My Alaska Cruise on Star Princess

Planning

2008-03-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I went to Alaska on the Star Princess in May 2002. I planned every thing on my own. I have listed down the prices in both 2002 and 2008 for comparison.

1. Airfare on Cathay Pacific to Vancouver cost SGD999 per person excluding taxes, including a one night hotel stay in Hong Kong. We booked through Misa Travel. Airfare to Vancouver in 2008 cost SGD 1594 including taxes.

2. The cruise was one way from Vancouver to Seward, so air ticket from Anchorage to Vancouver is needed, CAD 350 booked directly from Air Canada. That time we flew to Seattle and Calgary and traveled to the Canadian Rockies.

3. One night pre-cruise hotel stay at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver, in 2002 I got it at a rate of CAD 199 before taxes. In 2008 the room costs CAD 250 before taxes.

4. Cruise on Star Princess was booked in the internet. Cost USD 999 per person for 7 night cruise, in a balcony cabin. This is inclusive of all meals on the ship, excluding taxes and port charges. You can get an inside cabin in 2008 from as low as USD 499 per person, including port charges, excluding taxes. Taxes is around USD200 for 2 person. Checkout these websites :

http://www.vacationstogo.com/
http://www.cruisesonly.com/

5. These are the shore excursions we took. I cannot remember the prices back in 2002. The following are prices per person in 2008.
Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour - USD 279
Skagway : To The Summit - USD 37
Skagway: Glacier Point Wilderness Safari - USD 245
Seward: Alaska Railroad - USD 69
Total USD 630 per person. Note that these tours are optional.

Using an exchange rate of 1.45, if I go on the Alaska cruise in 2008, total cost including airfares, 7 nights cruise, 1 night pre-cruise hotel, all meals and all the above optional tours is about SGD 4000 per person for an inside cabin. If you go for a cheaper hotel in Vancouver, and go for fewer shore excursions, then it will definitely be less than SGD 4000.

Here's our itinerary. Click on Day 1 to start viewing the photos !

Day 1 - Vancouver
Day 2 - Boarding the Star Princess
Day 3 - At Sea
Day 4 - Ketchikan
Day 5 - Juneau
Day 6 - Skagway
Day 7 - Glacier Bay
Day 8 - College Fjord
Day 9 - Seward to Anchorage

Here are some advise if you plan on going to the Alaska cruise.

1. Cruise prices are lowest in May and September, during which the chances of rain are higher.

2. Balcony cabin cost a lot more than inside cabin. But all passenger dine in the same restaurants and receive the same level of service. I feel that inside cabin is more value for money. There are lots of open spaces and large windows in the ship where we can view the scenery.

3. There are different types of itinerary. Some depart from Vancouver and return to Vancover, these will not include glacier bay and college fjord, which I feel is the most important highlights of the Alaska cruise. I think that the one way cruise from Vancouver to Alaska (or vice versa) which includes glacier bay and college fjord is the best. These cruises are also cheaper, because passengers must buy an extra one way ticket. However, you can also choose an airline which can fly from Singapore-Vancover and Anchorage-Singapore.

4. There are many different cruise lines. Personally I feel that princess is the best. There are also many different cruise ships. Choose those built after 2002 which are bigger and better.

5. Choose your shore excursions carefully. If your itinerary includes glacier bay and college fjord, you would see many spectacular glaciers without leaving the cruise ship. Personally I don't think it is necessary to spend too much on shore excursions. If I go again, I will probably spend less than USD 100 per person.

Day 9 - Seward to Anchorage

2008-03-09T05:06:00.001-07:00

This is our final day on board the ship. Here's the view of Seward from our balcony.

Every one was getting ready to leave. I really missed the ship, and did not feel like leaving at all. Disembarkation was quite smooth.

We had to travel from Seward to Anchorage to take a plane. We could choose between bus or the Alaska Railroad. We took the railroad trip. The train station was within walking distance from where the ship docked.

The route between Anchorage and Seward is considered by many to be the most scenic in the state. We passed through Alaska's most pristine wilderness areas and spectacular glaciers.

This is the end of our cruise. I had serious post-cruise depression after I returned to Singapore. I have been dreaming to go back there ever since.

Day 8 - College Fjord

2008-03-09T04:50:00.001-07:00

The ship entered College Fjord today. The fjord contains five tidewater glaciers (glaciers that terminate in water), five large valley glaciers, and dozens of smaller glaciers, most named after renowned East Coast colleges. The ship stopped at a position where we could see 8 of College Fjords Glaciers at once. It is simply spectacular. We were lucky that the weather was gloriously sunny on that day.

We took amazing photos simply by standing at the balcony of our cabin.

