Learning to Walk (and Parent) on the Wonder: Cruising Alaska with a Mini-Mouseketeer. Ketchikan.

[TestingH2O]

Love the addition of the google earth information. This is so something I would do. Lol

Thanks. I'm enjoying your report.

In regards to traveling with a young kid, did you guys trade off some? While it's clearly not the same as a day by the pool, I found just having an hour or two to relax and enjoy vacation made a difference. Also, planning trips with the grandparents helped too. Then everyone can have couple time as well. I know that's not always feasible, but it is a special treat. DD didn't do the clubs our first time, so there was definitely shuffling going on.

 

[lunarsongbird]

Love the addition of the google earth information. This is so something I would do. Lol

Thanks. I'm enjoying your report.

In regards to traveling with a young kid, did you guys trade off some? While it's clearly not the same as a day by the pool, I found just having an hour or two to relax and enjoy vacation made a difference. Also, planning trips with the grandparents helped too. Then everyone can have couple time as well. I know that's not always feasible, but it is a special treat. DD didn't do the clubs our first time, so there was definitely shuffling going on.

Gosh. I'm SO loving Google Earth. I'm geeking out over it so much! It's fun being able to relive my trip in this way.

I feel like with William's age- it's the perfect time to NOT have to trade off some. He loved the nursery, so we utilized it a ton. We got to spend wonderful amounts of time with him- sharing awesome activities, but then did almost all the adult activities that we would want to do. We are SUPER flexible with schedules, but I often wonder what our next experience will be when he is out of the nursery. How old was DD on your first cruise?

 

[TestingH2O]

DD was 3 but not 100% independent on the potty. She refused to even consider the nursery. She also never liked to be worn. I'm jealous of that time since I tried and tried (and spent an absurd amount of money on carriers), just to have a kid who wasn't that into me. Ha!

It ended up being fine and we had a lot of fun keeping her with us, but it did damped our adult time. Heck, even our last cruise when she liked the clubs, I still could have used a bit more me time. Honestly though, I think that was more a product of the shorter cruise. Next time I think we will be better able to strike a balance of family time and separate time. The grandparents are still coming though.

 

[lunarsongbird]

Day 3- A Day Hopelessly Beyond Description

"We seemed to float in true fairyland, each succeeding view seeming more and more beautiful, the one we chanced to have before us the most surprisingly beautiful of all. Never before this had I been embosomed in scenery so hopelessly beyond description. To sketch picturesque bits, definitely bounded, is comparatively easy--a lake in the woods, a glacier meadow, or a cascade in its dell; or even a grand master view of mountains beheld from some commanding outlook after climbing from height to height above the forests. These may be attempted, and more or less telling pictures made of them; but in these coast landscapes there is such indefinite, on-leading expansiveness, such a multitude of features without apparent redundance, their lines graduating delicately into one another in endless succession, while the whole is so fine, so tender, so ethereal, that all pen-work seems hopelessly unavailing."
-John Muir, Travels in Alaska, 1915

There are no words that can possibly begin to describe how amazing our "Tracy Arm" day was. I even thought about just posting only pictures for this portion of the trip report, but then I couldn't tell you about my spectacular manicure!

When we first woke up on Day 3, I rushed over and peeked through the curtains. Every morning felt like Christma morning. I couldn't wait to see what new scenery awaited us. On this particular morning it looked like we were in the open ocean from the port side of the ship. I slipped out onto the verandah and took a deep breath; it smelled like the sea (and being from Colorado- this is a delightful novelty!). I imagine that we were approaching Baranof Island.

As Andrew was getting out of bed, the fog horn sounded. I absolutely adore that sound and asked if he thought we were possibly passing another boat or something. However by the time he crossed the room, it was quite evident why the horn sounded...FOG. We had sailed right into a fog bank and we're entirely fogged in. Apparently this is called "sea fog." You can learn more about it here: https://teacheratsea.wordpress.com/tag/fog-bank/

I snapped a picture, because it was almost like I was seeing a white rainbow in the fog. I've never seen anything like it before.

And apparently it's a real thing- it's called a "fog bow" or a ghost rainbow. These "bows" contain less colors, because the water droplets in fog are so much smaller then when after it rains.

After being quite satisfied with my fog bow spotting, I headed over to the Vista Spa for my first onboard spa experience. I scheduled a manicure for the morning of Tracy Arm day, because I heard that the ship wouldn't be arriving to the fjord until around 11 AM. However, I didn't realize that the salon had a wonderful ocean view. So no scenery was missed... other than the FIVE orcas they saw in the gym at the time of my appointment. I think the promise of killer whales is the only thing that couldn't get me to work out while on vacation. Haha.

I mean, honestly...Look at this view:

It's insane, right? We were just making our way through the fog bank as I was getting my manicure done.

I treated myself to the Fire and Ice Manicure, which is 50 minutes long. Vista Spa describes it as such: "Your nails are one of your most important accessories, so keep them beautiful with this invigorating manicure that will warm your spirit and cool your stress. Using a combination of therapeutic cooling gels and the warmth of massage using a heated stone, your skin will be smoother and your nails will be nourished and polished to perfection."

It was so pampering and luxurious! I've never had such a seamless manicure before. I don't even remember her asking me to move my hands from this to place to that place...and back again. It just felt effortless. I opted to get a shellac manicure and was delighted to see that they use CND ("Creative Nail Design") products, which is the company that actually invented the shellac manicure. My nail tech said that she enjoyed working with the products and was trained in London before her contract began. I thought that was interesting. She was such a beautiful person, inside and out. Originally from Botswana, she told me that her mother always used to tell her that when she was born that she was as dark as three nights combined. It sounded so poetic. When I slipped a candy bar to her after the manicure, she insisted on giving me a hug. It was probably one of the highlights of my day.

I got compliments on my nails for the rest of the entire cruise and until I had to finally take the polish off at home. Honestly- it was the best manicure I have ever received. My nails were perfectly symmetrical (which was interesting, because she didn't hold them up against each other or anything)...they were just stunning.

I will definitely get another manicure on my next cruise- probably even a pedicure. And if I go on the panama canal cruise- I think I will get a manicure at the beginning of my cruise AND at the end. It was that good. I also appreciated that she didn't really try to sell my any products. She told me about her favorite moisturizer and I know she was doing it because part of her job is to upsell, so it didn't bother me to much.

OH...But I had to get a move on! I had a very important date!

This little man was eagerly waiting to meet his favorite friends at the Character Breakfast!

It was shaping up to be a really beautiful morning. In fact, before we were about to leave the room, Andrew spotted a whale from our verandah.

On our way to Animator's we ran into a super special friend!

As you can see- William was totally enamored. I have to agree with so many others that running into characters, especially Princesses that wander around on their own, is so magical.

I have to say that I was SOOO ready for my first Mickey Waffle experience in...oh...two decades. I even brought my own maple syrup from home and let me tell you... those waffles. Oh my gosh. Delectable. The only other place on board that you will find real maple syrup is in Palo (the chef made a special point to inform me). If you are flying into Vancouver, I would encourage you to pick up a little bottle in the airport. It really does make a huge difference in terms of enjoying breakfast. In fact, perhaps that's why I didn't think that the breakfast was all that horrible.

