(LONG) Help Us Build The Best Possible Alaska Excursion Itinerary For Us (Active 40 y.o. X Cruisers 1st Time On Princess)

[Mary loves to travel]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:22 PM, Cruising Divers said:

 

 

Thank you Mary! We will check out Temsco, S. Float Tours and H&M,. How did you enjoy the Heli ride and glacier walk in Skagway? Sounds like it was probably great and exactly the thing we are hoping to do there.

 

Sounds like H&M and Temsco really are the best! We love the sound of combining a Heli and train ride on the same day (if we read that correctly) too. This trip is shaping up nicely and we appreciate all of your very helpful information!

 

 

 

Yes, our walk on the glacier was stellar!    Everything we hoped for & more.   But, we were blessed with perfect weather.   The pilot mentioned how the past few days, it had been so overcast there wasn't much flightseeing to be done -- it was clear enough to fly to the glacier, but that was it.

 

This was our 2nd Alaska cruise.   The first time, in Skagway, we did a self-guided hike to Lower Dewey Lake in the morning - beautiful!    Then, right after lunch took the WP&Y to the summit and back down.   Now, we were in the very last car, and what I loved about that was standing out on the back platform, and watching the train ahead curve into the tunnel.   Just lovely to be outside.

 

I should also mention that on our first trip, in Juneau, we'd light a flight tour booked, but it was too overcast.   So, we went to our backup plan:   shuttle bus to Mendenhall, hiked out to the glacier (as close as we could get), shuttle back to town (watch the timing on the shuttle; I recall it coming maybe every hour, and we suddenly realized we'd better hoof it quickly or we'd miss the next bus 🙂   Again, lunch in town, then we took the tram up to the top of Mt Roberts and spent time hiking around up there.   A lovely day.

 

As far as Victoria, don't you want to see Butchart Gardens?    It's about a 45 minute drive, and the port time was short, so we went with the Princess excursion.    My cousins chose the one that included tea while in the gardens, which they said was lovely; we wanted more time in the gardens so just want with the basic excursion (really transportation both ways & your entry ticket).

 

You'll have a great time!

Mary

[DevilsFan38]

I haven't been to Alaska yet, but I'm planning a trip for this coming summer and it sounds like we have similar interests (I'm active and mid 30's), so here's what I've found so far. For Skagway going to do the railway/van back with Chilkoot charters. In Juneau I'm looking at canoeing and glacier hiking (https://beyondak.com/trips/glacier-canoe-paddle-trek/), with fingers crossed that conditions on the glacier cooperate. In Ketchikan I'm looking at a floatplane, or possibly a bike and hike tour I found (https://www.ketchikankayakco.com/activities/e-bike-hike/) - not sure I'd have time for both.

[Cruising Divers]

14 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

Yes, our walk on the glacier was stellar!    Everything we hoped for & more.   But, we were blessed with perfect weather.   The pilot mentioned how the past few days, it had been so overcast there wasn't much flightseeing to be done -- it was clear enough to fly to the glacier, but that was it.

 

This was our 2nd Alaska cruise.   The first time, in Skagway, we did a self-guided hike to Lower Dewey Lake in the morning - beautiful!    Then, right after lunch took the WP&Y to the summit and back down.   Now, we were in the very last car, and what I loved about that was standing out on the back platform, and watching the train ahead curve into the tunnel.   Just lovely to be outside.

 

I should also mention that on our first trip, in Juneau, we'd light a flight tour booked, but it was too overcast.   So, we went to our backup plan:   shuttle bus to Mendenhall, hiked out to the glacier (as close as we could get), shuttle back to town (watch the timing on the shuttle; I recall it coming maybe every hour, and we suddenly realized we'd better hoof it quickly or we'd miss the next bus 🙂   Again, lunch in town, then we took the tram up to the top of Mt Roberts and spent time hiking around up there.   A lovely day.

 

As far as Victoria, don't you want to see Butchart Gardens?    It's about a 45 minute drive, and the port time was short, so we went with the Princess excursion.    My cousins chose the one that included tea while in the gardens, which they said was lovely; we wanted more time in the gardens so just want with the basic excursion (really transportation both ways & your entry ticket).

 

You'll have a great time!

