's "meh" feelings about Norwegian.

NOTE: I'm going to include prices even though it's somewhat uncouth, because I thought it would be helpful for anyone planning a trip. I always like to have an idea of what a place costs since I'm usually traveling on a budget.

Packing/Equipment:

I had read here (repeatedly) that the key to Alaska is to dress in layers, and that advice proved to be well-placed. I took jeans, lightweight tops, a fleece jacket, and a waterproof shell, plus a hat, scarf and gloves. (Note: Jeans are generally dismissed as not being good for travel, because they're heavy to pack and take forever to dry-- both true-- but I put up with those qualities because they don't turn into a wrinkled mess while packed and you can usually wear them more than once without looking like a slob. Besides, I'm not much of a sink-washer anyway). The only things I didn't end up using were the hat and scarf-- I could have used them in Denali, but didn't have them with me, and the rest of the trip I didn't need them. For the formal nights I wore black slacks and fancy blouses.

Beyond clothes I mostly packed off my regular packing list, though I had to pare it down. Since most of my trips are to places where stores are tiny and don't have a lot of western products, I normally take lots of backup items (batteries, shampoo, etc). For this trip I kept having to remind myself that I didn't need to pack the kitchen sink. Aside from the basics, the only "extra" things I took were binoculars, magnets for the cabin walls, Windex wipes for the Denali shuttle buses, and the Milepost guide for driving around Alaska. Most of those ideas I got from here, so thanks!

My most important piece of travel gear is my camera. I recently sold off my mirrorless (Sony A6000) system and changed to the Panasonic FZ1000. Its sensor isn't as big as the A6000, but it's significantly better than the typical point-and-shoot and it saves me the hassle of carrying/changing a bunch of lenses. Traveling is often about compromise, and for me, the FZ1000 is the perfect compromise. I also took a Raynox DCR-2025 2.2x Telextender since the FZ1000 has "only" a 400m reach. Yes, another lens, after I just complained about changing lenses, LOL... but it is super light, and I only need to carry it on specific, rare occasions (like photographing distant wildlife). This was my first trip with this setup and I was quite impressed. It proved to be a great combination and I was very happy with the photos I was able to get. I took a tripod, but only used it once (for the northern lights, from the ship, so it didn't really work all that well-- but was a bit better than hand-holding).

emeybee · September 8, 2015

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 (Airport to Seward)

Activities: Alaska Wildlife Center

I was supposed to have a non-stop flight from LAX to Anchorage, but it was canceled a few months ago (I hate when they do that). The only remaining choices were landing after midnight or having a brief stop in Seattle, so I went with the stop (and the joy of waking up at 4am to make it to the airport on time).

After two uneventful flights I landed in Anchorage at 2:30 and picked up the car from Hertz. I was able to get a good rate on a compact ($329 for the week) by reserving several months ago and using a discount from AAA. When I picked up to the car they were apparently out of compacts, so they gave me an SUV. (Free upgrade, but more gas to buy...)

From the airport I made a beeline for the Alaska Wildlife Center. I wanted to get there in time for the bear feedings that started at 4:30pm. (They have feedings earlier in the day as well, but the afternoon fit my itinerary better). Fortunately I made it with about 5 minutes to spare. The center was great, and it was nice to see the animals up close in a non-zoo setting.

From the Wildlife Center, I continued onto Seward, enjoying the great views of Turnagain Arm along the way. (I was so busy enjoying the views, in fact, that I forgot to take photos!)

Once I made it into Seward I had dinner at the Salmon Bake restaurant. It was fine, nothing amazing, but not bad either. The only negative was the service-- it was difficult to get anyone's attention, even though they seemed to have plenty of servers.

After dinner I checked into my hotel for the first night, the Ballaine House, which is a very small B&B right in town. Bree, the host, was very helpful and had emailed several pages of incredibly detailed information about Seward as soon as I had booked. She also offered discounts on tours, which I happily took her up on. I normally don't care for B&Bs (that's my introvertedness showing...) but Ballaine House was great, and also very affordable ($80/nt).

After checking in I went straight to sleep, so that I'd be well-rested for a day on the Kenai Fjords.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

MONDAY, AUGUST 24 (Seward)

Activities: 6 Hour Kenai Fjords Tour w/ Major Marine, Seward Sealife Center

After a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast (included) at Ballaine House, I wandered around the Seward Harbor for a bit and then checked in for my Kenai Fjords tour with Major Marine.

When I was planning the trip I knew that I wanted to visit Kenai Fjords, but it took me awhile to decide which tour to do. I'd read that anything less than 6 hours didn't go out far enough to be worthwhile, and the 2-glacier 7.5 hour tour unfortunately stopped running the day before I arrived. That meant it came down to the 6 hour or 9 hour tour.

The longer one appealed to me on principle, because it went farther and there would be less people. In practice, however, I'd gotten sick on a small boat before, and didn't look forward to spending 9 hours staring hopelessly over the side. I decided to play it safe and booked the 6 hour tour, which was on a catamaran-- more stable than a regular boat. (I also took meclizine and ginger pills, and brought seabands, just to cover all the bases-- I'm happy to say I did not get sick at all!) Doing the 6 hour tour also had the benefit of giving me more time on land to see other things in Seward. Though, to be honest, I was so tired after my long travel day that I ended up just sleeping in.

There are two tour operators offering almost identical tours. I chose Major Marine over Kenai Fjords Tours because they had a better lunch. (Prime rib versus a sandwich wrap-- not really important on a boat tour, but when the two companies are so similar it comes down to the silly things). The tour was about $150 including the Ballaine House's discount and the lunch, which was an optional $19.

When I boarded the boat I was a little concerned to see that it was completely-- and I mean

completely

packed. It seemed like every available space was taken-- people were even assigned to the front benches without tables-- and I was concerned that it would be difficult to get good photos with such a large crowd. In the end, it worked out. The very top and very front decks were indeed crowded, but I was able to find a good space on the mid-level back deck and only had to battle the crowds on a few occasions.

My only other quibble with the tour was that lunch was served just as we approached the glacier. It seemed like a silly time to do it, as if you wanted to see the glacier (of course!) you had to let your lunch get cold. They should have started serving earlier, as we had quite a bit of time on open water without much to see before we approached the glacier.

