Review: Vancouver, Island Princess Landtour, Denali & Fairbanks

I finally sit down to write my promised review of our two week trip to Alaska! We left PHILADELPHIA August 5th. We booked this "trip of a lifetime" (yeah, right!) summer of 2005 and I became addicted to researching on these very boards. I thoroughly enjoyed the year of planning (I didn't enjoy all the overtime that I did to help pay for it!) and give SINCERE thanks to ALL who helped me with my sometimes dumb, sometimes intelligent questions. I received many answers/suggestions just doing a search or "lurking", so I'm going to attempt styling my reviews using keywords/phrases that I may have used to research my long-awaited vacation to the most beautiful place God ever created! I'm going to attempt to give explainations as to why I made certain choices, as this may help future searchers.

I've procrastinated starting this review because I kept thinking that I didn't have a big enough block of time to complete it. Well, Helloooo, why didn't I think sooner to just break it down into days or parts!?!?! So, that's what I'll do!

We chose Island Princess Northbound followed by a Landtour w/ Princess that included two nights at Denali so that we could at least do the Tundra Wilderness Tour which needs a full day, as my daughter, a TA, suggested, followed by 2 nights Fairbanks as our good friends travelling with us requested. After I began the search, I wanted to switch to booking all of our Landtour independently, but our friends wanted to stay with Princess. In the long run, we were all happy with the efficiency of Princess and didn't feel rushed in any way. But, remember, we had 3 days, 2 nights in Denali and 2 nights in Fairbanks. I allowed "down" time in both. I highly recommend doing this.

I booked our air myself so that I had control over the flights. I beat Princesses price, anyway. Travelling from the East Coast, we left Philadelphia on a 6:15AM flight after spending the night at the Airport Marriot so that we could get a "good nights sleep". What a nightmare! Think late night teenage girl pajama party. Think adjoining rooms (with door). Now, put those together and think 4 calls to front desk, plus two visits by me to the front desk (redressing each time). We finally switched roooms at 1:30AM, fell asleep @ 2PM and awoke @ 4:30! I'm still waiting for an adjustment from Marriot. We put it all behind us: we were LEAVING FOR ALASKA!!!!!!!

SKIP ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CAPITALIZED PLACES IF YOU ARE NOT PLANNING TO GO THERE, IT WILL SAVE YOU TIME READING MY REVIEW!

VANCOUVER: Vancouver Airport was VERY efficient and we went through the luggage process esily! There were four of us, so it was cheaper to hire a limo from the Airport instead of a cab. Just ask the porter. We stayed at the WESTIN BAYSHORE, a wonderful Resort! It was about a 30 min drive to our Resort. I booked it for $66 through Hotwire.com We did not pay extra for a Tower room and I was glad that we didn't. The Hotwire blocked rooms are very nice, contrary to what some say. Their bed was very comfortable.

We explored GRANVILLE ISLAND and all four of us were disappointed. It cost us $20-22 cab fare each way. We weren't into shopping at the type of stores they had, or a Farmers Market (what would we do with the food?). It was VERY crowded in the Market and I "envisioned" something totally different. So much for my research!

We had lunch @ CABRAROS next to the Westin, which was a bit pricey but tasty! It's a very nice setting right on the Harbour. We loved sitting and relaxing, seeing the Harbour boats. Get reservations! Lunch is easier than Dinner. We had the Consierge get them for us. Walking around the grounds and up the Seawall somewhat was SO relaxing! We had a few drinks that first night on their outside porch and people-watched and chatted. The Seawall wraps around their property. Try to snag reservations at this Resort, we all loved the location and property.

SEAWALL: Weather was great. I was up early got good coffee right at the Westin Lobby and explored part of the Seawall up to where Stanley Park begins. It was a glorious day weather wise. I loved seeing the boats in the Harbour! I enjoyed the time alone and I thanked God for the beautiful scenery and the oppourtunity to be there.

BOJANGLES for breakfast right next to the Westin. It's inexpensive, but our friends were a bit disappointed. It's OK for what it is: a quick bite. They wished we had looked into the Sunday Brunch Buffet at the Westin. I don't know the price of the Buffet.

We packed up and had the Westin hold our luggage and arranged for them to get us a Westin van to take us to CANADA PLACE @ 2:30PM. It was free, and we tipped the driver. More about CANADA PLACE later. This saved us so much time.

