Live From the Sapphire Princess! (29 April - 10 May)

[Purple Gallinule]

9 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Whether you are a birder or not I highly recommend the Birds of Hoonah excursion thru princess with Icy Strait Birding Tours owned and operated by Amy. She was born and raised here so we felt very comfortable with her driving skills on all the fire roads we took over tribal and federal land thru old growth forests. When we took a short hike to a viewing area she strapped on a 50 caliber hand gun in case we had an unpleasant bear experience. But even though the bears on this island are very large and it’s a very large population she said their demeanor is mild as they have  lots of food and space. 
 

Amy is articulate & extremely knowledgeable about birds, all the wildlife in the area, the plants, the geology of the region….my goodness her expanse of information was truly outstanding. She can make the bird calls! And did so many times to get birds to respond! 

 

Most birds were easily viewable with my 10 by 42 Nikon Monarchs but for those too far she set up a powerful scope. She does lend out binoculars if need them. She was a master at quickly directing us exactly where to look to see a bird. She has a very quick  eye and no bird escapes her!  

 

Amy also gives you a field guide she made which is excellent. 

Plus we learned a lot about what it was like to grow up here, the education system, the community, raising a family here (she has 3 children). She grew up and lives on the outskirts of town in a remote but gorgeous area. 

 

if you go whale watching you may or may not see whales…..same for bears. But birds? Hundreds upon hundreds!  Guaranteed. There’s pictures of the list of birds we saw on our tour below. 
 

I will be posting a huge positive review on trip advisor for her company and with princess. 

IMG_2916.mov

Thanks, especially for the screenshots of eBird checklists and the description of the field trip. We will be doing this trip on our southbound trip in late June. We are looking forward to meeting Amy. It looks like we will add a few birds to our Skagway-Hoonah county list!!!

[EDVM96]

6 hours ago, billco said:

it appears Sapphire Princess has switched over to Starlink

Yes!! This was just confirmed by the Restaurant Chef of Vivaldi Dining Room. The change was done during drydock in Portland. So much better now.

[gvre]

11 hours ago, billco said:

We are in a minisuite on Emerald Deck. Our shower has the most forceful shower head I have ever experienced.

Are you in the bump out E-731 or E-728? Been in both and loved them

[billco]

Just now, gvre said:

Are you in the bump out E-731 or E-728? Been in both and loved them

Yes

[Drdarkknight]

We got to sleep in a bit today (7:45am) because our tour wasn’t meeting until 9:05. Which was excellent because I was exhausted last night. Unfortunately my incredibly forgetful husband thought we were in Skagway, which is an early morning, and woke me up in a panic thinking I was going to sleep through the excursion. 

 

We had some time to kill so we went and walked around the upper decks to get our first look at Juneau. It was another sunny day! Getting off the ship was a bit backed up but we were on our tour bus in plenty of time. Today we would be taking a half-day excursion called Mendenhall Glacier, Salmon Hatchery and Salmon Bake. Our guide, Jerry, was informative and funny. He also drove the bus. 

 

Our first stop was the glacier. It was cool to see one so close but nowhere near as impressive as Hubbard Glacier. We went on a short walk to a photo point before heading into the visitor center to watch a film on the changing landscape. It was hot out so we shed a few of our layers. Very pretty but a bit sad to see how much it’s receding. In hindsight I wish we had walked to Nugget Creek Falls, but we weren’t sure we’d have enough time. 

 

From there we headed to Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. To start we were given a brief presentation on how salmon hatcheries work. We then got to go see hundreds of thousands of baby salmon in tanks. The hatchery also has an aquarium with some cool sea creatures and a giant crab. They also have touch tanks! I pet! Perhaps most importantly, we finally got to try salmon jerky! It was pretty good. We bought some peppered salmon jerky to eat later. 

