JerseyShoreGirl0732

Thanks for posting about the Winner Creek trail. We did it today.

We crossed with the tram and continued on to the road a mile past the tram.

I took the transit shuttle back to the resort. Grabbed the car and returned for the rest of my party.

The trail seemed longer than marked due to the uneven terrain.

Thanks again.

Tom

 

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Hi Tom, that's good to know. Hopefully we will get back there someday and have more time to explore. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Day 7 – Yakutat Bay, Hubbard Glacier (Continued)

All our viewing was from our balcony, deck 7 and the aft deck 11. We didn’t go to the upper open decks at all. This glacier was just spectacular! As I read in many trip reports, the Captain turned the ship so the glacier could be viewed from both sides.

Hubbard Glacier calving

I was happy we had the late dinner seating at 7:30. We had just enough time to change into our formal clothing, take a few photos on the aft deck and grab a cocktail in Crooners Lounge.

Our table was a 4-top, but not next to a window as I had hoped. Oh well. We met our servers, Eduardo and Astrid. They were busy with a table of 10 or 12 and another table of 4 (2 separate parties), they had the window table, sigh.

It was formal night. As others have reported, there is definitely a variety of attire. Since we chose Traditional Dining, we packed nice clothes for dinner each evening. For the 2 formal nights, the boys wore ties and sports jackets, us girls wore dresses. We didn’t feel out of place.

The food was delicious, but we weren’t over the moon for our servers. It was the first night with them, so we would reserve judgement. This is one time that I did think about our amazing servers on both Disney cruises. It was hard not to compare.

Pete and I had a drink after dinner and then back to the room. One thing I love about Princess is that just about any tine you turn on the TV, the Love Boat is on.

Tomorrow: Glacier Bay

Day 7 – Yakutat Bay, Hubbard Glacier

We all had a great night’s sleep. The beds were very comfortable, and our staterooms let no light in with the drapes closed.

We decided to have breakfast in the main dining room. It was the first and last time. The service was fine, although Pete’s omelet came out almost ten minutes after our meals. Our server did let us know it would take longer when Pete placed his order. We were all pleased with our meals except for Sean. He thought the pancakes were good, the serving size was not sufficient for a 16-year-old carboholic.

After breakfast we took a walk to the Atrium to watch horse racing. Bets were $3. Eight wooden horses were moved across a grid on the floor. The number of spaces moved was determined by rolling dice. It was fun to watch. Had we gotten there earlier, I’m sure I would have placed a few bets.

The laundry room was conveniently located in the hallway across from our rooms. I still had more laundry to do after washing several loads in Girdwood. I also ironed our clothes for dinner, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it later in the day when we were gawking at glaciers.

Pete and Shannon went to the fitness room to run on treadmills, I opted for a run in the crisp air on deck 7. 2.8 laps around equals a mile. I ran 10 laps and thoroughly enjoyed the view. Sean napped.

In the afternoon we went to deck 7 to watch the pilot boat approach and drop off the Ocean Cape Pilots. We tried to be on deck for every Pilot pick up and drop off. It amazes me how quickly these transfers happen.

Shannon, Pete and I played Snowball Jackpot Bingo since we had time before our arrival at Hubbard Glacier. I’ve only played real Bingo (where you can win money or designer handbags) twice in my life. Bingo has gone high tech. We had the option to purchase paper boards and use a stamper, or a package that includes a tablet with 15+ boards loaded and a bonus paper board. We went with the package. I held the tablet and Shannon marked the paper boards with the stamper. The tablet does everything for you. It even makes noise and vibrates when you are one number away from winning.

In less than an hour, we played 4 rounds of Bingo with the last being a $1000 jackpot. The winner had to fill the entire board, but only so many numbers are called. If there is no winner, the jackpot rolls over to the next scheduled Bingo, hence the name Snowball Jackpot Bingo. No one won the jackpot. We would be back!

We were approaching Hubbard Glacier so we found a spot on deck 7 and settled in. It was overcast with low clouds, but there was no wind and it wasn’t too cold. Shannon wore flip flops all day. I wore hiking boots, jeans, a short-sleeved shirt, mid-weight fleece jacket and my Patagonia Nano Puff. I didn’t need a hat and gloves.

It’s so quiet moving through the bay with ice chunks of all shapes and sizes floating by. The shades of blue are so vibrant. It was difficult to gauge the size of the ice from the ship. They could have been the size of a boulder or a car.

