Cruise Planners - Alaska Cruise Adventure

Alaska Cruise Adventure

Alaska Cruise - Princess Cruise Line from Vancouver to Anchorage

Notes from our trip

Join us as we travel to our first cruise to Alaska. We will report in, day-by-day, to update you on our trip and all the wonderful things we see.

We will sail from Vancaouver and then end up in Anchorage. Come sail away...with us!!!

Be sure to check out or links to the video clips we took while on board our Alaska Cruise ...Links are at the bottom of this page!!!

August 2008 we left from Jacksonville FL and headed to Vancouver to board Princess Cruise Lines - Coral Princess on a North Bound Alaska Cruise.

The following are some notes we took about our trip. We hope you enjoy!!!

Also at the end some pointers- things we learned ourselves by going ourselves.

I will also try to post some pictures!

August 4,2008

Greetings from Vancouver, BC

HI ALL!!!

We had a wonderful flight - got in about 30 minutes late and came right to the hotel. Customs was a little long line- about 30 minutes. LOTS AND LOTS of Japaneese and Chinese kids here - must be doing summer camps, etc. Plane LOADS of them!!! So customs took a while.

Our cab driver was from India. Very nice and took us thru a beautiful part of the city. It looks a LOT like San Fransicso here. We really love it.   We got to the hotel, then walked to a great little Arabic place and had tabouli and hummas and other wonderful stuff. It was fantastic. We came and got all checked in and then took an "adventure".

We took the subway- very clean, very nice and very fun, to the water way, then we took the "sea bus" over the bay to the other side (North Vancouver). The sea bus was so cool, so nice, and so clean. Then we took a free shuttle to the mountain area where we went on the Capilano suspension bridge. It was breathtaking! We took lots of pictures. They even had these tree walks, where you went up in these tree houses, then walked from tree to tree - high up in the canopy from tree to tree on smaller swinging bridges. Really REALLY neat- there were thousands of people there! It was really cool.

Came back down the mountain and looked back at the pretty city. Took the water thing back over and then walked around downtown.

It's very clean here, seem very safe. lots and LOTS of people walking around everywhere. Lots of kids, lots of couples, etc.

Had a nice pizza and spinach salad for dinner -with a few glasses of good red wine, then walked back to the hotel and got in the hottub. Then we crashed.

We woke up at 6:30 here- but that's 9:30 back home.

Came down and registered for our free shuttle to take us to the cruise.

We leave at 11:30 for the ship. We want to walk around a little bit more here before we leave for the ship.

Tomorrow is a SEA day. Then on Wednesday we will be in Alaska.

It is really pretty here. Vancouver is a very pretty city.

We still don't know our room number of ship level of the ship yet.   We are in a guarantee and won't know until we get there, I guess. It won't really matter - because there isn't a bad cabin on the ship!

More later, Connie

August 7, 2008

We are having a wonderful time. We left Vancouver on Monday - about 3 hours late - waited for a plane load of people that were delayed. Just goes to show you that when you have to FLY to reach your port to get on the ship =- you really SHOULD go in a day or two early to see the sights in that city - so you don't have the stress of trying to get to the ship before she leaves!

We had a wonderful sailaway thru the channel. BEAUTIFUL weather. Warm and sunny.

Tuesday morning was AWFUL - fog so bad that they blew the fog horn all day long. Couldn't see a THING and it was COLD. AWFUL. We took several naps in the indoor pool area between dips in the hot tub. Just trying to keep warm.

About 4pm the sun came out and we had clear blue skies again, but it was still cool. We were in the middle of the ocean, so we really couldn't see anything, but it was warmer in the sun.

Last night was "formal night" so we had fun dressing up and eating yummy food. We eat too much - but boy is it good.

This morning we docked in Ketchikan about 6:30am. We had an excursion at 7:50am that was a really nice boat ride into Misty Fjord. It was about 100 miles round trip. Smooth as glass. We were the ONLY ones for hours. It was really amazing. Got right up into the old glacier area (it's gone now) but saw the steep cliffs. We have lots of pix. Will try to post some later.....

Got back to the pier in just enough time to get a few souveniers for the girls :-) hope they like tee shirts hint hint....

