Live From The Island - Alaska 2006

[ccrain]

Rock climbing in Skagway - Only fell once on the first climb and Judy, who is afraid of heights, did a short beginners climg and then a 70' crack climb. Then we repelled (sp?) down about 100'. Great excursion, but boy are my toes and shoulders sore this morning from the climbing.

 

Blue clear day, perfect for pictures all around Skagway. Crab leg dinner - yum. Went on the back decks and watched the sun set over the mountains. Beautiful day. Internet and satellite was down all day at Skagway due to the mountains next to the railroad dock.

 

Now into Glacier Bay, white ice on blue sky. About to park at Margerie glacier to hear some white thunder. They aren't piping the talk into the atrium, but the Card room had the best seat in the house on the way in. Quiet and warm. We're headed to the upper decks to hear the talk, take some video and pictures. Gonna be a beautiful day. Captain's circle and lobster tonight. Won't even come close to CFL's 18 tails for sure.

 

Note- Table 94 is a table for 2 next to a window in the PC dining room. Table 94B is a table for 2 next to 94, but not next to the window. A great view while having dinner - that's why we request it all the time and the service is good too.

[Cruisin Sal]

Charles,

Glad you and Judy are enjoying Alaska. We leave 5/26 on the Regal Princess (RT from SF). Wave to us should we pass! Are there restrictions on when you can use the laundromat?

 

Sally

[ccrain]

Charles,

Glad you and Judy are enjoying Alaska. We leave 5/26 on the Regal Princess (RT from SF). Wave to us should we pass! Are there restrictions on when you can use the laundromat?

 

Sally

 

Here on the Island the restricted times are 12-8am for the laundromat.

 

How are you and Jack doing? We're headed back down on the Dawn in December. Good deal and one extra day.

 

Blue skies in glacier bay at the Marjorie glacier, but overcast down the bay. One of those get your publicity pictures while you can day. Still having a great time and getting ready for turn around day.

[ccrain]

Just returned from the Island Princess's last trip to Hawaii and had a mini suite, D407. We had NO hump in the middle of the bed. We found the bed to be very comfortable.

 

Did you have the European style mattresses (stiff side walls) or the older ones? That's what's creating the hump in our bed.

[GloriaF]

I may have missed this, but could you please tell me who the Naturalist is onboard?

[jfgdbg]

Did you have the European style mattresses (stiff side walls) or the older ones? That's what's creating the hump in our bed.

 

I didn't notice the type of mattress we had. Sorry. But we did have all the new linen.

[emmylou]

Charles,

Could you please let us know if fire drill was before or after you sailed and where was it held,also where would be a good place on the ship to meet for sail away.Thanks in advance for he info.

emmy

[california mike]

Thanks for the great insite. We're going north on the island 5-29 and we are real excited. The shows sound like they are good. I may try early pc dining too based on your comments.

[ccrain]

I may have missed this, but could you please tell me who the Naturalist is onboard?

 

Have to dig back through the patters, but he is an eagle expert.

[ccrain]

Charles,

Could you please let us know if fire drill was before or after you sailed and where was it held,also where would be a good place on the ship to meet for sail away.Thanks in advance for he info.

emmy

 

From Vancouver, we had muster at 3:45 and sailaway after 5. We had a CC meet and greet setup from 5-6 in the wheelhouse, but because we were just setting sail the turnout was low. It was also beautiful weather and warm. I would meet at the Lido Bar, or thereabouts if the weather is nice. The Lotus bar would be a good choice if the weather is bad.

[ccrain]

Thanks for the great insite. We're going north on the island 5-29 and we are real excited. The shows sound like they are good. I may try early pc dining too based on your comments.

 

Prior to this cruise I was sold on late traditional, but we have now eaten at 530pm each day after the first. We have been able to make all the shows, see all the acts, get to bed early on a couple of occasions and not go to bed stuffed.

 

We're going to try this again on the way back and see how we like it for the second week, but I'm seriously considering this as a complete change of pace. It sure makes planning the evening much easier.

 

BTW, most of the comedy acts were one time acts as they fine tune their lineup for the Alaska season. Two of the comics are now gone. I think the juggler/comedian is going to stay.

 

Note - The most traveled person on this cruise has 100+ cruises and over 1000 days cruising. (Second place was 500+ days cruising.) We have a long way to go!

