Jump to content

Back from Vision 7/16/04 cruise


Recommended Posts

After getting so much wonderful information from CC I thought I should return the favor. I just got back at 3:30 AM from the #6 land tour out of Fairbanks and 7 night cruise aboard the Vision. Everything was excellent!!!! Food was better than ever,the windjammer food was plentiful and good, shows were wonderful and everyone we met was friendly. We hit the best weather. Warm and sunny almost the whole 2 weeks. On 2 days my DH sat by the pool. Went to Alaska and got a sunburn. Saw wildlife wherever we went. I should have played the lottery. Lots of friendly people. A group of 6 other couples joined us. We were met at 10PM at the Fairbanks airport. They took us and our luggage to the Pikes lodge.

We met Jacquline our tour guide there who had our keys to our rooms and gave us info on where to meet the next day. She and Steve (our driver) were from Alaska and very informatiove and REALLY NICE folks. They were with us the whole land tour. Our group was great. Lot's of people with great senses of humor. Lot's of laughs all the way around. It was great getting to know people and then meeting them on the cruise. A few of the rules on the bus were men must sit down in the restroom while the bus is moving and no whining. That set the tone.

The Pikes lodge is a very nice place. We were in the adjacent building which was just fine. Some friends had a balcony while other s didn't. Luck of the draw. Comfortable with a decent morning buffet area. The temp was in the upper 80's with a smokey smell. The wind was with us so it wasn't too bad. They said some days you couldn't see the mountains with all the smoke.

We did the El Drorado gold mine and riverboat Discorvery trip on day 2. Both were a lot of fun. They could have been silly but weren't. Earl Hughes, the conductor singer from the El Dorado mines was real folksy and a pretty good singer. We had a great meal at erh Princess Lodge where Earl and his daughter sang. IF you see him tell him the gang from VT got his CD's. It took us 2 hours for the 20 of us to get served. We found that in Alaska be prepared to sit a spell. They cook one meal at a time whether it's for 40 or 4.

The next day we took the train to Denali. Our guides were Natalie and Patrick. Natalie was the spotter/hostess and was a riot. Partrick was the bartender who thought he was a pirate. Wonderful views and narration (in between trying to sell stuff). We were let off for lunch and then went on the 7 hr. Deanli tour. Breathtaking!! Incredible!! Views never seen before. Lot's of wildlife. The McKinley lodge was rustic. An OK place to stay until time for your excursion.

THe next morning was the bus ride to Talkeetna and the Alaska Talkeetna lodge. This was the nicest place we stayed. A wonderful resort like atmosphere. Incredible views in the early morning of Mt. McKinley.

On to the Vision the next day after a stop over in Anchorage. We got a little more time because the said the Vision was going to be late sailing. The cruise director saif the a prop had been damaged at Hubbard but had been repaired by the crew. They debated canceling the cruise but didn't (thank goodness). He said they had a 45 minute turn around. We were annoyed about barely (literally)getting a bite of food before muster and the seeming lack of organization but after what we heard we understood. We were supposed to all sit together but were spread all over. The head waiter fixed that for the next night.

The cruise went like clock work. We saw whales from our balcony. Hubbard glacier was cool (ha). Hard to desribe in words. The white thunder was amazing.

We did the Capt Larry whalewatch in Juneau. Great pick. Great ride. You could sit inside or stand in the back. 6 people could go up on top at a time. People were nice enough to take turns. We went right out to a spot and waited a few minutes. 5 whales surfaced so close to us the naturalist, Adhely, said holy s---. The surprised me so much I couldn't get a picture. The next hour the were near us bubble feeding. Can't beat that.

We rented a car in Skagway at Avis and drove up to Emarald lake and for the cinnamin buns. The views were one's I will never forget. Couln't have been easier. Lot's of pull offs for photo's.

Icy Strait was educational and lower keyed. Really enjoyable. The bear excursion with Kevin ( a MTV wannabe) was incredible. Saw 6 bears. Well done all the way around. Got to shake Koo Hooks hand. Had some rain in the afternoon.

Ketchican was OK. We had fun on the duck tour. Otherwise, lots of store. Ala St. Thomas.

The Vancouver airport was not easy. We did the $15 pre embarkation sign up for the airline. This gave us our boarding pass, took us through a seperate section of the airport and probably saved 1 1/2 hrs. It still was 2 hours from when we got off the ship until we stepped inside the airline. No extra fee but lot's of security checks.

Feel free to post questions about anything else I may have left off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tazboyles,

Thanks for the great review of Vision. We will be on her Mexican Riviera Itinerary in October and it sounds like we have alot to look forward to. I've been wondering about the food because it gets such mixed reviews, so everytime I read a good one I'm relieved to hear it. It sounds like your Alaska trip was fantastic! I'd love to go but can't talk my husband into it. He prefers the hotter climates. You didn't happen to notice whether or not there is shuffleboard on Vision, did you? We were on Rhapsody last year and had fun playing it, up by the climbing wall. Thanks again for the review!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been anxious to hear about the Vision Alaska Cruisetours as I'm taking one next summer - the Northbound 10 day. I keep debating whether to keep this booked or just go ahead and do a roundtrip (NCL or Holland America) out of Seattle as I live but 10 miles from Seattle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for a great review. This will be our first cruise. We do the south bound AK curise on the 13th of August. How was the food? Sounds like the side trips were great. We haven't picked which ones we want to do. We live in Texas. Yesterday it was 100 degrees so just watching icebergs go by (while we are in the pool) will be great.

 

Claudia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All 14 of us were impressed with the food. The food on our last cruise 2 yrs ago on the Enchantment left me unimpressed. This time the presentation was excellent as was the taste. Everything was cooked to order. Lots of variety each night on the entrees as well the deserts.

 

One of our friends did play shuffleboard.

 

We have traveled to the W. and E. Caribbean, Toronto, D.C., The falls, Montreal, FL. and had a great time. Alaska was the best. Between the scenery and excursions there was no comparison to anything I have ever done. The good weather sure helped but....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the 6/25/04 Northbound Alaska cruise on the Vision. We thought the food was really good. We've been on Carnival for the past 2 cruises (8/02 & 8/03). And the Vision food was better than the Carnival food by far. Except that it doesn't have any specialty restuarants. Which the last Carnival cruise we went on did. And we went there two nights it was so good. We were also on RCCL Majesty a couple of years ago and remember that their food was better than we had on the Carnival cruises. We've been to Mexico, Bahama's, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. Good places. But Alaska is the most awesome vacation I've ever taken in my life. You think of it as a once in a life time trip. Then you realize that your life will not be complete unless you go back. And the sooner the better. All of you waiting for your upcoming Vision cruises to Alaska, you're in for a wonderful time! Have fun!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Tazboyle..

Thanks for the great report.

 

Reference bear watching in Icy Strait, how did you locate Kevin? Was this tour done through the ship?

 

We will be on the Vision on the last southbound cruise on 9/10/04. Travelling with me will be my son and 2 grandchildren (7&9) and from what I read about the shore excursions, children have to be 12 to go on their tour.

 

I would appreciate any help that you or anyone else out there can offer.

 

Thanks so much !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...