Just returned from Alaska Wonder cruise - general musings

[Racer X]

First a thank you to all that have answered questions and posted info on this itinerary. It really made the process much easier to navigate! And to that end, i will be happy to answer any questions about our trip.

Here are some general thoughts in no specific order... i don't intend on writing a full trip report rather just some general info that may help others. Was 2 adults and 16yo son.

1. Took cab from YVR to Pan Pacific. For $35 it was a no brainer especially with all our luggage.

2. Pan Pacific.

Pros: Great Location with beautiful views. Cons: Price is high. Seemed a bit dated and there was no offer to transport luggage to ship. Also noise from seaplanes i found obtrusive after a day of it. They start flying very early so prepare to be woken up by propeller drone. Overall i would stay there again however.

3. Vancouver:

Fun city to visit, very vibrant and friendly. Many many things to see and do. If you are making the trip at least plan to spend a couple days here or you are short changing yourself.

4. Cruise:

Embarkation was confusing. We seemed to walk the bowels of the terminal for miles! Nobody knew where to take the luggage and there were absolutely NO DCL employees working the beginning of the line... Not until you reached the checkin area did you see a DCL employee. The Wonder looked great for an old girl showing very little signs of wear. Weather was wet and cold at first then finished with sun for the second half. As others before, went to Endicott vs Tracy Arm. The naturalist on board was very good, i recommend trying to attend his talks. He preferred Endicott over Tracy Arm. We did the Zip Line in Skagway, Whale watching in Juneau (this was my favorite) and nature preserve in Ketchikan. All were very well done. We had over 6 sustained whale sightings on the 3 hour tour. This also included a stop in Mendinhall Glacier park. I very much recommend this it was a very beautiful park with view of the Glacier and a very nice visitor center.

Overall the service was very good. Our servers worked very hard, but as others have said, it seemed they had too many tables. They rushed the presentations. A family that had not cruised disney before left the first dinner not understanding the "rotational dining" experience and that the servers would follow. too bad they didn't ask in advance if anyone had cruised disney or not in the past. The food was good and while noisy we still enjoyed Tiana's place. It is a beautiful space.

Kids: This was my only real CON of the trip. There were many many younger kids on the cruise. Those of which had absolutely no desire to enjoy the scenery or Alaska. Consequently, they seemed to be running rampant alone with no supervision. On the excursions, they cried, whined, and had no desire to be there. After 6 cruises this is the only time that i recall that it bothered me. Perhaps because of the nature and expense of this trip i would have thought perhaps it would be more "reserved"?

The Shows were all superb. Don't miss Frozen it was very very entertaining and well done.

Disembarkation: This was also a bit of a melee. You have to be out of your room by 8 yet they don't start calling for your tag to disembark until 8:15. Consequently the lobby and hall areas are mobbed. We had a tour to be at by 9:30 so we were able to get off by 8:15 and customs and luggage were a breeze at that time.

Post Cruise: Since I wasnt convinced we would make an early flight we stayed an extra day and did a Sea to Sky your by Landsea tours. It was a great way to end the cruise. The weather was amazing so that definately helped. Even if you don't do a post-cruise tour i recommend looking into them for a tour during your stay.

Summary:

We had a great time. It isn't the cheapest vacation to be sure, but it is certainly something i am glad we had the chance to experience.

Sorry for the rambling summary, but happy to provide more details regarding any of the above.

 

[TestingH2O]

Thanks for posting!

there was no offer to transport luggage to ship

No offer or did you ask bell services and they refused? We booked the Pan Pacific in part because of the luggage service.

Embarkation was confusing. We seemed to walk the bowels of the terminal for miles! Nobody knew where to take the luggage and there were absolutely NO DCL employees working the beginning of the line.

I'm worried about this. It seems very confusing to me and customs sounds like it can be a big snarl.

 

[Racer X]

Hi! Happy to try to add some helpful info!

No - I didn't ask. I suppose if you asked concierge they would assist. But i did ask concierge how to get to myself and luggage to the cruise level and there was no suggestion of the hotel to assist. The person i spoke to didn't even seem to understand the process. I was expecting this to be more seamless.