[GloriaF]

ccrain, thanks for the answer on the Naturalist onboard - don't bother digging thru the Patters for his name as I mainly wanted to know if it was the same woman we had on the Coral in 2004. Her name was Barbara and she lived and loved Alaska, (wildlife, culture, everything) - her lectures were phenomenal! If you don't recall the guy's name, I guess he didn't make that big of an impression.

 

To anyone: I wonder how one would go about learning about the Naturalist before booking a cruise - we are considering going back in 2007 and would love to have this same woman again. Any advice will be appreciated!

[ccrain]

Day before turnaround and the weather continues to be near perfect. Everyone with experience on this run is in awe of the weather, so I guess we should be prepared for winter next week. Although it is a bit amusing. The number of first time cruisers on Alaska is high and there is a slight 4-6 foot swell in the gulf today - prompting a number of overheard conversations about the "rough and severe" movement of the ship. These people do not want to get on a ship during hurricane season in the Caribbean for sure.

 

Last night was lobster night and it was as good as usual - CFL eat your heart out, we get lobster and crab legs TWO nights in two weeks!!!! (Judy had four lobster tails - which means she was either very hungry, not likely on a cruise ship, or they were very good.) Even the beef wellington was good, although I have had better on the Star, but it was still good none the less.

 

We stayed up with Sandy and Tommy to help them do the Champagne waterfall picture. (It took us 5 cruises to stay up that late.) The comic last night was good, but is only on for this cruise.

 

Note - The naturalist name is David Hancock.

 

I am a bit disappointed in the on-board notifications of sea life near the ship and of the nature presentations. The commentary on the Ocean Princess in 2001 was continuous and informative. We would constantly be told of whales, otters, Orca's, bears or whatever might be of interest. The only notification we have heard so far has been the whale sighting in Snow Passage last week.

 

Apparently there was a pod of Orca's near the ship around 10am this morning and nothing was said - even to the naturalist. The glacier bay narrative into and out of the glacier was just ok, and it was not piped into all areas of the ship, and the auditorium lecture was from a ranger who had only been working at the bay for the past 5 weeks and couldn't answer some of the more basic questions about the area. There was no inland passage narrative or tour as we went up the coast.

 

The captain did a good job of turning the ship around in front of the Marjorie glacier. We did two full 360's so that everyone could see from their baclonies or run from one side to the other.

 

A couple of useful notes: Today is laundry day for the people headed out on cruise tours. The machines are packed, so clothes washing in Glacier Bay may be the way to go. ($1 wash, $1 dry)

 

They now sell filtered/brewed coffee in the HC for $2 per 16 oz. This along with espresso, cappacino, latte and mocha, hot chocolate and premium teas. Orange juice is free during breakfast. I will check on the "free" brewed coffee in the Patissiere. I'm pretty sure its still there. A better idea is what Judy is doing. She brought the Folger's tea bag coffees and a travel mug. 5-10 minutes steeping in hot water and she's got real coffee. (The hot water is still free.)

 

The coke sticker is up to $31.80 (w/tip) for 7 days. That's getting pretty high for fountain drinks that cost $0.06 per glass!

 

There is free ice cream in the HC from 330 to 430 daily (chocolate and vanilla) and they have two ice creams available during dinner. Last night was melon yogurt and coffee. We think the coffee ice cream was made from their coffee syrup.

 

The gym equipment is modern and plentiful. Have yet to find it too crowded. I can't get the Lotus pool current machine to work, but the water is warm and the spas are hot. We plan to do some serious hot tubbing tomorrow.

 

There is a Hawaii souvenier sale going on right now with T's and stuff for 50% off.

 

That's it for right now...for the group on the southbound 5/22 cruise, remember the 5pm sailaway at the wheelhouse bar. Stop by and get your door sign and name tags. Also we'll meet at 12:15 in front of the Bordeux dining room for lunch. Judy and I will bring the leftover tags then and since I have all your room numbers we'll drop off the rest after lunch on the 2nd day.

[GloriaF]

what a shame about the lack of notification of nature sightings, etc. That and the lectures MADE our trip! Any chance you'll have a different naturalist on the second leg? I doubt it, but hope so for your sake.

[LindaMae]

California Mike-where are you from In CA?

