Small ship Alaska Cruises...HELP

[Eboo]

We are looking at American West Steamboat Company cruises to Alaska. The Empress of the North is the name of the Sternwheeler ship. It looks great. My husband and I are celebrating our 30th anniversary and want something special. I just haven't found anyone that can tell us much about this cruise. Any first hand knowledge out there?

[rogue bkpkr]

Hello:

 

I can't offer much help since I don't have first hand knowledge of this cruise. It does look interesting but it's a little out of the ball park for me.

 

I found a couple of review(s) that may/may not help:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=6320

 

I did a google search using American West Steamboat Company Alaska reviews and got the above hit(s). There were more reviews but I'm not sure if I'm breaking any rules if I post them here so I'm not.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Rogue

[steamboats]

Hello,

 

I haven´t been on the Empress yet (but hopefully will this September). But I´ve been on several cruises of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Believe me a cruise on a paddlewheeler (even if it´s not steam like the Empress) is something very different and special and I´m sure you will enjoy it. The shore tours sound terrific and the reviews on this site and the company´s website sound very interesting.

 

steamboats

[croozers]

We've done an Alaskan cruise on Empress of the North and it was great. The small size made it easy to find your way around, get on and off the vessel quickly and get to know fellow passengers and crew. The friendly crew were excellent, remembered your name, food/drink preferences etc. Being small, we cruised places where the big liners can't go, and when bears or whales or sea lions etc were spotted, the captain stopped the ship so we could see them... not something that can happen on a liner.

 

It was expensive, but when you factor in that most cabins have verandahs, the included shore excursions, 24 hour free coffee/soft drinks/snacks etc it was good value. Fellow cruisers who'd been on big ships all said they'd never do another big ship again after the Empress experience.

 

Highly recommended - would do it again without hesitation.

[Enna]

Will be on the Empress of the North - American West Steamboat Company - Alaska 7 day Inside Passage Cruise - July 15-22 for our 30th Anniversary (July 17).

 

Have read several good reviews of this cruise/ship - none negative.

 

Will add our imressions when we return.

[Enna]

Well we got arrived home from our 7-day Alaska Inside Passage cruise on the Empress last night. It was for our 30th anniversary. Yes, the ship looks just as in the pictures but they have some problems.

 

Inexperienced (hotel) staff-mainly in the dining room and kitchen where food was lukewarm to downright cold (icy Eggs Benedict anyone?) and also undercooked (my husband was served meatloaf that needed at least another 1/2 hour in the oven to get to medium). We were at the second seating for dinner (about 8pm) and most nights dinner was delayed (the curtain not opened so you could be seated) for 10-15 minutes after the fact.

 

Also on the last day, there was no regular breakfast but a brunch from 10-12. There was to be a party in the Calliope Lounge in the afternoon with grilled hamburgers and hotdogs...weather permitting...it did not. But there was no contingency for lunch if this fell through. A lot of the passengers were grumbling about this...there were the usual soft drinks, coffee, cookies and it was a long time from brunch til dinner.

 

We were on the 4th/top deck which was nice not to have anyone overhead. We had a veranda with wooden rocking chairs and table where on other decks the chairs and table were plastic. There were no problem with passengers being able to walk past our room...don't know if it bothered any others.

 

Some of the included excursions were duplicative, two chief's houses, two totem pole parks with totem pole carvers. Lots of jewlery stores...everywhere. Good if your are a shopper.

 

The scenery was great, we saw two grizzlies, a brown bear, otters, seals, grey whales, eagles, and salmon. We went to two glaciers. The second on the last day was calving and the crew brought a "bergy bit" on board that was carved into a grizzly bear head and placed so everyone could see it a dinner.

 

The entertainment was for an older (in their 70's & 80's) crowd (which most of the passengers were) so the shows were more to their taste.

 

This cruise is well equiped for the elderly who use canes, walkers and wheelchairs. Everyone who needed assistance was able to get it. There are two elevators as well as the stairs.

 

I had mentioned that this cruise was for our 30th when I booked it last November and noticed that on our invoice it had a notation "Anniversary Cake" we weren't sure what this meant but on the morning of the 17th, our anniversary, we received an invitation to the crew's table for dinner. We were invited to the early seating and the table was hosted by the chief engineer. They provided wine or drinks at no charge and brought an anniversary cake for dessert. Actually there were two cakes because another passenger was having her 86th birthday as well. There were only two dinners that we saw the crew at a seating, our anniversary dinner with the chief engineer and the captain's dinner on the last night where the captain was at the head of his table. The captain and his crew did not dine with the passengers at any other meal.

