Semi-live from the Discovery Princess | April 30 – May 7 | Alaska Inside Passage

[OrcaGirl]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

I am sure I missed some, but I counted 4 Santa’s.  Like playing Where’s Waldo? I may go back and recount.  Any with their backs to the camera don’t count.

 

Oh, and thanks for posting.

🤣 We counted 9 walk by just sitting here in Princess Live waiting for musical bingo to start…

[Kb55kb]

3 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

🤣 We counted 9 walk by just sitting here in Princess Live waiting for musical bingo to start…

There are 23 on board part of a group cruise 

[OrcaGirl]

Day 4 - evening shenanigans recap

 

Post-naps, we headed down to the casino where my mom continues to have better luck than me, and then did a little souvenir shopping. Tshirts are currently 2 for 25. (I also told mom you have to rub the moose’s butt for good luck…)

 

 

 

 

After that it was more trivia (I continue to suck) and then — since mom was feeling a bit peopled out — to the buffet for dinner which was much quieter than breakfast or lunch (but, unlike Celebrity, still offers a full dinner)…

 

 

We proceeded to musical bingo, which was fun, but I made the mistake of singing along to Ice Ice Baby and the host saw that I knew all the words and he said I had to sing it at the next karaoke night so I guess I can never go to karaoke again because NOPE. 
 

 

 

Mom and I headed back to the Enclave, which was empty when we arrived, but we couldn’t get the steam room or sauna working. Eventually some staff came by to do something to it, but we decided to dry off and head to 80s movie trivia.

 

 

 

I’ll spare you my whole rant (which my mom and D and husband have already been subjected to) but “No, I am your father” is from The Empire Strikes Back, NOT Star Wars. And Star Wars came out in 1977, NOT 1980. And Jurassic Park came out in 1993, and is therefore NOT an 80s movie.

 

 

 

So after that I refused to stick around for 80s music trivia, because it would have likely just made me even madder. 🤬 So off to bed we went.

[CruzeQueen2]

Has anyone seen the return of the small tube of lotion?

Had the larger dispenser by the sink last time in September 2022. TIA 

Enjoying all the live reports. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. 

[kat_merle]

Thank you for sharing this trip report!  I'm on a similar trip in just a couple of months and seeing your pictures and hearing what all you have been able to do is making me really excited for my own trip.  I'm also glad to hear they have lectures about Alaska.  That was what sold me on Princess as the cruise line I should take I love learning about the places I am going but since that is all just on the patter I was a little worried they had stopped post Covid.

[MILLERVILE]

is there any sign of sickness on the ship?

[OrcaGirl]

21 hours ago, CruzeQueen2 said:

Has anyone seen the return of the small tube of lotion?

Had the larger dispenser by the sink last time in September 2022. TIA 

Enjoying all the live reports. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. 

We’ve got these:

 

[OrcaGirl]

7 hours ago, kat_merle said:

Thank you for sharing this trip report!  I'm on a similar trip in just a couple of months and seeing your pictures and hearing what all you have been able to do is making me really excited for my own trip.  I'm also glad to hear they have lectures about Alaska.  That was what sold me on Princess as the cruise line I should take I love learning about the places I am going but since that is all just on the patter I was a little worried they had stopped post Covid.

Other than the solo kayaker guest presenter, we’ve missed all of then Enrichment lectures, but they’ve been on offer. Glacier and polar bears, wildlife of Alaska, etc. 

[OrcaGirl]

(Had this all written up yesterday but fell asleep before posting.) 

 

Day 5 - Sitka

 

What a lovely sunny morning to wake up to in Sitka!

 

 

According to the naturalist yesterday, we had a decent chance of seeing the northern lights last night between 10pm to 3am if the skies were clear. (If we did, I slept right through it.)

 

Room service, Enclave, second breakfast in the buffet. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

The buffet was much quieter, since most people were probably already on their way off the ship. And on this the fifth day of our cruise, I found the Eggs Benny station… and they are spectacular!

 

 

We hung out on the pool deck for a few minutes to soak up some sun before heading back to the room to get ourselves organized for going ashore.

 

 

Disembarkation was soooo much smoother than in Juneau; we were able to take the elevator straight to deck 4 and walk right off the ship.

 

 

 

We did a little shopping in the port area, and then the ladies had a seat in the sunshine while I ran our purchases back onboard. 

 

 

 

 

We had lunch at Halibut Point Crab & Crowder. Note that their online menu is not up-to-date. But the blueberry mojito was delicious, and the ladies enjoyed their lingcod and chips. I made a mess of my half-crab, and probably left a lot of crabmeat behind. The highlight was the corn fritters with honey butter.

