Alaska Cruise TR

[DK528]

A little delayed but here’s my Alaska report! It’ll take me a couple days to write it up but let’s get started.

My mom and stepdad both have milestone birthdays this year so they decided to take their families on a big trip. 14 of us went: mom and stepdad, two sisters, BIL, my two nieces, one stepsister with her son, and the other stepsister and her husband and his two kids from his first marriage. Those two kids came in from Israel, including one taking leave from the military!

Both travel days were not fun. Had booked a nonstop to Vancouver (6 hours) on Thursday 7/18. We find out a half hour before the flight that they switched airplanes on us and the new one couldn’t make it there without refueling. So we stopped in Denver.

Short version - turned into an 9+ hour flight ... and they only had snacks (Pringles, gummy bears, etc) for sale - no meals! My nieces did great in spite of this. And then we got to Vancouver and one of our crews’ bags was still in Newark! Two hours later we left the airport and our almost full day to explore Vancouver had disappeared.

Hotel was lovely and we had a great time exploring and also lounging before embarkation at noon Friday.

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[DK528]

July 19 - first day of cruise

I was very nervous for the cruise. I had a wide assortment of seasickness remedies - for me and also my fam.

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Turned out to not really be an issue! Wore my seabands and took nondrowsy Dramamine most days and I was fine. Felt some rocking and a bit of nausea on the at sea days but much better than I expected.

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Shared a balcony room with my sister. Was surprisingly larger than expected!

Cruised out of Vancouver and had a lovely day and a half at sea.

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[DK528]

Surprised at the amount of selling/up selling on the ship for drinks packages or specialty dining. The first day and a half, we were accosted more than 15 times about both things - at the buffet, walking around, at the pool.

Speaking of the pool. We had great weather. Clear almost every day, mostly sunny and in the 60s. We read on the pool deck often and my nieces and sisters went into the hot tub a few times.

My nieces also fell in love with a cover band that was on board. Young brits and we went to see them a bunch. My nieces went out and danced to most songs, even though no one else was dancing. Love their fearlessness. At the end of the cruise, the girls made the bands drawings, which they hung to the speakers/amps for a couple shows. The band even stopped a set when the girls had to leave for bedtime on the last night, to say bye.


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[DK528]

First port day. Ketchikan, Alaska. Fifth largest city in Alaska and its population ranges between 8k-9k depending on the season.

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We all split up for excursions most days. This day, my mom and I did a “wildlife safari” and beach bonfire where we learned a lot about one of the native tribes living in the area (and which had priority fishing rights for the whole water area). Saw some eagles and seals but not much else.



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[DK528]

Oh the photo of the RV in the water, there’s a backstory.

Apparently the owner retired and didn’t want to have to pay for a spot in an RV park, so he strapped his RV to a barge thingy and is just hanging out in Ketchikan bay.


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[michelelovesvegas]

Oh the photo of the RV in the water, there’s a backstory.

Apparently the owner retired and didn’t want to have to pay for a spot in an RV park, so he strapped his RV to a barge thingy and is just hanging out in Ketchikan bay.


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You think that will be foamy one day at the camp ground?? HHH

What an amazing feat just to get that many people together from all over the place for a trip.

Looking forward to more of the TR.

[Penguin]

Great read so far.

[tee2green]

Wow, loving this TR so far. An Alaskan cruise might be in our future so really happy to read about your adventures! You also look lovely in the pic in your dress on deck.[emoji4]

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[zeus]

Thank you for taking the time to write this up for us! We all know how busy you are, so understand if it takes some time to complete. Loving it already!

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[charlie50]

Oh the photo of the RV in the water, there’s a backstory.

Apparently the owner retired and didn’t want to have to pay for a spot in an RV park, so he strapped his RV to a barge thingy and is just hanging out in Ketchikan bay.


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It give a whole new meaning to " if the house is a rockin dont come knock en "

[charlie50]

Nice Pics and tr Thanks for sharing .

[Pjmargde]

Thanks so much for the report. It looks like you had a FABULOUS time with your family.


