Alaska Review: Aug. 26 - Sept 2 ~ NB on Star Princess

Enjoying your review. Can't wait to see the pictures on your blog. We are doing reverse cruise next July. My brother and wife have cabin B744 so it was nice to hear your take on it.

Now….we’re FREQUENT travelers to National Parks. We KNOW what to expect…what to do…what to ask…. I will say…in all my years of traveling to National Parks (40??) and all the National Park employees I’ve talked to (1000’s???) I’ve never met one who actually DIDN’T want to give me information. It was the strangest experience of our entire trip!!! :confused: (though also somewhat humorous….) The man at that counter did NOT want to tell me anything about the area/park. Now…I already knew a lot of it from my research (nps.gov). What I DIDN’T know was when and where they were showing the film…. And where to get our National Park passport stamped.

Typically, I just approach the desk…and before we can say much, the employees tell about the film…the displays. We tell them what we’re interested in…how much time we have…and they usually take that and ‘run’ with it giving us MUCH information. With this guy, I asked a question and he answered it in as few words as possible… Then I asked the next question…which he answered in as few words as possible….and so on and so on… I finally just walked away shaking my head….It was soooo strange!!! Haha!! :)

Next door to the Vis. Ctr. was the museum. It was only 2 rooms, but a great little museum – about the Gold Rush, miners and Chilkoot Trail. I’m certainly glad we went over there….but it didn’t come without it’s own frustrations too…. The problem was (Yeah…I sound like a gripey person don’t I? I’m really not… :D I just have high expectations for National Parks…) was that the ‘order’ of the room had to be mapped so you knew how to go through it chronologically. The best way I know to describe it is to say…the displays were numbered #1-10 like this: 3-4-5-7-8-9-1-2-6-10 . We managed to piece it all together and the information/displays were very good…but OH MY WORD!!!! Haha!

We went back over to the Vis. Ctr to watch the film – we always watch the films at Nat’l Parks as they give such a wonderful overview…information, etc… well worth the 15 min it usually takes. After that, we walked through the downtown (a lot of which is part of the Nat’l Park system). We stepped into Red Onion Saloon…spent about 90 seconds in there and mosied on… then very quickly darted into a few stores. I’m just not that interested in tourist area shopping. We already had our “Alaska” hoodies from Ketchikan and would get our Christmas ornaments from Glacier Bay and Denali…..) We could be happy with that.

With a little time (and just an ounce of energy) left, we decided to drive out to Dyea…maybe stop off at the Gold Rush Cemetery…didn’t think we could hike Lower ReidFalls – When we got to the road taking off to Dyea, we found out it was gravel…something forbidden by Avis. UGH!!! We DID take an overlook stop on the approaching road though…got some good pics of Skagway and the harbor/Star princess below, then went back down. We never even saw the turnout to the Cemetery, but that was ok…we were pretty much ‘spent’.

Things I Wish We'd Had Time For- and We'll Definitely Do on Our Next Alaska Trip:

• Nat'l Park Service Historic District Walking Tour: They do these at 9am, 11am and 3 pm so didn't fit in our schedule today.
  
• Gold Rush Cemetery
  
• Lower Reid Falls
  
• Hiking around Dewey Lake
  
• Find a way to get to Dyea and walk part of the Chilkoot Trail - it's 33 mi. long, but we like to walk these historic trails...even just a bit just to say we 'walked on the Chilkoot Trail'.
  
• Skagway Museum in the McCabe Bldg.
  

We got gas in the rental, returned it, and walked those 6 blocks back to the ship.

On our walk back to the ship, thank goodness there’s a little park before you get to Railroad dock– with restrooms… just sayin’ J

Back on the ship, it was probably 6:30?? Since we were getting on the ship earlier than we had planned...and it was still the dinner hour...And since we’d missed a night in the dining room on Monday (Ketchikan – we were out whale watching et al) we decided to head on to the MDR tonight. I didn’t feel much like dressing up though. I wore my ‘nice’ jeans, a blouse and heels. It was fine. I’m soooo not the person who “breaks” dress code….I tell people in my blog NOT to do that….but honestly…the ship was in port…most people were still in town…I was tired… IT WOULD BE OK!!! ;)

They had crab legs that night I think (though some things are mixing up in my brain now….) It was probably best I didn’t have on my nice dress… I probably don’t need to elaborate on that one, do I? It should be noted that Princess splits the crab legs –making them much easier to eat than they are at Red Lobster. Just sayin’ :D

That evening, we knew we needed to get some rest. Tomorrow was Glacier Bay – and even though the ‘published’ time of arrival was 6:15, we had been told by the Naturalist Sandra Schempp that the REAL time to be out and about would be closer to 5:15….

We needed to get to bed.

After satisfying our oatmeal cookie addiction, we headed back to the room, spent a few minutes on the balcony watching Alaska go by….Sail away out of Skagway is considered to be one of the best views in SE Alaska!!! Then…we set tomorrow's alarm and went to bed.

Things Going On on the Ship That We Missed Because We were Doing “All Things Alaska”

• Teeth Whitening
  

• Table Tennis Tournament
  

• Movies in Vista Lounge
  

• Voice of the Ocean Finale….and After Party
  

• Entertainers, Art Sales, Country & Western Music Quiz, Scratch cards in the Casino, MUTS
  

I can’t help but wonder…will the people who stay up until midnight doing all these things be up at 5:15 tomorrow morning…or even 6:15 (published time to enter Glacier Bay)?? Will they even SEE Glacier Bay? :confused:

They had crab legs that night I think (though some things are mixing up in my brain now….) It was probably best I didn’t have on my nice dress… I probably don’t need to elaborate on that one, do I? It should be noted that Princess splits the crab legs –making them much easier to eat than they are at Red Lobster. Just sayin’ :D SEE Glacier Bay? :confused:

FYI - Red Lobster will split them if you ask.

