Review - Inside Passage - September 6-13,2006

[traveladdicted]

I just got back from our Inside Passage cruise on Carnival and wanted to submit a review since everyone else was so helpful to me. This is mostly about our shore excursions as I will also be posting this in the Carnival area with more information regarding the ship and Carnival specifically.

 

Just a little info:

4 of us went on this cruise to Alaska - I’m 30 years old, my Mom (60), my Aunt (55) and her friend (50ish).

 

Day 1:

Embarkation was relatively painless. It only took approximately 30 minutes from start to our first steps on board the ship.

 

Day 2: At Sea

Spent some time getting our bearings on the ship, although we still went the wrong way much of the time : ) We went to the port Shopping Talk and learned about the good deals and must-haves in Alaska.

It was also the first formal night so we took a while getting ready and had our formal portrait taken.

My mom and I also checked out the sauna and steam room which was lovely and very relaxing. All in all a relaxed day.

 

Day 3: Juneau

First we saw some really active whales while still on the cruise ship. The only times I was cold on the whole trip was when I was on deck for an extended period of time watching either the wildlife or the glaciers.

We were lucky enough to see a group of 10-12 whales “bubble feeding”, it was amazing to see 10 whales blow one after another and then see them dive. We also saw one really happy looking whale breaching over and over. He just kept propelling himself out of the water and splashing back down. There were several other whales in the area as well so we were out on deck for ages just watching them all. Make sure you bring binoculars, it really helps and we used ours all the time.

 

Later, we went whale watching with Orca (thanks to the great reviews on this site). I can certainly add my recommendation as well! We were lucky enough to not only have Captain Larry on our boat but also Captain Shawn and Captain Scott as well as their boats were not going out that afternoon. Although this time of year is not prime whale watching season, we were able to see quite a few whales and were always on the lookout for the perfect “tail”shot! The Orca Captains were all extremely knowledgeable and lots of fun. Captain Shawn in particular was very entertaining and came up to the observation deck with those of us out there. Great excursion!!

 

My aunt and her friend went on the Mendenhall Glacier and Wildlife Quest excursion which included whale watching. They really enjoyed the trip although they did not have much time to explore the Mendenhall visitor centre.

 

Day 3: Glacier Bay

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be out on deck while going through Glacier Bay. We did have a balcony cabin which we used for some viewing but being out on deck gave us a better picture of just how vast the glaciers are. It was absolutely breathtaking cruising through the bay. The Rangers on board were great at giving information and letting us know what we were seeing. We were even fortunate enough to see a couple of spectacular calvings. Glacier Bay was probably my favourite part of the trip, it really has to be experienced, it’s just too hard to describe and pictures do not do it justice.

 

Day 4: Skagway

We all started out with the Bordello and Breakfast tour (booked through Carnival) at the Red Onion Saloon. It was much better than I had anticipated. Breakfast itself was great (Kondike quiche, reindeer sausage and blueberry compote), we also had options for breakfast drinks as well (Klondike coffee, Bloody Mary’s…). Be prepared, they are very generous with the drinks : ) The tour was fun and the folks working there do a really good job entertaining the crowd. Say hi to Hussy Gussy for me as a fellow Albertan (you can tell her it was the gal from Calgary)

We did some shopping after the breakfast tour. Skagway has some great shopping, especially the Alaska Shirt Company. Almost everything in the store was 50% off since it was so late in the season! Woo Hoo!!

My mom and I also had the Valley of the Glaciers helicopter tour with Temsco (booked through Carnival as Temsco said they didn’t have availability when I called direct). It was fantastic. We went to the Mead glacier, apparently they don’t usually get to go there so our Pilot was even excited about the trip. The flight was a lot of fun although we were packed like sardines into the helicopter. My poor mom got a little squished and had a hard time seeing out the windows but still enjoyed the trip. At one point we flew up to a huge wall of blue ice, it was fantastic. On the way back we spotted 3 bull moose! I highly recommend the helicopter glacier tours.

 

My aunt and friend went on the Whitepass Railroad excursion while we were on the helicopter. They really enjoyed the scenery although it was fairly cloudy for much of the time. They didn’t see any wildlife but had some great things to say about the trip. The staff on board the train was very knowledgeable about the area and they were able to get some great photos.

 

Day 5: Ketchikan

We started the day with a little shopping but the deals weren’t as good as the ones in Skagway so we didn’t buy too much.

