Alaska - on board

[Chairsin]

2sailingnomads,

Wish you were here as well!

 

Two days ago we were in lovely charming Sitka. Another very nice day weather wise (AKA no rain). We spent the morning walking over to Sitka's Totem Park. There was a trail through the woods with totems erected en route. Wish we had had time to take a Park Ranger led tour but we had a noon private tour and the tender ride was long and late in getting started - next time.

 

Our marine tour with Paul Davis of Gallant Adventures was the best yet. In part this was due to his enthusiasm for animals and the geology of the area but also very much due to dumb luck. Because the weather cooperated we were able to get all the way out to St. Lazaria Island. Not only is the animal life there amazing but the island is pristine. En route we came across a half dozen sea lions lounging on a buoy, then we watched a salmon boat pull up its catch including by catch jelly fish and crabs. We also pulled in right next to a raft of otters lounging on their back in a kelp forest. Then at the island we saw puffins and other sea and land birds. On the way back we encountered a another raft of otters, seal on a rock outcropping and best of all a humpback close encounter where we were treated to great tail shots.

 

Next day way lovely little Wrangell. Also unspoiled by zillions of fellow cruisers. And best of all on a gorgeous sunny day we docked. In the AM we walked to Petroglyph Beach State Park. Not only were able the Petroglyphs ( which are something of a mystery) quite interesting but but I loved walking around this Scenic little area with tide pools. In the PM we took two nice shore hiked up Mt. Dewey and in Scenic rain forest on a local nature trail. Those on the ship that did the boat to Anan Creek were rewarded by good bear viewing. Those that did the Stikine River jet boat trip were less than thrilled. Last night wax out second formal night and the dinner in the Restaurant with friends and great wine was a real treat.

 

This morning we woke up to magical Misty Fjords all by ourselves. One minute beautiful and sunny the next minute a downpour. Nonetheless the kayakers were all launched and float planes took off. In the afternoon a bear was spotted on shore not far from the ship. Tonight we did our second TK Dinner in the Colonnade every bit as good or better than the first -- yummy extra helpings on Humboldt Fog.

 

So tomorrow is our big day. With the cooperation of the weather gods the six of us will take our float plane to Anan Creek to see the bears.

 

 

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[zelker]

Hi, Chairsin! Glad your Alaska adventures continue!! :D

 

Isn't Captain Paul wonderful??!! We had the same experience with him two years ago and 6 of us are booked with him this year for a repeat performance!! Can't wait!!! Sitka is probably my most favorite town in Alaska - hope you were up early enough to watch the sail in to the Sound where you could see all the tiny private islands with the houses built on them and Mt. Edgecumbe in the background. If it wasn't landlocked and SO wet, I'd move there in a heartbeat.

 

Hope you come back with great tales of bear viewing at Anan as we're booked to do it out of Wrangell and are so excited to see bears snatching salmon out of the stream! We opted to do that one by boat and then are flying with Michelle of Island Wings out of Ketchikan to go see more bears at Traitor's Cove.

 

Can't remember if you were scheduled to do the catamaran in Misty Fjords - if you did, what was your impression?

 

Thanks also for the update on the second formal night - now we can plan accordingly.

 

Cheers!

 

Barb

[zelker]

PS - forgot to ask - do you think there's any advantage of port side to starboard so far?

[marazul]

As to the Spirit Bear out of Haines-- our guide said most likely what was spotted there was actually Glacier bear rather than a Spirit Bear. Still it must have been a special sighting. Fingers crossed for spotting Spirit bears from our zodiac tour out of Klemtu.

 

 

 

Chairsin,

The bear we saw was white. According to a reliable source (google), glacier bears are silver blue.

Our guide said it is known there is a spirit bear in the Chilkat valley.

I don't know whether the one we saw was a spirit bear or not, but it was not a glacier bear. It certainly was special.

Good luck in Klemtu.

Edited July 18, 2017 by marazul

[red1head]

Thank you for your detailed and engaging posts, Chairsin! We are departing from Anchorage on Aug. 1. We are even more excited about the trip after reading your posts.

[Chairsin]

Zelker,

Absolutely agree Paul is terrific and I would highly recommend him to any nature lovers visiting Sitka. And yes, Sitks was one of the loveliest sail-ins I have experienced (right up there with Stockholm and Venice). As to port versus starboard I don't think it really make much difference. Today I have a lovely view of charming Prince Rupert and on a prior day the way we anchored Ketchikan we looked out at mega ships. With so many anchored ports I imagine it varies.