So glad to hear your take. Some of things you have shared, are exact conversations I have had with my husband we should expect. Not eating in MDR as often, etc.

FYI - Red Lobster will split them if you ask.

 

So glad to hear your take. Some of things you have shared, are exact conversations I have had with my husband we should expect. Not eating in MDR as often, etc.

:hearteyes: Great to know!!! :hearteyes:

Of course, DH doesn't like sea food so I only get to Red Lobster about once every 5 years!!! :loudcry: but I will certainly keep that in mind...for 2021!!! ;) hehehe~

Glacier Bay

The alarm went off and we popped out of bed. Today was the ‘gem’ of the cruise (imho). We had CHOSEN this cruise route (and Princess) because of Glacier Bay!!

We dressed in wicking layers, long sleeve t’s and had our down coats, hats, and gloves in my tote. Rain jackets were in there too because I didn’t want to have to go back to the stateroom to get them if needed. It never officially rained on us that day…but there was frequently mist. We really didn’t want our down coats to get wet. It takes a LONG time to dry them out and we needed to pack tomorrow… Our cruise log said the high temp that day was 45 F. It was cold…but not miserably cold. At home, I typically don’t even wear a coat unless it’s below 35 or so…they’re just such a hassle. ;) Now…Glacier Bay is actually an ‘ice box’…so that coat WAS needed!

The night before, our Nat’l Park Glacier Bay brochure was in our mailbox. This is the same brochure all national parks have– map, information, et al. We had briefly looked at it…but took it with us to breakfast along with my Alaska Cruise Companion. We only had time for a quick skim of these over breakfast though. We had 'places to go' and 'things to see'. :)

We were at the back of Horizon Court (in ‘our spot’) by 5:15. Things were a little busier than previous mornings. (Shoot!! Perhaps other people had heard Sandra say to be out and about by 5??) ;p Even port side was busier than usual….I was a little concerned that my ‘secret’ was out!

We saw the pilot boat that brought the Rangers on board at 6 am. It’s not spectacular by any means, but we find it ‘fun’ to watch… It doesn’t take a lot to amuse us! ;)

The “approximate” schedule as posted in the Patters – yes, the word ‘approximate’ was printed there, said:

9:20: Lamplugh Glacier

10:40 – 11:50 Marjorie Glacier & Grand Pacific

After breakfast, we walked around the ship –We had scouted out several places to be...but now it was time to make a decision.... We looked for whales, as the entrance to Glacier Bay is prime whale area. We eventually found ourselves up on Deck 15 above the mid-ship pool at the make-shift Ranger Station. The rangers were there giving a introductory talk. They had displays, books, information et al as well as an enlarged copy of the map with additional information. I was shocked at just how few people were there to hear this Ranger information…maybe 100… :confused:

VIEWING AREAS: We migrated a lot during the morning….going to a spot and enjoying it for a while, then moving somewhere else - Terrace Pool area….Deck 15 indoor pool area, next to the Park Rangers area ….Deck 7 promenade…Deck 5 inside by a picture window across from International Café (they have oatmeal cookies there!!! ) and of course our balcony.

I know some choose to stay on their balcony the entire time…and the ship DOES turn so you could theoretically see all you want to see from that one vantage point. However, MY way of doing things is to go to port side when port is facing the glacier…and starboard side when starboard is facing the glacier…and see glaciers ALL DAY LONG! Being out on the open decks also gives you the ability to see wildlife regardless of which side of the ship it’s on…not to mention the fact that there’s coffee up there…. We actually did a little of both and it worked for us….

COMMENTARY FROM THE BRIDGE: There was commentary from the Ranger up on the bridge the entire time we were in Glacier Bay. It’s over the PA system AND broadcast on the television – ch 43. There were some struggles with hearing this though. When in the covered pool area the sounds echoed making it hard to understand what she was saying. If we went to our cabin and tried to hear the PA from the hallway, we would have to leave our cabin door open (when we were out on the balcony) That was a bit of a security issue. We tried listening on Ch 43 while out on our balcony...and that worked a little better. However, that signal was not consistent. It went 'in' and 'out'. The final location we found that we liked the best was out on Promenade (Deck 7) It was covered…and the open area seemed to work the best for hearing the commentary over the PA….it WAS crowded though – I will say....having Alaska Cruise Companion helped immensely...to fill in gaps or give information we couldn't hear on the PA. Yeah...I'm STILL recommending that book... :hearteyes:

Glacier Bay Day (cont):

Some Details About the Ship on G.B. Day:

• Outside of Horizon Court on Lido deck they set up a store of sorts – coats, hats, gloves, binoculars, etc… Since most people couldn’t (or wouldn’t) come down to the shops, they brought the shops to us…. I guess you COULD make an argument for not going through the hassle of packing winter wear. Just buy it either in Ketchikan or on the ship. Voila!!! --Souvenir of your travels and packing is easier. However, you STILL have to figure out how to get that stuff home so that may not really solve any problems….but could be ONE way to approach the ‘packing winter-wear’ thing. I preferred to knit my own. It was fun to make things in anticipation of our trip…and I got things that were EXACTLY what I wanted – and matched my coat. ;)
  

• No paper products (cups, straws, etc…) are given out or put out on the ship on this day. NPS regulations forbid it – don’t want any of that going overboard in the Nat’l Park. That means if you want a cup with a lid, you have to bring your own… We brought Yeti knock-offs. (I didn't bring my 'real' one as there's just too many chances for it to get lost/left) I’m not sure it was worth the space and weight in the suitcase so I don’t know if I’d do it again…but it WAS nice to have drinks that were hot for longer than 3 min. today
  

~~

The Ranger Station closed at 12:40. That caught me off guard actually…I was expecting it to stay open until 3 when we actually departed Glacier Bay Nat’l Park. We had to rush to get our Nat’l Park passport stamped…because I hadn’t put them in my tote bag that morning.

