Miracle to Alaska August 27, 2013

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

And then guess what we found?!?

 

Steve told us that the last few weeks they had only been able to find one or two whales but we found 6 or 8 & one was a baby! They really put on a good show for us. Steve either really knows the behavior of the whales or was extremely lucky that day because he stopped the boat & the whales literally came to us! I was so excited I could hardly breathe! And the most amazing thing was that as soon as we reached the whales it quit raining so we could go out on the deck areas & take pics. Steve told us how to wait for their terminal dive to get the best pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2013 by Cool Breeze Cruiser

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

 

 

We all really liked Captain Steve.

 

 

 

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Look at how close the whales got to Captain Russell's boat!

 

 

That is probably when Todd was able to capture these amazing photos! Thanks for sharing Todd!

 

 

 

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

And then it was our turn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know why but I love this photo.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Alaska was on J.R.'s bucket list. Whale watching was on mine. J.R. & I & Robin & John went on a whale watch in St. Lucia last January but did not see any whales so we were extremely hopeful to get to see them this time.

 

This was the highlight of our trip for me! I am fascinated by whales. They were as beautiful & majestic as I thought they would be & to be close enough to hear the sounds they were making left us all speechless! Robin & I were almost crying!

 

It was so overcast that day that the pictures do not really do them justice. Robin captured a lot of it on video & if we can figure out how to post them we will as the videos show how amazing our day was a lot better than our pictures do.

 

We left after 30 minutes or so as Steve said they do not like to ‘crowd’ the whales for too long. He took us to an island to see sea lions next.

 

 

 

I always like the wake.

 

Steve thought he spotted another whale on the way back to the dock but it never resurfaced. We did see another bald eagle though. The poor thing was soaked. It started pouring again on our way back.

 

It was too rainy to see the glaciers that day but we didn’t care. We got to see WHALES!

 

Captain Steve from Harv & Marv was such a great guy & so respectful to the whales that we were very thankful we got to share such an amazing experience with him as our Captain. A couple of the other captains on bigger boats that were out there that day 'crowded' the whales to give their passengers a better view. That made us all sad! Steve kept his distance & the whales actually came to us. He is also very knowledgeable about whales & Juneau. J.R. & I always talk about how people make the trip & we both agreed that Steve was one of the most genuine people we met the whole trip. He really made an impression on us.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

The shuttle driver picked us up again & took us to Mendenhall Glacier for a brief visit. It was pouring down rain but we went down to watch the salmon swimming upstream. Poor things!

 

 

Porcupines (thanks Robin :D) up in the tree.

 

 

I know everyone says not to bring umbrellas to Alaska but we were actually glad we took small umbrellas, especially when we were standing in line to get back on the ship. We did have on waterproof jackets but the umbrellas were nice too.

 

 

I had read that the best shopping was in Ketchikan but we found the best deals in Juneau. Most of the locally owned shops already had 50% off their merchandise. They had nice long sleeve t-shirts for $7.50. I bought ULU knifes to take back as souvenirs. I thought I would have to check them when we got to the ship but security looked in our bag & told us to make sure we did not take them out of our cabin.

 

We took a picture at Red Dog Saloon & we had planned on going in for a beer but it was PACKED!

 

 

What a PERFECT rainy day!

 

[fireman92]

these are so beautiful. can I ask a question? I am not quiet sure which cruise line to choose to go to Alaska. my issues are the glaciers to see. like Hubbard glacier, inside passage, glacier bay, etc. so what made you decide this line? also did you do your excursions on your own or through carnival?

 

brian

[boaterette]

I totally loved the pictures of the whales. They were so cool. Especially two of them together.

[Christina M.]

I am hooked are next cruise is Alaska for sure. Waht night were the formal night?

[taragl]

Amazing photos and wonderful review, Juli! It was so much fun to cruise with you guys. This trip was definitely a bucket list item to check off for most of us!

 

Tara

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

these are so beautiful. can I ask a question? I am not quiet sure which cruise line to choose to go to Alaska. my issues are the glaciers to see. like Hubbard glacier, inside passage, glacier bay, etc. so what made you decide this line? also did you do your excursions on your own or through carnival?

brian

 

Alaska is beautiful!

I am by no means an authority (& if anyone else reading this has a different opinion feel free to chime in) but from the research I did before booking our cruise most people think Glacier Bay is the best. Carnival usually only cruises to Glacier Bay the 1st & last cruise of every season.

That being said obviously we booked with Carnival going to Tracy Arm Fjord because we love cruising on Carnival & really like the Spirit class ships (which the Miracle is) & the price was incredible for the week we booked so it was an easy decision for us once I knew we could get the small boat excursion in to Tracy Arm Fjord (which was absolutely spectacular). I have no regrets!

The naturalist, Michelle, on Carnival is very good too.

We almost always book our excursions independently as we did on this cruise (except the small boat excursion since it is only offered through the cruise line.)

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

I totally loved the pictures of the whales. They were so cool. Especially two of them together.

 

I have wanted to go whale watching (& actually see whales :D) for years & I would HIGHLY recommend Harv & Marv! It was more than we hoped for when the whales came so close to our boat!

 

I have tons of pics from that day but they kind of all look the same :D so I limited the ones I posted. Four of us taking pictures all captured at least one shot of two whale tails at one time!

 

Robin took some incredible videos of the whales (& the glacier calving) & if we can figure out how to post them we will. The pictures do not hold a candle to the video!

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

I am hooked are next cruise is Alaska for sure. Waht night were the formal night?

 

It was amazing! I love tropical vacations but I am glad I let J.R. choose this one!:D

 

This was our itinerary…

Tuesday.........Seattle, WA

Wednesday.....Fun Day at Sea

Thursday........Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord

Friday............Skagway, AK

Saturday........Juneau, AK

Sunday..........Ketchikan, AK

Monday.........Victoria, BC, Canada

Tuesday........Seattle, WA

 

Elegant nights were the 1st sea day (obviously that night :p) & the night we were in Ketchikan.

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Amazing photos and wonderful review, Juli! It was so much fun to cruise with you guys. This trip was definitely a bucket list item to check off for most of us!

Tara

 

Thanks Tara. How did our cruise go by so fast? :( Definitely a bucket list trip!

 

We really enjoyed meeting you & your family & glad we got to share the excursion to the glaciers with y'all. It was SO incredible! Your little one was so good that day. He is a doll!

 

Robin has a REALLY good video of the glacier calving. I am embarrassed to say that I screamed when it happened. :eek: Before our cruise I watched a youtube video of someone screaming as a glacier calved & thought I will not be 'that person' & I was! :o:D

 

Hope you enjoy your new home in Seattle. If I lived there I would be at Pike Market every week. :D Sosio's had the best peaches I have ever had!

 

Juli

[toujours]

Those whales put on quite a show ! Once wne on a whale-watching tour on the St Lawrencr River in Saguenay, Canada, but we never got that close. Wow ! (oh yeah, there was that time in St Lucia , too, but you know about that one :p). Thanks for the great pictures !

Edited September 23, 2013 by toujours

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Those whales put on quite a show ! Once wne on a whale-watching tour on the St Lawrencr River in Saguenay, Canada, but we never got that close. Wow ! (oh yeah, there was that time in St Lucia , too, but you know about that one :p). Thanks for the great pictures !

 

Our day in St. Lucia with Mystic Man Tours could not have been more perfect even if we had seen whales. It must have been the company (& the rum punch the ship's doctor prescribed)! :D

 

I wish you & Patrice had been with us this time too! I didn't even need help getting to the restroom :p:D & there was no sand to navigate on crutches! Good times! :)

 

Hugs,

Juli

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Ketchikan…We woke up to an overcast morning but it turned in to a gorgeous day which was incredible because we were going Misty Fjords Flightseeing on a floatplane! :) Misty Fjords is only accessible by floatplane or boat from Ketchikan.

 

We originally contacted Michelle with Island Wings but she was already booked so they referred us to Randy at Mountain Air Services.

 

This was the response to an email I received from Shona at Island Wings ...

 

At this time we do not have seats available on Michelle’s plane while you are in port. However we do have a 2nd plane and pilot flying from our dock. I would be happy to reserve seats for you with them.

If you would like us to reserve a reservation for you please reply and provide us with; the individual weights of the people in your party (including clothing, shoes and gear), a cell phone number, and mailing address. To confirm a reservation we will need a 50% deposit payable either via personal check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Discover).

 

Of course I had plenty of questions about her recommendation & this was her response to that email...

 

We are working closely with Mountain Air Service owned and operated by a pilot named Randy Sullivan. He runs his single plane, single pilot, air taxi business from the Island Wings seaplane dock here in Ketchikan.

Randy is a well-rounded pilot who has been flying for a total of 12 years, and has accumulated over 7,000 flight hours with a perfect safety record.

He has a gregarious personality and is genuinely dedicated to providing quality tours. The tours that he is providing and the policies that he is operating under mirror our own.

Having shared the skies with Randy, Michelle is impressed with his attention to safety as well as his friendly and outgoing nature. (he is the first pilot that she has ever endorsed)

We enjoy working with Randy and would be happy to make a reservation for you with Mountain Air Service.

 

So we booked with Mountain Air! Our tour included 11/2 hours of flight time with a 30 minute stop. The cost was $239 pp.

 

Waiting for the shuttle to take us to the floatplane. We had an 8:45 AM meeting time.

 

 

 

 

Randy is an excellent pilot & his deHavilland Beaver seaplane holds six people plus the pilot. Robin & John joined us again & the third couple that joined us was cruising on Celebrity & turned out to be from Nashville. It is a small world!

 

 

You are not allowed to take backpacks on the floatplane so we grabbed our cameras & sunglasses & they locked our bags in the office.

 

[pirate4me2]

Thank you so much for doing this review. Hubby wants to do an Alaska cruise so bad, but I have been hesitant. After seeing your pics and reading your review I am ready to go! I also want to do Hawaii, but I think Alaska may have just won 1st place. :)

[poptart]

I'm loving this review!!! Alaska is on our bucket list too. Hopefully 2015.

 

I've been looking at prices for 2014 and you can't beat Carnival pricing. Plus I'm sure it's cheaper to fly to and from Seattle.

 

Noticed you are from TN. We live in NW GA right on the TN state line. We are actually a suburb of Chattanooga, TN.

 

Thanks for sharing and you can't have too many pictures. They are amazing!

 

Happy Sails

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Thank you so much for doing this review. Hubby wants to do an Alaska cruise so bad, but I have been hesitant. After seeing your pics and reading your review I am ready to go! I also want to do Hawaii, but I think Alaska may have just won 1st place. :)

 

You are welcome. I book & plan all of our trips & I was not over the top excited about going to Alaska :eek: (I love tropical vacations) but J.R. had wanted to go for years. I knew we would go to Alaska one day but I wanted to wait until we were a little older :p:D since most of the activities we planned were more 'seeing' than 'doing'. It was an absolutely incredible trip from start to finish though!

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

I'm loving this review!!! Alaska is on our bucket list too. Hopefully 2015.

I've been looking at prices for 2014 and you can't beat Carnival pricing. Plus I'm sure it's cheaper to fly to and from Seattle.

Noticed you are from TN. We live in NW GA right on the TN state line. We are actually a suburb of Chattanooga, TN.

Thanks for sharing and you can't have too many pictures. They are amazing!

Happy Sails

 

Thanks. I compared prices when we booked our cruise & Carnival had the other cruise lines beat by a LOT! We got an incredible deal on our cruise when we booked it last February & then we got $700 in price drops! :D I love Early Saver!

 

Prices also came down on our flights on Southwest so we have airline credit that we are using to fly to FLL for our February cruise. :) I also love SW!

 

Chattanooga is beautiful. We thought those were mountains until we saw Mt. Rainier & Alaska! :p

 

We took a LOT of pictures. It is a good thing Robin has not downloaded hers yet or I would have never been able to decide which ones to post! :eek:

[cruiser1959]

You are welcome. I book & plan all of our trips & I was not over the top excited about going to Alaska :eek: (I love tropical vacations) but J.R. had wanted to go for years. I knew we would go to Alaska one day but I wanted to wait until we were a little older :p:D since most of the activities we planned were more 'seeing' than 'doing'. It was an absolutely incredible trip from start to finish though!

 

 

You and I sound so much alike. Alaska has been on my DH bucket list for years but I have been putting it off because I like beach vacations!! I kept telling him we would go when we were older. Your pictures have definitely made me want to go ahead. We'll probably go 2015. Thanks so much!!

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

Look what we saw from the air.

 

 

Randy pointed out this rainbow. He told us what caused it but we forgot. :o

 

 

 

It was an absolutely breathtaking experience soaring above almost completely untouched nature.

 

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

I love these photos with a little bit of the wing in them so you can tell we were FLYING! :D

 

 

 

 

 

[Cool Breeze Cruiser]

 

 

 

We stopped at this dock for a few minutes. J.R. had really been looking forward to landing here & being able to 'hear' the quiet!