Live-ish from the Grand Princess to Alaska

[andio2of5]

I might add that the Grand’s internet on Alaska cruises is slow....very slow ☹️

[aprilsp88]

On 7/25/2019 at 12:17 PM, andio2of5 said:

Oh...I like the fluff, the pictures and the babble.

me too!

[4cats4me]

1 hour ago, FloaterBoat said:

 

 

Hopefully you're right.  That makes sense.

 

1 hour ago, andio2of5 said:

If you are Plat/Elite with the free minutes then yes you can exchange those minutes for a discount on one of the unlimited packages on the first day on the Grand right now. The Grand currently has 3 different unlimited packages as well as the pay/day plan.

 

Yes, this was our experience a couple months ago.  

[Dani24]

1 hour ago, andio2of5 said:

I might add that the Grand’s internet on Alaska cruises is slow....very slow ☹️

 

We're still off the coast of California (approaching the border to Oregon), and the v speed has been decent so far. I realize that may get worse the further north we go though.

[Dani24]

1 hour ago, 4cats4me said:

Regarding discounts of internet packages on embarkation day, on the MedallionNet ships (Royal, Regal, Caribbean and a couple others)  you get 25% on embarkation day IF you are platinum or elite.  I don’t believe the Grand has gone to MedallionNet yet, so perhaps the reason for no additional discount on embarkation day 

 

Ugh. People weren't clear about that. I specifically asked about the Grand too. Oh well... Live and learn! Next cruise we'll be Platinum as well.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Are they selling the wine packages on board? 

[Dani24]

4 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Are they selling the wine packages on board? 

 

Only the Gold package (7 bottles for $217, 10 bottles for $290, and 12 bottles for $336). Good for bottles valued up to $45.

 

They no longer offer the Silver. They're going to be introducing a new wine package if some sort, most likely with tiers, but the waiter was not sure when they would be introducing that though. He said they have not given a date.

[LSGDRG]

Thanks for providing this information.  I will be on the Grand in October so this is really timely and helpful.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

3 hours ago, Dani24 said:

 

Only the Gold package (7 bottles for $217, 10 bottles for $290, and 12 bottles for $336). Good for bottles valued up to $45.

 

They no longer offer the Silver. They're going to be introducing a new wine package if some sort, most likely with tiers, but the waiter was not sure when they would be introducing that though. He said they have not given a date.

Thanks!

[Yehootu]

19 hours ago, andio2of5 said:

I might add that the Grand’s internet on Alaska cruises is slow....very slow ☹️

We were on the July 15th sailing and the internet was very slow!

[Dani24]

Our second day we enjoyed breakfast in Crown Grill. There were only a few other tables occupied, so it was a nice, quiet and relaxed experience. We were able to easily make a few  simple off-menu selections. Our wait staff was also the same excellent group from Sabatini's the night before.

 

We dropped my daughter off at the kid's club after. She's in the 3-7 group. The room is not that large, and I saw something written on the sign in sheet saying "30 max". There are 108 kids onboard in her age group though! And another 178 in the 8-12 range. They did not give us a pager this time, saying they were prioritizing those for the 3-5 year olds, and suggesting we just come check on her periodically. We did take her back there in the afternoon, and that time they gave us a pager (though I did ask). My daughter LOVES the kid's club. She says the staff is very nice. The activities have been fun. She comes back with crafts each time. Yesterday she got an adorable stuffed humpback whale too! And she made a cute beaded whale bracelet.

 

Meanwhile, my husband and I checked out the Tess Julianna lecture. I found it a bit underwhelming. A little too chit chatty, and not enough depth of the information. Although, I have been reading Michener's Alaska, so maybe its made me too familiar. 

 

We collected our daughter, and headed up to the One5 Lounge for a Cruise Critic meet and greet. Our roll call was pretty quiet, and only two groups showed up (or at least that we connected with). But the place was full of people because, by chance, they were doing the Escape Room sign ups at 11:30 there. 

 

The Escape Room is $5/pp. They recommend kids 12+. But it sounds like they let kids younger (but you have to sign a waiver). They had several slots available the morning of Ketchikan, and on a sea day (the one after Ketchikan). 8 people per slot. There were maybe 10ish slots? It was a zoo signing up though. Everyone just sort of pushed and crowded up to the front. Lots of people were booking groups of 6 or 8. We were just doing my husband and I, so we squeezed in with a family of 6. 

