Last Minute Alaska

[Cindy]

Now that the dust has settled and my cancelling - researching - booking flurry is over, I'm excited to be returning to Alaska, and content to save a Pacific Coastal and Celebrity cruise for another time.

 

Our very first cruise was to Alaska on the Sea Princess in 2000. We fell in love with cruising, and we also fell in love with Alaska and swore we'd be back soon. It's been 13 years, and it took a cancellation to get me on a ship back to Alaska, but now that I'm going and I've reserved some fun excursions I'm super excited.

 

A couple questions...what kind of temperatures should we prepare for in mid-September? Are layers enough, or do we need coats? Raingear is already out to be packed!

 

My mom is cruising with us, and she's not quite as adventurous as we are, but she doesn't mind doing something on her own. In Ketchikan, my husband and I are crossing something off our bucket list...the Deadliest Catch excursion.:o Do you have suggestions for something fun or interesting for my mom (a young 81) to do while we're gone? She is undecided whether to try to do an excursion or maybe just stay on the ship and go to the spa!:D

 

Thanks for your help!

[jtl513]

In mid-Sep in Glacier Bay we were glad to have parkas, wool hats, and gloves. It was very windy.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we went in the middle of September, we used our fleece lined, zippered raincoats and were fine. A couple of days we had to wear an extra sweater in the mornings. We did have a lot of rain.

In Ketchikan your mother could take a tour to Totem Bight, or Saxmon Village or just walk over to Creek Street and see Dolly's House.

[blueberry]

Welcome to a fellow " refugee" from the millie. Which cruise are you on?

[Cindy]

In mid-Sep in Glacier Bay we were glad to have parkas, wool hats, and gloves. It was very windy.

 

When we went in the middle of September, we used our fleece lined, zippered raincoats and were fine. A couple of days we had to wear an extra sweater in the mornings. We did have a lot of rain.

In Ketchikan your mother could take a tour to Totem Bight, or Saxmon Village or just walk over to Creek Street and see Dolly's House.

 

Good to know...thanks!

[Cindy]

Welcome to a fellow " refugee" from the millie. Which cruise are you on?

 

Westerdam R/T Seattle on the 14th.:) And you?

[SadieN]

She could go to the Lumberjack show or go the the museum.

 

If she was more adventurous she could snorkel, lol

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

The Deadliest Catch excursion is great. We did it in June. You'll love it. Wear warm clothes on that one for sure especially if the sun is not out. For your mom, I vote for the Lumberjack Show and Saxman combination tour. An alternative is to visit the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center which is a couple of blocks from the dock. There is also a nice Downtown Walking Tour map available from the Visitor's Center across from Berth 2.

[startwin]

Layers and rain gear are fine for September.

 

As to your Mom, how about the Duck Tour - it's kind of fun and not too long or expensive. And the lumberjack show.

[RuthC]

I loved the Lumberjack show. Kind of corny, but a lot of fun. Everyone should visit Dolly's House. Good grief, but that woman loved pink! :eek: The Duck tour is fun, and easy on the legs. Saxman Village has some interesting totems, and a really nice cultural experience.

Hope about the boat excursion over to Misty Fjord? It was one heck of a good boat ride with gorgeous scenery.

There are many things to do in Ketchikan, without ever going near a tourist trap shop!

[Crew News]

A couple questions...what kind of temperatures should we prepare for in mid-September? Are layers enough, or do we need coats? Raingear is already out to be packed!

 

In Ketchikan, my husband and I are crossing something off our bucket list...the Deadliest Catch excursion.:o Thanks for your help!

 

Take layers of clothing to include waterproof outerwear since Ketchikan is in a rain forest and they measure their rain in feet not inches.

 

Temps should be in the mid-50s in the afternoon with chilly mornings and evenings.

 

We did the Crab Fishing tour May 2013 and it was incredible. The Aleutian Ballad has covered bleachers with space heaters in the ceiling to keep you warm.. If you get too warm, just ask and they will turn off the heaters. When they stop at the eagle preserve to feed them, have your cameras ready. The eagles come in swarms to grab the fish in the water. I took nearly 800 pictures in just 20 minutes. Set your camera for the fast shutter option.

 

Let your mom take a tour of the Tongass Trading Company near the dock where she will find the cheapest souvenirs in Alaska with special bargains at the end of the tourist season.

[serendipity1499]

In mid-Sep in Glacier Bay we were glad to have parkas, wool hats, and gloves. It was very windy.