We saw several whales !!!! We also saw some seals and several bald eagles!!!

We turned the corner tonight - heading westward toward the open waters, and it got cold FAST. The wind is howling and it's freezing - it's a bit cloudy now. At least no rain ...

Tomorrow we are in Juneau - the capital.
More later!

August 8, 2008

So yesterday was Thursday and we had a great day in Juneau, the capital of Alaska. It was foggy and cold, and we had showers off and on. We went to a salmon hatchery and it was a very interesting part of the trip. So amazing that they can hatch 2.2 million salmon there or something like that. The fish were jumping everywhere. We learned all about them. Saw some bald eagles. too.

Then we went to Mendenhall Glacier. We saw a bear catch a fish- (we got a picture!) and then walked to the blue glacier. It was the most beauitiful thing I have ever seen. It was misting, and we got several good pictures then it started POURING. By about 10 minutes you couldn't even see the glacier from the rain - they get over 100 inches per year of rain and another 100 inches of snow per year. It rains 270 days a year there.

It was about 50 degrees. So it felt pretty cool. Then we came back, ate lunch and took a nap.

Then we walked in to downtown Juno and went to the RED DOG SALOON - it was a funny place - with sawdust on the floor $6 beers (OUCH) and a cool old piano player/ entertainer. Everyone was singing old folk songs, and it was cool. Got a few souveniers - and then headed back to the ship.

We ate about 9:30-pm right after we sailed away from shore. It was foggy. It is so quiet up here. LIke when it snows in the mountains. Not a single sound. The fog is so thick and the ship is going so slow and the seas are glassy.

Sailed thru the night and landed at Sitka ...foggy, misting rain and about 50 degrees. Very foggy this morning, can't see a thing, so we thought we would send an email.

Today our plans are to go up to Liarsville, pet a husky dog, see gold mining, and have a salmon bake. Our excursion doesn't leave until 3pm...so we have some time. Will report back later.

The ship is beautiful - built in 2002, and is 92,000 tons, but is in excellent shape. There are quite a few older folks on this one which is just a different crowd than in the Caribbean. Of course everything closes around midnight - even the casino - go figure? We don't gamble, but thought it was interesting.

The food is terrific and the service is a little better than in the Caribbean. There are 1800 people + on the ship and we've seen about 200 of them - the rest must be enjoying their balcony cabins. There is never anyone on the elevators or in the lounge chairs (even inside). There is plenty of room in the hot tubs and pools - even the spa is pretty empty. The only place we see alot of people is at dinner in the restaurant, and also in the buffet lines in the meal times. It gets pretty crowded.

Everyone is nice. and we've met some good people. No one really close yet, but we are having fun anyway. It's very cool out today =- and it's so much nicer if the sun could just cme out - because when the sun is out, you can at least feel a little warmth instead of all the fog.

More later.

August 10, 2008 - Greetings from Glacier Bay

Today was magnificent! We woke up at 6:30am and walked outside and itlooked like it was 3pm. We got up on deck and got ready for the glaciers.

We got there around 10 am and it was amazing. PIctures to follow.

The internet on ships is painfully slow - so these postings are very short.

Had a wonderful day -went to 2 or 3 different glaciers. SO pretty =-the weather was nice too. So unbelievable.

Our ship went right up to Glacier Bay and stopped and did a 360 degree turn...breathtaking. VERY cold today. bundled up and tried to take it.....It was so pretty - we made tons and tons of pictures. Glacier Bay is a National Park, and the Park Rangers came onto our ship and did a talk and showed us lots of information about our trip up into the Bay. It was incredible.

Tonight was the 2nd formal night. It was also our Captain's reception party for repeat passengers! We looked Good!!! Brett and I both sang at Explorers Lounge when we tried out for Princess Pop star - similar to Amierican Idol on board the ship, but we didn't make it. but ...we looked good!!!

Brett sang, "I got you under my skin." I sang, "When will I be loved." We were both pretty bad, but boy did we have fun!

The food is incredible. The service is outstanding. Even better than ships we have been on before.

Our cabin steward, Maria, is also the best we've ever had - even through 14 cruises. She is absolutely precious and is on top of everything - and has such a great attitude.

