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GoofyontheHiSeas

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    Island Princess heading to Asia

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    Princess Cruises and Holland America Line are organizing similar repatriation voyages to repatriate crew members to their home countries.

    In all, eight ships from Princess, Holland America Line and Seabourn will sail as follows:

    • Regal Princess will sail to Southampton and Rotterdam to repatriate European crew from all Holland America Group ships
    • Crown Princess, Island Princess, Veendam, Volendam, and Nieuw Amsterdam will sail to Asia to return Filipino, Indonesian, Indian and South African crew members to their homes
    • Caribbean Princess will sail to the Caribbean and South America to return crew from those regions to their home country
    • Seabourn Quest will sail to Europe to repatriate Europeans from that ship and Seabourn Odyssey

    https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-cruise-ships-take-on-a-new-mission/

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    33 minutes ago, greatestvalue said:

    Stunning pictures, thank you for sharing. 

     

    When you went to the promenade deck for the day of glaciers. Glacier Bay... Were you able to see these glaciers right from the ship or was this a separate excursion you took.

     

    If so what excursion, if you don't mind me asking. 

     

    Thank you

    Thank you very much. While the ship is in Glacier Bay you will remain on the ship. There are no excursions while there. The ship is approximately 500 yds away from the glacier. You can view it from the top decks or on the promenade decks. The ship will also rotate to give each side of the ship time to view from balconies. 

    I have many other glacier pictures here Alaska 2019 

    • Like 1

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, Melli56566 said:

    Thanks for review.  We sail soon!  Slightly different ....we go to icy strait instead of skagway.  Anyway, how did you get around in victoria BC?  We were debating between hop on hop off trolley and bike rentals.

    Our ship was late arriving so we did not get off until 8pm. Since the ship left at midnight we just walked into the main harbor area. A nice 20 minute walk. 

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, John99 said:

    I really enjoyed your review.  The pictures were beautiful.

    We have been there twice and planning a third cruise.

    You trip bring back very pleasant memories.  

     

     

    You mentioned the Seattle Port Valet service which was great and convenient.

    In Ft.Lauderdale, Princess offers EZ Check which we used several times.

    We used Delta Airlines.

    I’m wondering weather this service be similar in Seattle?

    Was the Settle Port Valet service offered by Princess? What was the cost?

    What airline did you use?  Not all airlines participate in the program.

    The reason I’m asking is we will be sailing out of Seattle this September, 2019.

    John

     

     

    Thank you for the kind comments John. I have not used EZ Check by Princess but I assume it works the same way. It is offered by the Port of Seattle free of charge. Here is the link with all of the information. We received the form on I believe the second night of our cruise to be returned by Day 4 or 5. 

    Seattle Port Valet

     

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    1 hour ago, aac1623 said:

    Great report and loved the pics! What camera/lens were you using? I have a DSLR but not sure which lenses to bring or just a smaller camera in general! (I know there are lots of boards/posts about it but thats alot of digging work and I like the looks of your pictures lol)

    I use a Nikon D4 with the full range of lens (14-24,24-70,70-200). I love wide angle shots and the telephoto for glacier calving shots. I was selective off the ship so I would not be weighted down. Bring the best camera you have because you will be disappointed if you don't. 

    • Thanks 1

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Alaska

    Posted

    22 hours ago, sbt518 said:

    Really nice photos! Thank you for sharing them.

     

    I have a few questions about your taxi to Mendenhall glacier in Juneau.

     

    Did you reserve it in advance? Or are their taxis waiting at the port?

    When you were ready to leave, did you call them to come get you or was the return trip pre-arranged?

    And, did they drop you off and pick you up close to the visitors center?

     

    We walked right off the ship and taxis were right there. We prearranged a pickup time and they were there waiting. They dropped us off back at the ship but I imagine they will take you where ever you want. 

    • Like 1

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

     

    Nice report!  Would love to know how the heck you were able to arrive at SeaTac at 10:30, get off the plane, get your bags and get to Pier 91 by 11:00.  Heck, it's a 40-60 minute drive from the a/p to the pier normally! Or did you go by helicopter?   :classic_biggrin:

     

    Tom

    Thank you Tom

    We probably landed around 10:15am and bags were waiting for us once we got downstairs. Lyft was waiting when we walked to the parking lot. Traffic was nonexistent since it was Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. The drive was no more that 30 mins. 

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Alaska

    Posted

     

    This was a last-minute trip with myself and my two young adult daughters. We booked it only two weeks prior as we got a great price that we could not pass up. This was our fourth trip to Alaska therefore we did a lot of DIY excursions on our own. We have previously been Anan Creek for bears, seen whales bubble feeding in Juneau and taken the train in Skagway.

