Star Princess - Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers Trip Report

Hi Everyone,

We just got off the Star Princess yesterday and had a wonderful time. I scoured these boards for every trip report I could find so I would have lots of information for this cruise. This board and those reports were so helpful so I hope I can return the favor.

We are 48 and 47 years old and planned this trip on somewhat short notice. Over spring break I had been looking at the Princess website thinking we would sail to Alaska in 2017. Someone from Princess happened to call one afternoon and when I told my dh that she had called he suggested we go this year and who was I to say no to that?

DH wanted to see the interior of Alaska a bit as well so we booked a Princess Land/Cruise Tour doing the land portion first (great advice from Cruise Critic members). Our itinerary is as follows:

Wednesday, August 30: Arrive in Anchorage - overnight stay at the Captain Cook Hotel

Thursday, August 31: Princess motor coach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

Friday, September 1: Princess motor coach to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

Saturday, September 2: Train from Denali Princess to port in Whittier, AK

Sunday, September 3: Cruising Hubbard Glacier

Monday, September 4: Cruising Glacier Bay - with a surprise :)

Tuesday, September 5: Skagway, AK - another day of surprises

Wednesday, September 6: Juneau, AK

Thursday, September 7: Ketchikan, AK

Friday, September 8: Day at Sea

Saturday, September 9: Vancouver, BC

Some will advise not doing the Alaska cruise in September due to weather, you'll have to read on to learn about the weather we experienced. :) We felt we got a bit of a bonus because we got to experience fall in Alaska by booking in September. The leaves had just begun to change over the last few days and we enjoyed that so much. You would not notice that if only doing the cruise so it was a definite plus for the land portion. You just have to decide what works for you.

We decided to book the land tour through Princess and not on our own simply for ease and because we didn't have enough time to research before booking. We booked our air through Princess EZAir, live and learn we won't do that again!

We had an obstructed view cabin, as there were no balconies left when we decided to book this cruise. We also wanted to spend more time on the deck with the ability to easily move from side to side. Our obstructed view ended up being pretty good. We also wanted to spend that money doing the land portion.

I will add pictures as I go along and I hope you find this review useful. :)

Day 1: Anchorage, Alaska- We arrived in Anchorage about 1:15 PM (right on schedule). I was immediately struck by how many lakes there were and the massive amount of water everywhere. From the air it was gorgeous!

Once we retrieved our luggage we made our way to the Princess Tours person who took our luggage and loaded it onto a motor coach for our transport to the Captain Cook Hotel. We waited about 20 minutes before taking off to drop everyone off at their respective hotels. There were two drop offs - one at the Westmark (?) and one at the Captain Cook Hotel.

We had reserved a car rental so we could drive the Seward Highway so DH got off at the Westmark since it was closer to the car rental facility and then met me at the Captain Cook with the rental.

Once at the Captain Cook I went to the Princess area and picked up an envelope with our instructions, luggage tags, and room keys. It could not have been easier and so far we are off to a great start.

It's overcast today so our drive along Turnagin Arm is beautiful but cold and windy. We made stops at Beluga Point, Girdwood, McHugh Creek (beautiful views and a small waterfall) and Potter Marsh before heading back to Anchorage for dinner. We did not see any wildlife on our scenic drive.

Back in Anchorage we at dinner at 49th State Brewing Company. Delicious food and great beer - I highly recommend this place. The line was out the door when we left so plan to go a bit earlier or to wait.

After dinner we did the Ghost Tour of Anchorage. It's a walking tour ($15/person) and was a good time. We walked around downtown Anchorage hearing tales of ghosts at various places. They provided us with umbrellas (we didn't use them) and the tour lasted about 2 hours. It was quite interesting and we learned a lot about Anchorage - not just ghosts (in fact I think the host enjoys talking about the history more than the spirits - he was very knowledgeable). We popped in a couple of shops after the tour and then headed back to the hotel to turn in.

**bear with me. I have to remember how to post the photos :) I'll get them up here as soon as I can.**

Can't wait to read the rest! We will be on the Star next June. Also very interested in your opinion of the Hotel Captain Cook.

Thanks. Looking forward to more.

Jim

We will be doing this one soon so I am looking forward to reading your report. Thank you.

Can't wait to read the rest! We will be on the Star next June. Also very interested in your opinion of the Hotel Captain Cook.

We thought the Captain Cook hotel was very nice. We didn't spend much time there, pretty much only sleeping. The room was clean and we had a nice view.