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[KingJasonSlots]

Dina, you look fabulous!!
Christopher and I sailed earlier this month on the NCL Joy out of Seattle and we loved it!

Excited for more updates [emoji3590]


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[nancypants]

How fun! We were supposed to last May but had to cancel cuz I was pregnant. Looking dowsed to the rest of your tr!


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[Elf70]

Loving this TR so far. Can’t wait for the rest. You look absolutely fabulous! We did a family cruise for my late mom’s 70th birthday. I have so many great memories.

[DK528]

Day 4 was spent in Icy Strait Point/Hoonah AK - another island in southeast Alaska. The dock was only big enough for one ship so it was interesting to watch the other ship’s passengers get ferried into shore.

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Today’s excursion was a bear search followed by a whale cruise. We didn’t see any bears. With the abnormal heat in AK, salmon spawning season is running late so bears weren’t out by the river trying to eat the salmon. We did have two gentlemen accompany us with rifles in case we had a close encounter with a bear.

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Had a delicious bloody mary before we boarded the whale cruise.

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We saw lots of whales! First a family of orcas, then some humpbacks.

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Including one who became very interested in our boat and circled it a couple times and was being playful.

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We did a specialty dinner that night for my niece’s 6th birthday at the QSine restaurant. They prepped a cake for her, which was very swee

[DK528]

Juneau was a super cute town! Again had gorgeous weather. This was the one day I picked poorly with my excursions. I had originally booked dog sledding on a glacier at the next port (Skagway) but it got cancelled because the glacier is just melting at too high a clip. Lots of my family switched to dog sledding in Juneau but I didn’t and I wish it did because it looked like so much fun.

Instead I went rafting with my stepdad on a glacial river at the bottom of the mendenhall glacier. We had a lot of fun and it was gorgeous.

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Even saw an eagle hanging out next to the river.

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Glacial water is cloudy from all the rock silt that gets ground down as the glacier moved. Here’s a place where the glacial water met fresh water.

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Did some shopping in Juneau and got myself some rings and some super soft clothes made from bamboo.


We had a very late boarding time in Juneau so we ate on shore for my niece’s bday. She got to pick the seating assignments and had a ball.

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[DK528]

Skagway

Our last port was Skagway, AK. My sister and I visited a wildlife refuge here. First took a 45 min ferry ride, then a 45 min bus ride and spent 2 hours at the refuge (https://www.kroschelfilms.com/)

Saw a wolf, wolvervine, red fox, lynx, porcupine, baby moose, artic fox, reindeer and a grizzly. Also got to kiss a moose.

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Had pretty views on the ferry.

[DK528]

Ferry/bus views and a beer before we got back on the ship.

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[DK528]

Day 7 was an at-sea day that began early with a visit to hubbard glacier. It was a chilly but clear day and we had spectacular views of the glacier and ice calving (or breaking off of it).

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[Cyndyga]

Thanks for posting all these gorgeous pictures!!! Looks like a great cruise.

[Luckylinda123]

Just beautiful and what a great trip with your family

[Reen]

Great photos Dina! Looks like a stunning place to visit! So nice you got to celebrate with all your family members celebrating birthdays. Your nieces are adorable, they must have had such a great time also. Thanks for sharing your photos.

[CTslotters]

Stunning pictures! Everything looked so fun! I’m guessing even with the beautiful weather, it’s not quite warm enough for pool time on the boat!
Love how prepared you were with the sea bands and Dramamine! Glad it wasn’t an issue.
Do you think you’d cruise again?


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[Borgatadd]

Looked like a fantastic trip. What a feat getting everyone together. The pictures were beautiful and glad you had very little affect from being on the water. Thank you so much for this great trip report.

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[MrsPenguin]

Wow! Great TR...but it would have to be after such a neat cruise! Thanks!

[Georgiagambler]

Love all the breathtaking pictures! You look beautiful and happy too. Thanks for sharing your trip with us


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[DK528]

You think that will be foamy one day at the camp ground?? HHH

What an amazing feat just to get that many people together from all over the place for a trip.

Looking forward to more of the TR.

It was a feat by my mom to organize it! I handled dinner reservations on the trip which also wasn’t easy.