STANLEY PARK: The seawall completely wraps around Stanley Park. You can walk the 6 miles or so, or, take the FREE Shuttle bus(which do you think we did?) Right, the free shuttle bus that was SO convienient for us, and our timeline that day. The Park opens @ 10AM, as I recall, and we had plenty of time from about 10:30 to 2PM to take the shuttle and get off at any stop we wanted. We would get off and explore the stop and sure enough, when we were done, another shuttle magically apeared to wisk us off through the park! If we had wanted to just STAY on the shuttle, it apparently takes about 45 minutes to go around the Park and back to the starting point, if you are very short on time and just want an overview. Even that would be worthwhile, as STANLEY PARK is very beautiful. There are food/treats to purchase along the way, but we just brought snacks and treated ourselves to Ice Cream! The Park would be GREAT for FAMILIES! Get a park map before you begin. Take your camara, as there are many beautiful shots along the Seawall of LION'S GATE BRIDGE(the shuttle slows down for pictures, so be prepared and you follow along). As you walk to and from the first shuttle stop, the Harbour view up to CANADA PLACE is gorgeous! The best shots of Canada Place and Harbour I think were on the way out of Stanley Park that day, because the Sun was more behind/to the side of me. as I recall.

CANADA PLACE: Westin's van took us right up to the door between 2:30 and 3PM as my daughter suggested. It was a great idea!! We literally WALKED RIGHT THROUGH THE EMBARKATION PROCESS!! All the crowds had gone through already and we had had the opportunity to explore Stanly Park. I figure, if we spent the money to arrive early into a city and spend the night first before embarking (which I highly recommend), then take advantage of the city sights.

Be on alert for the Porters at the airport and their "game" to remind you to tip, it was very humerous! As one porter is unloading your luggage off the van, another arrives to LOUDLY announce: "Here's the ten dollars that the last people wanted me to give you"! He hands the bill slowly and dramatically so that we couldn't miss it. We laugh amongst ourselves. We would have tipped anyway, but I guess some don't!

We are able to go right to our cabin, (CARRIBE) C637, which we loved! It's on a bump out in the middle of the ship, and the foremost BALCONY of that BUMP OUT. On our balcony, we could see forward and STARBOARD from this balcony. Yes, theoretically, others could "see" us on the balcony, but really, I hardly saw anyone out on their balconies, except in port or at the GLACIERS. Then, we were all standing and NOT interested in anyone else! I liked this balcony alot, because I could see the scenery and ports as we were approaching. It's mostly covered which came in VERY handy as our entire trip was overcast, foggy, drizzling, or raining! Our friends were in the cabin next to us, and we asked the Room Steward to open the door between the balconies.

By the way, I think one of the best ideas that I can give you for any balcony is this: It will drive you crazy to sit down and try to watch the scenery, only to have the balcony RAIL in your line of sight!!!! I'm very proud to come up with, I think, a very original idea to get around this.

***Get your LIFE PRESERVER out, open it up like a book and put the thickest side down on your balcony chair with the other side upright. Sit down upon it and your feet still reach the floor and youl be able to lean against the back! Voila! Now you will be able to SEE above the rail in comfort!!!!***Also, tip your plactic chairs when not using them so that they don't become so wet if you have bad weather.

We grabbed a quick snack at the HORIZON COURT. We had TRADITIONAL FIRST SEATING, which was 5:30PM, doors closed @ 6PM, but we were hungry!

This was the first time cruising for our friends and they were VERY pleased with their cabin and balcony. The beds (with the egg crates toppers that you need to ask for) are very comfortable, we thought. Our Room Steward told us that these BEDS are now the same as the mini suite beds. It was so much fun traveling with friends and also watching their excitement along the way. They did some of the same SHORE EXCURSIONS as we did, but opted out of some, also. We didn't stick like glue to each other. For example, we love the sit-down dinner and went to our Traditional dinner @5:30 and decided to forego being up on deck to see SAILAWAY under the LION'S GATE BRIDGE. They stayed up on deck and were very glad they did. They ate at the buffet. We were both glad of our individual choices.

