We walk around Valdez and explore some of the outlying scenic areas

Our plan for today was to visit the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site, about 40 miles east of Valdez, with stops at Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls, and Valdez Glacier Lake.

THE TOWN THAT MOVED

The most powerful earthquake in North America and the second most powerful ever recorded occurred 45 miles west of Valdez in 1964. Thirty-two people in Valdez were killed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Afterward, the town was declared unsafe for habitation and relocated 4 miles west to its existing location over the next three years. More HERE

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND

We spent the morning cruising through Prince William Sound before arriving off the coast of Valdez around Noon. It was another beautiful morning of scenic cruising.

VALDEZ

Valdez as seen from the Westerdam at anchor

 

Our tour started at 5 pm so we weren’t in a hurry to get ashore. After our last tender port in Sitka, we decided to hold off for a few hours before going ashore.

We headed to the Rolling Stone Lounge around 2 pm, and within a few minutes, we were on our way to the tender platform. As we boarded the tender, we heard the announcement that they were going to  “open tendering,” where tickets were no longer required.

The Ship’s photographers have costumed characters to pose for pictures while waiting for the tenders The tender pier in Valdez is big enough to handle two tenders simultaneously.

 

The weather was beautiful: blue skies, light winds, and temperatures in the 60s. It was now 2:30, and we had two hours to walk around Valdez before returning to the tender landing to meet for our tour.

WHISPERING GIANT

Several restaurants are near the waterfront, and more are a few blocks away. If you want to try something local, you will have plenty of choices.

Our first stop was the Whispering Giant Sculpture. This is one of many sculptures created by Peter Wolf Toth to honor Native Americans. At one time, there were statues in all 50 states, but over the years, many have been destroyed through exposure to the weather. More HERE

Whispering Giant

If we had continued further, we would have come to the Maxine & Jesse Whitney Museum, which contains one of the largest collections of Native Alaskan art and artifacts in the world. We didn’t have time to explore both this museum and the Valdez Museum, so we decided to head to the Valdez Museum since it was on the way back to the tender landing, and we wouldn’t be rushed.

The Valdez Visitor Center is near the Valdez Museum

 

VALDEZ MUSEUM

The Valdez Museum covers the history of Valdez and the surrounding area. Admission is $12 for adults and $9 for seniors. Exhibits about the 1964 earthquake and the oil spill and aftermath were particularly interesting. We spent one hour there, and you could easily spend two hours exploring more of the exhibits.

Entrance to Valdez Museum Inside the Valdez Museum

 

KEYSTONE TOURS

We met Brian, the owner, driver, and guide of Keystone Tours, at 4:30. You can find more about our tour here. Brian will meet you near the spot where you come ashore. This may vary from ship to ship, but expect an email a few days before your visit to confirm the pickup location.

Before our tour started, we discussed an article I read about how Norwegian Cruise Lines pulled out of Valdez in 2023 with little notice, causing financial loss to the local tourist industry. Read the article here.

WORTHINGTON GLACIER STATE RECREATION AREA

Our first stop on our tour was the Worthington Glacier State Recreation Site. Along the way, we passed through Keystone Canyon and Thomson Pass. Most of the grounds were still snow-covered, and we learned that the parking lot was only clear of snow last week (Early June). There are restrooms and a small general store.

Worthington Glacier

We walked about 100 yards across packed snow to a better view of the glacier.  There was enough snow on the ground for  Susan to make a snowball and hurl it in our direction – she missed!

 

THE FALLS

We headed back to Valdez using the same road and stopped at the Bridal Veil and Horsetail Falls along the way, spending about 20 minutes each to get some photos and enjoy the views.

Bridal Veil Falls Horsetail Falls Thompson Pass

 

VALDEZ GLACIER LAKE

Our final stop was along the shores of Valdez Glacier Lake. The actual glacier was hidden, but the lake was filled with floating ice and snow from the glacier and surrounding hills. It was now about 7:15, and mosquitos started to appear, so we scurried back to the bus.

Valdez Glacier Lake

 

We arrived at the tender landing at about 7:45 and said goodbye to Brian. He is a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and exciting. We highly recommend this tour on your next visit to Valdez.

