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A summer adventure to Alaska

August 25, 2013 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

This trip report, from a client who just did an Alaska cruise with her family of four, provides a great opportunity to compare two different viewpoints of the exact same cruise itinerary. Clare (see below) was on the 8/4/13 sailing of the Norwegian Pearl from Seattle and another client, Terry (see her review here), was on the sailing right before that — on 7/28/13. Between the two, there are LOTS of great tips and advice for anyone considering an Alaska cruise. Enjoy!

Hi Ann,

Okay, here you go…. I am sure I will write far more detail than you ever wanted! All excursions were booked via the cruise line.

Seattle:

The hotel (Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza) was great – staff was friendly, and the kids felt like they were in someplace really “fancy” – ha ha. Not like the cheap hotels we usually get for soccer tournaments and swim meets!

Food suggestions – My brother swears by Etta’s – we missed our dinner reservations on Friday b/c of flight delays, so we never got there. Serious Pie – best pizza and Top Pot Donuts for breakfast! 🙂

We did the Experience Music Project and both kids LOVED it. Highly recommend

My brother suggested we take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, just to get a good view of the city. We did that, walked around town, got some ice cream and came back.

Juneau:

We did one of the whale watching tours. Allen Marine – Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest. Apparently, we got a really good trip – we saw bubble feeding – which the naturalist was so excited for. She said she had not seen that all summer. We did see a ton of whales, and some sea lions.

Overall, we thought that it was a good trip. Very crowded – and we had a lot of people on the boat who did not want to “share” the sights – give people turns to take photos.

Mark has been on a lot of whale watches – and he thought this was among the best. The staff was excellent.

Town – we did some shopping (no purchases) – and ate at the Red Dog Saloon. Very “local” – fun place – food was fine, beer was great, prices were very high for the amount of food received. They have live music (guitar/singer) for the cruise ships – he was very fun. A little off color, but was fine for the kids.

Skagway:

Grizzly Falls Zip line – The kid’s favorite excursion. It was a lot of fun. The staff was outstanding – from the person who drove us from the dock to the location to the two women who led our zip lines. We laughed, saw some scenery, and enjoyed our morning. On the way back to town, the driver even stopped for us to take some photos.

White Pass Railway – Unbelievable scenery – lots of good information and photos. It was 3 hours, which was a bit long, but the train can’t go too fast. I would have been disappointed if this was our only excursion, but we were happy with it since we zip lined in the morning.

Town – we did some shopping – same stores for the most part as Juneau – this time we purchased. Brett was disappointed he did not speak up in Juneau that he saw something he liked, b/c they did not have the item in Skagway. We ate at the Sweet Tooth Café (kids choice this time). Basic Diner food – it was good – but the prices were high (but more food than the saloon). We were just a little tired of the ship food, but in hind sight, would not have done this – just gotten a treat and then eaten a meal on the boat.

Ketchikan:

Zodiac Coastline Excursion – Mark’s & my favorite excursion – and the kids loved it ALMOST as much as the zip lines. The staff was the best. We drove over 30 miles in our own small zodiac boat, led by one of their staff. He fed two eagles – so we were super close. Also went to a sea lion sanctuary and got within 20 feet of them. It was amazing. And, even though it was against the rules – he did let the younger kids drive the boats once we were out in open water. 🙂 They loved that. I HIGHLY recommend this one!

That was all we had time for – just made it back to the ship in time. We actually would have liked a little more time in this port. It seemed rushed.

We walked from the ship along the water into town. Fun to see the modern construction then turn to more old style. Enjoyed seeing the castles.

We ate at Earl’s – by far the best food we had all week. Thirst quenching beer also! 🙂 They were one of the few places we found that we could have a beer and feed the kids –the pubs we walked by were 19 and older.

$9 cab back to the ship

We all agreed we would rather have had a longer stay in Ketchikan and skipped Victoria – though the food was really good! 🙂

Norwegian Pearl:

Staff was outstanding – pretty much everyone we ran into had a smile on their face and seemed focused on making our trip enjoyable.