Mary

 

Thank you Mary! Seems like it may be wise for us to have backup plans for all of our port days actually, I'll work on that as well. I hope we have cooperating weather too because your glacier walk and float plane experiences sound just like what we're looking for - both excellent days! I also think booking our Victoria day with Princess (either Butchart, tea at Pendray or possibly the "Ocean Wildlife & Orca Exploration" excursion) is the right move too due to the short time in port - TYA!

 

 

12 hours ago, DevilsFan38 said:

I haven't been to Alaska yet, but I'm planning a trip for this coming summer and it sounds like we have similar interests (I'm active and mid 30's), so here's what I've found so far. For Skagway going to do the railway/van back with Chilkoot charters. In Juneau I'm looking at canoeing and glacier hiking (https://beyondak.com/trips/glacier-canoe-paddle-trek/), with fingers crossed that conditions on the glacier cooperate. In Ketchikan I'm looking at a floatplane, or possibly a bike and hike tour I found (https://www.ketchikankayakco.com/activities/e-bike-hike/) - not sure I'd have time for both.

 

Thank you for the links! Perfect help. Chilkoot seems to be highly recommended and could be the right call for the railway day. We love the idea of canoeing and the hiking the glacier too, a fantastic day I'm sure, but I wonder if there is another company that would allow us our own canoe/something a little more private? The Beyond AK website shows a minimum of 8 people for their private trip/excursion, not a 1-on-1 perse guide/option (but of course we could be underestimating how fun it would be as shown), hmmm... Thank you again for the helpful suggestions and links!

 

[John99]

On 12/31/2021 at 5:47 PM, Cruising Divers said:

 

Finally, there is Victoria, CA. We almost didn't book this trip because of the extremely short port-time (normally a deal-breaker for us) but didn't. We've also never been to Canada before so 🤷‍♂️. There is one more excursion available here for Orca watching (Ocean Wildlife & Orca Exploration Cruise) but hope that that checkmark has already been made earlier in the week and that we could do something different by time we reach Victoria. We can obviously walk around town/port by ourselves so a walking tour/etc. doesn't seem to be the right answer but maybe it is? Maybe high tea at the Pendray Mansion instead? Something else altogether?

 

 

 

  @Cruising Divers   We really enjoyed our cruises to Alaska in the past especially cruise/tours.  In fact, we have another 12 day cruise/tour planned for July 2022.  Relative to Victoria here are some ideas and/or suggestions delineated below.

 

Your port time in Victoria from 7:00pm to 11:59pm (5 hours) is not a lot of time.   Most of your time will be in the late evening after dark.  I wish the port time started earlier and was longer.

May 21^st 2022:       Sunrise @ 5:25am   --   Sunset @ 8:55pm

 

Taxi Service in Victoria

Using a taxi is one of several options (ride sharing is another) available if you are going to any venue in Victoria for those do-it-yourselfers. Taxis may charge a “surcharge” based on certain traffic conditions which could be included in your bill.  Yes, another hidden fee in the world of hidden fees.  It is not clear to me when (& why) the surcharge is applied.  Also, taxi drivers expect a tip of between 10-15%. 

 

Uber Service in Victoria

Looking to catch a ride with Uber in Victoria? You might be waiting a while.

December 16, 2021 -- The Passenger Transportation Board issued a ruling on Uber Canada’s application to operate in B.C.’s Interior (including Victoria) and on Vancouver Island. The application was denied.   Uber sought to expand into Victoria, BC.  Per the Transportation Board -- “the board is not convinced that there exists a public need for the service applied for. Further, the board considers that the application, if granted at this time, would not promote sound economic conditions in the passenger transportation business in B.C. For these reasons, the application is refused.”  It should be noted that over 6 Victoria taxi companies submitted viewpoints against approval.  Source: Global News

 

Another Option for do-it-yourselfers

The Princess cruise ships will dock at the Ogden Point Cruise Terminal in the “Outer” Harbor area of Victoria, which is located just over 1 mile from the “Inner” Harbor and downtown areas. The Port of Victoria offers an inexpensive shuttle service that will take you to the “Inner” Harbor area (and return).  This is called - Ogden Point Cruise Shuttle.  The shuttle runs a minimum of every 20 minutes. The last shuttle service is one hour prior to the ship's sailing time. The shuttle stops in downtown, at the 1000 block of Government Street. The shuttle costs C$11 for a round trip ticket; a one way ticket is C$6.  Please check for any price increase for 2022.

