Stealthdog

We have seen most of the evening entertainment on board (we missed the first production but saw the second). Entertainment is always subjective and it really depends on what you like. Overall, we found the evening entertainment ok and average for a cruise ship. I’ll post a separate post on the 2nd production show because I think it deserves its own post (in a good way). The below two shows does a good job of highlighting why entertainment is subjective. Day 3 we had a ventriloquist, impressionist, and singer named Michael Minor. To us, his act was very dated and targeted for a specific generation. All of his songs and impersonations came from the 1950s and 1960s. Anyone born in the 1970s or later probably won’t appreciate the act because they did not grow up listening to that music or knowing the famous people he was impersonating. People from an older generation would probably love his show. He was a talented singer (his ventriloquism was probably his weaker talent), but I got bored and was falling asleep during his act, and looking around so were alot of other people. I made sure to put down my drink so I didn’t drop the glass and shatter it in the theater like I did during a Jersey Boys show on Celebrity. Pianist Jason Lyle Black on Night 4 was the complete opposite for us. He was a very talented pianist (and outshone the orchestra, which probably isn’t fair because they just got his music that day). He created mashups of songs that spanned Beethoven and Mozart to today, with some contemporary songs, theater production songs, and Disney. If you don’t like classical music you probably won’t care for his show. We really enjoyed it and would go a second night if he performs again. Day 2 there was a tribute to Tina Turner. Some people probably loved it, but we only stayed for the first couple of songs - the singer really didn’t have the voice for that style. We heard her perform another night and she is talented, but her voice just didn’t work for Tina Turner for us.

In summary, our experience in the main dining room was 50/50 - 2 disappointing evenings and 2 very nice evenings. I didn’t post Day 3 - we ate at Allegro and left halfway thru the main meal and didn’t bother with desert. We really didn’t find anything we liked and didn’t want to wait to order anything else to get served because we had a hard stop to get back to our balcony to watch for the whales and hear the narration from the naturalist. After the hour of sailing through the whale zone we had a makeup dinner in the Italian restaurant Alfredo’s Pizzeria. For a complimentary eatery on board, it is perfectly fine and probably like any local Italian restaurant near where you live. If you like Chicago style pizza you will probably like Alfredo’s - their pizzas have a lot of dough. If you like NY style with thin crust and light dough with thin slices you may not care for Alfredo’s. I can spill the beans on here because Eric doesn’t read this. Tonight (Day 6) we are going to the new Seafood Restaurant, which he knows about. Tomorrow night we are doing the stateroom balcony dining as we go through one of the straights, courtesy of our travel agent for Eric’s birthday. Eric doesn’t know about this and I hope the weather cooperates.

Day 5 we returned to Concerto and the theme was Chefs Recommendation (sorry, forgot to take a photo). It was also a very good night for the food. Beef carpaccio desert and the lamb were the stars of the night. We are always hesitant to get lamb because so many places overcook it. But, the chef prepared it very well - I think it came out medium rare. We also shared a carbonara which was pretty good. The bruschetta was a little disappointing - the tomatoes were season and prepared nicely, but the break portion was boring and tasted like white toast you can get at breakfast. The cobbler and chocolate tart were both great for dessert, but the chocolate cheesecake was disappointing.

Our faith in the MDR has been restored the last couple of nights. We decided to switch it up a little and went to Concerto to give Allegro a break from us - I imagine the staff in Allegro are terrified whenever they see us approach. Day 4 was Italian Night. We switched up our strategy and ordered just about everything from the menu that was not steak and figured something would be good. Everything was good - we particularly liked the lasagna. The chicken Parmesan gets a shoutout as well. One of the staff was live preparing a meal on the dining floor as well that was good. He was calling it penne arrabiata ala Indonesia. It was fairly spicy and garlicky. The veal was bad either. Appetizers the prosciutto and melon was the way to go. I was expecting the arancini to really pop with flavor because of the truffle, but it was a little bland. For desert the tiramisu was great, but the soufflé was a little dry.

On Day 3 the naturalist on board narrated our passage through some areas after we left Ketchikan. He was broadcasted in the World Market and into the stateroom TV on the live channel. For about an hour, he pointed on sightings of whales, porpoises, and seals for us to look for. It was really nice - some of them where really close to the ship. You can see the blows from the whales from far away. The seals were laying on a red buoy (which is hard to see on the picture). The binoculars were really helpful for this activity. The photos don’t do it justice because it was hard to capture the whales fin waves after they finished their breaches.

Unfortunately people were camping out in line for hours like it was a Taylor Swift concert. We ended up getting right in front of the pen and got to watch them. Was good enough this time. I want dog time in Denali though!

No time for that today. Got back from excursion at 530pm. Because we had to tender, we didn’t have any time to linger in town. Needed to get on the ship and get in line for the PUPPIES!