     

    • 5/25 Seattle

    • 5/26 Day at Sea

    • 5/27 Juneau

    • 5/28 Skagway

    • 5/29 Glacier Bay

    • 5/30 Ketchikan

    • 5/31 Victoria

    • 6/1 Seattle

     

    We flew out of Los Angeles on Saturday morning landing in Seattle in about 10:30 and able to get to the port by 11:00. Boarding was very smooth and we were on board within a half an hour. It started raining as soon as we boarded the ship and fortunately for us it was the only rain that we experienced our entire trip.

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    By the time we reached Port Angeles the rain had stopped and got a glimpse of the mountains of Olympic National Park.

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    Our first night was spent attending Stephen Schwartz’s Magic to Do show exclusively produced for Princess Cruise. Both of my daughters are very musical and love Stephen Schwartz's music the show to be disjointed and would have been much better have they just done seems from each of his musicals.

     

    The next day was a sea day so we slept in and enjoyed a buffet breakfast. In the morning they had a lecture on 30,000 years of art history in 45 minutes which was quite interesting. Following that we went to Princess’ pub lunch which we enjoyed.

     

    Bangers and Mash

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    Fish and Chips

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    Bread and Butter Pudding2uzNxIr3rNrxlLGVG0iNkOvkgy4LZ_3R5KWQMZvOVFAeisDxoCQ9X7vs9Lb2vhSF7sOWeGmgtTSUARrobsvJF9bViFO2EpKFvO5HStWYDDWt71qlvWnTY-rEKnzYFcFzH0y7U767


     

    Later that afternoon we went to our first trivia contest. It turned out that the three of us were actually pretty good at trivia. We wound up attending most afternoon trivia and won a total of four times. We got to be known as “that family”. That night was formality and enjoy the very nice meal. After that we attended the evening show with impersonations and comedy of Michael Wilson. He was one of the highlights of the cruise.

     

    The next morning we woke to the beauty of the Alaska archipelago during our approach to Juneau.

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    We arrived in Juneau around 10:30 in the morning and luckily we were the first ship in port that day. since it was memorial day and there are four ship scheduled to arrive in Juneau that day we got off the ship rather quickly and took a taxi out to Mendenhall glacier to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful day with the temperatures in the mid-60’s.

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    We had only taken one prior trip out to mendenhall in our previous trips to Alaska. I had always wanted to take the hike out to Nugget falls but never had time to do that. The trail from the visitors center is 2 miles round trip. It is a well maintained path that is fairly level and can be done in around an hour. The scenery along the way is quite spectacular.

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    As the sound of the falls gets louder you are treated to the true magnificence of this glacial waterfall.

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    One of the best features of this waterfall is that you can walk right up next to the falls to get the full experience.

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    From the extended shoreline you have a great vantage of Mendenhall Glacier.

    PeJ0gmQYI3o3NCWWpRSGcOrP_P_8PW4-0Sbgu2KwIVMWYfvIYybDtAAPOv2hTI3JHBmhRCW5QjNZ0D84tWVf3qmHxGnSEKHaB6urbxH_bjwaJE1Z5ClLIx5nf1O8j37gT2SvMj3x

     

    We returned to the ship for an afternoon of shipboard activities. Sailaway was around 10:30pm and as you can see the sun had just set.

    h_hTYBL1uXmnes-6DUsFRCR93XcKVhrbIcisiaKRgLfqgSFGLB8dMTgq3klZ3N8v8RRPl6cangA2UWm8tA2tNM97AxCcEL6HTPH07TZV5vQMac1cEYkmS8725LFSQt2x1wZyMO2X

     

    We awoke the next morning in Skagway. It was again in the low to mid-60’s but the wind was blowing 15-20mph so it felt colder. Before the cruise I had signed up for a free NPS Klondike gold rush walking tour. I was about 45 mins and very informative.

    rWLrdbyuXnLHe3JB6qRPdB7Rcf-epkuYxGYWdsk6fhnOMR66ofRWKAe8pd8f4KDbKPvEVaagx-pPyKqxDhvI4mHh0yZnLHI8oSst6eVkl_LFzk983e1w49eZXxw6Wui4OyC-o9_2

    YB3t6c8_5WhDIA1L8OXpa58ANrZeJGHwfWAU8KFhzPi0t3QicvEE6CMtFkCiB4_suHFggV6Ke28eH_MfPJU1bEAAwQDeEbGaUatUPM5LgQ1uKMYwPk29p26IfH5SnPWE51WNuXnK

     

    After this I had researched a short walk from the cruise ship to Yakutania Point. The trail started just at the end of the airport maybe 15 minute walk from where our ship was docked. It started with crossing a bridge across the Skagway river.

    vP2TPm5KP2XHzsZnVA-OyXQkNLun0W13PYVC4WTGVQr_zja-6CRh2OVBsYMg5R6RNyAFbiitHJomiZzCuHIlSNFS6Pkiyk1-On9p2LVy-FsCmqu8IbyS_YfcjnHgwzglyr_S3IbI

     

    wL2AqWgzdr_gI3rsMirvDd7jY2Y6qo281A32bT0_8qz_pa0NbBrbvsqKR9ispuri1-8dfi3VHKj7M-_jnegmzQKA199fNOkACLk7J0O7XSX-PWVjqWF1MSeklgo5PnKwArxx9-Oj

     

    Trail was mostly level with some spots where you had to climb over some rocks.

