In May 2018, Eileen and I enjoyed a combined land tour/ocean cruise vacation to Alaska. In part 1, we described our land tour visit to a gold mining area, a riverboat excursion, an indigenous American native area, visiting Mount Denali National Park and lastly, a scenic train ride to our ship in Whittier. Once we were boarded and somewhat settled, it was time for the âmusterâ drill; what to do in case of an emergency. Then the first of many food courses. I doubt anyone will go hungry on a cruise. Overall, we were happy with the quality of the food in all the restaurants we tried. Settling into our beds for the first night of our ocean cruise, we were gently rocked asleep as the ship sailed to the next destination.
Eileen and Michael Giltner by a glacier in Alaska. (Photos provided)
Hubbard Glacier was the first of several spectacular sites as part of the actual cruise. Hubbard is the largest tidewater glacier in North America, going from horizon to horizon. We could hear it calving as we took picture after picture. And then it happened right in front of us; with a sharp, lightning-like retort and a thunderous boom, a large section cracked and fell into the ocean, sending up small tidal waves toward the ship. There were a lot of âoohsâ and âaahsâ from the crowd at the shipâs rail. As we watched, we noticed sea otters playing in the ice floes. The bulk of the day was spent slowly cruising in the bay. We had plans that evening so we hurried back to our cabin. Our âspecialâ anniversary dinner lasted about 3 hours as we were toasted with champagne and a special dessert.
Cruising overnight, the following day was spent in Glacier Bay. The bright blue of the glacier ice was very evident and it was explained that this is due to the compressed nature of the ice. All the other colors are absorbed with only blue being reflected. There were also several whales, orcas, and sea lions close to the ship.
Our first port of call: Skagway.
At every port, there are numerous optional tours to select from to extend your adventure. We opted for the Klondike Summit, Suspension Bridge, and Salmon Bake tour. The trip took us into Canada and both border patrols, but it was an easy transition. We topped out at White Pass Summit, 3,290 feet above sea level, stopped for pictures and headed for the bridge. Some people were too frightened to walk across the suspension bridge until one man turned to me and said. âI was scared until I saw how solid the bridge was built.â Yes, it will still bounce if you jump up and down but is securely anchored into the rock and we did not see anyone experience anything other than fear of height issues. You are 57 feet above the churning rapids of the Tutshi River and a few found this disconcerting. It was a beautiful site but we were soon rounded up for the salmon bake.
Held in a re-creation of a typical minerâs camp, the salmon bake was outdoors with fresh salmon cooked over an open fire with alder wood and complemented with hearty side dishes. The wood imparts a slightly sweet flavor to the fish. After the meal, you could visit the camp and see how people lived during the gold rush era. We arrived back in Skagway with enough time to explore the downtown. During the ride back we were told about grocery shopping in Skagway. A barge arrives every Tuesday, unloads and the goods are delivered to the few grocery stores in the town. Everyone does their shopping that afternoon and evening because if you wait, by Wednesday most everything is gone. Our driver said she learned the hard way when she went to buy milk and found out it would be 5 days before anymore arrived! Lesson learned, she was ready the next week and stocked up. Back on the ship, we met a woman that had been to the salmon bake and her group was interrupted by a black bear coming out of the woods in search of salmon. Fortunately, it was all gone and the bear quickly left.
Our second port of call was Juneau, the Capital of Alaska. There are no roads connecting Juneau to the outside world so itâs only reachable by plane or boat. The major point of interest is the Mendenhall Glacier. Fed by multiple mountains, the glacier is viewable from the visitor center, but if you want to get up close and personal, there is a trail to it and Nugget Falls. The falls are fed by runoff from the melting snow at the top of the mountain range. We found out as we were leaving the site ice caves formed UNDER the glacier can also be part of a tour. Due to the danger they present, you must be on a guided tour and itâs only available if the conditions warrant. It also takes all day because you hike to it and back. We were warned about bears around the glacier but Eileen only ran into a porcupine as it scampered back into the forest.
We arrived back in Juneau in time for lunch (yes, we gained weight on the trip.) Eileen went to Tracyâs King Crab Shack and since I am shellfish allergic, I went to the Red Dog Saloon. Afterward, we took the tram to the top of Mount Roberts. At 1,800 feet we had great views of the city, the bay and ships docked below. There are trails that allow you to hike down but we opted for the easy way back, the tram. There is a bird sanctuary at the top with a bald eagle. It was injured and has been there for 17 years as it wouldnât survive in the wild.
Our last port before Vancouver was Ketchikan. Our tour choice, the Misty Fjord tour. We took an enclosed catamaran into the fjord and again the views were unbelievable. Some said it was like a transplanted Yosemite. There were 3,000 to 4,000-foot sheer rock face cliffs, some with waterfalls and all breathtaking. Just when we felt we had seen the best view, another came around the corner. We also heard âthere she blowsâ as humpback whales surfaced near us. Sea lions adorned the rocky beaches and porpoise followed our ship.
You never need to worry about shopping. Stores abound either right at or very close to where the ship docks for all your vacation needs. From T-shirts and hats to fur coats and jewelry, there is always someone around to sell to you and you can, yes sometimes, bargain with them for the best price.
The next day we completed sailing the inside passage to Vancouver. The weather was clear and we saw the most breathtaking sunset of the trip, the sky was totally golden. Princess hosted an âend of cruiseâ party for everyone to top off the trip. Our luggage was picked up at 10 p.m. that night, so we had to set aside travel clothes and anything else we might need for the next day. Disembarking was as organized as the rest of the trip. We were told to meet in a certain area, routed to our bus and then driven to the airport where we met up with our luggage from the previous night. Pass through both Canadian and US customs and youâre on your way home with more memories. Our next task, sort through over 1,000 pictures and pick out the best ones for an album to share with family and friends. Definitely, a bucket list trip for anyone!
