An Alaskan adventure we won't soon forget - cruise and land tour - June 25 - July 7

[jmele999]

Day 3 - Comedy show and casino

 

To end Day 3 we attended the comedy show in the stardust theater. Richie Minervini was the comedian onboard and he was very funny.

 

 

After the show we all went to the casino to make our nightly donation to the NCL Sun fund and went to bed around midnight.

 

 

End of Day 3 - A very enjoyable, warm and relaxing day.

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Juneau and Sawyer Glacier

 

 

 

[jenseib]

More great updates.

Nothing like a nap on a cruise ship. My daughter who is 10 keeps saying she can't wait to go on our cruise just for the fact that sleeping on a ship is wonderful!

[kimberja14]

Day 3 - The Kantishna Experience in Denali National Park

 

 

 

Along the way we saw a fox and enjoyed more beautiful scenery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of the day, the tour guide informed us that we were going to be stopping everyone 90 minutes for bathroom breaks. Regardless of whether you are on a narrated tour or using the park shuttle buses, all buses stop at the same rest stops. Our first stop was at 8:20 am at the Teklanika River rest stop, which is located at mile 30.

 

 

 

Below is a picture of the different buses at the rest stop. The green buses are the park shuttle buses, the tan and white bus is for the Tundra Wilderness Experience, and our bus (Kantishna Roadhouse) is the red and white bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scenery is great at this rest stop and it also has a large number of restrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I adore your review and your pictures and details are amazing! I live on the outskirts of Wasilla just near the entrance to Hatchers Pass. If you ever make it back up try to see this beautiful place. Also Palmer has a reindeer farm and musk ox farm that make fun visits. I did notice that the picture of your fox in Denali looks more like a collared wolf:-) I have been told they collar the alpha wolves and also the lone wolves (but honestly I heard that from a friend so not sure how accurate that is) Denali is one of my getaway places and my daughter and I were just there last month for a weekend trip. ( the pix I attached is my daughter and a caribou we came across near the Savage river) I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip:-)

[jmele999]

I adore your review and your pictures and details are amazing! I live on the outskirts of Wasilla just near the entrance to Hatchers Pass. If you ever make it back up try to see this beautiful place. Also Palmer has a reindeer farm and musk ox farm that make fun visits. I did notice that the picture of your fox in Denali looks more like a collared wolf:-) I have been told they collar the alpha wolves and also the lone wolves (but honestly I heard that from a friend so not sure how accurate that is) Denali is one of my getaway places and my daughter and I were just there last month for a weekend trip. ( the pix I attached is my daughter and a caribou we came across near the Savage river) I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip:-)[ATTACH]356437[/ATTACH]

 

Thanks so much. We are definitely planning on visiting Alaska again soon - so much to see so little time.

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Juneau

 

So let's continue with the review. Unfortunately, the time is Juneau is very short (7:00 am - 1:15 pm) and so our goal today was to get off the ship as quickly as possible and take the $20 pp shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

The arrival in Juneau reminded me of Roatan, Honduras with lots of beautiful houses near the waterfront.

 

 

When we arrived in Juneau it was raining, and all of the shuttles to Mendenhall Glacier were lined up right outside the port. However, instead of taking the shuttle, I spoke to a taxi driver and he took all of eight of us to the glacier for $51 (including park fees). The taxi was cheaper and faster than waiting for the shuttle. We got the phone number of the taxi driver and he told us to give him a call when were ready to be picked up. We left the ship at 7:15 am and by 7:45 am we were at Mendenhall Glacier Park enjoying this beautiful glacier.

 

This is the view as soon as you arrive at the park.

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2015 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Mendenhall Glacier

 

It had stopped raining by the time we got to the park and so we decided to go on the 1 mile walk to get us closer to the glacier. It is a very easy walk and takes about 20 minutes each way.

 

 

Here is the view as we got closer to the glacier and the falls.

 

 

And as you get closer to the glacier, you can see how blue it is.

 

 

 

We were the only ones there because it was so early. As we were walking back, there were more people arriving and walking towards the falls.

 

 

Here is a picture of how close you can get to the glacier.