 

Marazul,

Sorry was not doubting your experience. Just passing on what s guide told us. Clearly your bear does not look grey/blue and you enjoyed an extremely special experience. I dare not even hope to wish for a sighting tomorrow in Klemtu.

 

Redhead,

We are having so much fun we are plotting a return in two years. So much more to do and see that we have not been able to fit into this trip.

 

So Ketchikan - we anchored on a nice only partly cloudy day with a view of four very large ships berthed in front of us. We took our time heading to shore as our tour was not until noon and it was a short tender ride. We wandered over to Creek Street and walked up the Msrried Man trail with hoards of others people, bought the obligatory Alaska ball cap and then met our guide by the famous rain gauge. With just the six of us piloted by Michelle who owns a Islands Wings our seaplane lifted off for a Birdseye view of the surrounding area -- island after island. We landed at Anan and immediately saw dozens of eagles -- including a few very close up. Far better Eagle watching than the Chilkat Eagle Preserve out of Haines. We walked with our guide (armed with a gun) about a 20 minutes to the bear viewing platform. Almost immediately we spotted a brown bear in the stream fishing and soon we were watching numerous black bears with varying degrees of the skill do the same. At one point a sow and a very small cub took their salmon catch right under the platform to eat. For two and a half hours it was non stop bears. Our guide believes we saw at least a dozen different bears. The day wax even a greater success than we ever could have imagined.

 

We celebrated on return with a glass of champagne at the Patio Bar and very special Italian themed dinner a friend had organized in the restaurant. It was one of the best meals I have ever had -- on Seabourn or in any land based restaurant.

 

Today a real sunny day in Prince Rupert. We docked and had the lovely Canadian port to ourselves. Four of us rented a car and drove to Butze Creek a Park for an almost two hour hike to the rapids ( or more accurately ripples) . It was great exercise in a scenic area with dozens of varieties of flowers. It was a bit daunting to read sign to watch out for wolves!!!We returned to town and had lunch at s restaurant overlooking the water -- terrific haddock and clam chowder accompanied by a variety of local microbrews (after we turned in the car). We also felt compelled sample a donut at a Tim Horton's.

 

We will eat and drink lite tonight and make it an early evening as we lost an hour's sleep last night due to the time change. We want to be well rested for tomorrow in Klemtu with the Seabourn Experience and our first zodiac ride. And there is also my Bear Dinner!!!

 

 

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[marazul]

Chairsin- never thought you were doubting my experience, only questioning the info your guide gave you.

Keep posting. It's fun to read your about your adventures.

[Chairsin]

Gorgeous day in Klemtu yesterday. Watching the crew haul everything ashore in the early AM reminded me of a Seabourn beach BBQ effort. Quite amazing. We tendered at about 9:30 per our special tickets and walked a short five minutes to the big meeting house. Seabourn buffet tables and picnic tables were all set up. After a fun dance, song and drum performance by some of the local shim-sham we feasted on fresh halibut, salmon and various side dishes basking in the 70 degree sunshine. We returned to the ship and change to gear up for our afternoon zodiac tour. Lovely day but the animals were in short supply. No spirit bear (Marazul I am sure you realize how blessed you were!)We did enjoy a great show put on by a very large stellar sea lion who was trying to eat a much too large salmon.

 

Last night to make up for the elusive spirit bear I put on a bear cocktail party in our suite -- good friends got into the theme and everyone donned some sort of bear gear and we had great laughs. We then had a special bear appropriate dinner ( smoked salmon, beef wit BEARnaise sauce, bear claws for dessert) in the main restaurant in our bear headgear.

It was a fun evening in special Seabourn style.

 

This AM we took another zodiac ride in Alert Bay hoping to see orcas. No such luck. But the water was smooth as glass and we had great fun with our bird expert identifying the local winged creatures and spotting groups of seals with pups.

 

Then the ugly part of the day -- returning to the suite to find suitcases on the bed ready to be stuffed. Guess everything comes to an end.

 

It had been a wonderful cruise and I am now trying to jot down many crew names so I will be able to appropriately laud them in the post cruise questionnaire as they are a big part of why the cruise was such a success.

 

 

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[cwn]

Chairsin,

 

Thanks again for your wonderful reports. Sounds like you have had a great time. I always hate to see the suitcases reappear also!

