July 2005
The Cruise
In the past, I've
traveled solo, and have always managed to meet
people. However, Alaska has a reputation as being a families' and
couples' cruise, so I decided to join a singles group. I booked
my
cruise through TSW Singles,
which describes itself as a partnership of
Travel Services Worldwide and North Coast Passage Travel. When I
got on board, it turned out there was an association with Singles Travel Company.
Our
group
consisted of just over 30 people, mostly in their 30's, 40's and 50's,
although one woman was 90 - and a lot of fun!
What is a typical singles cruise like? I have no idea. This
particular singles cruise was pretty unstructured. Everyone chose
their own
land
excursions. There was the option to meet several times during the
day,
but in general people went their own way until just before dinner, when
we'd get together in one of the lounges for pre-dinner drinks.
After
that, we sat together for dinner, and split off into little groups
after dinner. This was just about right for me, but if someone
were
looking for more group activities they would have been disappointed.
The Sun Princess is operated by Princess Cruises. Princess
has been offering Alaska cruises for some time, and has a reputation as
one of the better operators in Alaska. The Sun Princess is about
10 years old. When it was built, it was considered to be huge,
holding 1,950 passengers. Nowadays, with ships holding 3,000+
passengers, the Sun Princess is considered merely big.
There are alternatives to these
megaliners. Some cruise lines offer ships holding just a few
hundred people, or even smaller - and small ships have some definite
advantages. A small ship can get to the smaller/shallower inlets,
where no big ship can follow. There's also less of a tendency to
feel like you're in a flock of sheep.
Why didn't I choose a small ship? I
get motion sick very easily, even with medication. This is a
problem which would affect other parts of the trip as well.
Cost
An Alaska cruise is expensive. If you look just at the cheapest cabin available, it doesn't seem too bad, but your final budget may be several times that amount.First, there's the choice of cabin. Inside cabins are the cheapest, and many people are quite happy with these on Caribbean cruises and such. However, on a cruise to Alaska, wouldn't it be a lot nicer to be able to view the scenery from your cabin, or better yet from a balcony? A lot of people think so - and prices reflect this. Prices vary all over the place based on time of year and quality of the ship/cruise line, but here are some prices to give you an idea of the relative costs (7 day cruise, per person, double occupancy, including tax): inside cabin $900, outside cabin $1,400, balcony cabin $1,600.
Next, there are excursions. Alaska excursions are very expensive, but they're absolutely vital to enjoyment of the trip. On my seven day cruise, there were three ports from which excursions could be taken - and it was sometimes possible to fit two excursions into a stay at one port. There's an array of choices, such as: plane trip to area where bear are feeding on salmon ($310); helicopter glacier walkabout ($310); extended helicopter glacier trek ($445); adventure hike ($80); scenic railway tour ($100); catamaran tour and canoe ride through glacier areas ($220); rock climbing and rappelling ($90). Prices are per person, based on the booklet I received from Princess Cruises. It's possible to arrange some of these excursions independently, often more cheaply, but there are a number of issues involved, beyond the scope of this report.
Lastly, since you're already in Alaska, it makes a lot of sense to spend some time on land as well. There are many package tours available, or you can go out on your own. Prices here vary all over the place, but figure a package tour for a week will run around $1,500 per person.
So, let's add things up. We started with a price of $900/person for an inside cabin for a 7 day cruise. Switch to a cabin with balcony, add in a helicopter tour, bear viewing, a hike, and a railway tour, and we're up to $2,400/person. Add in a one week land package, and we're up to $3,900/person. But wait, there's still more: airfare; drinks; purchases; tips. Go for a fancier cruise line or land tour, and it gets more expensive still. Of course, all of this is based on double occupancy. If you're going alone, and don't want to share a cabin or hotel room, add another $2,000 or so.
Details
I stayed at The Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina. It's located downtown, not too far from Stanley Park and the cruise ship terminals, with great views of the harbor:
The hotel is within easy walking distance of Stanley Park, Robson Street, and a slightly longer walk to Granville Island. The hotel itself is reasonably nice: great beds, OK rooms.
Saturday dinner was at Tojo's Restaurant, a well known Japanese restaurant. I made a reservation at the omakase bar, where there are no menus; it's up to the chef. When I made a reservation, I was asked to describe my experiences with Japanese food, as well as allergies, likes, and dislikes.
From the outside, Tojo's is nothing to look at. Once inside, everything changes. The restaurant is long and narrow, with a lively atmosphere. The staff is Japanese, with somewhat limited English, but they are very helpful. There's lots of background noise, but it's not so loud as to be annoying.
After double checking my likes and dislikes, the food started to appear. The ingredients were mostly familiar, but in unique combinations. I gave up trying to write down everything, but here's a sampling:
● Squash blossom stuffed with scallop, then fried tempura style.
● White tuna (albacore?) toro. Wonderful! Meltingly rich with great flavor.
● Raw shrimp, Dungeness crab, and flying fish roe, served as a roll using a thin egg wrapper.
