Alaska

What follows is the tale of our Alaska trip

our rough itinerary was vancouver – Ketchikan – Icy Straight point – Juneau – Skagway – Hubbard glacier – Seward – Anchorage – Kenai peninsula – Anchorage

Day 1 – Vancouver

Noa’s parents had arrived the week prior to our departure. Her two sisters arrived on Friday morning, about 2 hours Prior to us needing to get on the boat. I found it sort of interesting that having lived in Vancouver for so long, I had no idea how any of the cruise ship departures worked. Well, let me tell you, getting on the boat is a madhouse. Our ship, the radiance of the sea, holds between 2100 and 2500 people. So, this is somewhat staggered of course, but it’s still a huge operation to get everyone aboard.

First, we went thru security. Then came US customs. This line took the longest by far. Then finally there was checking in. Once this was done, finally we boarded the ship. So I’ve been on small boats a few times, but never on anything this big. There were 13 floors, and the boat was pretty long. After dropping off our hand luggage, our suitcases were handed over before boarding, and were rejoining us later that evening.

So, around 4 we finally set sail, and Amos and I went above deck to get pictures of Vancouver as we sailed away. I must say, vancouver is very beautiful as your sailing out the harbor, with stanley park, lions gate bridge, and even the Vancouver skyline. So, I started off our trip with lots of great pictures of us leaving. Then it came to the real business of the trip. Eating. I think the main thing you do on a cruise is eat.

Everywhere you turn, there’s food. And the bulk of it is free. There was the main dining room which was more sit down restaurant style. The main buffet restaurant. The hot dog stand. The cafe. Mon dieu! Well, the two men of this trip took to this challenge with great gusto. We took it upon ourselves to try everything we could. After our first lunch, we explored the boat. There’s a really nice gym, an outdoor and indoor pool and hot tubs, multiple viewing decks and much more. Lots of bars. But of course once they get you on the boat, everything other than food costs money. They charge you a lot for alcohol, so I kept my drinking to a minimum.

Anyways, we had to get out of Vancouver quickly so that we would not be stuck going against the tide in the narrow passages between the mainland and Vancouver island. I think we got into the open ocean around 11 that evening, and continues cruising through the what they call inside passage.

leaving vancouver

me as we were leaving

inside the cruise ship

sailing under the bridge

the outdoor and indoor pools

and of course, the beautiful sunsets…

Day 2 – inside passage cruising

British Columbia is a big province. The following morning we would still be cruising the inside passage until we finally crossed into Alaska around 2am, at which point the clocks would go back one hour, and we would arrive in Ketchikan at 7am. So this full day was at sea, and we used this time to go swimming and relaxing on the boat. Some exploring too still. And lots of eating. And more picture taking.

we were able to keep busy though

three of us tried it out

all of us got to the top

the front of the boat

some more nice sunsets

all of us for dinner

Day 3 – Ketchikan
The following morning we woke up docked in Ketchikan. It’s the southern most Alaskan city, right across the border from BC. Noa and I had signed up for zip lining, and got ready by eating breakfast. Then we disembarked with noa’s mom and went walking to explore the city. We learned it’s the rainiest Alaskan city, and also the salmon capital of the world. I should mention the weather. July is supposed to be the best for going to Alaska, but your supposed to always be ready for rain, much like living in Vancouver. Well, we have had nothing but sunny weather for the full cruise. There was one overcast day, but otherwise we have had stellar sunny and warm weather.

Anyways, we were walking and checking out the sights until about noon, when our 4 hour zip line trek began. First they took us about 20 min outside of town, and we boarded these German military trucks that can climb an incredible grade apparently. So they took us up the side of a mountain, where our zip adventure began. So there are 2 cables that they strap us too, and to brake you use your hand and a glove. They instructed us how to pull down on the cable above us to brake! Lots of fun! Each line took us on a longer zip, and steeper and faster too. We also had a suspension bridge that we crossed, and what I almost enjoyed the most was a slide at the end. They gave us potato sacks, and down we went probably 200 meters or so…. I slid down so fast, and then they have this Velcro type stuff that stops you instantly at the bottom. Crazy fun!

After this, we got brought back to our boat, and we re-boarded to, you guessed it, ate dinner!! More picture taking was performed on the boat as we left town, and we got read for our next big day of the Icy Straight!