Alaska's Voyage of the Glaciers' cruise plus Vancouver
 

Just before Covid my husband and I had a 12 day road trip in Alaska all booked -flights, accommodation, car hire – then the pandemic struck and everything was cancelled!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...dab08fc_6k.jpgDenali by Anne C, on Flickr

Somehow it took us until this summer to finally visit Alaska though my ideas on how best to explore it had changed A LOT after racking up 1200 miles exploring Northern Italy in March. I suddenly felt I’d had enough, this year, of big road trips! A cruise had never appealed as the thought of thousands of other passengers all cheek by jowl, gave both of us the shivers. BUT, it was the only way to see what really appealed to me – the world’s tallest coastal mountains, rearing out of the ocean to 19,000 feet plus. Chris took a bit of convincing that it would be relaxing and cheaper too given the astronomical cost of car hire and accommodation these days but I gradually broke down his resistance.
In April, I booked the 7 day 'Voyage of the Glaciers' cruise with Princess on the Royal Princess, leaving Whittier late June and sailing down to Vancouver (our hub for flights from Edinburgh.)

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ea5609b_6k.jpgOurselves Portage Pass hike by Anne C, on Flickr

We also had a couple of days pre cruise with a car, exploring a little bit of Alaska (Talkeetna and Girdwood) and a final 2 days post -cruise, in and around Vancouver.

My interests generally are landscapes and I SO wanted to see Denali (20,310 ft) having read that in one respect, it is the world’s tallest mountain in terms of the sheer height that can be seen from its base - about 18,000 feet of it, compared to only 12,000ft of Everest. So - Denali looks Himalayan in proportion. We are both also keen on wildlife and had high hopes for whales, especially Orcas. Bears, I have never been that keen on (sorry, I know it’s a star animal) though I have to say this changed substantially during the trip for several reasons.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...315027d_6k.jpgUntitled by Anne C, on Flickr

I’m a bit of a nervous flyer and get quite jittery with turbulence or any ‘weird’ noises I think the plane is making. This was our first long haul flight after quite a few years mostly short haul to Europe or Iceland; the flights seemed SO long and I worried a bit (my default position throughout life) that this would be torture albeit worth it.

Overall impressions – Alaska was OUTSTANDING!!! Scenery – off the charts! Wildlife – magnificent! We were SO lucky with the weather, enjoying 11 days of sunshine, not too hot, fresh light breezes and totally calm seas. We counted about 70 Humpback whales, a pod of Killer Whales, umpteen Bald Eagles, a Golden Eagle, a Beaver, many Sea Otters and Seals, Brown Bears (only one in the wild though) Moose, even a Salmon…

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4f0626b_3k.jpgRescued Brown Bear/Grizzly eating road kill by Anne C, on Flickr

The Cruise Ship – LOVED it. Buffets for breakfast lunch and dinner were superb though desserts were disappointing in quality. Sit down restaurant food was disappointing too.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6a960e2_5k.jpgExploring the decks by Anne C, on Flickr

Staff were delightful, our Inside Cabin was good and very quiet; amenities on board - well, we didn’t really use these and only attended one on board talk as mostly it was Elvis Impersonation Night, or a Quiz or other singing entertainment which isn’t really our scene. Mostly we were out on deck enjoying the never- ending magnificent scenery and upping the whale count.

Below, I'll start the blow by blow account of our trip with our arrival in Vancouver (well, the Richmond area) before we flew next day to Anchorage...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7bcebdd_6k.jpgThe Flying Beaver near Richmond by Anne C, on Flickr

Firstly, apologies as this next bit is about 15 hours or so in Vancouver but I found it a bit easier to keep it all together! Really enjoyed the Richmond area which I can't say about a fair portion of our time in Vancouver itself at the end of the trip.Maybe we were just missing Alaska by this point - it's hard to come from a really pristine, stunning area with small scale towns(or none at all), into a skyscraper filled- modern city with a big homeless/drug problem.It would need to be a really special, beautiful city which we did not find Vancouver to be (surprisingly given the hype/reviews in guidebooks etc.)

The link to Day 1/2 of our trip here with photos:

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...d-via-toronto/

Looking forward to reading more. We did the Northbound Voyage of the Glaciers cruise in 2012 as conveniently my husband had a business trip to Vancouver. So we arrived in Vancouver from NY on a Saturday evening and departed the following Saturday on the cruise. We enjoyed Vancouver quite a lot and we did a day trip to Vancouver Island in advance of my husband's conference so we did get to Victoria and the incredible Bouchardt Gardens. Our cruise featured many speakers including the National Park service rangers, one of whom did a presentation and others had booths where you could stop and chat and gain information. There was a naturalist on board who pointed out wildlife and there was a presentation from Libby Riddles who was the first woman to win the Iditarod. She had a children's book that she had written. The cold air on the deck made for a quiet cruise, not much nightlife if that was what people were looking for. We did not have a balcony but a windowed room and mostly relaxed on deck or in the solarium. Enjoyed all the port stops including the White Pass Railroad into the Yukon. The cruise docked in Whittier and we did the cruise transportation to Anchorage for our return flight. The ride was very scenic. In 2021, once we were vaxed and flights were all refundable, we went back and did a land trip on our own with a family wedding in Homer in the middle of our road trip. Traveled North first to Talkeetna and Denali on the train and back to Anchorage on the train. One day touring Anchorage and then picked up rental car to spend the rest of our trip in the Kenai, visiting Seward, Homer and Girdwood.

