Alaskan Cruise
We decided to do an Alaskan cruise because my husband’s family were going. We had an 8 month old at the time and almost everything I read said do not take a child; not worth it. Well, I disagree. It was fantastic. Sure, we were limited on our excursion options, but it was on our bucket list and almost every trip we would be limited in some way. Just go! Get up and pack all your stuff and go! You won’t regret going! Take in all the fabulous views and soak up all Alaska has to offer. It’s quite the experience and everyone should experience it!!
I did not do any research on cruise ships. My husbands family picked it and it was really nice. No complaints. We ended up getting a room with a balcony. AMAZING!! If you can afford it, get a balcony! Incredible views the entire way. Different than other cruises in that you see land for most of the cruise. Did I mention the views are incredible! Seals, eagles and whales can be seen the entire way! I don’t have an eagle eye…. Don’t get me wrong…. I found a lot of seaweed, but even I was able to spot a whale or other animals and you will too. It’s a fairly relaxing enjoyable trip that all ages will enjoy. I enjoyed it so much, I’d do it again in a heart beat!
Our Cruise started in Vancouver, so we left a couple days early to check out the city. I was really looking forward to it…. but to be honest, there wasn’t anything spectacular about it that I couldn’t live without seeing. It is a beautiful city and had some fun attractions, distilleries and hiking, but do not plan on returning. We didn’t get to sail or do some of the things I hear a lot about, so maybe we just missed out on some sights.
First stop when we got to the city was to visit Stanley Park. We got some food and walked around, sat at a park bench took in the scenery and had a picnic. There are some totem poles there with a lot of tourists. You can bike, run the trails or just take in the views. Was a good view of Vancouver.
The next day we had to check out the Granville Island Public Market. Again we walked around the city to see what food places we’d stumble upon and took the ferry over to the public market. Incredible Market! So many local fresh foods to choose from and hand crafted items. Was hard to not want to try everything… and those desserts! We ate lunch at the The Sandbar which has a great view and good food. Later that day we took the ferry down to the other end to check it all about and came across Craft Beer Market. Great beer and so many food options. Had a great vibe to it and really enjoy relaxing here. Was fun to walk around and take in the sites.
The last day was all about adventure! We started off at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It was quite the site. Lots to climb around and see. Great photos. We got there early and had quite a bit of time without seeing a lot of people. It’s pretty pricey, but gorgeous views. If you’re scared of heights, this is not the place for you. After that we still had time to kill before we boarded the boat so ventured up the Sea to Sky Gondola. Also a bit pricey, but good to get outside and incredible view (see first picture of Vancouver of the view). You could even see the cruise ships on the water. Pretty spectacular view. Quite of few people were hiking one way and taking the gondola the other. Quite the hike up, but there were some troopers willing to give it a try. Next up… Cruise!
We went on the Norwegian Jewel. It was really nice; I assume similar to all the other ones. They did have a kids play area, hot tubs, lots of restaurants, etc. If Evan was older (currently 8 months old) this would not be my recommendation as it was a fairly small kids play area with a few toys. Some of the other cruise lines have a lot more amenities that would help give the parents a break and wear those kids out! Food, of course, was amazing! I ate my way through Alaska!
The cruise ship had amazing viewing areas for the few days you were at sea. Lots of options for food. We did the food package and it was well worth it. The options were amazing. Be sure to book your reservations early! We were able to get the time and the restaurants we wanted since we got in so early.
The shows and piano bar were good. Piano bar is usually our go to; our last cruise we had our spot in the piano bar. Not quite the same this time, but still enjoyed it. We brought E with us in his stroller with a cover and some sound proof earphones. Worked like a dream. We didn’t push our luck and stay out too long, but got to experience enough and really enjoyed it. The entertainment was icing on the cake.
What a site! The best town looking from the boat. So much character. Lots of colors. The perfect little town that you’d expect in Alaska.
Excursion: There are a lot of options. We chose the Eagles, totem poles and lighthouses: not worth it. Eagles were fantastic. We saw a ton, but you do along the entire trip. Again, we were limited on excursions and would have picked something else in hindsight. Not terrible…. but think the other options are probably better use of your time. We enjoyed quality time with the family and taking in the views.
