Cape Decision Lighthouse, Inside Passage, Alaska
Mendenhall Glacier - Juneau, Alaska
Docked at Skagway, Alaska
Yellow Bus Tour in Skagway.
Seal on the ice in Tracy Arm Fjord.
Float plane in Ketchikan, AK.
Eagles divebombing a school of fish
in Ketchikan, AK.
Eagles onthe rocks in Ketchikan, AK.
Our cruise started in Seattle and
ended in Seattle.
Cruising The Last Frontier... Alaska
Travel arrangements made by Jerry Rose of Carefree Travel.
Princess Cruise Lines embarking from Seattle, WA.
They call Alaska the last frontier. And for city dwellers it is quite true. For those of us living in the desert, Alaska is a visual contrast to what we live with day in and day out. It is quite literally an enjoyable assault on all our senses.
We chose to cruise the Inside Passage on the Diamond Princess ship. We departed in mid June for an 8-day, 7-night cruise. This ship is 3 football fields long, 18 stories high and will carry 2700 passengers and 1100 crew members. The ship's crew is international; coming from all parts of the world and dedicated to making your cruise the most glorious adventure… and it is glorious.
Our itinerary started with a Seattle departure, to Juneau, then Skagway, Tracy Arm fjord, Ketchikan, Victoria BC and back to Seattle. Cruising is an experience no one should miss. It's like staying at the finest hotel or resort, a floating resort, where the stunning scenery is constantly changing as the ship glides along at about 20 knots.
There are several fine dining restaurants with gourmet fare and boutique shops filled with fine jewelry, designer clothes and specialty items. Each restaurant and shop is as nice as you would find anywhere in the world. Also onboard are four or five pools, I lost count, and all are heated, one is covered with a glass enclosure so you don't miss any of the picture-perfect views. For the golf enthusiast, there is cyber golf and miniature golf for the kids. If you like to gamble, there is a casino on board. I found the slots quite generous during our cruise.
The ship's theater is host to various musical variety shows, movies and seminars/ presentations. Fine art auctions were held in one of the lounges with fine art prints by such artists as Leroy Neiman and Andy Warhol just to name a few. If you decide to purchase a work of art, they will also arrange to ship your purchase home for you.
It's quite green in Alaska. Actually, much of it is a rainforest. Even in the summer there is snow at the top of the mountains. Much of the time it is overcast and it drizzles frequently. A breeze can send a chill through your entire being. The locals walk around in t-shirts and shorts and look at us tourists as humorous aliens from another planet all bundled in our long underwear, layered clothes, jackets, mittens and ski-caps. Everyone is friendly and courteous, quite eager to pose for pictures, pass along information/tips, tell stories and give directions.
Juneau is the state capitol, and I was surprised to learn there are no roads into or out of Juneau. You get there either by boat or by plane. Mendenhall Glacier is one of the big draws. It is a picture perfect magnificent glacier, a monolith of ice, snow and water. The bus tour is a great way to see the sights of Juneau and see the glacier. Or you can take a helicopter tour that will take you to the glacier and let you walk/hike on it. How cool is that? Better yet, take a rafting trip down the river, which just happens to pass right in front of the glacier toward the end of your wild ride… and it is wild, you can plan on getting soaked. Don't worry, they give you rain gear to help keep you a bit dry.
A town such as Skagway with a population of around 800 swells to more than 10,000 when the cruise ships are in town. We are welcome visitors. We arrive. We spend a little money and leave, usually the same day if we come by ship. It helps the local economy and we take a bit of Alaska with us back to our desert home.
Tracy Arm is a large fjord with cliffs that dwarf even our 18-story ship. The channel is what is left from a large receding glacier. While in the fjord, you wonder just how in the heck are they going to turn this ship around. It seems a bit narrow. The ship's captain told us not to worry; there was about 1,100 feet of water below us. Under the ship, is a huge jet engine, which can turn the ship around on a dime. In the channel, the water is a strange color of blue green, almost teal in color. This color comes from the glacier and the sediment it stirs up. Pack ice, some of it called growlers and bergy bits, float throughout the length of the fjord. We spotted seals with their pups sunbathing on top of the bergy bits. The naturalist on board told us there were no orcas in the channel, due to the sediment in the water and the pack ice. Apparently it plays havoc with their sonar. Hence the seals raise their young here because they know it is safe from the predators.
