Ruby Princess Alaska RT Seattle (7/29) from an (almost) new cruiser

[shellgirl61]

Glad you guys enjoyed your cruise. My son and I are going to Alaska on the Emerald Princess in June 2018. We two are staying at the Hyatt Place Hotel. Hotels in Seattle are very pricey, so it is good to hear that you liked it. I chose it for the location. I want to be able to walk everywhere. I have not arranged my travel from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to Pier 91. It sounds like your picks worked out, so I will check into them. Thank you so much for sharing your cruise and stay in Seattle with us. Really enjoyed the pictures.

I love Seattle. I have been there many times. My son has never been there and he is excited about touring it. Our flight from Atlanta lands at SEA TAC at noon on Friday. Our cruise departs on Sunday afternoon. We won't have as much time as you had there, but we will see as much as we can.

[claudia814]

The next day was Skagway:

 

Chilkoot Charters: Yukon Rail and Bus excursion

 

 

We elected to take the early morning train up and the bustour back. Our Chilkoot guide, Mike, met us at the dock, and gave us a brief introduction to Skagway on our short trip to the train station. We were assigned the last car, and chose to sit on the left side of the train for the best views going up. Given my much-discussed acrophobia, I chose to look in the distance, rather than straight down. Frankly, after riding in the helicopter, the train felt quite tame! The train ride was very scenic (clear weather!), with an interesting narration about the rich history of the Klondike trail. Many people chose to stand either on the front of back of the train car in order to take pictures, however, they did miss the narration outside. The seats were moderately comfortable, and each car had a restroom, heater, and supply of bottled drinking water. This tour is highly recommended for train enthusiasts, as well as people who want to enjoy beautiful scenery while learning about history.

 

I can't thank you enough for mentioning there's a restroom in each train car! And yes, I need the big bus instead of a small van. Now I can totally relax and look forward to my Skagway excursion through Princess with the train, bus, lunch and panning for gold. You made my day! Any recommendations as to which side of train to sit on for the view? Thank you so much, my friend.

[ams cruiser]

I have an Alaskan cruise booked 6/30/18. I am over the moon happy that I found your post. i love the pics and all the info....thanks for taking the time to do all of this ! I can"t wait to enjoy Alaska!!!

 

I’m glad you found it helpful! I spent months on these boards reading threads and getting a lot of great advice. We had the trip of a lifetime and I know you will, too!

[ams cruiser]

Glad you guys enjoyed your cruise. My son and I are going to Alaska on the Emerald Princess in June 2018. We two are staying at the Hyatt Place Hotel. Hotels in Seattle are very pricey, so it is good to hear that you liked it. I chose it for the location. I want to be able to walk everywhere. I have not arranged my travel from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to Pier 91. It sounds like your picks worked out, so I will check into them. Thank you so much for sharing your cruise and stay in Seattle with us. Really enjoyed the pictures.

I love Seattle. I have been there many times. My son has never been there and he is excited about touring it. Our flight from Atlanta lands at SEA TAC at noon on Friday. Our cruise departs on Sunday afternoon. We won't have as much time as you had there, but we will see as much as we can.

 

This was our first time to Seattle, and we can’t wait to go back. Hyatt Place worked out really well for us with the free shuttle, and Uber and Lyft took care of the rest. It was nice to have the included breakfasts, and the Space Museum and Chiluly are within easy walking distance. I’m sure you and your son will have a great time!

[ams cruiser]

I can't thank you enough for mentioning there's a restroom in each train car! And yes, I need the big bus instead of a small van. Now I can totally relax and look forward to my Skagway excursion through Princess with the train, bus, lunch and panning for gold. You made my day! Any recommendations as to which side of train to sit on for the view? Thank you so much, my friend.

 

Restrooms are one of the first things I look into when planning an excursion! Keep in mind that they close the restrooms on the train about 20 minutes before you get to the station in Fraser, and the lines at the station can be long, so plan accordingly!

 

To get the best views you want to sit on the left side of the train going up. We only took the train one way, but I heard that on a round trip excursion when the train cars are full, they have people change sides going back down, so that everyone gets a chance to sit on the view side.

Some people stand outside the train car to take pictures, and people were very nice about sharing the small space. (I went out for a short time, but my fear of heights kept me inside when we were going over some of the steeper areas.)

 

I’m so glad that this review was helpful! It was longer than I intended, but I wanted to try to put in information about all the questions I had in planning our trip.

 

Alaska is beautiful, and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time!

[yourcrusin]

AMS

I agree with everyone else that your reviews were very helpful and fun to read. My husband and I are like you in our 60's I'm retired he is not, never been to Alaska but have been on cruises. We also are staying 3 nights in Seattle, and even one more night at the end of the cruise. We are going on the Emerald July 1, 2018 and we talked about the ship tour and now after reading your reviews it sounds fun not to mention all the stuff you get :) love the pictures. We are from Minnesota so we know cold and snow and ice.....but Alaska...just not the same!! Always wanted to go to Alaska, heard so many great things and because I do like to dapple in photography. This was so informative really helps a lot for the excursions (which is why I started reading this) and discovered much more ! You had the best weather hope we picked a good week to go.

Edited January 6, 2018 by yourcrusin
added name of reviewer

[ams cruiser]

AMS

I agree with everyone else that your reviews were very helpful and fun to read. My husband and I are like you in our 60's I'm retired he is not, never been to Alaska but have been on cruises. We also are staying 3 nights in Seattle, and even one more night at the end of the cruise. We are going on the Emerald July 1, 2018 and we talked about the ship tour and now after reading your reviews it sounds fun not to mention all the stuff you get :) love the pictures. We are from Minnesota so we know cold and snow and ice.....but Alaska...just not the same!! Always wanted to go to Alaska, heard so many great things and because I do like to dapple in photography. This was so informative really helps a lot for the excursions (which is why I started reading this) and discovered much more ! You had the best weather hope we picked a good week to go.

