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Great review and photos! Thanks for doing it. I have been dreaming of going back to Alaska since our Star Princess cruise and visit to Denali NP last June.

Very nice review! Thank you for doing it.

NIce video!

Great review. Thanks for doing it!

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Last June our whale watch excursion with Harv and Marc in Juneau was cancelled. They said it was due to high wind. It can happen, although apparently not very often.

I would recommend Frontier as well. We did a tour to the Yukon with them last year in June and had a great day with a very good driver/tour guide.

We did this itinerary last year. If your itinerary is the same as ours was, the formal nights were Sunday (Yakutat Bay) and Wednesday (Juneau).

Nice review! Dawn, I think my husband and I met you on the Paradise in February, 2001. We corresponded online before the cruise and then wound up meeting you onboard when we just happened to be standing next to you during sail away. Or am I thinking of someone else?

Great review! I cannot wait to read the rest. We had a great time in Alaska on the Star in June.

Sitting in my armchair reading and eating bonbons....

I enjoy reading your reviews, Kim. I wish my husband loved cruises as much as I do (and apparently yours does).

Just thought I would mention that there is another bioluminescent bay near Falmouth, Jamaica. We went there in January when we stayed at an all-inclusive in Negril (it was a long ride from Negril, but worth it). It is called The Glistening Waters (AKA Luminous Lagoon) and there is a restaurant and marina there, too. Obviously one couldn't go there on a cruise because they all depart before dark, but if you ever were to go to an all-inclusive near Montego Bay you could.

The glow there was just like all the photos I have seen. On this tour you could get in the water for a few minutes and of course they had a photographer on board to take your photo and sell it to you. The crew also brought buckets of water on board for you to dip your hand or arm in if you didn't want to get in the water. I didn't get in; it wasn't deep but the bottom was described as feeling like you were standing in oatmeal and I knew I wouldn't like that. However, other people did get in and they certainly were "glistening."

It was a great experience.

Thanks for the review and the very well done video.

Have a great trip! I will enjoy hearing about it.

The photos are stunning, among the best I have ever seen here at CC. Maybe the best ;)

Wow, just wow.

Very nice review! Thanks for taking the time to do it. I don't know if I will ever get to return to Alaska, but I would certainly like to and see some things that I missed the first time.

I find speculation about tour options that are NOT first hand experiences to be pretty useless and often inaccurate. I find that above.

 

Driving in Alaska/Canada is wide open expansive. The driver is at no disadvantage. It is ONE 2 lane road. With a drive of the Klondike Highway- I find it "necessary" to recommend Murrays Guide. Superbly written and will greatly enhance a trip. Option for the drive- with the above "dog" reference- is the ability to drive up, which is your bargain option. 2 camps on the Klondike Highway that you will pass, Caribou Crossing being one.

 

Easy to drive in all the Alaska ports.

 

With the Tracy Arm itinerary- you HAVE to be prepared for no glacier viewing from the cruise ship. The add on ship tour- is grossly superior, with it not uncommon to see humpbacks. Mendenhall is a cheap option- which I suggest by cab for a group of 4. IF you stay on ONLY the Nugget Falls trail - there is no admission fee. BUT, consider being "honest" if you go elsewhere and pony up the small fees. There is a fee map.

 

The bargain- jackpot that I always suggest in Ketchikan is Totem Bight by city bus.

What is not first-hand about what I posted?

We were in Skagway and Juneau in June. In Skagway we used Frontier Tours to go to the Yukon/Carcross. I would recommend them highly. There were 12 people on the tour ( four in our own group) and the cost was around $90 per person, which included lunch. We made plenty of photo stops and our guide willingly took photos for everyone and gave us a great tour.

In Juneau we booked a 10:30 a.m. whale watching tour with Harv and Marv, which was canceled (major disappointment) due to high winds on Auke Bay. I don't think this happens often; we were just unlucky. Some of the larger vessels apparently still went out, but we were not able to get on one of these.

Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do. Alaska is spectacular!

Your photos are fantastic! Maybe some day we can go back and do this with our family. What great memories for your family!

Thanks for doing this review. It sounds simply wonderful. We just did a 2- week do it yourself land tour of Denali and big ship cruise, and it was great BUT your small ship experience sounds so much better. We looked into a small ship cruise when we started planning our trip, but the ones we priced were way beyond our budget.

I am so glad you had such a great trip! Please do share photos if you are able.

Nice review! It was very well written and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for doing it.

We recently spent four days in Denali National Park and took two park shuttles. The first day we went to Eielson and saw lots of caribou, Dall sheep, and moose, but no bears. We also saw Denali that day.

On our second trip into the park we went to Toklat and saw a grizzly sow with two cubs and sheep, but very few caribou. Denali was not out that day. We also saw a moose with two calves near the Visitor's Center at the park entrance that day.

In Skagway we did a tour to the Yukon with Frontier Tours and saw black bears in two different spots right by the road!

The animals are there but it's luck of the draw how many you see, unless you go to a zoo. The more time you spend in Denali NP though, the better your chances of seeing them.

I have been hooked on watching this webcam since I discovered it a few days after we returned from our Alaska cruise!

Very nice review! Thank you for doing it.

Do you by change remember who was the naturalist on board?

I'm heading out of Whittier in August.

Thanks for your review - very exciting.

I believe her name was Sandra Schempp. Glad you enjoyed the review.

Thanks for posting. So sad about your whale excursion --it was really choppy out there...

I only booked this a week prior to the cruise, actually while we were at Denali NP. After I booked the excursion I had a feeling I should have chosen the 7:30 trip instead. Sounds like you had a great time despite the weather. Glad you got to go! Perhaps I will get another chance some day.