Alaska - So Much More to See Than Glaciers

As we get closer to a new Alaska cruise season, May through September, I'm seeing a lot of questions asking about excursions and itinerary choices. One of the trips I never wrote about was our cruise tour to Alaska back in 2015. To this day, if anyone asks what my favorite trip has been, the answer is Alaska. It is definitely a different experience than the fun in the sun hang out on the beach image a first time cruiser might have pictured. However, it is an itinerary that I highly recommend everyone experience in their lifetime. If feasible for your time and budget, I'd also recommend planning your trip to include a land portion like we did. You see and experience so much more than just what you can see in a 6 hour port stop on a cruise ship tour. Keep in mind also the time of year you'd want to book this trip. The earlier and the later in the season you go, it will be colder and you may see snow. We took this trip in mid to late August and the temperatures were quite comfortable with just a light jacket.

For those not familiar with the lingo, a cruise tour is a combination of land travel and traveling on the cruise ship. You can pick itineraries that do the land portion first or the cruise portion first. I personally prefer the land portion first because it means the part of your trip that is unpacking once and sleeping in the same place comes at the end and you feel a lot more settled. The fact that for us in this case meant we had free laundry (suite perk) once we boarded the Grand Princess was even better. The land portion is a lot more get up and go since you are most likely in a different town every 1-2 days so it's different hotels to unpack and repack each time. There's also the geography aspect to consider. When it comes to cruising Alaska's Inside Passage, you can choose northbound or southbound. If you chose the cruise first option, you'd either board the ship in a city like Seattle or Vancouver and then get off in Anchorage to continue on land to Fairbanks. For us, flight wise, it was easier to travel home from Vancouver and start in Fairbanks.

One of the things you'll learn from researching Alaska cruises is that Princess Cruise Lines "owns" Alaska. By that I mean that they have their own established brand in the region with their own lodges with amenities on site for travelers to stay in. With another line like Royal Caribbean or Carnival, you'd be staying at a local hotel and bussed everywhere. At this point we knew we enjoyed Princess as a cruise line in general so using them for this cruise tour was an easy decision.

The next decision was which type of cruise tour to take. Princess offers several options at differing price points because the higher the price point, the more is included and planned for you. One option is called "On Your Own" which is basically Princess providing the transportation and lodging in each city. You'd be responsible for meals and tours on your own dime and effort. Next option is known as the "Denali Explorer" which is the same as On Your Own except they include the Denali National Park nature tour. The next option is "Off the Beaten Path" which includes the riverboat ride in Fairbanks. Another option which I'm not sure I even saw they had back in 2015 is the "Canadian Rockies Cruise Tours." Unlike the others, this option starts the land portion in Calgary and all the land portions are in a different Canada city ending in Vancouver. You never actually see Alaska until the cruise. We went with the final option, and the bane of my existence in trying to spell correctly, the "Connoisseur Tour." With this option, you are paying extra for the convenience factor of included tours, included meals and as they claimed, better perks along the way.

Navigating through your many itinerary choices can be a daunting task. Here's how to narrow down your choices when searching on Princess Cruises' website. Click here for a good comparison chart for what you get under each type of tour. Then you can bring up a much simpler list of itinerary options within that tour type.

If you select "Start/End Port" from along the top choices, this is where you can choose whether you want to sort by land first options or cruise first options. Here, we sorted by land first only options and narrowed the choices even more:

Rather than a day by day account of everything we experienced like my usual blog posts, this series will feature posts highlighting the places we stayed on land, the ship, and our tours in port. And of course some food pics. You know I would never miss covering the food! Our itinerary was 8 days on land and 7 days on the cruise. We traveled from Fairbanks to Denali to McKinley, to Kenai, to Anchorage/Whittier to board the ship. Then while on the ship we visited Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan before ending in Vancouver. So come along with me as I recount all the glaciers, bears, and goodtime girls that we saw during our trip!

Alaska - Time to leave land behind!

