Sanctuary for Alaska Cruise

[LindaandJeff]

Has anyone done the Sanctuary for an Alaska Cruise? If so, do you think it was worth it? Do they do anything special for Sanctuary guests (hot cocoa, extra naturalist, etc.)? Do you still have a good view of the glaciers, etc. Thanks!

[LindaandJeff]

Still wondering ...anyone just back from Alaska had any experience with the Sanctuary yet?

[RickEk]

I'd be interested in this too... but I'm thinking that the Sanctuary doesn't see much use in Alaska.

[billrco90278]

It is cold out at sea so I do not see the value of the Sanctuary on an Alaskan cruise.

[TracieABD]

I used the Sanctuary in the Baltic, and intended to use it on our Alaska cruise last summer, but it gets a bit cold up there... So I never got around to it. The few times that I passed it, it seemed really empty.:)

[Rosethorn40]

When I was on the Golden in April/May (Last Hawaiian cruise of the season) the serenity stewards in the Sanctuary were telling me what they do in Alaska; Hot chocolate, tea, & coffee served, plenty of blankets to keep warm, binoculars on loan, I think they have a naturalist or park ranger (In Glacier Bay) all to themselves, and of course the super comfortable lounge chairs to sit on when you get tired of the view. However, keep in mind that the Sanctuary is for the most part enclosed with blue tinted plexiglas panels (To help keep out the wind, which is only partly successful-it can get very windy up there).

 

When you get on board go to the Sanctuary and ask the stewards for more information. They were upfront with me that I might find some days unusable on our cruise to Hawaii. I didn't listen to them, but they were right.:)

[Whoo]

In June, the only day I saw anyone in the Sanctuary was the day we were in Glacier Bay. As someone else noted - there is blue tinted glass all around the Sanctuary which would take away from the beautiful scenery you are looking at. There were only 4 people in the Sanctuary, and only on that one day that I noticed.

[Putterdude]

Some how I can't see tha sanctuary being a big seller in Alaska...first off on sea days it is quite cool and most cruises are prettty intensive so people are ashore.

[LindaandJeff]

Rosethorn40 - That's exactly what I was wondering about. I thought I heard that they have their own naturalist and some special events to make it enticing. We did "join" the sanctuary in the Baltics...the crew was not upfront when I inquired about usage levels. We ended up being the only ones. But we did get terrific attention!!! But that is precisely why I was asking here. I will say it was wonderful when pulling into port to sit there with the blankets and a great view. There were several days when we couldn't use itbecause of bugs...but the days we could were worth it and they refundedour money (without us asking) for the buggy days. But I forgot about the blue glass. It did impact my photos...something I definitely don't want to happen in Glacier Bay.

[LindaandJeff]

And thanks everyone else, too, for your views. You just have to love cruise critic!

[billrco90278]

We spent an afternoon in the sanctuary during a sea day on the way to Oclos Rios after having left Ft. Lauderdale the day before. It was windy and a little cold. The charis are very comfortable and we kept warm wrapped in towels. I would like to try the Sanctuary again, but hope for better conditions.

 

The Sanctuary in Glacier Bay and College Fjord would be totally unnessary. We had excellent views from the regular decks.

[woollybugger314]

Has anyone done the Sanctuary for an Alaska Cruise? If so, do you think it was worth it? Do they do anything special for Sanctuary guests (hot cocoa, extra naturalist, etc.)? Do you still have a good view of the glaciers, etc. Thanks!

We just sailed to Alaska on the Island Princess. It is too cold (50 degrees F) and too windy to use the Sanctuary, even if it's not raining. I checked it out a few times during the cruise and the Sanctuary was completely empty. (Your better bet is the upper deck in the indoor pool area. Nice and warm.)

[compozer]

We were on the Coral in Alaska this MAy and all the furniture was covered. No one was there - no staff either.

[Gabrielle R.]

Just off the Coral. We went by the Sancturary Saw two people there. HUGE waste of money for an Alaskan cruise. June 19-26 cruise. VERY wet at times and we had better viewing from the front of the ship. BUT, we were always moving around to look and do. PLUS you are in port 3 days or so, and then you don't need it. We found a quiet spot anytime we wanted. I felt it was NOT worth getting the Sanctuary. VERY few kids on board, and the kids we saw were great! (This coming from a high school teacher so I knkow bad behavior when I see it.) Hope my two cents helped.

Gabrielle