Princess Option

In the past, Princess offered a shuttle to the “Inner” Harbor area as an excursion. When on board your Princess ships please check to see if the shuttle is being offered for this cruise.  Otherwise, you can grab a cab or take a very pleasant walk to downtown.  Again check 2022 for current prices.

 

Inner Harbor/downtown area

The “Inner” Harbor/downtown area is where you'll find most of Victoria's attractions, including the Empress Hotel, the provincial Legislative building complex, museums, shops, restaurants and many pubs. These venues are an easy walk from one another.  Your short port time means you need to maximize your time in Victoria.

 

Another Option -- Open top double-decker buses

Whether you are just in town for the day with a cruise ship this tour provides a great overview of all that Victoria has to offer Limited time in Victoria? You can still experience Victoria’s best attractions on this 80-90 minute tour – all from the vantage point of our double-decker buses!  An Evening City Tour was approximately $40 in 2019. This tour is ideal for guests onboard cruise ships docked in Victoria for the evening.  Departs is from in front of the iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel (721 Government Street).  Please check the times and prices for 2022.

Take the Ogden Point Shuttle from the Cruise terminal to a kiosk in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

 

From Ogden Point (cruise pier) to Butchart Gardens a taxi costs about $65 and takes 35/40 minutes a distance of 14.7 miles, one way.  At least that’s what the prices were in 2019.

 

Enjoy your planning.    There are many good ideas and suggestion given by CC cruisers. 

Do you have information overload yet?

John

 

 

[XBGuy]

I will offer another transportation option for Victoria.

 

On one of our trips, I made an arrangement to meet up with and friend from and online wine board.  He suggested we meet at a downtown restaurant (It was good, but I do not recall the name of it.) at 1:00.  The ship had docked at about 8:00 am and was scheduled to leave at 6:00 pm.  We spent the morning on the ship, and, as I was walking around, I could see the cab stand, below.  There was a line of cabs picking up cruise passengers as quick as they could.  So, now I knew where to get a cab.

 

We left the ship and arrived at the cab stand at about 12:30.  Uh oh.  Now there was a line of passengers and no cabs.  After standing there for a few minutes a pedi-cab arrived and dropped off some people.  I asked the guy if he could take us, and he was happy to do so.  He was pretty gregarious and. not surprisingly, was able to quote the fare in both Canadian and U.S. dollars.  We arrived at the restaurant and met Darrin standing outside.  We had a great time.  Darrin ordered an nice Okanagan Valley Syrah (BC wines are impossible to find in my area), and we had some noshes to go with it.

 

Epilog.  Getting transportation back to the ship was nontrivial.  We'd asked the restaurant to call a cab for us, but it wasn't happening.  We had them call again, and, still, nothing.  Cabs were not driving by us, and there were no pedi-cabs, either.  So, we walked back to the ship,  It took about 45 minutes.  My suspiciion is that if we'd been in a neighborhood where lots of other cruisers were--the Empress Hotel, for example--we would have been able to grab a cab.

[Cruising Divers]

On 1/4/2022 at 3:24 PM, John99 said:

 

  @Cruising Divers   We really enjoyed our cruises to Alaska in the past especially cruise/tours.  In fact, we have another 12 day cruise/tour planned for July 2022.  Relative to Victoria here are some ideas and/or suggestions delineated below.

 

Your port time in Victoria from 7:00pm to 11:59pm (5 hours) is not a lot of time.   Most of your time will be in the late evening after dark.  I wish the port time started earlier and was longer.

May 21^st 2022:       Sunrise @ 5:25am   --   Sunset @ 8:55pm

 

Taxi Service in Victoria

Using a taxi is one of several options (ride sharing is another) available if you are going to any venue in Victoria for those do-it-yourselfers. Taxis may charge a “surcharge” based on certain traffic conditions which could be included in your bill.  Yes, another hidden fee in the world of hidden fees.  It is not clear to me when (& why) the surcharge is applied.  Also, taxi drivers expect a tip of between 10-15%. 

