C
chirk
Guest
This site and its members were very useful when we were planning our first cruise and I would like to return the favor. We cruised Aug. 27-Sept. 12, 2004 from Vancouver to Seward on Celebrity Summit. Then we rented an RV from Great Alaskan Vacations for another week or so.
We are active city folk who have travel fairly extensively through the US and Europe. This trip was instigated and extensively researched by me (very picky boomer professional woman) and reluctantly consented to by the hubby (youthful cynical retiree who doesn't like crowds) and 17-year-old daughter. We ended up bringing her best friend along. (Code: M=me, mom; D=Dad; R=daughter; F=friend)
Cruise route:
Vancouver, Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait, Hubbard Glacier, Seward
RV route and overnights:
Anchorage (1), Talkeetna, Denali Park (3; 2 outside park, 1 inside), Denali Highway, Richardson Highway to Paxson Lake (1), Valdez (1; otters and mountains!), Glenn Highway to Tolsona Wilderness Campground (1: beaver dam!); outside Anchorage (1), Anchorage (2). Drove 1,089 miles.
Below are headlines, followed by tips, followed by a daily log. If you should be interested, here's a link to our pictures! http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?id=2695247&mid=members16_randy680032&pwd=
Enjoy!
Headlines:
• Cruise met M’s expectations and exceeded D’s!
o Raves for our stateroom (7204), size and quality of ship, exercise facility, scenery, especially from personal deck aft of ship. We debated and agonized about picking this room and would do it again in a heartbeat--loved watching the wake go by; no rumbling impacts at all.
o Rants for lines (sometimes at buffet meals; to embark and disembark, particularly the short day in Ketchikan), inconsistent service and food, very rocky last night at sea (all but M got violently sick as did many others on board).
o Terrific first day out on boat after slightly rocky night: huge school of porpoises dancing and flying around accompanying the ship and fresh baked goodies all about! M sure there were hundreds of both.
o Food plentiful usually (D had to wait in early morning); ranged from superb (goat cheese souffle, almond croissants) to poor (buffet, sushi). M loved ordering several appetizers every night at dinner.
o Restaurant better than buffet for meals except for the personal chef stations (omelettes, waffles, pasta), which were excellent
o Morning coffee and croissants via room service were superb
Lots of different food stations scattered about, though not always convenient based on your schedule. Keep prowling till you find what you like. You're not supposed to carry the food about but since we all like different food but like to eat together, we were naughty.
o Had to buy soda cards for unlimited for the week ($40 each); rest of us had to make do with punch, coffee, water, lemonade, milk, ice tea. Did have orange juice for breakfast, interestingly. (We heard that the ice cream bar on the Princess had a surcharge.)
o All got into a groove, working out nearly daily in the exercise room (at the front of the ship): elliptical, treadmill, stairstepper. Typically not crowded.
o Spa pretty good: M had a massage and a special toxin elimination treatment
You can use the spa showers and lockers by giving them your room key in exchange for a locker key. Perfect for post-exercising or pooling.
o Entertainment mostly mediocre, except for some roving classical musicians and wonderful acapella quartet who were young and handsome and became stalked by the girls!
o D and M played a little bridge! Won a (used) deck of cards and maybe decimal points.
o Rest of guests: middle-age, inactive, pallid, some quite obnoxiousâ€â€though eager to strike up conversations with strangers. Many from the East Coast; Latin America; Europe. Few teen-types; even fewer kids. Not much fun for people watching.
o Ports disappointing! Like Hollywood sets. Tourist flavor rather than native flavor. Junky tourist goods.
o Shore excursions: We only did two:
Expensive flightseeing and bear viewing from Ketchikan to Traitors Cove with Island Wings. Worth the money…eventually. We saw a bear right away briefly. Then a long hiatus in the cold, looking out into a creek and woods. Wait wait wait. Drove to another location to walk to fish ladder. There, on the road, we saw a bear in the brush, who then dashed across the road right in front of us! Back to the creek: some bears far in the distance. More waiting. Finally, about 15 minutes before we left, had a great view for a long time of a bear in intense salmon-slamming action.
Three girls went kayaking from Juneau with Mendenhall Glacier in background. Enjoyed it immensely. Ruined a pair of binoculars but camera was protected.
o M played nearly an hour of poker machine and left even, after having been up about $70 at one point
o Two formal nights that M liked but the rest didn’t--they wanted to rip off their clothes the second dinner was over. Dress, like most things, was inconsistently upheld on the ship
o Really dreadful roiling waves the last night
• RV exceeded everyone’s expectations!
o Raves for size, quality, livability, easy driving.
o Rants for noisy heater, lack of towels, tiny space for toilet and narrow, short shower, design of rear double bed requiring one person to climb/crawl/grunt to get out to bathroom.
o Girls did a great job in helping out in the RV: D took over reading the manual and helping D outside; F was a wonderful housekeeper inside.
o Black water=yucky stuff; grey water=less yucky stuff.
o Beware frigid temperatures that might stop the water flow or damage stuff. We had the darndest time the first night outside of Denali Park.