Wow! Hubbard Glacier is MASSIVE! It’s the largest tidewater glacier measuring 7 ft wide, about 76 feet long and 600 feet tall with 350 above the water line. I had to add the facts because it is indescribable.

This is the only photo of the entire glacier, it was taken on our approach.

To be continued...

Loving your review! I am tentatively planning a cruise in 2021....I think it will take me that long to save up enough money to do a land tour as well as the cruise. I want to do all of my must-do's in one trip in case this truly is a once in a lifetime experience. It's fun to read reviews for new ideas, tips, etc. Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying it. You are in the right place to gather lots of good info. There is so much to choose from, narrowing it down will be the hard part. At least you have a lot of time to save and plan.

Day 6 – Girdwood &Coral Princess Embarkation, Whittier, AK (Continued)

While waiting to enter the tunnel, Rick told us about a rock slide that occurred in the tunnel about a month earlier. No one was injured, but the clean up took several days and the tunnel was closed. Now all I could think about was a rock slide, great.

Finally, the tunnel opens for vehicles. The process is very orderly. Lane one begins moving up to a traffic light that changes from red to green every few seconds, allowing one vehicle at a time to enter the tunnel. This process goes quickly and in no time, lane 3 is given the go ahead to enter.

I could see how there was a rock slide. It’s no Lincoln Tunnel, that’s for sure. The walls are rough, exposed rock, unlike most tunnels I’ve been through that have tiled walls. The Whittier tunnel is 2.5 miles long, which feels endless when you can’t stop worrying about a rock slide. Needless to say, we made it through the tunnel unscathed.

The port is right there as we exit the tunnel. There she is… the Coral Princess!

Rick let us out right at baggage drop off. A tent kept us sheltered from the rain as we checked our bags. From there we enter the terminal, check in, get our cruise cards, go through security and are on the ship. This took all of 20-30 minutes. So easy!

We are off to our staterooms to drop off our carry-on bags. So far, I was impressed with the Coral. We’ve only cruised twice, both times on the Disney Fantasy. I was afraid that I would regret not booking DCL, but so far, so good.

Our staterooms are standard balcony rooms on deck 11 aft, port side. I am happy with the location. The rooms are not connecting, but the room steward opened the balcony divider, so we could easily get from room to room. The closet area is very spacious, this is a plus.

Upon boarding, we were handed a card with an assigned dinner seating of 5:15. This was only for embarkation day to allow for the safety drill. Our luggage had not arrived before dinner, so the clothes we were wearing would have to do for the main dining room.

Pete and I had a long-awaited cocktail at Crooners before dinner. The kids met us at 5:15 and we were seated for dinner. I loved our table! It was right next to a window. Too bad this was not our table for the remainder of our trip.

One thing this report will not have is detailed descriptions of our meals. I didn’t take any photos, nor do I remember what I ate most nights. What I do remember is thoroughly enjoying the four of us sitting down for every meal during this trip. This is a rarity at home.

After dinner we headed for Muster Station 7, The Universe Lounge, for the Guest Safety Assembly. This was quick and painless. At 8:30pm we were underway. It was foggy and raining, but we didn’t mind. I slept like a baby! The beds were very comfortable.

Tomorrow: Hubbard Glacier

Day 6 – Girdwood &Coral Princess Embarkation, Whittier, AK (Continued)

A little tidbit about this trail… it was part of the running portion of an extreme triathlon that took place a few days before we were there. AlaskaMan begins with a 2.6 mile swim in Seward, a 113 mile bike to Girdwood and a 27.5 mile run (the run alone had an elevation gain of 6,400 ft!). The athletes had to cross the creek using the hand tram at mile 8. WOW!

Winner Creek Trail is also part of the Iditarod National Historic Trail.

The hike back to the hotel was much more pleasant. The kids enjoyed the tram and had more enthusiasm knowing breakfast was on the horizon, although it really wasn’t.

Back in our hotel room, we showered and began to quickly pack. One of the kids was looking out the window and yelled ‘bears!’ Sure enough there was a momma black bear and 3 cubs right in the parking lot! You can see one cub behind the van.

A hotel employee was keeping everyone back as they were all trying to take pictures. We talked to a bellman about the bears when we made our way downstairs. He told us they’ve been around the hotel quite a bit and one almost made it into the lobby. Yikes!