More tomorrow.

August 11, 2008

Our last day on the cruise. We have eaten more than anyone could possibly eat in one week!!! We have slept as much as we could - and we have enjoyed every second of our time in Alaska. It was a GREAT week..... We had so much fun and have seen SO many glaciers!!!

It's very cold here.

Wish we had remembered to bring our binoculars....

Wish we had remembered our sunscreen (it was actually nice outside when the sun was out).

We need to thank the lord for our good weather. We kept hearing it all week, that this was the best week they had had all summer long .... we had sunny skies, and we had only a little rain.

I think it rains up here a LOT... and we were just very lucky.

Brett and I have had a great week together. We have had a lot of fun and he even un wound a bit. :-)

Tomorrow is going to be busy - we get up on Monday morning early - then we take a tour off of the boat, and will get to the airport about 6pm tomorrow night. We will be looking at one more glacier

Then we board the plane late on Monday night - then fly all night long and get back to Atlanta at 6am. then we get to Jax about 7am.

We can't wait to see the girls - and we can't wait to see buster - the dog, either!!!

Then we will be home on Tuesday morning.

We are excited about getting home. We are taking sleeping pills for the plane ride home .

So we should be pretty rested up. (looking on the bright side!)...

We had a GREAT time. We now know that MOM AND DAD MUST come up here. . . I know that we will have to come to "escort them" but it will be worth it for them. It is really really AWESOME. We cannot believe how beautiful it is up here. We also cannot believe how lucky we had it with the weather. They kept saying over and over and over about how nice it was this week.

It was cold. Brett forgot to bring gloves, but he did pretty good??? He didn't complain too much. . . .

The hot tub- outside - was really REALLY nice- yes the air was cool, but the tubs were warm-hot and after you are in there a while you get your core body temp up enough to run back to the room. Really nice.

The trip was worth every second. I can't wait to show you the pictures!

Love, Brett and Connie

Join us as we plan our 2009 Alaska cruise. Come sail with us....instead of virtually, in 2009 we will all sail together on the ship! YES, August 1, 2009, we are going to go again!

Watch here for details! Also, email us at YourCruiseAgents@aol.com and let us know that you want to get the details about the cruise once they are all set up.

Liked our 2008 cruise, then join us in 2009.

AUGUST 1-12, 2009 11 Night Alaska Cruise + Tour

July 31, 2009 Hampton Inn, Vancouver, BC – Optional pre-night hotel available for $269+ tax per room. We highly recommend that you come in the night before to avoid flight delays and possibly missing embarkation and perhaps several days of your cruise! Let us know and we can book that for you too!

Direct to the Wilderness - Tour CA4

7-night Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise with 4-night Land Tour featuring 2-nights Denali Princess Lodge, 1-night Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge and 1-night Anchorage.

Travel Sequence: Cruise first, then Tour

Ship: Diamond Princess

Voyage Departure Port: Vancouver, British Columbia

Number of Days: 11 (7 cruise, 4 tour)

Day

Port - Destination

Arrival

Departure

Vancouver, British Columbia

4:30 PM

At Sea

Ketchikan, Alaska

6:30 AM

2:00 PM

Juneau, Alaska

8:00 AM

9:00 PM

Skagway, Alaska

7:00 AM

8:30 PM

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising)

6:00 AM

3:00 PM

College Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising)

5:30 PM

8:30 PM

Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska

12:30 AM

Whittier/Denali
Disembark your ship in Whittier and board the Denali Express at the dock for direct rail service to Denali National Park. Check into the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge for a 2-night retreat.

Denali

This morning, take the Tundra Wilderness Tour deep into Denali National Park. Enjoy a relaxing evening at the lodge.

Denali/Mt. McKinley
Enjoy a morning at your own pace, then sightsee by motorcoach to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge - your home for the night.

Mt. McKinley/Anchorage
You'll have the morning to take advantage of optional excursions from the lodge. Then, transfer to Talkeetna where you'll board Princess rail to Anchorage for an overnight stay.

Anchorage
Your tour ends this morning in Anchorage.

Prices: Including port charges, taxes, fuel and also a $38 transfer fee (this transfer fee will be removed if you decide to come in a day early).