Sea lions, bears & eagles Oh My! Pearl to Alaska 6/07/09 review (w/ pics!)

[goodml]

Methinks you're home early enough to get another installment in today. Tap, tap, tap.......:D

[cw2go]

You are awesome!!! I waited all day!!! This review has me obsessed!!!

 

 

Can you tell me how easy of a walk it is to Pikes Place Market and The Space Needle from The Marriot Waterfont Seattle?

 

 

Super Big Bunches of Thanks,

Patty

[Cubechick]

You are awesome!!! I waited all day!!! This review has me obsessed!!!

 

 

Can you tell me how easy of a walk it is to Pikes Place Market and The Space Needle from The Marriot Waterfont Seattle?

 

 

Super Big Bunches of Thanks,

Patty

 

Okay, Pike Place Market is probably 15 minutes from the hotel. Right behind the hotel is an elevator that will spare you a big climb to the market. Or you can walk along the waterfront down Alaskan Way and when you see the signs for Pike Place Market you can either walk up the gargantuan flight of stairs or take an elevator there (it's attached to a parking garage).

 

From the hotel to the Space Needle it's about 7 blocks back from the hotel (uphill, mind you), bang a left and go another 5 blocks north.

 

If I were you, and wanted to do this in one day, I'd go to Pike Place Market, walk 4 blocks to 5th Ave (only one steep hill here) take a right to Westlake Center (the monorail station) and take the monorail to the Space Needle. Then I'd walk from the Needle back to the hotel (since it'll be downhill at that point!!!). The monorail is $2 per person (each way) and is a quick three minute ride.

[jeniferlyn]

I am looking at this cruise for next June. Thank you for the wonderful review. I am trying to decide between the Sapphire Princess and the NCL Pearl. Did you have enough time in Ketchikan or did you feel rushed? The Sapphire stays in port until 4:00 and I don't want to feel rushed.

[Cubechick]

I am looking at this cruise for next June. Thank you for the wonderful review. I am trying to decide between the Sapphire Princess and the NCL Pearl. Did you have enough time in Ketchikan or did you feel rushed? The Sapphire stays in port until 4:00 and I don't want to feel rushed.

 

Honestly, when doing our research, Ketchikan held the least interest for us. It didn't have much to do that appealed to our tastes. Until I found the eagle, lighthouse and totem excursion (that didn't leave at the crack of dawn) we'd just planned on walking around a little bit.

 

So for our tastes the time allowed was fine. We also factored in the fact that they get on average 12-13 feet of rain a year so your excursion has a good chance of being rained out or at least upon. And yup, that was the one day we had rain. :rolleyes::)

 

Not to say that Ketchikan doesn't have its charm, but for us the 6 1/2 hours or so we were there were more than adequate.

[Susie51]

Thank you for faithfully posting your installments. I've been to Alaska twice, but I only saw one orca from a distance. I hope Sept. 6th on my next cruise, I'll see some up close. Will they still be in Alaska then, or will they be heading south at that time?

[Gatorney]

The picture of the islands gave me chills - no small feat considering it was in the upper 90's here today! And the whole part about the dolphins - I grew up near the Space Center in Florida and we use to see dolphins and porpoises when we'd go out in the rivers, but only 3 or maybe 4 at a time - I can't even imagine hundreds! I was already excited about our cruise next year, but now I'm downright impatient! Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your trip until we all get to go ourselves!

[Cubechick]

Day Four:

 

DH had a camcorder and he can be heard on this morning, whispering, “It’s 6:45 am and this is my view.” “This” was snow-capped mountains spearing into the sky. Wow. I got up shortly thereafter, opened the curtain for the front picture window…wow indeed. This was only our second full day on the beautiful Pearl and we were already succumbing to sensory overload. It seemed that every time we turned around, something stunning was waiting to grab hold of us.

 

 

I’ve never walked a Promenade deck, while underway, where every person you saw either had their camera or their binoculars out.

 

We arrived in Juneau a little after 1:00 but had to wait for the NCL Star to vacate our berth before we could dock. The dock was a few minutes from downtown, but frequent shuttles were running back and forth. We had booked the Mendenhall Glacier & Wildlife Quest (whale watch) excursion. This was so popular that they needed 3 busses for all that had signed up.