The menu and the experience is definitely focused on the children, not necessarily the family as a whole...but the kids. In fact, during our character breakfast, they didn't even let the families stand up and assemble to take a picture together with the characters. No one was to stand up, but the characters. Interesting, hm? I imagine it was for the sake of speed, because these characters really do fly by. The only other thing that I noticed is that the Animator's Pallete is SO dark. If you compare pictures from a character breakfast from Animator's and Parrot Cay- the difference is pretty drastic. On an Alaskan cruise, I don't really like the idea of characters in their tropical outfits for the breakfast, but I definitely prefer the local of parrot cay. Animator's just doesn't lend itself to good pictures....

BUT...I had real organic maple syrup. So all was well in the world.

After breakfast, we stepped out to promenade on the promenade deck... and snapped one of the last pictures we will ever have of William crawling:

I was also thrilled to see our first tiny iceberg and another whale from the deck:

 

[lunarsongbird]

After our stroll on the deck, it was starting to become quiet obvious that William was getting tired....JUST as we were approaching Endicott Arm.

While planning, this was the day that I thought a lot about it. I wanted to "do it right." Should I camp out on Deck 10 all day? Hit up the Deck 7 Aft overlook? Go swimming because the pools would be heated and empty? Eat pea soup? Dine on grilled salmon? Take Shutters pictures with the glacier?

But with a toddler... well, a toddler is going to do what a toddler is going to do. However, I didn't mind, because we had the verandah. And for that reason- I think it's so worth it if you have a little one on an Alaskan cruise. However, if we didn't have a room with a view, I would have felt just as comfortable tucking him into one of the nursery's cribs so that I could enjoy the day that is Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm.

We learned earlier in the day that we were going to be sailing through Endicott Arm versus Tracy Arm.

You can see in this Google Earth Image that Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are very close together. Tracy Arm is the North Enrance, whereas the Endicott Arm is below it. Some naturalists call Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm the "twin sister fjords," and as you can see- they share the same opening and mountain range.

Someday I would like to go through Tracy Arm, as the fjord is more narrow and supposed to be just a bit more majestic. However, one naturalist says that the view of the glacier at the end of Endicott Arm is MUCH more satisfying. The ship can get much closer to Dawe's glacier and it's positioned so that you can see all of it's terminus in all of it's spectacular glory.

You can see Donald here in front of Sawyer's glacier and you can definitely see how the ship can't get quite as close because all of the icebergs. You'll also notice how it's tucked off a bit:

(But still undeniably spectacular.)


I've also been told that Endicott arm has more waterfalls and as I've already indicated- I'm a BIG fan of waterfalls!!

Another benefit of sailing down Endicott Arm is the awesome views you get of the sum dum hanging glacier, as it is actually IN Endicott Arm. So no need to be disappointed with Endicott Arm, my friends! It's quite spectacular and is by no means a poor substitute for Tracy Arm!

Here we are approaching Endicott Arm and Sum Dum glacier:

And now we are getting real up close and personal:

(This certainly looks like an icefall, doesn't it?

I scoured the internet and the USGS Glacier Glossary to try to figure out why some glaciers look so "wrinkly," which turns out is not a correct glacier term, and it appears that this look is when the glacier is highly fractured from movement.)


William was all nestled into bed as we passed by. (What was Andrew doing reading?!!! When the most beautiful scenery is going by?!)

I thought that this was a pretty neat picture, because the reflection captures the view from the stateroom and it was just AMAZING.

Oh and was just wonderful... and our journey down the fjord was JUST beginning.

Can you believe that the first gold strikes in Alaska were in this very area? In 1869, men found gold at the base of sumdum glacier. Just a hundred years ago, these pristine mountains were home to rails, roads, and trails...and a very large mine. Does this glacier look familiar?

In it's peak production in the 1890s the mine produced more than 24,000 ounces of gold. In today's numbers, it would be producing over $31.6 Million dollars.

In fact, there used to be a post office in this area until 1940. I can't even imagine...because there are no reminders left and I simply can't begin to fathom what it was like living in a place so incredibly remote.

The Sumdum Chief was the largest mine in the Southern Juneau gold belt. It even had it's own railroad, which was featured in a railroad magazine in the 1970s.

I was having such a fantastic time!

At one point, the boat stopped to let those off for the "Tracy Arm" excursion. I wondered if they were going to go into Tracy Arm, since it was such a smaller boat, but they stayed in Endicott Arm with us. The catamaran stayed fairly close to the port side of the ship for awhile, which made me wonder if the port side is more scenic going into the fjord.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

We could have ordered room service and had lunch together, but I wanted that notorious Tracy Arm Day lunch, which they still do not make mention of in the Personal Navigator!! I told Andrew that he could go up before me and he came back down a bit later looking just like Disgust from Inside Out.

He was just FLOORED that there were so many people there. He exclaimed, "IT WAS MOBBED!," but mind you- this is coming from the man who doesn't really like crowds...at all. (As a side note, he was surprised at how empty and spacious the boat felt most of the time. He is looking forward to continuing to cruise on the classic ships.)

So he decided to head up to Triton's for lunch, while I stayed with the sleeping baby. I turned on the view from the Bridge on the television and listened to the naturalist narration of the fjord.

The various different colors of green were just mesmerizing. Everything looked like it came directly from an artist's canvas.

In 1880, John Muir described this very area, "The upper half of the fiord is about from a mile to a mile and a half wide, and shut in by sublime Yosemite cliffs, nobly sculptured, and adorned with waterfalls and fringes of trees, bushes, and patches of flowers; but amid so crowded a display of novel beauty it was not easy to concentrate the attention long enough on any portion of it without giving more days and years than our lives could afford."

"Gliding on and on, the scenery seemed at every turn to become more lavishly fruitful in forms as well as more sublime in dimensions--snowy falls booming in splendid dress; colossal domes and battle meets and sculptured arches of a fine neutral-gray tint, their bases raved by the blue fiord water; green ferny dells; bits of flower-bloom on ledges; fringes of willow and birch; and glaciers above all."

(BAAAH! I can't believe that Andrew is INSIDE eating at Triton's and missing ALL THIS!)
If you think that this is gorgeous in pictures- I promise you- no camera can do this day justice. I wrote down something that our naturalist said before he signed-off for the day...

"Use all the emotions you can to capture the feelings of being in Endicott Arm. This is BIG country."

And let me tell you... you will have BIG feelings to match.

One of the things that I wanted to feel... was RELAXED.

Maybe next time I will head up to Deck 9 and 10 to see how busy this day can be on the cruise, but I was enjoying my craft beer, while my little tyke was napping... it doesn't get much better than that, I'm afraid.

