poolwife

Is it better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Cruising on the Emerald Princess and wondering if May 12 too early for the whales in that area?

Thank you.

Sherry

Wondering if it is better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Also, is May 12 too early for the whales in that area/

Thank you.

Sherry

Wondering if it is better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Also, is May 12 too early for the whales in that area/

Thank you.

Sherry

Wondering if it is better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Also, is May 12 too early for the whales in that area?

Thank you.

Sherry

Wondering if it is better to do whale watching out of Victoria or Vancouver?

Also, is May 12 too early for the whales in that area/

Thank you.

Sherry

If someone suggests the city bus, how do we find the time schedule?

Someone mentioned they caught it in front of the Empress, but how did you find the time schedule?

Thanks for your help.

Sherry

In going for a one day stop in Victoria in May, I am wondering what the most cost effective way there is to get to Butchart Gardens?

Rental car?

Taxi ?

City Bus? And how do you find it?

Tour through cruise line is $80.00 per person and you only get 3 hours there and our cruise is there all day. I don't want to be rushed.

Thank you for your help

In going for a one day stop in Victoria in May, I am wondering what the most cost effective way there is to get to Butchart Gardens?

Rental car?

Taxi ?

City Bus? And how do you find it?

Tour through cruise line is $80.00 per person and you only get 3 hours there and our cruise is there all day. I don't want to be rushed.

Thank you for your help

Cosol Tours provide great tours. We had a wonderful experience with them and they have a 5 star rating.

I recommend checking them out. I think it is only $75.00 pp for an island tour but you can look at their website.

Out of the numerous times we have been to Alaska, we always rented a mini-van as there were always 4 of us in the car. With the luggage for the land touring and then the cruise, jackets and luggage for four of us filled up the mini-van. The mini-van had 4 bucket seats so we were all comfortable riding around.

We also don't like the idea of cruise "tours". We like to tour on our own so we can see what we want; when we want and stay as long or as short as we want and not be included in a bus load of 50 or more people doing what the director tells you to do.

Three of the trips we stayed in B & B's also. That was fun; but they are very different. Some homeowner's want to cook you fancy breakfasts that one to two hours. Our preference were the ones that just left out things for you to do your own breakfast such as cereal, bagels, yogurt, fruit, milk, coffee, etc. If you hadn't thought of doing B & B's. it is a great experience, but do your research in picking them out.

My husband and I live near Los Angeles. Last May, we needed to get away so hopped on the Ruby Princess that sailed northbound out of Long Beach for her 4 night cruise that ended in Vancouver. We thought 4 nights wasn't long enough for our getaway so I looked to see if there were any ships departing Vancouver the same day for a round trip Vancouver cruise. I only booked these 2 cruises one week before the Ruby Princess cruise left Long Beach. Well, the Nieux Amsterdam was leaving Vancouver the same day the Ruby Princess docked in Vancouver. It was so fun getting off one ship and onto another and try out the differences between the two.

For food - hands down the Nieux Amsterdam beat out the Ruby Princess. The food on the Nieux Amsterdam was fresher and better quality. I would not take one of HAL's real old ships but this one was very classy and beautiful besides the good food.

I just recently got off the Millennium and was in Aqua class. Yes there were a few nights that we preferred the menu in the MDR so then we went to select Dining. It was no problem and service was excellent. The muesli in Blu is great though for breakfast and Devi Italy not as good I. The buffet. Definitely appreciated the better shower in the deck 11 cabins also

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I just got off the Millennium on May 22 and was in a deck 11 Aqua class cabin for the first time. Really enjoyed it. Loved the short walk to the door that led down some steps to the Sunset Bar. Loved the larger shower and shower head.

There was 2 bottles of water given every time the steward cleaned the room twice a day. We ended up with extra.

Really enjoyed eating in Blu. People say Blu is better on the "S" class ships but I don't have that experience to compare it with. I particularly liked breakfast in Blu to be able to have their super yummy table side made mueslix. Just delicious. I believe Blu on Millennium class ships use the same kitchen as the dining room. Blu was put on one side of the dining room on the upper floor. Although you cannot hear any of the noise or commotion from the MDR.

