cmmaxwell03

We went on the Resurrection Bay tour. The waters are more calm than the other tours. I saw several people talking about how rough the Fjords tour can be so we opted for calmer waters. We saw lots of orcas. It went from boring to very interesting I’m just a few minutes.

We traveled using the Gold Star service last September. We enjoyed the experience and considered it to be the first excursion of our trip. We enjoyed being under the glass roof the whole time. Even thought it was raining, we always enjoyed the viewed. I felt there were fewer people in the Gold Star section. The bar was very accessible in each of the Gold Star cars and rarely had a wait. If you can splurge on the price, I think it's worth it. But the Adventure class is still good. You will have a glass roof car and open air car that is shared. If you do not drink or want a meal, it could be the more affordable option.

OMG I'm so excited for you! I have been reading your plans and I wish we were going again. You are going to have so much fun.

True...but it's on Carnival so I'm sure they added activities and things to keep people entertained. I follow a Youtube channel called ParoDeeJay. They have sailed on Carnival Luminosa a few times. The Alaska sailing on Carnival looks fun....not as fancy/classy as other ships, but an overall good time.

HI Puzzums 🙂 We just got back from a southbound sailing from Seward to Vancouver, Sept 7th-17th. To be honest, if early Sept was the only time I could take off work, I would still go again. Even though we had rain most days and some rough seas at times, it was still a great trip. I gave a detailed description on the thread below, post #230. LMK if you have any other questions about the trip.

I heard about Carnival skipping that part. I watch Cruise Radio on Youtube. He presents current news on the cruise industry. I think he said they will have 5 sea days in a row to make up for missing those ports.

I agree with everything you said. Good point that people with their luggage, that do not have a ticket, should go inside first 🙂 I had not thought about that (obviously!). The "included" breakfast is so-so. It filled our bellies but didn't leave us wanting more. Although, I have to say it was a nice to try reindeer sausage.