There was a Presentation by the Park rangers in the Theater at 1:00… - The Patters said that it was also simulcast in Explorers Lounge…which told me we needed to be at the theater EARLY to get a seat. I didn’t WANT to be sent to Explorers… We got there about 12:30. We found a seat…but there WERE already people there at that time.

We left Glacier Bay at 3:15 – disembarked the Park Rangers…but I had learned that the sail OUT of Glacier Bay was something to not be missed. When sailing IN to the park it was dark so we couldn’t see much of that beauty…the time to see it is when we sailed OUT. That means that until 4:30 or 5, we were on deck or on our balcony ‘viewing’.

Tonight was the final formal night. About 5 or so, we began to get ready ….when DH said…”I don’t really feel good”. We continued to get ready…and 5 min, later, he said it again. We continued to get ready and 5 min later he said it again…only this time with much more emphasis. :(

To make a long story short, he ended up in bed – as we sailed across the Gulf of Alaska (known for rough waters….) officially sea sick. We had not needed our Transderm Scop patches on this cruise (until now) so hadn’t put them on. WE DID put them on now…but Alas…it was TOO LATE!! :loudcry:

I felt a little queasy too, but was learning to roll WITH the ship instead of bracing myself against it and didn't end up with full-blown sea sickness. (that really helps if you're just 'mildly' sick....) DH’s did. We slept for a few hours.... About 10pm, I got up (patches were probably beginning to work by then) and went down to the buffet to get some carbs (my food of choice when nauseous) I brought back a plate for DH and he ate a little…but not much. ( He DID feel somewhat better by then...but only somewhat....)

So….THAT’S what we had to eat …and how we spent our 2nd formal night. (another ‘breaking the mold”???? UGH!!) I was disappointed – as I had a dress I LOVED and wanted to wear…don’t have much opportunity to wear it elsewhere. I also am fairly sure we missed something wonderful on the MDR menu…I just don’t know what it was. DON’T tell me!!! :loudcry:

While we were sleeping away our sea sickness, things were going on on the ship. (entertainment, productions, activities) Perhaps if we had felt better, we MIGHT have gotten involved in something there??? The one thing that I regret missing was a presentation in Explorer’s Lounge: “Local Connections: Our Tlingit Way of Life” It was a lecture/talk by Alice Haldane. Had we felt better, we would have definitely gone to this. Not knowing if it would interest us, we probably would have sat in the back – so we could slip out if we didn’t find it interesting...but I would have at least wanted to give it a ‘try’. The Balloon drop was also this evening. That’s one of those “cruise ship activities” that we might NOT have ‘broken the mold” on – In other words, we might have actually gone - but I can’t say I ‘regret’ missing it…It's certainly not "All Things Alaska"....and isn't a HUGE deal to us…but is just something that’s kind of ‘fun’.

But because this cruise ‘broke all molds’ we spent our 2nd formal evening in bed sea sick…something we don’t normally do on cruises (Cause we’re normally smart enough to put on our patches. ). :o

Suggestion…Even though you probably WON’T need any sea sick remedies for the Inside Passage, Be AWARE ….when you KNOW you’re going to sail the Gulf of Alaska, get them out…take them…put them on…whatever you need to do BEFORE you arrive there. J J AFTER you’re sick, your body will be playing ‘catch up’, and you can possibly ‘lose’ a night of your cruise.

All that being said, we WERE tired after 2 long port days followed by a VERY early morning today in Glacier Bay. Tomorrow would be a sea day – until we arrived in College Fjord that evening. (6 pm) Along with ship activities, we also would have to pack…so a 'different' type of day, but I'm sure still plenty busy…

With the arrival in our mailbox this afternoon of that nasty little letter about disembarkation, it became apparent to me that they were going to MAKE us get off the ship in just a little over 24 hrs!!! How sad!! How utterly and completely sad!!! :loudcry:

Weather:

Because everyone says “Aug and Sept are for storm chasers” I just want to put this here. I don’t attempt to argue with any of those people. I’m sure they know far more about Alaska than I….but, those statements ‘scared’ me a little with our cruise. As I mentioned…our choice of cruise date was very largely NOT our choise….it was a decision dictated by employers…

I then spent a great deal of time worrying that all our money investment…all the time investment in planning would be wasted if we had horrible…rainy…cold…wintery weather making us miserable at all ‘outdoor’ moments.

I’m here to report! That simply was NOT our experience. Thank Goodness!!! :D

I mentioned in my reviews of Vancouver that it was unseasonably HOT there. I wore a cami around town that morning...put on a long sleeve shirt over it that morning and took the long sleeve OFF mid-morning!! We were actually miserably hot at the top of Lookout Tower where there was no a/c....just very unusual temps in Vancouver that day.

In Ketchikan…the city that gets 340 days of rain a year…it was absolutely beautiful…warm but not hot…just pleasant. In fact, everyone we met asked us where we were from and thanked us for bringing our weather along when we came to visit them. ;) They asked us to stay…keep our weather there, but alas…we could not. We had to get back on the ship.

In Juneau, we had ANOTHER very nice day!!! Highs – 68!!! We took our winter wear for Mendenhall Glacier….and wore it for that hike and time there…but the rest of the day, we just had on jeans/pants and long sleeve shirts…I might have worn my wicking layer that day....I can't remember ??? I had my hoodie with me (Never leave on a long port day without MANY options in clothing…just fyi. I will say though...having a rental car made doing that a little easier...) and wore it when walking the paths around Treadwell Mine – late afternoon in the 'forest' can get chilly…but over all, it was a VERY pleasant day weather and temp-wise.

