irvinejohn

Sorry I still haven't figured out how to post larger pictures. I thought I figured out linking to Flickr but I have password issues on setting up a new account. Shutterfly copies the link instead of the picture, but I want the picture to show up instead so it's been frustrating.:confused:

Next we did stop by Seattle Center and walked over to the gift shop at the Space Needle. Any thoughts about just my family going up into the Needle went way with the 90 minute line. It seems it is a popular destination whenever the weather is clear.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass tour is right next to the Space Needle and you can see a few of the exhibits outside. If you’ve been to the Bellagio in Vegas, the glass ceiling near the front desk is a Chihuly creation. The Chihuly Garden and Glass seemed interesting so I would like to visit it next time.

The Seattle CityPass seems like a good deal if you are going to do at least three of the listed events. If you are going to do just one or two of the sights or are time constrained, then it probably doesn’t make any sense. One of the five tours included in the pass is the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, which kind of seems redundant with the upcoming cruise. Since we were such a large family we elected not to purchase the pass this time. Furthermore, there is a lot of construction at the waterfront due to rebuilding the sea wall so it would make the Seattle Aquarium and Argosy more difficult to get to. In addition, my brother is not a big fan of Pike’s Market because it always so crowded and touristy. I’ve done all of these tours previously so we’ll think about introducing the kids to these some other time when it’s just my immediate family visiting.

My kids were most interested in the Space Needle and the Aquarium. I had thought about doing these two on our own on disembarkation day since we were kind of in the neighborhood but I’m glad we just decided to go back to my brother’s house instead. We were all tired with the semi-hectic port schedules. It would have been a pain to deal with the luggage in the heat since our return flight was later in the evening,

I'm enjoying your review. Could you possibly post the pictures a little larger? It is hard to appreciate your photographic talent in such small pic.

 

We are heading to AK for the 5th time in 2 weeks on a 14 night itinerary on the Statendam.

Sorry my bad. I'm still figuring out how to post larger pics. The food porn is coming soon ...

What were you doing out in the 'Quah? For Chinese, we like Szechuan Bean Flower but you'd probably not be able to find it now, hidden behind construction.

 

As for the weather, try coming in January or February and see what it's really like. :(

My brother lives in Bellevue so Issaquah isn't that far. His family has taken me to that restaurant a few times I think.

Actually I've been to Seattle twice during the winter and the weather was clear. Went snowboarding at Snoqualmie Pass and Mt. Baker during one President's Day weekend. I must be lucky with the weather.

Back to the Japanese Garden. There was a nominal entrance fee. I don’t remember exactly but it was only a few dollars per person. It was a very nice garden and I’m glad we visited. At the first fork in the garden path, there is a great reddish cascading/weeping dissectum Japanese maple with gnarly branches that made a terrific photo spot. You could get underneath it to take fantastic pictures in the shade while the red leaves contrasted nicely with the green leaves of the other Japanese maples. Indeed we took many pictures there. Note Earl Burn’s Miller Japanese Garden in California State University in Long Beach is also very nice and but does not charge admission.

On our sightseeing day we had thought about going to Ballard Locks as well but decided not to as it was already a very warm day and we were running late and somewhat out of the way for our dinner reservation later.

After the garden we stopped off at Kerry Park at Queen Anne Hill for the iconic downtown scenic view of the Space Needle and downtown Seattle. The sky which has been clear when we first came in Thursday had turned hazy and we unfortunately we could no longer see Mt. Rainer clearly. Take pictures of the mountain whenever you have the opportunity to do so.

Regarding the weather, it has been a record heat spell in Seattle with 90 degree temperatures more like August than late June early July. I’ve been to Seattle at least ten times and I’ve only been rained on for two days, and the weather did clear up on our whale watching expedition then. My brother says it really does rain a lot in Seattle (“There are two seasons in Seattle – August and Winter”), but guess I have been lucky or it is really a myth to keep people from moving to the Pacific Northwest.

The weather forecast for our three Alaskan ports changed frequently, but it seemed to settle down the closer it got to our departure date. Ketchikan, which measures rainfall in feet, was supposed to have only a 10% chance of rain, while Juneau was 20%, and Skagway looked like a wet day with about 50to 80% chance a rain. The forecasts turned out to be accurate for us.

We arrived three days before our cruise without any specific plans outside of spending time together. We winded up eating out at three Chinese restaurants (I think Shanghai Gardens in Issaquah, Top Gun in Bellevue, and Din Tai Fung in Seattle). Can you guess our ethnicity? Yes we’re Irish.