Day 2: Motor coach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

When we checked in at the Captain Cook hotel we were given an envelope with keys and information for the following day. The envelope also included our luggage tags. There were tags for the luggage that would be going to the ship and tags for the luggage that would be meeting us at the lodge. We also received our bus assignment for the trip to Mt. McKinley Lodge.

We were instructed to have our bags tagged and waiting inside the hotel room door by 6 AM. They would simply open the door and grab the luggage. We took our backpacks with our essentials for the bus ride.

We headed over to Snow City Café for breakfast. We had heard great things and that this place would be busy. We beat the crowds by arriving at 6:30 am. Our breakfast was delicious and the service was great. The café is just around the corner from the Captain Cook (about a 2 minute walk).

After breakfast we went to Side Street Espresso. We had walked past this place the night before on the Ghost Tour and thought it looked like a funky fun coffee shop. What a find! Great coffee run by a local couple. You can tell this is where the locals go as the gentleman in front of us was chatting with the couple and making plans to come back tomorrow. When he paid for his coffee he gave them extra to buy our coffees. Yep, totally random act of kindness that started our vacation off just perfectly.

At 8:30 we boarded the bus to Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge. Our bus was not full so we were able to have our own seats, one on each side. :) It was a nice drive up and the bus driver provided us with loads of information along the way.

About an hour outside of the Mt. McKinley the driver pulled over and a Princess Representative got on our bus with our envelopes for that day. This envelope had our keys to our room at Mt. McKinley, bus departure assignment for the next day, and new luggage tags. I am completely impressed with how seamless everything went.

At this time people who had excursions booked in Talkeetna were allowed to get on another bus that would take them to Talkeetna while the others went on to the lodge. This meeting spot was about 15 minutes from Talkeetna and we were told we could also get off and ride the bus to Talkeetna. We had been planning to take the shuttle from Mt. McKinley once we arrived but decided to get on this bus instead, saving us lots of time.

It was rainy and overcast but we enjoyed walking around Talkeetna for a few hours. We went in the shops (they do have a shop that will store your carry on while you're in town for a few dollars), and had lunch.

We had lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. They have a great outdoor seating area and the pizza and breadsticks were good but the service did not make a good impression on me at all. They have a hummus platter that you can order and add a side salad to for $2.95. I asked if I could add the side salad to the garlic breadsticks I was ordering for lunch. I was told they didn't do that. The ONLY way you could add a side salad for $2.95 was with the hummus plate. They offer sandwiches, pizza by the slice, full pizza, sandwiches and pasta but the only way to add a side salad was with the hummus plate. I just found that to be strange. I added a side salad for $5.95.

Once at the Mt. McKinley Lodge we hung out in the lodge waiting to see the mountain. It was quite and there are comfy chairs to sit in. Lots of seating on the deck, when it's not raining.

While we thought the lodge was beautiful the rooms were quite mediocre. Warn out carpet and a fake plant in our room that was covered in dust.

We had dinner at Base Camp Bar and Grill in the lodge. There aren't many dining options here so it was busy but the food was good. The next morning we had breakfast at the coffee shop in the lodge. This place gets busy quickly and since it's small there are only a couple employees serving many people. It's a very small walk up counter and the line was very long. They have breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal, pastries.

We spent some time walking the grounds of the lodge. It's quite beautiful and I would imagine it is simply stunning when the mountain was out. There are a few walking trails and areas to wander.

We boarded our bus to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge at 9:45 AM.

Day 3: Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

We were on the bus headed to Denali at 9:45 AM. The bus takes off promptly at this time, this bus was full so we did not have our own seats this time.

Again, our driver had a lot of knowledge of the area and we had a lot of commentary during our drive. She stopped at the top of Broad Pass so we could get out and view the Alaska Tundra. It was beautiful here, just beautiful. We had that September bonus of the fall colors and they were so fantastic here. We stopped here for about 10 minutes so people could take pictures or walk on the tundra.

As we neared Denali the sun broke through the clouds. Maybe there was hope we would see the mountain after all. She pulled off the road a few miles from Denali and a Princess Representative boarded the bus with our envelopes for that day.

Once at the lodge we had about 2 hours before our Denali Natural History Tour. It was just enough time for a little shopping and lunch. We had lunch at Lynx Pizza on the property. You were able to get a slice of pizza, side salad, and a drink here for about $12. The food was good and if you order that lunch special the service was fast.