Mini-Suite – SO GLAD you suggested this size room – it was fine for the 4 of us. Mark and I said we would never go smaller, even if it is just the 2 of us. Room was clean, well-kept, and the bathroom size was not bad at all either.

Pools – the kids would have liked a larger pool to swim in. There was an “Adult only” pool that was the same size as the kids and rarely had anyone in it, and if anyone was in it, there were only 2 or 3. They were disappointed that even though the pool was 6 feet deep, they could not jump in. They did love the slide.

Hot tubs were fine – kids thought they were too hot. 🙂

Food – you read a lot of mixed reviews about the food on this ship and Norwegian in general. We would classify it as “fine.” The poolside bbqs by far had the best on-ship food all week. I think partially b/c they were cooking it fresh right in front of you. We primarily ate in the buffet with maybe 6 meals in the dining rooms. We ate there more for the peace and quiet, as the food was not too different from the buffet. I would say a true “foodie” would probably think poorly of the food, but the average person/family would think it was okay. The kids thought the fries were the best fries they had ever eaten (so they ate them all the time) and they also had delicious bread. The fresh fruit was plentiful and ripe. The crepes were delicious, but overall, the desserts just fair. We ate twice at a place that was open all the time with more bar-like food, and this was pretty good. The Chocolate Buffet – They had a ton of beautiful sculptures and displays. A couple of things that tasted good, but nothing that I thought was outstanding. Truthfully, I just find the people outrageous at this buffet! (Brett was so disgusted by how “piggy” people were, he only tried one thing…) Royal Caribbean did this much better as I recall.

Entertainment – great acts (Second City, a juggler, a comedian – all were kid appropriate or had kid-appropriate shows)

Kids Club – Dillon (10) – LOVED this – the staff members were terrific. He tried to squeeze in a visit every day. This was a life saver on days we were at sea all day and it was chilly or rainy out.

Other Activities – Brett was disappointed that a lot of the scheduled activities on the sports courts, ping pong tables, and golf area ended up getting cancelled b/c of weather or low turn-out. One activity he was about 2 minutes late for had already started and they would not let him join in. Also – he is an exercise fanatic, and it was very disappointing he could not visit the fitness center even if he was with Mark or I. He did run on the deck/track almost every day. (He needed to burn some energy!)

Rock Climbing Wall – the kids finally got to do this our last full day. It was closed for most of our trip b/c of weather. They were disappointed to not have done it earlier in the trip.

Glacier Bay – We LOVED this day – and primarily enjoyed it from our balcony. We had hot chocolate delivered (it was gross… lol) and liked that we could turn on our TV to hear the Park Ranger narration.

Weather – not that you control this – but we did have great weather. Days in port were 70 or higher. Brett actually did not have enough shorts and t-shirts.

On-Board Spending – Mark and I are not big drinkers – I think we each had 6 beers the whole week and I had 2 or 3 mixed drinks – so I imagine our final bill was less than many. We did go to Bingo a few times, and Deal or No Deal once. We bowled and the kids did a few arcade games. Mark and I did the soda deal – which for us is a steal. So, our final bill was under $500 (we pre-paid our service charges, so this does not include those). We were happily surprised with this – b/c we really did not go in trying to curtail our spending.

Kids did have ship envy when we were docked with one of the Princess ships and one of the Holland America ships. 🙂 But I think it is natural to see things you wished you had.

Embarkation and Disembarkation – VERY easy and quick. Probably 20-25 minutes from arrival at the dock to walking on the boat. No wait at disembarkation – we chose to walk off with our bags at 7:30 am to avoid the rush.

Ann – you provided excellent guidance for us. We were hesitant to try Norwegian again b/c of our prior experience and just overall reviews are so mixed. While we know it was not a top of the line ship or cruise line – it definitely met our needs. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. Also – when I asked about excursions – you guided us well in terms of the amount of activity and who else may select to go on certain activities. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

Thanks again,

~ Clare

Alaska never disappoints!

