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Deckhawk

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  1. Our bus left from the Anchorage Marriott at 10:45. There were options earlier and later (until 12:30PM I think). Bus ride was roughly 2.5 hours total - I believe we made one other stop on the way down and ran into traffic...
  2. I brought three bottles from home: Alpha Omega ERA, Black Stallion Transcendent and a bottle of Continuum. Before I went to dinner the first night, I told the som that I drink California cabs and they brought J Lohr and Wiente. In my opinion, these aren't to the level of the ones I brought, but they are solid. Living in SF, I've visited Wiente a good bit, so I'm a bit biased. My favorite onboard wine was the Grüner Veltliner. Don't ask me which label it was, but it was EXCELLENT at both Asian spots - great pairings. I didn't push too far outside of those because I did still drink the three bottles I brought... I did briefly talk to 1-2 of the soms about their bottles for purchase. I thought the prices were fair... I don't have a picture of the menu, but their Joseph Phelps Insignia and Opus One were both right around the detail price I've bought them for in the past... Hoping that helps!
  3. Lesson learned! Will trust Stumble going forward!
  4. Don't quote me on these, but I believe this is what we did in each port with a few of my thoughts. Juneau = Kayaking. This trip was great, but I felt like it wasn't advertised correctly. When we looked at the booking, it showed people kayaking right in front of the glacier. When we got there, we could see the Glacier, but we weren't in the same body of water - we actually spent the day with seals, eagles, dolphins Overall, it was fine, but we aware that this may happen. Skagway = Rainforest Biking. Very beautiful tour, but there actually wasn't much biking. I'd guess we biked a total of ~5 miles and stopped frequently to talk about plants on the forest floor. This excursion was fine - it wasn't great, but okay. Sitka = We started the day by independently renting bikes and doing a ~25 ride to make up for Skagway. After that, we took the "Wildlife adventure boat tour." During the ride, we saw two humpbacks, a grey whale, otters and eagles.... there were a lot of people on the boat, but we saw a lot - I was a fan. Ketchikan = We had booked something, but after walking around town, we blew it off to sit at the pool and relax. Can't help too much with this port... We booked LaDame for the first day and Kaiseki the second. We ended up going back to LaDame the last night of the cruise for basically the same meal. They wouldn't rebook us in advance, but we talked to the host the nigh before and he suggested we come to see him a ~8:30PM and he would get us in. Lesson learned: if you are willing to eat late, you can get in...
  5. Sorry if I wasn't clear - I boarded on May 11 in Seward and left May 18 in Vancouver. I heard the seas were rough on the way to Seward from several people who stayed on. The first 1.5 days of our trip was rough, but after that, it calmed nicely. The weather was AMAZING for an Alaska cruise. It rained for the Hubbard Glacer and then again in Juneau, but it was sunny and HOT the rest of the trip (~mid 70s F). I got burned on the top deck, which is always welcome!
  6. My g/f and I just returned from a week on the Muse and I wanted to share a few thoughts. This isn't a full review, but my observations in hopes it can help others. For context, I'm in my early 40's and have cruised 30+ times on RCL, CCL, Celebrity, Azamara, NCL, but this is the first time trying a luxury line like Silver Sea. The overall experience was exceptional (and I'll be back again to try an expedition, likely to Antarctica), but a few specific points: What was great? The service was exceptional. Every time you needed a drink or food, someone was right there. It felt like I never heard the term "no" all 7 days… this exceeded my expectations. The included wines were solid. I had previously posted asking about the included wines, wondering if I should bring my own. I did bring three nice bottles, but I really didn’t need them. Coming from close to Napa, I prefer a slightly higher level than they severed each night, but the wines were not bad at all and nex time I likely wouldn't bring my own bottles. Happy to share the wines I remember if you’d like. The butlers make it happen! We special ordered dinner one night and it turned out well. We used him for shoe shines and 1-2 other smaller asks -- we didn’t use him a ton, but he was excellent when we did contact him. Food in La Dome was excellent. I loved the menu - big fan. My other favorite was the pastas in the buffet turned restaurant - also great. It's super subjective, but you won't go hungry if you are onboard. Suggestions: The menu at the grill needs some help. Before sailing, I read the negative reviews about the burger and yes, it wasn’t great, but I felt like they could be way more creative with the overall menu offerings for the pool. They had a "fish of the day" that I tried two days which was so-so, but why not a fish, steak or chicken sando on the menu? It’s likely to never happen, but fish and chips or chicken fingers could also be an easy addition. The hours of the pizza restaurant and grill didn’t seem to be thought through. For three straight days we returned to the ship after lunch but before dinner and only pizza was open (I think it was like 2-5pm). I don’t expect everything to be open all the time, but I do think you need to have a bit more selection. The arts cafe food was great, but it’s not meant for a late lunch…. Room service is fine, but they you need to be in your room…just needed a bit more selection than just pizza. The included shore excursions were fine, but I would have loved to see more independent shore excursions on the included list. For example, why not make one of the excisions a bike rental for the day…or even if they just had some hiking trail maps they could hand out. Likely my own preference here, but I tend to want to do stuff on my own instead of with 30 other people, but that is tough to do with what is included. The shows weren’t my style. There were some talented singers and dancers, but the shows for blah to me - very personal preference. The casino was lifeless. I know it’s a small operation, the environment was quiet. They needed music and a bit more personality. I’m normally a bit more of a player - on this cruise I played for 30 mins and then was done… Last random thought -- and this likely shows how amazing the weather was during the entire Alaska trip: I think they should put out suntan lotion for people to use. That just adds to the "luxury experience." Happy to answer any questions you have the best I can...