All that said, the tour was AWESOME. Literally. (Eddie Izzard does

about how "awesome" used to mean literal "awe", but we've ruined the word since now even hot dogs can be "awesome". This was the original, "awe"-inspiring awesome. Not hot-dog-awesome.) For this tour we went to Aialik Glacier. As soon as we arrived, I left my prime rib to congeal and went out to the front deck to enjoy the beauty. Fortunately a lot of people seemed to have misplaced priorities, so while they ate their lunches the front deck was wonderfully uncrowded. We were stopped at the glacier for about 20 minutes in total. I stood outside for about 10 minutes, soaking in how beautiful the glacier was, and then I heard a little rumbling and a small piece of the glacier calved off and fell into the water. It was great! Just as I was congratulating myself on my luck to actually see a calving, another, bigger piece fell off. And then another! It was incredible. The cracks and booms as the ice broke off gave me chills. I stood there in amazement until the captain eventually announced that it was time for us to leave. At that point I started to go inside, but fortunately I didn't walk very fast, because just before I reached the door I heard another rumbling. I spun around just in time to see an entire wall of the glacier crash to the water with the loudest boom you've ever heard. It was followed by another piece, and then another-- it was so incredibly amazing, I just can't put it into words. The naturalist and the captain went on and on about how it was the most calving they'd ever seen. (I know tour people always say things like that, but they did seem sincerely excited).

Aside from the (AWESOME!) glacier, we didn't actually see much wildlife, which if not for the (AWESOME!) glacier, would have been kind of disappointing. It's possible that my expectations weren't realistic-- I thought there would be tons of wildlife. During the trip we saw a group of puffins, 3 otters, some harbor seals, and 2 whales (just their spouts and backs), but all of those were at quite a distance away (tiny dots if not for my camera's long lens). The only animals we saw up close were a group of sea lions that were camped out on an island. I thought we'd see more animals up close, but again, I might have just been expecting too much. And again, the glacier alone made this trip definitely worth it, so I'm not in any way complaining.

All of this said, however, calving (and wildlife) are pretty much luck of the draw, so as great as my experience was, I can't say that this specific tour was necessarily better or worse than any other tour. If anything, I'd probably recommend Major Marine's 7.5 hour tour if it's available, because that one goes to two glaciers, doubling your luck. I don't think Kenai Fjords Tours offers anything similar to that one, but if they do, I'm sure they're fine too. (Though I should point out that when we were at Aialik, there was a Kenai Fjords boat that left just before the calving started; terrible luck, though I guess they'll never realize it).

After the tour, I headed over to the Sealife Center. This may have been another case of something being built up too much in my mind because it was pretty disappointing. There were two sea lions behind grungy glass that you could barely see through, and one harbor seal. The best part of the Center was the bird area, because you can see puffins up close, and it was fun to watch them dive down in the water, and then go below to see the under-water perspective. Overall though, I don't think it was worth the money. (Maybe I'm just spoiled because I have been to some amazing aquariums).

I had dinner at a new place called the Gold Rush Bistro. I got king crab legs that were very good and a surprisingly good value ($26 if I remember right; most other places were well over $30).

From there I returned to my hotel and had a good night's rest, since I wanted to be on the road as early as possible for a long driving day tomorrow.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 (Seward to Talkeetna)

Activities: Summit Lake, Potter Marsh Boardwalk, Ulu Factory, Musk Ox Farm, Denali Flight w/ Glacier Landing

Today was my long driving day, because I needed to get from Seward to Talkeetna for my Denali flight scheduled at 4:45pm. I left Seward at the crack of dawn (6am), so that I'd have plenty of time for stops (and traffic).

Now, I'm born and raised in LA, arguably the world capital of traffic, but Alaska traffic is something else. On the one hand, the views are much nicer than our cement canyons, but on the other, it's extra maddening to have traffic on a desolate one-lane road. I'm used to weaving in and out and taking side streets to at least give myself the delusion that I'm getting somewhere. In Alaska, you're just sitting there, stuck, waiting for the pilot car to come. There were 3 stops between Seward and Anchorage, but the worst was at Denali (to come).

But it is what it is... the roads have to get fixed.

In any case, on my way out of Seward I stopped at Bear Creek Weir and spent a few minutes watching the salmon jumping up the small waterfall. From there, it was another beautiful drive through Turnagain Arm, and this time I remembered to take photos! Along the way I made quite a few stops for photos, including Summit Lake, Beluga Point (though I didn't see any whales), and the Potter Marsh Boardwalk.

When I passed through Anchorage, I made a quick stop at the Ulu Factory, where I was able to get a great deal on an ulu knife and a carving bowl from their factory seconds rack (they both look fine to me).

From there I made a detour to Palmer to visit the Musk Ox Farm. The musk oxes at the wildlife center hadn't been very cooperative (they were all congregated on the far end of the field, hiding from my camera) so I hoped to get a better look at this unique creature at the farm. They have 84 musk oxes, which are a prehistoric arctic animal that was re-introduced in Alaska in the 50s or 60s. The farm raises them for their fur, which they hand-comb out once a year for the native people to weave scarves and other items using their traditional family patterns. It was a fun visit.

After Palmer, I stopped quickly at House of Bread in Wasilla for a lunch (a sandwich, which was fine) and a loaf of bread to use for my lunches in Denali. From there it was on to Talkeetna for my Denali flight, though I was getting concerned because the skies were increasingly cloudy and it was starting to drizzle.

The rest of this day will continue on the next post, so that I can post more pictures...

emeybee · September 8, 2015

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 (Seward to Talkeetna) - Continued

For the Denali flight I booked the South Face McKinley Tour + Glacier Landing with Talkeetna Air Taxi. It was the shortest tour they offered (budget constraints) but I felt like the glacier landing made up for that a bit. There are a couple of companies offering very similar tours, and all have good reviews. I went with Talkeetna Air because they answered my emails promptly and offered an AAA discount. The tour was about $270 including the glacier landing and discount.

I ended up arriving several hours before my 4:45 flight was scheduled to check in, but because of the worsening weather I decided to stop by and check on the status. They suggested I go on an earlier flight that was just about to depart because the weather might prevent them from flying later. As it was, we wouldn't be able to see Denali, because it was in the clouds, and they said that I could cancel without a penalty if I wished. I debated moving the flight to another day, but I was afraid that if I waited I might not be able to go at all, so in the end I decided to be grateful for what I could get.

We boarded a small otter plane and I was lucky enough to be able to sit in the co-pilot's seat (the first to ask got it, and apparently I was the only one who thought to ask). The seat offered great views, but it was also somewhat terrifying because all of the buttons and levers were uncomfortably close to my knees-- I took great caution to not bump anything and inadvertantly crash the plane! Our pilot, Leanne, was an excellent guide and clearly knew the area like the back of her hand. We flew over Talkeetna and then through a tiny pass between the mountains before flying over Ruth Glacier. It was amazing to fly over and through the peaks and valleys, so close that you felt like you could touch the mountains-- though Leanne assured us the closeness was an illusion and the mountains were actually several miles away. Nevertheless, I made sure to keep my knees locked in place! Finally, we landed in a small valley that was covered with snow. It was right next to a cabin of a man (Dobson, I think?) who had been granted a small plot of land before the area was protected. They were in the process of expanding the cabin and a helicopter arrived bringing a concrete delivery just before we left.

