8/27 Star to Alaska

[klh-or]

This was our family's first cruise. It was spectacular...the whole trip.

 

I'd just like to reinforce what others have said about Orca Enterprises and driving the Klondike Highway. We were on the Awesome Orca with Captain Larry, along with Dierk the naturalist. Dierk did 99% of the talking and Captain Larry did an expert job piloting the boat. We saw a good number of humpbacks but the highlight was watching a group of 7 bubble net feeding several times. It's great that the tour captains touch base via cell phone to give each other a heads up for good locations. There were only maybe 15 of us on the trip, and it was a great experience. You get "Alaska snacks" which consists of cheese, smoked salmon, crackers and (this made us laugh) peanut butter. :) Afterwards, we'd arranged to be dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier by Orca's shuttle bus and picked up an hour later for $12 a person. Worked out really well. Saw a momma black bear and cub. :)

 

We rented a car from Avis (reserved WELL in advance) in Skagway. The Avis guy was very nice, gave us a map and some pointers. We used Murray's Guide and drove up as far as Emerald Lake. I'm SO glad we did this! It gave our family a little "family" time away from fellow cruisers, and the scenery was incredible. The highway was excellent...no worries there. Thoroughly enjoyed the dogs and Michelle (Yukon Quest racer) at Caribou Crossing, including a litter of 2-week old puppies. Passed on the taxidermy museum...not our "thing." Had delicious fish and chips for lunch at the gas station in Carcross. This drive was a much better fit for our family (husband, 2 teenage daughters and I) than the White Pass train because we could stop whenever we wanted, travel at our own pace, etc. The weather in Skagway itself was a little rainy, but the further away we got, the more sunny and clear the sky was.

 

So, anybody cruising to Alaska, I'd encourage you to strongly consider these 2 trips!