I'm going to close this excerpt of my review, take it for what it's worth. I'm afraid to see how long it is! I've tried to anticipate what future ALASKA cruisers might look for in a review, using my own search habits as a guide. I'll continue to CAPITALIZE the different points of interest in my future(maybe even his weekend!) reviews, so that you can skip ahead if something doesn't pertain to you.

Next post, I'll be reviewing our SHORE EXCURSIONS along the INNER PASSAGE.

The ISLAND PRINCESS took us to:

KETCHIKAN where we used Michelle Madsen of ISLANDWINGS.COM for the beautiful FLOATPLANE flight through MISTY FIORDS NATIONAL PARK.

JUNEAU were we went WHALE WATCHING with CAPTAIN LARRY and ORCA ENTERPRISES, followed by MENDENHALL GLACIER and finished off our day with the most spectacular HELOCOPTER ride to the JUNEAU ICEFIELDS and HERBERT GLACIER and DOGSLEDDING with COASTAL.

I hope this all helps your planning. I'm so glad I finally sat down to start this. I realize that it's the end of the season for 2006, but if you are anything like me, you are enjoying planning one year ahead. I know that I got my monies worth even before we WENT on the 2 week vacation just from the planning and imagination. Now, that I'm reliving the trip, I'm getting my monies worth again!!

We would love to go again on this "once in a lifetime" trip! If we go again, it'll be to the Kenai Penisula and Anchorage.

I'll try to answer any questions that you have...sorry if this is too long!

Eileen

Thanks, Eileen. We are doing the Northbound next July and this is so helpful. Can't wait for your next installment! A couple of questions--with hotwire, did you know before you booked that you were getting the Westin or not until afterwards (like with priceline)? They seems like a fantastic rate for a Westin. The second question is how much time did you actually spend watching from your balcony? Is it a good place to view the glaciers, any wildlife, etc. I booked a balcony, but I am having second thoughts, hearing that the best place for viewing is out on deck. We found this to be true cruising the Panama Canal--we actually spent very little time viewing from the balcony. It still nice to have, of course, but all the many expenses of an Alaskan cruise are adding up!

PS (I loved your life preserver tip -- not being able to see while sitting is a complaint, I have. Counter height chairs would be great.) If I keep the balcony, I definitely will be trying it.

OPPS! We also went to Skagway and did the Whitepass and Yukon Railroad! That'll be on the next post.

Also, in a future post I'll review Glacier Bay and College Fiord and the Denali Express. Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Discovery Riverbaot, Eldorado Gold Mine all will be reviewed.

Sorry, I forgot to mention these in my original post.

Eileen

Jules,

Hotwire is like Pricleline. I first looked into what would be considered "4 star" properties and found out which ones might be included. then I knew that by choosing "downtown" I'd get an acceptable hotel. At that time, Westin was apparently opening up alot of rooms for our time frame and we we lucky to

get it!

Balcony: While we LOVED our balcony and are very glad we bookedi t, if it came down to $$$, an inside would at least GET us to Alaska with viewing on the public decks! Our friends remarked that they couldn't imagine their cruise without the balcony. We cruised in both categories so we kinew that an inside would be OK, for us.

That being said, the BEST, BEST spot for Whale watching on board is right up front on the Island Princess and of course, the Coral Princess a sister ship. Just go to the very end of Carribe (or Baja) forward. Go through the door marked crew only and then the next door leads to a wonderful deck! Carribe forward is covered by Baja and Baja is covered by the Bridge. with Carribe having the most overhead covering from the elements for me.

Our friends didn't want to go up front because of the "crew only" sign, but i specifically asked an Officer is it was OK to go through to there. He

Jules,

Hotwire is like Pricleline. I first looked into what would be considered "4 star" properties and found out which ones might be included. then I knew that by choosing "downtown" I'd get an acceptable hotel. At that time, Westin was apparently opening up alot of rooms for our time frame and we we lucky to

get it!

Balcony: While we LOVED our balcony and are very glad we bookedi t, if it came down to $$$, an inside would at least GET us to Alaska with viewing on the public decks! Our friends remarked that they couldn't imagine their cruise without the balcony. We cruised in both categories so we kinew that an inside would be OK, for us.