WOW, fabulous photos. The panoramic of the Denali Range is wall-hang-worthy.

Look forward to more. We are planning a trip that will cover some of the same territory.

Madam- great to know you’re enjoying the write up.Your own cruise sounds quite different in terms of the entertainment on board! I would have really liked more nature talks and we only found out there was a naturalist on board during the last few days - never saw him about at all as when we did see him, he was easily recognisable I would say.I also thought there might ave been more announcements from the Bridge or by the naturalist re wildlife sightings.Anyway, we spent so long on deck every day with the binoculars and just generally looking out for things , we saw even more great sights than I’d ever imagined!
Would really like to do a road trip next time as I can’t imagine we will not be back to Alaska.Just felt so comfortable there from the off.Your own road trips sound great - Seward was originally on the agenda for 2 nights.The train to White Pass is an excursion I’d really fancied but we didn’t stop in a port that made that possible this time.

Nelson - thank you, I took so many photos some had to come out ok! You have an absolute treat ahead, Alaska is magnificent though we were very lucky to see it all at its best re weather.The scale is difficult to capture in photos.Hope the report is of help though most of our time was on the cruise and seeing places only accessible of course by ship or plane.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e9cf6fb_4k.jpgDSC_1072.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Next instalment! This covers our arrival in Alaska (including the amazing flight over the big coastal mountains and glaciers) , then heading to Talkeetna for the night and a desperate hope to see Denali clear and join the ‘30% Club’. Second day was the drive back to Turnaround Arm and a great visit to the Wildlife Conservation Centre.Wasn’t sure I’d enjoy this as neither of us likes zoos but these are rescued animals in a very natural setting.A must see, I’d say.
Splashed out for a night at the Alyeska Resort in pretty Girdwood and loved that stay.

Pre cruise, we managed to squeeze in the superb Portage Pass hike but I’ll do a separate write up of that; can’t recommend it highly enough! Fantastic.

Here’s the link…

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...ies-and-moose/

Holy cow, did you get lucky. One night in Talkeetna and you got that lighting and those views! Great shots. We will be spending four nights there, I'm not counting on seeing anything.

Glad to hear you liked the AWCC, we are planning to visit.

I bookmarked the South Restaurant & Coffeehouse, looks like a place we'd enjoy between Girdwood and ANC. Thanks.

Poked around your website a bit, especially some of the Scotland pages. Really nice! We had a beautiful 3 weeks in Scotland in July, 2006. I managed to drag myself up a couple of Munros.

Nelson - yes, we were so lucky! Hopefully with more time you’ll get some great views and light too.It’s a great area and I wish we’d had more time there.It wasn’t busy and felt calm and quiet as well as offering amazing vistas.

You did Munros ! That’s very impressive! Really good to know you enjoyed Scotland.We were ‘bagging’ a Munro just two days ago up in Cairngorm.No bears to worry about😀

The cafe was good, really nice menu.It was a handy stop for us as we made for the airport as it was just off a main highway and easy to find.

Thank you for kind comments about the website - I write up all our trips, good fun to relive them all though it always takes much longer than planned!

Portage Pass Hike

We were very impressed with Princess and how easy it was to check in and board the ship, especially given the literally thousands of other passengers boarding that day.This next ‘instalment’ is some brief comment about Royal Princess before we then headed out to fit in the wonderful Portage Pass hike.It’s quite short but gives a lot of bang for your buck so to speak- Alpine views, glaciers, lovely green snow capped mountains all around after a short slog up a good path.It was busy too so no bear worries!

Here’s the write up…

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...-portage-pass/

From Whittier to Yakutat Bay and the Hubbard Glacier

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b5bc528_6k.jpgOn Royal Princess, Whittier by Anne C, on Flickr

At 8pm (Saturday) our ship upped anchor and sailed down Prince William Sound and into the Gulf of Alaska.We spent most of that time mesmerised by the astounding scenery all around us. The scale was majestic and difficult to capture in any photo.Hard to drag ourselves away to have dinner!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2489c97_6k.jpgUntitled by Anne C, on Flickr

We even watched a Bald Eagle hunt beside the ship, spying a fish in the water...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e5e33f6_3k.jpgSea eagle hunting beside ship while docked by Anne C, on Flickr

We had been lured by the queues forming for sit down dinner in Concerto dining room (included in our package) but it was all pre-booked. There was another similar dining room however on another floor so on advice we made for that and got seated right away. As I said previously, food was not good, had to return my fish as barely cooked through. Overly attentive waiters, very formal. Body swerved this type of dining from then on!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ae928e6_6k.jpgExploring the ship - loved it by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr]http://https://flic.kr/p/2q8cU1Whttps://flic.kr/p/2q8cU1W by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ae928e6_6k.jpgExploring the ship - loved it by Anne C, on Flickr


Saw our first humpback whales just after that though they were a bit distant. Amazed at how close to shore they were! We saw around 70 humpbacks on the trip, they were everywhere – we were told that a lot of mothers and calves come into these waters in summer from their breeding grounds in Hawaii.We certainly had calm waters and perfect viewing weather plus we were barely away from the outside decks, always scanning the sea; it seems incredible however that many people say they saw little wildlife on similar cruises.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8000906_3k.jpgFirst two Humpback whales by Anne C, on Flickr

