Alaskan Cruise May 2003
Our trip began at 330 AM on 10 May in preparation for a 6 AM flight departure. Now with all of the security emphasis at airports, the advice is to arrive at least two hours before the flight departs. Well, at San Antonio international the airline ticket agents don’t open to 430 AM, nor does security for that matter. Annoyed, but still anxious to begin our adventure, we left on schedule arriving in Seattle, Washington at 11 AM.
Seattle was cool with lots of sun. We stayed in close proximity to the airport so we did not get to see Seattle until the next day when we transited the city on our way to Vancouver. Having nothing to do, we decided to eat at the bar during happy hour and watch game one of our San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. Spurs lost, but what was more disheartening was the Boston Red Sox were on another TV, they lost to Seattle and on another TV, the only Hockey team I follow, the Leafs lost. Not a good evening for the home team, but one thing was very positive. I introduced myself to Alaskan Amber, a mighty fine brew. We remained good friends for the remainder of the trip.
On 11 May we departed for Vancouver Canada by motor coach. Our trip through Vancouver was most enjoyable. Obviously, Vancouver is a very international city. Our tour bus driver stated that the locals make up many ethnic groups, speaking over 38 different languages. The border crossing to Canada was not without incident. Our coach had no problems, but we did stop for a check of nationalities. Our British and German travelers had to visit Canadian immigration. Another transit bus had one traveler who showed up on the computer as a drug dealer. She delayed our travelers while authorities questioned her. The Canadian authorities denied her access and caused an entire bus search, to include each piece of luggage.
We boarded the ship at 3 PM with extra security and immigration checks. Our ship was the Princess Star, the largest of the Princess fleet. Her gross tonnage is 109,000 tons, 931 feet long, holds 2600 passengers and 1200 crew. On board are 5 dining areas plus a hamburger bar, pizza bar, ice cream bar and the Horizon Buffet Court. At the aft end of the ship, she rises to the 17th floor, with a glass enclosed bar, which extends over the end of the ship, so you can see down the starboard and port sides of the ship. She has five swimming pools, and countless hot tubs. One of the pools is heated and enclosed during inclement weather. As we progressed on the cruise, this area became popular. Let us put it this way. When we pulled into the local ports in Alaska, we were the biggest building in town.
Our stated departure time was 530 PM PDT. We noted that there were 3 ships in port, The Star, 2600 passengers, the Princess Sun 1800 passengers and a Norwegian liner estimated to have about 800 passengers. Pat an I felt we lost the toss and got last for baggage loading as so many stevedores can load so many bags an hour, plus stores. We did not depart until 830 PDT just as we entered the Amalfi dining room for our first dinner on this wonderful ship. We were also about to meet three new couples.
Peter and Mitilda are from Toronto, Canada, Carl and Mary are from San Francisco and Mark and Donna are from Las Vegas. This was our first time sitting at a table for 8. As it turned out we became a good talkative group. I can honestly say we had lively discussions about world politics, religion and all other subjects one is supposed to not discuss. Guess who took the lead at the table? Anyhow, it made for vigorous chatter throughout the cruise.
The next day, 12 May, Mother’s day was a sea day. Unlike past cruises where we ventured into open seas, this was unique as the waters were almost still as we floated on the sea of near glass. The inside passage is just that, a passage between two land masses. For the first day it was British Columbia and Vancouver Island. When we awoke, nature treated us to a spectacular sight with Mountains and rich green vistas as we traversed the inlets. The weather was cool with broken clouds. A wind breaker or heavy sweater was a must on the upper decks, but the chill went unnoticed as we watched scenery that surrounded the ship.
Ketchikan Alaska was our first port of call. Located on the lower southeast half of the Tongas Region of Alaska, Ketchikan experiences 260 days of rain. We did not get one of the 105 days of no rain. We met our tour guide, Mike, at pier side at 9 AM for a 4 hour tour of Ketchikan and stories and tales of the indigenous people who first lived in the area. Mike is a third generation Alaskan and native to Ketchikan. His grandfather immigrated from Ireland back in the gold rush days and began a clothing business. Mike continued the business until 1985. To describe the physical Mike, think of Santa Claus for it is almost a perfect match. We visited the local Salmon fish hatcheries, one of the main businesses of Ketchikan. The second part of our tour took us to Heritage Park, where the meaning and history of Totem Poles came to life through the words of Mr. Mike. Each Totem Pole told a story of the group or of an eagle or local folklore from the Tlinglit Indians. At the park, we visited a reconstructed Klan home used to house the locals during the winter months. Strange part was if we were under cover the rain stopped, but once outside back came the rain. On our return to the ship, Mike a very proud Alaskan, sang us in his own baritone voice the Alaskan state song. We spent another hour or two visiting the history museum and shops of Ketchikan.
At dinner that evening all of us exchanged our adventures of the day, which was interesting talk and educational. Not only did we have our tour, but we got to hear of other tours. The dinner meals were superb, well done and tasty. I am one who cannot make up his mind so I have a problem about which main entrée to order. I found an easy fix for this problem order one entree with the second entrée as a side. Thus, I could have Sea Bass with a beef Wellington main course. My male table mates noticed I did this, so by night 3, they were in the same mode as I. By night 5 some of the wives tried my approach and seemed very satisfied. Following dinner Pat an I went to a show in the main theater. Two productions, “Da Beat” and “Dance” were excellent.
Juneau, the state capital, was our next port of call. Originally Pat had opted to stay aboard this day and I was to go horseback riding. Did not happen that way. About a week before we began the cruise unexpected snows had hit the area. The horseback trails were closed because of snow. We decided to do a Trek and Tram tour. The Trek portion was a mile and a half hike up a mountain to an old gold mine. These mines yielded $158 million between 1880 and 1944. The temps were in the 40s, but no rain, so the walk was enjoyable. Again the scenery of white snow capped mountains and clear running streams from the melting snow made for an enjoyable walk. On our return, we boarded the Tram that took us up 3800 feet to the top of Mt. Roberts. Views were breath taking. Again Pat and I walked the streets of Juneau taking in our 50th State capital.