That being said, the BEST, BEST spot for Whale watching on board is right up front on the Island Princess and of course, the Coral Princess a sister ship. Just go to the very end of Carribe (or Baja) forward. Go through the door marked crew only and then the next door leads to a wonderful deck! Carribe forward is covered by Baja and Baja is covered by the Bridge. with Carribe having the most overhead covering from the elements for me.

Our friends didn't want to go up front because of the "crew only" sign, but i specifically asked an Officer is it was OK to go through to there. He emphatically said yes!

The Bridge easily looks down upon Baja and Carribe, so if there was a problem, you know that we would have been immediatley asked to leave. There were no crowds...the most up there at any give time was about7-9 people. I woke up early on days where there was a chance to see whales and I was rewarded! I saw Orca, Humpbacks that our friends didn't see from our Starboard balcony.

so, yes I'm glad to have the balcony because we could just gaze out whenever we wanted, but to save $$$ for shore excursions, an inside would have still been OK.

Eileen

Keep it coming! The longer the better as far as I'm concerned :D. It is a nice touch to capitalize the keywords, by the way.

Great review. We leave next weekend for Vancouver and then off on the Coral! After reading your post, we can't wait.

Vancouver - we are staying at the Bayshore and you mentioned a couple of places to eat. Any other places near the Bayshore to eat? Was there a place nearby to buy wine, etc. We are only there one night and will not have a car.

Thanks!

I am enjoying your review, as we are doing a similar cruise (Diamond) July 2007 and staying 2 nights at Denali and 1 night at Fairbanks. Really looking forward to your review! Very interesting review on Westin Bayshore and Vancouver. Thanks.

"It's on a bump out in the middle of the ship"

I'm enjoying your review and will continue to watch for more. I just have one correction. We were on the Island this summer in C636. It isn't mid ship. It's in the aft bumpout. We loved the location--close to the aft balconey, laundry and elevators.

"It's on a bump out in the middle of the ship"

 

I'm enjoying your review and will continue to watch for more. I just have one correction. We were on the Island this summer in C636. It isn't mid ship. It's in the aft bumpout. We loved the location--close to the aft balconey, laundry and elevators.

You are right! As I started to write, I imagined it up farther than it was. We also liked the location since it was close to the elevators(without any noise) and near the laundry.

You win a free trip to Alaska! (NOT!)

Eileen

 

Vancouver - we are staying at the Bayshore and you mentioned a couple of places to eat. Any other places near the Bayshore to eat? Was there a place nearby to buy wine, etc. We are only there one night and will not have a car.

 

Thanks!

I didn't see any stores for libations, but I wasn't looking either! Sorry. What meal were you interested in? B,L,D?

Great review. We leave next weekend for Vancouver and then off on the Coral! After reading your post, we can't wait.

Vancouver - we are staying at the Bayshore and you mentioned a couple of places to eat. Any other places near the Bayshore to eat? Was there a place nearby to buy wine, etc. We are only there one night and will not have a car.

Thanks!

There are many great places to eat on Robson Street, walk south up to Robson. As for liquor stores I have attached the closest one.... if you leave on a Sunday, the liquor store on Thurlow and Bute is open, all within walking distance

http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/storelocations?region=Lower+Mainland&location=Vancouver+-+Downtown

There are many great places to eat on Robson Street, walk south up to Robson. As for liquor stores I have attached the closest one.... if you leave on a Sunday, the liquor store on Thurlow and Bute is open, all within walking distance

http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/storelocations?region=Lower+Mainland&location=Vancouver+-+Downtown

Thank you very much for the map. We will probably shop for our wine on Monday morning before we board the Coral Princess.

I didn't see any stores for libations, but I wasn't looking either! Sorry. What meal were you interested in? B,L,D?

We are looking at dinner and breakfast.

Thanks.

Hotwire is like Pricleline. I first looked into what would be considered "4 star" properties and found out which ones might be included. then I knew that by choosing "downtown" I'd get an acceptable hotel. At that time, Westin was apparently opening up alot of rooms for our time frame and we we lucky to get it!

Eileen

Eileen,

How far in advance did you book the room at Westin Bayshore with Hotwire?

Thanks.

We are looking at dinner and breakfast.

 

Thanks.

I've racked my brain and can't think of any CLOSE BY other than the Tea House in Stanley Park for dinner. It's supposed to have the best views of English Bay at Sunset. they have a web site and you can get to it by the free shuttle. Coming home you may need a cab because I think the last shuttle would be done after dinner time?

