Day 7 & 8: Victoria and Return to Seattle

Day 7: Victoria British Columbia was our last stop of the tour. Arrival time was supposed to be at 7:30 but we were later than that. Departure time was 11:30 and once again we didn’t have very much time to see the sights. This was a night stop and we had decided to do our own touring again so the delay in arrival--other than reducing the amount of time we had in Victoria--did not impact our trip. We took a bus from the port to the city center. We only had a couple hours because the buses stopped running around 10:30. We walked the streets, window gazed, took pictures of the Empress Hotel and city lights. We found a local pub with good food and great beer, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We’d like to go back to the Pacific Coast area and, if we do, I am sure we will take a trip back to Victoria. It was beautiful at night, but, I am sure it looks a lot more beautiful during the day.
We returned to the ship, enjoyed the late snack for the last time, listened to the music and savored the last moments of the cruise before returning to reality.

Day 8: Friday 6:30 AM we arrived back in Seattle. Our flight back to Dayton was around 12:00 noon so by the time we disembarked and got the shuttle back to the airport, we had about 2 hours to go before departure. We needed extra time to clear the security check point as the lines were long.
We enjoyed the cruise, but, we were glad to get back home

Alaska Cruise: Day 6, Ketchikan

Day 6: Arrive in Ketchikan, “Salmon Capital of the World”, at 6:53 am. 55 degrees, rain, overcast. This was our wettest day but Ketchikan is Alaska’s wettest city; on average 13 feet of precipitation falls annually. We did not have much time at this stop, departure was at 12:00 noon. We had made reservations before the cruise to go on a DUCK (amphibious vehicle) tour of the historic town and harbor. Our tour was through the rustic streets of Ketchikan, the new and historic sights, the salmon ladder on Ketchikan creek viewing the spawning grounds and live salmon in season, picturesque Whale Park with its beautiful flowers and antique clock, and Creek Street where we learn of Ketchikan’s colorful past and salty beginnings, (a brothel story). Next we get ready to pick up our feet and our hands in the air (and wander “can this thing really float”) and drive into the scenic harbor of the Tongass Narrows. As we pass the local fishing fleet, we motor down the channel for up close view of Bald Eagles (two adults and two babies) in their natural habitat. We could see them; however, it was raining so much that we could not get any good pictures. We arrived safely back on shore and spent as much time as possible walking around the city. This would be our last stop in Alaska.

Alaska Cruise: Day 5, Sitka

Day 5: Arrive 7:00 am and anchor off Sitka. This stop, we have to be tendered to the port. The lifeboats are used for the tenders. After Juneau, we decided that we would do our own touring rather than take a group tour. Sitka is not very large and we could easily walk from place to place.
Sitka is known as “Alaska’s Little Russia”. It is located on the outer coast of Alaska’s Inside Passage and was once the cultural and political capital of Russian Alaska. Remnants of the Russian influence may be seen throughout Sitka: the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Bishop’s House located in the downtown area serve as the most prominent reminders. When Russia sold Alaska to the U.S.A. for $7,200,000 in gold, the transfer was formalized in Sitka on October 18, 1867, and it was in Sitka that the American flag was raised for the first time over Alaskan soil.
A 15 – 20 minute walk from the city docks takes us along the scenic Lincoln Street, past lovely historic homes, churches, museums and to the fort site of Sitka National Historical Park. Set aside as a Federal Reserve in 1890, this is the oldest national park unit in Alaska. Two miles of trails wind through the park’s 113 acres of a tranquil rainforest environment, along the beach of Sitka sound and the banks of the Indian River. Spawning salmon are abundant in the river throughout August and September. Along the park’s trails, we experienced 28 magnificent hand craved totem poles. Some are more than a century old and one is nearly 60 feet high. Detailed totem poles are carved for a number of reasons: to depict legends (story poles); to honor a deceased family member (mortuary poles); or to pay homage to some other momentous event. The park museum contains an exhibit of Tlinget and Russian artifacts.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Sheldon Jackson Museum. It features the collection of Dr Sheldon Jackson, General Agent of Education, between 1880-1900. It is one of the oldest Native culture collections in Alaska. It is the oldest concrete building in Alaska and was erected in 1895.

We took hundreds of pictures and included a few in a slide show. Of all the stops, we think that Sitka probably was the best.

The Russian Bishops House, located across from Crescent Harbor, was built in 1842 by the Russian American Company as a residence for the Bishop of the Orthodox Church. It is the oldest intact Russian building in Sitka. The building and grounds are managed by the National Park Service. The building has been restored to the 1850’s historic period when it functioned as a school, Bishop’s residence and chapel. It includes many original furnishings and icons.

No visit to Sitka is complete without a stop at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Built in 1844, the church was restored following a devastating 1966 fire. The traditional Russian Orthodox structure is filled with antique relics, gold, jewels, vestments, altar cloths, and a 19th century silver-bound Bible. Its collection of priceless Russian icons ranks among the world’s finest..