 

Question...Did you reserve your zodiac trips before boarding or after. I am torn about the timing. We have a large on board credit from Seabourn and from our TA. I would like to use it on a couple catamaran and zodiac trips. Our cruise is in Sept and I don't think the ship is full on our cruise.

 

Carolyn

[marazul]

I am torn about the timing. We have a large on board credit from Seabourn and from our TA. I would like to use it on a couple catamaran and zodiac trips. Our cruise is in Sept and I don't think the ship is full on our cruise.

 

cwn -

if you are concerned about availability of some excursions, go ahead and book them now. As soon as you get on board go to Seabourn Square. They will refund the price you paid and rebook them so you can use your credit. I would be more concerned about the zodiacs since there would not be as much capacity and you might want to pick a specific time. The same applies to any other small group excursions that offer several starting times.

[cwn]

cwn -

if you are concerned about availability of some excursions, go ahead and book them now. As soon as you get on board go to Seabourn Square. They will refund the price you paid and rebook them so you can use your credit.......

 

Marazul, Thanks for the reply.

 

My thoughts exactly, and I was planning to do that. Then I read somewhere that Seabourn will not return the money to your credit card, but will give you on board credit. We definitely do not need more ship board credit.

 

Has anyone been able to actually cancel and rebook using ship board credit on board especially if the tour is sold out and get the money refunded to their credit card?

 

Carolyn

[marazul]

Marazul, Thanks for the reply.

 

My thoughts exactly, and I was planning to do that. Then I read somewhere that Seabourn will not return the money to your credit card, but will give you on board credit. We definitely do not need more ship board credit.

 

Has anyone been able to actually cancel and rebook using ship board credit on board especially if the tour is sold out and get the money refunded to their credit card?

 

Carolyn

 

They will refund it to the credit card. You will rebook instantly, after all, it is your same spot you are taking back. At least they did that on all our prior cruises and the Alaska cruise. So unless they changed the policy in the last couple of weeks, you will get your refund with no problems at all.

[cwn]

They will refund it to the credit card. You will rebook instantly, after all, it is your same spot you are taking back. At least they did that on all our prior cruises and the Alaska cruise. So unless they changed the policy in the last couple of weeks, you will get your refund with no problems at all.

 

Thanks Marazul.

 

I will get my TA to book the two tours we really would like to do.

[galeforce9]

Thanks Marazul.

 

 

 

I will get my TA to book the two tours we really would like to do.

 

 

 

Carolyn

 

May I ask which ones they are?

 

Thanks

 

 

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[Chairsin]

Cwn,

I will tell you what Seabourn told me some months ago when I called to ask this very question as I also had a large OBC. I was told that if you canceled and rebooked onboard if people were waitlisted for the tour you would go to the bottom of that list. Again, listen to someone like Marazul with recent experience on board doing this as we all know that that information received from SB Seattle is not always reliable.

 

As to which zodiac (or for now, except for Canadian waters ,catamaran tours) to book I would like to mention that while the scenery in each location is pretty consistent what obviously changes drastically from tour to tour day to day in the same location is the wildlife viewing. If you are really interested in seeing wildlife you need to book multiple tours just to increase your chances of seeing some extra special animals. We did both Alert Bay and Klemtu and while we saw neither orcas not spirit bears we saw other interesting animals.

 

I would like to add a final coda to my narrative of our cruise. Yesterday afternoon while trying to work off the consumption of far too much inventive and delicious food from our midday Vancouver Food Truck tour (I know, a ridiculous thing to do after all we consumed during the cruise) my DH and took a very long walk along the sea wall in Stanley Park. We just happened to reach the point where the small lighthouse is located as the Sojourn was sailing out. This was a rather bittersweet moment-- reflections of wonderful memories combined with sadness as being left behind.

 

I do hope someone currently on board will continue Marazul's thread as during this return to Alaska season each cruise will be different as Seabourn works through their learning curve.

 

 

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[Chairsin]

Oh, now that I have faster internet I will try to post pic of that moment yesterday.

 

 

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[cwn]

Carolyn

 

May I ask which ones they are?

 

Thanks

 

 

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galeforce, happy to share. We booked this cruise because of the chance to get up close to some remote scenic areas. The Misty Fjords catamaran sailing and the Zodiac Exploration of Cormorant Marine Park are our top two priorities. Their cost is ~$900 total.

