BeachClubDee

Enjoying the review!!!! Alaska is definitely on our bucket list so I love reading about it!

Thanks for reading!

We are not a big cruising family, but it was a great way to experience Alaska for us.

Enjoyed reading your review. We cruised on Carnival for the first time (Legend/Alaska) and agree with your comments.

Awww! Thanks.

I can't say enough about how amazing the bear excursion was. We booked it about a year ago and I was looking forward to it for months. It did not disappoint!

I definitely plan on finishing this report. It was a very busy fall for me- work, travel (a Disney cruise in September, then a Disney trip in October) and a busy work schedule.

Thanks for reading!

There was some other wildlife we saw in the time we were there.

We spotted an eagle who flied to and from this branch.

At the end of the tour, we walked back along the path. Same procedure. 2 by 2, no talking, huddled together.

We waited for the plane to arrive (with the next group of passengers).

The pilot asked Ben if he wanted to ride up front this time. Ben was being polite and declined. I think he wanted to give me the opportunity to take the copilot seat, but the other woman in our group piped up and said “I’ll do it!”

We flew back to the pilots interesting soundtrack- he told us, my plane, my music. I remember “Dead or Alive”, the next song referenced a plane crash, Rocky Mountain High was on the playlist.

We loved this tour!

Next Up: Total Eclipse of the Sun? at Sea and Victoria BC

Other random bear photos:

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Mama bear with cubs- we were told she had 4 cubs. We saw her with one at a time, and there was at least one cub sleeping in a nearby tree.

We watched her in the process of catching a fish, and then she came into the woods, just a few feet from our blind.

Mama eating a fish up close

Bears and Bears and Bears, OH MY!

Patient Bear:

He was sitting on the edge of the river, watching, waiting. Eventually he scored a fish.

We didn’t see any bears in the woods, but when we arrived at the platform that overlooks the salmon river, the forestry ranger gave us the thumbs up, indicating that the viewing was great.

And it was!

We spent around 45 minutes watching a half-dozen adult bears and a few cubs. There were a handful of people there when the 7 of us arrived, they left shortly thereafter.

It was fascinating!

Here are my guys at the platform, and a picture that shows how close we were to the river.

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An eagle watched our arrival as we landed.

We met our guide/naturalist who drove us a short way to a trail. He told us we would be walking about 1/4 mile to the viewing site, along a path that was also used by the bears and was lined by skunk cabbage, one of their favorite snacks. We were instructed to walk 2 by 2, closely together and not to talk or stop. He would lead the way and if we encountered a bear, he would get between our group and the animal.

Works for me!

Skunk cabbage that has been sampled by the bears- they tear out the plants and suck the roots.

Answering the age-old question:

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Alaska Bear Adventure

As mentioned previously, we chose the Alaska Bear Adventure through the ship provided by Taquan Air-

Alaska Bear Adventure:

Take part in this unique wildlife experience available only to a small number of visitors.

Take off by floatplane and enjoy a unique wildlife experience available only to a small number of visitors.

Listen to a narrative from your bush pilot as he takes you on an approximate 20 minute flight to a remote location in the Tongass National Forest noted for its salmon rich streams.

See where few forest locations in North America offer the wildlife viewing opportunities found here.

Land and be met by an Alaskan naturalist, and be driven one mile by van along a forest road to the head, a quarter-mile guided hike along the improved trail leads to a viewing platform overlooking a beautiful salmon spawning stream.

Watch for wildlife along the way as your guide identifies the rich variety of vegetation that flourishes in this rich rain-forest environment. In addition to black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, minks, and martens frequent the area. Wildlife sightings are frequent; however, they cannot be guaranteed.

Look down from a viewing platform on to fast moving rapids, an area where black bears gather to feed on runs of pink, coho and chum salmon, as they head upstream to spawn. See bald eagles perched in the surrounding trees waiting for the fish scraps left by the bears.

At $380 per person, this was a pricey, but priceless tour.

We met the bus that would take us to Taquan air at 7:30. After a short ride, we arrived and received a flight briefing. We were going on the tour with another couple. She had a huge camera and lens and informed the pilot it was 23 pounds because the seating was based on proper weight distribution. Nate was invited to ride in the copilot seat.

It was overcast during the 20 minute ride to the pond

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The headliner of the day was the Margerie Glacier.

We were in front of the glacier for about an hour and the ship rotated 360 degrees so all sides of the ship could have a view.

There was quite a bit of calving (pieces of the glacier breaking off and falling into the sea). You would see the ice falling before you heard the dramatic, deafening crash.

I spent most of the time on deck in the open air while we were at Margerie glacier, but the rest of my family went to the covered Lido Deck (9) because it was uncomfortably cold.

Thinking ahead to my 2017 Christmas card, I had hoped to get a family photo in front of the glacier, but they weren’t interested in joining me. I did drag Mark back up for a few minutes and I asked a fellow guest to take our picture.

My son Ben showed us an awesome video he filmed while we were at Margerie glacier, he had zoomed in while it was calving, but somehow he lost the clip before he had the chance to send it to me. I am so bummed!

After leaving the glacier, we were told we would have the opportunity to spot some wildlife as we were leaving Glacier Bay, around 2 pm.

For the next hour or so, we were travelling through some pretty heavy fog and the visibility was horrible. We didn’t think we would be able to see anything, but just as the mist cleared, the rangers announced that we were passing by some small islands covered in Stellar sea lions

I think we spent the rest of the day trying to warm up, we had dinner and then we rested up because we had an early excursion scheduled in Ketchikan. It was our favorite thing we did on the trip.