Brian, owner of Keystone Tours, and Judy

 

BACK ON THE SHIP

We arrived back on the Westerdam at 8 pm. Since we missed our 7:30 fixed dining time, we decided to enjoy dinner at Canaletto’s. The food and service were excellent, as always.

MAPS

We cruise Yakutat Bay and enjoy seeing Hubbard Glacier

YAKUTAT BAY

Mt. Saint Elias, the second tallest peak in the United States, is 18,008 feet above sea level. As we approached Yakutat Bay around 8 am, it was the most prominent among a string of mountains on the horizon.

Naturalist, aka Wildlife Guide Kurt, was in the Crow’s Nest, providing commentary as we headed up Yakutat Bay.

Our location when I took the pictures shown below This was the view from the ship as we approached Yakutat Bay – Mt St Elias is on the left This is the view using Peak Finder. The app will overlay the names of the peaks off in the distance. You can select the camera view – shown here This is the Peak Finder view using the line drawing mode

 

Peak Finder is available for Apple and Android – More HERE

HUBBARD GLACIER

Hubbard Glacier This map shows the size of Hubbard Glacier

 

We closed on Hubbard Glacier around 10 am and spent the next 2 hours creeping closer and eventually pivoting to give everyone a nice view from their cabins.

Naturalist Kurt provided commentary from the Crow’s Nest The Bow was open all day – Accessible via Deck 4 on Vista Ships

 

Hubbard Glacier is named after Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who was president of the National Geographic Society, which sponsored an Alaskan expedition led by Robert Peary in 1890. They explored this area and named Mount Hubbard and Hubbard Glacier in his honor.

Hubbard Glacier is North America’s largest tidewater glacier, extending 76 miles from Mount Logan to Yakutat Bay. The glacier’s face is more than 6 miles across and 300 feet high.

HAL SHORE EXCURSION

Around 11 am, about 150 guests boarded a small boat for a two-hour up-close tour of Hubbard Glacier. This tour sold out quickly, so if your ship is going to Hubbard Glacier, look for this one early if you have any interest.

This is the boat used for the excursion

 

Excursions by Catamaran: Hubbard Glacier & Enchanting Disenchantment Bay
Departs: 11:00 AM – 2 Hours Adult $349.95; Child $289.95

Board an Alaskan-built expedition vessel for stunning, unmatched perspective of Hubbard Glacier — one of Alaska’s most famous landmarks.

From the mouth of Disenchantment Bay, you will cruise in comfort amid shimmering icebergs and dramatic wilderness.

You will board a day-boat directly from the ship. Relax in the warm, comfortable cabin, surrounded by large windows, as the naturalist and crew orient you to the stunning scenery and prolific wildlife. You’ll cruise near the rocky shoreline and weave through a maze of icebergs that have fallen from the face of the glacier — the perspective from the smaller vessel is astounding.

Ice conditions permitting, the captain will navigate the narrow cut between Haenke Island and the mainland en route to Hubbard Glacier. Offering a variety of viewing angles for photos and video, this “river of ice” is often very active, calving icebergs with an almighty crash. Unlike many other glaciers, Hubbard Glacier is advancing. At times, this advance has been up to 7 feet a day, earning it the nickname, ‘the Galloping Glacier.’

Along the glacially-carved coastlines, an endless expanse of spruce and hemlock trees, snowcapped mountains, and glaciers are the subject of the naturalist’s compelling narration. On a clear day, you may see Mount St Elias — the second tallest peak in the United States.

Hot beverages are included; a selection of food is available for purchase (at your own expense).

Notes:

This tour departs directly from the cruise ship in a remote wilderness area. Little walking is required; however, participants must be able to walk across a narrow, moderately-steep gangway to (dis)embark the vessel with only minor assistance. Wheelchairs, walkers and strollers are not allowed to be used on gangway. Weather, sea and ice conditions may alter both the duration and route of the journey, including shipside (dis)embarkation areas. The cruise ship also stops within view of Hubbard Glacier and will be in sight from the excursion boat during the excursion.

Binoculars are available for use on board. It is essential that you wear warm, layered clothing in order to fully enjoy and participate in this excursion. Outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. Bring gloves, a warm hat and a scarf. USD cash and credit cards accepted for onboard purchases

 

Hubbard Glacier – from the Sea View Pool on our way out of Yakatut Bay Yakatut Bay Scenery The Westerdam has a Taco Bar near the Dive-In. The Zuiderdam doesn’t have a Taco Bar

 

WORLD STAGE

They didn’t have a live show on the World Stage this evening, showing “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” instead.