Skagway: Skagway typically gets 26” of rain per year…one of the drier places in Alaska….and THAT was the day we encountered the rain. Go Figure!!! ;) I just chalk it all up to ‘everything in Alaska is opposite of the way things have always been…kind of FUN!!” It was raining when we got off the ship and got our rental car. We drove out of town and by the time we were 10 miles out, the rain had stopped…. It was misting, cloudy and cool…but the raindrops had stopped. We had pleasant temps (and no more mist) that afternoon. When we got back to Skagway about 3:30 or 4, it was cloudy but with temps around 55.

Glacier Bay was typical Glacier Bay weather….cold and windy when out on the deck viewing glaciers, even bits of spitting snow which was kind of fun. (I mean…seriously….you’re in an ICE BOX!!!) But it wasn’t BITTER cold. In fact, the weather report said we actually had a high of 55!!! It never ‘seemed’ that warm to me, but that’s because of the ‘ice box’ thing…. Honesty, it's important to GO PREPARED for cold on G.B. day, but if you DRESS APPROPRIATELY, you can be comfortable and have a wonderful day.

Last Sea Day – going across the Gulf of Alaska – We knew that every day, we were going further and further north. To encounter colder temps or more wind was NOT an unusual thing. It wasn’t miserably miserable ….but it was cool. I wore jeans, wicking shirt and a long sleeve t – then carried a jacket and my down coat with me – gloves, hat etc…tucked in the pockets. I had whatever I needed without having to make that long trek back to our AFT cabin. In College Fjord, we obviously needed down coat, hat, gloves, etc… but it wasn’t raining. The skies were clear and our pics turned out INCREDIBLE!!!

Disembarkation - Whittier: It was raining the morning we arrived in Whittier…but not enough to warrant the raincoats – which is a good thing since they were packed and put out with the luggage the night before… :D By the time we got to Anchorage, there was no more rain. I assume the rain comes into Whittier across the Gulf of Alaska...Anchorage doesn't have that 'set-up'.

The weather for our land portion (which I realize I haven’t reviewed yet) was pleasant most of the time. On tops of summits in Denali it was cold…but that’s to be expected on the top of ‘very high mountains’. No shock on that one!!! The Fall colors in the valleys in Denali…brought on by the cooler temps made the whole ‘picture’ even more beautiful than I think it would have been in July. Of course, I don’t know that for certain…haven’t been there in July…but it WAS beautiful!!!!

We actually SAW a very famous mountain on our drive back to Wasilla…

BUT....I’m not going to mention the name of that very famous mountain :hearteyes: because it would spoil the review for everyone. Just giving a ‘hint’ of what’s to come. ;)

Back in Anchorage, the weather was pleasant…probably low 60’s ??? I wore long sleeves and had my jacket in my carry on for our flight that evening. I was comfortable. I like having jackets on flights regardless of weather or time of year– not only in case it gets cool…but more often, to use as a pillow…or blanket…or neck support… Red eye flights out of Anchorage are a killer! ugh!!!

Yep…some say don’t go to Alaska in Sept. Again, I won’t argue with them…But to share MY experience…the weather we experienced was WONDERFUL!! ~and the Fall colors in Denali were EXQUISITE!!!

I’d go at this time of year again in a heartbeat!!!

Last Sea Day/College Fjord:

We didn’t TRY to get up early this morning…however, after 12 hrs of “sea sickness” sleep, our eye were open....at 6! :D We started the morning with coffee at ‘our spot’ – Port side of Horizon court, aft….and found MANY people there. Apparently, our secret was finally ‘out’….but we HAD managed to keep it ‘quiet’ for 5 days!!! ;)

After about an hour of “Coffee with Alaska’s Cruise Companion”, we decided to go to the MDR for breakfast. Breakfast at the MDR is usually a regular part of our cruise experience, but in the interest of ‘breaking the mold’, we hadn’t been there this time. (OK...to be honest, we just hadn't had time...) We were seated very quickly at a table for 2….a full 6 inches from another table for 2 --which we found just humorous. We met some new friends and both joked at how we were NOT seated at tables for 2.

For those who’ve never had the MDR breakfast, let me say….This IS a highlight of most of our cruises. The menu is more limited than the buffet (obviously…) but the food is served in true MDR style…and HOT!!! The menu includes eggs cooked to order, meat choices, carb choices in the way of toast/bread, pancakes, cereal (hot and cold), fruit/compote, et al. They walk around with trays of pastry/bread selections. It’s something that everyone should try at least once (imho).

Capt Tuvo walked around greeting people. Unfortunately, the table right behind us asked for that photo op with him. I think I mentioned before, but as soon as someone does that, he politely grants their request, then makes a quick exit from that area of the dining room. I watched him do that over and over….in section after section…so it was disappointing when the table behind us asked for a photo op. Thankfully, we had gotten our ‘hello’ greeting, but the other tables around us did not.....including our 'table for 2' table mates who had just arrived. Honestly though, I’ve never seen a captain do that before…on ANY cruise line….EVER!!! :hearteyes:

While we were enjoying our peaceful breakfast and meeting our new friends at the ‘other table for 2’, members of the galley staff walked around handing out printouts from the kitchen - One side listed the numbers of staff it takes to provide us with all this food - truly impressive - 360 from Executive Sous Chef down to buffet or galley stewards. The other side had 5-6 recipes from Princess. The one that was so obviously MISSING was the oatmeal cookies!!! :( It was mostly sea food recipes so probably more exciting to others than to us (as DH doesn’t care for sea food….) but a nice idea.

