Alaska Cruise - May 19th - On the Ruby Princess

[red4u2]

Skagway was an excellent visit. We did the Haines wildlife/river excursion. We saw eagles, bears and a moose with her calf’s.

 

The little town of Haines.

 

The river boats

 

The brown bear momma and her cub.

 

If you look closely, in the tree to the right there is a black bear. This poor guy was certainly uncomfortable in his perch as he waited for momma bear to leave.

 

 

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Wow, thats a great picture. It looks like a really fun excursion.!

[Durbanite2000]

We didn’t have to wait long. They started boarding at 11:00 and we were on deck by 11:09!!! How cool is that! We went right to the Sanctuary and reserved some space on the day we go into Glacier Bay as they have a special service going on that day. We are now fully unpacked and getting ready for muster.

 

 

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Hi. I am so thankful for your postings. This is our first time on Princess and first Alaska cruise. Do you recommend the sanctuary if you have a balcony? Do you miss out staying in your own cabin?

[capriccio]

Hi. I am so thankful for your postings. This is our first time on Princess and first Alaska cruise. Do you recommend the sanctuary if you have a balcony? Do you miss out staying in your own cabin?

Not the OP but we are on our 20+ cruise on Princess and our 3rd to Alaska in less than 5 weeks. We wouldn't go without a balcony but, that said, on scenic cruising days (Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, etc.) it is better to be up on deck so you can move quickly from side to side of the ship. We use the balcony for peace and quiet and oftentimes for sitting and viewing the scenery in port. I've had an eagle fly directly at me veering off at the last moment, spent probably 1/2 an hour or more watching sea otters swimming and playing between the ship and the shore directly below my balcony, and spotted whales close by as we departed Glacier Bay. Make sure you have your binoculars on the balcony with you!

 

We have spent more than 30 days in the Sanctuary on various ships but always on a warm (sunny) weather itinerary. For me the weather in Alaska is too fickle (potentially cold and rainy) to pay for the Sanctuary.

 

Have a great trip!

[red4u2]

Can't wait for more!

[FrickeNomads]

The MD for Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The patter for Wednesday

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

On Wednesday we went into Glacier Bay. Up to this day the weather was not the best or as the locals say we had our fair share of liquid rain. However on Wednesday we had a wonderful day both from a weather perspective and the scenery was absolutely stunning. We were also lucky to see calving a good number of times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the opportunity to reserve two places in the sanctuary. It placed us outside with good visibility and protection from the wind. The visibility was good enough where my wife spotted a bear all the way on shore. We were also able to get up and go to another vantage point when we wished. Deck 15 was one deck down and we could go forward to the large, outdoor viewing area above the bridge which was where we spent most of our time once we were close to the main glacier. On top of all this there was plenty of food, snacks and drinks on hand and we were even served high tea.

 

My wife enjoying the sanctuary when sailing in Glacier Bay.

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The info sheet on Glacier Bay.

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The patter for Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The info sheet for Ketchikan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[nw gardener]

OP, I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam and I took a couple of pics as we passed in Glacier Bay.

 

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[FrickeNomads]

We really enjoyed our excursion in Ketchikan which was the wildlife, seafood feast. We saw eagles, some dear close up, a cool walk in the rainforest a calf humpback whale reaching and the seafood feast was outstanding.

 

 

 

 

They estimate this tree to be over 1000 years old

 

A short walk through the rain forest. I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would.

 

The seafood feast was great. Perhaps the best seafood we had during the entire trip. There was plenty of it and it was nice enjoying it with others. We could even see whales swim on by as we ate.

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

OP, I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam and I took a couple of pics as we passed in Glacier Bay.[ATTACH]422499[/ATTACH][ATTACH]422500[/ATTACH][ATTACH]422501[/ATTACH]

 

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Wow... that is cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

 

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[nw gardener]

You are welcome and great review!

 

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[FrickeNomads]

THE MD, for Friday.

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The patter for Friday. We elected to stay on the Ruby while in Victoria and relished our final hours on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

The final trip report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[FrickeNomads]

I will end this log and hope it has provided everyone with helpful information. I do plan on providing additional information on the various excursions we took in the Alaska forum along with specific feedback on the Ruby.

 

I would also like to thank my fellow CCers for all the information posted here which provided valuable information and tips and tricks. Magnets everyone... so simple yet so simple! [emoji847]

 

 

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[Durbanite2000]

Not the OP but we are on our 20+ cruise on Princess and our 3rd to Alaska in less than 5 weeks. We wouldn't go without a balcony but, that said, on scenic cruising days (Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, etc.) it is better to be up on deck so you can move quickly from side to side of the ship. We use the balcony for peace and quiet and oftentimes for sitting and viewing the scenery in port. I've had an eagle fly directly at me veering off at the last moment, spent probably 1/2 an hour or more watching sea otters swimming and playing between the ship and the shore directly below my balcony, and spotted whales close by as we departed Glacier Bay. Make sure you have your binoculars on the balcony with you!