I ordered some room service before we got to the glacier. I wanted some hot chocolate, because I read that as you get closer to the glacier, it becomes more and more cold (which totally wasn't the case on our cruise). I was disappointed that it was just hot water with two packets of swiss miss. Next cruise, I will bring my own fancy shmancy hot chocolate, but nonethless, I dumped out some of the hot water and put the hot chocolate in the carafe to stay warm. I also ordered a cheese plate and two warm cookies.

I'm telling you...this is an awesome way to experience Tracy Arm Day:

(You'll note the excursion catamaran zooming right along).

My travel journal made an appearance, so let's see what I had to say in the moment:
"There is no breeze as the seagulls are flying overhead silently. There are two waterfalls two my right and an island right in front of me. The clouds are taking a break on the tops of the mountains.

A lot of the things I wanted to do is falling by the wayside in favor of just being present. Wanting to do everything sometimes takes away from everything in the present."

This moment was postcard worthy.

As you approach the glacier, the water starts to become almost tropical in appearance. This is because of "rock flour"- http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/rock-flour/
Overtime, glaciers grind rocks into such fine particles,that they remain suspended in the water. It makes for really breathtaking scenery.

 

[DisneyMissy]

Enjoying your TR so far! We are going to the western Caribbean on the Magic in December and our younger daughter will be 15 months at the time. Glad your little one had fun! He's super adorable btw!

 

[hamm1207]

I absolutely love the report and I'm not even finished reading it yet!! Thank you so much for sharing! We're cruising with our daughter in November and she'll be turning 1 on the cruise. Did you leave your car seat with the porters to deliver to your room, or did you carry it on?

 

[Shanti]

After our stroll on the deck, it was starting to become quiet obvious that William was getting tired....JUST as we were approaching Endicott Arm.

While planning, this was the day that I thought a lot about it. I wanted to "do it right." Should I camp out on Deck 10 all day? Hit up the Deck 7 Aft overlook? Go swimming because the pools would be heated and empty? Eat pea soup? Dine on grilled salmon? Take Shutters pictures with the glacier?

But with a toddler... well, a toddler is going to do what a toddler is going to do. However, I didn't mind, because we had the verandah. And for that reason- I think it's so worth it if you have a little one on an Alaskan cruise. However, if we didn't have a room with a view, I would have felt just as comfortable tucking him into one of the nursery's cribs so that I could enjoy the day that is Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm.

We learned earlier in the day that we were going to be sailing through Endicott Arm versus Tracy Arm.

You can see in this Google Earth Image that Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm are very close together. Tracy Arm is the North Enrance, whereas the Endicott Arm is below it. Some naturalists call Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm the "twin sister fjords," and as you can see- they share the same opening and mountain range.

Someday I would like to go through Tracy Arm, as the fjord is more narrow and supposed to be just a bit more majestic. However, one naturalist says that the view of the glacier at the end of Endicott Arm is MUCH more satisfying. The ship can get much closer to Dawe's glacier and it's positioned so that you can see all of it's terminus in all of it's spectacular glory.

You can see Donald here in front of Sawyer's glacier and you can definitely see how the ship can't get quite as close because all of the icebergs. You'll also notice how it's tucked off a bit:

(But still undeniably spectacular.)


I've also been told that Endicott arm has more waterfalls and as I've already indicated- I'm a BIG fan of waterfalls!!

Another benefit of sailing down Endicott Arm is the awesome views you get of the sum dum hanging glacier, as it is actually IN Endicott Arm. So no need to be disappointed with Endicott Arm, my friends! It's quite spectacular and is by no means a poor substitute for Tracy Arm!

Here we are approaching Endicott Arm and Sum Dum glacier:

And now we are getting real up close and personal:

(This certainly looks like an icefall, doesn't it?

I scoured the internet and the USGS Glacier Glossary to try to figure out why some glaciers look so "wrinkly," which turns out is not a correct glacier term, and it appears that this look is when the glacier is highly fractured from movement.)


William was all nestled into bed as we passed by. (What was Andrew doing reading?!!! When the most beautiful scenery is going by?!)

I thought that this was a pretty neat picture, because the reflection captures the view from the stateroom and it was just AMAZING.

Oh and was just wonderful... and our journey down the fjord was JUST beginning.

I was having such a fantastic time!

At one point, the boat stopped to let those off for the "Tracy Arm" excursion. I wondered if they were going to go into Tracy Arm, since it was such a smaller boat, but they stayed in Endicott Arm with us. The catamaran stayed fairly close to the port side of the ship for awhile, which made me wonder if the port side is more scenic going into the fjord.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

We could have ordered room service and had lunch together, but I wanted that notorious Tracy Arm Day lunch, which they still do not make mention of in the Personal Navigator!! I told Andrew that he could go up before me and he came back down a bit later looking just like Disgust from Inside Out.

He was just FLOORED that there were so many people there. He exclaimed, "IT WAS MOBBED!," but mind you- this is coming from the man who doesn't really like crowds...at all. (As a side note, he was surprised at how empty and spacious the boat felt most of the time. He is looking forward to continuing to cruise on the classic ships.)

So he decided to head up to Triton's for lunch, while I stayed with the sleeping baby. I turned on the view from the Bridge on the television and listened to the naturalist narration of the fjord.

The various different colors of green were just mesmerizing. Everything looked like it came directly from an artist's canvas.

In 1880, John Muir described this very area, "The upper half of the fiord is about from a mile to a mile and a half wide, and shut in by sublime Yosemite cliffs, nobly sculptured, and adorned with waterfalls and fringes of trees, bushes, and patches of flowers; but amid so crowded a display of novel beauty it was not easy to concentrate the attention long enough on any portion of it without giving more days and years than our lives could afford."

"Gliding on and on, the scenery seemed at every turn to become more lavishly fruitful in forms as well as more sublime in dimensions--snowy falls booming in splendid dress; colossal domes and battle meets and sculptured arches of a fine neutral-gray tint, their bases raved by the blue fiord water; green ferny dells; bits of flower-bloom on ledges; fringes of willow and birch; and glaciers above all."

(BAAAH! I can't believe that Andrew is INSIDE eating at Triton's and missing ALL THIS!)
If you think that this is gorgeous in pictures- I promise you- no camera can do this day justice. I wrote down something that our naturalist said before he signed-off for the day...

"Use all the emotions you can to capture the feelings of being in Endicott Arm. This is BIG country."

And let me tell you... you will have BIG feelings to match.

One of the things that I wanted to feel... was RELAXED.

Maybe next time I will head up to Deck 9 and 10 to see how busy this day can be on the cruise, but I was enjoying my craft beer, while my little tyke was napping... it doesn't get much better than that, I'm afraid.

I ordered some room service before we got to the glacier. I wanted some hot chocolate, because I read that as you get closer to the glacier, it becomes more and more cold (which totally wasn't the case on our cruise). I was disappointed that it was just hot water with two packets of swiss miss. Next cruise, I will bring my own fancy shmancy hot chocolate, but nonethless, I dumped out some of the hot water and put the hot chocolate in the carafe to stay warm. I also ordered a cheese plate and two warm cookies.

I'm telling you...this is an awesome way to experience Tracy Arm Day:

(You'll note the excursion catamaran zooming right along).