 

First stop Mendenhall and yet another “wow” moment. If you think your first glimpse of it from the road is amazing, just wait until you get closer. We ended up walking down a path that leads us to a fast running waterfall not far from the glacier. I’d say we probably got within 200 feet of the glacier itself. Stunning. Supposedly the blues in the glaciers really come out when it’s cloudy. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I can attest to the fact that we were seeing some vivid blues on this extraordinary glacier. The tour gave us entrance to the park and the visitor’s center, but we spent our time at the glacier instead. I overhead a guy ask his girlfriend, “You mean I could’ve walked out to the glacier and you had me looking at begonias instead???” I couldn’t have agreed more. No offense begonias, but I can see you at home!

 

 

Too quickly we were back on the bus and driving to Auke Bay and the whale watch. This excursion was amazing. By the time it was all said and done we’d probably seen at least 10 separate whales (including three pairs of moms and calves),

 

 

our first bald eagle perched on a buoy, seal lions lounging on a different buoy and sea otters.

 

 

Truly a wildlife quest! The captain pointed out Eagle Glacier to us stating this sighting was unusual as clouds normally hide it.

 

 

To see all of these whales while surrounded by the snowy peaks of mountains was amazing. Nothing like the whale watches back home!

 

There was a naturalist on board who told you all about what you were seeing. I didn’t know that humpbacks only feed in Alaska then take off to warmer climes (Hawaii, Mexico, etc) where they mate. They don’t mingle the two activities, so between the time they leave Alaska and return, female humpbacks lose as much as one third of their body weight. 30,000 pounds!! That’s why they’re more easily spotted this time of year. They are starving and they are surface feeders.

 

I know I’ve seen people post how they prefer the smaller whale watch companies because they get you closer to the whales, but don’t be disappointed if you end up on a larger boat like we did. We got plenty close and had a great experience. In fact we saw so much I had to make myself put the camera and binoculars down so I could appreciate the panorama laid out before me. You get so afraid that you’ll miss capturing something on your camera that you forget to look around!

 

The whale watch provided binoculars, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and real smoked salmon. That was a real treat to someone for whom smoked salmon equals lox.

 

On the ride back to the ship, the bus driver pointed out various sights to us, including the governor’s mansion. (Didn’t see Sarah though.) You had the opportunity to get off in town and shop (you can catch the shuttle back) or go directly to the pier. He also told us to watch lampposts for eagles. Sure enough, as we pulled into the parking lot at the port there were two eagles perched, scanning the harbor for dinner I’m sure.

 

Back on the ship it was after 8:00 (not that you could tell that by the sky…we couldn’t get over how late the sun set) and we were famished. We opened the door to the cabin and discovered our daily treat (we received something different everyday…no menu to choose from) and, hallelujah, a plate of sandwiches! Thank you Jeffrey!

 

It was a short time later that we pulled away from the pier. On a lamppost at the dock was a bald eagle. It couldn’t have been more than 30 feet from us and stayed there for probably five minutes before it took flight. A perfect ending to a wonderful day.

 

 

Tomorrow, Skagway!

[cw2go]

Again an awesome read!!! :p

[Cubechick]

Just a couple of pics that wouldn't fit in day four:

 

What a view to walk to:

 

 

The Star in our berth:

 

 

A little more whale:

 

 

A lighthouse in Auke Bay:

 

[Rstamper]

Thanks so much for your review. You took such wonderful pictures. We did a short Alaskan cruise last month and it was so wonderful to see the dolphins and whales. I have never seen either in any of my other cruises. I loved going out on my balcony and looking for them, as you did.

 

We will be on the Pearl in September and I can't wait.

 

Brenda

[neverthought]

Cubechick,

Fantastic review, it's brining back fabulous memories from our "lifetime" cruise last year onboard the Pearl to Alaska. We still have all our pics running in the frame. Wonderful, wonderful trip. Thanks for the reminders.:D

Neverthought

[petesweet]

Thank you for faithfully posting your installments. I've been to Alaska twice, but I only saw one orca from a distance. I hope Sept. 6th on my next cruise, I'll see some up close. Will they still be in Alaska then, or will they be heading south at that time?

 

We were on the very last cruise ship to Alaska last year, Susie, and we saw TONS of whales (literally!!:D) We saw both orcas and humpbacks, although our captain was surprised at the orcas.

We took a private whale watch excursion, and there were only the seven of us plus one other couple on the boat. It was perfect!

Kathy

[mypleasure]

I have really enjoyed reading this review and viewing the pictures. Tons of great information for future pearl cruisers.

