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Day 4 Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise - Whale Watching in Juneau

Posted by Unknown at 4:54 AM Monday, December 10, 2012 Labels: Alaska, Cruise, Juneau, USA 0 comments

Alaska Cruise (Juneau) . 2012 . Sep 18

Whale Watching Cruise and Mendehall Glacier at Juneau USD$179 per pax, JNU630, approximately 5.25 hr

Mention Alaska and the image of snowy mountains, the extreme coldness, and wildlife such as bears and whales comes into mind. Our whale encounter started as soon as we sailed off from Ketchikan.

Snowy Pass

About 3 hours after sailing away from Ketchikan, the Diamond Princess sails through a passageway called the Snowy Pass. Due to its nutrient-rich waters, this narrow passageway is well known for the presence of humpback whales which often comes into the passageway to feed. If you are under the impression that whales could only be seen on a whale watching cruise, imagine our surprise when we were able to spot numerous humpback whales from our balcony. At one point, one humpback got so close to our ship, we could see its underbelly so clearly as it flipped around in the waters. To be able to spot whales from the ship as we travel through Alaska waters was one of the most memorable part of the cruise and for the thousandth time, we were glad that we had cabin with a balcony.

Juneau Whale Watching Cruise

In the early morning of 18 September 2012, the Diamond Princess sails into the harbour of Juneau – the Capital of Alaska. It is yet another misty morning, and we hoped that the weather would hold out while we embark on our whale watching cruise and Mendenhall Glacier tour

Grabbing a bite before the land excursion starts.

Leaving the comfort of the Diamond Princess for the land excursion. Due to its rich ecology, the town of Juneau has much to offer for nature lovers and so therefore, there are a great variety of different tours. Again, logistic management by Princess Cruises was amazing, we did not have any difficulty looking for the right tour bus despite the huge crowd.

A glimpse of the city as we were whisked away to the harbour. As it was still pretty early in the morning, most of the shops were still closed.

Rivers and plains of Juneau. Just as in Ketchikan, there is an abundance of wildlife around even at a distance of a few minutes drive from the city centre. Keep your eyes peeled for bald eagles resting on the mudflats. They are not that difficult to spot.

Dramatic scenery at the harbour

Our vessel for the whale watching cruise – the St Aquilino, a high speed catamaran which boasts of a comfortable temperature controlled indoor seating area at the main cabin, and an exposed outer deck and upper deck. Complimentary hot drinks and snacks are provided and there are toilet facilities on board. This tour is actually conducted by Allen Marine Tours.

Off we go to Auke Bay to look for humpback whales. Tip: Dress in layers for the whale watching cruise as it can get very breezy out in the waters.

Each passenger are provided with a pair of high powered binoculars for use during the whale watching cruise! Binoculars are an essential part of the tour as federal laws stipulate that vessels are not allowed to approach within 100 yards of the animal. So unless the whale swims nearer to the vessel, it would be quite impossible to get a good view of it without some optical aid.

Panoramic windows offers passengers stunning views in the comfort of the warm interior.

Our onboard naturalist keeps a close lookout for whales and makes announcements through these speakers so that passengers on the upper decks could benefit.

Amazing scenery of snow capped mountains as we caught our first glimpse of the Mendenhall Glacier a few minutes after setting off from the harbour.

The first humpback whale was spotted barely 20 mins into the cruise. These gentle giants spend most of their summer in the calm and nutrient-rich waters of Auke Bay before heading to the warmer waters of Hawaii to breed.

Whales are easily spotted by looking for a plume of vapour plume above the water surface as the whale exhales as they come up to the water surface to breathe. Sometimes, if the whale is close enough, you can hear the sounds of water being forced out of their blowholes.

A pod of three humpback whales as we followed their trail along another vessel. Generally, these whales exhale several times in a row as they swim near the water surface, and you'll be able to catch sight of parts of their shiny black bodies and a small dorsal fin.

Tip: Through our observation, we soon learned that once the whale arches its body, and throws its large tail fluke into the air (get the cameras ready!), it means that the animal is diving into deeper waters and won't surface for a long time. Whales travelling in a pod tends to stay together, meaning that when one of the whale is diving, you might have some seconds to spare to get that camera ready to capture a tail fluke when the other whales in the pod start diving.

