Just back from Alaska, Coral land & Cruise Any questions?

[Gabrielle R.]

You are great! Thanks so much! You've probably just saved me 3 or 4 pounds of clothing! ;o)

 

GREAT!!!

The stores had soem nice jackets/rain gear for sale too. Pretty reasonable and nice looking. So if you need soemthing we actually saw some clothes that would work too!

Have a GREAT time!

Gabrielle

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Thanks for the great review. We are on the Royal in August for a 14 day cruise only to Alaska and are looking forward to it.

 

Have a great next cruise.

 

We are considering the 14 day cruise on Royal Sept 2011. Look forward to your review/thoughts about the Royal as well as the ports. We did the 5 day land/7 day cruise on Coral Princess in Sept 07 and loved it but are anxious to see more smaller ports this time as well.

 

Pam

[Ratdoggie]

Thanks for the info! I will check out your suggestions for Ketchikan :D

[languages1]

Did you happen so save your menus

[Gabrielle R.]

Did you happen so save your menus

No, sorry I didn't.

They did the American night the last night with a dancing parade of the baked Alaska. First time I saw that in Anytime dining. (Friday night)

Thursday they did the introduction of the head chef. First time I saw that in Anytime too. The Chefs menu was on Thursday

If you ask about what you are looking for I might be able to tell you when we had it or saw it. The 2nd formal night had lobster and beef Wellington.

 

I know I didn't see any prime Rib or Escargot. Unless they had it the first night- we came in so late that we took off shortly after we got on board ship. Hope some of that info helped you.

[bmn2202]

Which nights were the formal nights?

 

Sandra

[Gabrielle R.]

Which nights were the formal nights?

 

Sandra

Sunday and Wednesday on the south bound trip for Coral

[bmn2202]

Thank you

 

Sandra

[5326jan]

I saw your comments on the movies that were playing and not being able to get in to the dance show. Any recommendations or comments on the entertainment portion of the cruise? Get there early? skip it? good/not so much? Sit near stage or farther back? Was there entertainment in the lounge or on deck? Did the nature rangers speak? Where and when? Was it worth being there for it? Anthing else regarding things to do or see or experience during onboard time? I know, it's a lot of questions.... trying to benefit from your experience!

[Gabrielle R.]

I saw your comments on the movies that were playing and not being able to get in to the dance show. Any recommendations or comments on the entertainment portion of the cruise? Get there early? skip it? good/not so much? Sit near stage or farther back? Was there entertainment in the lounge or on deck? Did the nature rangers speak? Where and when? Was it worth being there for it? Anthing else regarding things to do or see or experience during onboard time? I know, it's a lot of questions.... trying to benefit from your experience!

No problem with the questions!:)

The dance program was filled for the first showing, the second show was just about packed. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house in the Princess theater. No rails to block a sight lines like on the bigger ships. The hypnotist was fun and the comedian, Billy Vader was fun. Not sure who you will get.

 

The Explorers lounge had fun little games, triva challenges going on. We did that most nights, then found out that we were too late to catch the late show. But we still had fun.

 

The Universal Lounge had different things going on, sometimes it was what was in the Princess Theater the night before, sometimes a movie. One nght they played Avitar. I don't think it was the 3D type.

 

It seemed like there was always something going on and we were never bored, we always found something to do. It was hard to decide sometimes what to do since there was a few different things going on at once. I liked all three entertainment venues that I mentioned.

 

They did have MUTS on the top deck. One couple said their son was palnning on watching the movie while sitting in the pool, since the pool was warm. Yes, pool, not the spa. (The spa was fine too.)

 

The naturalist on board had some lectures in the Princess theater. they were interesting- I'm a history teacher so I was entertained, my husband not as much. In Glacier Bay we had the Park Rangers speak. They set up books for sale in the horizon Court. Plus the Rangers were out walking around on the upper decks to answer questions.

 

There was an interesting bridge lecture done on the sea day- that was interesting to hear about the operations of the ship. My borther-in-law really liked that. The galley tour was interesting- my sister-in-law liked that. As you can see there is always soemthing going on. Oh, nad in the Wheel house bar, they had daily trivia. That was fun.... I tend to be the brain on my team, I wish I had more brains to help out, I always miss about 5 questions.

