14 Days on the NCL Sun to Alaska...May 2017

[AryMay]

Skagway - Continued

 

After returning from our day in the Yukon, we had just enough time to grab some salad from the buffet for a "pre-supper" and then walked from the ship to the airport for an evening flight with Mountain Air Service. The runway is literally right next to where we were docked so it was a quick walk! This photo of the Sun was taken once we were IN the plane!

 

 

The pilot, Paul, was waiting when we arrived at the airport and got the four of us plus two other ladies situated in the plane...and then we took off!

 

 

 

Paul had given us each a headset so that we could hear him and each other, but my friend (who was sitting in the very back) could not hear anything. Paul suggested some "fixes", but nothing worked. Rather than have her go through the flight without a working headset, Paul landed the plane in Haines and pulled out another headset for her to use. Here we are getting ready to land in Haines...

 

 

We flew over several different glaciers...this one was high in the mountains and the melting ice was flowing down in multiple waterfalls. The dark area on the right side of the photo was evidence of an avalance.

 

 

We had hoped to do the longer flight that goes over the West Arm of Glacier Bay (where the ship had gone the previous day) but when Paul tried to get over the mountains, this is what we saw. The fog and clouds were so thick, he had to turn back.

 

[AryMay]

We saw several different glaciers on our flight and they truly did look like rivers of ice flowing through the mountains.

 

 

 

Paul flew very low over one of the glaciers. The pools of blue water were amazing!

 

 

A distinct difference in water color due to the silt deposited by the glacier.

 

 

Icebergs from a dirty glacier...

 

 

Back at Skagway getting ready to land...

 

 

This one-hour flight was not cheap ($199/person) but I'm glad we splurged and did it. Seeing the face of the glaciers as we did in Glacier Bay is impressive, but seeing them from the air was so much more incredible.

 

After initially trying to book this flight through another vendor and being frustrated with the terrible customer service, I can highly recommend Mountain Flying Service!

[AryMay]

And...if that wasn't enough photos ;)...here are links to the videos from our two part day in Skagway!

 

 

[BabsinTX]

Lovely review! Making lots of notes for our 2019 Alaska cruise!

[AryMay]

Lovely review! Making lots of notes for our 2019 Alaska cruise!

 

Thanks! You are wise to start planning early. I was so confused when we began to plan our first trip to Alaska, but all of the research really paid off! Reading trip reports was one of my main sources of information!

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

[AryMay]

Icy Strait Point wins as our favorite port of the whole 14-day cruise. A new port for us and absolutely PERFECT weather!

 

 

As we were having breakfast in the buffet we heard a loud gasp from many people...a whale had surfaced right outside the window! A sign of what was to come!

 

We had a morning whale watching tour booked with Glacier Wind and went out with Casey...his very first tour after joining his father, Shawn, in the business. His mom, Theresa, picked us up at the port and drove the short distance to Hoonah. She said the sidewalks leading from the port to town were brand new.

 

 

 

There were only six of us in the boat which gave us plenty of room to move around and get good photos. And...the boat had a bathroom which was nice since we were going to be out on the water all morning long. The scenery was so beautiful!

 

 

 

We had barely left the marina when a whale breached right in front of the boat! I can't even begin to count how many whales we saw during the morning. At first they were at a distance, but then Casey went back closer to the cruise ship and the action really started.

 

 

The whales were so close that you could hear the loud "swoosh" whenever they would blow. Casey also had a microphone that he lowered into the water so we could hear the whales talking.

 

[AryMay]

We started to notice the sea gulls becoming very active and circling over the water...

 

 

And then...several whales all came up out of the water together. They were bubble net feeding...something I never imagined I would get to witness!!

 

 

This happened several times and we always had a little advance warning thanks to the gulls!

 

Even back at the marina, the whales continued to surface and feed. I'm sure these guys in the kayaks got a great view...although it was probably scary to be so close!

 

 

Theresa dropped us off at the port and we boarded the ship to drop off our backpacks and grab a quick lunch before heading back on shore.

 

 

We walked back along the boardwalk and then wandered through the old cannery which has been converted into a museum/gift shop.

 

 

[kdowneymd]

Being from Minnesota, did you find you needed a coat or would a down vest be sufficient (we are from Northern NJ)

[AryMay]

Being from Minnesota, did you find you needed a coat or would a down vest be sufficient (we are from Northern NJ)

 

A vest would not have been warm enough for me...and certainly not for my cold-blooded husband. ;) If you notice in my photos, he wore a lighter weight Eddie Bauer down coat almost all the time. (That is him walking towards the ship in the post above...with the red backpack.)

