The Fun Researcher

I did find the answer to my own question. Looks like there is a green gondola and a red gondola. The green is free and takes you between ship port locations. The red is the one that takes you up the hill and can be booked onsite for around $50 plus tax. You can also book through the cruise ship ahead of time if they offer it. There is no guarantee that you can use the walking trails at the top of the "mountain" if bears have been sighted. Still, the view going up, and at the top look like it's well worth it to me.

I wonder how many people complained about the very same issues with the old menus? There will always be people complaining about the food. There were those before that compared it to cafeteria food. Based on our experience on the Anthem in March the food was excellent, just as good as before. I just missed some of my favorite items.

We've been there on the Anthem with a similar other ship in port. CocoCay is busy but not oppressively so. If you look at a map, we've had the most luck getting loungers in between the Chill Island and Breezy Bay areas. I wouldn't let it make or break your decision to do the cruise or not.

That's good to remember. I always have a hard time choosing apps because I like so many of them. Maybe next time I'll just say "screw it" and just focus on those. I can't eat large volumes of food anyway, just makes me feel miserable. Maybe 3-4 apps instead of my typical 2 plus entrée. (I rarely ever get dessert)

One of the best cruise food reviews I’ve read in a long time. Thank you!!!

I see that there is a tram that take you up roughly 1800 ft in ISP. Sounds fun. Can you book this once onshore, or do you have to book it ahead of time through the cruise line or other website? Thank you.

Yeah, I don't like walking back into a humid warm room after being on the balcony. The times we've booked balcony cabins, they all seem to have shut the A/C off when the door is open. Must have been new enough ships. Thanks OP for the reminder about some of the doors and the inadvertent opportunity to get shut out.

Really enjoyed following along. Thanks for all the effort to post!

Yeah, I'm not keeping my hopes up for ISP having any decent excursions relative to what we had with Skagway. ISP is such a small locally owned port stop. By my research, it appears pretty unspoiled and not commercialized, but that also correlates to less options. BTW, still zero excursions for ISP on our July 10 sailing. 😡

It's now 5 full days since they told us we were not going to Skagway, and stopping at Icy Straight Point instead. There are still zero excursions offered in the cruise planner.

You know, you can never get enough chemistry. LOL 😁😆😂

Thank you all. I’m going through the phases. Almost approaching “acceptance“. 🙂 You know the phrase “Best-laid plans…” This won’t ruin our cruise as I’m sure we will have MANY, MANY other fun things along the way. I just wish we knew sooner so that we possibly could have made adjustments or cancelled in favor of alternatives. I agree that they should have let us know at time of booking or at least before final payment that Skagway was so high risk.

Thank you very much. You offer a glimmer of hope. 🙂 My parents are bummed, but they did say they really liked the stroll along the water in ISP when they were there 20+ years ago. We’ll try to make lemonade 🍋 out of lemons. Who knows

Thank you. So they knew this was the case 3+ months ago yet decided not to cancel the port until now. Now we have no opportunity for other options. Now we’re beyond final payment and have since booked all airfare. According to that post Holland America was notifying cancellation of the port sometime before Feb 8. We’ll survive. We are positive people. However this really, really rubs me the wrong way.

From my research, it seems as though Princess has more history and "pull" in Alaska vs. other cruise lines, i.e. Glacier Bay I hope for your sake you get to keep Skagway on your itinerary. It's only select ships that are being cancelled. We lost out.

We'll try to make the most of ISP, but I just looked and the Norwegian Bliss has already been planned to be there 7am-3pm, a ~4500 passenger ship. We arrive at noon. ISP is a tiny port. It will be interesting, once excursions open up, if anything worthwhile is still available.