Upon returning to the ship we decided to hit the outside hot tub. Something about sitting in a hot tub, on a multi million dollar ship, enjoying a Fosters’ Ale, and meeting two wonderful folks from England, well it makes for a unique experience.
Our next port of call was Skagway, Alaska. Sounds like some type of skin disease doesn’t it? Today Skagway boasts a population of 800 folks and is a 20 by 5 block town. In its heyday 20,000 were there, mostly living in tents and looking for gold. This all happened about 1898. We took a neat tour to Liarsville, where though humor and embellished folklore, the dangerous life of a stampeder came to life through the rhetoric of living historians. We all got to pan for gold and guess what? We all got some gold because they put it in the pan. After some hot cider and a hug from the local hussies, we returned to our coach to head up into Yukon Territory. The significance of the coach ride was it paralleled the old Whitehorse train route to the Klondike gold mines. We went to the Klondike summit some, 3800 feet above sea level. It is hard to describe how treacherous the climb must have been for the gold diggers. But many lives and horses were lost in those perilous days.
When we got back to the ship, we decided to visit downtown Skagway. Now the locals put out a paper and a heated debate is on to return the town to its original name, Skaguay. However, folks at the Red Onion saloon were living it up with bands, plenty of Alaskan Amber and proudly displayed upstairs a Bordello museum where negotiable affection was a part of life in 1898.
At approximately 8 AM on Thursday 16 May we entered Glacier Bay National Park. Our Captain boarded Park Rangers who were there to answer any questions we might have. One of the rangers spoke from the Captain’s bridge as we meandered up some 50 miles the ever quiet waters of the bay. The weather was cold, rainy and just plain dreary. At first we sat in warm comfort in the Horizon Lounge peering out the windows. As we progressed into the bay, larger and larger ice chunks began to appear. I figured I came all this way, so not much sense in being inside when all the activity was outside. Pat went to our room and watched from there. I donned my winter jacket, wool pull over cap and header as far forward as I could get on the ship. We passed several glaciers. At about 11 AM, The Grand Pacific Glacier came into view. Rich with blue color, she stood there over one mile across. Sea Otters swam all about, dashing in and out, sometimes climbing on the ice. As we approached even closer, up to 1/4 mile from the glacier, the Park Ranger advised we would shut the engines to very low and just listen to the ice talk. Crack, Crack, Crack, echoed throughout the bay and then all of a sudden an ice collapse. Tons of ice came crashing off into the bay with a thunderous roar. This phenomenon is Calving. This is a result of the salt water melting the glacier's snout and huge chunks of ice crack off the face. We witnessed this event four times before we slowly headed south out of Glacier Bay. When we were about half way out, a strange thing happened. The skies cleared and we had total sunshine, without a cloud in the sky.
Friday, 17 May brought us to College Fjord. This fjord derives its name for each glacier has the name of a well know college or university. I think the most impressive thing I saw, outside of the numerous glaciers, was that we had bright clear skies. As the glacier melts, the fresh water rises to the top with the colder and heavier salt water below. This allows for a reflection of the glaciers and surrounding mountains in the tranquil waters of the fjord.
That evening was our last on ship. We had a delightful dinner with our table mates and sadly had to part in different directions. All was not lost as we found out on Saturday, Mark and Donna had the same itinerary as we did.
We departed Seward Alaska on coach for our first land venture to the Mount McKinley Princess Lodge Wilderness area, some 8 hours north of Seward. We transited Anchorage at about 1030 AM and for some reason Princess gave us a two hour lunch break. Booooring for sure as everybody felt the time was wasted. Our driver, a young man from Utah kept telling us that we were fortunate with the clear skies. Most folks at this time of year did not get to see Mount McKinley in its entirety. We were about 90 miles from the lodge when we got our first glimpse of the Alaskan Mountain chain with McKinley the tallest of the range. She rises above 20.000 feet and looked so peaceful off in the horizon, never suggesting her treacherous winds and bone piercing cold. Locals told us that at any given point, over 300 folks were on the mountain as climbers. Thank you I enjoyed my spot on the patio with temps at 75 degrees with my friend Alaskan Amber in my hand. We joined Mark and Donna for drinks and met another couple they had met, Jim and Barb from Melbourne Florida. We cocktailed for about 2 hours and ate in the bar. Later that evening, we did the lodge hot tub. Quite the experience, 40 miles from McKinley, sun is bright at 9:30 PM and folks are walking around in short sleeved shirts an shorts. Oh yes forgot to mention, the one big negative of the entire area from May to July each year. Mosquitoes bigger than big are rampant. Slow moving fat things, but a pain in the butt for all who were there.
Next morning bright and early I headed out on a field excursion. Pat decided to take her time resting and re-packing. At 7 AM I boarded the lodge shuttle for the 50 mile trip to Talkeetna(pronounced tall keat na). My tour was a jet boat ride up the Susitna River to see wild life and a trapper’s home. When I arrived at the town of Talkeetna, the owner of the boat company showed up in his experienced pick up truck. He was of medium frame, in a bright green jacket and carrying his shotgun. Now I learned in Alaska that newly purchased weapons must be registered. I also learned that most Alaskans own only used weapons. Mr. Mahah, visited the Susitna River and informed us it was too dangerous to travel this day. Major ice break ups and the tons of ice were too much to navigate in his boats. He told us we would go to plan B and travel the Talkeetna River, not as good as the Susitna, but we would enjoy our 30 mile trip. The one major standout f the trip was when we found an American Bald Eagle nest atop a Cottonwood tree. Our guide estimated the weigh of the nest at 300 pounds, eight feet across and three feet deep. She further related that eagles can carry about three times their weight with a crushing pressure of 1000 pounds in their Talons.
