Back in March my friend Lucy asked if I wanted to go on a cruise. We both have an affinity for watercraft, and it seems like every trip we go on at least one boat is involved. So why not center an entire trip around one big boat? Four months and a 46 page google doc later, we found ourselves on a giant floating resort along with our respective mothers on the way to Alaska.
My mom and I wanted to explore Seattle, so we gave ourselves a few buffer days before and after the cruise. We got a CityPass and were able to knock out a lot of things before the cruise, more than either of us expected.
After two cram-packed days in Seattle it was time to board the boat!
The day at sea was a good opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the boat and the different goings-on, including the art gallery which would give out free art prints at their events and the jewelry store which gave out free charms. We soon gave up on the art events because they were one: way too long since they only gave out the free stuff at the end and two: the art prints were… not my taste. The jewelry store on the other hand gave out the free stuff at the beginning which was optimal, more on that later. Sometimes you just need silly little objectives, ok?
Our first port of Sitka was a lot of fun, we were able to see the main highlights with the rental car without the exorbitant cost of the excursion through the cruise line. Of course more time would have been nice to see more of the historic Russian architecture around town. We at least drove by and saw the outside of a lot of things. Before researching for this trip I hadn’t realized that Alaska had so much rainforest, and Sitka in particular has a lot less snow, in fact less average snowfall than where I am in upstate New York.
Juneau was extremely walkable, the main downside was that our port time was so early which didn’t give us a whole lot of time while things were finally starting to open around 9:30-10am. But we were still able to see a lot. Endicott Arm afterwards was pretty, being surrounded on all sides with cliffs and mountains in the fjord was a different feeling than being on open water.
Whale watching was incredible! I am not a master of wildlife photography and my camera is not great at focusing, but I was still able to get some good shots. It felt like we had more than enough time to see Icy Strait Point afterwards. This was the chilliest day of the trip, but I mostly think that was because I spent several hours at the front of a boat with wind blowing straight into my face. Worth it though!
Ketchikan was our first time doing an excursion that would fill our entire on-shore time, and because of that we only got to see a small sliver of the town itself which was unfortunate. The Lumberjack show we knew would be something touristy but entertaining, and the guided tour of Totem Bight was very informative. It was also bittersweet that this would be the last Alaskan stop on the itinerary.
Unfortunately the time in Victoria was extremely short! The only way to really see anything substantial was through an excursion since the port wasn’t super close to downtown. We went up to a historic observatory and got to see a bit of the city on the bus ride. It would be great to come back to British Columbia at some point. This was also our last day on the ship, and it felt a bit sad like the end of summer camp or something, where you knew it was all temporary but you were just getting used to it. And an update to the jewelry store charms… we collected them all. I don’t know how to feel about that, but we did complete our silly little goal and now had an amulet of adventure fit to be a priceless family heirloom.
Said goodbye to Lucy and her mom as we separately disembarked in the morning. My mom and I continued our Seattle adventures by going over to the Pioneer square area. We had heard of the Seafair parade so checked it out in the evening, before tapping out near the end and watching the rest from the hotel TV.
I wish I could bottle up all the beautiful wildflowers, mosses, and other plants into a little terrarium. Mt. Rainier was a big trek from Seattle but it was beautiful. I should note here that for the entire trip, we got extremely lucky with the weather. We saw a light sprinkle once which stopped before we even got off the boat. Otherwise it was nice and sunny, or overcast at most on some days. The temperature was pretty comfortable, mid-50s, and the wind was mostly what made it feel cold. I was able to make it through with my shirt + sweatshirt + light jacket combination which I could shed as necessary.
đź‘ŹClapped Outđź‘Ź 