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| Norwegian Star |
I was excited when asked to organize a cruise to Alaska for my in laws for their 10th wedding Anniversary gift. I jumped to the idea as they had spoken of an
Alaska vacation on many occasion. I knew an
Alaska vacation was their dream holiday because they made several indirect comments about not wanting to
cruise from Florida. Their vacation quickly mushroomed into a family reunion with relatives coming from the Caribbean, USA and Canada. I was ecstatic about planning such a vacation because I considered Alaska as an unknown vastness of snow. After some mini hitches in making the flights arrangements, I was able to schedule everyone arrival to Seattle, a day prior to the cruise within a two hour window.
Our reunion began with an overnight stay in Seattle, as we were departing early the next morning on a 7 night round trip
cruise to Alaska. The weather in Seattle was slightly gloomy for a mid-summer day but we were fortunate as it never rained during our pre and post cruise stops.
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| Seattle skyline |
The hotel provided transportation to the port as part of the hotel package. As expected, we were on the first bus shuttle to the port. After a hassle free check in through security, it Was finally time to board the Star of the Norwegian Cruise Line. The departure from the harbor was smooth and appeared effortless. In fact, it went unnoticed until I observed the port building getting smaller on the horizon. The first couple of hour on the ship was spent exploring my new residence of the next 7 days. I will provide a review of the Norwegian Star in a subsequent blog. As expected, I did not get much sleep the first evening at sea as I took the opportunity to explore the ship and discover all it had to offer.
From Seattle, we traveled through the inside passage towards Ketchikan. The passage extends north from Washington, along the British Columbia coast to the Alaskan Panhandle. The cruise ships use this particular route that goes through a series of passages between the islands to avoid the bad weather in the open ocean.
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| Ketchikan salmon hatchery |
Our first stop was in Ketchikan – the self proclaimed salmon capital of the world. We visited a salmon hatchery, one of several built to process the abundance of salmon in the area. We were amazed at the effort and technology being used to produce salmon for export to the rest of the world. We were provided with an in depth explanation of the life of a salmon. I was amazed to learn that a salmon life began in the fresh water streams and lakes of Alaska. The young salmon migrates to the ocean and would return after several years to their place of birth in the streams and lakes to spawn.
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| Totem pole |
We also visited an area where our tour guide educated us on the history of the Haida tribe – the Pacific Northwest Indians. We learnt how they lived and traded extensively throughout the region. Time was taken to explain the significance and purpose of the Totem Pole. I was amazed to learn that these monumental structures carved from large trees, mostly red cedar were the life history of an important Native American. From my estimation, I think the poles were approximately 20 feet tall containing engraved images of animals and individuals. The carvings were also painted which gave the totem poles a very attractive appearance.
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| Mendenhall lake and glacier |
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| Mendenhal glacier lake |
Many Alaska vacation tours excursions were available, but I jumped to the idea of visiting an ice glacier. The day was gloomy and interspersed with the occasional shower. As soon as we disembarked from the ship, we took a short bus ride to the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. I had never seen an ice glacier before, so I was not allowing the rain to dampen my anticipation and excitement as this was one of the main reasons I went on the cruise. There were several trails on each side of the lake which is at foot of the glacier. I took one of the trails that appeared less muddy and had easy access to the lakes edge. The trail also provided a beautiful view of the valley and glacier which is situated between two mountains that appear to stretch for miles. At the bottom of the glacier is the Mendenhall Lake which gets it supply of water from the glacier. In short, the glacier looked like a huge mountain cliff that was sparkling white from the occasional reflection of the sun when it popped out between the grey clouds.
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| Mendehall glacier welcome center |
I must compliment the local authority in Juneau for the development of the area to cater for the large crowds of yearly tourists. The welcome center was impressive and the information within made the trip very educational. Also it was a good opportunity to get out of the cold and enjoy the warmth inside the building. During the tour of the facility, we were entertained with a short historic film of the glacier. I left the area with a deep feeling of sadness and disappointment. It was heart breaking to learn that the location of the welcome center was part of the glacier a couple hundred years ago. The glacier had receded significantly and its progress was being measured every year. Whether the reason for the melting of the glacier was global warming or other reasons, we have to examine our life style because the beauty of our world was being wasted away.
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| Sawyer glacier |
The next place of interest was the Sawyer Glacier. Several Individuals were glued on deck as the ship navigated the icy waters containing several huge chunks of ice. The decks were crowded with cruisers who were enjoying every minute of the journey. This was an amazing sight to see the huge chunks of ice floating near the ship.
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| White Pass Scenic railway |
Skagway is the furthest point North via the inside passage and it was the next port stop. At the corsair desk we were informed that the White Pass scenic railway ride was a good opportunity to see the Alaskan countryside and wildlife. Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw was a glimpse of a herd of wild goats in the far distance that were taking advantage of the warm sunshine. The deep gorges and mountainside were beautiful and breathe taking and everyone soaked in the fresh crisp air of the high elevation.
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| Prince Rupert Bay, Canada |
On our return journey we stopped at Prince Rupert Bay in Canada. This stop was interesting because it gave us an insight into the lives of a small Canadian community. The town seemed extremely quiet and appeared undisturbed by the huge number of
Alaska vacation visitors. From Prince Rupert Bay, it was time to journey back to Seattle.
The cruise was enjoyable and memorable not only for the numerous shore experiences, but it was an opportune time to reunite with relatives we had not seen and out of touch for a very long time. We laughed and shared endless old memories during the Alaska trip. I could claim the cruise a tremendous success because everyone was keen on doing a repeat
cruise from Florida.