 

 

 

(All things considered, though, we probably should have had lunch on board.)

 

After lunch, we took a seat outside around the fire pit while we waited for our excursion meeting time.

 

 

[nini]

We really enjoyed our time in Sitka last September.

[OrcaGirl]

Day 5 - All About Sitka — Russian and Tlingit Heritage Discovery excursion

 

We met our excursion group on the pier at 1:20 and were taken to our bus.

 

We drove first to the Old Sitka State Historic Site, then to Sandy Beach for views of a gorgeous theoretically dormant volcano (Mount Edgecombe?). Both stops were ~10 min for photos.

 

 

Next we drove through town to the Sitka National Historic Park and spent about an hour there.

 

 

Our driver escorted us for a short walk along the trails, telling us about the different plants and their traditional uses. Never did go to the museum or watch the film, as we just basked in the sunshine a bit longer looking at the totems and flowers.

 

Our final stop was the replica clan house where we had the privilege of watching some traditional Tlingit dances. (I generally have conflicted feelings about having indigenous peoples ‘perform’ their cultural heritage for white settler tourists, so this wouldn’t have been my first choice of tour, but it was lovely.)

 

We made a few quick purchases at the gift shop and then hustled back to our bus, just as the cruise staff was calling our driver to ask where the **** we were. 🤣

 

Once we got back to the ship, cruise staff lined the route back to the ship to make sure no one diverted into the shops. Yay for ship-booked tours.

 

 

Once back onboard, we retired to our room to watch sailaway, which was so gorgeous. I want to return to Sitka just to kayak these waters.

 

 

 

 

More/better photos to come separately once I get them off the DSLR.

[SportsFanatic]

Thank you so much for posting all this. Would  you be so kind as to ask at one of the bars if they carry Makers Mark ? It would be much appreciated.  Also, can you tell me how late the hot tubs are open? Did you notice if any of the pools were seated?    Thank you ! 

[cr8tiv1]

My sister was on the "little" (HAL) ship next to you in Ketchikan.  She vows never to cruise Princess if all of their ships are that large.  

 

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.  I am enjoying your posts.  They are so personal.

[OrcaGirl]

13 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

My sister was on the "little" (HAL) ship next to you in Ketchikan.  She vows never to cruise Princess if all of their ships are that large.  

 

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.  I am enjoying your posts.  They are so personal.

That must have been taken in Sitka… sunny and side by side. In Ketchikan the four cruise ships in town were all in a long row with the two HALs at the front, the Solstice, and then Discovery at the far end.

 

The older Princess ships are more similar in size to the HAL ships.

[OrcaGirl]

14 hours ago, SportsFanatic said:

Thank you so much for posting all this. Would  you be so kind as to ask at one of the bars if they carry Makers Mark ? It would be much appreciated.  Also, can you tell me how late the hot tubs are open? Did you notice if any of the pools were seated?    Thank you ! 

Yes to Makers Mark. But I’m afraid I can’t find the answer to the hot tubs hours, and I didn’t see any seating in the pools, although they do seem to have a shallow lip all the way around.

[OrcaGirl]

Catching up on Sitka — DSLR photos from our excursion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by OrcaGirl

[SportsFanatic]

18 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

Yes to Makers Mark. But I’m afraid I can’t find the answer to the hot tubs hours, and I didn’t see any seating in the pools, although they do seem to have a shallow lip all the way around.

Thank you so much for checking! Much appreciated

[Bemidji Ty]

If there is a prize for a trip report, this one surely one of the best.  Thanks so much for taking us along.  Cheers.

[OrcaGirl]

Day 5 — evening shenanigans

 

We got changed and headed to dinner. But first, a quick stop at Golden Girls trivia… mad props to the ladies in the front who absolutely destroyed the competition!

 

 

Then to the Ketchikan dining room. We haven’t made MDR reservations once, and never waited more than 5 minutes to be seated, but then again, we tend to arrive fairly early.

 

The Caesar salad was good, but the Beef Wellington was spectacular. Possibly the best I’ve ever had?

 

 

 

During dinner, an officer came on the PA to announce that whales had been spotted off both sides of the ship. We had a slightly-obstructed window view but didn’t see anything. 

 

(For the menu watchers out there, a manager came by our table between courses to chit-chat, and mentioned something about a new fancy night menu debuting tomorrow. I guess my eyes lit up, cause he disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a preview copy. I’ll post it with my day 6 recap.)

 

Mom’s chocoholic cheesecake was amazing and not nearly as heavy as expected. My Love Boat Dream was just okay.

 

 

 

Mom and I headed to the marriage game show in the Vista Lounge; it was packed and we didn’t get much of a view but it was hilarious none the less. I just wish they’d have managed to get one of the Mr and Mrs Claus couples up there.

