PurpleTraveller

Thursday June 8 - Icy Strait Point Part 4 At 5.00pm we sailed away, cruising past lovely scenery. We had dinner at the Michaelangelo Dining Room and we had the enormous pleasure of seeing whales from the window as we were dining. After dinner we spent some time on the Promenade and Sun Deck enjoying the beautiful scenery and gorgeous sunset.

Thursday June 8 - Icy Strait Point Part 3 We chose to walk to Hoonah on a paved footpath around the shoreline which took us about 45 minutes including a stop to have a snack and take photos. The distance is one and a quarter miles each way. Along the way I got some photos of this little fellow. We stopped at the supermarket to see the very expensive prices. A 12 pack of coke cans which had cost us CAD6.79 in Vancouver was USD19.99. In Hoonah we watched a totem pole being carved. There were a couple of churches, a marina, a few gift stores, a couple of bars and a small aquarium to see. It was the most "genuine" town we visited on the cruise. We started our walk back at 1.30pm and walked back through the "tunnel", an area of the coastline that used to be a tunnel between Icy Strait Point and Hoonah until they had to blast it open to widen the road, towards Icy Strait Point. Just after we walked through the "tunnel" we could see a couple of whales in the bay. We sat down and watched the whales frolicking for quite a while. A couple of times they came right out of the water but of course I didn't get a photo. This is a terrible photos as the whales were quite a distance away. When we got to Ocean Landing we went into the old Cannery which has lots of gift ware for sale as well as a display about the Cannery. There is also a donut shop, restaurants and restrooms. At 3.00pm we got the free Green Gondola to the Wilderness Landing and went back to the ship.

Thursday June 8 - Icy Strait Point Part 2 After ten minutes we walked for five minutes through the rainforest to a second platform. Once again the scenery was lovely but no bears. We spent ten minutes there enjoying the view and all looking for some movement but had no luck. We walked for another five minutes to platform three. More lovely scenery and everyone looking intently for an elusive bear. After ten minutes and just as we were about to leave someone with binoculars called out "look a bear!" Way in the distance we could see a small brown dot moving through an open grassed area of the river plain. Those of us who had binoculars or cameras with good zoom lenses were trying to describe to others where the bear was and there was a collective excitement. I was so glad that I had taken my good camera with a reasonable zoom lense so that I could see the bear clearly. Occasionally the bear would disappear from view into a creek bed but then he would reappear a short distance away. The bear may have been a long way away in the distance but it was still exciting to see it. This is the bear. Sorry the photo is a bit fuzzy but I had to use my full zoom to get a photo. Our guide said to us that only because we had actually seen a bear she would admit that we were the first group to see a bear in days. The walk took approximately one hour and we had four stops of about ten minutes each time. At the pickup point there were also two portable restrooms. The drive back to Ocean Landing and Cannery area took 40 minutes and we arrived back at 12.00pm. From there you could walk to the free Green Gondola to go back to the ship, enjoy the Cannery area, get the shuttle bus to Hoonah which cost USD5.00 or walk to Hoonah.

Thursday June 8 - Icy Point Strait Weather Forecast - 60% Chance of Rain, High 62°F/17°C, Low 45°F/7°C We arrived at Icy Strait Point at 7.00am and docked at the Wilderness Landing which is close to the Skyglider Gondola. Norwegian Sun was docked at Ocean Landing which is close to the Cannery area. There is a free Green Gondola that travels between the Wilderness and Ocean Landings or there is a path between them. We left the ship at 8.45 and had a walk around the Wilderness Landing where there is a tourist information desk, restrooms, a gift store, the Skyglider (Red Gondola) that costs USD49.95 + tax and you use to go up to the Zipline, the free Green Gondola and the Departure Den where the shore excursions met. At 9.15am we went to the Departure Den which is basically a large shed which had a desk to buy tickets for the Skyglider, a desk for those checking in to do the Zipline and an area for shore excursions to meet. While waiting I asked the person at the Zipline desk how much it cost to go on the Zipline but he told me that he was unable to give me a price as the tourist information desk sold the tickets and the price depended on which cruise ship you were on. At 9.30 our tour "Remote Wildlife and Brown Bear Search" loaded onto a small 24 passenger bus. We drove for 40 minutes through Hoonah and through a logging area into the countryside. When we got off the bus there were two portable restrooms. Our tour guide was Shelley and we also had a security man with a gun to protect us from bears. We were given instructions of what to do in case a bear came too close to us and to also not step off the boardwalk particularly when we were in the muskeg. Muskeg is an area where the ground is very spongy and waterladen with sinkholes throughout that is a bit like quicksand that can swallow a person. We walked for about five minutes along a boardwalk through the muskeg. The area was lovely and very tranquil. The trees were stunted due to the excess water and size is irrelevant to the age of the trees. We stopped at a platform for about ten minutes to take in our surroundings. We then walked about five minutes to a platform overlooking the Spasski Valley River. It was just beautiful but no bears to be seen.

