Our Wonderful “Whale of a Good Time” 9 Night Alaskan Cruise! – May 2014 w/pics – Completed!

[disneyfaninaz]

Your pictures are absolutely beautiful!

Your pictures are absolutely amazing.

OMG...I must stop reading trip reports. There is no way I'm going to make it another 60 days until I get to see all this for myself

I don't think I have ever been this excited about an upcoming cruise before (and I get pretty darn excited before all my cruises)

I'm loving this !!
Beautiful pictures !! What size lens are you using ?

Thank you so much for your comments. I took well over 3000 photos and was very pleased with 95% of them. I'm glad you are enjoying them.

Really enjoying your trip report! I leave in 11 days. Good to know about the secret 7 deck. I have been debating that or our balcony. We are not big crowd people so I am not sure we will want to be on 10. You have given me some great tips and it is really appreciated!

Thanks for your comments, I'm glad my TR is helping you.

I love all the pictures, thanks for sharing so the rest of us waiting for our cruises have something to read and help with planning.

Thanks! I'm happy to help.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

While we were sailing through the inside passage we kept seeing patches of yellow stuff in the water. My DH eventually asked the naturalist, Doug Jones, what it was. He told us that it had been super windy the week before we arrived and what we saw in the water was Sitka Spruce Pollen. Great, even in Alaska you can't avoid allergies!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Our first glimpse of Sawyer Glacier


The Captain slowly turned the ship once and then we headed out of the arm.

By the way, Secret Deck Aft 7 isn’t so secret anymore.




Next: There’s gold in them thar hills!

I found my crew in your picture. I am in the lime green hoodie, SIL is in the purple jacket and DH is in the black with camera set up on tripod, etc. While the Secret Deck area was much warmer than up on Deck 10, I could not believe that there were people in shorts and t-shirts.

I am enjoying your report and it was fun to meet you at the DIS meet in Promenade. I am still in denial that I am back home and at work.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I found my crew in your picture. I am in the lime green hoodie, SIL is in the purple jacket and DH is in the black with camera set up on tripod, etc. While the Secret Deck area was much warmer than up on Deck 10, I could not believe that there were people in shorts and t-shirts.

I am enjoying your report and it was fun to meet you at the DIS meet in Promenade. I am still in denial that I am back home and at work.

Hi Janet, welcome to my report. How funny I caught you in action. I actually didn't' mind being up on Deck 10, it wasn't really that bad. Anyway, I got so caught up in looking at the scenery and worried I would either lose my place at the rail or miss something while going to down to deck 4, I didn't move anywhere until the ship was turned. It was very nice seeing us leave Tracy Arm from the aft.

I know what you mean about being home. I miss having my room cleaned, my bed turned down, my dinner made and brought to me every night. Oh well, welcome back to reality!

It took 3 days before the computer monitor stopped swaying while I was writing my report and going through photos!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Hi Janet, welcome to my report. How funny I caught you in action. I actually didn't' mind being up on Deck 10, it wasn't really that bad. Anyway, I got so caught up in looking at the scenery and worried I would either lose my place at the rail or miss something while going to down to deck 4, I didn't move anywhere until the ship was turned. It was very nice seeing us leave Tracy Arm from the aft.

I know what you mean about being home. I miss having my room cleaned, my bed turned down, my dinner made and brought to me every night. Oh well, welcome back to reality!

It took 3 days before the computer monitor stopped swaying while I was writing my report and going through photos!

We didn't head back there until the ship had turned around either. We actually had headed back to our cabin and I made the suggestion we check out the secret deck as their would probably be some good viewing right about that time. It was so much warmer there than where we were on up on deck.

I kept taking my Bonine, and I think I stopped swaying on Saturday after getting off the ship on Monday of that week. I do miss feeling the ship sway me back and forth to sleep though, and yes, I do miss my cabin steward stocking me with clean towels three times a day and straightening up behind me. I could use about 10 cabin stewards at my house right now. Also miss being able to head straight up the elevator next to our cabin to grab a hot tea at Cove Cafe' in the morning.

 

[chiefdragon]

You report is amazing. Loving the detail and the pictures. It looks like you all had a magical time. Since we are planning a trip next June, I love getting your tips and get a preview of what we will be seeing. Right now there is a group of 14 of us going....this will be one party that none of us will ever forget!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You report is amazing. Loving the detail and the pictures. It looks like you all had a magical time. Since we are planning a trip next June, I love getting your tips and get a preview of what we will be seeing. Right now there is a group of 14 of us going....this will be one party that none of us will ever forget!