My travel journal made an appearance, so let's see what I had to say in the moment:
"There is no breeze as the seagulls are flying overhead silently. There are two waterfalls two my right and an island right in front of me. The clouds are taking a break on the tops of the mountains.

A lot of the things I wanted to do is falling by the wayside in favor of just being present. Wanting to do everything sometimes takes away from everything in the present."

This moment was postcard worthy.

As you approach the glacier, the water starts to become almost tropical in appearance. This is because of "rock flour"- http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/rock-flour/
Overtime, glaciers grind rocks into such fine particles,that they remain suspended in the water. It makes for really breathtaking scenery.

Loving this report so far and hoping you find time to write more.

 

[lunarsongbird]

Enjoying your TR so far! We are going to the western Caribbean on the Magic in December and our younger daughter will be 15 months at the time. Glad your little one had fun! He's super adorable btw!

Yay! It really is a fun age! We feel so confident about it- that we are now going to take him on his first Disneyland trip in November, which is of course a completely DIFFERENT beast, because of the lines, ect... I think our next cruise will be the Panama.

I absolutely love the report and I'm not even finished reading it yet!! Thank you so much for sharing! We're cruising with our daughter in November and she'll be turning 1 on the cruise. Did you leave your car seat with the porters to deliver to your room, or did you carry it on?

Ah. Car seat possession- an ever hotly debated topic. I couldn't wait to get rid of that thing. The less we had to lug around at any point the better. We found that the porters treated our car seat with care on both sides of the trip. However, maybe if I had a super duper expensive fancy shmancy car seat- I would feel different, but this is the carseat we use for traveling. We bought it specifically for that purpose.

Loving this report so far and hoping you find time to write more.

Hooray! I'm a Principal's Secretary and our teachers just came back yesterday. Our students come back next week, but I hope to be able to write a bit each day or at least a few times a week. It takes me to my happy place.

 

[lunarsongbird]

I was starting to get a little bit nervous about the time. The minutes were ticking by and Andrew wasn't back from lunch yet. Beach Blanket Buffet closes at 2 PM. I wasn't hungry because I ate all the blue cheese off the cheese plate (heehee), but I really wanted to experience that still unadvertised, but very cool Tracy Arm Day BBQ. I was also thinking, "Sweeeeet.... This baby is taking a GREAT nap." William was STILL napping when Andrew arrived back to the room at 1:45 PM. So I practically skipped upstairs to grab my lunch. As I arrived, I felt welcomed and not rushed and there was still PLENTY of food. In fact, they were still refilling everything on the buffet line AND from their grill. I hopped through the buffet line and eagerly slipped outside for the Alaskan bounty! They are doing the salmon, sausage and other goodies on a very large propane grill, which made me wonder where they store it when not in use- and why they don't use it more often because it's AWESOME.

What was really spectacular about arriving at this time is that there was barely ANYONE there. I think the herd at the buffet that Andrew encountered earlier were now all packed up on Deck 10. So I enjoyed my lunch with a great view and had a relatively quiet experience. As I ate, I chuckled at children that were just truly delighted by the scenery. I love Disney magic, but it's really warms your heart to see naturally occurring, organic magic, you know? Divinely created magic.

Occasionally I will see something and tell Andrew, "Oh my gosh! That looks just like Disneyland!" And Andrew reminds me... "No...Disneyland looks like this." This area reminded a bit of the Grizzly Peak area in California Adventure, which makes sense, because that area is designed to look like the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which were created by glaciers, just as this area is.

How much do you think you would pay for this view in a traditional restaurant? Not to mention al fresco dining! And lunch was YUMMM...just like everyone says it is. It was my favorite lunch onboard and perhaps next time we will be able to share it as a family.

As I headed back to our room, I really started to notice the the music in the common areas and staircases had really changed. No longer was the cheer Disney music. It was replaced with this majestic, yet calming soundtrack. Perfect for cruising through Endicott Arm. Leave it up to Disney to completely delight all your senses in the most wonderful way. I actually e-mailed Disney to see if there was any way that I could buy the music, but because of licensing (yada yada yada), there is no way for them to share, but I created a soundtrack that I think is similar:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZZphnRxM7R7B6l2GX2x_xQtpmMysrvqr

And would you believe it? William was STILL asleep when I arrived back into the room.

I could see how without children that this day could be super romantic. To be able to share something SO BIG and grand... And you know what? Even with kids it's still romantic.

But with kids- it makes your entire soul dance to look back on pictures of your children in such an awesome environment. You can almost hear the synapses in the brain firing. It's remarkable.

And I really enjoyed nursing my firstborn as icebergs floated by. What a memory!!
William woke up shortly before we arrived at the glacier. Most excellent timing.

 

[DisneyMissy]

Yay! It really is a fun age! We feel so confident about it- that we are now going to take him on his first Disneyland trip in November, which is of course a completely DIFFERENT beast, because of the lines, ect... I think our next cruise will be the Panama.

We took our older daughter to Disneyland when she was 20 months and she did great with the lines and on all of the rides. The only trouble we had was at the Aladdin show(which I believe is now Frozen), because she was tired and I left her pacifier in the stroller... Whoops! You guys will have a blast I'm sure! We have had a lot more Disney world trips than anything, but I hope to take more cruises in the future.

 

[st0nehedge]

Love your trip report. Writing style, historical background and pictures! Your little guy is a sweet heart, too. Can't wait to read more! We are on the first Alaska cruise for next season.

 

[lunarsongbird]

Love your trip report. Writing style, historical background and pictures! Your little guy is a sweet heart, too. Can't wait to read more! We are on the first Alaska cruise for next season.

How exciting!! I can't wait to hear about how the Wonder is going to change in dry dock. I wonder if they will include any features that will be exclusive to cruising through Alaska. I hope they don't get rid of the Cove Cafe. It's so wonderful for Alaska.

 

[lunarsongbird]

"Pushing our way slowly through the packed bergs, and passing headland after headland, looking eagerly forward, the glacier and its fountain mountains were still beyond sight, cut off by other projecting headland capes, toward which I urged my way, enjoying the extraordinary grandeur of the wild unfinished Yosemite. Domes swell against the sky in fine lines as lofty and as perfect in form as those of the California valley, and rock-fronts stand forward, as sheer and as nobly sculptured. No ice-work that I have ever seen surpasses this, either in the magnitude of the features or effectiveness of composition."
-John Muir, 1880

For awhile, we could see the iceberg in view on the television's bridge cam, before we could see it from our verandah... so the anticipation grew and grew...

So close...

Almost there...

"I feel it there beyond those trees
Or right behind these waterfalls"
-Pocahontas

Even from our verandah we could sense the excitement all over the boat. It reminded me of that moment right before you see the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. OR- that space in time, just before you catch your first glimpse of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland.

As we approached the iceberg... it was just magnificent. I've never seen anything like it!

This is a somewhat funny and very informative article on why it looks like someone has been four-wheeling on Dawes glacier: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97550&page=1
The article describes tourists complaining to state officials about their "dirty" glaciers and how they need to be cleaned up. Hahaha.