 

Charles thank you so much for all your updates-I hope you let us know how it goes with the turnaround and if it is better that way. Also, do you think they will get somebody with more experience to talk about the land as we cruise along 5/29. It seems like they knew the ships were going to be there and what they needed that they could of done better in the interviews:confused:

 

Enjoy Whittier today!!

 

LindaMae

[Island Gem]

Hi ccrain, thanks for taking the time to update us on your cruise so far; very generous of you. I have a question, is there a sailaway party leaving Whittier? Also, on the glacier days are there certain times (and will the naturalist advise) when the viewing's better than others. On my itineray we're scheduled to be in College Fjord from 6:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Glacier Bay 11:30 am to 8:30 pm. Just wanted to find out if the views are "out of this world - can't tear self away" for the entire sailing. Just wanted to know about when the "must see" sights appear. Hope my question makes sense, and your return cruise is even better.

[Mully too]

Charles and Judy - Can you please tell me what the difference is between a bump out mini suite and a regular mini suite? We have a bump out on the Coral Princess.

 

Thanks,Jan

[judynorth]

I'm not ccrain, but I have been there. There will be something beautiful to see almost the entire time that you are in both College Fjord and Glacier Bay however, the first little while and the last little while in both will be getting in and out and you won't see as much. In Glacier Bay going in there are several interesting glaciers on the port side of the ship. Be sure that you see them. One of them has a waterfall coming out of the glacier and it is really impressive and HUGE. When you get to Marjorie(?) Glacier you will definitely want to be on deck because the view is spectacular and it is the closest that you will get to a glacier. That is where you will have the best chance of seeing calving. The ship spends a lot of time there and turns around very slowly at least one full turn before heading out again. The whole trip through both places is very slow so you have time to move around the ship and see everything. It is likely to be cold on deck so be prepared with ear protection and gloves. See my pictures below and you will see what I am talking about.

 

I am SO envious of all of you who are on your way to Alaska. You have a treat in store for you.

[RJCD800]

Hi CC:

 

Would enjoy meeting you and saying hi although we havent had the chance to meet - but it is so obvious from your posts that you are making the absolute most of your IP Alaska cruise. I am thrilled you are having such a great time.

 

Please say hi when you get a moment - if you can't find me directly please let one of my Assistants know how I can contact you.

 

All the best!

 

Rich - Cruise Director

[ccrain]

Hi ccrain, thanks for taking the time to update us on your cruise so far; very generous of you. I have a question, is there a sailaway party leaving Whittier? Also, on the glacier days are there certain times (and will the naturalist advise) when the viewing's better than others. On my itineray we're scheduled to be in College Fjord from 6:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Glacier Bay 11:30 am to 8:30 pm. Just wanted to find out if the views are "out of this world - can't tear self away" for the entire sailing. Just wanted to know about when the "must see" sights appear. Hope my question makes sense, and your return cruise is even better.

 

Yes, there is a sailaway party leaving whittier, but because of the schedule and the cold on deck, its a little hit and miss. I don't know when we pulled out but it was after 945. I had to see the sailaway show. They have really good comedian, Cary Long, who's a real hoot and we enjoy his brand of comedy.

 

It is a must to see the whole thing from beginning to end. You don't have to be on deck, but you need to be around the loudspeakers for the wildlife sightings. The entrance to college fjord is full of otters and there is a good possibility of seals in the ice flows.

 

The entrance to Glacier bay is known for Orca and humpbacks and the banks of the bay contain sheep, goats and bears. From just before you pick up the rangers to just after you let them off, there is always the potential for something spectacular (like a pod of Orcas or porpoises playing in the wake) to pop up. You really need to be on deck for Glacier Bay and very mobile to shift from side to side quickly.

 

Hope this helps.

[ccrain]

Charles and Judy - Can you please tell me what the difference is between a bump out mini suite and a regular mini suite? We have a bump out on the Coral Princess.

 

Thanks,Jan

 

The bumpout cabins are on the ends of the "bumps" in the middle and ends of the ship. If you look at a floor plan you will see them as balconies that curve around the ship, not ones that end at the cabin next door. Our bumpout, B503, is a rear facing bumpout. We can stand on our balcony and see about 270 degrees, all along down the side of the ship and can lean out to see forward. The wind is nicely blocked as well.

 

We have had a Dolphin deck mini, large balcony, and now this one and for Alaska or the Panama Canal, this is the one I would highly recommend. It would be awesome for the Canal since you actually project out over the edges of the canal.

