Have I mentioned that we have not done a lot of cruising? Does one other time, back in the early 90's even count? David thinks so, but I'm not so sure, especially since we had signed up with an alumni group from UCSanta Cruz to cruise down to Mexico to see a solar eclipse. I could not even tell you the name of the ship and even thought we really did have a good time, it was not your usual cruising experience. To say we were young at 40-ish is an understatement, most of the passengers were true astronomy nerds who followed eclipses around the world; as an example, the ship closed the casino on the second night since no one was using it. We did have some port excursions in Puerto Vallerta, Mazatlan and Cabo, but that is the extent of our cruising.
Fast forward to now, and we're off to the other edge of our Pacific Rim. We will be taking the Inland Passage from Vancouver to Seward, then a train to the Anchorage airport. We had a choice between the train and the bus, and even though the train will add a fee to the trip, we have been advised not to miss the train, so the train it is.
We also knew enough to pick a starboard cabin as our ship travels north, to maximize the views - I am totally excited that this ship is all-balcony, though I imagine I will have to be wearing several layers to sit out there during the day.
The cruise line web site has a nice interactive that shows the ports that we will visit:
We are starting our cruise in Vancouver, and are going to fly up there the day before the ship sails; I am far too nervous about having anything go wrong with a day of flight - this ship will not wait for us, of this I am certain. So since we have not been to Vancouver in at at least ten years, it will be a great pleasure to spend a night there, at the Pan Pacific Hotel, which is part of the cruise ship terminal. And thanks to recommendatins from Slow Travelers I know we will find someplace wonderful for dinner that evening.
The other ports for this cruise are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka ending with our arrival in Seward, where we will barely wink at the town, as we board our train to Anchorage and the airport. There will a full day of sailing from Vancouver to Ketchikan, and as this is a relatively small ship, we will be able to get up into a few inlets, Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier, another reason we chose this ship and itinerary.
And then there are the excursions - as an incentive for booking on Regent this summer, they have offered several free excursions for each port, excursions being one of those things that a) you do in ports and b) rapidly add to your already depleted budget. I think it is a good marketing tool for the cruise line.
Since we have never been to Alaska, I thought we should stick to booking as many of the free excursions as possible on this trip. And since both of us feel we are going to "see" Alaska, not necessarily "do" Alaska, we decided we really didn't need to sign up to fish for salmon, kayak in glaciers, get into small planes or helicopters, and probably could keep ourselves busy without ziplining either. Maybe if we go back on another trip, if the new hip (his) and the wonky left knee (mine) hold up, we can do some further exploring.
Given that we signed on relatively late in the game, I found that there were still plenty of free excursions that I could book, plus we also view this as a vacation and would like to not overbook ourselves in the short week. Among the things we are signed up for are:
Totem and Town Tour and lunch at the Alaskan Chef's Table in Ketchikan
Catamaran Tour of Tracy Arm Glacier
A Photo Tour of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau (there are only 14 people on this)
Skagway by Streetcar
White Pass Scenic Railroad by Steam Train
Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest, another catamaran, in SItka
A few of these had what I consider slight charges, maybe $39 or $49 dollars, all in all, we are spending under $300 on excursions. I have not checked other cruise lines to compare prices, we are content with this. There were some hefty price tags on other excursions, mostly involving float planes and helicopters, but as I said, we're just fine with our choices for this trip.
We leave two weeks from today.
Comments (9)
Marcia this really sounds like fun. I'll look forward to hearing details. I really want to take a cruise now.
Posted by Barb Cabot | June 3, 2009 11:58 AM
Posted on June 3, 2009 11:58
Your excursions sound great. I can't wait to hear more about them and see your photos,especially of glaciers.
How exciting you leave in two weeks!
Posted by candi | June 3, 2009 10:32 PM
Posted on June 3, 2009 22:32
Nice excursions!
Yes, you can add ziplining to my list of "Ways Palma will NOT die" (lost hiking in the snow, mountain climbing, cross country skiing, hang gliding, etc.)
Posted by Palma | June 4, 2009 7:14 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 07:14
This sounds like a lot of fun. The Totem tour really catches my eye. Photo ops galore, I bet. We are on the same page, I would skip the kayaking and ziplining and helicoptors too.
Two weeks will fly by!
Posted by Annie | June 4, 2009 10:30 AM
Posted on June 4, 2009 10:30
It sounds like a great introduction to Alaska. I'm looking forward to your impressions of the cruise. My friends love cruising. They see it as the perfect way to get away and be pampered.
Posted by Marta | June 4, 2009 12:47 PM
Posted on June 4, 2009 12:47
The Cruise and excursions sound great. I will also look forward to your impression of cruising. It is not something that I have considered, but have friends who love cruising!
Posted by sheri | June 5, 2009 9:28 AM
Posted on June 5, 2009 09:28
Your cruise and excursions sound great, Marcia!
I stayed at the Pan Pacific a number of years ago for a CPA convention, and it was fun to watch the cruise ships departing next door to the hotel.
Posted by nancyhol | June 5, 2009 4:14 PM
Posted on June 5, 2009 16:14
This is something I am very interested in doing so I will be anxious to read about your experiences. Happy travels.
Mary
Posted by Mary Tacconi | June 6, 2009 10:00 AM
Posted on June 6, 2009 10:00
I like the excursions you chose. I also would skip the ziplining and the kayaking (especially in that cold water)! Can't wait to hear all about your trip. It sounds fabulous! Less than 2 weeks now!!!
Posted by girasoli | June 7, 2009 4:19 PM
Posted on June 7, 2009 16:19