Review Sapphire Princess and 7 Day Independent Land Tour

[akeka]

…and you can bet there was still a surprise or two or three waiting for us on our last day in Alaska. ;) Stay tuned.

 

To be continued…

 

Larry

 

Oh, Larry. You left us hanging! Can't wait for the last chapter; I'm sharing this with my family as we plan for our 2008 trip.

 

It is almost like waiting for the last Harry Potter book this week.

[OnlyMe]

Larry, thanks for the next instalment! I'm printing to read tonight after I have hopefully finished sorting out our packing. We leave on Thursday night - any chance of the final instalment before then? Would love to read it on the plane journey to AK:)

[LarryF]

Oh, Larry. You left us hanging! Can't wait for the last chapter; I'm sharing this with my family as we plan for our 2008 trip.

 

It is almost like waiting for the last Harry Potter book this week.

 

Larry, thanks for the next instalment! I'm printing to read tonight after I have hopefully finished sorting out our packing. We leave on Thursday night - any chance of the final instalment before then? Would love to read it on the plane journey to AK:)

 

You all are so funny! I wouldn't quite compare myself to J.K. Rowling, but as long as I have such a captive audience, I think I will require a large sum of money to view my last chapter! LOL!

 

Just kidding...I will try my best to post the final chapter no later than Thursday morning...

 

Until then...

 

Larry

[OnlyMe]

That would be utterly fantastic Larry - talk about a build up to our trip! Can't wait to read your final installment.

[LarryF]

That would be utterly fantastic Larry - talk about a build up to our trip! Can't wait to read your final installment.

 

It's about 11 pm and I'm about 70% done with the last chapter. I hopefully will be able to finish it in the morning and have it posted in time for you to print before you leave...

 

Larry

[LarryF]

Hello all,

 

To continue…

 

Saturday June 2, 2007

 

I woke up around 6:00 a.m. and felt a little excited to be going home after being away for 15 days (but not near as excited as I felt 15 days ago to be going to Alaska)! I took a peek through the drapes one last time to see another magnificent sunny day. The evergreen trees in the foreground nearest to our room were draped in shadows, but the lake beyond the trees was brightly glistening and the surrounding mountains on the other side of the lake were ablaze with golden hues from the glorious rays of the sun. (OK, I know, gag me with a spoon…, but check it out below if you don’t believe me!

 

 

We took our time getting ready and enjoyed our continental breakfast. I lugged the luggage upstairs and packed the car. We were ready to leave at 7:30 a.m. There is really is no check out process at the Inn. I had paid for the first nights stay with a deposit months before and assumed the balance would be applied to my credit card, which is exactly what did transpire.

 

Taking the advice of many on this board, I calculated that it would take us between 5.5 to 6 hours to drive to Anchorage which would put us in Anchorage between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. I figured that would give us enough time to go to the Alaskan Native Heritage Center and then get to the airport by 3:00 p.m. That would give us plenty of time to drop off the rental car, check in and eat a late lunch before the flight.

 

So we began the drive to Anchorage in great spirits and both of us got lost in our thoughts listening to the stirring Alaska music in the CD player. I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me, but about 20 or 30 minutes south of Denali, Mt. Mckinley came into view and for the next hour or so we had incredible views of the mountain; some of them even more stunning than we had seen from the Park the day before! We stopped many times just to stare at the mountain. What a great surprise! The view from the south viewing area was unbelievable; this was the same viewing area where the elderly lady had marveled at the mountain a few days before when she was only seeing the base of the mountain because of the clouds. I have one picture of the base of the mountain from the cloudy day and another picture of the entire mountain from the exact same spot from this glorious sunny day. What a difference!

 

Surprise number two came when we were close to Talkeetna. I was driving about 85 miles per hour down the road and we had hardly seen more than a car or two or any other vehicles for miles. I could still see Mt. Mckinley quite clearly through my rear view and side view mirrors when Amy suddenly yelled out “Moose”! I was going so fast I almost missed it, but I caught a quick glance of a moose on the left side of the road as we zoomed by it. So I stopped the car as quickly as I could and did a three point turn and slowly drove back about 100 feet and pulled off the road.

