TrueNorth21

Did you dine in the Crown Grill or Chris Stone restaurants?

Also dined at the Crown Grill as we had a free specialty dining voucher. It was very good IMO. Like Land Lover also had the Porterhouse. Great choice.

Were you docked in Skagway on Tuesday 8th May - I was on the Star Princess in Skagway on the same date, Was surprised to see Ruby Princess docked behind us - Got some good pictures of the ship from the Skywalkers nightclub on Star Princess

Yep. Saw the Star there also.

Do you know what post-cruise excursions were offered for Seattle the day you returned? Our flight doesn't leave until 5:45 so we have a good part of the day to do something rather than sit at SeaTac but don't want to rent a car.

 

Thanks.

I do not recall. I know there were only a few. I'd guess tours of the city but I'm not 100%

So glad you had a great time...thanks so much for coming back to answer all our questions:cool::cool:

Were your Juneau and Skagway excursions through Princess or booked independently?

We booked all the excursions through princess

Did u have a balcony room? If so how was it? Also in Victoria did you go to Butterfly garden? Can’t wait to go.

We did have a balcony. It was nice for glacier bay to avoid the crowds on deck and also when arriving and departing ports. I say for Alaska its worth the splurge.

We did not do the butterfly garden. Since we got in at 7 PM we just decided to explore on our own. Victoria was very nice...wish we had more time there.

Was there an escape room on board your sailing and if so, do you know when the signup was held?

There was an escape room. Found out about it halfway through the cruise. Talked to a couple who said there was a small notice on the first days patter about it and it filled up within a few hours.

Forgot to ask.....how was the pizza??

I thought the pizza was decent. I've seen a lot of people complaining on the boards about it, but I was quite surprised. They had cheese and pepperoni everyday and a 3rd "special" of the day.

We’re you in Anytime Dining or Traditional? Would you happen to notice if there was a long wait time for Anytime Dining? I heard that Anytime Dining started early (4:30pm) for the Ruby cruises to Alaska and I was wondering if that reduced the wait time during the peak hours 6:30-7:30pm).

We had Anytime. Longest wait was 5 minutes and we ate at a different time each day. If you are fine eating with other people you get seated almost right away. Only time we had to wait was when we wanted a table to ourselves.

Was Mike there?

 

He is our favorite bartender. Usually in that one bar over by the place.

Haha oh yes. It right past that one place and he works with that other guy.

Do you remember what night Italian was in the MDR?

Also, when you arrived in port, do you remember what areas of the ship they opened to get off?

I ask this because a recent cruiser. Anthony stated that it was very much in disarray and nobody knew where people were allowed to get off the ship. and I'm traveling with a mobility limited guest.

Thank you and hope you had a fantastic trip.!!!

 

And did you see any whales or bears?

It was usually the Port side and decks 4, 5, or 6. They announce overhead when arrive in port where to disembark and on what floors. There were usually two exits to get off and get back on. It does get a bit chaotic as the lines build up very fast and people get confused where to go and with people cutting and all that good stuff. In your case I might recommend waiting for the initial rush to get off and you should have no problem exiting with ease.

We didn't see a whale until the last day sailing to Victoria, though many people saw them in Glacier Bay. I saw bear briefly in Ketchikan on our excursion but it ran quickly into the woods. It was a great trip and I'm sure you will have an amazing time also!

What did you do in the ports?

Juneau- we did a guided hike by Mendenhall glacier. It was very nice and you avoided the the crowds at the visitor center. You also get some better views in my opinion. Afterwards we walked around town and checked out the tourist shops. Hit a few local bars. Line was out the door for the Red Dog Saloon so we avoided that.

Skagway- We did Rock Climbing the morning. Not my cup of tea but it was still a lot of fun and the guides were the best we had all trip. In the afternoon we did an Ocean Raft Adventure were they take you out at sea and show you some of the waterfalls and nature up close. Probably the best excursion of the trip.

Ketchikan- We rode ATV/Go-Kart combos up a trail to an outlook. It was a blast but very dusty due to the lack of rain the past days.

Victoria- We just walked around and checked out a few local breweries. Beautiful city.

How was the weather was it very cold?

Tony

The weather was cold but nothing too terrible. Probably around 50ish average. The mornings were always rough, but it was usually quite nice by afternoon. The wind was the worst part. We got lucky at port as Juneau was the only rainy day. Ketchikan you could have walked around in shorts and a t-shirt, it was beautiful. Layers are key as you'll read anywhere. This was my 2nd Alaskan cruise. Last time we went in July and I don't remember wearing anything heavier than a sweatshirt and jeans.

How was the food? What time was boarding? I’m going in August and it says boarding starts at 1.

The food was pretty good. Breakfast buffet was standard (eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast etc.) but well done with many choices. We didn't hit the lunch buffet often but I wasn't very impressed, they seemed to have a theme each day but there was always a wide selection. Dining Room was very good in my opinion, there never was a night were there weren't multiple entrees I wanted to try. Also ate at the Crown Grill which was excellent. Don't want to ramble but I can go into more detail if you'd like!

We were on board by 11:30 AM. Our boarding also said 1 PM so I'm sure that is just the standard they say. We were on the first bus to the Port around 9:30ish I want to say. Probably arrived at port at 10:30. Then between all the check-ins on board by 11:30. It was quick and painless!

Just finished 7-day Alaskan cruise Inside Passage (Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, Victoria BC). Be happy to answer any questions the best I can!