The Alaskan cruise season runs from early May to early October and most all cruise lines have some sort of itinerary available. We chose Princess for a couple of reasons. First, we'd never sailed with them and if you know anything about our agency, we value first-hand experience with the products we sell in order to guide our clients. Princess also had an interesting itinerary that fit our schedule. If you don't choose an itinerary that is round-trip between Seattle, you'll most likely fly into or out of Canada at one end of your trip. This means you'll be required to have a valid passport.
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Royal Princess docked in Skagway, AK |
Our trip was early June on the Royal Princess for a 7-Day Inside Passage with Glacier Bay. Before we stepped foot on the ship, we spent a little time in Seattle, WA. I strongly encourage cruise clients (regardless of where you're cruising from or to) to arrive at the port at least one day early. I have another blog on the reasons so I won't go over them again. Please check this link out for more info. I also prepared a short blog about Seattle, WA as well. That link coming soon.
Weather and Packing
With a great amount of our leisure time spent in tropical climes, one of the most challenging aspects of our trip was packing. We just didn't know what to bring. Most of the port cities we visited are part of the largest temperate rainforest in North America. We were expecting daily rain and clouds, so having clothes that would dry fast was important.
Before we left for our trip, we visited Sierra. It's part of the TJX family of brands (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods), and offer the exact type of clothing were were looking for. Brands such as Columbia, Merrill, Spyder, and, The American Outdoorsman fit the bill. I purchased half a dozen plain, colored t-shirts. They weren't the sporty dry-fast shirts you might be used to, though. These were much softer and thin. I got three or four pair of pants and a hooded, rainproof jacket.
Something that surprised me as compared to Caribbean cruising was the ability to reuse outfits over the course of the trip. Since the temps were mild, our clothes weren't disgusting at the end of the day after exploring each port. I'd layer a t-shirt, long sleeve, and possibly a sweatshirt with a pair of quick-dry pants and waterproof shoes. We'd carry a backpack with stocking caps, gloves, and rain coats just in case. Here is a complete list of my clothes as well as other odds and ends I took.
If you purchase quick-drying clothes, even if you're unfortunate enough to be soaked, you'll still get a couple of days from each outfit if needed. While there was a formal night, in general, we didn't see people getting as dressed up for dinner. Many times, we'd wear the same outfit we'd worn during our port adventures to dinner that night. I highly value comfort over being fancy!
What I Enjoyed the Most on the Ship
Balcony Room
I truly think you'd regret being on a ship without a balcony. The ability to step outside my cabin to the brisk, salty-fresh air as the ship glides by snow-capped mountains and dense forests is not to be underrated. Technically, we had a mini suite, not a traditional balcony room. The MS offered us a bit more space and a seating area. Check out a video of our room on YouTube.
Music and Comedy
A couple of the activities I like when I cruise is live music and comedy. Both were a hit on this ship. The Trawlermen is a UK-based folk band who did some amazing covers of more contemporary rock songs. Our comedian was solid, offering both family and adult-themed shows. It was a bit disappointing they didn't move him to a larger venue for his adult-themed show since it filled rather quickly.
Food and Drinks
The food on the ship was decent but I do concur that the pizza on board was a step above what you'd expect for cruise pizza, heck even most restaurant pizza, too. Like with most cruises, I don't often elect to pay extra for specialty dining so we stuck with the included provisions as well as our two free "casual meals" that came with our beverage and wi-fi package (Princess Plus).
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Seafood pizza at Alfredo's |
Excursions
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Not a photo from my trip.... |
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Gateway to the Yukon |
I'd have to say that my favorite experience of the trip was the White Pass and Yukon Route train excursion in Skagway. This 2.5-3 hour round-trip trip was a highlight of my trip and helped satisfy a need to see some areas away from the ports. If possible, arrive early at the loading point for the trip and ask, encourage (,...beg!) to be on the last car. It offers a premium vantage point to take photos and videos of the experience. Here is link to YouTube to see a clip of our train experience.
What I'd Do Differently
Land Cruise Tour Combo
I did love the 7-day cruise but would have really enjoyed so time before the trip having more experiences on land. With the exception of a quick blur of fur running into the weeds, I never saw a bear, sigh. While I don't fancy myself as an intrepid hiker, I'd have loved to have a bit more wilderness exploring. When considering any sort of land cruise combo, you have to keep in mind that you not only are you adding cost to your vacation, but most every land cruise tour originates or terminates with a Canadian port. This means you'd have to have a current passport in order for us to book this sort of trip for you.
"No Kings...Crab"
One restaurant I saw repeatedly while researching Alaskan cruises (and saw both locations in Juneau) is Tracy's Crab Shack. The location closest to the port is reportedly very busy when the ships come in but a short walk toward Juneau (10-12 minutes) finds you their less busy 2nd location with the same quality everyone raves about. I do kick myself for not splurging and getting a mess of crab legs...
Double-Check Those Next Day Flight Options
The last thing I would consider, and this will definitely depend on your home airport, would be staying one post-cruise night to take advantage of an early morning, non-stop flight home. The trip back to Indy was tumultuous at best and involved flight delays at SEA-TAC because some yahoo mentioned the "B-word" while on his plane, mid-air text and emails between with our airline to switch to a later flight in Chicago, and a sprint through the airport by some of the party (...thanks Ted, Andy, Brendan, and Emma) to check-in at our connecting gate while the rest of the party ambled along.
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