:: happy sigh ::

And to experience all the amazement with those you love most.
It's indescribable. There are no words to adequately describe the contentment that abounded on this day.

I mean...juts look at these baby feet!

It was the perfect time to break out the hot chocolate, cheese and cookies and just soak in all the awesomeness on the private oasis of our verandah.

At this point, the Captain had turned the starboard side of the ship to face the glacier and we had an amazing view of the extraordinary waterfall next to the glacier.

A waterfall that is this spectacular really deserves a name, but as much as I googled- I've come up empty handed. Perhaps it's just called the Dawes waterfall.

"A grander array of rocks and waterfalls I have never yet beheld in Alaska." -John Muir, 1880

It's so amazing that a ship of this size can get so close to nature.

An ultimate Disney ride!

Take a deep breath. Soak in that view.


Don't worry about the commotion on the top decks... or if you are getting the best view... All the views are the best.

How is this type of beauty even possible?

I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that on a ship of 3.000 people that it could be so incredibly serene. Perhaps it's because the scenery is so magnificent that people don't want to interrupt it with talk... and there really are no words to describe what you are seeing or feeling.

I sat in reverence.
There is a reason that people might murmur "Oh my God..", "Holy cow," "Dear Lord," or "My Heavens" on this day, because this fjord is truly otherworldly. I can see why John Muir felt that this area was so incredibly spiritual. There is a part in Jon Muir's writings that he describes "rejoicing in the possession of so blessed a day, and feeling that in very foundational truth that he had been in one of God's own temples and had seen Him and heard Him working and preaching like a man."

If you brought your own worship music, this could be the most profound spiritual experience of your life.

"The mountains themselves were made divine, and declared His glory in terms still more impressive." - John Muir

By the time that we ventured to the top decks, I hardly even noticed the crowds. At that point, we had been at the glacier for well over an hour, so I'm not sure where people disappeared to. I wanted to see if Shutters was still taking family pictures with the glacier, but I didn't spot them. (One of the items that I noted on my survey was that I would love to know when Shutters was out taking pictures and what type of pictures.)

We tried to take our own...but...you know...toddler.

And I'm pretty sure that there is some sort of written mommy rule that says you can't edit your kid out of your picture. Ha.
(You will note that William is out of his snow suit, because it was really starting to warm up in the sun. He was only in his suit for 20 minutes or so.)

My handy dandy navigator app told me that Mickey was on his way- and you better believe that I wanted to score a picture with Mickey in his Alaskan attire! In previous years, this was the only day the characters were in their Alaskan getups, but I'm happy to report that they are in their Alaskan outfits much more often now. Huzzah!

As we waited, we chit chatted with others in line about how beautiful it was. I joked that I was nearly positive that the entire thing was just a painted backdrop and another gentleman chimed in that the mountains were most certainly fiberglass- just like the Matterhorn or the toontown hills; something created by Disney himself, because the scenery was just too gorgeous to be real.

I'm glad that we decided to go up to the top deck, because the view from the verandah wasn't quite doing the sheer magnitude of the mountains justice. They are so jawdroppingly high.

I wish that there was something in this picture to give it perspective, because the mountains are enormous.

William was quite as enraptured with the mountains as we were:

But he is my son... so this lovely waterfall did capture his attention:

And it was at the moment, while we were waiting in line for Mickey Mouse on Deck 10 that it happened. I turned around to look at William in Andrew's arms, with the snowcapped mountains towering over the boat and my breath caught in my throat. It was in that instant that I realized that this memory…this exact moment in time… was being weaved into the tapestry of my soul. I would remember it forever. It was, if you will, a core memory.

A memory that I will look back upon when my years are long and think, “My life. It was so full of such beautiful moments. I’m blessed beyond words.” A memory to be cherished and recalled often.

So I can pinpoint the exact spot where I was standing when a dream, which I had been saving for nearly two decades, came true. My Disney Cruise dream…. Realized.

And it that moment...I was hooked. I knew that I was going to have to take another Disney cruise someday.

It's the level of customer service you receive:

(Waiting in line to meet Mickey)

And the pure magic that is Disney:

Whew. That was so emotional that I could pretty much end the trip report right there, huh? Boom. Disney cruises are magical. :: mic drop ::

But we haven't even gotten to any of the ports yet! And we still wanted to take William to splash around before dinner.... So the journey continues!

 

[lunarsongbird]

I really couldn't believe how warm it got. Never in a million years would I have guessed that the day we would have brought William to Mickey's Splash Pad would have been on Tracy Arm Day. At first William didn't quite know what to think of the jumping and dancing water, but then he really started to enjoy exploring the water. I can't wait to see what this space is going to look like after the Wonder goes to dry dock.

And a rare non-selfie picture of me with William:

We only had about 15 minutes before the splash pad was going to close, but that was really plenty of time for William. We wrapped him up in a towel and tucked him into my robe. We had just enough time for us both to take a bath before heading to dinner. I was quite excited, because we were going to Triton's and it just seems to be the most upscale main dining room. I could just stare at the mosaic in Triton's for hours. I was also looking forward to my dinner, because I felt really confident that I could eat the menu item without any special accommodation.

The night before I preordered a regionally inspired dish- a crispy roasted duck breast with cabbage, shallots, honey parsnip mash and a duck red wine jus. (Although I have to admit...I'm not sure which region this was inspired by. It doesn't seem particularly Alaskan.) Yum yum yum yum YUMM. Oh- I also ordered TWO appetizers (Gotta love Disney dining). I ordered the escargot and the French onion soup.

I didn't think the soup was all that great, but I ate all of the escargot. You should have seen William's reaction when I offered him one. Haha. Not such a successful food introduction.

My dinner and arrived...
And it was a plate with duck breast, which was a bit grey in the middle- AND...MORE STEAMED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI. My THIRD night of STEAMED cauliflower and broccoli. That's it. No sauce. Nothing. And who in their right mind would think that a guest would really want to eat the same steamed veggie every single night without asking?

My heart sank.
I'd been doing research and reading menus for months, carefully picking out items that I thought I could eat. And I really stressed to our main server (note: not the head server, because I hadn't seen him at all since the first night) the previous night that I really could eat everything that I ordered. I understand that they wanted to make sure I didn't get sick, but it just didn't feel like they cared- at all. How could anyone look at that sad sad plate- and think that it looked at all remotely appetizing?

I love eating. It brings me unbelievable joy (maybe even inappropriately so). It was a big part of my "Disney Cruise Dream." I mean- it's a big part of everyone's cruise experience, right?

I just couldn't sit with my unhappiness, so I excused myself. I originally had planned on going to the restroom, but when I saw the guest relations desk- I knew that I needed to say something.

I wept. It felt ridiculous, but I couldn't help it...this cruise had been such a big dream for such a long time and I just felt that the dining team sincerely didn't care about my experience. The dining room manager was called out and I explained the situation. The first solution he offered was to change servers, but that just felt weird- I would be adding to another server's load and/or possibly added to another families table that had probably already gelled. The dining room manager said that he would personally take my order for the following night and he escorted me back to my table.