Stayed out on deck as the sun began to go down, casting gorgeous light over the endless chain of snowy mountains.I think these were still part of the Chugach chain though next morning I believe we were seeing the Wrangell St Elias group. There were hundreds of miles of mountains all down the coast - the scenery never let up for a minute.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0bdc572_6k.jpgBig Alpine mountains near the coast heading south, Kenai Peninsula by Anne C, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ce97a58_6k.jpg20 tide water glaciers in the Sound by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr]http://https://flic.kr/p/2q8jiUchttps://flic.kr/p/2q8jiUc by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr


http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ce97a58_6k.jpg20 tide water glaciers in the Sound by Anne C, on Flickr

Sun going down...we HAD to get to bed eventually but hard to leave the deck!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8018f07_6k.jpgSun going down by Anne C, on Flickr




Great sleep, excellent buffet breakfast, then we headed for the top deck where the walking loop was laid out. Did many, many loops as I get a bit obsessed with daily step count – I think we managed 3 miles all in (7 times round the deck was 1 mile so…it felt a bit One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest though at least we had a calm sea and stunning coastal mountains to gaze at!) Broke this up a bit on future mornings as despite the views, it did do your head in a bit!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bfa7f44_6k.jpgDSC_1292.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Very quiet normally, only a handful of people were as mad as we were – or as I should say, as I was because Chris soon got fed up with this over the week and joined me only occasionally and I can’t blame him.

We were due to arrive in Yakutat Bay and the Hubbard Glacier at 3 pm (Sunday) and the sail there on calm seas was one of the most memorable of the trip. We were now seeing, at a distance, the world’s highest coastal mountains – the St Elias range - some going up to over 18,000 feet. Never seen anything like that and it was awe inspiring. A low cloud hung around their bases for a while, then moved up but always, the summits were mostly clear. Took a million photos, checking out the peaks out through the binoculars, zooming in with the camera…it was a struggle to go in for lunch as we didn’t want to miss anything! Occasionally there was a blow from a Humpback and a large back flipped over the sea surface sometimes followed by a tail.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1999557_6k.jpgDSC_1314.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The decks never seemed very busy...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d8ee3fc_6k.jpgDSC_1316.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The 18,000 foot monster Mount S tElias stupendous, was clear at the summit...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...204fbe3_5k.jpgDSC_1333.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Zoomed...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8548d00_6k.jpgDSC_1341.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Yakutat Bay was outstandingly beautiful.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9f0f71e_6k.jpgYakutat Bay by Anne C, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...638706d_4k.jpgSeals by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr]http://https://flic.kr/p/2q8hx2Rhttps://flic.kr/p/2q8hx2R by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7ae5505_6k.jpgDSC_1384.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Very green mountains bathed in sunlight and then the ring of broken ice that created a barrier to the inner bay. And the glacier, huge, calving slowly into the sea. We spent several hours slowly getting closer but only so far in because of the ice. Some people had booked an (incredibly expensive) excursion trip on a small boat, taking them close to the glacier’s face but most people just remained on board as the ship did slow turnarounds. Beautiful calm, sunny weather. A few seals on the ice too.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...638706d_4k.jpgSeals by Anne C, on Flickr

The excursion ship heading towards the glacier...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cb8dd86_6k.jpgExcursion ship by Anne C, on Flickr

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1dcce51_6k.jpgYakutat Bay by Anne C, on Flickr

The excursion boat looked so small amidst this majestic scale of scenery!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9716244_6k.jpgHow small is that boat? by Anne C, on Flickr

Honestly we were blown away by Yakutat Bay. The glaciers were never the thing for me on this cruise , despite its alluring name (Voyage of the Glaciers) - it was always the coastal scenery, the big mountain vistas albeit these came with glaciers! I’ve never been hugely taken with glaciers in themselves.A big river of snow and ice.

However, a truly amazing first 24 hrs sail. Didn’t expect so much somehow of Yakutat Bay and the Hubbard Glacier but it was absolutely a trip highlight.A final look back at Mount St Elias which I still think about...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1fb5b47_5k.jpgMount St Elias by Anne C, on Flickr

Zoomed...different light...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2dd0b6f_5k.jpgMount St Elias by Anne C, on Flickr

It was hard to leave it all behind as the ship got underway ...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d705fd0_6k.jpgSt Elias range by Anne C, on Flickr

Next stop tomorrow - Glacier Bay - but could it live up to what we had just seen?

Amazing photos!! Makes me want to think about another Alaskan cruise and this time do the southbound trip. Looks awesome. Back when we did the northbound cruise, all our photos were on my husband's 35 mm SLR and are downloaded to computer so need to relook at them.

Madam- thank you, great to hear you enjoyed the photos! It’s a photographer’s paradise though we were also so lucky with the weather.I can’t imagine NOT going back to Alaska, it has made such an impression.Must be lovely in autumn colours and light too.

To Glacier Bay:
Sad to leave Yakutat Bay and the St Elias mountain range behind but Glacier Bay lay ahead.Lovely scenery as always as we approached early morning with a big highlight being a small pod of Orca playing around our bow wave. They were very quickly left behind as the ship powered on but so thrilled to see them.I can claim being the first to spot them and word soon went round but they were gone very quickly.There was an announcement made on the bridge but it came too late.Only in the last day or so of the cruise did we realise that there was a Naturalist on board! Never saw him at all or heard any announcements from him.Bit disappointing though I think general entertainment on board is the thing on this type of cruise.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...067e5d7_4k.jpgOrca by Anne C, on Flickr

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7ce7fb6_4k.jpgOrcas by Anne C, on Flickr

They were a much hoped for sighting in terms of wildlife.We have them at home too but they are always a stunning sight.

https://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bd0516e_4k.jpgOrca by Anne C, on Flickr

Two Rangers from the National Park also boarded our ship via a small boat; interesting to see them get on! I don't know whether this was a requirement given we were in an NP but I don't recall them making any announcements.They were available however to talk to while we were in Glacier Bay.