We arrived back home last night from our 10 day AK cruise through Viking. I will not review the cruise line here but I do have some other random stuff to share that might help with your planning 🙂 @no1racefan1 SO SORRY I could not manage to do a 'live' report. I really wanted to but the wifi was terrible. We had several days without any decent connection. I was able to post some quick updates/pics to Instagram while we were in port and not on an excursion. If you are interested in seeing those, my name/handle is life_the_cmax_way Our flight from Seattle to Anchorage was uneventful. If you fly during daylight hours, the scenery is beautiful when not in the clouds. So many amazing mountains! Anchorage airport is lovely. Dare I say, I wish we had walked around it longer than we did but I was ready to get the vacay started, haha. We decided to take a taxi from the airport so that we did not need to figure out where the uber stand was located. We stayed at the downtown Marriott. I thought Anchorage would look like a major city with lots of high rise builds, but that's not the case. The blocks are smaller than you would expect. Most buildings are only a few floors high. And taller builders seem to be limited. The hotel was very nice. I booked using points, so our room selection was limited. We were surprised to have a view of the bay once we arrived in our room. It was very nice to look out over a portion of the city and see the water. From our hotel, everything we wanted to do was within walking distance. We walked to the train station so that we could determine if we could do it with our luggage or if we should take a taxi. Then we stopped into 49th State Brewing for a snack and beverage. We split their soft pretzel (it was massive) and each had a beer sampler. It was before dinner so there were a few tables available, but WOW, that place filled up quickly during the 1-2 hrs we were there. We went back to the hotel for a little bit and then headed to dinner at Glacier Brewhouse. We had reservations for 7pm and were seated quickly. The menu is large enough that you can choose between seafood/no seafood, budget friendly/splurge. We found the restaurant to be extremely warm. I had on a long sleeve shirt and instantly regretted it. The place was also packed to the gills. It felt as though there were 50-75 tables and each were full. While the food was tasty, I wished we had skipped it. Or had a mid day snack there and went to 49th for dinner. For our full day in Anchorage, I planned breakfast at the Snow City Cafe and a Helicopter tour that took us to a dog sled camp. We arrived at the cafe around 8am and had a short wait. We were a little surprised by the prices but the portions were pretty large. I ordered the Kodiak Benedict (eggs beny w/ a crap cake) and DH got the french toast. We shared both and had almost a 2 pieces of french toast leftover. Both items were very tasty. After breakfast we were contacted by our tour company, Alaska Helicopter tours. We found out the tour had been canceled due to the weather at the camp being fairly poor. Too much mud for the dogs and tourists. I was bummed but they offered us a tour that went to the Knik Glacier and had a glacier landing. It was a little cheaper than our original trip so we went ahead and did it (plus we didn't have any other plans for the rest of the day). I should have held onto my socks because they blew them off!! I HIGHLY recommend this company!!!!!!!! They picked us up at our hotel and shuttled us to a resort in Palmer where their helicopters are stationed. They were friendly and professional. The lodge was clean and inviting. We have never been in a helicopter so this we exciting (and really freaking scary!). We had a safety briefing and then were escorted to our helicopter where we met our pilot, Shad. With a name like that you knew he was either young and beautiful or a fish...I'll let you choose, haha. There were 7 of us in the helicopter; two other couples and the pilot. It was a tight fit but everyone had a great view. During the flight, Shad spotted a bear and flew really close (a safe distance, haha). The bear took one look at us and said, NOPE! Then ran away. I think the flight out was 20-30 minutes long. Very scenic around the green portions of the mountains. Then we started flying over the glacier. It was amazing. I did not think flying over/to the glacier would interest me but I was so wrong. It scary, beautiful, breathtaking...all the words! Then the pilot chose a place and landed on the glacier. We walked around for about 20-30 minutes while he snapped photos of the group. We each had water bottles and were encouraged to taste the glacier water. It was nice and cold. For our flight back, I felt like we were in Top Gun. We flew through a ravine (I think that's what it is called) and went along with the curves of the landscape. If you cannot tell....this was awesome! We landed safely back at the lodge and were shuttled back to the hotel. We had 7pm dinner reservations at the Crow's Next. This is a fancy place on top of the Captain Cook hotel. Everything we delicious and properly cooked. Nice sized portions. No complaints. We would absolutely eat here again. The rest of our evening was uneventful. We packed up, watched some Friends on tv and fell asleep. The following information only applies to those that book directly with the train line and NOT through your cruise line. Anchorage to Seward via the Alaska Railroad (ARR): We booked our train tickets directly with ARR 8 months before the trip. We opted for the Goldstar class (includes breakfast and seats you on the top leave w/ the glass dome). We decided to take a taxi from the hotel due to our luggage. It would have been a lot to carry the 0.7 miles. The taxi cost around $5. When we arrived at the train station, there was a large white tent to the side. This is where you drop off luggage other than your carry on bags. ONLY THEN should you proceed inside to