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  • Alaska Traveler Reviews and Real Stories: What Our Guests Say

    Relaxing Alaska Rail and Glacier Cruise Experience

    Posted by: Jamie • October 5 , 2022
    ★★★★★

    This was by far the most relaxing Alaska cruise and land program we've ever taken. We did a wonderful 5-day rail tour to Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks prior to our cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. NOTE: Our booking were split between Go Alaska Tours and Princess Cruise Lines because Go Alaska Tours has a very limited cruise selection and we did not want to spend a fortune for one of their backcountry cruises. Bookings on both ends were painless and Andrea provided us with a wealth of information.
    Cruising Hubbard Glacier: Words cannot describe how beautiful this is. It ranked right up there with sunrise over the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Sit on the balcony and enjoy a bottle of wine (and take about 500 pictures!). Until you hear a glacier break away, you cannot imagine how incredible it really is. If you weren't already completely relaxed, you will be by this point.
    Glacier Bay: Ditto on Hubbard Glacier, although Johns Hopkins Glacier is amazing! NOTE: Folks will tell you "don't sail Alaska on a big ship, only the small ones go all the way into Glacier Bay." NOT TRUE. Access is limited based on the melting of the seals that are in Glacier Bay. Park service lifted the restriction this year on Sept 1. We sailed in on 9/2. The Naturalist from the Park Service who accompanied us from 7:30 am until about 6:00 pm was great. Did a fantastic job describing everything (they played the audio via the cabin TV's, so we could stay on our balcony and watch / listen). You could tell he was actually excited by how far in we could go and how close we got (in addition to the volume of calving's taking place).
    Cruising Inside Passage: Wine, pictures and complete relaxation. Saw another humpback whale and a ton of dolphins.
    Disembarking in Vancouver is painless. Maybe 10 minutes from lounge to curb.
    Ship itself: Loved the Sapphire Princess. Every meal was delicious. Breakfast in the International Dining Room was quick, comfortable, and always delicious. Never had to wait for a table, and my wife and I ate alone (by choice) about half the time. For dinner, we ate at most of the dining rooms and found anytime dining a breeze. We found Savoy to be the best (that may have just been the two waiters we had we're phenomenal. Overall, the ship is spacious, quiet, does not show any sign of wear and the staff is top!

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Relaxing Alaska Rail and Glacier Cruise Experience

This was by far the most relaxing Alaska cruise and land program we've ever taken. We did a wonderful 5-day rail tour to Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks prior to our cruise from Whittier to Vancouver. NOTE: Our booking were split between Go Alaska Tours and Princess Cruise Lines because Go Alaska Tours has a very limited cruise selection and we did not want to spend a fortune for one of their backcountry cruises. Bookings on both ends were painless and Andrea provided us with a wealth of information. Cruising Hubbard Glacier: Words cannot describe how beautiful this is. It ranked right up there with sunrise over the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Sit on the balcony and enjoy a bottle of wine (and take about 500 pictures!). Until you hear a glacier break away, you cannot imagine how incredible it really is. If you weren't already completely relaxed, you will be by this point. Glacier Bay: Ditto on Hubbard Glacier, although Johns Hopkins Glacier is amazing! NOTE: Folks will tell you "don't sail Alaska on a big ship, only the small ones go all the way into Glacier Bay." NOT TRUE. Access is limited based on the melting of the seals that are in Glacier Bay. Park service lifted the restriction this year on Sept 1. We sailed in on 9/2. The Naturalist from the Park Service who accompanied us from 7:30 am until about 6:00 pm was great. Did a fantastic job describing everything (they played the audio via the cabin TV's, so we could stay on our balcony and watch / listen). You could tell he was actually excited by how far in we could go and how close we got (in addition to the volume of calving's taking place). Cruising Inside Passage: Wine, pictures and complete relaxation. Saw another humpback whale and a ton of dolphins. Disembarking in Vancouver is painless. Maybe 10 minutes from lounge to curb. Ship itself: Loved the Sapphire Princess. Every meal was delicious. Breakfast in the International Dining Room was quick, comfortable, and always delicious. Never had to wait for a table, and my wife and I ate alone (by choice) about half the time. For dinner, we ate at most of the dining rooms and found anytime dining a breeze. We found Savoy to be the best (that may have just been the two waiters we had we're phenomenal. Overall, the ship is spacious, quiet, does not show any sign of wear and the staff is top!