Journey to Alaska Days 9-10: Glaciers!

Thursday and Friday were what is called "Scenic Cruising Days."  Our ship sailed through Glacier Bay National Park on Thursday and College Fjord on Friday.  This was when we were able to view Alaska's tidewater glaciers up close.

We stayed on the Promenade deck, Deck 7 the whole time since it was partially covered and we had shelter from the wind and any rain.  I had gotten this tip on Cruise Critic and it was the perfect place to be on the ship!

Waiting for the glaciers! 

Ben got an Irish coffee to sip while waiting.

Soon John Hopkins Glacier came into view.

This is Margerie glacier.  Here, the boat came to a complete stop and was completely quiet so you could hear the calving which is where pieces of the glacier fall off and fall into the water.  It sounds like really loud thunder.  I thought Princess did a great job in Glacier Bay.

 

I was able to catch some calving.

I thought College Fjord would be a letdown after Glacier Bay but it was really beautiful too.

More calving.

At the end of College Fjord day, we thought we were done viewing and went to our room to see the glacier RIGHT THERE!  So we spent time out on the balcony until we sailed away.

On College Fjord day, I ordered tea in our suite and Fran and Harvey came over and enjoyed it with us.  We only ordered scones so it wouldn’t be so much this time!

When we weren’t glacier viewing, we went to the gym, relaxed, had tea, napped, and went to the thermal suite.   Fran and Harvey went to a few of the Ranger presentations and talks.  I would consult my cruise companion to see what we would be going to see the next day.  And we viewed the amazing scenery and watched for wildlife.

We had dinner again at the Bayou Café on Glacier Bay night (which was the second formal night).  I got the lobster this time.  I am not a huge fan of lobster in general really but it was good. Ben ordered the steak only but the waiter insisted that he get “surf and turf!”

This was the day that the ship hit the open waters in the gulf of Alaska and there was quite a bit of movement.  I felt like a drunk person trying to walk everywhere.

After dinner, we all saw the show Motor City.  This was a show of Motown music and we all really enjoyed it.

After the show, Ben and I checked out the Wheelhouse bar which we had not been to yet.  I got a toasted almond and it was yummy!

On Friday we made do with pizza and salad and then snacks in the suite lounge for food.  Then we saw the Voice of the Ocean finale which is the cruise ship version of the Voice.  During the week, cruise passengers had tried out and got to sing for everyone in the finale.  It was really fun—probably my favorite show I’ve ever seen on a cruise.  Then Ben and I had our last drink at Crooners of the trip.

I couldn't believe the trip we had planned for a year was almost over!  But it was nice knowing that we still had 3 more nights in Alaska to look forward to!

Journey to Alaska Day 8: Skagway

We all met for breakfast at Sabatini's before our excursion.  Today was our Chilkoot Yukon Rail and Bus excursion booked through Chilkoot Charters.  This was a highly recommended excursion on the Cruise Critic website which is where I found this company and this tour. Once again, it was a great excursion.  We took a bus on the way up to Canada and the train on the way back.  Our driver James was so great—everyone was hugging him and taking pictures with him at the end.  In Fraser, he made sure we were all on the train and waited until it left.  We loved James! 

Some of the many, many photos we all took!

Bridal Veil Falls

Bennett Lake

We stopped at a place called Bove Island that was really beautiful!

This excursion took us on the bus as far as Emerald Lake which was the one place I wanted to see most of all on the vacation.  It was gorgeous and Ben took my favorite picture of the trip!

James was always happy to take our pictures as well so we didn’t have to take selfies.

Then we had lunch at Caribou Crossing Trading Post which is a combination museum, restaurant and they also have sled dogs and you can even take a sled dog ride.  We didn't take the ride but we did see the sled dogs and pet the husky puppies.

Lunch was yummy!

Ben had a local brew of course.

Goat-o-bomb!

Then we the train from Fraser back to Skagway.  I took alot of pictures through the train windows.

The White Pass railroad began construction in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush as a means of reaching the gold fields. With its completion in 1900, it became the primary route to the interior of the Yukon.  Many lives were lost in the gold rush days during the late 1800's as men made their way to the Yukon seeing fortune.n  Parts of the old railroad are still standing today.

Ben and I went out on the outside platform for a bit.  

I love this shot of the forest with the mountains in the background.

Back in Skagway, we had a late lunch at Skagway Brewing and Ben got to try a local beer which he enjoys doing on vacation.  

We visited the famous Red Onion Saloon because Ben wanted to try a beer there too (but he didn’t like that one!)

Skagway was the cutest little town and we enjoyed our walk back to the ship. 

Back on the ship Ben got a Frozen Grizzly Bear and I got a glass of wine to take back to the balcony for sailaway.

I sat on the deck awhile hoping I would get some kind of sunset.

I stayed out a little longer and and got a moonset instead.  I took these pictures after 11:30 pm!

This is a shot of the port town Haines, Alaska.

Tomorrow we would be cruising through Glacier Bay National Park.