 

Uber Service in Victoria

Looking to catch a ride with Uber in Victoria? You might be waiting a while.

 

December 16, 2021 -- The Passenger Transportation Board issued a ruling on Uber Canada’s application to operate in B.C.’s Interior (including Victoria) and on Vancouver Island. The application was denied.   Uber sought to expand into Victoria, BC.  Per the Transportation Board -- “the board is not convinced that there exists a public need for the service applied for. Further, the board considers that the application, if granted at this time, would not promote sound economic conditions in the passenger transportation business in B.C. For these reasons, the application is refused.”  It should be noted that over 6 Victoria taxi companies submitted viewpoints against approval.  Source: Global News

 

Another Option for do-it-yourselfers

The Princess cruise ships will dock at the Ogden Point Cruise Terminal in the “Outer” Harbor area of Victoria, which is located just over 1 mile from the “Inner” Harbor and downtown areas. The Port of Victoria offers an inexpensive shuttle service that will take you to the “Inner” Harbor area (and return).  This is called - Ogden Point Cruise Shuttle.  The shuttle runs a minimum of every 20 minutes. The last shuttle service is one hour prior to the ship's sailing time. The shuttle stops in downtown, at the 1000 block of Government Street. The shuttle costs C$11 for a round trip ticket; a one way ticket is C$6.  Please check for any price increase for 2022.

Princess Option

In the past, Princess offered a shuttle to the “Inner” Harbor area as an excursion. When on board your Princess ships please check to see if the shuttle is being offered for this cruise.  Otherwise, you can grab a cab or take a very pleasant walk to downtown.  Again check 2022 for current prices.

 

Inner Harbor/downtown area

The “Inner” Harbor/downtown area is where you'll find most of Victoria's attractions, including the Empress Hotel, the provincial Legislative building complex, museums, shops, restaurants and many pubs. These venues are an easy walk from one another.  Your short port time means you need to maximize your time in Victoria.

 

Another Option -- Open top double-decker buses

Whether you are just in town for the day with a cruise ship this tour provides a great overview of all that Victoria has to offer Limited time in Victoria? You can still experience Victoria’s best attractions on this 80-90 minute tour – all from the vantage point of our double-decker buses!  An Evening City Tour was approximately $40 in 2019. This tour is ideal for guests onboard cruise ships docked in Victoria for the evening.  Departs is from in front of the iconic Fairmont Empress Hotel (721 Government Street).  Please check the times and prices for 2022.

Take the Ogden Point Shuttle from the Cruise terminal to a kiosk in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel.

 

From Ogden Point (cruise pier) to Butchart Gardens a taxi costs about $65 and takes 35/40 minutes a distance of 14.7 miles, one way.  At least that’s what the prices were in 2019.

 

Enjoy your planning.    There are many good ideas and suggestion given by CC cruisers. 

Do you have information overload yet?

John

 

 

 

Thank you John, you are a wealth of information! I had no idea of the taxi situation in Victoria but now between you and the poster right after you (XBGuy) we will be MUCH more prepared - thank you for that! The Ogden Shuttle Service sounds like a winner, now the only real choice will be between a self-exploration day or booking an excursion with the ship... Again we deeply appreciate all of the information from both you and all of the others who took the time to help us; our trip will be infinitely better because of it.

 

 

18 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I will offer another transportation option for Victoria.

 

On one of our trips, I made an arrangement to meet up with and friend from and online wine board.  He suggested we meet at a downtown restaurant (It was good, but I do not recall the name of it.) at 1:00.  The ship had docked at about 8:00 am and was scheduled to leave at 6:00 pm.  We spent the morning on the ship, and, as I was walking around, I could see the cab stand, below.  There was a line of cabs picking up cruise passengers as quick as they could.  So, now I knew where to get a cab.

 

We left the ship and arrived at the cab stand at about 12:30.  Uh oh.  Now there was a line of passengers and no cabs.  After standing there for a few minutes a pedi-cab arrived and dropped off some people.  I asked the guy if he could take us, and he was happy to do so.  He was pretty gregarious and. not surprisingly, was able to quote the fare in both Canadian and U.S. dollars.  We arrived at the restaurant and met Darrin standing outside.  We had a great time.  Darrin ordered an nice Okanagan Valley Syrah (BC wines are impossible to find in my area), and we had some noshes to go with it.

