Royal Princess May 28, 2022 Alaska Northbound live report

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (1)

Today the ship arrived Skagway early morning around 7am. I took a leisure time for breakfast and didn’t get off the ship until 9:30.

 

Royal Princess used the Railroad dock today. It’s about 10-15 walk to the downtown. 

If you book the White Pass tour, you’ll board the the train right by to the ship terminal. Many private tours will also send their van to pick up guests from this area. 

I booked Yukon Discovery Tour from Southeast Tours. The shuttle van picked up guests from various docks before making the last stop at their office in downtown which also sells very tasty popcorns and ice creams. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (2)

We started the tour around 10am. Polly from Arkansas was our guide/driver. She’s our sweet grandma of the trip. 
 

Shortly after leaving Skagway, we passed by Pitchfork Falls. 

 

Captain William Moore Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge, designed to sustain a big earthquake, just in case the main concrete bridge collapses. 

We made a quick stop near the bridge. Klondike Highway and the Bridge are on the left. 


About 15min later, we reached the Summit. We’re almost above the tree line. You can feel the change in elevation. It’s very beautiful up here. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (3)
 

We stopped by Canadian border control for a quick inspection. You may need to show the passport here. 
 

In normal time, the White Pass train would travel all the way to Fraser station. But this year, the train won’t cross the Canadian border. Bernard Lake was still frozen during this time. 

 

Lake Tutshi was very calm this morning. We couldn’t make a stop here so I had to take a photo from inside the van. 

 

Finally Polly found a place to park the van so we could make a quick photo stop. Beautiful reflection on Lake Tutshi. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (4)
 

We drove passed Carcross Desert which is a sand dune from the sand carried over by strong wind from Bennett Lake. Then we made a lunch stop at Caribou Crossing Trading Post.

 

Most Yukon tours will make a lunch stop here. For lunch we had bbq chicken, baked potato, coleslaw, and donuts for dessert. Chicken was very tasty. Coffee/tea and water were also included. 

 

After lunch, we had about an hour to explore. 

 

You could book a dogsled tour which I wouldn’t recommend since it’s very dusty. 

 

You could try gold panning here. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (5)

There’s a small exhibition to show animals that lives or used to live here in Yukon Territory. 

 

Caribou or reindeer. I just learned that they shed their antlers every year around November and grow new one in spring. 

 

Lot of shed antlers. 

 

You can buy food and pet animals here. 

 

 

There’s a small gift shop here. Red fox skin is so soft. 

 

Very cute puppies. 

 

Overall I think it’s a little tourist trap. I’d rather spend the lunch stop exploring the town of Carcross. Although I’m not sure if the town can handle when hundreds of tourists coming to visit at the same time. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (6)
 

The next stop after lunch is the highlight of this tour - Emerald lake, the gem of Yukon. Our guide said the lake was still frozen a couple weeks earlier. So we came at the right time. 

 

Then we started to head back. Obligatory stop at Yukon sign. 

 

We passed by frozen Bernard Lake again. 

 

Another obligatory shot at Welcome to Alaska sign. This’s at the border between US and Canada. 

 

Beautiful valley view near the sign. 

 

We made the last stop at Bridal Veil Falls. 

 

We got back to Skagway around 3:45pm. When I booked this tour, I was kind of hesitant that this 6-hour tour would be boring. But the scenery in Yukon is surprisingly beautiful. Polly, our guide/driver, was also amazing. She tried to accommodate our stop request to take pictures. If you’ve never been to Yukon before, then this tour is highly recommended. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (7)
 

Then I walked around the downtown a little bit. There’s not much to see in Skagway downtown. The Museum is nice though and worth the visit. 

 

 

I walked passed the airport and crossed this pedestrian bridge to the park on the other side of the town. 

 

Looking back at the cruise ship terminal. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (8)

This’s very nice and easy trail if you want to go hiking. 

