Alaska, 2019

June 10 – June 23, 2019
FOURTEEN AMAZING DAYS EXPLORING VANCOUVER AND THE GREAT STATE OF ALASKA

Our incredible 2019 summer trip consisted of two days in chic Vancouver B.C. and then seven days cruising and exploring the southeast of Alaska on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner with stops at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. After disembarking in Seward we caught a water taxi and spent four days in the Kenai Fjords National Park at the amazing Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge. Returning to Seward on the water taxi we then took a shuttle bus following the interesting waterway known as Turnagain Arm and spent our final night in Anchorage.

Vancouver June 10 – 11, 2019

We left Los Angeles for Vancouver on Monday, June 10 two days early before having to embark on Wednesday June 12 for Alaska on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner. We decided the best way to start our trip would be to spend two days immersing ourselves in Vancouver’s cosmopolitan culture and beauty. In 2017 we stayed in downtown Vancouver at the Rosewood Georgia Hotel. This time we stayed in the hip neighborhood of Yaletown at the chic, modern hotel OPUS Vancouver.

Vancouver stay details:

Vancouver to Seward aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner June 12 – 19, 2019

On Wednesday morning June 12 we shuttled to Canada Place, Vancouver’s cruise ship terminal, and boarded the Seven Seas Mariner for an afternoon departure. We left Vancouver on a beautiful evening and spent all Thursday June 13 cruising the Northwest Passage heading north to our first stop at Ketchikan, Alaska. I’ve been to Alaska many times for work but never for a vacation! As a college student I worked five summers in salmon canneries in Cordova and King Cove. Admittedly I was a little apprehensive as my previous time spent in the state was one of hard work and long hours with very few opportunities for fun and pleasure. I was hell-bent on changing my perception of the state. With the help of the luxurious Seven Seas Mariner and incredible visits to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka we had an incredible, active yet relaxing visit to the last frontier!

Vancouver to Seward cruise details:

  • We sailed on the: Regent Seven Seas Mariner
  • We ate:
    • Breakfasts onboard at La Veranda and Coffee Connection
    • Lunches onboard at La Veranda, Compass Rose and the Pool Grill
    • Dinners onboard at Compass Rose, Prime 7, Chartreuse, Sette Mari and the Pool Grill
    • Lunch (while docked at Sitka) at Beak Restaurant
  • Things we did:
    • Our visit to Ketchikan on Friday, June 14: We arrived into Ketchikan (located on Revillagigedo Island) early Friday morning with perfect weather; not a cloud in the sky! We were one of four cruise ships to arrive at about the same time. In light of this, we anchored in the middle of the bay and took water taxis to the main dock. We toured the charming yet quirky town of Ketchikan with its raunchy named bars, souvenir shops, pot shop and Creek Street boardwalk. We then boarded charter buses for our first excusion: Rainforest Island Adventure. We shuttled to Knudson Cove and took inflatable boats to Orca Beach in the Tatoosh Islands where we took a hike through one of the island’s rainforest. It was a beautiful place with friendly college kids as guides.
    • Our visit to Juneau on Saturday, June 15: We arrived into Juneau early Saturday morning to cool and cloudy skies. This time we were one of just three cruise ships and were able to tie up to the main dock. My excursion for this day was: Mendenhall Glacier – Guide’s Choice Adventure and Glenn’s was: Dog Sledding On the Mendenhall Glacier Via Helicopter. I boarded a small shuttle bus and we drove to the Mendenhall Glacier and hiked the 3.5 mile East Glacier Loop Trail. The trail skirted Mendenhall Glacier with nice views of the glacier and the visitors center. Glenn boarded a shuttle to the airport and then flew in a small helicopter out onto the Mendenhall glacier to visit a summer dogsled camp full of Alaskan Huskies! He bonded with the dogs and then went on a sled ride with the dogs. He had an amazing time taking great pictures and videos of the dogs! Upon returning to Juneau we explored the town drinking beer at Devil’s Club Brewery Co., buying great t-shirts at Treetop Tees and walking through the Red Dog Saloon.
    • Our visit to Skagway on Sunday, June 16: We arrived into Skagway early Sunday morning to cool air and cloudy skies. We tied up to the main dock and had an early 7:30 a.m. call time for our excursion. Our excursion for this day was: Venture to Glacier Point. We departed from the Skagway harbor in a covered aluminum water taxi and motored for 75 minutes through Chilkoot Inlet. While passing through the inlet we saw eagles, a large community of Stellar Sea Lions and several Humpback Whales. Once out of the inlet and into Favorite Channel we passed Chilkat State Park and landed at Glacier Point. From there we boarded old school buses and drove a short distance to a small encampment and donned rain gear. Next, we took a short hike to the Glacier River and boarded canoes and paddled to a large glacier-melt mudflat right in front of the Davidson Glacier. Awesome. We then proceeded to hike up close to the glacier to observe it and all the glacial till left as it continues to melt and receed. It was really a great experience. Once back to Skagway we toured the small town full of Klondike Gold Rush history and monuments. Of course we visited both Skagway Brewing Company and Klondike Brewery Co. for cold beer!
    • Our visit to Sitka on Monday, June 17:We arrived into Sitka (located on Baranof Island) very early Monday morning to yet another day of cool air and cloudy skies. We tied up at Old Sitka Dock right next to the Queen Elizabeth II. A cruise ship at least 1.5 times larger than the Seven Seas Mariner. The QE II left soon thereafter. We had another early 8:00 a.m. call time for our Monday excursion. Our excursion for this day was: Salmon Sportfishing. We meet our charter at an adjacent dock next to the Seven Seas Mariner. We got incredibly lucky as no else from the Seven Seas Mariner showed up so we had the whole charter to ourselves. Our Native American guide Mitchell was great and very patient with us. We left Sitka and motored to the Saint Lazaria Island (aka Bird Island) and begin trolling with downriggers and two different lures. We were surrounded by aquatic birds of all kinds. My favorite were the shy Puffins that were difficult to get a decent picture of. I got the first fish – a small rock fish that we tossed back. I then got another hit and this time it was a king! As I was fighting the fish a Steller Sea Lion decided it wanted the fish as well. Somehow we got the fish to the boat after a long struggle and Mitchell expertly netted it! We were all laughing hysterically and high-fiving once the fish was onboard. It should be noted that the fish had some teeth marks near its tail and was bleeding. Some time passed with very little activity and we were starting to get near the end of our charter and all of a sudden another king hit. This time it was Glenn’s fish! He landed it after a decent fight and we had a second beautiful king which was larger than my fish. We motored into the Sitka boat harbor on a big high from our fishing adventure. We said goodbye to Mitchell, made arrangements to have the fish processed and shipped home and then set out to explore Sitka. This city is very charming and we had a great time exploring including cold beers at Pioneer Bar and a delicious lunch at Beak Restaurant.
    • Cruising the Hubbard Glacier on Tuesday, June 18:
    • Arrival and disembarkation at Seward, Wednesday, June 19:

Kenai Fjords National Park June 19 – 22, 2019

We arrived into Seward on Wednesday morning June 19 to perfect weather. There was not a cloud in the sky, no wind and the view of the town and surrounding mountains was incredible. We were sad to disembark the Seven Seas Mariner but excited to start the next phase of our summer trip. After claiming our luggage we walked about 30 minutes to the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge Seward office to catch our transfer to the dock to board the water taxi to the lodge. As we were early we dropped our bags and headed into Seward to explore. Upon return to the office we were driven to the dock, boarded the taxi and began our marine wildlife and glacier cruise. The amazing cruise ended about four hours later at a beach near Pedersen Glacier Lagoon. We were escorted to our cabin named Murrelet which was rustic but comfortable and quiet. All the cabins in our area were named after water fowl. For the next four days we did group activities, self-guided hikes and ate like kings. In the evening we would have Glacieritas (margaritas with glacier ice) and socialize with the other guests and staff. It was a really great experience…and, it should be noted we had no cellphone reception and no Television. Off the grid = bliss!

Kenai Fjords National Park stay details:

  • We stayed at: Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
  • We ate:
    • Breakfast every morning at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
    • Lunch everyday at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
    • Dinner every evening at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
  • Things we did:
    • Marine wildlife and glacier cruise through Resurrection Bay and Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park
    • Pedersen Glacier Canoe and Hike
    • Beach hike through Pedersen Lagoon
    • Overlook Ridge Hike
    • Beach hike to Aialik Bay and Aialik Glacier viewpoint
    • Beach hike through Pedersen Lagoon
    • Marine wildlife and glacier cruise through Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay

Anchorage June 22 – 23, 2019

We woke to a beautiful last morning at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge had breakfast and hiked the beach to Pedersen Lagoon. As our departure time to Seward was 2:30 p.m. we had plenty of time for a nice hike. We left right on time boarding the Wild Lander water taxi back to Seward. Through Aialik and Resurrection Bays we saw a beer, a large group of Steller Sea Lions and the same pod of killer whales we saw on Wednesday. We arrived in Seward and were sorry to say goodbye to Rika and her crew on the Wild Lander. As we had time before our shuttle bus into Anchorage we had an early dinner at Ray’s Waterfront. We boarded the shuttle bus at 6:30 p.m. and headed towards Anchorage. The ride takes 3 hours and is a total of 125 miles. We had a very entertaining and knowledgeable bus driver who pointed out sites along the way. Most interesting was Turnagain Arm inlet that connects to Cook Inlet. We arrived in Anchorage and walked from the convention center to our hotel. It was near 11 p.m. by the time we headed out for a drink at the Crow’s Nest and the sun was still out! Welcome to Alaska in the summer! The next morning we had breakfast, toured the Anchorage Market and then headed to the airport for our flight home to Los Angeles. What great adventures we had on our summer trip. I would go back to Alaska in heartbeat!

Anchorage stay details: