Princess tour and non-cruise (Coral Princess June 11-18) review

[KnoxvilleSam]

We made our reservations last October for the June 11 sailing of the Coral Princess from Whittier, with a 5-day pre-cruise land tour with Princess. I spent several months (as do most of us) making our plans for land tour and port excursions (with only one day of Princess-arranged tours in Fairbanks on the first day of the land tour) - shuttle bus in Denali (Wonder Lake), white-water rafting in Denali or from Mt. McKinley (ended up being in Denali), Chilkoot 7.5-hour bus/rail trip from Skagway to Emerald Lake and back, Harv & Marv whale-watching and Coastal Helicopter glacier and dog sledding in Juneau, Island Wings flight and hike out of Ketchikan, one extra night in Vancouver and home again.

 

We used our FF miles on Delta to fly first-class to Fairbanks (with return from Vancouver), and although a long trip from Knoxville (you HAVE to go through Atlanta to get anywhere from Knoxville), we arrived late on the night of June 5 and were met by the Princess shuttle to the Fairbanks Princess Lodge. Rented a car (from Avis) the next day and had great time going to the Large Animal Research Station (musk ox and caribou), the Museum of the North at UAF, North Pole, and just driving around at a leisurely pace. The next day (June 7) was the first day of our land tour with Princess, and we took the Eldorado Gold Mine and Riverboat Discovery tours with them. Although the gold mine tour was fun, the riverboat trip was absolutely great - floatplane demonstration, the Butcher huskie/sled dog demo (both of these seen from on board the riverboat), and the visit to the Athibascan "village" - incredibly professionally done, with demos from various native peoples about various crafts, ways of life, etc. The weather was cool but overcast - but very comfortable.

 

We ate one night at the Ester Gold Camp and attended the aurora borealis slideshow set to music (can't remember the precise name) and a comedy/poetry reading at the Malmute Saloon ("Service with a Smile") and also had lunch at Gambardella's in downtown Fairbanks - very good Italian. Also had dinner at Pike's Landing (almost next door to the Princess Lodge) and it was wonderful. We had breakfast/lunch at the Princess Lodge, and I'd say it was simply OK.

 

The following day we took the train (ARR with Princess cars) to Denali and arrived around 1:00 pm. We pretty much chilled the rest of that day, ended up meeting our train-car mates at the Denali Princess Lodge dinner theater, a family-style dinner with a musical show. The food was OK (more about this later!) and the entertainment was charming? OK, it was fun!

 

The following day, fellow CCers (Patrice from our roll call) gave us a lift to the Wilderness Access Center at Denali and we caught the 6:45 am shuttle to Wonder Lake. We had a fabulous time - saw wolves (2 walking right down the road, with one howling shortly after we passed him/her by), Dall sheep (at a distance but good with binoculars), moose (2-3 pretty near the road), caribou (several herds), and, on our way back from Wonder Lake, a Grizzly sow with her two cubs. Also many arctic hares, birds (ravens, golden eagles). Our bus driver has been driving the route for 15 years and knew what she was talking about. Several times I averted my eyes from the drop-offs. I'd had to think how many "guests" would be "lost" if the road were open to the public. We didn't encounter many mosquitos at Wonder Lake but were glad we had the Deet 100 percent. The mountain was definitely OUT - gorgeous and huge - of course from Wonder Lake you can only see the "shorter" North Peak (we saw the "taller" South Peak on our way to the McKinley Lodge on our drive there).

 

Got back to the Lodge, had dinner at the main restaurant, retired early. Got up the next morning and took a river raft on the Nenana River (the easy rafting trip) and it was also beautiful - at least for a while. DW took ill during the river raft tour. The guides got our raft and the other two to the side of the river (unfortunately after DW was sick), where a couple of docs from the other rafts and the lead guide checked her out. We suspected food poisoning - DW was wearing a patch and had felt fine on the river up until she got sick.

 

More later - have to go pick up our dogs at the kennel. But stay tuned for the non-cruise part of the review.