Westin's Sunday brunch looked good, I just didn't get the price. Give them a call.

I'd still stick with Cabraros (sp?) for dinner-just get reservations.

Eileen

Eileen,

 

How far in advance did you book the room at Westin Bayshore with Hotwire?

 

Thanks.

February 2006 for August 2006.

Thanks for the positive feedback!

As I said, we all felt the cabins were nice, even our friends cruising for the first time. Rowena was our RS, and I remembered her name from someone else giving a review of the IP! she was very cordial and laaid back. she was efficient at her job. We asked for extra glasses and fresh ice each aday and she readily gave it to us. Our robes and egg-crate were already in our cabins.

DRY CLEANING: We made a great decision to wait until boarding ship to have my DH suit and shirt cleaned and pressed! it was turnaround day, of course, but we were promised to have it returned by the next day by 4PM and it was. That was the first FORMAL NIGHT(day 2 of IP cruise). I even had them clean and press a pair of new black capris that I had worn in Vancouver and had gotten all "pilly". (If you must know... I didn't want to wash them because that were already fitting just right and I didn't want to shrink them...NOT that I was afraid that I'd gain weight! Oh no!) The prices were just the same as if done at home.

CLOSET: Plenty of hangers and shelf space w/ SAFE Luggage easily fit under the hanging space with room to spare. Striped pool towels were already provided.

BATHROOM:Yes the shower stall is the smallest ever imaginied! I wasn't thrilled with the shampoo and conditioner-bring your own. The rest of the bathroom was fine. There are adequate glass shelves with a little railing for your meds, etc. There is a door hook, also.

BALCONY: I've already described it above, and I'd like to add that there is a desk with large mirror near the balcony that we,of course kept our multitude of papers, etc. The most important book we brought (and don't bother to bring that big novel like we did...I hardly ever read it, either on the plane or in the room!) was Princesses "CRUISE COMPANION"!!!!! It was, by far the most helpful item we had. When we were in our cabin, we followed along with the "CAPTAIN'S LOG" on TV. It constantly gave our location along the route and it's easy to follow along with the book, which has zoomed in maps of the route with commentary of wildlife, ect and also a large map to unfold. There are two inside chairs and two balcony chairs. Depending on weather, we could watch inside or out and follow along to see the sights like lighthouses etc. We had our camara and binoculars sitting out on the desk at all times...ready to go! The PRINCESS PATTER'S daily newsletter was very imformative for the Alaska cruise because we could anticipate each night what location/sights we could expect the next day.

CAMARA: I took CC posters advice and invested in a 12X ZOOM with IMAGE STABILIZER. I chose the PANASONIC DMZ 7. I loved, loved, loved that camara! I had a gig and a half with me and I decided to always use the highest compression and all 6 M to get the highest resolution possible so that I could manipulate the images at home. Even with the memory that I had I needed to get 3 CD's made on the ship and in Denali so that I would have full memory again. Each CD cost $9.99 at the photo shop on IP. Say Hi to Paul Massey who was wonderful! Again, in Denali, I had 3 CD's made and ended up at home with the Gig and a half full! I'm not savvy enough ,yet, to do work on the images. Hopefully, I'll get it done soon and I'll post my favorite pictures on this thread. In Denali, across from the Princess Lodge, in GLITTER GULCH, is a ONE HOUR PHOTO shop named "RAPID EXPOSURE" which are open 9AM-9PM 7 days a week. They burn CD's for $14.99 while you wait. I'm no expert, but I got nice pictures by using the "P" auto program and #2 mode Image Stabilizer and "BURST MODE" for all my wildlife photos, especially Whales. the 12X Zoom got me unbelievable shots that others on shore excursions couldn't believe!! For example, I'm very excited about my Tundra Wilderness Tour wildlife shots. the wildlife is

BINOCULARS:We used 10X50 and 7X50, one for each of us. We carried them everywhere in our BACKPACK. Get or borrow, like we did, because they are needed to see the wildlife on ship and land.

BACKPACK: We invested in a good size one with a raincover built it. We used it as a carry on to the plane and to all the ports and excursions. We were able to put our extra layers of clothing into it, along with the camara and binoculars. You will need one.

Thanks for the positive feedback!