Overall the flight was amazing, though there was a small tinge of disappointment for how much

more

amazing it could have been if Denali had been visible and the clouds hadn't been slow low. Still, I am glad I went, and the afternoon and next morning's flights were indeed canceled, so I would not have been able to go at all had I waited.

For dinner I ate at the highly touted Wildflower Cafe. It seems like everytime someone has posted here asking about Talkeetna, someone else has replied raving about this Cafe. Unfortunately, it in no way lived up to expectations. I ordered their special of the day, which was a beef tenderloin with a blue cheese sauce and a mushroom soup starter. The mushroom soup and blue cheese sauce tasted exactly the same-- plain cream with no flavor. Worse, my beef was totally raw, even though I'd ordered medium rare. I sent it back-- which I usually never do, but this cow was still mooing and would have made me nauseous to eat. They took it back for so long that I was afraid it would come out overcooked, but instead it somehow came back still raw. So I gave up, paid for the soup I'd eaten, and left. Very disappointing.

I stayed in Talkeetna overnight in order to allow for the backup morning flight. Plus driving to Denali after having just driven from Seward seemed like an exhausting proposition. I picked the Talkeetna Roadhouse because it was super cheap ($56/nt!) and had good reviews. The bathrooms are shared, but it was only for one night, so I was happy to trade a little convenience for more spending money elsewhere. It was a fine stay, nothing spectacular. The walls were thin, so I needed my earplugs, and non-guests can pay to use the showers and laundry machines, so it was pretty crowded. Still, for $56 I can't really complain.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 (Talkeetna to Denali)

Activities: None!

I intended to get an early start to Denali so that I could do a few hikes around the park entrance, but the weather reports looked grim. So instead I hung around Talkeetna and caught up on editing photos, sending emails, and what-not.

I had breakfast at my hotel, the Talkeetna Roadhouse. It has great reviews for breakfast but I thought it was only okay. For some reason they only offer eggs scrambled, which I'm not a fan of. To be fair, I didn't have pancakes or any baked goods, which seem to be their claim to fame.

Leaving Talkeetna, I stopped at Cubby's Marketplace, a small (but large for this part of Alaska) grocery store, to get some lunch items for Denali. The prices were high and the lunchmeat looked questionable, but it served its purpose. I also got gas, because I'd read that it was much cheaper than in Denali (which was true-- about 30 cents per gallon cheaper, though both were cheaper than what I pay in SoCal. Sigh.)

I intended to stop for lunch at the Broadview Cafe in Cantwell but when I got to its milepost there was just an empty lot. I don't know if it closed or if I was just looking in the wrong place. In any case, I carried on to Denali since I wasn't starving anyway. Once I arrived in Denali, it was pouring rain, so I felt comfortable with my decision to forgo to hiking. In the end, it was either raining or snowing for my entire time at Denali, so I never did get to hike. (I could have braved it, but I decided to be a wimp and assured myself that I was preventing pneumonia by taking the easy route).

I should note that I had researched the hikes available in Denali using the book "Denali National Park Guide to Hiking, Photography & Camping" by Ike Waits... it has incredibly detailed information for Denali in general and was a great resource in my planning, even though I didn't end up hiking. Mr. Waits even sends you his email address if you purchase the book on his website, and he was very helpful in answering a couple of questions I had.

When I got near the park, I had my first of many agonizing experiences with the Denali Park pilot cars. As my luck would have it, I seemed to have arrived right at the time that they were repaving the road directly in front of the park entrance. This meant that unlike most pilot car stops, where you are only waiting for the traffic in the opposite direction, at this stop you were waiting for traffic in FOUR directions. Maddening! And because it affected traffic going both ways out of the park, I had the great displeasure of being stopped here at least 236 times. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. But I spent way too long stopped at this intersection and I'm pretty sure I'm a little less sane now because of it.

Once I finally made it through the madness, I made a quick stop for a late lunch at Rose's Cafe in Healy. It was a very down-home place but the food was good and it was cheap for Alaska prices (less than $15). I checked into my hotel, the Park's Edge Log Cabins. I chose them because they were affordable ($107/nt) but still had some character. The other options in the same price range were pretty basic motels, or had bathrooms outside. The cabins all include refrigerators and microwaves, which was convenient since I thought I would be packing breakfasts and lunches for my days in Denali. It also had a porch out back which would have been lovely if it wasn't pouring rain. It would've been nice to be a little closer to the park (Healy is about a 15 minute drive away), but traveling on a budget is all about trade-offs. If anyone here is fabulously wealthy and would like to pay me to travel, please shoot me an email ;)

emeybee · September 8, 2015

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 (Denali)

Activities: Denali Wonder Lake Shuttle

This morning I had a very early start to get to the park. I stepped out of my room and thought it was odd that there was a group of people standing outside in the dark at 5am. I walked a little closer and realized the "people" were actually two moose (meese?)! They noticed me and ran away before I could take a photo, but there wasn't enough light to capture much anyway. So I hadn't even left my hotel and had already seen wildlife. I thought that was a good sign...

I had packed a beautiful lunch with a fantastic sandwich, fruit, snacks, etc, but being an idiot, I left it in the cabin and didn't realize it until I was most of the way to Denali, so I made a quick stop at the 24-hour Subway to get a mediocre and overpriced ($12! No $5 Footlongs here...) soggy mess of a "sandwich". Oh well. From there it was to the WAC to meet my shuttle that left at 6:15.

So, an overview. To get inside Denali park past mile 15, you have to take park transportation. There are two options-- shuttles and tours. They are both run by the same company, use the same buses and drive the exact same road. The tours cost many times the price of the shuttle (ie $130 vs $27 per person), and for the extra cost you get a snack, and have monitors that zoom in on the animals. With the shuttles you can get off and change shuttles (and drivers!) whenever you want, which means you can go hiking, and spend as much (or as little) time as you want in the park. With the tours you're stuck on the same bus with the same driver all day. The shuttles also have more options for going farther into the park-- most of the tours only go halfway. To each their own I guess, but I can't understand why anyone would choose the tours over the shuttles. It sure seems like spending more to do less.

For both of my days in Denali I booked the Wonder Lake shuttle ($48), with the intention of turning around at the Eielson Visitors Center if the skies weren't clear. (From what I'd read, there wasn't much wildlife after Eielson, it was mostly about the views). I booked the earliest shuttles of the day in order to be in the park as close to "golden hour" (photography) as possible. Plus I'd read that the animals are most active in the mornings and evenings, as opposed to in the middle of the day. In the end, all of my planning was all basically for naught.