 

Our last stop on our excursion was the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. The outdoor space is so cool! We first grabbed the best clam chowder from their first station before collecting an Alaskan Amber from the ‘Gold Strike Saloon’. We went through a buffet that had salad, beans, rice, scalloped potatoes and chicken before reaching the salmon itself. It’s probably one of the best cooked pieces of salmon I’ve ever eaten and it looks mouthwatering. I wasn’t a huge fan of the brown sugar butter glaze. 

 

We walked around the salmon bake complex some more and headed towards the waterfall. It wasn’t too far away so pretty soon we were on a school bus provided by the salmon bake to either take us downtown or to the ship. We chose downtown. For the afternoon we were going to explore Juneau through our liver.  

 

Our first stop was the Red Dog Saloon, where we stopped by for a Kolsh (or, as we ordered it, “the beer with the orca!”). My husband absolutely loved the place and it’s aesthetic. It was pretty crowded but it’s been the only thing he’s asked to do all cruise so I was happy to oblige. We did Duck Fart shots and he also had a shot of whisky, because “I’ve been rewatching Deadwood and they always drink it”. 

 

Our next stop was Devil’s Club Brewing Co. It was vastly different. Very few tourists and a number of locals. We each got a flight of three beers for $12. We then went to Amalga Distillery and had the strawberry sea donkey drink. Very similar vibe to the brewery and, again, mostly locals. Next up was an unnamed place. We’d walked by a small park with a number of small food shops. There was a sign advertising oysters and champagne so we went in on our way back. We had three oysters each and sparkling wine in a plastic up (which killed the wine snob in me but the tourist in me was delighted). You also get to pick your own mignonette so we chose a Serrano hot sauce and it was amazing. My husband says he’s determined to buy ten bottles of it before we’re home. Current count: 2. 

 

At this point he also asked if we could please return to the Red Dog Saloon. As I said previously, he asks for so little, I couldn’t help but say yes. Our last bar was Alaskan Brewing on the way back to the ship. We each got a flight of four of their beers we hadn’t tried yet. My husband was pretty tipsy at this point. I was okay because I didn’t do a bunch of whisky shots, unlike some people I know…

 

As is now a two-day tradition, we asked each other what we’d do if we came back to Juneau. I said I’d like to do the trail to Nugget Creek Falls. My husband said he’d like to just hang in town. Probably to drink more shots of whisky. 

 

We looked at our phones and realized we only had fifteen minutes to make it back for our dinner reservations so we speed walked back to the ship. Thankfully because Juneau is such a long port day there wasn’t anyone else boarding when we were. We made it by 5:05. 

 

Dinner was decent but not my favourite. I had the prawn cocktail, fish stew and scallops with chorizo. My husband and I both ordered the scallops and his came with chorizo and mine had none. He gave me half of his and they were so good he ended up asking if we could have some extra and they brought us a bowl full! 

 

We were cutting it pretty close to the Libby Riddles presentation at 7pm in the theatre and I was worried we wouldn’t get seats. Goes to show this cruise is totally unpredictable because ten minutes before showtime it was only about 1/3 of the way full. I’m thinking perhaps because so many of the people on the cruise have been to Alaska 4+ times they’ve seen her before and decided to skip it. Or it’s the weird time of 7pm being the only time to catch her. In any case, I was thrilled I was able to make it. 

 

She did not let us down. Both my husband and I were fascinated by the Iditarod and her story. I even asked a question! Plus there were loads of puppy pictures. After that we headed to Vines to listen to Allure Strings again. It worked out well because A Night at the Klondike would also be occurring in the Piazza tonight, also with Topaz, and I was curious to see if September was also somehow a 70’s, 80’s and Klondike song. Not really sure how you would define Klondike but I was kindof thinking maybe some sort of folk music? Hopefully not country because I will leave if that’s the case. That could be the better option; I’d definitely be in bed early. 

 

To my surprise the Klondike show kicked off with performances by the Sapphire Princess singers and dancers! It was only two songs but fun to watch and I got this great picture of Stanley! As for the band, Topaz, I wouldn’t necessarily (or ever) call it ‘Klondike’ but it was a different variety of songs than we’ve heard recently so we were pretty excited about that.