On our second evening, all six of us had dinner together in the upscale lodge dining facility. I guess upscale is a bit much. One must remember Alaska receives a lot of stores from shipping inbound. One can eat so much bear, moose and salmon. The six of us had a wonderful dinner and a bit of humor from our waitress. We asked about life outside of the lodge. She told us there is plenty of saloon life. One night she and her girl friend decided to visit the saloon in Trapper Creek. One thing for sure she noted is that the men out number the woman so the odds are in the gal’s favor. The problem is the favors are all odd.
Our first of two trips on the Midnight Sun Express, or more realistically the Alaskan Railroad. This train runs northbound daily from Anchorage to Fairbanks Alaska, a distance of about 300 miles. She stops at Talkeetna and Denali each day. Each day a second train runs from Fairbanks to Anchorage. The train has 9 passenger cars, two from Alaskan RR, three from Holland American Cruise lines and four from Princess Cruise Lines. Each car has 28 tables for four travelers and a downstairs dining room. Two of the Princess cars have outside platforms for outside viewing and those who insist on smoking. We departed from Talkeetna at 10:30 AM some 45 minutes late, but nobody cared for the adventure was worth the wait. We wound our way up through the Alaskan Mountain chain at a very methodical rate of speed. With river crossings on very high trestles and the scenic wonder, the pace was just right. We ran into one major problem on the trip to Denali. With about 50 minutes from reaching Denali, we lost air conditioning power in the car. Now with the dome acting like a green house, temps became uncomfortable very fast, almost unbearable by the time we reached Denali. We think the folks who boarded on from Denali to Fairbanks had the problem for the entire 4 hour trip.
We boarded a coach for a ten minute ride to the Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge. Our driver advised us that the lodge had a power outage. Almost a true statement for not only was the lodge without power, the town of Denali was also. Fortunately we got power back within the hour.
This lodge was a bit older, more basic with amenities, but still the view and the atmosphere were all Alaskan. That evening, the six of us went to an on sight presentation of the Music of Denial. This was a dinner theater type presentation where through song, dance and comedy, the story of the first climbers to the McKinley summit came to the stage. Our dinner was family style with ribs and Salmon. They said they were pork ribs but we think they were something else like maybe Moose or Caribou. The show was enjoyable, and according to the actors, actually, our wait staff, very accurate portrayal of the first summit climbers, some 60 years ago.
Shoot a little bear
drink a little hooch
tell some tall tales
watch out for the moose
swat them skeeters,
don’t let em swarm
eat some food
got to keep warm
and
have a some fun
in the land of the midnight sun
Yes, the midnight sun is a sight to see. I f they had not had snows 8 days before we arrived. I would have signed up for an 11:00 PM T off time at the nine hole golf course, just to say I had done it. At 3:30, I was up just to see clear blue skies, and by 4:30 AM the mountain tops were a glow from the sunlight. By 10:00 AM it was in the 60s and climbing as we spent the last day in Denali on a 3 hour nature tour. We saw Caribou, Moose, Ground Squirrels, Dall Sheep and listened to an Athabascan native tell of his family in the time before the days of gold. Now I got to tell you I enjoy nature, but am not as much in touch as the people were on our bus. Someone would holler Moose and all would jump to that side of the bus to see. I was tempted to holler “Cockroach Cockroach” to see what would happen but decided to enjoy the day for even I, the mean spirited conservative, enjoyed this day.
That afternoon we went to see the dog sledding dogs at our National Park Ranger Headquarters. I watched in amazement as the Ranger in charge along with her 3 assistants, harnessed up six huskies and drove the sled around a 1/8 mile gravel track In the winter the dogs are used to trek out in the snows, to help find poachers and those who are camping out in winter’s wilderness.
We boarded the train for Fairbanks at 1:30 some two hours late, but nobody cared. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Mark and Donna and Jim and Barb and finally got to our hotel at 11:00 PM. We had a 7:00 AM flight out, so guess what? A 3:45 AM awakening, and off to airport by 5:00 AM. We flew out of Fairbanks and had one last parting shot at the Alaskan Mountain Chain as the pilot flew right over McKinley. We got home at 11:00 PM that day and collapsed into bed. This was more than a cruise, it was an adventure.
Our trip began at 330 AM on 10 May in preparation for a 6 AM flight departure. Now with all of the security emphasis at airports, the advice is to arrive at least two hours before the flight departs. Well, at San Antonio international the airline ticket agents don’t open to 430 AM, nor does security for that matter. Annoyed, but still anxious to begin our adventure, we left on schedule arriving in Seattle, Washington at 11 AM.
Seattle was cool with lots of sun. We stayed in close proximity to the airport so we did not get to see Seattle until the next day when we transited the city on our way to Vancouver. Having nothing to do, we decided to eat at the bar during happy hour and watch game one of our San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. Spurs lost, but what was more disheartening was the Boston Red Sox were on another TV, they lost to Seattle and on another TV, the only Hockey team I follow, the Leafs lost. Not a good evening for the home team, but one thing was very positive. I introduced myself to Alaskan Amber, a mighty fine brew. We remained good friends for the remainder of the trip.
On 11 May we departed for Vancouver Canada by motor coach. Our trip through Vancouver was most enjoyable. Obviously, Vancouver is a very international city. Our tour bus driver stated that the locals make up many ethnic groups, speaking over 38 different languages. The border crossing to Canada was not without incident. Our coach had no problems, but we did stop for a check of nationalities. Our British and German travelers had to visit Canadian immigration. Another transit bus had one traveler who showed up on the computer as a drug dealer. She delayed our travelers while authorities questioned her. The Canadian authorities denied her access and caused an entire bus search, to include each piece of luggage.
We boarded the ship at 3 PM with extra security and immigration checks. Our ship was the Princess Star, the largest of the Princess fleet. Her gross tonnage is 109,000 tons, 931 feet long, holds 2600 passengers and 1200 crew. On board are 5 dining areas plus a hamburger bar, pizza bar, ice cream bar and the Horizon Buffet Court. At the aft end of the ship, she rises to the 17th floor, with a glass enclosed bar, which extends over the end of the ship, so you can see down the starboard and port sides of the ship. She has five swimming pools, and countless hot tubs. One of the pools is heated and enclosed during inclement weather. As we progressed on the cruise, this area became popular. Let us put it this way. When we pulled into the local ports in Alaska, we were the biggest building in town.
