Trip Review: Connoisseur Land & Sea (RB8) June 19 - July 4, 2018

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Excellent question, as we would also like that..I believe now, we would request with the 'leader' of our land portion that assigns tables, etc at the beginning...

 

First, let me say I totally understand where you both (nibst and voljeep) are coming from.

 

When Michael announced that he would "assign" us dinner partners, I thought, "Wait....I don't think I want to do that." However, hindsight is 20/20, and allow me to provide you both with the benefit of that hindsight.

 

As it turned out, we went with the flow. Out of the actual 7 dinners on land, there were just 5 evenings when we were partnered up with one or two other couples since one dinner was the wine pairing dinner in Fairbanks and we sat at tables of 8; one was the Denali Dinner theater and we sat as a large group. Out of those 5 dinners, one we ate alone when the other couple wanted to go hear a speaker. And I will tell you it simply wasn't as much fun as the other evenings when we were paired with one or two other couples on our tour. Quite honestly, when you sit down with people, you find where they come from and what they do and where they've traveled before , what excursions they have planned, and it all is lovely dinner conversation. Also, it all just adds to the camaraderie of traveling together and having people you now "know" to talk to here and there while having a drink at the bar or while waiting together for the bus. To say things like, "Say, how was that rafting tour you took earlier today?" And when we boarded the Coral with 2,000+ people, we saw couples in our group of 26 here and there, and it was nice to "know" them, and smile and say hello and ask again about excursions etc.

 

Let me say again that I totally understand your question, and the word "assigned" was a poor choice. We were "paired" with others is to put it better. Having been left to our own designs, DH and I would have likely asked for tables for 2 as well, but actually on the very first night of the tour we met another couple we got along with smashingly, and we dined together every night on the ship.

 

I would advise you to give pairings at dinner on the land portion it a try. Allow your leader to pair you with a couple or two he thinks will mesh well with you both. Try it for 2 nights. If you still feel you'd like to dine alone, let your tour director know.

[Worldtraveler 4727]

We are taking this tour next June. Can you tell me about how much you tipped the Tundra tour bus driver?

 

Lisa was a great driver and tour guide the 7 - 8 hours we spent with her on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. DH and I felt $10 each was appropriate, so $20 total.

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Day #8 continued ....June 27, 2018 Land to Sea Day

 

Recognizing the priciness of this tour in particular, when I booked it we decided that an Oceanview room would be fine. There is always controversy on CC about whether or not to have a balcony on an Alaska cruise, but the Oceanview room I chose was just steps away from a little-used deck on the back of the ship. I originally booked B731. It gets rave reviews on CC, with someone helpfully posting a photo of the little-used aft deck that the room is just steps away from. I had thought that an aft deck would be great for glacier viewing as I had read the captain does a complete turn of the ship at least once, and to have a deck that is not well known and is used very little sounded great.

 

So B731 it was---until 2 weeks before sailing.

 

About 2 weeks before sailing my TA contacted me, and she said Princess had contacted her and asked if we'd like to upsell to a balcony. My TA and I looked at the balconies offered, and none were in a good enough location to spend approximately another $400 for a balcony and to give up the Oceanview room with it's sort-of-private deck aft. Our TA declined for us.

The next day our TA called again and said, "For some reason Princess really wants your Oceanview room, and they are now offering an oceanview mini suite (for less than $300 increase total)." We looked at the couple that were offered, and one in particular seemed great. It was way forward, under the bridge, but once again just steps away from a little-use forward deck (according to the research on it that I did). So we took the upsell, and now had mini suite C204.

It was awesome!

Our room steward, Noel, knocked on our door as soon as we arrived to introduce himself, and to tell us about "his secret deck." As I mentioned, I knew about this deck just steps away and through two doors. He took us out there, and it was drizzling a bit, so we did not stay too long, but it looked like a perfect viewing area. As we were walking back to our room, a family came out of the room next to ours and said to the steward, "We understand there is a secret deck for viewing! Where is it?" I looked at DH and mumbled, "So much for the 'secret'." LOL Interestingly, when we met friends for dinner who had a balcony on Caribe deck midway, they said their steward was telling everyone in their hallway about this "secret deck" as well. Apparently, CC folks, the secret deck is a secret no more.