Although there are also incidences of sightings of killer whales (also known as orcas) in Auke Bay, we had no such luck during our trip. After about an hour and a half on the hour on our whale quest, the catamaran makes its way to a small outcrop.

Can you spot some wildlife here?

Answer: A Bald Eagle and a Seal

As we were getting ready to leave misty Auke Bay, we spotted a mother and calf pair of whales. According to our naturalist, this mother-calf pair makes a trip to Auke Bay to feed every year, but it has been a long time since they were spotted.

Making our way back to the harbour as we caught another glimpse of the Mendenhall Glacier. More on Mendenhall Glacier in our next post.

Lots of seagulls hovering near the water surface. Just like the whales, birds are attracted to the food source in the water.

Reaching the calm of the harbour at the end of the whale-watching cruise.

Seeing a whale in the wild is a truly awe-inspiring experience and makes the journey through Alaska so worthwhile. We thoroughly enjoyed our whale watching cruise and had a great day out at sea! :)

Coming up next: Mendenhall Glacier

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Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise Day 4 Dinner Menu (Italian Dinner)

Posted by Unknown at 4:10 AM Friday, December 7, 2012 Labels: Alaska, Alaska Cruise Menus, Cruise, Juneau, Travel Resources, USA 0 comments

Alaska Cruise . 2012 . Sep 18

Dinner Menu for Day 4 (Italian Dinner)

(V) indicates vegetarian dish

Appetizers

Herb and Sea Salt Marinated Seafood Antipasto
shrimp, squid and black mussels with creamy lemon emulsion

Prosciutto Crudo con Melone
dry-cured ham with sweet cantaloupe melon

Melanzane alla Parmigiana (V)
grilled eggplant topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves

Shrimp Cocktail
an American classic with horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce

Soups and Salads

Pasta e Fagioli
simmered red bean and pasta soup with ham hocks and parsley

Minestrone all' Ortolana (V)
traditional italian vegetable soup with ditalini pasta and pesto crouton

Iced Peach Bellini Soup (V)
combination of peach puree and sparkling prosecco

Mixed Greens and Baby Spinach with Crisp Bacon Pecorino Cheese and Pine Nuts
choice of homemade and low-fat dressings

Classic Caesar Salad (V)
crisp romaine lettice, caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and herb croutons; anchovies upon request

Signature Pastas

Available as an appetizer or main course and served with freshly grated parmesan cheese

Spaghetti con Polpette in Salsa di Pomodoro Fresco
spaghetti with meatballs in fresh tomato sauce

Fettuccine Alfredo in Crisp Parmesan Basket (V)
An All-Time Princess Favorite
rich, comforting and entirely satisfying

Main Courses

To enhance the flavors the chef has paired each dish with the freshest sides

Filetto di Mahi Mahi alla Griglia
grilled mahi mahi fillet with herb butter, garlic-sauteed swiss chard and caponata of bell pepper, onion & eggplant, saffron-infused potatoes

Cacciucco alla Livornese
zesty fish and shellfish stew with white wine, garlic, tomato and a pinch of chilli peppers, toasted crostini

Petto di Pollo alla Valdostana
shallow-fried breaded chicken breast with mushroons and fontina melt spinach and oven-roast potatoes

Scaloppine di Vitello al Marsala
pan-fried veal scallopini with marsala wine sauce, green beans, cherry potatoes and creamy mashed potatoes

Brasato di Manzo al Barolo
beef pot roast braised in barolo wine with all the trimmings grilled cornmeal cakes

Pizzoccheri alla Valtellina (V)
layers of buckwheat pasta, potatoes and spinach baked with grana padano, garlic and sage

Grilled Salmon with Herb & Lemon Compound Butter
vegetables of the day and parsley potatoes

Pan-Seared Corn-Fed Chicken with Thyme Jus
lightly seasoned boneless breast, vegetables of the day and roast potatoes

Princess Half Pound Sirloin Burger
ground fresh daily, cooked to order, served with gourmet fries and our signature secret sauce