Also began to see a lot of Sea Otters, so gorgeous! Apparently, Orcas don't attack them because they hate the fur! Thank goodness, I thought they looked very vulnerable and must be predated upon.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0a0650f_3k.jpgSea Otter by Anne C, on Flickr

Saw quite a few humpbacks too...this one very close to shore again...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...423f28a_6k.jpgHumpback blowing close to shore by Anne C, on Flickr

It took most of the day to sail into Glacier Bay which is made up of many inlets with, of course, glaciers tumbling down into the sea.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c463874_6k.jpgDSC_1493.jpg by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr]http://https://flic.kr/p/2q8wiu4 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5682e13_6k.jpgDSC_1494.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

It was impressive , very green as ever, very beautiful but perhaps the cloudier conditions compared to yesterday flattened the light so initially the scenery didn't quite wow me as it had the day before.It was still stunning however - we were getting very spoiled!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...222a822_6k.jpgDSC_1496.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The Margerie Glacier I think this was...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7f63390_6k.jpgDSC_1511.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...65eb1a8_6k.jpgImmense scenery by Anne C, on Flickr

The water was a gorgeous colour too...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...295f2b3_6k.jpgDSC_1519.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Rocky peaks everywhere...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0381b0b_6k.jpgDSC_1527.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The ship in the photo below was a mid size cruise ship, giving things some scale...

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a26f8db_6k.jpgDSC_1537.jpg by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr]http://https://flic.kr/p/2q8v3gt by https://www.flickr.com/photos/112613153@N05/, on Flickr

A glacier calving a little bit...

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...ecc5ff2_6k.jpgGlacier calving by Anne C, on Flickr

And then, we turned into the John Hopkins inlet and the views went off the charts again!

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f731e24_6k.jpgJohn Hopkins Inlet Glacier Bay by Anne C, on Flickr

Wow - it seemed , now, that EVERYONE was up on deck as they realised we'd really hit somewhere ultra special.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...659a029_5k.jpgDSC_1602.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

One of the senior crew - in fact the General Manager Hotels as was on his name badge - came up on deck and we chatted for quite a bit.He was so enthused by the scenery, really bowled over despite having been here many times.Interestingly he did confirm that last week and now our week on the cruise was the only good weather they had had since the season started in May! That really did confirm our luck.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...28665d9_6k.jpgDSC_1608.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

The ship stayed at the edge of the bay, possibly due to water depth, I'm not sure and we stared at the enormous mountains all around trying to clear in the lowish, lingering cloud.It was majestic and I don't think I've captured that very well in the photos.The scale, as ever, is hard to get across.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8ce3fb7_6k.jpgDSC_1620.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Spent about an hour just slowly meandering at the entrance to the inlet admiring the gigantic Fairweather mountain range with the highest peaks over 15,000 feet and trying to clear.Definitely up there with Yakutat Bay and the coastal mountains for memorable views.Making sure a cruise goes into this inlet would be the thing, IMO.Fabulous and we were lucky again with it clearing and good light.

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...66c941d_5k.jpgDSC_1627.jpg by Anne C, on Flickr

Lots of Humpbacks again as we sailed back towards Gustavus - mostly blowing, occasional tail flips.
As ever, we finished the day with two platefuls of excellent food from the buffet, I'm still trying to shed some of the pounds we put on and Chris, never one to be bothered with diets is currently on a self imposed one! It's just too difficult not to go up for those second helpings.
We'd also now discovered the lowest deck where some easy chairs and tables were set out and there was quite a quiet bar area.It was at the very back of the ship and meant we were much nearer the water in terms of viewing wildlife.A lovely place to sit out of an evening with a glass of wine (for Chris) and tea for me as we sailed to our next port of call.I was getting used to this cruise lark!

Next Day: Icy Strait Point/Hoonah, Whale Watching and a Bear Search Trip

Icy Strait Point, Whale watching and a Bear Search trip

http://https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...39d26cd_6k.jpgHumpback whale beside the boat - a calf by Anne C, on Flickr

For other photos, they are in this link: https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...bear-watching/

The joy of cruising - waking up each morning to a new port or place.Great fun! Bit cloudy but dry as we headed off the ship after a (large) buffet breakfast (so much food, so good) and walked the long gangway to this forested Chichagof island where live around 1,000 bears and hardly any people! Tlingit/Huna people, one of Alaska's original tribes live in nearby Hoonah, a short walk from where the cruise ships dock.It was around 8.30am.

We had a whale watching tour booked at 10.45am with instructions to head for the craft village/cafes where the meet up point was close to.Icy Strait is considered THE best place to see Humpbacks up close as mothers and calves feed in these waters during the summer, having migrated from their breeding grounds in Hawaii.

I really liked Icy Strait/Hoonah.We didn't take the zip line but walked through the forest (with plenty of other people!) to the area where some nice shops and cafes were.Yes it was all geared up for tourists off the ships but it was small scale and there were some really nice things to buy.Interesting too to see the old salmon cannery buildings, similar though smaller in scale than I remember in Monterey.