 

On our sea day they did have the Pub lunch in the Bayou Cafe. That was fun- we enjoyed that, plus we got to sit in the Bayou Cafe without paying the price for it.

 

That's all I can think of for now. If you have more questions, I'll try to answer them.

Gabrielle

[Sanpan]

Hi Gabrielle,

Thanks for the great info. We are doing a cruisetour in early September and will stay at the Denali Princess and McKinley Princess. I wanted to plan to do a load of laundry the last night that we are at the Denali Princess. Do you (or anyone reading) know where the laundry area was??? What the cost was? Was it conveniently located? Any insights would be appreciated.

Sandy:D

[themerle]

Gabrielle, Thanks for sharing your review!

[Woobstr112G]

Gabrielle;

 

Thanks so much for posting your review. Sounds like an amayzing adventure.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Gabrielle R.]

Hi Gabrielle,

Thanks for the great info. We are doing a cruisetour in early September and will stay at the Denali Princess and McKinley Princess. I wanted to plan to do a load of laundry the last night that we are at the Denali Princess. Do you (or anyone reading) know where the laundry area was??? What the cost was? Was it conveniently located? Any insights would be appreciated.

Sandy:D

 

Hi Sandy! Yes, there were Laundry facilities at both of the hotels. I think it was like $1 a load- Not sure since I did the laundry on board the ship. They were easily accessed McKinely Princess was aobut three doors down from our room. I saw the Sign for the laundry in the Denali Princess- I cna't remember Whre it was- but it was in the lodge that we were at. Either the same floor or just down a flight of stairs.

 

When at Denali Princess If you have time, run across the street to have Breakfast at the Salmon Bake! It was great! We were filled up for the day with some of their big breakfasts- AND it was reasonably priced!

 

We went early to Talkeena on the day we were to take the train to Whittier. It was free and when we ate breakfast at the Roadhouse I was full until we got to the ship. They had HUGE breakfasts and I hate a 1/2 order.

 

Just two ideas that I'm so glad that we did and we didn't spend an arm and a leg like you sometiems do at the lodges.

 

If you are at the Fairbanks Priness, we walked to Pikes Landing- they had great salmon there, Beers were about $2 less then at the lodge. Just an FYI too. I drank the Alaskan beers- they were good- of course I drank the dark beers- which I like.

Hope some of this helped! Have agreat time! You should have some GREAT fall colors!

Gabrielle

[Gabrielle R.]

Gabrielle;

 

Thanks so much for posting your review. Sounds like an amayzing adventure.....:):):)

 

Bob

Thank YOu!

It was an amazing adventure! We plan to do it again in a few years- we will be bringing even more relatives with us! :confused: Not sure if that is good or bad! But I guess they figured if we had fun they would too!

[michimitten]

We will be cruising on the same route in August. :)

 

Did you do personal choice dining? Is there any difference in the menu than with the set time dining room?

 

Did you notice if some men wore shirt and tie (no jacket) on formal nights? How out of place would it be? We are trying to pack light.

 

Also what time were the evening shows? Just wondered if you can get to shows if you do late dining.

 

Thanks for your helpful info.

[5326jan]

We will be cruising on the same route in August. :)

 

Did you do personal choice dining? Is there any difference in the menu than with the set time dining room?

 

Did you notice if some men wore shirt and tie (no jacket) on formal nights? How out of place would it be? We are trying to pack light.

 

Also what time were the evening shows? Just wondered if you can get to shows if you do late dining.

 

Thanks for your helpful info.

 

I saw some wearing coat with no tie, but not tie without coat. In fact they had some coats outside the dining room for anyone who showed up without. :rolleyes: We ate at the buffet, grill or pizza on formal nights. There was plenty to chose from. Even the specialty dining was formal on formal night.

 

Alaska already requires so much extra luggage, we didn't want to pack that too.

[Gabrielle R.]

We will be cruising on the same route in August. :)

 

Did you do personal choice dining? Is there any difference in the menu than with the set time dining room?

 

Did you notice if some men wore shirt and tie (no jacket) on formal nights? How out of place would it be? We are trying to pack light.

 

Also what time were the evening shows? Just wondered if you can get to shows if you do late dining.

 

Thanks for your helpful info.

 

Yes, we did the personal choice dining. We tend to eat a bit early so it was pretty much no wait time. I didn't notice no jackets, thoughI did see some older women show up in exerices clothes- warm up suit type look and they were not turned away, but a young couple who had on capri shorts (The young man) were turned away. My DH wore a sports coat, It travelled well, but in the past I have had to iron it- no problem with that.

 

Evening shows, the first shows filled up fast, the 2nd show you could get there about 10 minutes early and still find places. Seemed like there was always soemthing to do- we got late leaving from the Explorers lounge and got too late to get into the later show- that was our own fault since we left too late- If we had left 10 minutes earlier we could easily find seats.

 

Hope you have a great trip!

Gabrielle

[capitalcruisers]

I would love to hear more about the ship itself...I am currently trying to decide between the Coral and the Diamond for an Alaskan cruise. :confused: Anything at all would be helpful! :D

[Gabrielle R.]

I would love to hear more about the ship itself...I am currently trying to decide between the Coral and the Diamond for an Alaskan cruise. :confused: Anything at all would be helpful! :D

 

I guess, what would you like to know about the Coral?

 

I personally like the Coral since it is a smaller size ship (Passenger wise) but the size of the ship is similar to the Diamond. I like the space on the Coral- it really doesn't feel crowded. The Horizon court is is in the front of the ship- which I like. The Diamond would (OK, should- I haven't been on the Diamond so someone can correct me if I'm wrong.) have Skywalkers in the back of the ship- which is nice since you have good views from way up on top.

 

The prominade deck goes all the way around the ship. The Diamond (MIGHT??) have a set up steps that go up/down at the front of the ship for the promenade deck.

 

The staff were great on board the Coral- They always seemed happy.

There is only one anytime dinig room and one traditional seating, but the coral does have Sabatini's and the Bayou Cafe.

I think you may want to look at where the ships go. I personally like the Coral and the Island since I have spent time on both of them. I like the lay out.

Wish I could give more informaiton- Just ask and I can tell you more particulars about the Coral.

Gabrielle

[Luv2dance]

"Skagway we did the ship’s tour of Liarsville and the Summit. It was pretty good- it was fun to pan for gold. As I look back I think the train might have been nice to do too. The summit is pretty bleak and it was cool and rainy so it looked really gloomy- sort of reflected all the lost souls….. Wandered around town after we got back- fun place to walk and look."

We're going to do the Alaska cruise in Sept. and aare wondering whic of the White Pass Summit tours is the best. Would we get more opportunities to take pictures taking the 1.5 hr bus tour or the 7 hr train tour?

[Bowlersbus]

Gabrielle - thanks for the review.

I love when people report on stuff u can't find in brochures. I am sailing Northbound Sept 4th.

 

Here are my questions...

1) How did u get to port from hotel in Vancouver - taxi or did hotel have shuttle?

 

2) what type room did u have?

 

3) had you done personal choice before? We are trying it this time - ALWAYS been a traditional dining before a little nervous.

 

Thanks

[Gabrielle R.]

"Skagway we did the ship’s tour of Liarsville and the Summit. It was pretty good- it was fun to pan for gold. As I look back I think the train might have been nice to do too. The summit is pretty bleak and it was cool and rainy so it looked really gloomy- sort of reflected all the lost souls….. Wandered around town after we got back- fun place to walk and look."

 

We're going to do the Alaska cruise in Sept. and aare wondering whic of the White Pass Summit tours is the best. Would we get more opportunities to take pictures taking the 1.5 hr bus tour or the 7 hr train tour?

for White Pass You follow the basic routes. I think the photo ops for the train would be better since you are going MUCH SLOWER then the bus. I think the train goes about 30 miles an hour- if it is like the trains in Alaska. The trip is similar- Time-was the big factor here. I knew that we would spend 4 hours on a train from Fairbanks to Denali and then 6 hours from Talkeetna to Whittier. I knew my husband would say NO more train trips! That's why we opted for the bus. I also didn't want to spend the extra money to do the train. So, yes, I was being a bit cheap- but it was OK by me, since I got to do what I wanted for the most part- which was pan for gold in the Yukon area.;)

 

I think the scenery should be nice in Sept. Have fun with whatever you will do! I'm sure it will be fun either way! Gabrielle

[Gabrielle R.]