Today is the day we say goodbye to these past 8 days seeing Alaska on land and move on to our next part of the trip, a 7 day southbound inside passage cruise on the Grand Princess. I definitely recommend doing the land tour first because you get all of the unpack/pack nearly every day travel between cities on a bus/train out of the way first. Then once on the ship, you unpack once and have a much more comfortable ride to each city from now on. The fact that we get free laundry with our cabin category was an added perk so it was like being on a back to back cruise but only having to pack enough clothes for one leg.

When it comes to traveling to Whittier (at least for us coming from Kenai) is that it's a lot more of a timing issue than just leaving enough time to allot for heavy traffic. You've heard of a one truck stop town, Whittier is a one cruise port town where essentially everyone who works for the port lives in a single giant dormitory style building. To get into Whittier, multiple lanes of traffic all line up at a one way tunnel that traffic coming out of Whittier also uses. To accomplish this, the tunnel operates on a timer system. Buses like ours get priority in the first traffic lane and we were assigned a 12:30PM time that we had to be at the tunnel for our turn. Our guide Lori was very adamant that everyone in our group be packed up and on the bus by a certain time to ensure we made it to the tunnel by 12:30PM. This was one of the few moments where Lori had to be strict with timing. Don't be one of those last minute stragglers on this day!

Lori had allotted enough time between leaving Kenai and arriving at the tunnel to stop off at an area off the main road so everyone had the chance to see a glacier and a creek with salmon jumping upstream.

Everyone was enamored with what was dubbed the Beverly Hillbillies camper in the parking lot:

As much as she might have liked to, our guide Lori would not be following us onto the ship. Once she got us to the port, she'd be heading back to wait for the next group of lucky souls doing the land portion. We took the time on this last stop to thank her and pose for a picture together.

We all piled back on the bus and made our way to the tunnel entrance. There was an electronic message ticker as well as traffic lights alerting drivers that the tunnel was currently only open to traffic leaving Whittier at the moment. Some drivers even took to standing outside their cars expecting a longer wait.

And like, well, clockwork, right at 12:30PM our lane of tour buses was allowed to take our turn driving through the tunnel. It is an enclosed tunnel and very dark so Lori insisted that no one use flash photography while they were driving through so as not to distract the driver. 

Once out of the tunnel and back into the sunlight, we immediately spot our new home for the next 7 days, the Grand Princess. I don't believe Whittier can have more than one ship in port at a time so no issues with finding the right terminal or battling too many crowds. 

I don't know if it was by design or a happy coincidence since we were the first to get through the tunnel but our group was literally the first people at the terminal to check in. The bus pulled right up to the front door of the terminal and both Lori and our bus driver coordinated with the porters to transfer our checked luggage for us. No having to drag it anywhere ourselves. It was funny when we walked in the building to no line whatsoever and stood there trying to figure out if we were allowed to check in yet. The check in agents started waving us over and explained that we were the first cruisers to arrive. In most cases, if you do get to check in early, you most likely will then have to sit and wait in the terminal for longer until they allow you to board. Whether it was due to being the only ship here or the fact that it's already 12:30PM, we were allowed to board right away after being checked in. As it was, roaming the ship for those first few hours onboard felt so weird because it was so quiet and deserted. 

After dropping off our carry on luggage in our cabin, we headed over to Alfredo's Pizzeria for some lunch. On ships that have Alfredo's as a separate venue, this is a great spot to avoid the crowds and still get a sit down service relaxing meal. It also surprises a lot of cruisers to learn that this venue onboard is not an extra cost like the other specialty restaurants. If your ship doesn't have it's own Alfredo's Pizzeria venue, check out the normally upcharge specialty restaurant called Sabatinni's around lunchtime. On sea days, they sometimes use the same space to offer an Alfredo's Pizzeria lunch free of charge. 

With a nearly empty ship and not a lot of activities scheduled (hence why Alaska cruises usually have a late afternoon/evening muster and subsequent sailaway) I took the time to wander the open promenade deck snapping pictures of Whittier. 

The dormitory style building:

One of the nice touches I love about Princess is that not only do most ships have this open promenade deck that lets you walk completely around the ship but they offer nice deck chairs (seated and loungers) and wooden benches to stop and relax. Great spot for a quiet rest away from the pool deck noise and people watch or in our case, glacier watch.