Our stated departure time was 530 PM PDT. We noted that there were 3 ships in port, The Star, 2600 passengers, the Princess Sun 1800 passengers and a Norwegian liner estimated to have about 800 passengers. Pat an I felt we lost the toss and got last for baggage loading as so many stevedores can load so many bags an hour, plus stores. We did not depart until 830 PDT just as we entered the Amalfi dining room for our first dinner on this wonderful ship. We were also about to meet three new couples.
Peter and Mitilda are from Toronto, Canada, Carl and Mary are from San Francisco and Mark and Donna are from Las Vegas. This was our first time sitting at a table for 8. As it turned out we became a good talkative group. I can honestly say we had lively discussions about world politics, religion and all other subjects one is supposed to not discuss. Guess who took the lead at the table? Anyhow, it made for vigorous chatter throughout the cruise.
The next day, 12 May, Mother’s day was a sea day. Unlike past cruises where we ventured into open seas, this was unique as the waters were almost still as we floated on the sea of near glass. The inside passage is just that, a passage between two land masses. For the first day it was British Columbia and Vancouver Island. When we awoke, nature treated us to a spectacular sight with Mountains and rich green vistas as we traversed the inlets. The weather was cool with broken clouds. A wind breaker or heavy sweater was a must on the upper decks, but the chill went unnoticed as we watched scenery that surrounded the ship.
Ketchikan Alaska was our first port of call. Located on the lower southeast half of the Tongas Region of Alaska, Ketchikan experiences 260 days of rain. We did not get one of the 105 days of no rain. We met our tour guide, Mike, at pier side at 9 AM for a 4 hour tour of Ketchikan and stories and tales of the indigenous people who first lived in the area. Mike is a third generation Alaskan and native to Ketchikan. His grandfather immigrated from Ireland back in the gold rush days and began a clothing business. Mike continued the business until 1985. To describe the physical Mike, think of Santa Claus for it is almost a perfect match. We visited the local Salmon fish hatcheries, one of the main businesses of Ketchikan. The second part of our tour took us to Heritage Park, where the meaning and history of Totem Poles came to life through the words of Mr. Mike. Each Totem Pole told a story of the group or of an eagle or local folklore from the Tlinglit Indians. At the park, we visited a reconstructed Klan home used to house the locals during the winter months. Strange part was if we were under cover the rain stopped, but once outside back came the rain. On our return to the ship, Mike a very proud Alaskan, sang us in his own baritone voice the Alaskan state song. We spent another hour or two visiting the history museum and shops of Ketchikan.
At dinner that evening all of us exchanged our adventures of the day, which was interesting talk and educational. Not only did we have our tour, but we got to hear of other tours. The dinner meals were superb, well done and tasty. I am one who cannot make up his mind so I have a problem about which main entrée to order. I found an easy fix for this problem order one entree with the second entrée as a side. Thus, I could have Sea Bass with a beef Wellington main course. My male table mates noticed I did this, so by night 3, they were in the same mode as I. By night 5 some of the wives tried my approach and seemed very satisfied. Following dinner Pat an I went to a show in the main theater. Two productions, “Da Beat” and “Dance” were excellent.
Juneau, the state capital, was our next port of call. Originally Pat had opted to stay aboard this day and I was to go horseback riding. Did not happen that way. About a week before we began the cruise unexpected snows had hit the area. The horseback trails were closed because of snow. We decided to do a Trek and Tram tour. The Trek portion was a mile and a half hike up a mountain to an old gold mine. These mines yielded $158 million between 1880 and 1944. The temps were in the 40s, but no rain, so the walk was enjoyable. Again the scenery of white snow capped mountains and clear running streams from the melting snow made for an enjoyable walk. On our return, we boarded the Tram that took us up 3800 feet to the top of Mt. Roberts. Views were breath taking. Again Pat and I walked the streets of Juneau taking in our 50th State capital.
Upon returning to the ship we decided to hit the outside hot tub. Something about sitting in a hot tub, on a multi million dollar ship, enjoying a Fosters’ Ale, and meeting two wonderful folks from England, well it makes for a unique experience.
Our next port of call was Skagway, Alaska. Sounds like some type of skin disease doesn’t it? Today Skagway boasts a population of 800 folks and is a 20 by 5 block town. In its heyday 20,000 were there, mostly living in tents and looking for gold. This all happened about 1898. We took a neat tour to Liarsville, where though humor and embellished folklore, the dangerous life of a stampeder came to life through the rhetoric of living historians. We all got to pan for gold and guess what? We all got some gold because they put it in the pan. After some hot cider and a hug from the local hussies, we returned to our coach to head up into Yukon Territory. The significance of the coach ride was it paralleled the old Whitehorse train route to the Klondike gold mines. We went to the Klondike summit some, 3800 feet above sea level. It is hard to describe how treacherous the climb must have been for the gold diggers. But many lives and horses were lost in those perilous days.
When we got back to the ship, we decided to visit downtown Skagway. Now the locals put out a paper and a heated debate is on to return the town to its original name, Skaguay. However, folks at the Red Onion saloon were living it up with bands, plenty of Alaskan Amber and proudly displayed upstairs a Bordello museum where negotiable affection was a part of life in 1898.