We walked around Princess Village and popped in the cute shops. There is a sweets shop, a shop with wood carvings, and a Christmas shop. The Christmas shop had some cute ornaments and knick knacks. We also went across the street to the souvenir shops. There are a couple of places to eat across the street as well (Subway, hotdog place, ice cream). The shops had some good sales since it's the end of the season.

Our Natural History Tour was at 2:30. We could not upgrade to one of the other tours, which would have been our preference, due to our limited time in the area. The time and bus # was located on the papers we were given with our room keys.

Our bus driver was a year round local and had some interesting stories. :) The Natural History Tour doesn't go far enough into the park, in my opinion. I was left wanting to see more. We only saw caribou and a moose on the tour. We stopped at Savage Cabin and then at an overlook to hear a native speak about their customs and what life is like in Alaska.

The scenery on the tour was beautiful, again the fall colors added to the overall beauty, but still not clear enough to see the mountain. We never did see the mountain on this trip, which I guess means we will need to come back. :)

When we got back to the lodge we walked along the path along the road to the Denali National Park sign - there is one just across the river and one on the road into the park. It was so cold but the walk felt good after all our time sitting on buses. We enjoyed looking at the Nenana River.

Walking around this property is beautiful with the river running behind it. We wanted to have dinner at the Grizzly Bar and Grill but it was incredibly crowded. She told us it would be an hour wait so we decided to sit in the bar and have a drink and maybe an appetizer. We sat at the table for about 15 minutes with zero acknowledgement. It was busy and I understand that, but someone should have said "I'll be right with you" but we got absolutely nothing. We ended up going to Subway across the street.

The rooms at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge are nicer and cleaner than the Mt. McKinley. We enjoyed this hotel a bit more.

The next morning we sat in the lodge until it was time to board the bus to the train station. The River Run Espresso is larger here and the line wasn't as long. We had Subway for breakfast though.

We got on our bus for the 10 minute ride to the bus depot at 7:40. :) Can't wait for this train ride!!

Hey merlot1024, don't leave us hanging. Would love to read the rest of your review.

Hey merlot1024, don't leave us hanging. Would love to read the rest of your review.

+1. Also wondering about the port surprises!

Yes what happened to this review? It's been two weeks...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Sorry! Life gets crazy when you get back to reality.

Day 4: Train from Denali to Whittier

Oh the train, wow! Wow! WOW! We received our seat assignments which made boarding the bus so easy. I had heard tales of people trying to find the best seats but we were assigned seats which took the guessing game out of it. :) Truthfully, there isn't a bad seat on the train. We were on the right side but could see out both sides and we did spend some time out on the viewing platforms because we wanted to take lots of pictures. By the way -I can't figure out how to post pictures, but I'll get to it this week.

The views from the train are phenomenal. We passed so many lakes, forest areas, the tundra, mountains, and Turnagin Arm and Cook Inlet on our way to Whittier. We had a guide that gave us tons of information as we traveled along. We saw a moose swimming in a lake and Beluga Whales in Turnagin Arm. We saw glaciers as we rode along the Seward highway and we got to the tunnel with 5 minutes to spare before it was our turn to go.

The train ride was about 3 hours too long :). While the views were amazing and the train was comfortable I'm just not used to sitting that long. We could walk but it's kind of hard on the train.

Once we got to Wasilla (about 2 hours from Whittier) a Princess Representative boarded the train. She checked us in, scanned our passports, and gave us envelopes that contained our room keys. Again, this could not have been handled better by Princess. From start to finish it was organized and efficient which saved us from having to stand in check-in lines constantly. It was a beautiful thing.

Whittier was pretty and rainy. We went into the Port Building to go through the security area. This was the longest we waited in line. People - you've done this before - clear out your pockets, and be ready to put your stuff on the x-ray belt. It would go so much faster if people paid attention and listened to the directions instead of getting to the front and not knowing what to do. Rant over! :) Haha.

Once we cleared security we were on our way to our room. We were in an obstructed ocean view room, but found we had a pretty decent view between the lifeboats. No complaints here, we wanted to enjoy the ship and not be confined to our room. I found the room to be a bit roomier than the Carnival cruises I've been on. I have also been on a Royal Caribbean but I don't remember that room too well.

Our room had the beds pushed together, a desk, 2 chairs, TV and a small refrigerator. I appreciated the "hallway" where the bathroom which also serves as a closet. There were plenty of hangers to hang all of our clothes and a closet to put some things in as well. The closet also had plenty of room to store our luggage, which was in our room when we boarded.