August 17, 2013 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year when clients are enjoying Alaska cruises and I’m wishing I were right there with them. Alaska is one of my all-time favorite places, and a “bucket list” destination that everyone needs to see and experience at least once in their lifetime. Check out what Terry had to say about her recent Alaska cruise, and let me know if you want to start planning your own!

Hi Ann

The trip was fantastic, we absolutely loved the cruise and Alaska. It is so beautiful there.

The ship [Norwegian Pearl] was very nice, things are very organized and ran very smoothly including boarding and disembarking. We never felt like we were on a ship with thousands of other people. For the Alaskan cruise I would highly recommend a balcony room – we spent a lot of time out on the balcony. We really lucked out with the weather not a drop of rain the entire time we were gone, and it was in the 80s a few days in Alaska, which we heard is not normal.

We really enjoyed our time in Seattle, and the Sheraton was very nice especially at the discount price I was able to get through my employer. We went to Pikes Place Market, very fun, then we did the Emerald Trolley tour which was very nice. We stopped at the Space Needle, I went up while Bob waited on the ground :), then we went the Blown Glass Garden display which is right next door to the Space Needle, it was great, so beautiful, worth the price of admission which was only around $20, you get a discount if you by the Needle and Glass ticket combo.

In Juneau we took the helicopter ride out over the glaciers and landed on the Ice Field where there is a summer dog sled camp. We went on the dog sleds, where everyone is able to drive the sled as well as ride. They actually tow a sled behind the main sled that you drive, while the musher is driving the main sled. That was amazing, we loved it. The dogs are so excited when you get there just barking and jumping they can’t wait to pull the sled. After the ride you get to go up and meet and pet the dogs. This excursion was expensive but we are dog lovers and we felt it was totally worth it. Bob even said the helicopter ride was worth it and he doesn’t like heights. On the helicopter they brought us in one way and explained everything we were seeing, lots of glaciers, and they took a different way out, and again explained what we were seeing so it was a great tour along with the dog sled ride

In Skagway we did the Eagle Preserve float. This was a very leisurely ride down a river that is fed from the glaciers. A very beautiful and peaceful ride. We did see some eagles but they were at a distance, as the salmon were not running in that area at the time. We enjoyed this, but people should know what this entails. It’s a 6 hour excursion, but only an hour and a half float. You take about a 10 min bus ride from the boat over to a Ferry. Then you take a 40 min Ferry ride which was very pretty, to another bus. Then you take about a 40 min bus ride up to where you get in the rafts. Of course they don’t tell you this in the description of the excursion, so we had assumed it as a 6 hour float. They do provide lunch at the end of the float before you board the bus to go back to the Ferry. Lunch could be better it was cold cut sandwiches, and chips. We enjoyed it, but I probably would not do it again.

If people want to see eagles, they should wait and do the Totems, Lighthouse and Eagle Tour in Ketchikan. We did this one and it was great. We saw a lot of eagles and were pretty close to them. They provide binoculars for you to use, and we could see a mother eagle feeding her babies in the nest, it was amazing. We also stopped near the Totem Village that is there and saw the Totems, and went up to an island and saw the lighthouse (we love lighthouses). We saw some Harbor Seals out sunning themselves, and a few deer on one of the islands. The boat crew, who were very nice, said they often see whales but we didn’t get that lucky that day. The boat crew served us drinks – very yummy hot chocolate and they had snacks on board, including salmon dip. There were only around 20 people on our trip so it was nice the boat was not crowded at all.

Our favorite town was Ketchikan it had many small shops besides the jewelry stores. Unfortunately this was the town we had the least amount of time at. We would have really liked to have had more time there. Others that we talked to on the ship said the same thing.

We didn’t book anything for Victoria, we just went and walked around the town. It is very pretty there, but it was also very busy, as 3 cruise ships all pulled in at the same time.

We LOVED Glacier Bay – that is an amazing place. They took us right up to the Glaciers and would turn the boat so people on both sides could view them, so we were able to enjoy them right from our balcony.