Scenery traveling through Tracy Arm is extraordinary with the snowcapped mountains and 'hanging' glaciers reaching part way down the mountain but never quite getting all the way to ground level. We saw numerous, picturesque, cascading waterfalls tumbling down the mountainsides to the sea. Along the shoreline a brown bear was spotted foraging for a late morning breakfast at the waters edge. We watched bald eagles in the treetops and sometimes perched on the bergy bits. Smaller fishing vessels, trawlers were often seen.
Ship photographers are constantly taking pictures daily at various functions during the cruise. Formal night they set up in various parts of the ship to take formal pictures to immortalize your tour. The Diamond Princess comes complete with a full-service photo lab and posts the photos along a gallery wall each day for cruisers to review and purchase… the photos are excellent and the lab does a big business.
In Ketchikan you can see bald eagles as plentiful as crows. They are everywhere. Take a tour of the waterfront by boat and you will probably run across them dive-bombing a school of fish along the waterfront. It is an exciting aerial acrobatic show. Almost like they put it on for the tourists. I kept hearing myself exclaim "whoa" time after time. It didn’t even matter that it was raining like crazy. I didn't care. My camera was clicking away as fast as I could shoot. If you look toward one of the jetties, you will literally see hundreds of eagles lined along the rocks sunning themselves, preening and waiting for their turn in the air.
Ketchikan's waterfront is a bustling place with fish factories and seaplanes flying in and out on a daily basis. Many homes along the waterfront have a seaplane docked at their pier or hoisted up on shore. Seaplanes seem to be a necessity and an excellent way to get around the vast frontier of Alaska.
Our last port of call before heading back to Seattle was supposed to be Victoria, British Columbia. Unfortunately due to high winds and very choppy seas, the Captain announced he could not pull into port. Our ship anchored just outside the harbor for the night. After sunset, winds died down and views of the cityscape were magnificent with the warm sunset highlighting the buildings along the waterfront of Victoria. You can feel a slight sway of the ship when seas are a bit choppy, but it is not bad since the ship is so big.
Our cruise ended where it started in Seattle. After departing the ship we toured the city by bus before continuing on to the airport and home to the desert. One of the stops on the Seattle tour was at Pike Place Market. Pike's is the oldest market of its type along the West Coast. A wonderful collection of "farmers' market" shops where you can find just about anything you are looking for and a few things you didn't know existed. Pike Place Fish Market is home to the world-famous fishmonger "fish toss". Order salmon and they toss it from the iced display in the front of the store to the counter in the back of the shop where it is weighed, wrapped, rung up and packed for shipping or carrying home.
Yes, we went to the Space Needle. No trip to Seattle would be complete without it. We were rewarded with a wonderful 360-degree view of Seattle. Then we were off to the airport and home. You knew you were back home in Arizona when you got off the plane and hit with that distinctive, harsh blast-furnace hot summer air.
People in Alaska eagerly await summer, after 8 months of winter who wouldn't, and here in Arizona we can't wait for winter...
Ah, Alaska, I miss you already, especially your welcome 50 to 60 degree cooler temperature.
Funny thing is you can feel the sway of the ship long after you arrive back home in the desert. Interesting, I wonder how long that will last?
Travel arrangements made by Jerry Rose of Carefree Travel.
Princess Cruise Lines embarking from Seattle, WA.
They call Alaska the last frontier. And for city dwellers it is quite true. For those of us living in the desert, Alaska is a visual contrast to what we live with day in and day out. It is quite literally an enjoyable assault on all our senses.
We chose to cruise the Inside Passage on the Diamond Princess ship. We departed in mid June for an 8-day, 7-night cruise. This ship is 3 football fields long, 18 stories high and will carry 2700 passengers and 1100 crew members. The ship's crew is international; coming from all parts of the world and dedicated to making your cruise the most glorious adventure… and it is glorious.
 |
There are several fine dining restaurants with gourmet fare and boutique shops filled with fine jewelry, designer clothes and specialty items. Each restaurant and shop is as nice as you would find anywhere in the world. Also onboard are four or five pools, I lost count, and all are heated, one is covered with a glass enclosure so you don't miss any of the picture-perfect views. For the golf enthusiast, there is cyber golf and miniature golf for the kids. If you like to gamble, there is a casino on board. I found the slots quite generous during our cruise.
