Lisa
Our Alaska Cruise was long-anticipated and a surprising trip full of natural wonders. When I first mentioned wanting to visit Alaska, Steve voiced his concern for the cruise being full of elderly passengers. I reminded Steve that once on a cruise during a Q&A with the ship’s captain, someone asked what was the best thing in the world he had ever seen. He said Alaska. We booked the trip with this in mind, wanting to see this unspoiled land.
Our cruise originated in Seattle in late June. It happened to coincide with the biggest heat wave to visit the Last Frontier in years. Our first stop was the Salmon Capital of the World, Ketchikan. We wandered the main street for a breakfast spot before our scheduled helicopter tour. The front row seat to the glory of all that is the mountains was a bucket-list item to eagerly check of the list. We were close to the snow-capped mountains and many eagles. Although there was no bear sighting, it was an unforgettable experience. After our tour we watched though the shops on Creek street, snapping the ubiquitous photo of all Ketchikan tourists.
Next stop, Tracy Arm Fjord. This day was the absolute highlight of the trip for me. Our early morning began with a front row seat to our ship voyaging through the fjord through floating icebergs. The rumor on the ship the day before had been that we would not make it through the fjord due to massive amounts of ice. But, we did it and heard the scraping of ice against the sides of the ship.
The trek was narrated by an Alaskan expert who was on board for passenger education. He directed us to the sunbathing seals, eagles nesting and other facts about our sightings. The highlight of the day was the ship turning 360 degrees while we took in the awesome sights from our rear-facing balcony suite. No words. That evening at dinner, while bathing in the glow of all the incredible vistas, we saw a whale breach from our seats.
Juneau was a stop where we made no plans as we had a late arrival, so we decided to wander and enjoy the city. We began at the famous Tracy’s King Crab Shack. After ordering, we found a sunny outdoor family style seat to await our meal. This was absolutely the best king crab EVER, so do not miss it if you are a fan. If not for a back injury we would have taken a boat ride to glacier/whale sighting, but we decided to slowly wander close to port.
Skagway was the port we were most anxious to see as we had booked an all-day excursion to Yukon territory. Although this is technically not completely Alaska, It is being included here. Words cannot describe as pictures even fall short of describing the beauty of that day. We saw a dessert, bears on the side of the road and mountainous scenery like nowhere else. We were pulled through a forest path by sled dogs in training and I received a kiss from a sled dog pup.
After our sled dog adventure, we pulled over to the side of the road to view a glorious lake and our Iditarod sled dog trainer and guide Heidi handed me her sunglasses. WOW! That lake was iridescent and the most incredible color of blue. Being surrounded by this amazing forest of natural wonders made for the day being all we craved and more.
The spiritual connection to Gaia is undeniable anywhere we visited in Alaska. Our fellow cruisers were of every age, families, couples, retirees. It was one of the most memorable trips of my life and I even got to try my hand at glass blowing on board the ship. I would return again to the land of the midnight sun.
Steve
I had been telling Lisa for years that I wasn’t old enough to book an Alaskan Cruise as I always thought of Alaska as being a retiree’s destination. Let me just say how very wrong I was. If you are a lover of nature in its purest form than I highly recommend anyone even thinking about going to go NOW.
The scenery and the beauty of Alaska just took my breath away and it will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the most special places I have had the honor or witnessing. The weather was unseasonably warm as noted by some of the locals, so most of the time we wore lightweight clothing.
Stops in Alaska started in Ketchikan where Lisa had booked a helicopter tour for our excursion. When she asked if I would take a helicopter flight I was a little nervous. I am afraid of heights and I didn’t know what to expect. Lisa sat in the front and I sat in the back due to my trepidation. Now, I wish I sat up front as the flight was amazing. It was rainy but the views were still spectacular, especially as the pilot maneuvered to view a waterfall. We didn’t view any bears, but saw many eagles during our flight. I would definitely fly again.
Next, we were treated to a voyage through Tracy Arm Fjord. I was not prepared to be so blown away by what we saw. Our Cruise ship navigated the fjord, culminating in the most spectacular views of Sawyer Glacier. We were treated to an informative lecture about the Fjord and all the happenings around us. Due to the unseasonably warm weather there was a good amount of floating ice chunks. As we sailed you could hear some of these chunks scraping along the bottom and sides of the ship. It was 50 degrees and the coolest weather we experienced during our time in Alaska. As we got close to the Glacier the Captain proceeded to spin the ship around 360 degrees 3 times so that everyone on board received a view of the Glacier. Incredible.
We didn’t book an excursion for our next stop of Juneau, since we did not have the entire day. We decided to eat lunch at Tracy’s Crab Shack. I had read about this neat eatery before our trip as THE place to go for Alaskan King Crab. Upon arriving I noticed a person cooking Alaskan King crab in a giant pot just outside the restaurant and my mouth started to water. We ordered 3 pounds of the AKC as well as chowder and a half of Dungeness crab. The crab was quite possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten.
Our third and last stop in Alaska was in Skagway. We booked an excursion to the Yukon where one of the activities planned was an Iditarod Dog sled adventure. We had record heat that day, 85 degrees. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and a former Iditarod Dog sled racer. We drove from Skagway to the Yukon in Canada and saw some of the most beautiful sites of mountains and Glacial lakes that I could ever imagine witnessing.
The sled dog adventure was roughly a mile long as we were pulled in a wheeled metal sled. The dogs were smaller than I had imagined. They were eager to run, and run they did. The only stop they took was to cool off in kiddie pools filled with water due to the above average temperatures. Afterwards we toured the facility and got to see puppies of future dog sled racers. Lisa actually received a kiss from a couple of puppies which was adorable.
Along the trip we saw a desert. Yes, you read that right - a desert in the middle of the Yukon. This phenomenon is caused by the winds blowing sea salt and sand from the various bodies of water around the area. We were also treated to an up-close viewing of a Black Bear getting drunk on dandelions.
I have been on many cruises and have seen some beautiful places. Alaska ranks right up there as one of my top destinations and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of going. It is one of those trips that will leave you with memories and photos of some of the most majestic scenery you will ever witness. It is a land in most cases that is untouched by the industrialized civilization most of us experience in the places we live in today’s society.
Steve and Lisa’s top 7
- Take a helicopter tour or a special excursion. Or both.
- Hike a glacier.
- Visit the Yukon.
- Be outdoors as much as possible.
- Eat crab, halibut and salmon.
- Ask the locals their stories.
- Take lots of pictures to make your friends jealous!
