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Saturday 10th  Seattle
Having arrived in Seattle the previous
evening, we had a whole day to see the city and the area. We stayed
at the Paramount Hotel on Pine Street, which was well situated for
the shopping centres and fairly close to the harbour front. We had
booked the hotel through British Airways and were very satisfied with
the standard of accommodation. We started our day by getting the
monorail from the nearby shopping mall and arrived at the Space
Needle, which towers 605 feet above the city. A lift took us to the
top, where we had a spectacular view of the City of Seattle. We
returned to the city centre and then walked to the harbour, where we
caught a ferry to Bainbridge Island, about a 3/4 of an hour trip.
There were many tug boats as we left the harbour, about to start
their annual race. We were accompanied on the journey over by a US
Customs launch, which sported a couple of machine guns to deal with
any would be pirates! Bainbridge Island seemed very picturesque. We
only stayed a couple of hours and explored the town of Winslow, and
the inner reaches of the harbour. Very smart and expensive real estate!
Sunday
11th May  Boarding
Ship
After breakfast we walked down to the market area
and saw that our cruise ship had berthed overnight. We could see our
cabin verandah at the stern of the ship and it looked inviting. We
did a bit of shopping in the town and around midday got a taxi to the
pier to embark. Getting aboard was no problem, and we were taken to
our cabin, which met all of our expectations, and contained a
complimentary bottle of champagne! We had a look around the ship and
ate lunch at the Great Outdoor Cafe at the stern, overlooking
Seattle. We were then all called to a practice emergency, as the ship
sailed, and we again noticed that the US Customs had provided two
armed launches to escort us from harbour. We sailed into the evening
sunset and the Inside Passage.
Monday 12th
May  Cruising
Today we awoke to find ourselves in the Inside
Passage, with the coast of Vancouver Island alongside. By 10 am we
left the island behind and sailed out to sea, with Juneau our
destination for the following day. There were plenty of activities we
could do on ship and a pleasant day soon passed. I was very pleased
with the "Freestyle" choices available, whereby we had a
complete choice of how we spent the day, with relaxed and informal
dining arrangements, with plenty of options. The entertainment was
splendid, again with many choices throughout the day and evening.
Tuesday
13th May  Juneau
We woke to a grey but spectacular dawn, and by
late morning we were ready to berth at the port of Juneau, Alaska. We
had an exciting and busy day ahead of us, starting with a helicopter
ride to glaciers on the Juneau Icefield. We disembarked ship and a
coach took us to the airfield, where we watched a safety film, only
to then be told that due to adverse weather conditions (rain and
cloud) our trip was cancelled. We returned to Juneau with heavy
hearts, but then jumped on a bus and travelled to the Mendenhall
Glacier. You view the glacier across a lake, and notice the blueness
of the ice. We then returned to Juneau, to join an evening whale
watching boat trip. The trip was great, with a splendid meal thrown
in. We had around half a dozen sightings of whales, first the blow of
water pluming in the air, then the splash as their bodies broke the
surface. The scenery was splendid and we enjoyed every moment.
Wednesday
14th May  Skagway
An early start saw us disembark ship at Skagway,
and by coach travel along the coast, to board a catamaran, taking us
across the water, past Haines and onto Glacier Point, for a
Wilderness Expedition. We jumped onto the beach and were taken by 4
WD coach, along a narrow and unmade track inland. We then changed
into waterproofs and trecked for about half a mile to a lake, where
we got on board canoes and paddled our way for a further 1/2 mile to
the edge of the glacier. Again, the blueness was apparent and there
were a number of mini icebergs in the lake. After an hour on the lake
we returned the way we had come. On the catamaran trip back we
stopped by the shore to see around 100 sea lions basking on the rocks.
On our return to Skagway, we then got aboard the
White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, for a spectacular train journey
into the mountains. A three hour, 40 mile round trip took us some
2,865 feet high, through tunnels, over amazing bridges, and past
spectacular scenery. An excellent live commentary by the tour guide
enhanced the journey, and although you could see everything from the
coaches, you could get outside, between each coach for a more direct
experience. On the return journey, the seats folded the opposite way
and everyone changed sides of the carriage, so that all had a view
from each side.
Thursday
15th May  Sawyer
Glacier
John awoke in the early hours with symptoms of
food poisoning, and was unable to enjoy today. However, Penny was
fine and experienced one of the best days of the cruise. We journeyed
along a deep fjord, with spectacular scenery either side, then
cruised right up to the Sawyer Glacier, before turning and making our
way on towards Ketchikan. The day ended with a spectacular sunset.
Friday
16th May  Ketchikan
Penny left mid morning and enjoyed a trip entitled
"Orca Beach Nature Trail." Following a 30 minute boat ride,
she arrived on a secluded beach where she made a 30 minute walk
through forest to a boardwalk. A motorised inflatable boat then
provided a short cruise along the coast, back to the boat taking her
home. Various items of interest were pointed out, including fauna and flora.
John ventured out to do some souvenir shopping for
the family, and had a further disaster when he came back onboard,
falling through the gangway ladder as it joined the ship. He was not
very impressed with this lack of safety, and badly grazed his leg,
which has taken some six weeks to get better.
Saturday
17th May  Victoria
We cruised most of the day, out at sea, arriving
at Victoria, Vancouver Island, in the evening. We joined a coach tour
of the city. Victoria is a very smart city, and has many Colonial
connections. We travelled into the expensive areas where prices are
given in millions of dollars. At the highest point of the tour we saw
a rainbow over the coast. Victoria Island is somewhere where you
could spend at least a week exploring, maybe two.
Sunday 18th May  Seattle
and Home
We berthed at Seattle early morning, but did not
leave the boat until around 10.45 am. We had a last look at our cabin
and said our goodbyes to the ship. Good memories of the excellent
ship's crew, first class entertainment, facilities and the standard
of our cabin. We took a taxi to the Airport and by booking in early,
managed to get the best seats on the plane (standard class) on the
way home. |