 

 

After walking back, we stopped at the visitor center, which has a great view of the glacier. We watched a very interesting 15 minutes documentary about glaciers and walked around the visitor center. A few minutes before leaving the visitor center, we contacted our taxi driver who arrived within 20 minutes. We were back in downtown Juneau by 10:30 am.

 

Tip - I would highly recommend taking a taxi to get to Mendenhall Glacier especially if you have a large group. The taxi will be cheaper and will get you there faster thus avoiding the crowds. Taking the shuttle would have cost us $160, but instead the taxi was only $86 + tip.

 

Next - Tracy's King Crab Shack

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Tracy's King Crab Shack

 

Prior to the cruise we had all seen pictures of king crab legs and as such we were so looking forward to enjoying some crab legs on this trip.

 

 

Based on all of the reviews that I read, Tracy's has the best legs in town and the shack is conveniently located right next to the port. It is not a fancy restaurant, but the legs are worth every penny.

 

 

 

Legs anyone?

 

 

 

Here is our bucket of legs (3 lbs)

 

 

Tip: A bucket of legs (3 lbs) is $110 - I know - they are expensive, but they are so good. If you order pieces of legs (same amount), you can get the bucket for $90.

 

If in Juneau, you have to try this place. For eight of us, we got two buckets of pieces of legs, and cream of crab soup with warm rolls (also very good).

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Juneau

We left Tracy's at around 11:30 am and we all went our separate ways to do some shopping.

 

 

Because there were three other ships in town that day, we docked at the AJ dock, which is about a mile away from the downtown area. If you ever dock at this dock, make sure to allow plenty of time to get back to the ship. There is a also a shuttle between the downtown area and the dock.

After doing some shopping, DP and I walked back and were happy to see that the Sun was still in port waiting for us. DP was a little bit concerned about making it back on time, but we were onboard by 12:30 pm.

 

 

When we got back onboard, we found a surprise from our wonderful room steward, Jerico. I guess that he saw the greeting card that DP had given me the day before. Later on, he said congratulations in person. He is without a doubt one of the best room stewards we have had so far.

 

 

As we left Juneau around 1:30 pm we were informed by the cruise director that we were not sure if we were going to make it to Sawyer Glacier later that afternoon due to the weather.

 

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Sailing towards Sawyer Glacier/Tracy Arm

 

A couple of hours after leaving Juneau the weather improved as we were sailing towards Sawyer Glacier. Around 4:00 pm we entered Hokham Bay, which is the entrance to the Tracy Arm Fjord. Before we knew it we started seeing icebergs floating next to the ship and they were more impressive in both size and beauty than the ones that we had seen at Hubbard Glacier.

 

 

 

 

As we entered the Fjord, a carnival ship was leaving.

 

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Tracy Arm Fjord

 

Words cannot describe how beautiful Tracy Arm is, but here are some pictures that will hopefully give you an idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent the afternoon enjoying the beauty of Tracy Arm, and drinking wine in our balcony. We were not able to make it to Sawyer Glacier due to the amount of ice in the water, but we were more than pleased that we got a chance to see Tracy Arm.

[jmele999]

Day 4 - Dinner at La Cucina

 

We were supposed to have dinner at La Cucina ($15 pp) at 6:00 pm, but changed our reservation to 6:30 pm because we were running late as we wanted to spend more time in our balcony enjoying the beauty of Tracy Arm.

 

The great thing about La Cucina on the Sun is that everyone has a window seat. Here is the view from our table.

 

 

I think that because we had an early lunch at Tracy's, we ate our dinner very quickly and forgot to take pictures of our entrees. However, I do remember that we all enjoyed our dinner at La Cucina.

 

 

 

[jmele999]

Day 4 - The Look of Love show

 

After dinner we took a walk around the promenade as it was a beautiful and warm night.

 

 

The show that night was The Look of Love - The Music of Burt Bacharach. I must say that I was bored during the show and DP spent most of the show sleeping.

 

 

 

End of Day 4.

 

Next - Day 5 - Skagway

[soaringfalcon]

You have some absolutely breath taking pictures. Thank you again for posting this trip!!!!

[jenseib]

Wow!!! Love the Tracy Arm pictures!!!!!

[languages1]

A true artist with the camera

[jmele999]

Wow!!! Love the Tracy Arm pictures!!!!!

 

It is a truly a beautiful place. Thanks for the comments.

[jmele999]

A true artist with the camera

 

Thanks for comments, but the camera is doing all the work.

 

Are you looking forward to your cruise?

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Skagway

 

 

 

[Cruise time]

I am so enjoying your review! I took this route years ago and it is great to be reliving it through your experience! I am still kicking myself to this day that as much as I love Alaskan crab legs, I never got any while I was there. Sounds like a good reason to go back I'd say!

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Skagway

 

Prior to the cruise the one thing that I knew that I wanted to do was the scenic drive along the South Klondike Highway to the Yukon Territory. The initial plan was for the four of us (DP, my in-laws and I) to rent a car and do the drive together. However, the day before arriving in Skagway, my in-laws decided that they wanted to go on the Mushens Camp & Sled Dog Experience excursion (more on their excursion later on) with their friends.

 

We arrived in Skagway shortly before 7:00 am. I quickly got ready (while DP slept), grabbed some breakfast, and was off the ship by 7:30 am to pick up the car from Hertz. The rental car company is located right downtown and you can easily walk there from the ship. As I walked to the Hertz I started taking pictures since the streets were so quiet and I had time to kill because Hertz did not open until 8:00 am.

 

Here is the train that takes you on the White Pass Scenic Railway Experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2015 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Skagway - The South Klondike Highway.

 

The South Klondike Highway run 98 miles and links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City. Its route somewhat parallels the route used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. In order to get ready for the drive, we purchased Murray's Guide to the South Klondike Highway ($5), which contains detailed information about the region and places to stop along the highway. Prior to the cruise, I printed the guide and put it in a binder for easy access.

 

The drive is very scenic with lots of waterfalls, mountains, and for the most part follows the same route as the White Pass Scenic Railway.

 

 

 

 

Along the road you will also notice piles of rocks called "inukshuks" - piles of rock that for the Eskimo/inuilt have a spiritual significance. The locals try to eliminate this type of graffiti every year, but they keep getting built.

 

 

About 23 miles into the drive you will will need to stop at the Canada Customs Post at Fraser, British Columbia. The picture below is of water tower from the days when steam locomotives were used. There are bathrooms in the old water tower, but make sure to clear customs before you stop here.

 

 

Here is a map of our drive from Skagway to Emerald Lake.

 

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Skagway - The South Klondike Highway.

 

Our next stop was the Yukon Suspension Bridge, which opened in 2006. The main attraction is the suspension bridge across the Tutshi River Canyon. The bridge was built at a cost of over $3 million.

 

There is a nice view of the mountains from the parking lot.

 

 

There is a fee of $18 pp ($14 for seniors), but if you have a copy of Murray's guide, you can get a $4 discount per person.

 

 

The following picture was taken while on the bridge.

 

 

 

After walking across the bridge we stopped by the cafe to taste their famous bison chilli. Did you notice the YSB (Yukon Suspension Bridge) on the roll?

 

 

The chili was very good and a nice snack at 10:00 am in the morning.

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Skagway - The South Klondike Highway.

 

After the YSB we continued our drive towards Carcross and Emerald Lake. Along the way we stopped to take pictures of Tutshi Lake, the welcome to the Yukon sign, Bove Island, which is located on Tagish Lake (picture # 5 below), and the Carcross dessert. Carcross dessert is commonly known as the "world's smallest dessert", but it is not really a dessert, but a dune system which is home to several species of rare plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sjbdtz]

Day 4 - Tracy Arm Fjord

 

Words cannot describe how beautiful Tracy Arm is, but here are some pictures that will hopefully give you an idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent the afternoon enjoying the beauty of Tracy Arm, and drinking wine in our balcony. We were not able to make it to Sawyer Glacier due to the amount of ice in the water, but we were more than pleased that we got a chance to see Tracy Arm.

 

 

Tracy Arm was our very first cruise. Thanks for the beautiful digital photos to remember it by. We were stuck with 'film' back then! :)

 

 

 

Stephen & Daniel

 

 

.