Hubbard, Tracy Arm or Glacier Bay. Oh My!

If you are planning a cruise up to Alaska, chances are your itinerary will have a cruise day in any one of these three. IMHO, there is one clear winner. Tracy Arm Fjord / South Sawyer Glacier. In chronological order…

In 2009, we were on the Celebrity Mercury which went into Hubbard Glacier. It was very early in the season. May 5th was the day. It was a spectacular. There were icebergs galore. Not just a bunch of “Growlers” (less that 3 ft high and 16 ft long). Most were “Bergy Bits” (3 – 13 ft high and 15 – 46 ft long). There was even one that was a bit top-heavy and rolled over right in front of us.

We didn’t see or hear any calving, but Hubbard Glacier was something not to miss.

In 2014, we were on Star Princess towards the end of the season. September 5th, to be exact. The journey through the fjord started with us being almost completely engulfed in fog. The further we went, the clearer it got. Tracy Arm is a narrow passage with really sheer cliffs.

Part of the excitement is winding through the fjord wondering when you are going to get your first glimpse of the South Sawyer Glacier, then it happens…

You still have a ways to go, you just hope the ship can get close enough without any of these guys getting in the way.

Then you pull in at the end of the fjord and there she is. South Sawyer Glacier in all her glory.

After spending an hour doing a slow 360, we head out, back into the fog.

Just this past September, we did an itinerary that included Glacier Bay National Park. Don’t get me wrong, Glacier Bay is beautiful, but… Maybe because it was the end of the season and most of the snow had melted. Maybe Global Warming has really taken it’s toll. Maybe my expectations were out of whack… It just didn’t wow us.

Three Naturalists joined the ship, one went to the Bridge to narrate the journey. Quite informative.

If you get one chance to cruise to Alaska, I’d go for Tracy Arm Fjord, but hey, it’s Alaska!!!! You won’t be disappointed.

T Minus 18 Days – Packing

18 days until we set sail on Ruby Princess. 15 Day Hawaiian cruise, round trip Los Angeles, This means Suzi has begun the packing process. Yes folks. It’ll take 18 days to pack.

So far, we have one 32″ spinner and one full-sized garment bag poised to be stuffed to the breaking point. This will take care of clothes but then there are all the shoes, phone charges, shoes, jewelry, shoes… You get the drill. I’m sure we’ll end up with 4 pieces of large luggage, plus carry on, plus my camera.

There is no airplane flight necessary, so no restrictions for weight or number of bags (my back might argue with that). As long as there is storage in the cabin, we’re good, right?

I’ve been told that each ship has an FPO (Fashion Police Officer), so wearing the same thing more than once could land us in the brig. I have also learned, in the past 26 years of marriage, there is a clear difference between “day” wear and “evening” wear and the two cannot be intermixed. So for a 15 day cruise, that’s 30 outfits… Each!

OK, so I exaggerate a bit but we will pack more than we need but as the saying goes, “Happy Wife. Happy Life.”

We never put all of Suzi’s things in one bag and mine in another. Even when there are no plane flights, tags can come off and we might be separated from a bag for a bit. Always good to have outfits for both of us in each checked bag. Medications, jewelry and the like are always carried on with us.

The garment bag slides perfectly under the bed. All others fit nicely in the closet. We keep one of the carry on’s open in the closet to store the 50 to 60 pairs of shoes necessary for the cruise…

Embarkation Day!!!

Most of our cruises are on Princess and leave from the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. San Pedro is about a 30 minute drive from our house. Whenever possible, we try to find a friend or friends to drive us to the port. We “bribe” them by offering to pay for a Bon Voyage Experience.

Princess offers BVE on quite a few itineraries. Basically, for $39 bucks per person, our friends can board the ship with us. They get a photo, an optional tour of the ship and lunch. (The package says Main Dining Room, but Horizon Court is fine.) This is all great but the best part? Early boarding!

Yes. As soon as the ship is cleared by the officials, In-Transit passengers board first, then BVE guests. For a 4:00 PM sail time, we usually board between 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

Whether BVE is available or not, we’ll try to arrive to the ship by about 10:00 AM (for a 4:00 sailing). We are currently at the Platinum level, so get expedited check-in.

There have been a couple of times where our room has been ready so we can drop off carry-on’s. Then… Horizon Court!

Ah yes. sail away day, or should I say SALE away day. I get that all cruise lines want to maximize sales, and as a shareholder so do I, but it is a bit much if you are a first time cruiser on a line. We have never felt pressured and usually a simple “no thanks” sends them to the next table. Many will recognize us on the next pass and move on with a smile.

Muster drill… Your cabin location designates where your Muster Station is. When we are in Lido 214, our favorite, it’s almost always in the Princess Theater. Plenty of seating. Crown Grill or the Casino, not so much. If not in Princess Theater, best to be really early if you want a seat.

Sail away time. Suzi enjoys the hubbub of the sail away party on the open decks. Me? I’ll be on the balcony watching the world start to go by and look forward to all that Princess has to offer.

As we get further and further out, or cell phone service diminishes. We set our phones on Airplane mode. You never want you phone to say “Cellular At Sea”. Unless you check with your carrier and purchase a “Cruise Plan”, watch out for a shock when you get your phone bill.

Once in Airplane Mode, connect to the Princess WiFi. Once connected, open up a browser, like Chrome and go to ship_name.princess.com, like ruby.princess.com.

After creating an account, you’re in! You will see your own personal Princess Patter.

The Main Page will show excursions booked through Princess along with anything you wish to schedule, be it Specialty Dining, Bingo, Dance class, etc. To add an event, just click the plus sign in the calendar icon.

You can get detailed information about all locations on the ship.

You can even instant message other passengers. All of this portion of the site is free. You can access the paid internet from here.

Now it’s time to unpack and begin the journey to Come Back New!