The terminal building as I watched everyone else start boarding the ship:

Nice covered walkway and an almost flat path to board the ship. No big increasing zig zag incline you see for most embarkation ports.

Hey Hoss, I found Bonanza for you:

Back inside, I discovered that the atrium was decorated with Alaska themed wall hangings as well as the celebratory 50 Years of Princess banners.

The trend of hidden Sea Witch logos continue:

Double Sea Witch hidden logo find, bonus points!

Triple if you count the logo printed on the bottom of the pool in front of the MUTS screen:

Plaque commemorating the ship build:

Next up - a tour of our Penthouse Suite cabin on the Grand Princess.

Alaska - Living the suite life on the Grand Princess

This voyage brought to you by the letter C and the numbers 415 as in our cabin was on the Caribe (10th) deck, and our cabin number was 415. It is classified as an S4 midship penthouse suite. Scroll through here to read up on all the perks you get on a Princess cruise when booking a full suite. With the addition of Club Class, passengers booking those mini-suites now also get priority boarding/debark like suites (and elite loyalty level) and the smaller Club Class dining area of the Main Dining Room (MDR). Not every mini suite gets this, only the ones that are slightly more expensive and are coded as "Club Class Mini Suites" on the deck plans. Full suites were grandfathered in so to speak and are also able to take advantage of the smaller venue, no wait for a table, faster service dining, extra dish option dining. We personally feel that Princess offers the best perks for booking a suite without being too much more of an astronomical price difference like Celebrity's suite class or Royal Caribbean's Star Class options.

Cruise lines offer a variety of things if you note on your cruise personalizer (check in online information) that you plan to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or any sort of event onboard. You don't even have to actually be sailing on that particular date. Just pick a date you want to designate as the celebratory day in your personalizer. Some options offer celebratory items at an extra cost to you like stateroom decorations or a full sized cake. Most all lines will provide a small dessert and sing to you at dinner for free. Since my actual birthday fell during our travel between McKinley and Kenai, we noted day 1 of the cruise as my celebratory day. Princess will happily sell you themed packages featuring items like champagne, treats, gifts from the shops, and/or spa treatments. For free however, you get a nice sign on your door and helium balloons taped to the wall outside your cabin. I've heard though that recently, they've discontinued using the balloons. I also received a pre-printed Happy Birthday card from Princess Cruises and a small card to bring to the dining room at dinner to let the waiter know I wanted my small singular birthday cake dessert tonight.

One of the other touches that you'll find on a Princess ship (at least pre-Medallion use) is these little strips of paper they put into the front of your cabin's mailbox each sailing. The paper slips list the cabin occupants' names which is why some people don't like that you could read the name of anyone as you walk down the hall and end up turning it over in the slot. The slips also feature the Princess Captain's Circle (loyalty levels) logo in the color that corresponds to your loyalty level. I don't think it's really meant for anything but a nice touch of recognition as you should be seeing the same service level from your steward no matter what your loyalty level.

On the back of every cabin door is a sign that shows you a diagram of the ship and where your Muster Station is on that diagram. It also maps out the most direct route to get to your muster station as well as pictorial directions on how to put on your lifejacket. 

When you first enter the cabin, to your right is the door to the first part of the bathroom. In full suites, it is split into two parts, one with sink and toilet, the other side having the shower stall and bathtub. No having to trip over one another trying to get ready at the same time. If you're traveling with someone you'd rather not hang it all out in front of, the inner door helps provide privacy while you shower and your cabinmate can be using the sink for everything else. What is directly in front of you when you walk into the cabin is the main living space, sometimes separated from the bedroom area by a half wall or curtain. There is a small wet bar with sink and countertop for your ice bucket and glasses to the right. On the left is a desk with drawer storage. Further into the living space is a full size couch, coffee table, one or two nicer chairs and a TV. On the other side of the couch is a small end table with a cabinet on the bottom. So many little cubby hole style storage in this cabin that it's important to triple check before you leave on the last day to be sure nothing is forgotten. A mini fridge is in the cabinet under the TV. There is also the first set of doors leading out to the balcony off of this living space.

