Alaska, better than I had imagined

[Brucker]

My wife and I just got back from an 8 day Alaskan cruise to celebrate our anniversary and me being given the green light to resume working without restrictions after a recent back surgery. Alaska was better than I had ever hoped! I encourage anyone and everyone to make some time and go. The cruise on the other hand... Let's just say that I am not sure anyone or anything could force me on to another one. It was like my worst nightmare come true. 1000's of self absorbed, inconsiderate, rude, idiots, all doing what ever they want when ever they want without even a second of a thought as to what their actions did to anyone else. Thank god we sprung for a room with a balcony as it gave us sweet refuge from the insane masses.

We had a great time doing lots of different activities every chance we got. This turned into the classic trip with planes, trains, and automobiles. But also a Cruise ship, prop boats, jet boats, atv's, hiking boots, and probably my favorite of them all a helicopter!

Having just gotten back we are still processing all the photos and videos. But I plan on writing up a quick trip report for all those who are interested. For now I will leave you with a couple teaser shots:

Sawyer Glacier, Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska (taken May 20, 2015 by yours truly)



South Sawyer Glacier, Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska (taken May 20, 2015 by yours truly)



And a quick one of us in front of the helicopter out on a unnamed Glacier near Skagway, Alaska (taken May 22, 2015 by our pilot)



And a quick crappy cell phone video while whale watching off the coast of Juneau, Alaska (taken May 21, 2015 by yours truly):

[Jim]

Look'n forward to the write-up!

I well enjoyed my motorcycle trip up there.

Do you do the White Pass & Yukon Route train trip???

[Jackie]

Glad you enjoyed some time off and a great vacation. It looks beautiful and I'm looking forward to the trip report.

[Chris]

Glad you had a good time and congrats on the anniversary and the green light to work again!

We have Alaska in our sights and opted out of joining another couple on their cruise this summer.

Brucker previously posted:

[Jim]

A buddy and wife went on a cruise to AK. They came back and said - cruises aren't for us.

I could see RV'ing around the state (though would do a motorcycle in a second). The miles are long and the scenery is GRAND (though the pine trees are rather stunted with the short season). The helo / airplane options do sound inviting. Perhaps instead of a cruise, take a whale watching boat trip or a glacier calving trip?

Look'n for the pix and your thoughts on the trek!

[The StRanger]

nice !

[Brucker]

Jim previously posted:

[Brucker]

Chris previously posted:

[Brad]

Very cool Aaron! Congrats on your anniversary and the clearance to go back to work!
Alaska is high on our list, we want to overland up there and explore western Canada as well.

[Funrover]

So awesome man, thanks for this!

[Brucker]

Up and at ‘em extremely early and headed out the door to catch our 6am flight at DIA. We arrived mid-morning in Vancouver and made our way Canadian Customs. Then grabbed a quick early lunch while still at the airport before boarding a train to take us near our dock. From there we walked the couple of blocks to Canada Place, the entrance to our, and the other cruise ships in town.

The boarding process for the ship was utter chaos. It reminded me of the old days entering Tijuana, Mexico from the walking bridge on a hot summer day. Only thing missing was the little kids selling Chicklets. In their place were vendors selling cameras and binoculars. There were a few different ships in port and all were boarding at the same time (roughly over 10K people strong). So first everyone from each ship dropped off their tagged baggage and then we were all herded together into one massive, snaking line for US Customs. After that feat was accomplished, they split us up according to boat we were supposed to board. Surprisingly, this seemed a fairly difficult task for some. It was like they had no idea what vacation that they had purchased, or they truly just weren’t paying attention to anything. We then began the process to get our ship identification cards. These are your life line on the boat. They are your room key, the only way you can purchase things while aboard, how they track if you are on the boat or not, etc. As you can imagine, this took some time, even though our group was down to around only 2500 or so people. Once we had our cards in hand, we thought we were home free. But we were wrong. Once we made it out the doors and to the boarding ramp, we soon realized we now had to pass through the ship’s security process. This was just like at the airports, and all the other customs checkpoints we had just been through, complete with x-ray scans and metal detectors.