 

We did the Pub Lunch with another family we met. They were able to set up a table for 9 for us. There's no kids menu. The two kids present weren't interested in the food, but they brought a plate of fries for them. Food was good, though not amazing. I don't think I'd bother with that menu again.

 

We got some pizza from Slices after. It's okay... Not as good as we remember the deck pizza from 9 years ago (our last Princess cruise). I also tried the Cali avocado toast. Also pretty underwhelming. The avocado was like a runny paste. Maybe I'm too spoiled from being a Californian and having easy access to avocados. 🙂

 

Dropped my daughter off at the kids club again (she loves it, and was begging to go!) Meanwhile, my husband napped and I wandered the ship, taking pictures and learning the layout. Discovered that the golf course is closed for repairs. No word on when it'll be back up.

 

The shopping program on board is offering a new charm bracelet thing. If you show up at a bunch of designated times you get a cruise related charm. There's also a voucher for a bracelet to attach them too. Technically you're supposed to go to an initial shopping lecture to get the list/voucher for the bracelet. I missed it, but was able to sweet talk a list/voucher from a sales staff member. The lines for these can get crowded/long. It's very popular. I'm collecting them for my daughter though as a fun (and free!) souvenir. The quality of the bracelet and charms are very nice.

 

My husband was still snoozing, so I attended afternoon tea, joining a table of others. Service was great. The pastries were yummy (especially the v scone!) But the sandwiches were just okay. Not as good as I remember.

 

Dinner in Club Class tonight. For some reason we got seated at the very inside border, next to non Club Class tables. It was fine... But we felt a bit "shoved aside" by the location (service was still excellent). There were tons of tables available closer to the windows. Maybe because we have a kid? She's very well behaved... But maybe they were trying to avoid disrupting/annoying other guests if her behavior wasn't good? Or maybe I'm projecting. We'll see where they sit us tonight, and maybe ask for something closer to the window next time. 

 

The Club Class specials were Shrimp American with Lobster Sauce. Very tasty and light! There was also a penne with tomato sauce and shrimp. Also really good. The tomato sauce was rich and nicely spiced. 

 

We caught the comedian, Andrew Kennedy. He was funny (though nothing mind blowing). He mostly talked about race, and his experiences being half Columbian, half English. 

[Jeter02]

21 minutes ago, Dani24 said:

Our second day we enjoyed breakfast in Crown Grill. There were only a few other tables occupied, so it was a nice, quiet and relaxed experience. We were able to easily make a few  simple off-menu selections. Our wait staff was also the same excellent group from Sabatini's the night before.

 

We dropped my daughter off at the kid's club after. She's in the 3-7 group. The room is not that large, and I saw something written on the sign in sheet saying "30 max". There are 108 kids onboard in her age group though! And another 178 in the 8-12 range. They did not give us a pager this time, saying they were prioritizing those for the 3-5 year olds, and suggesting we just come check on her periodically. We did take her back there in the afternoon, and that time they gave us a pager (though I did ask). My daughter LOVES the kid's club. She says the staff is very nice. The activities have been fun. She comes back with crafts each time. Yesterday she got an adorable stuffed humpback whale too! And she made a cute beaded whale bracelet.

 

Meanwhile, my husband and I checked out the Tess Julianna lecture. I found it a bit underwhelming. A little too chit chatty, and not enough depth of the information. Although, I have been reading Michener's Alaska, so maybe its made me too familiar. 

 

We collected our daughter, and headed up to the One5 Lounge for a Cruise Critic meet and greet. Our roll call was pretty quiet, and only two groups showed up (or at least that we connected with). But the place was full of people because, by chance, they were doing the Escape Room sign ups at 11:30 there. 

 

The Escape Room is $5/pp. They recommend kids 12+. But it sounds like they let kids younger (but you have to sign a waiver). They had several slots available the morning of Ketchikan, and on a sea day (the one after Ketchikan). 8 people per slot. There were maybe 10ish slots? It was a zoo signing up though. Everyone just sort of pushed and crowded up to the front. Lots of people were booking groups of 6 or 8. We were just doing my husband and I, so we squeezed in with a family of 6. 

 

We did the Pub Lunch with another family we met. They were able to set up a table for 9 for us. There's no kids menu. The two kids present weren't interested in the food, but they brought a plate of fries for them. Food was good, though not amazing. I don't think I'd bother with that menu again.

