Alaska Cruise 2017: Juneau

Our first port was Juneau, Alaska's capital city. It's Alaska's second biggest city with just over thirty-two thousand people. This isn't a very big city, but it certainly gets crowded with tourists during cruise season.

Here are pictures that we took as the Ruby Princess was docking at the port.

Parked next to the Ruby Princess, was Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam, which Dan and I took on our first trip to Alaska. The Nieuw Amsterdam is a great ship, perfect for older passengers. It's much smaller with more quiet spaces. The Ruby Princess is a better fit for cruising with children.

The official Juneau port picture, with a anemic looking killer whale and dopey moose. I like the framing with the bear, who looks like he wants to get in on the action.

We took a picture of the kids with the statue of Patsy Ann, Juneau's famous rescue dog.

If you look up in the sky and are lucky, you'll spot bald eagles soaring over Juneau. They are gorgeous and majestic. However, if you fail to spot a bald eagle, you'll most certainly see the Alaska Ravens. Alaska Ravens are everywhere in Juneau. They own the place. They have zero fear of tourists.

We had a few hours to browse shops and grab lunch before our afternoon excursion. We ate at the Alaska Fish & Chips Company. The food and service were both very good, but this airplane themed restaurant is most definitely a tourist spot, complete with tourist pricing.

The restaurant is located on the waterfront, in a small mall of other business. We walked through the mall and looked at all manner of Alaska souvenir: canned salmon, fur bikinis, and enormous hunting knives.

We declined those purchase opportunities. Instead, we took pictures of fun signs and the town.

Juneau is a port that is filled with great excursions. On our first cruise, Dan and I took a trip to an eagle rescue, went on a cable car ride, and rode in a float plane over the Tongass National Forest. This trip, we booked the "Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip."

We were picked up at the port and took a quick bus ride to the start of our rafting adventure. We were told to wear thick socks and warm clothes, with the tour company outfitting us in safety equipment, rain boots, and water-proof clothes.

Bundled up, armed with paddles, we waddled to our raft and we were helped aboard by the rafting crew.

I can't remember the name of our guide, but she was great. She made sure that we were safe (no going overboard), but still had fun, while learning about Alaska.

The kids were allowed to paddle, but really it was the adults doing the bulk of the work. It wasn't too strenuous though, this is an excursion that most people would have no problem enjoying. If you really couldn't or didn't want to paddle, you were put in the middle of the raft. No pressure to get a work-out!

This is the Mendenhall Glacier right in front of us!

The best part of the trip was the small section of rapids. It was thrilling and it definitely made me eager to book a white-water rafting vacation. Most of the excursion was tame, just floating through the Tongass National Forest.

It started lightly raining and it was so cold, that the rain turned to ice in our hair. If you look closely, you can see the ice!

This was actually our 2017 holiday card picture.

Not only did we have a great time, but we really enjoyed spending the afternoon with the other people on our raft. Everyone was very friendly and having fun. Before heading back to the bus, we were given hot cider and a selection of appetizers- including a salmon spread for crackers, of course. You can't escape salmon in Alaska.

If you're looking for a Juneau excursion that is a little thrilling, without being terrifying, the "Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip" is the perfect pick.

Alaska Cruise 2017- Ruby Princess Dining

The Ruby Princess has a large range of food options; truly something for everyone. Like many cruise lines, some of the dining options are including in your fare, such as meals in the main dining room, the casual buffet on the Lido deck, and a few quick service options. There are also a handful of specialty restaurants that you can enjoy for a nominal fee.

It's recommended that you prebook the speciality dining restaurants prior to your vacation, as these are smaller dining rooms and can filled to capacity, especially on sea days. We imagined that our trip with the kids would not include the speciality restaurants, so we did not make any reservations. However, on the very first night, we decided to splash-out at the steak restaurant, Crown Grill. The first night of a cruise is one of the slowest for specialty dining, so we were easily accommodated and the restaurant was practically empty.

Felix is a bit of a finicky eater, but the staff at Crown Grill was awesome. They ran to another restaurant on the ship to get a big plate of pasta shells and cheese. Felix was thrilled. The rest of us enjoyed steak and seafood. The dessert sampler was divine. It was easily the best meal that we ate on the Ruby Princess and had we been able to secure another reservation, we would have returned. Based on all of my past cruises, I definitely recommend trying the specialty restaurants. They are usually worth paying a little extra.

Although we didn't have a chance to dine in them, we did take a look at the other speciality dining offerings onboard. I was most intrigued by celebrity chef Curtis Stone's Share, which offers a six-course meal. Adigo is the Italian offering and I suspect this is where Felix's shells and cheese was procured. The Salty Dog is the Gastropub option.

We had the late seating in the Da Vinci Dining Room. I always find it difficult to choose between the early and late seating, but since we were a late booking ( only a handful of available cabins when we booked), we were not given a choice.

As far as cruise ships go, the offerings in the main dining room were about average. When we were on a two-week cruise, we found the main dining room choices to get a little same-y, but a week is just enough to enjoy it, without getting board. The dining room staff certainly works very hard ( as does everyone on the ship), but the meals always feels rushed. I think more than that, the stress from the servers trickles over. I noticed this on previous cruises. They try very hard to maintain an air of calm, but the whole meal feels somewhat tense.

There are several main dining rooms and although we were assigned to Da Vinci for dinner, breakfast and lunch were unassigned.