At approximately 8 AM on Thursday 16 May we entered Glacier Bay National Park. Our Captain boarded Park Rangers who were there to answer any questions we might have. One of the rangers spoke from the Captain’s bridge as we meandered up some 50 miles the ever quiet waters of the bay. The weather was cold, rainy and just plain dreary. At first we sat in warm comfort in the Horizon Lounge peering out the windows. As we progressed into the bay, larger and larger ice chunks began to appear. I figured I came all this way, so not much sense in being inside when all the activity was outside. Pat went to our room and watched from there. I donned my winter jacket, wool pull over cap and header as far forward as I could get on the ship. We passed several glaciers. At about 11 AM, The Grand Pacific Glacier came into view. Rich with blue color, she stood there over one mile across. Sea Otters swam all about, dashing in and out, sometimes climbing on the ice. As we approached even closer, up to 1/4 mile from the glacier, the Park Ranger advised we would shut the engines to very low and just listen to the ice talk. Crack, Crack, Crack, echoed throughout the bay and then all of a sudden an ice collapse. Tons of ice came crashing off into the bay with a thunderous roar. This phenomenon is Calving. This is a result of the salt water melting the glacier's snout and huge chunks of ice crack off the face. We witnessed this event four times before we slowly headed south out of Glacier Bay. When we were about half way out, a strange thing happened. The skies cleared and we had total sunshine, without a cloud in the sky.
Friday, 17 May brought us to College Fjord. This fjord derives its name for each glacier has the name of a well know college or university. I think the most impressive thing I saw, outside of the numerous glaciers, was that we had bright clear skies. As the glacier melts, the fresh water rises to the top with the colder and heavier salt water below. This allows for a reflection of the glaciers and surrounding mountains in the tranquil waters of the fjord.
That evening was our last on ship. We had a delightful dinner with our table mates and sadly had to part in different directions. All was not lost as we found out on Saturday, Mark and Donna had the same itinerary as we did.
We departed Seward Alaska on coach for our first land venture to the Mount McKinley Princess Lodge Wilderness area, some 8 hours north of Seward. We transited Anchorage at about 1030 AM and for some reason Princess gave us a two hour lunch break. Booooring for sure as everybody felt the time was wasted. Our driver, a young man from Utah kept telling us that we were fortunate with the clear skies. Most folks at this time of year did not get to see Mount McKinley in its entirety. We were about 90 miles from the lodge when we got our first glimpse of the Alaskan Mountain chain with McKinley the tallest of the range. She rises above 20.000 feet and looked so peaceful off in the horizon, never suggesting her treacherous winds and bone piercing cold. Locals told us that at any given point, over 300 folks were on the mountain as climbers. Thank you I enjoyed my spot on the patio with temps at 75 degrees with my friend Alaskan Amber in my hand. We joined Mark and Donna for drinks and met another couple they had met, Jim and Barb from Melbourne Florida. We cocktailed for about 2 hours and ate in the bar. Later that evening, we did the lodge hot tub. Quite the experience, 40 miles from McKinley, sun is bright at 9:30 PM and folks are walking around in short sleeved shirts an shorts. Oh yes forgot to mention, the one big negative of the entire area from May to July each year. Mosquitoes bigger than big are rampant. Slow moving fat things, but a pain in the butt for all who were there.
Next morning bright and early I headed out on a field excursion. Pat decided to take her time resting and re-packing. At 7 AM I boarded the lodge shuttle for the 50 mile trip to Talkeetna(pronounced tall keat na). My tour was a jet boat ride up the Susitna River to see wild life and a trapper’s home. When I arrived at the town of Talkeetna, the owner of the boat company showed up in his experienced pick up truck. He was of medium frame, in a bright green jacket and carrying his shotgun. Now I learned in Alaska that newly purchased weapons must be registered. I also learned that most Alaskans own only used weapons. Mr. Mahah, visited the Susitna River and informed us it was too dangerous to travel this day. Major ice break ups and the tons of ice were too much to navigate in his boats. He told us we would go to plan B and travel the Talkeetna River, not as good as the Susitna, but we would enjoy our 30 mile trip. The one major standout f the trip was when we found an American Bald Eagle nest atop a Cottonwood tree. Our guide estimated the weigh of the nest at 300 pounds, eight feet across and three feet deep. She further related that eagles can carry about three times their weight with a crushing pressure of 1000 pounds in their Talons.
On our second evening, all six of us had dinner together in the upscale lodge dining facility. I guess upscale is a bit much. One must remember Alaska receives a lot of stores from shipping inbound. One can eat so much bear, moose and salmon. The six of us had a wonderful dinner and a bit of humor from our waitress. We asked about life outside of the lodge. She told us there is plenty of saloon life. One night she and her girl friend decided to visit the saloon in Trapper Creek. One thing for sure she noted is that the men out number the woman so the odds are in the gal’s favor. The problem is the favors are all odd.
Our first of two trips on the Midnight Sun Express, or more realistically the Alaskan Railroad. This train runs northbound daily from Anchorage to Fairbanks Alaska, a distance of about 300 miles. She stops at Talkeetna and Denali each day. Each day a second train runs from Fairbanks to Anchorage. The train has 9 passenger cars, two from Alaskan RR, three from Holland American Cruise lines and four from Princess Cruise Lines. Each car has 28 tables for four travelers and a downstairs dining room. Two of the Princess cars have outside platforms for outside viewing and those who insist on smoking. We departed from Talkeetna at 10:30 AM some 45 minutes late, but nobody cared for the adventure was worth the wait. We wound our way up through the Alaskan Mountain chain at a very methodical rate of speed. With river crossings on very high trestles and the scenic wonder, the pace was just right. We ran into one major problem on the trip to Denali. With about 50 minutes from reaching Denali, we lost air conditioning power in the car. Now with the dome acting like a green house, temps became uncomfortable very fast, almost unbearable by the time we reached Denali. We think the folks who boarded on from Denali to Fairbanks had the problem for the entire 4 hour trip.
We boarded a coach for a ten minute ride to the Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge. Our driver advised us that the lodge had a power outage. Almost a true statement for not only was the lodge without power, the town of Denali was also. Fortunately we got power back within the hour.
This lodge was a bit older, more basic with amenities, but still the view and the atmosphere were all Alaskan. That evening, the six of us went to an on sight presentation of the Music of Denial. This was a dinner theater type presentation where through song, dance and comedy, the story of the first climbers to the McKinley summit came to the stage. Our dinner was family style with ribs and Salmon. They said they were pork ribs but we think they were something else like maybe Moose or Caribou. The show was enjoyable, and according to the actors, actually, our wait staff, very accurate portrayal of the first summit climbers, some 60 years ago.