Next Up: Alaska Bear Adventure

The next glacier on deck (see what I did there) was Johns Hopkins

The scenery in the inlet was beautiful as well.

There were a couple of bear sightings announced. I saw one that was on a beach, but it was really far away and I had the wrong lens on to get a picture.

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The first glacier we encountered was beautiful Lamplugh Glacier

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Ice Ice Baby!

Glacier Bay

Saturday August 19

Today we would be staying on the ship as we cruised through the sites of Glacier Bay.

We woke to a beautiful sunrise and even a rainbow from our balcony.

We went up on deck and grabbed a quick bite to eat for breakfast while we listened to the National Park Rangers who had come on board. They outlined what we would be seeing and when

When we were sailing by Gloomy Knob, the rangers suggested we look up in the hills for mountain goats:

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Subscribing! I'll be doing this same itinerary next May!

Welcome!

The sights in Alaska were amazing and cruising is the perfect way to experience all of the different ports of call and scenery.

Before going back to the boat, we passed this restaurant. This would be a great chance to sample some Alaskan seafood. We knew we would be eating soon on board the ship, so we shared one fish and chips and one order of King Crab.

We were really struggling with opening the crab legs until the waitress came over and showed us how to use the little plastic fork to split the shell.

We had a great day in Skagway. We had dinner and I don’t think we did anything else that evening.

Next: Glacier Bay

We walked past this salmon stream as we returned to the port. It looks pretty, but at least of half of the salmon had reached the end of their journey and were dead in the water.

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Intricate carvings in ivory/jawbone

We walked around town a bit more, looking at landmarks which paid tribute to the mining history of Skagway

Skagway Centennial Statue:

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Town of Skagway

When our tour of the Yukon Territory was over, we were given the option of getting off the van in town or go back to the port to board the ship. It was around 3 pm and the ship was not sailing until 9 that night, so we decided to walk around Skagway for a bit.

Although we didn’t go in, here is a little history lesson about what is probably the most infamous building in town:

"Our Business is Your Pleasure"

The Red Onion Saloon, now a National Historic Building, was Skagway’s most exclusive bordello. Built in 1897 with planks cut by Capt. William Moore, the founder of Skagway, the Red Onion Saloon opened for business in 1898, serving alcohol on the first floor while the upper floor satisfied more than the prospector’s thirst. The brothel consisted of ten tiny cubicles, called cribs, each ten foot by ten foot with three exits, one into the hallway and one into each of the adjoining rooms. Each room also had a hole in the floor which connected to the cash register in the bar by means of a copper tube.

In order to keep track of which girls were busy, the bartender kept ten dolls on the back bar, one for each of the girls in each of the rooms. When a girl was with a customer, her doll was laid on its back. When she sent her money down the tube, the doll was returned to the upright position signaling to the waiting prospectors that she was ready for business. The bartender safeguarded the girl’s earnings, usually $5.00, preferably in gold, while in the crawl space between the floors, loose floorboards hid nuggets and private tips.

Because the rooms were divided by single planks toe-nailed into the ceiling and floor, not much sound-proofing was provided. To decorate their cribs, the women stretched linen across the rough planks, then glued wall paper to the cloth. Remnants of the original wall papers still cling to the planks. Some of the girls who worked in Skagway were Birdie Ash, Big Dessie, Popcorn Lil, the Oregon Mare, Babe Davenport, Pea Hull Annie, Kitty Faith, the Belle of Skagway and Klondike Kate.

By late 1899, business began to suffer. Most of the women moved north to Dawson which was closer to the gold fields and had big gambling casinos and dance halls.

Depiction of the Mascot Saloon from the gold rush days

We did go into a museum and gift shop- Ben especially enjoyed looking at the exhibits detailing the history of the area.

Ben is a history buff with a particular interest in military history, so he was intrigued to learn that the last shots in the US Civil War were fired in Alaska. After the Confederacy had surrendered and President Lincoln was assassinated, the crew of the CSS Shenandoah continued to capture and/or sink Union whaling ships in the Bering Sea.

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Could you give a little information about the dress code on the ship? I've only done Caribbean cruises and wondering if Alaska is a little more casual. Loving the review...thanks for all the pictures!

The dress code is much more casual in Alaska. We saw everything from tuxedos by some on formal night to jeans and khakis. Not too many people in shorts, but that of course is due to the weather!

I didn't bring any dresses- I wore khakis most nights. I think my guys wore ties to our dinner at the steak house and the first formal night, but they would not have been out of place without them.

We did the Your Time Dining and were at our own table. I suspect that people may have dressed fancier in the traditional timed dining rotation, which was in another dining room, but I'm not sure.

Nobody will blink as long as you are in clean, non-ripped attire.

Great review so far, keep it coming.

Thanks! I'll try.

I never should have doubted Pete!

We loved this tour! I was worried that the boys would be bored, but there was enough outdoor nature time for Nate and history and delicious food for Ben, beautiful scenery and interesting stories for Mark and photo-ops for me. The duration was perfect. We were ready to do some exploring on our own when we were dropped off.

We arrived back in town with plenty of time to look around and even to sample some iconic Alaskan seafood. I’ll share those pictures in the next update.

Next Up: Town of Skagway

As we were underway again, I commented to Mark that Pete had promised that we would be making several stops before returning to port.

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