• M LOVED having to pack and unpack only twice for the whole gang!
• Worthington Glacier was everyone’s favorite outing, next to kayaking for the girls
• Stunning sights:
o Hubbard Glacier, even in the cold rain: huge; loud “white thunder†noises after large chunks “calved†into the waters
o Mt. Sanford of the Wrangells as we went East on (way too bumpy) Denali Highway
o M saw the most amazing sight while solo on the bumpy bus through Denali (rest of family still shaky from motion sickness): grizzly and two cubs tearing at the carcass of a caribou that had reportedly been taken down by wolves the previous day. M heard wolves howling, and saw one sauntering away. Later the same day, M saw just the momâ€â€and a wolf watching patiently. Got very fuzzy picture of this rare moment with grizzly and wolf.
o McKinley came out three days in our presence! Terrific view from Denali Highway outside of Cantwell looking West!
o Aerial views: M flightseeing around McKinley (though the mountain was not out); D on the flight home
• Drove 1,000 miles, with just one chip in the windshield that cost $50
• Got lucky with the weather overall, with little of the downpour we had anticipated
• Gained from 2-5 pounds on average!
• We saw: porpoises, whales (at least their blow), otters, bears, wolves, beavers, caribou (pre and post-hunters), moose, dall sheep, bunnies
• Only negative about our timing: hunting season. Many animals were either hiding or dead. We missed most crowds, and just missed the cold.
Tips:
• On Denali Park bus, sit on the left, nearer the back than the front
• Just north of Denali Park entrance about a mile is a strip of shops, hotels, RV campground. Good pizza place.
• Denali Park bus to Wonder Lake is bumpy and takes 8 hours round-trip, with a few bio stops and spontaneous stops when wildlife is sighted. It’s not worth going that far unless it’s a clear day and McKinley is out. Otherwise, during this season at least, going to Polychrome Pass would have been representative enough.
• Denali Teklanika campground is the furthest in the park, at mile 29. You have to buy a three-day pass to stay there, but they don’t make you stay three days.
• On flight to Anchorage, sit on right; on flight from Anchorage, sit on left
• Anchorage and Palmer offer major grocery stores: take full advantage!
• Beware your expectations of towns, like Healy, or Cantwell or Paxson. They are highway intersections only.
Daily log:
Thursday, Aug. 26: D wisely picks up town car that will (barely) hold all our luggage. It’s not easy to pack for so long, with such variety (formal, rain, cold, exercise). M uses up four bags.
Friday, Aug. 27: Off we go!
• Left around 8 a.m. to Vancouver. Arrive as dim sum opens at 11. Pretty slow service and limited foodâ€â€just as well.
• D and M dropped girls and bags off in easy unloading area within building with many baggers helping (big sign said tipping not needed but body language said otherwise!). Then D and M returned the car and walked back down.
• Several lines inside cavernous room to get checked in: One to get checked in; then another to get through customs. At several junctures, they ask for tickets; we never got anything from Celebrity resembling official tickets, but what little I had was fineâ€â€maybe that’s what they meant?? They had food available but we had eaten. All together, no more than a half hour or so.
• After that, straight onto boat, with someone escorting us (through the glittery casino) to stateroom, which we all loved: larger and nicer than expected; deck was superb.
• Safety drill around 5 p.m.: yawn. Put on life preservers from room, go to your assigned “muster†station, wait around huddled like sardines getting overheated, then get herded outside to where you would be marched into a lifeboat (yes, there are enough, they say). Took nearly a half hour.
• First dinner at sea with Herculano, our quiet, mediocre waiter, who the girls liked and who taught us a trick with toothpicks and bought us extra desserts on occasion. Our table, early seating 474, was by a window on the lower floor, set for six: the couple joined us only one nightâ€â€when only R and F were there!
• Girls check out “showâ€Â: colorful and well intendedâ€â€and packed with appreciative audience! Nice seating with good views all around.
• You could feel some vibrations and some rocking through the night that bothered D especially (we didn’t notice it again until the last night).
Saturday, Aug. 28: Day of cruising
• We play bridge; work out; use the Thallasotherapy pool (salt water at body temperature; not impressed); eat; enjoy the views
Sunday, Aug. 29: Ketchikan
• They tell you they will announce disembarkation, but they only do after most people have gotten off! We waited and waited, then when we went down, practically everyone was gone. We then waited and waited outside the boat for our connection to Island Wings for our flightseeing to Traitors Cove to see bears. Finally, M locates them elsewhere on the dock: they suggest waiting another hour or so because of the winds. We take quick turn around “town†to Creek Street and zillions of salmon. Very hokey.
• We end up going on a nice flight and getting to see about seven bears, including mom and cubs in distance, one that dashed across the road in front of us as we went to a salmon ladder, and one that sauntered and slaughtered salmon for a good viewing period.
• Upon return: it’s a loooonnnnng line to get back on board since departure is at 2. This was one of only two annoying lengthy waits the seemed unnecessary to M.