They tendered us to the far side of the rock barrier you see at the bottom of your picture. The actual tender ride was maybe 5 minutes. They only had two tenders to use and I guess Holland America was sending one of theirs to speed up the process. once we were dropped off, we walked the rest of the way to the tour pickup location. There were no buses for us.

that makes sense. I saw all the passengers lining up in front the rear of our ship. They must have been waiting for the buses to take them past us.

Quick update - we had a 845 time for the theater and got off the water tender around 945, so we are probably about 30 minutes behind.

I don’t think so. It sounded like the first water shuttles were leaving at around 830. It’s a hot mess. All Princess excursions are leaving the ship late. There are only 2 shuttles being used and they each can carry about 120 people. We are in the theater waiting for our excursion to move off boat - looks like we will probably be at least 30-40 minutes late. This is the only port we booked the excursion through Princess, so I guess we are fortunate. it’s weird because there is a NCL ship right behind us and I was watching their passengers walk their ships gangplank onto the pier that we supposedly can’t use.

Day 5 (Skagway) is a tender port. Looks like rockslides destroyed part of the docking area. Information and instructions for tendering below. Also Day 5 event list.

In Juneau we did a private tour booked through Shore Excursions Group called Helicopter Icefield Excursion. The local vendor used was Coastal Helicopters. This excursion was pricey (I think it was ~$400/person), but this was one the main reasons we booked this cruise. Unlike in Ketchikan, it was a little bit of walk to go to the meetup place for the tour. In Ketchikan the tour groups meet you right off the ship. Only Princess tours gather right off the ship in Juneau. It was about a 5-10 minute walk to the parking lot area towards downtown for the meet up location. We were packed into a minivan and made an additional stop at the Celebrity Millennium to collect more individuals for the excursion then brought to the tour office at the airport. They provide everyone overshoes to wear, store your bags in a locked footlocker, put you on a scale and weigh you, and require you to watch a short safety video. There was a weight restriction and I presume the weighing is to distribute weight across helicopters used and on your specific helicopter. After the safety video, the groups (6 per helicopter) wait outside to be loaded onto a helicopter for transport to the glacier. You can bring water, phones, binoculars, etc with you. The doors of the helicopters securely shut so you don’t need to worry about anything falling out. On the helicopter they have headphones to help damper the noise and allow you to hear the pilot. Our pilot was Oceana and she flew us to Herbert Glacier, which is a little past Mendenhall - you can see Mendenhall along the way. While flying the pilot was able to point out some mountain goats to us and a few other interesting sites. The flight time was about 15 minutes, and the ride was really smooth. There was a few areas of wind pockets that I felt, but it was absolutely safe with great views over water and land. Once Oceana found a safe spot to land the helicopter, we got off and had about 15-20 minutes to explore the glacier. We could see the crevices, which apparently can be hundreds of feet and heard a huge underglacier waterfall, which was awesome. After a while, we loaded back up and flew back to the airport. The company drove us back downtown and dropped us off wherever we wanted to go (restaurant, ship, shops, etc). This was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Walking on top of a glacier is something I never thought I would do. It was Eric’s first time in a helicopter, so there was that added excitement too. We both wore 3 layers, and that made the cold bearable. A hoodie or earmuffs were useful and gloves might be good for some too. Eric had a windbreaker style jacket and I had a cloth hoodie and they both worked. Whether it’s through a private tour or a cruise line tour, taking a helicopter to a glacier is a must do for cruises at least once in their life. If you are apprehensive of the helicopter ride, you can take ground transport to the welcome center at Mendenhall and still be able to see the glacier, but it’s not the same thing. We would totally use Coastal Helicopters again. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Day 4 activities. 6 ships were in port in Juneau today (2 NCL that appeared to share 1 dock station, 1 Celebrity, 1 Holland, 1 Viking, and us). Poor Viking was the only one that tendered. The rest of us docked. Was a beautiful day in Juneau - mid-high 40s and turned sunny in the afternoon. We did a private tour - helicopter to the glacier. Will post that info tomorrow because I have so many photos and have to organize them. It was a trip of a lifetime and didn’t disappoint. The glaciers and Denali are the two reasons we booked this cruise. The rest of the time off ship we walked around the downtown area, ate at Tracy’s and went souvenir shopping. Tracy’s Crab Shack IMHO seemed like a tourist trap with insane prices. I got the pork sliders and Eric got crab legs and cakes. He enjoyed them but they were not worth the price. We should have gone to Deckhand Daves instead - that was the recommendation from the locals who worked at the helicopter tour company. We did get a local cider at Tracy’s that was pretty good.

Absolutely - I’m JC (the bald one). Eric is the one with hair. We went to the IC before leaving the ship today. I pointed to the cookie tray behind the counter and got this. It was delicious.

Formal night was Day 2 - we went around the ship for the picture stops with the Princess photographers. Will check them out at the end and maybe get a photo book this time. A lot of people looked very nice.

