Alaska cruise on Princess - any tips and hints?

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Woo hoo! We're going on an Alaskan cruise! DH and I will be travelling on Diamond Princess in May from Whittier to Vancouver. As a dedicated researcher into everything and anything, I'd love to hear about your experiences on Princess or on Alaska cruises. This is my first cruise ever, and our first trip to Alaska. We were able to get a mini-suite at a discount, but unfortunately are on starboard instead of port side.

So anyone? Tips, hints, "wish I'd...", or "best ever..."??

My MIL is horrified that we're going on Princess, because she did a Cruise West Alaska trip and now she's convinced that big ships are the devil and the only way to do Alaska is on a small ship. Only problem is her small ship cruise starts at $3,900/ea, and we could get the Princess cruise for less than that for both of us. So I'm afraid she's not been so helpful in planning our less-expensive adventure! Hopefully someone on the DIS can give us some tips!

 

[Sthronds]

I am going on the Diamond in March so I will let you know how it is. As for Princess, I am a TA and it is the cruise line that we sell the most. They do a consistently good job and we rarely have complaints. I think you made a good choice and how cool to get a mini-suite! Oh and tell your MIL that Cruise West is great but there is more to do on a large ship.

 

[escape]

Oh, you're gonna love it!

I sailed to Alaska (southbound from Anchorage area to Vancouver) on the Star Princess - a little older version of the Diamond, I believe. We also had a mini-suite. Very nice! Plenty of room - compared to other typical cruise rooms. As for starboard side vs. port - I don't think it will be a big issue. And - we sailed in May as well.

One thing I really like about Princess - especially with the Alaskan itinerary, is the dining options - eating when you want and not on a set schedule. I also enjoyed eating at the "optional" dining areas - those that charge an extra fee. You don't go hungry on these cruises, that's for sure!

Is there anything in particular that you would like to know?

I'm excited for you!

 

[shoes99]

We sailed on the Diamond Princess out of Seattle on their Inaugural saling. We had a blast. We booked a mini-suite and at the last minute we were upgraded to a 2 room suite. Now I am spoiled. When we go back to DCL we don't book anything lower than a cat 7. I loved Alaska. The ship was large but very managable. The scenery is breathtaking.
Since we live on the East Coast, and this was a West Coast Cruise, we flew to California and went to Disneyland before we came home.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Thanks for the encouragement! See, I knew we were picking the right cruise...

Any thoughts on shore excursions? DH has said we can't spend another $500 per person on shore excursions, but he might be persuaded to spend $500 for both of us to do one really awesome one.

Any tips for first-time on a cruise? Things like "I wish I'd known that..." or "I should have brought..."?

Thanks!!

 

[PigletsPal]

I want to hear all about it when you return please. Were not going until Sept and it's on the Coral and I'm doing Vancouver to Whittier. I also can't wait this will be DH and our first 7 day cruise and to Alaska to boot. I just paid it off today......

 

[Kirby]

We're planning a family reunion type of Alaskan Cruise for June, 2010 and can't wait to hear what others say about their trips. I've never been on a cruise before so any and everything you tell the OP will be helpful to me too.

In regards to shore excursions, my SIL said that on some cruises you can take a train (after you stop at a port of course) inland. Now I don't know if it's a one day excursion or spend the night. Maybe someone else here knows.

Just a thought, will you need a passport?

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Just a thought, will you need a passport?

Yes, we will need a passport. We've already got them, so it's not a big deal for us. We use them instead of drivers licences when we fly because Dh is less likely to "misplace" it and panic because he can't remember which pocket it's in...

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Just thought I'd bump this up and see if anyone else has any tips, hints, etc....

 

[Michigan]

We did a round trip from Seatle to Seatle 3 years ago and it was great! If you want to see whales you want to be on the starboard side sailing south. It's not like it's all open sea there is land on both sides.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I've been on two Alaskan cruises, and I've known a few people who have been on a few others. There is a tour offered (in Juneau I believe) that is a wildlife tour. I have seen more humpbacks than you can count both times and the first time I saw Orcas. Everyone I've ever known who's done that tour has seen humpbacks. But they've always gone towards the end of the season, so I don't know what kind of difference that would make.

I've seen the killer whales at Sea World, but to have one in the wild actually swim under the boat I was sitting in and be about 10 feet away from me is something I'll never forget.

 

[NCRedding]

We did an Alaskan Cruise several years ago. I am not sure where you'll be stopping, but here's what we did at the points where we stopped:

Juneau: Whale watching offered thru the ship. WONDERFUL experience for us. It was a fairly small boat, and we were able to see whales in a bubble net feeding--about 7-10 working together to community feed. We also saw lots of other wild life--otters, bald eagles, etc.

Ketchikan: We watched the Lumberjack show--fun, but probably better for kids than adults. Then we walked around the little downtown area.

Skagway: We had planned to rent a car, but didn't--This is the stop that has the train--I understand it has some wonderful views. If you are going to do the train, I recommend booking the excursion through your ship in advance. Apparently, the cruise ships get first bookings, leaving slim pickings to the walk-ups.

