More Alaska questions

[TeaBee]

I've been on several Caribbean cruises, but this will be my first Alaska cruise.
1. How do people dress for dinner? Casual and formal/ semi formal. Do they wear the same as on the Caribbean cruises or less formal. (i.e capris, short sleeve shirts, sleeveless dresses, etc)?
2. For those that have stayed at the Fairmont airport, how early did you go down to the terminal? I have a 6:40 am flight.
3. What kind of shoes did you wear on excursions? Tennis shoes, boots, etc?
4. We are going to be in Seattle and Vancouver a few days prior, any suggestions on things to see and do, places to eat, etc?
5. What should I expect for temps? I know it will vary from cruise to cruise. We are going June 20.

Thanks for any other helpful tips as well.

There are a lot of interesting things to do in Seattle right in the downtown area. (I'd recommend a downtown hotel - traffic is horrible and you don't want to have to fight it to get to and from your hotel every day.)

Seattle Aquarium: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/
Seattle Great Wheel: http://seattlegreatwheel.com/
Pike Place Market: http://pikeplacemarket.org/
The Underground Tour: http://www.undergroundtour.com/
Seattle Art Museum: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/
Olympic Sculpture Park: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/olympic-sculpture-park
International District: http://cidbia.org/
Ferry rides: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/vesselwatch/TerminalDetail.aspx?terminalid=7
Seattle Center, which includes the EMP, Science Museum, Children's Museum, Chihuly Museum, and Space Needle: http://www.seattlecenter.com/ The International Fountain is also a fun place to play on a warm day. Bring swimsuits! http://www.seattlecenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?id=8
Tillicum Village: http://www.argosycruises.com/tillicum-village/
Museum of History and Industry: http://www.mohai.org/
The Center for Wooden Boats (boat rentals here!) http://cwb.org/

 

[xlxo]

Does anyone know how far the train station is from the Pan? We are coming from Seattle on the train.

To clarify... which train station?

• Pacific Central when you come out of Amtrak
• Main St/Science World where some drag their luggage to the local subway? I would budget 6 minutes.
• Waterfront station where you exit the subway to walk to the Panny? I would budget 8 minutes.

Another vote for the taxi. However for light travelers and when the cab is long... some choose the subway.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Paci...1129578!2d49.2879417!2m2!7e2!8j1461501000!3e3

 

[uncw89]

To clarify... which train station?

• Pacific Central when you come out of Amtrak
• Main St/Science World where some drag their luggage to the local subway? I would budget 6 minutes.
• Waterfront station where you exit the subway to walk to the Panny? I would budget 8 minutes.

Another vote for the taxi. However for light travelers and when the cab is long... some choose the subway.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Paci...1129578!2d49.2879417!2m2!7e2!8j1461501000!3e3

We are coming on Amtrak.... Not sure if there is more than one station

 

[Snowwhyt]

Thoughts....

• you might want to ask them when it was canned. I read somewhere some AK restaurants were serving canned salmon in their meals.
• in Vancouver.... you might want to ask when it was farmed.
• I prefer sushi to taste the natural juices of the flesh. Some restaurants will be "wild", some restaurants will be "farmed". Call ahead and ask them which type they serve. Taste wise... one will be leaner and the other will be fattier. https://www.google.ca/search?q=wild+farmed+salmon&tbm=isch
• Sushi is available at the Vancouver airport pre and post-security areas.

You need to be published xlxo!
I will buy your book!

 

[saxmangeoff]

Seattle ... traffic is horrible and you don't want to have to fight it to get to and from your hotel every day.

This is the truth. For those not in the know, here's a reference: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...united-states-tom-tom-traffic-index/82108390/

According to the article, the only cities in the U.S. with worse traffic than Seattle are Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City!

 

[Pooh2]

There are a lot of interesting things to do in Seattle right in the downtown area. (I'd recommend a downtown hotel - traffic is horrible and you don't want to have to fight it to get to and from your hotel every day.)