Alaska Cruise: Day 4, Glacier Bay National Park

Day 4: We arrived in Glacier Bay around 7:00 am. 50 degrees, overcast. This was our coolest day of the cruise. Two hundred years ago, Glacier Bay was visited by Captain George Vancouver who observed it to be a large open bay, blocked at its northern end by a giant wall of ice. Since then, the ice in Glacier Bay has slowly receded, uncovering a new waterway 65 miles long containing fjords and inlets. We had the privilege of witnessing the ‘calving’ of this massive glacier. As the sun came out, the scenery was fantastic. We got to see many different glaciers during the day through the bay. U.S. Park Service Rangers (female) were on board to narrate our passage through Glacier Bay. We forgot to pack our binoculars so we missed seeing a lot of the wildlife along the shore and mountains. We were in the bay from 7:00 am to around 5:00 pm. Sitka our next stop was about 14 hours away.

Alaska Cruise: Day 3, Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier

Day 3: We arrived in Juneau, Alaska's capital city, around 11:30 Sunday Morning. Although slightly overcast and a temperature of about 55 degrees, it did not feel too cold. We decided to take a bus tour of the city and the Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau is situated at the foot of the Juneau Ice field, home to 38 other glaciers.

Juneau has served as Alaska's seat of government since 1906. Long before the gold rush that resulted in the town you see today, Juneau was home to the Tlinget, the indigenous people of the area. Each summer, they would travel from their village in nearby Auke Bay to a fishing camp at the mouth of a stream now called Gold Creek. It is believed that Tlinget Chief Kowee led two prospectors, Joseph Juneau & Richard Harris, to gold in the nearby mountains. The find was the first major Alaskan gold discovery in 1880. By 1944, the local mines were largely out of production, and the city’s main focus became – and remains today – state and federal government, tourism and commercial fishing.

After our bus tour we returned to Juneau. We took a walk around the older part of the city and went to the Red Dog Saloon, one of the oldest buildings in the city. It’s an old bar with sawdust floors, piano player and sing along. We both enjoyed the Alaskan ale that we had tried on the ship. Not sure if it is a reflection on us or Juneau, but, the Red Dog Saloon was probably the feature attraction in Juneau.
The Mendenhall Glacier was worth the trip. While there, we did see a mother bear with two cubs. We had just left the path and was looking out from the observation deck when the bears came scurrying across the path trying to get away from shouting humans. Unfortunately, we did not have the camera ready, so we missed the shot. Mendenhall Glacier is part of the National Parks and Monuments and Claude has a lifetime senior pass. We visited the museum at the glacier and enjoyed learning about glacier formations and the problems with the melting of the glaciers caused by global warming.

We went back to the ship and had dinner in the Rotterdam dining room. As usual the food was great and our dinner partners, Pat & Mary, told of their experiences in Juneau. I guess the best part of the trip is the people that you meet. Everyone we met on the cruise was very friendly. We departed for Glacier Bay National park at 10:00 PM

Day 2: at Sea

Day 2: Saturday we were at Sea traveling 492 nautical miles in a more northerly course, sailing along the West coast of Vancouver Island, named after the famous British explorer George Vancouver, an officer of the Royal Navy. At Triangle Island (mile 350) we pass to the west of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

We had plenty of time to tour the ship, watch movies at night, attend the first performance in the Mondriaan Lounge and basically just to relax and enjoy ourselves Claude did spend a little time in the casino during the sea portions of the cruise. He won enough to buy me a very pretty jade necklace. He should have kept playing--there were many other pieces of jewelry and clothing that I could have bought.

We attended a briefing called "Discover Alaska-Juneau & Sitka". Claude also attended Alaskan Best Brews Ale Sampling. He had draft Alaskan ale during the sail away party, liked it very much, and decided to taste all the ales made by the Alaska Brewing Company. All were good.

While Claude was tasting beer, I attended a Diamond and Gemstone seminar and saw some beautiful jewelry. We both had a "sparkle in our eyes". Mine was from the beautiful jewelry and I think Claude's was probably from all the samples of ale he had consumed--either way, we both had a good time

The food on the cruise was fantastic. You could schedule a dinner in the formal dining room, (the Rotterdam) go through the buffet or eat in one of the other smaller specialty restaurants. We chose the early dinner in the Rotterdam on the second level. The service was great and we had a good view of the ocean as well as the first level dining room. It’s always a lot of fun watching the people as they enter the dining room. The second level is reserved seating and the first level is open seating. For reserved seating they have early and late seating. You had to be there at your selected time (there was a few minutes leeway, but not much) or you could not be seated. We selected a table for four and were seated with two women from Fairborn, Ohio which is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. We really enjoyed their company and loved listening to what they did each day.