Monday, Aug. 30: Skagway
• We go down earlier for disembarking, and end up waiting in a long line (this is the second long wait for M). We go to get our rental car and after a long time of slow processing, finally are on our way.
• Drive to Emerald Lake was OK, not spectacular. Emerald Lake was OK, too, but didn’t offer any facilities for picnic or hiking!
• We had ordered sandwiches night before, upon cruise chatroom advice, so sat in the car and munched, then drove back.
Saw a few nice sights, including the White Pass train meandering across the mountain. Town is like a movie setting plopped down.
Tuesday, Aug. 31: Juneau
• Now we got the rhythm: We don’t rush to disembarkâ€â€M and D go exercise first!
• Three girls end up going kayaking by Mendenhall Glacier, which was a very nice outing on a beautiful day, though many people involved (groups of nearly 10 plus) so everything took a long time; plus you had to stay with the group and your guide. Saw splashes of otters; eagles.
• Strange story: We hooked up with a New York family during the kayaking and on the bus ride back; we exchanged names and emails for picture swapping--they were on a Princess cruise. Upon return to our room, we get weird phone call saying what’s your name, what’s your name. Turns out to be security calling: the family had tucked their camera accidentally into D’s backpack! They had our name and knew our cruiseline and were able to track us down. Talk about coincidence.
Wednesday, Sept. 1: Icy Strait
• Exercise, then get “tendered†or transported by life boat from ship to dock at Icy Straitâ€â€alias a couple of buildings on a spit. Yawn.
• Limited area for walking aroundâ€â€rest is blocked off! You have to sign up on excursions to get someplace else. Too bad.
• M went for very pleasant massage, then worked out.
• Fancy dinner night at Normandie ($40 surcharge each, so we didn’t add tip): It was good; not great. Service and orchestration nice. Goat cheese soufflé was awesome. Rest was OK.
Thursday, Sept. 2: Hubbard Glacier cruising
• Ship got to glacier around 6 a.m. and stayed till around 9:15: it was awesome, despite the rain and cold! Terrific to hear gasps as people saw calving snow fall off, then hear the crash sound called “white lightning†by the natives. Six miles wide, 300 feet high; we were at least two plus miles away and it was huge.
• M went again to spa for a special treatment that allegedly had her losing 4 inches across several measurements of her tummy and thighs with active ingredient and some electric stimulation and goop. M declined on the $360 home treatment but did succumb to a $41 brush to scrub off dead cells.
• Final night: we tipped folks who were already worried about their next guests. Celebrity has annoying form you can fill out for automatic tipping on your credit cardâ€â€but they have specified amounts that you cannot change! We went the cash route: $200 to waiter, assistant waiter, bar server who became efficient at bringing the sodas, and Elder and Elvis, our room stewards.
• Girls go check out final show: they actually attempted to do a version of Les Mis, with a would-be barricade!
• M packed and repacked and left bags outside door. She had to chase down Elder to get an order form for coffee and croissants in the morning, as well as sandwiches for the train. He had already collected and refreshed that kind of room basics in preparation for new guests.
Friday, Sept. 3: Seward
• Groan: meet at Theater at 6 a.m. for the train ride to Anchorage. Huge group herded along for short walk to enclosed room for immigration processing, then another short walk to the Grandview train to Anchorageâ€â€they hand you seat numbers as you are processed. We were near the end but got very nice seats.
• Train started moving by 6:45 and again at 7:05. Seats and windows nice though tight, but nowhere to put bags!
• Very pretty scenery though cloudy and gray; girls slept through much of it. Spencer Glacier was gorgeousâ€â€would love to go check it out!
• Train takes you directly to airport, with very confusing announcements of where you should go to find your bags depending on your color. Arrive 11:30; bags already there and waiting at Alaska Airlines area. Terrific. Electronics didn’t work but reached Great Alaskan Vacations who picked us up promptly to go to nearby RV office.
• Not so terrific: It’s only 12:30ish but our RV won’t be ready till 3:30. We should go wander around (nowhere), they say, not very helpfully.
• We ended getting a 2:20 connection to our RV but just felt displeased with the introduction to the company after such high expectations. (The return, on the other hand, was painless and easy!). They sit you in front of a video show and give you quick run-down, focused on safety. Then they give you the keys! (one set).
• We finally get into our RV around 3:30 (it’s a 2005 Chalet 24VR), and head for Fred Meyer to stock up! We bought too much cleaning stuff (but no small sizes available); not enough apples.
• After numerous wrong turns due to cartoon-style map, we land at the Creekwood Inn (touted as inexpensive and clean, right on edge of “town.â€Â). R becomes RV technician with manual in hand to help D figure things out while others unpack. We end up doing laundry as well!
Saturday, Sept. 4: It’s sunny, so off to Talkeetna in hopes of flying around McKinley
• We drive 277 miles north on Parks Highway, stopping at Talkeetna at 9:10 a.m., where they are able to fly after being grounded for three daysâ€â€alas, no McKinley summit. M goes alone and sees some terrific mountain and glacial views.
• We leave at 2:30 and arrive at the Rainbow RV Park just north of Denali Park entrance around 6:30. Pizza!
