A Cruise To Be (Or Not To Be?) Eclipsed, Alaska August 15-22, 2017 Carnival vs Disney Cruise p. 7

Great updates except I can't see the photos except the gorgeous one of you in your yellow coat :) You're looking fab!!

Thanks!

:goodvibes

Yeah, I don't know what is up with the pictures. I suspect it is a Photobucket issue. I just got back from work (it was so good to see my animal friends!) and I haven't had a chance to check my past reports or others to see if there is an issue with those. I think the photos were viewable when I first posted yesterday.

:headache:
 


Thanks!

:goodvibes

Yeah, I don't know what is up with the pictures. I suspect it is a Photobucket issue. I just got back from work (it was so good to see my animal friends!) and I haven't had a chance to check my past reports or others to see if there is an issue with those. I think the photos were viewable when I first posted yesterday.

:headache:
I can see all of your photos.

You do look great in the yellow jacket. :)
 
Hello! So fun to see another Alaskan experience, since I've been there! Love seeing all your pictures!
 


Hey all!

So sorry for the disappearing act.

:teleport:


I have had an usual amount of fall travel which has put me behind on trip reports, the Beach Club FAQ board, and well, life!


But I took some time this morning with the "bonus" fall-back hour (which I did not use for extra sleep) to write another installment of this cruise report.

::yes::
 
I can see all the photos now! I went back and checked and wow there they were! Amazing! Love seeing those tails slap the sea . Nature at its best :)

Glad you were able to see the pictures.

There have been big issues with Photobucket lately. I'm a little scared that when my annual contract with them expires that they are going to want to extort $400 per year from me to continue to allow my photos to be viewed.

That will really stink if my trip report and especially my Beach Club pictures will no longer be viewable.

:scared1:


I'm happy to hear you liked the whale pictures. I was fortunate to see whales feeding in New England and Alaska. Now I need to complete the cycle and watch them while they are breeding in Hawaii and the Caribbean in the winter!

:fish::fish:


Hello! So fun to see another Alaskan experience, since I've been there! Love seeing all your pictures!

:welcome:

Thanks for reading along!

:thumbsup2
 
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Friday August 18, 2017 Skagway
“What Would You Do-ooo-ooo for a Klondike Tour?”


We were in port at Skagway from 7 am to 9 pm.


Morning



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Afternoon


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While planning our activities, I had a lot of trouble choosing what to do while in Skagway.

The White Pass train is probably the most popular outing here, but we weren’t really interested in that.

The boys were somewhat interested in gold mining activities and I looked into visiting Klondike Gold Fields (now called Alaska 360)- They have a dredge you can tour, panning, husky puppies and 45 below, an experience where you go into a chamber to experience what it is like to be in extreme cold. But I couldn’t get much info about the company and it looked like they have an exclusive agreement with the cruise ships, so you could only book an excursion through the ship, not directly.

I thought our best bet in Skagway was to do a scenic tour. There are a few companies that do private tours and generally get excellent reviews, but they all seemed to be all day, 8-10 hours long. That was a bit much, especially if we decided to try to check out gold mining.

After reviewing the excursions offered by Carnival, I wound up booking Yukon Scenic Tour, 5 ½ hours, $135 per person:

Take a "Sunday drive" up the spectacular Klondike Highway into Canada's Yukon Territory.

On this excursion you will:

  • Travel along the original White Pass Trail viewing waterfalls, glaciers and peaks, before crossing the Klondike Summit at 3,290 feet above sea level and pause at the ghost town of Log Cabin in British Columbia, where mail was dispatched by dogsled to the nearby mining districts.
  • Then travel along the jewel-like string of headwater lakes that feed the great Yukon River.
  • Make a stop to explore the village of Caribou Crossing, now known as Carcross, with its picturesque hotel and general store.
  • Enjoy a home-style lunch at Spirit Lake Lodge, famous through the Yukon for its homemade pies.
  • Upon your return you will be allowed plenty of time to shop and explore Skagway.
We met tour guides Pete and Mark, and we were directed to the van driven by Pete.

Pete noticed my son’s binoculars, which are huge, but were an online bargain- usually selling for more than $100, Nate purchased them for $20. Pete said he had binocular envy and talked to Nate about his college major, Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Nate appreciated the attention throughout the tour.

