Trip Index
- Preparations, pre-cruise stay in Seattle
- Embarkation, Day at Sea, Ketchikan
- Sitka, Endicott Arm, Juneau, Victoria, disembarkation
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Remember when I was denied boarding our Odyssey of the Seas Southern Caribbean cruise back in January due to an unexpected positive Covid test result? I was able to switch it to a 7-night Alaska cruise on Quantum of the Seas, roundtrip from Seattle. Our friends Ed and Lori had recently moved to the area, so Kaleb and I planned a 2-night pre-cruise stay in the Emerald City to meet up with them and enjoy some good eats.
FLIGHTS
I redeemed Southwest Rapid Rewards points for nonstop flights to and from Seattle; Kaleb's ticket was free, thanks to having the Southwest Companion Pass. Cash price would have been around $260 each. We ended up just paying $5.60 taxes per person.
LODGING
Two nights were reserved at the Kimpton Monaco Seattle, located downtown. Total cash price for the stay was $600, but we instead redeemed two free night certificates, obtained every anniversary year from renewing both our IHG Select credit cards. The annual fee for the card is $49, so it is a solid value. The card also provides IHG Platinum Elite status, but it's not terribly useful besides a possible upgrade at check-in. (the IHG Select credit card is no longer available for application)
CITY ACTIVITIES
Kaleb and I were hitting the ground running - the afternoon of our arrival in Seattle, we all planned to meet at the Seattle Underground Tour start, as none of us had ever experienced it and seemed like a fun thing to do. Timed-entrance tickets were easily purchased online. For dinner, I made an OpenTable reservation for four at the Pink Door, an Italian restaurant located near Pike Place Market. Reservations are highly sought after, so I set a reminder to make the booking when the schedule opened 30 days in advance.
The next day, Kaleb and I didn't have any plans except to explore Pike Place Market. For dinner, I booked an OpenTable reservation at Sushi Kashiba.
CRUISE PLANNING
Royal Caribbean's main dining room offerings had become monotonous. Every ship serves the same menu each day, and I had sailed with Royal Caribbean twice in the last 6 months so I already knew what food to expect this third time around. I decided to splurge on the Ultimate Dining Package for the both of us. The package includes dinner at specialty restaurants every night of the cruise. The price paid ($196 per person for our cruise duration) was less than if you pre-booked a specialty restaurant every night within Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner. The caveat was that you could only make the discounted reservations onboard, so popular dining times may be all taken by then. Thus, our first task upon embarkation would be heading to the specialty restaurants to book our dinners. The dining package ended up free since I charged it to the Capital One Venture X credit card, and used Capital One points to cover the purchase.
It cost around $150 to add a one-device internet package (surf + stream), but it was free since I charged it to the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve credit card, which automatically triggered a Real Time Rewards points redemption (via SMS text message) to cover the cost of travel-related transactions. You must have the required number of Altitude points in your account at the time of purchase or it won't work; partial redemptions are not possible. In this case, I had to have 10,075 points in my account to cover the ~$150, based on the 1.5 cents per point reward rate. Also, I had to be able to send and receive SMS text messages on my phone to redeem. I noticed this method of redemption didn't work while traveling internationally as my US phone number was not active and I couldn't respond to the SMS in time upon returning to the states.
This would be our fourth cruise to Alaska. Most of the ports were repeats, so we didn't plan on purchasing any excursions. We had never been to Sitka, but we didn't book anything as it was a walkable town. Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier scenic cruising would also be new.
We were able to pack only carry-ons, so we didn't have to deal with checking in baggage at the airport or on the ship.
On with the trip!
Before our flight to Seattle, we went into the Escape Lounge at the airport using the Amex Platinum Card for entry. A small bites buffet was offered, along with an espresso machine, self-serve non-alcoholic drinks, and a tended bar offering many complimentary adult libations.
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| chicken with rice, and pudding |
After landing at Sea-Tac airport, we followed signs to the rideshare pick-up area, then ordered an Uber to the Kimpton Monaco. The rideshare setup was very organized with numbered parking spaces - the driver would communicate which space they were waiting in.
It was quite expensive for an 18-minute drive...including tip, almost $60. I had enough Uber credit in my account to cover the fare, thanks to adding Amex Platinum and Gold cards to my Uber wallet. Those cards offer $15 or $20 a month Uber credit as a cardmember benefit, which stack if you have multiples. It's "use-it-or-lose-it" - credits not used each month don't carry over.
Thanks to having Platinum IHG status through the IHG credit card, we got upgraded to a high-floor city view room. Unfortunately, there was no "secret password" offered at the time of our stay. When the password promotion was going on, it provided cool perks when we uttered it during check-in at the Kimpton Rowan in Palm Springs.
The room was nicely decorated, with a boutique feel. Atelier Bloem toiletries were designed for Kimpton by Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz. There was a yoga mat and comfortable robes in the closet.
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Once we got settled, we walked about 7 blocks to meet Ed and Lori at the entrance to the Seattle Underground tour. We enjoyed learning about the history of the city and seeing remnants of the past. It reminded me of the Underground Tour in Sacramento.
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With a couple of hours to kill before dinner, the four of us walked back to the Kimpton Monaco to enjoy a glass of complimentary wine during their evening social hour and catch up on what's been going on in our lives.
Afterwards, we walked to the Pink Door located on Post Alley. If you didn't know where to look, you'd completely pass by the non-descript entrance. There was no obvious signage and the door was slightly pink-colored.
The atmosphere was lively, with music playing. The menu had a vast selection, and everything we chose tasted great.
We really enjoyed our experience at the Pink Door and I would come here again. But definitely make reservations! It was really nice spending time with old friends.
The next day, Kaleb and I headed out to Pike Place Market and got sustenance from Storyville Coffee Company. It was pretty crowded at 11:30am. We ate a breakfast sandwich and a cinnamon roll, washed down with some coffee and latte. Everything was tasty.
After exploring in the afternoon, we went to dinner at Sushi Kashiba. We both ordered the Peak set menu. Extra nigiri could be ordered on a piece of paper.
Each course was fresh and scrumptious! We enjoyed the toro (fatty tuna) hand roll and the marinated tuna nigiri so much, we ordered seconds.
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| toro hand roll doesn't look like much, but delicious! |
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| agedashi tofu |
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| marinated tuna top right |
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| miso soup and sweet tamago to end |
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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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