 

We got some pizza from Slices after. It's okay... Not as good as we remember the deck pizza from 9 years ago (our last Princess cruise). I also tried the Cali avocado toast. Also pretty underwhelming. The avocado was like a runny paste. Maybe I'm too spoiled from being a Californian and having easy access to avocados. 🙂

 

Dropped my daughter off at the kids club again (she loves it, and was begging to go!) Meanwhile, my husband napped and I wandered the ship, taking pictures and learning the layout. Discovered that the golf course is closed for repairs. No word on when it'll be back up.

 

The shopping program on board is offering a new charm bracelet thing. If you show up at a bunch of designated times you get a cruise related charm. There's also a voucher for a bracelet to attach them too. Technically you're supposed to go to an initial shopping lecture to get the list/voucher for the bracelet. I missed it, but was able to sweet talk a list/voucher from a sales staff member. The lines for these can get crowded/long. It's very popular. I'm collecting them for my daughter though as a fun (and free!) souvenir. The quality of the bracelet and charms are very nice.

 

My husband was still snoozing, so I attended afternoon tea, joining a table of others. Service was great. The pastries were yummy (especially the v scone!) But the sandwiches were just okay. Not as good as I remember.

 

Dinner in Club Class tonight. For some reason we got seated at the very inside border, next to non Club Class tables. It was fine... But we felt a bit "shoved aside" by the location (service was still excellent). There were tons of tables available closer to the windows. Maybe because we have a kid? She's very well behaved... But maybe they were trying to avoid disrupting/annoying other guests if her behavior wasn't good? Or maybe I'm projecting. We'll see where they sit us tonight, and maybe ask for something closer to the window next time. 

 

The Club Class specials were Shrimp American with Lobster Sauce. Very tasty and light! There was also a penne with tomato sauce and shrimp. Also really good. The tomato sauce was rich and nicely spiced. 

 

We caught the comedian, Andrew Kennedy. He was funny (though nothing mind blowing). He mostly talked about race, and his experiences being half Columbian, half English. 

 

21 minutes ago, Dani24 said:

We got some pizza from Slices after. It's okay... Not as good as we remember the deck pizza from 9 years ago (our last Princess cruise). I also tried the Cali avocado toast. Also pretty underwhelming. The avocado was like a runny paste. Maybe I'm too spoiled from being a Californian and having easy access to avocados. 🙂

I have an avacado obsession. Pictures I've seen of the avacado toast from slice, like you said just doesn't look appealing. When I was on CB a few weeks ago I didn't bother trying it at slice. What have done and continue to do is.... For breakfast I go to the MDR. I order my toast, side of avacado, and an over easy egg. Then I build and make my delicious avacado toast. Oh, I also have them bring me chili flakes. Love it!!!! My waiters and head waiters always compliment my masterpiece.

[Dani24]

Day 3, started with breakfast in Crown Grill again. Same excellent experience as before. 

 

Then we dropped my daughter off at the kids club, which opened about 5 minutes after 9 am.

 

Then walked across the hall to the spa for a couple's massage. They were offering a free extra 15 minutes with your treatment this morning. Massages were good, but not the best we ever had. The room was a touch cool, no heated beds or sheets. I mentioned it was a little cool when asked, but they didn't do anything about it. The massage itself was nice. Though at the end there was a few minutes of dead time where my masseuse was not massaging. This was more dead time than I'm accustomed to from prior massages. Still a nice experience, and the price was good compared to land based massages we've had at high end resorts.

 

They also sold me on a blowout right after the massage. It's formal night tonight, and I usually have to wash/style my long, thick hair after a massage, so this saved me that effort. Mona was my stylist, and she was really great and friendly, and did a nice job on my hair. She added curl which stayed all day (and my hair doesn't hold curl all that well).

 

We tried lunch in Horizon Court next, but it was really busy and I wasn't wowed with the selection. Neither was my kid. We grabbed a few bites, and had to search outside for a table. Granted we were there right about noon. 

Ended up at International Cafe to supplement lunch. The lemon cookies are my daughter's favorite. I also enjoyed the watermelon caprese.

 

Next I popped into the diamond and gemstone seminar to get the next charm. I got there a few minutes late and thought I'd have to sit through the presentation. I spent it playing one of the Sodoku sheets I picked up from the library (they have new puzzles and Sodoku sheets every day). At the end (30 minutes) I learned they passed them out at the beginning. But they still had plenty left, so I didn't leave empty handed at least!

 

Later we popped in on Karaoke, which was delightfully terrible. 😄 My husband was going to sing, but the slots filled fast. 