The dining room manager must have briefed the head server, because he came over and apologized profusely. After dessert, which OF COURSE was the souffle (which was pretty good, but not nearly as good as the chocolate one in Palo...why don't they have a nutella soufflé? I think I might try to make one this weekend), he took my order for the following evening, which was going to be the Frozen Menu back in Animator's Pallet. Looking back on the menu- I should have ordered so much more. LOL. But I think because I was a little disappointed with the whole experience, I was timid in my ordering.

We were going to meet up with our tablemates in line to take a picture Minnie, but by the time our head server got done apologizing- they were already quite a few people ahead of us. I explained the situation in passing and thought it was interesting when the family ahead of in line said, "OH....(insert name) is your head serer, too? We haven't seen him at all this entire trip." They had been cruising with Disney with their children for YEARS and said this was the first time they had experienced that. William loved playing with their now grown-up children, who were 18 and 20, I believe...and still take pictures with the characters as a family..and that made my heart sing, sing, sing.

I love all the kind people that you meet on a Disney Cruise and I was so grateful that others wanted to keep William busy while we were in line. Haha.

The family in front of us delighted in William's new found skill of walking...if you can call it that... more like propelling himself forward and falling quite a bit.

And then we finally made it to the front. May we present to you.... Minnnie Mouse.

We thanked our Shutters Photographer with a chocolate bar for trying so hard to get a good picture, because... you know, squirmy toddler.

From the upper deck, we saw a really neat photo opportunity. In fact, it's Andrew's favorite "portrait" picture of the tip:

The Assistant Activities Officer had another crew member snap the picture so that I could also be in the shot. In fact, he stepped away from selling what appeared to be mulled wine and other hot beverages. Looking back, I wish I got one, but perhaps I just wasn't feeling it... It really wasn't that cold, not even a little bit, really. (The hot beverages were downstairs by guest services. Check it out.)

Andrew and I were on the fence about what to do after dinner. We decided that if William seemed sleepy when we got back to the stateroom that I would stay in with him.... otherwise... off to Flounders!

And...
"Hi! This is Deanna- William's mother - Do you have room for a super-hyper small toddler-type? Right now?! Great! We will be right down!"

I don't think we ever saw him so hyper. Flailing all around the room. It was hilarious and endearing. Maybe he was loving being upright. So we packed up his backpack and dropped him off with his nursery friends.

And we headed up to the adult cove for an evening soak, where once again...no one was there but us.

Ahh...

And this is the beauty of a Disney Cruise with little ones- The ability to spend quality time with your significant other, while your children are simultaneously have a great time.

We even extended our nursery time so we could go to the Cadillac Lounge for the first time. This also became one of our favorite places on board. I ordered an elderbuble, which is grey goose vodka, St.Germain Elderflower liqeur, raspberry puree, and tattlinger champagne.

We enjoyed classic movie tunes with Silviu Constantin. It was so relaxing.

And you know what is even MORE relaxing?
Picking up your baby from the nursery like this....

Oh my gosh. It's so cute...it makes my heart hurt. This is only one of the pictures that shows how much I adore the nursery on board the Wonder. Is it not the sweetest? So endearing. I truly felt that the nursery staff had a genuine affection towards William.

:: happy sigh ::

Look who we ran into on our way back to our stateroom:

This evening really turned out lovely, despite a disappointing dinner.

William went down easily and I had time to write in my journal:
"Time just seems so arbitrary in this area in Alaska. According to the clock, it's past 10 PM, but the sun is just setting and it's absolutely mesmerizing out. I can't believe Andrew is in bed. Because this scenery... it's like sailing through a painting. How blessed are we that this magnificent state exists in our union?

I shared a bottle of wine with Andrew tonight, which quite loosened me up. William was so happy tonight, especially after attempting to eat our turn-down chocolate. Haha!

Endicott arm was beyond magical, enough to draw me out of my funk. How could you be in this place and feel anything but awe? Maybe that is why people enjoy it so much- it allows you to truly escape yourself."

 

[lunarsongbird]

Welcome to Skagway, Alaska! Our First Port!

I think one of the most exciting part of being on a cruise is waking up and being in a totally different place; you don't know what you will discover when you pull back the drapes.

The sun had not quite illuminated the port of Skagway as we arrived in the morning, but it was soon bustling with activity. Helicopters were constantly taking off and landing and the port crews made quick work of getting us secured to the dock.

Room service arrived with a couple new additions. I ordered crustables to have with us in case William got hungry on the excursion and yogurt, because at the nursery they mentioned that he had really been enjoying it. We just had room service for breakfast, because I had a plan! Well... kind of. For being such a planner, I hadn't planned a lot regarding the ports. I'm a true believer that the planning and excitement for a trip is almost as wonderful as the trip itself. I typically will walk the streets of my future destination on google maps and read pieces of fiction and non-fiction about the area. I really love to marinate in the history of an area before arriving, and although I read a lot of Disney Alaskan trip reports before leaving, I didn't do a lot of research before arriving in Skagway or any of the ports for that matter.

So I didn't quite know what to expect.

Skagway is RICH with history and looks very quaint from a far, and to some extent...it really is...but there is an elephant in the room regarding the ports... and it's called Diamond/Tanzanite International. Perhaps I should have know with all of the port shopping talks, but I figured that they were talking about authentic and genuine Alaskan goodies that you might want to bring home (how helpful, right?), like fireweed honey, reindeer jerky, native art, or jewelry made of ivory or abalone. Ha. Silly me.

I was a bit surprised to see that there were jewelry stores everywhere in Skagway. It's such a small town, but you will see in the map below that it is just overrun with jewelry stores. Haines, a nearby town, advertises to their visitors that their stores need support.

After I returned home, I researched this interesting industry, but not surprisingly- most of the articles I found were quite negative towards this growing trend in cruise ports:

Convinced that the stores on their easy-to-follow map will lead them to the greatest onshore deals, the eager tourists are unaware that the cruise line’s recommendations are driven solely by profit. They are unaware that the maps are leading them to stores whose revenue goes straight back to the ship. Their seemingly-cultural onshore excursions are a product of the more than half a billion dollars their cruise line pays on advertising each year.

Skagway City Manager Bob Ward wrote a letter to a Norwegian cruise line in 1998, stating his opposition to the port shopping program which had not yet been implemented in his Alaskan town. The program was misleading, he said, because it causes passengers to assume the recommendations were selected on the basis of quality and price.

Stores at several Alaskan ports told Klein that in addition to the annual membership fee, stores paid cruise lines about 40 percent of their gross receipt from cruise passengers.
-Huffington Post, 2012

The bottom line is captured in another news article, "'Wherever there's a cruise ship port, there's a lot of jewelry, liquor, perfume and curios, T-shirts and souvenirs,'' he said as the last ship of the day pulled out of town on a recent Tuesday. ''This is not the end of it. Before this is all done with, you'll see another 100 stores.''