Grilled Spice-Rubbed Tri Tip Roast
marinated choice American beef, slow roasted and grilled, served medium-well wuth chimichurri or BBQ sauce, broiled tomato & zucchini and steak fries

Savoy Dining Room Specialty Dish

Pork Chop
Pork cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig

After Dinner Drinks, Digestifs, Dessert Wine

Coffee

Cafe Latte                 $2.50
Mocha                   $2.50
Cappuccino                 $2.50
Espresso                     $1.70
Double Espresso        $2.50

Dessert Wine

Errazuriz Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc by the glass    $3.95
notes of honey and golden raisins add depth and richness to the fruity citric Sauvignon Blanc characters

Port Wine and Sherry

Sandeman's Port (20 years)        $7.25
Harvey's Bristol Cream              $4.95
Tio Pepe                                       $4.95
Dry Sack                                      $4.95

Liqueurs and Cordials

Amaretto di Saronno           $5.75
Drambuie               $5.75
Grand Marnier                  $5.75
Kahlua                   $5.75
Frangelico                  $5.75
Brogan's Irish Cream             $5.75
B&B D.O.M               $5.75
Sambuca               $5.75
Tia Maria               $5.75
Galliano                  $5.75
Southern Comfort              $5.75

Cognac

Courvoisier V.S.O.P                  $7.25
Courvoisier Napoleon               $9.50
Remy Martin V.S.O.P              $7.25
Remy Martin X.O                    $10.75

Desserts

Tiramisu
Espresso, zabaglione cream and bittersweet cocoa

Cassata alla Siciliana
ice cream trilogy with candied fruits

Sugar-Free Mochaccino Semifreddo
orange stew

Princess Love Boat Dream
rich chocolate mousse on brownie

Traditional New York Cheesecake
macerated strawberries

French Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
with sugar cane crust, lemon madeleines

Ice Cream
gelato allo zabaglione, gelato al torroncino, sorbetto al limoncello di sorrento

Create Your Own Sundae
vanilla or chocolate ice cream, strawberry, chocolate, butterscotch caramel or pineapple toppings, whipped cream

Sweet & Nutritious Fruits
lemon twist, mint leaf

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Day 3 Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise - Exploring Downtown Ketchikan

Posted by Unknown at 10:21 PM Saturday, December 1, 2012 Labels: Alaska, Cruise, Ketchikan, USA 0 comments

Alaska Cruise (Ketchikan) . 2012 . Sep 17

After our early morning excursion to see the bears in Neets Bay at Ketchikan, we were picked up at Knudson Cove by our small group bus back to explore Downtown Ketchikan.

Bald eagles are the symbol of Ketchikan. On the way from Knudson Cove to downtown Ketchikan, the tour guide cum driver would often cut into the middle of her own sentence and exclaim “look to your left at the ten o'clock position' or “to the right at the three o’clock position”. She was of course, referring to the bald eagles perched on the branches of the tall trees along the road (we do hope that she was focussing on her driving at the same time). So keep the cameras and binoculars ready at all times, even on the bus.

Princess Cruises requests that all passengers be on board by 1:30pm for sail-off, meaning that we only had less than 2 hrs to explore Ketchikan downtown after the early morning Neets Bay bear watching trip. The tour bus dropped us off at Berth 4 where the Diamond Princess was docked.

Fortunately for us, it means that we were at exactly the best place to board the free downtown Shuttle Bus that starts from Berth 4. The free downtown Shuttle Bus runs only during the cruising season (from May through September), making a few stops along the 20 minute circuit. Unfortunately for us, Berth 4 is also the furthest dock away from the downtown, meaning that passengers making their way back to the ship on foot will have a long way to walk.

There’s a map near the pier to help first time visitors find their way. Although the downtown area isn’t that big and you are unlikely to get lost, it’s good to have a brief orientation of the town layout in case you are in the midst of frantic shopping and miss the “Return to Cruise Ship” timing.

Welcome to Alaska’s 1st City! That’s the famous and classic arch that we came across in many travellers' photos while doing the research. ..and here we are, right at this very spot, looking at the arch set against the backdrop of the misty mountains...it feels so surreal at that point in time

As what our shopping host had highlighted in the Alaska Shopping Spotlight Show that we attended the day before, there were plenty of diamond and jewellery shops in Ketchikan. So if you are interested in buying some jewellery or diamonds, do attend the show and you will get some discount coupons that you can use in the shops and some tips on how to select a good diamond.