Don't worry too much about customs... they will get you through. I think we showed our paperwork 3 or 4 times. Do yourself a favor and make sure the line you are in is the correct line. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I saw more than 1 set of travelers in the wrong ship queue. This is why i said the process was a bit confusing and could have used more DCL employees. Don't worry though, we arrived at 11am and it took 30 mins total.

 

[cruiser21]

Thanks for posting!


No offer or did you ask bell services and they refused? We booked the Pan Pacific in part because of the luggage service.


I'm worried about this. It seems very confusing to me and customs sounds like it can be a big snarl.

I've stayed at the Pan. You just take the elevator down to the terminal and get on the ship. I'm not sure what PP was talking about, but it's not that hard. The Wonder is right outside your hotel. Room to check in desk is 5 minutes at most. Of course I don't pack more than we can comfortably wheel ourselves so needing a bellhop is not something I ever worry about.

 

[Racer X]

We were told to take 2 different elevators to the cruise/parking level. After walking a ways, they told us to leave our luggage in yet another lower floor. When getting on that elevator, others were coming up saying nobody was there to take their luggage. Finally flagged a porter down to take it. Hoping all the while it was getting in the right place, as luggage was coming and going at the same time. no DCL employees anywhere to direct. Afterwards we were in lines with other ships. Not saying its rocket science, but could have certainly been better organized.

 

[Luckymommatoo]

We will be on the Wonder later in July! We are also doing Grizzly Falls ziplining in Skagway. My DD is 11 and she's somewhat scared of heights so is feeling a little nervous. Was it at all scary? Thanks.

 

[xlxo]

Disembarkation: This was also a bit of a melee. You have to be out of your room by 8 yet they don't start calling for your tag to disembark until 8:15. Consequently the lobby and hall areas are mobbed. We had a tour to be at by 9:30 so we were able to get off by 8:15 and customs and luggage were a breeze at that time.

I normally get the second feeding. So we sit comfortably in the dining room after breakfast. Then we just stand up and walk the plank into the terminal. Toughest part was finding my black luggage with the sea of other black luggage.

If you walked off at 8:15..... what time where you ready for your 9:30 tour? Did you find yourself with an hour to kill?

 

[Tinkershell76]

At pan pacific there is a cruise package you can book that includes breakfast for 2, late checkout at 2 pm and luggage delivered to ship. For my dates the cruise pkg is same price as best rate

 

[Racer X]

We will be on the Wonder later in July! We are also doing Grizzly Falls ziplining in Skagway. My DD is 11 and she's somewhat scared of heights so is feeling a little nervous. Was it at all scary? Thanks.

Hi - we actually did the one called Adventure Park and Zip Lines (SW01). It was fun, about a 20 minute bus ride into the hills, then you zip from platform to platform each getting longer and higher. I wlll tell you the kids seemed to to better than the adults! They were having the greatest time and i was just hoping i wouldn't look too akward! It was a little scary at first, but by the time your done, you are just starting to get comfortable. I will tell you they are extremely safety cautious and and joked about not losing anyone... that day... lol.. My son is a bit afraid of heights and he said he was really glad he did it. I was as well. Let me know how you do!

 

[Racer X]

I normally get the second feeding. So we sit comfortably in the dining room after breakfast. Then we just stand up and walk the plank into the terminal. Toughest part was finding my black luggage with the sea of other black luggage.

If you walked off at 8:15..... what time where you ready for your 9:30 tour? Did you find yourself with an hour to kill?

I agree that is a great plan. Unfortunately after reading horror stories about customs, etc i was paranoid i would be cutting it close. Turns out Wonder was in first that morning, and we were able to make it out to the front of the pan pacific in about 30 mins. So we had some time to kill but not too bad, my son and i had a last splurge at tim hortons (across the street) for breakfast.