 

After was the High Seas Heist intro. They give you the initial packet here. Then there are multiple check-ins throughout the cruise.

 

Salty Dog Grill had crab cakes this afternoon. They were good, but not a "wow". Came with fries and tartar sauce.

 

Tonight was formal night. There was a definite mix of attire. Plenty of people dressed to the nines. And others wearing stuff more suited to church. One guy at a table near us (in the regular MDR section) was wearing a t-shirt with a big skull logo! Just about every man I saw in Club Class was wearing a jacket. Women varied more, but everyone was at least dressed up a bit. 

 

Giovanni's Club Class specials were seared diver scallops with polenta, arugula and balsamic reduction. Plus a pineapple flambe for dessert. The scallops were a bit lacking (probably needed better carmelization, or a touch more seasoning). The pineapple flambe was tasty, though I didn't get to see the flambe. 

 

We also caught the Stardust show. The performers were great. But the show itself was just okay. I don't think we've seen it before (it's been 9 years since we've been on Princess). But I don't plan on ever seeing it again. Once was plenty.

 

We also caught the Captain near the elevators, and he was so sweet with our daughter. Took a picture with her, and answered a bunch of her questions on how they drive the ship at night, and when does he get to sleep? 🙂 He was just so patient and kind!

 

Tomorrow, Juneau!

[ian441672]

12 hours ago, Dani24 said:

Day 3, started with breakfast in Crown Grill again. Same excellent experience as before. 

 

Then we dropped my daughter off at the kids club, which opened about 5 minutes after 9 am.

 

Then walked across the hall to the spa for a couple's massage. They were offering a free extra 15 minutes with your treatment this morning. Massages were good, but not the best we ever had. The room was a touch cool, no heated beds or sheets. I mentioned it was a little cool when asked, but they didn't do anything about it. The massage itself was nice. Though at the end there was a few minutes of dead time where my masseuse was not massaging. This was more dead time than I'm accustomed to from prior massages. Still a nice experience, and the price was good compared to land based massages we've had at high end resorts.

 

They also sold me on a blowout right after the massage. It's formal night tonight, and I usually have to wash/style my long, thick hair after a massage, so this saved me that effort. Mona was my stylist, and she was really great and friendly, and did a nice job on my hair. She added curl which stayed all day (and my hair doesn't hold curl all that well).

 

We tried lunch in Horizon Court next, but it was really busy and I wasn't wowed with the selection. Neither was my kid. We grabbed a few bites, and had to search outside for a table. Granted we were there right about noon. 

Ended up at International Cafe to supplement lunch. The lemon cookies are my daughter's favorite. I also enjoyed the watermelon caprese.

 

Next I popped into the diamond and gemstone seminar to get the next charm. I got there a few minutes late and thought I'd have to sit through the presentation. I spent it playing one of the Sodoku sheets I picked up from the library (they have new puzzles and Sodoku sheets every day). At the end (30 minutes) I learned they passed them out at the beginning. But they still had plenty left, so I didn't leave empty handed at least!

 

Later we popped in on Karaoke, which was delightfully terrible. 😄 My husband was going to sing, but the slots filled fast. 

 

After was the High Seas Heist intro. They give you the initial packet here. Then there are multiple check-ins throughout the cruise.

 

Salty Dog Grill had crab cakes this afternoon. They were good, but not a "wow". Came with fries and tartar sauce.

 

Tonight was formal night. There was a definite mix of attire. Plenty of people dressed to the nines. And others wearing stuff more suited to church. One guy at a table near us (in the regular MDR section) was wearing a t-shirt with a big skull logo! Just about every man I saw in Club Class was wearing a jacket. Women varied more, but everyone was at least dressed up a bit. 

 

Giovanni's Club Class specials were seared diver scallops with polenta, arugula and balsamic reduction. Plus a pineapple flambe for dessert. The scallops were a bit lacking (probably needed better carmelization, or a touch more seasoning). The pineapple flambe was tasty, though I didn't get to see the flambe. 

 

We also caught the Stardust show. The performers were great. But the show itself was just okay. I don't think we've seen it before (it's been 9 years since we've been on Princess). But I don't plan on ever seeing it again. Once was plenty.

 

We also caught the Captain near the elevators, and he was so sweet with our daughter. Took a picture with her, and answered a bunch of her questions on how they drive the ship at night, and when does he get to sleep? 🙂 He was just so patient and kind!