As we were waiting to leave, our guide advised us that there is a nice, clean, modern bathroom here at the port. Our next comfort stop, in about an hour, would be “rustic”. Then we would hit clean bathrooms again at lunch.

I am a museum educator in my part-time job at a 300-year-old farm property. Part of the programs I teach involve discussions of outhouses and chamberpots. I don’t like to take home work with me and I definitely have no desire to have this part of my work day make an appearance on my vacation!

I didn’t really need to use the facilities, but when your tour guide advises you to go, GO!

I was shocked that nobody else got off the van with me.

This may not bode well!


**********************************************************************


Pete provided a lot of information and interesting stories about the area and gold mining history as we traveled along the Klondike highway.


Our first stop was here, at this pretty spot.


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We passed by a few sites like Bove Island and a waterfall and other pretty vistas, but Pete told us that as a photographer, he was very in tune with lighting conditions. It was currently overcast and he thought that these places would be in the afternoon sun on our way back, making for better photos, so we would stop later.


We did make a stop here, which, as promised, had very rustic facilities. He advised the men on the trip that they may want to take a walk along a path into the woods if nature was calling. The women on the van with us lined up at the outhouse. Since I had already taken care of business back at the port, I enjoyed the scenery. The reports of the conditions from the women using the outhouse were not good! I was so glad I had listened to Pete’s advice.


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Fireweed



A little way further we pulled over to see some abandoned structures and to look for mountain goats up along the peaks.



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When we reached the Canadian border, we were instructed to hold up our passports while a border officer came onto the van for inspection. We were told not to say anything unless spoken to.


When we were underway again, Pete pointed out the Welcome to the Yukon sign. He said we would stop there later.

As we were approaching Caribou Crossing (Carcross) around 10:30, Pete suggested that we pass by, head directly to lunch to beat the crowds, and then double back to Carcross.


There seemed to be a lot of “we’ll stop there on the way back” pledges being given.


Lunch was at the Spirit Lake Lodge. All of the food was prepared from scratch by the owner of the Lodge, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. There were delicious sandwiches, broccoli salad, fruit and amazing desserts. YUM!!!

As promised, there were clean bathroom with flush toilets. Woo-hoo!!!


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As we were clearing out, the next van arrived for their lunch.


Our next stop was the picturesque Emerald Lake. Pete explained that the light green colors in the water were the result of the yellowish, whitish sediments from glacial erosion mixing with the blue water.


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We also stopped at the Carcross Desert.


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*********************************************************************

Continued in Next Post
 
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Continued: Yukon Tour


Then, as promised, we visited Carcross Lake and the town of Caribou Crossing (Carcross)


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We stopped in at the Visitors Center to have our passports stamped.



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As we were underway again, I commented to Mark that Pete had promised that we would be making several stops before returning to port.





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I never should have doubted Pete!


We loved this tour! I was worried that the boys would be bored, but there was enough outdoor nature time for Nate and history and delicious food for Ben, beautiful scenery and interesting stories for Mark and photo-ops for me. The duration was perfect. We were ready to do some exploring on our own when we were dropped off.


We arrived back in town with plenty of time to look around and even to sample some iconic Alaskan seafood. I’ll share those pictures in the next update.


Next Up: Town of Skagway
 
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I would love to take the Yukon tour. That is my idea of traveling through Alaska. Did you get to do any hiking, or at least walking around?
 
I would love to take the Yukon tour. That is my idea of traveling through Alaska. Did you get to do any hiking, or at least walking around?

It was a great tour. The stops were gorgeous, but brief. Long enough to look around and take a few pictures, then back on the van. But even the scenery along the way was spectacular, so the whole trip was interesting. We enjoyed the information and stories Pete told about the region and the gold rush.

No hiking on this tour or in fact, during the trip. The closest we came was a quarter-mile walk through the woods on our way to the observation deck for the bear tour in Skagway. Nate and I both packed boots just in case we had an opportunity to hike. I don't think Mark did. And of course, if you recall from early in the report, we were lucky Ben had a pair of sneakers for the trip. Forget about boots!