 

You might be able to get by with the down vest if you combined it with other layers...a fleece jacket and a wind breaker/rain jacket.

[kdowneymd]

Your whale photos are fabulous !

[kdowneymd]

Thanks! Re-packing, fewer vests, an ultra light down jacket instead in addition to the waterproof jacket. We leave tomorrow and the weather forecast is cool and rainy

[AryMay]

Thanks! Re-packing, fewer vests, an ultra light down jacket instead in addition to the waterproof jacket. We leave tomorrow and the weather forecast is cool and rainy

 

Have a great cruise!!

[AryMay]

Icy Strait Point - Continued

 

All afternoon the whales continued to surface right next to shore...and when the birds became excited we knew to watch for the bubble net feeding! At times I saw as many as six whales in a group.

 

 

A seal was also playing in the water close to the ship.

 

 

The world's longest zipline is located at Icy Strait Point and ends right by the boardwalk that circles the shoreline. We watched the riders come in for awhile and then took a walk on the trail that leads through the forest.

 

 

Lots of VERY tall and interesting trees.

 

 

The trail comes out onto the beach next to the ship and my DH had fun looking at rocks on the shoreline. I just sat on a log and soaked up the beautiful sunshine!

 

 

I had fun photographing all of the eagles sitting in the trees. This is my favorite shot...an eagle holding a fish high up in the tree. He took off flying and several other eagles went after him trying to steal the fish!!

 

[AryMay]

Our day at Icy Strait Point could not have been more perfect and we stretched it out as long as we could. We were one of the very last ones to board the ship.

 

Once the ship pulled away from ISP it was just a short time before the winds were howling and the seas became very rough as we headed out into the open waters of the Pacific on our way to Hubbard Glacier.

 

Dinner was in the Four Seasons dining room but after that we were so tired we skipped the evening entertainment and went back to the cabin. Bob watched a movie on TV and I took some time to send a long email to our kids with the details of our fun day. I think every muscle of my body was aching...most likely from being on my feet all day, using my arms to hold my camera up to my face, and trying to keep my balance on a small boat. I was looking forward to my comfy bed knowing that tomorrow would be a low-key and relaxing day.

 

Here is a link to the video that I put together of our day at Icy Strait Point. I'm so glad I recorded some video because it captures the movement of the whales so much better than a still photo could every do. Enjoy!!

 

 

Coming up next...Hubbard Glacier. Or so we thought. :rolleyes:

[AryMay]

From the Freestyle Daily...Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. The glacier is approximately 7 miles wide at its foot and 76 miles long. The glacier advances at a rate of 80 feet per year. The ice at the terminal face is approximately 450 years old and is over 2000 feet thick in some locations.

 

Leaving Icy Strait Point, we sailed over 200 miles north over night to reach Hubbard Glacier. The Freestyle Daily said we would reach Hubbard Glacier at approximately 10 am and stay until around 11:30 am.

 

Unfortunately this is the view we saw when we looked out our balcony door first thing in the morning. Hearing the Sun's fog horn blowing was kinda cool, but only seeing white was not fun.

 

 

We turned on our TV to the channel that showed the ship's front facing camera so we could see what was directly ahead. This channel also broadcast any announcements coming from the bridge. The view in front of the ship matched the one out our port side balcony...a wall of white. But...the cruise director announced that we would be arriving at Hubbard Glacier earlier than planned so we crossed our fingers that the fog would be lifting soon.

 

We went up to deck 12 hoping to get our first glimpse of the glacier and this was the view from the Observation Lounge.

 

 

The public deck in front of the lounge was filled with other optomistic folks standing in the rain looking at...fog and a lot of ice.

 

 

Trying to escape the rain, we went down on Deck 6 where we (and several of our closest friends) could see and still stay dry.

 

 

(These last 3 photos are why we are willing to spend the extra money to get a balcony in Alaska!!)

 

A short time after making the announcement that we would get to the glacier early, the cruise director made a second announcement saying the captain decided there was too much fog and ice. We were turning around and leaving.

 

 

The only part of Hubbard Glacier we would be seeing were the large ice chunks floating by that were probably once part of the glacier.

