Why should Outsiders have all the fun? Hop aboard and see your state from a new angle
Have you, as an Alaska resident, thought of taking an Alaska cruise? A friend and I thought we'd do just that! What could be easier than seeing Alaska by cruise ship?
Because of global uncertainties these days, many travelers are sticking closer to home on their vacations. And with prices down for cruising, the cost can be comparable to traveling by state ferry. On a cruise, you don't have the expense of bringing your vehicle aboard, nor do you pay for your meals separately.
The cruise base price includes the cruise, your stateroom, entertainment, all meals and some beverages. Additional expenses may include taxes and port charges; optional insurance; travel to and from the ship at the beginning and end of the cruise; tours; the cost of alcohol, cola or fancy coffee beverages (plus a 15 percent tip); and a $10-per-day charge for tips.
We opted for a seven-day Princess Cruises voyage from Vancouver to Seward along the Inside Passage. (This year, excursions will dock in Whittier.) We flew from Anchorage to Vancouver the day before the sailing date and had time to tour that beautiful city.
We'd recommend arriving the day before cruise departure; some travelers who encountered airline problems did not make the sailing and had to fly to Ketchikan to meet the cruise.
Day 1: From our Vancouver hotel, we walked to the magnificent cruise terminal on Burrard Inlet, turned our luggage over to baggage handlers, and quickly checked in for the cruise with passports and the cruise documents provided by Princess. Next we passed through U.S. immigration from Canada.
As part of the boarding procedure, our identification pictures were taken, and we were furnished with cards to be used each time we exited and boarded the ship. These cards also served as our stateroom keys and charge cards for any items purchased on board. After security, we were shown to our stateroom on the Sun Princess, an elegant ship which carries about 2,000 passengers.
Before departure, we took a guided tour of the ship. Later, passengers met in public rooms (muster stations) with life preservers from their cabins to listen to safety instructions and learn how to don their life vests. (Safety instructions became mandatory for ship passengers after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.) The muster station, with its hundreds of passengers enrobed in bright orange life vests, provided a great photo opportunity!
Most passengers chose to be on outside decks as our ship left the dock in Vancouver at 5:30 p.m. To the tune of "North to Alaska," we sailed out of Vancouver harbor and under the Lion's Gate Bridge, which connects the city to North Vancouver. The ship's naturalist gave a compelling commentary on the sights of Vancouver as we passed them. A special "sail-away" rum punch was concocted for the occasion, and excitement and anticipation were in the air!
We had chosen traditional seating for the second dinner seating at 8 p.m. and met our fellow dinner companions: an English doctor, an English widow, a Chicago homicide detective, a financial adviser, and a government manager and nurse from the Midwest. Our dining companions proved to be most congenial, and we looked forward to seeing them after our days ashore or onboard.
Princess also offers the alternative of personal choice dining. Passengers can dine in the 24-hour buffet or several other dining venues, or elect to dine between 5:30 and 10 p.m. in the Marquis Dining Room, twin to our Regency Dining Room, which is used for traditional seating at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
After dinner, we listened to the vocal impressions of Tony Cherry, an entertainer who convincingly imitated the legendary greats: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Paul Anka, to name a few.
Day 2: We spent this day at sea on the way to Ketchikan. Shops aboard the Sun Princess are duty-free and are closed in port. Many items cost significantly less than they do on shore. We checked out the boutiques on this day at sea.
At 10:30 a.m., we joined Francesca in the Vista Lounge for Line Dance Fever. She broke down the steps for us, and once we had memorized them, our steps were set to music.
At 11:30 a.m., we headed to the ship naturalist's presentation of "Cruising the Inside Passage," an interesting and informative lecture with slides.
We enjoyed spending a great deal of time on the Promenade Deck, where we could exercise calories away. Three circuits equal a mile of walking -- we tried to do at least 2 miles a day! We loved walking the deck, hearing the water rush by and looking at the marvelous scenery. Be sure to pack gloves and a hat for walks around the deck. For those who wish to sit and gaze, there are deck chairs (actually wooden chaise longues with padding). Wool blankets can be checked out to cocoon oneself on the sometimes-chilly deck.
We joined in rousing games of trivia once a day. We quickly found permanent teammates who filled the gaps in our knowledge. They were familiar with the movies and TV programs appealing to the younger set.
Day 2 was the first formal night aboard -- men wore tuxedos or dark suits to dinner and the ladies, cocktail dresses or evening pantsuit outfits. Ship's photographers captured every photo opportunity, and this night proved to be a popular one as the passengers looked superb!
Cruise photos were displayed daily in the photo gallery for purchase. We felt we should have our photos taken at each opportunity, as there's no pressure to buy and the photos generally turn out great! It's fun to find your photos and see those of people you have met on the cruise.
Day 3: Arrival in Ketchikan! We booked a tour to Saxman Native Village, home of the world-famous totem poles and carving center. The tour also included highlights of Ketchikan, a stop to see eagles, and a ticket to Dolly's house, the home of a well-known Ketchikan prostitute. Dolly died decades ago, but her little house still remains as it was when she was practicing the world's oldest profession.
This tour, as well as other tours, may be booked with Princess before the cruise, or it can be booked at the tour desk on the ship on Level 5. We chose to catch a tour ashore, but shore tour providers may not offer the specific tours you want. The best course is to decide on tours ahead of time and book them with the cruise line, as space may be limited.
Many downtown structures in Ketchikan are built on pilings connected by wooden walkways above the water. What amazed us was the number of gift shops which accommodate ship passengers. In addition to the Sun Princess, in port that day were cruise ships of Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
After leaving Ketchikan, whales were spotted, and the ship's naturalist gave a commentary from the bridge. Even those of us who have seen whales before experienced a thrill!
