TracyCCRN

We splurged and booked a suite on Princess for our 11-day Alaskan cruise.  One of the perks is specialty dining the firsts night.  When I made the reservation, it appeared to still charge us for the booking.  Will this adjust once we are on board? Or are we limited to specific specialty restaurants? 

It's been a few years since we've been to Alaska, but when we were in Ketchikan the 2 that stick out in my mind were the Misty Fjords tour, and zip lining.  

The Misty Fjords was breathtaking.  and very relaxed.  The zip lining was more adventurous, but nothing to strenuous.  

Don't forget to spend some time in the Arctic Bar! 

Thank you for your input! That’s what we were hoping. The views in the pictures look amazing! We found it for $239US which is cheaper than what we are paying pre cruise at the Shangri-La. we aren’t worried about the views from the room. We don’t plan on spending much time there. But to be able to walk around outside and take some photos is what we are looking for.

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Checking out hotels for our one night post cruise. The pics online look great but would like some input from someone that has actually stayed there. We already have our pre cruise hotel booked, and we just want to stay someplace different.

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We are getting ready to go for our 4th time this July. We have had some great experiences while in Alaska. Some of which have been happy accidents. Meaning that, I would not have enjoyed the experience as much had certain circumstances not occurred.

Ketchikan: The first time we went, we had our teenagers with us. We did the zipline tour. This was fun, but something the kids enjoyed more than the adults. What made this a great experience was watching the eagles fly around as you were zipping through the trees.

One of our trips we independently booked one of the small planes to take us bear watching. (Sorry, I do not remember the name of the company, but it was an amazing experience). We watched a momma bear catching fish for her 2 cubs, and other bear fishing a little farther away from them.

If memory serves me correctly, we have also been on a Misty Fjords Tour out of Ketchikan as well. It must not have been very memorable for me though.

We of course have spent time at the raptor center, looking at the totem polls, plenty of time on creek street, married mans trail, and shopping in their many little shops.

Juneau: The one place we always go when we stop at Juneau is Tracy's Crab Shack. It's right on the pier. It reminds me of a hotdog stand that sells HUGE crab legs, excellent crab bisque, and crab cakes! It's quite pricey (but what in Alaska isn't).

We have done the helicoptor glacier tour that lands on the ice field. The views are amazing! It isn't something we would do twice as it is expensive, but we are glad we did it.

We have gone to Mendenhall Glacier and walked down the little trails. It's one of the more budget friendly things to do if you aren't including it with something bigger such as whale watching, etc...

We haven't done St. Roberts Tram. The first time we were there, we had a full day and didn't have time to go. The second two times we went, it was cloudy and didn't want to waste our money if we weren't going to be able to see anything.

We toured the Alaskan Brewery Company on one occasion. They have a store on the main street where you can purchase T-shirts, and other souveniers as well as the tour tickets for a tour of the brewery. The van will pick you up at that location and take you to the brewery. As with most brewery tours, you are able to sample the brew after the tour. The van will take you back to the store after the tour is over.

We went with Harv & Marv's whale watching tour and we were not disappointed. Many humpbacks to be seen, and one was playful and breaching. Never a guarantee what you will see. We were just in the right place at the right time.

Skagway: We were only at this port once. We did the hike, and canoe trip to Davidson Glacier, with some time spent on the glacier. Our ship was the only ship in port that day, so we had a small group (maybe only 8 of us). The trip was not supposed to include time on the glacier, but the guide decided since it was a small group, to go ahead and allow it. The boat trip back was just as memorable. We stopped for a while at an area where there were many sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. Some would jump into the water. I love watching wildlife!

Sitka: I enjoy this quaint little town. Lots of Russian heritage. I collect Matryoshka's. There is a little shop I like to visit when I'm there to pick out a new hand painted set. That's my splurge when I visit Alaska!

St. Michael's Church is a quick little visit and to me worth stepping into to take a look. It's free, so all it will cost is time.

Fortress of the bear is in Sitka. It's worth a trip out there to see the bear they rehabilitate and then release back into the wild. There are also eagle all around there. I was able to get some pretty close up pictures of them.

There is a nursing home located in town that sells crafts that the residents have made. We stopped in on our last visit and purchased a small ceramic bowl with lid that one of the residents painted.