The buffet served 4 meals a day so you had plenty to eat. There was also a buffet and grill available near the swimming pool which was open all day. You could get anything to eat almost any time of the day. The midnight meal usually had an international theme.

We chose the early seating (5:30) for dinner in the Rotterdam. We had five smart casual dress nights and two formal nights. No jeans, t-shirts or sweats allowed although we saw this dress code broken many times. Gone are the days when one needs formals and tuxes for the formal evening but still nice evening wear is expected.

The movie for the night was The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and Denis O'Hare. The movie was about an Alaskan family, but was not filmed in Alaska

In the Mandrian Lounge the show for the night was a saxophone player, Craig Richard. He put on a great show and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. After the show we went for late night (11 - 12) snacks in Lido restaurant, which featured American Food.


One of the nights was the Chocolate Extravaganza. The entire area around the swimming pool was set up with tables of different desserts made of chocolate. There were several chocolate carvings; chocolate fountain with fruit; numerous ice sculptures; and plenty of unusual drinks to enjoy while stuffing yourself with food that you should not eat.

Alaskan Cruise: Day 1, Arrival and Departure

Day 1: Friday morning we ate a leisure breakfast at the hotel and took a bus to the docks to board the ship. We got there a few minutes before they started boarding and didn't have to wait long to get on board. Our stateroom wasn't ready for us to drop off our carryons, but, we did have an opportunity to tour the ship. The process of getting everyone's luggage delivered to the staterooms takes a few hours. To entertain everyone there was food!!! A buffet was set up near the swimming pool as well as a buffet in the dining room. The weather was warm and the sun was shining. Overall it was a very pleasant experience. We took a few pictures of the ship, harbor and the Seattle skyline. Seattle looks like a great city and we want to go back to the Pacific coast to tour Washington and Oregon. I guess that will be a future trip to plan.


We had our mandatory life boat drill just before we set sail. I suppose it went well--at least we did not have to repeat it. After the drill we went back to our room to store the life vests and decided to tour some more of the ship before we set sail. So far the day and the cruise had gotten off on a good note and we were having fun.

The Cruise set sail at 3:52 PM and the cruise line had a sail away party as we were leaving Seattle. Good food, great beer and a live band what else can you ask for. Again the weather was great and we got to visit with some very friendly people. In the slide show, the individual I am talking to in the deck chair was a retired state trooper from Pennsylvania and had been in the military so we had a lot in common. Later, we discovered that he and his wife’s room was near our dinner partners who were from Fairborn, Ohio.

We attended the show on the first night of the cruise which was the Zaandam Singers and dancers. The show was titled "Let Us Entertain You" and they did a great job of entertaining us. We also attended a champagne reception and went to the Crow's Nest to listen to a live band called "Rachel and the HalCats

Alaska Cruise - Seattle

We are finally getting pictures of our cruise to Alaska on the blogspot. We have always wanted to take a trip to Alaska--just never made time to do it. We actually had an opportunity to be stationed at Elmendorf AFB Alaska when we left the Azores in 1976. However, the assignment to Torrejon AFB, Spain near Madrid was available and after discussing the pros and cons decided to take the assignment to Madrid Spain.

Unfortunately getting from Dayton to almost anywhere requires a layover. We departed Dayton International Airport early morning September 3 and flew to Minneapolis Minnesota for a stop. After a couple of hours on the ground, we flew to Seattle, Washington. We had a pleasant flight without too much turbulence. The weather was clear and we had a great view out the plane windows.

Once we arrived in Seattle, we took the hotel shuttle to our hotel. We decided to go on a tour of Seattle, but did not want to take a tour bus. We got there a little too late for the good tours. The clerk told us the city bus stopped outside the hotel and would take us to fisherman's wharf area. She also said that it was an express bus and would not take us too long to get there.

We caught the city bus and headed into Seattle. It was a sunny day and although the scenery wasn't too great on the bus route, it was a pleasant ride. We did a walking tour of the wharf area and downtown Seattle. We went by the original Starbucks, but, did not try to get in. We were told that the line is always long and there is a lengthy wait to get coffee. Starbucks is not our favorite coffee so we really didn't care.

We took a walk to the space needle and went to the top. You can get a 360 degree look at Seattle from the platform and it is well worth the trip. From there we went to Pike’s Fish Market. We saw a show on the travel channel of Pike’s Market where they were throwing the fish to each other as they were selling the fish. Unfortunately, no one was buying anything so we did not get to see this. The show made the market seem much larger than what it actually is.

We also went to the outside market. The flowers were beautiful and were a sight to see. It is also a vegetable market, flea market stuff and a few restaurants. We did not eat at any of the restaurants on the wharf. Instead we went to a small restaurant called Sonya, which served locally brewed beer, hamburgers, and fries. The beer and the burgers were great--we may have been so hungry from walking around that anything would have tasted great.

I had done this as one big blogspot, but, was having trouble posting so I decided to do it in sections like I did the Sedona trip. More to come.