It's quite scary that the glacier has receded so much. Fortunate that you were able to see it then. I wonder how long it will be before you can't see it from the Visitor Center area.

Wednesday June 7 - Juneau Part 3 Juneau was very busy with the passengers from five cruise ships in town. There were people everywhere! The queue for Tracy's Crab Shack was easily 50 people long and there were traffic marshalls controlling the traffic so pedestrians could cross the road at crossings. We walked through town to the St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church which is very cute. A short walk away was the Alaska State Capitol. We were able to do a short self tour of the legislative and senate rooms. After leaving the Capitol Building we stopped to visit the "Windfall Fisherman's" statue. We visited a few shops and took a photo of the ship. At 3.00pm we got on a tender without any wait at all. It was a quick ride and we were back on the ship at 3.15 pm. Dinner was at the Michaelangelo Dining Room. We sailed away at 9.00pm and the scenery was lovely as we cruised. We had been blessed with a beautiful and sunny day in Juneau! At 10.30pm the Discovery Princess passed us and we enjoyed the sunset. As a note, the drinks we purchased while at Juneau had 8% Juneau Alcohol Beverage Tax added onto the full price, including the gratuity, of the drinks. The tax was listed as a separate item on our on board account.

Wednesday June 7 -Juneau Part 2 We then went to Photo Point for more viewing and photos. We met a couple who had been to the glacier 28 years ago who told us that the ice came up to where we were standing back then. A short stop at the Pavillion for photos. We then made our way down to the shoreline again see the ice from one of the pieces of ice that had broken off the glacier and had floated across the lake to the shore. It was very interesting to see the beaver dam as we had never seen one so close before. We then went for a walk just a bit further along the shoreline which was lovely. We walked to the Bear bus stop and there was a Juneau Tours bus there so we didn't have to wait at all. We left at 12.35pm and due to the heavy traffic in Juneau didn't get back until 1.20pm. The bus made a short detour so that we could see the statue of Tahku, an Orca, on the waterfront.

Wednesday June 7 - Juneau Weather Forecast - Clouds, High 61°F/16°C, Low 45°F/7°C We arrived into Juneau at 7.00am after a scenic sail in. At 8.00am we anchored and unfortunately we had to tender to shore. Today we were in port with Majestic Princess, Discovery Princess, HAL Nieuw Amsterdam and Brilliance of the Seas. Instructions to get tender tickets had been in the Patter for the previous day but it seemed that many passengers had not seen or understood the instructions and chaos ensued. We had got tickets the previous evening as instructed and had "Amphipod" tickets. The tickets were issued with animal names that were issued in alphabetical order and our ticket was for the second tender for independent passengers. There was lots of confusion with many passengers wanting to get off the ship but they did not have tender tickets. Others had tender tickets but they were much later in the alphabet and did not want to wait for their turn. Many passengers did not understand that they had to get tender tickets to get off the ship. Some passengers were walking down the stairs to deck four where the tenders were loading and not waiting for their turn. Other passengers were arguing with the crew trying to organise the tenders saying that they wanted to get in a tender now and not wait for their turn. One man insisted on getting on our tender because he had a private tour at 8.30am even though he had a "M" tender ticket. He was allowed to get on our tender and then he boasted how he had fooled the crew member as his tour was not until much later. At 8.50am our tender ticket was called and the tender was loaded very slowly. We set off at 9.00am and got to the dock at 9.20am. Once we had arrived, we walked the very short distance to the tour booths lined up on the dock and bought tickets with Juneau Tours to go the Mendenhall Glacier for USD45.00 + tax which totalled USD94.50 for the two of us. The bus left at 9.30 and the trip took 20 minutes. The driver gave us information along the way and as we passed through a wetland area we saw about 20 bald eagles sitting in the wetland. We arrived at 9.50am and walked to Nugget Falls. It took about 20 minutes to walk there. There was plenty of room to walk around the beach area and take our photos. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and the views were gorgeous. As you can see from these photos it wasn't at all crowded. We then walked around the shoreline to look at the glacier and take lots more photos.

The evening shows in the Princess Theatre were at 7.30pm and 9.30pm. The production shows were : Encore on Day 2 Sweet Soul Music on Day 4 DISCO - Blame It On The Boogie on Day 8 Magic To Do on Day 10

Yes it was very interesting. Didn't get to the Sourdough Bakery which is a pity as I love a good cinnamon roll.

I went on Reflection on June 3, 2022 out of Civitavecchia/Rome. The weather was very warm and sunny in the low 30's°C/around 90°F. The only place we got a little rain was in Messina, Sicily and Kotor, Montenegro. There were crowds in most places, particularly in Rome, Naples and Barcelona.