Exactly, this is a once in a lifetime trip for our group of 16. Last year I scoured itineraries and cruise lines to insure our best cruise experience. Skagway was critical to that decision. Background: My sisters and I sent my parents on an Alaskan cruise (on Celebrity) over 20 years ago for their 35th wedding anniversary. The two port highlights for them were the train in Skagway, and the wales in Juneau. For our July cruise on the Quantum, our group of 16 (my parents, siblings, grandkids) were going to recreate their experience by all doing the White Pass train together. I can't say how sad this makes me feel. My parents are in their mid-late 70's now. We won't be able to do this again. So frustrated with Royal. This is the real implications of their decisions. I'm sure we're not alone. The landslide is nothing new, but they decided bait us in knowing full well the circumstances. The cruise is far less attractive with Icy Straight Point instead of Skagway. Royal knows this. They wanted to keep their itineraries attractive. Fill the ship, keep the cruise fare high. This has obliterated our (and many others I would guess) once in a lifetime opportunity with our family in Skagway. 😢😢😢 Thanks for listening to my sob story. I've never reached out to Royal to state my frustration, but I feel the need in this case. Is there an email contact that will get somewhere where it actually gets read and replied to?

Agree. It really feels like Royal thought of themselves first rather than their customer in this case, especially knowing the extenuating circumstances. It’s one thing when unexpected weather or mechanical difficulties cause unexpected port disruption, However this was known over a year ago, and they still let us book this itinerary, knowing full well that the situation was not resolved. This is souring to say the least

At least for our cruise these are the other ships that were supposed to be in Port at Skagway . Obviously, we got bumped by one of them.🥵 Likely the Discovery Princess because it is the other big ship

Rant on: Royal Caribbean set these itineraries, knowing full well that Skagway was in this situation with the landslide still impacting the pier. This is affecting tens of thousands of passengers who are already beyond final payment. Rather than be upfront many months ago and removing Skagway from the schedules so that we could make better choices between cruise lines and ship itineraries, they baited us in knowing full well they may not repair the port in time. This feels…disingenuous. From what I am researching ISP is a significantly inferior port as a substitute to Skagway. It would not sting so much but when you have almost $15,000 tied up into an Alaskan cruise vacation with limited ports of call, a change like this really hurts. Rant off. Thanks for letting me vent.

Exactly. Yes, they do state that excursions will be made available, but I am guessing many of the good options will be sold out.

This is a gut punch. Icy Straight Point instead of Skagway. Skagway was a “must do” for the White Pass train. Totally bummed. Would have chosen a different cruise, perhaps different cruise line, for Alaska had we known. Wish we were getting Ketchikan. ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS Dear Guest, Last season, landslides in Skagway, Alaska impacted the pier where our ships dock. While repairs have been ongoing, they won't be ready for two large ships visiting simultaneously. So, to ensure we provide you with the best experience, we’ve replaced our visit with Icy Strait Point, Alaska. To help make up for this change, we’ve added an extra 2.5 hours in Sitka, so you can explore and enjoy everything this beautiful destination has to offer! We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. Nevertheless, we’re excited to sail away with you! Below, please find our revised Quantum of the Seas July 10th, 2023 itinerary. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Mon Seattle, Washington 4:00 PM Tue Cruising Wed Icy Strait Point, Alaska 12:30 PM 9:00 PM Thu Sitka, Alaska 7:00 AM 5:00 PM Fri Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier 5:00 AM 10:00 AM Fri Juneau, Alaska 1:00 PM 9:00 PM Sat Cruising Sun Victoria, British Columbia 5:00 PM 10:00 PM Mon Seattle, Washington 7:00 AM Icy Strait Point is where excitement and splendor combine to give you an exhilarating experience. Take in the majesty of Alaska while enjoying some of the best fishing and whale watching in the area. If adventure is what you seek, ride the world’s largest zipline, ZipRider®. As you descend, enjoy amazing views of the forest while gaining a true appreciation of the magnificent scenery. After you’ve finished exploring, indulge your appetite and try some locally produced cuisine that is hard to find elsewhere, like reindeer chili or the Alaskan Blue Burger. Whatever you choose to do, we know you’ll have a memorable time!

I like your comments, and I agree about the wait staff. Ours were fantastic as well. Above average for sure

If true, this is a huge tip!!! Thank you! My wife, son and I are Diamond but no-one else in our group of 16 is. Those complimentary spots go fast, so it would be fantastic if I could take care of it once onboard ASAP. We are all linked.