The first hour or so in Denali was great-- we saw 2 moose, some caribou and some elk. But the farther we drove, the cloudier it got, and by the time we got to Polychrome pass everything was covered in a cloudy haze. When we got to Eielson it was hailing. I decided to continue on to Wonder Lake, hoping that if I spent longer in the park maybe it would clear up. Instead, it started snowing. Heavily. By the time we got back to Eielson the ground was completely covered with snow, the roads were icy, and we were just praying to get back alive. (I'm being dramatic, but it

was

icy). We were able to see two grizzly bears and another moose before we finally made it back safely to the WAC.

This all sounds bad, and it would have been nice to see more of the park, but it was also a very unique experience. I literally got to see "Fall in Denali" and "Winter in Denali" over the course of a few hours. It was amazing how fast the scenery changed from beautiful autumn colors to barren white snow. Also, considering the lack of visibility, we did see quite a few animals. And most of the other tours that left later had to turn back at Toklat, so I felt very fortunate to see as much as we did.

Here are some others that exceed the 6 photo limit:

My "view" of Denali from Eielson

and

and

Unfortunately, the weather was only supposed to get worse as the week went on, so I ended up canceling the next day's shuttle. I wasn't going to be able to hike, and the mountain definitely wasn't going to be out, so I decided instead to sleep in and then drive the park road as far as I could on my own.

Of course, before that I had to go through pilot car hell again... grrr... twice, actually, because I had dinner at 229 Parks, which was in the opposite direction of my hotel. The food was very good, though the sides were all cold-- I'm not sure if that was intentional or if they were a victim of the icy weather. Still, it was one of the few places I ate where the creativity of the food lived up to the inflated Alaska prices. (I don't mind paying a lot for good food, or having mediocre food for cheap, but paying a lot for mediocre food is annoying. But that's Alaska I guess).

emeybee · September 8, 2015

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 (Denali to Talkeetna)

Activities: Denali Self-Drive, Talkeetna

I had a nice lazy morning (eating the remnants of my forgotten lunch for breakfast), and then checked out of the Park's Edge and headed back to Denali. And back to... okay, I'm done complaining about pilot cars.

The first fifteen miles of the Denali park road can be driven by anyone and I think it's a very underrated way to see the park. I had enjoyed the shuttle, and of course buses are the only way to go deep into the park, but it was nice to be on my own schedule and be able to stop whereever I wanted for as long as I wanted to take photos and enjoy the view. That said, when I got to the park the skies were clear and I started to wonder whether I had made the wrong decision to not go to at least Eielson. By mile 15, however, it was snowing again and visibility was back to nil, so I was more comfortable with my choice. Along the way, at least, I had gorgeous views of the mountains and even spotted a moose in the distance, his antler's covered with snow.

After Denali, I stopped for lunch at the Creekside Cafe. It was just okay. Then it was back to Talkeetna. The drive from Anchorage to Seward gets all the raves, but I think the drive from Denali to Talkeetna is equally beautiful, especially with the fall colors.

Once I arrived in Talkeetna I checked back into the Talkeetna Roadhouse. Originally I was going to stay in Denali another night, but I decided to get some of the drive out of the way since I needed to be in Anchorage by 1pm on Saturday and had some stops I wanted to make. Since I didn't change my plans until about a month ago, I ended up paying a lot more than my first stay ($81/nt), but it was still cheap compared to everything else in the area. Since I'd skipped the shuttle I had time to do some laundry and explore the town (which took maybe 10 minutes, it's pretty small, and there isn't much to do).

I had dinner at the Denali Brewing Company; it was pretty good. After that I turned in for the night to prepare for another early start (theoretically).

DIY LAND SUMMARY:

I spend so much time planning my trips that I usually try to reflect once they're over to see if I should have done anything differently.

I am a bit sad that I never got to see Denali, though to be honest, before I started researching this trip I didn't know that seeing the mountain was a "thing". I am trying to remind myself that I can't be too upset about not seeing something that a few months ago I didn't even know I wanted to see. The northern lights, on the other hand, have been on my

bucket list

for a long time, and I hadn't been able to see those either. More frustrating, twice I arrived the day after they'd had huge displays the night before (my first day in Seward and my return trip to Talkeetna). Both the mountain and the northern lights, however, are so unpredictable that I don't think I could have planned better in order to see them. C'est la vie.

In Denali Park, it would have been nice to have more visibility. Ideally, I probably would have come earlier in August (though financially that wasn't an option for me this trip), as the weather is supposed to be a bit clearer then. That said, there are no guarantees, and bad weather can pop up any time.

Other than that though, I don't think I would change much. Most of the restaurants weren't much to write home about, but I don't think Alaska is really a foodie destination anyway. Just plan for a bit of sticker shock everywhere... most meals I would have paid $10-15 for at home were $25-30 here. My hotels were all fine. The Talkeetna Roadhouse was probably the one I'd least look forward to coming back to, but it was also the one where I saved the most money. The other two, Ballaine House in Seward and Park's Edge in Denali, I felt were great values and would happily return.

Overall, I really enjoyed my trip. I feel grateful for the amazing things I

did

get to see-- the awesome calving in Kenai Fjords, the beautiful flight over and through the mountains, the beautiful fall colors in Denali, the animals there, and even the surprise snowstorm. Now, onto the cruise!

emeybee · September 8, 2015

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 (Star Princess embarkation in Whittier)

Activities: Kincaid Park

I was going to stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center on my way to the airport in Anchorage, but my body had other plans and decided to sleep through my alarm. So, instead, I had a leisurly breakfast in Talkeetna before starting the drive back. This time I did have their famed pancakes, and they were pretty good. More like crepes than regular pancakes. Service was incredibly slow, however. It took 45 minutes to get my very simple order.

I made good time driving and got to Anchorage a bit early, so I did a quick loop through Kincaid Park, where there are supposed to be moose around. They proved elusive, though maybe you have to walk the trails to see them.

From there I made my way to the airport. My GPS took me a back way and directed me to turn onto the airport's runway! Good thing I noticed the sign in time to avoid it! My aunt's flight landed at 12:40, so I was able to pick her up for a quick brunch at Spenard Roadhouse before we met my mom's later flight. We both had eggs benedict, which were pretty good.

My mom's flight was due to land at 2:15pm. She was originally supposed to land at 11am, but, like me, she'd had a flight canceled a few months back. She'd debated whether to fly in the day before to be safe, but she's on a fixed income and didn't want to spend extra money on a hotel/taxis, so she went with the risky route. Fortunately everything worked out. Her flight landed as scheduled, and we met up with her in baggage claim and then found the Princess reps for the shuttle buses to Whittier.