Juneau: the capital of Alaska. Seems larger than Ketchikan but it’s not. Cute main area with a ton of shops and places to eat. No roads in or out… only access is by plane or by boat. Crazy to think about that! It was a great area. More to walk around and see than Ketchikan.
We did whale watching and a rainforest hike excursion. Omg we saw so many whales!! It was a sunny day (so fortunate!). The excursion guaranteed you would see some and boy did we. We saw orcas and humpback whales. Our captain made sure of it. We also saw a ton of eagles and seals. Great time out on the water. The view was spectacular the entire time as well. Just breathtaking! The rainforest hike was nice but nothing compared to the whale watching. Took the boat by the Medenhall Glacier. If you can see the glacier AND whale watching that’s what I’d do. But seeing whales is my thing and it was well worth the time.
One other group did a helicopter ride and dog sledding. They had an incredible time. They mentioned that it runs 30% of the time due to weather. We had perfect weather so they got to go and see everything, even the limited viewing glaciers.
As we walked around town we stumbled upon Tracy’s Crab Shack - “We have the best legs in town”. It’s hard to miss…. in the heart of the town, next to the cable car/tram to the top of the mountain and there’s a line out the door…. for a great reason! It was THE BEST!! Even though all we did on the boat was eat, this was well worth the stop. I actually wish I was more hungry it was so tasty. Everything comes in a big bucket, with lots of butter and napkins. They call you out by your driver’s license. Colorado - you’re up!!! My mouth was watering the entire time I was waiting for our food. See picture below; the crab leg was almost as long as my son was tall!
Our third and final stop on the cruise was in Skagway! Another really cute town. There is a main street with lots of shops, places to eat and art galleries. You can easily get lost window shopping. I always get an ornament on our trips to put on our Christmas tree; such a great yearly reminder of the adventures we’ve had. I was thankful that every stop had quite the selection. Here I also splurged and got matching moose pajamas to wear for Christmas. My husband was thrilled ;)
The excursion we picked here was a train ride into Canada. Incredible views the entire trip. There’s a couple bridges that were intense and incredible to see the track through the mountains. There are a few other options that are just as scenic, but again with the little ones this was the ideal excursion and beautiful.
Glacier Bay & Hubbard Glacier were the highlights of the trip!!
First stop was Glacier Bay. We traveled there over night and woke up to stunning views. The cruise ship picked up the park ranger first thing in the morning where they narrated all the views and helped us spot wildlife. They provided so much insight as to what we were looking at, age of the glaciers, wildlife, etc. We got up early and got a spot in the viewing area inside, camped out and took in the views. We’d alternate holding our spot and going upstairs to take in the view outside. It’s really cold even in the middle of summer, so pack warm! I don’t have the greatest eyes for spotting wildlife across the bay, but between the park ranger and the other guests, we spotted quite a few. Thankfully we brought our binoculars so that we could see the bears and other wildlife up close. The journey to the Glacier was fun with so much to see. Glacier Bay consists of many glaciers but the main one is Margerie Glacier which is a 21 mile long, 1 mile in width and 350 feet tall (including 100 feet under water, pictured on the left). When outside you could see and hear the glacier calving. Huge pieces of ice crashing into the water. So loud and incredible to watch.
Our final destination was Hubbard Glacier. What a way to end the trip! This glacier is located in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska and Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada. It is up to 400’ tall and icebergs that are 3 to 4 stories in height. It is famous for being North America’s largest tidewater glacier and over 75 miles long, 7 miles wide and flows directly into Disenchantment Bay which feeds the North Pacific Ocean. Again, we were able to stay inside and take in all the views and head upstairs periodically. This kept us warm, able eat snacks and drink hot chocolate while getting the full experience outside. Here you also heard the calving and could see the enormous mass of ice just ahead of you. It’s truly a spectacular view that only experiencing it in person could you understand truly how incredible it really is.
Everyone said that the Alaskan cruise is a MUST DO cruise and I completely agree. Lots of great experiences, quality time with the family and incredible views that I will never forget. I will definitely be doing this trip again.
Cheers Alaska! Thank you for sharing your beauty with us. Until next time!
Enjoying a glass of wine on the balcony while the kiddo sleeps….. peaceful and beautiful!