 

I agree with this..Be sure you take a zip in lining for your jacket or coat & a scarf, wool hat & gloves..I forgot my scarf & purchased one either on board or in a port, forgot where..You are cruising at the end of the season & it begins to get colder at that time..Make sure you have waterproof shoes &/or boots..

The month with the most rain is September & the Months with the coolest temps are May & September..Like me you are probably used to warmer weather..I wore a wool hat with fur trim on our August Alaska land tour/cruise..According to our Tour Operator's charts they indicate that the Average high/Low temps in Ketchikan in Sept are: 60/48 degrees F: Juneau 56/43 degrees F: Skagway 58/44 degrees F..There's lot's of weather info & packing lists for men & women on this WEB site..

http://www.youralaskacruise.com/cruise-weather.html

Enjoy your cruise..We loved Alaska & hope to return some day..:):)

Cheers...Betty

[Cindy]

A "side effect" of my Pacific Coastal cruise being cancelled was that I also cancelled an Alaska cruise for next August since we'll be going next month.

When I booked the Alaska cruise for 2014, I used a credit card that I've since stopped using, but the account is still open, so the deposit refund went to that card. I was trying to figure out what to do with the credit because I want to close that account, then I remembered HAL's $250 Beverage cards. Problem solved!:D

[AlohaPride]

May I have your lemonade recipe?! You've done an amazing job. It's soooo gooood! ;) Have a wonderful cruise! I hope you'll post a review (with lots of pictures!).

[Cindy]

May I have your lemonade recipe?! You've done an amazing job. It's soooo gooood! ;) Have a wonderful cruise! I hope you'll post a review (with lots of pictures!).

 

I've decided it's limoncello that I'm drinking!:) Don't worry, I'll take TONS of pictures, and now that I have a properly working laptop again, I should be able to upload them and post them!:D

[AlohaPride]

I've decided it's limoncello that I'm drinking!:) Don't worry, I'll take TONS of pictures, and now that I have a properly working laptop again, I should be able to upload them and post them!:D

 

Mmm! Even better. I so look forward to your report :)

[cmjaffe]

Cindy,

Just got back from Westerdam. We usually travel on X. May have some tips for you.

PM if you'd like.

Carolyn

[sail7seas]

I would be bringing long sleeve jerseys, Wintersilk silk pantliners, gloves, hat and jacket with zip out lining and hood.

 

You may wish to remove some layers during the day but layering will likely be best when you are there.

 

Hope you have a great time.

[sail7seas]

Cindy,

Just got back from Westerdam. We usually travel on X. May have some tips for you.

PM if you'd like.

Carolyn

 

 

CC does not have PM.

 

Why not share the tips with all of us? :) We'd all like

some good ideas.

 

Thanks.

 

[Itasca]

Weather this year in Alaska was great in early August in contrast to last year which was chilly and foggy.

In Ketchikan your mom might consider the Misty Fjords boat trip,

scenery in Rudyard Bay is quite impressive. Or Try a flight seeing trip

Or the combo.

[Bear61]

Just back from the Volendam. We enjoyed a tour with the "Sourdough Tours" at the visitor center.($60) Tour of Saxman village, Dollys a bit of town and out to Herring Bay where there is a fish hatchery and short stream that attracts Eagles and Bears. Not much to see when we were there but you are not always lucky.

[Cindy]

Cindy,

Just got back from Westerdam. We usually travel on X. May have some tips for you.

PM if you'd like.

Carolyn

 

Thanks for the offer, but I don't think there's a PM feature on Cruise Critic.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips about ports and the Westerdam. If your tips are specific to the differences between Celebrity and HAL, I'm afraid they wouldn't mean much to me. Celebrity and Pacific Coastal were both going to be "something new" whereas HAL is "tried and true."

 

 

I would be bringing long sleeve jerseys, Wintersilk silk pantliners, gloves, hat and jacket with zip out lining and hood.

 

You may wish to remove some layers during the day but layering will likely be best when you are there.

 

Hope you have a great time.

 

Thanks! That's the direction I'm heading in the things I've laid out so far. We have warm fleeces that aren't too bulky, and waterproof layers to go over them.

[Bearsparents]

All my planning and reservations are done. Only 1.5 weeks till we leave so plenty of time.

 

Cindy just thought i would share some of our stuff, well i feel like a kindred spirit now, too bad we are not on the same cruise. Though i think i have at least one other from our Milli cruise on my cruise.