Also we took advantage of the service that is offered to check your luggage from the boat all the way home, so we didn’t have to deal with that at all, which was great. The service is 19.95 per person, and we felt it was totally worth it. We were very happy to see that our luggage arrived in RI on time right along with us.

Thanks for your help in planning this trip, we totally loved it. An experience we will never forgot. I’m already starting to think about our next trip and will reach out to you again, after we save up some money for it.

Thanks again

Terry

Bermuda Blast 2011

October 20, 2011 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

We just returned from the second annual Annie’s Escapes Group Cruise and it was a blast! Plans are already in place for next year’s group trip (a food/wine tour to Tuscany in October 2012) but you’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for details and pricing.

For now, I can tell you all about our Bermuda Blast 2011! We sailed with 40 people on a 5-day Royal Caribbean cruise on the Explorer of the Seas, from Bayonne, NJ to Kings Wharf in Bermuda. The group included a core of Annie’s Escapes clients/friends as well as a destination wedding party for a client who was getting married on the island while we were there. The full photo album (about 75 pictures) can be found here. And my trip review is below.

Embarkation and Sailaway:

We drove from Rhode Island to Bayonne on Saturday morning (10/8) to board the ship, and it was a quick and easy trip marred only by some confusion over exactly where the entrance to the port should be (and we weren’t the only ones with a “confused” GPS – I think everyone in our group had an issue with finding their way into the port) It was SO nice to leave from a local port, rather than dealing with flights!

We were onboard by about 1:00 pm, with time to check out our cabin, enjoy a buffet lunch, and explore the ship before the lifeboat drill and the sailaway party. What an experience it is to sail out of New York harbor, with the skyline, the bridges, the Statue of Liberty and all the other sights! We were able to watch a handful of other ships sail out with us as well – from the NYC port on the west side of Manhattan and from Princess’s port in Brooklyn.

The ship:

Explorer of the Seas, at just over 1,000 feet in length and accommodating about 3,100 passengers, is smaller than the last two Royal Caribbean ships that I’ve sailed on (the Freedom of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas), but I have to say that the size felt just right. Big enough to have all the “bells and whistles”, like an interior promenade, rock climbing wall, skating rink, etc., but small enough that we knew our way around by the end of the first day (VERY unusual for me!) Two of our favorite spots on the ship were the adults-only solarium pool and the Viking Crown Lounge, where we spent several cozy hours with our books and cocktails enjoying the view (we even saw a school of flying fish from up there!) Our cabin, a category E1 balcony, midship on deck 8, was plenty big for the two of us, although the balcony felt a little more compact than others we’ve enjoyed in the past, and the location was fantastic – convenient to everything.

The food:

We ate in the main dining room every night (8:30 pm seating, tables for ten, in the Magellan dining room) and the food was very good. Some of us thought the portions were small, but once everyone realized that they could order multiple appetizers or main courses if they wanted to sample different things, it was all good! The late seating works well for us, because it leaves plenty of time for an afternoon nap, cocktails, and even a show before dinner on some evenings. The Windjammer buffet had typical buffet food for breakfast and lunch; not the best I’ve ever had, but perfectly acceptable. We had one lunch at Johnny Rockets, which had a small surcharge but was totally worth it for the onion rings! All in all, the dining experience was exactly what I expected, and I have no complaints.

The entertainment:

We saw several production shows, including music, dancing, a comedian and more, and all were very good. We did not make it to the ice show, although I heard it was fantastic. The “Love and Marriage” show was quite funny, and the cruise director did a great job. The only entertainment that disappointed us was the piano bar, which normally would be our regular late night hang out. We went the first night and the music was so disappointing (and the crowd so old and tame) that we never went back. We did, however, participate in a couple of the trivia contests later in the cruise, and we even won a Royal Caribbean hat!