Thanks. It was bitterly cold in the wind in the morning while we were waiting at the end of the dock for the bus but thankfully it was a lot warmer in the Yukon, particularly when the sun came out. We were able to delayer to just shirts in the middle of the day.

Tuesday June 6 - Skagway Part 5 We left Carcross at 3.00pm driving through gorgeous scenery at every turn. At 3.30pm we stopped at the Yukon sign for five minutes. As we got closer to Skagway the clouds returned but the scenery was still beautiful. At 4.30pm we stopped at the Alaska sign for five minutes. We got back to Skagway at 5.05pm after a wonderful day. We had time to pop into a couple of shops before returning to the ship at 5.30pm. At 6.00pm we were able to get our tender tickets at the Captain's Circle Desk on deck 7, for the following day in Juneau. Information for where and when to get tender tickets for Juneau was in the previous nights patter. Dinner was at the Michaelangelo Dining Room. We left Skagway one hour late at 9.45pm. The sail away was lovely. When we had got to our cabin after returning from Skagway we found a Canadian Customs Declaration Card and instructions of how to complete it. We had to complete the form for our arrival in Victoria and could give it to our steward to collect.

Tuesday June 6 - Skagway Part 4 At 2.10pm we stopped at Emerald Lake for five minutes. It was so beautiful and the colour of the water was stunning. We then turned back towards Skagway and at 2.30pm we stopped at Carcross for thirty minutes. We walked through the small town past the train station and to the river. We walked to the pedestrian bridge where we had a view of the rail bridge and over the river to the mountains. We then went to the General Store which was full of interesting items. We had a quick walk around town before heading back to the bus.

Tuesday June 6 - Skagway Part 3 At midday we arrived at Caribou Crossing, our lunch stop, where we had two hours. As well as lunch there was also animals such as alpacas, donkeys and horses to see, husky dog rides, gold paning, puppies to cuddle and see, a Taxidermy and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Museums and a gift shop. Our first stop was to see the puppies and I was lucky enough to have a cuddle with "Jersey". The puppies were not huskies but rescue puppies who were waiting to be rehomed. They were very cute! We watched the husky dogs take a group for a ride and people gold panning. The other animals also had to be visited. We then went for lunch which was a large leg of chicken, a roast potato and coleslaw. There were bread rolls and donuts that you could help yourself to. Water was available to drink and also coffee. After lunch we visited the Taxidermy Museum and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Museum. Out the front were wagons where you could sit at tables and a welcome sign. At 2.00pm we left Caribou Crossing and a few minutes later we passed a large brown bear on the side of the road. Unfortunately the bus wasn't able to stop and I didn't get a photo but I saw a bear!

Tuesday June 6 - Skagway Part 2 At 9.50am we arrived at the Suspension Bridge and had a one hour and ten minute stop. There was time to walk over the suspension bridge, read the information boards and visit the gift store without being rushed. We left the Suspension Bridge at 11.00am and continued up the mountains, driving through gorgeous scenery. It had been overcast in the morning but later in the morning it had started to clear and we now had beautiful blue sky and sunshine. At 11.55am we had a quick five minute stop at the Carcross Desert. The Carcross Desert is actually the remains of an ancient lake where the silt and sand that had been trapped in a glacier that melted, settled to the bottom of the lake about 10,000 years ago. It was quite strange to be standing on a sand dune in the mountains!

Tuesday June 6 - Skagway Weather Forecast - Clouds, High 46°F/8°C, Low 44°F/7°C This morning we were in port with Royal Princess who was tendering their passengers, Celebrity Solstice, HA Konigsdam and a small ship Columbio. We got off the ship at 7.45am so we could have a quick walk into town before our excursion. We walked past a White Pass Train and along the main street before returning to the dock. We had booked the Princess "The Yukon and Suspension Bridge" tour and the meeting time was 8.15am at the end of the dock. It was very cold and windy while we were waiting so were very glad we had our wind/rain jackets on. While we were waiting for the bus we could clearly see where the landside was last year. When the bus arrived we got on and left at 8.30am. There were 43 of us on the bus. We drove through town and up the road where we were soon amongst beautiful snowcapped mountains. At 9.05am we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the mountains and the Captain William Moore Bridge for five minutes. At 9.30am we stopped at the Canadian Customs Border where we had to hold our passports up to our faces for the officer who came onto the bus to check. The stop took about ten minutes but we were able to watch a White Pass Train while we waited. As we continued the scenery we could see from the bus was beautiful.

