Blogs from Inside Passage, Alaska, United States, North America - page 9

Not much to report on this day I had my haircut and we both enjoyed the much needed massages (which shortly after we booked a massage again for later in the week). Depending on the length of the cruise they have different dress codes for certain evenings, mostly they requirement is you dress ‘neat casual’ which meant no shorts or t-shirts and men had to wear collared shirts, but for tonight they required you to dress formal which meant a suit for me and formal dress for Soph since we lacked the space to pack something suitable for these nights we decided we would take advantage of the laundry facilities since we were running very quickly out of clean clothes. Then have a quiet night in preparation for our 1st shore excursion - Ketchikan the following ... read more

9:30am: Got things ready for departure and went to the Princess representatives at our hotel to be told to come back at 11:30 because the ship was delayed coming into port due to stormy weather out of San Francisco. She said our ship would still be leaving on time but we wouldn't be transferred to it until about 1pm. So we used the internet and had a $6 bagel in the hotel restaurant. 11:30am: We were able to get our Princess cruise card and check in for embarkation at the hotel "Princess room" which made it very nice. Hung out and talked to others doing the cruise and seeing if anyone else was doing the Arctic land tour but no one was. 1pm: Delayed a bit longer. For some reasons there was a delay with the ... read more

Bounded by Canada on the east, this wilderness area is highlighted by two sheer walled fjords, Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm, both narrow, deep and over 30 miles long. At the head of both fjords Tidewater glaciers calve regularly into the sea, making a ship's approach to their faces dangerous. Floating chunks of ice, some the size of a three story building, (according to the US Forest Service), often block access to the upper fjords, especially in the summer. Permanent ice, in fact, covers about one fifth of the wilderness. Rugged mountians dominate the landmass of the area, with steep valleys sparkling with high waterfalls. A young Alaska rain forest of spruce and hemlock grows to an elevation of about 1,500 feet. Wildlife include brown and black bears, mountian goats, wolves, a few Sitka black ... read more

It would take weeks & lots of money to see & do Alaska's Inside Passage on land or air instead of a cruiseship so having a floating, mobile accommodation is best for this type of journey in my opinion. I've cruised Alaska both north to south and south to north the past two summers and I did not see a major difference although most people recommend starting the from the south and cruising north as the scenery gets more spectacular each day. I've cruised Holland America's Ryndam and Regent Cruise Line's Mariner of the Seas. Without a doubt, Regent's cruise was superior and I would recommend it without hesitation.The cruiseline touts itself as six star and it is backed up by many other experts and critics in the industry. My Alaskan adventure in May 2006 began ... read more

Snowshoed out through the crane flats in Gustavus. Not a crane to be seen. 8 degrees F but full sun and the wind at my back so not so cold. ... read more