  7. Just read through it - super helpful - thank you. We're on a 7 day cruise, so I'll likely bring 1-2 nice bottles to supplement what is provided. The other days I'll go with the suggested pairings and see how that goes....
  8. Muse to Alaska in May of this year
  9. I'm sailing SS for the first time this May and was curious if anyone can provide feedback on the included wine selections. We live close to Napa and enjoy good wines. I was throwing around the idea of bringing 4-5 upscale bottles, but didn't want to lug them on the plane and realize that the onboard selections were at the same level. I know wine is very subjective, but any feedback on the included selection? If we decide to bring bottles, I'm assuming no issues bringing it onboard and/or no corkage fee? Anyone have wine menus they can share?
  10. If you end up there, here are some food recommendations: https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-bars-sausalito
  11. Solid tip! I had read about dinner in the suite, but I especially love the personal touch. All of my experiences have been with large ships with very little personalization, so something like this is really cool. Thanks for that...
  12. Here are my thoughts on what do in San Francisco.... Prior to living in San Francisco, I was on a few cruises that stopped in San Francisco and the easiest thing to do is a wine trip to Napa/Sonoma. Depending on when the ship is in port, you can uber/lyft right from the port, hit 2-3 wineries, have a late lunch and be back on board before you know it. Let me know if you need some winery recommendations. If you want to stay in San Francisco area, a few recommendations: - Food Tour: For my birthday, someone bought me a food tour of North Beach (the Italian area of the city). Lots of history and great food here and something very local (many of the places I didn't know, even after living here 8+ years). They also do tours of Chinatown and the Mission (Mexican/Latin food). - Alcatraz Tour: If you've never done it, this is one of the better national park tours in the US - but you need you need to buy tickets in advance. You can walk from port to where the tours leave from. It's take a few hours to do the tour. - Golden Gate Park: If you've never been to Golden Gate Park, it's sorta like Central Park, but in San Francisco. If the weather is good, there is great hiking, a few museums, a conservatory of flowers, etc. Lots of stuff to do here. - Sausalito: A town just over the Golden Gate Bridge - you can uber here from the port. Great place to have lunch and walk along the ocean. The town is beautiful, lots of nice little shops. - Muirwoods National Park: A short drive outside the city (you'll need to rent a car - there is a place close to the port) is a national park with huge redwoods. Amazing stuff if you want to get outside of the city. Let me know if you have more questions - happy to help!
  13. Thanks for keeping everyone up to date on your experience. I just booked my first cruise on Silver Sea cruise on the Muse leaving out of Anchorage in May. Was reading through this thread to learn about your experience and pick up tips! I'm curious: What excursion did you select for San Francisco? I live there now and I'm always curious what people do when they come into town on a ship...
  14. Quick background: I'm in my early 40s and will be traveling with my girlfriend. I've taken a ton of cruises on CCL, RCI, Princess, Norwegian, etc., but only three to Alaska (2 on Princess and 1 on Celebrity). I'm planning to go to Alaska this year, but I'd like to do it a bit more top end on a smaller ship. The highest quality that I've cruised to date was Azamara, so I'm looking for suggestions. The main requirement is that I don't want sail for more than 7-10 days (required) and that I'd prefer a casino (optional). My TA is steering me hard towards Viking, but was curious if anyone had Alaska experiences with Seabourn, Silversea or others that could be worth exploring? I honestly don't know the differences between them, let alone how those differences play when on an Alaska trip (ex. I won't be tanning or swimming). Appreciate the help!
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