That said, it was never crowded (even glacier viewing day) and most often deserted on that deck

(That's me with my cane in the desk chair from our room that the steward said we could bring out as long as we made sure it got back into the room)

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

The Oceanview mini suite was extra large since there was indoor space where the balcony would have been. It had two TV's, a three-cushion couch, two chairs and a table, a desk and chair, and the bathroom had a bathtub in it as well. The window was larger than I thought it would be and was low enough so that on sea days I could pull up a chair, read and watch Alaska in all its glory go slowly by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[amymoore]

I agree with your comments about dinner pairings. We are pretty quiet and tend to keep to ourselves. When we did this trip 4 years ago, we too went with the flow. It definitely added to the fun of the trip. Always someone to talk to. It was also fun to get together with theses same people on the cruise. Fabulous trip. Fabulous review!

[voljeep]

First, let me say I totally understand where you both (nibst and voljeep) are coming from.

 

When Michael announced that he would "assign" us dinner partners, I thought, "Wait....I don't think I want to do that." However, hindsight is 20/20, and allow me to provide you both with the benefit of that hindsight.

 

As it turned out, we went with the flow. Out of the actual 7 dinners on land, there were just 5 evenings when we were partnered up with one or two other couples since one dinner was the wine pairing dinner in Fairbanks and we sat at tables of 8; one was the Denali Dinner theater and we sat as a large group. Out of those 5 dinners, one we ate alone when the other couple wanted to go hear a speaker. And I will tell you it simply wasn't as much fun as the other evenings when we were paired with one or two other couples on our tour. Quite honestly, when you sit down with people, you find where they come from and what they do and where they've traveled before , what excursions they have planned, and it all is lovely dinner conversation. Also, it all just adds to the camaraderie of traveling together and having people you now "know" to talk to here and there while having a drink at the bar or while waiting together for the bus. To say things like, "Say, how was that rafting tour you took earlier today?" And when we boarded the Coral with 2,000+ people, we saw couples in our group of 26 here and there, and it was nice to "know" them, and smile and say hello and ask again about excursions etc.

 

Let me say again that I totally understand your question, and the word "assigned" was a poor choice. We were "paired" with others is to put it better. Having been left to our own designs, DH and I would have likely asked for tables for 2 as well, but actually on the very first night of the tour we met another couple we got along with smashingly, and we dined together every night on the ship.

 

I would advise you to give pairings at dinner on the land portion it a try. Allow your leader to pair you with a couple or two he thinks will mesh well with you both. Try it for 2 nights. If you still feel you'd like to dine alone, let your tour director know.

 

 

thanks for your "table for 2" response...

 

in real life, I'm pretty much a listener ( I know. I know ) and not a talker...

 

and pretty much skeptical of what other people say they have done as exaggerated bs..I ate the last mango in Paris...I drank with Capt Tony in Key West...oh, wait...I did do that...I took the last plane out of Cuba with Michael and we left Fredo behind...

 

it's totally a me thing as my wife has never met a stranger...and I won't deny her that opportunity on a trip like this...unless it gets so thick...

[Worldtraveler 4727]

After grabbing a quick bite in Horizon Court, we stopped at the Internet Cafe to activate the Internet pkg we had purchased pre-cruise.Interestingly, this was a "new" package. For this Coral sailing (other sailings are being offered it too and others still have the cost per minute plans and still others are offering cost per MG used), Princess was offering three tiers of unlimited internet for this sailing, the differences among them was and still is unclear, according to MULTIPLE current threads on CC.

Premium - $109.99

Enjoy truly premium unlimited access!

All internet usage subject to Princess Cruises standard policies, etc.