Sunday-Monday, Sept. 5-6: Denali Park
• M takes the bus through the park for 11 hours to Wonder Lake and back. Got there just in time for the 7:30 a.m. but they won’t let you on unless you sign up half an hour before. Sat on left side. Foggy windows; stopped for would-be animalsâ€â€usually bears far in the distance. The bumpy, gravel ride became exhausting near the end. Not worth doing unless you know the mountain is out. But fantastic close viewing both directions of mother with two cubs gnawing at caribou carcass. Heard wolf howls going in; saw a wolf in the distance going out (actually get a picture of wolf and bear, though poor quality). She gets back around 8:30 p.m. and when she arrives in RV, girls tell her that they’re supposed to drive into the park to go get D…who went for a walk…around 1:30! M realizes the odd fellow on the road (coatless) who looked like D was….D.
• They find him; he had gone nearly 15 miles! Admits he was tired; had intended to go light and run all the way.
• Drove 84 miles into the “town†of Healy in search (fruitlessly) of groceries on Monday morning. Then go into the furthest campground in the Park, paying for a three night stay with no intent of staying that long.
• Great fun, isolatedâ€â€but NO ANIMAL SIGHTINGS! Poor girls. Campground “hosts†claimed a bear had been seen in the campground just hours ago. Ha.
Tuesday, Sept. 7: Awaken to nearly frozen pipes: what to do? Innocents get some help from locals before panic sets in.
East on Denali Highway to Paxson, then south on Richardson Highway
• At junction of Denali and Parks Hwy, we hesitate after half a mile of very bumpy snow-heaved gravel. Come across a guy in an RVâ€â€enjoying the best view of McKinley anywhere (he drives up from Anchorage for this, he says), who tells us to take heart and keep going. We do, though it’s NASTY.
• Got on road at 1:50 p.m.; stopped at Gracious House at 4:20 p.m. for much needed break from the jarring, and got some great cheese fries and pie; back on road 5:20
• See FABULOUS views of Wrangell Mountains in the sunset and twilight
• Arrived at Paxson around 7:40. That’s a five hour drive, about what we had projected for the route. “Paxson†is actually an intersection with scary restaurant and campground that was just like the Bates house. We kept going.
• Drive 197 miles, end at Paxson Lake State Campground, just as the sun set.
Wednesday, Sept. 8: South on Richardson Highway to Valdez
• We decide to hit Valdez for the night (because no campgrounds otherwise), then come back to do Worthington Glacier the next day. Wonderful decision. Beautiful winding roads and mountains as we get to Valdez. Then we arrive at the Otter Campground, which is right at the edge of the sound, with seagulls swirling all about, mountains, otters: magical! M loved sitting there just watching the birds and otters and water.
• Drive 190 miles
Thursday, Sept. 9: Play at Worthington Glacier, then West on Glenn Highway
• We hike at Thompson Pass which was fun and easy, with view back toward Valdez.
• Then have a wonderful day of hiking up (we thought) to the top of the glacier. We ended up getting derailed, but kept exploring and find more remarkable views. F did a great job on her first adventure hike ever.
• Three teen-types scamper past us, throwing all caution to the wind, bopping into the delicate melting ice cave, stomping across the top of crevaces. D chats with them and they say they do this all the time but they shouldn’t because it’s dangerous.
• Drive 137 miles to Tolsona Wilderness Campground, parking right at a beaver dam and enjoying watching several at work, play and dining steadily on a leafy branch as a human would eat an ear of corn!
Friday, Sept. 10: toward Anchorage
• Tough day: M starts early by slipping on a slope of the icy waste dump and slamming the bone of her butt. She remains in pain for a week plus.
• On the Glenn Hwy, we hit a very short patch of gravel and a car going the other way flips a chip into our windshield, fretting us for hours.
• We finally find a phone to call in: should we get it replaced or what? They say it’s possible they can edge it down easily; at most it would cost $550 to replace. That gives us a sense of relief though we hate how it happened.
• Also: lots of construction on Glenn so we didn’t appreciate the beauty it was advertised to be.
• We did stop at a musk ox farm (girls go in and say it was OK but no petting allowed) and reindeer farm, which was wonderful as you did get to pet and feed and get nuzzled and tosseled! Odd place, also with some moose and elk!
• Drive 175 miles to camp right outside Anchorage: darn, no fires allowed! We got spoiled by the marshmallow nights!
Saturday, Sept. 11: day in Anchorage
• Go to local RV park, which is within walking distance to downtown and sites, but also is next to live train route.
• Split up with girls; wandered through Saturday market. D and M walk probably 10 miles or so south along the scenic path, which was pretty tame, especially since the tide was waaaayyyy out so it was pretty unattractive.
• Drive 29 miles. Return RV and only get minor charge for them to smooth out the ding. Whew. Too bad it put a crimp into nearly ideal vacation.
Sunday, Sept. 12: Home!
Postscript: Weeks and months later, this trip would improve in D's mind, so much that he has proposed repeating it in five years or so!