A minibus took us round to the small but busy harbour at Hoonah where we went down quite a steep gangway (the tide was out) to a small boat.I had booked us onto Hoonah Travel Adventures boat though I think quite a few operators go out.Not cheap at $400 for the two of us but few excursions are, whether you use Princess's own recommended outfits or private ones.That's how it seemed to me anyway, checking prices.I finally choose an operator according to what time suited us and I wanted us to have a bit of time to explore first.

Paul was our captain and he was very interesting and also entertaining as we sped out into the bay.He had a bone or three to pick with some of the scientists who study the whales as he had recorded several behaviours and patterns that didn't fit with accepted findings.

I was worried that the outside viewing areas of the boat were a bit small and it would be a crush in terms of trying to get into a prime position to see things but we managed - just.A bit of jostling by everyone however as it was luck where you were standing in terms of getting a great view.The boat travels very quickly to the feeding grounds so we all had to sit inside for that portion of the trip which was slightly disappointing.

There were about half a dozen pairs of Humpbacks in the area we stopped at and we were soon seeing tail flukes and their great backs turning over in the sea as they dived.Then a mother and calf took an interest in our boat - well, the calf did - and we had an up close and personal encounter with them as they came closer and closer.I would have loved having a drone to really see them from above as we could see their great shadowy forms just under the surface.It was an absolute thrill to see them so close though.Beautiful.

In all we spent around 2 hours in the area, before heading back to Hoonah. There had been a grizzly/brown bear spotted on the beach by an earlier group but he was nowhere to be seen now.

Paul had recommended a fish/tacos van in the village so we made for that and quickly got Halibut Tacos and excellent chips.Lots of good spicy sauces to put on it too.

We also said hello to a very nice couple we'd met on board who'd asked if they could share a table with us on one particularly busy lunch time at the buffet.The elderly couple (he had been in the US Coastguard) had chatted with us and the lady herself was a huge fan of St Kilda, a remote double World Heritage Site off Scotland's north west coast.We had been there on a day trip and she wanted to hear everything about it! I was glad to talk about it as it is an amazing place, hard to reach but utterly spectacular.

Now we saw them with family in Hoonah in a neighbouring restaurant having food outside in the sunshine.Waved hello and imagined we'd probably see them again but the ship is so large, we never did sadly.

On the spur of the moment, with about three hours left, we booked onto a Bear Search Tour run by a local Tlingit man, Greg.I think it was around $140 each, not cheap, for a two hour explore in his Landrover.

It was actually nice to see more of this spectacular and heavily forested island and Greg was very interesting too as we drove along the forestry tracks looking out for Brown Bears.We were told that there were no Black bears left as the Brown Bears (Grizzlies) had eaten them all over the years! There are so many bears that children on their first day of school are told how to react if they meet/see a bear while walking to school.Don't run, don't look it in the eye, back off slowly, don't turn your back, talk quietly and calmly.Easier said than done I imagine!

The local people do not hunt bears but they do hunt deer but there had been fatalities of hunters who - wrongly - carried their kill on their backs as bears soon caught the scent of the animal and the man was mauled from behind.The deer are very small so easily carried.Most of the men this had happened to had come from off the island and were not local.

Lots of lovely scenery to admire, some lakes too but we only had one brief sighting of a bear.Greg stopped the vehicle suddenly and pointed to where a great, round, furry face peered out at us through thick shrubbery.He tried making the call of an injured deer to see if it would lure the bear out but the bear wasn't having any of that.He soon skulked away into the forest again.



It was a bit disappointing, I hoped we'd see a bear crossing one of the forestry tracks.There was enormous bear scat all over the roads we followed - I couldn't imagine ever walking there on your own.

Back to the craft village area where Greg gave us a tour of the village and extended our trip time somewhat! I began to feel a bit panicky as the minutes went by.The village itself, which sat inland a little, was a very untidy, quite rundown looking place with badly kept houses and gardens which were mostly full of junk.The houses by the harbour had seemed in much better shape and better cared for.

Finally, we were dropped off and still had about a mile to walk back to the ship -plus we realised we were pushing it a bit time wise!And there were huge queues now for the free chairlift which would take us back to the port area.Thankfully we returned in time with about 30 mins to spare before it was Up Anchor and away.

Next morning: Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier walk

Splendid report. Enjoyed reading it on the webpage with all the excellent photos! Nice job getting that bear in focus through all the leaves. Too bad that was all you saw, still evocative. Incredible views in your last group of panoramas.

Your earlier description and enthusiasm about Saint Elias prompted me to thumb through my copy of The Ascent of Mount St. Elias. We might see it from the flight, if we are lucky, but not from the ground or sea. But I've read that there is no such thing as only one trip to Alaska.

Thanks for posting!

Many thanks Nelson - great to know you're still enjoying the report and photos! Yes if only that bear had emerged a bit more - he looked enormous.

Cloud had descended on our flight to Anchorage from around the Glacier Bay area north unfortunately - it must be quite something to see these mega peaks.I might try to get my hands on that book you mention about Mt St Elias.That whole area has really caught my imagination.

Juneau, Ketchikan and the cruise ends

http://<a href="https://flic.kr/p/2q.../a>, on Flickr

For photos of this section please see: https://annestravelsandhikes.com/202...nd-cruise-end/

Beautiful scenery again round Juneau and after a leisurely breakfast (oh, so much food!) we sauntered off the ship for a look around. A much smaller city than I expected, tiny really and much nicer looking than photos suggested I thought.