 

So picture this…there’s not a cloud in the sky and straight ahead of you is the two lane Parks Highway road. It stretches out in front of you for about a half a mile at which point it bends around and disappears to the left. The road is heavily wooded with bright green Evergreens on both sides and where the road begins to bend and disappear, your eyes naturally look up and there above the trees you see Mt. McKinley just soaring into the deep blue sky; and then just 10 feet to the right hand side of the car is an incredible moose, one the most sought after beloved creatures in the world! This folks is what Alaska is all about!

 

She was totally oblivious to us and stood there eating the grass. I was amazed at how close we were and between Amy and me we took dozens of pictures. During the 10 to 15 minutes we were there, only one car came by from the other direction and sat there as long as we were there. We were able to capture many great pictures and it was as if the moose actually posed for us! There was one picture we captured of the moose that Amy swears is the same pose that Gary Coleman would strike (in the TV Show Different Strokes) when he says “Whachu talkin ‘bout Willis!” I think she’s nutso… but here’s the picture, so judge for yourself.

 

 

 

The moose finally decided she had enough to eat and slowly made her way across the road and no sooner had she disappeared into the Evergreens than another moose appeared about 30 feet up the road and slowly crossed to the other side and disappeared into the woods.

 

We reluctantly resumed driving with no more diversions. We stopped briefly in Wasilla and I got a hot mocha latte at a drive through java stand. I only mention it because the latte was really good!

 

As mentioned earlier, while I had read that it would take 5.5 to 6 hours to get to Anchorage, I really never thought it would take that long especially after experiencing very little traffic all week long from Seward to Denali. So I was not real surprised when we took the exit for the Alaskan Native Heritage Center in Anchorage at 11:30 a.m., just 4 hours since we had left Healey!

 

When we drove up to the parking lot of the Alaska Native Heritage Center there were about 50 people standing outside and my first thought was that the museum must be real crowded and we would have to wait to get in. Upon closer inspection we found out that all those people were waiting for their tour bus to come pick them up. So we almost had the entire Center all to ourselves.

 

The Alaska Native Heritage Center, http://www.alaskanative.net, is located 10 miles east of Anchorage off the Muldoon exit from the Glenn Highway. The cost was $23.50 per person, but we had a 2 for 1 toursaver coupon. There is a “Gathering Place Stage” in the main building where native singers, dancers, story tellers and others perform. We were entertained with a group of teens that were demonstrating a native game that involved jumping very high in the air to kick a ball. We viewed a movie in the theatre about the conflict of natives killing whales for food and other needs while going against the law. We walked around the Hall of Cultures and went to many exhibits where native artists were demonstrating and selling their beautiful crafts.

 

In back of the Center outside, there is a small lake called Tiulana Lake and around the lake are 5 different Native habitats, each representing one of Alaska’s 5 Native cultures. We went into each dwelling and a native representative told us about their particular culture and explained the way of life of their ancestors and showed us various tools that were used for hunting, fishing, cooking, etc. We stayed at Center for about and hour and a half and left around 1:00 p.m.

 

The weather had clouded up and cooled off into the low 50’s. I was thinking about driving along Turnagain Arm and possibly going back to the Alyeska Resort, but Amy had read something about a Farmer’s Market in Anchorage. Since it had clouded up we decided to go find the Farmers Market.

 

The Farmers Market was located in Downtown Anchorage in a parking lot on west 3rd Street right around the block from the Ship Creek Center shopping area. This was surprise number three! We loved the Farmers Market. I’m not sure why it’s called a farmers market, as I only saw one small booth that had any vegetables. I would have to guess that there were about 75 to 100 booths selling just about everything from native arts and crafts to funky clothing. It was kind of a cross between an arts festival and flea market, but it was the ambiance that made it so enjoyable.

 

Have you ever been to a college football game on an Autumn Saturday when the air is chilly (we call it sweater weather in Florida) and everyone’s decked out in their team’s colors and the tailgating parties are almost more exciting than the game itself. That was the feeling I got from the farmer’s market. As you begin to walk around, you realize that this is all about a gathering place for the Anchorage locals. This was very apparent as Amy and I made our way along the aisles wearing several layers of clothing while most everyone else were in shorts and t-shirts! They were all out to celebrate this glorious summer day where temperatures had soared into the 50’s! You could just sense that there was a connection amongst all the locals, but as outsiders we were made to feel totally welcome amid this close knit group.

 

Besides the exhibit booths, there were magicians and jugglers roaming about and the Anchorage Community Band was blasting out just about every John Phillip Souza marching song you’ve ever heard. Years ago, Amy, I and the kids were driving through the West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains and right around dusk we saw a county fair down in a beautiful valley. The setting was as baseball-apple pie American as it can get, and I got the same feeling from this setting at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Anchorage. As the band played the Alaska State Song it was stirring and inspiring to watch dozens of people proudly sing their song as tears fell from many of their eyes. Alaska people are very proud of their state.

 

The smell of all the different foods being cooked throughout the market was such a delight and it was very difficult trying to decide what to eat. We eventually decided on the smoked Salmon Quesadillas and what a great choice that was! They were so delicious!

 

So, if you find yourself needing to kill some time on a Saturday in Anchorage before your flight home or before you need to be in Whittier to take a cruise, I highly recommend spending some time at the Anchorage Farmer’s Market.

 

We left the market shortly before 3:00 p.m. and after getting lost and having to stop and get directions, we got to the airport and turned in the rental car. The cost for the rental car was $217 for week. The line for check-in was very short and within minutes we checked our luggage. I am proud to say my obsessive packing paid off as each bag weighed between 47 and 48 pounds! (..refer back to Thursday May 31) LOL!

 

We got through security and were at our gate with an hour to spare. Amy bought a few more gifts at one of the gift shops. We boarded our Alaska Air flight which would take us to Seattle and from there we would board another Alaska Air flight around 11:00 p.m. that would take us home to Orlando. Both flights left right on time, were smooth and uneventful and we actually arrived early in Orlando around 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. We flew first class using our frequent flier points and one of the nice amenities on Alaska Air is that they provide you with a compact video player that is preloaded with several different movies, music, etc. As I don’t sleep much on a plane, I was entertained most of the way watching a couple of movies and a great video that Alaska Air produced about Alaska. The biggest miracle of the entire two weeks was that my son was actually on time to meet us at the airport! HA!

 

As I just paused to think about what to write next, a little surge of melancholy came over me as I knew the inevitable end to this journal was upon me. I’ve almost enjoyed sharing my experience in Alaska with all of you as much as I enjoyed the trip itself. I hardly know any of you, but through some of your comments and just seeing how many people have viewed this post I feel a real connection to you all.

 

As just about everything you could ever want to know about Alaska can be found on the Cruise Critic boards, I won’t even try to give any advice about Alaska. Everything we did on our trip was the result of what I read on this board from the likes of Budget Queen, Yukon, AKSusan, NancyIL and so many others. What I hope you got from my journal was how much spirit, peace and magic there is in just about everything you see and experience in Alaska. Amy and I will definitely return to Alaska, probably many times, but this trip has inspired us to see as many places on earth as we can. And I surely know that I will find a lot of spirit, peace and magic in all our future travels.

 

I will check out this board from time to time and I get email notification from responses to this post which will alert me to any questions you may have. If you would like to contact me directly with questions, you can email me at lfeinb9640@aol.com.

 

And so my friends, I will not outstay my welcome and bid you all adieu and safe travels.

 

Oh, I almost forgot, do you remember the wall quilts that were in the Castle Mountain B&B in Chickaloon that I told Amy we couldn’t afford? Well, I called Corrie as soon as we got back home and ordered the two Amy liked so much and gave them to her for her birthday two weeks later…I got lucky that night! :D

 

To continue on with my life…

 

Larry

[OnlyMe]

Thank you SO much for posting the last installment before we leave! I am printing as I type and it will be the perfect beginning to what hopefully will be a fantastic trip in about 10 hours when we get on our first plane.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to post such a fabulously detailed trip report!

[AkSusan]

Larry,

 

What a great review. I'm glad to read that you plan to come back.