 

Sam

[cjnky]

The first part sounds fantabulous, but the rest :( is sooo sad, and one of my worst fears of our upcoming trip!

[KnoxvilleSam]

After we returned to the rafting vendor's point of debarkation, the guides helped DW out of the drysuit, and one of the docs from another raft continued to check on her - very kind. She wasn't feeling very good (to say the least) but we went back to the Denali Princess Lodge to wait for our motorcoach (bus!) that would take us to the McKinley Princess Lodge. She rested on one of the couches in the lodge while I looked for soda crackers to settle her stomach - of course NO venue there had them - got a plain bagel and guess that helped some.

 

We boarded our bus an hour or so later, and there was enough room for DW to have her own two seats and I sat across from her. The trip was unremarkable except for some fabulous views of the South Peak of McKinley. The driver stopped a few times for photographs.

 

When we got to McKinley Princess Lodge, we went to our room and Nancy rested a bit more. I thought maybe the Lodge would have some medical advice, so I called the main desk. Within 45 minutes or so a couple of guest relations staff came by - not so much to help DW as to ask questions about her illness. Told them the symptoms, when she had them, what she'd eaten and where (all meals in Denali at Princess venues!). They then told us her symptoms were similar to norovirus and that we would not be able to board our cruise!!! Since we were to leave the next day at noon on the train to Whittier for embarkation, DW's symptoms were too recent to allow us to board - something about Princess and CDC (and the other cruise lines I'd imagine) had decided that anyone with norovirus within 24 hours of embarkation could not be allowed to board. I countered that it was at least as likely, if not more so, that it was food poisoning from the Denali Princess Lodge (either the dinner theater or the King Salmon Restaurant). Well not according to them - it was norovirus whether we wanted to acknowledge it or not (of course the fact that I was exposed to my wife's illness for the rest of our trip and I never had any symptoms would tend to support our theory and not theirs). And it bothered us just a bit that there was no diagnosis or treatment by a qualified medical professional.

 

So we were quarantined in our room. DW had to stay in the room for 48 hours, and I had to stay for 24 as long as I exhibited no symptoms. They said they'd bring us our meals and anything else we needed. So for the next 60 hours we stayed in the McKinely Princess Lodge while our cruise took off without us. The next day (June 12) I did convince the Guest Services staff that perhaps I could go to the lodge to use our own laptop and their WiFi hotspot to make alternative vacation plans using the internet since they had NO internet connections in their rooms.

 

I got on the phone and the internet and cancelled our excursions with Chilkoot Tours in Skagway, Harv & Marv in Juneau, Coastal Helicopter in Juneau, and Island Wings in Ketchikan. All vendors were very cordial and expressed their regrets for DW's illness; Larry at Chilkoot Tours said he wanted me to make Princess pay for the cancellation, so we'll see how that goes. We've already received all money back from Harv & Marv (a check was in our mail when we got home) and Coastal Helicopters.

 

I spent the next day or so making alternative arrangements for the rest of our vacation. The Guest Services staff at McKinely Princess Lodge were incredibly kind, gracious and helpful (particularly Ariel Volpert). Instead of the usual resolution to such situations (i.e., Princess paying our expenses at McKinley and coach tickets back to our home in Tennessee), Ariel was able to convince Princess Corporate (the Landtour part of the business) to fly us to Vancouver and get us a discount at a hotel there for a couple of nights. After 2 nights in Vancouver, we'd go (all on our own money from that point forward) to Victoria for a couple of nights, then return to Vancouver for a night before returning home using our OWN airline tickets that we'd gotten with FF miles (one reason we wanted to do that was because Princess "doesn't do" first class tickets, which is what we'd bought with our miles).