get your boarding pass. We saw many people wait in line only to find out they could not get a ticket until they had dropped their bags outside. The train station isn't very big but people kept cramming in there. We felt a bit like sardines and once we had our ticket and some coffee, we opted to wait out front away from the crowds. Our 'checked' bags were trucked to Seward and we did not see them again until onboard the cruise. We had Air Tags in them and checked many times. They were definitely not on the train and went via the Seward high way. Boarding started around 615am and we were seated by 620am. The ride was nice and the weather cooperated. I enjoyed the glass dome but tbh, if it wasn't in our budget, I think the regular seats in Adventure Class would have been fine. I rarely found myself looking up through the glass. Instead most things were out the side of the train car. We treated this as our first excursion of the trip. We befriended 2 couples there were sailing on a Celebrity cruise out of Seward the next day. The ride from Anchorage to Seward is about 4.5 hrs long. We arrived around 1115am and took the short walk from the train to the cruise port. BTW, the signage can be confusing. One sign says "cruise port this way" and then there was a sign stating "no pedestrian traffic". That sign is specifically talking about an business with a very active parking lot/drive way. Once we left the station, we walked to the road and took a left. Follow that for just under 0.5 miles and then you turn right toward the ships. It was an easy walk since our weather was good. Some ships had shuttles that picked you up at the port but ours did not. Embarkation in Seward was SO easy!! It is a large tan metal building. There are restrooms, vending machines and the processing places for the cruise. Since we arrived fairly early, there were only a few couples ahead of us in line. I estimate that from the time we walked into this build until we placed foot on the ship, it was 15-20 minutes. We had read on another post that you should use the restroom here because when you board they will take you to a safety briefing right away and it could be up to 30 mins before you have a chance to excuse yourself. They were right! I might have had champagne in my hand but it was a good 20 minutes before we were left to wonder on our own. Excursions: Resurrection Bay Wildlife Tour by Major Marine (Seward) Purchased through our cruise line 5 hour duration It was a lovely catamaran tour for about 160ish people. The boat was clean, had restrooms and a snack bar. Sandwiches, chips, a granola bar and non-alcoholic beverage were included. There were 3 levels of seating (2 inside, 1 outside). Please note this is labeled as a "wildlife" tour and not a whale watching tour. We saw seals, otters, puffins and a bunch of other birds. They cruise around Resurrection Bay at a very slow pace. For the first 3.5 hours, I admit, I was a little bored. With so many people on the tour, we fought for window space unless you wanted to go up top and hang out in the wind and rain (which we eventually did and enjoyed it). We were on the last 1.5 hours of our trip and all the sudden the captain turned the boat away from our normal path and sped up quite a bit. He did mention briefly that we were deviating from our normal path but did not state a reason. We thought it was due to the rough-ish seas. However, we were wrong. We pulled up near several other tour boats and he explained there were Orcas in the area. For at least an hour, we floated along and watched the Orcas swim through the water. No joke...there had to be 20-30 of them and they were on all side of the boat. At one point, we stood in amazement as 3 breached one after another. Even the crew on the ship were in awe. I felt as though all passenger gasp and then cheered. The whales must have known we were at the end of the tour because the either swam away or were less active. At that point, we sailed back to Seward to take the short 5 minute shuttle bus ride back to the cruise port. I do wonder, if we had cruised earlier in the year, would we have seen more whales....I'll never know 🙂 Valdez On Our Own (Valdez) "Tour" booked through the cruise line We were really excited to visit Valdez due to some friends that had lived there while being in the Coast Guard. Our cruise line offered a free shuttle to some of the locations in town. If you wanted to skip the shuttle you can also walk from the port into town. It's small and easily walkable. We walked for about 1.5 hours and then headed to Valdez Brewing Company. We love to support local breweries when we have the chance. DH tried a unique beer that was a Strawberry Milkshake IPA. I know...I was shaking my head too and thinking how gross it could be. BUT....it was tasty! It looked like a regular beer but had flavors of a creamy strawberry shake. I don't know what kind of magic they are preforming in the back but I'm sold! Next was a food stop we were so excited to try: The Nat Shack. After the short walk from the brewery to the food truck, we were shocked to find it was not open. I looked on their website and it did not suggest they would be closed. DH pulled up their FB page and it said they closed on 9/5...we were there on 9/9. Booo!!! I get it, I get it...but I was still bummed. We didn't want to wait for the shuttle so we walked back to the port and ended up at the ship's buffet for lunch. Taku Lodge Feast & 5 Glacier Seaplane Discovery (Juneau) Booked on our own through Wings Airways 3ish hours The building for Wings Airways is located right on the pier. It was a quick 5 minute walk from the ship. We checked in, were given a ticket and waited about 10 minutes before boarding our seaplane. Each plane holds 10 passengers and the pilot. Before board, the pilot asks for 2 volunteers that would like to sit up front with him (1 each way). We flew over the cruise port and several glaciers before landing at the lodge. The lodge