60 Before 60 Project: #28 - Go on an Alaskan Cruise

I never really thought that much about going on an Alaskan Cruise before but it’s funny how opportunities can just present themselves. 

When we had some friends over, we talked about different trips we had taken and they mentioned how much they had enjoyed their Alaskan Cruise. Around the exact same time, my daughter was looking at different trips we could take together and out of the blue suggested an Alaskan Cruise that was leaving out of Vancouver, Canada.

I also had some cousins in Vancouver that I had not seen in a very long time as well so bingo – we booked our cruise and flight and let our cousins know we were coming out there way.  

This was the biggest experience I had undertaken in my 60 Before 60 Project to date.

What a great decision this was – it certainly did not disappoint! 

After enjoying an amazing visit with my cousins, we were dropped off at the Vancouver Harbour and boarded our cruise ship. This was the first time this cruise had ventured out so early in the season to Alaska and the weather was quite cool and rainy. We really needed to dress for the weather - gloves, hats and warm and waterproof gear was certainly part of our wardrobe most of the week. 

After leaving Vancouver, we cruised for one day on our way to our first stop – Sitka, Alaska. Unfortunately, the sea was quite rough and my daughter and many others suffered from some motion sickness but happily this subsided once we docked and the seas settled down. 

Sitka, Alaska is a town that was easily accessible to reach from the cruise ship dock. After a short walk to the town, we wandered around and admired the mountains and small town feel. We then walked over to the Sitka National Historic Park and hiked through their Totem Trail. We were surrounded by massive trees, rivers and different totem poles along the way. We also had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. 

We then boarded the cruise ship and were on our way to Juneau, Alaska.

Juneau is the capital of Alaska and the largest city that we visited. We explored the city in the morning and were planning on taking a helicopter ride to a glacier in the afternoon. However unfortunately due to the weather, our excursion was cancelled. We quickly pivoted and got on a shuttle to the Mendenhall Glacier Park which was about a 20 minute bus ride from the dock. 

Once there, we hiked the trail to the bottom of the Mendenhall Glacier. It was gorgeous!  

We were extremely fortunate as there were very few people in the park. We learned that we were the first and only cruise ship the week we were there but the following week they were expecting six ships so I can only imagine how much busier this site may get. 

Our third stop was Skagway, Alaska. In the morning we walked into town. The town wanted to keep the feel of the gold rush era and maintained the historic design of the buildings. We discovered quite a few souvenir and jewelry shops to wander through. 

In the afternoon, we had booked an excursion to take the White Pass Railway Tour. Sitting in vintage train cars, we were taken up the mountains, through tunnels to see the most gorgeous landscapes I have ever experienced. One word just kept coming to my mind - “majestic”. This was truly a highlight of our trip. 

After the train ride, we boarded the ship and then made a final stop that day at Haines, Alaska. Haines is a small town and given that we were only there for a couple of hours we just walked down the street but discovered there really wasn’t that much to see. 

Our final trek before heading back to Vancouver was to travel down the Tracy Arm Fjords to the glaciers at the bottom. The scenery was stunning. On both sides of the ship we saw cliffs, waterfalls, trees and snowcapped mountains. When we reached the glacier, the combination of cliffs, glacier and water just left you speechless.  

Cruising back to Vancouver, the weather improved substantially and we were treated to amazing views all the way back. We were so fortunate to have booked a balcony and were able to sit and watch the beauty right from our own room. 

This truly was a trip of a lifetime. The beauty of the landscapes and the power and force of nature has been forever engrained in my mind. To have shared this experience with my daughter makes this adventure that much more special. 

My 60 Before 60 Life Lesson: We sometimes fail to realize that nature can provide us with the most beautiful art of all 

Here are a few pictures and videos from our adventure;

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