We spent the day with Rich and Suzi, longtime Sitka residents & friends from the 2023 World Cruise

SITKA ARRIVAL

After a cloudy and drizzly day in Ketchikan, we were looking forward to the blue skies and moderate temperatures forecast for Sitka. Sitka’s skyline is the gorgeous mountains surrounding the city. Still, the most prominent manmade feature is the John O’Connell Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge over the Sitka Channel, named after former Sitka Mayor, John O’Connell.

HERE is a link to the HAL Excursion Catalog for Sitka

Sitka’s Skyline The John O’Connell Bridge This is the Sitka Lighthouse, a two-bedroom hotel on a private island – $1,850 a night. More here

 

TENDERING

This was a tender port, and we arrived around 10 am. Here is how tendering worked on the Westerdam. Tenders are small, 80-passenger power boats used to ferry passengers from the ship to shore. They depart from platforms on Deck A, which is one deck below Deck 1 in the center of the ship. To better manage the process of getting over 1500 passengers ashore in groups of 80, the Westerdam uses a priority system using tender tickets. This is similar to the system used on other HAL ships.

Passengers are divided into four groups, which determines their tendering priority.

1) HAL Shore Excursions: These passengers get to the head of all lines to get ashore in time for their excursions. They don’t get tickets but are escorted ashore from the World Stage at the appropriate time.

2) Presidents Club, Neptune Suites, and Club Orange: These guests have distinctive cruise cards—Red, White and Blue tipped for Presidents Club, Gold tipped for Neptune Suites, and Burnt Orange tipped for Club Orange. This group doesn’t need a tender ticket but can proceed to Deck A and join any existing tender line. Depending on the current situation, they may be held for a short time on Deck 1.

3) 4 and 5 Star Mariners: These guests received an orange tender ticket in the Rolling Stone Lounge and remained there until their tender ticket number was called. On sailings with fewer 4/5 star mariners, they may be grouped with the Neptune Suite passengers and not need tender tickets.

4) Everyone else: These guests received grey tender tickets from the Ocean Bar and waited in the Ocean Bar until their tender ticket was called.

As tenders become available, they will call numbers from each color group. The announcements are made only in the respective lounge. When the announcements used to be broadcast throughout the ship, passengers would take too long to get to Deck A, which slowed everything down.

The process doesn’t wait until every 4/5 star mariner is called before the first of the 1/2/3 star mariners are called, but 4/5 stars are called more frequently. As the day progressed, it took about 1 hour for 4/5 stars and up to 2 hours for lower mariners.

If you have an earlier independent tour, you must get to your tender ticket location an hour before the ship arrives and get one of the early tender tickets. I’m not particularly eager to deal with this uncertainty, so I will usually book a HAL tour in a tender port or book a later tour that won’t have to rely on being one of the first people ashore.

NOTE—The tender ticket colors change for each port, so you can’t save a low orange ticket and try to reuse it in a future port.

 

GOING ASHORE

We arrived in the Rolling Stone Lounge at 10:30 am and received Tender Ticket Orange 20. A few minutes later, they called Orange 8 – it would be a while before our number was called. At 11:30 am, our number was called, and we headed to Deck A and boarded a tender. We were ashore in less than 10 minutes. Rich and Suzi hosted about a dozen friends from previous cruises, and we were the last ones ashore. The others went ahead to the Sitka National Historical Park. The tour driver, Amy, returned to the tender landing to pick us up, and we were soon reunited with the others.   Follow Rich’s adventure here on his outstanding Blog

SITKA NATIONAL HISTORIAL PARK

Sitka National Historic Park Visitor’s Center

This park is about one mile from the tender landing. If the weather is nice, walking along the shoreline would be pleasant. There is a nice visitor center where we could watch Tommy Joseph, a Tlingit master carver, demonstrate some of his techniques.

Master Carver Tommy Joseph with his current project – a warriors helmet

 

NOTE: The National Park website HERE is outdated and doesn’t list any demonstrations, so I would call or email them to find out what time they may have a demonstration to plan your visit better.