We’d booked a shuttle tour to the Mendenhall Glacier Centre and soon found the operator as the dock was lined with many organisations selling last minute tours and excursions.We managed to get on an earlier shuttle too – it wasn’t busy at all.I think we paid $80 for the two of us return.
The commentary was quite funny as we headed out of the city (more a large town I’d say) and we even saw a bear roaming the meadows in the distance and also quite near houses! Failed to get a photo as we were passing so fast.Loads of bald eagles perched on fir trees too just out of town.Always wildlife in Alaska!
A very pleasant half hour or so drive out before we were dropped at the visitor centre.Had a browse around first of all, very interesting indeed then made our way out to the path to Nugget Falls.A bear warning too!
Beautiful short, easy walk partly wooded and the waterfall itself was superb!

The scale, again, is not really caught in photos.It was getting towards an Iceland -scale waterfall scale I’d say.Really impressive.Spent quite a bit of time here, scrambling a bit on the rocks and taking photos.

Decided to walk back via the shore itself, lots of wildflowers and we were lucky to spot a Golden Eagle harassing the Arctic Terns that were nesting on a small spit of land.
We had two hours in the area and this was really too short.Would like to have done the Salmon Falls walk but our bus awaited.Not sure if we could have arranged to catch another one but we heard someone else ask this question and the driver said they could never guarantee spaces so…Back to the dock area where several ships were now in port. Walked out to see the superb Humpback Whale sculpture in a beautifully planted area.

Called into the local library where we had been told there was free wi fi. Wi fi charges on board were pretty steep (about $30 per day I think) but we found that the ports always had somewhere - a café or restaurant with Wi Fi where we could catch up with any Whats App messages or emails and send photos. Libraries were another good source.

Lovely development at the old buildings round the harbour too – had a drink at a terrace table and just watched the world go by (well, the float planes actually as there was a hub adjacent.)Very relaxing.

Next stop - Ketchikan.
Lovely sail again as we left Juneau the night before then next morning, we had a few hours at sea before we cruised into the bay wherein lies this mid sized town. It was going like a fair too! I was hoping to see bears on some of those remote beaches...
Seemed much busier than Juneau itself, definitely more touristy overall. Had a wander along the lovely old clapboard buildings on stilts, on the wharf. Very picturesque. Hoots and howls of laughter from the nearby Lumberjack Show – sounded like fun!Followed a looped signposted trail up to the Totem Heritage Centre and decided to go in. We hadn’t really any strong feelings about what to see or do in Ketchikan so it was all off the cuff.Very impressive, very old totems and masks – I liked these better than the newer ones which are common in various areas of Alaska and which use quite harsh (to me) modern colours/paint that somehow don’t look right and seem garish.
Then we followed the river walkway back to the wharf buildings. The water level was really low but that didn’t stop a wily seal chasing a large salmon in and out of the wooden pilings. That salmon put up a fair old fight until finally, the seal won. The spectacle attracted quite a crowd too!
Decided to head up to the Library for wifi and photo sending etc as well as any catch up news from home.What a steep walk up! like a mini hill walk! But what a beautiful building in a superb setting, far from the madding crowd and with mountain views.Then another wander round town where I'd spied a nice bookshop.

Nice stop, Ketchikan, with another ‘at sea’ day ahead until we reached Vancouver.

Our last evening on board the ship, the chefs really pulled the stops out and were offering the first really excellent gateaux I’d seen yet on offer – REAL cream this time, Black Forest Gateua, Strawberry Gateau….first class! That last evening, we spent , as ever, a lot of time on deck and the number of Humpbacks we saw went off the charts. They were everywhere! breaching, tail flipping, deep dives...superb.
At this point we were well to the west of Vancouver Island and for the first time, the on- board Naturalist was about. We had listened to a talk he gave earlier about Wildlife Photography which I thought was quite poor. He also had everyone on the lower deck in a frenzy at one point because he said there was an Orca way out but it was clearly a Humpback so I’m not sure how he got that wrong! We’re no experts but using our own binoculars and my camera zoom, it was no Orca.

Our last morning saw us cruise slowly into the bay wherein lies Vancouver, much more industrial than I thought with cranes and container ships aplenty.
Under the bridge and quite a spectacular approach with the city’s skyscrapers looking a bit like Manhatten from afar.

The harbour area itself was a little like the Sydney Opera House with the tented roof structure of the embarkation area.Very sad to leave our ship which had become like a second home for the last week. Super smooth exit and processing through the port, very professionally done.

Alaska – what an impact you made on us both! I cannot imagine that we will not be back in the future, so much to explore. One of the best trips we have ever taken and I think we needed, this summer, that kind of relaxing pace too that a cruise brings.The Great Land indeed.

You really had exceptional weather! Thanks for posting your trip report.

Last May was my first northbound and first time on Princess for Alaska. (I prefer Holland America). Some of our weather was "interesting" to say the least but it was good when in Skagway.

We also had that amazing display of cakes in the buffet our final day. I thought most of the food in the MDR was okay (not all), although the service wasn't that great. The buffet on Grand is not well laid out and especially on sea days was ridiculously crowded.

Re the lectures, there used to be very detailed printed "Princess Patters" but I think they went to a smaller version. You had to go on the app to see more detail about lectures and such. The only one I went to was at the end of the voyage by a nature photographer and agree that it was pretty useless. Like you I was out on deck most of the time. At least the Grand had a covered walking deck so that was possible even in the rain!