 

Epilog.  Getting transportation back to the ship was nontrivial.  We'd asked the restaurant to call a cab for us, but it wasn't happening.  We had them call again, and, still, nothing.  Cabs were not driving by us, and there were no pedi-cabs, either.  So, we walked back to the ship,  It took about 45 minutes.  My suspiciion is that if we'd been in a neighborhood where lots of other cruisers were--the Empress Hotel, for example--we would have been able to grab a cab.

 

Thank you! This helpful information from both you and John is extremely insightful for us for Victoria and will be put to use - we are very grateful! 

[John99]

SEATTLE – Pre Sta

 @Cruising Divers     -- Your arrival time of 2:30pm does not give you much time in Seattle.   Princess Cruise ships use Pier 91 at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal located approx. 3 miles north of downtown.  Most likely you’ll have to take a taxi or similar from your downtown hotel.

In 2019, we stayed at the Double Tree Sea-Tac.  Our flight from DTW arrived at 10:30am in the morning.  We almost stayed at the Marriott downtown but instead opted out for the Double Tree.  I wanted to take the rail into downtown.  The Light Rail to the downtown took approx. 40 minutes ($3.25pp) which gave us time to take in the views of the surrounding Seattle and downtown area (even the football and baseball stadiums).  We also visited Pike Place Market (aka Farmers Market). A must do if you have time.  We grab some lunch at Lowell’s (DW already put her order in for fresh fish taco’s) which was very crowded with locals and tourists.  The fresh clam chowder was the best!  In Boston they call it “chooooderr”.  There are many restaurants to choose from.  The Market was a bee hive of activity.  There was a constant stream of Uber and Lyft limos leaving off their passengers in front of the Market.  Once inside you’ll find stall after stall of beautiful flowers (sold by locals) along with fresh fish (caught of the day) plus fresh fruit and vegetables.  Various souvenirs (some good & some not so good) are also available for sale which you’ll find at most tourist sites.  The original Starbucks is located across the street from the Pike Place Market.  Of course we took a number of pictures. 

 

Then we headed over to the Sky View Observatory.  The Observatory could be an option or alternative to the Space Needle which you indicated as a possibility.  The Space Needle is located several miles north of downtown.  The Observatory is within walking distance from the waterfront.   Prior research revealed the Observatory is an excellent alternative to the Space Needle (502 feet).  It’s higher up, less crowded, and less expensive and located on the 73rd floor of Columbia Center.  At 902 feet, it offers the tallest public viewing area in the Pacific Northwest. The 360 degree panoramic view includes Mt. Rainier, Bellevue, Cascade Mountains, Elliott Bay, Olympic Mountains, yes even the Space Needle plus the city of Seattle.  Outstanding views!  About 6 blocks from the waterfront and one block east of LINK Light Rail Pioneer “Square Tunnel” Station.  Main entrance located on 4th Avenue just south of Columbia Street.  Once you enter Columbia Center from 4th Avenue, you will be able to purchase tickets and take the elevator all the way up to the 73rd floor from the 1st-floor Atrium.  Tickets – regular admission $20 versus The Space Nettle @ $59. 

 Seattle:  sunrise @ 7:06am sunset @ 8:21pm

 

The Observatory

700 4th Ave, Floor 73
Seattle WA 98104

 

Have fun in Seattle.  A Great city to visit.  John

 

[ccqueenanne]

For Seattle, if the weather is clear, a visit up the Space Needle, combined with Chihuly glass, would be a great way to spend your late afternoon. Since it sounds like you eat healthy, we have loads of great Asian restaurants, and seafood in general, of course. Even though it'll be teeming with people, visit Pike Place Market the morning before your cruise, or after you disembark - it really is special, and a great place to buy PNW souvenirs from local artisans.

 

One more thumbs up for Island Wings in Ketchikan.

Juneau is great for whale watching, of course. However, by the time we arrived into port, we'd seen so many whales from the ship that we were less excited for more of the same - though it IS different seeing them from a small boat vs a large ship. Based on your interests, I immediately thought of kayaking at Mendenhall.