 

About 10-min hike to Yakutania Point and the view of Smugglers Cove. This park is so beautiful I could spend the whole afternoon here. 

 

 

Looking back at the crossing bridge. Skagway is on the other side. 

 

I walked back to the ship at the same time as the White Pass train was coming back from the excursion. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (9)
 

A couple shots of the Royal Princess in Skagway. 

NCL Encore was docked next to us. 

 

 

We had a presentation by Steve Hites today about the stories of Alaskan Gold Rush. 

 

Puppies on Princess, another tradition on Princess ships in Skagway. Puppies are very cute, energetic, and friendly. 

 

Pre-dinner drink - Midori sour with Glacial ice. Don’t forget to try Glacial ice when you’re on Alaska cruise!

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (10)

After skipping MDR for 2 nights, I was back to Allegro. 

 

My usual table on this cruise. 

 

I think I had the same food on the Majestic cruise a few months earlier. The giat cheese soufflé was very good. 

 

I had miso salmon for the main dish. 

 

Dessert menu 

 

Princess Love Boat and salted caramel pot. Both of them were very good. 

 

Tonight show in the main theater was the production show Encore. I think they’re pretty good. I’ve already seen the show twice on Majestic so it’s a little less exciting for me. 

 

The ABBA concert by the Sound in Vista Lounge was surprisingly good. They’re amazing!

A short clip when they’re singing Waterloo. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 Skagway (11)

This’s around 9:30pm - we’re sailing away from Skagway. 

 

Very beautiful scenery sailing out of the inlet. 

 

 

 

Sunset around 9:50pm. 

 

Another long day in Skagway. I love the Yukon Territory tour. I didn’t expect the scenery to be this beat. Great excursion from Southeast Tours. I also like the short hike at Yakutania Point - very beautiful trail. I didn’t have a good impression from my last cruise but this trip changed my mind about Skagway. 

[Yehootu]

I took the hike on the same day. Very nice day. We also hiked to lower Dewey Lake. 

[sunsetme]

Love your pictures. Can you please post one of the Covid testing site in Whittier if possible. Thanks

[Senga]

@dhanakornAbsolutely fabulous pictures!  Thanks so much for sharing.  We were on the Grand Princess May 25-June 8 and we too had unexpectedly fantastic weather.  We’re going again next year and you’ve given me great ideas for that trip.  Thanks again!

[dhanakorn]

On 6/15/2022 at 12:46 PM, sunsetme said:

Love your pictures. Can you please post one of the Covid testing site in Whittier if possible. Thanks

I don’t think there’s a Covid test site in Whittier. The town is very small. Anchorage is probably the best place if you want Covid test. 

Whittier terminal is very small. I don’t see any Covid test available inside terminal. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (1)

Today is the highlight of this cruise - the famous Glacier Bay National Park. Although this’s my second visit, I’m still very excited. I got up around 5am from the sunlight seeping into the room. It’s already bright outside. 

 

Sunrise around 5am. 

 

 

I came down to grab a cup of cappuccino from International Cafe. The Piazza is very quiet at this hour. 

 

I saw the door of Symphony MDR was open so I sneaked inside. Symphony was closed to public and was used for crew dining room on this cruise. 

If the crews have “close contact”, they dine in a separated section. 

 

Breakfast menu at MDR. This french toast is very tasty. Highly recommended if you’ve never tried one. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (2)
 

We followed NCL Encore since we left Skagway yesterday. You can see a small boat sailing toward us. 

 

 

The small boat carrying park rangers approached us around 6am. We didn’t make a stop but slowed down to let the boat docked at the gangway. 

 

The park rangers need to climb up the robe to get on the ship. Very interesting maneuver. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (3)

I went to the Buffet to grab some breakfast. The Buffet here has less choices compared to NCL. 

 

The park rangers setup the information station in Vista Lounge. 

 

 

The wake view from the aft. 

 

We saw a humpback whale this morning. I could only capture the spouting. 