The maitre'd and the hostess were both extremely nice and helpful in customizing our meals. There are standard items on the menu that you can get every night such as shrimp cocktail, caesar salad and creme brulee for example.

There were a couple of nights that we preferred the choices on the MDR menu. The staff in Blu felt very bad when they found out that we ate in MDR instead of Blu.

Overall, we definitely preferred the experience in Blu as it was not so noisy as eating in MDR. Service was excellent.

Our food and service was also very good in the MDR.

So when you read reviews that the service is no big deal, etc. don't believe it all. Some people find nothing to say but negative things. They complain the steak is tough, etc. Have you never had a bad meal or steak in a restaurant in your hometown or somewhere? Of course. We all have. So just return it and they will bring you something else.

We found both the dining room and the crew in Blu very eager to please the customers and make us happy and make sure we enjoyed our meal.

Need - No

Helpful - Yes

Thank you so much for your interest in my review. Here is the whole thing. It was on page 3 under the "Celebrity" board. Guess it didn't get a lot of interest. It still has not shown up in the Member reviews. I wish it would as I had a much better experience that the other reviewer that only gave it 3 stars.

-----------------------------

Please feel free to ask any questions. We really enjoyed our 10 night Round trip Vancouver cruise on the Millennium. It was May 12 to May 22 out of Vancouver. My husband and I are 64 and this was our 6th time to Alaska. This is a review without pictures. If I wait to insert the pictures it might get done next year. I love going to Alaska for the gorgeous scenery.

This was our first time in Aqua class and we were in Aqua Class, Cabin 1117 on deck 11. We very much enjoyed the location of the deck 11 Aqua class cabins. There was absolutely no sewage smell at any time like previous posters have mentioned regarding the deck 9 Aqua class cabins. I would only choose Aqua class again if the price was right being not a whole lot more than a regular balcony. But I did love the larger roomy shower in our cabin. Loved the shower head.

My husband and I have been on many cruises and this was our sixth time to Alaska. Our fifth cruise to Alaska. One of the times was an independent driving trip of mostly the Kenai Peninsula. I particularly love going to Alaska for the awe-inspiringly beautiful scenery.

This 10 night round trip Vancouver trip went to Sitka, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord and Victoria.

Blu - We enjoyed eating in Blu for its ambiance and being a quieter experience than the MDR. We had no problem with availability in Blu like a previous poster wrote. We did eat dinner every night on the ship. Blu opened at 5:45 and we would get there between 5:30 to 6:00 pm so our party of 4 had the best chances of getting a window table. We preferred eating dinner earlier so not going to bed so full. We are also older (in our 60's) and did not party till all hours. The maitre 'd and the hostess in Blu were very delightful and extremely helpful in all ways and helpful too in helping us with customizing our meals.

Our waiter, Elias and assistant waiter, Yashmanee, were excellent. One night we didn't eat in Blu because we preferred the menu in the main dining room. The menus are not the same. Our service in Select dining was also very good. Blu is supposed to be a more healthy dining venue but we missed some of the items presented in the main dining room that is why we also ate there. Prime Rib was not offered in Blu but was in the MDR. It is quieter eating in Blu than the hustle bustle of the MDR but the food for dinner is really no big deal better than the MDR.

For breakfast - Blu makes the absolute best tableside made Mueslix. Yes, they have it in the buffet but it doesn't compare. We liked eating in Blu a lot but you did have to remember it is an eating "experience" so it does take longer than having breakfast in the buffet. So you needed to plan accordingly if you were short on time. They really strive to please in Blu.

I kept wanting to go back to Bistro on Five for their delicious crepes but never got there. They did raise the price to $10.00 per person but we looked at the menu and that included anything and everything you wanted on the menu.

Alot of previous posters complained about the appearance of the ship. We didn't find any problems. Our cabin was always well maintained and clean and same with public areas.