Din Tai Fung made the biggest impression for me and most of the family with their delicious hand-made dumplings. You can watch the workers make the dumplings as you enter the restaurant. The one with the soup inside has a thicker base and thinner top for easier twisting. I didn’t order so I don’t know the names of the other dishes. There are other items besides dumplings and they were all good. Din Tai Fung reminded me of another dumpling restaurant I ate at in Xian, the home of the terra cotta warriors in China. I strongly recommend this restaurant if you want some authentic dumplings. I found out there is a branch at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa so I don’t have to go back to Seattle for another serving.

Another one of the reasons we choose Din Tai Fun was its proximity to the Japanese Garden in the Washington Arboretum. Out sightseeing day turned out to be the Saturday before our cruise and it turned out to be a hot muggy day.

John Wayne is our closest airport but it is also the priciest. So Jet Blue out of Long Beach Airport turned out to be the best deal for us. Jet Blue had not yet introduced baggage fees yet, so it we didn’t have to worry about packing so efficiently, although we still aimed for about five days of clothes excluding the formal wear and cold weather gear. It was the first time for us on Jet Blue and the first time we have flown as a family since my sister-in-law’s wedding five years ago.

It was also the first time out of Long Beach. My brother-in-law dropped us off on his way to work and Long Beach Airport is surprisingly and refreshingly small. I avoid LAX if at all possible because of all the traffic getting there and all the lines at the airport. At LGB instead, from the drop off to the curb to check-in counter was maybe twenty feet. After literally exiting check-in, the waiting area before the security gate is an outside covered corridor. We didn’t know what to expect at the gate but it turned out a modern terminal probably built for just Jet Blue, which was one of three airlines servicing Long Beach. The only thing unusual was the usage of old style open gangways/stairs to board both end of the plane.

During the flight the kids did jockey for the window seats, but the video monitor with live TV streams kept them entertained while we dozed after our typical last minute packing. Only my oldest son had earphones so he all the kids took turns. Jet Blue does sell earphones in case you really needed them.

It is payback time through this photo report/blog. Thank you all for posting your experiences and recommendations on Cruise Critic. I found it very helpful for me for the two cruises I’ve experienced. I’m a detailed planner who prefers to know where we are going in advance and about the ships, so all of you have been very helpful. While it was a family decision to the pick Alaska and then the Ruby Princess round trip from Seattle, I elected to rent from Juneau Car Rental and Sourdough and see the sites based upon your insight. I’ll give my reviews of these local vendors, both positive, when I get to the ports.

The itinerary for the Ruby Princess was Tracy Arm. I would have preferred Glacier Bay to get a better chance of seeing glaciers and possibly calving, but it is the more expensive tour and with so many people we were budget conscious, and Tracy Arm it was. I was able to spot a $200 per cabin price reduction on Expedia after we had booked already with Princess so I was able to save the whole family $800. Compared to Mexico, all the excursions are so much more expensive in Alaska. In addition the port fee was $100 more per person, but I heard this was a State law to alleviate the burden of dealing with so many tourists besieging the smaller tourist ports.

As for the photo part, photography is a hobby and I think I’m pretty decent at it, although my wife probably thinks I’ve turned into a photo snob at times. I recently upgraded to a Canon 6D and brought four lenses on the trip 24-105mm F4L IS, 70-200mm F4L IS, 35mm F2 IS, and the Rokinon 14mm F2.8. I’m a flash enthusiast with a 600EX-RT and Yongnou E3-R3 wireless transmitter, and I also brought my Velbon carbon fiber tripod with a Markins Q10 ballhead. The only place that required the fast prime was the Princess Theater before a show, but otherwise I didn’t use the 35mm lens. I’d recommended skipping out on bringing a fast prime lens unless that’s your shooting style. Most of the time I used the zoom lenses with the flash.

Back to cruising. This was my second family cruise trip. Our first cruise trip was Holland America’s Zaandam on the Mexican Riviera two years ago. That time we had fifteen family members as my youngest brother opted out. It was our first trip for my wife and four boys (oldest 12 and youngest twins are 7)and my sister and brother-in-law. For my other brother’s family of five, it was their second and my parents are experienced cruisers. San Diego is within driving distance for us Californians but my brother’s family flew in from Seattle.

This time aboard the Ruby Princess my youngest brother joined and made us a team sixteen strong. All the Californian’s met at SeaTac and my brother arranged picked us up. My oldest son doesn’t remember his other trip to Seattle (he was two at the time) and it was the first trip there for my other boys. They were excited about playing hide-and-seek with their cousins.

We met another group of 16 while waiting to board and heard about a larger group of 22.