While a regular balcony cabin will have two regular chairs and a small table, a suite balcony is physically bigger so it will have two loungers, a small table, a larger table easily used for dining or whatever you wish, and regular chairs to sit at the table. The balcony stretches across the outermost wall of your cabin so there is a second set of doors leading out to it from the bedroom area.

In comparison, here is what the balcony looked like for the regular balcony cabin on the deck below us. Always research deck plans and past passenger comments on specific cabins and decks. Due to the way a ship is designed, some cabins have totally covered balconies, some are half covered and half not, and others are totally open to the elements. If you need to stay out of the sun, get a cabin on a deck with covered balconies. Do the opposite if you're a sun worshipper. Just know that if you can look straight up and see the sun overhead, that means everyone else can look down and see you too so save the exhibitionism for inside your cabin.

Back inside the cabin, let's peek behind the curtain and check out the bedroom area. The curtain works great if you have a cabinmate who goes to bed earlier or wakes earlier than you. I admit I've hidden behind that curtain a time or two when room service or the steward shows up and I haven't finished getting dressed yet. There's a second but smaller TV facing the beds so you can be watching two different things at once or decide to finish watching something while laying in bed. Every once in a while due to the way the wall between the two TVs curves around, we've found that using the remote on one TV can end up changing the channel on the other TV. Great party trick if you want to freak out your cabin mate. 

Between the wall with the second TV and the door from the bedroom leading into the shower/tub section of the bathroom, there is a small walk in closet with shelves and hanging space. Also on the side of the wall where the TV is, there is a cabinet and more drawer storage. Inside the cabinet is the cabin safe which requires you to set a four digit code to operate. The safe is too small for things like electronics but big enough for passports, wallets, cell phones, cash, and important items like our excursion tickets. Some suggest bringing magnets since the cabin walls are metal and using them to stow things like paperwork and tour tickets so they don't get mixed up in the sales ads and brochures that get left in your cabin routinely. We also tend to stow the little things we need to bring along when going ashore in the cabinet so that by having to go in there to get that stuff, it reminds us to also grab what we need back out of the safe too. Putting the items back in the safe once back on board is the first thing we do upon returning to the cabin at the end of a tour.

This is also where you'd find the provided bathrobes, slippers, and pool towels that suite guests can enjoy while onboard. The door to the closet features a full length mirror.

The bedroom space itself features a vanity area with more storage, a hairdryer, and a lighted vanity mirror. The two twin beds can either be separated with a nightstand in between and one on the far end or put together with the nightstands on either side. There are also small drawers in the nightstands. If you walk in and find it set up the opposite way that you desire, simply ask your room steward and they'll have it changed around by evening turndown. There are light switch panels by the door and by the beds to control the entire cabin's lighting but you can also switch on and off the individual lamps. No need to get all the way out of your comfy bed to turn out the lights once you're ready to sleep.

Be careful with that step up on each side to get into the bathroom. Also usually a sliding door track to step over when going to and from the balcony.

And perhaps one of the most important features of the cabin, the split bathroom. The portion you enter first from the bedroom side features a standalone shower stall cattycorner to a full size bathtub. No shower curtain giving you an uninvited gynecological exam or having to make sure you can step high enough into a bathtub/shower combo. Also, even with the door enclosure, I can honestly say that the shower stall is fluffy person approved. Plenty of room to move around. To the right of the shower stall is a full closeable door that splits the space allowing someone to brush their teeth or use the facilities without having to be in the same space while you're showering. Suites also come with nicer toiletries so we had little tubes of product rather than the mounted wall dispensers. Plenty of grab rails inside the shower and to get in and out of the tub.

Standing in the doorway with my back to the tub looking into the toilet/sink half of the bathroom. This setup had one sink but we've stayed in other Princess suites that have two sinks because the layout and placement on the ship allowed for more counter space. Nice shelving along the side for storing your toiletries with a couple glasses and a bag of extra comfort items like nail files and a sleep mask. Some cruisers are reporting the changeover from bar soap to wash your hands at the bathroom sink to dispensers of liquid soap. I haven't seen it yet in one of my cabins but I'd appreciate the change as I personally always feel cleaner when using liquid soap.

