Miracle to Alaska Review: June 26-July 6

[Luv2Cruze4]

Thanks for posting this review! We head out on this exact same cruise Aug 7th and are so looking forward to it. Haven't see many reviews. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express for a couple of days prior and I did book Alcatraz months earlier as I did hear it would be sold out. My daughter is 17 and son 22 so we can relate to all the aspects as your family seems really similar to ours especially in personality. Bruh! MOTHER! LOL

Glad to see the karaoke was enjoyable as well - that is a favourite for us!

J.

[bluejay555]

16 minutes ago, Luv2Cruze4 said:

Thanks for posting this review! We head out on this exact same cruise Aug 7th and are so looking forward to it. Haven't see many reviews. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express for a couple of days prior and I did book Alcatraz months earlier as I did hear it would be sold out. My daughter is 17 and son 22 so we can relate to all the aspects as your family seems really similar to ours especially in personality. Bruh! MOTHER! LOL

Glad to see the karaoke was enjoyable as well - that is a favourite for us!

J.

Bruhhh (😂)....you are going to have the BEST time!!  That was smart of you to book Alcatraz early on.  We really dropped the ball on that one.  Enjoy the karaoke- as the days go on, people realize how fun it is, and the Red Frog Pub becomes packed at karaoke time.  If you don't get there early, it's hard to get a table.  Anyway, thanks for following my review!  🙂 

[bluejay555]

Woke up in Juneau!

 

 

I got some coffee and went up to deck 10 for some good views!  Whale watching is at 9am.  This excursion is Express Whale Watching…the one I was able to book on the day it was announced that Icy Strait Point was canceled.  It was fabulous!  I’ve been whale watching a couple times in Juneau and this was my favorite.  We got so lucky to see whales feeding at the surface, jumping out of the water, and a mama and baby diving together.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by bluejay555
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[bluejay555]

Couldn’t get off the ship without visiting with the Alaskan Malamute! 😂

 

 

Excited to be on our way!

 

We weren’t on the boat but a few minutes and already seeing bald eagles

 

 

[bluejay555]

Right away we saw a couple whales lunge-feeding.

 

 

And then we saw a mama and her baby. They are a popular pair in these waters and the locals have named them Sasha and Titan.  We watched them swim for a while and they took a deep dive and did the tail flip for us.  I was recording a video so only got one tail picture but the whole encounter was breathtaking.

 

 

[bluejay555]

The grand finale-  and we were told this is pretty rare to see….a young, playful whale breached a few times.  It was the coolest thing ever!! 

[bluejay555]

It was cold and sprinkling rain but that didn’t stop us.  This was SUCH a once in a lifetime experience!  

 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by bluejay555
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[bluejay555]

The whole tour was 3 hours and it was over before we knew it.  But that gave us time to explore Juneau!  We walked through town and bought some souvenirs, then ended up at Red Dog Saloon for lunch and a drink.  This is a must-see in Juneau!  It kind of takes you back to the old days- we were lucky to get a table because it was packed!  Notice the floor is sawdust 😂

 

 

[bluejay555]

After this we decided to try another adventure and take the tram up the mountain.  It’s located right near the pier and it really wasn’t crowded.  I think we paid $50 per person to ride, and your tickets are good all day to go up and down as many times as you want.  

 

It gave a different perspective of Juneau!

[bluejay555]

 

 

At the top, there is a restaurant, gift shop, and a hiking trail.  We walked a little bit down the path but it was really muddy so we turned back.  

[bluejay555]

After this, we were ready to head back to the ship.  This is the first time we had cell service since San Francisco, and we got a call that our 10 yr old labradoodle had gotten very sick at the kennel and was in the veterinary hospital.  We were so grateful to my in-laws for taking care of everything for us.  It helped ease our minds, and be able to enjoy the rest of our trip!  *and I can update that she is home with us and hopefully on the mend.  She has an infection in her liver and refuses all food except for baked chicken that is hand-fed to her, and she takes 9 pills a day!  (Oh and she will accept marshmallows too, so that’s a good sign 😉 ) 

 

[bluejay555]

So that’s a wrap for Juneau!  Tomorrow is Skagway.

 

 

 

 

[bluejay555]

We’re in Skagway!

 

 

We had to dock at the industrial side of the pier and weren’t allowed to walk beyond the ship.  We had to be shuttled to the end of the pier.  Kind of annoying unless Buddy the Elf is your shuttle driver! 😂😂

 

 

 

It was a very short ride and we found our excursion group, which was a float trip through an eagle preserve.  We had to take the fast ferry to Haines.  The fast ferry is a 45 min ride, and if you drove to Haines by land it would take 7 hours (according to our guide).  We had to walk down that big gangway to get to the ferry.  It was basically the same style as our whale watching boat.  We saw a whale on the way to Haines and one on the way back.  Maybe the same one? lol  At that point we were losing our enthusiasm for jumping up and trying to catch a glimpse.  They were becoming like squirrels to us.  They’re everywhere 😂 (mostly kidding) 

 

Haines was really quaint, and our guide took us around the town.  I was a little confused where Fort Seward ended and Haines began but they seem like sort of the same place.  