We finally made it to our room just before 4pm. So all in all the boarding process didn’t take as long as I had thought. It was about 4-4.5 hours long. After settling in a bit, everyone on board was called to do a “muster” drill. This is basically the fire drill and safety talk for the entire cruise. Everyone gathers at their assigned lifeboat station and receives specific instructions on what to do in case of an emergency. Shortly after this was finished, my wife and I decided to check out the boat and take in some of the Vancouver scenery. We made our way from bottom to top, walking each floor to get a better idea for the ship’s layout. Then had enough time to grab a couple of drinks and head back to our room to sit on our private balcony (though we opted for the cheaper “obstructed view” one, which didn’t obstruct much at all) and watch as we finally cast off and set sail for Alaska.

Canada Place as seen from the top deck, built to look like a ship, with downtown in the back ground (all taken by yours truly):







Another ship docked next to us (taken by yours truly):



Our ship, the Carnival Legend (taken by yours truly):



Other side of the port (taken by yours truly):



Lion's Gate Bridge, as we pass under on our way out of the port (taken by yours truly):





And a short crappy cell phone video of a seaplane taking flight directly behind our ship (taken by yours truly):



More photos can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/oscar.theho...4393874&type=3

or here: https://goo.gl/photos/8hRvRTYgJ6LYovZKA

More videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x...RpY2ZdQ/videos

[Brucker]

Our first morning aboard stated early with a breakfast buffet and a long walk on the upper decks to take in the views. We spent most of the day hanging out and watching the small coastal islands go by while cruising up the Hecate Strait, or reading out on the deck, or on our private balcony. But we also managed to sit in on a cooking class and a couple hour long lecture and slide show what we might expect to experience on this trip. We learned about the different National Parks that we would be entering, about glaciers, and about all the different wildlife we may encounter. This presentation was put on by the ship’s resident Naturalist. Who also ended up narrating the majority of our trip over the ship’s PA system.

For dinner we chose to eat at the main restaurant. After a decent 5 course meal, we took in a couple different comedy shows before calling it an early evening. Once back in our room we discovered a common practice on cruise ships when they do the turn down service. Towel animals. This night’s featured animal was an elephant.

View from the top deck (taken by yours truly):



Some of the passing islands (taken by yours truly):







My beautiful wife standing in the healthy breeze (taken by yours truly):



My ugly mug in the same breeze (taken by my beautiful wife):



Looking out the rear of the ship from the top deck (taken by yours truly):



First towel animal, an elephant (taken by yours truly):





More photos can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/oscar.theho...4393874&type=3

or here: https://goo.gl/photos/yM64LzA8vJfFbYar7

More videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x...RpY2ZdQ/videos

[Java]

Awesome!! Alaska looks beautiful. I had to show this to my wife, her family has been trying to get me on a cruise ship for years.

[Patrolman]

Looks like it was a great trip! I am glad that you enjoyed it for the most part. Some awesome photos too!

I have always looked forward to going back to Alaska. My family went about 20 years ago, and I would do a similar trip if we did it again. We flew to Seattle with all of our camping gear, rented a minivan, and hopped onto a ferry.

We rode multiple ferry boats all the way up the coast to the lower part of Alaska. We slept on the deck chairs for the most part as some ferry rides were more than 24 hours. The trip North allowed us to see much of what you saw, stopping in many of the port towns along the way. Saw lots of floating ice, local boats, eagles, whales, etc.

The trip back was driving the Alaskan highway back to Seattle. We saw all the inland sights, including bear, moose, etc. It was a great way to see the inland part of Alaska.

[Brucker]

The second morning started as the ship crossed into Alaskan waters. Here the ship picked up a couple of certified Alaskan water pilots to help us navigate the icy waters. They boarded the ship from a small vessel that pulled alongside the cruise ship. Once aboard, we continued deeper into the Alaskan coastal waters toward the Tracy Arm Fjord. The coastal islands turned from small mounds barely sticking up out of the water, into long, massive, looming snow capped mountains jetting over 5000 feet from the surface of the sea. The wildlife was even more active up here, allowing for us to view many different species like otters, sea lions, porpoises, and even Orcas and humpback whales right from the ship.