::yes::
 
That tour looks amazing. The scenery is stunning! I was getting a bit worried with all the “we’ll stop there on the way back” promises but I’m so glad Pete was true to his word and you saw all that he promised :)
Great job, awesome tour and the food does indeed look very tasty :)
 
That Skagway tour looks great! Emerald Lake is stunning. Did you feel like you were mostly in the van driving for long periods of time, or at stops?

And welcome back!
 
What a great tour such beautiful pictures.
Looks like each stop had something different to offer.
Smart girl listening to Pete ;)
 
Hi Dee! I had no idea you started your cruise TR! I can't wait to read more, sounds like a fantastic cruise, and I can't wait to read about your experience on the Fantasy!!

My son Nate is a shoe guy and had the pair he was wearing a pair of boots hanging from his carryon and two additional pairs packed.

Ben owns just one pair of black sneakers that he wears, always, and he can’t find them.

Haha Nate sounds like me and Ben sounds like Steve, although he does have more than one pair of shoe but tends to gravitate to the same shoe all the time.

And the food kept coming! There were two beverage services with a choice of snacks (almonds, a kind bar, some kind of seeded bar, chips) AND breakfast was offered. It has been a long time since I have had a meal provided on an airplane, we didn’t have that on our flight from Boston to LAX a few years ago, and I totally did not expect it.

Oh cool, did not know that Delta started serving food on domestic flights!! Awesome!

Pros: Location was AWESOME, 2 blocks from Space Needle and Attractions, we even had a view of the Space Needle from both rooms we stayed in. Large and comfortable rooms, especially compared to our cruise cabin. Amenities included coffee maker and microwave in the room and breakfast included daily- pastries, yogurt, fruit, eggs, breakfast meet, make-your-own waffles with numerous toppings. Fresh cookies starting at 5 pm. Grab and Go boxed lunch provided upon request at no extra charge. Water and Coffee available all day.


Con: This place was NOT inexpensive. With all taxes and fees, we paid around $370 each night. Eek! That’s Beach Club rack rate prices there!

OMG that's the most expensive Hampton Inn I've seen! Actually no...the Berkshires in the summer is crazy expensive too!!

Photographers were there taking pictures of the families who were boarding and I knew my boys were going to give me a hard time because they don’t like to have their picture taken. When we were at the Space Needle the previous day I told them that I wanted to have one family picture a day, no arguments. I am still bitter that I have ZERO family photos from our April 2016 trip to Washington DC.



Aww such a cute picture, they really should pose for more, but yay you did your duty and got one family picture!!!

Nate, our wildlife expert, identified this creature as the rare “Alaskan Blind Bear”

For some reason this cracked me up and I was laughing so hard I was almost crying.

Haha hilarious


Gorgeous!

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I was not amused.

This is soooo funny!! I've never seen a mini burger as an amuse bouche, it's pretty cute though.

Mark got the seafood dish- shrimp, swordfish artichokes. Ben and I got the filet and “Maine” lobster. Nate got the ginormous steak! The menu, even though I don’t have photographic proof, says Maine Lobster. I’m from New England. I know Maine lobster. This was NO Maine lobster.

I thought about complaining that we were served Caribbean lobster, which really can’t be compared to the texture or flavor of homarus americanus, North American lobster. But I didn’t want to be like the party next to us who were complaining and at that point I still though we were paying $20 for the meal. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought, huh, maybe they can’t get Maine lobster during this time of the year.

OMG I can't believe the would pass up Caribbean lobster as Maine lobster. I can totally tell the difference too!

Any other comments? – Why do all of the pictures of the cabin have an orange tint???


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The light is bouncing off the cabinets and carpet which has an orange tint so that's why the pictures are coming out like that.

Additional note: I am severely directionally challenged. It is a genetic issue passed on from my father's side of the family. I found the hallways leading to the cabins to be very confusing. I got lost on my way to our room. More than once. It got so bad that my family said they would not let me wander off alone. I guess that means they care!

OMG me too! On the Disney ships I forget what side we're on all the time. I had to look at the stars on the carpet to find our stateroom (the point of the star points in the direction of forward).

As we were passing by, on the way to the lecture, there was trivia in the Red Frog Pub. Trivia is in my blood- my brother owns a pub trivia company, my cousins and I write questions and content, we have won a few local trivia competitions.

That's soo cool! I used to be part of a trivia team in NYC. We did pretty decently although I wouldn't say I'm that great at trivia.

At 11, Mark and I went down to the lobby area to watch a demonstration on making sushi. The chairs were all taken up, and I am short so I couldn’t see from the couches on that level, so we went up the stairs and we watched from there.



Wow huge lobby!

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Look! There’s Maine Lobster!

Yay!

The soup was not good. It had absolutely no flavor.

The sushi was worse!

The rice was gummy, the cream cheese was gross and Mark said if he could have spit it out gracefully he would have.

Ugh nothing is worse than bad sushi!!


Absolutely gorgeous! All your pictures are beautiful! I really really want to go on an Alaskan cruise now!!!


Love it!!!
 

So beautiful!

I didn’t really need to use the facilities, but when your tour guide advises you to go, GO!

I was shocked that nobody else got off the van with me.

This may not bode well!

Uh oh!

Great picture! I love how they are looking in opposite directions!

We did make a stop here, which, as promised, had very rustic facilities. He advised the men on the trip that they may want to take a walk along a path into the woods if nature was calling. The women on the van with us lined up at the outhouse. Since I had already taken care of business back at the port, I enjoyed the scenery. The reports of the conditions from the women using the outhouse were not good! I was so glad I had listened to Pete’s advice.

Haha thank goodness you used the good facilities!


OMG stunning!


Yay another family picture!
 
That tour looks amazing. The scenery is stunning! I was getting a bit worried with all the “we’ll stop there on the way back” promises but I’m so glad Pete was true to his word and you saw all that he promised :)
Great job, awesome tour and the food does indeed look very tasty :)

I was getting nervous that we wouldn't stop at all the cool places we passed by on our way to the Yukon. I think at one point Pete asked if anyone on the tour had to be back in town by a certain time and nobody did.

It was a spectacular tour. I thought that the lunch that was included would be an afterthought, but it was really one of the highlights. The food was soooooo good!

::yes::



That Skagway tour looks great! Emerald Lake is stunning. Did you feel like you were mostly in the van driving for long periods of time, or at stops?

And welcome back!

The tour was awesome. I am so glad we got to see the things we saw. Pete kept telling us that although the train tour is the most popular excursion in Skagway, this is the best way to see the sights since you get to stop. If you do a train tour, I recommend doing a one way and then taking an organized van tour to go back. Many of the tour companies and ship excursions offer this type of combo tour.

When I saw pictures of Emerald Lake, I wanted to be sure any excursion we did took us out there.

We were at most of the stops for just a brief time, but the scenery as we were driving by was so enchanting, and the commentary was interesting, so we didn't feel trapped or bored at all!

:car:


What a great tour such beautiful pictures.
Looks like each stop had something different to offer.
Smart girl listening to Pete ;)

It was a great way to see gorgeous and diverse scenery.

I could not believe nobody else took Pete's advice. There is nothing worse than being in a van bumping along rustic roads and being told you will have limited access to bathroom facilities.

:sad2:
 
Hi Dee! I had no idea you started your cruise TR! I can't wait to read more, sounds like a fantastic cruise, and I can't wait to read about your experience on the Fantasy!!

Welcome aboard!

It was an unusually busy fall for travel for me. I hadn't been on a cruise in over 10 years and then I had two scheduled in less than a month apart!



Haha Nate sounds like me and Ben sounds like Steve, although he does have more than one pair of shoe but tends to gravitate to the same shoe all the time.

Ben takes after me. I'm not really a shoe person. But I don't take it to his extremes. Who doesn't wear shoes for almost a week!?!


Oh cool, did not know that Delta started serving food on domestic flights!! Awesome!

I don't know if it is on flights that are 6 hours or more, but having a meal offered was a great surprise to me.


OMG that's the most expensive Hampton Inn I've seen! Actually no...the Berkshires in the summer is crazy expensive too!!

Right??? I don't know if I mentioned that Mark was in charge of that piece of our trip.


Aww such a cute picture, they really should pose for more, but yay you did your duty and got one family picture!!!

I'm glad I established that ground rule.


::yes::
 

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