We really enjoyed using the therapy pool and jacuzzis in the solarium which was an inside area. The pool was always warm although the spas were sometime too hot for use or not warm enough. Was a nice place to relax in the later afternoon after a busy port day or even a sea day. Being in Aqua class we had access to the Persian garden but never got there.

I thought this was a great itinerary with it being a 10 night cruise and I wish that length was offered more often. One thing that would be nice to be improved is going to Hubbard glacier instead of Tracy Arm fjord. The fjord was beautiful and I enjoyed going since in 5 previous trips to Alaska we had not gone there, however, it was very disappointing to not make it all the way to the Sawyer glaciers. They claimed there was too much of an ice flow so they turned around. However, at the point the ship turned around the ice didn't look any worse than what we had already gone through. I spoke to quite a few people that said this was their first time to Alaska and I felt bad for them since they did not get to any of the big glaciers on this cruise. The ship turned around and we did not even get to see the glaciers from a distance. Sometimes I don't think people really study the itineraries of their cruise. Being it was their first time to Alaska and they wanted to see glaciers, why didn't they pick a cruise that took in one of the big glaciers. Strange!

If I am ever able to talk my husband into going back to Alaska again, we will try to take the small boat excursion to the Sawyer glaciers in Tracy Arm fjord out of Juneau. I have read many outstanding reviews of that trip here on cruise critic. He prefers warmer cruises and I prefer Alaska for the scenery. There is always gorgeous scenery to be seen while cruising Alaska where cruising the Caribbean is a lot of open ocean to see while cruising. T

The entertainment on the ship was excellent. Really good comedian (and I don't usually care much for the comedians but this guy actually made me laugh), super excellent singer in Lou Gazzarra, Amy Lee (which was an amazing violinist. I thought I would be bored with a violinist but I wasn't as she was a real performer and was excellent. Also another comedian/juggler was real good. The ship's singers and dancers put on a couple of shows that were good. They were typical. Dancers were excellent. The singers were just ok.

Overall, it was a very nice cruise. Especially liked that Sitka was included as one of the ports as very few ships go there which I don't understand. In fact, the port of Sitka is one of the main reasons I booked this cruise besides that it was a 10 night cruise which is definitely better than the shorter 7 night cruises and yet not as long as a back to back. A 10 night that included Hubbard glacier and Sitka would be great. We had not been to Sitka since our first Alaska cruise in 2001 and it is just a gorgeous port. Was not quite as impressive this time though to sail into as they had us actually dock at a newer dock. Last time in 2001 we were on another cruise line and they tendered. We were in a different location right outside of the town of Sitka. Much more impressive than where we docked this time.

We saw more wildlife on this cruise right from the cruise ship than any of our previous Alaska cruises. We saw many whales, dolphins and porpoises. Also saw many of those cute little otters on an excursion out of Sitka called the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. Didn't expect to see puffins as far south as Ketchikan, but we saw some scurrying across the water as we were leaving the port.

We traveled to Vancouver 3 days before the cruise. I used air miles through American Airlines and for the first time was booked through American Eagle. I knew it was a smaller plane but thought I would try it once. Usually we had always used Alaska Airlines. Did not enjoy that plane or their policy of making you feel uncomfortable by announcing twice when leaving Vancouver enroute to Los Angeles that "if anyone wants to get off the plane to please do so now". I fly numerous times a year but still don't like it at all and that definitely does not make a person comfortable with flying on their plane. Won't fly on them again. Will pay for a flight before I use air miles for this airline again. The plane also made a lot of weird noises.

That being said we enjoyed our pre-cruise independent touring of Vancouver and Victoria. Our group of 4 rented a car and took the ferry over to Vancouver Island on Sunday, May 10. Was a beautiful ride over there to Vancouver Island as the ferry sails by many small islands. We took our time touring Butchart Gardens Even though the cruise stopped in Victoria we didn't want to rush through the gardens which were gorgeous and wanted to have a slower paced day the day the cruise stopped in Victoria. Monday, May 11, we just toured around Vancouver.

