Review of Ruby Princess Alaska Cruise, I hope is not my last cruise

[WWCJR]

 

 

 

[WWCJR]

 

 

 

[WWCJR]

[AF-1]

Thank you for such beautiful pics of the glacier. Wow!!

[ar1950]

Thanks for the great pictures of the Tracy Arm tour. We saw some information and pictures on someone else's review. Your's, however, pushed us over the top and we just booked it. Really enjoying the review as we get the info from someone who is somewhat mobility impaired because my 88 year old Mom will be with us and this is a reality check as to what she may, or, may not be able to do.

 

Again, thank you, and good luck with your treatment.

Edited July 21, 2015 by ar1950

[WWCJR]

Thanks for the great pictures of the Tracy Arm tour. We saw some information and pictures on someone else's review. Your's, however, pushed us over the top and we just booked it. Really enjoying the review as we get the info from someone who is somewhat mobility impaired because my 88 year old Mom will be with us and this is a reality check as to what she may, or, may not be able to do.

 

Again, thank you, and good luck with your treatment.

 

I think it should be a fine excursion for your mom, provided she can get on and off of the boat. It is about the same as transferring to and from a tender. If she does not do well climbing stairs she can remain inside on the lower deck and still have great views and enjoy the excursion greatly. The seats are very comfortable and easy to take a nap in if necessary.

 

There are two upper outside decks which offer good views and no glass between you and the views. I did go to the lower of these decks several times but never went up to the top deck.

 

I cannot give this excursion a higher mark as it is already at the top as far as I am concerned. I cannot think if any negative about going on this excursion.

 

I have to thanks those that gave me information and guidance before my cruise as I myself had fears about if I could manage the excursion or not.

[YumYumSweetiePie]

Thank you for the review, can't wait to continue reading it as you update! We were on this exact same cruise and it's nice to relive it through your experiences. Also, great picture of your granddaughter. It is very sweet to see how much she means to you that even whilst writing a review she's on your mind.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great shots! :)

[irvinejohn]

Amazing views of the Tracy Arm glaciers!

 

Did the excursion boat bring you to Juneau?

[WWCJR]

Great shots! :)

 

I must thank you for the very helpful information you posted for me prior to my cruise. You were right on and without that information I probably would not have gone on this amazing excursion.

[WWCJR]

Amazing views of the Tracy Arm glaciers!

 

Did the excursion boat bring you to Juneau?

 

Yes, the Ruby Princess arrived about 30 minutes or so before we arrived. We re-boarded the Ruby Princess the same place we got off...one of the ship's tender docks. The Ruby was already tied up to the dock on the other side of the ship.

[L&S80]

Bill.....thanks for the review........we were on the Ruby in May..........brings back lots of memories......... ;)

 

We enjoyed her so much we are going again in Sept............then gonna do Hawaii in April.......

 

Glad you enjoyed & had fun......really enjoy your great pics........seems like we're there again.........

 

 

 

 

Sharon

[WWCJR]

Skagway – White Pass Train Excursion

I am sorry I was not able to get this posted as planned yesterday. I spent all day at M.D. Anderson. I learned that they have located a very close match and they expect to call me in the 1st of August for testing and then the transplant probably the middle of August.

 

Now on with the review. I would like to say it was again a bright and sunny day, but that is not the case. But we were determined not to let a little bit of rain ruin our day. Skagway gets about 12 inches of rain a year and it was forecast that they would get ¼ inch of rain this day. The really good news is that we were going on the White Pass & Yukon Train to the summit of White Pass and will be inside for the entire train ride.

 

During the gold rush anyone entering Canada was required to bring over 2,000 pounds of supplies to support them for a year. This meant 10 or more trip up over the pass and back down to Skagway to get all of those over the pass. Then they had to build a boat out of trees for a 600 mile trip down a river into the Yukon.

 

There were two routes over into Canada. The shortest being the Chilkoot which were stairs carved into the ice. Then the longer but easier route, the White Pass route. The tracks for this train parallel the White Pass Trail that was packed with people seeking to strike it rich in the Yukon gold rush of 1897. Today the train is run as a tourist attraction. One of the original bridges has been replaced with a newer bridge. They are currently working on straightening out an S curve that ended up in the original route as they ran out of money to build it without the S curve. They are doing this as the S curve wears out the train wheels.

 

We start off boarding the train right on the dock where our ship docks. There are actually two trains on the dock awaiting the passengers. See below taken from our balcony.

 

 

There was a Holland American ship docked at the berth closest to the trains. Ours’ was a little further out the dock. They had stretched golf carts that they used to shuttle passengers back and forth. Since it was raining we donned our Gore-Tex jackets and waterproof shoes. We were set for the day and shortly after docking we were among the first to go ashore. We ended up standing in a line for our excursion. At 7:45 AM they let us board the train and pick the car and the seats that we wanted. It was nice and warm in the train as each car had its’ own heater, see picture below.

 

 

A Disney ship was docked at the next dock and those people had a morning workout getting to our dock to board the train.

 

 

Below you can see the cars used to give tours of Skagway. For years they used the old tour vehicles that had been retired from service at Yellowstone. It was just after 2000 when the Park Service approached the tour company about selling the cars back to Yellowstone. The tour company agreed but they then had replicas of them made, but using modern drive trains that can better handle the steep grades.