We have just enough time to grab dinner before the muster drill. We head to the Capri dining room and are seated right away. We meet some lovely people and enjoy talking to them. Our wait staff this evening was a little pushy, luckily that was the only time we experience anything less than fabulous service. Both the waiter and the waitress kept pushing us to get something from the bar. We don't drink and politely declined, but no was hard for them.

We tried our best to get our bearings straight, but we kept getting turned around. We walked around up on the decks but it was so cold and windy. We are pretty tired so we hit the hay. :)

Day 5: Cruising Hubbard Glacier

This morning we spent some time walking around the ship. It's still cold and rainy- weather this Sacramento, California couple is not used too. :) We had anticipated rain and cold so I got cute rain boots and a rain jacket that got plenty of use.

We went to trivia this morning, a Nature talk that gave us a briefing on things we would see over the next two days and where we could find the Naturalist. She told us the best places for viewing the wildlife and the glaciers. We had the Pub Style lunch in the Crown Grill and took a nap.

When we got to Hubbard Glacier we went up to the deck for viewing. The naturalist was there and she had binoculars that she shared with people and she gave talks about everything we were seeing. She watched for wildlife and pointed out the seals. The glacier is massive, pictures and words can not adequately describe how awesome it is. It seems to go on forever and my husband asked if I could just leave him there for a 1000 years. :) It was a sight to behold. The sea was this beautiful green and as we got closer to the glacier it began to turn gray from the glacial silt. These are the things you only hear about and need to be experienced. It's something else.

We heard the thunderous sound and watched the glacier calve a few times. It's unbelievable how loud it is. Sometimes you would hear it but not see anything. But other times you would see big chunks fall into the bay.

Tonight was formal night so we returned to our room and got ready for dinner. We have the Anytime Dining because we booked so late. We thought we would prefer this option because we would have the freedom to dine when we wanted instead of stopping what we were doing to go at an assigned time. Turns out we ate about the same time anyway. We were always seated right away when we arrived, but we did see some guests upset one night as we left the dining room because there was a wait. We missed having the same dining partners every night and the same wait staff. The downfall to the anytime dining is that you do not get to form a relationship with the wait staff. This has been something we have enjoyed in the past. But, the staff was always terrific. The food was good, a bit heavier than the food we normally eat but it was good. Only one night did I have a dish that was more fatty than meaty.

After dinner we tried to go to the British Invasion Production but the first seating was full so we went to the Majority Rules Game Show. This show was a hoot. The cruise director, JC, was brand new - this was his first cruise with Princess - but you'd never know it. He had such a great rapport with the rest of the entertainment team. He seemed so at ease already and didn't mind being the center of our jokes and abuse.

Next up was the first auditions of "The Voice of the Ocean" where contestants sing a song and the audience votes for who will move on and perform in "The Voice of the Ocean" show on the final night of the cruise. It takes a lot of guts to get up there and sing and we enjoyed this and look forward to the finale.

The sea is a little rough tonight, almost rolled out of bed, but looking forward to calmer seas as we move into the inside passage.

Day 6: Glacier Bay National Park

Not every cruise itinerary goes into Glacier Bay, if you can try and select an itinerary that does. :)

We are up early because the Park Rangers are coming on the ship and we want to hear the ranger talks and enjoy everything leading up to our day in Glacier Bay. We head up to deck as we enter the National Park area because we are told there is the possibility of seeing puffins (we didn't), bears (on the shore), whales, and otters. We get to watch lots of otters playing but we don't see much of anything else. The Naturalist is again on deck sharing her binoculars and pointing out the sites.

It is freezing today. I am so cold and it rains a bit, but I am cold. I want to enjoy every moment that I can so I do all I can to bundle up with gloves, hat, and my jacket. Again, I'm from Sacramento, CA where we have escaped a long heat wave it's a 110 degrees at home so this is cold to me. I met a lady from New York who didn't look like the cold phased her at all. :)

We cruise up to the Margerie Glacier, it's beautiful and the colors are stunning. There are some icebergs floating in the water, they look so small until you get right up to them and then you realize how large they are. We go pretty close to the glacier. A friend cruised on Norwegian Cruise line a few weeks earlier and she said they did not get anywhere near as close as we got. We spend some time here and the ship turns, there is plenty of opportunity for good glacier viewing. We walk around the deck to get as many views as we can of the area.

