We flew from Deadhorse to Anchorage on Sunday, 26 August,
arriving about 3 PM. After checking in at the Hilton, it was souvenir shopping
time. Actually, this was souvenir buying time since the earlier time in
Anchorage was spent in finding the items we wanted to purchase. We later
discovered that several of the souvenirs were cheaper at the cruise ship ports
of call. Our last port, Ketchikan, seemed to have the best prices.
Monday we had breakfast and then boarded a bus at 10 AM for the
3 hour ride to Seward where we would board our cruise ship, the Sun Princess.
The bus made one stop on the way to Seward so everyone could see a small glacier
in a beautiful mountain setting. We very briefly saw several beluga whales in
Turnagain Bay, but the bus driver didn't even slow down for a better look.
The sun Princess is a very large ship. One deck has a walkway all around
the ship. The top deck includes a swimming pool that was never used on
this cruise. A hot tub on the same deck was used by a few of the over 2000
passengers. It was cold and wet for our entire cruise. |
Food at no additional cost is available at all times. This buffet style eating place
was always available. We had breakfast and lunch here daily. We had dinner
in the formal dining room every evening for the experience of having a
multi-course gourmet meal served to us. Two evening meals were designated
as formal, with suits required for the men, tux if available, and long
dresses for the women. Other meals in the formal dining room were casual,
as was the dress everywhere else on the ship.
Liquor is not included in the no cost food. Neither is hot chocolate.
Both are available in several bars, from waiters pushing carts around the
ship deck, and from waiters in all the eating places. There are also a
couple of places to eat, such as a steak place, where the food does carry additional
cost. Smoking is not permitted in any public area of the ship except for
the open decks.
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The ship got underway late in the evening, and we were cruising in College
Fjord the next morning. Several small glaciers, as seen here, terminate in
College Fjord, all named after ivy league schools. One large glacier,
Harvard, is in the back end of the fjord. The dirty streak in the center
of the glacier indicates this glacier was formed from two flowing together
becoming one. With the mist and cold wind, glacier viewing did not require
a lot of our time. Pictures obtained were few and poor.
Once we left the protected waters of the fjord, wind and waves were a
problem. Many passengers became sea sick, and the formal dinner scheduled
for the evening was postponed one night. The open decks were off limits
for the rest of the day because of the bad conditions. I had thought the
ship was too large to be affected by any sea conditions we would
encounter. My wife and I both took Bonine to prevent sea sickness, and we
had no problem. Some of our friends from the Prudhoe Bay trip did get
sick. A visit to the ship's doctor was $250 plus the cost of the medicine.
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The following day, we cruised into Yakutat Bay to see Hubbard Glacier, 300
feet tall and six miles wide. The glacier is shown above with a small
calving producing a splash about 100 feet tall. This largest glacier in
North America advanced so fast in 1986 that it dammed Russell Fjord,
forming a lake that rose 90 feet before the dam broke. We spent about an
hour or more with the ship near the glacier. The captain turned the ship
so good views were available from both sides of the ship. I think the best
views were from the top deck bow area.
When we made reservations for the cruise, a trip into Glacier Bay
National Park was scheduled instead of the trip into Yakutat Bay. The US
National Park Service has stopped many of the large ships from entering the park because
of damage caused by the wakes of the ships. Many small ships, and some
large ships are still allowed into the park, but the numbers are much less
than previously. The park has more glaciers, but none can compare to the
size of Hubbard. |
Skagway was our first port of call. We had signed up for one land tour in
each of the three ports for our cruise. Our land tour was a sight seeing
tour that started with a bus ride to a high point looking down into
Skagway. This picture shows most of Skagway, with our ship and a Norwegian
Cruise Line ship in port. We visited here in 1997, staying two nights in
the brown topped motel visible just to the right of the largest tree. Six
cruise ships were in port in1997. That is the airport runway and taxi
strip in the foreground. The fog and rain remained with
us the entire cruise. |
The remaining parts of the land tour included a stage show, above, and a
visit to a museum. Other tours included a ride on the White Pass Railroad
to the area where the gold seekers of the late 19th century climbed the
pass to reach the Yukon River and to then float downstream.