 

Then I scouted around the ship to find a location for glacier viewing today. I had 3 options to decide - the pool deck, the promenade deck, or my own balcony. I decided to settle down on the promenade deck outside the Crooners bar. The pool deck is probably too high up. My balcony limited me to one side. By the way, they fixed the PA system on this cruise so you could here the ranger talk from the TV in your room when you tune to bridge cam channel. You can also listen to the ranger narration here from the speaker on promenade deck. 

We’re lucky to have a nice sunny day again. Although it’s sunny, it’s not warm. You need to bundle up if you want to stay outside. 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (4)
 

We arrived at Lamplugh Glacier around 8:40am. 

 

NCL Encore left us to the Tarr inlet on the right while we continued to John Hopkins inlet on the left. 

We reached John Hopkins Glacier around 9am. We stayed here for 40 minutes. The ship turned around 360-degree for a few times. I actually like the scenery around John Hopkins Glacier more than Margerie Glacier. 

 

 

 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (5)

We then switched place with NCL Encore and headed into Tarr inlet. 

 

We’re approaching the famous Margerie Glacier. 

 

Margerie Glacier - the main star of Glacier Bay National Park.

 

 

Small glacier nearby. 

 

Wide-angle view of Grand Pacific Glacier. It’s used to connected with Margerie Glacier 30 years ago. 

 

We stayed here for about an hour. Captain rotated the ship several times so you get to see the glacier from both sides of the ship. 

 

Here’s a video clip of Margerie Glacier. 

 

[cr8tiv1]

Thank you very much for your running commentary.  It really enhanced your post.  Too often, posters run their photos together.  I liked the fact that you added some white/words between photos.  By the way, lovely photos.  

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (6)

We finally left Margerie Glacier around 12:40pm. 

 

I celebrated the day with some sweets from International Cafe, a glass of latte, and shots of Baileys and Frangelico. 

Frangelico is a hazelnut-flavored liquor. I first tried it on this cruise and it quickly becomes my favorite. Nutty flavor of the liquor complements the coffee very well. 

 

We had a presentation by park ranger in the afternoon to conclude the day. 

 

This’s the view around Bartlett Cove where the park rangers disembark. 

 

A small boat came to pick up the park rangers around 2:45pm. 

 

 

And off they go. 

 

I took a quick nap and got up just in time for an afternoon tea. The scone is served warm with fresh cream and jam. Afternoon tea is not available every day so you need to check the Patter. Usually they serve from 3pm to 4pm on Sea days. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (7)
 

We sailed passed another glacier. I don’t know the name of this one - it’s about 90 minutes after we left Bartlett Cove. 

 

 

Tonight is the second formal night. The menu looks pretty much the same as what I had on Majestic earlier this year. 

 

I ordered the smoked salmon, escargot, and chilled soup. They’re all pretty good. 

 

 

I had lobster for the main dish. My server deshelled the lobster and put the tail on the plate at the table. It’s a nice touch. I had great service at MDR on this cruise. 

The tail is small but you could get as many as you want. 

 

Dessert menu

 

I got crepe suzette, swan cream puff, and Irish coffee. The crepe suzette is very good, highly recommended. 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 6 Glacier Bay (8)
 

Tonight entertainment was a production show Sweet Soul Music. I think it’s pretty good but I already watched this show twice on Majestic. 

Marriage Match game show was pretty good. 

 

Live music from the Sound band in Piazza. They’re very good. 

 

Birthday message on the door pad when you approach your room. 

You can see the birthday or anniversary message on the big screen by the stairway when you touch the sensor with your medallion. 

 

It’s been a very long day since I got up at 5pm. Glacier Bay is very beautiful. Even though it’s my second time here, I’m still amazed with the scenery. I conclude today with the sunset from my balcony around 11:30pm. Alaska has very long daylight hours during the summer. 

[sunsetme]

amazing! you are having great weather.