FUN-travel:Alaska
October 5, 2009 by Susan Clarke
Day 1 – Thursday, July 9, 2009 – Alaska – 14 days – First (and last) Princess cruise
- Good News – nonstop flight to Seattle takes off almost on time
- Bad News – first class full
- Good News – ocean view room upgraded to balcony
- Good News – food is very good, lots of choices, thin crust pizza outstanding
- Good News – take nap, bags arrive, unpack, eat dinner, nap, have late night pizza snack
FFTK&T (FUN Facts to Know & Tell) – In 1867, US Secretary of State William Henry Seward negotiated purchase of Alaska at 2 cents an acre for a walloping total of $7.2 million
Alaska has:
• 3000 rivers
• 3,000,000 lakes
• 100,000 glaciers
• 47,000 miles of coastline
• 17 of the 20 highest peaks in the US including Mt. McKinley, the tallest on the continent
Day 2 – Friday, July 10, 2009 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 4:43 am – Sunset 9:00 pm
- Good News – sleep good, eat good, nap good, gain an hour
- Bad News – foggy, cloudy, cold
Day 3 – Saturday, July 11, 2009 – Arrive Ketchikan 7:00 am – Sunrise 4:21 am – Sunset 9:22 pm
- Good News – sunny & warm, get off ship and walk around town, see totem poles (world’s oldest collection is here)
- Good News – take 75 minute seaplane ride to Misty Fjords National Monument – land on lake, go out on planes pontoons to take pictures
- Bad News – ship departs 2:00 pm, not enough time to enjoy all the sightseeing
FFTK&T – Misty Fjords National Monument is 50 miles wide and 118 miles long
Day 4 – Sunday, July 12, 2009 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 4:25 am – Sunset 9:59 pm
Day 5 – Monday, July 13, 2009 – Arrive Skagway 7:00 am – Sunrise 4:07 am – Sunset 10:06 pm
- Good News – sunny and very warm, walk into town, quite cute
- Bad News – miss the 2 hour trolley tour, downtown is 6 blocks, see everything in one hour
- Good News – take 3 ½ hour train ride on White Pass & Yukon Railway up to Canadian Border
- Good News – set sail at 8:00 pm, have happy hour on top deck lounge, see beautiful snow capped mountains, waterfalls on both sides of ship, spot orca whales, gorgeous sunset
Day 6 –Tuesday, July 14, 2009 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 4:25 am – Sunset 10:58 pm
- Good News – Bingo at 11:15, $600 jackpot
- Bad News – didn’t win, but almost, will play on last day to get that jackpot
- Good News – fresh wild halibut and salmon for dinner
Day 7 – Wednesday, July 15, 2009 – Valdez – Arrive 7:00am – Sunrise 4:39 am – Sunset 11:03 pm
- Bad News – Not much to see, not much ambience
- Good News – take boat out to Prince William Sound for 8 hour cruise
- Good News – see humpback whales, sea otters, stellar sea lions, dall’s porpoises, harbor seals
- Bad news – black bears barely visible
FFTK &T – Good Friday in 1964, an earthquake led to a massive underwater landslide causing a 30-foot-high tsunami. 90% of the town was destroyed, abandoned, moved 4 miles away. Good Friday in 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef causing the biggest oil spill in North America. Effects of that spill still visible today. Wild life almost back to normal.
Day 8 –Thursday, July 16, 2009 – Seward – Arrive 7:00 am – Sunrise 5:01 am – Sunset 11:05 pm
- Good News – Take tour to Exit Glacier, Stan the park ranger narrates on trail leading to glacier
- Good News – black bear sighting on trail
- Bad News – see only black bear poop on trail
- Good News – walk thru town, go to Aquarium, see puffins (duck like birds, very cute) lots of fish
FFTK &T – 1910 & 11, gold miners blaze 1,000 mile dog sled trail from Seward to Nome, becomes known as the Iditarod Trail
Day 9 – Friday, July 17, 2009 – 7:00 am – Sunrise 5:37 am – Sunset 10:54 pm
- Bad News – rainy, foggy – Kodiak brown bear search cancelled
- Good News – get English speaking (large Pilipino population) taxi driver to find bears
- Good News – see one
- Bad News – apparently scared by ATV’s and runs away, never get pictures
- Good News – walk back to ship, stop at Kodiak Brewing Company, have tasting, rain not so bad now
FFTK &T – Kodiak Island is 2nd largest in US after Hawaii
Day 10 – Saturday, July 18, 2009 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 5:17 am – Sunset 10:02 pm
- Bad News – starting to get bored, food not that good
- Good News – have dinner at Sabatini’s with cruise mate couple
- Bad News – have to pay $20 per person for some better food
Day 11 – Sunday, July 19, 2009 – Arrive Icy Point Strait 7:00 am – Sunrise 4:29 am – Sunset 9:46 pm
- Good News – get last 2 seats on Brown Bear & Wilderness Tour at 11:30
- Good News – nice walk into town
- Bad News – not much there, all action back at the landing dock
- Good News – stop and eat Halibut Poppers (fresh caught halibut mixed with creamy cheese mixture, wrapped in Philo dough and deep fried) YUM!
- Good News – tour includes walk through rainforest down to river and viewing platforms – see brown bear
FFTK &T – There are 3 types of bears in Alaska – grizzly’s AKA brown, black & polar (there are no penguins)
Day 12 –Monday, July 20, 2009 – Arrive Juneau 6:00am – Sunrise 4:26 am – Sunset 9:41 pm
- Good News – take Whale watching cruise
- Bad News – have to get up early, cold & damp
- Good News – sail to 3 locations to find whales, see pod of 12 whales
- More Good News – see “bubble netting” (whales dive in unison and come up, jumping out of the water, in a circle with open mouths to feed on schools – National Geographic known to wait for days attempting to see them)
- Bad News – have to be back on board by 2:30 to depart, need more time
FFTK &T – There are 30,000 square miles of glacier ice, covering 5% of the state, weighing 7 trillion tons
Day 13 – Tuesday, July 21, 2009 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 4:49 am – Sunset 9:40 pm
- Bad News – getting cabin fever again
- Good News – sun comes out, getting warmer
FFTK &T – Alaska is 1/5 the size of the lower 48 states (and you really can see Russia) LOL!
Day 14 – Wednesday, July 22, 2009 – Arrive Victoria, BC – 5:00 pm
- Good News – great sunset dinner downtown
- Bad News – have to depart midnight
Day 15 – Thursday, July 23, 2009 – Arrive Seattle
- Good News – going home!
- Good News – get on earlier flight
- More Good News – Alaska Airlines upgrades only $50. YEAH!
Overall Experience – Wanted more adventure
Lessons Learned – Go to Alaska before Antarctica!