 

We would also like to do the Sawyer catamaran sailing and the catamaran out of Inian Islands. This is another ~$900. We have over $2000 OBC and really want to use it on excursions. The spa and high end wines are not our thing so that leaves the tours to use the credit on.

 

This is our sixth cruise to Alaska and we have traveled to Alaska in our RV twice spending nearly four months. We have done most of the land based adventures, hikes and bear watching and the whale watching type tours. They have always been great, but we are looking for something different.

 

This has been a great thread...thanks for all the information and help. We are looking forward to exploring some more remote places.

[galeforce9]

Thanks Chairsin for your wonderful reporting.

 

 

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[DrSHF]

"We would also like to do the Sawyer catamaran sailing and the catamaran out of Inian Islands. This is another ~$900. We have over $2000 OBC and really want to use it on excursions. The spa and high end wines are not our thing so that leaves the tours to use the credit on."

 

 

Just wondering how one gets $2,000 in onboard credit?

 

 

 

 

 

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[galeforce9]

galeforce, happy to share. We booked this cruise because of the chance to get up close to some remote scenic areas. The Misty Fjords catamaran sailing and the Zodiac Exploration of Cormorant Marine Park are our top two priorities. Their cost is ~$900 total.

 

We would also like to do the Sawyer catamaran sailing and the catamaran out of Inian Islands. This is another ~$900. We have over $2000 OBC and really want to use it on excursions. The spa and high end wines are not our thing so that leaves the tours to use the credit on.

 

This is our sixth cruise to Alaska and we have traveled to Alaska in our RV twice spending nearly four months. We have done most of the land based adventures, hikes and bear watching and the whale watching type tours. They have always been great, but we are looking for something different.

 

This has been a great thread...thanks for all the information and help. We are looking forward to exploring some more remote places.

 

 

 

Thanks cwn. We've booked the Tracey arm /endicott arm catamaran and also want to book the misty fjords one but also hope to wait until we board for that one. I'm sure if we had more obc we'd book some more too!

 

 

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[zelker]

I will tell you what Seabourn told me some months ago when I called to ask this very question as I also had a large OBC. I was told that if you canceled and rebooked onboard if people were waitlisted for the tour you would go to the bottom of that list. Again, listen to someone like Marazul with recent experience on board doing this as we all know that that information received from SB Seattle is not always reliable.

 

 

Two different TAs in our group of 9 have told us we'd have no problem getting the pre-paid excursions refunded to our credit card and having our OBC applied but you bring up a good point about anything that's waitlisted. I had booked our excursions prior to remembering to choose the 10% excursion discount and when I called to have them apply the discount, they could cancel and rebook the catamaran tours and fishing in Hoonah at the lower rate but I was told to wait until I was onboard for Anan because since it was waitlisted we'd lose our spots if she did it right then. Since then, we've also amassed a lot of OBC and will not use it for the spa, premium liquor, or shopping onboard (at most will spend a few bucks on internet) ... therefore, I'm planning to wait until after we've done our excursions and then have them take care of applying the 10% discount, refunding our Visa for all prepaid tours, and applying OBCs and that way I am assured we won't get bumped. Have never done this before so fingers crossed it works out.

[cwn]

"We would also like to do the Sawyer catamaran sailing and the catamaran out of Inian Islands. This is another ~$900. We have over $2000 OBC and really want to use it on excursions. The spa and high end wines are not our thing so that leaves the tours to use the credit on."

 

 

Just wondering how one gets $2,000 in onboard credit?

 

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We were given some OBC when we booked from our TA. But a week later, after final payment was due, there was a price drop and our TA called Seabourn on our behalf (unknown to me). Seabourn made us whole with a very generous OBC. We are happy to use it on the catamaran and zodiac tours since those tours were what prompted us to book in first place

[cwn]

Chairsin,

 

Love your picture!!!!

 

Hope there is a photo contest in your area...that is a first place photograph for sure!

 

Thanks for your and Marazul's reports. I too hope someone will pick up the reports for those of us waiting for our turn on this very different Alaska cruise.

 

Carolyn

[maggie.1008]

How was it getting off the ship in Vancouver ? Other ships in port, taxi line ?

[zelker]

Here's a link to the 2017 Cruise Ship Schedule for Vancouver - you can easily check to see if other ships are in port the day you embark or disembark: https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2017-Cruise-Schedule-as-of-Nov-2.pdf