 

DW's quarantine/"incarceration" ended at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, so we were supposed to be driven to Anchorage on Wednesday morning to catch a 1:00 pm flight to Vancouver. Well now the Princess Transporation Group screwed up! The driver for our van was late (20 minutes or so), he forgot to get gas in the van (another 10 minutes), he mis-estimated how long it would take to get to the Anchorage airport (by 50 percent), and he let a couple of friends ride with him/us (one of the principal reasons we were to have "private" transportation was to reduce the possiblity of exposing people to any contagion?). We arrived at the Anchorage aiport 1 hour before the flight and learned that although Princess Transportation had reserved seats for us, they failed to actually purchase the tickets. Since it took Princess Tranporation 90 minutes to be able to purchase the tickets, we missed our flight and had to wait 4 hours to catch another one - one that sent us to Vancouver by way of Seattle. Instead of arriving in Vancouver at 5:15 pm, we got there at 12:30 am. We were mad enough that we demanded that Princess comp the entire room cost in Vancouver (the Westin on Bayshore) and meet us with transfer vouchers to and from the hotel. They did. The hotel was very nice.

 

For our one full day in Vancouver, we decided to take a city tour - not an ideal way of getting around, but given our frazzled nerves and somewhat delicate condition, perhaps the best option. A 4-hour tour that included Stanley Park (with a couple of stops at the totem poles and Prospect Point), Granville Island (we enjoyed beer and wine at a nice restaurant/pub after going through the public market), drive through China Town, then the top of a building for a view of the whole city. Not ideal, but OK.

 

The next day, our wedding anniversary, we took the bus/ferry (Pacific Coast Lines) to Victoria, with a couple of hours at Butchart Garden before being delivered to downtown Victoria. A real highlight of this part of our trip. Incredibly beautiful. The sunken garden, the Japanese garden, the Italian garden, gelato, and then, of course, the gift shop! :)

 

We'd gotten a room at the Victoria Marriott - very nice and not TOO expensive. The concierge there arranged a reservation for dinner for us at the Lure Seafood Restaurant and Bar (at the Delta Victoria Ocean Point Resort and Spa) and, unbeknown to DW, a carriage ride through Victoria - a guy has to have some surprises after 32 years! The meal was incredible - we did a Tastings menu - 5-6 courses with paired wines - very elegant and a beautiful setting. And expensive, but what the h***.

 

The next morning we took a whale watching tour to see the Orcas - not exactly what I had in mind with Harv and Marv in Juneau, but whales nonetheless (with Prince of Whales). A very knowlegable naturalist filled us in on the the pod we were seeing (the L pod) and the principal star that we were seeing (Mega). Gave us a short lesson on the other pods, how they interact, life stages, etc.

 

When we returned to the hotel, we freshened up and had lunch at the Irish Times pub and then shopped 'til I dropped (DW had more energy). Dinner that night was less grandiose but very good (at "Milestones" right on the harbor). After being fully sated, we retired fairly early.

 

Next day, our final excursion - a seaplane from Victoria to Vancouver. Hey, if you can't do Island Wings, you gotta' do something similar. Very cool ride. Not inexpensive, but lots of fun. And only 30 minutes from the Victoria harbor to the Vancouver harbor instead of 4 hours or so by bus/ferry. And the flight over the San Juan Islands and other islands whose names I didn't know was breath-taking. If I had an extra few million I'd surely have a place somewhere up there - so green, so peaceful.

 

Our final night again at the Westin on Bayshore. Had a final fabulous dinner at the Lift Restaurant next to the Westin. Woke up the next morning and looked out our window/balcony and saw the Coral Princess docked at Canada Place - our ship that we didn't take. Kind of a sad moment.

 

But ... now we have to plan a cruise in Alaska. Princess said they would refund what we spent on the cruise we didn't take, so that will be money back in the till. Now we just have to find the time to do it. In the meantime, I've alreadly planned a 3-week sojourn in France next May (a week each in Paris, Provence, and the Cote d'Azur), so Alaska might have to wait a while. But I know we'll be back some day.

