The Long Road Home and Final Thoughts

Welcome to the 10th and final blog post about our vacation! Our cruise ended on Saturday, June 8th, in Whittier, Alaska. By now the days were super long. It was barely dark at midnight and the sun was out again well before 5am. Crazy! 

After disembarking, we did a narrated tour to the airport that included a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Center. They are a rehabilitation center and had all the Alaskan wildlife: black bears, eagles, brown bears, caribou, moose, coyote, bison, reindeer, etc. We only had an hour and felt like we spent it running around to try and see everything, which we didn't.

We aren't sure how Thomas survived this crazy encounter!

Animal sampling

The narrated drive was interesting. The kids' side of the bus saw bears and Dall Sheep. Our side had pretty views, but no animals. We enjoyed learning more about the area and how glaciers form and the impact they have. 

We got to the airport around noon. Our flight didn't leave until 4, so we had plenty of time. Anna got selected for extra screening at security, which she hated. Jack's bag also got flagged (due to a Clorox wipes container). After waiting for that to get sorted, we had lunch and walked around the airport. Our 3.5 hour flight left on time and we had a 2.5 hour layover in Seattle. 

The pilot on our first flight invited Luke into the cockpit (before takeoff). He was super nice to Luke and answered lots of questions. Kara went in and talked to him too.

The flight home felt really, really long. The final flight itself wasn't bad (5.5 hours), but on top of the first flight, layover, and the long morning it was hard. We walked off the ship at 8am and walked into our front door around 8am the following day (4 hour time difference, so 20 hours door to door). Everyone went to bed. I slept the shortest, thanks to a new cough. And, I finally woke up Luke and Jack at 3pm. One of Thomas' good friends is in town, so after their naps, the girls and Thomas went to meet up with him at Universal. But, they didn't last long. 

Final thoughts on the cruise. We loved it! It was amazing. I know I keep saying amazing, stunning, beautiful. There just aren't enough words to describe the natural beauty of Alaska. We had an aft-balcony, which was perfect for scenic views.

This was our 10th cruise (9th for the older kids, 8th for Luke). Eight have been on Royal Caribbean, one on Disney and now one on Princess. I really liked Princess. We chose it based on the itinerary, not all cruise lines go to Glacier Bay, and the long-standing relationship Princess has with Alaska, which theoretically meant better berthing spaces. For example, in Ketchikan, NCL has to dock in a different town and bus passengers. It was a medium-sized ship, 3800 passengers, so comparable to Mariner of the Seas, but much smaller than our favorite Oasis-class ships.

What I liked: all the venues and places to sit. On RCL, it often feels like the spaces aren't big enough to accommodate all the guests. They run out of seats for things like karaoke, trivia, comedy, etc. On the big ships, you have to reserve seats for the main shows. Princess felt a little more relaxed. There was more entertainment, it was just smaller scaled. The venues had plenty of room. And, the afternoon tea was a nice touch. However, the RCL ships have more unorganized activities (ping pong tables, bigger arcades, shuffleboard, mini golf, etc.).

RCL ships are easier to navigate. Dining on RCL was better, although the food itself was comparable. I prefer the RCL buffet layout and the drink variety (flavored waters and Coke Freestyle machines). On Princess, you couldn't really get your own drink, you had to wait for a waiter, which could take a while during busy times. I also don't like my-time dining. It was a pain to get a reservation and we didn't want to stand around waiting for a table. I prefer set dining times with the same waiter nightly. 

I really liked Princess' Medallion system. I could see where everyone in our group was at any time on the app. And, it was fun to be able to order drinks to our location. The room doors unlocking as we approached was also nice. We also liked that the ship had laundry facilities, which definitely made it easier to pack.

I would be very happy to sail Princess again. I think the kids might be a little bored if we were on Princess in the Caribbean. Although both Kara and Jack really enjoyed the teen club. But, it is hard to compete with an Oasis class ship, which are almost twice the size. Overall though, I was pleasantly surprised by most aspects of the cruise. 

And, for the trip itself. It went really well. People (mostly) got along. It was nice to cruise with my brother. There was no significant complaining. It was pleasant and enjoyable. Alaska was everything we'd hoped it would be, in fact, I think it exceeded our high expectations. Two weeks, well 13-days, went by very quickly.

People's favorites for each part of our trip (Seattle/Vancouver/Cruise):

Thomas: baseball games/Stanley Park/Mendenhall Glacier

Kori: Space Needle/Capilano/College Fjord

Anna: Space Needle & Starbucks/bike ride in Stanley Park/long Yukon bus excursion

Jack: baseball games/Capilano/Mendenhall Glacier

Kara: Space Needle/train ride and Capilano/Yukon bus excursion

Luke: baseball games and playground/bike ride in Stanley Park/Yukon bus excursion