 

So some good, some bad. But overall, for the price, not something we would ever want to do again.

[jtamchay]

Enna:

We are on this "boat" Sept 8, 2006 for 11 nights from Juneau to Seattle.

I must say you sounded very disappointed in the cruise you were on.

The food is always such a big part of any cruise that I will be sorely disappointed if it isn't improved for us.

Hopefully you complained on board as well as filling out the comment card.

The tours are seemingly the usual fare for Alaska and since they are at no additional cost they have some overlap from port to port.

We do not plan to take many as we have been to Alaska several times on ship board and by land vacation.

Rather we are more interested in the boat and the casualness of the trip.

What was the dress code like while you were on board...we plan to be strictly casual...no suit jackets or dresses.

Could you tell me which cabin you were in? we are in #344...

Do people stay up late or is it lights out early?

What exactly was the weather like and did you go into Glacier Bay?

We have been told that the boat will go directly into Glacier Bay and not tender in which should be very nice.

Please feel free to e-mail me directly as I may have more questions for you

jtamchay@yahoo.com

Thanks

[Enna]

Hi Jo (jtamchay),

 

Yes we did complain to the wait staff and the maitre'd as well as on the comment card. Hopefully things will improve.

 

The boat itself looks just like the brochure. Easy to get around. There did not seem to be any particular kind of dress code. We wore jeans and casual tops/shirts for the whole week and no suit jackets or dresses (I did pack a dress but chose not to wear it). It was about half and half on the last night of the captain's dinner as to jackets/dresses and casual. Every other night was totally casual.

We were in 414, top deck, port side.

We had second seating for dinner (8pm or thereabouts) so dinner went on till about 10pm. The entertainment was over by about 9pm (for the early dinner seating - entertainment for the second seating occurred during the early dinner seating) so I think most people tended to retire by 11pm.

Our weather was great the whole trip. There was only rain on two days - the last two. We went to Glacier Bay (on our second day) on a fully enclosed catamaran vessel that everyone transfers to for a full day tour. You could go on deck or stay inside as you wished. The Empress does not go into Glacier Bay. However, it does go to within about a mile of the Le Conte Glacier in the Tracy Arm. This was on our last day. We were told that the rain helped the glacier calve and we saw quite a few chunks drop off. It also rained the day before in Ketchikan. As long as you are prepared...no problem.

Hope this helps. Feel free if you have any other questions.

Enna (Anne)

[jtamchay]

Thanks for the information...we were told just recently by the folks at American West that they were given three permits to enter Glacier Bay this summer and that our cruise would be one of those permits used...however, every thing is subject to change as they clearly told us as well.

Is the catamarran a warm environment or should we dress in layers for inside seating. My mother is 89+ and will be on the trip so not sure how warm to dress her for that day.

We are experienced cruisers so roll with the punches but cold food would not be very well received by us. It's good you complained as they do not get the message unless they hear from us.

I am glad to learn that casual is going to be okay even on the last night...not jeans but kahki's etc. The reason we took this cruise is to be entirely casual and no fussy clothes.

Which of the excursions did you take that you enjoyed...and those that you din't enjoy and why?

We have been to Juneau, Sitka, Wrangell, Ketchikan ,Skagway and Victoria other times so pretty much will get out on our own but would like to hear if you particularly enjoyed an excursion in those towns.

This cruise is to celebrate mothers 90th birthday, my husband any my 40th wedding anniversary and my brothers 65th birthday so we are looking forward to having FUN! Mother is a good traveler and although she needs some help with mobility at times we believe she will have no problems on this boat! She doesn't use a cane, walker or wheelchair.

Thanks for your reply

jo

[Enna]

Hi Jo,

 

The catamaran is warm enough inside but jackets are a must when on deck. There are two inside seating areas with bus type seats that hold about 100 people on each deck. Our excursion was July 17, sunny and clear. Layering is a good idea. We went on all the included excursions and did like them all, just noticed the duplicates...Sitka, Wrangel and Ketchikan all had totem poles. Sitka and Ketchikan also had totem carvers. Wrangel and Ketchikan both had chief's houses. Skagway had the train/bus trip. Everywhere had tons of shopping if that's what you like. We did not have any extra time in Juneau so are not sure what they offer. Have been to Victoria years ago and took a double decker bus tour all around. There was also a great museum. There was a book on board in the Paddlewheel Lounge called "Alaska for Dummies" ($12.99 at Amazon.com) that we looked at. You might want to get a copy now to see what other things there might be to explore on your own. We are thinking of getting a copy for ourselves but plan on a driving tour so we can be on our own schedule.