Great read so far.

Thanks Darryl!


Wow, loving this TR so far. An Alaskan cruise might be in our future so really happy to read about your adventures! You also look lovely in the pic in your dress on deck.[emoji4]

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It’s really a great way to see the coast of Alaska! Hard to travel another way to the places we visited. And thanks!


Thank you for taking the time to write this up for us! We all know how busy you are, so understand if it takes some time to complete. Loving it already!

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Thanks, Don. Just felt badly mentioning it a week and a half ago and not starting it til yesterday.


It give a whole new meaning to " if the house is a rockin dont come knock en "

Lol. Our ferry captain did say he sometimes had one woman staying with him, sometimes two.


Nice Pics and tr Thanks for sharing .

Thanks!


Thanks so much for the report. It looks like you had a FABULOUS time with your family.


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I did! It was also good that we had alone time too bc we all did different excursions and visited different things on the boat. I did spend a LOT of time with my one sister and we got a bit testy by the end.


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[DK528]

Dina, you look fabulous!!
Christopher and I sailed earlier this month on the NCL Joy out of Seattle and we loved it!

Excited for more updates [emoji3590]


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Thank you! There was one ship cruising at the same time that had to turn back to Seattle bc it experienced a power outage!


How fun! We were supposed to last May but had to cancel cuz I was pregnant. Looking dowsed to the rest of your tr!


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I hope you get to go! Celebrity may not be the best line if you want to bring the boys but my nieces did have fun.


Loving this TR so far. Can’t wait for the rest. You look absolutely fabulous! We did a family cruise for my late mom’s 70th birthday. I have so many great memories.

I think we will too :) not so easy getting everyone together so who knows when we’ll do it again. And thanks!


Thanks for posting all these gorgeous pictures!!! Looks like a great cruise.

You’re welcome Cyndy! It was.



Just beautiful and what a great trip with your family

Thanks Linda!



Great photos Dina! Looks like a stunning place to visit! So nice you got to celebrate with all your family members celebrating birthdays. Your nieces are adorable, they must have had such a great time also. Thanks for sharing your photos.

Thanks. They had a great time. Their parents work different schedules so to even have 8 days with both of them around all the time was really special for them.


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[DK528]

Stunning pictures! Everything looked so fun! I’m guessing even with the beautiful weather, it’s not quite warm enough for pool time on the boat!
Love how prepared you were with the sea bands and Dramamine! Glad it wasn’t an issue.
Do you think you’d cruise again?


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My nieces tried the non-hot tubs. They weren’t heated at all so it definitely wasn’t warm enough. Some kids had wet suits and did use the pools.

Being prepared with all that stuff helped with my anxiety about it too :)

I’d cruise again if someone else wanted to - a friend, a significant other. But I don’t know if I’d actively choose it.


Looked like a fantastic trip. What a feat getting everyone together. The pictures were beautiful and glad you had very little affect from being on the water. Thank you so much for this great trip report.

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Thanks Wanda. We really lucked out with timing after my mom proposed this week.

I don’t know if I’ll be similarly unaffected on other cruises — the water was very calm and we were protected by land on both sides for a majority of the trip. But I hope so!


Wow! Great TR...but it would have to be after such a neat cruise! Thanks!

Thanks Cathy!


Love all the breathtaking pictures! You look beautiful and happy too. Thanks for sharing your trip with us


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Thanks GG. I didn’t have to work as much as I thought I would (I had two cases end while I was there) so I was especially happy this trip :)


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[sondor]

Thanks for the TR....on my list of places things to do...may need to wait until I retire to be able to take our time

[LowAndSlow]

This was a great TR, Dina. Some of the pics are so incredibly beautiful, they don't look real. I've seen pics of Alaska cruises before but these are exceptional. Loved all the different excursions mentioned. Did not even know alot of those existed.

[DK528]

Thanks, I still have a couple of days to recap - we went into the interior after the cruise was over. Should finish tonight.

All pics are from my phone! I had used my sister’s nice camera for NZ but she was in AK with me so all I had was my phone.

