Cruising Alaska would be a comfortable way to see areas of Alaska. You will never see it all the first trip around. Our first cruise was in 2004 leaving out of Seward on Celebrity’s ship called the Summit. We believe any ship you take would be fine. In 2010, we took a Holland American ship, the Zuiderdam, out of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Preferably, when you go from north to south, you would want a portside (left) balcony. Yes, a balcony. You do not want to go cheap in Alaska. For the most part of the trip, you will not be out of sight of land.
Going south to north, the reverse is true, a balcony on the starboard side (right) is preferable. There are good reasons why people book early for Alaska.
Regardless what side you are on, most of your passage will be through “Alaska’s Inland Passage.” For almost 1000 miles, the ships cruise between islands and the mainland which protects them from the volatile north Pacific Ocean.
Having your clothes in one spot; a chef cooking three great meals; someone to clean up your room; entertain you are all plusses being on a ship.
On many of cruise we have taken, the cabin steward always has a surprise for us.
In 2010, the most interesting stage act was a man and his dog. The dog was so sweet. As a friend once said, “Dogs are a gift from God.”
It was also in 2010 that Kathie won in bingo! Play bingo? Why not, you can only look at the coast of Alaska for so long. I believe Kathie won $350 dollars that day.
Yes, you can spot some whales from the ship.
The best whale viewing is on a smaller ship. Every once in a while, a whale does hit a ship with only one winner. Just think the Humpback whales gorge themselves in Alaska during the summer months. And, in the winter, these same Humpback whales are frolicking off of Maui, Hawaii. It takes these whales about 6-8 weeks to swim across.
One of the favorite stops for all ships is to see Hubbard Glacier.
This glacier is nearly 76 miles long. It takes the ice about 400 years to reach the sea. We were lucky to witness the iceberg calving off ten-story high blocks of ice. The “cracks” one hears is almost as loud as thunder. These ships have to be real careful about those floating icebergs as most of it is below water. No need to have another Titanic incident in Alaska!
Most ships also cruise through the Glacier Bay National Park.
Some ships stop in Sitka—the original capital of Alaska. Our Celebrity Summit stopped at Ice Strait Point. We were one of the first early ships to see the rebuilt cannery.
We did the mile walk into a small village called Hoonah. Along the way we spotted several eagles.
In this village, mostly composed of Tlingit people, we witnessed a Lumberjack show. Kathie had her picture with an Alaskan native.
One of my most memorable pics is seeing a blue star out of the window. During WWII, families would display a flag with at least one star for a family member in the service. If the star was gold, the family member paid the ultimate price for the nation.
It was in 2007 that Ice Strait Point would install one of the world’s longest zip-lines, over 5000 feet in length. In 2004, we threw ceremonial sticks into a fire. The zip-lines sounds more fun.
The famous Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 for many started in Skagway. This is the place where Jack London became famous for his book, “The Call of the Wild.”
It is estimated that over 100,000 men attempted the trip, only 30,000 men ever completed it. Often, there was death, particularly to the mules and horses that went up with the gold seekers.
One of the “must-do” activities in Skagway is to take the narrow-gauge railway up to White pass to the Canadian border. The 20-mile route is quite scenic (my favorite railways, though, are in Switzerland).
It is fortunate that the founding fathers found a way to preserve most of the homes and establishments. Walking in Skagway is a walk into the past.
Due to the deep water port, you will not be alone while visiting Skagway.
A popular activity is to take a helicopter tour.
We enjoyed taking a trail and walking through town. We eventually found a moose.
A major stop for most cruise lines is seeing Juneau—the capital of Alaska. It is the only capital, besides Honolulu, that there isn’t a road connecting it to another state. By ship or plane are the only avenues to see Juneau.
Where the cruise ships dock, you may stumble on a statue of a British Bull Terrier, Patsy Ann. This dog was famous in the area during the early 1930s greeting people by the docks. There are some dogs we can never forget.
It is by the docks that one can get a van to take you 12 miles out to Mendenhall Glacier. Why take a cruise tour for $50 when a $10 van will do. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated over two miles since 1500—and most of that in the last seventy years. The 13 miles glacier is still impressive, and most of all, is easy to get to.
The Alaskan State Capitol is unpretentious.
Near the Alaskan State Capitol, we ran into our English friends from the ship, Dave and Rita Beasley. I remember a story that Dave told of how he and a fellow mate tried to paddle across in a dingey from Naples to the Island of Capri. They went half-way and turned around. It is fun to meet people from all different areas of the world.
Juneau was almost called “Harris.” The city of Juneau, though, is named after a gold prospector, Joe Juneau from Quebec.
Joe and Richard Harris founded the community. Some people speculate that Joe was able to buy drinks for those early members to vote for his name to be honored for the city. Joe’s cousin did help found Milwaukee. I happen to find the graves of Juneau and Harris at the Evergreen Cemetery not far from downtown.
Near the Governor’s mansion, is the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. There are some 90 Russian churches in Alaska.
Most people who visit Juneau gravitate to the Red Dog Saloon.
Another major port which is highly visited by cruise ships is the lovely southern Alaska town of Ketchikan. This small city does call itself, “The King Salmon Capitol of the World.” Ketchikan is also renown in the world for its standing totem poles. Ironically, we only saw one in town.
We did spot this happy fisherman.
Many of the boats in Alaska are made up of heavy-gauge aluminum. This is partly true due to aluminum’s durability and cheaper maintenance. An aluminum hull can easily absorb a ding versus a fiberglass one. And, then too, you don’t need to paint!
Ketchikan is also famous for being one of the wettest areas in the USA. It is indeed the wettest in Alaska. Maybe not as wet as the Napali coastline in Kauai, but it is up there. Ironically, the two times we have landed in Ketchikan, we had nothing but sunshine.
We always enjoyed walking along the boardwalk on Ketchikan Creek.
The inland passage by Vancouver Island is quite picturesque. Unfortunately, many people do not see Vancouver Island from south to north as the ships leave Vancouver City in the early evening.
We did see a majority of the island with our cruise in 2010 as we went half way up and back in 7 days. Around Port Campbell, Vancouver Island is a famous spot where a 1000-ton explosives blew-up Ripple Rock, which was actually below the water-line.
This area was notorious for its “vilest stretches of water” sinking hundreds of boats and killing over 100 people. The explosion in 1958 was the first telecast that went from coast to coast in Canada.
We enjoyed visiting the Port Campbell area in 2017 staying at the renown Painted Lodge.
It was at the pool at Painted Lodge where I met Alex Bernstein and family. Alex was an offensive lineman for various NFL football teams. He later became the most successful entrepreneur after his football career.
Some ships do stop in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. This is my favorite “small-big” city. In the summer time the temperatures are cool and welcoming.
We always enjoy going to Butchart Gardens. Check out our expose about Victoria: “Victoria where the Old and Young Come to Play,” ww.kmbtravelblog.com
We love cruising out of Vancouver. The city is vibrant with so much to do. People make mistakes by not taking the time to explore this wonderful city. We enjoy always making the seven-mile trek around Stanley Park.
Check out our expose, “Vancouver The Hollywood of the North,” www.kmbtravelblog.com