As I said, we all felt the cabins were nice, even our friends cruising for the first time. Rowena was our RS, and I remembered her name from someone else giving a review of the IP! she was very cordial and laaid back. she was efficient at her job. We asked for extra glasses and fresh ice each aday and she readily gave it to us. Our robes and egg-crate were already in our cabins.

DRY CLEANING: We made a great decision to wait until boarding ship to have my DH suit and shirt cleaned and pressed! it was turnaround day, of course, but we were promised to have it returned by the next day by 4PM and it was. That was the first FORMAL NIGHT(day 2 of IP cruise). I even had them clean and press a pair of new black capris that I had worn in Vancouver and had gotten all "pilly". (If you must know... I didn't want to wash them because that were already fitting just right and I didn't want to shrink them...NOT that I was afraid that I'd gain weight! Oh no!) The prices were just the same as if done at home.

CLOSET: Plenty of hangers and shelf space w/ SAFE Luggage easily fit under the hanging space with room to spare. Striped pool towels were already provided.

BATHROOM:Yes the shower stall is the smallest ever imaginied! I wasn't thrilled with the shampoo and conditioner-bring your own. The rest of the bathroom was fine. There are adequate glass shelves with a little railing for your meds, etc. There is a door hook, also.

BALCONY: I've already described it above, and I'd like to add that there is a desk with large mirror near the balcony that we,of course kept our multitude of papers, etc. The most important book we brought (and don't bother to bring that big novel like we did...I hardly ever read it, either on the plane or in the room!) was Princesses "CRUISE COMPANION"!!!!! It was, by far the most helpful item we had. When we were in our cabin, we followed along with the "CAPTAIN'S LOG" on TV. It constantly gave our location along the route and it's easy to follow along with the book, which has zoomed in maps of the route with commentary of wildlife, ect and also a large map to unfold. There are two inside chairs and two balcony chairs. Depending on weather, we could watch inside or out and follow along to see the sights like lighthouses etc. We had our camara and binoculars sitting out on the desk at all times...ready to go! The PRINCESS PATTER'S daily newsletter was very imformative for the Alaska cruise because we could anticipate each night what location/sights we could expect the next day.

CAMARA: I took CC posters advice and invested in a 12X ZOOM with IMAGE STABILIZER. I chose the PANASONIC DMZ 7. I loved, loved, loved that camara! I had a gig and a half with me and I decided to always use the highest compression and all 6 M to get the highest resolution possible so that I could manipulate the images at home. Even with the memory that I had I needed to get 3 CD's made on the ship and in Denali so that I would have full memory again. Each CD cost $9.99 at the photo shop on IP. Say Hi to Paul Massey who was wonderful! Again, in Denali, I had 3 CD's made and ended up at home with the Gig and a half full! I'm not savvy enough ,yet, to do work on the images. Hopefully, I'll get it done soon and I'll post my favorite pictures on this thread. In Denali, across from the Princess Lodge, in GLITTER GULCH, is a ONE HOUR PHOTO shop named "RAPID EXPOSURE" which are open 9AM-9PM 7 days a week. They burn CD's for $14.99 while you wait. I'm no expert, but I got nice pictures by using the "P" auto program and #2 mode Image Stabilizer and "BURST MODE" for all my wildlife photos, especially Whales. the 12X Zoom got me unbelievable shots that others on shore excursions couldn't believe!! For example, I'm very excited about my Tundra Wilderness Tour wildlife shots. the wildlife is

BINOCULARS:We used 10X50 and 7X50, one for each of us. We carried them everywhere in our BACKPACK. Get or borrow, like we did, because they are needed to see the wildlife on ship and land.

BACKPACK: We invested in a good size one with a raincover built it. We used it as a carry on to the plane and to all the ports and excursions. We were able to put our extra layers of clothing into it, along with the camara and binoculars. You will need one.

Enjoying your review! We are leaving this Wednesday for land and then Island southbound. We will be going on the Tundra tour. I know we will be enjoying the "green school bus". I am wondering about the temp in the bus. Also are there places to get food on the tour? Wondering if we should take snacks and water. Thanks!

Thanks for the positive feedback!