I'd checked to see if it would make more sense for us to do to a one-way car rental and drop the car in Whittier, but it would have been ridiculously expensive (many hundreds of dollars). So, $54 Princess shuttle it is! With my mom's late arrival we wouldn't have had time to do much enroute anyway, so there wasn't much of a trade-off.

The shuttle driver offered some commentary along the way, but it mostly reminded me of why I hate bus tours-- it was very dry and he spent an inordinate amount of time talking about tides. But the drive was quick and we made it through the 4:30 Whittier tunnel (you can only get through it once an hour) and to the ship. Check in was very efficient... we had to wait maybe 3 minutes before we were on our way up the gangway and to our cabin.

For the rest of the day we wandered the ship a bit and had dinner in the Amalfi dining room (we all had prime rib, which was only okay). Our bags arrived after dinner so we unpacked and then watched the sailaway from our balcony.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

THE SHIP

So, a quick break from the day-by-day to go over the ship and our cabin. We sailed on the Star Princess, which is a Grand Class ship. I am probably going to sound overly picky here, but I really am just including this for informational purposes. Overall I liked the ship and wouldn't mind sailing on it again. It was a very good ship for seeing Alaska. We made a lot of use of the promenade deck and Skywalkers was also a nice place to hang out.

The areas we saw all seemed to be in good condition. There were no drips or leaks or rust that I ever noticed. The decor seemed to be very similar to the Crown Princess, which I had sailed on several years ago (though maybe my memory is just foggy). The common areas were all very attractive and there were plenty of quiet spaces for us to use. We'd brought a few board games and could always find a table to play on. I'd read complaints about waits for elevators, but we didn't experience any issues aside from embarkation/disembarkation. My aunt smokes and there was a handy smoking area one floor directly below our cabin. (I never smelled any smoke in our room, FWIW). I wish they would distinguish Starboard from Port better-- color coding or something. It took us almost the entire cruise just to get our bearings.

I felt like the activities on board left a lot to be desired. I think the partnership with the Discovery Channel may have changed things for the worse, as most of the "Discovery" labeled activities were cheesy and boring-- i.e. let's see who can sort these plastic crabs the fastest. I thought I remembered there being more going on when we were on the Crown. We're game people, and there seemed to only be a handful of trivia events, 3 nights of bingo and not much else. They did have some other "game nights", but they were all game

shows

, where only a few people compete instead of everyone being able to participate. We tried our luck at the slot machines a few times, but they were all weirdly complicated and we could never figure out how you actually won. We lost interest pretty quickly and ended up only donating a few dollars to the casino. We only went to one show-- a Motown tribute that was comically bad. It was poor singers in tacky costumes, surrounded by mediocre choreography. This was in the Vista Lounge-- maybe the shows in the big theater were better.

My aunt needed to use the internet to keep up with some work, but was very disappointed. We knew going in that the internet would be slow, but it was basically unusable. It would regularly take her 30 minutes just to logon, which is not acceptable. A ship should not have slower internet than an airplane... this is 2015. Princess needs to find a way to improve this if they want to cater to a younger tech-savvy generation. They did give her the money back for the 300 minutes she'd purchased ahead of time, but that cost Princess $200 that she would have been happy to pay if the internet had just worked. Fortunately, she was able to get an AT&T signal quite a bit at sea, but she did have more work to come home to than she'd intended.

The food was generally good. It certainly wasn't up to the standards of a high quality restaurant at home, but it wouldn't be fair to expect that when everything has to be mass produced. The vegetables were especially well-prepared (not mushy!), and my meat generally arrived as the medium rare I'd ordered. The only dish I can really remember as exceptional was the beef tournedos on the first formal night. They were excellent. My only complaint would be that most things were very under-seasoned and generally lacked flavor and complexity-- though that's understandable when they're catering to a huge variety of tastes. We did learn to avoid the buffet as much as possible, which was usually not nearly as good as the dining rooms, and almost always over-crowded. We had pizza once and I didn't find it very good. My margherita slice had clearly been sitting out for awhile, and my aunt's pepperoni slice was fresh but had very little taste and the cheese kind of overwhelmed it. The soft serve ice cream was also not very good-- McDonalds has better (which isn't saying much). We ordered a room service breakfast once and that was disappointing-- our ham and egg sandwiches were ice cold. Room service was also incredibly difficult to get through to. Three times I had to give up after listening to the phone ring for 5 minutes. IMO that's not okay-- they need to add more lines and/or more staff. Once we got through though they were always prompt to deliver.

My mom and I both got the "soda and more" beverage package. I was happy with my non-alcoholic cocktails, but my mom regretted getting it. She couldn't get the sodas she preferred because they were only available in cans, which were oddly not included. That was probably mentioned in some fine print we hadn't noticed, but it seemed like a weird exception for them to make for a "soda" package. Also, at the International Cafe they would give her coffee or hot chocolate, but for some reason they couldn't do half coffee/half hot chocolate-- she had to mix the two herself. She found that annoying as she thought the coffee was too strong by itself. (That's not a comment on the quality-- my mom prefers weak, terrible coffee).

Our booking promotion came with one free night in a specialty restaurant (for two... all 3 of us went and split the cost of the third). The venue and time were pre-selected (Sabatinis on the first formal night), but we'd looked at the menus ahead and wanted to go to the Crown Grill on the last night of the cruise. We went there as soon as we got on board and were able to change our reservation without any difficulty. I was glad to have been able to try it, but I wouldn't pay extra in the future. Our soup was very good, as were the shrimp and the filet, but the "rib-eyes" that two of us ordered were nothing of the kind. Rib-eyes have a core of fat in the center and a crescent of fat around the edge, and these had neither-- it was just a large piece of solid meat. (The example rib-eye out front

did

have the typical fat). It also had no flavor and was very tough even though it was medium rare. I think it may have been a round steak or top sirloin. Quite disappointing for a restaurant that cooks to order and has a surcharge. We mentioned it to the waiter, and he said several other people had complained about the same thing, which was very strange, since he had specifically recommended the rib-eye when my mom had asked what was best.

Again though, these are just notes, not complaints, and overall I liked the ship. Except for the buffet, it never felt overcrowded, even with the pool areas getting very little use due to the Alaska climate. The staff were great for the most part and everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

OUR CABIN

We were in cabin E729, which is a mini-suite. It's the very last cabin on the starboard side, and it has an extra-long balcony with views to both the side and the back (aft). E728 is the same on the other side. This extra view was a huge bonus and I was very glad I had chosen this cabin. In fact, this balcony was the only reason we were able to see the northern lights-- everywhere else was too brightly lit. Emerald deck balconies are covered-- a key factor in rain-prone Alaska. If anyone is interested, a previous cruiser posted some helpful photos of our exact cabin at

http://eatpraycruise.blogspot.com/

(the balcony is rusty in her photos, but it was freshly painted during our time there).