A totem trailer is on the left. The two totem poles on the right with their exposed bases, show how deep the totems are driven into the ground

 

We walked for a bit along the Totem Trail. We were a little short on time, so we returned early, but there was much to explore in the park. The Park Brochure lists many other attractions in Sitka. If you don’t have anything planned, I would advise getting here early, exploring the park, and then heading back to Sitka to check out the other sites. A handy app is available with a nice Totem Pole Walking Tour.

One of the many totem poles along the trail A view of the Westerdam from the National Park.  While tendering is inconvenient, we avoided having to take a longer shuttle bus ride from the cruise ship piers a few miles north of town

 

PIONEER PARK

Pioneer Park is a few miles north of town. It has a covered picnic shelter and restrooms, and a grocery store is nearby.

Beautiful day in Sitka

Rich and Suzi provided a smorgasbord of drinks and snacks, but the best part was sharing stories of past cruises and our future adventures.

Great food – Great Friends – Great Time!

 

After about an hour, we headed across the John O’Connell Bridge to Japonski Island for a group photo with Sitka in the background.

Our group on Japonski Island with the main city in the background

 

RAVEN RADIO

Once back on the mainland (Baranof Island) , Rich and Suzi led us on a short walking tour around Totem Square and shared some interesting stories about Sitka. Afterward they gave us a tour of Raven Radio.

Totem Square

Rich and Suzi McClear are Co-General Managers for RAVEN RADIO (104.7 FM & 90.1 FM), a community radio station serving southeast Alaska. The station is located in the historic Cable House (2 Lincoln St), which is very close to the Tender Landing. The Beak Restaurant is on the first floor, and most of the radio station’s offices are on the second floor. They sell Raven Radio merch on the first floor—check it out!

Don’t forget to pick up some Raven Radio merch in the Cable House! The Cable House is home to Raven Radio and The Beak Restaurant

 

We briefly chatted with some of the news team and watched one of the programs in progress.   Listen live HERE

We got to watch Dave Sam, Host of Indigenous and Other Expressions, during his live broadcast. Wednesdays from 2-4 PM, Alaska Daylight Time.

 

After saying our goodbyes, we headed back to town for one loop around the central business district.

RAVEN’S HOOK

Apropos for Sitka, we spotted a few Ravens walking down the street on our way to the yarn shop Raven’s Hook. In addition to yarn, Raven’s Hook offers a lot of material for various craft projects.  The store had a small selection of yarn. Judy bought 2 hanks of sock yarn that was hand-dyed in Sitka under the label White Raven Yarn. The color is ‘Rhubarb’, a lovely mix of deep berry and deep forest green.

A Sitka raven in the street Inside Raven’s Hook Judy showing off her new yarn outside the shop

 

YELLOW JERSEY CYCLE SHOP

We spotted the Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop on our way back to the Tender Landing, directly across from the Cruise Ship Shuttle Terminal. I always like to check our local bike shops and pick up a local water bottle or jersey. This shop had both! What a treat. The staff is very friendly. They also rent mountain bikes and e-bikes if you are in the mood for something more strenuous.

Pete with his new water bottle

 

MAPS

BACK ON THE SHIP

Colin Barkell was the featured performer this evening. His powerful voice reminds you of Johnny Cash. He was joined by his own band: Rany Cantwell -  Bass Guitar; Max Boyce Rossetti - Lead Guitar and Joseph Stewart on the Drums..

Colin Barkell

He started his show with Folsom Prison Blues and worked his way through the following songs:

– Proud Mary
– I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash
– Spoonful by Chester Arthur Burnett aka Howlin’ Wolf
– Dueling Irish dancing and drums
– Wipe Out by the Surfaris
– Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
– Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley
– You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog by Elvis Presley

Along the way, he would set aside his guitar and breakout in an Irish Jig!

The show was outstanding, and it was easily the best of the cruise. We are looking forward to his next show.

We visit Saxman Totem Park and two Yarn Shops

KETCHIKAN

The ship cleared around 8 am

Our plan for today — 

Take the two-hour Eagle One – City Highlights and Totems Tour –

Lunch

Visit Ketchikan’s two Yarn Shops

This map shows the spots we visited on our 2-hour tour Close up of Ketchikan

 

CITY HIGHLIGHTS AND TOTEMS TOUR

The Westerdam cleared about 8 a.m., and we headed ashore around 9:55 a.m. It was in the 40s with light rain. We walked from Berth 3 to the Visitor’s Center (near Berth 2 waterfront), where we checked in for our City Highlights and Totem Parks Tour, which started at 10:30 a.m.