Our tour was over by noon, so we had lunch on the ship and then Betty
went shopping, and I took a tour of the ship's bridge. After dinner, we
watched a movie in one of the two theaters on the ship. |
Next stop was Juneau. Our land tour here included a short visit to a
church, and then to Mendenhall Glacier. A short walk took us near the
glacier. While small compared to Hubbard, it is still a lot of ice.
Helicopter trips that land on the glacier are available. At Mendenhall
Glacier, we also visited a stream with salmon visible. Several bear eaten
fish remains were at streamside, but we did not see a bear. I would have
liked to have spent a longer time at the Mendenhall Glacier, but the bus
driver had said that "Hitch Hiker" was the name given to tourists
that were late for the bus departure. |
A salmon fish hatchery was the last stop of the land
tour. Following the tour, we had lunch on the ship and then did a
little shopping. Tram type busses provided low cost transportation
from the ship into the shopping area of Juneau.
After shopping, we went to the card room to play some 3-13. With
the bad weather, the card room was a busy place. Looking out the
window, I noticed a bald eagle in a tree. I stopped the card game
long enough to get my camera with the 600 mm lens for a few
pictures.
After dinner, we enjoyed first a musical show,
and then a live comic that was funny with no obscenities. |
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Our last port was Ketchikan. The ship docked almost downtown. This picture
is from the ship, and those are souvenir shops. Since our tour was not
until afternoon, shopping was first on the agenda. We had already bought
everything we planned to get, but the short walk and the coupons received
when we boarded the ship gave some bargains too good to pass up. |
Our four hour tour started with a fish hatchery and an eagle rehab center.
Two eagles with wing damage that prevented their ever flying again, above,
were the stars of the presentation. I made few pictures because I was
afraid of getting the camera wet. |
Most of the tour was at the Totem Heritage Center and totem park. Inside
the center is a collection of old totems, most in a poor and weathered
condition. |
The totem park included the meeting house, above, with a door through the
totem at the center. |
| Our bus driver/tour guide was very much a talker. She
talked a lot about every different type of totem in the park. She
talked so much that another tour group that started a half hour
later caught up with us.
Our tour group from the rear. Did I mention it was wet? This entire
tour was under umbrellas when outdoors. The umbrellas were
furnished. I was told the annual precipitation in Ketchikan
averages 300 inches.
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| After the tour, we had the second formal
dinner, and then went to another show. There was one or two musical
shows every night, along with some other entertainment in the two
theaters. The bars had entertainment, and there was a piano and
singer in an open area where drinks were available, but most patrons
did not obtain them.
This was our last port of call. The next day and night were at
sea. It was wet and cold, but in protected waterways so rough seas
were not a concern. Many people reported seeing whales, but all were
far away from the ship; none close enough to see the body. That last
night, Baked Alaska was the only dessert offered at dinner. Serving
of it started with a parade of lighted Baked Alaskas in a dark room.
There must have been over a hundred. Next morning we were in
Vancouver. |
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Final departure from the ship is not as easy as getting on. First, the bags
must be packed and put out for pickup the evening before departure. We were
given a colored card with a number on it. We then had to wait until our number
and color were called before we could depart. Our departure included a bus ride
to the Vancouver airport. Since we did not have an early flight to catch, we
were near the last people to be called for departure. We had to walk through
several passageways, including one where we turned in our Canadian customs
declaration. Since we were not Canadian, and did not intend to leave anything we
had with us (except money) in Canada, Canadian customs was no problem. We
collected our luggage at the Vancouver airport, caught the van to the Comfort
Inn where our van was parked, and headed for Vancouver Island.