Thanks! We find that we like to travel in larger groups. It just makes it that much more fun. We can still do individual things, but pool our resources for excursions. We really enjoy having meals together at the end of the day.

 

[mwmom]

Love the pictures you captured, especially of the floating ice. I sure did see Ariel in that photo!

 

[MrsZ]

I'm here!! I'm here!!

I'm loving your TR! I wish our cruise went to Sitka. Your photos are amazing. I can't wait to read more, you're making me so excited for our Alaska trip

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Love the pictures you captured, especially of the floating ice. I sure did see Ariel in that photo!

Thanks! I'm glad you saw Ariel too. I sometimes wonder about myself.

I'm here!! I'm here!!

I'm loving your TR! I wish our cruise went to Sitka. Your photos are amazing. I can't wait to read more, you're making me so excited for our Alaska trip

Welcome! Thanks! I hope DCL decides to go back to Sitka in 2016. It was really a very nice place to visit. Hey, I was married on 10/2 also!

 

[mattykin]

Awesome report, beautiful pictures! we have just under a year until our Alaska cruise and you have given me much to look forward to

 

[becca1976]

Thank you for this TR! I'm loving all of your amazing photos. What kind of camera do you have? We sail Sept. 1 and these reports are making wish time away!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Awesome report, beautiful pictures! we have just under a year until our Alaska cruise and you have given me much to look forward to

Thanks!

Thank you for this TR! I'm loving all of your amazing photos. What kind of camera do you have? We sail Sept. 1 and these reports are making wish time away!

Thanks!

I have a Nikon D5000. I primarily used a Nikkor 18-300mm zoom lens.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Day 6: Skagway
Thursday, May 29, 2014

Sunrise: 4:00 AM
Sunset: 9:56 AM

Temp: 66 F
All Ashore: 7:15 AM
All Aboard: 7:45 PM

​

Our plan today was to take the White Pass and Yukon Railroad and Klondike Highway Combo Tour with Frontier Excursions and Adventures. This is a 7.5 hour tour. We booked Frontier after a bit of research. They needed to be able to accommodate a wheelchair, and they did. Frontier is rated # 6 for activities in Skagway by Trip Advisor. Everybody on the DIS raves about Chilkoot Tours, but we figured everybody would be taking them and we wanted a little less populated tour. We certainly got our wish.

Overnight the Captain took us up Stephen’s Passage, past Juneau to the Lynn Canal and up into Skagway.

I woke up this morning and, as usual, went out to the verandah. It was a cloudy and cool day. The first thing I saw was this waterfall.



We were very close to docking, so I stayed and watched awhile admiring the scenery.





Skagway is just around the bend.



There were 3 other ships in port today besides us. We were docking at the Ore Dock in Skagway. It is not the iconic dock with the view of the ship from Mainstreet. It is, however, right next to the heliport.





I’m glad I wasn’t staying in town. Skagway is very small and only has about 860 permanent residents. I’m sure it was very crowded. I had read about and seen the “graffiti” left by cruise ships after their first port of call in Skagway. I had even seen the Wonder’s. Unfortunately, the rock face they do this on was blocked by 2 Princess ships, so I couldn’t see it.

We scheduled to meet our group at 7:20 AM at the Aft 7 elevators in order to meet our tour guide at 7:30, so I couldn’t linger long. There would be 8 of us going today.

Skagway is known for the gold rush of 1898. While no gold was actually found in Skagway, it was the gateway to the Yukon where the gold was. Last year, we went to Seattle and visited the Klondike National Park Museum. This is where we first learned of the year’s supply of goods that the miners had to bring with them in order to even get into Canada to go mine for gold. This is where the miners would have started their trek into the Yukon and Dyea.

We had a quick breakfast at Beach Blanket and then met our party at the Deck 7 Aft elevators. DD had heard from Jimmy the night before that we would be leaving from Mid Deck 3. When we got there, we were actually directed to go to Mid Deck 4. We’ve never left the ship from here before.. We were supposed to meet Frontier at the pier at 7:30 AM. We actually beat him, but only by a moment. We had a 40 passenger tour van with the big picture windows and took us to the train; something similar to this.



Our guide picked up a slightly smaller one before he left for Fraser.

We drove through town.



Did, I mention it was very small.

We passed the famous Red Onion Saloon.