The ship's theater is host to various musical variety shows, movies and seminars/ presentations. Fine art auctions were held in one of the lounges with fine art prints by such artists as Leroy Neiman and Andy Warhol just to name a few. If you decide to purchase a work of art, they will also arrange to ship your purchase home for you.
 |
Juneau is the state capitol, and I was surprised to learn there are no roads into or out of Juneau. You get there either by boat or by plane. Mendenhall Glacier is one of the big draws. It is a picture perfect magnificent glacier, a monolith of ice, snow and water. The bus tour is a great way to see the sights of Juneau and see the glacier. Or you can take a helicopter tour that will take you to the glacier and let you walk/hike on it. How cool is that? Better yet, take a rafting trip down the river, which just happens to pass right in front of the glacier toward the end of your wild ride… and it is wild, you can plan on getting soaked. Don't worry, they give you rain gear to help keep you a bit dry.
A town such as Skagway with a population of around 800 swells to more than 10,000 when the cruise ships are in town. We are welcome visitors. We arrive. We spend a little money and leave, usually the same day if we come by ship. It helps the local economy and we take a bit of Alaska with us back to our desert home.
 |
 |
Ship photographers are constantly taking pictures daily at various functions during the cruise. Formal night they set up in various parts of the ship to take formal pictures to immortalize your tour. The Diamond Princess comes complete with a full-service photo lab and posts the photos along a gallery wall each day for cruisers to review and purchase… the photos are excellent and the lab does a big business.
In Ketchikan you can see bald eagles as plentiful as crows. They are everywhere. Take a tour of the waterfront by boat and you will probably run across them dive-bombing a school of fish along the waterfront. It is an exciting aerial acrobatic show. Almost like they put it on for the tourists. I kept hearing myself exclaim "whoa" time after time. It didn’t even matter that it was raining like crazy. I didn't care. My camera was clicking away as fast as I could shoot. If you look toward one of the jetties, you will literally see hundreds of eagles lined along the rocks sunning themselves, preening and waiting for their turn in the air.
Ketchikan's waterfront is a bustling place with fish factories and seaplanes flying in and out on a daily basis. Many homes along the waterfront have a seaplane docked at their pier or hoisted up on shore. Seaplanes seem to be a necessity and an excellent way to get around the vast frontier of Alaska.
Our last port of call before heading back to Seattle was supposed to be Victoria, British Columbia. Unfortunately due to high winds and very choppy seas, the Captain announced he could not pull into port. Our ship anchored just outside the harbor for the night. After sunset, winds died down and views of the cityscape were magnificent with the warm sunset highlighting the buildings along the waterfront of Victoria. You can feel a slight sway of the ship when seas are a bit choppy, but it is not bad since the ship is so big.
Our cruise ended where it started in Seattle. After departing the ship we toured the city by bus before continuing on to the airport and home to the desert. One of the stops on the Seattle tour was at Pike Place Market. Pike's is the oldest market of its type along the West Coast. A wonderful collection of "farmers' market" shops where you can find just about anything you are looking for and a few things you didn't know existed. Pike Place Fish Market is home to the world-famous fishmonger "fish toss". Order salmon and they toss it from the iced display in the front of the store to the counter in the back of the shop where it is weighed, wrapped, rung up and packed for shipping or carrying home.
Yes, we went to the Space Needle. No trip to Seattle would be complete without it. We were rewarded with a wonderful 360-degree view of Seattle. Then we were off to the airport and home. You knew you were back home in Arizona when you got off the plane and hit with that distinctive, harsh blast-furnace hot summer air.
People in Alaska eagerly await summer, after 8 months of winter who wouldn't, and here in Arizona we can't wait for winter...
Ah, Alaska, I miss you already, especially your welcome 50 to 60 degree cooler temperature.
Funny thing is you can feel the sway of the ship long after you arrive back home in the desert. Interesting, I wonder how long that will last?
- James Metcalf
CarefreeTravelAZ.com
Phone: 480-946-5351,
Toll Free: 1-800-659-8615
Email: info@carefreetravelaz.com
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