I'd read that it's better to be on the Port side in Alaska (so that your views match up with the commentary in Glacier Bay), but when I booked only the uncovered cabins on Dolphin deck were left. Since I planned to walk around the ship taking photos anyway, I was happy with the bigger covered balcony on the "wrong" side. It ended up being perfect-- since we were in the very back and the wrap-around promenade was only one floor below, our cabin was only steps from a view to any direction. We also ended up being the "right" side for Hubbard Glacier-- our side saw it first and had the longer views. (I am not sure if that's on every cruise or just ours).

We were directly above the Vista Lounge. I had read that because we were on the opposite side of the ship from the stage, we shouldn't have any noise or disturbances, but that proved to be incorrect. They had a show in the Vista Lounge one night and we could hear the songs well enough to sing along, both during the show itself and the preceding rehearsals. Fortunately it was only one night and ended about 9pm, so it wasn't a huge problem, though it didn't help that the singing was bad. (The other nights had movies and we could not hear them). The even-numbered cabins might be louder.

I was concerned that it would be inconvenient to be at the far end of the ship, but it wasn't too bad. The farthest venues were the ones we were least interested in (the big theater and the casino). Our most frequent destinations were midship or closer.

Overall, I had no complaints. There were three of us, so things were a bit cramped, but that was to be expected. My aunt slept on the sofa-bed and said it was fine, though we did all request egg crates to supplement the mattresses. There was ample storage and we were able to keep our things pretty well-organized. The bathroom was surprisingly large and the full tub was a huge improvement over the typical claustrophobic showers.

Our cabin steward, Margarito, was excellent. He had procured a 3rd balcony chair before we even asked, and was always very helpful, but also didn't hover.

Now, back to the day-by-day...

emeybee · September 8, 2015

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 (Hubbard Glacier)

Planned Activities: Sea Day

After all my driving over the past week, it was nice to be able to take a day and just relax. We didn't arrive at Hubbard Glacier until 3pm so we had the morning to settle in. We had a nice breakfast, played Bingo and lost (my mom was one number away on the blackout), napped a bit, and then had a leisurely lunch.

Once we got to Hubbard we were pleased to see that our cabin's side of the ship faced the glacier first, so we had a great view from our balcony. The weather was a bit cloudy, but we still had decent visibility, and the clouds really brought out the blues of the glacier. It was almost incomprehensible in size. There was quite a bit of small calving, but nothing major. It was still an amazing sight to see. As the ship started turning away, my aunt and I went down to the Promenade deck and continued watching from the aft and then the port side.

After that we got ready for the first formal night, which was the 50th Anniversary Dinner. My mom and aunt were both a little worried about the "unusual" (their perception) set menu, but I talked them into trying it and they were glad they did.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

MONDAY, AUGUST 31 (Glacier Bay)

Planned Activities: Sea Day

Today was Glacier Bay. We were a little bit nervous because it was a very foggy morning, but fortunately it cleared up a bit and we were able to see the glaciers just fine. I had read that you could usually see wildlife if you sat out from the time the naturalist boards until you arrive in Glacier Bay. We tried, but we are all short-attention-span people, so we only sat out there for about 45 minutes before getting bored. We may have seen an otter in the distance, but even with binoculars it was hard to tell. After giving up on the wildlife viewing, we went and had lunch. Once we arrived at Margerie Glacier, we did the opposite of the day before-- we watched the port side on the Promenade deck, before returning to our own cabin to watch the Starboard side. We then stayed out for awhile, playing board games and watching the passing scenery.

We were supposed to have stopped at a second glacier, but either we missed it and didn't notice, or the ship didn't go. We had gone inside to warm up for a bit and then went back out in time for our scheduled arrival at 3:15pm, but the ship never stopped again. We did sail by several other smaller glaciers and enjoyed the day overall.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 (Skagway, 7am-8:30pm)

Activities: Self Drive to Emerald Lake

In Skagway I rented a car to drive up to Emerald Lake. I'd thought about doing the train, but I just don't like being cooped up all day. Plus, the car was much cheaper (though it was crazy expensive for a one-day car rental -- $136). My mom and aunt ended up deciding to join me. We took the Skagway Smart Bus from the ship to the Avis office at the Westmark Hotel (it would have been about a 15 minute walk, but my aunt had just had foot surgery not too long ago). The bus was very efficient and cost $2 each way, or $5 for an all-day pass.

I'd bought and downloaded Murray's Guide ahead of time for the drive ($5), and it offered some handy descriptions along the way. We stopped at the suspension bridge, Caribou Crossing, Emerald Lake, and Carcross, as well as countless turnouts, waterfalls and viewpoints. It was a gorgeous drive and a very good day. The weather was crisp and started hailing and then snowing for a bit, but it was never too cloudy to see the views. We originally were going to have lunch at the Chilkoot Bakery in Carcross, but the sandwiches were all pre-made and didn't look very good, so we left and went to The Bistro instead. It was pretty good, though the portions were too big to finish and the building was really cold. We also stopped at Watson's General Store but that was a letdown (just touristy junk). At Caribou Crossing we fed some cheeky goats and laughed at the funny-looking Alpacas. On the way back we even saw a black bear crossing the road, but it scooted off before I could get a picture.

We'd picked up the car as soon as Avis opened at 8am and returned about 3:30, but that was with a LOT of stopping. The day could have been done faster if we'd been on a shorter schedule. When we got back to Skagway we wandered for a little bit and then returned to the ship well before our 8:30pm departure.

Back on board, we relaxed a bit, played some board games, and then got ready for dinner. Afterward we turned in early, which would become a recurring theme on this trip.

Edited September 8, 2015 by emeybee

emeybee · September 8, 2015

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 (Juneau, 6:30am-4pm)

Activities: Mendenhall Glacier independently, Whale watching with Orca Enterprises

So, my time in Juneau involved some drama...

I'd originally planned to do a combined Mendenhall/Whale Watching tour through Princess (the photo tour run by Gastineau Guiding - $199). I changed my mind a few weeks ago, and decided that I'd rather go to Mendenhall first, in order to beat the crowds and have more time there. I'd also read that the first-in-the-morning whale tours were at a disadvantage because they have to spend time finding the whales, whereas the later tours can rely on earlier reports. So, I changed to Harv and Marv, who had small 6-person boats ($163), because their later tour would allow me to take a taxi from Mendenhall to Auke Bay, and save 30 minutes of backtracking to Juneau.

A few days before the tour, I got an email from Harv and Marv that said they didn't have enough people booked for the 6-person boat, so they would take me on the 12-person boat instead, departing at the same time. This sounded curiously like they had actually

over

-booked the 6-person boat, but I try not to be a suspicious person.