When our cruise stopped in Victoria we enjoyed taking a pedi-cab tour for about 3 hours which toured us around the downtown area, residential area and Beacon Hill Park. Was fun once but wouldn't do it again as it is quite pricey. Beacon Hill Park is so pretty with Canadian geese, eagles and just a relaxing, pretty place. Went to Fisherman's wharf and saw the little houseboat town. Cute and quaint.

Embarkation went very smoothly because we are US citizens, however, I heard that those from the UK and other places had a 4 hour wait trying to get on the ship. Poor people.

Debarkation went smoothly. We also stayed an extra 2 nights in Vancouver at the Blue Horizon hotel on Robson St. I highly recommend it. Ask for a room above floor 20 so you have a nice view of English bay. But you have to have the rooms with 2 queen beds to get the good views. The location is excellent.

We went to the Capilano Suspension bridge. Not good for those who have a fear of heights but a beautiful place.

Our weather on this trip was absolutely remarkable. It was warm and no rain the whole cruise and only a little drizzle post cruise in Vancouver. Did not need all the warmer clothes and rain wear we brought. Only wore my gore-tex wind breaker to protect from the chill of the breeze but didn’t even need my fleece I brought to wear under it or my pull over sweaters. But, I guess, it is always good to be prepared. I brought rain pants which were not needed either, but one never knows what the weather is going to be in Alaska so at least I was prepared.

I would definitely take this ship and this cruise again.

__________________

We had rented a car and that is how we got to the Suspension bridge. However, if you are staying in downtown there is a free bus that takes you there. We got it at (I think it is called ) the transportation center right down by the waterfront when we were in Vancouver last September.

Check the times and you can ride the bus back also. It is a beautiful green full of foliage area to visit and the ride on the bus across the Lions gate bridge is also very scenic.

Just got back off Celebrity Millennium and was in Aqua Class.

Port days - Blu breakfast is 7:00 am to 8:30 am

Sea days - Breakfast ends at 9:00 am

They make the best tableside made Mueslix per your order. They have mueslix in the buffet but it doesn't compare.

Sorry don't know anything about the room service menu. Never used it.

We ate in Blu or the MDR.

Happy Cruiser 6143 -

I wasn't looking for the true "glacier" experience this trip as we have been to Glacier Bay and Hubbard glacier on previous trips.

I was feeling bad for all those people who booked this trip to Alaska as their first trip to Alaska and didn't get to see any of the big glaciers such as Hubbard. Sometimes I don't think people really study the itinerary.

Thanks so much for your reply.

timbom - Sorry I don't know who the naturalist was on board.

miched - You have totally got my interest up in this insurance thing. I am going to call my insurance and ask about this Canadian proof of insurance for next time. They didn't ask us anything about it when we rented the cars twice. Just asked if we wanted insurance and that was that.

Happy Cruises 6143 - Hope you come back to answer my Tracy Arm questions.

In my previous post, by parka I meant one that is a waterproof shell with a hood. Not a heavy parka coat. We have used our waterproof shell parkas every Alaska trip. It is also great for protecting you from the cooler breezes. You need to layer a fleece under it when viewing the glaciers as it gets quite cold during outside viewing.

Here is the review I posted on the Celebrity site. It has not turned up under "reviews" yet. My review on the Celebrity site talks a lot more about the ship also.

Please feel free to ask any questions. We really enjoyed our 10 night Round trip Vancouver cruise on the Millennium. It was May 12 to May 22 out of Vancouver. My husband and I are 64 and this was our 6th time to Alaska. This is a review without pictures. If I wait to insert the pictures it might get done next year. I love going to Alaska for the gorgeous scenery.

My husband and I have been on many cruises and this was our sixth time to Alaska. Our fifth cruise to Alaska. One of the times was an independent driving trip of mostly the Kenai Peninsula. I particularly love going to Alaska for the awe-inspiringly beautiful scenery.

This 10 night round trip Vancouver trip went to Sitka, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord and Victoria.

I booked this cruise because of it visiting Sitka and being a 10 night cruise.

