Our 2018 Trip To Alaska
A trip to Alaska was on our bucket list (not that we really have one) and we had been talking to some good friends about going.
We talked on and off about the subject for several months and researched the best times to visit.
A lot of people go in the springtime some in the summer and a few in the fall. Since it took us so much time to decide, we settled on a fall trip.
We heard from other friends that you can run into a heatwave in the spring or summer and we thought who wants to encounter a heat wave in Alaska? We are glad we decided on the time that we did! We went about two weeks before the season ended. It was not crowded at all, and the area was beautiful. The weather was brisk at times but with a few layers it was very nice.
We flew into Washington State and caught a connecting flight to Vancover Canada. We spent the night there and boarded the ship the next day. We booked an interior passage route with a land excursion at the end of the cruise.
The cruise ship was wonderful! The food was good, and the entertainment was some of the best shows we have seen on a cruise.
When we cruised the fjords, Princess had a naturalist that joined us on board and she gave the whole ship a guided tour over the intercom. The day before she gave a very interesting talk about the wildlife habitat in Alaska.
During the tour we learned a lot of interesting facts about the Klondike gold rush that occurred between 1896 and 1899. The times were very hard for these people!
We also loved seeing the glaciers on foot and as we cruised by them on the ship. In one photo you will see a glacier that has a lot of stripes of rock debris in the ice. We were told that this was caused by the joining of several ice flows from different valleys in the mountains.
After the cruise we boarded the Alaskan railway in Whittier for a five-hour ride to Talkeetna. There we visited the town that is alleged to have a cat as the mayor hence to photo of a cat. A raging river skirts the town, and this is where we got our first look at Mount McKinley also known as Denali and it’s sister mountains. Our tour guide told us that we were in the 30% club! It’s normally so cloudy that many visitors never see the mountain even when they are in the Denali national park.
After the train ride, tour buses took us everywhere we went. We spent two nights in different lodges owned by Princess. They were comfortable accommodations and they were located in scenic areas! We really commend Princess cruise lines for their efficiency and logistical support. You never touched your bags except to put them outside your room and they were always waiting for you at the next stop!
I could go on and on about the trip, but I won't. I encourage all of you to go to Alaska yourself! You won’t be disappointed!
If you decide to go on a whale watching cruise like we did, I recommend having a GoPro stuck on the top of your hat! You will see a couple of whale tail photos but my camera wasn't ready when a whale breached out of the water about 20 feet from the boat. It was truly a sight to see but it will only forever be in my memory Vs the perfect shot!