Alaska Cruise
September 2010
Our lifelong dream of taking an Alaskan Cruise has finally come true. We departed Vancouver in company with Dan, Jan, Fred and Shelia on September 18 for a seven day tour of the inside passage via Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. The scenery was spectacular, the food was scrumptious, the onboard entertainment delightful and the weather was very accommodating for most of the voyage.
In Juneau we took the cable car to the top of Mount Robison and then spent the rest of the day shopping and drinking Duck Farts at the Red Dog Saloon. The next stop was Skagway. This town was made famous by the Klondike Gold rush at the turn of the century. One of the highlights for us was a ride up the narrow gauge Klondike and White Pass Railroad. It is difficult to understand how the early prospectors were able to carry 2000 pounds of supplies through this pass and on to the Klondike. Upon returning we spent a few hours shopping, Genevieve tried her hand at Can Can dancing followed by a meal at the Red Onion Saloon.
Departing early evening, the ship arrived at the entrance to Glacier Bay the following morning. We cruised up the Bay and arrived at the face of Johns Hopkins Glacier around noon. It was an amazing experience to be able to see the beauty of the glacier up close and hear the very loud ‘explosions’ of the calving ice. Words alone can’t do justice to the grandeur and magnificence of a glacier.
The next scheduled port on the trip was Ketchikan. Unfortunately, there was a medical emergency onboard and the ship had to divert to Juneau. This combined with a storm with gusts up to 110 mph delayed our arrival by 6 hours and there was not sufficient time for the ship to make a port call. Those who were not seasick could only wave as we sailed by.
The ship arrived in Vancouver early Sunday morning and we departed for Duvall to see Andrew, Kristie and Tessa.Double click to enlarge pictures
In Juneau we took the cable car to the top of Mount Robison and then spent the rest of the day shopping and drinking Duck Farts at the Red Dog Saloon. The next stop was Skagway. This town was made famous by the Klondike Gold rush at the turn of the century. One of the highlights for us was a ride up the narrow gauge Klondike and White Pass Railroad. It is difficult to understand how the early prospectors were able to carry 2000 pounds of supplies through this pass and on to the Klondike. Upon returning we spent a few hours shopping, Genevieve tried her hand at Can Can dancing followed by a meal at the Red Onion Saloon.
Departing early evening, the ship arrived at the entrance to Glacier Bay the following morning. We cruised up the Bay and arrived at the face of Johns Hopkins Glacier around noon. It was an amazing experience to be able to see the beauty of the glacier up close and hear the very loud ‘explosions’ of the calving ice. Words alone can’t do justice to the grandeur and magnificence of a glacier.
The next scheduled port on the trip was Ketchikan. Unfortunately, there was a medical emergency onboard and the ship had to divert to Juneau. This combined with a storm with gusts up to 110 mph delayed our arrival by 6 hours and there was not sufficient time for the ship to make a port call. Those who were not seasick could only wave as we sailed by.
The ship arrived in Vancouver early Sunday morning and we departed for Duvall to see Andrew, Kristie and Tessa.Double click to enlarge pictures
posted by Bob Burke at 8:18 PM
0 comments