Seattle Aquarium: http://www.seattleaquarium.org/
Seattle Great Wheel: http://seattlegreatwheel.com/
Pike Place Market: http://pikeplacemarket.org/
The Underground Tour: http://www.undergroundtour.com/
Seattle Art Museum: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/
Olympic Sculpture Park: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/olympic-sculpture-park
International District: http://cidbia.org/
Ferry rides: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/vesselwatch/TerminalDetail.aspx?terminalid=7
Seattle Center, which includes the EMP, Science Museum, Children's Museum, Chihuly Museum, and Space Needle: http://www.seattlecenter.com/ The International Fountain is also a fun place to play on a warm day. Bring swimsuits! http://www.seattlecenter.com/locations/detail.aspx?id=8
Tillicum Village: http://www.argosycruises.com/tillicum-village/
Museum of History and Industry: http://www.mohai.org/
The Center for Wooden Boats (boat rentals here!) http://cwb.org/

Awesome list!!!
We were thinking of doing the duck boats the afternoon that we arrive in Seattle for an overview. Would a 4pm tour end up sitting in traffic??
Thanks!

 

[RedSox68]

1. How do people dress for dinner? Casual and formal/ semi formal. Do they wear the same as on the Caribbean cruises or less formal. (i.e capris, short sleeve shirts, sleeveless dresses, etc)?
Too funny, we brought a suitcase of dressier clothes (we were also doing a land portion) and never wore a single one. We didn't do formal night and on nights we did visit the MDR wore slacks and blouses/shirts (polo shirt or long sleeve dress shirt for DH). We never wore capris because it was too cold anyway (we sailed early May)

2. For those that have stayed at the Fairmont airport, how early did you go down to the terminal? I have a 6:40 am flight.
We stayed here post-land cruise portion of trip. Wonderful hotel, but we were taking Amtrak the next morning -- no flights.

3. What kind of shoes did you wear on excursions? Tennis shoes, boots, etc?
We had bought hiking boots and/or good walking sneakers. The hiking boots were not the big cumbersome ones, but ones with good support, to the ankle, and water resistant. It really depends on your feet and the level of comfort you want. My feet would not survive in tennis sneakers for an entire day of walking.

4. We are going to be in Seattle and Vancouver a few days prior, any suggestions on things to see and do, places to eat, etc?
VANCOUVER:
1. Be sure to get a Japadog in Vancouver -- they have food trucks and sit down (fast food type) locations. The lines are usually long, but well worth it.
2. Buy a Pink Bus ticket (hop on/hop off bus) and you can see the whole city in a day. This was the best thing and very cost effective (compared to cabs everywhere) and it covers everything. Wherever you get off is where they will come back around to pick you up. We never waited more than 20-30 minutes for a return bus, but they averaged 10-15 minutes as the norm. When we bought ours, they were offering second day half price and it was so worth it.
3. Stanley Park is not to be missed.
4. China Town has a beautiful center with a lovely garden that we really enjoyed.
5. Granville Island -- a truly lovely place to spend an afternoon. There are some great places to eat or grab food and enjoy the park. They had musicians playing all around, and some unusual shops and crafters.
6. Go up in the tower (sorry, can't remember the name) -- you can see the whole city from up there.
7. For quick meals, there is a giant underground mall with a large food court.
8. We loved the restaurant Stepho's Souvlaki Greek Taverna -- they had great breakfast options.

