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We then went to the Rainforest Sanctuary. We went with the first group and we were led around the rainforest and told about the various plants, their medicinal properties and their associations with Alaska. 

The shore excursion was Crab Feast and Rainforest walk. We saw a black bear at the sanctuary. So we ended up seeing more wildlife there than in Denali.

The crab was all you could eat, but one was fine for me.

Ketchikan.

We didn’t have any time after the excursion so walked around Ketchikan for a few minutes before our excursion started. 
 

Tomorrow was Ketchikan, to me it is the best port in Alaska. Unfortunately, due to tides, etc. our time was cut short. They canceled my husband’s excursion again. There was room on my excursion so we got my husband on my excursion then it was time for dinner. 
 

We ate at Crown Grill, Rudi’s and Harmony and the MDR, I don’t think we were ever not satisfied with any of the food. Harmony was my husband’s favorite. I had heard less than positive comments, but everything we had was very good. The service was great and when they found out we had the premium package they wanted to make sure we knew where we could redeem the casual meals.

We ordered dessert, but they kept bringing out other desserts for us to try. 
 

After a nap, I got up and had afternoon coffee and tried the Red Velvet cake included with the premier package. The barista asked me what my favorite animal was. Of course, I said it was a dog, so he made me a dog in the cappuccino. They often had lots of crew versus guests games in the piazza.

My husband wanted to eat at Harmony and the only time, they had available was 8:30, so I had some cocktails, casino time and wine in Vines before meeting my husband. The water was a little rough.

We next went to a tea shop. They brewed their best selling tea with a cookie. The entire shop smelled so good.

Our last stop was a refurbished bar that was painstakingly restored to a bar at the end of the 19th century. Talking to one of the women on the tour she was talking about the Premier plan and said of the big sundaes you could get the specialty cakes from International Cafe. We received a goodie bag which included fudge from the Alaskan Fudge Company. I gave the fudge to my husband.

We stopped at a bar called Oma and had ceviche and spiked lemonade.

Our next stop was Juneau Food Tours office/shop. We had salsa and spruce jelly. The people at the office answered questions about living in Juneau and Alaska.

We then went to a food truck having a fish taco and local beer.

For me walking food tours is a great way to visit a city. It is usually led by a local that talks about their city, there are stops for food, you get to walk around and see the sights. I have done food tours in Juneau, Puerto Rico, Belize and Barcelona. I had wanted to do the Juneau food tour as I had enjoyed it so much before and my husband was supposed to be rafting. It was sold out but about 2 weeks before a space opened up. 
 

Our first stop was a fish market and we had some fish spread on a bagel.

The next stop was Tracy’s. We got to see the huge crab legs. We had crab bisque, a small crab cake and a roll. To me, it was my favorite food stop.

We walked around the pier, saw some street art, murals and totems. My favorite was the statue of Patsy, the faithful dog.

On 3/18/2024 at 10:23 PM, alexand278 said:

Thanks so much for sharing all about your cruise. We’re going on a similar one on the ground and late August/early September.
Your advice will be so helpful, and I’ll be sure to bring lots of cough drops.

 

Alexandra

I hope you have a great time. I went to London about 20 years ago, I caught something on the plane and it was miserable looking for medicine dragging my luggage around. 
 

I usually pack a first aid kit with some OTC medicine but my husband had taken it all. 
 

A lot of people were sick on the land portion and we had rain almost every day, so I am sure that didn’t help.

On 3/19/2024 at 9:01 PM, Yehootu said:

Amazon bag of 180 Halls already in suitcase for upcoming cruise. I could make a fortune at $5 for 10😀

Great idea!

Juneau

My husband’s shore excursion was canceled. There were no openings on my shore excursion so he stayed onboard and had more room service.

I left a few minutes early so I could shop for cough drops. I found them, 10 halls for $5.00. Ugh!

Bald Eagle sighting.

On 3/9/2024 at 7:30 PM, Cairns Cruisers said:

Thanks for your all your photos they are great.

We are on Sapphire this September.

Thank you. I hope you have a great time on the Sapphire.

Piazza time, a glass of wine at Vines and a cocktail at the Crown Bar before dinner.

Dinner.

French onion soup for my throat, creme brulee for my sweet tooth. Moose walking around for selfies. 
 

Elite lounge.

My husband was done and stayed in the room, so I had the night to myself. I went to the elite lounge where they had a lot of bar staff, snacks and a pianist. For some reason this was the only time I went. It is always enjoyable. The host walked around and talked to everyone. 
 

Back on board we had lunch at Alfredo’s. We had the premiere package so it didn’t cost extra. I have always enjoyed Alfredo’s. 

Icy Strait Point 

So, I start taking airborne 3 weeks before vacation and take it on vacation. Half the people on the land tour were sick, my husband got sick starting the first night of the cruise and I got the sore throat overnight.

None of the shore excursions sounded good to us so our plan for ISP was just walk around. I searched for cough drops and none of the stores sold them. When the ships stores opened after sail away they did not have any either. I was able to find some in Juneau. I take medicine with me when I travel but my husband had taken what I brought.  Just to keep in mind you can’t always get what you need. 
 

ISP was fine, but we would have probably enjoyed it more if we felt better. I think the longer time at port would have been better for Ketchikan. We took the free tram and it was a nice ride.

Dinner at Crown Grill. It was very good. 

Time spent at Good Spirits and my favorite apple honey cocktail. Eventually went to Crown bar for my champagne Cosmo to meet my husband for dinner.

Warming up with coffee at International Cafe and in the piazza. Then off to the Enclave.

More Glacier Bay, including seals 🦭 

24K Gold Margarita, Lobster Roll and Cheese Fries on Lido deck while watching Glacier Bay. Our room was on the Lido deck so it was very convenient to go in and out to watch the glacier. 

13 minutes ago, Celandine said:

I am loving your review! Alaska is my favourite cruise destination! 

Thank you!