Default excursion in Ketchikan for me is to take the public bus up to the Totem Bight and Potlach Park.

I believe it is getting harder to get on shuttles for Mendenhall, they are trying to limit crowding there. You may not have been able to catch a later bus back.

Still enjoying your report1

The book is The Ascent of Mount St. Elias by Filippo De Filippi. It was published in 1900. I've had a copy for many years, back when I was collecting books. It has survived the sell-offs.

There are knock-off reprints you can get on amazon, but I'd bet they are not worth it. There is/was a hardback reprint from India. I've never seen it but I suspect it's pretty decent, based on other Indian reprints I've seen.

However you can simply download a PDF file from the Library of Congress if you want to have a look.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmass...li/?st=gallery

For fun I looked at a few of the photos in the book by the famous mountain photographer Vittorio Sella. He has this one, Mount St Elias from Malaspina Glacier--1897.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97fc99c38d.jpg

Compare that to one of your photos from Yakutat Bay and it looks like a pretty good alignment to me, including the subsidiary peak on the left (Haydon Peak?).

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ebcb09a3a7.jpg

A look at the map shows you were likely shooting across the Malaspina Glacier from Yakutat, so it makes sense they the angles are at least close.

Thanks for reading the report! Interesting info from your own experience. I'm a 'big cruise ship' newbie so my only experience is Princess. We'd both definitely sail with that line again though I did overhear a woman who seemed to have been in every big cruise line talking up Holland America.Their dates and direction didn't suit so we opted for Princess.
Another duff nature photographer:cry:! There was a photographer on the Aurora Expedition ship which went up to Greenland/Svalbard and he was outstanding. Did various excellent lectures, stood with us enthusiastic amateurs helping with settings etc...great guy.But you pay for that of course within the overall price which was , day by day, about three times the price 6 years ago ( and prices in 2024 look like about double what I paid in 2018.)

Yes we were incredibly lucky with weather! There must be umpteen cruises that go past the St Elias range and never see a thing.I certainly never noticed photos of it or even much reference to it in cruise literature or online blogs etc.

Lovely to know you are still enjoying the report, Nelson.That's it pretty much finished apart from our last two days in Vancouver which I've left out.

That is amazing re the shot I took of Mount St Elias and the photo by Vittorio Sella! Very close re angle indeed.What a photo.

I get very caught up with particular mountains on trips and have devoured a lot of mountain literature over the years.On our Alps trip, I had already read quite a bit on the ascent of the Eiger and watched documentaries too of the tragic first attempts. Read Heinrich Harrer's 'The White Spider' after the trip.Same with the Matterhorn (Whymper's account of that harrowing tragedy) and although I haven't visited the area, some of the ascents of the Himalayan giants as well as some superb literature from writers at home on Scotland's peaks.
I can buy the De Filippi book for about $25 including postage but I'm astonished that it's also available via the excellent link you posted.I love that older style of writing too, more considered, everything down played and understated.Collectors additions are almost $800!
I'm currently reading Michener's book 'Alaska' but I haven't researched histories yet re better options and he's very readable.

That mountain really has made a major impact on me, as has Denali. I feel very lucky to have seen them both so clearly.

Almost 50 years old now, but IMO (and in the opinions of many, many others) still one of the definitive books on Alaska is John McPhee's Coming into the Country.

It's more about the people than the places, but what's inescapable is that it documents on how the places shape the people and culture of the Great Land. It helps, of course, that McPhee is such a great writer; he's received a Pulitzer Prize, among other honors.

Someday I'll relate the story of how I met my wife when we were both living in Alaska. It involves bison, barley, and water through peat and over granite, if you get the reference. Slàinte!

Scotlandmac, we just read Michener's Alaska not long ago in prep for the trip. Pretty good. I also read One Man's Wilderness by Richard Proenneke, recommended. About his life in a cabin in what is now Lake Clark National Park. I've read some other Alaska related books in recent months. I agree, enjoy the old writing style and am familiar with the books you mentioned. Check out Douglas Freshfield's Round Kangchenjunga some day.

Gardyloo, based on your recommendation I'll load up the McPhee book before we leave. I actually already had it in "to read" list.

Would love to hear your story. Maybe it involves spent grain sourdough bread too.

Gardyloo - many thanks for that additional book reference, I've ordered it. Ah, whisky was involved in meeting your wife - sounds a very interesting story!

Nelson - I'm part way through Filippi's book on the Duke of Abruzzi's ascent; excellent read.What they went through - they were tough in those days! Brilliant that it's been downloaded into PDF format.

Noted those other books too, many thanks.Lake Clark! Another area of Alaska that has always appealed, I saw some photos of it and it captured me completely.That and spending some time at Kantishna though I better start saving now.

Well, I'll try not to hijack the thread (which continues to be magnificent, by the way.)

So many years ago I was working in Alaska, mainly commuting from Anchorage to various Native bush communities to help them develop housing and infrastructure (water, sewer, power, etc.) I also had a contract with the US government to advise the Department of the Interior on potential impacts of offshore oil development on Native coastal communities, as this was a time when exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources on the Outer Continental Shelf was a federal priority (at least in the Reagan administration.) I was chosen for this project because prior to moving to Alaska I had been involved in very similar work in Scotland, where I worked as a university lecturer in regional economic development and had focused on the impacts of North Sea Oil on various Scottish communities including the northeast and Shetland. The feds wanted me to analyze how coastal communities in Scotland, Norway, and arctic Canada were dealing with similar issues, often with similar private sector actors.