By mid-day we had reached the mouth of the Tracy Arm Fjord. Here the ship would turn down into the fjord toward two different glaciers and get a chance to glance at one, the South Sawyer glacier. The other glacier had receded too far to be seen from the big cruise ship. And the South Sawyer was really only going to be able to be seen far off in the distance as the big ship couldn’t navigate very close. Because of this, the cruise line offered an excursion package for only up to 140 people, to board small jet boats that would take them to the face of each glacier. And with this being a bucket list trip, we opted to pay the extra money and take the couple hour long tour. And boy, were we pleased we had.

Everyone lucky enough to have gotten a spot on the smaller ships gathered at the bottom of the boat, in the comedy club. There we waited till the 2 smaller boats were docked to each side of the large cruise ship. Once secured, ½ of us made our way to one side and the other half to the other side. When everyone had safely boarded the smaller vessels, we set off down the fjord through the iceberg infested waters, each smaller boat toward a different glacier. Out boat headed toward the South Sawyer Glacier first. It took between 20-30 minutes to reach the face of the glacier. The scenery along the way as breathtaking. The freshly carved out fjord walls were almost overwhelming. The huge cliff faces and the mountains they belonged to reached heights of over 5000 feet above the surface of the water, and the water was over a 1000 foot deep in some places. Waterfalls were abundant and so was the amazing wildlife. The water and the lands were such vibrant colors, like freshly painted masterpieces, and continued to be so at the face of the glaciers. We got to spend about an hour at each glacier, snapping photos and taking it all in. Each glacier was amazing and both even calved multiple times, putting on a great show for us.

After a few hours, both boats headed back to the cruise ship, which had now made it was down the fjord to the furthest most point it could reach. Upon seeing the huge ship against the fjord backdrop, really brought the scale of things into perspective. We were truly in awe. Both smaller vessels docked on each side of the ship again. And as everyone debarked the smaller crafts and boarded the cruise ship, we all got to go through the ship’s security check points once again. Even though none us had any opportunity to buy or acquire anything. We never even made it to land… This would become a common theme. I honestly believe I spent more time in security and customs checkpoints on the trip than I have throughout my entire life thus far.

Once we passed through security, we decided to take a break from the masses and to take in the scenery from our private balcony as the ship floated back out of the fjord. After a colorful sunset, we made our way to the main restaurant for another 5 course meal. Then to the comedy club for another couple of shows, and then to the desert buffet, and then back to our room. Tonight’s towel animal was either a pig, hippo, or a rhino. Anyone have any guesses?

Alaskan pilots boarding our ship (taken by my beautiful wife):



At the mouth of the Tracy Arm Fjord, taken from our private balcony (taken by yours truly):



Boarding the smaller vessel and taking off for the different glaciers (all taken by yours truly):









Making are way down the fjord toward South Sawyer Glacier (all taken by yours truly):

[Brucker]

At the entrance to the two different arms. The left leads to the Sawyer Glacier, and the right leads to the South Sawyer Glacier (taken by yours truly):



South Sawyer Glacier (all taken by yours truly):





Sawyer Glacier (all taken by yours truly):





Looking away from the glacier face (taken by yours truly):



Heading back to the ship (taken by yours truly):






View from our private balcony once back on board the cruise ship looking at S. Sawyer Glacier (taken by my beautiful wife):





Beautiful sunset (taken by my beautiful wife):



Towel animal #2 (taken by yours truly):



More photos here:

https://www.facebook.com/oscar.theho...=1&pnref=story

or here:

https://goo.gl/photos/AFWJmziCgawyLzu86

[Brucker]

*This entry gets a tad photo heavy, so I have elected to break it up into 2 different parts*

The fourth day started when we awoke to find ourselves docking in Juneau. We got a quick bite to eat and hurried off the ship to start exploring. This would be our longest day in any port, so we wanted to make the most of it. We walked along the boardwalk and the majority of downtown and were able to see a couple museums and the Capital building. After a short gander through some of the locally owned and operated establishments we met up with our excursion group for the day. We would be taking a bus up to the Mendenhall Glacier National Recreation Area, then after a short stay we would all load back up and head to Auke Bay for a whale watching tour, and then off to the Alaskan Brewing Company for a tour and taste test.

Our group for the day was very small. Maybe 10-12 total. This was a nice relief from the maddening crowds of the ship. The bus driver was a year round local and was very knowledgeable. He offered us a tour of the town as we made our way to Mendenhall. We all quickly accepted and in return got a wonderful guided tour of Juneau, including their only surviving fast food chain, a McDonald’s, and their first and only Walmart. After the short 20-30 minute drive we arrived at the visitor’s center at Mendenhall Glacier National Recreation Area.