I'm going to close with this cute picture of Felix talking to the captain of the Ruby Princess on one of the formal nights.

Coming next, my port and excursion review of Alaska's capital, Juneau.

Alaska Cruise 2017- The Ruby Princess

Dan and I were fortunate to take a cruise to Alaska in 2016 and it was such a special experience, that we wanted to share it with Zoe and Felix. Since we were living in Portland, just a short drive from the departure point in Seattle, we decided that the summer of 2017 was the perfect opportunity to take the kids to Alaska.

We booked last minute ( just a few months out) and secured a cabin on Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess. A shout-out to our travel agent, Chris Lee, the owner of "I'm on a Boat" travel agency, for taking care of us. I highly recommend using Chris to help plan your next vacation. He's extremely knowledgable, kind, and helped us get a great deal. Thanks Chris!

Our cruise took place last June, just over a year ago. We drove to the cruise port and used the long-term parking option at the cruise terminal for our car. Here we are waiting for the shuttle to the cruise terminal. The first picture of the holiday!

Greetings at the cruise terminal.

There was plenty of staff on hand to make our embarkation process a breeze. We arrived a few hours before we set sail and we were on the ship within fifteen minutes.

Here are some shots of the Ruby Princess. These were taken at different ports in Alaska, so you'll notice the different weather. Seattle blue-skies and Alaska gray.

If you've been on a cruise, you'll know that photos are taken of you at every opportunity. Here is our official embarkation photo. Felix had a green shirt on, hence the blending into the glacier. We all thought it was hilarious. We ended up splurging on the full-photo package. The photographers on the cruise ships do a great job and it's an opportunity to get quality photographs of all of us together. I highly recommend buying on the photo package.

On a previous cruise with the kids ( 2 week Mediterranean with Royal Caribbean), we stayed in a large balcony suite and had a ton of amenities that came with booking that class of cabin. This time, we had a smaller budget and booked an exterior cabin with two bunk beds. It was no-frills.

That said, we were perfectly happy with the smaller cabin. The thing I've realized about all cruise ships, is they're brilliant with how they design the space and storage in the cabins. We had no problem storing all of our belongings and never felt cramped. With the colder weather in Alaska, we really didn't miss not having a balcony and most of the time, we were exploring the ship or off at a port. I think the space, amenities, and balcony were great when we were in Europe. I used the balcony every single day of that trip. However, in Alaska, we didn't need more than we booked.

Here is a look at our cabin. The bunk beds are shows up, in "day-time mode." The cabin attendant put them down every night for us. One thing I always look forward to on cruises are the towel animals. Even though our cabin attendant was attentive and great in other respects, we did not get the much anticipated towel animals. It may sound silly, but the lack of towel animals was a disappointment. We did get turn-down chocolate, which was not a disappointment!

The most exciting thing is running around and checking out the ship for the first time.

The kids were most interested in the pool. The pool was heated and they used it every day of the trip, even when the temperatures were chilly in Alaska. Dan and I often sat on lounge chairs, bundled-up in winter coats, enjoying hot drinks, while they swam.

The Ruby Princess does have a great kids club and the kids attended one session. Kids clubs have never been their favorite thing and they did not return. They did meet kids at the pool that were their age (7 & 9 ), who loved the club. Zoe and Felix did want to attend a party that the kid's club held in the main atrium on the last day of the cruise. They had games, face painting, and crafts. The kids loved it. A giant shark and pelican were leading a dance party!

Speaking of dance parties; Zoe and I went to the midnight balloon drop gala party that was held on the last sea day. Dan had a stomach bug and Felix just couldn't stay awake, so the girls went to the party. It had the vibe of a wedding reception, with a live band playing classic hits that manage to transcend generations.

We attended two of the main stage shows. Here's a picture of the theatre, nearly empty.

The first show was a family-friendly comedian/magician named R.J. Lewis. Admittedly, after seeing a majority of the shows in Las Vegas, we are a tough crowd. That said, we were all delighted by Lewis' show.

The second show was Magic to Do, a musical revue featuring songs by Stephen Schwartz. If the name Stephen Schwartz doesn't ring a bell, you've surely heard of his hit musicals: Wicked, Pippin, and Godpell, among others. I'm not at all a fan of Schwartz's musicals and if I had realized that I'd be sitting through an hour of his music, I'd probably have skipped the show. That said, it was an hour of high-quality entertainment. The singers and dancers on the Ruby Princess are all first-rate and the show was a pleasant surprise. As the title of the show implies ( it's also a song from Pippin), there was some magic elements. Considering the limitations on a cruise ship, the sets, costumes and effects were quite the spectacle. We all enjoyed it.

Although every evening show was family-friendly, we only attended the two, because the others were not appealing. There was another comedy night and a few other musical revues. Additional entertainment included cruise favorites like bingo, trivia, and game shows. There is a casino and a sports deck with mini golf. Princess Cruises has a partnership with the Discovery Channel and they had special programs with naturalists on board the ship. Often crew members were dressed in lumberjack/jill costumes to reflect our destination of Alaska. And of course, there were the endless art auctions. I'm not sure why cruise ships are so big on the art auctions, but clearly people are purchasing.

Our week-long cruise on the Ruby Princess was filled with activities, including four ports and a day of cruising through Glacier Bay. Coming up: Dining on the Ruby Princess and port reviews!

Here are a few shots as we sailed away from the port in Seattle, heading towards our Alaska adventure!