● White tuna, sea urchin, tamarind sauce, and some other unidentifiable flavors. Unusual and very good.
● Salmon, smoked in a parchment wrapper, with mango, some sort of mushroom, and asparagus.
It was a lot of fun, and the food was very good indeed, but it's overpriced. Before drinks and tip, the price was about $150 Canadian (125 USD). Note that the price, and menu, vary according to how much you eat, and how much you want to spend. Would I go back? Yes, but only as a once-a-year special treat.
Vancouver is a beautiful city, with lots of outdoor activities. I had less than two days, so I confined myself to the downtown area. Stanley Park is a huge park, surrounded by water on three sides. Thousands of people use the park, and it can feel crowded if you stick to the main paths and attractions. However, choose any of the numerous smaller paths, and it feels deserted. I loved it. Worth at least several hours of walking.
Once a collection of factories and warehouses, Granville Island is now a tourist destination, with shops and restaurants. Taking a quick look at a map, I determined that I could walk over the bridge to the island, and make a fast right turn. Wrong! Of course, the bridge had to slowly lower to street level, several blocks south of my destination, then I had to double back. Be smart, and take the Aquabus.
If you're a foodie, don't miss the Granville Island Public Market. Drool over the array of fresh and smoked fish, morels, raspberries, blueberries, bread, meat, and so on. Grab a bite and eat on the waterfront.
Robson Street is an interesting area with lots of shops - some trendy, some not. It has an international flavor, with a strong Asian feel in some parts. There are also a number of restaurants. Don't miss Mondo Gelato; it has all sorts of interesting flavors. I tried black sesame. Strange looking, it had a gray and gelatinous appearance - but was delicious, with a strong sesame flavor.
July 18 - Embarkation Day. This was my third cruise this year. The other two were out of Miami and Tampa. I had come to expect long lines and long waits before getting aboard ship. Vancouver was a pleasant surprise. I showed up 11am, an hour before the specified time, expecting to encounter crowded, huddled masses. Instead, I zipped through customs and check in so fast I almost felt disoriented. Since it still wasn't time to start boarding, I sat in an area with a few dozen other early birds, expecting a long wait. Yet another pleasant surprise - boarding started early. I was in my cabin before noon.
July 19 - Day at Sea. A rest day. With nothing much else to do, I engaged in the popular past time of walking around the ship - 27 times (or in dieter's terms, 7 ounces of chocolate).
This was the first of two formal nights. At one time, men actually wore tuxedos. Now, darks suits have become acceptable. Come on! On an Alaska cruise, you already have to take 47 suitcases to hold hiking boots, walking shoes, regular shoes, rain coat, sweater, heavy jacket, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, hiking pants, everyday slacks, and so on. Why do we also have to carry a suit and dress shoes? Why can't we dress like they do in Las Vegas - madras shorts and a t-shirt saying "Escorts Delivered to Your Room"?
After dinner, there were usually two shows from which to choose: some sort of musical review, and a comedy act. I saw a couple of the comedy acts, and they weren't great, but weren't as bad as I had feared.
July 20 - Ketchikan.
Ketchikan is a medium sized town by Alaska standards - 8000 people. On the day I was there, the population swelled by about the same number of cruise ship tourists. Don't expect authentic frontier Alaska; expect a tourist stop. There are a few blocks of stores, a recreation of the former red light district, and a salmon ladder where I spotted a few salmon swimming upstream.
One of the best things to do in Ketchikan is to take a floatplane to see black bears feeding on salmon runs. Unfortunately, it was a little too early in the season. I knew this before I signed up for the cruise, so I guess I can't whine too much. Instead, I signed up for the Rain Forest Ropes & Zip Line Challenge. This is a course with a log balance beam, two-line rope bridge, swinging log, zip line, suspension bridge, single-line rope bridge, and other physical challenges. Fun, but not exactly an Alaskan experience.
I better choice might have been the Mountain Point Snorkeling Adventure. Snorkeling in Alaska??? Yes, if you wear a quarter inch thick wet suit. See all sorts of fish, starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and the like.
July 21 - Juneau. Having a religious aversion to helicopters (and anything else that makes me motion sick for three days straight), I chose a hike instead. The Guide's Choice Adventure Hike takes you six miles through a temperate rain forest, with a 1,000 foot elevation gain and loss. The brochure describes it as a fast paced hiked, but it's actually pretty slow and easy. I really enjoyed the hike. The forest is beautiful and serene. Near the end of the hike, the Mendenhall glacier comes into view.
We were in port for 14 hours, so I could have scheduled a second excursion. I decided against that option, choosing to walk around Juneau instead. Probably a mistake. I'm not much of a fan of the port cities. Juneau is worth a half hour walk, or a little more if you like to shop, but that's it. I checked out the Alaska State Museum, and was underwhelmed.