Sitka is also the place where the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia. There is a place to visit where the exchange took place. It also has some historical facts regarding the exchange. This is free.

Icy Straight Point: This is the port that could have easily been a disappointment had it not been for the happy accident. We went on a kayak excursion. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the kayaking, I had never done that before, and there were eagles all around. It was fun watching them fly overhead. The highlight of this was the humpback whale that was right in front of us. It was almost too close for comfort. It would pop up pretty frequently and go back down! We followed it for the entire distance out, until it was time to turn back around. I have some amazing photos!

Seward (Kenai): Without a doubt, Kenai Fjords National Park was amazing! The boat takes you into the park, up to the face of a glacier where you will sit and watch it calve. We saw sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters galore! And those adorable Puffins! Again, there were plenty of humpbacks to be seen. They were quite entertaining that day. Showing off their tails, slapping their pectoral fins, and one was breaching over and over again.

While I know everybody's taste in entertainment is different, hopefully someone will find my information useful.

Happy planning!

Living in Australia, we have done a lot of long flights (to Europe and to USA several times each and to South America and to South Africa a few times each). My advice is to drink as much water and fruit juice as you can during the flight. Getting up and walking to get the drinks also give you some mild exercise.

 

The only time I had serious jet lag was returning from Europe when the plane was only one-third full (wouldn't happen these days). Because I had to start work when I got home, I stretched out on a middle row of four seats and slept most of the way. This did nothing for my body clock but it resulted in serious dehydration. I felt awful for about three days. And yes - it was an east-bound flight that people who fly international regularly say is worse than west-bound.

 

Something else that helps tremendously - compression socks. Mine are very strong elastic and go nearly to my knees. They cost me $70+. There are cheaper ones, but I don't think they would be as effective. The socks help with circulation and mean that I get off a long international flight with absolutely no ankle swelling. I wear them even on the hour-and-a-half flight between Brisbane and Sydney and I definitely feel fresher then on flights before I had the socks.

 

To sum up my hints - water and compression socks!! I also agree with the point made previously - when you arrive at your destination, don't just go to bed, change your activities to the local time.

As a nurse, I 100% agree with compression socks! I own quite a few pair of high quality ones myself! They may not be the most stylish attire, but I can only imagine what my ankles would look like after an 18 hour flight! And getting up and moving in that pressurized box is so important!

You guys are amazing! Thank you for all of the useful information! The ferry ride Is another low energy activity that will allow us to take in some of the sites around Sydney. I feel like we can do that on the first day to keep us from wanting to curl up and take a nap. I am just waiting to book the bridge climb till we have our flight information confirmed. That is one thing I planned on booking early because I didn’t want to miss out!

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Hi Carole! We are just to the west of you in the KC area! Our daughter went to St. Louis College of Pharmacy located right there by Barnes Jewish.

I wish all the Princess ships did that!

Thank you both for your responses! While we are not (quite) senior citizens, we don't run with the young crowd either! Gone are the days of staying out late, and sleeping in!

From what I can gather, taking it easy that first day will be best, without napping. Maybe stroll around the area. We are wanting to stay close to the port, and please correct me if I am wrong, but the Opera house is within walking distance of the hotels close by the port. That sounds like a nice easy adventure for the first day. Then the next day, after a good nights sleep, maybe we will be ready to take on the bridge climb!

I still have a significant amount of research to do. And I'm sure I'm putting the proverbial cart before the horse. I'm still not even able to book flights at this point as it is too early. But I am a planner, and it is just what I do.

We are flying from the U.S. to Sydney. We have never been on a flight this long before. If we are lucky, our flight will take us about 18 hours, and get us there 2 days later (considering the 16 hour time difference). How many days in advance do you recommend flying in to adjust to the jet lag and still be able to spend a day seeing the sites of Sydney. We are planning on the Harbour Bridge Climb, the Opera House tour, taking a Harbour Ferry tour of some sort. And do you have any advice on things to do or to avoid to assist in adjusting to the lag?

Thank you!

I am finally going on my dream trip! I have been researching activities and from what I have found, I will have the opportunity to see the Daintree Rain forest and the GBR in both Cairns and Port Douglas. Does anyone have any information which area is best for each of these places?

I have also been reading about a place called Mossman Gorge which looks beautiful! It too is available from both of these ports. Is it within the Rain forest?

Thank you for your feedback.