Star Princess North to Alaska! Sept 10 2016

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

You should definitely claim your Glacier before someone else does! LOL. We loved the experience. My wife's mother had just passed away and I was looking for any way to cheer her up. It was expensive, but well worth it on many fronts. Prior to your next visit to Marco Island, hit the red button in my signature and let me know you're coming. We'd love to get together to meet you and Carol and swap stories. Thanks again for the wonderful adventure.

 

Trip:)

 

Trip, reading between the lines I am assuming you were on a dog sled in the snow?(you said very expensive and our heli-landing on Taku cost $300 each with no sled dogs) I thought the dogsled over a dirt road would be disappointing but it wasn't. However the thrill of riding over the snow would make the Iditarod spring to life before me. After our sled ride and meeting Alan I was so hung-ho to enter next year's race. That is until I found that you can't fit a Barcalounger on a sled(and yet we can send a man to the Moon?!) and there's no wi-fi in the wilderness.

 

Thank you for the invite and when we are next down that way I'd be sure to click your email link. I used to get my peel n eat shrimp fix when I went to Marco and the water there was my kind to swim in (warm)

 

Cheers!

 

Norris (not the glacier one)

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

 

Thank you so much for responding to my question about the aft suite. I can calm down now. When you take into consideration the 45 minutes looking at a glacier from any cabin on either the port or starboard side verses the whole week in a suite and a walk up on deck for 45 minutes it is a no brainer. Thanks for the slap-up-side the head.

 

I really do appreciate your wonderful reviews and the time you take to personally answer everyones questions.

 

Thanks for the heads up about the diamond princess review. I read the whole review and passed on going to the grocery store, there is always tomorrow to grocery shop which I dislike anyway.

 

Thanks again,

 

Janet

 

Thanks for reading my Diamond review Janet- one of my shorter ones but vast in memories, still alive. You may have seen the videos of our two great young Thai waiters Siwa and Sadudee, still our favorites after all these cruises. We found out that our waiter Gen knew them both! Sadudee is now a waiter not an assistant. Good news.

 

We wanted an aft suite on the Star but none were available. Suites are the best but we prefer aft so we took the aft-most mini.

 

We have one on the Reflection.

 

Hope to see you when I write my January review.

 

Norris

[Jasperdo]

What an adventure! Where was your starting point and what sort of vehicle did you drive? Was it an RV?

We were living in Carson City, Nevada at the time. So the road trip was round trip from there. We had a Toyota pickup up truck with a camper on it. Camped out most nights, with a few motels thrown in here and there. The Alaska Highway is definitely passable for passenger cars. It is paved all the way, although there are some rough spots that are caused by frost heaves. Think giant speed bumps. The Top of the World Highway is dirt, but is very well maintained and is fine for cars and motor homes. At least that was our experience in 1995.

[Bimmer09]

Sent from my SM-G360T1 using Forums mobile app

 

Terri, I see this is your first CC posting so welcome to the Board and in particular thanks for joining us here.

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

The bus pulled up to the Sanctuary complex and I leapt off to head to the bathrooms. Huh? closed?!! There was a note saying that porta potties were available across the yard. I had no choice. Luckily there was no sitting involved.

(T.M.I)

 

15 minutes of our hour were already gone so with camera bag on my shoulder I walked briskly, aided by breathing air "as sweet as shalimar" (Van Morrison). I have no idea what Shalimar is but will look it up later. (a woman's perfume by Guerlain from 1921 with an oriental soft amber scent)

 

It was a fresh sunny morning. Quiet and I was surrounded by vast fenced meadows. A new adventure-photographing animals!

 

I'm thinking Caribou?

 

 

There's a Moose in the Hoose! (for my Scottish readers)

 

 

 

Who could ever harm gentle animals like these?

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

I am an animal lover but not the kind to let a dog lick my mouth. I am a carnivore when it comes to eating and always have been except for 6 months when I shared a house with an American Jazz singer in London who had me be vegetarian. She had a young daughter called Apache which was and still is the coolest name ever. She will be in her 40s now.

 

When it comes time to have dinner my love for animals is overshadowed by the desire to eat a grilled one with a rich red wine sauce and some onions or such.