[Cruising Divers]

Apologies for the extended delay and thank you again to everybody who has taken the time to reply!

After considering all of the very helpful information we received here on CC we have changed ships! We have also selected/booked some of our excursions and are now at a crossroads for the remainder of our choices.

Originally we were booked on the brand new Discovery Princess but with the lack of Glacier Bay and the not-so-long-in-port Itinerary we have changed over to the Royal Princess “Voyage of the Glaciers” (Northbound) cruise departing out of Vancouver in May and ending in Whittier.

Here is what we currently have booked and our general idea of how the trip will go:

We will fly into Vancouver the day before and do a little bit of "city exploring" including a nice dinner; our flights have already been booked/finalized but the hotel has not. We arrive at 2:30 PM and are definitely open to any Vancouver recommendations!

We want to board the ship as early as possible the next day and will book our specialty dining and inquire about any available cabin upgrades as we are currently booked in a room that we don’t particularly want but will be fine with if we ultimately have to end up with. There are currently many cabins available throughout the entire ship (and the balconies on the Royal Princess seem really small) so we are hoping to get a reasonable price on a Mini Suite. Any suggestions/strategies on upgrading once onboard?

The next day after embarkation is a sea day (which we are looking forward to in order to explore and enjoy the ship) and then we arrive in Ketchikan the following day at 7 AM and depart at 3 PM. We have booked a float plane tour with Michelle at Island Wings and afterwords we will go out with Snorkel Alaska (who were kind enough to change the departure time on the excursion to coincide with our return time from Island Wings). Everybody we have dealt with at both of these companies have been excellent FYI!

The next day we are in Juneau from 7 AM until 9 PM and we have reserved the “Helicopter Glacier Trek” from 10 AM to 2:15 PM and the “Evening Whale Quest featuring Alaska Cuisine” from 5 PM to 8:30 PM (because the listed Harv and Marv times will not work with the Helicopter GT excursion) both through Princess. We had considered doing the “Extended Glacier Trek” instead of the one we booked however we regain an hour of time back (plus $100 PP) doing this excursion instead. We also looked at booking with Coastal Helicopters directly but ultimately did not because we wanted to do some glacier hiking and not only a landing for 20 minutes/etc. We are still a little weary of/not 100% sold on the “Evening Whale Quest” excursion; does anybody have any experience with this (or any alternate whale suggestions)? We feel that if we get a more “up close and personal” whale experience on this small boat then it would possibly be worth it/the right choice (and frankly we are hoping to encounter them up close somewhat during our Snorkel Alaska excursion as well)... We should have enough time before our Heli tour and after it (but before the whale tour begins) to do some in-town walking around we estimate.

The following day we will be in Skagway from 7 AM to 8:30 PM. We currently have the White Pass Railway trip from 8 AM to 10:45 AM booked but that’s it… We are considering the "Grizzly Falls Zipline" excursion and have contacted them directly to see if they could give us an alternate start time (as the one listed on the Princess website will not work with our rail return-time) but are still waiting to hear back from them. We are also considering booking the “Glacier Discovery by Helicopter” tour in case our helicopter in Juneau does not go out HOWEVER we really don’t think it would be necessary (and it will be quite expensive) to do both. The Princess website shows that we will not be able to cancel it after 12 PM on the day after embarkation either so we do still have some questions/hesitations about Skagway…

First - Is the “luxury class” White Pass train ride really worth the price difference from the standard trip? It does not appear to be from our research…

Second - Thoughts please on booking the “Glacier Discovery by Helicopter" (Skagway)? It appears that the Juneau excursion that we have already booked would be enough “helicopter time/helicopter fun” for the entire trip as long as it goes out but if it doesn't what are the chances that we'll actually be able to book a Heli tour "on the fly" in Skagway for after our WP rail tour return?

Finally - Any suggestions on what to add on after the WP railway excursion (if not the Heli tour)? We also considered doing the horseback riding trip but we have owned horses in the past and "a single file ride behind" is not exactly what we would want to do. The ATV and UTV trips seem to be the same way; we have rented them in other countries on our own for entire days/etc. so a “single file trip” is not really what we would prefer to do. 

