JohnGinPBG

Rachel, enjoying your reports very much. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

We're scheduled on the Cloud a year from now with the same itinerary up to this point in your cruise, then headed to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. I must admit to having second thoughts after hearing about your miserable weather. We don't mind cold and we have hiked in the rain, but it sounds like your activities have been very limited. Weather is a crapshoot, of course, but it's always going to be dicey this time of year, or any time of year in that region. We love birds, history and landscapes, which attracted to this cruise in the first place. But if you're constantly soaked and unable to enjoy the scenery....just wondering.

I suppose we'll just roll the dice on the weather or consider other options. In any case, your experiences have given us some great insight. Would you do it again?

Related...from Denali, Alaska.

Wow, Rachel, St Kilda looks amazing, especially with great weather. Very few people get to visit these islands - you are so fortunate. And to top off the day with dinner at La Dame? So nice that you had such a great day after a couple of washouts.

Hope your sail to Orkney is smooth. Thanks so much for your report and photos.

30 minutes ago, Unibok said:

So helpful, John -- thank you!!!

My pleasure! Bon voyage!

8 hours ago, Unibok said:

JohnGin, thank you especially for your advice on Juneau. We had planned to do exactly what you describe (tram to Mt Roberts, hike along the ridge, lunch on the ship, then Nugget Falls at Mendenhall Glacier). I'm so glad to hear it is possible to do both hikes and also dine on the ship.

Here are a few more notes from our day in Juneau that you may find useful.

From where we docked, it was about a 1-minute walk to the tram station. Right outside the station was also where we hopped on the public bus to Mendenhall, so everything is very convenient.

An estimated 1.5 loop trail starts at the visitor center. It's surprisingly steep and can be very muddy. I would suggest starting out to the right, since the trail to the left had a series of stair-steps that were virtually flooded and almost impassable when we came back down that way. We did have rain when we hiked, but it rains almost every day so I wouldn't expect a dry trail. Thankfully, we had hiking poles which really helped with balance, especially when descending.

After about 1/2 mile, if I recall correctly, several trails branch out to the right. One takes you to the Father Brown's cross lookout with great views of the harbor. That's where we stopped but you could continue to the Mt' Roberts summit from there but it's a long way and a serious climb. The other trail takes you to an observation deck with fine views of a large valley. I think it's called Bear Valley. Great spot!

If you go back to the visitor center the way you came, you'll avoid those flooded steps.

One note on Mendenhall. The public busses all leave there by 4:30 or 5:00 to get back to the pier. Not sure why since, as you know, darkness is not an issue. We had to cut our visit short and never actually got to Nugget falls, just close.

I see you're setting sail this evening. All the best for a wonderful cruise and continued Alaskan adventures!

Sorry about your weather, Rachel. Skye looks beautiful and it's a shame not to be able to enjoy the great scenery. I'm forecasting dry skies for St. Kilda tomorrow, but I have been known to be wrong before. I hope you get to see the amazing bird colonies there and the gigantic cliffs!

1 hour ago, TLCOhio said:

We have a family/personal connection with the President of Wings Airways and will do at 3 pm the four glacier flight seeing and then landing at Taku Glacier Lodge, etc.  Early in the morning, before the crowds get too busy, we go to Mendenhall and then hopefully take the tram up, UP to Mt. Roberts.  Beating the "FLOOD" of folks at noon will be important.  

Jam-packed day in Juneau for you! As I recall, after our multiple hikes my wife had a rose-petal bubble bath and we dined in our suite.

27 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

That allows lots of timing flexibility, but, however, there will be five ships in port that day with 11,400+ passengers.  Will be busy, busy there on that day. 

 

Yes, that will be a crowd! However, the two largest ships don't arrive until noon and 1:00, so the morning hours shouldn't be too bad. Mendenhall will be crowded anytime, but Mt. Roberts hiking not so much, as most people just hang out at the visitor center.

Here's what we had - the Silver Shadow sandwiched in between two biggies.

Unibok, your descriptions of Denali and amazing photos have taken us back to our own adventure there last June. You're so fortunate to have had such a great view of the mountain and the Moose calfs are adorable. And your writing is very evocative. As life-long hikers, my wife and I really appreciate hearing about your times on and off the trail. It's gotten us pumped up for our trip to the Swiss alps and Dolomites this September.

Not sure if you have plans for Juneau, but we had a great hiking day there. Took the Mt. Roberts tram and then set out on their trails to higher elevations. Had some rain, but the views were worth it, especially when it let up. Back to the ship for lunch and then headed off to Mendenhall glacier for an easy but rewarding hike down close to Nugget Falls.

I'm sure you'll have a great rest of your trip and time on the Muse! 

Awesome pics, Rachel! Two beautiful islands and more to come. Thanks!

Wonderful photos and commentary, Unibok! You're very intrepid going hiking on your own - beats 9 hours on an old school bus for sure. Hope you have another great day today!

Thanks, Rachel, for your wonderful recollections of Iona and Lunga, which we will seeing in a year. It seems like the highlights of this cruise are landscapes, history and birds which suits us perfectly. Question: did you bring your own boots or use those on the ship?

So glad you decided to hike up the hill in Lunga. Did you get close to the Puffin colony?

Have a wonderful day tomorrow and thereafter!