We move on for what will be a spectacular treat...Johns Hopkins Glacier. The ships do not get to go here except for the month of September. We've been told this is a protected area for much of the cruising season to protect the seals in the area. The naturalist tells us in the 12 (or so) years she has been doing these Alaska cruises she has only been to Johns Hopkins twice. She has told us this is a treat and that Captain Tuvo loves to take the ship here. Some ships choose not to cruise into Johns Hopkins because of the ice, but he has said of course we are going.

This part of the trip is magical. The fjord is beautiful, waterfalls everywhere, icebergs with seals, lots and lots of seals, it's amazing. Truly amazing. The thing that struck me most was how quiet it is. The deck is full of people watching but it's so quiet. Everyone is in awe of the beauty. Did I mention there are seals on all the ice, it's so fun to watch them slide off and hop back on. Baby seals, mama seals, it's magnificent.

I really loved this area. You are on a ship with 1000s of people but you feel like you are the only people in the world. It's peaceful and serene and breathtaking. You find yourself not wanting to leave, freezing and all, you can't help but wonder when you can come back. And of course, you feel so lucky to see something that so few see. You know you're somewhere special when you see the crew standing by the windows and coming out on the deck, it's rare to go here so they haven't seen this area.

After dinner we went to some of the activities...the Lyrical Musical game, 50's/60s music trivia (we sucked), and JCs Super Sing along. It was a music themed night and we had such a nice time.

Tomorrow we head to Skagway. This is the port we are most excited to visit.

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. :cool:

Day 7: Skagway, AK

As I mentioned, we have been looking forward to Skagway for quite awhile. This is the port that we are at the longest and we intend to make the most of it. We have rented a car and are going to drive to Carcross, Emerald Lake, the Yukon, and then explore Skagway when we get back. We bought the Klondike Highway Travel guide, planned our stops, bought snacks for the ride, and loaded the iPhone with music.

Why a car rental? We wanted to explore the area on our own terms, stopping when and where wanted and for as long as we wanted, we wanted to go all the way to Emerald Lake. Also, we had already had a fabulous train ride so we thought a car ride would suit us well. You know what they say about the best laid plans.

While we were getting ready Captain Tuvo came on the ships PA system with a message. I was putting on make up in the bathroom when I walked out and said to my husband "What did he say? Did he just say we are NOT in Skagway - we are in Haines?" Sure enough, that's exactly what he said. It seems a rock slide has prevented us from docking in Skagway so we had to go to Haines. All shore excursions have been refunded and when we go by the Shore Excursion center the line is very long- and people aren't happy. My husband, dear sweet husband who does not spend time on this board, thinks we can just rent a car in Haines and drive to Skagway.

This man has been married to me for 28 years and should know I have researched every port backwards, forwards, inside out and upside down. I tell him, we can't get to Skagway by car, it takes too long. He shows me his phone where he has mapped it and it says 40 minutes - I point out the part that says "by ferry".

Bummed, but not willing to let it spoil the vacation vibes we make an alternate plan. We hop online and buy tickets on the ferry to Skagway. Once we get there we won't have time to do our car rental road trip so we cancel that and decide we will just explore Skagway. The ferry doesn't leave for awhile so we walk around a bit and then go wait in line for the ferry.

The line starts to get long for the ferry. Many people do not have tickets because they can't/won't buy them online but we are assured it will not be a problem and we will get online. A couple of locals cut in front of everyone, even though they also do not have tickets...I gotta tell ya this local girl just had this rude entitled attitude that was very unbecoming. They aren't expecting anyone, as there were not supposed to be ships in Haines. :) It's fun to see the proprietors coming into their shops when they realize we are here.

When the ferry arrives they tell us we will all be able to board but we have to come back on the 3:45 ferry. They take our names as we board. We all agree and board. Many people have not been able to purchase their tickets but they are allowed to board anyway. Once on we get the safety speech and then they set up in the back of the ferry to take payments from people. They don't finish by the time we get to Skagway, but tell everyone they can pay when they get back on at 3:45. Sure enough at 3:45 we load up to come back and they set up that table again and they call people back one at a time to pay.

I must say I was so impressed by the trust issue of it all and that they got us all on the ferry and worried about tickets and payment later. It also helped them maintain their schedule in the face of the unexpected cruise ship :). I was very impressed!

It's shaping up to be a gorgeous day in Skagway. The sun is clearing and we are getting beautiful views on the ferry ride. By the time we get to Skagway it is a sunny day. We go in the shops and buy souvenirs, and we grab a cup of coffee at the train station.