 

I am sailing in one weeks time, not in a suite unfortunately but we do have one of the 2 BA cabins on Deck 10 stern so we are totally looking forward to that. We sailed on the Star last year and had a great time and after my recent short trip on the Jade I cannot wait to board the Pearl. Your pictures of the ship have really got me going, as if I wasn't already excited :)

 

Jean & Tony

[McDebbie]

Great review so far! Can't wait to read the rest.

[jimswims]

Welcome back Aimee.

 

Liz has been wanting to do an Alaska cruise for quite awhile. I never had any desire until now. The your review and pictures are wonderful. I have changed my mind and I need to look into Alaska cruises for next year. Wow!

 

I am looking forward to reading the rest.

[Cubechick]

Welcome back Aimee.

 

Liz has been wanting to do an Alaska cruise for quite awhile. I never had any desire until now. The your review and pictures are wonderful. I have changed my mind and I need to look into Alaska cruises for next year. Wow!

 

I am looking forward to reading the rest.

 

Thanks, Jim. You won't regret booking Alaska. This really was the best cruise we've ever been on for both the ship and itinerary. The entire experience was awe-inspiring. We've been telling everyone this is a not-to-miss experience. Plus the prices are great right now! ;)

 

I'm working on day 5 and should have it up shortly!!!

[Cubechick]

Day Five:

 

The Pearl was scheduled to arrive at Skagway at 7:00 am. I have no idea if she was on time or not as I was asleep like a normal person should be! When I did wake up, cloudy skies greeted me (surprise) and there was a light rain (boo). Actually, as this was the day we’d scheduled the train White Pass & Yukon Route train ride, the rain didn’t concern me. Yes, it could make taking pictures interesting, but at least we weren’t in a position to get soaked.

 

Cagney’s for breakfast again, but I tried the Belgian waffle for the first time with some sort of rum-infused pineapple and fresh whipped cream. Delicious!

 

Our excursion wasn’t until 12:45, so we walked around town and did our only souvenir shopping of the trip. We went to the Alaska Shirt Co, where stuff was surprisingly inexpensive. I got a fleece for $20 and DH a t-shirt for $10. We also picked up our traditional vacation Christmas ornament and fridge magnets, so we were all good. DH stopped at the visitor’s center and picked up a map for a self-guided tour. Not that there was a shortage of pay tour options from walking, bus, and pony-pulled carts. Usually the tour guides were all dressed in period costumes depicting them to be turn-of-the-century “ladies of the evening” shall we say?

 

We enjoyed walking around town and never did get rained on despite the damp start to the day (probably because we brought the umbrellas!). I knew the town was small (860 year-round residents) but I was disappointed to discover no restaurant. With the Pearl not sailing until 9:30 that evening, I had thought that this would be the ideal place to have some regional food. Alas that was not to be as the only venue we found serving food was a bar…and at $16 a burger we ended up dining on the ship. I think that they may be missing a lucrative opportunity to feed hungry tourists some good crab and salmon dishes! Of course the difficulty in running a business in such an isolated place would be being able to get stuff repaired as it broke down!

 

 

 

A quick bite at the Garden Café sufficed for lunch. I was happy to find that the Pearl’s pizza is as good as the Gem’s. Then we were off to the train. The nice thing about booking the train through NCL was that the train picked you up at the ship. (Not that the train depot was far, though!) I had looked into booking this through a local tour but found the cost savings was not that great (maybe $20 pp), obviously a few fellow passengers agreed as our train ended up with 15 cars and needed 3 engines to pull it up the mountain.

 

A quick observation; on the way up the left side of the train is the place to be. Once you’re at the turn around point, they have everyone switch sides. So while really no side is bad, I think the view had more impact on the way up when you’re seeing everything for the first time. I would definitely recommend sitting near the door. You are allowed to venture out on the platforms between cars for photo ops and being near the doors makes this easy. The train company does provide water, so there’s no need to bring your own. (I noticed more than one person grabbing extra bottles to bring back to the ship with them!)

 

Finally we were on our way. There is running commentary the entire trip explaining the history of the White Pass Railroad and what you are seeing. Including our sighting of a black bear near the tracks!

 

 

As the train climbed, the view became more and more spectacular.

 

 

The sun actually came out, shining over lush valleys,

 

 

raging rapids (the Skagway River has a “class 6” section of rapids which I’m told means no one has successfully navigated it), waterfalls, and soaring mountains.