After breakfast, we stopped off at Passenger Services. The disembarkation time assigned to us was going to cut things a little close to meet our A.C.T. Bus transport. They changed our time and gave us new luggage tags. No hassle…and I felt a LOT more comfortable.

The Culinary Show was at 10:30 in the Theater…and we knew from experience that we needed to get there early to get a seat. We arrived around 10 and easily found a 'working' seat (yeah....lots of broken seats in the Theater....) on the 7th or 8th row!!! We spent those 30 min. reading our Alaska’s Cruise Companion and purging photos from the camera.

We LOVE these Culinary Shows that Princess does on the last sea day…(nope…didn’t ‘break the mold’ on this one….haha) This show did not disappoint: humor, competition between the dining rooms and entertainment (from our very talented dining room staff.) After this, we lined up for the Galley tour…which is really just a walk through with VERY minimal narration, but we’d never done this before so wanted to do it. We walked through the galley…prep areas...pastry area…beverages....refrigeration area…then out the door – and to the dining room where the Outlet Sale was in full swing. It was very crowded with a long line for purchases.

Once out of there, (yeah…I ended up making a small purchase…Shhh…..;)) we thought we probably should at least begin the packing process –our evening would be busy with College Fjord…so we headed back to the cabin to get a few things pulled together. :(

I'm in the process of getting photos to Shutterfly...hopefully will have that done in a few days and will attempt to put some photos on here...

We'll see how it works...of course, also working on posts for my blog which is a fool-safe way. :D:D

I know how helpful (and enjoyable) photos are --so I'm trying Folks!

Last Sea Day/College Fjord (cont)

There was an Alaskan dance cast/musicians in the Piazza this afternoon and we totally missed it…We planned to go, but got occupied with packing and forgot all about it.

The last Naturalist presentation was also this afternoon – at 3:00 but THAT was on our 'radar screen'. We didn't forget about that!!! It was “Understanding Alaska’s Mighty Glaciers, Volcanoes and Rugged Fjords” The presentation this time was in Vista Lounge. The seats are certainly more comfortable there, but a little harder to maneuver around/get in to with the rows having tables in them…

Sandra did NOTdisappoint on this presentation either… Along with preparing us for College Fjord this evening, she told us that although they are required to keep the ship at least 100 yds from the glacier, that Capt. Tuvo was known for pushing the envelope on that..…getting as close as he dared. Once there, I would swear he was MUCH closer than a ‘football field’…. but of course, judgement of distances can be greatly skewed up against these massive glaciers….. :o

Our Cruise Itinerary said we would arrive in College Fjord at 6….the Patters said 5:30… Sandra told us to be out there by 5….and that the first side to get a viewing would be port side (where our cabin was). With this information in hand, we decided to start our evening on our portside balcony. We headed to Horizon Court to get a cup of coffee…and an oatmeal cookie or two…and were back in our cabin a little before 5.

Yesterday had been such a whirlwind in Glacier Bay...I was actually looking forward to a more relaxed viewing at College Fjord this evening…and I’d heard that College Fjord was ‘better’ than Glacier Bay….???? We’ll see!!

There was narration on the TV and the audio seemed to work better than it did in Glacier Bay…but you had to choose…either inside listening to the narration…or outside seeing the glaciers…we just went back and forth…and back and forth…and back and forth. :) Capt.Tuvo gave port side a FULL hour to view – probably because we arrived 30 min.early and he had the time. (Starboard side got that same 'extra time' too)

When the ship started to turn, we grabbed coats, hats, et al and headed up to Deck 14. We got some nice views there too…then we noticed that there were LOTS of tables on Starboard side in Horizon Court. We could grab something to eat (it was around 7:30 by now) and enjoy the view from a window table….

This would be the time when I was quite disappointed in Horizon Court. It’s never a delectable dining experience by any stretch….but tonight, it was really NOT delectable!!! They called it “International Buffet” but the options were actually several things that had been served earlier in the week….obviously left overs. It really was so bad that I left my plate and went back to get a salad…. :eek:

The last views of Harvard Glacier from our window table were nice though… :D

After dinner I grabbed about 4-5 oatmeal cookies to take with me.... I suspected they would be gone by morning…but if not, I would find a way to keep them from going to waste…. Somehow I would find a way!!! ;) Food should NEVER be wasted…especially something as good as these….

They told us to have luggage out ‘before dinner’…and since my dinner wasn’t until 7:30, I justified the 8:30 time......but we DID need to get that taken care of now.

We made those last few changes of clothes, taking off of makeup, etc…then put the suitcases out. It was probably 9:00…. What was funny though….after we put them out, we brought them BACK into the room twice because we forgot something that we needed out of them…or used something that could now be put IN them (so we didn't have to carry it tomorrow). Our cabin steward didn’t pick them (or other cabins around us) up until after 10….so I didn't feel so bad about our ‘lateness’.

There were lots of “Non-Alaska Activities” going on on the ship tonight. We COULD have gone…but we just didn't feel like getting involved in hype that evening.... We needed to take care of suitcases, obviously...and we wanted to spend some quiet time on our balcony…viewing…thinking…reliving… We just weren’t really interested in movies, music or productions …. We MIGHT even want to catch a beautiful sunrise over the water for one last time tomorrow....

So....we spent the last bits of daylight out on our balcony taking photos…dreaming of our next Alaskan cruise...sulking at the inevitability of tomorrow ….and drowning our sorrows in an oatmeal cookie.

Tomorrow, I was fairly sure they would kick us off the ship!!! :loudcry:

Star Princess: The Ship and Its People

This review needs a disclaimer: FOR US….. this cruise was about “All Things Alaska”. As I’ve said (possibly enough to be nauseating….) ;) this cruise ‘broke the mold’ on things we’ve always done on cruises… For that reason I can’t review entertainment, productions, Activities directed by CD staff, movies, trivia, art auctions, etc… All of those things ‘happened’….but we didn’t participate in them…..