The next day we will be in Glacier Bay, the following day in College Fjord and then we land/disembark in Whittier where we have booked the "Turnagain Arm Wildlife Conservation Center and Tram with Airport Transfer" excursion. We also have the option of the "Portage Glacier Scenic Cruise and Drive with Airport Transfer" and were torn between the two but thought it might be more fun to do the tram and animals vs. more Glaciers after what our past 2 days will have been.

Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to read this far, to everyone who have already contributed and for your thoughts and input on this revised trip!  🌟🏆🌟

[XBGuy]

On one of our AK cruises, we made a port stop in Vancouver.  Mrs. XBGuy did a bit of internet research and we decided that for our Vancouver stop we wanted to go to an oyster bar called Chewies.  They have two locations and the "Coal Harbor" store is easy walking distance from the port.

 

Chewies has good food but by no means is it "fine dining."  It is quite casual and, for lack of a better description, I would call it bar food.  At the web site you can check the menu.  We some  oysters on the half-shell, a mussel bowl and a sandwiche along with a bottle of B.C. Sauvignon Blanc for our lunch.  I don't remember the tab, but it was quite reasonable.  We were able to banter with the waiter, a bit, and that made are visit enjoyable.

 

I have no hotel experience in Vancouver, but I think the one closest to the cruise terminal is the Pan Pacific.  I think people have reported that they were able to drag their luggage from the hotel and walk to the cruise terminal for embarkation.

 

You're going to have a great trip.

[paradiselivin1]

On 12/31/2021 at 5:47 PM, Cruising Divers said:

The Misty Fjords

 

If you are lucky enough to arrange flightseeing with Michelle at Island Wings; count you blessings! She is incredible. Went flightseeing with her on our 1st Alaskan cruise and loved every minute!

 

On 12/31/2021 at 5:47 PM, Cruising Divers said:

"White Pass" train

 

Loved this train ride. Beautiful and fun!

 

On 12/31/2021 at 5:47 PM, Cruising Divers said:

Orca watching

 

We've only been to Victoria as part of a personal land tour that we did years ago. The orca watching was fantastic (went with a company in town); walked town and went into most of the old historic buildings and went up to Buchart (sp?) Gardens which may be a bit too tame for you. Victoria is simply beautiful.

 

Enjoy your cruise. When you go back; make it a land trip and visit the Kenai Peninsula and spend a fair amount of time in Denali.

[grizzle-bizzle]

A couple tips: In Juneau you can walk to the salmon hatchery which beats paying for an excursion there. The White Pass train was awesome in Skagway - we just bought the excursion for that through Princess.

[nini]

@Cruising Divers 

PLEASE be aware that not all Of the balconies are small on the Royal Princess! Go to The Princess website and look at the deck plans. A mini suite does NOT translate into a bigger balcony.

 

And we loved Harv and Marv for whale watching in Juneau. the boat accommodated 3 couples plus the Captain. It sure beat the larger boats with a crowd.

[Mary loves to travel]

For Skagway afternoon, take another look at the Hike & Float the Chilkoot Trail outing offered by Skagway Float Tours.   It was wonderful scenery, both the 2 mile hike and the guided float back.    

[cruisn43]

@Cruising Divers Since you have changed to the Northbound cruise, is there any way you can spend a few nights in Alaska before flying home?  There is a lot to see without going too far from Whittier or Anchorage.  You mentioned you may not return to Alaska for 10 - 15 years, so it might be worth considering.  We spent 5 nights pre cruise (southbound) and based ourselves out of Palmer.  Visited Matanuska Glacier, Hatcher Pass, and Talkeetna.  There is also a lot to see between Whittier and Anchorage.

 

As mentioned by @nini, check the deck plans.  There are some deluxe balcony cabins with larger balconies.  These cabins also have a couch.  The ones on Emerald Deck are listed as obstructed view.  The ones on Dolphin deck are not.

[Ombud]

My favorites are:

> Juneau - very short walk to Mount Robert's Tramway. Great views from the top

> Ketchikan -> Adventure Ziplines,  City bus to Totem Bight Park. Actually had enough time to do both (ziplines in morning, lunch onboard, bus to totems. Bus runs every hour so just an hour at the cove where Totem Bight is) 

[Cruising Divers]

Thank you again to everyone who helped us! We unfortunately are unable to get any more time off from work to stay and explore more after our cruise but besides finalizing a Vancouver hotel (which we'll do within the next few days and are currently strongly considering the Auberge) we have now finalized our tentative plans. Again this is our first time with Princess but we are quite excited about how things are shaping up!