I don't believe your mother will have any trouble getting around at all. Everyone is quite helpful. There are two elevators as well as the stairs. Hopefully they will get the food issue taken care of and you will have a great time. Make sure they know about your special occasions so they can help you celebrate them. They are all major milestones...congratulations!

 

Anne

[jtamchay]

Anne;

just a few questions regarding embarkation and bringing our own alcoholic beverages for the cabin...is there a scan of your hand carry luggage or of your person as you come aboard the ship?

we were thinking about purchasing the liquor in Juneau when we overnight there before the embarkation...we would prefer not to have it confiscated til cruise end if possible.

did you think the cost of drinks aboard was reassonable?

Also ,how did the tipping work...last night envelopes or charged by the ship to your cabin...

I am assuming there is no laundry on board, correct?

thanks

[Enna]

Jo,

No one scanned or looked into any hand carried luggage or anyone's person as they boarded. So I would think you could feel safe bringing your own liquor aboard. I don't know that anyone will confiscate it. We had drinks in the Paddlewheel Lounge one night (we are not big drinkers)...the charges seemed reasonable.

Tipping was either through envelopes or you could charge it to your account. We used both - on our account to give the suggested amount for the employee pool and used envelopes to give directly to several staff members.

No laundry facilities of any kind, but there is a pull across closeline in the shower. No irons in the cabin either.

There is an information meeting a day or so before the end of the cruise to explain disembarktation proceedures that it is suggested that at least one member of your party attend. All the information is also placed in you cabin at least a day before you leave.

Anne

[jtamchay]

Thnaks, Anne.

The brochure makes no mention of tips so knew that we would have to figure out what is expected for this boat.

We will no doubt purchase some "adult beverage/s" in Juneau and just bring it on board with us.

We have no rush in Seattle when we return because we are flying in a day ahead and home a day later...just seemed easier for our mother who tires easily; we'll visit some friends in Seattle area.

I said we are looking forward to this trip and as my mother ages she is less able to travel like she would like so a crusie is just the thing..

Is the top deck snack area truly open all night and does it really have continental breakfast...we will surely miss our usual room service.

The elevators are handy to our location and mother is mobile. we did alert the cruise line that on occasion she may need assistance to get on or off the boat.

How many ports did the boat tender...

you have been so helpful answering these questions for me and I appreciate it.

jo

[Enna]

Hi Jo,

As far as I know there are snacks -cookies/chips/soft drinks/coffee/tea available in the Calliope Bar and Grill all night not sure how long there is an actual bartender/staff on duty. They have a pretty good continental breakfast that includes an omlette station for custom made omlettes as well as pastries, toast, english muffins (that you toast yourself) as well as cold and hot cereals. The only room service I heard of was for the very high priced cabins.

The ship docked at every port...no tenders needed. We only transfered to the catamaran for the tour into Glaicier Bay.

Every day you will receive a copy of the "Sternwheeler Journal" that gives you all the information for the next day. The purser's office is also helpful. I had to have my room card replaced three times because it would not work and it was just a matter of seconds for them to scan a new one.

You might also want to check out the American West Steamboat Company web site for any other information.

Anne

[jtamchay]

thanks

I have had a conversation with American West regarding the tipping policy today...they suggested 13-15.00 per day per person.

I was advised that it would be on our bill at the end of the cruise and that we could add or subtract from that amount. The tips are pooled so if we have some extra special folks we can tip them separetely.

They also reconfirmed to me that indeed they did have three permits for the Empress to enter Glacier Bay this summer...and ours will be one of those cruises. Of course as we all know anything can happen so crossing our fingers about this. How wonderful it would be to just stay on our boat and see the sights.

Looks like we are on target to have fun.

[pacmom]

jtamchay,

 

My dh and I are considering taking this cruise next year--would love to hear how your trip went. Please post or send an e-mail to momcooney@woh.rr.com. Thanks in advance. Pat