 

Just want to say besides Saturday the Farmer's (Downtown) Market is also there on Sundays, 10 to 6. Starts mid May and will go to Mid September. Even though I live here I always go year in and year out. Did it so far twice this year with my Mom (she was up for 6 weeks) and even had some different vendors from the first trip to the second.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Aloha Gal]

Larry, a huge mahalo to you for sharing! I'm sad to see your journal end, but uplifted by your spirit and compassion. We leave this Sunday for our first cruise and first time to Alaska. Reading your journal was the best bon voyage gift!

 

Aloha, Logan

[Happyladi]

Thanks for the great review!

 

I am hopping to get to the Alaskan Native Heritage Center. I am surprised that an hour and a half is enough time. Would it be easy to spend more time or did you feel you saw everything you needed to in this time?

 

You mentioned that the left side of the bus on the Tundra tour is the best. Does the bus make a circle or does it turn around and go back down the same road? You were on the right side, did it end up being okay?

 

Your reviews were lot of fun to read, thanks again. :)

[LarryF]

Thanks for the great review!

 

I am hopping to get to the Alaskan Native Heritage Center. I am surprised that an hour and a half is enough time. Would it be easy to spend more time or did you feel you saw everything you needed to in this time?

 

You mentioned that the left side of the bus on the Tundra tour is the best. Does the bus make a circle or does it turn around and go back down the same road? You were on the right side, did it end up being okay?

 

Your reviews were lot of fun to read, thanks again. :)

 

Yes you can spend a lot more time at the Heritage Center. I'm not a real big "museum" person, so don't go by my review. I toured the Smithsonian Natural History museum in Washington in 30 minutes and my wife and son were there for almost 6 hours!

 

We were on the "shuttle bus" which went to Fish Creek and you are on the "tour bus" which doesn't go quite as far (I believe it turns around at the Polychrome Pass stop). The only difference in the "shuttle" bus and the "tour" bus is that the tour bus serves lunch (which many posters have stated is not very good) and the price for the "tour" bus is substantially more than the "shuttle" bus (the shuttle bus to Fish Creek was only $25 each). You would be wise to reconsder and take the "shuttle" bus. Both buses do turn around, so if you are on the right hand side of the bus, going back you will see the sights you may have missed going in, but you will also be fairly tired by then and the driver's don't narrate as much on the way back.

 

It's not the end of the world to be on the right hand side as I made it out to be, but the left hand side is definitely better.

 

Larry

[rjscott]

Larry,

Thank you for taking us along on your journey. We'll be cruising Alaska in 5 weeks, and if we see half as much wildlife as you did, I'll be one happy camper! :) I really wanted to go to the Saturday Market in Anchorage, and I thank you for confiming it is worthwhile.

 

 

 

Becki

[Happyladi]

Larry, we are booked with a Princess tourcruise and the Denali tour has been decided. I know everyone on here hates tourcruises but we bought it before I read here. I do have three nights in the Denali area and two nights in Anchorage, we are flying in early and doing one night on our own there.

 

Thanks for your help. If I do sit on the right I won't worry about it so much. :)

[cjnky]

Larry, I'm not sure when I ever enjoyed reading anything as much as I have enjoyed your journal! I'm truly sad to see it come to an end :( , but thank you so much for sharing it all with us!

[LarryF]

Larry, I'm not sure when I ever enjoyed reading anything as much as I have enjoyed your journal! I'm truly sad to see it come to an end :( , but thank you so much for sharing it all with us!

 

Thanks for all your kind comments and feedback.

 

Larry

[qiangf2]

Larry, thanks for the grand finale! and it is multi-media too! :) Are you going to C&P them into one big article so people can get a complet package without missing one while going through this long thread? thanks

[LarryF]

Larry, thanks for the grand finale! and it is multi-media too! :) Are you going to C&P them into one big article so people can get a complet package without missing one while going through this long thread? thanks

 

 

Yes...I will do that tonight or tomorrow and post it to the member review section and post the link on this thread. Glad you liked my multimedia show!

 

Larry

[fti]

Larry, we are booked with a Princess tourcruise and the Denali tour has been decided. I know everyone on here hates tourcruises but we bought it before I read here. I do have three nights in the Denali area and two nights in Anchorage, we are flying in early and doing one night on our own there.