 

 

Skagway has a little over 800 full time residents and during the summer months that grows with all of the seasonal help. There are several camp grounds like the one below to house these people. I would sure not like to be camped out in this mess today. It reminds me of when my dad and I were camped out at Huntsville State Park and a hurricane blew through. We did not have a car, as mom and sisters took it back home leaving us there for a week, so could not leave. But that is all another story that is now fun to remember and tell.

 

 

This is a narrow gauge railroad as can be seen in the picture above.

 

To be continued in my next post.

[WWCJR]

Below is the Skagway River as it enters town.

 

 

There is a modern highway on the other side of the river (see below) that has been carved out of the side of the mountain. A little ways out of town is the US Customs and Border Patrol building which is 12 miles in from the border, as it would be very difficult to operate up near the pass during the long cold winters. There is a story about the white lettering below the customs building, you can google the phase to learn more, if interested.

 

 

As we get higher up the pass we are above some of the lower clouds.

 

 

Below, as we round a curve and cross a bridge you can see part of our train. The next picture is the train entering a tunnel just across a second bridge. Following this is a view from the bridge looking down at the river before our car enters the tunnel.

 

 

 

 

More to follow in my next post.

[WWCJR]

Below is what is referred to as the “ghost bridge” since it seems to disappear into the fog on days like today, see there is a benefit to the weather we are having today. At the time it was built, it was the tallest cantilevered bridge in the world. It has not been used since 1969 as it was replaced by the earlier bridges and tunnel that are now used.

 

 

The next two pictures below if you look really close you can still see the trail used by the gold rush would-be miners back in 1898. See if you can spot the trail, if not the next picture is the same picture but I have added arrows to point out the old trail. Sure glad we were inside and to think they were climbing this trail in the middle of winter!

 

 

 

Below we reach the summit and cross over into Canada before heading back down.

 

 

Since we are in Canada we are not allowed to get off of the train. It is for this reason that no passport or other documents as require for this excursion. It is here that the engines move from one end of the train to the opposite end of the train. While that is happening the passengers do what is called the “summit shuffle”. You move into the isle, flip the seatback to the other side of the seat, and then trade seats with the people on the other side of the train. This is done so that everyone gets a chance to be on the side with the best view. As a result there will not be any pictures on the way back down.

 

The review of this day will continue in my following post.

[WWCJR]

When we get back into Skagway we opt to get off the train at the train station by downtown rather than return to the dock by the ships. Below are pictures from downtown Skagway which is now a protected Historic National Park. We walked the length of Broadway Street even though it was raining lightly.

 

 

 

 

More to come in my next post.

[WWCJR]

We made a stop in a quilt shop and received permission to take some pictures of Alaskan quilts. Very impressed with the artistry. We did not have much time to look, but the shop is on-line so will be able to “window shop” at home.

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the walking tour of Skagway in my next post.

[WWCJR]

Below we continue walking Broadway. Dedman’s is the oldest family owned and run business in Skagway.

 

 

And below across the street from the Wells Fargo Bank and the U.S. Post Office is our favorite store in Skagway, the Skagway Outlet Store.

 

 

Below is the Chilkoot Pass Harley Davidson Dealer.

 

 

At this point we boarded their SMART Shuttle for a ride back to the dock. We boarded the ship and were greeted by one of the ship staff handing us nice warm dry beach towels to dry off. It was time to drop our things and grab a bite to eat.

 

Since my wife and I took a different excursion than my sister and niece they had a totally different experience than we did. They claim it was cold and wet and that they did not have many photo opts worth sharing. I cannot recall the name of that excursion but it went over to Haines.

 

Back onboard the Ruby Princess, mid-afternoon, we attended the Steve Hites “North to Alaska” show.

 

 

Later as we were cruising away from Skagway we passed a waterfall off the port side of the ship.

 

 

After supper it was again early to bed for me.

 

I will post the Patter and other documents shortly. There is still more to come in my review, stay tuned.

[WWCJR]

 

 

 

[WWCJR]

 

 

 

[WWCJR]

 

 

 

[shredie]

The Skagway pictures are wonderful! I think it's probably my favorite Alaskan port. Next time, we are going to do the train, and those photos are so helpful for my planning. You are doing a wonderful service with this review, and I pray your health will return.

[Mom33]

Thanks for the train tour. We didn't get to do it years ago when we were in Skagway, but perhaps we will visit again. :)

[melody hounddog]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review!

 

We did the train tour with our two kids when they were 10 and 12. They were glued to the window! Such a fantastic excursion. If we ever get back to Skagway again, we will definitely be on it.

[skedaddle43]

We made a stop in a quilt shop and received permission to take some pictures of Alaskan quilts. Very impressed with the artistry. We did not have much time to look, but the shop is on-line so will be able to “window shop” at home.

 

Back to the walking tour of Skagway in my next post.

 

Thanks so much for the pix of the Rushin' Tailor! As my daughter and I are both quilters, we had planned a stop there when in skagway in Sept. Now I'm more anxious than ever to see the shop as well as the ones in ketchikan and seattle. It looks like the one in juneau is closed! :(