Alaska cruise and land review June10th-17th

[GweninTX]

Thank you so much for the awesome pictures. We leave in 6 weeks and these pictures just make me want it to get here tomorrow!! :D

 

ME too Jan!! I am so excited to hear you had a good experience with Dyea Dave - we are booked with him for Skagway, but we are riding the train back just because we LOVE trains! Thanks so much for sharing! If some of my pics do not turn out good - I just may snatch some of yours! You should be a professional photographer! :)

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ME too Jan!! I am so excited to hear you had a good experience with Dyea Dave - we are booked with him for Skagway, but we are riding the train back just because we LOVE trains! Thanks so much for sharing! If some of my pics do not turn out good - I just may snatch some of yours! You should be a professional photographer! :)

 

We had a great experience! we were going to try and do the train too on the way up. but the timing just didn't pan out. we were only in port from

7 to 4. We couldn't take the train back because it would have arrived to late to catch the ship. I'll just have to do the train next time I go :)

[VinoJon]

This is really an amazing review.

 

We're going through Alaska on the Volendam in a couple of days and have a veranda room, given the number of whales you saw from your balcony do you still think that a whale-watch excursion is worthwhile?

[shutterbug285]

This is really an amazing review.

 

We're going through Alaska on the Volendam in a couple of days and have a veranda room, given the number of whales you saw from your balcony do you still think that a whale-watch excursion is worthwhile?

 

My gut reaction was OH HELL YEAH! :) I'm not being sarcastic. If your looking you will spot whales and porpoise from your balcony but you are about four to five stories up from the surface of the water. still pretty far away even if they are close to the ship (which on our cruise they were not.) That being said It really matters what you think. I actually almost said the same thing before our cruise. I had been on whale watches before but this was much different, more whales and alot closer than I have ever been.

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After we left Skagway We relaxed for a while and then went to eat at Giovanni's. The food was excellent there. I think Giovanni's and chops were my favorites. The samba grill was excellent as well but we have a Brazilian style restaurant here.

 

After dinner we went to the show It was Bowzers dance party. Very good show. Bud was one of those kids that couldn't go to bed until Sha Na Na sang "goodnight sweetheart". ...........an no I'm not going to tell you that Bud got on stage for a hula hoop contest or that I got on stage for a dance contest. you will have to go to Jens review for that!

 

After the show We went with some friends to the schooner bar for Mat Yee's Divas two . He was pretty amusing I did hear from a reliable source that it was pretty much the same show he had done another night.

 

 

Hubbard Glacier

 

 

We arrived the entrance to Hubbard Glacier fairly early. Lots of people were up to see it. It was a nice morning very clear. After grabbing some breakfast we went out to the bow to watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Glacier was amazing and enormous, deceptively so, until you got closer to it. NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT. You have to go outside to see it, once you get close. The glacier makes loud thunderclap noises, The natives call it white thunder and you can't hear it inside.

 

 

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another glacier off to one side of Hubbard, I don't remember its name

 

 

 

 

[poolwife]

Can't wait for you to show us more pix and the rest of your trip. I already read Jen's review and saw her pictures also. Loved her wit and love your review also.

 

We hope to return to Alaska next year. You are giving me some great tips even though we have been there 4 times before. Always something new to see or that we didn't try last time.

[shutterbug285]

Can't wait for you to show us more pix and the rest of your trip. I already read Jen's review and saw her pictures also. Loved her wit and love your review also.

 

We hope to return to Alaska next year. You are giving me some great tips even though we have been there 4 times before. Always something new to see or that we didn't try last time.

 

I'm glad :) I had so much help from all the great people on this board when I was planning

[shutterbug285]

When they turned the ship, we went back to our balcony to continue to watch.

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to head out of the bay. At the closest, the captain was able to get within 500 yards of the glacier. It was interesting to watch the ship navigate through all the ice.

 

 

 

 

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goodbye Hubbard Glacier

 

 

We had some lunch in the MDR . It was very good. They has a large salad bar. I would recommend trying it at least one day a cruise.

We went back to the room to pack. I didn't want to go, But we still had more adventures to come. We had dinner at Rita's It was good Mexican food, the margaritas were very strong!

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We arrive in Seward

 

 

 

I was a little worried. We booked the 9 hour captains choice tour with Kenai Fjords and I wanted to make sure we got there by 830. We had a 700 departure ticket . We disembarked with no problems, grabbed our luggage easily and headed out. I called their office,I wasn't sure where the office was and we had about 4 suitcases. I was pleasantly surprised when they told me they were sending a shuttle to pick us up

 

 

 

 

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We check in with a little time to wait. We take a look around.

 

 

 

We see and eagle. He is soaked possibly from hunting

 

 

He doesn't look happy lol

 

Soon we meet our captain Andrea. She is a small girl and quite young but a very capable captain also our first mate Misha. After a quick safety briefing, we head out

 

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heading out of the bay, we spot some otters.

 

 

 

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we also spot an eagle high in a tree, on one of the cliffs

 

 

next we are visited by some Dall porpoise. Both Misha and Andrea say they have a very short attention span. Andrea said they are like four year olds. If you don't keep them amused they leave. She moved the boat a little side to side while Misha whistled and clapped. Together they managed to keep them amused for several minutes, to the delight of us all.

 

 

 

 

 

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Next she took us to a dark cove where harbor seals were resting up on the rocks. She explained that they are very shy, she did not want to get to close and spook them. I takes a tremendous amount of their energy to pull themselves up on the rocks

 

 

 

after we spotted an orca

 

 

and then some sea lions

 

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We then went to Aliak Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

As we were leaving we spotted a humpback,Andrea said it was rare to see them in by this glacier

 

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Heading back we spotted more orca

 

 

 

mom and a baby

 

 

and we went back to Seward

 

 

 

 

This was another magical day. Andrea and Misha were wonderful. I highly recommend this tour and the longer the better.

 

We disembark and meet Buds twin Brother Bill and head back to anchorage

another beautiful,scenic drive

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On the road from Seward to Anchorage

 

 

 

 

 

[pattyj 1204]

Oh my goodness!!! Your photos are simply awesome. Thanks for spending so much time organizing and posting them for our enjoyment. You are doing a great job with the narrative too.

[SFAM]

I'll be taking a northern cruise on the Mellinnium soon - was great to see your pictures! Thanks! BTW, the first set of forest pictures in Vancouver, where were they from?

[lanord]

Although our HAL cruise in August doesn't go to Hubbard, I loved seeing your photos from there! Great job. :D

 

Leigh Ann

[shutterbug285]

I'll be taking a northern cruise on the Mellinnium soon - was great to see your pictures! Thanks! BTW, the first set of forest pictures in Vancouver, where were they from?

 

They are from Stanley Park. It's easy to get to,depending on where you are staying,within walking distance

[GweninTX]

We are staying Seward for 3 days during our land tour before cruise out of Whittier and will be taking the same Kenai Fords Boat tour you did - I LOVED your pics! Did you get seasick on it? We are sooooo looking forward to it!

[shutterbug285]

I didn't get sea sick. One poor man did. He got sick about 30 minutes into the nine hour cruise. There were 15 people on our cruise, only one got sick. It is choppy for parts of the tour so if you are prone to sea sickness, I would take precautions