I thought this was a great itinerary with it being a 10 night cruise and I wish that length was offered more often. One thing that would be nice to be improved is going to Hubbard glacier instead of Tracy Arm fjord. The fjord was beautiful and I enjoyed going since in 5 previous trips to Alaska we had not gone there, however, it was very disappointing to not make it all the way to the Sawyer glaciers. They claimed there was too much of an ice flow so they turned around. However, at the point the ship turned around the ice didn't look any worse than what we had already gone through.

I spoke to quite a few people that said this was their first time to Alaska and I felt bad for them since they did not get to any of the big glaciers on this cruise. The ship turned around and we did not even get to see the glaciers from a distance. Sometimes I don't think people really study the itineraries of their cruise. Being it was their first time to Alaska and they wanted to see glaciers, why didn't they pick a cruise that took in one of the big glaciers. Strange!

Hopefully, I can talk my husband into going back to Alaska again in a few years so we can take the small boat excursion to the Sawyer glaciers in Tracy Arm fjord out of Juneau. I have read many outstanding reviews of that trip here on cruise critic. He prefers warmer cruises and I prefer Alaska for the scenery. There is always gorgeous scenery to be seen while cruising Alaska where cruising the Caribbean is a lot of open ocean to see while cruising.

I thought of doing the small boat excursion out of Juneau this trip but our group of 4 opted to rent a car and go see Mendenhall glacier again and walk to the waterfall. Just gorgeous! If you can be sure to take that walk to Nugget falls. We also drove to the end of the road which had some outstanding views. We were happy with what we did.

There were many nights that I just stared out the balcony or up on deck and especially looking out the aft or forward.

Skagway - Please don't miss the views leaving Skagway. It is definitely one of the most beautiful sailaways ever. You sail out of Lynn Canal surrounded by mountains. Breathtakingly gorgeous! So many people were just inside the ship while they were missing the show outside. Go up front and look forward. Not to be missed.

Icy Strait Point - Been there before. Quaint little town. We just went for a nice walk down the beach, very scenic and through a forest. Went to "town" which is the very small town of Hoonah and had lunch there. Did some typical souvenir shopping. It is one of the most natural of the ports as it is not filled with the touristy jewelry stores. I believe everything was made locally.

Ketchikan - we were fortunate to have a friend of a friend drive us around and show us the area. We were not interested in small plane flying. Was great seeing things from the eyes of a long time resident. Drove to Ward Lake and also out the other direction and up the coast. Took a boat to Misty Fjords on a previous cruise. Beautiful trip.

Overall, it was a very nice cruise. Especially liked that Sitka was included as one of the ports as very few ships go there which I don't understand. In fact, the port of Sitka is one of the main reasons I booked this cruise besides that it was a 10 night cruise which is definitely better than the shorter 7 night cruises and yet not as long as a back to back. A 10 night that included Hubbard glacier and Sitka would be great. We had not been to Sitka since our first Alaska cruise in 2001 and it is just a gorgeous port. Was not quite as impressive this time though to sail into as they had us actually dock at a newer dock. Last time in 2001 we were on another cruise line and they tendered. We were in a different location right outside of the town of Sitka. Much more impressive than where we docked this time.

We saw more wildlife on this cruise right from the cruise ship than any of our previous Alaska cruises. We saw many whales, dolphins and porpoises. Also saw many of those cute little otters on an excursion out of Sitka called the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. Didn't expect to see puffins as far south as Ketchikan, but we saw some scurrying across the water as we were leaving the port.

You are cruising awe-inspiringly gorgeous Alaska. Use your time to view the scenery and not sit in your room watching a movie or reading a book.

We traveled to Vancouver 3 days before the cruise. I used air miles through American Airlines and for the first time was booked through American Eagle. I knew it was a smaller plane but thought I would try it once. Usually we had always used Alaska Airlines. Did not enjoy that plane or their policy of making you feel uncomfortable by announcing twice when leaving Vancouver enroute to Los Angeles that "if anyone wants to get off the plane to please do so now". I fly numerous times a year but still don't like it at all and that definitely does not make a person comfortable with flying on their plane. Won't fly on them again. Will pay for a flight before I use air miles for this airline again. The plane also made a lot of weird noises.

