Trip Index
- Planning, Seattle pre-cruise, embarkation
- Days 2-4 - Sea day, Ketchikan, Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier
- Days 4-5 - Juneau, Skagway
- Days 6-7 - Sea day, Victoria, disembarkation
***
(some pictures courtesy of the rest of the family)
Our Emerald Princess cruise to Alaska was coming to an end, as evidenced by the receipt of disembarkation instructions and future cruise ads in our cabin. We did have one more stop after sea day, in Victoria, British Columbia, but only for a few hours in the evening.
Invitations to the captain's cocktail party as well as a wine tasting (though only for me as Kaleb has not reached Elite status yet) were also received.
Detailed instructions on how to fill out the Canadian immigration form were provided.
This sea day, we partook in afternoon tea while the young ones were in the kid's club. There was a beautiful assortment of savories and sweets to choose from, elegantly served. Warm scones were very popular. We regretted missing afternoon tea on the first sea day.
We participated in afternoon trivia and won, thanks to having read obscure facts on the internet recently. No prizes were given away right then; we received a card signed by the assistant cruise director that could be redeemed for gifts at a certain time on the last day of the cruise. (which we missed, oops!)
Tonight's dinner was the Captain's Gala, formal dress code. Lobster was on the menu. Before dessert was served, the dining staff paraded around the room carrying baked Alaskas.
There was also an Alaskan seafood pot dinner you could partake in for an additional fee. I don't think you need to dress formally for that meal.
We took a few pictures at the photography stations set up around the ship.
Saturday was the last day of the cruise. It was mostly at sea, since our stop in Victoria was only from 7pm to 11:30pm.
Princess decorated my parents' cabin for my dad's lunar birthday. (I noted this on their reservation)
It was more of the same activities as sea day - breakfast in the buffet, lunch in main dining, kids participating in the club. The atrium and shopping deck were filled with tables selling merchandise. Some of us did end up redeeming a coupon for a free Effy lab-created emerald earring and necklace set, paying $10 to upgrade to the larger blue sapphire earring and necklace set. The Effy salesperson unexpected gave us both sets anyway. The coupon came from the salesperson manning the "Inch of Gold" jewelry stand. We tried our hand at trivia again, but we didn't have all the answers this time.
Tonight's farewell dinner menu was pretty good, especially the chocolate desserts and gourmandises. Princess wanted to earn those "excellent" ratings!
The dining staff sang "Happy Birthday" to my dad before dessert was served: (39 second video - click here if you cannot see the preview below)
The waiters did one more magic trick for Abby: (9 seconds, click here if you cannot see the preview below)
After dinner, we got off the ship and walked around Victoria.
We did souvenir shopping and I indulged in some Pokemon Go.
Sunday morning was disembarkation time. We had breakfast in the buffet, then left the ship and went through customs easily. Our GroundLink ride was a bit delayed as there was a lot of traffic to the port, but we had plenty of time to spare.
There were enough American Express Platinum Cards in the group to admit everyone into the Centurion Lounge at the airport. Seattle is notorious for being crowded - upon entering, we waited 5-10 minutes for staff to locate seats. We ended up being separated into smaller groups, but that was fine.
Then everyone flew home...the end of a fun family cruise to Alaska! Cruising is a great way to do a multi-generational group vacation as there are activities for all ages and everyone can do whatever they want, together or apart, day or night. Food is available at all hours, and group dinner plans are less hassle compared to a land-based vacation - no need to call restaurants to make a reservation or showing up and waiting an hour or two for tables to open up. My nieces and nephew enjoyed going to the kid's club, freeing up time for the parents to work out, enjoy afternoon tea, nap or get a spa treatment. Besides playing video games and sports, the kids also made crafts such as decorating T-shirts, hats, necklaces - quality items that they could take home. The kid's club was a fond memory for them. Alaska was a great destination as the weather was cool and the scenery breathtaking. We've discussed going on another Alaskan cruise, but this time on a "one-way" itinerary (Anchorage to Vancouver or vice versa) in order to see some of the larger glaciers up close such as Hubbard. Another plus to cruising is that you get great value for the price paid - meals, entertainment, room, and visiting ports of call, only needing to unpack once. I also want to note that it was the first cruise for several members of the family and none of them experienced sea sickness, a frequent concern. The latest ships are built with stabilizers that reduce motion; the larger ships are like floating cities. If you like the idea of a cruise vacation for your (extended) family, contact me and I can help you find the perfect itinerary that will fit everyone's needs.
What's next? I head to Nashville to visit a dear friend...stay tuned!
Missed any of the previous days of the cruise? Refer to the trip index at the top of this page.