My wife and I decided to skip the crowds and head straight for the 1.5 mile hike to Nugget Falls, which is also the closest you can get to the glacier from the visitor’s center. The hike was gentle and fairly easy, even for someone like me who is still recovering from back surgery. And the scenery was gorgeous. Once on the beach directly at the bottom of the falls, we were able to take photos of the glacier and the mighty Nugget Falls. Both are beautiful in their own right, but when placed together, the pair make up an almost unbelievable photogenic landscape. After about 30 minutes and a couple dozen photos, we made our way back to the visitor’s center, taking every alternative trail along the way that we could find. There was so much to be discovered on this beautiful spring day.

Once back at the center, and having a little more time left, we decided to wander along a series of elevated boardwalks that lead through the Tongass National Forest. We weren’t able to wander far though as a large portion of the trail system was closed due to a rather upset mamma bear and her curious cubs. But the portion we were allowed to explore was magnificent. It was abundant with vegetation, streams, pools, and all wildlife. The streams/pool were fun to glare in. The young, freshly hatched salmon were swimming wildly about. The vegetation was extremely dense. The ecosystem was thriving, everything was covered by another living thing. And that living organism was likely covered by a different one, and so on and so on. We could have spent many more hours exploring the area, but our short time there was up, so everyone headed back to the bus.

Panoramic photos from our private balcony looking over the Juneau pier we were docked at (taken by yours truly):





Me with a statue of an iconic dock dog. He became famous for knowing instinctively exactly where the next incoming ship would dock, and would go out to the end of the different docks and wait till they did. (taken by by my beautiful wife):



Me and some of the native wildlife (taken by by my beautiful wife):





First views of the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls (taken by yours truly):













My beautiful wife (front and center in a gray sweater and brown pants) and others for perspective (taken by yours truly):




There are more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/oscar.theho...1154291&type=1

and here: https://goo.gl/photos/Ad33Lch6jxqhZn9N8

[Brucker]

*This entry gets a tad photo heavy, so I have elected to break it up into 2 different parts*

Next on our excursion was a whale watching tour based out of Auke Bay. They guaranteed that we would see at least one whale or we got our money back, so everyone was excited for some wildlife. This area, at this time of year, is very popular feeding grounds for humpback whales. It is also popular for a lot of other creatures as well, such as Orcas, porpoises, sea lions, otters, and many different species of fish. And it was unheard of to see wildlife along the banks as well. Animals like brown and black bears, moose, elk, deer, tons of different birds, etc.

The bus dropped us off at the dock of Auke Bay, and to our delight, we were able to immediately board the small jet boat used for the tour. There were no other people joining us besides our original group, so again the boat was very specious and allowed for many different viewing areas without people having to get into each other’s way. We were all greeted by the boats’ 2 person crew, Capt. Amy and Naturalist/guide Ashely. Both seemed very knowledgeable and friendly right from the start. You could tell that they were almost just as excited to get going as the clients were. This would be a common theme on most of our excursions the entire trip. We came to quickly realize that this was the beginning of the tourist season and all the guides and other workers were very excited about the new, fresh year.

Shortly after embarking out on to the open water, other tour boats came into view and the Captain’s CB starting going nuts. Sure enough there was some heavy humpback whale activity for all to see. There were a few different groups, though we were told that they are mostly mammals who prefer solitude. Most gave off the standard 3-5 blows before kicking up their tales for a mighty dive. We even caught sight of one that we were told was sleeping. Crazy sight to see a 50-60 ton creature, gracefully and calmly floating almost on top of the water. I could have sworn it had passed away, until it decided to suddenly awake, kick its’ tail and vanish with a large splash into the ocean’s depths. The whale activity seemed to die down some and most the boats, including ours, decided to break off and start searching elsewhere.