We packed up the car one last time and headed towards Anchorage. The plan was to find a diner and have a quick breakfast. It started raining and the drive took us longer than we planned. We stopped to fill the gas tank and had a quick bite at the Subway next door. I knew Sean had his heart set on pancakes at a diner, but thankfully, he didn’t complain. He would be able to enjoy pancakes for the next 7 mornings!

Pete returned the rental car at the airport and we met our driver, Rick, in the parking lot. After weighing our transportation options, we decided on a private transfer to the cruise port with Alaskan Splendor Limo. This was a great decision.

Rick overheard me mentioning to Pete that we never had coffee that morning. He offered to stop since we were ahead of schedule. Just ahead was a wonderful bake/coffee shop in Girdwood (I cannot remember the name). It was just off the Seward Highway. Thank you Rick!

The coolest thing about the Whittier port is that you must drive through the Whittier Tunnel to get there. The tunnel is shared by the train. It is open to vehicles on the hour and half hour. We were aiming for the 2:30 opening.

We arrived at the tunnel a few minutes early and were directed to lane 3. The sign indicated vehicles would enter the tunnel after the train. We didn't even notice the train waiting. A few minutes later the long freight train entered the tunnel. It seemed like forever by the time the last freight car passed us. Now it was our turn.

It's a very blurry photo, but you can make out the rough rock walls and train tracks.

The excitement was building! It didn’t even matter that it was raining. I was SO looking forward to unpacking and staying in the same place for 7 nights.

Day 6 – Girdwood &Coral Princess Embarkation, Whittier, AK

Embarkation Day! I booked this cruise exactly one year ago to the day of embarkation. The year flew by. I was very much looking forward to boarding the Coral Princess and unpacking for 7 days.

Before we headed to the port, we had more to explore. We arrived at the Hotel Alyeska too late the day before to hike the Winner Creek Trail, so I decided we would get up early hike it before heading to Anchorage. This was no easy task. No one was interested in waking up at 6:30am, especially the kids. I was persistent, and they begrudgingly complied.

The Winner Creek Trail is described as an ‘easy 3-mile hike on a wide, well developed trail’. This was exactly what we were looking for after some challenging hikes the last few days. Not to mention we didn’t have lots of time. Well, the trail is wide and well developed, but it does have some noticeable elevation. It also has boardwalks and stairs over wet areas. I think we were all expecting a casual stroll through the woods, but it was more than that. Nothing strenuous, it just required a little more effort than the teens were willing to give at such an early hour.

We began at 7:15am, armed with bear spray. It really wasn’t needed as we had some pretty cranky kids that were doing a great job making noise with their complaining (I’m hungry… I thought this was a flat trail!… How long is this?... When can we have breakfast?). I was grateful there was no one else on the trail.

There is a snow cat bridge visible from the Winner Creek Trail. We all were scratching our heads trying to figure out how and why a snow cat accessed this bridge! It seemed pretty deep into the trail, and there were no wide pathways that resembled ski trails.

We finally made it to the hand tram (2.5 miles) and suddenly the attitudes changed. Phew!

The tram was across the creek, so we first had to get it back to our side. It’s basic, just keep pulling the rope to move the tram.

Sean and Shannon were first to load the 2-person tram and made it to the other side. It’s very high up over the rushing water.

Pete and I did get inthe tram and made it halfway across the water. I admit, I was nervous!

Great photos

I'm impatiently waiting for the next posting.

We leave for Anchorage Thursday and plan on hiking near Girdwood.

 

 

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Girdwood is coming up next! This trip report is taking me much longer than I thought it would. Have a great trip!

Super fun to see your photos from Lake Skilak Road! You know that's where we were camping for two nights. We only saw one bear on the road! Very exciting view you had! We thought similarly...it's good to view bears from the safety of a car!

Yes Anita, I read about your camping adventure! That cabin looked cool, but I don't know if I would have slept a wink. I'm surprised you only saw one bear during your stay, but happy it was from your car.

I think you and I have an almost identical photo from the Hidden Creek Overlook. I also noticed you went to the Seward Brewing Company based on your guide's recommendation... we did the same (based on the cabin owner's recommendation).

Alaska Day 5 –Drive to Girdwood (Continued)

The photos were taken through the windshield of the car. They are a blurry, but better than nothing. There was not a lot of time to steady the camera and point it out an open window. The bears disappeared into the woods rather quickly.