 

We'll fly into Vancouver the day before embarkation and will try to board the following day ASAP so that we can book our specialty dining(s) and check with guest services for any available upgraded cabins. All of the good "obstructed" balconies appear to already be gone so we'll see how that goes...

 

The next day is a sea day and then we arrive in Ketchikan where we will do the Island Wings float plane tour followed by the Snorkel Alaska trip. We will try to catch a canoeing or ziplining excursion on the fly if the float plane is unable to go out for some reason; hiking and the bus ride to the Totem Poles are always available alternate options as well.

 

The next day (Juneau) we will have some time to explore the town (and most likely ride the tram) before our "Helicopter Glacier Trek" excursion begins and afterwards as well before our "Evening Whale Quest" begins, both of which were booked through Princess. We believe there will be no shortage of alternate options for us to book upon arrival if need be but we are really hoping (and wanting) to get onto the glacier(s) via Heli here. Harv and Marv did not have a time that worked with our Heli return time so unfortunately we were unable to book a whale watching trip with them hence the Princess booking.

 

The following day in Skagway we have booked the first morning White Pass Railway time slot and are hoping that the entire track will have had its' repairs completed so that we can make the entire length of the journey. We will again have a nice amount of time for town exploring/etc afterwards before our 1:30 "Glacier Discovery by Helicopter" excursion begins. We booked both of these through Princess however the Helicoper tour, from everything we could find, appears to be through TEMSCO so we were quite content with that. We originally tried to book it directly with TEMSCO but the time slot we needed was not an option on their website and it was only $30/pp more through Princess. We were also going to book the "Grizzly Falls Ziplining" tour but feel like although expensive we would rather have a second shot at or a second experience with a Heli/Glacier tour instead. If we have an amazing time in Juneau and are able unable to fly in Skagway then we will try to book the Chilkoot Trail Hike and Float as it also looks great for us.

 

We are in Glacier Bay NP the next day, sailing through College Fjord the day after that and then we arrive in Whitter. We currently have the "Turnagain Arm Wildlife Cons. Center & Tram W/Airport Transfer" booked but are somewhat open to changing it to the "Portage Glacier Cruise & Drive W/ Airport Transfer". 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. How early exactly can we check-in for our cruise and select our boarding time? I've read several posts on the topic but we are still uncertain...
2. We were unable to find any real reviews on the "Luxury Class' option on the White Pass Railway; does anyone have a first-hand experience? 
3. Thoughts on the disembarkation choice of Turnagain vs. Portage Glacier? We thought that after GBNP and College Fjord that maybe the Portage Glacier choice would be a bit too much of "more of the same' but of course that is just a guess on our part.

Thank you again to all!

[palolake]

We're going to Alaska for the second time in August and I can't wait.  I'm sure you'll love Princess.

 

We just cruised in January and I"m thinking we were able to get our boarding time about 3 weeks before.  We were never able to pick a disembarkation time but we wanted to stay until the last minute so it wasn't a problem for us.  

[Mary loves to travel]

This sounds like a great plan!   Excellent to have backup choices ready to go; weather can be unpredictable, and you don't want to waste time in port trying to figure out "now what do we do?".

 

The nice thing about booking through Princess rather than directly with Temsco is that Princess provides transportation to the helipad; booking direct with Princess you have to get yourself there, and the cab ride quickly negates any savings.

 

As far as changing cabins, getting on early and asking about upgrades is a good plan, but also, check the Princess site often to see if a better cabin has freed up.    Just try to create a new booking.   If you find a better cabin, put it on hold, then call your travel agent/vacation planner and ask them to switch you.    My experience is that once I have the cabin on hold, my Princess PVP cannot move my booking until I release the cabin....so better to do this on the phone, with luck you release the cabin & your agent grabs it for your booking.

 

It's been fun helping you plan & reading everyone's memories/inputs.

Please come back & tell us how it all worked out 🙂

 

Enjoy!

Mary