Typical
view in JuneauView from my cabin balcony 
Mendenhall
GlacierJuly 22 - Skagway. Skagway is a small town - population 800 - that is overwhelmed by cruise ship tourists to an even greater degree than the other stops. It's worth spending a few minutes walking through town, but is mostly a starting off point for excursions.
The most popular excursion is the White Pass Scenic Railway. Originally built in 1898, this is now just for tourists. It's a 20 mile ride with a 3,000 foot gain in elevation. The selling point is the scenery, and who could resist such names as Dead Horse Gulch? I didn't take this tour, so can offer no first hand comments.
I chose the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari. A high speed catamaran, low speed bus, and short walk took us to a stream and our 14 person canoe. The canoe had a motor, with paddles used only in the shallowest sections. The scenery was beautiful, especially the up close approach to Davidson Glacier. If you don't take a helicopter to land on a glacier, I'd recommend this excursion. As a bonus, on the catamaran trip back, I saw some humpback whales.
Glacier seen during canoe ride
For scale, the canoe is still
several hundred feet away from the glacier
Rock Climbing & Rappelling. This has little to do with the Alaska experience, but I'm a new convert to rock climbing, and didn't want to pass up the chance. There's a 70 foot rock face, with a number of generally easy climbs (but with a few twists, such as a small cave, not evident in the picture below). There were two instructors for five people. You get the chance for three climbs, are belayed down once, and rappel (i.e., under your own control) down once. It was a lot of fun, but somewhat humbling to be out climbed by the eight year old in our group. On the downside, there was no instruction at all. Other than a quick lecture on safety, it was pretty much "start climbing". No training as to how to tie knots, communication between climber and belayer, nor climbing technique. There was also an amazing number of flies and mosquitoes.
I haven't yet mentioned it, but the ship had a casino. It was open when not in port. It consisted of slots, craps, blackjack, some other card games, and roulette. Slot machines were ridiculously tight; craps had standard odds; I didn't check out the blackjack rules.
For the most part, the casino wasn't very lively. I don't know if this is typical for Princess, or for Alaska cruises in general. I'm a craps fan, and the only table was frequently empty. That probably saved me some money, as I wouldn't play unless there were others.
July 23 - Glacier Bay. This was the highlight of the trip. A mere 250 years ago, Glacier Bay didn't exist. A huge glacier filled the bay, extending well past the entrance to the bay. However, the glacier was in rapid retreat. A few decades later, a British survey ship found a small indentation in the ice. Today, there's an entire bay with multiple glaciers. The National Park Service has some great maps showing the area (especially the Park Map, and a NASA satellite image).
Glacier Bay doesn't just have glaciers. It has mountains as well.
Glaciers slowly slide into the sea. When a piece breaks off, it is known as calving. There's a thunderous boom, followed by tons of falling ice, and a big splash. This happened several times during our stay. Here's a shot of one of the medium sized splashes. For reference, the glacier is about 250 feet high.
July 24 - College Fjord. I had mixed feelings about College Fjord. In some ways, it was nearly as spectacular as Glacier Bay. However, I had just seen Glacier Bay, and the weather at College Fjord wasn't quite as nice. I guess I was suffering from a bit of scenic grandeur overload. I still enjoyed the sights - it's definitely worth seeing - but it didn't evoke the same kind of wide eyed wonder.
Ho hum, another mile wide glacier:
Ho hum, another mile wide glacier calving:
This was our group's last evening together, and conversation turned to the stars - movie stars, that is. "Todd looks just like Tom Cruise. Sonja looks like Uma Thurman." I was told I looked like...Donny Osmond. Donny Osmond? I hope they were thinking
of:
and not:
Tonight's dessert was - of course - Baked Alaska:
Finally, one last chance at the craps table. How did I do? Let's put it this way --
What I had left to cash in:
July 25 - Disembarkation at Whittier, and flight home.
Boring! The only thing worth noting is that it took a long time to get home: disembarkation process; 1-1/2 hour bus ride from Whittier to Anchorage; 2 plane rides. From ship to home took 21 hours.
Other Stuff
Weather. Prior to the trip, the long range weather forecast for every location, every day, was pretty much the same: 40% - 60% chance of rain. This is typical. However, we got lucky. Sure, there were some clouds, but most days were at least partly sunny, with temperatures in the 50's and 60's. There was light rain in Juneau and Skagway, but it didn't last. Even in College Fjord, early clouds and rain gave way to partly cloudy conditions by the time we got to the glaciers.
Day Length. Even in late July, the days are long this far north. In Skagway on July 22, sunset was 9:51pm, and dusk was 10:58 pm. It's fun having this much daylight, but it also feels a bit odd.
Food. Typical middle of the road cruise food - plentiful, reasonably good but rarely great. For those unfamiliar with cruises, this means that food is available 24 hours a day. At dinner, you can order as many of each course as you wish. Given that this was an Alaska cruise, the emphasis was on fish. Salmon dishes were generally good, as were the small but succulent lobster tails served one night. Desserts were disappointing. There was no self serve ice cream, and no low fat frozen yogurt (self serve or otherwise).
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