Alaska by Sea

Although our Alaska vacation was at the beginning of the summer we have had several requests to highlight the cruise portion of the trip for people prepping for next year's vacation.

Jeff and I love the freedom that renting a car and setting our own agenda provides, but parts of Alaska are best seen by cruise.

We completed the land portion of our trip first - allowing us to make the cruise part of our transportation home. We returned our rental car at the Anchorage Airport and took the Whittier Shuttle to the cruise terminal. You can book your transportation directly through the cruise line or save yourself some money and book through a separate company. The Whittier Shuttle offers a narrated trip from the airport to the cruise terminal. We were originally booked on the “Narrated 3-Hour Tour” trip but discovered that we had made all the tour stops during our drive to Seward. (If you have not stopped at Portage Glacier, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Turnagain Arm the tour is a good way to see these spots) Instead we transferred to the narrated shuttle and were treated to a recording of interesting information on our drive to Whittier.

The best part of the drive comes when you drive through the 2.5 mile-long, Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. The tunnel is only one lane and has to be shared by both cars and the train. As a result the tunnel is only open for 15min in each direction. A huge advantage of taking a shuttle or train to the Whittier port is that they time the tunnel crossing so you don’t have to wait 45 min to get through the mountain.

We booked with Princess Cruises based on reviews and our previous experience with Princess in Mexico. We had one small hiccup, in an otherwise fantastic experience. Princess e-mailed us during the land portion of the trip to say we had been “upgraded.” We were instructed to print new boarding passes and luggage tags – so we found a computer and printer to do just that. When we checked in for the cruise we were informed we had not been “upgraded” or even moved at all – which was fine. The problem came when our bags did not show up at our room since they had been delivered to the “upgraded” room. Haha. A very nice woman at the Pursers desk was able to sort everything out and our luggage was delivered while we were at dinner. Our regular room, down low in the center of the ship, turned out to be perfect.

We sailed on the Coral Princess on the Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise. Our itinerary was 7 days long including two glacier-viewing experiences at Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. What sets the Alaska cruises apart from other cruises is the naturalist on board.

Our first two days of scenic cruising were amazing. We hit Hubbard Glacier in the early afternoon on our first day of sailing. We saw bald eagles, bears and the glacier calving. The captain turns the ship so that everyone has a chance to see the glacier – although the best views are from the open decks.

Day two was spent in Glacier Bay. Park rangers board the ship early in the morning and are on board all day as you sail through Glacier Bay. All other ship activities are suspended while you are in the National Park. We got deck blankets and watched the scenery go by from the open decks. (The Rangers also bring a National Parks Passport Stamp aboard!)

Day three we awoke to find the ship pulling into port in Skagway. Skagway is known as the “Gateway to the Klondike” for its role as the gateway for the gold rush. We grabbed some breakfast on board and then made our way to the National Parks Office. The parks service offers tours of the town. The tours are free but you need a ticket so head straight to the parks office to get a ticket for a tour. Jeff had read amazing reviews about the White Pass Railway and bike tour through Sockeye Cycle. Our ship did not offer that particular tour so we booked on our own. Its the best mix of the full train ride and then the adventure of a completely down hill ride back into Skagway. I was sceptically because i don't like to ride, but i loved it! I even made it back to the boat in time to enjoy the spa at its "in port" prices.

Day four we found ourselves in Juneau, Alaska. In Juneau we went all out and booked a helicopter glacier hike. It was well worth the cost. The tour included a helicopter ride up to the Mendenhall Glacier and then a two hour hike on the glacier. If you are going to spend the money to take a helicopter ride, make sure you include the hike on the glacier. It was by far the most amazing thing you will ever do. After two hours of climbing up the glaciers ripples and peering into its center we were whisked back down to Jeaneau by helicopter. The town itself is really touristy so we hopped on the public bus and took it out to the Alaska Brewing company store and tasting room. The tasting room is out toward the glacier but was a great afternoon diversion. The bus system was easy to navigate and much cheaper then taking a taxi.

Day five we were in Ketchikan, Alaska. We weren't sure what we wanted to do in Ketchikan so we went with our adventurous side and booked a kayaking trip. This was the best way to see wild Alaska. The trip didn't leave till the afternoon so we headed over to the lumberjack show, which was pricey, but so worth it - hang around after the show for pictures with the lumberjacks. The Kayaking trip included a zodiac ride out to the islands. The porpoise's could not get enough of our wake and followed us all the way to the islands. On the Kayak trip we had a chance to see water wildlife - and Jeff got to see his favorite sea stars. We actually wish we had more time to walk around Ketchikan - while touristy, it has a charm that the other stops lacked (but that's just my opinion).

Day six of the cruise was a "day at sea" and we took full advantage of it by participating in some of the on board activities and lectures. The galley tour and pub lunch are two of my favorite events typically offered on sea days.

Day seven found us pulling into port in Vancouver in the mist - the first bad weather day on our trip. Whatever cruise line you take investigate the activities available at your ports of call and don't be afraid to book directly with the vendor. You have so much time in each port in Alaska make sure you take advantage of it.

Alaska is an amazing trip - one I think everyone should take.

24 Hours, One City, My Whole Family.

Vancouver

My parents had plans to visit my sister in Seattle for Memorial Day weekend. Jeff and I were disembarking the Coral Princess in Vancouver and were leaving the next morning by train for LA. So a plan was hatched for a mini-family reunion in Canada.