Skagway is a clean little town, it's so cute and we find this cute playground where the play structures look like forest trees. We enjoy walking around Skagway - and it's warm. We end up in our short sleeve shirts without sweatshirts or rain gear - hooray!

We have lunch at Northern Lights Pizzeria, Italian and Mexican restaurant. Ha. We share some chicken tacos and we each get a side salad. Oh those tacos were so good. So, so good! Yummy- go here if you're in Skagway. Great service and delicious food. We should have saved some room for dessert because they had some that sounded delish!

After lunch we walked a trail out to Yakatunia point. It's a clear day and it's quite pretty out here. It's an easy walk along a dirt trail. We also go by Pullman pond where the salmon are jumping and putting on quite a show. It was fun to watch and we also enjoyed watching a couple of kids who were so excited to see the salmon jumping. Fun.

There are a couple of ships that are docked in Skagway- but our ship was scheduled to dock along the railroad tracks and that's where the slide was. When we arrived on the ferry in the morning there were still rocks occasionally sliding down the hill. We later read that this was the 2nd slide in two weeks. The last had happened while a ship was docked there, it was able to move to the other dock, but since there were two ships in port today we did not have that option. Our Captain later explained that the water is too deep to drop and anchor there so that is why we had to go to Haines. He said another ship also was scheduled for Skagway but they were sent to Icy Point.

We take the ferry back and enjoy the views, waterfalls and beautiful warm sunshine. Once we get back to Haines we are able to see a little of the town now that the sun is shining. Since it's warm we decide to enjoy time on the deck.

It feels a bit wrong to be disappointed that our plans changed in Skagway. There is disappointment about not going to the Yukon and Emerald Lake, but I feel guilty at that gnawing disappointment because Haines was this unexpected beauty that we would have otherwise missed. We spent hours on the deck watching the mist come in and go out. We watched the sun set over the beautiful white houses on the hill and I tried to convince my husband that if only they had a Target we could live there. The water, the mountains, it was all gorgeous. Simply stunning. We went to the viewing area on top of the bridge as we sailed out of Haines.

While a few people were upset about the change to Haines some took it all in stride. One gentleman told us on the elevator that he was excited to be in Haines. Turns out he had a fishing trip planned and he was supposed to take the ferry from Skagway to Haines so this worked in his favor, however, he now had the break the news to his wife that her "glass blowing excursion was blown" :)

Another couple missed the part of the announcement that we were in Haines. He got off the ship looking for his tour operator and couldn't find him. He called and said "I'm standing on the pier and I can't find you." The tour operator told him "your ship isn't in Skagway". They got a good laugh out of that and made the best of it. :)

Day 8: Juneau, Alaska

We started our day in Alaska bright and early. We have an 8:30 tour with Juneau Whale Watch. I have been looking forward to this for months. :) We opted to book with them because we could just do the whale watching, whereas on the ship excursions you did Mendenhall too and we figured we would do that on our own. We ended up changing out tour to the Whale watch + Mendenhall a few weeks before departure. Juneau Whale Watch was happy to do this for us and it was quite easy to do via email and she just added the extra charge onto my credit card. This tour was quite a bit cheaper than through the ship.

We hopped on the bus and they took us out to Auke Bay. It's about a 20 min drive and the driver is great. Lots of stories and pointing out of things along the way. Having been on a whale watch tour (in Ca) where I saw no whales, I am crossing my fingers today for whales. My wish is that I will see orcas, humpbacks, breaching, and bubble feeding. Yep, I want it all!

The tour guides today are Sami, Jeremiah, and Ben. This crew does Alaska in the summer and Hawaii in the winter. They follow the same whales from Alaska to Hawaii and study them and their migration habits. They had so much knowledge and Jeremiah was a great guide and very engaging. We really enjoyed this crew.

We'd been out a few minutes when Captain Ben stopped the boat because he spotted an orca. We all head outside to see if we can see him. Within a few minutes we spot Captain Hook (because he's got a hooked dorsal fin). Check one off the bucket list for today. :) Sami tells us that they have been seeing Captain Hook for a couple of seasons. He is a transient whale and travels alone and not in the typical pod. It's unknown if he was kicked out of the pod or if his family has all died off. We watch him for about 10 minutes and then go to find more whales.

The tours talk to each other and help each other spot whales (I love that sharing spirit). It's not too long before we spot a humback. We don't see any breaching or bubble feeding but all in all we see about 6 humpbacks while we are out. We get some tail shots and Sami was great about watching and telling us "here comes the tail, get your cameras ready". Too soon it's time to head back in so we can go to the glacier. Our time in Juneau is limited.