Bears tracks

About a half mile down the road we spotted a black bear grazing on the side of the road. This bear was smaller than the momma brown bear and didn’t seem to be bothered by us driving by. I was able to snap photos and get a video. We also spotted 2 other black bears down in the creek off the side of the road. It was hard to get a good view because of the tree cover and we certainly were not getting out of the car for a closer look!

The next stop was the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It was late in the day but the worker at the entrance gate assured us we had plenty of time to walk around as opposed to driving through.

We parked the car and went over to the reindeer area. None of us had seen reindeer before.

Next were the moose and then the bears. We spent a majority of our time there. The bears had just eaten and were very active. The brown bear in the photo below was huge! I loved reading the notes about how all the animals ended up there. It was very interesting. We spent a lot of time looking at the Wood Bison too. They were entertaining.

Aside from the animals, there were views of a few glaciers from the Wildlife Conservation Center. In the end we were all happy that we walked around instead of doing a drive through.

We finally arrived at the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood for our final night before boarding the cruise ship.

After getting settled in our room on the 7th floor, it was off to the town laundromat to wash some clothes. It was a busy place and conveniently located next to the Herb Cache and Chair 5. Chair 5 was packed, but we managed to get one bar stool and had a quick drink before we heading back to the laundromat.

It was late when we went back to the hotel. There were several restaurants closed (I think because it was Tuesday) so we opted to have dinner at the Aurora Bar & Grill in the hotel. It was a nice place and the food was good.

We wandered around the hotel for a bit and turned in early. The next morning would be an early wake up. Our plan was to hike the Winner Creek Trail before check out. I hoped we would be able to take the Alyeska tram, but we just couldn't fit it in.

Alaska Day 5 –Drive to Girdwood

Our good weather luck had run out, but of all the days to have rain, this was the one. Most of the day was spent in the car making our way to the final stop of the land portion of our trip, the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood.

Before leaving Homer, we stopped in the local canvas store, Nomar. Everything is made onsite. We purchased a large duffel bag and a can of bear spray. Now we had nice souvenir from Homer and would hopefully avoid overweight baggage fees on our return flight.

I was hoping to stop in Anchor Point to get some photos of the volcanoes across Cook Inlet, but we were socked in by heavy clouds. One amazing sight we did get to see was a moose crossing the road in front of us. He was a little too quick, no one was able to snap a photo.

Our plan was to break the drive up with a hike and lunch in Cooper Landing. We were hoping to eat at the Kingfisher Roadhouse but it was closed. We ended up at the Sunrise Cafe just up the road. This place was great! Lots on the menu, food was good, and our server was very friendly. The place was packed.

The rain stopped so we decided to drive off the Sterling Highway and take the Skilak Lake Rd through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and find a trail to hike.

The Milepost has an entire page dedicated to Skilak Lake Road. It’s a 19-mile gravel road that loops off the Sterling Highway at milepost 75 and back on at milepost 58. I also had the book 50 Hikes in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and highlighted a couple of hikes in this area.

We decided on the Bear Mountain trail. It was a moderate, steep, 2-mile round trip hike. Seeing another car in the parking lot put me at ease knowing there were others on the trail. The Milepost described this as a ‘scenic view of Skilak Lake and probable wildlife sightings’.

Early on we saw the other hikers on the trail. They were heading back to their car. Now it was just us. Shannon sang loudly and mostly off key. We were confident any wildlife in the area were running for the hills.

The view of Skilak Lake

About 50 minutes in, we were feeling a little uneasy as the trail began to look noticeably less traveled. We had to be close to the turnaround, but decided not to go any further. Making the descent quickly, we arrived at the car and all breathed a sigh of relief... no bear encounters!

Across the street from the parking lot gave us a nice view of the lake. We took some photos and then continued our drive.

We pulled off at the Hidden Creek Overlook to take in the beautiful view. Another group was there taking photos and we began talking to them. They told us they just saw 2 bears a couple miles in the direction we were traveling. This was exciting! There was a chance I’d get to see a bear.

Hidden Creek

Pete drove very slowly as we approached the area where the others had their sighting. As we came around a bend, we saw a momma brown bear with 2 cubs crossing the road! How exciting!

Great trip report and photos! Thx for taking the time to post. It's so refreshing to see the different activities that travellers are able to discover when they organize a DIY land trip.