The Coral Princess docked in Canada Place, the cite of a Worlds Fair and now one of the worlds largest docks. We were booked at The Fairmont:Waterfront, thanks to a family and friends discount from Jeff’s Cousin, conveniently located across the street from Canada Place.

We stowed our baggage with the bellman and went to explore Vancouver. With my parents still working their way up from Seattle we walked through the light mist (which is normal Vancouver weather) to the Gaslight district to see the Steam Clock. The Steam clock was built in 1977 and uses both a steam engine and electric motors. The clock announces the quarter hours with a whistle chime that plays the Westminster Quarters. I was less then thrilled to be walking through the rain to see a clock – but when we arrived I who wanted to wait another 25min to hear it play again.

The meet up with my parents turned out to be rather complicated. It included me going into the ladies room of the Fairmont, which my parents assured me contained my sister, calling my sisters name and being silly in general only to find a rather sassy old lady. Turns out there are four Fairmont’s in Vancouver and they were at a different one. We did finally find each other and Jeff and I scrambled into their car at a red light.

We decided to spend the morning on Grandville Island. Grandville has a farmers market and so many little shops you could easily spend a whole day here. On a previous trip, with better weather, my parents took bikes to Grandville and around the city. On this rainy day we parked in the public parking lots on Grandville and explored the island (that is actually a peninsula.) The Farmer’s Market is a must. We could have spent hours wondering around looking at all the produce and flowers.

We stopped by the Grandville Island Brewing Company for a tour. The tour will run you $10/person – so if that seems steep just stop in for a brew. The tour includes 4 beers to taste and a comprehensive explanation of how beer is made. The brewery’s main operations have moved away from this location but they still make seasonal brews here that you can only get at this location.

After a brief lunch of fish tacos we were off to Stanley Park. Typically you could enjoy a walk around the whole park on the seawall,but due to the weather we decided to drive around the park with intermittent stops. The totem poles are a must see, even in the rain.

We also drove over to Vancouver's Olympic Park. Again the rain thwarted our plans to explore the city- but we still got to see all the venues in BC place from the car.

We ended our Vancouver vacation with dinner in Gastown and a stop at a little shop so I could get the Olympic Mittens I have been craving since the Winter Olympics!

Go By Train.

My husband and I had this crazy idea to take the train home from Vancouver. Ever since I was little I had this romanticized view of traveling by train. There is just something about cruising down the coastline with the scenes passing by the window without worrying about traffic or trying to find somewhere to stop and eat. While living in Washington, DC I took a few train rides with Amtrack – mostly just the high speed Acela train to NYC for a long weekend – but it didn’t have the same allure as the “Coast Starlight.” The Acela spends most of its time speeding through small towns on its way from big city to big city – not at all the pacific coastline the Coast Starlight follows on its way to LA. So when we had a few days to get from Vancouver back to LA – we booked the tickets and a sleeper car.

So here is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Everyone should take the train – even if you only do it once. It is reminiscent of an earlier days where getting to and from the location was part of the journey.

The Coastal Starlight is not a fast train. The train’s top speed is close to 80mph, but you spend most of the journey putting around 40mph. The slow ride makes for gorgeous views but a slow journey down the coast. If you are in a hurry get on a plane.

You should also be aware that the train does not go down the coast per se. It parallels the coast but you won’t see much water till you hit Santa Barbara. While there are not “stunning coastal views” for the entire trip, we rolled through some beautiful parts of the Northwest.

Book a sleeper car. If you are going to do the entire route it is well worth the money to book a sleeper car. We booked the smallest option “the roomette” and it provided enough space for us to store our book bags (large luggage is left on a rack downstairs), sit and even sleep. I am not claiming that this was a lot of space – its about 1/3 of the with of a train car – but it was shockingly comfortable. A door and curtain provide some privacy from the other passengers. We used some of our 36 hours to return phone calls and talk with friends from the East Coast – the roomette kept our conversations private and prevented us from disturbing other passengers.

The sleeping quarters are tight – but surprisingly comfortable (I had the bottom bunk).

The sleeper car not only gives you a space to call your own, but it also opens up the “Parlor Lounge Car’ for your use and includes all your meals.

The meals are fine. Not good, not bad – just fine. If you need any sort of specialty meal you will need to call well in advance to make sure they have it on the train for you. We had the same choices for lunch and dinner both days – I ate the salmon for dinner both days – Jeff had the steak. Its one notch above airline food – but it is included in the cost of the Sleeper Car.

The other people on the train were an interesting bunch. Those who had sleeper cars seemed to be riding the train for the experience – those who didn’t have sleeper cars seemed to be riding the train because they couldn’t fly. If you plan to take the train for more then just a few hours you may also feel more comfortable in a sleeper car.

The National Park Service does their “Rails and Trails” program aboard the Coastal Starlight. You are able to get two unique train NPS passport cancellations from them and also hear their narration. We found these programs to be very hit or miss. The Ranger that was on board from Seattle to Portland was great. The ranger that joined us in San Luis Obispo left something to be desired.

While I am not sure we will be taking the train up the coast again any time soon, we did enjoy the experience. There was something romantic about sharing a small sleeper car with your spouse and playing “Yahtzee” with new found friends in the Parlor Car. I can’t lie – it was a LONG ride – but I am glad to have knocked it off my list of things to