That being said we enjoyed our pre-cruise independent touring of Vancouver and Victoria. Our group of 4 rented a car and took the ferry over to Vancouver Island on Sunday, May 10. Was a beautiful ride over there to Vancouver Island as the ferry sails by many small islands. We took our time touring Butchart Gardens Even though the cruise stopped in Victoria we didn't want to rush through the gardens which were gorgeous and wanted to have a slower paced day the day the cruise stopped in Victoria. Monday, May 11, we just toured around Vancouver including Granville Island which is a great tourist stop.

When our cruise stopped in Victoria we enjoyed taking a pedi-cab tour for about 3 hours which toured us around the downtown area, residential area and Beacon Hill Park. Was fun once but wouldn't do it again as it is quite pricey. Beacon Hill Park is so pretty with Canadian geese, eagles and just a relaxing, pretty place. Went to Fisherman's wharf and saw the little houseboat town. Cute and quaint.

Embarkation went very smoothly because we are US citizens, however, I heard that those from the UK and other places had a 4 hour wait trying to get on the ship. Poor people.

Debarkation went smoothly. We also stayed an extra 2 nights in Vancouver at the Blue Horizon hotel on Robson St. I highly recommend it. Ask for a room above floor 20 so you have a nice view of English bay. But you have to have the rooms with 2 queen beds to get the good views. The location is excellent.

We went to the Capilano Suspension bridge. Not good for those who have a fear of heights but a beautiful place.

Our weather on this trip was absolutely remarkable. It was warm and no rain the whole cruise and only a little drizzle post cruise in Vancouver. Did not need all the warmer clothes and rain wear we brought. Only wore my gore-tex wind breaker to protect from the chill of the breeze but didn’t even need my fleece I brought to wear under it or my pull over sweaters. But, I guess, it is always good to be prepared. I brought rain pants which were not needed either, but one never knows what the weather is going to be in Alaska so at least I was prepared.

I would definitely take this ship and this cruise again.

__________________

__________________

Sherry

11/1986 - Carnival "Holiday" - Caribbean

5/2001 - HAL, Ryndam - Alaska - southbound

9/2002 - Princess' - Star - Mexican Riviera

You can wear your jeans.

You don't need hiking boots. I am not a hiker either but I still take a low cut pair of gore-tex (waterproof) hikers. They keep my feet warm and dry if it rains. You never know if and when it may rain. I just got a new pair off of zappos.com and they are waterproof but look more like a tennis shoe. Very comfortable. They were by North Face. I even wore them this last cruise trip a week ago just walking the streets shopping cause they were comfy.

After trips to Alaska I always take some cheap rain pants. Never need them.

The two most important things to me are the low cut waterproof hikers and a waterproof parka with a hood. If it rains you can just pull the hood up and go. I never let any rain stop us from enjoying the trip.

Smart wool socks are also great. They are comfortable, warm and don't let me feet sweat like synthetics.

You never know what the weather is going to be. So remember to layer, layer, layer. Take a back pack with you when out and about to put layers when not needed.

Hope this helped.

Skagway - I forgot to mention that Skagway has one of the most beautiful sailaways. Do not be fooling around on the ship and miss it. Sailing out of Skagway and up the Lynn Canal is not one to be missed. Just gorgeous.

Put your jacket on and go up on deck and look forward. Don't just observe from your balcony on the side of the ship.

Here is the review I posted on the Celebrity site. It has turned up under "reviews" yet.

Please feel free to ask any questions. We really enjoyed our 10 night Round trip Vancouver cruise on the Millennium. It was May 12 to May 22 out of Vancouver. My husband and I are 64 and this was our 6th time to Alaska. This is a review without pictures. If I wait to insert the pictures it might get done next year. I love going to Alaska for the gorgeous scenery.