 

In Skagway, I booked the Holland America 8 hour Yukon tour and White Pass RR. I don't normally do ship tours, as i can usually find something better and more active, but with my folks i thought it best to do something with the ship and it seemed like a lot more sitting. My dad is not very mobile and will refuse an EVC or wheel chair. He will have his cane with him but i know he can't walk to far. It makes it a challenge I want him to do stuff but he can't go very long. In Juneau, my father in law and my DH are doing whale watching with Harv and Marv. My folks will recover after skagway. I was hoping to do a Mendenhall Glacier hike but did not hear back from the excursion company. In Ketchican my FIL and DH and I are doing Kayaking. I booked my folks on the ship tour of the cultural highlights. It is a 3 hour bus tour. Again thinking my dad can deal with it. A few stops to see totems but mostly on a bus.

 

We are going to spend two days in vancouver after the cruise. It will be my parent's 50th wedding anniversary on that Sat Sep 21. I wanted to celebrate on ship but will just do a nice dinner in Vancouver.

 

Can't wait to go on vacation. Hoping the weather is not too bad. I do have plenty of waterproof stuff.

 

Enjoy

[Cindy]

All my planning and reservations are done. Only 1.5 weeks till we leave so plenty of time.

 

Cindy just thought i would share some of our stuff, well i feel like a kindred spirit now, too bad we are not on the same cruise. Though i think i have at least one other from our Milli cruise on my cruise.

 

In Skagway, I booked the Holland America 8 hour Yukon tour and White Pass RR. I don't normally do ship tours, as i can usually find something better and more active, but with my folks i thought it best to do something with the ship and it seemed like a lot more sitting. My dad is not very mobile and will refuse an EVC or wheel chair. He will have his cane with him but i know he can't walk to far. It makes it a challenge I want him to do stuff but he can't go very long. In Juneau, my father in law and my DH are doing whale watching with Harv and Marv. My folks will recover after skagway. I was hoping to do a Mendenhall Glacier hike but did not hear back from the excursion company. In Ketchican my FIL and DH and I are doing Kayaking. I booked my folks on the ship tour of the cultural highlights. It is a 3 hour bus tour. Again thinking my dad can deal with it. A few stops to see totems but mostly on a bus.

 

We are going to spend two days in vancouver after the cruise. It will be my parent's 50th wedding anniversary on that Sat Sep 21. I wanted to celebrate on ship but will just do a nice dinner in Vancouver.

 

Can't wait to go on vacation. Hoping the weather is not too bad. I do have plenty of waterproof stuff.

 

Enjoy

 

I'm so glad everything worked out for you! I also wish there were some refugees on my sailing, but it would have cost us hundreds of extra dollars to get home from Vancouver, and we only had to pay $8 ($4 per ticket) to get home from Seattle, so that guided our decision and booking process.

I'm really excited about the things we're doing in the ports. In Juneau all 3 of us are doing an independent excursion with Juneau Whale Watch that is a combined sail and trip to Mendenhall Glacier. In Sitka, Jim and I are booked on a private tour with Jim Seeland in the morning, and then in the afternoon we're going on the HAL Art Glass Walk excursion with my mom. In Ketchikan, Jim and I are booked on the Bering Sea Crab Fishing Tour (aka Deadliest Catch tour), and my mom is taking an excursion to the spa while we're gone!:rolleyes: Our last stop is Victoria, and to me it's really no more than a service call to satisfy the PVSA...since we've all been we'll probably just stay on the ship unless the weather's really nice and then we'll walk into town after dinner.

Probably the best thing that has come out of this is deciding what to do with our 25% FCC. Since we're going to Alaska this year, we cancelled our cruise for next August. Today we booked Scandinavia and Russia for next May -- I'm beyond excited! That has been #1 on my bucket list for a long time, so in the end a lousy cancellation has had a very positive outcome.:)

Have a great time on the Amsterdam, and I hope you come back and post your thoughts.

 

P.S. We were going to eat at a restaurant called L'Abattoir in Vancouver. I don't know if you're "foodies" or not, but we thought it looked wonderful. Here's a link to the restaurant on Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g154943-d2000086-Reviews-L_Abattoir_Restaurant-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

[Cindy]

Well, we're all packed and ready to leave in the morning for the vacation we've been planning since April 2012. Even though everything about our vacation has changed recently, I'm sure we're going to have a great time.:)

I'm taking my computer, so I'll probably keep a journal as we go and then post it here with pictures as a review after we return.

The weather the rest of the week in Whistler and Seattle looks great, so we're off to a good start!:D If nothing else, we'll get out of the never-ending heat for two weeks!