 

Surf Package - $79.99

Surf your favorite sites from e-mail, news, sports, and more*

*may not allow for audio/video calling and streaming

 

Social Package - $59.99

Unlimited access to the most popular social websites and applications*

*may not allow for audio/video calling and streaming

 

 

Try as I might beforehand, I could not find anyone on CC who could provide a definitive answer for what I needed: just emailing and texting. We ended up choosing the middle package. When all else fails--shoot for the middle, right?

 

 

I set up a new account with the Princess At Sea app that was already on my phone, and I was on the ship's WiFi in no time. My AT&T phone service was still working also in the Whittier port.

 

 

I learned that AT&T has a huge presence in Alaska, and I was able to use my own AT&T a great deal on land, only having problems in the remotest parts of land like the Kenai Fjords, for example. Otherwise, at Fairbanks and the three lodges we stayed in, I was able to use either the lodge's WiFi if our room was close enough or my own AT&T package.

 

 

At 5PM we met friends in Crooners for cocktails. Because muster was at 7:30PM we decided to go to the Bordeaux, the anytime dining room, about 6:15 for dinner. We got right in and service was quick. (When we boarded, we were handed a piece of paper by the ship's staff that stated we were to go to Anytime Dining in the Bordeaux at 5:15. Ahhh, no thank you. We ignored that piece of paper and had no trouble at 6:15.)

 

 

We have always enjoyed the food in the MDR on Princess ships. But the four of us did have a difficult time making a choice this first evening. DH ordered the Etouffee, expecting it to look like jambalaya, like it usually does, but it came in a bowl with a scoop of rice, a couple miniature shrimp in a light brown sauce and one single whole crawfish. It honestly looked like a (sad) appetizer. He looked longingly at the piece of prime rib I had ordered, and I happily shared it with him. All four of us commented that we were hoping the dinner selections would improve.

 

 

We made it to muster in plenty of time, and fortunately, they no longer require you to bring life vests. That not only saved us a trip to the room before but also afterwards.

 

 

The Coral sailed out of Whittier harbor shortly after muster. We were on our way!

[Worldtraveler 4727]

I agree with your comments about dinner pairings. We are pretty quiet and tend to keep to ourselves. When we did this trip 4 years ago, we too went with the flow. It definitely added to the fun of the trip. Always someone to talk to. It was also fun to get together with theses same people on the cruise. Fabulous trip. Fabulous review!

 

Thanks so much for chiming in and seconding my advice to these folks. I completely understand where they are coming from, as do you, but it really does work out wonderfully all around for many reasons. I had not read about this beforehand; had I, I'm sure I would've reacted the same way. However, in hindsight it was great, and we enjoyed it immensely.

 

Thanks for reading along! :)

[Worldtraveler 4727]

thanks for your "table for 2" response...

 

in real life, I'm pretty much a listener ( I know. I know ) and not a talker...

 

and pretty much skeptical of what other people say they have done as exaggerated bs..I ate the last mango in Paris...I drank with Capt Tony in Key West...oh, wait...I did do that...I took the last plane out of Cuba with Michael and we left Fredo behind...

 

it's totally a me thing as my wife has never met a stranger...and I won't deny her that opportunity on a trip like this...unless it gets so thick...

 

Yes, yes, we've all run into "those" people, and I have to agree--perhaps more often on a cruise ship when asked to share a table--but I must admit that it is actually not all that often. Most people turn out to be pretty good company. ;)

[phabric]

I set up a new account with the Princess At Sea app that was already on my phone, and I was on the ship's WiFi in no time. My AT&T phone service was still working also in the Whittier port

 

I will be on the Sapphire in a couple of weeks. I am Elite and have 150 minutes internet free.

 

I have looked on the Apple App Store for Princess At Sea and can not find it.

 

Do you have to wait until on the ship to get it?

