Our 2024 Alaska Adventure--including planning!

[cmmaxwell03]

6 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Good morning! When we arrived at the lodge last night there was a note that said they have a Bayview suite available for tonight if we want to upgrade. I texted the owner to ask about the cost to upgrade, and they said free!! So we're switching rooms today because who would turn that down? This place is gorgeous and I thank whomever it was that suggested Resurrection Lodge on the Bay.

Also includes a hot cooked breakfast and we were able to grab some apples and peanut butter to take on our Orca Quest cruise today. Which it's supposed to start raining just in time for our cruise 🫠

view from breakfast:

So excited to hear about your trip.  So far your luck has been amazing.  Reading this makes me want to go back to Alaska.  Enjoy and watch all your hard work and planning pay off 🙂 ❤️  

 

[no1racefan1]

Our Orca Quest cruise with Major Marine Tours was epic!! We saw everything we could have hoped for. It was cold and drizzly and I was very glad to have my layers, gloves, hat and hand warmers. We're really satisfied with just doing the 4-hour cruise. 

[no1racefan1]

Sea otter

Bald eagle

We also saw two pods of orcas, mountain goats, harbor seals, steller sea lions, and kittiwakes!

[ninka26]

10 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Our Orca Quest cruise with Major Marine Tours was epic!! We saw everything we could have hoped for. It was cold and drizzly and I was very glad to have my layers, gloves, hat and hand warmers. We're really satisfied with just doing the 4-hour cruise. 

Thank you so much for sharing everything here. DH and I will be headed to Alaska in July. 5 days on land and then cruising out of Whittier on the 20th. Your photos and experiences help make the wait easier!

[no1racefan1]

There were two Silverseas ships in Seward yesterday, and here's a Celebrity ship cruising past our window this morning.

 

[BBGrace273]

I told you that you'd have a blast, @no1racefan1 even in the rain! So glad everything is going great so far!

[no1racefan1]

This morning we went kayaking with Advemture 60 North. They were absolutely fantastic! It was only us and one other couple. It was supposed to be 30s and raining so we wore all our layers. Add on a splash skirt and a life jacket and I was like the marshmallow man.

Turns out it wasn't as cold as the forecast and it barely rained. We were overdressed, but I was glad to have all those layers just in case!

Then we had lunch at Gold Rush Bistro in Seward (3/5) and drove back to Anchorage. Returning the rental car was a breeze and there was a line of taxis outside the airport. We took a taxi to 49th State Brewing, which was excellent!!

Now just chilling and getting excited to board tomorrow! Word from the captain is that our ship is repaired and ready to roll!!

[abbydancer2003]

Sapphire is one of my very favorite ships.  Have a wonderful time.

 

[BBGrace273]

16 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

This morning we went kayaking with Advemture 60 North. They were absolutely fantastic! It was only us and one other couple. It was supposed to be 30s and raining so we wore all our layers. Add on a splash skirt and a life jacket and I was like the marshmallow man.

Turns out it wasn't as cold as the forecast and it barely rained. We were overdressed, but I was glad to have all those layers just in case!

Then we had lunch at Gold Rush Bistro in Seward (3/5) and drove back to Anchorage. Returning the rental car was a breeze and there was a line of taxis outside the airport. We took a taxi to 49th State Brewing, which was excellent!!

Now just chilling and getting excited to board tomorrow! Word from the captain is that our ship is repaired and ready to roll!!

Those first 2 photos are FIRE!!!!

[torybruno]

I don’t remember your plans for Juneau, but I’m curious if you see taxis lined up when you get off the ship.  We’re debating how to get to MendenHall and back, without the 90 minute time schedule!

[no1racefan1]

On 5/18/2024 at 3:19 PM, torybruno said:

I don’t remember your plans for Juneau, but I’m curious if you see taxis lined up when you get off the ship.  We’re debating how to get to MendenHall and back, without the 90 minute time schedule!

I'll try to remember to look!

[no1racefan1]

I'm back! We don't have wifi but we've spent two wonderful days on board. Currently in Skagway. I'll be more thorough later but for now I'll just say it's been a really wonderful trip! We did the hike and float this morning.

 

[no1racefan1]

Skagway did not disappoint. Weather started out cold and cloudy and ended up with a gorgeous blue sky.

We had Skagway Brewing Co for lunch which was great. DH tried the spruce tip ale. 

We hiked to Yakutania Point and Smugglers Cove this afternoon. There were a lot of people hitting the trail! You should know if you're going to hike in Skagway, be prepared for hills and rocks.

[goletans]

Gorgeous! Did you notice any signs/schedule for the SMART shuttle. It should have been available at the dock? We want to use it in August to get to the cemetery. 

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, goletans said:

Gorgeous! Did you notice any signs/schedule for the SMART shuttle. It should have been available at the dock? We want to use it in August to get to the cemetery. 