 

A final note - I spent a lot of time planning the cruise we didn't take, and many of those plans were based on what I learned here at CC from people I feel like I've gotten to know. The CC community has been very gracious, very kind, and very informative. I've found that the internet community, in general, is a real boon to travelers (I use the Fodor's board extensively for our land-based trips, as well as Trip Advisor). I don't know how our parents did it in the "olden days." When I was a kid (MANY years ago now), my parents took the family (my sister and me and the two of them) around the world on a "space available" basis (retired military) - visiting Guam, Phillipines, Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and many parts of Europe. My parents (my mother in large part) did it with snail mail (god forbid paying what it cost to make international long distance calls back then).

 

So the wanderlust continues, but now we can help each other in ways that previous generations couldn't even dream of.

 

Now I'm waiting until 12:01 tomorrow morning (EST) to try to get our flights to Paris next year - first class FF miles of course. Ya' gotta' save a buck when you can.

 

Ciao for now,

 

Sam

 

P.S. If you have managed to read all this drivel and have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll lurk around here a bit longer while I look for a make-up Alaska cruise.

[Roxilla]

I am so sorry you missed your cruise but I am also very impressed by the way you bounced back and made other plans that would be great as well. Some people would have wallowed in their sorrows and let it ruin their whole vacation but your attitude and ability to change gears enabled you to salvage your vacation. We can all take a lesson from you on that! Hope you get to get back to Alaska soon and can finally take that cruise!

[cjnky]

I am also very impressed by the way you bounced back and made other plans that would be great as well. Some people would have wallowed in their sorrows and let it ruin their whole vacation but your attitude and ability to change gears enabled you to salvage your vacation. We can all take a lesson from you on that! Hope you get to get back to Alaska soon and can finally take that cruise!

 

Roxilla just stole all my thoughts! I truly admire your ability to bounce back and make the best of a bad situation.

[fti]

Wow, Sam. That is all I can say. I can't believe how your vacation was so interrupted and how you made the best of it. I know you were on this board a lot asking/giving advice. I am so glad that you took the lemons and made lemonade. But I am sorry that you missed the cruise. I think the cruiselines basically look out for their own interests in cases of sickness. I guess if I were running a business like them, I would too. But it seems too bad that they didn't even get an expert opinion, like you mentioned.

 

I trust you will be able to get to Alaska again!

[Coral]

I am so sorry this happened to you. You did make the best of it.

 

It is entirely possible for your wife to have norovirus and you not to. For example, if you were washing your hands frequently and didn't touch your mouth - it is very possible for you to avoid it.

 

I hope you plan another trip to Alaska in the near future.

[NancyIL]

Sam - I'm so sorry you were unable to go on your cruise. You responded to the disappointing situation much better than I would've! I'm glad you had a nice anniversary in Victoria. My impression of the Sunken Gardens at Butchart was also one of being overwhelmed by its beauty.

[RNCheryl]

Wow:

Hope you are feeling well. I admire your resourcefulness as well as your positive feelings.

 

Hopefully you will return to Alaska and things will go smoothly. We are there in 8/07 and have scheduled many of the excursions you did. Good to know they are nice to deal with.

 

Cudos to Fodors, also.

[nextelcup]

Sam - Sorry to have missed meeting you and Nancy. You did miss an awesome whale watching adventure with Harv and Marv (and fabulous cookies!).

As others have already mentioned, you probably did a much better job than I would have at making "lemonade." Kudos to you! Have a wonderful summer!

[qiangf2]

Sam, that's a great report! I cannot believe how unprofessional the van driver at Anchorage was. It is just maddening! I am glad you made the rest of the trip as pleasant as one can possibly achieve given the circumstance. Well, I hope Nancy is fully recovered. Even though I never met you, your positive altitute teaches me a lot. Thanks

[Italy52]

Sam, I am so sorry to hear about your missed cruise. I am glad to hear that your wife is feeling much better. What a wonderful husband you are. You didn't let anything spoil your anniversary trip. Your wife definitely knew what she was doing when she married you. :)