Some of the menus at for the MDR dinners. Also, the juice bar menu - a really nice perk if you have a drink package.

Night 2 dinner at Crown Grill. Formal night and Eric’s birthday, so we got dressed up. The cheesy bread they serve at the beginning was awesome. Really enjoyed it. The Black and Blue Onion Soup was also fantastic. It’s saltier than the Onion Soup in the MDR, but it had so much more flavor. Eric went with the Surf and Turf upgrade and I got the Filet. Both of our filets came out really well done, so we sent them back to the kitchen. The next were served really rare, so those went back too. Third time was perfect - medium rare for Eric and medium for me. The filets were very good once we got the right temperatures with very nice flavor. I don’t know why this ship is having such a hard time with steak temperatures. The waiter, who was wonderful, waived the up charge fee for the lobster because of the filet challenges. For desert we got the cobbler and cheesecake and really enjoyed both. The staff brought out a small birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to a Eric, which is always nice. Someone else after that had a birthday cake delivered and I joined the wait staff in their singing to her. Overall, the food ended up being very nice, but was surprised by the temperature issues at a restaurant you have to pay to eat at. Not a knock on Princess specifically, but every recent ship we have been on (including the Majestic), the specialty dining restaurants all have obstructed views out their windows (engineering equipment, life boats, etc). I’d think these ships would want people to have nice views looking out the windows if they are paying a big surcharge to eat there.

it’s the bright blue store in this picture - it’s a few minutes walk from the creek street and downtown area. Will depend on which spot your ship uses in port. For us, it was across from our ship.

so jealous about the lumberjack show. We should have done it - sounded like everyone was having a blast. I think I even heard you yelling. 😁

I’ll look for it!

We have a couple hours before our meet up time for our tour in Juneau. Time to charge phones and go grab breakfast. Still owe some posts about Crown Grille, some of the shows, a picture outside the indoor pool spaces look for any adult only signs, and last nights narration with whale, seal, and porpoise sightings.

Ketchikan had 5 ships in port (3 Princess, 1 Holland, and 1 Regent). With a population of 14,000 people the city more than doubled in size! We did the Creek Street walk, stopped in a lot of the shops along the way, had some seafood at a grill near one of the other cruise ships, heard the hollering and cheering from the lumber jack show, and then head back to the ship. There was a long line to get back on the ship that maintained until the all aboard time (230). I got myself a mimosa to watch for pier runners from the balcony, but no luck today - everyone was too responsible. We particularly got a laugh if the “streets” that are just stairs up to a persons house. got some wonderful shots of the port on the way out. Ketchikan is a great port to view - find a spot either inside or outside to enjoy the views!

It was awesome. Gourmet donuts, dumplings, coffees, and smoothies. They had more than a dozen different donut options. Looking back into the kitchen area, they warm up donuts, dip the top into your chosen toppings, and then finish decorating it for you. The line was a little long when we got there so we had a small wait. Once you get your donut order it, it comes out quick. Dumplings (which were awesome) take about 7 minutes. IMHO Jellyfish Donuts is a cant miss event if you stop in Ketchikan. Pictured below are the strawberry cheesecake and salmon donuts.

Ketchikan was a very nice stop. I’ve heard some people don’t enjoy it, but we had a blast there. It’s a nice change from repeating the same port stops in the Caribbean. We did a private tour with Wild Wolf tours. The port makes it very easy to get to the private tours - once you leave the ship, they we will mixed in with the Princess tours and waiting for you. We ended up being the only 2 on the tour, which was great because we could personalize it however we want. We had a Rainforest Walk and Totem Park tour. We were disappointed with the rain forest part because we didn’t see any wildlife (outside of 2 Red Squirrels and 3 Slugs). The guide did his best to walk us through the different foliage, trees, and terrain to help make up for no animal sightings. We walked up to a waterfall spot (very small waterfall) and back to the entrance. The path was modified to make it flat and easy to walk on, but there are a couple of steep inclines which will make it very difficult for anyone with mobility issues to do this tour. It seems alot of locals use the park to walk their dogs the area. I got excited when I saw some animal droppings, but it wasn’t a bear, it was a dog. 😂 The totem park was a nicer part of the tour. It was helpful the tour guide was married to a Native American and has experience with the culture, history, and meanings. There are a few different tribes that were in the area and their totem styles differ by tribes. Seeing these huge totems (they are technically recreations by local native residents) and what we think they meant was really impressive. Each totem has its own meaning and story. After the Totems, our guide dropped us off at Creek Street and we slowly made our way back to the ship. I probably wouldn’t recommend this tour for anyone (would recommend the company though - Wild Wolf). The rainforest part was just a little boring and there are probably better things to do in town. Entrance to the Totem Park is $5, so you could get a ride from the port to the Park and back for much cheaper.