 

 

 

The landscape really gives you a deep appreciation for the men who traversed this route on foot and horse. Toss in the fact that each person who wished to cross into Canada (where the gold was) had to carry 2,000 pounds of gear and food (enough to sustain you for one year) made this climb even more insane. The Canadians had a very precise list of what each “stampeder” needed to bring…even one item left off the list meant a long trek back to Skagway.

 

Upon reaching the border between Canada and the US, the train’s engines are disengaged and moved to the other end of the train. The back of the train is now the front and that’s where everyone flips over their seat backs and switches sides of the train. As you do not get off of the train on this excursion, there is no need to bring your passport.

 

The return trip to Skagway seemed quicker than the climb out and before you know it we were back. After going to our stateroom to freshen up, we went into town. The Red Onion Saloon was packed so we continued on to the bar I’d spotted earlier in the day during our walk (further down the main street on the right). This was the home of the $16 burger I’d mentioned earlier, but we did have a $21 pitcher of Alaska Brewing Co Amber and got to watch a few innings of the Boston Red Sox beating the NY Yankees! After taking a picture of Skagway at rush hour, we went back to the Pearl for dinner.

 

 

Deciding (correctly) that no reservations would be needed since the ship was in port until after 9:00 we popped into Mambo’s. Enjoyed the complimentary nachos (love the crab and cheese dip!) and margaritas. I had the beef burrito and DH a shrimp and scallop skewer. Both were very good.

 

We’d just reached the cabin when the doorbell rang. Karan was there to surprise us with an invitation for us to join him on the bridge the next day when we were at Marjorie Glacier. What an opportunity! Does this cruise just get better every time we turn around or what?

[jimswims]

OK, OK, this is great. I am currently looking up prices for the Star and the Pearl and have already contacted my agent. Now the big question is what side of the ship should I book the AB suite. We will have the kids with us so we need the AB again.

 

Seriously, what great a great review and superb pictures. I am enjoying your adventure.

[Cubechick]

Having consulted with DH we agree the port side would be our recommendation. The only port that this isn't to your advantage is in Seattle. In Juneau you face the dock (which was actually not a big deal), in Skagway we don't think it mattered, if you do the Pearl and Glacier Bay, then definitely the port as all of the glaciers you see are on that side. The Captain does spin the ship so all sides can see, but you definitely have a longer view on the port. In Ketchikan and Victoria the dock is on the port.

 

You're going to love this trip, Jim! :D

[ute_fan]

Cubechick -- I'm loving your review and pictures! If you don't mind my asking, what kind of camera were you using? We were enjoying looking at the ones my DD and her new hubby took the other night, but your pictures are definitely better.

 

Once I get hers on my computer, however, I'll have to post the one she took of a bear while they were on their drive to go horseback riding in the Yukon. They saw several, but one was right by the side of the road. When the bus driver pulled over, the bear stood up on his hind legs and she was fortunate enough to get a picture! What a thrill for a girl who has always loved bears.

[Cubechick]

We were using 2. The Sony HD Handycam SR-11. 12x zoom and 10.1 mp stills. The other was a Sony Cybershot, DSC-W170, 5x zoom and 10.1 mp HD stills.

 

The bear picture was actually captured from a video. The others are from either camera (although I know the eagle in Juneau and the sea lions on the buoy were from the camcorder since it has the better zoom).

 

I'd love to see the picture your daughter got of the bear standing. That must've been awesome!

[ute_fan]

It's not the best quality as it was shot through the bus window -- but what an amazing sight for her to see!

 

The funny thing is that we did this same drive with her, the same time of year, in 2004 following her high school graduation and never saw a bear. She was just thrilled to see the 5 or 6 that they saw.

[McDebbie]

Uh-oh... looking at the picture of the front of the Pearl. On Sky the very front balcony railing was metal which you could not see through if you were sitting down, looks like that is not the case on the Pearl? We had about made up our minds not to take an upsell from the AD (when it comes of course :D) but now I am wondering. Do you have any pictures of the balcony or balcony's I guess I should say.

 

Holy wow with the pictures. Our camcorder has much better zoom than the still but I don't know how to take still pictures with it. Time to get the manual out.

 

I am reading along to DH and he is all excited about the invitation to the bridge, can't wait to read the next installment.

[Cubechick]

Great picture, Ute_fan! We were so happy to see one bear, let alone 5 or 6!