Shoot a little bear
drink a little hooch
tell some tall tales
watch out for the moose
swat them skeeters,
don’t let em swarm
eat some food
got to keep warm
and
have a some fun
in the land of the midnight sun
Yes, the midnight sun is a sight to see. I f they had not had snows 8 days before we arrived. I would have signed up for an 11:00 PM T off time at the nine hole golf course, just to say I had done it. At 3:30, I was up just to see clear blue skies, and by 4:30 AM the mountain tops were a glow from the sunlight. By 10:00 AM it was in the 60s and climbing as we spent the last day in Denali on a 3 hour nature tour. We saw Caribou, Moose, Ground Squirrels, Dall Sheep and listened to an Athabascan native tell of his family in the time before the days of gold. Now I got to tell you I enjoy nature, but am not as much in touch as the people were on our bus. Someone would holler Moose and all would jump to that side of the bus to see. I was tempted to holler “Cockroach Cockroach” to see what would happen but decided to enjoy the day for even I, the mean spirited conservative, enjoyed this day.
That afternoon we went to see the dog sledding dogs at our National Park Ranger Headquarters. I watched in amazement as the Ranger in charge along with her 3 assistants, harnessed up six huskies and drove the sled around a 1/8 mile gravel track In the winter the dogs are used to trek out in the snows, to help find poachers and those who are camping out in winter’s wilderness.
We boarded the train for Fairbanks at 1:30 some two hours late, but nobody cared. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Mark and Donna and Jim and Barb and finally got to our hotel at 11:00 PM. We had a 7:00 AM flight out, so guess what? A 3:45 AM awakening, and off to airport by 5:00 AM. We flew out of Fairbanks and had one last parting shot at the Alaskan Mountain Chain as the pilot flew right over McKinley. We got home at 11:00 PM that day and collapsed into bed. This was more than a cruise, it was an adventure.
Our trip began at 330 AM on 10 May in preparation for a 6 AM flight departure. Now with all of the security emphasis at airports, the advice is to arrive at least two hours before the flight departs. Well, at San Antonio international the airline ticket agents don’t open to 430 AM, nor does security for that matter. Annoyed, but still anxious to begin our adventure, we left on schedule arriving in Seattle, Washington at 11 AM.
Seattle was cool with lots of sun. We stayed in close proximity to the airport so we did not get to see Seattle until the next day when we transited the city on our way to Vancouver. Having nothing to do, we decided to eat at the bar during happy hour and watch game one of our San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. Spurs lost, but what was more disheartening was the Boston Red Sox were on another TV, they lost to Seattle and on another TV, the only Hockey team I follow, the Leafs lost. Not a good evening for the home team, but one thing was very positive. I introduced myself to Alaskan Amber, a mighty fine brew. We remained good friends for the remainder of the trip.
On 11 May we departed for Vancouver Canada by motor coach. Our trip through Vancouver was most enjoyable. Obviously, Vancouver is a very international city. Our tour bus driver stated that the locals make up many ethnic groups, speaking over 38 different languages. The border crossing to Canada was not without incident. Our coach had no problems, but we did stop for a check of nationalities. Our British and German travelers had to visit Canadian immigration. Another transit bus had one traveler who showed up on the computer as a drug dealer. She delayed our travelers while authorities questioned her. The Canadian authorities denied her access and caused an entire bus search, to include each piece of luggage.
We boarded the ship at 3 PM with extra security and immigration checks. Our ship was the Princess Star, the largest of the Princess fleet. Her gross tonnage is 109,000 tons, 931 feet long, holds 2600 passengers and 1200 crew. On board are 5 dining areas plus a hamburger bar, pizza bar, ice cream bar and the Horizon Buffet Court. At the aft end of the ship, she rises to the 17th floor, with a glass enclosed bar, which extends over the end of the ship, so you can see down the starboard and port sides of the ship. She has five swimming pools, and countless hot tubs. One of the pools is heated and enclosed during inclement weather. As we progressed on the cruise, this area became popular. Let us put it this way. When we pulled into the local ports in Alaska, we were the biggest building in town.
Our stated departure time was 530 PM PDT. We noted that there were 3 ships in port, The Star, 2600 passengers, the Princess Sun 1800 passengers and a Norwegian liner estimated to have about 800 passengers. Pat an I felt we lost the toss and got last for baggage loading as so many stevedores can load so many bags an hour, plus stores. We did not depart until 830 PDT just as we entered the Amalfi dining room for our first dinner on this wonderful ship. We were also about to meet three new couples.
Peter and Mitilda are from Toronto, Canada, Carl and Mary are from San Francisco and Mark and Donna are from Las Vegas. This was our first time sitting at a table for 8. As it turned out we became a good talkative group. I can honestly say we had lively discussions about world politics, religion and all other subjects one is supposed to not discuss. Guess who took the lead at the table? Anyhow, it made for vigorous chatter throughout the cruise.
The next day, 12 May, Mother’s day was a sea day. Unlike past cruises where we ventured into open seas, this was unique as the waters were almost still as we floated on the sea of near glass. The inside passage is just that, a passage between two land masses. For the first day it was British Columbia and Vancouver Island. When we awoke, nature treated us to a spectacular sight with Mountains and rich green vistas as we traversed the inlets. The weather was cool with broken clouds. A wind breaker or heavy sweater was a must on the upper decks, but the chill went unnoticed as we watched scenery that surrounded the ship.