 

We have spent more than 30 days in the Sanctuary on various ships but always on a warm (sunny) weather itinerary. For me the weather in Alaska is too fickle (potentially cold and rainy) to pay for the Sanctuary.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Thank you!

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Just returned from a cruise to Hubbard, SE Alaska, etc. It may be early in the season and colder and wetter than usual, but I can tell you that few people ate outdoors or used their balconies much on our cruise. We were in an inside cabin, and while I would have loved a view, I doubt I would have used a balcony much even if I had paid for one.

 

For photographers: One thing I realized after fighting with wiping my lens off while viewing Hubbard Glacier was that going up top on a cruise ship is not the only option for viewing. If you can find a sheltered place which affords you easy viewing on both sides of the ship, that will make things easier for photography if there is rain, mist, etc. I found a place (on Oceania, not Princess) where I could stand under the lifeboats, put my camera bag (or myself) on a lounger, and not have to worry about wetness on my camera. I did have to go inside and across to the other side of the ship occasionally to see what there was to view over there, but it was a good spot overall. Even with no rain/mist, I should have checked that out for glacier viewing, since the view from lower might have made a more impressive picture than photographing from above.

 

If you have any way of protecting your lens (for example, lens hood for serious cameras) you can use that for mist/rain, not just sun/glare.

 

At Hubbard, when we approached it was very, very foggy. An hour later conditions cleared up and you could see the face of the glacier quite nicely. Be patient.

[Durbanite2000]

We have experienced weather (in early July and early August) ranging from sunny and the low 80s (in Ketchikan of all places!) to the low 50s and rainy. Don't forget that when you are under sail on the ship it will feel colder, especially on Glacier Bay day. Everyone has instructions to bring at least a couple of short sleeve shirts, a couple of long sleeve shirts, a sweater or a sweatshirt, a fleece and a waterproof jacket that fits over the fleece, warm slacks/pants, dressier slacks/pants (for on ship dining), a pair of shorts (in case we hit another 80 degree day) and waterproof (silicone spray works well on leather and fabric) walking shoes in addition to a hat, scarf and gloves. I've also given everyone a plastic poncho which is great if the rain really starts to come down. Each couple has been instructed to bring a backpack to keep the layers in when not needed on excursions.

 

We haven't tried Share yet and probably won't on this cruise. We're celebrating our son-in-law's 40th birthday and he's a steak and potatoes type of guy. Since we all have a free specialty dinner included in our fare, we'll go to the Crown Grill which we know he and the rest of the 'kids' will enjoy (and so do we).

 

Have a spectacular trip!

 

That was really helpful! Thank you!

[sparkle]

This is an awesome resource for planning a May cruise! The Patters and menus are so helpful. Thank you! Great pics, too!

[tutuwahineLV]

Thank you for sharing your adventures with us.  

We're going to be on the Ruby in March for a pacific coastal.  I know the menu's will be different (as it won't be Alaska),  but they look amazing, and now I'm really looking forward to our trip.  

We just returned from a TA on NCL, and were so disappointed in the meals on the ship.  We have elite status on NCL, but sadly, the quality and service that were so lacking on this last trip have us looking else where....  March can't come fast enough.  

 

[CruzerDeb]

On 5/29/2018 at 10:28 PM, FrickeNomads said:

On Wednesday we went into Glacier Bay. Up to this day the weather was not the best or as the locals say we had our fair share of liquid rain. However on Wednesday we had a wonderful day both from a weather perspective and the scenery was absolutely stunning. We were also lucky to see calving a good number of times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the opportunity to reserve two places in the sanctuary. It placed us outside with good visibility and protection from the wind. The visibility was good enough where my wife spotted a bear all the way on shore. We were also able to get up and go to another vantage point when we wished. Deck 15 was one deck down and we could go forward to the large, outdoor viewing area above the bridge which was where we spent most of our time once we were close to the main glacier. On top of all this there was plenty of food, snacks and drinks on hand and we were even served high tea.

 

My wife enjoying the sanctuary when sailing in Glacier Bay.

 

 

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Did you find booking the Sanctuary to be worthwhile?  Looking for pros/cons as I'm thinking about booking it when I cruise with my 78-year-old mother in June (on the Ruby!).