So, the morning of the tour I headed out to Mendenhall, leaving at 7:15, using a taxi I'd reserved with Evergreen Taxis ahead of time. The taxi was fine, though I could have done without the unnecessary political commentary (apparently global warming is all a huge scam... alert the scientists!). The taxi was $37 using the meter, but the cheaper shuttles ($10 each way) didn't start running until 9am. I ended up getting to Mendenhall about 7:45 and had a blissful few moments being the only person there before a trickle and then a stream of people arrived.

To be honest, Mendenhall itself was pretty underwhelming. Granted, I'd seen a lot of glaciers by this point of this trip. If you were coming up the other way it might seem more spectacular since it would be your first real glacier experience. Nugget Falls, on the other hand,

was

quite impressive. I also spent a bit of time on the Steep Creek Trail, where the ranger was very informative. I didn't see any bears but did see salmon and also a porcupine hiding in a tree.

About the time I was ready to leave Mendenhall, I happened to get a cell signal and checked my email. Good thing I did, because Harv and Marv had emailed to say that they were cancelling all of their whale watches for the day! It was extra frustrating because they'd only

emailed

this to me, when I'd specifically told them after their earlier change that I wouldn't have reliable access to email. This left me with a mad dash to book a different whale watching tour at the last minute. A shuttle happened to be leaving right then, so I canceled the taxi to Auke Bay and raced back to Juneau to find a new tour.

I ended up going with Orca Enterprises, and had about 15 minutes to spare before the tour left. Phew! It was a much larger group (30-40 I think) but at least we went out. (It was also less people than some of the other groups we saw out there). The seating inside was crowded, but once we got to the whales there were plenty of decks to spread out. It was a great whale watching trip and we saw a lot of whales, though no bubble feeding or breaching. There were some waves once we got out on the water, but Orca Enterprise's boat didn't have any trouble. I guess that is a (MAJOR!) downside to Harv and Marv's small boats-- I'd rather go whale watching with a crowd than not at all!

Because the tour started later than I'd planned, I had them take me straight to the ship once we were done, and boarded with about 30 minutes to spare. It was a stressful day, but I was glad I ended up doing everything I'd wanted to.

My mom had spent the day wandering around Juneau, and my aunt had spent the day trying to get some work done (her foot was bothering her). Once we were all back on board we got ready for the first formal night and after dinner we turned in early once again. I think this was also the night we went to see the goofy Mowtown show.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 (Ketchikan, 10am-6pm)

Activities: Self Drive to Totem Bight, Potlatch Totem Park, Herring Cove and around + Lumberjack Show

We had another gorgeous day in Ketchikan. Apparently it's the rain capital of Alaska, but we had beautiful blue skies.

My original plan was to take a scenic flight to Misty Fjords, but after booking I kept debating whether it was worth it. I don't mind paying a premium for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, but this didn't strike me as that. It seems like a beautiful place, but I was going to see lots of beautiful places on this trip, so I didn't know if it was worth the extra cost to see one that you had to fly to. When the Misty Fjords flight in June met its untimely end (RIP), I decided to take that as a sign that I should find another activity. I ended up renting a car with Alaska Car Rental ($66) to drive up Tongass Highway to Totem Bight and Potlach Park, and then down to Herring Cove. It was a nice drive, but not particularly spectacular. Seeing the totem poles was interesting (I'd downloaded a guide beforehand) and there was a really nice waterfall just past Herring Cove. At Herring Cove itself we didn't see any bears but we saw a

ton

of people looking for them! In hindsight I might have kept the flight, just because it was such a beautiful day, but there's no way to know that in advance.

My mom and my aunt had spent the day wandering and shopping. My aunt wanted to see the lumberjack show (it was one of the few affordable excursion options), so I'd booked the last show of the day for all of us. I returned the car, made a quick detour to see Creek Street for a few pictures, and then met up with them for the show. I expected it to be super cheesy and lame, but it was actually really fun and there were some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

Once the show was over, it was back on the ship for dinner and another early night.

emeybee · September 8, 2015

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 (Inside Passage)

Activities: Sea Day

Our last full day of the cruise had sadly come... I spent the morning getting some laundry done and hanging out on the balcony as it was another beautiful day. We just lazed about, played some games, and relaxed after our busy port days.

Just as we were getting ready to head out to dinner we heard the Captain announce that there were orcas on the port side, so we rushed down to see them in the distance. I was able to get a few photos, but they are such tiny specks that it would be silly to post them.

This was our night in the Crown Grill, which as mentioned, had its disappointments. After dinner we returned to start the depressing job of packing to go home.

We stayed up late for once, playing board games, and it was a good thing we did, because my aunt returned from a smoking jaunt to say that she could see the northern lights!! I ran down to the aft promenade but the ship's lights were too bright, so I returned to our balcony where we had a much better view. Unfortunately, you need longer exposures to photograph the lights, which means you need a tripod, and tripods don't work well on a moving ship. But nevertheless, here is my smudgy photo of the lights:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 (Debarkation in Vancouver)

Activities: Gastown, Granville Island, Stanley Park, Britannia Mine Museum

My aunt needed to get back home, so she headed to the airport straight from the ship, using the Princess shuttle ($24). They had an arrangement where she didn't have to go through customs at the airport if she went straight from the ship to the shuttle to the flight, so that was handy. She still said it took her 2 hours to get through security given the crowds.

My mom and I were able to stay in Vancouver for an extra day. We'd been in Vancouver together once before, for the World's Fair in 1986. All three of us-- my mom, myself and Vancouver-- have changed quite a bit since then. :)

We picked up our car from Alamo right at the Canada Place cruise terminal. After the expensive car rentals in Alaska, Vancouver was a refreshing change-- the car was only $34 for the day. (Though I checked their price again out of curiosity last week and it had shot up to $150). I had thought about just doing public transportation, but renting the car saved us from having to store our bags and then go back to retrieve them later (and my mom didn't really want to lug her suitcase around with a bum wrist). Plus, all of the hotels near public transportation seemed to be well above our budget.

We had a nice leisurely day. We wandered Gastown, Granville Market and Stanley Park, and then headed up to the Britannia Mine. Unfortunately the traffic was awful-- I'd forgotten it was a holiday weekend. The mine itself was a fun stop, though, and I was able to pan for two microscopic specks of gold-- I may be 2 cents richer now! I'd planned to go to Lynn Canyon and the Richmond Night Market also, but my mom had started coming down with a cold so we decided to take it easy. Instead we had dinner at Shanghai River, which had excellent xiao long bao.