Where cruise ships go, jewelry follows.
-Ketchikan Daily News,2003

So no, there were no diamonds or tanzanite found in the hills of Alaska. In fact, it was at our first stop in Skagway that I asked, "So..um..can you tell me about the history of diamonds in Skagway?" and was surprised to learn a bit about the above.

But it's not all bad- there is still plenty of history to experience in each port- and I'm sure that for some it's really fun to collect the free charms that Diamond/Tanzanite International offers in each port. (I think the bracelet for them costs less then $10.

So back to our first stop in Skagway- and about the only thing that I DID research. We wanted to know if there were any craft breweries in Alaska that we could visit with our itinerary, as we are BIG craft beer fans!

A few weeks before we left, I reached out to Skagway Brewing to talk logistics:

Since the brewery didn't open until 10 AM, we were in no rush to get off the ship. We leisurely strolled off the boat with no line at around 9 AM. As with many other cruisers have noted before, the tides in Skagway are pretty wild. The tides change nearly 20 feet on three different times during the time the ship is in port; so it really messes with the gangways, which they have to move around quite frequently throughout the stay at
Skagway.

My husband pointed out that we could see the SONAR on the Wonder while we were in port, which was kinda neat (although I'm not quite sure that this is where they house a SONAR apparatus on the Wonder, but what I can tell you is that it's the bulbous bow knuckle, which "modifies the way the water flows around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability. Large ships with bulbous bows generally have a twelve to fifteen percent better fuel efficiency than similar vessels without them.") The crew members were also working on repainting the mickey on the front of the ship, which looking back is so neat, because just mere weeks later the Wonder would be heading into dry dock and all that paint would be stripped away anyways, but Disney in the details and they want to have their ship looking tip top shape for ALL their guests.

We broke out our Osprey child carrier and headed into the wild frontier!

Skagway really is quite charming (especially if you are able to overlook the somewhat obnoxious jewelry stores). Skagway is the home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

The first thing we spotted was the Pullen Creek Stream Walk: http://taiya.org/pullen-creek-stream-walk/

We were just thrilled to be in our first port.

When you first arrive in Skagway, you will find yourself in the Skagway Historic District:
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/historyculture/skagwaydistrict.htm

"In 1972, Skagway became the first city in Alaska to establish a Historic District by city ordnance and the following year the city created the Historic District Commission with an eye to preserving the historic character of the town."
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/blogs/Brief-History-of-Tourism.htm

The timeline of Skagway is incredibly fascinating, with many layers of interesting history. I highly recommend reading the Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush by Pierre Berton, winner of over thirty literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times). This will really enhance your stay in Alaska, especially Skagway.

The Tongass national forest, some of the last remaining old-growth temperate rainforest in the world, envlopes Skagway. This wild and untamed wilderness was inhabited by the Tlingit people for much of it's history. Explorers, fur traders, and missionaries passed through fairly unobtrusively.

However, the landscape of Skagway was destined to change forever when the son of an original 49er prospector found gold while salmon fishing along the Klondike river in the Yukon. Californian George Carmack originally found himself in Alaska in 1882 with the United States Marines (when they were stationed in Sitka shortly after Alaskan was released from Russian rule) and returned a few years later. He would change the face of Alaskan history when his discovery would cause the stampedes of the Klondike Gold Rush.

There weren’t nearly enough ships in the Northwest to handle the stampede of gold seekers–2,800 from Seattle alone in a single week. Everything that floated was pressed into service–ancient paddlewheelers and fishing boats, barges, coal ships still full of coal dust. All were overloaded, and many unseaworthy; they were dubbed ‘floating coffins,’ and all too often they lived up to the name. (Wild West Magazine)

Once the masses arrived, there were five trails that lead into the Klondike:

In the fall of 1897, the most popular trail into the Klondike was the 550-mile Skagway Trail over White Pass. At first glance, it seemed the less demanding of the two; it climbed more gradually, which meant that–in theory at least–pack animals could negotiate it. Once on the trail, miners found it nowhere near as easy as it looked. It led them through mudholes big enough to swallow an animal, over sharp rocks that tore at horses’ legs and hooves, across cliffs of slippery slate, where the trail was a scant 2 feet wide and a 500-foot drop awaited any animal–or miner–who made a misstep. (Wild West Magazine)

Skagway also had a deeper habor than nearby Dyea, making it an opportune choice. In the first half of 1898, when Skagway was teeming with stampeders, it was the biggest town in Alaska. Although when the first prospectors arrived in Skagway, it was barely a collection of tents.

A visiting Englishman described Skagway as "the most outrageously lawless quarter (he had) ever struck." There was a saloon or a con man, or both, on every corner, and gunfire in the streets was so commonplace as to be mostly ignored.

Within a short time, Skagway progressed from a homestead, to a hastily-constructed boomtown, and finally to a permanent city. William Moore's log cabin, which he built in 1887, was the first permanent structure in the Skagway River valley.

Structures ranging from simple wood frame shacks to large false-fronted buildings soon covered the town site. Stores, saloons, and offices lined the muddy streets. By March 1898, residents boasted that Skagway was the "Metropolis of Alaska" and the most prosperous town on the North Pacific Coast. A population estimate reported 8,000 residents during the spring of 1898 with approximately 1,000 stampeders passing through town each week. (National Park Service)

Andrew, William and I enjoyed learning about the historical downtown district of Skagway. I wish we did more research before we arrived so that we could have appreciated it more.

If I had done a little bit more planning, we probably would have joined the first guided ranger tour, which started at 9 AM. I bet I would have enjoyed it immensely! I even took a picture of daily itinerary especially for this trip report, because I didn't want anyone else to miss out.

https://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

We did enjoy some bits of history while we waited for the brewery to open though.
And remember- there are nice clean public bathrooms in the Mascot Saloon "museum."

The Mascot was the longest operated saloon in the same location and run by the same owner/proprietor in Skagway.

Also, make sure you take a moment to visit the Klondike Gold Rush Visitor center, all of the rangers and volunteers are so kind and they produce this lovely newsletter with local advertisements and stories of history. It's great to read while waiting for lunch or while on the train. (I found an electronic copy of the paper here: http://skagwaynews.com/alaska-news/skaguay-alaskan-visitor-guide/)

We also ducked into a few shops. Hidden amongst the silly jewelry stores are the true gems.

(Note the fireweed, which encyclopedia britannica lists as the region's local flower. According to the Alaskan Seed Company: Fireweed is the most colorful wildflower to be seen in Alaska. It takes over recent clearings, burned areas and along roadsides. It is a tall plant, up to 8 feet, with long terminal spike-like clusters of red blossoms. The tender new shoots from older roots are edible. They are eaten raw, cooked, or in the Eskimo matter, soaked in seal oil. The Eskimo name Pahmeyuktuk, describes the edible shoot. Plant with a thin soil cover and keep moist until the tender young plants are well started. Fireweed seed does not germinate well at high temperatures. Fireweed is a perennial and begins blooming the second season.)