I saw some smart shuttle busses running but I didn't see any of the signage.

[no1racefan1]

On 5/18/2024 at 3:19 PM, torybruno said:

I don’t remember your plans for Juneau, but I’m curious if you see taxis lined up when you get off the ship.  We’re debating how to get to MendenHall and back, without the 90 minute time schedule!

I did not see any taxis lined up.

[Editrix]

I was in Juneau on May 19 and didn’t see any taxis near the dock.

[no1racefan1]

In Juneau today. Weather was o ce again brisk but clear skies. Starting to get cloudy now.

We did the Bike and Brew excursion. The company was Cycle Alaska, which is local. There was only one other couple on our tour! It was awesome because we were ahead of schedule the whole time, which gave us a full hour at Mendenhall. 

The ride was mostly downhill and we ended at the beer tasting which happened to be alongside Alaska Fish and Chips Co, where we wanted to have lunch! So it worked out perfectly.

[no1racefan1]

Oops, the glacier pic is upside down 🙉

[no1racefan1]

Just docking in Ketchikan now. It's pouring rain, should be a fun day! 😁

 

This is not a Princess-specific review but I want to say the Sapphire Princess has been very enjoyable. All of the crew are incredibly kind and helpful. The food has ranged from good to excellent. It never feels crowded and there's hardly any lines anywhere.We have not a single complaint worth mentioning. I really wasn't 100% sure how I would feel about cruising since we haven't since 2018, but we are immensely satisfied with our experience! Our interior cabin feels spacious and I don't feel like I'm missing anything not having a balcony. I'm glad I sunk that money into excursions instead!

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, no1racefan1 said:

Just docking in Ketchikan now. It's pouring rain, should be a fun day! 😁

 

This is not a Princess-specific review but I want to say the Sapphire Princess has been very enjoyable. All of the crew are incredibly kind and helpful. The food has ranged from good to excellent. It never feels crowded and there's hardly any lines anywhere.We have not a single complaint worth mentioning. I really wasn't 100% sure how I would feel about cruising since we haven't since 2018, but we are immensely satisfied with our experience! Our interior cabin feels spacious and I don't feel like I'm missing anything not having a balcony. I'm glad I sunk that money into excursions instead!

Really glad to hear this and that everything is working out for you!  We fly tomorrow to start our cruisetour and then join the Sapphire next week.  I assume your itinerary has been unchanged this week and the propulsion issue widely reported on last week's sailing has been fully repaired? 

 

Thanks for all your updates and pictures 🙂 

[no1racefan1]

6 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Really glad to hear this and that everything is working out for you!  We fly tomorrow to start our cruisetour and then join the Sapphire next week.  I assume your itinerary has been unchanged this week and the propulsion issue widely reported on last week's sailing has been fully repaired? 

 

Thanks for all your updates and pictures 🙂 

Yep, ship is fixed and there have been no itinerary changes 🙂

[no1racefan1]

Still pouring rain in Ketchikan, definitely glad to have my rain jacket, quick dry pants, and waterproof hiking shoes. You would be fine without the waterproof shoes but your feet would probably get soaked on a day like today, if you're spending it outside.

 

By the way I don't eat seafood ever because I don't like fish. I decided to try halibut since we're here at the source and I know it's not fishy. I've had halibut at 4 places and all were excellent, but THIS place wins the award for best fish and chips, its next level!!!

[sharon_pei]

What a wonderful live trip report! Thank you for sharing it with such details!

May I ask that based on your 1st hand experience is dining on this ship crowded? I am scheduled to take this same journey (NB though) in 2.5 weeks and wonder what time is best to schedule for dining to allow enough time for evening shows or any other entertainment. 

Another question is: does the weather in this season make swimming on the cruise ship enjoyable? I am still now sure if they have an indoor pool and if so how heated is it going to be.

Hope everything for the rest of this journey goes on as smoothly as it has been!

[no1racefan1]

22 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

What a wonderful live trip report! Thank you for sharing it with such details!

May I ask that based on your 1st hand experience is dining on this ship crowded? I am scheduled to take this same journey (NB though) in 2.5 weeks and wonder what time is best to schedule for dining to allow enough time for evening shows or any other entertainment. 

Another question is: does the weather in this season make swimming on the cruise ship enjoyable? I am still now sure if they have an indoor pool and if so how heated is it going to be.

Hope everything for the rest of this journey goes on as smoothly as it has been!

In our experience dining has never been crowded. I made reservations in Pacific Moon dining room every night at either 5:20 or 6:40, depending on our schedules each day.

 

There is an indoor pool, not sure of temperature. IMO it was too chilly to use the pools but I did see other people using them. We used the hot tub every day though. The one in Lotus Spa is the best.