And there are so many excursions! My family members did a ton of others. Zip lining. A scenic train ride on a railroad built during the gold rush. Hiking on a glacier. A crab feast. Fishing. And tens of others :)

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[Jen Jen]

What a great family cruise! Alaska has always been on my bucket list. I can’t wait to read more.

[hytail]

Dina, photos really hit home. Alaska my old stomping grounds.... Thanks for posting, I enjoyed.

[TwoArmedBandito]

Thank you for the TR Dina. Such lovely untouched areas.

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[BorgataBabe]

What an awesome experience! This will be a trip that your entire family will always remember. I love all of the whales and how playful they were.


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[hccj]

Dina, Thank you so much for the recap and photos. You look absolutely beautiful and I am always so touched at how close you are to your family. I'm sure it can be challenging at times, but as a person who lost her parents way too soon, it warms my heart to hear how thoughtful you are to your parents, siblings and nieces.

[dvandentop]

Wow look like an amazing trip definitely need to add it on The To Do List sometime.

You are looking great and happy. Thanks for sharing

[clemi]

Thank you DK for the fabulous pics and TR on your Alaska cruise.

[Laurie]

Thanks for the report and pictures :) Glad you had a great time with your family. You look beautiful see you soon!


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[bluesfan]

Alaska cruising is one of my favorite things to do! Loved all your pictures - brought back great memories! We are cruising next May on the NCL Jewel - Southbound from Seward to Vancouver, can't wait!!!

I love all these Alaska towns that the cruises stop at - and Skagway has one of the best breweries and fish and chips!

Thanks for sharing!!!!

[DK528]

Let me get this wrapped up.

We disembarked Friday at 6:45am and began two very long travel days to Denali. Luckily my sister and nieces didn’t come - it wouldn’t have been fun for them. We were on the bus/train for 10 hours each day.

Weather Friday wasn’t great so we didn’t get to see Denali at all. When we got to our lodging for the night, my sister and I set off on a hike. Ended up being a bit more arduous than I wanted but I’m glad we got some elevation and had great views.

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We also stopped in Wasilla Alaska on the way up.

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[DK528]

Also here are some sunset shots from the shop and from our room in anchorage. All taken after 10pm and a couple taken around 11:45.

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[DK528]

Saturday we woke up early again and did a bus tour of Denali national park. Just breathtaking.

Got to see Denali and here are some other nature shots. Our guide said that Denali has a circumference of 250 miles!! And is considered by some to be a harder climb than Everest because it’s a sub-Arctic climate up there.

We learned about the park rangers who patrol the park. They don’t use cars/trucks/snowmobiles for transport - they use dogs. They also have lined the windows on the patrol stations with nails in case bears come looking for food.

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[Curlyd]

So beautiful, thanks for sharing.

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[DK528]

We took a train from Denali down to a town called Takeetna. It was so enjoyable. We sat upstairs with large windows and a glass ceiling and there was a dining car below

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No pics of Takeetna but it’s a super cute town. Which had a cat as mayor!

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Got back to Anchorage around 8 and had one last family dinner. Next day visited the Anchorage Museum which was fantastic and did some shopping.

Also highly recommend Snow City Cafe. The sticky bun was out of this world.

Finally the trip home wasn’t fun. Crazy long lines at the anchorage airport. Had taken my sister 20 minute from the curb through security on Friday. Sunday, it took us 1.75 hours. As a result of the busyness, TSA apparently couldn’t scan all the bags in time so my mom’s and my suitcases didn’t make it. Got them though within 48 hours.


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[foamy]

That's so cool I'm kinda afraid to go there as I might grab a gun and a fishing rod and Laurie and I stay in our little cabin love nest. hhh

[clemi]

Fabulous report DK, thanks for sharing!

Whoops double posted! Well it was worth two thanks [emoji4]

[zeus]

Dina, your pics turned out great using your phone! Would have never guessed you weren't using a true camera versus a phone camera. Thanks again for the TR! You take the best vacations.

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[CPT]

Awesome pictures Dina and you are looking great! :)

[Elf70]

Thanks for the wrap up. Your pictures are amazing. Very inspiring.