This was our first time in Aqua class and we were in Aqua Class, Cabin 1117 on deck 11. We very much enjoyed the location of the deck 11 Aqua class cabins. There was absolutely no sewage smell at any time like previous posters have mentioned regarding the deck 9 Aqua class cabins. I would only choose Aqua class again if the price was right being not a whole lot more than a regular balcony. But I did love the larger roomy shower in our cabin. Loved the shower head.

My husband and I have been on many cruises and this was our sixth time to Alaska. Our fifth cruise to Alaska. One of the times was an independent driving trip of mostly the Kenai Peninsula. I particularly love going to Alaska for the awe-inspiringly beautiful scenery.

This 10 night round trip Vancouver trip went to Sitka, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord and Victoria.

Blu - We enjoyed eating in Blu for its ambiance and being a quieter experience than the MDR. We had no problem with availability in Blu like a previous poster wrote. We did eat dinner every night on the ship. Blu opened at 5:45 and we would get there between 5:30 to 6:00 pm so our party of 4 had the best chances of getting a window table. We preferred eating dinner earlier so not going to bed so full. We are also older (in our 60's) and did not party till all hours. The maitre 'd and the hostess in Blu were very delightful and extremely helpful in all ways and helpful too in helping us with customizing our meals.

Our waiter, Elias and assistant waiter, Yashmanee, were excellent. One night we didn't eat in Blu because we preferred the menu in the main dining room. The menus are not the same. Our service in Select dining was also very good. Blu is supposed to be a more healthy dining venue but we missed some of the items presented in the main dining room that is why we also ate there. Prime Rib was not offered in Blu but was in the MDR. It is quieter eating in Blu than the hustle bustle of the MDR but the food for dinner is really no big deal better than the MDR.

For breakfast - Blu makes the absolute best tableside made Mueslix. Yes, they have it in the buffet but it doesn't compare. We liked eating in Blu a lot but you did have to remember it is an eating "experience" so it does take longer than having breakfast in the buffet. So you needed to plan accordingly if you were short on time. They really strive to please in Blu.

I kept wanting to go back to Bistro on Five for their delicious crepes but never got there. They did raise the price to $10.00 per person but we looked at the menu and that included anything and everything you wanted on the menu.

Alot of previous posters complained about the appearance of the ship. We didn't find any problems. Our cabin was always well maintained and clean and same with public areas.

We really enjoyed using the therapy pool and jacuzzis in the solarium which was an inside area. The pool was always warm although the spas were sometime too hot for use or not warm enough. Was a nice place to relax in the later afternoon after a busy port day or even a sea day. Being in Aqua class we had access to the Persian garden but never got there.

I thought this was a great itinerary with it being a 10 night cruise and I wish that length was offered more often. One thing that would be nice to be improved is going to Hubbard glacier instead of Tracy Arm fjord. The fjord was beautiful and I enjoyed going since in 5 previous trips to Alaska we had not gone there, however, it was very disappointing to not make it all the way to the Sawyer glaciers. They claimed there was too much of an ice flow so they turned around. However, at the point the ship turned around the ice didn't look any worse than what we had already gone through. I spoke to quite a few people that said this was their first time to Alaska and I felt bad for them since they did not get to any of the big glaciers on this cruise. The ship turned around and we did not even get to see the glaciers from a distance. Sometimes I don't think people really study the itineraries of their cruise. Being it was their first time to Alaska and they wanted to see glaciers, why didn't they pick a cruise that took in one of the big glaciers. Strange!

If I am ever able to talk my husband into going back to Alaska again, we will try to take the small boat excursion to the Sawyer glaciers in Tracy Arm fjord out of Juneau. I have read many outstanding reviews of that trip here on cruise critic. He prefers warmer cruises and I prefer Alaska for the scenery. There is always gorgeous scenery to be seen while cruising Alaska where cruising the Caribbean is a lot of open ocean to see while cruising. T

The entertainment on the ship was excellent. Really good comedian (and I don't usually care much for the comedians but this guy actually made me laugh), super excellent singer in Lou Gazzarra, Amy Lee (which was an amazing violinist. I thought I would be bored with a violinist but I wasn't as she was a real performer and was excellent. Also another comedian/juggler was real good. The ship's singers and dancers put on a couple of shows that were good. They were typical. Dancers were excellent. The singers were just ok.

