Alaska: Inside Passage Cruise
We recently returned from the southbound tour. We arrived a day early as did a lot of people because we were transported to the hotel by bus. The Captain Hook Hotel is very nice but was very crowded with a Princess Cruise also there. The hotel restaurant had a 1 1/2 hour wait for dinner. We decided to walk around town. Restaurant after restaurant had anywhere from a 1/1/2 to 2 hours wait. The next morning, we were to meet the TDs to hand-in all the paperwork and schedule the Covid Test. The lobby was crowded bedlam with all the Princess Cruise people waiting. The breakfast restaurant had a 30-minute wait. Nobody was wearing a mask and it was wall to wall people. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We enjoyed walking around town based on advice of the concierge. We went down to the river to see the salmon fishermen, went to the museum and then went to a fabulous quilt store called the Quilted Raven. That evening we had the Covid test and a fabulous Welcome Dinner.
The next day we boarded the coach and made our way to Seward to board the ship. We made several stops along the way. Boarding the Silver Shadow was a smooth process. We have never sailed with SilverSea and were really impressed. The cabin suites were spacious, and the walk-in closet was a treat! There were four restaurants: The Main Restaurant, La Terrazza, the speciality restaurant La Dame and Hot Rocks. Only the Main Restaurant did not require reservations. Kitchen staff seemed to have trouble getting the orders correct but the wait staff was so terrific it didn't really matter. The entire staff was incredible. We aren't high maintenance travelers and our butler kept insisting he get treats for us. My husband's shoes were even shined without asking for it! the bartenders would have our drinks ready when they would see us coming. I cannot shower enough kudos! The ship did designate casual dress for dinner on some nights and jackets required on other nights. Satellite internet was very spotty.
The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The daily itinerary was good with the exception of Juneau. While the Mendenhall Glacier was pretty and certainly worth seeing the Garden visit was just ok. The town itself is very disappointing as it is a cruise ship tourist trap. We did the Dog Sled and Dungeness Crab excursions. We loved both of those excursions. The pace is quite leisurely.
I'm not sure what I expected but I really thought we would see more wildlife. We never saw a moose in the wild. We saw one brown bear along the water. There were several bald eagles, but I can see those in my backyard. There was probably a half dozen whale tails and a group of silly sea otters. There were lots of spawning salmons.
Very few people wore masks. Two people in our Tauck group came down with Covid mid-trip and were isolated in their room. There were numerous other guests that also came down with Covid and were isolated in their rooms.
Both of our tour directors were very well organized and enthusiastic. The Farewell Reception was held at the Fairmont Waterfront hotel. The male TD told the males in the group to dress as casually as they want. The female TD told the females in our group to dress-up because women like it. Quite frankly I was dumbfounded. I have a pretty standard rule. It there is a linen tablecloth and napkins, 6 pieces of flatware and 3 crystal glasses one should dress accordingly. Men showed up wearing ball caps, t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. I can tell you; my husband would never have left the room like that. I am not advocating tuxes and gowns, but this was ridiculous. Fortunately, there was a substantial group that was appropriately dressed for the occasion.
This is the second trip in a row where I felt the TD went well beyond to help a mobility challenged individual. The woman needed lots of help getting on and off the ship and bus. He literally hoisted the very large woman into the airport shuttle. I'm not sure what Tauck could do about that situation, but it was really unfair to expect that kind of help.
It was a great trip and I fell in love with Silver Sea Shadow.
Comments
loves2travel2,
Thank you for a very informative review. I hope to take this tour in 2024 and have a few questions if you don't mind...
What was the total guest count and the Truck-only count?
How was the on-board food at the venues you visited? We are not big eaters and prefer yogurt, fruit and porridge for breakfast and soup and salads for lunch. We certainly enjoy a more refined dinner experience, however.
How do the services of the butler work? I'm not sure we would ever use her/him but maybe for an occasional light meal or wine delivered to our cabin.
Thanks again!
We have been on the Silver Shadow twice. In 2021 we went with them to Iceland and then in 2022 we went on the Inside Passage of Alaska. We had a wonderful time and just love Tauck and Silversea. Next May we will have the best of both worlds as we are going with Tauck on their Hidden Galapagos and Peru. It is a combination of Tauck and Silversea. The ship is called Silver Origin.
The food on the Silver Shadow is exceptional. Silversea has many restaurants. It is up to you as they have so many different courses and you can choose one or five.
The butler we rarely used, however, he was very nice and checked on us daily. Silversea tends to be more dressy in the evenings than Tauck land tours or river cruises.
Kfnknfzk,
There were 85 Tauck guests and 250 SilverSea guests. La Terrazza restaurant is a buffet for both breakfast and lunch. Servers plate whatever you like from the buffet. The variety is endless. The food at all of the restaurants was very good. I would suggest making reservations for La Terrazza and Hot Rocks (poolside dining) as soon as you board as they fill up very quickly.