We hop back on the bus and out to Mendenhall Glacier. Our guide tells us to be sure we walk along the boardwalk and look for bears. He says they are there all the time. We see no bears but we do see a porcupine. :) Despite looking for bears all along our walk to Nugget Falls and the boardwalk we see nothing.

The walk to Nugget Falls is easy and we make it there and back with enough time to visit the visitors center before we have to catch the bus back to town. We get back to town and get on the ship feeling like it was a great day. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm in the morning, but cloudy in the afternoon, we managed to avoid any rain though.

Back on the ship we skip the Capri dining room and go to the buffet. Our evening included a trivia game where we became the subject of ridicule for our ability to get all the wrong answers :) and then the comedian. He was funny and we really enjoyed the comedy show.

We head to bed and are happy to get to sleep in since we don't get to Ketchikan until about 9:30 AM. :) We've been up early most days during this vacation so it will be nice to sleep in.

OP;

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.....:):):)

Bob

It looks like you got on the Star the day we got OFF. I"m writing a review of our trip too...and enjoyed reading through yours to see how your trip compared and differed from ours.

Isn't Capt Tuvo just a HOOT!!!!??? :D

I guess the rock slide happened after we left because we didn't have any troubles with Skagway...Haines is on my "To Do" list though...

Glad you had a great cruise and looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews...I've only made it to the Skagway stop so far...and have to leave the computor now...just wanted to say 'Hi" first...

Wow!

Thank you so much for posting this fantastic review, I can't wait to read the rest of it :) my husband and I are doing the exact same trip including the land tour starting on the 5th September (on Star) next year and your review is full of brilliant information thanks again :)

Thank you! This is worth the wait!

Is there more to this review? I hope...

Day 9: Ketchikan, AK

We arrive at Ketchikan about 9:30 AM to glorious sunny weather. Our plans are to do the self guided walking tour of the town. We have printed maps and we get off the boat to begin our tour. There are 4 ships in port today and this makes it very crowded. The beginning of the walk is pretty crowded as we walk through downtown but it thins out as we get to the fish ladder.

Our first stop is St. John's Episcopal Church where we meet two nice ladies in the church. They tell us that just two days ago it was much too warm to do the walking tour. It's been a beautiful few days in Alaska, in the 70s but we've come from 110 degree weather in California so we don't mind it at all.

The walking tour goes along the creek, to the fish ladder, a waterfall, and several historical buildings. Along the way we see a bear in a parking lot. He is across the street so I stop to take a photo. The bear comes down the stairs of the parking lot and into the street just as a car is coming. The car stops and it startles the bear who then runs to my side of the street. There is another couple walking and the bear is right in between us. This was a bit too close for comfort and my husband who was a few feet down the street said all he kept thinking was 'stand still and don't run'. That had been drilled into my head a lot so I stood still and the bear went up a driveway away from us. Whew.

We continued on our tour and went to Creek Street. It was packed!! Way too crowded to really enjoy. It was low tide and later in the day when we went back it was high tide so it was fun to see the difference. While on Creek Street we took the tram up to Fox Creek lodge, because why not :). You can take the Married Man's Trail back down from here but we took the tram again.

After the walking tour we opted to go back on the ship since it was right there and we to eat lunch. We thought with 4 ships in port all the restaurants would be packed. We had lunch and then got off the ship, this was very convenient, and then went into the tours building there at the port. We weren't sure what we wanted to do but we thought we'd find something.

We ended up talking to two tour operators. We had a few hours and one offered a tour that would go to many of the places we had already gone and then down to the bay to see wildlife. It was $60 each but we thought we would be on a bus too long and would be going where we'd already gone (falls, salmon ladder, Creek Street). We went with another tour for half the price that would just take us to Neet's Bay where we had a good chance of seeing bears. We were the only people on the bus and we had a great guide who stopped at Saxman's Village so we could take photos and gave us a ton of information about Ketchikan.

When we got to Neet's Bay he parked across the street and told us we just had to stay on the turnout. I had specifically asked the lady at the tour counter if we could see the tide pools and walk to the shore and she told me yes. The first lady we were talking to was upset we went with this tour and she kept making faces saying "you won't like it". We were not on the side of the bay, we were across the street where the river comes in so we did not get to go to the shore for tide pooling.