 

[newdestination]

Beautiful video! My only disappointment during our 14 days in Alaska was that our whale watching tour in Juneau through was cancelled due to windy conditions. However, we got to see Hubbard Glacier on a beautiful, sunny day.

 

Your bear photos are outstanding!

[AryMay]

Not seeing Hubbard Glacier was a disappointment, but not devastating. I would have been much more upset if Hubbard had been the only glacier we were scheduled to see. The fog did lift just a bit as we sailed out of Yukatat Bay as you can see in these photos.

 

 

A closeup of the ice berg in the previous photo...

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what kind of water fowl this is, but we had the best time watching them try to take off. They went for a LONG distance flapping and splashing before they could ever get airborn.

 

 

With a whole day and nothing planned, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the main dining room and then stopped by Dazzles Lounge. One of the cruise director's staff was giving a talk on his home country of Mexico. The lecture turned out to be a recitation of Wikipedia information and in a warm room following a big lunch everyone was nodding off. I got up and left my DH and our friends and went for a walk around the ship instead.

 

Dinner was in the main dining room and the evening entertainment was a show by the Sun production cast and showband called "Rock You Tonight". I honestly can't remember what we did afterwards, but I will venture to guess we ended up at the buffet getting a late night snack before heading back to the cabin to get ready for our early arrival in Sitka the next morning. This critter was waiting for us in the cabin when we returned...

 

[AryMay]

Beautiful video! My only disappointment during our 14 days in Alaska was that our whale watching tour in Juneau through was cancelled due to windy conditions. However, we got to see Hubbard Glacier on a beautiful, sunny day.

 

Your bear photos are outstanding!

 

The weather plays such a big factor in how we perceive the places we visit. You were lucky to have such a nice day to see Hubbard Glacier.

 

Both of our visits to Juneau have been in all-day rains and I'm convinced the sun never does shine there!! ;)

[AryMay]

Once again we woke up to drizzly, foggy weather. Mt. Edgecombe, the dormant volcano just outside of Sitka, wasn't even visible. <frown>

Sitka only has facilities for one cruise ship to dock and Norwegian must have drawn the long straw. The Sun got to dock while the HAL Oosterdam was tendering in their passengers. But...the one and only dock is about 6 miles outside of Sitka so shuttle busses were provided free of charge to transfer passengers between the dock and town.

 

 

We were ready to go when the ship docked at 7 am and got on the first shuttle bus, although we had to wait a bit while they filled all of the seats.

 

The welcoming committee...

 

 

Our bus driver gave a little commentary on the short drive into town that I found humorous. He said the length of the one road into and out of Sitka was only about 12 miles long so it didn't matter that gas prices were exhorbitant...they didn't have anywhere to go anyway! He also mentioned that eggs cost $8/dozen but he couldn't get a chicken because the eagles would carry it away!

 

We were dropped off at the Sitka Visitor's Center and happened to run into Paul Davis (Gallant Tours) who was going to be our tour guide for the afternoon. Our plan was to walk to the Sitka National Historical park first and he suggested we take the trail closest to the water to see most of the totem poles on display.

 

From the center of town, the walk to the park was a little less than a mile. We passed by the high school and the marina...

 

 

 

[AryMay]

 

 

The visitor center at the park had not yet opened yet so we started down the nature trail...and...the drizzle continued. Other than a couple of people out walking their dogs, we were the only ones on the trail since we had gotten there so early.

 

 

An audio tour could be accessed via cell phone and could be started and stopped as you went from one totem pole to the next.

 

 

 

The HAL Oosterdam was sitting right off shore...close enough that we could hear announcements being made on the ship. Lifeboats were being used to tender passengers onto shore.

 

 

[AryMay]

Walking through the forest...

 

 

Just a couple of the many totem poles along the trail in the park.

 

 

 

The raven plays a big role in the Tlingit culture and this was evident in their totem carvings. Hearing the real ravens calling out through the woods while we were there just added to the experience! (I will post a link to the video I did so you can hear!)

 

 

By the time we made it back to the visitor's center, the crowds were starting to build. We watched a movie in the small theater and then wandered around looking at all of the carvings.

 

 

My DH especially enjoyed visiting with the woodcarver who was demonstrating his craft. He told many stories of his native culture including how an idea for his carvings came to him in a dream. He made a drawing to show us what he had seen in the vision...