Gabrielle - thanks for the review.

 

I love when people report on stuff u can't find in brochures. I am sailing Northbound Sept 4th.

 

Here are my questions...

1) How did u get to port from hotel in Vancouver - taxi or did hotel have shuttle?

 

2) what type room did u have?

 

3) had you done personal choice before? We are trying it this time - ALWAYS been a traditional dining before a little nervous.

 

Thanks

 

Hi

1) We took a taxi to the Hampton Inn. I think it was $10??? It was close- but not knowing where it was the $10 for 4 of us was more then reasonable. We didn't see any type of shuttle service at the pier for any hotels- NOt saying that there isn't, but we didn't see any. Some people went out to the street level and were catching buses- No way would I do that with the luggage to save $5

2) We had a balcony on Emerald Deck (219). It actually was better then I thought. It wasn't loud- though we were above the enterance of the theater. The fully enclosed made it nice since it was wet most of the time we were in port. It also was nicely located, and when it was sunny on our last sea day- it really was quite warm and sunny.

3) Yes we did the any time/ personal choice dining. This is our 4th time of using it. I rather like it. Since we could pick and chose what time we wanted to do something we didn't have to feel rushed. We don't mind sharing a table, and generally we had no problem being seated. we did only once and that was the 2nd formal night- we had about a 30 minute wait. That is the longest we have ever waited. The only draw back with the any time dining is that you don't get to know your wait staff.

 

I hope this helped! If you have more questins just ask! :D

Gabrielle

[5326jan]

"Skagway we did the ship’s tour of Liarsville and the Summit. It was pretty good- it was fun to pan for gold. As I look back I think the train might have been nice to do too. The summit is pretty bleak and it was cool and rainy so it looked really gloomy- sort of reflected all the lost souls….. Wandered around town after we got back- fun place to walk and look."

 

We're going to do the Alaska cruise in Sept. and aare wondering whic of the White Pass Summit tours is the best. Would we get more opportunities to take pictures taking the 1.5 hr bus tour or the 7 hr train tour?

 

We read so much positive feedback about him both here and trip advisor, that we couldn't pass him up. We just returned from the July 17 sb Coral sailing. Our Skagway port, with Dave's tour, was far and away our favorite tour in Alaska! The cost is $69/pp. You are picked up at the dock by Dave, Ruth or Becky at 8am. The tour is adjusted to the interests of the riders. There were 12 of us on a 16 passenger mini bus. Becky was our guide and was fun and informative. We stopped at a number of places on the way up to Emerald Lake, adjusting the timing based on the huge motorcoaches from the ships excursions. There were some on our bus that were very interested in photography so we stopped where there would be an interesting "setting" in which to take the shot, rather than just the shot.... does that make sense? For instance instead of just pulling of to take a picture of a mountain, she stopped in front of a big patch of fireweed, which had the mountain behind it. Anyway, we spent about 4 hours up to the summit, to Carcross, then to Emerald Lake. The place that the buses stop is the big "tourist trap" with fake mountain goats on the hill! :eek: It was rainy and cold when we left Skagway, but by the time we got over the pass it was sunny and beautiful. Becky took us to 3 different places to get lunch and then we all went to the lake for a picnic! It was so nice! On the way back, Becky stopped at the train for anyone who wanted to ride the train back. Only one couple did. Then she took us into town to an overlook so we could get a photo of the ship and then to the cemetary where the infamous "Soapy Smith" and others were buried. There was also a nice hike there back to a waterfall. We got back into Skagway around 3:30, then went to the red onion saloon/brothel for a beer. So fun!

 

I obviously HIGHLY recommend this excursion for Skagway. Google DYEA DAVE and you'll find everything you need to know. BTW, Dyea is pronounced "Die--eee".