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    Once you arrive at the point you would never know that you were a mere half a mile from the cruise ships.

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    Once back on the ship we headed to the Piazza where they brought out a bunch of 5 week old sled dog puppies.

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    The next day was by far our best day as we were to be visiting Glacier Bay. We got up early and bundled up and headed to the Promenade deck. I prefer to be closer to the water to experience the glaciers instead of being up high. The mountains were still full of snow as we entered the bay unlike when we had visited in late July.

    auhbQ6Ce3x_6M5XnHLASOSUWY7Qdwey8ezcFRMGyFqkZOMoQnAewY95tFg5VWW9bMLe0c1YMI-pfISCFf9Edb7M3oQZNp6RTslUtLtYtE1m4kF5MV0lZj3TRoH7eRyA7Cso9_as6

     

    w6uD6W41ph8lj9nrUZR-ZxzBvZ2TTzCzTc8I2ff21iSuQric1MyXJyQTXVNru5BbJaphrMKYTZMIMQJ3odbmkOqfmT9v7uWRGDF-oCUvxSDREmGwrNqjH5nYsZ2TTLPzyvej6pEj

    Noe2Ngz_-yZfb1PyeRW6gf7_t67fQHKfZJj-8fT8U8BdadhsTj7yoRLqzC8LELyTxtaOSX936SDPOGvgQT3MfzMWSb3qNMJ2rYcs5IrqcBMUyPb-esq49jkyObb5jhCsNG0IVleo

     

    Then we arrived at the main event, Margerie Glacier. On our previous trips to Alaska we had heard glaciers calf and saw a small splash in the distance but we never experienced what we saw today.

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    We then sailed back out to enter Johns Hopkins channel where we could glimpse this glacier.

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    And then on to Lamplugh Glacier nicknamed the blue glacier.

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    And the mountains above.

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    The next morning we arrived in Ketchikan and had the best weather of our trip. Temperatures were in the low 70’s and shorts and sunblock were the attire for the day.

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    Again there were four ships in port this day and the crowds on Creek St were enormous so we took off on foot up Married Man’s Trail to escape the crowds.

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    We then meandered along Ketchikan Creek to the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Totem Heritage Center which were both closed since it was early.

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    Since we were leaving at 1:30pm we headed back to the ship for lunch and sailaway.

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    We had almost 24 hours until we made our mandatory stop in Victoria BC. We decided to take the short 20 minute walk into town and were rewarded by sunset over the Olympic peninsula.

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    Victoria was beautiful at sundown including the Parliament building and Empress Hotel.

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    It was back to the ship and packing up for our departure in Seattle in the morning. We used the Seattle Port Valet service which was great. Put our bags outside our final night and did not see them until arriving in LA. Disembarkation was a breeze the next morning. We caught a cab to Pikes Place for a few hours and then caught the train to the airport.

     

    Thoughts about the ship. I was somewhat skeptical about Princess’ Medallion Internet service especially traveling north to Alaska. It actually performed far beyond my expectations. There were a few dead spots but it was fast enough to keep connected with home. The ship itself was in great shape. We were familiar with the layout since we had been on its sister ship the Emerald Princess before. Most of the shows were good and there was always something to do if we were not outside enjoying the views.

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

     

    This was a last-minute trip with myself and my two young adult daughters.

    We booked it only two weeks prior as we got a great price that we could not pass up.

    This was our fourth trip to Alaska therefore we did a lot of DIY excursions on our own.

    We have previously been Anan Creek for bears, seen whales bubble feeding in Juneau and taken the train in Skagway.

     

    • 5/25 Seattle

    • 5/26 Day at Sea

    • 5/27 Juneau

    • 5/28 Skagway

    • 5/29 Glacier Bay

    • 5/30 Ketchikan

    • 5/31 Victoria

    • 6/1 Seattle

     

    We flew out of Los Angeles on Saturday morning landing in Seattle in about 10:30 and able to get to the port by 11:00.

    Boarding was very smooth and we were on board within a half an hour.

    It started raining as soon as we boarded the ship and fortunately for us it was the only rain that we experienced our entire trip.

    7gqKMIMpaa1736DElFLw1Czij3VNB4y2W0TNuDOPYW43gJ8ytN3dnvUBiDFgw4nyUmpTm_9SKiKEpRJ4k1_Dp8W1mf-iiJlEN3_t0ZfRig8zmMVk7hXP0MsmRnSNLAYsRcH2r4ae

     

    By the time we reached Port Angeles the rain had stopped and got a glimpse of the mountains of Olympic National Park.

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    Our first night was spent attending Stephen Schwartz’s Magic to Do show exclusively produced for Princess Cruise.

    Both of my daughters are very musical and love Stephen Schwartz's music the show to be disjointed and would

    have been much better have they just done seems from each of his musicals.

     

    The next day was a sea day so we slept in and enjoyed a buffet breakfast. In the morning they had a lecture on

    30,000 years of art history in 45 minutes which was quite interesting. Following that we went to Princess’ pub lunch which we enjoyed.

     

    Bangers and Mash

    OHjie9IY9ShAFPL-8XI0ZyOYVKOwT-53vi3QvRiA7j--SmkHHlg6Zbd7FlAmjT7BekEuTDgpE7X_n6yrfOV3EjxLlmwGnqHEZCEM8m-CG_kK2s4l2quMOzNgkX7SlDbcHe-bK5yB

     

    Fish and Chips

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    Bread and Butter Pudding

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    Later that afternoon we went to our first trivia contest. It turned out that the three of us were actually pretty good

    at trivia. We wound up attending most afternoon trivia and won a total of four times. We got to be known as “that family”.

    That night was formality and enjoy the very nice meal. After that we attended the evening show with impersonations and

    comedy of Michael Wilson. He was one of the highlights of the cruise.

     

    The next morning we woke to the beauty of the Alaska archipelago during our approach to Juneau.

    tBtaFiAvr4RDNeeKCQby5TCjrSfgj3PgqzaXZBouDVAgZOHR8Rwuwkg7W-aLXH2ucDKx_y7NjDjXCqXiYY2GRMUzuhiMaMijHJswS9Jgakoy-leiXwpyfWPUdhtBBhL2o7tcpsnT

     

    We arrived in Juneau around 10:30 in the morning and luckily we were the first ship in port that day.

    Since it was memorial day and there are four ship scheduled to arrive in Juneau that day we got off the

    ship rather quickly and took a taxi out to Mendenhall glacier to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful day

    with the temperatures in the mid-60’s.

    8m69JU2h5GnHKa933Z9UoaIviYlGSZLw-u1rdqLlpd2o_xDDTzmZca9mdWj3kGotk0QrBG45mGV9ljTz_dbt3IuHn0Aep-HJaS3eqqPbBA3a4PnEXr2cGHYuHGytgZZmhQp6wLg1

     

    We had only taken one prior trip out to mendenhall in our previous trips to Alaska. I had always wanted

    to take the hike out to Nugget falls but never had time to do that. The trail from the visitors center is

    2 miles round trip. It is a well maintained path that is fairly level and can be done in around an hour.

    The scenery along the way is quite spectacular.

    d-cTqw70fu1cxIpr29AAzyqs4AWZGVu05sr-QbVSkE6EVc8sSDCIkKwKQG4uWBHiMVvAnOA321XgOhXd1znradvpDR4wddCjnXMgPzuD7TsRSf5012qOLCskct7MoVKLyOSVjlyk

     

    mkjgtrHcTsuSM6e7qnzJ2uAoCq72cDyrJy7hThn-sKlKnvRnnYASvKttQoR8XNmrO8H1K2C17BppwMZ_vkc8xEUeZYdL9fv4VhKzTeOa3dLvE0kN0eLI0cXCbtb4MdOfq1DNtxCK

     

    UhTcJegp55MmxxiWybxd_DVsOiYN9TmtYCU6ciNnaiiH8iDFTu__aLICnQtd2hbhk3NUIDHNNhTmonsq5GgUz6pk5jNBPKQlGBospwQaDtIAJvR7GRFaoHrSvgIX5SOGWPqD-gss

     

    k99ZZQr0rGpuA1k1WqO7-ovP_YgK-cF6b_EH_MA0cmuqfh_qSWmg0j8QdlVeRkiGXUfGXdB-i8wgN9557SnEpDaIliRKgCyhtuRm4wmFctb-1D37Y-d3xevDolIUAV6RuvQcxsMH

     

    As the sound of the falls gets louder you are treated to the true magnificence of this glacial waterfall.

    p8rdU0hX4DuzSX2qPWXz-Cb_xyhtZMQIuVS9n8vrrw9f_GhCyszkvRPRxJ48nNLH9JZPfoPt-au7NtuqVtqa9ogSq-HGHlstGBr2X0RDMjSq6qeZbqufbejtJTb-wJD7EXHyOLdE


     

    One of the best features of this waterfall is that you can walk right up next to the falls to get the full experience.

    fTfHwzTfmzmaNMf_Nfy7IDXNjfBxBV6LgunXBXByfBltwADlQVBKAE7GkosGy-sgRDURK9t7DzTOffTsKrT7SuVzzvNEJegxRqirDW1LvBW4rjYB2Tz0NquLjjsipoMavoAGucbG

     

    EyCGyyrs2R5Eqqn52zrLpDCsgZi7qcfXT6KJDC7rvz9J4RfssKgacV9ZlxB7qvbhYxh2x5CL-c1_-6lixZNguIqDwTasD-qVOpNZn-T46rC5bYZgmm0wF6-rnaAfI63W1jZLmC2o

     

    From the extended shoreline you have a great vantage of Mendenhall Glacier.

    PeJ0gmQYI3o3NCWWpRSGcOrP_P_8PW4-0Sbgu2KwIVMWYfvIYybDtAAPOv2hTI3JHBmhRCW5QjNZ0D84tWVf3qmHxGnSEKHaB6urbxH_bjwaJE1Z5ClLIx5nf1O8j37gT2SvMj3x

     

    We returned to the ship for an afternoon of shipboard activities. Sailaway was around 10:30pm and

    as you can see the sun had just set.

    h_hTYBL1uXmnes-6DUsFRCR93XcKVhrbIcisiaKRgLfqgSFGLB8dMTgq3klZ3N8v8RRPl6cangA2UWm8tA2tNM97AxCcEL6HTPH07TZV5vQMac1cEYkmS8725LFSQt2x1wZyMO2X

     

    We awoke the next morning in Skagway. It was again in the low to mid-60’s but the wind was blowing

    15-20mph so it felt colder. Before the cruise I had signed up for a free NPS Klondike gold rush walking

    tour. I was about 45 mins and very informative.

    rWLrdbyuXnLHe3JB6qRPdB7Rcf-epkuYxGYWdsk6fhnOMR66ofRWKAe8pd8f4KDbKPvEVaagx-pPyKqxDhvI4mHh0yZnLHI8oSst6eVkl_LFzk983e1w49eZXxw6Wui4OyC-o9_2

    YB3t6c8_5WhDIA1L8OXpa58ANrZeJGHwfWAU8KFhzPi0t3QicvEE6CMtFkCiB4_suHFggV6Ke28eH_MfPJU1bEAAwQDeEbGaUatUPM5LgQ1uKMYwPk29p26IfH5SnPWE51WNuXnK

     

    After this I had researched a short walk from the cruise ship to Yakutania Point. The trail started

    just at the end of the airport maybe 15 minute walk from where our ship was docked. It started

    with crossing a bridge across the Skagway river.

    vP2TPm5KP2XHzsZnVA-OyXQkNLun0W13PYVC4WTGVQr_zja-6CRh2OVBsYMg5R6RNyAFbiitHJomiZzCuHIlSNFS6Pkiyk1-On9p2LVy-FsCmqu8IbyS_YfcjnHgwzglyr_S3IbI

     

    wL2AqWgzdr_gI3rsMirvDd7jY2Y6qo281A32bT0_8qz_pa0NbBrbvsqKR9ispuri1-8dfi3VHKj7M-_jnegmzQKA199fNOkACLk7J0O7XSX-PWVjqWF1MSeklgo5PnKwArxx9-Oj

     

    Trail was mostly level with some spots where you had to climb over some rocks.

    29X3kLv4oaxXZoz1wF-voT-fSl6ly84octEbOY48XkFH8BvstyLFHjR3ZSisnJrm0xh3jRXf9uN5YvrRK0jrxrCJDR9nv4QNB-xhHkdvK-2iC4fBLzrU2Ic3_XddRPQfLAQ0zdHc

     

    Once you arrive at the point you would never know that you were a mere half a mile from the cruise ships.

    oUAu5Ba1Yd9MqO6z5pwtUtzgBu5rGhixt2qxmXm8DPXWDB1ZS3YULrkNxUeTPgomX9v5Lprs9NY4uygN6AZOX9BYBsyXgys6yZ8n6UIc0zml48SgIlyk73O4Ji2q6lhLNCzgNc2J

     

    Once back on the ship we headed to the Piazza where they brought out a bunch of 5 week old sled dog puppies.

    F1ss60MqkFPezHeOMEc3sCzqiYtEw2e8uijMaZnDOKeQ_V1dJkSPN87QMQPjZ5RBNt3OIPmOIB45rqZvBhCVGnUpZ5CVhBOiKrpa5HZEQc8bovbvwpdMhyILun5bECZTq7C39Vb_

     

    The next day was by far our best day as we were to be visiting Glacier Bay. We got up early and bundled

    up and headed to the Promenade deck. I prefer to be closer to the water to experience the glaciers

    instead of being up high. The mountains were still full of snow as we entered the bay unlike when

    we had visited in late July.

    auhbQ6Ce3x_6M5XnHLASOSUWY7Qdwey8ezcFRMGyFqkZOMoQnAewY95tFg5VWW9bMLe0c1YMI-pfISCFf9Edb7M3oQZNp6RTslUtLtYtE1m4kF5MV0lZj3TRoH7eRyA7Cso9_as6

     

    w6uD6W41ph8lj9nrUZR-ZxzBvZ2TTzCzTc8I2ff21iSuQric1MyXJyQTXVNru5BbJaphrMKYTZMIMQJ3odbmkOqfmT9v7uWRGDF-oCUvxSDREmGwrNqjH5nYsZ2TTLPzyvej6pEj

    Noe2Ngz_-yZfb1PyeRW6gf7_t67fQHKfZJj-8fT8U8BdadhsTj7yoRLqzC8LELyTxtaOSX936SDPOGvgQT3MfzMWSb3qNMJ2rYcs5IrqcBMUyPb-esq49jkyObb5jhCsNG0IVleo

     

    Then we arrived at the main event, Margerie Glacier. On our previous trips to Alaska we had

    heard glaciers calf and saw a small splash in the distance but we never experienced what we saw today.

    S0hW5h7MPdnkelYjqiZENauvFO5EhH5_MMgvsnZgYlWWXqB9ficzrBptUHTivvX0wHHun8h_GU69zgWJPZH62GntkKB7Sc1z_C1Ah9tQ9LL-K9MKNZA7igQgFQHx5xgJx6Ef2qDG

     

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    9d2a2kTk5JG-NAKbFp6NVDq3tW9-RUpzFeeeorEJzrRDhdYBr5y6jkGbpMOP8uLQeggcEBJC08wO5x6A2oq7WhJmMlBeC_boiXGlZ9KeipfxDQZMtJ6qB87_6ppWScy4MHI9UYWM

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    oT3QjokFDAL3Crai3sD-tedRBJIT0tbhE4FAfvE5N0XfGnIBUsUB5EygQBku8FhEPwwXBpurYt3aS08bMYs1LHkwFpyhLtLq24RRUVc5bpLA-7T4JjX8zTP7nQZqOf3zQYB70mSQ


     

    We then sailed back out to enter Johns Hopkins channel where we could glimpse this glacier.

    wjoVoo6899gPqqPCcAnkuu9ZrA15uVnKg0lDNqiAE2qKiz8uyE08cWUs5wEoc4dgnxZkwf4nMqQFgoWZV12SakFq3RdGd226hvV6wLxQqLyAQehh_BmGKsqbKhWvFh2AoGKDxhh3

     

    And then on to Lamplugh Glacier nicknamed the blue glacier.

    4NMJ6TQuBygMxi3JbdQ06eqOt7zewU65LnyBlk9m_0u_gFtJxQIzbEZ6sV92fy16j0_XHG-EfhZrol5928ksXGm4aI6NKOHLn31u1h_hqLCtcdRSOCEn8zV2p-fyJ2RWzz3hH-gE

     

    And the mountains above.

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    The next morning we arrived in Ketchikan and had the best weather of our trip. Temperatures

    were in the low 70’s and shorts and sunblock were the attire for the day.

    g1jZUt0cAHmLstur2Eta4990ySWbFwxsY3R_6IF0FF3PVE2MoLVJdVOiw4DymRi9Min6DQRfhApJpR0R47Fx2hi3SfZJtQHn6p3GAXN084mVkuynOxzD3LkQxwh-X3az0axDK9Sj

     

    Again there were four ships in port this day and the crowds on Creek St were enormous

    so we took off on foot up Married Man’s Trail to escape the crowds.

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    We then meandered along Ketchikan Creek to the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Totem Heritage

    Center which were both closed since it was early.

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    Since we were leaving at 1:30pm we headed back to the ship for lunch and sail away.

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    We had almost 24 hours until we made our mandatory stop in Victoria BC. We decided to

    take the short 20 minute walk into town and were rewarded by sunset over the Olympic peninsula.

    tYRzTSrbu5lmxRTqryndUKfcdi6DTll0cox3b0mbn0EjEfC0P1Di31C_Bls4gkNAaUEfdo_pWegigB3K5LDlaFd76-6Siz8Pwf78eFcQWEZDuWKQouGYBOyYErMCqjlsqhSI7DjZ

     

    Victoria was beautiful at sundown including the Parliament building and Empress Hotel.

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    It was back to the ship and packing up for our departure in Seattle in the morning. We used the

    Seattle Port Valet service which was great. Put our bags outside our final night and did not see

    them until arriving in LA. Disembarkation was a breeze the next morning. We caught a cab to

    Pikes Place for a few hours and then caught the train to the airport.

     

    Thoughts about the ship. I was somewhat skeptical about Princess’ Medallion Internet service

    especially traveling north to Alaska. It actually performed far beyond my expectations. There

    were a few dead spots but it was fast enough to keep connected with home. The ship itself was

    in great shape. We were familiar with the layout since we had been on its sister ship the Emerald

    Princess before. Most of the shows were good and there was always something to do if we were

    not outside enjoying the views.

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 1

    Trip Report [5/25/19] Ruby Princess 7 day round trip Seattle.

    in Alaska

    Posted

    This was a last-minute trip with myself and my two young adult daughters. We booked it only two weeks prior as we got a great price that we could not pass up. This was our fourth trip to Alaska therefore we did a lot of DIY excursions on our own. We have previously been Anan Creek for bears, seen whales bubble feeding in Juneau and taken the train in Skagway.

     

    5/25 Seattle

    5/26 Day at Sea

    5/27 Juneau

    5/28 Skagway

    5/29 Glacier Bay

    5/30 Ketchikan

    5/31 Victoria

    6/1 Seattle

     

    We flew out of Los Angeles on Saturday morning landing in Seattle in about 10:30 and able to get to the port by 11:00. Boarding was very smooth and we were on board within a half an hour. It started raining as soon as we boarded the ship and fortunately for us it was the only rain that we experienced our entire trip.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-m3mtfKf/0/259f28b7/L/Seattle-7743-Edit-L.jpg

     

    By the time we reached Port Angeles the rain had stopped and got a glimpse of the mountains of Olympic National Park.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-GQrcwFP/0/2f87a3f3/L/2019 Alaska-7751-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Our first night was spent attending Stephen Schwartz’s Magic to Do show exclusively produced for Princess Cruise. Both of my daughters are very musical and love Stephen Schwartz's music the show to be disjointed and would have been much better have they just done seems from each of his musicals.

     

    The next day was a sea day so we slept in and enjoyed a buffet breakfast. In the morning they had a lecture on 30,000 years of art history in 45 minutes which was quite interesting. Following that we went to Princess’ pub lunch which we enjoyed.

     

    Bangers and Mash

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-jkmKjzq/0/1e0a2406/M/IMG_20190526_122818-M.jpg

     

    Fish and Chips

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-2h4LzLs/0/80a7c890/L/IMG_20190526_122825-L.jpg

    Bread and Butter Pudding

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-9C2QNwf/0/e1119ce0/L/IMG_20190526_123825-L.jpg


     

    Later that afternoon we went to our first trivia contest. It turned out that the three of us were actually pretty good at trivia. We wound up attending most afternoon trivia and won a total of four times. We got to be known as “that family”. That night was formality and enjoy the very nice meal. After that we attended the evening show with impersonations and comedy of Michael Wilson. He was one of the highlights of the cruise.

     

    The next morning we woke to the beauty of the Alaska archipelago during our approach to Juneau.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-QqDRn2B/0/d29ad29a/L/2019 Alaska-7763-Edit-L.jpg

     

    We arrived in Juneau around 10:30 in the morning and luckily we were the first ship in port that day. since it was memorial day and there are four ship scheduled to arrive in Juneau that day we got off the ship rather quickly and took a taxi out to Mendenhall glacier to beat the crowds. It was a beautiful day with the temperatures in the mid-60’s.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-ckWmG3X/0/5e79f7bd/L/2019 Alaska-7783-Edit-L.jpg

     

    We had only taken one prior trip out to mendenhall in our previous trips to Alaska. I had always wanted to take the hike out to Nugget falls but never had time to do that. The trail from the visitors center is 2 miles round trip. It is a well maintained path that is fairly level and can be done in around an hour. The scenery along the way is quite spectacular.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-tFQx9qK/0/2bc7bda7/L/2019 Alaska-7792-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-qPwMsDZ/0/b7af1710/L/2019 Alaska-7798-Edit-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-T42Xjnd/0/a576ad23/L/2019 Alaska-7853-Edit-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-7wR6xbW/0/d2e1f39a/L/2019 Alaska-7849-Edit-L.jpg

     

    As the sound of the falls gets louder you are treated to the true magnificence of this glacial waterfall.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-D9QpCz8/0/99cef717/L/2019 Alaska-7801-Edit-L.jpg

     

    One of the best features of this waterfall is that you can walk right up next to the falls to get the full experience.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-T8ck2Gv/0/028b6359/L/2019 Juneau-7808-Edit-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-rk6htNZ/0/3787f0a9/L/2019 Alaska-7817-Edit-L.jpg

     

    From the extended shoreline you have a great vantage of Mendenhall Glacier.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-jwDjGz8/0/3515c3fe/L/2019 Alaska-7823-Edit-L.jpg

     

    We returned to the ship for an afternoon of shipboard activities. Sailaway was around 10:30pm and as you can see the sun had just set.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-ggXfS5k/0/43356c81/L/2019 Alaska-7888-L.jpg