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Day #9 June 28, 2018

 

I was really thrilled with the Internet--at first--it was awesome being able to leave my phone on and not have to bother with the process of turn phone off airplane mode--log on to the internet and quickly check email and texts and log off the internet--turn phone back onto airplane mode and write answers to texts and emails--turn airplane mode off, log onto internet again and send all messages--log off internet and turn phone onto airplane mode again. Whew! With these unlimited minutes, I could leave my phone on all the time.

That lasted until about 1PM today.

We lost all internet (both ship's and AT&T) service from Thursday until Saturday afternoon when we stopped into a bar in Skagway.

Apparently, Princess was anticipating this as there was a notice in the Patter that this would likely happen and no, there would be no refunds.

 

As I mentioned, our mini suite was far forward, under the bridge, and last night we felt a fair amount of rocking and rolling. I mention this for those who might be ultra-sensitive to this type of thing. It really did not bother us, and I personally actually like it. In no way did it make us seasick or even a little queasy, but be aware that you feel more this far forward.

 

We slept well. The beds and bedding are truly very comfortable.

 

Today is Hubbard Glacier day. According to the original schedule, we were to get there at approximately 3Pm. Today's Patter lists us coming in at 4:30 and exiting by 5:45, potentially interfering with some people's dinner plans.

 

Until then we had the day to ourselves. It was a welcomed "down time" as we had been so busy on the land portion. We ordered coffee and rolls from room service about 7:30, and it arrived in under 10 minutes. Having never experienced a mini suite before we wondered if perhaps the speediness was due to that or just that they were not busy in the kitchen this morning. Lunch was pizza at Alfredo's in Sabatini's. Always great pizza and ambience.

 

About 3:30 we went out onto the "secret" Caribe deck to watch Hubbard come into view. It was cloudy and about 53 degrees with very little wind. The ship moved painfully slow towards the glacier. At one point we saw a Holland America ship come out of Disenchantment Bay in front of the glacier. There was some commentary here and there by Naturalist onboard, but not a lot. By about 5:30 the ship apparently got as close as it was going to get to the glacier, did a 180 turn, and sailed out of the area. At that point I was glad for two things. #1 We had gotten soooo close up to the glacier on the Kenai Fjord boat tour and #2 We had not kept the aft Oceanview room. Basically, in my opinion, you really need to be on one of the front decks to get pictures and to see anything.

 

This evening was the first formal night, so we went back to the cabin, dressed and met friends for cocktails. It was also the night for the champagne tower, and waiters were walking around with champagne and mimosas, generously leaving several each time they passed our table.

 

Earlier in the day I had made reservations for 7:30 in the Anytime Dining room (Bordeaux) knowing that things were going to be a bit mixed up with having entered and exited the glacier a bit late and it also being a formal night. We got into the "reservations only" line and were seated right away. Two of us ordered the "leg of lamb" and two of us ordered the beef medallions. The lamb came with several thinly sliced pieces on the plates, and the two beef medallions were rather over done and tough. I ordered the Waldorf salad as a starter, and when it arrived I asked the waiter what it was because it was clearly not a recognizable Waldorf salad. He said, "That is the Waldorf salad." Our fiends at the table said where are the walnuts? Where are the grapes? I have been kicking myself every since that I did not take a photograph of it. There was a small pile of shredded lettuce and a spoon of Stilton mousse on the side. It certainly did not look like any Waldorf salad any of us had over seen before. The second nigh in the MDR had me wondering about the changed Princess food standards. These past tow nights have certainly not been on par with the kind of food we've been used to on Princess ships. Is this the Coral in particular? Alaskan itinerary in particular?

[Worldtraveler 4727]

I will be on the Sapphire in a couple of weeks. I am Elite and have 150 minutes internet free.

 

I have looked on the Apple App Store for Princess At Sea and can not find it.

 

Do you have to wait until on the ship to get it?

 

It is just something that is available once you board the ship. No need to worry about it now. If as an Elite you've never used Princess at Sea internet before, simply go to the Internet Cafe once you board, and they will get you all set up pronto! :) With a certain number of minutes alloted to you, however, do not forget and be certain you sign out each time you are done; otherwise, your minutes will tick away very quickly. People in the Internet Cafe have little to no sympathy for that error. :(

[Worldtraveler 4727]

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Day #10 June 29, 2018 Glacier Bay

 

This morning was cloudy with some drizzle and some very low hanging clouds. We wondered how we would be able to see the glaciers. The Rangers boarded, and as we approached Marguerite Glacier, the Rangers began their commentary, the clouds began to lift, and the rain stopped. The Rangers explained it was a very typical day in Glacier Bay because without the precipitation there would be no glaciers. Higher up in the mountains it would be snowing and adding to the glaciers. We received a great map of Glacier National Park in our evening packet of paper at our cabin door, and it was so useful to watch and follow along as the rangers spoke. Most interesting, the map has lines at the glaciers indicating various years where the glaciers had once been, how far out into the bay they extended and ultimately where they have now receded to. Margerie Glacier is at the far end of Glacier Bay. The captain took us fairly close up--closer than to Hubbard Glacier yesterday. We approached on the port side about 1 pm and spent about a half an hour at the glacier, the captain doing a 180 turn so all sides of the ship could see it. Then we sailed south out of the bay towards Lamplugh Glacier, arriving there about 3 PM. Fortunately, the low hanging clouds dissipated, and we got a good view of this glacier too, again approaching it from the port side once more, and again the captain doing a 180 with the ship. Both glaciers calved a bit, and that is always tremendously exciting to see! We then headed out of Glacier Bay to drop off the Rangers and to exit into Icy Strait.

 

This is Lamplugh. It has much more dirt and rock in it than other glaciers.

 

 

Dinner in the MDR this night was the best so far, and it went a long way in restoring our faith in Princess. The offerings included pan-fried halibut, King crab legs, and surf and turf. Our table had some of all three, and everyone was very happy with their meals. Rhubarb Napoleon for dessert topped the meal off perfectly.

 

We all decided to turn in early this evening as we are docking in Skagway at 7AM. Our tour with Chilkoot Charters states we are to meet them on the dock at 7:15 AM.

[pisamoorings]

Thank you so much for this review. We are doing this connessiour tour mpnext August for my 50th birthday.

 

 

 

My question is did you see any mobility impaired guests? Ones using a wheelchair or scooter? I assume the buses are handicap accessible but I know a lot of the big buses that are used for tours are not. However with this being in the US I expect everything to be very ADA compliant.

 

 

 

Thanks, Kari

 

 

 

Hi Kari

 

We had a lady on our tour that was in a wheelchair and it didn't appear to be issue. Our bus had a lift for her.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Day #11 June 30, 2018 Skagway, Alaska

 

Up early this morning for our sail into Skagway and to get ready for our (private/not Princess) tour with Chilkoot Charters on the White Pass Railway and beyond. We docked in Skagway about 7:15 and were able to get off the ship by 7:30. We had to walk quite a ways to the end of the dock since the Holland America docked in front of us. We found a man holding a Chilkoot sign, he took our name, asked if we had our passports, and directed us to look for Jamison in a small bus beyond the gated area. Jamison was to be our tour guide for the day, a delightful young man from northern California who is spending his third summer in Alaska driving first a Princess/Holland America bus and now a small bus for Chilkoot. As we got to know him better along the way he shared a few stories about himself. He has a Bachelors degree in Neuroscience and decided to take off a couple summers. He plans on going back to UC-Davis for his Masters and PhD in Neuroscience and eventually teach. His undergrad school asked him and his fellow graduates their plans post graduation, and Jamison wrote he was going to drive a bus in Alaska. Unbeknownst to him, as they called his name out at graduation, they added: Jamison's future plans are to drive a bus in Alaska. He said his mother looked at him and said her favorite line to him: You're an idiot! We all laughed so hard. I loved this kid!

He also said there were 1500 young people in Skagway working for the summer and it was like a college town. When the cruise ships leave and there are just the young people left in town, they have soft ball leagues, and camp together etc. We met so many young people with summer jobs all over the state, and each one we met was just delightful

 

There were only 14 people on this small bus, a very nice number as it was easy for everyone to get on and off quickly at our stops.

 

Jamison took us to the White Pass Railway and dropped us off and directed us to the last railcar in the line. He will drive up to Fraser to meet us for part two of the excursion. As I had read previously, Chilkoot gets the last railcar in line, which many people like because you can go outside on the small deck and take photos of the scenery and the track behind the train.The train ride lasted about two hours and there was some commentary from a young man on board. We did not see where he was narrating from. We got to the Canadian border, the Canadian customs officers boarded the train, and we were all instructed to hold our passports up with our left hands, photos exposed, and placed next to our face so they could take a quick walk down the aisle and check everyone out. They take this very seriously. The lavatory onboard the train car is locked before the border, so no one can potentially hide in there. The customs officers made certain to rattle the handle to be sure it was locked.

 

After about two hours we ended the train portion of the excursion in Fraser, British Columbia. Here we got off the train and got back into Jamison's small bus. From here Jamison drove us north into the Yukon making various stops for photographs.

 

 

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

 

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

It was another absolutely glorious day with mostly sunshine and temps climbing to the low 70's but the afternoon.

 

We got extremely lucky. As we were traveling north, there was a mother back bear and two cubs right alongside the road. She was calmly eating dandelions, and the cubs were playing next to her. Suddenly, both the cubs ran up and tree. The mother continued to eat dandelions, the cubs finally came down, and they all sauntered off into the brush.

 

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

We stopped to take pictures at the Yukon sign and at the Carcross Desert

 

 

 

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

We eventually arrived at Caribou Crossing where we had lunch.

 

 

Lunch --as is the railway pass--included in the cost for the day. We were each given a wristband and went into lunch. Lunch consisted of a quarter dark meat chicken, half of a baked potato, coleslaw, rolls and butter, and a doughnut. It was all pretty good. We were then at liberty to walk around the property to look at the many gift shops and museums, visit with the goats, alpacas, puppies and horses. They were running a dog sled ride, and we went over to watch. One of the young men running the dog sled ride explained to a person nearby that they have 130 dogs there for the summer. Mushers bring their dogs to summer there where they are cared for and exercised. Then the mushers pick their dogs up again in the fall. Several people in our group decided to take a dog sled ride. Twelve dogs were hitched up to a vehicle, and they took about a mile ride. The cost was $45 pp Canadian.

 

We went as far as Emerald Lake and then turned around and came back. The reason Emerald Lake is so green is because it is a very shallow lake and all the lime deposits on its bottom show up in the color of emerald green.

 

 

[Worldtraveler 4727]

We saw another black bear along the side of the road. Jamison remarked that it was quite unusual to see that many black bears. He said the dandelions are out now, but in another week or so, they will have bloomed out, and the bears will not be close to the road anymore.

 

We wound up back in Skagway about 3:30PM. Jamison gave everyone the option of being dropped off in town or being taken back to the ship. Almost everyone chose to be dropped off in town. DH and I made our way to the Skagway Brewery to try a pint of their famous Spruce Tip beer. We were finally able to connect to some WiFi there and checked our emails and texts while we had our beer. Back on the ship and docked in Skagway harbor, we were unable to use either the Coral's WiFi or AT&T.

 

There are blue signs all over the streets where a shuttle will take you along the downtown area and back to the ship for $2 pp. Once at the dock, there was another small shuttle we caught that took us to the Princess gangplank.

 

Dinner in the MDR was very good again this evening. It was Italian night, and the trout, scallops, penne pasta and chicken scaloppini were all great.

 

Another wonderful day in Alaska.

[Colo Cruiser]

I will be on the Sapphire in a couple of weeks.

 

Can you do me a favor when you return?

Can you post from the front page (embarkation day) Patter

the officers listed there? Thanks

[Colo Cruiser]

Incredible review!

Thanks for taking the time to post this! :)

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Incredible review!

Thanks for taking the time to post this! :)

 

Thanks, Keith! :)

[Worldtraveler 4727]

Day #12 Juneau, Alaska

 

The Coral arrived in Juneau this morning at 6:30 AM and pulled into Dock B. DH and I had made a reservation with the Juneau Car Rental Company last October (2017), knowing that they have a limited amount of cars available, and also knowing they are cheaper than the big-name companies. Their charge was $59 plus city sales tax and vehicle rental tax bringing the total to $67.85 for the day for a midsize car.

 

We felt this would be our best option for the day since the bus/shuttle is up to $45 per person, and we wanted to go to several places in Juneau.

 

We knew it was likely going to be too far for us to walk to the car rental hut with our mobility issues this trip because it is a mile uphill from Dock B to it. We disembarked just before 8AM and tried to find a cab at the dock. There was one black and yellow cab where the tour vans loaded, and we walked over to him to ask him if he could give us a ride up to the car rental place. He said he was waiting for a tour, but since they had not come out yet and since the car rental place was about three minutes away, he said he'd be happy to help us out. Once again, the kindness and friendliness of Alaskans! He dropped us off, we tipped him, and went into the little hut. The young girl on duty called up our reservation and we handed over our credit card. She said, "That will be $94.30." That gave us a moment of pause. We had our reservation from last October printed out and right there on the counter. The total was supposed to be $67.85. She said she would check the emails on the computer to see if we had been notified of this increase. I was pretty certain she would not find an email sent to us since we had never received anything like that. She called up the first email sent to us, the one which the confirmation number and letter had been attached, and pointed out to us on the screen that it said on the bottom of the email: These are 2017 prices and 2018 prices may be different. Okay. We certainly understand how the cost of running a business often necessitates increases, but a 30% increase?? She apologized and said she could call her boss, but she said she already knows what his answer will be. He will not budge. She said she has been running into this numerous times now, and it is what it is. Having no Plan B, we paid the bill with the increase and as we walked to the one of cars, I couldn't help but to hear my dear departed father's voice in my head saying, "You've just been put on the elevator, my dear."

She lead us to an Oldsmobile Alero with 150,000 miles on it and with multiple dings and rust spots. We were not expecting a pristine new car. I knew from researching and reading that one of the reasons for their low prices is that they rent out old cars. However, at this cost their price point is close to the nationally recognized car rental companies. So bottom line advice here: The Juneau Car Rental Company is no longer the price friendly car rental company in the area. I would seriously instead consider the other major car rental companies in the area. Shop and compare. And if you do decide to go with the Juneau Car Rental Company, be advised that from the time you make your reservation and then pick up the car, the price could increase by 30% or more.

 

Armed with maps, we made our way to the Mendenhall Glacier. The first turn around the corner to the glacier is breathtaking! This glacier is massive. We have seen many glaciers now as we have traveled the Kenai peninsula and through Glacier Bay. Mendenhall is jaw-dropping as is Nugget Falls next to it. Perhaps the glacier looks so big because we can see so much of the top of it and not just its face. This morning it was a bit rainy with some low clouds, but it stopped raining by the time we reached the glacier. I had read there was a $5 parking fee, but although parking was very limited, there was no fee to pay. We were also armed with our National Park passes, but there was no where and no one around to show them to, nor was there anywhere we could see where someone would be stopped and asked to buy a pass. We were there about 9AM, and although there were several buses parked in the bus lot, it was all pretty deserted. We took our photographs and walked to the Visitor's Center. There is an elevator up and down into the Visitor's Center, so there is no need to walk up the multiple, daunting-looking stairs. We were not able to walk down to the glacier or the falls, unfortunately, but we spent a bit of time in the Visitor's Center. Most noteworthy was a time lapse film from 2007 to present documenting the glacier melting. Incredible.