As I said, we all felt the cabins were nice, even our friends cruising for the first time. Rowena was our RS, and I remembered her name from someone else giving a review of the IP! She was very cordial and laid back. She was efficient at her job. We asked for extra glasses and fresh ice each aday and she readily gave it to us. Our robes and egg-crate were already in our cabins.

DRY CLEANING: We made a great decision to wait until boarding ship to have my DH suit and shirt cleaned and pressed! It was turnaround day, of course, but we were promised to have it returned by the next day by 4PM and it was. That was the first FORMAL NIGHT(day 2 of IP cruise). I even had them clean and press a pair of new black capris that I had worn in Vancouver and had gotten all "pilly". (If you must know... I didn't want to wash them because that were already fitting just right and I didn't want to shrink them...NOT that I was afraid that I'd gain weight! Oh no!) The prices were just the same as if done at home.

CLOSET: Plenty of hangers and shelf space w/ SAFE Luggage easily fit under the hanging space with room to spare. Striped pool towels were already provided.

BATHROOM:Yes, the shower stall is the smallest ever imaginied! I wasn't thrilled with the shampoo and conditioner-bring your own. The rest of the bathroom was fine. There are adequate glass shelves with a little railing for your meds, etc. There is a door hook, also.

BALCONY: I've already described it above, and I'd like to add that there is a desk with large mirror near the balcony that we, of course kept our multitude of papers, etc. The most important book we brought (and don't bother to bring that big novel like we did...I hardly ever read it, either on the plane or in the room!) was Princesses "ALASKAN CRUISE COMPANION"!!!!! It was, by far the most helpful item we had. Get one the first day at the gift shop...they sell out. When we were in our cabin, we followed along with the "CAPTAIN'S LOG" on TV. It constantly gave our location along the route and it's easy to follow along with the book, which has zoomed in maps of the route with commentary of wildlife, ect and also a large map to unfold. There are two inside chairs and two balcony chairs. Depending on weather, we could watch inside or out and follow along to see the sights like lighthouses etc. We had our camara and binoculars sitting out on the desk at all times...ready to go! The PRINCESS PATTER'S daily newsletter was very informative for the Alaska cruise because we could anticipate each night what location/sights we could expect the next day. Be prepared to get up early for Whales. I'm including a prior post between myself and Budget Queen about where the best opportunities fow sightings would be on my itinerary (NB). There is also info about the SB:

Originally Posted by irisheileen

Budget Queen,

Here is our itinerary:

day 1 Vancouver sailaway 4:30PM

day 2 at sea

day 3 Ketchikan 6:30AM-2:00PM

say 4 Juneau 8:00AM-9:00PM

day 4 Skagway 7:00AM-8:00PM

day 5 Glacier Bay 6:00AM-2:30PM

day 6 College Fjord 5:30PM-8:00PM

day 7 Whittier12:30AM

Thanks for your imput!

Eileen

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Day two- dawn- slight chance of orcas, day 4- before dawn- possible humpbacks. day 5- an hour before dawn- very good chance of humpbacks. IF your ship makes a left turn upon leaving Glacier Bay- the cpt is giving you a gift of Point Adolphus- get out on a front deck!!! Hook up with the ship naturalist and inquire if a possiblity. It doesn't hurt to ask the cpt at those parties either. :)

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SOMEONE ELSE'S TRIP:

On day 2 you say "dawn". Do you mean 4am when the sun rises??? If so, the "before dawn" days are completely out of the question for me. I know you aren't a big fan of my itinerary b/c we don't do Glacier Bay but here's what I have. What do you think? We have an aft cabin but I believe you say you need to be on the front of the ship. Any chance I can stand in my jammies on my balcony on the back of the ship? I'm not all that concerned about humpbacks b/c we're doing Capt. Larry in Juneau, but an orca would be a thrill. I can't imagine doing this cruise without all your input.

Day 1: Vancouver

Day 2: Inside passage

Day 3: Ketchikan

Day 4: Hubbard Glacier

Day 5: Juneau

Day 6: Sitka

Day 7: Inside passage

Day 8: Vancouver

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If you want to see orcas, get to Victoria. I can offer you NO areas for their sightings, pure and distant chance since they don't feed in specific areas. They are everywhere and anywhere. I have seen orcas inside Vancouver Island, but you need a southbound trip as the northbound do most all the prime areas at night. So your last sailing day is your best bet. If your ship has a naturalist, hook up with them, find out what they saw the week before. You also might try and send word to the cpt. to detour to Alert Bay, tell everyone you meet and perhaps get others to request it.