 

Tomorrow, Juneau!

Hi

 

We have just came off the Grand having done your itinerary (my posts are to do with a leaky roof in our suite, and a general review), so it is nice to compare and contrast your observations to ours.

 

Agree with you re Stardust, got a bit bored tbh! We kept being asked to sit at the rear of CC but I said no, we wanted a (near) window view and he did accommodate us happily (no kids), but it was never offered to us a first choice. Strange.

 

Our first formal night was disrupted by a passenger being airlifted off, so it fell flat, but the second one was as you described, almost as semi formal, with different interpretations of that! Most CC were smart to be fair, with jackets abound, though little DJs to be seen.

 

Tess was 'interesting'....

 

Enjoy Juneau, we never got there! Though were lucky with a Tracy Arm fjord substitute.

 

Have a lovely cruise.

[Dani24]

We're docked in Juneau today. Actually, we were tendered. And getting off was TERRIBLE. We had booked a Princess whale watching tour. The ticket said to meet in the theater at 1:30. We were there at 1:15. But then told we had to go to the 7th floor entrance for tender stickers (our room is on 6, right by one of the side exits to the theater, so we came in that way). So, out we went... Only to find a line that stretched WAY back nearly to the other end of the ship (right by Sabatini's). It took 25 minutes to get to the front of the line. There was one check in... And EVERYONE was in this line. Didn't matter when your meet time was (there were people behind us with an even earlier meet time). 

 

We finally made it to the front, got our stickers, and back into the theater, only to find our tour group had already left. Fortunately a woman behind us told us our group had already gone, so we booked it to the tender queue. It took about another 30 minutes to make it to shore from there. Fortunately our tour was waiting for us. But they wouldn't have waited much longer. The guide said 2:45 would have been the latest they could wait, and we got there at 2:35! It sounded like there were two more people they were expecting, but we ended up leaving without them. And had we not made the tender we did we absolutely would have missed it too.

 

Everyone was angry/annoyed. There were constant grumbles about how disorganized and stressful it was. It didn't help that when some people expressed concern to an employee who was minding the line, she dismissively said "you'll be fiiine". No, we got lucky. (And others didn't.)

 

Beyond that, the tour was good (we did the Citizen Scientist excursion). It rained on/off in Juneau, but it wasn't particularly cold. 

 

Ate lunch and dinner in Club Class today. Lunch special there was penne carbonara, which was excellent. Dinner special was an upgraded Caesar salad, with chicken or shrimp, and a special recipe dressing, which I did not try (since I already wanted like four or five other things tonight)!

 

Libby Riddles was onboard, and while we missed her lecture, we did come across Tess and one of Libby's sled dogs outside the theater. My daughter was in heaven getting to pet CanCan, and practically had her to herself for 5-10 minutes! 

[Dani24]

12 hours ago, ian441672 said:

Hi

 

We have just came off the Grand having done your itinerary (my posts are to do with a leaky roof in our suite, and a general review), so it is nice to compare and contrast your observations to ours.

 

Agree with you re Stardust, got a bit bored tbh! We kept being asked to sit at the rear of CC but I said no, we wanted a (near) window view and he did accommodate us happily (no kids), but it was never offered to us a first choice. Strange.

 

Our first formal night was disrupted by a passenger being airlifted off, so it fell flat, but the second one was as you described, almost as semi formal, with different interpretations of that! Most CC were smart to be fair, with jackets abound, though little DJs to be seen.

 

Tess was 'interesting'....

 

Enjoy Juneau, we never got there! Though were lucky with a Tracy Arm fjord substitute.

 

Have a lovely cruise.

 

Tonight Giovanni asked us if we'd like to sit in our usual section or closer to the window. We ended up going back to our prior section because we really like our waiter, Alberto, and that was worth sitting in "Club Second Class" as we jokingly call it. 🙂

 

I haven't seen your general review yet, but I'll look for it! Hope things got much better after your leak ordeal. Considering all the complaints I've seen about leaks on the Grand, so far I have not come across a single leak. 

[Dani24]

It's now Thursday, and the sea day before Victoria. We've had a lovely but busy last few days.

 

Monday was Hubbard Glacier. The weather was clear and we got in nice and close. The boat excursion offered went out (we weren't on it) and it got right up on the glacier. I'll share pics later. The ship pulled in and spun around for a couple of hours before departing. 