     

    We awoke the next morning in Skagway. It was again in the low to mid-60’s but the wind was blowing 15-20mph so it felt colder. Before the cruise I had signed up for a free NPS Klondike gold rush walking tour. I was about 45 mins and very informative.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-LsmcT5S/0/4b06d86f/L/2019 Alaska-7894-Edit-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-xwFzsfh/0/4465c956/L/2019 Alaska-7926-L.jpg

     

    After this I had researched a short walk from the cruise ship to Yakutania Point. The trail started just at the end of the airport maybe 15 minute walk from where our ship was docked. It started with crossing a bridge across the Skagway river.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-9B74RRW/0/f66eccf5/L/2019 Alaska-7930-L.jpg

     

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    Trail was mostly level with some spots where you had to climb over some rocks.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-6TRNczn/0/6418346f/L/2019 Alaska-7939-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Once you arrive at the point you would never know that you were a mere half a mile from the cruise ships.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-s9VmWJM/0/57c59ec8/L/Skagway-7951-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Once back on the ship we headed to the Piazza where they brought out a bunch of 5 week old sled dog puppies.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-xMZDsCd/0/904e39d6/XL/Skagway-7985-L.jpg

     

    The next day was by far our best day as we were to be visiting Glacier Bay. We got up early and bundled up and headed to the Promenade deck. I prefer to be closer to the water to experience the glaciers instead of being up high. The mountains were still full of snow as we entered the bay unlike when we had visited in late July.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-Jt6HWMj/0/e29b8f22/L/2019 Alaska-8000-Edit-L.jpg

     

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    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-W5F3gFh/0/f2a7c83c/L/2019 Alaska-8026-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Then we arrived at the main event, Margerie Glacier. On our previous trips to Alaska we had heard glaciers calf and saw a small splash in the distance but we never experienced what we saw today.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-KX9vDh7/0/aecfe1af/L/2019 Alaska-8051-Edit-L.jpg

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-JCVbcfJ/0/892b6272/L/untitled-8158-Edit-L.jpg

     

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    We then sailed back out to enter Johns Hopkins channel where we could glimpse this glacier.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-B3WMqpK/0/4b6a9c44/L/2019 Alaska-8376-Edit-L.jpg

     

    And then on to Lamplugh Glacier nicknamed the blue glacier.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-GGb2Wks/0/70d1b1bf/L/untitled-8403-Edit-L.jpg

     

    And the mountains above.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-37spg32/0/2308655f/L/2019 Alaska-8394-Edit-L.jpg

     

    The next morning we arrived in Ketchikan and had the best weather of our trip. Temperatures were in the low 70’s and shorts and sunblock were the attire for the day.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-JNp9LfL/0/d1b72f69/L/2019 Alaska-8412-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Again there were four ships in port this day and the crowds on Creek St were enormous so we took off on foot up Married Man’s Trail to escape the crowds.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-WDRXJHR/0/05212c49/L/2019 Alaska-8431-Edit-L.jpg

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-3nZfvJf/0/68b5551c/L/2019 Alaska-8436-Edit-L.jpg

     

    We then meandered along Ketchikan Creek to the Deer Mountain Hatchery and Totem Heritage Center which were both closed since it was early.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-MbNkqxH/0/0ad1d9ee/L/2019 Alaska-8454-Edit-L.jpg

     

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    Since we were leaving at 1:30pm we headed back to the ship for lunch and sailaway.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-Vs8vZKb/0/0c6f1cae/L/2019 Alaska-8485-Edit-L.jpg

     

    We had almost 24 hours until we made our mandatory stop in Victoria BC. We decided to take the short 20 minute walk into town and were rewarded by sunset over the Olympic peninsula.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-THpXFWh/0/07e5be1b/L/2019 Alaska-8509-Edit-L.jpg

     

    Victoria was beautiful at sundown including the Parliament building and Empress Hotel.

     

    https://photos.smugmug.com/Vacation/2019-Alaska/i-TBmtrkV/0/9f7e2319/L/2019 Alaska-8519-Edit-L.jpg

     

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    It was back to the ship and packing up for our departure in Seattle in the morning. We used the Seattle Port Valet service which was great. Put our bags outside our final night and did not see them until arriving in LA. Disembarkation was a breeze the next morning. We caught a cab to Pikes Place for a few hours and then caught the train to the airport.

     

    Thoughts about the ship. I was somewhat skeptical about Princess’ Medallion Internet service especially traveling north to Alaska. It actually performed far beyond my expectations. There were a few dead spots but it was fast enough to keep connected with home. The ship itself was in great shape. We were familiar with the layout since we had been on its sister ship the Emerald Princess before. Most of the shows were good and there was always something to do if we were not outside enjoying the views.

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