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by bluejay555
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[bluejay555]

So far we had been on a shuttle, a ferry, and from here we got on an old school bus to ride for an hour to the launching spot for our float trip on the Chilkat River.  Luckily our tour guide was amazing and full of the most interesting stories and made the time pass quickly.  He was a young man who had graduated college and wanted to play in the wilderness a couple years before entering the soul sucking corporate world 😂 He told us how he and a college buddy live in an old bus in a little community with others living in tents and cars, and they have no electricity, and just live to go rafting and hiking and stuff.  Ahh to be young and adventurous!

There were 15 of us total. They gave us boots and life jackets and took us down to the water to board 3 rafts.  

The water was glacier melt and this beautiful green/gray color.  The pictures do not do the scenery justice. Period.  It was absolutely breathtaking here and this was the kids’ favorite excursion. 

We’re talking bucket list stuff here- rafting on glacier melt in the middle of nowhere Alaska surrounded by bald eagles.  

[bluejay555]

I highly highly highly recommend this excursion!  
 

It was cold and misting rain but that seemed appropriate for the setting.  Sunshine would have been out of place.  
 

 

 

After the trip, they had food and hot chocolate and coffee set up for us.  It was picnic style and a nice touch.  It was Caesar chicken wraps, chips, and a cookie.  
 

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by bluejay555
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[Haljo1935]

Thank you for posting and allowing us to come along! We LOVE Alaska and have been blessed to go more than once each season a couple years. We go in May to open the season and Sept to close it out; both unique, both incredibly beautiful as your pictures remind me.

The Baby Breach picture is special - you should crop it and do a large metal or glass print - it will be stunning. Good job!!

Your family is lovely and looks like they had a great time. I'm excited to read the rest of your adventures. 

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Here's AK from a different CCL ship I was on a couple months ago.

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Haljo1935
Additional comment

[bluejay555]

40 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Thank you for posting and allowing us to come along! We LOVE Alaska and have been blessed to go more than once each season a couple years. We go in May to open the season and Sept to close it out; both unique, both incredibly beautiful as your pictures remind me.

The Baby Breach picture is special - you should crop it and do a large metal or glass print - it will be stunning. Good job!!

Your family is lovely and looks like they had a great time. I'm excited to read the rest of your adventures. 

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

Here's AK from a different CCL ship I was on a couple months ago.

 

Loved your review.  Your pictures are so nice!  May looks like a neat time to experience Alaska...everything has a wintery feel.  Thanks for taking the time to look through my review 🙂 I would love to have the whale picture printed professionally, great idea!  

[bluejay555]

This is the rock slide that caused us to have to dock in the industrial area instead of the cruise ship area.  

Found another duck!  

 

We had a mishap 😂 but that’s a wrap on Skagway!  Next up is Tracy Arm Fjord!

 

Edited July 11, 2023 by bluejay555
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[crazycatlady82]

2 hours ago, bluejay555 said:

I highly highly highly recommend this excursion!  
 

It was cold and misting rain but that seemed appropriate for the setting.  Sunshine would have been out of place.  
 

 

 

After the trip, they had food and hot chocolate and coffee set up for us.  It was picnic style and a nice touch.  It was Caesar chicken wraps, chips, and a cookie.  
 

This excursion looks great! Was it through carnival or a private company? 

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, bluejay555 said:

Loved your review.  Your pictures are so nice!  May looks like a neat time to experience Alaska...everything has a wintery feel.  Thanks for taking the time to look through my review 🙂 I would love to have the whale picture printed professionally, great idea!  

We printed one on metal DH took of a bear cub on our first trip - it's one of my favorite pictures,  welcomes me home every time I go through front door.

Fracture does a great job w/glass prints. https://fractureme.com/?utm_medium=sms&utm_source=attentive&utm_campaign=Prime-Sale-7.10.23&externalId=uId02

 

[bluejay555]

52 minutes ago, crazycatlady82 said:

This excursion looks great! Was it through carnival or a private company? 

Yes it was through Carnival!  

[bluejay555]

22 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

We printed one on metal DH took of a bear cub on our first trip - it's one of my favorite pictures,  welcomes me home every time I go through front door.

Fracture does a great job w/glass prints. https://fractureme.com/?utm_medium=sms&utm_source=attentive&utm_campaign=Prime-Sale-7.10.23&externalId=uId02

 

Love that!!  Thanks for the link 🙂 

[Haljo1935]

The rock slide picture is really good from that angle - Mother Nature has her own plans 😀 

[bluejay555]

28 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

The rock slide picture is really good from that angle - Mother Nature has her own plans 😀 

Thanks!  And yes, she always does!  I'm just thankful we didn't have to tender in.  

[Tennessee Rose]

On 7/9/2023 at 8:14 PM, bluejay555 said:

Well look who showed up for crafting!  Today was embroidery kits and even though we have zero experience, we had a blast working on it with our new friends! 
 

 

I've never seen the crafting sessions. Is there a charge for this, where is it held, and is it a different type of craft each day? Is it only on sea days, or one every day? I think I'd love to try this! Just never saw it before. My cruise buddy and I went to Alaska on Legend back in 2017. I believe it was my favorite cruise!