We stayed at the Days Inn right by the airport ($100/nt) since we were flying home first thing in the morning. It was a bit grungy (glue-stained wallpaper), but overall it was fine for such a short stay.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 (Fly home)

Activities: None

My mom's flight was supposed to depart at 8am (domestic through Toronto) and mine at 8:45 (int'l to LAX), so we needed to be at the airport pretty early. Fortunately we'd woken up early, because her flight was canceled at the last minute (something to do with the windshield) and she had to go on an earlier one in order to make her connection. Security for me was super fast at this time of the morning, and we actually landed at LAX a bit early-- though true to LAX, a wait on the tarmac quickly put an end to that.

And just like that, the trip was over... back to LA where it's a sweltering 105 degrees. I miss Alaska already.

Edited September 8, 2015 by emeybee

emeybee · September 8, 2015

CRUISE SUMMARY:

The cruise was pretty good. To be honest, I saw more in my time on land, but I was still glad to see the southern part of Alaska as well. It was also nice to have an easy-going time to reunite with family. We were blessed with exceptional weather, especially for early September, and overall I'm pretty pleased with how everything went.

Everyone has their own travel style, and no one's style is wrong as long as it's right for them. For me, a cruise is a way to get from point A to point B. I'll probably only take another one if it's somewhere that is difficult to traverse on land. Princess was fine, and I don't have any major complaints about the ship and service. I just like to have more immersion and more choice when I travel. I'm also not one who likes being catered to or pampered (introvert!) so while the crew was all great, that's not something that would keep me coming back. Nevertheless, I hope that all of you continue to enjoy your cruises, and I would like to say thank you for your insights and tips. I didn't post much, but I lurked here quite a bit, and your information and experience were invaluable and much appreciated.

ALASKA ADVICE:

Figure out your sightseeing priorities before you pick your dates. So much in Alaska depends on where/when you go; you would hate to book everything and then find out that you'll miss your most-anticipated activities.
Don't worry so much about what cruiseline/ship. I know that's probably sacrilege on a place called Cruise Critic, but that's my opinion. IMO, the itinerary should come first, with the cruiseline and ship as a tiebreaker, if necessary.
Unless you're 100% a tour person, don't go on a tour. It is cheaper on your own, and Alaska is incredibly easy to get around, even for the most inexperienced traveler. Going on your own lets you set your own schedule, spend time in the places you want to spend time in, and generally get a deeper experience.
Talkeetna isn't worth a stop in and of itself (IMO), but it is a good way to break up the long drive to Denali, and it's also much cheaper for flightseeing than at the park directly. There is also river rafting available, though I didn't try it.
Plan to go as far into Denali as possible. You've driven hours to get there-- make it count. If the idea of an all-day bus ride freaks you out, take comfort in the fact that you can always turn around early if you get bored, or if every weather system possible descends on you, as it did me-- if you take the shuttle, that is. And remember that you can get off the shuttle! I read so many reports here from people staying on the bus all day. Denali is a great place to go for a walk or a hike-- assuming you aren't met by a snowstorm.
Book everything as early as possible. I always plan ahead anyway, but in Alaska it's really necessary. I saw so many prices go up as the months went by and was always happy that I had locked down rates/reservations early. This goes for everything-- hotels, car rentals, tours, etc. My $34 rental car in Vancouver would've been $150 if I'd reserved it last week. That price difference is half an excursion.
Expect for weather to mess up some of your plans, and don't let it ruin your trip when it does. It's all part of traveling to Alaska. Do research on backup plans just in case.
Know and accept your budget. Alaska can be insanely expensive, but it doesn't have to be. There are people here who recommend you do all the excursions and stay at the top-of-the-line hotels. For some of us, that's just not realistic. My landlord wouldn't have appreciated me forgoing my rent in order to take a helicopter tour. :) My mom came on this cruise with about $100 of spending money total and had a great time. You don't have to spend a boatload of cash to enjoy your cruise. There will never be enough time or money to see everything, so find a balance between your budget and your sightseeing priorities.
That said, if it comes down to a nice hotel versus a once-in-a-lifetime excursion, definitely go with the excursion. I make sure my hotels have decent reviews on Tripadvisor, but beyond that, who cares? It's just a place to sleep. If you're spending all day in your hotel room you're doing Alaska wrong. ;) Plus, many of the more "exclusive" (i.e. "expensive") hotels are way out of the way... Overall I was happy with where I stayed on this trip and my most expensive room was $107/night. Paying 3-4 times that seems silly, unless you just have money to blow. (In which case, again, feel free to blow some money on my travel fund ;) )

GENERAL TRAVEL ADVICE:

Know yourself, and don't rely entirely on other people's recommendations or go along with what "everyone" says you should do. What sounds amazing to someone else might be awful for you, and vice versa. People have different interests and tastes. Most of my friends' idea of heaven is sitting on a beach for hours with nothing to do. That's my idea of hell. That's why we don't travel together! :)
The flip side of the above: Be open to new experiences, and be willing to go out on your own and get outside your comfort zone. Sticking with a tour all the time is reassuring, but it's also insulating you from a lot of what makes travel so great. You'll have a deeper experience of the places you're visiting if you're willing to go out on your own. Some of my favorite travel moments have been doing things I didn't think I would enjoy.

newdestination · September 8, 2015

Very nice review. Thanks for doing it!

LittleLion07 · September 9, 2015

What a great review and your photos are amazing! I have been thinking of getting that camera. Were these all JPEG or do you shoot in RAW and do editing after?

Thank you for posting the photos and all the details of your trip.

maileehawj · September 9, 2015

Beautiful photos! I was in Alaska not even a week before you but it was pretty much cloudy every day I was there. It's interesting to see the difference between a cloudy day and a more clear day! We have an almost identical photo but because of the fog, yours has a mountain, mine's missing one! lol

I looked at your flickr and am insanely jealous of all the places you've traveled too!! I hope to one day be able to travel like you!

carinainacar · September 9, 2015

Such a well thought out review and I loved reading all about your activities. Those photographs are absolutely stunning! :)

wally_bushy · September 9, 2015

Great review

We were in Alaska in May 15 with limited travel time so the cruise was a good option.

I agree with your comments about land travel

Keith1010 · September 9, 2015

I want to complement you on an extensive review.

Outstanding.

Keiht

dolfndreams · September 9, 2015

Thanks so much for taking the time for such a detailed review, taking a similar way next year. And your photo's are stunning

Thanks

Nan

AKStafford · September 9, 2015

Excellent review and great pictures. Glad you had a good trip!!

My father-in-law drives truck for Carlile between Anchorage and Fairbanks. He gets to wait on the construction 8 times a week... (Four trips up, four trips down, all summer long)

Alaska Trip Report & Photos: DIY Seward/Denali + Star Princess Southbound

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