Alaska/Canada/Seattle 2012

Norwegian Cruse to Alaska and Canada via Seattle for Mom’s 80th birthday, September 2012.

We took a Norwegian Cruise round trip from Seattle.

Our Ports of Call: Ketchikan (known for its totem poles; we took a city tour booked directly at the port without advance reservations)

Skagway (from where we rented a car and drove into Canada through British Columbia and into the Yukon Territories — the Avis car rental is a 20 minute walk from the port and you’ll save a fortune over the ship’s shore excursions and have freedom to explore on your own.  There is very little traffic, it’s a straight road and an easy drive.  You must bring your passports to show at border control).  In the Yukon Territory is the town of Carcross (once called Caribou Crossing). There is a Golden Spike Monument, and it is clearly an old railroad town which retains some of its historic wooden buildings.  There are a few places in town to grab a bite (note that they will accept U.S. dollars but will give you a very  unfavorable exchange rate).

Juneau (lots of shopping at the port, but the must-see here is Mendenhall Glacier.  The ship has shore excursions to the glacier and many tour operators are eager to take visitors there, but the Glacier Express — the blue bus — is the cheapest way to get the the glacier.  Several buses per hour run from the port up to near the Visitors Center.  It is free to walk to the glacier, but there is a charge to enter the center, which we did not do.  You can walk along the Nugget Falls Trail to the gushing waterfall and get quite close to the glacier.  If you’re lucky, the bus driver will point out sites along the way, and we saw quite a few bald eagles on our return trip to the port)

Victoria, British Columbia (not worth buying the shuttle bus tickets from the cruise if the weather is decent as it’s a pleasant 30-40 minute walk and the wait for the returns shuttles is ridiculous.  We docked in the late afternoon, and in the evening the city is all lit up with many bars, restaurants and shops until until late.  Butchart Gardens are gorgeous, but if the cruise docks at night it is not possible to see them.)  Had a gelato at a Famoso Pizzeria that was bursting with activity and from our eyes and online reviews looks to have very good pizza as well.

 

Mendenhall Glacier – Juneau.

From the cruise port in Juneau it’s quick walk into town where frequent shuttle buses take visitors up to Mendenhall Glacier for a modest fee.  No reason to pay an exorbitant fee to the shore excursions desk on the cruise ship.  You can’t miss the clearly marked shuttles, which run frequently and give you a little tour along the way.  Our driver helped us spot numerous bald eagles!

We highly recommend the Roaring River B&B.  The rooms are private, so no forced interaction with other guests.  Neither words nor pictures can express how stunningly beautiful the view of the river below is.  Great breakfast, too!  From Seattle airport it’s about a half hour drive.