End of our Alaskan Cruise

Finished our last day cruising and arrived in Vancouver early morning. The disembarking process on Princess is as easy as the embarking process. We simply completed a form that gave us several disembarking options. We made our own flight arrangements so we can exit the ship during 1 of the 2 open departure times. We selected 8:15-9:15am and were given 8:40am to disembark. This also means we carry our own luggage off the ship!

Departing was very easy. We left the ship and entered Canada Place, the cruise terminal, and was directed every step of the way through US customs and out to our Uber ride. Nothing could be easier. Uber took 3 tries before a car actually picked us up but after that, off to the airport with no issues.

We checked in for our flight the night before so we only needed to collect our bag tags and drop them off. Went through security, TSA PreCheck, and found out that even though it said TSA PreCheck, they don’t have that in Canada. No biggie, strip down, take out the computer, take off your shoes, remove your belt, now go over to be scanned because you-know-who has metal hips. Still, the whole process, disembarking, Uber, drive to the airport, check-in, clear security took less than 60 minutes. Amazing. The drive to the airport alone is 35 minutes.

Now let’s talk about the cruise and Alaska. First the cruise. Princess line is one of the best cruise lines anywhere. The ships are clean, service is great, people are friendly and everything was right on time. Bottom line, we would recommend a Princess cruise to anyone wanting to experience luxury without paying luxury prices.

The Good:

-The Medallion system / app worked really good, from unlocking our door to ordering drinks and food to be delivered anywhere on the ship. Very easy to track your spending and check your charge balance.

-Cabin was well serviced by the attendant. Bed was comfortable.

-There was a mini-fridge for drinks or snacks.

-The balcony had a cover so it could still be used in the rain.

-Dining was 4-course meals for dinner, buffet or al la carte for breakfast and lunch. We didn’t use any of the specialty dining options. Entrée choice was excellent and cooked to order.

-The ship had several laundry rooms available to passengers. Wash / dry cost $3.00/load.

The Bad:

-Our stateroom was very warm, needed to open the door during the night

-Needed more short subject lectures versus games

-Music was stuffy and slow. 1 night of classical would have been sufficient. More 60’s and 70’s music would have been appropriate.

-The Open Dining times can limit participation in ship activities, Captain’s Champagne Waterfall, Baked Alaska Parade, Etc.

The Ugly:

– Ship was extremely cold, even the staff wore coats!

Now Alaska. We’ve been to Alaska 3 times before this cruise, each time was in a rented RV and cruising around the Kenai peninsula to do some fishing. This was our first cruise in Alaska. The scenery in Alaska, regardless of where you are, is amazing. Their mountains, fjords, and meadows coupled with the wildlife is unmatched anywhere on Earth. It is a beautiful state.

The people of Alaska are a laid-back group. Most are very down-to-Earth with interests in outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, and hiking. During this cruise we went to the state capitol as well as some very small towns. Each had their own attractions that made the visit worthwhile. Icy Straight Point had great scenery and a canning museum; Juneau was whale watching and an old time pub from the 1800’s; Skagway, again, great scenery and a ton of history about the town; Sitka, probably the least impressive town but still plenty of good scenery; and last Ketchikan with great scenery, history and a fun lumberjack show.

The cruise through Glacier Bay National Park was amazing! From glaciers to mountains the sites were simply amazing. Well worth the all day cruise through this national park.

So, would we do this cruise again? Probably not. Since we did this once, we don’t feel the need to go back and do the same experience again. Would we recommend it? Absolutely! Cruising is a great way to see lots of interesting and exciting sites. Think about this, your hotel room follows you to different sites or even countries so you only unpack once; your meals are included; there are shipboard activities you can participate in; and if you just want to relax, you don’t have to go anywhere. And, today’s cruise ships have tons of activities, lectures, and luxury experiences included in the price of admission. Cruising is definitely a great way to vacation!

In closing, Alaska was a great place to see on a cruise ship and Princess Cruise Line is one of the best. Highly recommend it if you’re in the market for a cruise to Alaska or anywhere.

Next Adventure:

In September we’re off to Europe for two months to check out some new and exciting places. We’ll start in France, biking through the Burgundy region while sampling some of the best wines in the world. Next we’ll pick up our rental car and go to Charmonix, France, home to Mont Blanc and the French Alps. The rest of the trip will include Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Sardinia, Corsica, and Monaco. Should be a great trip so keep and eye n the blog for this trip and our summer adventures. Till then, audios amigos.