Have a great trip--pack lots of layers. We had beautiful weather, but it was very chilly cruising the glaciers. Have a wonderful time. Alaska is incredible.

 

[TLHB70]

We did an Alaskan cruise, and it was the best travel experience of my life!!!! It is the most beautiful place I have ever been.
I agree with the other posters about doing a whale watching excursion. It was wonderful!!!!!! In Juneau we also took the float plane trip over the icefields/glaciers, and that was breathtaking! I was too scared to do the helicopter excursion that landed on the glacier for walking on the glacier. I was afraid about falling through the ice. Silly, I know! I regret that. The floatplane trip was beautiful! The next time we go, I want to walk on the glacier. Do that if you can. Also, DH and I went salmon fishing in Ketchikan and that was so much fun!
A must pack item: binoculars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Invest the money in nice, waterproof/fogproof (or are they called nonfogging??????) binoculars!!!!!!!!!!!! They are totally worth it for viewing the wildlife and beauty of Alaska!!!!!!!!!!!

Make sure to check out http://boards.cruisecritic.com/ . It is like a DIS boards for cruisers. You can go to the Princess cruise line board or the Alaska board.

Have fun!!!!!!!

 

[dawnsb]

DH and I went to Alaska in June 2006 for our 10th anniversary. We sailed southbound on the Island Princess.

We flew to Anchorage a week before the cruise started - rented a car - drove to Seward, Talkeetna and Denali. We both agreed that this was our favorite part of the trip.

We went on a glacier cruise in Seward, saw calving (the ice breaking and falling into the water), eagles, whales, sea otters. The large ships cannot get nearly as close as the smaller ones.

We took a summit flight over Mt. McKinley. This was an amazing experince and worth the money spent!

We took the first shuttle of the day into Denali National Park. We saw wolf, fox, dall sheep, bears and wonderful landscape. We caught the back ends of a momma moose and her calf as we were driving out of the park.

The cruise was nice, but the ports are like the Caribbean with liquor, tshirt and jewlery shops lining the streets. You can find some nice Alaska items, but look closely at where it is made. Most items I turned over said 'Made in China'.

When you go to Glacier Bay and College Fjord be out on deck or on your balcony. The captain will turn the ship for everyone to see. We started on our balcony and then went out on deck to see more.

In Skagway we rented a car from Avis (must reserve in advance) and drove to Emerald Lake in the Yukon. It was raining and gray in port, but once we drove into the mountains it was breathtaking scenery.

In Juneau we took a shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and spent several hours walking around.

In Ketchikan it was raining and foggy so our flotplane tour was cancelled. We walked around town looking at the totem poles.


How early in May are you going? Make sure you pack for all kinds of weather. We were there June 10 - June 26 and the temperatures never climbed above 65. We had many days of clouds and mist, but we had the time of our lives!

PM me if you want more information!
Dawn

 

[simpilotswife]

We went in late August and were very fortunate because it did not rain any of the days that we were there.

We also rented a car in Skagway. To me that is a must do. Not only is it less expensive but the drive was beautiful and we were able to stop frequently for pictures.

In Juneau my husband and son took the Glacier Helicopter trip and they loved it. My daughter and I took the shuttle to Mendenhall and just walked around the park, it was still lovely. We did the whale watching excursion in the afternoon which was cool but didn't get to see any breeching or anything. People have reported seeing whales from their balconies in the early morning so you might want to try that.

In Ketchikan my husband and son took Michelle's (don't remember the name of the place) plane and did the Misty Fjords airplane trip. DH loved it, DS was a little airsick. We booked that on our own.

You'll love the trip and having the balcony will be wonderful.

 

[bimshire]

Just thought I'd bump this up and see if anyone else has any tips, hints, etc....

We are heading back to Alaska for a third time in June. Doing 10 days this time out of San Francisco.

In Juneau, we took the Blue Bus right at the dock for $6 pp. to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked the trails.

In Skagway, the combo train/bus excursion to Frasier, Carcross or Yukon is expensive but quite memorable.

In Ketchikan, there is a lot to see walking around the city. However, I would recommend an excursion to Saxman Village and Totem Bright Park to see the totem poles.

You haven't lived, until you've cruised!
Bon Voyage

 

[escape]

DH and I went toward the end of May. Luckily, we experienced good weather - some rain in Juneau (expected) and cloudy some of the other days. The week before was a lot colder and more rainy. Actually, cloudy days are good if you are visiting glaciers. The colors within the glaciers are more prominent.

As for excursions from the ship -

Skagway - we did the dog-sledding on a glacier in the morning. If I remember correctly, the afternoon glacier tours tend to get cancelled more because of bad weather moving in. We had a great time on this excursion, glad we did it but it was a very expensive excursion. I think if we would have arranged this outside of the cruise line we could have saved some $$.

That afternoon, we did the train ride up the mountain. We really enjoyed this excursion as well.