Day 4: When we arrived in Juneau, most passengers dispersed for tours. The most popular tours with the people we met aboard were the glacier helicopter tours. Favored Juneau destinations included the Mount Roberts Tramway, the Red Dog Saloon, Alaska State Museum and Russian Orthodox Church.
By 3:30 p.m., we were back on board for afternoon tea. The scones, delicate sandwiches and mini-desserts were delicious. A string quartet entertained us while we indulged.
At 4:30 p.m., we met in the Vista Lounge to hear Iditarod winner Libby Riddles talk about her grueling adventure. Her talk was engrossing and informative and included many pictures of her personal quest. After the talk, those who wished to purchase her personally autographed books could do so.
Before dinner, we listened to the tunes of the Faithfully Yours group in the Wheelhouse Lounge. Because the music is live, this is a popular dance venue.
Day 5: We arrived in Skagway. We felt that if there is one tour that should be taken here, it's the White Pass & Yukon's narrow-gauge railway. The vintage parlor cars follow the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush route, and breathtaking vistas abound. Others on the ship also raved about the streetcar tour of Skagway. We took time to explore the quaint town on foot.
On returning to the ship, we donned our swimsuits and headed outside to enjoy one of the ship's hot tubs on a sunny afternoon.
At 3:30 p.m., the ship's knowledgeable naturalist, Rachel, continued with her lecture series -- this time she discussed glaciers in anticipation of the next day's visit to Glacier Bay.
After a dinner featuring king crab legs and flaming baked Alaska, chanteuse Brandi Chapman, backed by the ship's orchestra, entertained us with her vocal renditions of familiar and favorite tunes.
Day 6: A visit to spectacular Glacier Bay was on the agenda this day. National Park Service rangers came aboard early in the day to comment from the bridge on the sights to be seen. Most passengers spent much of the day viewing the national park and taking photos from the promenade deck, the upper decks and individual stateroom balconies.
In honor of the occasion, "A Taste of Alaska Buffet" was presented in the Horizon Court (the 24-hour buffet) from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
After our second formal dinner night, which featured lobster tails, filet mignon and other entrees, we watched the Rhythms of the City production put on by the Sun Princess Singers & Dancers. To top off the evening, at 11:15 p.m., we walked to the Grand Plaza and stood on the top deck of the atrium, where we looked down to see bottles of champagne being poured into a pyramid of champagne glasses to create a spectacular cascading champagne waterfall. Waiters with trays of champagne-filled glasses circulated among the attendees, offering drinks to the upbeat rhythms of "Celebration" and Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca."
Day 7: This was our last full day of the cruise. At 10 a.m. we attended a culinary demonstration by the executive chef. He prepared pasta, scampi and the Italian favorite, tiramisu. Delicious samples were passed to members of the audience. This was followed by a tour of the kitchen and an Italian buffet in the Horizon Court for those who wished to sample Italian cuisine.
The ship headed from the Gulf of Alaska to Prince William Sound and College Fjord with its many glaciers. We remained in these waters for about three hours and found the scenery here to be even more spectacular than that of Glacier Bay. The ship's crew positioned the ship within a mile and a half of Harvard Glacier in Harvard Arm, with one side of the ship parallel to the glacier. After a time, the crew turned the ship so that those in balcony staterooms facing away from the glacier now faced it. The beauty of the glaciers and the excitement sparked by glacier calving made for a spectacular end to our cruise.
Our chore before dinner was to have our large luggage pieces packed, tagged and outside our staterooms before 8 p.m. for pick-up by the crew.
That evening, guitar player and comedian Duncan Tuck entertained us with his off-beat humor and wonderful rendition of "Malagena."
Day 8: This day started early with breakfast on board, with most people departing the ship before 9 a.m. so the ship's crew could ready the ship for the next group of passengers sailing on their seven-day cruise south. It was difficult to leave our new friends, the friendly staff and the cruise.
I have touched on the activities that we enjoyed. Movies, the gambling casino, the card room, the library, faux horse racing, art auctions, wine tastings, cocktail parties, bingo, disco, lectures and fitness activities are all popular with passengers, too. The beauty of a cruise is that you can choose to be as active or as idle as you wish.
We found the service on board to be fabulous. Ernesto, our stateroom steward, checked our cabin daily to see that it was clean and shipshape. Service in the dining room was unequaled to anything we've experienced ashore. The menus offered plenty of tasty choices, and room service was available, too.
Although we didn't meet many Alaskans aboard, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this cruise to residents. It's a great way to enjoy the stunning scenery of the state, act as a knowledgeable ambassador of Alaska, and be pampered at the same time!
(Irene Darbyshire is an Anchorage resident who works part time for Princess Cruise Line.)
Interested in an Alaska cruise?
Several major cruise lines offer trips along Alaska's Southeast coast. Contact them for more information about their itineraries, fares and travel planning services:
CRYSTAL CRUISES
800-804-1500, www.crystalcruises.com
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES
800-227-6485, www.carnival.com
CELEBRITY CRUISES
800-722-5941, www.celebritycruises.com
HOLLAND AMERICA
877-724-5425, www.hollandamerica.com
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
800-327-7030, www.ncl.com
PRINCESS CRUISES
800-774-6237, www.princess.com
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
800-398-9819, www.royalcaribbean.com
RADISSON SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
877-505-5370, www.rssc.com
SILVERSEA CRUISES
800-722-9955, www.silversea.com