 

Please add your report to the 2018 Trip Report above. It will be a great resource for future travellers as they research for their own trips.

Thank you! I will definitely add my report to 2018 Trip Reports once I finish it. Hopefully it won't take me too much longer.

Alaska Day 4 - Homer (Continued)

Halibut Cove is a quintessential Alaskan waterfront town. Most, if not all, of the houses are on stilts and built into the mountainsides. I enjoy watching Buying Alaska so I had an idea of what to expect.

The Saltry is truly unique. It has it’s own private dock and you can only get there on the Danny J water taxi. The sole purpose of the Danny J is to transport patrons to The Saltry. They have 2 seatings daily; lunch and dinner.

We chose a table by the fire as it was a bit chilly and all seating is outside. The service was great and the drinks and food were even better.

The view from our table

After lunch we wandered around the boardwalk that was accessible from the restaurant.

Just off the boardwalk and up a staircase was the Cove Gallery. We browsed around admiring art work created by local artists. No one was working there at the time so any purchases made were to use the honor system. I did purchase some note cards and left cash in an envelope. Paypal was also an option.

On our way back to the Saltry dock we stopped in the coffee shop on the boardwalk. I had a regular cup of joe and it was delicious.

View of Halibut Cove

I took this photo of a house under construction. There is a dog on the deck!

Halibut Cove is such a unique place, I’m glad we spent the afternoon there.

Back in Homer we met up with the Pete and Sean. I couldn’t wait to hear about their fishing adventure. We sat along the dock, exchanged stories about the day and then headed back to the cottage.

I noticed this very Alaskan RV near the dock.

After showers it was back to the Spit for some shopping before dinner at the Little Mermaid. We had an 8pm reservation.

I enjoy looking for locally made items and found a few shops with Alaskan goods. I didn’t buy much knowing we already had an overweight bag when we departed NJ.

We were able to get into the Little Mermaid a few minutes early. This was our best meal so far in Alaska, and the service was outstanding! We ordered a couple of appetizers that were specials, a margherita pizza, and other entrees but I really can’t remember what they were! Everything was delicious.

We didn't see the sun during our time in Homer. This was a bummer because the view across the Cook Inlet was pretty incredible (from what we had seen driving in). That being said, the weather wasn’t bad either. I continuously checked the forecast in the days leading up to our trip. Each day had the 'cloud with rain' icon. So far we hadn't had a drop of rain.

Alaska Day 4 - Homer

Our first morning in Homer was an early one. Sean and Pete were meeting a guide at 6:30 for a walk and wade fishing trip. Shannon and I planned to explore the Spit before our 11:30 check in for a water taxi to Halibut Cove for lunch.

During the trip planning, I knew the Upper Kenai River would be the ideal spot for fly fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, but I just couldn’t make it work. I had rearranged our 5 day land trip so many times that I lost count! I had to figure out how to squeeze in a fishing trip for the boys, and it had to be in Homer because our days in Seward were completely booked.

Homer is known for Halibut fishing, but luckily I found a fresh water guide. I contacted him via email back in November. He suggested a 6 hour trip beginning with a water taxi ride across the bay to Kachemak Bay State Park. He said our requested date worked well with the short window when there would be an abundance of salmon in this particular area.

I drove Pete and Sean to the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Spit where we met Gary, the owner of Silverfin Guide Service, and his helper Jordan. They were fitted for hip boots and checked to make sure Pete and Sean each had a fishing license.

They took a 7am water taxi (Ashore Water Taxi) across the bay. The group consisted of Pete and Sean, 3 guys from Texas, and a couple from Switzerland.

Once across the bay, they had to hike about a mile to get to creek. There had been quite a bit of talk about bears during the hike (and lack of seeing them this season) when low and behold, one of the Texans spotted a black bear across the narrow creek. The black bear was a safe distance away, so photos were snapped. Strangely, they had remarkable cell service so Pete sent me a text about the bear sighting and this photo below. I was so bummed that I wasn’t with them.

The fishing was unreal. Pete guessed they each caught well over 30 fish (mostly pink salmon and a few dolly varden). Alaska state law allows 3 keepers per person.

Gary and Jordan cleaned and filleted the fish so it could be sent back to NJ. They stopped at Coal Point Trading Company and had 15lbs of pink salmon flash frozen, packaged with dry ice and shipped home.

While the boys fished, I checked email and saw I had a message from Expedia. The message read they reviewed my case and determined there was ‘no error’. Really? Oh, there surely was an error! Since Shannon and I didn’t have to be anywhere for a few hours, I decided to call Expedia.

This ended up taking way longer than I had hoped. Long story short, I had to resend my documentation and the rep assured me my case had been escalated to Corporate. I was given another case ID number and crossed my fingers.

Unfortunately we missed our window to do some exploring on the Spit before our water taxi to Halibut Cove.

At 11:30 we picked up our water taxi boarding passes, walked down the ramp to the dock and waited to board the Danny J. It was cool and overcast, but thankfully, no rain.

Most of the seating for the boat was outside on the bow. We went to the aft hoping to find some space, but it was minimal and the group before us claimed it. We ended up in the cabin and it was just fine. There were windows and we could pop outside if wildlife was spotted. Most importantly, we were warm.

The 12:00 boat includes a tour of Gull Island. This was basically just a loop around the island. Here we saw an abundance of birds and a few sea otters hanging out in the water. Bald eagles could be seen in the tree tops too.

i am planning a diy land tour prior to my cruise...and am struggling with this questions:

 

1. I cant decide if I really want to drive to Seward for the Marine Major tour since I will be cruising in Glacier Bay AND taking a whale excursion in Juneau.

 

I seem to really only be looking for something to do in Seward to make that drive worthwhile. I keep reading it is a "dont miss" opportunity and I am interested in some hike/walks and scenery along that drive. Do I need to the boat tour?

 

Time is limited to 5 1/2 days (6 nights) and we are going to Denali. I am thinking 1 night in Anch (arrival) , 2 in Seward, 1 in Palmer and 2 in Denali. I am struggling with wanting to see/do too much. :)we do have a rental car.

In my honest opinion, if you are definitely going to Denali, I wouldn't go to Seward. I was in the same predicament when I started planning the land portion. Our initial plan was to go to Denali and then somewhere on the Kenai Peninsula. When I learned more about Denali and how you can only drive so far into the park with a vehicle, and the bus tours were 8-12 hours, we bagged it. My daughter has pretty severe motion sickness. Between the 2 days of travel to get there and back, and one day on a bus in the park, she would miss out on 3 days of vacation. Original Dramamine is the only thing that really helps her, but it also knocks her out.

Some day we will go back to Alaska, focusing on Denali and surrounding areas.

After researching the Kenai Peninsula more, we decided we would split our time in different areas there. I'm so glad we did this, I really loved every minute of it! I do wish I had one more day in both Seward and Homer. It was a lot of driving over 5 days and we didn't get to explore and see as much as we would have liked to.

The Major Marines tour was fantastic and a highlight of our trip! If you end up changing your plans and have more time on the Kenai Peninsula, I highly recommend the MM Northwestern Tour. I'm not sure the whale watching in Juneau will get you close to glaciers and other marine life. Glacier Bay on the ship is amazing, but the small boat on the MM tour will get you SO close to glaciers.

Enjoy your planning!

We had this excursion booked but canceled it because I was so worried about not being able to do it. It would have been on our last day of our two week vacation. I was kind of dreading it...thinking that it would be more exertion that I could handle at that point in our trip...and also with my current level of fitness. I tore my ACL a few years ago...we did conservative treatment, so I don't have an ACL...I was in the process of improving my fitness when I tore it and that is still a work in progress. I'd like to be more fit but I do okay. Reading your report, I know that I'll be able to do this in the future...just toward the beginning of the vacation!

I think you made the right decision canceling the ice hike since it would have been at the end of your long vacation. It's pretty amazing you are able to hike at all not having an ACL. I have several friends that had surgery to repair their torn ACLs. The recovery was long.

After reading your trip report and seeing your photos, I wish we did the paddling excursion with Liquid Adventures! It looked and sounded amazing! Next time, I guess;)

Anita, I also found the plant life in Alaska to be massive! I did find out that this plant with the giant leaves is Devil's Club. It supposedly has some great medicinal uses. I bought salve and lip balm made with it but haven't used either yet.

I'm catching up on your review. Your photos leaving Ketchikan and arriving in ISP are just beautiful!

Alaska Day 4 - Exit Glacier Ice Hike, drive to Homer (continued)

The ice was spectacular! Hiking on it truly was an amazing experience! We spent 1.5 to 2 hours on the ice, had lots of opportunities for photos and saw some pretty incredible glacial features.

This would be a fun water slide!

Family photo

All good things must come to an end. We made our way off the ice, took off our gear and extra layers and began our descent. Except it wasn't really a descent at all! It was a fairly steep, uphill, 20 minute hike back to the Exit Glacier trail. This was the most difficult part of the entire day!

Once we were back on the main trail, it was all downhill and went quickly with no breaks. We headed back to the office, returned our gear and were on our way.

At this point we were very hungry so we opted to stay in Seward for an early dinner rather than stop in Cooper Landing, which was the original plan. We decided to try the Seward Brewing Company. This was recommended by Julie, the owner of the cabin we rented in Seward. I tried their El Jefeweizen Chile Wheat beer and wasn’t a fan. The food and service were good though.

The drive to Homer was beautiful, but it was long and we were tired.

Cell service is not guaranteed which we learned quickly. I made the mistake of not printing out my full itinerary with contact info, addresses and directions for the places we were staying.

During a small window in our drive when we had cell service, I looked up what I thought was the address for our rental. We pulled into the driveway and talked to a few men who were sitting on their deck enjoying the beautiful view. They said there was no one there to check us in, that I should look for the email with the door code to the unit we reserved. Of course I couldn’t open the email because there was no cell service! We headed back towards town in search of cell service.

We stopped at a small market for the essentials - milk, bread and wine. I had to ask the cashier where the bread was because I didn’t see a bread shelf anywhere. It was in the freezer! I really got a kick out of that! Frozen bread was just fine for us.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc was on sale for $14.99 which was an absolute bargain in Alaska! I bought the last 2 bottles (I saved one to bring on the ship).

With cell service, I opened the email from Homer Seaside Cottages and found the correct address and check-in instructions. This was not the place where we were earlier! I’m sure those 3 guys we talked to were wondering what happened to us.

We stayed in the Sea Shanty Cottage and it was perfect! There were folks at the other cottages sitting on their decks enjoying the nice weather and watching a bald eagle perched on top of a telephone pole.

Once we unloaded the car, Shannon and I walked to Bishops Beach which was a block and a half away. The views were stunning, but short lived, as we had overcast skies the rest of our time in Homer.

It was an early night. Pete and Sean had to be on the Homer Spit to meet their fishing guide at 6:30 am. I still managed to relax with a glass of wine, taking in the incredibly beautiful landscape.

I was starting to get used to daylight until after 11pm.

Alaska Day 3 - Exit Glacier Hike, drive to Homer

This is the day I was really looking forward to. We were going to hike on an actual glacier! It was cloudy but the forecast called for sun. I wore hiking pants, waterproof hiking boots, a short-sleeved tech shirt and a Patagonia Better Sweater (heavy, fleece quarter zip). My rain jacket was packed in my backpack along with Advil, sunscreen, snacks and my camera.

Our check-in time with Exit Glacier Guides was 9am. After a quick breakfast and cup of coffee, we said goodbye to the wonderful cabin that we really didn’t get to enjoy as much as we would have liked to.

We packed up our bags and loaded the car. Right after our glacier hike we were hitting the road for the 2.5ish hour drive to Homer .

We arrived at Exit Glacier Guides home office and met Julia and Allie. They were our guides for the 6 hour hike. We were fitted for crampons and each given a backpack with water, helmet, harness and snacks. We were able to leave our packs and any personal belongings in the office.

There were 6 others in our group. I was really hoping it would be just the 4 of us so I wouldn’t stress about holding anyone up. I’m pretty sure I was the oldest one in the bunch (Pete is 5 months younger than me and reminds me often). I was also worried about my knee holding up. In April I fell skiing and tore my MCL. Many reviewers of this hike mentioned it being hard on your knees.

The ten of us piled into the van for the 20 minute ride to the Exit Glacier Nature Center. We shed our layers, used the restrooms and extended our trekking poles (supplied by the guides) before we began the 1.5 hour hike to the glacier.

It was chilly, but Julia assured us we would warm up quickly. She was right. We removed our outer layers and made our way to the trail. It was still cloudy.

Allie told us we’d have 3 set stops on the way to the glacier. These breaks came at the perfect times. I did fine keeping up with everyone, although the hike was moderately strenuous, mostly uphill and over uneven terrain.

Allie was the leader and Julia stayed at the back of the line.

Sean and Pete ended up talking to Julia for most of the hike. She’s from Rhode Island and works as a ski instructor in Jackson Hole, WY in the winter. We were in Jackson Hole last summer and Sean absolutely loved it (we all did)! He hopes to ski there soon. They had a lot to talk about. She has skied all over the world.

To get to the ice we turned off the main trail and took a much less traveled trail to the ice. At this point I was so happy that we were almost there, I hadn’t held anyone up and my knee felt fine.

It was still overcast once we arrived at the glacier. We took a break, had a snack, put on our harnesses, crampons, extra layers, helmets and gloves. The gloves were more to protect our hands from the sharp ice in case of a fall.

I wore my fleece pullover and rain jacket. These layers were ideal.

While we were getting ourselves ready, Julia was on the ice using her ice axe to carve ‘steps’ over the steep area where we’d begin our ice hike.

In the photo below Julia is in the upper left corner. The white dashes are the 'steps' she carved.

Allie checked harnesses, helmets and crampons on each of us before we entered the ice.

Learning to walk in crampons was not as difficult as I expected. Small steps, wide stance and use moderate force with each step. Julia and Allie were so great! They watched everyone to make sure we were all walking properly. Throughout the hike they showed us different glacial features and assisted each one of us as we looked down into a deep crevasse. In the photo below they are holding Sean as he takes a look into the crevasse.

I could have stayed there all day, it was just so amazing! I really couldn’t get enough of it.

Were you on the Star Princess? We were too!! I'm working on my trip report as well. Going back to work is getting in the way!! :)

 

I love your pictures and review, keep it coming!

No, we were on the Coral Princess.

Yes, same here! We arrived home at midnight and I worked the next day (and every day since then).

I'm getting ready to post more of my trip report now, with photos:)

Your pictures are outstanding! Enjoying your review too. I'm in the planning stages for summer 2020.

Thanks and enjoy the planning! I love writing this trip report because I am reliving the trip.

Beautiful pictures. We are doing this same cruise on August 26th. I hope we have just as nice weather as you had. Was there enough viewing space outside for everyone on the boat? I'm having a hard time figuring out if I'm planning to many layers for this cruise. Planning on leggings underneath jeans and having rain pants with me if needed. Just having a hard time wrapping my head around this sitting home in 85-90 degree heat & humidity :-)

Thanks! I’ll be posting more over the next few days.

There was plenty of viewing space on the ship although we didn’t go to the upper decks when we were in Glacier Bay. We were on our balcony or the aft on deck 11 and also deck 7. I really loved the size of the Coral Princess! It never felt crowded to me.

I really stressed about the weather and packing for it. I did check weather in Seward and Homer every day for a week leading up to our departure and it looked like we’d have rain for the entire land portion of our trip. That was not the case. Of the 12 days we were there, we had rain on 2 days.

I brought flannel shirts, sort sleeved shirts, heavy pullover fleece (I only wore this for the glacier hike), light vest which I wore over a flannel and short sleeved shirt on a sunny day in Glacier Bay. We all had lightweight down jackets (Patagonia Nano Puff). These were so easy to pack and were used more than I expected. I never needed a layer under jeans, nor did I need a hat and gloves. I also had an unlined rain jacket that I wore a couple of times. We brought rain pants but didn’t have heavy rain ever.

The days we were in port were very warm and sunny. We didn’t pack enough clothes for the warm weather. I wore my waterproof hiking boots quite a bit, but they were too warm during port days. I also brought Toms which I wore most of the time on the ship and sandals for dinner. My daughter and I had knit wraps (kind of like a blanket) that were great for dinner and sitting outside before or after dinner.

Feel free to ask more questions!

Beautiful photos! Looks like you had great weather!

Thanks Anita, your tips were key!

I picked up where I left off on your trip report, it’s so enjoyable!

The last of the photos from the Kenai Nat'l Fjords cruise

We saw so many glaciers, I cannot remember all the names

Puffin

Sea Lions

Another humpback whale

We saw views like this all day long

I've finally figured out how to include photos! The following are just a few from the Major Marines Kenai Fjords Northwestern Cruise (Trip Report Day 2).

The boat we were on for 8.5 hours

Just a sampling of the wildlife.

The Northwestern Glacier calving