A better picture of the desk taken from inside the bathroom door that completes the circle bringing you back to the entryway/living space. I don't recall for sure whether you can lock the inner door but you can lock both outer doors for privacy.

Alaska - Cruise Day 2 - Scenic Cruising with Mother (Nature) Hubbard

Since we are continuing to travel southbound through the inside passage, our first two full cruise days will be dedicated to two different areas of scenic cruising. If you see the term "scenic cruising" on your itinerary, that's just a fancy way of saying "We're bringing the ship through someplace that you'll want to see but we're not going to let you physically get off the ship." If you do the full transit of the Panama Canal, you'll see the canal transit day listed as "scenic cruising." If actually getting off onto a tour that takes you on a little boat in the canal interests you, that requires choosing the partial transit itineraries. Every Alaska itinerary is going to feature at least one scenic cruising day where the ship visits an area with tons of glaciers and will slow down the speed so that everyone can marvel at the view. The captain will also turn the ship around so passengers on every side will have a chance to see a 360° view. Another nice feature is that a naturalist or park ranger will come on board during these days giving commentary about the specific glaciers and wildlife you are viewing. Ship onboard activities may be limited as they expect most passengers will be out on the open decks watching nature. However, routine services on the ship like bar service and dining room hours will run as normal. Pro tip - you may be visiting Alaska during a time of year when it's warm enough for a T-shirt and nothing more. On these glacier viewing days, you are so close to the coldest places you'll visit on this trip that you'll want to put on extra layers and bundle up when spending any time out on your balcony or the open deck. I spent a good portion of my trip in a T-shirt and light jacket. By midday of these scenic cruising days, I had switched to adding a hoodie, my windbreaker lined rain jacket, a beanie, and gloves. This of course is only if you plan to hang out outside on the ship. Soon as I went back to moving around the interior of the ship, I no longer needed the warm clothes.

Today was devoted to scenic cruising past Hubbard Glacier. There are several options for these glacier viewing days that your itinerary might include. Other options include Tracy Arm or Icy Strait Point as well as tomorrow's planned visit to Glacier Bay. I've heard that Icy Strait Point is one of the best places for spotting whales from the ship. I may be bias but if I ever got to go back to Alaska, I'd choose an itinerary that included Glacier Bay for the colors, the icebergs/glaciers, and the calving. What's calving you ask? No, it isn't cows having babies. Calving is what happens when pieces of a glacier slough off and fall into the water. It makes such an echo that it sounds like thunder often causing you to hear it several moments before you see it.

It was a bit overcast today and we did have some infrequent rain shower coat our balcony but it wasn't bad enough to keep us inside. This post and the next will be quite picture heavy as these spots are a nature photographer's paradise.

Almost like a teaser preview to the real show, you'll start sailing past little chunks of ice in the water well before you're close enough to see the full glaciers. These little chunks are the remnants of what calves off the big glaciers. They float with the current; freezing and melting with time occasionally being polished or sheered by the water forming new version's of nature's ever changing works of art.

The closer you get, the more these random chunks start becoming  more like streams of ice:

And finally you are soon rewarded with beauty on a much larger scale:

I love the variations in color despite the chunks being from the glacier nearby:

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. While it is natural for one's mind to try and form what they're viewing into a recognizable picture, I can't help but see a certain something in the ice in the middle left edge of this picture.

I dub thee Wilson!

Thanks for the heads up about the calving that happened next, Wilson!

Oh no Wilson blew his top!

This glacier piece reminded me of those pom poms on top of some beanie hats or a little kid's snowball stash. For perspective, the below picture shows how close we really were to that same glacier piece.

By the end of today's scenic cruising, we were treated to a calving show from Mother Nature. Picture the thunderous sound in your heads as you notice the spray of water that shoots up into the air displaced by the dropping ice chunks.