Day 6 - Train to Whittier and Embarkation

On the train to Anchorage and Whittier

June 8 , 2011

Up way too early the next morning, but at least the clouds were starting to lift over Denali. Our luggage had to be out by 6:00a, which meant we had to be showered and dressed by that time.  Our luggage wasn't even picked up until 8:00a!  Aaaargh! I could have used an extra two hours of sleep.

We went to the lodge for some hot chocolate and pastries and watched Denali make her entrance. We then caught the shuttle early into town. Most everyone else leaves around 11:45 and goes straight to the train depot, but you have the option of going into town earlier and catching a shuttle from town over to the depot. We walked down Main Street to the end where it meets the river and took some shots of Denali in the morning light with the three rivers (Chulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna) meeting in the foreground. We then headed over to the Roadhouse for an early lunch of Cornish pasties.  They were good, but not as good as breakfast. The place was packed, and the seating is family style. On this occasion we sat at a table with several couples and found out that they were three sisters and their husbands from Canada RVing around the country. They were just finishing so their places were taken by a father and son from Kentucky, who happened to be on the same tour we were.

Around noon we met the shuttle by Mahay’s to be transferred over to the train depot. It was a different depot than the one we came into, and we were lucky to find a log to sit on while we waited. No cushy shelters with benches like in Denali. After a while, the other shuttles from the lodge showed up and things got pretty busy and crowded.  The train finally came in, and there were no Princess or Holland America cars; just the Alaska railroad cars.  While they had the observation cars with the glass overhead, they were not as nice as the Princess car.  The seats were assigned, not just the tables as it had been coming from Denali. The lavatories were not nearly as nice either. 

Wetlands near Anchorage.

The scenery got exciting once we were past Anchorage, there were some incredible hanging glaciers in Turnagain Arm. I wish I had taken some photos, but we were too busy talking to our tablemates - they were great. After a long tunnel through the mountain at the end of the Arm, we came out the other side to find ourselves in Whittier.  It’s the strangest town I’ve ever seen; all the residents live in one building!

We had completed all our boarding documents and received our Seapass on the train, so we figured it would take no time at all to board the ship.  Wrong! It took forever for all the train passengers to go through security.  After about 45 minutes we finally stepped on board the Island Princess.  We had splurged on a mini-suite, cabin B416, which is mid-ship, port side, with a balcony on the corner so we had an unobstructed view forward.  It is a great cabin.  I think the bathroom was a little larger than a regular balcony, and we had a larger living area, which was nice.  The sofa could have easily accommodated 4 people, and there was a chair as well.  We had two TVs, one facing the bed and one facing the sofa.

Our cabin from the entryway

Our cabin from the balcony (I'm one of those crazy people
that takes a lot of photos of our cabin, in case anyone
else has booked a similar cabin).

We splurged on a mini-suite for the corner balcony,
but we loved the extra space.

While I’m thinking about it…amenities.  In the lodges, we had soap, shampoo and conditioner, that was it. There were hair dryers in the rooms.  On the ship we had soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion.  They did not supply cotton balls, swabs, etc. There is a hair dryer attached to the wall of the cabin.

The bathroom sink and vanity

The shower/tub combo, it was tiny
and the curtain was always blowing
in. I prefer the circular sliding doors.

Food – we had dinner in the Horizon Court the first night and were not impressed.  We found meals in the dining room to be far superior. We had breakfast in the Bordeaux dining room one morning and it was fine. We had lunch in the Bordeaux on Glacier Bay day, and it was very good. We had anytime seating in the Bordeaux and really liked it.  On most evenings we spent so much time talking with our tablemates that we missed the entertainment.  We determined to see a show on our next to last night and were underwhelmed with the comedian, Scott Wyler.

All in all, we were really pleased and surprised with Princess.  Their service was really good, and the food, other than the Horizon Court, was comparable to Celebrity or Holland America.  I would be happy to take another Princess cruise.

Up next - Hubbard Glacier