If you are not really into diamonds or jewellery (like us), you can shop at the many other souvenir shops in Downtown Ketchikan. We had the benefit of being one of the last cruises of the season to go to Alaska (in fact, we are the last Princess cruise to Alaska for 2012), so we were really in for a major shopping spree. This is because all the shops were eager to clear their shelves in preparation for the closing of the season, and everything in the shops were discounted to the extend that they were even cheaper than the discounts in the coupon book. Some of the items were in fact more than 70% off from their original prices.

There were sales everywhere in town, and because we had limited time, it became more of a challenge to do justice to the sales going on around us. We finally concentrated our efforts on one of the bigger stores, Tongass Inside Passage, where we began our shopping frenzy. Prices there were probably the cheapest we could find in town. They do sell a lot of other souvenirs other than Alaska-themed T-shirts. On top of the sale price, if you have attended the Alaska Shopping Spotlight Show the previous day on board the cruise, you would have a stack of coupon books which you can use in the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway where you are entitled to further discounts in the shops. This reminds us of our shopping trip to the Woodbury Premium Outlets with our VIP coupon books.

However, if you are into authentic Alaskan made products, you might want to take some time to explore the authentic Alaskan shops. Most of the items sold at an authenic Alaskan shop would be handcrafted with natural materials, and the prices would certainly be a lot steeper than the mass produced ones at the souvenir shops.

Our souvenirs, bought at ridiculously low prices!

16" Black Bear Plushie @ USD $9.99

Black Bears on Log @ USD $2.99 (Usual Price USD $6.99)
Bald Eagle Coin Bank @ USD$2.99 (Usual Price USD $14.99)
Alaskan Dark Chocolate Bar @ USD$0.99 (Usual Price USD $1.99)

Alaska Knit Hats @ USD $10 for 3 (USD $2 each after further discounts from Coupon Book)

We also got ourselves a pair of Alaska Inside Passage T-shirts priced @ USD $3.99 each (USD $2.50 each after further discounts from Coupon Book)

We were also given a Free Alaska 'Inside Passage' Mug upon presenting our coupon book.

In total, we paid USD $30.66 (inclusive of taxes) for our purchases, saving us $61.97 from the usual prices!

The pictursque Ketchikan downtown. It was a misty day with slight drizzles. We were told that Ketchikan rains for more than 200 days in a calendar year and we were indeed lucky to encounter only a slight drizzle when we visited Ketchikan as it was pouring for the entire week before.

One of the furthest stops along the shuttle bus circuit - the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Centre.

There are guided tours provided at the Hatchery at a price. We did not enter the hatchery due to time constraints.

Instead, we had a quick look at the owl in its glass cage outside the entrance

We then looked at the stream outside the hatchery for salmons. Salmons are not in abundance in this stream, and you do have to observe the waters carefully for them as they tend to be camouflaged among the rocks in the stream.

We saw the “World’s largest Gold Nugget” too..or so it claims.

There were a few other ships at the docks including Holland America’s Cruise ship. Sigh, the other ships are all docked closer to town, where all the action were.

Some tourist information boards on our way back to the beautiful Diamond Princess cruise ship...

Totem poles are a trademark image of the Tlingits – one of the earliest inhabitants of the beautiful Alaskan region. In Ketchikan, you'll see plenty of them around even at the town. We mean the right picture..the left one is a directonal pole...hee hee...

If you have more time on your hands, you may want to visit Creek Street (the free shuttle bus makes a stop there).

Taking a walk along the boardwalk on the way back to the Diamond Princess.

Final glimpse of the lovely small town before we return our ship..

Finally, it is back to our home away from home - the beautiful Diamond Princess.... :)

Ketchikan is such a beautiful and vibrant town, we wished that we had more time to explore to do ourselves justice. Totem Bight Park, Creek Street, Deer Mountain, Salmon Hatcheries – these are all the places at Ketchikan that we had no time to pay a visit to. We shall leave all these to our next trip to Alaska then...