Crystal Symphony And The Majestic Midnight Sun In Alaska Travel Tips

Crystal Cruises delivered an amazing luxurious travel experience to the last frontier – Alaska, the 49th state. The service was impeccable, food was delicious with very beautiful artful presentations and the accommodations were comfortable and well appointed. Overall, it is a great value and a very worthwhile experience!

We boarded the Crystal Symphony in Vancouver after spending the night at the Opus Hotel in Vancouver (a Vincent Vacations Hotel). The Opus Hotel was a great choice with a great location and easy access from the airport via the train. The room was well appointed and the staff very courteous. I just wish we had had longer to explore Vancouver. One night was not enough. Vancouver does celebrate Canada Day on July 1 in style with a street fair at Canada Place pier. The hotel provided a shuttle to the Canada Place pier making getting to the ship relaxing and stress free.

Boarding the ship was very easy and we were greeted with a glass of champagne and a welcoming smile. Exploring the 848 passenger ship was easy to navigate with the signage at the elevators as well as the provided deck plan. The attention to detail that Crystal delivers is outstanding. Even our key for the cabin was placed in a little crystal pouch that was very convenient to hold a driver’s license, money and credit cards.

The first day is filled with visiting the shore excursion desk, the spa (there is an open house to explore the different spa options) and the mandatory fire drill. If you’ve not previously signed up for one of the specialty restaurants, the first night is a great time to go and enjoy the exquisite cuisine. We dined at Prego and their unconstructed tiramisu makes your mouth water for more.

The wait staff in all the restaurants, especially the Marketplace and Waters make you feel welcomed valued family member with smiles and greetings of hospitality. They not only learn your name at the beginning of the cruise but also your preferences. The food was plentiful and delicious.

Silk delivered delicious food and impeccable service. One can make up to 2 dining reservations at each specialty restaurant prior to boarding the ship. Additional reservations may be made once on board.

Alaska itself is an amazing destination filled with wildlife, beautiful sceneries, mountain views, waterfalls and lots and lots of sunlight. Sailing in July, the sun didn’t set until 10-1030pm at night and rose around 4am. Certainly, it is the land of the midnight sun.

Doing a northbound journey (Vancouver to Anchorage) the first glacier stop was Tracy Arm. It did not disappoint. On the broken off pieces of glacier we saw sea lions just lounging and basking in the sun. It was breathtaking and awe inspiring.

Then to top that off, we went to Hubbard Glacier two days later. It is bigger, taller and wider than Tracy Arm by far! Here we saw a lot of glacier rash and calving of the glacier. No one ever talks about the sound a calving glacier makes and at first it can be startling. Here you have a sunny day with blue skies and suddenly you hear a loud thunderous crash. The thunder of the ice crashing into the ocean causes not only a loud sound but also a visual feast. Remember to bring binoculars to get an up close view of the calving glaciers. Even better would be a camera with a zoom lens to capture those fabulous images.

(All pictures taken with an iPhone)

If you live on the east coast, coming home from Anchorage is an overnight flight when you do the northbound sailing as we did. This is tiring after a fabulous vacation. Doing the southbound sailing would put the Hubbard Glacier first and Tracy Arm second. It would be less awe inspiring and Tracy Arm would feel like a let down after Hubbard. It is certainly the client’s choice on what is the best fit for them, with direction from you their favorite travel advisor!

If your clients want to experience the glaciers up close and personal on a zodiac raft, Crystal will have an expedition ship coming soon to their fleet. In the mean time, Seabourn’s Sojourn has the zodiac rafts as well as a mini ship that allows for a closer inspection of Hubbard Glacier. They approached Hubbard glacier first and we saw the zodiac and mini ship get much closer to the glacier and their return to the ship at the end of their time at the glacier.

The highlight of the trip was a helicopter ride to Mendenhall glacier and dogsled experience in Juneau. Taking off vertically, if somewhat backwards, the helicopter flew directly to the mountain and then up and over, almost like going up steps instead of an incline like a plane does. You can see the deep blue crevices of the glacier and get an understanding of how immense these glaciers really are. It is an indelible experience seared into my heart and memory.

Landing on Mendenhall glacier, you are greeted by the mushers who divide everyone into smaller groups. You have the choice to become a musher yourself and even drive the sled or sit back and relax and soak up the scenery. These dogs really want to run! In fact, the musher asks you not to pet the dogs at the beginning since all they want to do is run. There is no need to motivate these dogs to run, simply remove the brake and off they go! The run is over a mile and a half with beautiful glacier and mountain scenery. One gets the feeling of being just a small part of an immense beautiful landscape.

To give everyone an opportunity to mush, they stop and you can switch places to get a different experience. At the conclusion of the run we got to meet these beautiful dogs that are very sweet tempered and enjoy the attention and scratches. To top off the trip, there was a puppy that one could cuddle. Overall the helicopter / dogsled experience is something not to miss and definitely worth the splurge!

The Kayaking experience in Sitka gives the opportunity to see eagles, sea urchins, star fish and enjoy the crisp clean air!

Zip-lining in Ketchican included several zips as well as a rope suspension bridge. The team was focused on safety and we had a ball! Even got to slide down ‘fireman pole style’ at the end of the excursion. Definitely an opportunity to get your thrill on!

A very memorable shore excursion, one of the very best I have ever taken, was the Skagway & the Red Onion Salon! Daisy May DoYa (our hostess and guide) made the tour enjoyable all while delivering a very informative description of what women experienced during the gold rush. She even had us sashaying down the street! To see our walk: https://photos.app.goo.gl/c5xY8wuGw1zySSEZ6

Overall, there was not a feeling of being nickeled and dimed since the gratuities, alcohol, mini fridge refreshments in your cabin, room service, specialty restaurants and even wifi was included.

Crystal delivers impeccable service, food and fun! True luxury!