There is a boardwalk across the river that had lots of people on it. There may have been a bear over there as they were looking off at something. We were told we could not go on the boardwalk as that was one of the private tour companies. We had to just stay at the end of this road, up on the road. IT was disappointing but mostly misleading because she told me I could walk down to the bay. The guide was great but this was a bit of a bust.

We got back into town with a little bit of time for some shopping. We went into the Tongass Trading Company. They have inexpensive souvenirs but they play their music in that store way too loud. There is only our ship in port now and it's so much nicer and less crowded.

After that we got back on the ship and got ready for dinner. It was the final formal night so we dressed up and got ready for the evening. We had dinner in the Capri Dining Room and were seated next to a guy who kept blowing his nose at the table. It amazes me the lack of manners people have, it was gross. We ate quickly and left.

The weather was still so nice so we sat on the deck and watched Thursday night football for awhile and later went to the Newlywed Game. Props to the passengers who volunteer for this game show. We get a kick out of it but sure would not want to be the subject of those embarrassing questions ourselves.

Day 10: Day at Sea - Sailing from Ketchikan, AK to Vancouver, Canada

This morning we are woken up by Captain Tuvo on the PA system - he is letting us know that the lights are out. We throw on our jackets and head up to the deck to witness the Northern Lights, another great event we get to check off our bucket lists. :) It was a nearly full moon and I think it would have been brighter had it been darker, but we saw them and we had really hoped we would.

We spent the day relaxing and hanging out by the pool reading. We also went to the Culinary Show and the Galley tour and the Voice of the Ocean Finale. The Voice of the Ocean Finale was pretty fun. They had the spinning chairs and 3 judges and it was really kind of cool. IF you get there early enough you may get one of the voting buzzers and then you can vote for who you would like to win. That was fun

The views sailing to Canada remained as beautiful as the beginning of the trip. We sailed through narrow areas with gorgeous green mountains alongside us. The sun was out all day and it was just beautiful. They had a drone that they had flying a few times taking photos of everyone on the ship.

Day 11: Vancouver, Canada

We have a lot of waiting this morning as we have to be out of our room by 7:30 *I think it was* but our time to get off the ship won't be until 9:45. We head to our waiting area about 9:20 and they are just about ready to call our group. We are off the ship at 9:30 and in line at Canada Place for our bus ride to the airport.

It is amazingly efficient and fast. We get to the airport and attempt to get an earlier flight home. We had booked our flights through the Princess EZ Air program, we won't do that again. In order to get the flight we wanted to Anchorage (on Alaska Air) we had to fly home on Delta and our flight was originally scheduled for 4:40 PM. The flight was changed NUMEROUS times from the day of booking until the day we left. We are now scheduled to leave at 2:40 and our flight goes to Los Angeles and then we board another flight to Sacramento. It seems silly to fly right over our house to go to LA just to get on another plane home. We would prefer to get on another Delta flight that goes Vancouver --- Seattle --- Sacramento. There is a flight and there is room on that flight. We offer to pay any fees related to changing but because we have booked through Princess we cannot do that.

The Delta agent was SOOOO helpful, he tried so hard for about 35 minutes to get us on that earlier flight. We appreciated his help but were disappointed in Delta. He tried to call Delta to get us on that flight and he waited about 20 minutes on hold. Their own employees should not have to wait so long to get assistance they need to help a customer.

Unable to get on the earlier flight we head to our gate. I have been selected for an extra security check. This appears to be a random selection they do when they print your boarding pass. I have to go through the body scanner, take my iPad and phone out of their cases and they are swabbed and scanned. I do not mind this because I know it is a safety precaution. All in all the security and customs lines go quickly for as busy as it is.

The terminal looks more like a shopping mall than an airport terminal. We eat at Bahn Shop and it's okay, but they don't have many places to sit and dine. We go in Hudson News and stock up on Wonderbars. I love these and you can't get them in the states but I need to bring them back to friends who have never experienced this delicious candy bar.

We head to our gate, good thing we ate at the Bahn Shop because there is nothing in the Delta terminal that we are in. It's crowded here, there isn't a lot of space and there are a lot of people.

In LAX we eat at Shake Shack and wait in the Delta terminal which has chairs that are hard as rock. There are plugs to plug in your phone but they aren't working yet. They are re-doing this area, why they picked such terrible chairs is beyond me. :)

After a long day of travel we are finally home. We know we have a lifetime of memories and have seen some of the most gorgeous land in America but we are happy to see our kids and our grandson so it makes it better. :)