The ports:

This itinerary includes two full days at sea and two (almost) full days in port in Bermuda. Like most modern ships, the Explorer is too large to dock in Hamilton, so it ties up out at the tip of the island, in the Dockyard area. We bought two-day transportation passes (good for unlimited travel on the island’s ferries and buses) and spent the first day exploring St. George (Fort St Catherine, swimming at Tobacco Bay, shopping in town, etc.) On the second day we went shopping in Hamilton and then took a snorkeling excursion in the afternoon. Everyone agreed that one more day on the island would have been perfect, and I know that I would have loved to have time to show my husband the beaches along the south coast. This was the first time that I’ve docked out at King’s Wharf (Dockyard) and I was pleasantly surprised to see that you could just spend the day there if you wanted to — there are shops, restaurants, an historic fort, and even a lovely little snorkeling park.

Disembarkation:

When we returned to port on Thursday (10/13) some of the group elected to try self-disembarkation, where you hold onto your own bags and walk off the ship early in the morning in one of the first disembarkation groups. Those that did it, loved it. Since we did not have anywhere to rush off to, we decided to sleep in a little bit and have a sit-down breakfast in the main dining room before we disembarked. Very civilized!

Post-cruise visit to NYC:

Wanting to extend the vacation a little bit, we had planned to spend one post-cruise night in New York City. We were off the ship by about 9:45 am, hopped in the car, and drove a couple of miles down the road to Liberty State Park in Jersey City. There we boarded the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The ferries run continuously, and you can explore both sites at your own pace. We enjoyed an audio tour of Ellis Island, and found the ship’s records for my husband’s great grandparents who emigrated from Italy! Afterwards, we climbed to the pedestal at the Statue of Liberty (tickets to go all the way up to the crown are severely limited, and must be reserved months and months in advance) and took in the view.

We drove ourselves into Manhattan and checked in at the Marriott Marquis, where we were lucky enough to get a 40^th floor room with a direct view down into Times Square. The room was spacious and modern, and the hotel is absolutely huge! We enjoyed a delicious dinner down in Chelsea with my brother and sister and their spouses (they live in New York) and spent the next day sightseeing and shopping before driving back home to Rhode Island and the kids. It was a great way to extend the vacation and wind down after the cruise, and I enjoyed being able to catch up with my family too.

My overall thoughts and impressions about the trip? This was one of the most relaxing vacations I’ve ever taken, and we loved travelling with a group of friends. The only thing I’d do differently next time is to take a 7-day Bermuda cruise instead!

Sailing the Southern Caribbean

October 19, 2011 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Jen and Steve just returned from a fantastic honeymoon cruise from San Juan to the Southern Caribbean, and it was great to hear what they liked, what they learned, and what they appreciated about working with a knowledgeable travel professional! Now, if I could only get my kids to admit that I give good advice 🙂

The honeymoon was excellent! We had a great time. Planning was smooth and seamless and the trip was also.

The flights on American were great! Delayed on the way home, but it was OK. Definitely worth driving to Hartford for the non-stop both ways.

Our pre-cruise stay at the El San Juan was nice — very glad we made this choice as opposed to some of the other hotels, it was a great fit for us. There are many bar options and lots of restaurants as well. Lots of nightlife, we went to one of the hotel restaurants and nightclubs on our last night there, tons of fun! The swimming pools and lounge chairs near the pools are great! There was a large convention going on at the resort while we were there, but it still felt like the place was empty. Never a problem getting a pool chair, and there were only a handful of people in the pools at any time.

Upon check-in, they upgraded us to a pool view room since you told them it was our honeymoon, thank you!!!! Then brought up a bottle of champagne! We did eat breakfast in their buffet one morning, service was slow and it was $25pp, which was a waste. Wouldn’t have done that if I knew how much it cost…can’t eat that many eggs 🙂

Only complaint, which I already told you about was that even though you paid in advance on my Amex, they charged us again when we checked in on my debit card. They refunded the money to the Amex card, which I did not want. 5 phone calls later to the hotel and Hilton customer service, they still have not corrected the problem. I have been a Hilton Silver or Blue member for several years and actually will never stay at a Hilton property again because I am so disgusted by their lack of customer service.

