Coral Princess NB Cruise - 5/18/09 - Very Long Review With Pictures

[janpatch]

I finally had the time to put together a review of our Alaskan cruise…it’s very long and I added pictures beginning with our port stops. I will try to post it in sections so it won't be too long.:rolleyes: Hopefully this review will help some other cruiser plan a trip to Alaska!

My DH and I had a wonderful NB cruise from Vancouver to Whittier on the beautiful Coral Princess the week of May 18th – May 25th with a group of 8 friends. We actually flew into Seattle on Sunday, May 17th and stayed at the Radisson Gateway Seattle (got a great deal on Hotwire for $76 per room).:D We used the free shuttle from the airport to the hotel but it really was within walking distance. The room was very nice and the sleep number bed was really comfortable! There was a shuttle available that would drop off and pick up from downtown destinations for $14 per person but we didn’t try it out. The hotel staff were very pleasant and helpful. I would definitely stay at the Radisson Gateway again. Great start to our Alaskan adventure…

Early Monday morning, we met in the lobby at 5:40 a.m. for our shuttle ride to the Amtrak station. We had booked with Shuttle Express and I was pleasantly surprised when the shuttle arrived a little early. However, it was a circus trying to fit all of the luggage (one of the couples brought 5 LARGE suitcases:eek:) into the back of the 12-passenger van!!! Our driver was very resourceful (and a little more than stressed out) and eventually we managed to squeeze all 10 passengers and 29 pieces of luggage into the van! I bet that was a record!! Glad we could laugh about it once we got to the train station! :) Anyway, we took the Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle to Vancouver and were really impressed by the train ride. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The Seattle Amtrak station is very beautiful! Unfortunately my SD card failed so I don’t have any of the early pictures to post but the scenery was beautiful and the seats were very, very comfortable. We didn’t discover that the seats recline and there is a leg rest that unfolds until about halfway through the trip. I highly recommend the train ride from Seattle to Vancouver – it was a great relaxing way to start our trip! One helpful tip, try to sit in the rear car because the train backs all the way in to the Vancouver Amtrak station and the second car unloads its passengers first. We were in the first car so we were at the end of the line to go through Canadian customs at the station. Not a problem, just a bit of a delay.

We booked a limo bus through Luxury Limobus to take us from the station to the pier. Since we were the last ones off the train, I was expecting for the others to be waiting in the limobus for us to appear. But there was no limobus!!!:eek: (Not doing too well with shuttles this trip!!!) I made a quick call to their office and found that they had my reservation listed for a different day!!! Thankfully I had the printed confirmation email that was dated in January so there was no question about who was at fault (I had also phoned to confirm the reservation the previous Thursday). The company representative apologized profusely and said he would send a driver for us as soon as possible but it could be a 45 minute wait. No worries – the ship doesn’t leave until 4:00 p.m. He offered to cut our fee in half for our inconvenience and we quickly accepted. ;) A driver arrived in about 35 minutes and miraculously all of the luggage fit in the limobus easily. After a quick ride to Canada Place pier, we got our first glimpse of the Coral Princess arriving around 1:00 p.m. We dropped off our luggage with the porters and headed into the terminal. There were no lines anywhere and we were able to walk right through security, fill out our “we’re not sick” card and get our cruise cards. Yippee my cruise card was black!!!! After a quick embarkation photo we were onboard. This was the easiest embarkation we have ever experienced!

[janpatch]

The staterooms were open so we headed to our mini-suite on Dolphin deck, D719. Found our covered balcony and knew this was going to be a great cruise! :D Dropped off our carry-ons, met our room steward, Jimmy, and headed to Horizon Court. Jimmy took care of stocking our frig with ginger ale and coke for us and brought us our robes (thanks Jimmy!!!). :) After a quick bite, we went back to the room to get my camera and found that our luggage was already there! Unpacked and stored all our stuff and went to check out our home for the next 7 days. After a painless muster held in the Princess Theater we stowed our life jackets and went to our balcony to enjoy sail away. It was a little chilly, overcast and lightly sprinkling as we left Vancouver. That was the last rainy weather we saw for the rest of the cruise! However the temperature was a little chilly – one morning I noticed that the outdoor temperature was 39 degrees! I believe the warmest outside temperature reported while we were on the ship was 47 degrees (according to the Princess t.v. channel). Definitely bring clothes that you can layer, especially if you go in early to mid May.