 

I haven't eaten Musk Ox yet

 

 

Look at that setting above!!

 

 

 

 

Noble beasts

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Another animal caught my eye. I was on that elevated walkway you saw earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

This one will end up on my calendar most likely

 

 

 

 

[BoopTennis]

AWESOME bear photos! is this at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or somewhere else? I got confused. Can you see all this by walking around or do you need to be on our tour bus?

 

PS did you happen to post the daily platters? i may have missed them

 

thank u

[Bimmer09]

Meanwhile over my shoulder....

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

AWESOME bear photos! is this at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or somewhere else? I got confused. Can you see all this by walking around or do you need to be on our tour bus?

 

PS did you happen to post the daily platters? i may have missed them

 

thank u

 

Walking. No bus involved other than getting you there. Yes it is the AWCC. 700 acres of it.

 

I didn't post the Patters. I don't read them on the ship as Carol does and then tells me where to be or not to be (that is the question)

 

I just get on the ship and do my usual walking around for a week.

 

I thought that after we got off, Alaska was done as far as Princess and the Star is concerned and that seeing the Patters would have little value.

 

For instance-if I listed all the movies on board that week those are unlikely to be playing now 5 weeks later.

 

If others also ask for them then I'll scan them and put them up after a review.

 

When others post them on CC I usually just scroll down without reading. I just drift around the ships and am governed by mealtimes and showtimes. We go to every show (well if I am awake I do) but we don't do trivia although I would ace it Carol tells me as my head is full of useless facts. No bingo, line dancing, napkin folding, Art Auctions although we both love art. Carol is an avid lecture goer and fills me in with the details on a need to know basis.

 

I am just happy to be on a large ship and to smell it and touch the metal and marvel at its complexity. I spent an uninterrupted 8 months on a cruise ship and was never bored by the vessel, even though it is a very small floating town.

The crew on the Star has a bigger population than the port village I was born in.

 

I have been around ships since I was tiny as my dad was a Captain of one. I've been in the boiler rooms of his steamships and seen the sweat on the men shoveling coal and been in the engine room where the smell of warm oil is an everlasting memory-and the noise! The steamships gave way to diesel ships. I was fascinated by the chart room and seeing our course unfolding and by staring at the radar screens, especially at night. I got the chance later as an early teen to steer the ship with a big wooden wheel and brass analog compass as we sailed up the coast of Northern Ireland, passing my home on the way, my house visible as it overlooked the harbor.

 

I'm happy just to be on a ship but I will say that re the Patters if you need to be entertained or enlightened Princess will fill your day with events. You cannot be bored and certainly cannot go hungry. Unbelievable value for the dollar or pound.

 

We are looking forward to taking many more-with Princess, Celebrity and ?

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

I meet up with Carol who had got off the bus earlier to save a walk and we look at a musk ox again

 

 

 

I do love venison

 

 

Hay is their Lobster tails

 

 

[Bimmer09]

I show Carol the moose that the bus hadn't passed by

 

 

 

Sharing the Moose Hoose was a shy little Arctic Fox

 

 



 

[MisterMet]

Trip, reading between the lines I am assuming you were on a dog sled in the snow?(you said very expensive and our heli-landing on Taku cost $300 each with no sled dogs) I thought the dogsled over a dirt road would be disappointing but it wasn't. However the thrill of riding over the snow would make the Iditarod spring to life before me. After our sled ride and meeting Alan I was so hung-ho to enter next year's race. That is until I found that you can't fit a Barcalounger on a sled(and yet we can send a man to the Moon?!) and there's no wi-fi in the wilderness.

 

Thank you for the invite and when we are next down that way I'd be sure to click your email link. I used to get my peel n eat shrimp fix when I went to Marco and the water there was my kind to swim in (warm)

 

Cheers!