SEATTLE:
1. Do the underground city tour -- fascinating and very informative. We did Bill Speidel's Underground Tours -- they have a ticket booth and gift shop. I forget how often the tours leave, but I would go in the morning before it gets crowded with bus tours, etc.
2. Seattle Tower -- another way get great views of the city.
3. The EMP Museum (Sci-Fi/Pop/Music) is amazing. When we went they were having an Avatar exhibit and Jimi Hendrix exhibit. Something is always going on there.
4. Chihuly Garden and Glass -- astounding art
5. Visit very first Starbucks near Pike's Place.
6. Of course, don't miss Pike's Place -- so much fun to roam the halls -- and be sure to check out every alley and stairway as it winds up and around with lots of interesting places. DO NOT miss the fish tossing.
7. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
8. Eat at Elliott's Oyster House on the waterfront -- our favorite restaurant there.
9. Be sure to take time to walk around the waterfront.
10. Hard Rock Cafe was great -- lots of wonderful memorabilia. Jimi Hendrix is their big icon.

Both of these cities have become some of the favorite we have ever visited. We had a great time in both and would go again.

5. What should I expect for temps? I know it will vary from cruise to cruise. We are going June 20.
Vancouver we went in early May and we had a light jacket on most of the time. When we got back to Seattle at the end of the cruise, it was in in early June and it got warm during the day, but not unbearable. We always had a light jacket with us when we went out -- and it did rain here and there, but not torrential.

 

[RedSox68]

I have a question too. My DD (age 11) loves salmon. Now IMO DCL food (at least in Carribean) is just standard banquet food (nothing special). I'm wondering if the salmon served in Alaska is fresher? My first instinct is to get it off board. Any comments? For a point of reference, she loved the Salmon at Carthay Circle the best

My DD is a salmon fanatic. She ate salmon for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We had it both in Seattle and throughout Alaska. It was (we thought) fresher at restaurants than on the ship. The ship's food was fine, but (of course) the ports have it all fresh caught. We had a lovely lunch at Annabelle's in Ketchikan. We did the whale watching out of Juneau which included a BBQ lunch and the salmon was awesome!

 

[RedSox68]

Does anyone know how far the train station is from the Pan? We are coming from Seattle on the train.

We took the train to Vancouver from Seattle and got a taxi from the train station to Pan. No way was it walkable.

 

[TeaBee]

Awesome list!!!
We were thinking of doing the duck boats the afternoon that we arrive in Seattle for an overview. Would a 4pm tour end up sitting in traffic??
Thanks!

I didn't add the Duck tour to the list because they've had some safety concerns in the past couple of years, but I know a lot of people love the tour. The route looks like it's mostly contained on surface streets in the downtown/Lake Union area. The traffic will definitely be heavier at that time of day, but you're not travelling too far so it shouldn't be terrible. I'm sure they've figured out a good way to minimize the traffic impact.

 

[lilmissfoodie]

My DD is a salmon fanatic. She ate salmon for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We had it both in Seattle and throughout Alaska. It was (we thought) fresher at restaurants than on the ship. The ship's food was fine, but (of course) the ports have it all fresh caught. We had a lovely lunch at Annabelle's in Ketchikan. We did the whale watching out of Juneau which included a BBQ lunch and the salmon was awesome!

Which restaurant/port served the best salmon in you DD's opinion (yours as well too)?

 

[uncw89]

We took the train to Vancouver from Seattle and got a taxi from the train station to Pan. No way was it walkable.

Thanks!! We will plan on catching a cab at the train station.
Thanks for all the great advice, so far!! Keep it coming!!

 

[sharksfinatic17]

I didn't add the Duck tour to the list because they've had some safety concerns in the past couple of years, but I know a lot of people love the tour. The route looks like it's mostly contained on surface streets in the downtown/Lake Union area. The traffic will definitely be heavier at that time of day, but you're not travelling too far so it shouldn't be terrible. I'm sure they've figured out a good way to minimize the traffic impact.

There was an accident last summer, but it wasn't their fault. A passenger bus crossed the line.

 

[TeaBee]

There was an accident last summer, but it wasn't their fault. A passenger bus crossed the line.

