Northbound Vancouver to Seward 25th May 2011

[Plummy]

Having completed our cruise to Alaska, I wanted to thank those who helped us with our planning and give some information to those who are still in their planning stages. We did the following excursions:

 

Ketchikan - combination tour with Southeast Sea Kayaks kayaking and floatplane to Misty Fjords. Excellent – 6 people kayaking and 4 of us in the floatplane. Great smoked salmon snack before boarding the plane. Stopped on a rock in the middle of a lake in Misty Fjords. We booked online in advance and paid for the kayaking element but they suggested that we pay for the floatplane on the day just in case it was cancelled due to bad weather. Would definitely recommend

 

Tracy Arm - Allen Marine catamaran from the ship - the best excursion of the trip! We boarded the catamaran directly from the ship and within a few minutes saw a bear on the shoreline. We got up close and personal with Sawyer Glacier and even saw it calving. The staff on board were so passionate and knowledgeable – if you don’t do anything else – do this excursion!

Juneau - Helicopter glacier trek cancelled due to bad weather so went to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Centre instead. If you don’t get to see a glacier at any other time on your cruise then I would recommend going here but it did not live up to our morning at Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. There is a pleasant walk to the falls and for any bird watchers they have Arctic Terns nesting in the area. The Visitor Centre is good too.

Skagway - White Pass Scenic Railroad was a more enjoyable excursion than we had expected, having read a few of the comments on Cruise Critic. We saw a couple of bears in the distance and then one very close to the tracks. The views were lovely and the commentary detailing the history was very informative. In the afternoon we did the Ghosts and Goodtime girls walking tour, which passed a couple of hours but was a little amateurish and I would not recommend it unless you have time to kill. I wish we had taken the shuttle out to the cemetery, which looked much more interesting. The shuttle costs a couple of dollars and drives from the cruise ship docks through the town and out to the cemetery with a number of stops.

Sitka - Allen Marine Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest - another superb trip by Allen Marine. All the staff, including the captain, were passionate about the wildlife and ensuring their customers have the best possible experience. In order for us to see a whale the captain extended the trip! We saw lots of Sea Otters which are adorable. The weather was perfect with beautiful blue skies and amazing scenery – not to be missed!

 

On disembarking our cruise ship in Seward we took the train to Anchorage and again saw bears and moose, along with Bald and Golden Eagles. It is possible to get breakfast and lunch on the train, along with drinks and cocktails.

 

From the ship itself we saw much more wildlife than expected including whales, eagles, porpoises, sea lions and Harbour Seals. Definitely take binoculars and the longest camera lens you can afford!

 

Thank you to the person who suggested the The Alaska Cruise Handbook with the map (and the person who suggested the fridge magnets). Having the map on the wall of the cabin enabled us to track our journey and be prepared for points of interest listed along the way.

 

I have attached a couple of photos from our trip but feel free to ask if you want more info on any of the above.

[FurryPetMom]

Thanks for your great review! And your pictures are fabulous! They just wet my appetite for Alaska even more than it already was. What kind of camera did you use to capture these great shots? We are traveling with 2 DSLRs this trip and have just invested in a bigger lens. If you post any more pictures online please share as I would love to see more.

We are also going on a similar cruise on HAL in August but it does not have the exact stops as yours. We I'll not stop in Sitka but instead will go to Glacier Bay.

[Plummy]

What kind of camera did you use to capture these great shots? We are traveling with 2 DSLRs this trip and have just invested in a bigger lens. If you post any more pictures online please share as I would love to see more.

We are also going on a similar cruise on HAL in August but it does not have the exact stops as yours. We I'll not stop in Sitka but instead will go to Glacier Bay.

 

Thanks for your kind words, we had a Canon 1000D and a Canon 7D (we also had 2 DSLRs) plus a 500mm lens.

 

As for Glacier Bay, we were due to go to Hubbard Glacier. Well we did go to Hubbard Glacier but Mother Nature intervened and you could not see beyond the end of your own arm for the fog so maybe next time!!!