My mom and I went on the Mountain Point Snorkelling Adventure (also booked through Carnival). It was great. Not only is it just fun to tell people that you snorkelled in Alaska, it was actually fun to do. The guides are terrific and made everyone feel very comfortable, even those with no snorkelling experience. The water was only cold for a minute or so, then we all warmed up. It was great getting to hold starfish, a sea urchin and a sea cucumber. There were no large jellyfish but I did see some tiny clear ones around me. The wetsuits are quite a chore to get into and are not the most attractive or flattering things I’ve ever worn! They are very effective though so I guess that’s the important part. We saw some small silver fish (baby salmon and/or perch I think), some little crabs and the creatures the guides brought up for us to experience. I was really impressed with the staff.

After the tour we wandered Ketchikan for a little while longer and did some shopping at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show store. They have some really fun lumberjack themed items there. I was sad that the time of our tour did not allow me to see the lumberjack show but the snorkelling was worth it!

 

Day 6: At Sea

More amazing scenery. Alaska is absolutely gorgeous and it was great to have a balcony (or to be up on deck) and just watch the world go by!

We also went on the galley tour (very cool, I recommend it if your ship offers one).

We also had to get packed up again for the trip home : ( It went by much too fast!

 

Side Shopping Note:

I just wanted to give some brief info. on our souvenirs on the trip as many folks seem to be interested in the shopping.

As mentioned, we found several stores (including the gift shop on the ship) that had all Alaskan items at 50% off. Some of the things we purchased were:

- Chocolate bars with really cute wrappers (Babe in the Woods, Forest Grump) – the folks at work loved them!

- T-shirts, especially for kids, they were about $4.00 on sale and there were some great designs

- Hematite (Alaska Black Diamond) necklaces and earrings

- Christmas Ornaments (I’m a bit of a Christmas freak so I bought several – anything from a salmon with antlers and a Rudolph nose to a map of the inside passage)

- We also bought a couple of necklaces in Skagway made from old coins that had been pressed flat and then the design stamped out of the metal. They were not on sale but they were quite unique.

- I did not end up with an Ulu knife but my Aunt bought a couple and seems to be really impressed so far

 

Alaska is an amazing place to visit. I was pleasantly surprised by the good weather we had (almost no rain on our trip) and the variety of things to see and do there. It’s an incredible place. Thank you to everyone (Budget Queen and alaswhales especially) for all your help with the planning!

[NancyIL]

Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great cruise!

[p0mpey]

traveladdicted - we were with Captain Larry with you. Trying to remember who you were. It all seems so long ago now even though it was only a week ago today. It was a great cruise wasn't it? We did Glacier Point Safari in Skagway (great) and Red Onion Brothel on our own. Unfortunately we didn't have time to shop in Juneau and then in Skagway we couldn't get our safe open and didn't have time to wait for someone to come and open it before our excursion. We therefore didn't have our money or credit cards to shop the great bargains. We thought"no worries, we will just shop in Ketcikan". Well. as you said the bargains there were no where near as good as in Skagway or Juneau. I was so bummed!!

[traveladdicted]

Hi P0mpey,

 

I was on the Captain Larry excursion with my mom. We were up on top anytime we were allowed to be up there. I thought I was going to freeze to death but it was worth being out there!

 

Sorry to hear about your shopping mis-adventure! We had the same problem with the safe in Ketchikan so luckily we didn't need much money.

 

I'm looking forward to going back to Alaska some day!

[cruzy-sue]

You didn't say which ship you were on..

 

I am assuming the Spirit - but you didn't talk about the ship at all. How was it?? Any photos??

[traveladdicted]

Hi Cruzy-Sue,

 

I only mentioned the ports on this review because it was getting so long! I do have a review in the Carnival section as well with more info on the ship. You are correct, it was the Spirit.

 

I really enjoyed the Spirit and I love cruising with Carnival. The ship itself was lovely and we had a great time on our sea days. The decor is a little over the top but that's to be expected on a cruise and I love the cheesy atmosphere.

 

I'm still working on getting my photos uploaded so I can share!

 

Thanks for asking.

[Ifloat]

Hi!

 

Thanks for the interesting review!

 

We were on the same whale watch boat as you. There were 9 of my family members there, actually. Great fun. My niece got some really cute sea lion pictures.