 

We turned in early since we had an early excursion booked for Ketchikan but enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the balcony.

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by OrcaGirl

[nini]

The Love Boat Dream is NOT what it used to be. We never order it now.

[Haljo1935]

On 4/30/2023 at 10:36 PM, OrcaGirl said:

...one long line after another of semi-organized chaos, and so much walking on hard concrete. (More benches please!)

 

Baggage drop was relatively painless, but the lineup to get our medallions was long and winding, and then there was the line to even get back downstairs into the security line, and then the actual security line, and then the customs line. Just too much for my ladies. My mom is already swearing ‘never again’ and I’m swearing ‘never again… 

 

Probably the longest/worst boarding experience I’ve had…

 

...we were also late leaving, presumably because people were still in line. 

Same horrible experience we had pre-Covid which caused DH to say "never again." We've been doing only Seattle round-trip ever since even though we like the Vancouver area and itineraries. 

We are at SeaTac now having just gotten off HAL Eurodam this morning. Our boarding experience was exactly opposite yours - had a 1:20pm check in time, but had drooped our bags in cabin before noon, had lunch in MDR and were enjoying a glass of wine from our balcony before 1. Yep, check in to board was less than 30 minutes and fully completed before we werexeven scheduled to board! 

Seattle vs Vancouver departures...

I will enjoy reading your posts and viewing the photos  - enjoy and safe travels!!

[OrcaGirl]

Day 6 - Ketchikan and the Totem Bight State Park & Ketchikan Highlights

 

Okay, trying to recreate Ketchikan from memory since I didn’t take a single note all day. 🤣 And left my DSLR on board because I assumed it would rain.

 

 

 

Since we had an early excursion, we skipped the buffet and stuck with room service coffee and I made a run to the international cafe for a plate of little egg bites and assorted pastries. The strawberry croissant was particularly delightful.

 

Disembarkation was not as easy as Sitka but still way better than Juneau. A lovely crew member took pity on mom and D after ~10 min of waiting for an elevator down to deck 4 (they have a hard time with stairs) and took us around to the crew-only elevator.

 

 

It was cloudy but not rainy, and we only had to wait about 5 minutes before they called our excursion to line up in a covered area with benches for the ladies.

 

 

 

After boarding the bus, we were taken for a drive through Ketchikan proper, with the driver (Marj) doing a great job of pointing out key sights and their history/significance.

 

There were four ships in town today, all docked downtown, none at Ward Cove, for approximately 10,000 guests in town.

 

 

We drove past Creek Street but didn’t stop. We originally had the Creek Street Walking Tour booked but the ladies decided they weren’t up to walking the nine blocks so we switched it out. I think they could have handled it, especially since it wasn’t raining.

 

 

Oh hey Celebrity Solstice! I sailed on her in October and quite enjoyed it.

 

 

We passed by Ward Cove, which is where we docked on the Norwegian Encore a couple of years ago (but never got off the ship because it was raining so much.)

 

 

We arrived at Totem Bight State Park, and walked a short trail from the gift shop to the start of the main trail loop. Our driver lead us on the trail loop, stopping to point out interesting trees and plants, and explaining the significance of various totems.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We entered a Haida-style clan house and the driver told us about the house construction and how the clan hierarchy would have worked. 
 

 

 

 

We continued along the trail stopping at each totem, and then back to the gift shop where we got coffee and Biscoff cookies while shopping. There’s also a small museum attached to the gift shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found it very amusing how much the other guests loved the skunk cabbage, which we have in abundance back in Vancouver and on the family farm up in Dawson Creek.

 

 

We were driven back to the ship by 11:30am, did a little more shopping at the souvenir shop and then headed aboard for lunch.

 

[cr8tiv1]

4 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

That must have been taken in Sitka… sunny and side by side. In Ketchikan the four cruise ships in town were all in a long row with the two HALs at the front, the Solstice, and then Discovery at the far end.

 

The older Princess ships are more similar in size to the HAL ships.

 

Thank you for the correction.  Sister did say it "might have been" Sitka (Ha Ha).

[memoak]

19 hours ago, SportsFanatic said:

Thank you so much for posting all this. Would  you be so kind as to ask at one of the bars if they carry Makers Mark ? It would be much appreciated.  Also, can you tell me how late the hot tubs are open? Did you notice if any of the pools were seated?    Thank you ! 

Most every large bar on all the ships I have sailed on has Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace bourbons and all fit into the plus package

[OrcaGirl]

12 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Thank you for the correction.  Sister did say it "might have been" Sitka (Ha Ha).

I wish we’d had that sunny weather in Ketchikan too 🤣