Alaskan Cruises PT 2 – The Excursions

Madras Oregon   H72  L45

Judy and  I stayed busy during the ships four stopovers with shore tours/excursions. Judy scheduled the various by selecting from a menu of activities during the cruise booking process. I am sure it may have been a little more expensive but once the ship docked we already had our activities planned so we saved a lot of time.

 Ketchikan – Lodge and Sea-feast

Judy and I along with 15 others took this tour. After a short coach ride we boarded  a boat for a 20 minute ride out to an island. At the lodge we were met by a “host” who provided lots of local history and a short walk into forest.  We were served the Alaskan version of a “Low Country Boil”.  It was very good. Before heading back we boarded the boat for a hour tour of the area, getting a chance to see lots of wildlife.

    

      

     

Tracy Arm Fjord Cruising

Prior to making a stop in Juneau, the ship cruised 25 miles in to the Tracy Arm Fjord. The scenery was breathtaking.

     

      

Juneau – Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest

This excursion was very popular with many of the guest on the cruise. It lasted over five hours and was a combination coach and boat tour. The whale watching portion was over three hours. The final stop on the tour was a visit to the Mendenhall Glacier and Museum.

     

     

Skagway - Gold rush, Sled Dogs and White Pass Train Adventure

This excursion took us 30 miles from Juneau to the White Pass in Canada.  There we boarded the White Pass Railway for a small gauge train ride down the mountain back to Juneau. On the way up we stopped for a presentation about the sled dogs of the Iditarod dog race.  Those dogs loved to pull the sled (fast).

     

    

 

     

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next Blog: a couple of days

Alaskan Cruise PT 1

I have not had enough time to post a blog in the last couple of weeks because I have been very busy. Busy, getting ready for, and going on an Alaskan cruise!! Judy and I just returned Friday from a week of sightseeing SE Alaska. 

Judy and I boarded the Celebrity Cruise Line ship Solstice on Friday the eighth of May in Seattle. We returned this past Friday. Judy and I were joined by her sister Sheila and her husband Ron for the cruise. We had a great time. I will post more about the ship in a future post.  As a career sailor, I must confess it was enjoyable to be back at sea.  I was able to experience what it is like to go to sea as a Coast Guardsman.  Even though at sea, we were never out of sight of land. Just kidding. 

The scenery was fabulous and we took many photos.  The weather was awesome, no rain and the temps reached into the sixties. I understand that we were very lucky to have weather like that. The cruise included stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway Alaska. The ship also went 23 miles into the Tracy Arm  Fjord. The final port of call was Victoria, British Columbia.  Judy and I took advantage of shore excursions at each stop. The excursions we went on were, The Alaskan Sea-feast and Lodge Adventure, Mendenhall Glacier and Whale watching and Wildlife Quest, Gold rush, Sled Dogs and White Pass Train Adventure, and the final excursion was a Scenic Tour of Victoria.

Below is a small sampling of the photos Judy and I took, because we recognize no one really wants to see your vacation pictures.

Click to enlarge

     

    

     

     

In future follow up post I will include more amazing pictures.

That is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by.

Next blog: Tue