 

Future me probably wishes I was going to bed earlier but, alas, such is the life of a busy cruiser. There is always bus naps. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Here’s some pictures from the base of the waterfall and glacier and of the trail down to it. Nugget falls is about .75 of a mile on a paved path.  It’s an easy walk with not too much of an elevation change. It’s also a very pretty walk. Once you get to the memorial plaque for Romeo you’re just about there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[HaveDogWillTravel]

The champagne and oysters food truck that the OP refers to is right next to Deckhand Dave’s, a Juneau must do. The halibut and chips were (yet again) spectacular. The champagne bar had a lovely selection of bubbly and white wine by the glass. I got a great white Pinot noir for $17 including tax. There were several to choose  from that  were less. 
 

There’s also another bar with beer and yet more wine. Great outdoor space, great friendly staff, quick service. We only had one other ship in port and I went around 1. I usually have to wait in line but yesterday there wasn’t one. 

 

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

After the glacier we went back to the ship to off load some stuff we didn’t need for the afternoon. When we came back out we met James Alaska Pedi Cab Juneau. He’s a retired coast guard captain (51 & crazy fit). We paid $20 for a ride from the ship to Deckhand Dave’s. Well worth it!  James loves Juneau and was a wealth of information. And a real sweetheart of a man. We took his number so we could text him for a ride back later that afternoon. On our return trip he stopped to ask an elderly lady if she changed her mind about taking him up on his offer of a free ride. 

 

There were quite a few brand new totems along the waterfront. James said the plan was to put another 30 up. There weren’t here last May and I really liked them!  
 

There’s a picture of Patty Ann the town greeter. 
 

Text him for a ride and save your feet for hiking Cope park and the glacier. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Cope park is less than a mile outside of town and one of my favorite places to go to in Juneau. If you take 4th st to Calhoun the elevation change (400 ft) is pretty easy. I call it the the wheelchair ramp way. Here’s a couple pictures from yesterday but I’ll try and add some from a few years ago. I didn’t take too many yesterday. 
 

Calhoun is under construction but we were able to get through and around it. 
 

At the back of the park by the dog park are stairs that take you back to the street. Not the wheel chair ramp way. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[HaveDogWillTravel]

More pictures of Cope park from May 2019. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[HaveDogWillTravel]

After the park we stopped at Juneau drug store (great! Store!) for sunblock. I can’t believe I made the rookery mistake of not bringing sunblock. 
 

Percys Liquors is just next door. They have a really nice selection of white wine (and presumably reds but I didn’t look at them specifically) at very reasonable prices. The proprietor is such lovely human being. We really enjoyed shopping there.
 

Next was amalga distillery. I’ve been coming since they first opened in 2017. I fell in love with their gin. I was so happy in July 2021 on that first sailing back after the restart to find they had survived.

It’s a great space with really great cocktails and zero proof cocktails. They will give tastings of their gin. There is a two drink limit at tasting rooms such as Amalga and Devils Club Brewing mandated by law. 
 

So piled up with 4 bottles of wine and a fifth of gin we texted James for a ride back to the ship. 
 

For the seventh time since 2017 there was no issue bringing it all on board and back to my cabin. I’ve done this on the Sapphire, Grand, Ruby and Island. 

[CCBB]

48 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Here’s some pictures from the base of the waterfall and glacier and of the trail down to it. Nugget falls is about .75 of a mile on a paved path.  It’s an easy walk with not too much of an elevation change. It’s also a very pretty walk. Once you get to the memorial plaque for Romeo you’re just about there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stunning pictures! What type of transportation did you use to go the Mendenhall Glacier? Did you join a tour or go by yourself?

[PacnGoNow]

Would you be able to take a picture of the coffee menu prices at the IC?  Have heard they increased significantly.