[tee2green]

Really appreciated this TR Dina. Beautiful scenery. It sounds like it was an adventure to plan such a large family trip but you guys made it work!

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[DK528]

What a great family cruise! Alaska has always been on my bucket list. I can’t wait to read more.

Thanks Jen!


Dina, photos really hit home. Alaska my old stomping grounds.... Thanks for posting, I enjoyed.

You’re welcome and glad I could bring back some memories


Thank you for the TR Dina. Such lovely untouched areas.

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It’s so crazy how unspoiled huge swaths of Alaska are!


What an awesome experience! This will be a trip that your entire family will always remember. I love all of the whales and how playful they were.


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Thanks BB! I chatted about it a bunch with my nieces this weekend and it was fun to see how much they remembered. Yes it was only 1-2 weeks ago but their memories aren’t so long lasting.


Dina, Thank you so much for the recap and photos. You look absolutely beautiful and I am always so touched at how close you are to your family. I'm sure it can be challenging at times, but as a person who lost her parents way too soon, it warms my heart to hear how thoughtful you are to your parents, siblings and nieces.

Wow, thank you hccj. I’m sorry that you lost your parents too soon.

My family drives me crazy and with its size, there’s always drama, but they’re my people :) my sister and I definitely weren’t each other’s biggest fans by the end of the trip and in such close quarters!


Wow look like an amazing trip definitely need to add it on The To Do List sometime.

You are looking great and happy. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Derek. Highly recommend the trip :)



Thank you DK for the fabulous pics and TR on your Alaska cruise.

Thanks and you’re welcome Manette!



Thanks for the report and pictures :) Glad you had a great time with your family. You look beautiful see you soon!


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Thanks Laurie - see you soon!


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[DK528]

Alaska cruising is one of my favorite things to do! Loved all your pictures - brought back great memories! We are cruising next May on the NCL Jewel - Southbound from Seward to Vancouver, can't wait!!!

I love all these Alaska towns that the cruises stop at - and Skagway has one of the best breweries and fish and chips!

Thanks for sharing!!!!

Which brewery did you like in Skagway? I think going southbound is the better option. Ending up in Vancouver is a lot cooler than Seward :)


So beautiful, thanks for sharing.

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Thanks Daw!


That's so cool I'm kinda afraid to go there as I might grab a gun and a fishing rod and Laurie and I stay in our little cabin love nest. hhh

There are a lot of ppl who do that!


Fabulous report DK, thanks for sharing!

Whoops double posted! Well it was worth two thanks [emoji4]

Thanks :)


Dina, your pics turned out great using your phone! Would have never guessed you weren't using a true camera versus a phone camera. Thanks again for the TR! You take the best vacations.

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I know! It takes good photos!

I’ve been very lucky this last year to take some good trips.


Awesome pictures Dina and you are looking great! :)

Thanks Ken :)


Thanks for the wrap up. Your pictures are amazing. Very inspiring.

Thanks elf!


Really appreciated this TR Dina. Beautiful scenery. It sounds like it was an adventure to plan such a large family trip but you guys made it work!

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Thanks Ida!


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[bluesfan]

In Skagway - the best brewery we have found is the Skagway Brewing Company. They open early, and usually within 10 to 15 minutes of opening there is a line. We always get there early on cruise days!

And really - Seward is very nice. We are going to stay there a few days before we get on our cruise - tons to do there. This is where we took our boat tour two years ago and say amazing glaciers up close, and had the orca's come over and play with our boat. DH got it all on video! This is one of the reasons we are doing southbound. We plan to fly into Anchorage and then take the Alaska Railroad down to Seward. That route is so beautiful!!!

[DK528]

Thanks bluesfan. We went to Klondike which was a lot of fun.

I didn’t get to explore Seward at all so I shouldn’t have judged. But I love Vancouver and didn’t get to do much when we were there!


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[bluesfan]

Thanks bluesfan. We went to Klondike which was a lot of fun.

I didn’t get to explore Seward at all so I shouldn’t have judged. But I love Vancouver and didn’t get to do much when we were there!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk All good! This is one of the reasons we keep going back, there is so much to do!