This wooden bald eagle was very popular as a photo background for tourists Over 15 tour desks are inside the visitors center across from Berth 2. This is where we checked in for our tour

 

We met our guide, Debbie, and headed over to the Lumberjack Show, where we picked up a couple from the Noordam.   The five of us were very comfortable in the 13 passenger van.

HERRING COVE

We stopped in a pullout adjacent to Herring Cove a few miles out of town. We hoped to see bears or eagles there, but the salmon hadn’t arrived yet, and we saw no bears or eagles today.

Herring Cove Welcome to Alaska! I guess this means they don’t offer tours.  This is the sign at the entrance to a Salmon Hatchery in Herring Cove

 

RAINBOW FALLS

Continuing out of town, we stopped at Rainbow Falls for a photo. This is also a trailhead if you are in the mood for a hike.

Pete and Judy at Rainbow Falls

 

SAXMAN TOTEM PARK

Saxman Totem Park features a collection of intricately carved totem poles. These 25 totems are authentic replicas of the original poles left in abandoned villages as Native Alaskans moved into more populated cities. Totem pole carving was an art form that flourished from the mid-1700s to the late 1800s.

Near the entrance there is a building where a Totem was being carved.  People on ship tours were able to go inside the building.   Our private tour stayed outside, under the roof, to look through the wall of windows as our guide explained the totem carving.   TIP – Walk around to the back side of the building where there are more windows with a better view of the interior.

 

CREEK STREET

Debbie dropped us off at Creek Street at our request rather than return to the Visitor Center.    She recommended lunch a few doors away at the New York Café.  We each had Fish and Chips –  with a choice of Halibut or Cod.  Afterwards, we walked down Creek Street to Fabulous Fiber Arts and More

Pete, Tour guide Debbie and Judy Creek Street is home to various shops We had Fish and Chips here for lunch Inside the Cafe

 

YARN SHOPS

Fabulous Fiber Arts and More

This shop also sells quilt fabrics.  Judy bought a hank of yarn in blues & yellows that was hand-dyed in Palmer, Alaska.  She also bought a kit of yarn for the National Parks hat pattern called Gates of the Arctic.  She has been looking for buttons for a gray cabled vest she knitted. Not having the vest with her, she bought some buttons that might look good on the vest.  Note:  The buttons turned out to be the correct size and are just a little bit lighter in color but will look nice on the vest.

Judy showing off her purchases in front of Fabulous Fiber Arts Inside Fabulous Fiber Arts Judy’s Purchases

 

Untangled Yarn and Fiber

Our next yarn shop, Untangled Yarn and Fiber, was about 1.5 miles north of town.   We took the free downtown shuttle that left from in front of the Tongass Historical Museum.   There is also a city bus that runs along the same route that costs $2.   The Free Bus is clearly marked FREE.   They both go to the same place for our purposes – so we took the first bus to show up which was a free bus.

Untangled Yarn’s front section features locally dyed yarn.  Some of the yarns were dyed with natural dyes.  The back room featured yarns from some of the popular companies from the US and Europe.  Judy bought some beautiful locally dyed Alpaca and Silk lace weight yarn in shades of medium to dark blue.  She also splurged on some Baby Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere yarn in shades of tans to browns.

After visiting Untangled Yarn and Fiber, we took the $2 bus back to the center of Ketchikan.

We had time before the All Aboard and went souvenir shopping at Tongass Trading Company. Judy bought some small jars of Salmonberry Jelly and Salmonberry Honey.

Giant Moose in Tongass Trading Center

 

BACK ON THE SHIP

The ship hosted a Welcome Aboard reception for 3, 4 & 5-star mariners around the Lido pool from 6:15 to 6:45 pm.   Sparkling Wine and premixed cocktails were available at no charge.   You had to buy your own soft drinks.   There wasn’t any welcome address or other announcements.    The Captain and other officers were out and about mingling with guests.

Welcome Reception

 

WORLD STAGE

Comedian Buddy Fitzpatrick was on the World Stage.   He left the house lights on during his show.    Most of his performance was improv based on his interactions with guests.

Buddy Fitzpatrick