We chose Anytime Dining and had a table for 10 around 6:30 p.m. in the Bordeaux Dining Room on the first night. We ended up making a standing reservation for 7:30 p.m. each night and had a great table with an ocean view (thanks Florian!). We enjoyed all of our meals but especially enjoyed the crab legs (yummy), the goat cheese soufflé (super yummy) and the lobster! I tried the fettucine alfredo and it was just okay. It was to die for on the Grand Princess so I was a little disappointed. The Caesar salad was really good and I had it nearly every night. Good food, good friends and a great cruise!

We had previously been to Alaska on the NCL Sun in 2005 and really enjoyed the scenery which was the main reason we wanted to come experience Alaska again (and again, and again!!). In comparison, I am so impressed by the way that Princess does Alaska!!! Everything from the seafood offered in the DR and Horizon Court, reindeer chili on the Lido Deck, Libby Riddles’ talk about the Iditarod, Naturalists who spoke about whales and other wildlife AND narrated our visits at both Glacier Bay and College Fjords (available on your balcony by turning the sound up on your TV), blankets to check out so you could enjoy the view from your balcony in comfort, and hot chocolate and beef bouillon offered to take the chill off. These extras added so much to our enjoyment of Alaska and made the cruise really SUPER! Thanks Princess!!!:D

I loved the hot tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam that were served in Horizon Court every day from 3:30-4:30 p.m.! And my DH loved the free ice cream served during the same time period. That’s where you could find us mid-afternoon each day (unless we were in port). Also LOVED the pizza! You have to try it just once but be forewarned - you might get hooked just like I did! We also enjoyed the canapés offered on formal nights (courtesy of the black cruise card)! Mmmmm…chocolate-covered strawberries, smoked salmon, prosciutto with melon…delicious!

I enjoyed hearing Libby Riddles’ talk about her adventures on the Iditarod and also enjoyed William Hensley’s tales about life growing up in the Far North. We saw the movie “Gran Torino” and really enjoyed that too. But most of our time was spent on our balcony gazing at the beauty that is Alaska! We saw 6 or 7 humpback whales (never got a picture, though) and a pod of orcas too. Also saw many eagles, a few harbor seals and some Dall sheep in the distance.

[themerle]

Looking forward to your review! We were on the SB Coral May 25 and really enjoyed the Coral and her crew!

[janpatch]

In Ketchikan we walked to Creek Street and took the funicular up to the top to look down at the harbor. We especially enjoyed the walk along the creek. Too early for the salmon yet…but the views were stunning!

[janpatch]

Here is the view from the top:

We shopped along Creek Street and enjoyed the views.

Then back to the ship for scones and ice cream!!! We saw lots of seaplanes in Ketchikan!

[janpatch]

We enjoyed our visit to Ketchikan…but it’s time to head towards Juneau…

More beautiful views leaving Ketchikan…loved this island home!

Captured a beautiful sunset on this night from the back deck…

[janpatch]

In Juneau, we used the Walking Tour from Frommer’s and literally walked all over Juneau! We stopped at the Alaska State Capitol and took the free tour.

Wish I had a view like this from my office…

I was hoping to be able to meet Sarah Palin, but she was not in the office…but we walked around the corner to see the Governor’s Mansion.

[janpatch]

Next we walked up to see Gold Creek in Cope Park but didn’t take the “Extended Walk”. The creek is really pretty and a nice place to stop for a short rest.

 

We needed the pit stop because the next part of the walk was a little strenuous…

 

But the view from the top was worth it…

 

We finally came back to civilization and found St. Nicholas Orthodox Church.

And the Catholic Church just across the street…

 

Then a short walk back to the ship…

[janpatch]

Juneau harbor is really pretty…

And we were treated to another gorgeous sunset…a coral sunset on the Coral!!!

Everywhere you looked there were beautiful snow-covered mountains!

Next up...Skagway!

[janpatch]

In Skagway we rented a mini-van from Sourdough and drove to Emerald Lake using Murray’s Guide (thanks Murray!). The scenery was absolutely gorgeous…

Some of the lakes were still covered in snow…

And a little further down the road the lakes were thawed…

Lake Tutshi was absolutely STUNNING!!!!

[janpatch]

And then we drove on to Emerald Lake…

And gorgeous views across the street…

On the way back we spotted a bear on the side of the road…and since it was on my side of the car it was TOO CLOSE!!!

We took the Dyea Road as we were coming back into Skagway and saw the Coral Princess…

And here she was waiting for us...

[Tweedy]

Great photos!! I love the ones with the mirror-lakes. Amazing!

 

I can't wait to sail her in September.

[janpatch]

Coming into Glacier Bay…

[janpatch]

College Fjord was beautiful…here’s a picture of Harvard Glacier

More glaciers at College Fjord…

Later leaving College Fjord…

[janpatch]

The next morning we were docked in Whittier and we had to leave the Coral Princess.