Our last night on board the ship, we watched a live show. It was well produced.

Day 7 - Glacier Bay

2008-03-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

The ship entered Glacier Bay National Park.

The ship stopped very close to the Margerie glacier, where we can view it from the balcony of our room. We could even see the glacier calving (large pieces of the ice break off at the margin).

It was not very cold, we did not even need to wear jackets on the balcony.

The ship was sailing through lots of ice in the sea. From our balcony, we can see others staying in the lower decks.

The view from our balcony was simply amazing.

This was what my hubby did when there were no shore excursions during the day. We basically eat a lot and slept a lot. The room was so comfortable.

Day 6 - Skagway

2008-03-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

The cruise ship arrived at Skagway. I was surprised to see the ship docking right next to the railway track. From here, tourists can take the White Pass Scenic Railway to the White Pass Summit and to Yukon, Canada. We did not take the railway, instead we took a bus to the White Pass Summit. We had to pass through immigration to Canada. Here's the scenery, there is still a lot of snow in May.

After the tour, we stopped in the Skagway town for some shopping. The town was very close to the ship.

Interesting houses in the town.

In the afternoon, we went for another shore excursion, the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari. We board a catamaran to Glacier Point. We had to trek through the rainforest for about 1/4 mile. Here's the photo of the glacier taken when we were trekking.

Then we took this canoe.

We rowed close to the glacier for a fantastic view.

On the way back to the cruise ship, we saw a whale !

Day 5 - Juneau

2008-03-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Juneau in the morning. Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. We took the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour.

These photos were taken from the helicopter when we were approaching the glacier.

We took these photos while standing on the glacier, amazing views.

It was actually not very cold on the glacier, sort of like being in an aircon room. This is certainly the most memorable moment in my life.

Day 4 - Ketchikan

2008-03-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

We woke up in the morning, pulled open the curtains in our cabin, and found out that we were already in Ketchikan.

The cruise ship provided a free shuttle to Creek Street, where there are historic wooden houses built along a river. Now converted to shops selling tourist souvenirs.

The buses parked very close to the cruise ship.

Here's me standing in front of the gigantic ship.

We actually booked a shore excursion to Misty Fjords, but it was canceled due to the rain, so sad !

Day 3 - At Sea

2008-03-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

The ship did not call at any port, so we spent the day exploring the ship. The interiors are very beautiful. The ship is huge, even when it was sailing full, it did not feel crowded at all. For meals, we usually had breakfast and lunch at the buffet restaurant, and dinner at the full service restaurant. All are included in the cruise price. The food was very very good. We could have steaks every day, and the steak was one of the best I have eaten. My only complain was that there were not much Asian food in the buffet restaurant. There were many other Asian tourists on the cruise ship, so I thought the ship should make some effort to cater to Asians.

We usually go to the restaurants at 6pm, and we were able to get a table for 2. If we went later during the peak hours, we would have to share a big table with others, but fortunately we never have to do so. Once we did not feel like dressing up to go to the full service restaurants, so we ordered room service which was free of charge. We can choose anything from the same menu at the restaurant. That evening we ordered lobsters !

We also dined at the Italian restaurant which is not inclusive in the cruise price. We paid less than USD20 for a very good meal. The service was fantastic. But we forgot to bring any cash to tip the waiter ! We never have to bring any cash around the ship because we could sign for everything. Even though the waiter did not seem to expect any tip, I felt so embarassed.

There are many facilities on the Star Princess, including a few swimming pools, spa, gym, sports facilities, casino, theatre, etc. Check out their webpage for more information.

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/tp/amenities_publicrooms/index.html

Day 2 - Boarding the Star Princess

2008-03-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

When we woke up the next morning, we opened the window in our room and saw the Star Princess docked right beside our hotel. It was a wonderful sight.

Since we could board the ship only after noon, we went to Chinatown for a walk and had lunch there. Chinatown was within walking distance from the hotel.

When we came back, we brought our luggage down to the cruise center, which was just below the hotel. We had to queue up to scan our luggage for about 30 minutes, but we breezed through check-in and immigration. We were in our cabin very quickly. We had a balcony cabin. It was very comfortable and spacious. Star Princess was a brand new ship back in 2002, so every thing was very new.

In the evening, we watched from our balcony as the ship sailed away from Vancouver.

Day 1 - Vancouver

2008-03-07T16:03:00.001-08:00

After a very long and tiring flight from Singapore, we arrived in Vancouver and checked into the Pan Pacific Hotel, which is right on top the cruise center where the Star Princess departed from.

It was tulip season ! Beautiful tulips growing every where in the city, amazing colors.