Alaska - Coral Princess

Princess Cruises invited me onto the Coral Princess to experience the Majesty of the Glaciers cruise. Cruising out of Whittier and disembarking at Vancouver - this was an experience of a life time. Coral Princess 92,000 gross tons and 1970 passengers / 895 Crew Entered service in 2002 This is a lovely ship - typically Princess with all the amenities you would expect on this size of ship. This cruise is all about the itinerary - not for those looking for a cruise full of nightlife but lots of activities during the day and what a way to travel. Weather For Scenery - go early season (May) For Fishing/wildlife - go in high season (July/August) but beware the mosquitos. Many people ask when is the best time to go to Alaska and there is no answer to that - it depends what you are looking for. May/June the weather was sunny (70f) and it doesn't get dark until midnight. The snow caps are beginning to melt and it is very picturesque. No mosquitos. It is colder in the mornings when viewing the glaciers so take warm clothing for this but in the day we were sun bathing on the decks and t-shirts were fine. Layers are the order of the day. It rained in Ketchikan but apparently it always does so rain jacket is recommended here. We did not encounter too much wild life at this time but if you what more wildlife (never guaranteed though) you need to travel in the height of the summer (July/August) but you will not get the snow capped mountains. Flight The flight to Seattle was very long and is 8 hours behind the Uk. The transfer to the hotel was easy and about 5 minutes to the Doubletree which was a very nice. clean hotel. Next day we flew to Anchorage which is approximately 4 hours and is very scenic over the mountains and glaciers - spectacular. Cabins I stayed in an F grade outside stateroom with obstructed view (no. E321). This was a very comfortable cabin with the usual amenities and dressing area. This cabin was not too obstructed either and was between two lifeboats so daylight did come into the cabin. However, if you can go to a balcony I would recommend this for an Alaska cruise - nothing like viewing the glaciers from you very own little space first thing in the morning and not having to jostle for space on deck and don't forget the room service for breakfast! . Skagway After a couple of day glacier cruising and early starts to see the glaciers up close our first port of call was the very cute and movie set town of Skagway. I would recommend the Scenic White Pass Rail (sit on the left side as far to the front as possible for the best view) which was US$100 per person for a 3 and half hour trip. I also took a horse riding trip into Gold Rush country - very tame and for anyone (cost us$154 pp). Also the Helicopter over the Glacier was apparently a good alternative. A visit to the Red Onion bar is an experience in self and just a few minutes walk from the e ship as it is docked right in the town Juneau Learn about the Gold Rush here. This town is steeped in history. The ship docks near downtown and the town is a short distance from the pier. Some of the group did the Whale watching tour and they saw lots of whales - they said it was amazing. While I opted for the White Water Rafting at Mendenhall Glacier (cost us$112 pp), this was very tame and more of a lazy river cruise! Very gentle and anyone could do this but a lovely way to see more of the Alaskan countryside. Ketchikan The only place it rained! The ship docks actually in the town along Front Street and you can take the famous 'Duck Tour' or as I did a Horse Drawn Carriage around the town with commentary and very interesting it was too. I took the Misty Fjords Seaplane at us$230 pp and this was worth every penny, what an experience to land in the middle of a Fjord on the water and fly over the mountains. Finally, don't forget the Sunscreen - not what springs to mind for an Alaskan cruise but you have been warned! If you need advise feel free to call me