Our Alaskan cruise-part 1
It wasn’t my intention to take so long to follow up on this part of our adventure, but between the oppressive heat & the need to get a number of orders crated & shipped, I never got around to posting anything new.
After a very scenic train ride along the coast from Seattle to Vancouver we boarded the m/s Noordam, of the Holland America line. As I believe I mentioned in a previous post, this was the first time for Nikki, Nick & I to be on a cruise ship & needless to say we were impressed by all the amenities & especially the food. It was like being on a 5 star hotel with a constantly changing view from our balcony. I had booked a couple of nice suites, but at the last minute Nick & Alexis surprised us with an upgrade to the deluxe accommodations (now totally spoiled for any future cruises).
Between the 2 suites we had 40′ of balcony to enjoy the inner passage from Vancouver all the way to Alaska so relaxing on deck was quite enjoyable as the sun arose at 5 AM & didn’t set until 10 PM.
Our first city of departure was Juneau, Alaska’s capitol & accessible only by boat or seaplane. Of the many excursions that were offered, Nikki & I decided to go whale watching & visit the Mendenhall Glacier while Nick & Alexis were more adventuresome & went sea kayaking.
Humpback whale
Harbor seals
Mendenhall with the “blue ice” glaciers are known for
Mendenhall Glacier falls, a 100′ wide rush of water that cascades 300′ from Nugget Creek which in turn is fed by Nugget Glacier. We wanted to make the hike to the foot of the falls but were afraid we wouldn’t get back in time to catch the bus back to our ship.
Was hoping to see some bears but had to settle for a porcupine. At least I could get close without the fear of being mauled.
Alaska has a very large population of eagles, so spotting them was always a treat.
After a little snack of king crab legs it was time to get back on board & set sail for our next port of call…Skagway.
Looks beautiful!