 

Norris (not the glacier one)

 

Norris,

 

The dog sledding on the Norris Glacier was probably the coolest (no pun intended) thing we've ever done. The helicopter ride over the harbor and up through the mountains to the glacier was fantastic. About 150 dogs and a bunch of mushers (mostly college kids) live on the Glacier for the summer. When we got out of the helicopter, I was surprised to notice how silent it was considering the amount of dogs. After a quick briefing on what to expect, this all changed as we approached the dogs. They KNEW it was time to run and let us know they were excited to have us share in their fun. Somewhere I have some video of our ride and I'll post it when I find it. Until then, I found some pictures in my phone:

 

My Personal Musher Mrs Met (Pam)

 

I was in the first of 2 sleds

 

Another Team across the glacier

 

Co Pilot Mrs. Met Leading us off the glacier

 

I think the whole excursion for the two of us was a bit over $1,000. It was something we will never forget and hope to do again some day. I know it didn't take away the grief of Pam losing her mother a few weeks before, but it brought a smile to her face I hadn't seen in a long time. Pam's mother lived with us for almost 2 years and was afflicted with Alzheimer's. She was a wonderful woman whom I truly miss. I think part of the reason we've enjoyed your review so much (other than the normal fantastic stuff we're used to seeing from you) is that it took us back to a time when we both were feeling low and our trip to Alaska really turned us around. Thank you for allowing us to follow along and relive some great times vicariously through you and Carol's adventure.

 

I'll have the peel and eat shrimp waiting for you if you make it down!

 

Trip:):)

[donswife]

We were living in Carson City, Nevada at the time. So the road trip was round trip from there. We had a Toyota pickup up truck with a camper on it. Camped out most nights, with a few motels thrown in here and there. The Alaska Highway is definitely passable for passenger cars. It is paved all the way, although there are some rough spots that are caused by frost heaves. Think giant speed bumps. The Top of the World Highway is dirt, but is very well maintained and is fine for cars and motor homes. At least that was our experience in 1995.

 

Hi Jasperdo, we lived in Gardnerville, NV for 12 years and now in Vancouver, Washington, so we are neighbors past and present! :)

(sorry for the aside, Norris).

[Jasperdo]

Hi Jasperdo, we lived in Gardnerville, NV for 12 years and now in Vancouver, Washington, so we are neighbors past and present! :)

(sorry for the aside, Norris).

We actually lived out in the Johnson Lane area, so we weren't too far from Gardnerville. I still miss the view of Jobs Peak and the Sierra's sometimes. We love it here in Washington, though.

[Jasperdo]

Really enjoying your wildlife photos, Norris. The Conservation Center looks like a fascinating place.

[Bimmer09]

We really enjoyed our time visiting the animals, brief though it was. Back on the bus...

 

 

Turnagain Arm, the name coming from Captain James Cook. His name is linked with Misty Fjords too. He was struggling to find the Northwest Passage and used the phrase Turn Again more than once.

 

We are on the lookout for Beluga Whales but spotted none today

 

 

 

 

I have come to the point - 5 a.m, Tuesday where I had planned to have this completed but there's still Aleyeska with its stunning views and Anchorage to come so I'll take my laptop along with me as we set off soon for our long trek North.

 

So-to be continued....

[Britter16]

love the lighting on the brown bear pictures.

[Barky]

Safe travels. Will you be including some leaf pics as well?

[Jasperdo]

Enjoy your road trip. I bet the fall colors are spectacular in Northern Michigan right now.

[Bimmer09]

Safe travels. Will you be including some leaf pics as well?

 

Although they are not cruise pictures here are a few from today's drive

 

Roadside store where Carol bought juicy apples

 

 

Our view during lunch. Arcadia, Michigan.

 

 

Point Betsie lighthouse

 

 

View from Chateau Chantal Winery where we stay

 

 

Sunset viewing patio

 

[OhioDogLover]

Norris,

 

Still reading and enjoying your review. Northern Michigan is one of those absolutely beautiful places, isn't it? Enjoying your Michigan pics, too.

 

Thank you.

 

Ohiodoglover

[AF-1]

wow, nice pics from Michigan

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

Still reading and enjoying your review. Northern Michigan is one of those absolutely beautiful places, isn't it? Enjoying your Michigan pics, too.

 

Thank you.

 

Ohiodoglover

 

Indeed Northern Michigan is stunning, especially now with the crowds gone.

We used to continue from here and stay a few days in the equally scenic Ontario.

 

Glad you like the pics. I have just been putting my Alyeska pics through Lightroom and will have them up soon.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris