Alaskan Vacation - 2016
2016 - Alaska Vacation
Take a look at some of the photos I took on our trip. Just click the above link.
We had a great time - the weather cooperated and we were able to do a lot of different things. Cruising is certainly a great way to vacation. We traveled with Sue and Gerry Olson which added to the fun.
We spent a couple of days in Vancouver, British Columbia prior to leaving on our cruise. We spent one day touring the city, using a hop on hop off bus system to get around. The second day we went up to Whistler, the site of the Olympic ski village. The day was sunny and warm and the views were great.
We cruised out of Vancouver on Friday afternoon in clear weather, explored the ship, enjoyed a drink and then dinner in the main dining room. Listening to a little music, watched a musical review show and wandering around the ship completed the day. We cruised all day Saturday and docked in Ketchikan on Sunday morning. Wandered around the town, watched the salmon in the river that ran through town and saw an otter who caught a fish and then hammed it up for the crowds. Did a little souvenir shopping and bought myself a couple of jackets and a pair of shoes. Back on the ship and left port late afternoon. Saw a whale on the way out. Dinner was great!
Our next stop was Icy Strait Point - a native American village. We wandered off the ship and wandered along the coast - it was a great day to walk and enjoy being outside. The following day we stopped in Juneau, Alaska's capital. Here we had a tour to go whale watching and to see Mendenhall Glacier. The whale watching trip was quite successful -we saw orca whales, humpback whales, bald eagles and seals. The glacier looked like a giant ice flow which just stopped in the middle of the lake. We were back to the ship around 1 - had lunch and then got off the ship again to wander the shops of Juneau. The ship didn't leave port until 8pm - we were back on board to have dinner at 7:30 and then enjoyed music in the evening.
Skagway was the next port of call - again we were off the ship early to take a bus up the mountain to partway to the Yukon Pass and then take the train back down. We went through customs twice since we were in Canada for a short time and then needed to get back into the United States. Stopped for picture taking - though it was a rather foggy day. Had lunch in Skagway before we got back on the ship, then it was off to head to Hubbard's Glacier the next morning. We cruised as close to the glacier as we could go - it is a massive piece of ice. Then it was on to Seward - where we docked early the next morning. We had a very pleasant last day and night on board, watched the ship captain participate in a pastry decorating contest, listened to him answer questions about the ship and cruising, enjoyed our dinner in the dining room and music in various venues onboard. Early Friday morning it was time to leave the ship.
We went from the ship to a tour bus where we took off for Anchorage and then Denali National Park. Long ride - scenery was interesting and we were happy to reach Denali in time to relax, walk around and have dinner. The next morning it was up very early to take a wilderness tour into the park. Saw a moose, many caribou, dall sheep and a bear in the distance. Also saw Mt. Denali - and the sun was out and we could almost see the very tip of the mount. Took lots of pictures then headed back to the visitor center and railroad station to board the train. We took the train from Denali to Fairbanks - private car of Royal Caribbean. Domed top where we sat - and then had dinner on the first floor of the car - a very pleasant comfortable ride. We made Fairbanks by 8 and headed to our motel there.
The next morning we headed to a gold mine where we panned for gold, saw the Alaska pipeline and then headed to Fairbanks for a bit of wandering around. Nice dinner at a restaurant down the road from our motel. On our last day we slept in, breakfasted, packed up and went on a riverboat cruise in the afternoon. The cruise was fun - saw a seaplane upclose, an idaterod dog training facility and Chena Village (a native American village). Back to the hotel and to the airport. Flew all night and were home in Elmwood Park by 6am. Great trip, great time!