We absolutely loved Marc our Butler. He would appear out of nowhere anytime we were coming or going from our cabin. One day we thanked him for the little bowl of chips that would appear in our room in the afternoon. The next day we had a bigger bowl of chips. We usually came back to the cabin after 4:00 to unwind and get ready for dinner. Marc said let me bring you a shrimp cocktail or a cheese place. We said a shrimp cocktail. I have to tell you it was the best shrimp I have ever eaten!
One morning we decided to order room service for breakfast since we had an early excursion. The doorbell rang and Marc had a trolley with our breakfast. I wasn't dressed yet so I jumped in the closet. Little did I know, the dining tabletop is stored in the closet. Before my husband could stop him he had the door open! He quickly closed the door but insisted on putting the tablecloth over the coffee table and setting the table. It was pretty funny.
The combination of SilverSea and Tauck results in a fantastic experience!
loves2travel2,
Thank you so much for replying and answering my questions. It sure sounds like a wonderful cruise. I'm ready to book as soon as the 2024 dates are released. Warm regards.
As a newbie to Tauck (first tour starts next week!) and as one who has sailed the inland passage several times, I have a question: what is the advantage of booking a Tauck tour such as this, which has no extended land component, versus booking with the cruise line directly? I realize you have the Tauck TD’s, some curated excursions (are they really different than the ship offerings?) and your pre and post hotels can be arranged by Tauck. But is this the total value add or am I missing something? Thanks.
I took the Grand Alaska tour a couple of months ago. The Tauck excursions on the Princess cruise are different, and I believe superior, they use different buses and the Tauck tour director. I think the maximum number in the Tauck group is 42, Our group was 39, which by the time we got to the ship part of the tour was down to 28 and then we lost five more during that time too. We really enjoyed the land portion of the tour, the ship part not so much, we realize we are not cruise ship people. We think Tauck is the best option
Yes. I was wondering about the Tauck tours. (Like the one with Silverseas) where there is no extended land component, just the cruise.
British - I agree with you regarding the Tauck tours director. We have travelled with Silversea and Tauck and noticed the difference. Silversea emphasis is on the ship experience. The Silversea tour directors are not bad but certainly not as good as Tauck.
When we did the Hidden Galapagos on Silversea Origins, we had the same tour guides, naturalists as did the other passengers on the ship. They were excellent! The arrival and departure components of the cruise portion of the trip was managed by Silversea who used Metropolitan. Tauck added nothing to the tour other than the hotel in Guayaquil on both ends of the cruise portion of the trip. I would love to do the Origin again on our own and will book directly with Silversea - and skip Guayaquil.
Our butler experience was not impressive. We were in one of the less expensive rooms and I believe he may have had the entire floor. It was more like a room attendant on a regular Ponant small ship. I was told by people in the fancy rooms got special chocolates and were joking the Butler was all over them!
You get what you pay for!
If you do, then you could pay more to upgrade your room so you would get the true Butler experience and special chocolates.
Why is a butler service so important?
Bucketlist - On our two trips with Silversea one was Iceland and the other the Inside Passage we had different tour directors. The Tauck group had their own and we had Sivlersea as we booked directly with them. We noticed the difference in Iceland as this was our first trip with Silversean. We could compare them as we have travelled with Tauck numerous times on land as well as river cruises. Tauck tour directors are superior in my opinion. We will be on the Silver Origin in May. The Silver Origin is a small ship with only one hundred passengers so this is could be reason for using the same guides.
Our Tauck Alaska TD specifically told us that Tauck do different tours than the Princess passengers. They definitely included more and more intimate trips like the visit to the family homestead.
Bucketlist, we did a Silversea cruise last summer on the Moon, in Greece. Although we had the cheapest veranda stateroom, our butler couldn't have been better. Very attentive...blazer pressed, shoes shined, etc. I think it's more likely you had a dud for a butler, which is unfortunate.
Ecuador has strict requirements and the naturalists are professionals, educated and are licensed by the state. It was really interesting talking to them. They consider it a great job while living in paradise. They are independent contractors and many had separate gigs like owning wineries!
Generally, we were separated into the Tauck group and the non Tauck group for excursions, the guides were the same people for both groups. On a few trips, such as kayaking, we were mixed up. I think having the guides regulated by the state that is why there was no difference on this particular cruise. I did note on Ponant cruises, the Tauck guides appeared better than the ship's.
The Hidden Galapagos was a wonderful trip and I would recommend it to anyone. The butler service was not important to us. We were rarely in the room. One thing I did not like about the upgraded room is having outdoor furniture in the bedroom - a matter of taste. The Silversea staff was very professional.
I am looking forward to experiencing Windstar next May for another cruise experience. We don't do big ships or river cruises. Mostly do the land journeys but a Ponant cruise changed our mind about small ships. We feel very fortunate to able able to travel with Tauck.