The Ducks vehicle's axle failed and the Ducks vehicle crossed the line into the bus killing 5 people. The axle was a known problem and had been a recommended replacement two years before the crash. The Ducks had to cease operations for over three months and inspectors found over 400 safety violations. However, now is probably the best time to take the tour since they've been so closely inspected and drivers retrained.

http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/pages/HWY15MH011_preliminary.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/27/us/seattle-duck-boat-bus-fatal-crash-ntsb/
http://q13fox.com/2016/01/05/severa...ations-on-lake-union-after-suspension-lifted/

 

[TeaBee]

Double post.

 

[RedSox68]

Which restaurant/port served the best salmon in you DD's opinion (yours as well too)?

Well the problem with that reply is that we did a 12-day land tour attached at the end of our 7-day cruise, so most of our dining experiences were on that land portion which included hotels and some meals. Dawson City had our favorite food, followed closely by a wonderful meal in Tok.

The hotel in Denali had an amazing restaurant also (best breakfasts by far).

Like I said, we enjoyed Annabelle's in Ketchikan very much, and the BBQ included with the whale excursion in Juneau at (I believe) Otter Lodge.

 

[Snowwhyt]

To clarify... which train station?

• Pacific Central when you come out of Amtrak
• Main St/Science World where some drag their luggage to the local subway? I would budget 6 minutes.
• Waterfront station where you exit the subway to walk to the Panny? I would budget 8 minutes.

Another vote for the taxi. However for light travelers and when the cab is long... some choose the subway.

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Paci...1129578!2d49.2879417!2m2!7e2!8j1461501000!3e3

I quoted you here because, well you've been so helpful thought maybe you could help the post below out?

Any recommendations on where in Vancouver we can pick up some wine//beer before boarding the Wonder? We'll be staying close to Canada Place and won't have a car.

Love this guy/gal above. Maybe a recommendation?

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts...

• best deal for alcohol would be the duty free shop from your local US airport. Canadian taxes are very high.
• 2nd choice is the public liquor stores
• 3rd choice are the private liquor stores
• 4th choice.... get it on the cruise ship and avoid the hassle of carrying it around.

With regards to the public liquor stores... you have two choices. http://www.bcliquorstores.com/store/locator

• Harbour Centre is the closest public liquor store... however they operate with reduced hours and are closed on Sundays (the day before the Wonder departs).
• My preferred choice is the Signature store at Alberni & Bute. It's open til 11pm most nights and 9pm on Sundays. What's special about this location is the restaurants and shopping on Robson. After dinner grab your liquor and take it back to your hotel room.
• check the DCL luggage policy on liquor.... you used to be able to bring a carry-on full of liquor.... not any more.

I don't normally drink.... so I'll let others speak on the private liquor stores. Your hotel concierge should be able to help with suggestions too.

BTW.... there's a number of micro breweries in Vancouver.... you might want to check it out... Steamworks is popular near the cruise terminal. Those coming in early June may wish to check out "craft beer week". http://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com/

While some find it too sweet.... I hear "ice wines" are popular.

 

[xlxo]

The Ducks vehicle's axle failed and the Ducks vehicle crossed the line into the bus killing 5 people.

There's another accident today....
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/04/30/woman-struck-killed-by-duck-boat-in-downtown-boston.html

The Duck boats have a huge blind spot at the front. Some duck operations have cameras to check for blind spots. The Duck boats were designed for military use.... not congested urban roads.

 

[anricat]

We were in Seattle during the summer last year and they have a City Pass you can purchase that gives you access to a whole bunch of activities there, some of which were mentioned already and are fantastic. Basically if you buy the City Pass you can save money if you're doing three or more things. (I'm pretty sure three was the break even point.) We did Chihuly, Space Needle, Harbor Tour, Aquarium, and the EMP.

If I could only choose ONE THING in Seattle to do of all those things, it would be the EMP. It was my (and my daughter's - age 7) favorite thing. Hands down. I wasn't sure if she would like it, being 7, but she loved it. The aquarium was probably second followed by Chihuly and the Space Needle last.