In M's mind: cruising is terrific. But prefer much more robust ports and more active people to watch and mingle with.
We are active city folk who have travel fairly extensively through the US and Europe. This trip was instigated and extensively researched by me (very picky boomer professional woman) and reluctantly consented to by the hubby (youthful cynical retiree who doesn't like crowds) and 17-year-old daughter. We ended up bringing her best friend along. (Code: M=me, mom; D=Dad; R=daughter; F=friend)
Cruise route:
Vancouver, Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Icy Strait, Hubbard Glacier, Seward
RV route and overnights:
Anchorage (1), Talkeetna, Denali Park (3; 2 outside park, 1 inside), Denali Highway, Richardson Highway to Paxson Lake (1), Valdez (1; otters and mountains!), Glenn Highway to Tolsona Wilderness Campground (1: beaver dam!); outside Anchorage (1), Anchorage (2). Drove 1,089 miles.
Below are headlines, followed by tips, followed by a daily log. If you should be interested, here's a link to our pictures! http://www.clubphoto.com/reward.php?id=2695247&mid=members16_randy680032&pwd=
Enjoy!
Headlines:
• Cruise met M’s expectations and exceeded D’s!
o Raves for our stateroom (7204), size and quality of ship, exercise facility, scenery, especially from personal deck aft of ship. We debated and agonized about picking this room and would do it again in a heartbeat--loved watching the wake go by; no rumbling impacts at all.
o Rants for lines (sometimes at buffet meals; to embark and disembark, particularly the short day in Ketchikan), inconsistent service and food, very rocky last night at sea (all but M got violently sick as did many others on board).
o Terrific first day out on boat after slightly rocky night: huge school of porpoises dancing and flying around accompanying the ship and fresh baked goodies all about! M sure there were hundreds of both.
o Food plentiful usually (D had to wait in early morning); ranged from superb (goat cheese souffle, almond croissants) to poor (buffet, sushi). M loved ordering several appetizers every night at dinner.
o Restaurant better than buffet for meals except for the personal chef stations (omelettes, waffles, pasta), which were excellent
o Morning coffee and croissants via room service were superb
Lots of different food stations scattered about, though not always convenient based on your schedule. Keep prowling till you find what you like. You're not supposed to carry the food about but since we all like different food but like to eat together, we were naughty.
o Had to buy soda cards for unlimited for the week ($40 each); rest of us had to make do with punch, coffee, water, lemonade, milk, ice tea. Did have orange juice for breakfast, interestingly. (We heard that the ice cream bar on the Princess had a surcharge.)
o All got into a groove, working out nearly daily in the exercise room (at the front of the ship): elliptical, treadmill, stairstepper. Typically not crowded.
o Spa pretty good: M had a massage and a special toxin elimination treatment
You can use the spa showers and lockers by giving them your room key in exchange for a locker key. Perfect for post-exercising or pooling.
o Entertainment mostly mediocre, except for some roving classical musicians and wonderful acapella quartet who were young and handsome and became stalked by the girls!
o D and M played a little bridge! Won a (used) deck of cards and maybe decimal points.
o Rest of guests: middle-age, inactive, pallid, some quite obnoxiousâ€â€though eager to strike up conversations with strangers. Many from the East Coast; Latin America; Europe. Few teen-types; even fewer kids. Not much fun for people watching.
o Ports disappointing! Like Hollywood sets. Tourist flavor rather than native flavor. Junky tourist goods.
o Shore excursions: We only did two:
Expensive flightseeing and bear viewing from Ketchikan to Traitors Cove with Island Wings. Worth the money…eventually. We saw a bear right away briefly. Then a long hiatus in the cold, looking out into a creek and woods. Wait wait wait. Drove to another location to walk to fish ladder. There, on the road, we saw a bear in the brush, who then dashed across the road right in front of us! Back to the creek: some bears far in the distance. More waiting. Finally, about 15 minutes before we left, had a great view for a long time of a bear in intense salmon-slamming action.
Three girls went kayaking from Juneau with Mendenhall Glacier in background. Enjoyed it immensely. Ruined a pair of binoculars but camera was protected.
o M played nearly an hour of poker machine and left even, after having been up about $70 at one point
o Two formal nights that M liked but the rest didn’t--they wanted to rip off their clothes the second dinner was over. Dress, like most things, was inconsistently upheld on the ship
o Really dreadful roiling waves the last night
• RV exceeded everyone’s expectations!
o Raves for size, quality, livability, easy driving.
o Rants for noisy heater, lack of towels, tiny space for toilet and narrow, short shower, design of rear double bed requiring one person to climb/crawl/grunt to get out to bathroom.
o Girls did a great job in helping out in the RV: D took over reading the manual and helping D outside; F was a wonderful housekeeper inside.
o Black water=yucky stuff; grey water=less yucky stuff.
o Beware frigid temperatures that might stop the water flow or damage stuff. We had the darndest time the first night outside of Denali Park.
• M LOVED having to pack and unpack only twice for the whole gang!
