I apologize for the delayed trip posting. At the end of the trip I caught a very nasty bug, and only now feel that I can do such a beautiful place justice. Our Alaska trip really only had one must see sight—Glacier Bay National Park, which limits access to two cruise ships per day. Thus we chose this itinerary that included a morning in the park and visits to three of its most famous glaciers This is the NPS schedule within the park, which highlights the two primary glacier viewing times and locations at Margerie Glacier and at Jaw Point … Continue readingOnward to Glacier Bay

Gateway to the Klondike and onetime worldwide sensation, Skagway is now a small town, with almost as many gift shops as residents (not literally, but closer than you’d think). Today there were 4 cruise ships descending on this town with about 850 year round residents, and a ton of seasonal workers catering to the railroad, stores and restaurants, national park facilities, helicopter tours, etc. our day was windy and very brisk, but unusually dry without daytime rain. The National Park Service has a large presence in this town as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. They tell the detailed … Continue readingSkagway, Alaska

As promised yesterday, here’s some photos I processed around 4:30am as the ship arrived at our next port

Our first port day, after a night of rolling open seas, we entered the Inside Passage and enjoyed the calm water and groups of whales along the way. We arrived in Juneau mid afternoon, and had picked up our Turo (https://turo.com/us/en/car-rental/united-states/juneau-ak/toyota/corolla/2622477) rental car very close to the dock. Thus we had total freedom for the 5 hours around Juneau rather than being tied to a tour or shuttle van. All told we saw 8 bald eagles and two black bears, one glacier, many waterfalls, and miles of beautiful shoreline. I’ll post quick pics before we set sail and lose city … Continue readingJuneau; whales, eagles and bears—oh my😮

Today is one of two days at sea, traveling past Vancouver Island and up towards the northern range of our journey. Steph and I did separate activities—she’s spending a lot of sea tome in the ship’s thermal spa (wise since it’s quite chilly on the open decks), and she wanted to check out some of the freebies at the sales promotions. I opted for some main atrium events (fruit carving, behind the scenes Q&A, exploring the decks and walking lots of stairs for a little cardio). Our evening is busy with the Choir of Man Broadway style show, and a … Continue readingCruising toward Juneau

Today we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, and watched the massive waves of fellow cruise ship passengers cycle through the lobby getting ready for the day’s embarkation process. The other cruisers vary widely in age, but I’d say there is relatively few families on this early June departure, and the bulk are middle aged to 60’s (I wish 60’s was actually middle aged🫤).

We’re in Seattle, excited to board our ship tomorrow for our first cruise to Alaska. But today we had fun in this city as a precursor to the new experiences ahead.