 

We had dinner in Crown Grille that night, and it was excellent. Although we decided we like Sabatini's more (which I didn't expect, since my husband is a big steak guy). My daughter was being fussy about what she ate, and the waiter very kindly brought her some fried shrimp from the seabass dish, and fetched a Caesar salad from the MDR. It was sort of weird eating dinner in there with a bunch of people, since we've gotten used to our quiet suite breakfasts in there. 🙂

 

Next day was Haines. Again, perfect weather. And what a picturesque little town! This little collection of buildings nestled between a dramatic display of mountains on every side. I loved it from the moment we pulled in. The town is small and easily walkable, so we explored a bit before meeting our tour. We were the only ship here, so it didn't feel crowded either. I'm so glad we didn't opt for an excursion in Skagway. 

 

Instead we did the Kroeschel Wildlife Refuge. Awesome tour! Really quirky staff. I'm not sure how much was an act, and how much was just how weird they actually are. But I'd venture it's a little of both. Still, it was an awesome experience. The only downside is the mosquitoes (it's near "Mosquito Lake"). They gave us some citronella oil that worked a treat on our skin. But unfortunately for me those little buggers snacked on me 7 times through my jeans! There driver was also great, and gave us a ton of great information on the area on both the drive there/back.

 

Ketchikan was yesterday. We arrived around 11:30 am. Before we docked we did the Escape Room. I won't spoil it, but everything you need is contained in a large trunk. We did it in the chapel room. Finished with a little more than 8 minutes to spare (you get 30 minutes). It was fun!

 

We had nothing planned for Ketchikan, so just wandered around and explored. We had lunch at Annabelle's, and it was good, but nothing phenomenal. We also did the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and got my daughter a Junior Ranger patch. We also watched seals catching fish along Creek Street. There were salmon in the stream, but not going up the fish ladder yet. 

 

We also checked out the Yes/No game show, which was fun. We also saw the "Rollin Jay Moore" and "Ventriloquist Patrick Murray" combo show. Moore was funnier than Murray. 

 

More later... And lots of pictures to come!

[rocklinmom]

Thank you for the info on that wildlife refuge excursion! I was looking at that for next summer but mosquitos would definitely be an issue. Most of my family get eaten alive if mosquitos are nearby, even with repellent, so this is good to know! 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Wow I’m sorry to hear about your experience in Juneau. That’s a shame. As a suite guest you should have been given priority tickets for the tender though. Was Juneau listed as a tender port on your itinerary?  

Enjoy your last day. I’ve been packed since Monday!  

[Dani24]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Wow I’m sorry to hear about your experience in Juneau. That’s a shame. As a suite guest you should have been given priority tickets for the tender though. Was Juneau listed as a tender port on your itinerary?  

Enjoy your last day. I’ve been packed since Monday!  

 

Juneau was listed as a tender port prior to sailing (at least I definitely recall seeing that, though I spoke to many passengers who said they did not see that before the cruise). But I've tendered elsewhere before, and never experienced such a mess.

 

We did have priority tender tickets, but A) it was all the same line, and since we had an early shore excursion the suite tickets wouldn't have garnered any priority over that. They only would have been useful if we were doing the port on our own. But having been through that, I won't book an independent excursion for a tender port that departs in the first hour or two of arriving. Especially if we're not in a suite.

 

I hope you have an amazing time! We'll be that sad family of 3 being dragged off the ship kicking and screaming that we don't want to go home. 🙂

[Dani24]

On 8/2/2019 at 7:06 AM, rocklinmom said:

Thank you for the info on that wildlife refuge excursion! I was looking at that for next summer but mosquitos would definitely be an issue. Most of my family get eaten alive if mosquitos are nearby, even with repellent, so this is good to know! 

 

I tend to get devoured by mosquitoes too, more than most people. My daughter got one little bite, that went away quickly. I react heavily to bites, and it takes a couple of weeks for them to fully clear. My husband got no bites. And I didn't hear anyone else complain of bites. I only got bitten through my jeans (I'm guessing the weave was just loose enough for them to slip their mouth through, and they were tight jeans against the skin). No bites on exposed areas where I put the citronella oil they gave us. 

 

Mosquitoes can be an issue anywhere in Alaska, so don't let that deter you from doing this excursion. It was awesome, and I highly recommend it!

[rocklinmom]

Thanks, good to know! I still have time to debate over that excursion. Between the mosquitos and the travel time to get there and back (we will be in Skagway instead of Haines) I'm not sure it's worth the expense for five of us.