Ketchikan Alaska was our first port of call. Located on the lower southeast half of the Tongas Region of Alaska, Ketchikan experiences 260 days of rain. We did not get one of the 105 days of no rain. We met our tour guide, Mike, at pier side at 9 AM for a 4 hour tour of Ketchikan and stories and tales of the indigenous people who first lived in the area. Mike is a third generation Alaskan and native to Ketchikan. His grandfather immigrated from Ireland back in the gold rush days and began a clothing business. Mike continued the business until 1985. To describe the physical Mike, think of Santa Claus for it is almost a perfect match. We visited the local Salmon fish hatcheries, one of the main businesses of Ketchikan. The second part of our tour took us to Heritage Park, where the meaning and history of Totem Poles came to life through the words of Mr. Mike. Each Totem Pole told a story of the group or of an eagle or local folklore from the Tlinglit Indians. At the park, we visited a reconstructed Klan home used to house the locals during the winter months. Strange part was if we were under cover the rain stopped, but once outside back came the rain. On our return to the ship, Mike a very proud Alaskan, sang us in his own baritone voice the Alaskan state song. We spent another hour or two visiting the history museum and shops of Ketchikan.
At dinner that evening all of us exchanged our adventures of the day, which was interesting talk and educational. Not only did we have our tour, but we got to hear of other tours. The dinner meals were superb, well done and tasty. I am one who cannot make up his mind so I have a problem about which main entrée to order. I found an easy fix for this problem order one entree with the second entrée as a side. Thus, I could have Sea Bass with a beef Wellington main course. My male table mates noticed I did this, so by night 3, they were in the same mode as I. By night 5 some of the wives tried my approach and seemed very satisfied. Following dinner Pat an I went to a show in the main theater. Two productions, “Da Beat” and “Dance” were excellent.
Juneau, the state capital, was our next port of call. Originally Pat had opted to stay aboard this day and I was to go horseback riding. Did not happen that way. About a week before we began the cruise unexpected snows had hit the area. The horseback trails were closed because of snow. We decided to do a Trek and Tram tour. The Trek portion was a mile and a half hike up a mountain to an old gold mine. These mines yielded $158 million between 1880 and 1944. The temps were in the 40s, but no rain, so the walk was enjoyable. Again the scenery of white snow capped mountains and clear running streams from the melting snow made for an enjoyable walk. On our return, we boarded the Tram that took us up 3800 feet to the top of Mt. Roberts. Views were breath taking. Again Pat and I walked the streets of Juneau taking in our 50th State capital.
Upon returning to the ship we decided to hit the outside hot tub. Something about sitting in a hot tub, on a multi million dollar ship, enjoying a Fosters’ Ale, and meeting two wonderful folks from England, well it makes for a unique experience.
Our next port of call was Skagway, Alaska. Sounds like some type of skin disease doesn’t it? Today Skagway boasts a population of 800 folks and is a 20 by 5 block town. In its heyday 20,000 were there, mostly living in tents and looking for gold. This all happened about 1898. We took a neat tour to Liarsville, where though humor and embellished folklore, the dangerous life of a stampeder came to life through the rhetoric of living historians. We all got to pan for gold and guess what? We all got some gold because they put it in the pan. After some hot cider and a hug from the local hussies, we returned to our coach to head up into Yukon Territory. The significance of the coach ride was it paralleled the old Whitehorse train route to the Klondike gold mines. We went to the Klondike summit some, 3800 feet above sea level. It is hard to describe how treacherous the climb must have been for the gold diggers. But many lives and horses were lost in those perilous days.
When we got back to the ship, we decided to visit downtown Skagway. Now the locals put out a paper and a heated debate is on to return the town to its original name, Skaguay. However, folks at the Red Onion saloon were living it up with bands, plenty of Alaskan Amber and proudly displayed upstairs a Bordello museum where negotiable affection was a part of life in 1898.
At approximately 8 AM on Thursday 16 May we entered Glacier Bay National Park. Our Captain boarded Park Rangers who were there to answer any questions we might have. One of the rangers spoke from the Captain’s bridge as we meandered up some 50 miles the ever quiet waters of the bay. The weather was cold, rainy and just plain dreary. At first we sat in warm comfort in the Horizon Lounge peering out the windows. As we progressed into the bay, larger and larger ice chunks began to appear. I figured I came all this way, so not much sense in being inside when all the activity was outside. Pat went to our room and watched from there. I donned my winter jacket, wool pull over cap and header as far forward as I could get on the ship. We passed several glaciers. At about 11 AM, The Grand Pacific Glacier came into view. Rich with blue color, she stood there over one mile across. Sea Otters swam all about, dashing in and out, sometimes climbing on the ice. As we approached even closer, up to 1/4 mile from the glacier, the Park Ranger advised we would shut the engines to very low and just listen to the ice talk. Crack, Crack, Crack, echoed throughout the bay and then all of a sudden an ice collapse. Tons of ice came crashing off into the bay with a thunderous roar. This phenomenon is Calving. This is a result of the salt water melting the glacier's snout and huge chunks of ice crack off the face. We witnessed this event four times before we slowly headed south out of Glacier Bay. When we were about half way out, a strange thing happened. The skies cleared and we had total sunshine, without a cloud in the sky.
Friday, 17 May brought us to College Fjord. This fjord derives its name for each glacier has the name of a well know college or university. I think the most impressive thing I saw, outside of the numerous glaciers, was that we had bright clear skies. As the glacier melts, the fresh water rises to the top with the colder and heavier salt water below. This allows for a reflection of the glaciers and surrounding mountains in the tranquil waters of the fjord.
That evening was our last on ship. We had a delightful dinner with our table mates and sadly had to part in different directions. All was not lost as we found out on Saturday, Mark and Donna had the same itinerary as we did.