As before dawn- Alaska has extended twilight. Dawn will be posted on your newletter every day. You can see out probably 30 min.s prior.

I will continue to say- you need full front viewing. You need to track from way ahead and follow the whale.

EILEEN AGAIN: I followed BQ and saw Orcas and Humpbacks where noted! Get up front and stay there!!

CAMARA: I took CC posters advice and invested in a 12X ZOOM with IMAGE STABILIZER. I chose the PANASONIC DMZ 7. I loved, loved, loved that camara! I had a gig and a half with me and I decided to always use the highest compression and all 6M to get the highest resolution possible so that I could manipulate the images at home. Even with the memory that I had I needed to get 3 CD's made on the ship and in Denali so that I would have full memory again. Each CD cost $9.99 at the photo shop on IP. Say Hi to Paul Massey who was wonderful! Again, in Denali, I had 3 CD's made and ended up at home with the Gig and a half full! I'm not savvy enough, yet, to do work on the images. Hopefully, I'll get it done soon and I'll post my favorite pictures on this thread. In Denali, across from the Princess Lodge, in GLITTER GULCH, is a ONE HOUR PHOTO shop named "RAPID EXPOSURE" which are open 9AM-9PM 7 days a week. They burn CD's for $14.99 while you wait. I'm no expert, but I got nice pictures by using the "SPORTS" mode and #2 mode Image Stabilizer and "BURST MODE" for all my wildlife photos, especially Whales. The 12X Zoom got me unbelievable shots that others on shore excursions couldn't believe!! For example, I'm very excited about my Tundra Wilderness Tour wildlife shots. The wildlife is often very far away and only a powerful zoom w/ IS will get you any decent pictures. Then with the 12X and digital Zoom I captured the shot.

BINOCULARS:We used 10X50 and 7X50, one for each of us. We carried them everywhere in our BACKPACK. Get or borrow, like we did, because they are needed to see the wildlife on ship and land.

BACKPACK: We invested in a good size one with a raincover built it. We used it as a carry on to the plane and to all the ports and excursions. We were able to put our extra layers of clothing into it, along with the camara and binoculars. You will need one.

CELL PHONE SERVICE: Verizon gave us service in ALL ports! No ROAMING.

COFFEE: The best coffee is at Le Pat's coffee bar where is is brewed. Don't make my mistake: we asked for a cup of coffee and got 4oz in a pretty cup and sauser. Next time, I asked if they had take-out cups and we got 12oz or 16 oz to go for the same $1.00!! (Grab a bite sized pastry while you'll there!) The Chocolate Croissants are to die for!

DINING ROOM: We had Traditional @ 5:30PM and started off with #53 which is right by the entrance. Silvio, the Matrie D (sp?) easily switched us to a window table for 4, #112 for the next night! It could have helped that I mentioned that I was a follower of Cruisecritic! He's very aware of us. He pampered us with Desserts that weren't on the menu. You'll find him at the entrance of either Dining Room, Traditional or PC. On this Alaskan cruise, we found it enjoyable to eat most Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners in the DR. In the Carribean, it's easier to go to the Buffet while in your bathing suit. Service was always perfect. Food was good. HORIZON COURT was adequate. We've had better on HAL and Celebrity. Steak and Eggs @ the grill for Breakfast was a treat and delicious!

NATURALIST: Go to the talks she gives they are great!

I'm signing off now...I'll add another post soon about the ports.

Eileen

double/triple post...sorry!

Eileen

My computer seemed to "jump" while I was typing today's long post and saved it before it was complete and had BQ's attached post about the sightings. Ignore post 18 and post 19. Post 21 is the last complete post! So sorry! (It just couldn't have been me!)

Eileen

Excellent review! Where did you get Princess' Cruise Companion book?

Thanks, Matt

Excellent review! Where did you get Princess' Cruise Companion book?

 

Thanks, Matt

We borrowed the one we used from our SIL. My husband loved it and really wished that we had our own to keep, because of the great pullout map. When we went to buy one on the ship, they had sold out. So, buy it the first day, or search ebay or maybe Amazon.com?

Eileen