 

[dstein]

So excited to see another trip report from you! Earlier Alaskan reviews by both you and WalleyeLJ were instrumental in our accelerating our plans for our (hopefully first) Alaskan trip into 2016 rather than 2017 as originally planned. The 14d itinerary out of SF looks fantastic. As we live in San Jose (an hour south of SF) the concept of a LONGER trip visiting MORE ports and MORE glaciers leaving so close to home makes me green with jealousy. Keep this review up and you'll likely be responsible for us venturing outside our comfort zone of Royal Caribbean! <g>

[AryMay]

What an enjoyable and peaceful morning we had at the Sitka National Historical Park. But now it was time to walk back to town. We needed to be at the Harrigan Centennial Hall Visitor's Center to meet our tour at noon.

 

The Russian Orthodox church was just a block away so we walked over to see it first.

 

And...another raven who was sitting on the roof of the church!

 

 

A very long carved canoe was on display in front of the visitor's center.

 

 

While waiting, we sat on some benches on the outside of the building and ate a snack that we had brought. This was the view of the marina from there. The weather was not improving.

 

Our afternoon plans were to take a wildlife cruise with Paul Davis from Gallant Adventures starting at noon. Right on time, Paul returned from his morning tour and we boarded his boat...the four of us and a German couple from our ship.

 

We had barely started out when Paul slowed the boat so we could get a photo of an eagle (the first of many we would see.)

 

 

Next up...a California sea lion who was not happy we were disturbing him. Wonder if he is a cousin to the sea lions we saw at Pier 39 in San Francisco??

 

[AryMay]

Throughout the afternoon we saw many different kinds of wildlife including a "raft" of sea otters in a kelp bed. (A "raft" is the name for a group of otters...just like a "pod of whales.") The otters wrap themselves in the kelp to keep from floating away. I think sea otters are just about the cutest animal that God created!

 

 

They look so cuddly!

 

 

And if sea otters are the cutest, the puffins have to be the second cutest animals.

 

 

Paul sailed around St. Lazaria island which was incredibly scenic.

 

 

At one point he pulled the boat INSIDE of a small cave!

 

 

There were all sorts of birds on the island including some of the rare black oyster catchers like we had seen nesting by Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach.

 

[AryMay]

To give us the maximum amount of time on the water, Paul took us directly back to the dock instead of dropping us off in town where we would have to take the shuttle.

 

To get to the ship required going across a lot of open water that was extremely rough. Each time the boat would hit a swell, the boat would rise up and then slam back down onto the water. The guys stood outside, but I'm not sure how they were able to stand up.

 

 

On the way, Paul started looking in the area where he had seen a whale that morning and sure enough...he found him!

 

Time was very short so we didn't stay long. The whale waved good-bye as we left.

 

 

The area around Sitka is dotted with lots of tiny islands, and Paul flew through these on the way back to the dock.

 

 

He tied up his boat right next to the gangplank and we were able to climb out of the boat and walk directly into the ship just a few minutes before all aboard time at 3:30. Once again...we had made the best of every minute in port!!

 

 

My impressions of Sitka...and our activities?

 

Sitka was a lovely town, but I wish we would have seen it in nice weather. I know Mt. Edgecombe is an impressive sight, but we never even caught a glimpse of it due to the clouds.

 

The National Historical Park was a lovely (and free) way to spend the morning and especially for someone like my DH who has a passion for the Native American culture.

 

Paul, our guide on the wildlife tour, could not have been better. He is enthusiastic and so knowledgeable and loves to share stories of life in Sitka. But...I also want to mention a few things that you might want to consider before booking his tour.

 

The boat was not conducive to photography. Although Paul made a good attempt to get us situated to see the wildlife, the small size of the boat meant we were in each other's way when we wanted to get a "good shot." Also the small boat bobbed up and down so much in the rough water that many of my photos were very blurry.

 

There was not a bathroom on the boat (as there was on our Glacier Wind tour in Icy Strait.) After 3 1/2 hours on the water, my bladder was to it's limit!! And lastly...the ride in the boat was so rough that I was literally in pain as I bounced up and down on the hard seats. Definitely not something you would want to experience if you have back problems.

 

If you want to see wildlife, then by all means, this is a tour for you...and I don't think you could find a better guide anywhere. But I just wanted to mention some of the things that may prevent someone from enjoying their experience.

 

We watched sailaway...

 

 

And then got ready for our last specialty dinner at Le Bistro. Here is an "old person" selfie...