We departed Seward Alaska on coach for our first land venture to the Mount McKinley Princess Lodge Wilderness area, some 8 hours north of Seward. We transited Anchorage at about 1030 AM and for some reason Princess gave us a two hour lunch break. Booooring for sure as everybody felt the time was wasted. Our driver, a young man from Utah kept telling us that we were fortunate with the clear skies. Most folks at this time of year did not get to see Mount McKinley in its entirety. We were about 90 miles from the lodge when we got our first glimpse of the Alaskan Mountain chain with McKinley the tallest of the range. She rises above 20.000 feet and looked so peaceful off in the horizon, never suggesting her treacherous winds and bone piercing cold. Locals told us that at any given point, over 300 folks were on the mountain as climbers. Thank you I enjoyed my spot on the patio with temps at 75 degrees with my friend Alaskan Amber in my hand. We joined Mark and Donna for drinks and met another couple they had met, Jim and Barb from Melbourne Florida. We cocktailed for about 2 hours and ate in the bar. Later that evening, we did the lodge hot tub. Quite the experience, 40 miles from McKinley, sun is bright at 9:30 PM and folks are walking around in short sleeved shirts an shorts. Oh yes forgot to mention, the one big negative of the entire area from May to July each year. Mosquitoes bigger than big are rampant. Slow moving fat things, but a pain in the butt for all who were there.
Next morning bright and early I headed out on a field excursion. Pat decided to take her time resting and re-packing. At 7 AM I boarded the lodge shuttle for the 50 mile trip to Talkeetna(pronounced tall keat na). My tour was a jet boat ride up the Susitna River to see wild life and a trapper’s home. When I arrived at the town of Talkeetna, the owner of the boat company showed up in his experienced pick up truck. He was of medium frame, in a bright green jacket and carrying his shotgun. Now I learned in Alaska that newly purchased weapons must be registered. I also learned that most Alaskans own only used weapons. Mr. Mahah, visited the Susitna River and informed us it was too dangerous to travel this day. Major ice break ups and the tons of ice were too much to navigate in his boats. He told us we would go to plan B and travel the Talkeetna River, not as good as the Susitna, but we would enjoy our 30 mile trip. The one major standout f the trip was when we found an American Bald Eagle nest atop a Cottonwood tree. Our guide estimated the weigh of the nest at 300 pounds, eight feet across and three feet deep. She further related that eagles can carry about three times their weight with a crushing pressure of 1000 pounds in their Talons.
On our second evening, all six of us had dinner together in the upscale lodge dining facility. I guess upscale is a bit much. One must remember Alaska receives a lot of stores from shipping inbound. One can eat so much bear, moose and salmon. The six of us had a wonderful dinner and a bit of humor from our waitress. We asked about life outside of the lodge. She told us there is plenty of saloon life. One night she and her girl friend decided to visit the saloon in Trapper Creek. One thing for sure she noted is that the men out number the woman so the odds are in the gal’s favor. The problem is the favors are all odd.
Our first of two trips on the Midnight Sun Express, or more realistically the Alaskan Railroad. This train runs northbound daily from Anchorage to Fairbanks Alaska, a distance of about 300 miles. She stops at Talkeetna and Denali each day. Each day a second train runs from Fairbanks to Anchorage. The train has 9 passenger cars, two from Alaskan RR, three from Holland American Cruise lines and four from Princess Cruise Lines. Each car has 28 tables for four travelers and a downstairs dining room. Two of the Princess cars have outside platforms for outside viewing and those who insist on smoking. We departed from Talkeetna at 10:30 AM some 45 minutes late, but nobody cared for the adventure was worth the wait. We wound our way up through the Alaskan Mountain chain at a very methodical rate of speed. With river crossings on very high trestles and the scenic wonder, the pace was just right. We ran into one major problem on the trip to Denali. With about 50 minutes from reaching Denali, we lost air conditioning power in the car. Now with the dome acting like a green house, temps became uncomfortable very fast, almost unbearable by the time we reached Denali. We think the folks who boarded on from Denali to Fairbanks had the problem for the entire 4 hour trip.
We boarded a coach for a ten minute ride to the Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge. Our driver advised us that the lodge had a power outage. Almost a true statement for not only was the lodge without power, the town of Denali was also. Fortunately we got power back within the hour.
This lodge was a bit older, more basic with amenities, but still the view and the atmosphere were all Alaskan. That evening, the six of us went to an on sight presentation of the Music of Denial. This was a dinner theater type presentation where through song, dance and comedy, the story of the first climbers to the McKinley summit came to the stage. Our dinner was family style with ribs and Salmon. They said they were pork ribs but we think they were something else like maybe Moose or Caribou. The show was enjoyable, and according to the actors, actually, our wait staff, very accurate portrayal of the first summit climbers, some 60 years ago.
Shoot a little bear
drink a little hooch
tell some tall tales
watch out for the moose
swat them skeeters,
don’t let em swarm
eat some food
got to keep warm
and
have a some fun
in the land of the midnight sun
Yes, the midnight sun is a sight to see. I f they had not had snows 8 days before we arrived. I would have signed up for an 11:00 PM T off time at the nine hole golf course, just to say I had done it. At 3:30, I was up just to see clear blue skies, and by 4:30 AM the mountain tops were a glow from the sunlight. By 10:00 AM it was in the 60s and climbing as we spent the last day in Denali on a 3 hour nature tour. We saw Caribou, Moose, Ground Squirrels, Dall Sheep and listened to an Athabascan native tell of his family in the time before the days of gold. Now I got to tell you I enjoy nature, but am not as much in touch as the people were on our bus. Someone would holler Moose and all would jump to that side of the bus to see. I was tempted to holler “Cockroach Cockroach” to see what would happen but decided to enjoy the day for even I, the mean spirited conservative, enjoyed this day.
That afternoon we went to see the dog sledding dogs at our National Park Ranger Headquarters. I watched in amazement as the Ranger in charge along with her 3 assistants, harnessed up six huskies and drove the sled around a 1/8 mile gravel track In the winter the dogs are used to trek out in the snows, to help find poachers and those who are camping out in winter’s wilderness.
We boarded the train for Fairbanks at 1:30 some two hours late, but nobody cared. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Mark and Donna and Jim and Barb and finally got to our hotel at 11:00 PM. We had a 7:00 AM flight out, so guess what? A 3:45 AM awakening, and off to airport by 5:00 AM. We flew out of Fairbanks and had one last parting shot at the Alaskan Mountain Chain as the pilot flew right over McKinley. We got home at 11:00 PM that day and collapsed into bed. This was more than a cruise, it was an adventure.