An Alaskan Adventure

 Tim and Sarah's Alaskan Adventure! Below is a synopsis of an Alaskan Cruise aboard Princess. Enjoy!

Sarah and I wanted to share a few notes from our trip.  We also want to thank you for a most wonderful vacation experience.  Escape Travel & Cruises was a wonderful way to plan our trip.  Knowing that you were keeping up with our itinerary and that you were back home watching over us was reassuring.  We really appreciate how you coordinated our rooms with Beth and Andrew and helped with the flights.  The chocolate-covered strawberries awaiting us in our room were a nice touch and meant a lot to us.  Thank you.

Friday 8/26/2016 – Seattle, WA

This is the day we leave the work behind and begin our adventure.  Having been at a week-long conference, we were ready for some down time.  We had a really easy Amtrak ride from Portland to Seattle to get to our hotel.  One of the things you keep seeing, if you like to look behind the scenes, is lots of luggage.  We met our daughter and son-in-law in Seattle and had plenty of time to sightsee.  We loved the art and the International Fountain at the Seattle Center was clearly inviting and enjoyed by many.

Saturday 8/27/2016 - At Sea

Today’s the day!  We board the ship to set sail for Juneau, Alaska.  Everything was very easy because Kristina had taken such good care to make sure we were all lined up and ready for each stage of the trip.  I’ve seen cruise ships before, but this one was huge.  There was lots of excitement from everyone as we worked our way through the boarding process and then onto the ship.  Our family was able to move around pretty much as needed, but there were some who needed an extra hand or a wheelchair.  Princess Cruises took care of everyone so that all had a great time.

Sarah getting ready to get on board!

Bye Seattle.  Headed to Juneau.

It can get a little windy when you’re going fast out on the water.

Monday 8/29/2016 – Juneau, Alaska

Today was a little windy and misty as we pulled into Juneau.  This was also our first excursion day. We chose the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest.  The water was a little rough today on the whale watching excursion, but I had my patch on and everything went just fine.  We didn’t get to see too many whales, as we had to cut the trip a little short due to the weather, but the captain of the boat was focused on blending a good time with everyone’s safety.  We had no problem with that.

Juneau was a neat town and had lots of places to shop and dine.  It turned out to be a great day.

We got to experience a few whales.  It wasn’t that easy to capture them with my camera.  They’re very quiet and you don’t get a lot of warning to get ready.  This photo is actually from the cruise ship, not the whale watching tour.

  The scenery was magnificent even though it was windy and cold.  We got to experience the water, mountains, snow and glaciers.  You can see the glacier in the background.

Juneau was quaint.  Lots of shops and pretty busy, as you can tell. 

Tuesday 8/30/2016 – Skagway, Alaska

Today we arrived in Skagway and on to our second Princess Cruises Shared Excursion – White Pass Scenic Railway.  Today was another misty day as we travelled the 3 ½ hours up to the White Pass Summit and back.  It was a beautiful trip.  There weren’t many wildlife sightings on this trip, but still had a good time.

We were in Skagway all day, giving us plenty of time to do the excursion and see the town

Skagway had many forested cliffs, making a beautiful backdrop to our adventure.

More glaciers in the mountains.  You could see the blue glacial ice from the train.

 An old abandoned Rail Bridge.  This was one of the interesting sites along the White Pass trip.

Photo of Rock Clock, a clock painted on the side of the cliff in the gold rush era.  Seems to be in pretty good shape.  There are also cruise ship signatures in other locations on the cliffs in Skagway.  They told us that cruise ship employees get off the ships and paint their ship logos on the sides of the cliff.

Wednesday 8/31/2016 – Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

This was one of the highlights of the trip.  The weather was beautiful and you could not ask for calmer water.  It was so quiet as we floated effortlessly along the water en route to the top of Glacier Bay to view the Margerie Glacier.  It was cold in the morning but warmed a little as the day progressed.  We spent almost the entire cruise in Glacier Bay on our balcony enjoying the views and the weather.

  Margerie Glacier taken from our balcony.  It doesn’t look like it, but my research showed that the face of the glacier is about 350 feet thick with about 100 feet of the ice below the water.

  Ice falling from the face of Margerie Glacier.

 Tim and Sarah on our balcony as we pass another glacier.

 Hard not to take a nap when cruising is this calm and serene.

Thursday 9/1/2016 - Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan was our day for Totem Poles and Seaplanes.  We had a short layover in Ketchikan, but plenty of time to take a bus up to the Totem Bight State Historical Park.  The totem poles were very interesting.  We took the self-guided tour and had plenty of time to wander around, as we needed, throughout the park.  Once we returned, we sat out on the balcony and watched as seaplane after seaplane took off right beside our ship.  That was a fun activity for Tim.

One of the many seaplanes taking off next to the ship.

Tim and Sarah at Totem Bight State Historical Park

Friday 9/2/2016 – Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Victoria was another short stop, so we didn’t plan any excursions.  We arrived in the evening around 7:00 p.m. and had to be back on the ship by midnight.  It was another beautiful night.  We took a cab to a local restaurant, and then strolled back to the ship after dinner.  

The Capitol Building lit at night.

There were many beautiful sights along the walk back to the ship.

Saturday 9/3/2016 – Seattle, Washington

Well, we’re back on land.  Our final Princess Cruises Shared Excursion is the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and City Tour.  The Cruise Lines did an awesome job coordinating our luggage, the bus tour and stops, all leading back to the airport in plenty of time for the flight home.  While the weather was off and on (mostly on) and the wildlife was a little less than I had hoped for, Princess Cruise Lines did an amazing job of coordinating everything, from beginning to end.  Kristina always knew where the ship was and whether our excursions were on time or not.  She even kept up with our flights and kept in contact with us to let us know she was aware and available for anything we may need.  That was very reassuring.  Here are a few final photos of our Seattle excursion.