is adorable!! The staff members live on the remote island for 5-7 months out of the year. They make most food items from scratch daily. We were served fresh salmon cooked over an alderwood fire, beans, slaw, biscuits, bread, cookies. Tea, coffee, water, lemonade were however a can of beer was $8 and a glass of wine was $14 (yikes!! $$$). We had time on our own before and after the meal to walk around the property. We found a waterfall and fresh berries (blueberries and highbush cranberries). Once our time at the lodge was up, we boarded the seaplane again and had a 15 minute return flight to the port. It was a fun trip! RIB/Zodiac Excursion & Fin Island Lodge (Sitka) Booked through the cruise line Unfortunately, we had heavy rain and gusty winds. The tour canceled and we were refunded within a day or two. Btw, at this point we were on day 8 of the cruise and I was feeling exhausted. So we stayed onboard and napped most of the day. It was lovely, haha. Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour (Ketchikan) Booked through the cruise line due to short time in port but you can purchase tickets online 3.5 hours I have to admit that I nerded out a little bit. I'm a big fan of the show, The Deadliest Catch, so this was a tour I was really excited to attend. The weather was not great but didn't stop the tour (YAY!!). I thought it was more authentic due to the wind and rain. We ended up on the top deck which is not sheltered well from the wind and rain but we were prepared in rain suits and water proof shoes. The fishermen on this tour are experienced and knowledgable. They do not take you out into the rough ocean seas that the show on the TV show. However, we did have some waves due to wind but nothing dangerous. I think I smiled the whole time. We were shown live crabs, an large octopus, star fish, shrimp, sea urchins, an eagle, and at the end during one of the stories being told, some yelled out "WHALE!!". There was a single large humpback whale off the starboard side of the boat. It dove down after showing us a little tail and just when we thought it was gone, it came up and did a quick bubble feeding!! Woot!! Quick trip back to the port where the captain impressed us with his navigating skills. Their berth is behind a cruise ship so the sailed their boat between 2 cruise ships very carefully and then parked in the busy harbor. Well done!! Overall/General notes: Waiters on our cruise mentioned that this specific sailing had more rain and rough seas that any other they had this season in AK. If I went again, I might select an earlier trip however, our anniversary was during this trip and that's why we selected the dates. We did not go overboard with our spending when it came to wet weather gear. We purchased water PROOF jackets and pants from REI. They were store brand and worked just as well as the fancy name brand items. We both needed to replace our hiking shoes so we kept an eye out at REI for sales on waterproof hiking shoes. We found some about a month before our trip and wore them inside the house to break them in. On a whim, 2 weeks before leaving we were back at REI for something random and found a better brand marked down much less than our original purchase. REI has an amazing return policy. We were gentle on the original pairs and had not worn them outside so they were like new when returned. Ensure you have water PROOF and not water RESISTANT. We had rain almost everyday of the cruise. Sometimes it was a light rain that didn't really affect you and other days it was heavy. We saw many people that either didn't pack rain gear or purchase water resistant...they were soaked. The resistant gear will protect you for a while from a light rain and then it will start to absorb the water. Footwear...dude, I get it. People love Crocs, sandals, etc but you should still pack for bad weather just in case. The rain was cold and with the added wind....I'm willing to be some people were miserable with their wet socks/feet. Dress in layers. I knew this was important but didn't think I needed to do it everywhere. Our first dinner in Anchorage I was so warm in the restaurant and didn't have on anything appropriate under my long sleeve shirt. During our Bering Sea Fisherman's tour, I wish I had brought an extra sweatshirt since we were up top and exposed to some weather. Whew...that was a LOT. I'm sure there is more I could share but I'm not sure where to start. LMK if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer. I hope we can travel to Alaska again. There are still so many things we want see or experience there.

I tried to contact them to purchase the VIP ticket. I called several times and no one answered. I left a detailed message...no reply. I ended up booking my cruise line because they charged the same price that was offered by the vendor.

We board our flights from Seattle to Anchorage in 24 hrs. Most of our packing is completed. It's hard to I'm finding it hard to stay focused. I'm starting one task and then quickly becoming distracted by something else.

Hi Mia, When do you cruise to Alaska? We board the Orion in Seward on 9/7 and when we get to Vancouver on 9/17 we are disembarking by tender. Viking told us about it a week ago via email. They outlined that we will have to leave our luggage out the night before and then we will pick it up at a hotel that we will be shuttled to once leaving the Orion.

Oh.My.Lord....I would move. Or pass some stinky gas to encourage her to move. 🤣

Did you have to wait long to get on/off the tram? By chance, do you know what time the bar opens up top? We have a tradition of going to mountain tops and having a beer 🙂

@no1racefan1 The pressure is ON! We fly to Anchorage Tuesday morning. Then start the cruise on Thursday. My 'to-do' lists are a bit lengthy. I read back over your packing list and realized I had forgotten to add binoculars to my packing list. DOH!

I'm impressed you are still standing! That's a fair amount 🙂