But it’s not time to head home yet, we are going to the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge for a 2-night stay! We had a friendly send off as we headed off the ship…

We boarded our motor coach and stopped at Portage Glacier for a photo op and some brunch.

Then we finished our coach ride to Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge.

Here’s our cabin (1201) – it was very homey and had a great view from the back patio…

[janpatch]

More views of our Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge cabin...

 

 

 

 

Check out this view!!!

Heres a view from a hike through the forest:

We ate in the dining room the first night and the food was really good but kind of pricey. I had the meatloaf and it was very tasty. DH started with the salmon chowder and I had a taste…it was delish! The next day we ate at the casual restaurant on the back deck. I had the salmon chowder and a chicken Caesar salad and DH had the fish and chips. Both were delicious. It was so good we ate there again for dinner. Here is the view from the deck

[janpatch]

We walked down to the Kenai River for more beautiful views!

It rained a little the last evening, but we enjoyed hiking around the property. Kenai is very pretty and we are so glad we got to enjoy it!

The next morning we boarded our motor coach and drove to Anchorage. We spent the last night at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. The room was very comfortable and we spent the afternoon walking around downtown Anchorage. We ate reindeer sausage from a roadside stand that was recommended by our bus driver. It was really good! That evening we ate at the Salmon Chowder House. The halibut was fresh and delicious, served on a bed of white steamed rice with a sweet Asian inspired sauce. I highly recommend the food here, it was good and reasonably priced. The next day we at lunch at the Downtown Deli and the food was really good. I had the reindeer stew and it was really hearty and quite tasty. DH had a fish dish and he enjoyed it as well. My parents had recommended the Alaskan Berry ice cream but they had sold out of it when we were there. :(

 

Our luggage was picked up from our room at noon and stored until our shuttle to the airport. After requesting a late checkout, we were allowed to stay in our room until 1:30 p.m. Princess has a storefront in the Captain Cook and we were allowed to stow our carry-on luggage in their baggage room since our flight didn’t leave Anchorage until 9:00 p.m. Also, we didn’t have to formally “check in” or “check out” at the hotel front desk. We just picked up our room key from the Princess desk and returned it when we were ready to leave. A Princess shuttle picked us up from the Captain Cook around 7:00 p.m. and took us to the airport. Princess made the land portion of our trip really easy. They did all the work for us!

 

This was a very memorable trip to Alaska…we will definitely be back!!!:D Hope you enjoyed the review!

 

Janpatch

 

[janpatch]

Great photos!! I love the ones with the mirror-lakes. Amazing!

 

I can't wait to sail her in September.

 

Thanks! But it's true what they say ~ the pictures don't really do it justice! Being there was truly awesome! I know you'll have a great time on the Coral!

[critterchick]

Great review and pictures! Glad you had such a good time!

[nurse@sea]

thank you so much for the review and those magnificent pictures!! Lately I have had the Alaska bug...after seeing your pictures i know i have to plan my trip soon. thank you again...vickie

[janpatch]

thank you so much for the review and those magnificent pictures!! Lately I have had the Alaska bug...after seeing your pictures i know i have to plan my trip soon. thank you again...vickie

 

You are very welcome...glad you enjoyed the pictures. Alaska is truly a beautiful place...enjoy planning your next visit!:D I know I am hooked and my DH has it worse than I do!

 

Janpatch

[NMCruiser55]

Enjoyed your review. Loved your pictures. Really gets me excited for my August trip! :)

[Gator83]

Thank you for your review and pictures.

 

I would like to know how long it took you to do the Juneau walk from the Frommers book. I am planning on doing the same thing in a few weeks.

 

Thank you

[janpatch]

Enjoyed your review. Loved your pictures. Really gets me excited for my August trip! :)

Enjoy your Alaskan trip!!!

Janpatch

[janpatch]

Thank you for your review and pictures.

 

I would like to know how long it took you to do the Juneau walk from the Frommers book. I am planning on doing the same thing in a few weeks.

 

Thank you

I really wasn't watching the clock, but it seems like it took between 2 and 3 hours. It seems like we spent at least 30 minutes on the State Capitol tour (and we enjoyed that, but I'm kind of a history buff). The good thing about it is that you can go at your own pace! I didn't include it in the review, but we did stop and go in at the Wickersham Historic home. Not much to see in my opinion, but it was free so it didn't cost us anything. We found Juneau to be very easy to walk and the Frommer's guide was very easy to follow. Enjoy your walking tour!!!:)

 

Janpatch