Our friends from the brewery recommended Dedman's- as it's been owned locally for many many many years.
https://www.facebook.com/Dedmans-196440980504162
http://coldnosegifts.com/shop/

The Matthew Watson store is also a nice find: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewWatsonGeneralStore/

Before you go, take a look at some local Skagway artisans:
http://skagwaydevelopment.org/made-in-skagway/

Deanna's Shopping Talk
If I hosted the shopping talk on board the Disney Wonder...it would have looked a lot different. Here are some of the things I might have purchased if I was a big shopper and didn't have a toddler with us:

• I would have grabbed some glacial silt soap, if I had done my proper research beforehand: http://www.glaciersmoothie.com/

I'm happy that I can still support these awesome vendors from my home in Colorado, but the shipping costs from Alaska.... ugh.

• I also wish that I bought some fireweed honey. I read somewhere that it has a buttery aftertaste. How divine!!
• And I might look into Denali seeds for my garden in Colorado next year, since our growing season is also cold and short: https://bestcoolseeds.com/catalog/heirloom-varieties
• And of course, there is your good old ulu. We received one as a gift many years ago, maybe I will have to break it out of it's plastic. LOL. Be prepared to surrender it upon arrival to the ship and to pick it up in Vancouver.
• Did you know...? Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, it is illegal to offer, display or sell goods that misleadingly suggest they were made by a Native person. The artist has be a member of a tribe or “certified” by a Native tribe as a non-member artisan.

There was a local store in Skagway that went to court over this in September 2016.
So feel free to pick up some local native art. It's legit...

• Watch out for the "Made in Alaska" stickers:

The Made in Alaska program’s mission is to promote products made, manufactured, or handcrafted in the state. Alaska's businesses manufacture high quality products for markets in Alaska domestically and internationally. Products range from small gift items to large industrial modules.

Check out their Manufacturer of the Year Award Recipients to scope out some products you might want to keep an eye out for: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/ded/DEV/MadeInAlaska/ManufactureroftheYear.aspx

Wouldn't this make a wonderful stocking stuffer?

 

[lunarsongbird]

Place Marker:
Preparing for Skagway:
Food
Books
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/kidsyouth/upload/Junior-Ranger-3-5-final.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/kidsyouth/upload/finaledJr-book-younger_lbb815.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/kidsyouth/upload/Jr-book-9plus-book-best-accessible.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/75skagway/75facts1.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Spell-Yukon-Other-Verses-ebook/dp/B004UJIX10/

https://chilkootcharters.com/package/yukon-rail-bus/

https://skagwaynews.com/

 

[Flossbolna]

I saw your trip report when you started it but never got around to read it. And now I am in love! I love all the historic and nature information you put in there! And you showed me a side of Skagway that I had never heard about before! I would have loved to go on that guided tour with the Ranger.

Your little boy is incredibly cute and it sounds like he travelled well (even though I think that is to a large degree due to his wise parents who adopted the Toddler Travel philosophy of letting it go and going with the flow!). Looking forward to your report on the brewery!

 

[lunarsongbird]

I saw your trip report when you started it but never got around to read it. And now I am in love! I love all the historic and nature information you put in there! And you showed me a side of Skagway that I had never heard about before! I would have loved to go on that guided tour with the Ranger.

Your little boy is incredibly cute and it sounds like he travelled well (even though I think that is to a large degree due to his wise parents who adopted the Toddler Travel philosophy of letting it go and going with the flow!). Looking forward to your report on the brewery!

Hooray! I'm so glad that you are enjoying it. I'm enjoying writing and it and researching for it....post-trip. LOL. William was a trooper. You will see by the end of the Skagway day how we are still learning to parent. Haha.

 

[lunarsongbird]

Before heading to the brewery- I had one more stop I wanted to make... the White Pass & Yukon Railway GIFT SHOP. (I LOVE gift shops). Even if you don't go on the train while in Skagway, you should take a look around the depot. The railway absolutely is a crucial part of Skagway's history and still is one of it's shining attractions today. For a couple decades, it seems like the railroad was the only thing keeping Skagway alive. Check out the history of the railroad here:
https://wpyr.com/history/

There is also a lovely autobiography written by the son of a White Pass & Yukon Railway doctor. They lived in Skagway AFTER the gold rush, so it's a fascinating perspective: https://www.amazon.com/After-Gold-Rush-Growing-Skagway-ebook/dp/B005842Q3C

We just HAD to take our picture in front of the rotary snowplow.

(Am I the only one creeped out by William's little hand? Haha)

Check this bad boy out:

Wicked, right? Andrew's family is VERY into trains. They live on old railroad land and still have a beta player so that we can watch beta tapes about things like awesome rotary snow plows. Yeah. So you better believe that I got the the rotary snow plow Christmas ornament for my Skagway Christmas ornament.

The gift shop is worth going just for the view of the Wonder:

William was ready for his morning nap and that is one of the beauties of the Osprey:

We were the first people to arrive at the brewery.

(Isn't this an AWESOME picture??)

:: open, open, open ::

:: open, open, open ::

William was still asleep.

So we got to drink our first beers in blissful grown-up peace:

I was particularly interested in trying their spruce tip ale:
"Our signature ale, brewed with spruce tips is a favorite of tourists and locals alike. This local favorite incorporates Sitka Spruce tips that add a crisp kick to its creamy, slightly sticky body and floral zest to the fruit and spice flavor."

I also tried the prospector pale, boom town brown, and the chilkoot trail IPA. The latter was definitely my favorite of the bunch.

Since for quite sometime we were the only ones in the brewery, we got to chat quite a bit about Skagway- it's history and it's present. We learned that there were only two people in the graduating class of Skagway in 2016 and that they were dating eachother. We also discovered that the other "brewery" in town uses kits, which makes me glad that we didn't make the trek to see it.

Our delightful waitress also told us a bit about the Red Onion: The Red Onion was moved in 1914 with one horse from Sixth and State Street to its current Broadway location. Interestingly, the Onion was dragged around the corner backwards and the front and back of the building had to be removed in order to switch them.

The brewery originally opened up in 1897.

Today is produces only 300 barrels a year, versus the 30,000 barrels it was producing in the late 1800s.
http://www.ktva.com/from-prospector...ompany-carries-rich-history-in-southeast-280/

It was so relaxing to be enjoying beer in a really cool atmosphere. It felt like a really organic Alaskan experience. We eagerly waited for the kitchen to open at 11 AM, since we had to be back on the boat and checked-in for our train trip at 11:50 AM.

And let me tell you.... their halibut fish and chips. Wow. The best lunch of the entire cruise. (I enjoyed this more then the palo brunch, I think).

(Oh my gosh. Tell me that your mouth isn't watering. So good.)

We had an awesome time- and Crystal made us feel awesome too!

We didn't have to rush back to the ship, as it only takes about 5 minutes to get to the boat. We even had time to snap a couple pictures of the steam train waiting by the dock.

The gangway had been risen quite a bit, as we walked up to the ship, I was organizing my tickets and IDs. One must be prepared... but then the wind picked up and the tickets went flying out of my hand and straight into the ocean.