 

[jenpink]

I stayed at Pan Pacific last year and just called Bell Services and asked if they could handle my luggage to the ship. It was no problem at all

I do agree about the confusion downstairs. There are few if any signs that direct you in the correct direction. We ended up in the line to board the ship which was one floor down from the check in area. We were then directed to the correct place. Not a real logical progression in the layout of the place in my opinion

 

[Racer X]

Don't you think the entire process could have been more clear? For a hotel that caters to the cruising public it seemed that there was no mention of it anywhere at checkin or in the room or signage for hotel guests. I know i can read and figure stuff out, i guess my point is that for the cost, it could have been much more straight forward.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

Don't you think the entire process could have been more clear? For a hotel that caters to the cruising public it seemed that there was no mention of it anywhere at checkin or in the room or signage for hotel guests. I know i can read and figure stuff out, i guess my point is that for the cost, it could have been much more straight forward.

Exactly!! I paid the extra price to stay here for the convenience and peace of mind of being right at the terminal. I asked concierge the afternoon before exactly where I was supposed to go. They told me to go to the ground level and go to Exhibition Hall C. That's what we do. We get to C easily enough, but see that no one else has their luggage. We're told by DCL employees to go ahead and check in, but then to take our luggage downstairs before proceeding to security and customs. We go downstairs where we only see one way to go - toward security. My husband asks a DCL employee, who tells him to go to one place. We get there and are told, no, we have to go back through two sets of double doors, etc... FINALLY we find the place to drop off our luggage! We're feeling a little frazzled at this point. We then proceed to security and customs, which are a breeze. Then we're directed straight onto the ship. The process would've been much easier with correct directions from the hotel concierge.

 

[cruiser21]

Exactly!! I paid the extra price to stay here for the convenience and peace of mind of being right at the terminal. I asked concierge the afternoon before exactly where I was supposed to go. They told me to go to the ground level and go to Exhibition Hall C. That's what we do. We get to C easily enough, but see that no one else has their luggage. We're told by DCL employees to go ahead and check in, but then to take our luggage downstairs before proceeding to security and customs. We go downstairs where we only see one way to go - toward security. My husband asks a DCL employee, who tells him to go to one place. We get there and are told, no, we have to go back through two sets of double doors, etc... FINALLY we find the place to drop off our luggage! We're feeling a little frazzled at this point. We then proceed to security and customs, which are a breeze. Then we're directed straight onto the ship. The process would've been much easier with correct directions from the hotel concierge.

I don't remember having problems finding the check in or any issues with luggage, but we did have some major problems with the hotel. We're staying at the Hyatt this time for half the price.

 

[Racer X]

I don't remember having problems finding the check in or any issues with luggage, but we did have some major problems with the hotel. We're staying at the Hyatt this time for half the price.

You have already said as much. Are you refuting the experience of those that have said otherwise?

 

[cruiser21]

You have already said as much. Are you refuting the experience of those that have said otherwise?

No I'm just saying I didn't have any problems. It was two years ago. ?????

 

[Racer X]

Just curious what your issues with the PP was?

 

[poison ivy]

I remember having to ask bell services at the Pan Pacific what to do regarding our luggage. We saw they had a stacks of DCL tagged bags on carts and they said to call them and they'd come get ours. We did not inquire at the front desk. Bell services were located at the entrance to the hotel.

We had the AAA package that included breakfast as well, but there was no mention of how this was handled when we checked in so we had to figure out the process on our own.

Once we called them, they came right away to retrieve our luggage. This was 2 yrs ago though.

 

[AussieNSW]

We are on the cruise now. We stayed at pan pacific for 3 days before the cruise and loved it. When we checked
in the lady asked us if we were going on a cruise and gave us a card that was with our room keys in a little pack thing that also included an actually key. The card had information on getting your luggage to the cruise ship. It stated that you needed to call bell services between I think it was 8am and 11am. No latter than 11:00am as it may miss the ship. You cannot pre book a time you just call them when you are ready. We called about 9:00 am they came within 10 min and we next saw our luggage on the ship.

 

[xlxo]

If you miss the hotel cruise luggage pickup.... take your luggage down to the cruise ship level by elevator. Longshore men will be waiting for you in the middle of the parkade (look for cabs unloading) to grab your luggage. Then join the line for security and US customs to board the Wonder.