After a short time of not having much luck, a Captain from another ship owned by the same company radio that they had stumbled upon a Mother Humpback and her baby. Whales usually only stay with their mothers for only one full year before taking off on their own. This mother seemed to be teaching her young one some of the flashier skills. Like jumping, or otherwise called breaching the surface, and waving or slapping the water with their fins and rolling around on the surface. We were told that this activities may be used while hunting for their food, but was actually more likely that the mother was teaching her young one how to show off for a mate. And of course also probably just playing a little and having some fun together. And man did they ever put on a show for us! I will let the photos and videos speak for themselves. Everyone was sad when the tour was getting close to over and we had to head back into the dock. But huge thanks to Dolphin Jet Boat Tours out of Juneau Alaska, and to Capt, Amy and Naturalist Ashely. My wife and I couldn’t have asked for a better tour. This was hands down the best whale watching tour I have ever taken, though this is only my fifth one, so please take that into account.

Back on dock we had a couple minutes till the parking lot above cleared out enough for our bus to get free, so I wandered the area, getting a chuckle out of the different boat names. But before long we were all loaded back up onto the bus and headed back to town. The driver gave everyone the option to stop in at the Alaskan Brewing Company ( https://alaskanbeer.com/ ) for a quick tour and a couple free drinks, or to head back to the ship early, since everyone had a long, tiring day already. My wife and I couldn’t pass up free beer, but surprisingly we were the only ones. Everyone opted to head back to the ship early, so the bus dropped us off and told us they’d be back in about an hour for us.

Inside the brewery’s tasting room was exactly like every other tasting room I have had the pleasure in building or even being in. Yes, my small company does, and has done a lot of different brewery work . They were extremely busy on this hot afternoon, and since we were the only ones from our group to stop, and because of the sheer amount of different breweries I have been in over my short life, we opted out of the tour, and went straight for the samples. Each person was allowed three, 8 ounce samples of any of their flavors. We quickly took them up on it and between the both of us got to sampled 6 different beers. All were decent, but my favorite was the Hot Scotch Ale that features the use of habanero peepers. We also learned that they had just been awarded two metals for different beers at the Australian Beer Festival. A silver medal for Hopothermia and a bronze for Smoked Porter! As we were their they realized that they had an usual large group of Aussies in attendance and asked them all for a photo together for the brewery’s facebook page. Was fun to see both groups, the Aussies and the tap room folks impromptu photo shoot while we enjoyed the free beer. Check out their FB post about it here: ( https://www.facebook.com/AlaskanBrewingCo ).

The hour flew by and before we realized it, the bus was back to retrieve us. The driver, my wife and myself made our way back to the ship while listening to the driver’s tales of how she came to move to Alaska. They were very entertaining, but the previously consumed alcohol may have had something to do with it. And before long we were back at the pier the cruise ship was docked at. We made our way back through security once again, and headed straight for our room to clean up before dinner. This night was an “elegant” night on the cruise and only full dress attire was allowed in the main sit down restaurants, and we decided not to partake in them to save more room in our luggage for things like jackets and hiking boots. So we headed up to the buffet hall/swimming , yes you read that right, and got a quick, horrible meal before turning in for the evening. Today had been the day my wife had been yearning for since before we booked the trip and I honestly had probably pushed my back a little farther than I should have with all the hiking, so we were completely exhausted. Though tomorrow was the day I yearning for, and the pain in my back/leg was pretty intense, so I spent another couple hours wandering the ships decks and halls as the slow walking seems to help with the pain.

Whales photos (taken by my beautiful wife) :















Great clean (no foul language) ship's name on a clean little cruiser (taken by yours truly) :



My favorite beer from the Alaskan Brewing Co. and the group of aussies assembled for their photo op (taken by yours truly):





Nice art work for sale in the tap room (only one example) (taken by yours truly):



Tonight’s towel animal: A gorilla, I think (be sure to let me know if you thing we are wrong!) (taken by yours truly) :



And another whale watching video and a few links to others (all taken but me on my crappy cell phone):



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWHg0Z23fU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbA_konuga8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyROYmAtkHQ

And again, more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/oscar.theho...1154291&type=1

and here: https://goo.gl/photos/Ad33Lch6jxqhZn9N8

[Jim]

Thx for the write-up - I'm well enjoying it - some fantastic images to remember!

[Brucker]

Thanks Jim, I am very much a amateur photographer so it's nice to hear other enjoying them. I have also been enjoying your writeup and photos from your motorcycle trip to the region! You should really share the link here if you are so inclined! I am sure those who enjoy this thread would love to read about your adventure as well!