There seems to be some issues with the dining system and to be honest I don't know what the solution is. I found on my cruise that the tender tickets were in alphabetical order as the first four groups of tickets issued were animals starting with "A" then the next four groups of tickets were animals starting with "B" and so it went following the alphabet. When in Juneau the first two "A" animal tickets were on the first non Princess excursion tender and then the other two "A" animal tickets were on the second tender. The third tender was "B" animal tickets and so on. When passengers were asking when they would get on a tender the crew would ask them what animal they had and could tell them if they had a long or short wait depending on the first letter of the animal on their ticket. I don't know why they changed from numbers. Maybe with a set number of each animal tickets it is easier to control numbers on each tender. I agree it would be good to have the tender or gangplank information on the electronic display boards. In Juneau many passengers were crowding the Piazza area leading down to the tenders asking what tender tickets were loading or when they would be able to get on a tender. It was so crowded that it was difficult to get through the crowd to get to the stairs to go down to the tender when our ticket animal was called.

To be honest I had to google to see what a Devil's Club plant is and I'm a horticulturist, though in my defense we don't have these plants in Australia. I don't remember seeing any of these plants in Sitka but I think I did actually see some in San Francisco at the Salesforce Rooftop Garden. Is this some? If so, I definitely didn't see any in Sitka because I would have remembered them as they are so distinctive. We didn't go on a tour in Sitka but just walked around by ourselves. It only took about ten minutes to walk to the Sitka National Historical Park from where we were dropped off by the shuttle bus that took us in to town from the ship. Hope you have a great cruise!

I can understand that. We usually eat in the buffet a few times during each cruise because we sometimes like a quick and easy dinner. This was the first cruise that we didn't eat in the buffet for dinner once. I hope you enjoy both of your future cruises.

Monday June 5 - Hubbard Glacier Part 2 The glacier was a sight to behold! The captain turned the ship so that both sides got a good view of the glacier. We spent all the time at the glacier on the Sun Deck so we had a great view. Whilst it was overcast and the cloud cover was low the glacier was a magnificent sight to see. After both sides of the ship faced the glacier we waited for the return of the small boat excursion then sailed away from the glacier at 12.30pm. We left Yakutut Bay at 1.30pm. We got lunch at the Salty Dog Grill and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our cabin. Dinner was at the Michaelangelo Dining Room where it was Italian night.

Monday June 5 - Hubbard Glacier Weather Forecast - Clear, High 50°F/10°C, Low 48°F/9°C This morning we had breakfast in the Horizon Buffet. We entered into Yakutut Bay at 9.00am and we went to Skywalkers to wait for our arrival at the Hubbard Glacier. At 10.00am we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier. The ship slowly approached the glacier. It was overcast and quite cold with low clouds but there was no rain. We waited for a while for the small boat excursion to be loaded and set off. We then sailed closer to the glacier. The surrounding scenery was lovely. There was a lot of ice in the water of all different shapes, sizes and colours.

That's the joy of cruising! You can speak to three different people and they've all done different but equally great things in the same port. We loved Sitka and would definitely chose it to be on another Alaska cruise itinerary.

Thank you! As our introduction to Alaska we loved our day and the beauty in Sitka.

Sunday June 4 - Sitka Part 3 When we had finished our walk through the forest we then walked back towards the town centre. As it was a Sunday there were little stalls set up by the local children outside their homes selling cookies, lemonade and other drinks to raise some money for their particular cause. We stopped to buy cookies from a lovely boy who was saving to go on his summer vacation. The cookies were delicious! We walked through town and visited the Russian Blockhouse which is a replica of a wooden Russian fortification from the 1800's. Next we went to the grave of Princess Maksoutoff who was the wife of Alaska's last Russian governor. Just up the road was the Russian Cemetery one of the most atmospheric cemeteries, I have been to, with the graves amongst the trees. We walked back into town to Castle Hill, the historical site where Tlingits and Russians had fortifications. It is where Alaska was formally transferred from Russia to the United States in 1867. There were views across to the lighthouse. We made a quick stop at the "Prospector" statue in the grounds of the Sitka Pioneer Home. Lastly we walked past St Michael's Cathedral which was unfortunately closed. There was a very long queue for the shuttle back to the ship but fortunately the sun had come out so it was pleasant standing in the sunshine chatting to people in the queue and enjoying the view. We waited 30 minutes in the queue to get on a shuttle and we were back on the ship at 4.30pm. At 6.00pm we went to the Michaelangelo Dining Room and spoke to Maddela. Maddela had been informed of our experience the previous night and after apologising for what had happened, he assured us that he would personally look after us for the remainder of the cruise, which he did. He took us to a lovely four top table by a window and we sat there each night for the rest of cruise. Each evening Maddela personally greeted us on our arrival at the dining room and ushered us to "our" table. We were treated to excellent service from our waiters Allan and Chiril every night and I was able to preorder my meal with Prahran each night for the following night. As I usually ordered sorbet for my dessert each night as it was an easy option with my food allergy, occasionally Prahran would order me something extra that he thought I would like and be okay for me to eat. He was always right and the flambe pineapple was divine! Ten out of ten to the team at the Michaelangelo Dining Room!