• Worthington Glacier was everyone’s favorite outing, next to kayaking for the girls
• Stunning sights:
o Hubbard Glacier, even in the cold rain: huge; loud “white thunder†noises after large chunks “calved†into the waters
o Mt. Sanford of the Wrangells as we went East on (way too bumpy) Denali Highway
o M saw the most amazing sight while solo on the bumpy bus through Denali (rest of family still shaky from motion sickness): grizzly and two cubs tearing at the carcass of a caribou that had reportedly been taken down by wolves the previous day. M heard wolves howling, and saw one sauntering away. Later the same day, M saw just the momâ€â€and a wolf watching patiently. Got very fuzzy picture of this rare moment with grizzly and wolf.
o McKinley came out three days in our presence! Terrific view from Denali Highway outside of Cantwell looking West!
o Aerial views: M flightseeing around McKinley (though the mountain was not out); D on the flight home
• Drove 1,000 miles, with just one chip in the windshield that cost $50
• Got lucky with the weather overall, with little of the downpour we had anticipated
• Gained from 2-5 pounds on average!
• We saw: porpoises, whales (at least their blow), otters, bears, wolves, beavers, caribou (pre and post-hunters), moose, dall sheep, bunnies
• Only negative about our timing: hunting season. Many animals were either hiding or dead. We missed most crowds, and just missed the cold.
Tips:
• On Denali Park bus, sit on the left, nearer the back than the front
• Just north of Denali Park entrance about a mile is a strip of shops, hotels, RV campground. Good pizza place.
• Denali Park bus to Wonder Lake is bumpy and takes 8 hours round-trip, with a few bio stops and spontaneous stops when wildlife is sighted. It’s not worth going that far unless it’s a clear day and McKinley is out. Otherwise, during this season at least, going to Polychrome Pass would have been representative enough.
• Denali Teklanika campground is the furthest in the park, at mile 29. You have to buy a three-day pass to stay there, but they don’t make you stay three days.
• On flight to Anchorage, sit on right; on flight from Anchorage, sit on left
• Anchorage and Palmer offer major grocery stores: take full advantage!
• Beware your expectations of towns, like Healy, or Cantwell or Paxson. They are highway intersections only.
Daily log:
Thursday, Aug. 26: D wisely picks up town car that will (barely) hold all our luggage. It’s not easy to pack for so long, with such variety (formal, rain, cold, exercise). M uses up four bags.
Friday, Aug. 27: Off we go!
• Left around 8 a.m. to Vancouver. Arrive as dim sum opens at 11. Pretty slow service and limited foodâ€â€just as well.
• D and M dropped girls and bags off in easy unloading area within building with many baggers helping (big sign said tipping not needed but body language said otherwise!). Then D and M returned the car and walked back down.
• Several lines inside cavernous room to get checked in: One to get checked in; then another to get through customs. At several junctures, they ask for tickets; we never got anything from Celebrity resembling official tickets, but what little I had was fineâ€â€maybe that’s what they meant?? They had food available but we had eaten. All together, no more than a half hour or so.
• After that, straight onto boat, with someone escorting us (through the glittery casino) to stateroom, which we all loved: larger and nicer than expected; deck was superb.
• Safety drill around 5 p.m.: yawn. Put on life preservers from room, go to your assigned “muster†station, wait around huddled like sardines getting overheated, then get herded outside to where you would be marched into a lifeboat (yes, there are enough, they say). Took nearly a half hour.
• First dinner at sea with Herculano, our quiet, mediocre waiter, who the girls liked and who taught us a trick with toothpicks and bought us extra desserts on occasion. Our table, early seating 474, was by a window on the lower floor, set for six: the couple joined us only one nightâ€â€when only R and F were there!
• Girls check out “showâ€Â: colorful and well intendedâ€â€and packed with appreciative audience! Nice seating with good views all around.
• You could feel some vibrations and some rocking through the night that bothered D especially (we didn’t notice it again until the last night).
Saturday, Aug. 28: Day of cruising
• We play bridge; work out; use the Thallasotherapy pool (salt water at body temperature; not impressed); eat; enjoy the views
Sunday, Aug. 29: Ketchikan
• They tell you they will announce disembarkation, but they only do after most people have gotten off! We waited and waited, then when we went down, practically everyone was gone. We then waited and waited outside the boat for our connection to Island Wings for our flightseeing to Traitors Cove to see bears. Finally, M locates them elsewhere on the dock: they suggest waiting another hour or so because of the winds. We take quick turn around “town†to Creek Street and zillions of salmon. Very hokey.
• We end up going on a nice flight and getting to see about seven bears, including mom and cubs in distance, one that dashed across the road in front of us as we went to a salmon ladder, and one that sauntered and slaughtered salmon for a good viewing period.
• Upon return: it’s a loooonnnnng line to get back on board since departure is at 2. This was one of only two annoying lengthy waits the seemed unnecessary to M.
Monday, Aug. 30: Skagway
• We go down earlier for disembarking, and end up waiting in a long line (this is the second long wait for M). We go to get our rental car and after a long time of slow processing, finally are on our way.