Juneau - a little rainy. We did the wildlife excursion in the am. While others seemed to have had a great experience, we DID NOT. I don't know if it was due to the time of year we went or just a bad day. We almost did not see any whales. I think the tour operator was worried that he was going to have to refund our money (you are guaranteed to see whales). It wasn't until the end of the tour that we finally saw a couple of humpbacks. (Too early in the season for orcas) We could barely tell anything about these whales as the only thing we saw was the hump on them. We were very disappointed.

That afternoon, we went to Mendenhall glacier. We enjoyed our visit there.

Ketchikan - we went on a fishing excursion. (Not salmon, too early in the season). There were several people doing this excursion but every couple or maybe every four people had their own guide. We went out in small fishing boats, caught some fish and then our guides took us to a location off the beaten path where they cleaned and cooked all the fish that everyone caught. Along with the fish, the meal included other delicious items. This was fun. Saw LOTS of eagles and other wildlife around our campsite. In addition, our guide - after hearing about our almost-failed wildlife excursion in Junuea - took us on a little detour while we headed back to the tour office. It was on this tour that we saw several humpbacks and other "critters". Some of these humpbacks got a little too close to our small little boat....or so I thought. I think our guide got a little nervous as well at one point....hard to tell.

I really enjoyed this excursion. Our guide was quite humorous. However, it was quite pricey if I remember right.

As for tips - two things stand out (and I'm sure there are other things I'll remember soon):

1) Take some duct tape. Yes, you read correctly. There are travel sizes now. I've read about this on the cruisecritic board. I now take it on just about every vacation. And, we needed it in Alaska. The airline just about destroyed a piece of our luggage. We had to use the duct tape to hold it together. This luggage was not cheap and rated very highly so I'm not sure what the airline did to get it in the condition it came out in. I'm just thankful my DH's underwear didn't spill out all over the luggage conveyor belt at baggage claim.

Also, I've heard of people using duct tape to hold curtains back or together, holding the balcony doors open, etc.

2) Extension cord. Again, this was a suggestion on the cruise board and we were glad we had it. However, I can't remember exactly why we needed it. (I'm losing my memory). I think it might have had something to do with there not being an electrical outlet by the dressing table and I needed it for my curling iron. The Diamond Princess, however, may not have this issue. We might have used it for DH's sound machine as well. I do remember being glad we brought it.

Ok - a third tip:
3) Highlighter pen - You get a daily newsletter outlining the various activities on the ship for that day. Use the highlighter to mark the activities you want to do. It's easier to read than a regular pen/pencil.

I'm sure I'll think of other things. As one poster said, go to cruisecritic.com for a wealth of information.

 

[TLHB70]

I wanted to point out that in Juneau, one of our excursions combined the whale watching boat trip and a bus ride to Mendenhall Glacier. Later that afternoon we did the floatplane trip over the icefields and glaciers. Strolling the trails near Mendenhall was great. The whale watching trip in Juneau was very fun, too. However, we did see more whales on our whale watching excursion in Sitka.

 

[Laura]

Yes, another vote for visiting cruisecritic. They have line-specific and destination-specific boards, you can get info on the shore excursions that appeal to you and good tour providers in ports that you can hire yourself. That's the place for when you have very specific questions.

There are some books about Alaska cruise ports, maybe you could pick up one or two to find out what there is to do on your itinerary. There's also The Unofficial Guide to Cruising, which will give you a good idea of what to expect on the ship.

You definitely need to pack for lots of different kinds of weather. Gloves, shorts, jeans, a windbreaker jacket, swimsuit, etc. We had 80-degree weather on our Alaska cruise in June 2004, but 60s-ish is the norm. I packed for cool weather and I was sweltering most days except at Sawyer Glacier and Prince Rupert, BC.

Bring cameras aplenty, video and still, make sure you have lots of memory/film/whatever and rechargeable batteries for them. Get binoculars, too. Alaska is TEEMING with wildlife, and you don't want to miss it. We saw tons, just casually looking out the window, like seals, humpback whales, sharks, porpoises, etc. etc. I recommend doing some kind of whalewatching excursion--many are in Juneau (we did it in Prince Rupert). Humpbacks are amazing creatures, and it's well worth it to make sure you get to see one.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Wow!! Thanks, guys! You've given me a lot of info to explore!

I'll definitely look into one of the whale watching/wildlife tours. That's something DH and I would both enjoy.

I hadn't thought of looking for books on Alaska cruises (silly me! ), but now I'm inspired...time to start exploring the library and local bookstores! And I've just bookmarked cruisecritic.com and it's a wonderful website - thanks for pointing that one out.

I'm getting so excited, and we're still months away! We're going at the end of May (19th-26th), and taking one extra day in Vancouver at the end of the trip to visit with friends who moved there 3 years ago. I wish we could have gotten more time off to do more in Alaska before the cruise, but neither of us can take more than 6 workdays off in a row (I'm a nanny, and DH is currently a program management contractor for a software company).

Thanks again, everyone! The things you all shared are totally helpful!!!