Our Emerald Princess cruise to Alaska was coming to an end, as evidenced by the receipt of disembarkation instructions and future cruise ads in our cabin. We did have one more stop after sea day, in Victoria, British Columbia, but only for a few hours in the evening.
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Invitations to the captain's cocktail party as well as a wine tasting (though only for me as Kaleb has not reached Elite status yet) were also received.
Detailed instructions on how to fill out the Canadian immigration form were provided.
 |  |
This sea day, we partook in afternoon tea while the young ones were in the kid's club. There was a beautiful assortment of savories and sweets to choose from, elegantly served. Warm scones were very popular. We regretted missing afternoon tea on the first sea day.
 |  |
|
|
We participated in afternoon trivia and won, thanks to having read obscure facts on the internet recently. No prizes were given away right then; we received a card signed by the assistant cruise director that could be redeemed for gifts at a certain time on the last day of the cruise. (which we missed, oops!)
Tonight's dinner was the Captain's Gala, formal dress code. Lobster was on the menu. Before dessert was served, the dining staff paraded around the room carrying baked Alaskas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There was also an Alaskan seafood pot dinner you could partake in for an additional fee. I don't think you need to dress formally for that meal.
We took a few pictures at the photography stations set up around the ship.
 |
| behind us is a backdrop, not the ship |
Saturday was the last day of the cruise. It was mostly at sea, since our stop in Victoria was only from 7pm to 11:30pm.
|
|
|
|
Princess decorated my parents' cabin for my dad's lunar birthday. (I noted this on their reservation)
It was more of the same activities as sea day - breakfast in the buffet, lunch in main dining, kids participating in the club. The atrium and shopping deck were filled with tables selling merchandise. Some of us did end up redeeming a coupon for a free Effy lab-created emerald earring and necklace set, paying $10 to upgrade to the larger blue sapphire earring and necklace set. The Effy salesperson unexpected gave us both sets anyway. The coupon came from the salesperson manning the "Inch of Gold" jewelry stand. We tried our hand at trivia again, but we didn't have all the answers this time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| stracciatella (chocolate chip) |
Tonight's farewell dinner menu was pretty good, especially the chocolate desserts and gourmandises. Princess wanted to earn those "excellent" ratings!
 |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The dining staff sang "Happy Birthday" to my dad before dessert was served: (39 second video - click here if you cannot see the preview below)
|
|
The waiters did one more magic trick for Abby: (9 seconds, click here if you cannot see the preview below)
After dinner, we got off the ship and walked around Victoria.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
We did souvenir shopping and I indulged in some Pokemon Go.
|
|
 |
| multiple cruise ships at the dock |
Sunday morning was disembarkation time. We had breakfast in the buffet, then left the ship and went through customs easily. Our GroundLink ride was a bit delayed as there was a lot of traffic to the port, but we had plenty of time to spare.
|
|
There were enough American Express Platinum Cards in the group to admit everyone into the Centurion Lounge at the airport. Seattle is notorious for being crowded - upon entering, we waited 5-10 minutes for staff to locate seats. We ended up being separated into smaller groups, but that was fine.
|
|
Then everyone flew home...the end of a fun family cruise to Alaska! Cruising is a great way to do a multi-generational group vacation as there are activities for all ages and everyone can do whatever they want, together or apart, day or night. Food is available at all hours, and group dinner plans are less hassle compared to a land-based vacation - no need to call restaurants to make a reservation or showing up and waiting an hour or two for tables to open up. My nieces and nephew enjoyed going to the kid's club, freeing up time for the parents to work out, enjoy afternoon tea, nap or get a spa treatment. Besides playing video games and sports, the kids also made crafts such as decorating T-shirts, hats, necklaces - quality items that they could take home. The kid's club was a fond memory for them. Alaska was a great destination as the weather was cool and the scenery breathtaking. We've discussed going on another Alaskan cruise, but this time on a "one-way" itinerary (Anchorage to Vancouver or vice versa) in order to see some of the larger glaciers up close such as Hubbard. Another plus to cruising is that you get great value for the price paid - meals, entertainment, room, and visiting ports of call, only needing to unpack once. I also want to note that it was the first cruise for several members of the family and none of them experienced sea sickness, a frequent concern. The latest ships are built with stabilizers that reduce motion; the larger ships are like floating cities. If you like the idea of a cruise vacation for your (extended) family, contact me and I can help you find the perfect itinerary that will fit everyone's needs.
What's next? I head to Nashville to visit a dear friend...stay tuned!
Missed any of the previous days of the cruise? Refer to the trip index at the top of this page.