• Drive to Emerald Lake was OK, not spectacular. Emerald Lake was OK, too, but didn’t offer any facilities for picnic or hiking!
• We had ordered sandwiches night before, upon cruise chatroom advice, so sat in the car and munched, then drove back.
Saw a few nice sights, including the White Pass train meandering across the mountain. Town is like a movie setting plopped down.
Tuesday, Aug. 31: Juneau
• Now we got the rhythm: We don’t rush to disembarkâ€â€M and D go exercise first!
• Three girls end up going kayaking by Mendenhall Glacier, which was a very nice outing on a beautiful day, though many people involved (groups of nearly 10 plus) so everything took a long time; plus you had to stay with the group and your guide. Saw splashes of otters; eagles.
• Strange story: We hooked up with a New York family during the kayaking and on the bus ride back; we exchanged names and emails for picture swapping--they were on a Princess cruise. Upon return to our room, we get weird phone call saying what’s your name, what’s your name. Turns out to be security calling: the family had tucked their camera accidentally into D’s backpack! They had our name and knew our cruiseline and were able to track us down. Talk about coincidence.
Wednesday, Sept. 1: Icy Strait
• Exercise, then get “tendered†or transported by life boat from ship to dock at Icy Straitâ€â€alias a couple of buildings on a spit. Yawn.
• Limited area for walking aroundâ€â€rest is blocked off! You have to sign up on excursions to get someplace else. Too bad.
• M went for very pleasant massage, then worked out.
• Fancy dinner night at Normandie ($40 surcharge each, so we didn’t add tip): It was good; not great. Service and orchestration nice. Goat cheese soufflé was awesome. Rest was OK.
Thursday, Sept. 2: Hubbard Glacier cruising
• Ship got to glacier around 6 a.m. and stayed till around 9:15: it was awesome, despite the rain and cold! Terrific to hear gasps as people saw calving snow fall off, then hear the crash sound called “white lightning†by the natives. Six miles wide, 300 feet high; we were at least two plus miles away and it was huge.
• M went again to spa for a special treatment that allegedly had her losing 4 inches across several measurements of her tummy and thighs with active ingredient and some electric stimulation and goop. M declined on the $360 home treatment but did succumb to a $41 brush to scrub off dead cells.
• Final night: we tipped folks who were already worried about their next guests. Celebrity has annoying form you can fill out for automatic tipping on your credit cardâ€â€but they have specified amounts that you cannot change! We went the cash route: $200 to waiter, assistant waiter, bar server who became efficient at bringing the sodas, and Elder and Elvis, our room stewards.
• Girls go check out final show: they actually attempted to do a version of Les Mis, with a would-be barricade!
• M packed and repacked and left bags outside door. She had to chase down Elder to get an order form for coffee and croissants in the morning, as well as sandwiches for the train. He had already collected and refreshed that kind of room basics in preparation for new guests.
Friday, Sept. 3: Seward
• Groan: meet at Theater at 6 a.m. for the train ride to Anchorage. Huge group herded along for short walk to enclosed room for immigration processing, then another short walk to the Grandview train to Anchorageâ€â€they hand you seat numbers as you are processed. We were near the end but got very nice seats.
• Train started moving by 6:45 and again at 7:05. Seats and windows nice though tight, but nowhere to put bags!
• Very pretty scenery though cloudy and gray; girls slept through much of it. Spencer Glacier was gorgeousâ€â€would love to go check it out!
• Train takes you directly to airport, with very confusing announcements of where you should go to find your bags depending on your color. Arrive 11:30; bags already there and waiting at Alaska Airlines area. Terrific. Electronics didn’t work but reached Great Alaskan Vacations who picked us up promptly to go to nearby RV office.
• Not so terrific: It’s only 12:30ish but our RV won’t be ready till 3:30. We should go wander around (nowhere), they say, not very helpfully.
• We ended getting a 2:20 connection to our RV but just felt displeased with the introduction to the company after such high expectations. (The return, on the other hand, was painless and easy!). They sit you in front of a video show and give you quick run-down, focused on safety. Then they give you the keys! (one set).
• We finally get into our RV around 3:30 (it’s a 2005 Chalet 24VR), and head for Fred Meyer to stock up! We bought too much cleaning stuff (but no small sizes available); not enough apples.
• After numerous wrong turns due to cartoon-style map, we land at the Creekwood Inn (touted as inexpensive and clean, right on edge of “town.â€Â). R becomes RV technician with manual in hand to help D figure things out while others unpack. We end up doing laundry as well!
Saturday, Sept. 4: It’s sunny, so off to Talkeetna in hopes of flying around McKinley
• We drive 277 miles north on Parks Highway, stopping at Talkeetna at 9:10 a.m., where they are able to fly after being grounded for three daysâ€â€alas, no McKinley summit. M goes alone and sees some terrific mountain and glacial views.
• We leave at 2:30 and arrive at the Rainbow RV Park just north of Denali Park entrance around 6:30. Pizza!