[ccrain]

College Fjord was spectacular. Again blue sky, a ton of otters (love one an otter..), glaciers highlighted in sunlight. Almost perfect - a little windy and cold on deck, but worth it.

 

As I noted in my last post the comedian schedule is not set. Kevin Hughes is on vacation. Hal Spear was on the first night, but he's shifted to another venue. Cary Long is now on the ship and he's a must see if he's aboard. The illusionist, Alexander, is pretty amazing - that's another must see. The juggler/comedian is Mike Price. This is the young kid, not the older mathematician juggler/comedian that's been on Princess before. His juggling is amazing, his comedy is ok, his energy level is off the scale. If you like juggling you'll like his show.

 

We've only seen one production show, but we've seen all of them over the years and since I'm not a huge fan, I can't tell you anything more than there's a bunch of really cute young girls in tight/skimpy outfits with gorgeous legs. (I think they sing too.)

 

Arrival at Whittier was early early in the morning - still light outside, but we were zonked by then. Turnaround day was marked by great views of all the snow around Whittier, windy and cold, but clear. We didn't get off, but had to deal with the "turnaround story of the hour". We got five different versions of what we were supposed to do from five different people. The fifth person, a lowly, but very knowlegdable security guy finally said, oh yeah, put the card here, you're done!

 

We did nose around and look at cabins. The handicapped balcony cabin is huge. The two room suite is pretty cushy and the tub is a jacuzzi. There is a DVD player as well.

 

After that it was a good workout, swim and hot tubbing in the Lotus Pool. For those of you who like to swim and hot tub, bring a suit. Can't tell you how many people walked by, felt that warm water in the covered Lotus Pool area (TOTALLY NON-SMOKING BY THE WAY) and regretted not packing a suit. (We did mention to them that the skinny dipping started right after happy hour.)

 

We had our own meet and greet at 5pm and had several of us show up. At least the Wheelhouse bar girl that set our area up got a few drink orders! Of course after two Long Island Iced teas, I was feeling no pain anyway. We had a very nice meeting, though several of our members did not arrive until after the meet and greet. Hopefully they will show up tomorrow for lunch. We have distributed all the door signs and name tags, but we do have a few blank tags and a sharpie.

 

Dining on the first night was one confusing mess, so be prepared. We were told, PC at 6pm. They apparently got swarmed by an angry mob of hungry bus/train travelers who were longing for the "free" cruise food after paying for all the food up until now, and opened at 540 - which meant we missed our favorite table and favorite lady Claudia. Oh well, there's always tomorrow. On sailaway night we can only say - Porchini Mushroom soup. That's the best thing on the menu. The Zander is good, the Prime Rib just ehh, but the beef tornadous are better.

 

(Oh, very important guidance note. On the Island Princess the odd numbered cabin hallways have a blue trimmed carpet. The even numbers have an orange trimmed carpet.)

 

We did the sailaway show to see those cute dancers...I mean Cary Long again.

 

Ok, that's it for now, I'm about to crash...tommorrow is college fjord. Here's hoping for good weather. If not, we can blame it on Rich...

[irisheileen]

Question:

I've jotted down the table for two that you recommend, but have you noticed a tabel for 4, 6 or 8 in the PC dining room that you would recommend? We are traveling NB with another couple in August and won't always be eating together so we have to decide to get a table for just the four of us, and sometimes one couple be alone at that table for 4 or go with the 6 or 8 and always have company!

So, what window tables look good in those categories?

What I should add is that we are actually signed up for the first seating of Traditional Dining, but may have to PC a night or two.

 

Thanks for the imput!

Eileen

[ccrain]

Question:

I've jotted down the table for two that you recommend, but have you noticed a tabel for 4, 6 or 8 in the PC dining room that you would recommend? We are traveling NB with another couple in August and won't always be eating together so we have to decide to get a table for just the four of us, and sometimes one couple be alone at that table for 4 or go with the 6 or 8 and always have company!

So, what window tables look good in those categories?

What I should add is that we are actually signed up for the first seating of Traditional Dining, but may have to PC a night or two.

 

Thanks for the imput!

Eileen

 

I will look tonight or this afternoon and jot some numbers down.

[emmylou]

Charles,

Just looked at IP web cam and the Fjord looks beautiful and the water calm.So glad you are enjoying the return as much as last week.Thank you for keeping us posted

emmy