 

Thanks for your help. If I do sit on the right I won't worry about it so much. :)

 

Don't worry - your cruisetour will be fine. At least you have the TWT. But if you want, you can cancel the tour and book the shuttle bus on your own. You will end up getting a substantial refund (I think about $50/person). If you have three nights at Denali, that is a great cruisetour. Most that I have seen only spend max 2 nights there then head to Talkeetna or McKinley Princess Lodge.

 

And not to worry about left or right side. BQ says she likes the first row behind the driver - our driver commented last time how that is the worst seat on the bus since your view is blocked by the high seat of the driver. So to each his own. I generally use camper buses that are not nearly as crowded as shuttle buses. But even when I used the shuttle buses two weeks ago, the passengers are generally accommodating in letting you get to the other side to take photos.

 

Larry, excellent job on your trip report. It has been fun reading it.

 

John

[thawan]

Thank you for the wonderful review. It was so much fun to read. :D

[tapia]

I'm so sad your review is over :-(

 

Thank you so much for the great contribution!

[caneable]

Hi Larry and fellow thread readers

 

It's manic here in the UK! All the folks figuring they're doing something special going to Harry Potter launch shops at midnight tonight - heck we've been hanging round with our tongues out each and every day for the past fortnight! I found Cruise Critic about 2 months ago and thought it might be useful. there must be loads like me out there and they'd be quicker to come over if they could get hold of your review! CC should put a link on their home page!

 

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts and observations (I know, you worked that out already). We're on our way to Alaska late August on Sapphire Princess. We were already well up for it, but now the days can't pass quick enough.

 

So here's a question Larry. Obviously you had a balcony but seemed to spend a lot of time on deck for Glacier Bay and College Fjord. At the same time I got the impression that Amy spent more time on the balcony, so who got the best deal? What are the pros and cons of private v. public viewing areas? Just how much do you get to look at the glaciers from a balcony? I believe that we are on starboard side if that helps.

 

Thanks again for a great read.

[rjscott]

Caneable, which sailing of the Sapphire are you on? We'll be on the Aug 25th sailing. Our first visit to Alaska.

 

Becki

[caneable]

Hi Becki

 

That's our cruise too!

[LarryF]

Hi Larry and fellow thread readers

 

It's manic here in the UK! All the folks figuring they're doing something special going to Harry Potter launch shops at midnight tonight - heck we've been hanging round with our tongues out each and every day for the past fortnight! I found Cruise Critic about 2 months ago and thought it might be useful. there must be loads like me out there and they'd be quicker to come over if they could get hold of your review! CC should put a link on their home page!

 

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts and observations (I know, you worked that out already). We're on our way to Alaska late August on Sapphire Princess. We were already well up for it, but now the days can't pass quick enough.

 

So here's a question Larry. Obviously you had a balcony but seemed to spend a lot of time on deck for Glacier Bay and College Fjord. At the same time I got the impression that Amy spent more time on the balcony, so who got the best deal? What are the pros and cons of private v. public viewing areas? Just how much do you get to look at the glaciers from a balcony? I believe that we are on starboard side if that helps.

 

Thanks again for a great read.

 

Thank you so much for you kind words. Boy, if those Harry Potter fans just knew what they were missing!:D

 

The time you spend on the balcony just depends on how much you want to see. It's great for days just cruising at sea, but in my opinion you don't get the full effect of Glacier Bay and College Fjords unless you are out on deck and can get the 360 degree view. For example, if you're on the starboard side going into College Fjords, most of the Glaciers are on the Port side and you would not view Harvard Glacier at all. The ship does turn around and you would see the Glaciers you missed from your balcony as you leave Glacier Bay, but you wouldn't hear the narration of the Naturalist at that point.

 

It will be cold on deck, but it's worth it...so make sure to dress in lots of layers, wear a good hat and hood as well as some warm gloves!

 

Have a great cruise...

 

Larry

[webecruzn2]

To date, more than 15000 people have looked at your review. Word has gotten around how wonderful you write. I suspect your review will become a must read for everyone as they plan their Alaska trip. We leave in 2 weeks for a trip that will duplicate much of your itinerary. You made us all the more anxious to get to Alaska. Thanks for sharing.