TIA

[symui]

 

Goodnight Juneau

 

 

[symui]

 

 

Good Morning Skagway

 

[Papa Yoda]

If it's offered on your cruise: we really enjoyed the Hump Island Oyster Farm excursion in Ketchikan.  It's pretty new.  A neat family run Oyster and Kelp farm.

 

[Drdarkknight]

A very early morning for us today, getting up at 6:30am. We dragged our very tired selves up to the buffet for a quick breakfast. 

 

We met for our excursion in the Wheelhouse Bar. I was a bit leery of how this would all pan out. Due to the rockslide in Skagway last summer guests were not permitted to walk outside on their own. Shuttles would be provided. To my surprise everything was incredibly well-organized. We queued up to receive our tour colour and instructions on where to go (either remain in Wheelhouse Bar or continue on to the Princess Theatre). We were told to stay put. 

 

When we saw our tour being called we almost had a heart attack when they checked our passports and then asked if we had our vaccine records. We didn’t know anything about bringing those! Thankfully my record is still on my phone but my husband got a new phone a few months ago so he was panicking trying to find a copy of it. 

 

Soon we were leaving the ship and heading to our bus. The gangway in Skagway is treacherous. It’s very, very steep. I saw someone push a wheelchair up it and it was just crazy. 

 

Our bus was only about 40% full. Our excursion today would be the longest of our trip, Experience the Yukon and Suspension Bridge. There will be many bus naps today.  Our guide, Haley, was hilarious! We laughed all day long. 

 

The first trek of the journey took us through White Pass and then back into Canada. We stopped once for a photo op. Our first official stop was the Yukon Suspension Bridge. We had a good amount of time there - one hour - which gave us plenty of time to walk the bridge, read the outdoor museum exhibits, check out their wooly mammoth bones and even grab a snack. 

 

Only a short while after this we reached our exciting destination: we were now officially in the Yukon. We stopped at the sign for some photos and we’re greeted by a handful of sheep up in the mountains! We did one additional photo stop on the way to our second stop. Except then we ended up doing an extra surprise stop at the Carcross Desert! Who knew there was a desert in the Yukon? (Even if it isn’t technically the desert)

 

Our next official stop was Wild Adventures Yukon and it was great! There’s a barbecue, a museum and a petting zoo. Obviously while everyone went for lunch I went to the petting zoo. It was fantastic. I got to pet every animal and I even got to hold one of the dog puppies! 

 

Once my animal loving was satisfied we went in for lunch. We also grabbed a beer from Yukon Brewery, which was pretty good. The staff were lovely and it was a really cool space. We had ninety minutes there and I think that was the perfect amount of time. 

 

We were running ahead of schedule so we took a short drive out to Emerald Lake, which unfortunately was still frozen over so there wasn’t much colour to be seen. Our next and final stop was the small town of Carcross, largely indigenous. It was a bit lacklustre. Most of the shops were closed. There were only a few small gift shops and a cafe open. But there was a beautiful golden retriever hanging out so I basically spent my time there with her. 

 

And then it was time to head back to Skagway. The drive was uneventful, except for when we were stopped in a long line because they were trying to blow up a mountain and cause an avalanche. You could see everyone get a bit nervous about how long we’d be stuck here but it ended up being fifteen minutes max. 

 

Our guide gave us the option to get dropped off in Skagway and since our dinner reservations weren’t until 7pm we figured why not. Our first and only stop was the Red Onion Saloon. It was okay, but I much preferred Red Dog Saloon. There isn’t a whole lot of town to see so we went back to the ship after a short walk around town. We both agree that next time we’d do a Gold Rush excursion or possibly the White Pass train. 

 

Then it was drop our things off and head to Vines before dinner in Santa Fe Dining Room. I was feeling pretty exhausted by this point and the service was incredibly slow, which didn’t help me in my mission to go to bed. The food was only okay. I had the chorizo, hot pot and fajitas and was too full/tired for dessert. 