Overall, it was a very nice cruise. Especially liked that Sitka was included as one of the ports as very few ships go there which I don't understand. In fact, the port of Sitka is one of the main reasons I booked this cruise besides that it was a 10 night cruise which is definitely better than the shorter 7 night cruises and yet not as long as a back to back. A 10 night that included Hubbard glacier and Sitka would be great. We had not been to Sitka since our first Alaska cruise in 2001 and it is just a gorgeous port. Was not quite as impressive this time though to sail into as they had us actually dock at a newer dock. Last time in 2001 we were on another cruise line and they tendered. We were in a different location right outside of the town of Sitka. Much more impressive than where we docked this time.

We saw more wildlife on this cruise right from the cruise ship than any of our previous Alaska cruises. We saw many whales, dolphins and porpoises. Also saw many of those cute little otters on an excursion out of Sitka called the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. Didn't expect to see puffins as far south as Ketchikan, but we saw some scurrying across the water as we were leaving the port.

We traveled to Vancouver 3 days before the cruise. I used air miles through American Airlines and for the first time was booked through American Eagle. I knew it was a smaller plane but thought I would try it once. Usually we had always used Alaska Airlines. Did not enjoy that plane or their policy of making you feel uncomfortable by announcing twice when leaving Vancouver enroute to Los Angeles that "if anyone wants to get off the plane to please do so now". I fly numerous times a year but still don't like it at all and that definitely does not make a person comfortable with flying on their plane. Won't fly on them again. Will pay for a flight before I use air miles for this airline again. The plane also made a lot of weird noises.

That being said we enjoyed our pre-cruise independent touring of Vancouver and Victoria. Our group of 4 rented a car and took the ferry over to Vancouver Island on Sunday, May 10. Was a beautiful ride over there to Vancouver Island as the ferry sails by many small islands. We took our time touring Butchart Gardens Even though the cruise stopped in Victoria we didn't want to rush through the gardens which were gorgeous and wanted to have a slower paced day the day the cruise stopped in Victoria. Monday, May 11, we just toured around Vancouver.

When our cruise stopped in Victoria we enjoyed taking a pedi-cab tour for about 3 hours which toured us around the downtown area, residential area and Beacon Hill Park. Was fun once but wouldn't do it again as it is quite pricey. Beacon Hill Park is so pretty with Canadian geese, eagles and just a relaxing, pretty place. Went to Fisherman's wharf and saw the little houseboat town. Cute and quaint.

Embarkation went very smoothly because we are US citizens, however, I heard that those from the UK and other places had a 4 hour wait trying to get on the ship. Poor people.

Debarkation went smoothly. We also stayed an extra 2 nights in Vancouver at the Blue Horizon hotel on Robson St. I highly recommend it. Ask for a room above floor 20 so you have a nice view of English bay. But you have to have the rooms with 2 queen beds to get the good views. The location is excellent.

We went to the Capilano Suspension bridge. Not good for those who have a fear of heights but a beautiful place.

Our weather on this trip was absolutely remarkable. It was warm and no rain the whole cruise and only a little drizzle post cruise in Vancouver. Did not need all the warmer clothes and rain wear we brought. Only wore my gore-tex wind breaker to protect from the chill of the breeze but didn’t even need my fleece I brought to wear under it or my pull over sweaters. But, I guess, it is always good to be prepared. I brought rain pants which were not needed either, but one never knows what the weather is going to be in Alaska so at least I was prepared.

I would definitely take this ship and this cruise again.

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We have been to the Wildlife Refuge center several times and there was always moose there. So if you do rent a car and get there I really don't think you will be disappointed as there is such a good variety of wildlife.

Also - great suggestion for lunch to stop at Summit Lake Lodge. Good food and fabulous views of the lake.