We passed a diamond store of all things. Of course, the place clears out at the end of the cruise season, only to return again the next May.



They processed our tickets and we were put on the handicap accessible car with a wheelchair lift.



Our guide for the day, Jon (from Utah), would meet up with us again in Fraser. We kept waiting for more people to come on with us, but nobody did. We later found out that Riley (from Utah). who narrated the trip, sat in the car with us.a The other tour guides and brakemen used this car too as their central base. They were very helpful in pointing out points of interest or good photo opportunities. Even out on the balcony where DNC and I were the entire trip.



To be continued.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We left the train station.

We passed other buildings, such as the City Hall.



We passed some railroad employees waving at us. Did they know something we didn’t know?



We passed an older steam locomotive that WPYRR brings out every so often and uses.



We passed the cemetery where the infamous Soapy Smith, swindler, con man and leader of an ambitions criminal underworld in Skagway during the gold rush days is buried. His life came to a violent end.



The train ride was awesome as we climbed. We saw the river, the waterfalls, the tunnels, the bridges, and the scenery was amazing.







We even got a glimpse of the Wonder.



These are considered Class 6 rapids; nobody has ever been able to navigate them successfully.



We passed the “On To Alaska With Buchanan” sign. If you want to read about George Buchanan, click here:

https://www.wpyr.com/history/facts.html



The cross commemorating 2 men who had a huge boulder fall right on top them while working on the railroad. They couldn't move the boulder, so they erected the cross right where they died.



We passed by Bridal Veil Falls.





Looking backwards.



At one point, the train stopped to let off some hikers.



Somebody put a rubber snake and a plastic Mickey Mouse on a rock next to the tracks, a la Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was funny. But, it happened too quickly to get a good photo of it.



Getting ready to go through our first tunnel.



Mountain goats on the side of the cliff.



Waterfall by the side of the tracks.



I hope we aren’t going over this trellis!



To be continued.

 

[devonsmommy]

I am thoroughly enjoying your review and all of your pictures!

 

[bksaffle]

I am re-living our trip through your report. It was an amazing trip. It is funny to see how we have very similar pictures.

 

[pillow]

Love your pictures!!

Jodie

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I am thoroughly enjoying your review and all of your pictures!

Thank you! There's lots more to come.

I am re-living our trip through your report. It was an amazing trip. It is funny to see how we have very similar pictures.

Thanks! There were so many beautiful things to see, I just couldn't stop taking photos. It's amazing I was able to only chose a very small percentage for my report.

Love your pictures!!

Jodie

Thank you!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Whew! No, we’re going over this newer one!



We reached the Canadian border.



It was starting to get a lot colder out on the balcony as
we climbed into Sub Alpine terrain. In its starkness it was breathtakingly beautiful.









As soon as we reached this area, the sun came out.



We reached Fraser.



We were told to have our passports out as Canadian border agents would come through the cars checking them. No problem. We got off the train and immediately went to use the bathrooms. Jon was waiting as promised with our tour van. Jon was a very personable tour guide and even got a good reference from Riley from the train. He told us stories about the gold rush days during our tour, passed a book around about the gold rush, read us a poem and even sang a few songs to us. He even got us to sing with him a couple of times. The book, “The Klondike Quest” by Pierre Berton was so interesting; my DH bought a copy in Skagway. My DH is a big history buff.

Jon had to drive by the Canadian Border crossing station on this way out of Fraser. We had to get our passports out again, but the same agents that boarded the train were there and let us through with no further checks.



We went by the tiny cabin where all of the prospective miners had to have their year’s supply of goods checked before they could continue on.



We then headed to Tutshi (pronounced too shy) Lake. It was beautiful and the ice had all melted not that long ago.





We even stopped to skip stones in the lake.



We saw some Dahl Sheep up on the side of the mountain.





We also some Mountain Goats further up the same mountain.





We stopped by the “Yukon” sign and got our photos taken.



We then went by Tagish Lake and Bove Island. A tribe of First Nationers would use the island as a prison sentence of sorts. They would row out the criminal to the island after the lake defrosted. If the criminal could survive until the lake froze over when he could walk back to the tribe, he was pardoned. Gives a whole new meaning to Survivor’s “Redemption Island” doesn’t it?





We stopped at the World’s Smallest Desert. It sure didn’t look like any desert I am from. It was actually just a bunch of silt left from some ancient river, but it was cute.



To be continued.