Sunday-Monday, Sept. 5-6: Denali Park
• M takes the bus through the park for 11 hours to Wonder Lake and back. Got there just in time for the 7:30 a.m. but they won’t let you on unless you sign up half an hour before. Sat on left side. Foggy windows; stopped for would-be animalsâ€â€usually bears far in the distance. The bumpy, gravel ride became exhausting near the end. Not worth doing unless you know the mountain is out. But fantastic close viewing both directions of mother with two cubs gnawing at caribou carcass. Heard wolf howls going in; saw a wolf in the distance going out (actually get a picture of wolf and bear, though poor quality). She gets back around 8:30 p.m. and when she arrives in RV, girls tell her that they’re supposed to drive into the park to go get D…who went for a walk…around 1:30! M realizes the odd fellow on the road (coatless) who looked like D was….D.
• They find him; he had gone nearly 15 miles! Admits he was tired; had intended to go light and run all the way.
• Drove 84 miles into the “town†of Healy in search (fruitlessly) of groceries on Monday morning. Then go into the furthest campground in the Park, paying for a three night stay with no intent of staying that long.
• Great fun, isolatedâ€â€but NO ANIMAL SIGHTINGS! Poor girls. Campground “hosts†claimed a bear had been seen in the campground just hours ago. Ha.
Tuesday, Sept. 7: Awaken to nearly frozen pipes: what to do? Innocents get some help from locals before panic sets in.
East on Denali Highway to Paxson, then south on Richardson Highway
• At junction of Denali and Parks Hwy, we hesitate after half a mile of very bumpy snow-heaved gravel. Come across a guy in an RVâ€â€enjoying the best view of McKinley anywhere (he drives up from Anchorage for this, he says), who tells us to take heart and keep going. We do, though it’s NASTY.
• Got on road at 1:50 p.m.; stopped at Gracious House at 4:20 p.m. for much needed break from the jarring, and got some great cheese fries and pie; back on road 5:20
• See FABULOUS views of Wrangell Mountains in the sunset and twilight
• Arrived at Paxson around 7:40. That’s a five hour drive, about what we had projected for the route. “Paxson†is actually an intersection with scary restaurant and campground that was just like the Bates house. We kept going.
• Drive 197 miles, end at Paxson Lake State Campground, just as the sun set.
Wednesday, Sept. 8: South on Richardson Highway to Valdez
• We decide to hit Valdez for the night (because no campgrounds otherwise), then come back to do Worthington Glacier the next day. Wonderful decision. Beautiful winding roads and mountains as we get to Valdez. Then we arrive at the Otter Campground, which is right at the edge of the sound, with seagulls swirling all about, mountains, otters: magical! M loved sitting there just watching the birds and otters and water.
• Drive 190 miles
Thursday, Sept. 9: Play at Worthington Glacier, then West on Glenn Highway
• We hike at Thompson Pass which was fun and easy, with view back toward Valdez.
• Then have a wonderful day of hiking up (we thought) to the top of the glacier. We ended up getting derailed, but kept exploring and find more remarkable views. F did a great job on her first adventure hike ever.
• Three teen-types scamper past us, throwing all caution to the wind, bopping into the delicate melting ice cave, stomping across the top of crevaces. D chats with them and they say they do this all the time but they shouldn’t because it’s dangerous.
• Drive 137 miles to Tolsona Wilderness Campground, parking right at a beaver dam and enjoying watching several at work, play and dining steadily on a leafy branch as a human would eat an ear of corn!
Friday, Sept. 10: toward Anchorage
• Tough day: M starts early by slipping on a slope of the icy waste dump and slamming the bone of her butt. She remains in pain for a week plus.
• On the Glenn Hwy, we hit a very short patch of gravel and a car going the other way flips a chip into our windshield, fretting us for hours.
• We finally find a phone to call in: should we get it replaced or what? They say it’s possible they can edge it down easily; at most it would cost $550 to replace. That gives us a sense of relief though we hate how it happened.
• Also: lots of construction on Glenn so we didn’t appreciate the beauty it was advertised to be.
• We did stop at a musk ox farm (girls go in and say it was OK but no petting allowed) and reindeer farm, which was wonderful as you did get to pet and feed and get nuzzled and tosseled! Odd place, also with some moose and elk!
• Drive 175 miles to camp right outside Anchorage: darn, no fires allowed! We got spoiled by the marshmallow nights!
Saturday, Sept. 11: day in Anchorage
• Go to local RV park, which is within walking distance to downtown and sites, but also is next to live train route.
• Split up with girls; wandered through Saturday market. D and M walk probably 10 miles or so south along the scenic path, which was pretty tame, especially since the tide was waaaayyyy out so it was pretty unattractive.
• Drive 29 miles. Return RV and only get minor charge for them to smooth out the ding. Whew. Too bad it put a crimp into nearly ideal vacation.
Sunday, Sept. 12: Home!
Postscript: Weeks and months later, this trip would improve in D's mind, so much that he has proposed repeating it in five years or so!
In M's mind: cruising is terrific. But prefer much more robust ports and more active people to watch and mingle with.