While in San Juan, we booked an excursion for the Bacardi factory & Old San Juan tour through the hotel-what a RIP OFF! It cost us $128 for a FREE tour! I should have taken a taxi, but it was fun. Then after the Bacardi factory, the tour guide dropped us in Old San Juan and we stayed instead of going back to the hotel in the hour and half that they gave us. We went to Senor Frogs, Don Q Bacardi place and ate some tacos and local food off a food truck.

Walked around the shops and then stopped in a great pizza & beer place…good time!

On our last night there, we walked over to the cock-fight arena, but we missed it, it was already over. On Sunday after we arrived back from the cruise, we found an excursion for $20 and the guy was great!!!! He took us on a tour of San Juan and showed us a lot of things, all the forts, very nice…and he held our luggage all day and then dropped us at airport. He recommended a place for lunch, Cafe Puerto Rico….real Puerto Rican food, and the BEST sangria I have ever had in my life.

When we first got on the ship (Serenade of the Seas) at 2pm, we checked out our closet-size room (which I was expecting so it was OK) then we did the once-over on the boat. First impression, thought boat was nice, but both Steve & I wanted to know where the rest of the pool was!!! It was tiny!!!! We sailed at 8:30 which was our dinner time, so feeling the boat move, we were both uncertain if this was going to be for us. Steve and I actually said “what island are we flying home from?”….but by the next day when we had adjusted to the boat, everything was fine!!

I know you and I had discussed that I didn’t know how I was going to like sitting at a table with strangers, well I will tell you…that was your best advice!!! We had the best table on the ship, we were with our tablemates every night and went on excursions with them. We had 2 other couples on their honeymoon and the other couple was celebrating their 10 yr anniversary.

On the last day they charged us $100 for towels, but Steve complained and they gave us a credit for $200, so that all worked out. I guess everyone wants to rip us off!

The cabin was OK, definitely could never do a cruise in a room w/o a balcony. Also, made friends with the people in the next cabin and they had a handicap room- they told us we need to ask for one of those next time!!! Their bathroom was the size of our entire stateroom.

Our waiter in the dining room was a stiff and we got bad service the first night, but it was better after that for the rest of the cruise. Food was always delicious. At peak times, it was very hard to find a seat in the buffet. But overall fabulous!

Entertainment was awesome!!! We did something every night….Steve won “Finish that Lyric” and our table won the Quest, which was sooo fun! Ricki the cruise director was awesome and his staff too. We went to a magic show, a comedy show and meet the captain night. Did the nightclub twice and Bingo twice.

When we got to St Thomas, we took a cab to the shopping street, it was all jewelry so we didn’t buy anything…not big jewelry people. Then we went back to the ship for our excursion, we went on a catamaran ride to St John! It was awesome!!!! The catamaran itself was fun, and on the way back they had champagne and punch! Steve went snorkeling at the beach and the guy took me in the little boat to the beach, I have never seen water like that anywhere!!! We saw a shark in the water, sea turtles and a deer walking on the beach!

In St Kitts we went zip lining and on the way there, the driver gave us a tour. Very poor there….it was depressing, but otherwise we had a great time and I would definitely recommend zip lining there to anyone!

In Aruba, we decided to wing it and we rented a jeep with our table mates for the day $80- a bargain!!! We drove to the natural bridge, which fell down apparently, and saw some rock formations. Then we went to the beach, right in front of the Riu, it was hot!!! Nice time, then went back to the boat.

Curacao was our favorite island. We just got off the ship and walked around the shops, they were gorgeous and we stopped and checked out several bars along the way!!

We felt this was the safest place and really clean!

My tips for someone else taking a similar trip:

Make sure they iron their clothes before they go!!! I found out the night before there was no iron on the boat so I spent all day Sunday before we left ironing everything we brought.

I would also suggest booking excursions off the boat, to save a lot of money.

Thanks!

– Jen and Steve

A summer adventure to Alaska

Alaska never disappoints!

Bermuda Blast 2011

Sailing the Southern Caribbean

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

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