 

As much as I wanted to stay up later and do a few more things I need to listen to my body and she’s telling me to go rest up. Since it’s a 6am wake up call for Glacier Bay, tomorrow, that’s probably for the best. 

[EDVM96]

Juneau addition from yesterday: Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter & Guided Walk - Princess JNU810A

Temsco Helicopter

Mountains north of Juneau

Mount Fairweather (15300 feet) in the far distance. This view is rare! 

Mendenhall Glacier from above

Glacier pools

Looking up Mendenhall Glacier

The fleet is landing

Blue ice

Mendenhall up close

Airbus H125 Helicopter

Mendenhall Lake

Back at the base
 

Edited May 6, 2023 by EDVM96

[EDVM96]

And some more Juneau photos from yesterday.

Juneau approach: Frozen Lido Deck at 6:00AM

Entering the Gastineau Channel

Gastineau Channel

Town of Douglas

Mirrored Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier & Lake

Iceberg at Mendenhall Lake

Nugget Falls

Steep Creek Boardwalk

Gastineau Channel from Mount Roberts

Edited May 6, 2023 by EDVM96

[CATGUY7]

1 hour ago, EDVM96 said:

And some more Juneau photos from yesterday.

Juneau approach: Frozen Lido Deck at 6:00AM

Entering the Gastineau Channel

Gastineau Channel

Town of Douglas

Mirrored Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier & Lake

Iceberg at Mendenhall Lake

Nugget Falls

Steep Creek Boardwalk

Gastineau Channel from Mount Roberts

Gorgeous pictures!

[PurpleTraveller]

2 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

And some more Juneau photos from yesterday.

Juneau approach: Frozen Lido Deck at 6:00AM

Entering the Gastineau Channel

Gastineau Channel

Town of Douglas

Mirrored Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier & Lake

Iceberg at Mendenhall Lake

Nugget Falls

Steep Creek Boardwalk

Gastineau Channel from Mount Roberts

 

Wow, beautiful photos! I hope the weather is that good for my Alaska cruise in June. 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[Buckeye10640]

@Drdarkknight. Was the vaccine record required because your excursion went into into Canada? I am doing  a similar excursion in a few weeks and, while I have my vaccine card,  I might not have been prepared to show it. I was under the impression we needed only our passport. 

 

"When we saw our tour being called we almost had a heart attack when they checked our passports and then asked if we had our vaccine records. We didn’t know anything about bringing those! Thankfully my record is still on my phone but my husband got a new phone a few months ago so he was panicking trying to find a copy of it."

Edited May 6, 2023 by Buckeye10640

[Drdarkknight]

2 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

@Drdarkknight. Was the vaccine record required because your excursion went into into Canada? I am doing  a similar excursion in a few weeks and, while I have my vaccine card,  I might not have been prepared to show it. I was under the impression we needed only our passport. 

 

"When we saw our tour being called we almost had a heart attack when they checked our passports and then asked if we had our vaccine records. We didn’t know anything about bringing those! Thankfully my record is still on my phone but my husband got a new phone a few months ago so he was panicking trying to find a copy of it."

So the people checking passports say you need it but customs never asked for it. We were really surprised because we are both Canadian and we know that a vaccine record is no longer required to go to Canada. I think maybe the tour company hasn’t updated their notes yet? 

[AlibearNS]

Non US residents currently still have to be vaccinated to enter the US so if you were a US citizen you were fine. Being Canadians, we needed it but also weren’t told. Luckily DH had his phone (he normally doesn’t carry it) so we were able to board. Border didn’t ask to see passport or vac status but Guide said we were lucky to go through quickly.

 

Before our afternoon tour, we took the obligatory shuttle to the end of the pier and then had to come back again as they’d changed the procedure to the tour bus waiting with the shuttles and being slightly early we got caught in the changeover. Luckily we checked and were sent back lol.

[EDVM96]

Good mornig Glacier Bay!

 

 

 

 

🌞