So in addition to bouncing around rural Alaska - the interior, Aleutians, Bristol Bay, the northwest arctic - I was periodically traveling to the UK - Scotland, various public and private entities in London, etc. on the "other" project.

At the time the State of Alaska was looking for ways to invest some of its oil wealth (from royalties and taxes levied on North Slope oil) in ways that would be sustainable once the oil stopped flowing. Two of these projects involved agricultural development in interior Alaska, in the Copper River region, which had easy road access to the Valdez seaport complex, hence possibly useful for exports. The first project involved rearing bison domestically. These animals were well suited for the extreme climate of interior Alaska (not all that different from the Dakotas or Montana) so the thought of a meatpacking industry seemed reasonable.

The second project was commercial farming of barley, which is also tolerant of the bitter northern winters. So a pilot project of barley farming was established, and two competing grain terminals started development, one in Valdez and one in Seward. Jumping the gun? Uh-huh.

The bison and barley experiments were close to one another, and sure enough, some of the bison got loose and found the barley... oops.

Anyway, these farms/ranches were in an area where I was a frequent visitor, working with a couple of Native villages in the area, so I had occasion to drive around the area now and then.

I always took my fishing tackle with me on these road trips, and on one occasion I stopped at one of the most beautiful little rivers in the area, the Goodpaster River, which was not glacial, hence the water wasn't full of till and silt common with glacial meltwater. I left my car at the side of the road and scrambled down to the riverbank, where I managed to terrorize some arctic char and trout, but with no success. However, as I was climbing back up to the road, I noticed that the river had eroded the bank over time and had exposed a fairly thick layer of peat. Huh. I went back to the river and looked at the rocks, and yep, mainly granite. In some of the little pools, the water even had a slightly brown tint to it, possibly picked up by leeching through the peat.

Click. Barley. Peat. Pure water flowing through peat and over granite. All those years spent in Scottish pubs and traveling around the Highlands came back in a flash. Whisky.

It's an ideal industry for high-cost low-population areas. The very cheap basic ingredients all have enormous value added in the manufacture, and the ultimate product is perfect for such areas - low bulk and high value.

The main barrier to whisky production is the startup costs. The product needs to age for years before it's drinkable, so the initial capital investment needs to be accompanied by years of working capital, before any cash flows. But who better than the State of Alaska, who (at the time) had decades of working capital available from the oil boom?

So I got back to Anchorage and wrote up a proposal to the relevant state agency to do a research and marketing study of a possible whisky industry in rural Alaska. My counterpart in the state government was totally jazzed by the idea, and I set about to arrange for some experts (chemists, marketing people, distillery people) from Scotland to support the study. I filed it with the state and waited for their board to get around to it.

Meanwhile, it dawned on me that the one and only commercial brewery in Anchorage had recently gone bankrupt (and rightly so - awful stuff) and I found myself wondering how hard it would be to convert the copper pot kettles for beer making to the copper pot stills needed for whisky. (No expert, I, but copper is pretty malleable.) How to find out where the former stills were.

I called the bankruptcy judge but they didn't know, so on a hunch I phoned the Chamber of Commerce to see if they knew who had acquired the brewery's assets in bankruptcy.

I spoke with a young woman who didn't know, but who said she'd find out, and she asked me why I wanted to know, and when I explained, she said something about that being just nuts. But she was thinking about going to grad school and wondered if I could meet with her and talk about economic development studies.

Sure, and the rest is history. I married her a couple of years later, after she'd got her Master's from Harvard. We had 35 wonderful years together.

The study? The day the board was set to decide on funding it, the Anchorage Daily News ran the first of a series of articles about the scourge of alcohol abuse among Native communities. Oh dear. The proposal was DOA.

That's okay, I came out ahead anyway.

Great story Gardyloo, you have had quite an interesting life in some fabulous places. Your plan sounded like a great idea but I can see why it didn't fly.

Thirty-five years, doesn't sound long enough, but it's wonderful they were wonderful.

Thanks for sharing.

What a fascinating story Gardyloo and leading to a wonderful marriage too.You've certainly seen much of Alaska!

The number of new whisky distilleries popping up in Scotland these days is incredible! It's always been big business here of course but some small often quite remote communities ( eg Ardnamurchan) are now welcoming them as a major investment attracting tourism/tourist spend.That said, I assume bigger business names are behind these developments too.

Amazing! We just booked the northbound voyage of the glacier's for 2026 and can't wait!

ScotlandMac, thanks for your beautiful trip report! It's so hard to capture the land, mountains and glaciers even close to reality, but you did it. so glad you had nice weather. When you come back, and I bet you will, I would suggest you go to Wrangell/St. Elias National Park where Kennicott and McCarthy are. Stunning views, walks on glaciers, kayaking, lots of mining history, river rafting, hiking and incredibly quirky, adventurous people. Not many people go there, so not crowded at all.

It was a superb trip Samantha - you’re in for a treat! I hope you get some decent weather to enjoy it all at its best.

Many thanks for kind words Christym- great to hear you enjoyed the report and photos.That National Park is on my radar…when we initially planned a road trip I had wondered about getting to that area.That and Lake Clark.Im sure we’ll be back, Alaska has made such an impression on us both.

I thoroughly enjoyed your Alaska trip report. We traveled to many of the same places and your writing brought it all back to me. Thank you!

Thanks Susan, good to know you enjoyed the write up and the memories! One of our best trips ever.