7 hours ago, Unibok said:

tomorrow's adventure into the park beckons early.

On the Tundra bus tour, they provide a few snacks, but by no means could they be considered lunch. Be sure to pack something else to munch on!

7 hours ago, Unibok said:

Thank you, all! I hope that anyone else sailing on this voyage will feel free to chime in with their experiences as well -- it's not just our story.

Great stuff, Unibok! We were in Denali last year on the SS pre-cruise trip and had an incredible experience. I assume you're going on the Tundra Wilderness bus tour, which is more or less mandatory. For your sake, I hope you have as good weather as we had and get a view of the big mountain. You've already checked the moose off your list, but  should also get grizzlies, Dall sheep and caribou in Denali. Enjoy the rest of the trip!

12 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

No cruise this trip. Just hanging out enjoying the coffee and craft beer scene here in Lviv, after chasing down some old ancestors in Kyiv.

 

Sounds great!  Щасливої подорожі!

Wow,  Rachel. Rough way to start a trip!  Can't imagine living in such a tornado-prone area. At least here in Florida, we get a lot of warning when hurricanes are imminent.

As previously expressed, I'm extremely interested in hearing about your cruise. In about a year, we sail on the Cloud and visit the same first 9 stops that you have before heading to Iceland.

Hope your trip to Dublin works out well and eagerly anticipating your observations about the Cloud and the Scottish islands

6 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Greetings from Kyiv, where we are waiting for our next flight to Lviv. Kyiv was way more than I expected. It's been a great time so far. 

Since you're in the middle of Ukraine, is it possible this trip will end up in a cruise?

3 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Am I correct in assuming that the menu and/or serving method has changed at Silver Note since we did that type of venue in June 2017 on the Silver Spirit?

I believe it has, Terry. I was expecting a wide variety of small dishes and instead it's the traditional appetizers, entrees and deserts. Here was our menu.

We had a wonderful dinner at Silver Note with the most delightful server named Pan!

15 hours ago, philw1776 said:

Looks delicious.  Bummed that Silver Note is fully booked for our Alaska cruise on the Muse in August.

When we were on the Spirit in March, we booked the cruise three days before sailing and both Silver Note and La Terrazza were full every night. So we chatted with the maitre d's and were able to get into the Note on the first night and La Terrazza twice. 

13 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

My wife and I have made it to retirement.  We are going on our first cruise ever on Silversea to Alaska in September on the Silver Muse. 

One year ago, my wife and I were in the exact same boat. Retiring, never cruised. We booked a SS Alaska cruise and pre-cruise Denali trip (which was spectacular) after researching options on Cruise Critic, and with a nice offer of OBC from our SS consultant as a deal closer. We had an awesome time on and off the ship and we love the Silversea experience. Cruised with them again in March and have booked the Med. in October and Ireland/Scotland/Iceland next year on the Cloud.

We booked our excursions independent of SS  - saved some money and had excellent, small group excursions. Best by far was a small-boat whale watching in Sitka with Gallant Adventures. Sea otters, a grizzly, sea lions and seals, whales and thousands of sea birds. Highly recommended! 

We did two room service dinners after long excursion days. On the Muse, however, you'll have more dining options than we did on the Shadow. In advance of your cruise, you might make a few reservations at La Terrazza and/or La Dame and play the rest by ear. We also used the self-serve laundry on a sea day and it worked out well.

Solid advice from Bill about half the clothes and twice the money!

Hope you have a great cruise and Happy Retirement!

9 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

Many thanks JohnGin, I’ll check it out. We’re currently booked on the ships 4x4safari in Sitka but we’re certainly open to better offers!

It's an amazing experience! Here's a little more to whet your appetite:

On 5/3/2019 at 12:02 PM, Daveywavey70 said:

I'm sure you'll have an amazing time! Congratulations to your daughter!

At the Mo we've got the following booked

Ketchikan - Lumberjack show and Misty Fjords flightseeing

Sitka 4x4 Nature adventure safari

Haines - Last frontier adventure safari

Juneau - Heli flight glacier dog sledding

Wrangell - Ancient forests and bears of Anan Creek

Rudyerd bay - Zodiac cruise

Prince Rupert - kayaking

We've had to scrap the rockies tour and Lake Louise at the end as OH looks like he's opening his T.A. on 1st July 😞

Cant wait to hear how your holiday goes! Will get me even more excited.

You have some great excursions booked! Very adventurous.

If you're interested in seeing whales, otters and thousands of seabirds, you might check out Gallant Adventures tour in Sitka. Small boat, great captain - it was the highlight of our entire Alaska adventure. Highly recommended. www.gallantadventures.com

11 minutes ago, Fortunate2 said:

you might want to check out Thriftbooks.com. 

Good advice! They have a used one for $6.77.

Anyone sailing to Alaska would enjoy this book.

4 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

YES!!  John is a man of his word.  Promise made.  Promise kept!!  Received that book this week.  Below is a visual of its cover.  Maybe others can try finding it through their library, doing an inter-library loan/search and/or ordering from Amazon.  

Glad you got the book, Terry! For me, in my limited experience, Cruise Critic is all about sharing information to make cruises more enjoyable. I hope this share will enhance your Alaska adventure. Unfortunately, Amazon seems to be sold out except for  $55.00 version (I think I paid $10). I originally found it in my local library. Enjoy!