The Star is due for dry dock at the end of this year…and yes, we noticed some places that needed attention, but as with most ships we’ve been on (not only PCL but other lines) they ARE constantly maintaining the ships…painting, re-doing, etc… We never noticed anything glaring. I would get back on her tomorrow if that were possible.

Our Balcony Cabin: This was just like every other balcony cabin we’ve ever had on Princess…. For those who’ve not cruised with PCL before, cabins (Int, OV and Bal) have 7 DEEP drawers (2 in each of the 2 bedside tables and 3 at the desk) There’s 2 outlets at the desk as well as 1 behind the TV (we bring a short extension cord to help with accessing that) and 1 in the bathroom that will only work for nightlights –perhaps razors… It will NOT heat a curling iron. (no outlets at the bedside tables)

I'd heard a lot of negative about the beds...the one we had in B744 was fine - and that's coming from passengers who have back problems and NEED a good bed. You also have a chair and small round table that can be moved as needed…. (We always move ours to give better access to the balcony) There’s a refrigerator – but it doesn’t have a freezer. You can ask your room steward for ice and he/she will keep your ice bucket full. The bathroom has 3 shelves up the side of the mirror on one side…and a full length shelf under the sink. There’s shampoo/conditioner (all in 1) and body wash in containers in shower. They give you a small container of the Lotus Spa lotion that I actually LOVE!!! The closet is roomy and has WOODEN hangers as well as a floor to ceiling shelf – and a safe. The safe is small; it will not hold most laptops, but will hold an ipad…perhaps small camera…passports, wallets/credit cards, etc… They ask you if you want bathrobes…and we always say ‘yes’…and we never get them!! :D We didn’t say anything to our room steward (this was his first cruise on Star and he told us on the first day that he was still learning his way around her… The bathrobes weren’t that important to us anyway, so we just let it go….) Balcony cabins have adequate space….not HUGE amounts…but adequate. Interiors are a little smaller(square-footage-wise) but not to the point of ‘ruining your cruise’…

Everything else about the room I think I covered in the post about our specific room (B744) and it's angled balcony.

THE SHIP

Theater: There were quite a lot of seats broken here. That would be the one ‘negative’ I noticed about the ship. Perhaps I noticed this because we spent so much time in the Theater at the presentations – Naturalist, Libby Riddles, North to Alaska, et al. It didn’t keep us from thoroughly enjoying the things we did there…but there was more than once when we sat down…then got up and moved…then got up a 3rd time…all to find a seat that didn’t lean FORWARD…and a table that worked (as I was taking notes/thumbing through Alaska Cruise Companion and wanted that table)

The carpets throughout the ship seemed ok….I missed the fact that they didn’t have different colored carpet on port and starboard. I kinda rely on that!! ;)

THE PEOPLE

Crew: I think I mentioned before, but we were a little disappointed in the service in the MDR the first 2 nights. When we returned later in the cruise it was better…. I have no idea why unless we might have just gotten less experienced or less efficient/enthusiastic waitstaff on those night??? (We did Anytime Dining and of course, AD will never have the level of personalization you get with TD)

Cabin Steward: Our cabin steward was efficient…With him being new to the Star and still learning his way around the ship, it took a day or so to get things at the beginning of the cruise.... None of these things were deal-breakers for us. He was always friendly and enthusiastic to please us…We were pleased with him.

…and YES….we got the blue Princess bag (that seems to be a frequent question here on CC haha!)

We liked the Cruise Director Steve…but didn’t have much interaction with him other than the Treasure Hunt Drawing (when he FAILED to call my name…:loudcry:), the interview with Capt Tuvo at Coffee with the Captain…and an occasional episode of The Wake Show that we might catch late at night…. I’m sure he was great…but the things he ‘directed’ were NOT the “All Things Alaska” items…..

Naturalist Sandra Schempp: We LOVED Sandra!!! She MADE our cruise what it was…not only with her presentations throughout the cruise, but her times up on deck/bow of the ship spotting wildlife. She went ‘above and beyond’ in our estimation. She was awesome!!!

Last BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST:

Captain Tuvo! Can’t say enough good things about this guy. He walked around the ship talking to passengers…did Coffee with the Captain on the first sea day…made announcements from the bridge about wildlife and got us closer than he possibly was supposed to to the glaciers in College Fjord. AND.....He even managed to ‘calm the waters’ over Gulf of Alaska. Don’t believe me? Just ask him!! ;) Things were SO CHOPPY that day....and when he got back on duty the following day, he made an announcement. He apologized for the choppy waters...then explained it all to us.... It seems that the day before his staff captain had been at the helm. Capt. Tuvo promised that HE was back in charge now...and things would be much smoother with him back in the bridge. (We were all so thankful he was finally back there!!!)

Oh…we liked all his ‘jokes’ too :D

Star Princess: Food et al:

I'm enjoying writing this....but am wondering if it's really helping anyone. :D Speak Up if this is helpful and something I should continue.... If not, that's ok too... I just want to concentrate my time and efforts where it will benefit the most people.

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Food: In true ‘breaking of the mold’ fashion, we ate most meals in the Horizon Court. I’m typically NOT a buffet fan… We just prefer MDR…but on this cruise, MDR really didn't 'fit' the schedule we were trying to keep. Now...the only Horizon Court meal that was actually inedible was on the last night… I threw the plate away and went back for a salad. Other than that, the food was ‘ok’ as buffet meals go….and the salad bar was ALWAYS great in true Princess fashion. The other ‘winner’ in the buffet was the fruit selection for breakfast!!! Princess does this better than any other cruise line I’ve been on. On this cruise, there was a LOT of Asian food choices – I assume to appeal to the large percentage of Asian passengers we had on this cruise. J We ate 1-2 meals at the grill…and I got a piece of pizza one day for lunch with a salad from the buffet… We LOVE International Café…but only had 1 meal there… So much of the time we were on the upper decks so buffet/grill/pizza were just more convenient.

It SHOULD be mentioned…the oatmeal cookies were not only at the buffet...but ALSO at International Café. That means if one DID happen to be on a lower level, these delectable little goodies were still within easy reach…. You know….if one NEEDED an oatmeal cookie. This is SOOOO ingenious of PCL!!!!! :D

The Trident Grill had Alaskan food several days …sometimes 4-6 pm….and other times 6-10 pm. During those times (posted in Patters) they stopped serving their regular menu items of burgers/dogs and just had seafood items - BBQ salmon is the one I remember as I ordered that one evening. It was served with cole slaw....was very good...

When it comes to MDR dining, it was what we have come to expect from Princess Dining rooms. We chose Anytime Dining for this cruise…That was the BEST choice for us - trying to do ‘All Things Alaska'. We realized that the service with AD would be less personalized…but we knew that the "Alaska" schedule would ‘schedule’ us OUT of specific dining times most evenings. We were right. We only made it to MDR 3 times on this cruise... another 'breaking the mold’ for us.

Crab legs- DIVINE!! Shrimp Daniele – VERY good!! And I always like the crème brule and mignardises!!! It should be noted that I had read (and printed) off 7-day cruise menus from posters here on CC or the internet…specifically, an Alaskan cruise May 2017. The best I could tell, our cruise menus had all the same items…but not necessarily on the same days…or in the same ‘groupings’. (they were similar...but not always exactly the same...) That has led me to believe that basing any decision of when or where to eat before you get on the ship could lead one down the wrong path….just my ‘take’ on things. I am one of those who goes into hyper-plan mode before a cruise. I like to know everything - including menus. My DH would always say...."They'll GIVE you a menu when you get there...WHY do you have to know what's being served ahead of time??? ;p It's a waste of time!!" NO Folks!! He doesn't understand hyper-plan mode!! hehe (But I don't know that he's going to be able to circumvent this condition either....it's in-grained into me) ;)

Lines: I didn’t find the lines to be longer than what you would expect on a ship with 2500 passengers. In Ketchikan, which was a short port day, everyone was getting back on the ship at basically the same time and the lines were long (45 min-1hr) In Juneau, Skagway and of course at embarkation, lines to get back on board weren’t bad at all. Lines in the buffet were never really long…of course, we were there at ‘off-times’ (which I would highly recommend…) but we never waited more than 2-3 min. there. Lines at the Grill when they were doing the seafood could get long…. Of course, lines at the outlet shopping were HORRIBLE…but that’s always the case as they only have one person as cashier…. (never understood that reasoning…:confused:)

Entertainment: Princess went to great lengths to entertain not only those of us who wanted to do “All Things Alaska” but also those who didn’t… I don’t know anything about the quality of those other performances… I’m sure they were wonderful!

That’s the ship…at least all portions I could think of to write about…

Questions? Just ask…if I can, I'll answer…

rgmacm

Really enjoyed your review - love your commentary. And oatmeal cookies - well that just makes everything better!

I have Alaska on my mind!

I really enjoyed your detailed review. We will be on the Star in January and hope Captain Tuvo will be our captain then. We have cruised with him before and agree with you that he is one of a kind. We loved him!:)

What a great review! I loved all the details. Thanks for sharing. :)

Oh and I would love to see pictures and the blog too!

Disembarkation Day – Driving North out of Anchorage

We were up early this morning as well. Packing our carry ons was much easier than big suitcases... Then to ‘our spot’ for coffee…a bit of breakfast…some last pics of the ship…and sunrise over the mountains around Whittier. (we docked around midnight the night before)

After breakfast, we collected our bags from the cabin, said good-bye to our cabin steward and headed to Portofino Dining room for disembarkation. They asked us not to arrive early as they were continually funneling passengers through these areas and couldn’t accommodate several ‘groups’ at once. We arrived only about 5 min. early (cause it’s just hard to time it EXACTLY right….) and they let us in. They had coffee, water and trays of pastries there. I’d never seen that in disembarkation locations with PCL before….

Our group was called only a few minutes after our scheduled time and we began the DREADED WALK…. You know the one….down to Piazza…and past the crew members who SMILE while scanning your cruise card for the very last time (WHAT are they so happy about??) :loudcry:

It was raining this morning in Whittier. They had awnings for us to walk under to the terminal…as it was quite a walk. I snapped a few quick photos of our balcony from the walkway – wanted explanatory pics of the angled balcony…..

Once in the terminal, things went very smoothly…much smoother than I’ve ever experienced before (our last disembarkation from Carnival in Galveston was a NIGHTMARE!!! ) Luggage was categorized by the colored tags so easy to locate.... In the ACT Big Bus line, we checked in and got our bus assignment - #5.

ACT Big Bus. I chose this company for a few reasons….first of all, early reservations got a bit of a discount – (I made our reservation in Oct). Secondly, these were full size buses rather than vans or shuttles. They had restrooms which was nice….I didn't see anyone go back there...but they did exist… haha! Their process at the terminal was very organized...making sure everyone got on the RIGHT bus as there were a lot of ACT buses in that parking lot...going various routes to various places.

When we got to our bus, it was completely full!! I had planned what side of the bus we would sit on to have the best views of Turnagain Arm. The reality was…when I boarded, there were probably only 3 seats available. I just had to sit in one. DH did the same. We weren't together...and neither of us had a window seat. That of course, meant no good pics of Turnagain Arm… An earlier disembarkation time MIGHT have made a difference on this..and if I ever do this again, I’ll go for the 7:30 time to try to get better seating….. Turnagain Arm is indeed quite beautiful!!!

The drive to Anchorage took about 1 hr 15 min. The bus dropped us off at the airport. We collected our bags (ACT bus doesn’t handle bags…you load and unload your own…) There was a portion of the printout they sent to us before the cruise stating that they expected a $5pp tip…that came right after the line about ‘We don’t handle luggage…you load and unload your own”. (I was left scratching my head wondering exactly what the tip was for....) :confused:

At the airport, before heading to the rental car counters, we had a decision to make: Do we pick up our rental car…or do we head to ticketing and try to get a flight home tonight or tomorrow. I hadn’t called home in 2½ days -since we were in Skagway --so didn’t know the situation there. We made a phone call home…and were STRICTLY instructed to NOT come home…to continue our vacation. So…we headed down to the rental car counters and got our car.

Getting out of town has never been a problem for us in past travels. It’s usually the ‘easiest’ route we ever drive in a metro area. Such was not the case with Anchorage. I had a map but perhaps it wasn’t a good one? I don’t know…GPS got us in even MORE trouble. It wasn’t until I just put the maps away…turned off GPS and said to DH (who prides himself in being somewhat of a ‘blood hound’ when it comes to sniffing his way around places) “There’s a highway that goes north out of here…you have to head West to get to it… Just get there. :eek:

He did…. :') (I’m actually serious about that….That’s REALLY how the conversation went…)

On the outskirts of town, we found a Wendy’s…and previously, I might have been a little stoked about finding a better place to eat…. After working so hard to find our way out of town, I didn’t even care where we ate ….it was 1:30. We ate lunch and headed on to Walmart in Eagle River for groceries then headed on down Old Glen Hwy to Buttes Bethel Fam B&B.

Butte’s Bethel Farm B&B: This little place might not be what a lot of people want…but it was EXACTLY what we wanted…quiet little place…full kitchen so we could whip up a few things to eat over the next 4 days…a place to do laundry…a bathroom (I realized very quickly in my research that a bathroom IN a cabin is not a ‘given’…you need to ASK….:eek:) and beautiful scenery. This place had it all!! With the laundry IN the cabin – I didn’t have to go down the street…or down the hall…or drive somewhere to get it done. The breakfast provided was a cook-your-own but we didn’t mind that…..kind of preferred it.

Trip Advisor reviews were ‘mixed’ on this place, but after a conversation with the Asst owner, I felt comfortable booking it. It turned out to be a good decision. It was clean, with a fully stocked kitchen - adequate (surplus) breakfast items, had a washer and dryer...and It was a 1 bedroom unit which meant DH could go to sleep while I finished up the laundry…It was the perfect setting for us.

After everything was done/taken care of, I went to bed…It had been a VERY busy day…but we were inland in Alaska!!! More exciting things to come tomorrow!! Tomorrow we would head north and possibly see Denali!!!! :D

rgmacm

 

Really enjoyed your review - love your commentary. And oatmeal cookies - well that just makes everything better!

 

I have Alaska on my mind!

Thank you so much... Yes oatmeal cookies give us yet one more reason to go to (or back to) Alaska! :D:D

I really enjoyed your detailed review. We will be on the Star in January and hope Captain Tuvo will be our captain then. We have cruised with him before and agree with you that he is one of a kind. We loved him!:)

Capt Tuvo said he would be on Star for the next Alaska season...I hope you DO indeed have him in January. Happy Cruising!! :D

Oh and I would love to see pictures and the blog too!

Thank you so much. I've started working on the blog...the photos... I've got friends who are really 'on' me to get that done too. haha :D

I am thinking of using ACT big bus as well after our cruise. There are five of us and we usually just carry our own bags off the ship in the morning, so I assume we would just try to be early enough to get five seats together on the bus. You mention that ACT doesn't handle bags...so would we be loading our bags on and off the bottom compartment of the bus, or are they in overhead racks?

You're now the 2nd person who's said they do a practice run with the luggage. I think I'm going to start doing that. I usually plan to be packed early in the afternoon to have all evening to 'adjust'...'re-do'...etc...but this time it needed more than just an afternoon. :D:D

We have also spent many hours of frustration trying to stuff everything needed into a suitcase with a total weight under 50 lbs..and "rearranging" a lot of "unmentionables" in the airport lobby when their scales registered higher than ours. (Ever wonder if those scales are set a couple pounds high on purpose?) Anyway, we finally traded our 8 lb suitcases for large nylon duffel bags which weigh almost nothing...allowing us to pack about 12 more pounds of "stuff." Our two small carry-on suitcases have wheels and we loop the handles of the duffel bags over the carry-ons if need be...that's how we roll! There's no reason to have to ever carry the duffel bags. Baggage handlers are available for a $5 tip everywhere you will need them.

Love love love the review!

Oh yay I wasn’t sure if you did a land tour—glad there is more! :)

I am thinking of using ACT big bus as well after our cruise. There are five of us and we usually just carry our own bags off the ship in the morning, so I assume we would just try to be early enough to get five seats together on the bus. You mention that ACT doesn't handle bags...so would we be loading our bags on and off the bottom compartment of the bus, or are they in overhead racks?

I think getting off early gives you a better chance of getting seats together... What bus you're placed on probably plays a role too...and they make that decision....

On the bags...they go in the compartment BELOW the bus. The driver opened it up...and I think checked to make sure we were at the right bus but DH actually put them IN that compartment..... Now, I didn't stand there for that part of the process...I left him with the bags - and said "I'll go get us a good seat." haha! As if THAT happened. :eek:

I DO recommend ACT Bus though...their process was organized...the bus was nice/comfortable....and I liked their discounts for early booking....