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North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage August 17th 2023

Thursday morning, we found ourselves in Alaskan waters, navigating Chatham Strait, a part of the Inside Passage. The fog had lifted, and the landscapes of Baranoff Island and Kuiu Island were visible on both sides of the ship. A rainbow even appeared to mark our journey through the Inside Passage! Carnival Pride continued along the Inside Passage, rounding Kuiu Island via Frederick Sound to enter the Stephens Passage. The ship sailed the Stephens Passage, reaching Holkham Bay and the entrance to Tracy Arm fjord at Noon. Louise Riofrio presented another morning lecture, this one on Alaska's Glaciers, Volcanoes, and Wildlife. She discussed the Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm, which we would be seeing in the afternoon, and Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau. Her favorite topic was whale watching. She described the migration of the ... read more
Kuiu Island  and the Chatham Strait
Rainbow Over the Chatham Strait
Rainbow Over the Chatham Strait

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage August 16th 2023

Wednesday was a “Fun Day at Sea.“ It was foggy or overcast the entire day as we sailed up the coast of British Columbia and then entered Alaskan waters late in the evening. The ship’s foghorn sounded, and there was little to be seen off to starboard. Given that this was a sea day, there were many activities to attend on board. A Port Shopping presentation and a Skagway port presentation were given by the shopping host. But, most interesting was the “North to Alaska” presentation given by resident naturalist Louise Riofrio. She discussed what we would see in terms of whales, fjords, and glaciers. She also discussed the Alaska indigenous peoples. New theories about their origin hold that they did not come by a land bridge from Siberia but arrived from Asia by watercraft. Further, ... read more
Towel Animal
Shopping Expert
80s Pop to the Max

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage July 14th 2021

How do we top the past few days? Well, we pull into Windham Inlet and have a visual feast of whales and sea lions. Ken once again chose the bushwhack and I again, chose to avoid it at all costs. I have decided that thrashing through the forest, up steep inclines and sliding down steep slopes is not my thing. I love hiking, with defined trails, but plowing over/under logs, brush and other forestry things is not so fun for me. My morning was spent on a kayak, and the sea lions put on a show. I had a great paddle partner in Lesle (from Wash DC).and we along with 8 others loved the serenity of the water. We were out for about 2 hours and had sea lions on all sides of us, they were ... read more
Read for some Kayaking
Kayak Selfie!
Leslie and I were great Paddle Partners


In my last post, we had just completed Day 2 on board and I thought that this time, rather than bore you even more silly than I have in previous episodes, by giving you a blow by blow account of each and every day of the cruise, I would take a slightly different approach. In a nutshell, I decided to wait until the cruise is finished and then provide one overall post summarising highlights/lowlights, tips and suggestions, do's and don't's and thoughts on the excursions we participated in. But firstly, an apology.......there are a lot if words in this post and........a lot of photos as well........sorry!! So, in no particular order, here goes: * The Ship - whilst Mandy and I haven't really got any previous (large ship) cruising experience to go by, the Celebrity Millennium ... read more
Mendenhall Glacier - 2
Mendenhall Glacier - 3
Mendenhall Glacier - 4


Land of the Midnight Sun – Alaska, May 2019 What more can be said of a state which boasts 20 indigenous languages, has 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States (one of which is the highest in North America - Denali - at 20,320’), imposes no state income tax AND has an annual dividend payout to eligible residents? All this and awesome scenery which attracts millions of visitors each year. Not too shabby a travel destination for sure, and one I’m exploring for the next couple of weeks. This latest journey begins in Vancouver, Canada after boarding the newly-refurbished Celebrity Millennium just back from Asia and beginning her Alaska cruising season. As many times as I have visited this wondrous state, it’s my first time seeing it from the deck of a cruise ... read more
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Day 16 21/05/2019 Cruising to Vancouver We had a relaxed morning with a late breakfast. Chilled in our room for most of the day looking at the sights of the inside passage. Sadly it is the last day and we will wake up in Vancouver at 7 am.... read more
view from the balcony
The view at dinner
Inside Passage lots of islands


Day 11 16/05/2019 Cruising We ordered room service breakfast and then decided that we would explore the ship a little more. It looked very grey and cold outside but that didn’t stop us going to the Promenade deck to do a few laps. 3 ½ laps equalled a mile so off we went. It was bitterly cold and the weird sensation when you are walking the opposite way to the way you are going. It is like walking the wrong way on a travellator. We had layered up to try to prevent the wind getting through, although it did find the few gaps that appeared. They day comprised of eating, drinking coffee and checking out the drizzle/fog. We ordered some drinks for the room Gin and tonic water, and by the way it was described with ... read more
One of the few sights
Cold Grey day

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage August 12th 2018

Sunday, August 5, 2018, safely tucked aboard ms Westerdam, Marilyn was ready for her first cruise and I my second – well, not counting the round trip I made between Vietnam and the Philippines aboard the Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) USS Iwo Jima some fifty years ago. Here are some interesting statistics about our oceanic mode of transportation. MS Westerdam is owned by Holland America Line and is a sister to MS Oosterdam, MS Zuiderdam and MS Noordam. The prefixes of the four ships' names represent the four directions of the compass in Dutch. Pretty cool. She was christened in April 2004, has eleven passenger decks, is 936 feet long, 105.8 feet wide and weighs 81,811 tons. The mostly Indonesian and Filipino crew of 800 tends to the needs of 1848 passengers. After departure from Vancouver ... read more
We Weren’t the First Ship Out of Port
Creek Street Is Loaded with Quirky Little Shops and Eateries
The Real Deal Is Just as Intricate, Though Less Vivid, than the Replicas

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage December 11th 2017

Cruise to inside passage from Seattle to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway Alaska. Flew into Seattle and took the Train to the space needle. Caught a bus from there to the Cruise ship terminal. No other reason to take the train other than more relaxing and scenic then the freeway. Boarded Celebrity Soltice and had a very nice port hole cabin looking out on the bow of the ship. Very spacious cabin with a unique view. Stopped in Ketchikan first which is primarily a fishing town and tourist shops next port was Juneau, more tourist shops and a nice tram up to view the city Last stop was Skagway. Had an interesting talk on the ship about the history of Skagway decided to take the train to the canadian border. Very senic trip along massive cliffs. basically ate ... read more
Dessert
Skagway train trip

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage June 27th 2017

Long day of waiting/traveling. First day of Marine highway travel. Left Skagway @ 3:30. Made a stop in Haines then on to Juneau. Arrived in Juneau at 10. Didn't get to our new lodging until 11:15 pm. And it was dark out at that time????. We were on the slowest vessel of their fleet. Only wet at 14.5 knots. Usually only takes about 2 hrs to get here. Rainy was a little freaked by spending all that time in the bowels of a boat. It was all worth it - Our place here is phenomenal ... read more
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