 

After Minnesota winters, Alaska's weather will be a piece of cake! Rain was forecast for the entire week we were there, but it was beautiful and sunny. We expected and prepared for the worst weather, but hoped for the best, and we really lucked out. Alaska is breathtakingly beautiful, and if you are into photography, you will be able to take some incredible pictures. (There are some really helpful threads on photography in Alaska on these boards if you do a search, about equipment, lenses, etc. They were interesting to read, even though my husband and I are in the point-and-shoot camp.) Although we didn't go whale watching, we heard that the whales were out in force the day we were in Juneau. We saw some incredible pictures taken by our fellow cruisers of bubble feeding, breaching. (Some people did book a helicopter excursion and whale-watching in the same day, but we don't like to rush around when we're on vacation.)

 

Seattle was a great place to start our trip. I'm sure you'll have a fabulous cruise!

 

I'm so glad the review was helpful. It was my first review (and our first cruise after 12 years!), but I did so much research in planning the trip and got so much help on these boards, I wanted to pay it forward.

[ams cruiser]

This was our first time to Seattle, and we can’t wait to go back. Hyatt Place worked out really well for us with the free shuttle, and Uber and Lyft took care of the rest. It was nice to have the included breakfasts, and the Space Museum and Chiluly are within easy walking distance. I’m sure you and your son will have a great time!

 

Chihuly Garden and Glass , not Chiluly. (Too late to edit my spelling mistake.)

[ErLee]

I loved seeing your pic of your sweet pup and how he made it a happy occasion to come home. We have a blenheim cavalier as well, and although we love to travel, there is nothing like the greeting you get from your dog when you get back!

 

Just booked a 13 day Alaska cruisetour for June 2019, and though it's a long way off, I know it'll give me plenty of time to read all the great suggestions on these boards!

 

Thanks for a great review!

[ams cruiser]

I loved seeing your pic of your sweet pup and how he made it a happy occasion to come home. We have a blenheim cavalier as well, and although we love to travel, there is nothing like the greeting you get from your dog when you get back!

 

Just booked a 13 day Alaska cruisetour for June 2019, and though it's a long way off, I know it'll give me plenty of time to read all the great suggestions on these boards!

 

Thanks for a great review!

 

Aren't Cavaliers the best?! We love our Winston to the moon and back (he's become the child in our empty nest), but it really is like having a toddler at home sometimes. Making sure he has a place to stay is our first step in planning our trips.

 

The Alaska cruise tour sounds wonderful! We would love to go back to Alaska and do a cruise tour next time.

 

Planning the trip and learning more about Alaska was half the fun!

[anthonyy7]

Wonderful review and pictures , thank you! We’re taking same cruise in April, first of season.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ams cruiser]

Wonderful review and pictures , thank you! We’re taking same cruise in April, first of season.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you for stopping by! I’m sure you’ll have a great cruise!

[dkitty]

thank you for your review. We JUST yesterday put our deposit down on the Ruby Princess 6/30/18 and this is basically the first post i'm reading on Cruise Critic. How lucky i am to have found this. Super informative and helpful.

Hi haymary.......my hubby and I are also booked for 6/30/18, this thread about Alaska has been great! hope to meet you on ship!:)

[ams cruiser]

Hi haymary.......my hubby and I are also booked for 6/30/18, this thread about Alaska has been great! hope to meet you on ship!:)

 

If you haven’t already done so, you might want to join the roll call for your sailing, to “meet” some of your fellow passengers.

[Plumbjim]

Thanks for all the info!! Great review and pics. Especially liked the Cruise Valet part. No dragging luggage off. Going on the Ruby in June. Wife and I can't wait.

[go-go12]

AMS, thank you for the time you took to write such thorough reviews & post pictures so meticulously. Your reviews are so thoughtfully detailed. I am booked on the same cruise as yours- exactly one year later. I can only hope we have the same lovely weather. I need to go look up Chilkoot! As for us, we will have two sweet Cavaliers waiting for us to return home! Your baby is adorable!

Edited June 20, 2018 by go-go12

[ams cruiser]

Thanks for all the info!! Great review and pics. Especially liked the Cruise Valet part. No dragging luggage off. Going on the Ruby in June. Wife and I can't wait.

 

 

The Cruise Valet was the perfect way to end our vacation. Have a wonderful cruise!

[ams cruiser]

AMS, thank you for the time you took to write such thorough reviews & post pictures so meticulously. Your reviews are so thoughtfully detailed. I am booked on the same cruise as yours- exactly one year later. I can only hope we have the same lovely weather. I need to go look up Chilkoot! As for us, we will have two sweet Cavaliers waiting for us to return home! Your baby is adorable!

 

I'm so glad that the review was helpful. I spent hours and hours on Cruise Critic reading reviews, threads, and asking questions to prepare for our trip, so wanted to pay it forward.

 

Chilkoot can get booked up early, so the sooner the better in making reservations.

 

We love our Blenheim, but sometimes think it might be better to have two to keep each other company so we're not the only focus of his attention!

 

We prepared ourselves for the worst in terms of weather, so were just pleasantly surprised when it didn't rain all week. This followed a month of almost solid rain in the port areas, so it's really the luck of the draw.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!