Cruise from Seward, AK to vancouver, BC and Home - 1-8 Sep 2006
Sep 1 (Fri) – Anchorage to Seward, AK
The transfer from Anchorage to the cruise ship MS Statendam (http://hollandamerica.com/cruiseships/Statendam)went very smoothly. On the bus trip down we finally got to see the Turnagain Arm on a clear day. The welcome on the ship was very pleasant and attentive with a piano player livening up the spirits at the lobby. Our stateroom although not grand seemed luxuriously spacious after the 2 weeks in the RV. We spent the next few hours exploring the ship and getting oriented. Right near our room was a three deck high atrium with a large maritime fountain in the middle of circular stairs. There was a casino with slot machines, a pleasant and cozy library with a large selection of books comfortable seating areas and computer terminals with an espresso bar. There was no shortage of Bar/lounge areas with comfortable seating and nice views playing various types of music and live bands in the evenings. A movie theater was showing 2 movies every evening. There were, of course, lots of shops and an art gallery with frequent art auctions. There were two swimming pools, one in an area with a sliding roof, with a couple of Jacuzzis, and another outside with an open sun deck (probably for Eskimos only). There was a spa area that offered a variety of massages and treatments and a fitness center offering Yoga and other classes every day. In addition there was a large theatre for live shows, where you could order drinks as well and a large two deck dining room. In addition there were also a cafeteria style restaurant and a “fine dining” restaurant which offered more intimate dining for a fee. There was a nice walking deck. 4 cycles equaled a mile. We walked 1-2 miles every day. Lame but better then nothing.
Sep 2 (Sat) – Seward to Hubbard Glacier aboard Statendam
Set the alarm for 6:30 to make sure we don’t miss the expected whale sighting. Sure enough we saw many of them spouting and diving in the distance. We saw several Orcas or Killer Whales swimming in pairs with their characteristic dorsal fins and several Humpback whales as well. A little later in the day the ship pulled into a bay at the foot of the Hubbard Glacier, a huge field of ice 350 feet tall and six miles long. The ship spent two hours within a quarter mile of the face of the glacier cruising in circles to allow us to see and hear the glacier calving. The ice was incredibly blue, and there were many ice bergs floating in the water in front of it. Thundering cracking noises could be heard before chunks of ice would break off. It was a great experience but somehow not as thrilling as the first time we saw the Aialik glacier calving furiously in Kenai Fjord a couple of weeks before.
We had dinner at a table for 8 in the dining room and met our dinner companions for the cruise: a “kiwi” couple (from NZ), a couple of "Ausies" a Canadian and some “Okies” headed to upstate NY,
Sep 3 (Sun) – Hubbard Glacier to Icy Strait Point-Hoonah village Bear Sighting, Aboard Statendam
We arrived at a place called Icy Strait Point and a town called Hoonah. A fairly new cruise stop. A local Indian tribe which lost it’s livelihood due to restrictions on logging and fishing was given a grant to refurbish an old cannery and turn it into a cruise ship destination, allowing only one ship per day to help retain some of the local character. The Ship anchored some distance from the Island and we went ashore using small tenders and really enjoyed the experience. There was a very interesting cannery museum showing how salmon canning was done and, of course, lots of gift shops. A native community house had native dancing shows. We signed up for a bear spotting tour and took a school bus out of town to a place where a boardwalk trail had been setup along a creek filled with salmon. Along the way we crossed a road bridge where several bears were feasting on salmon that came to spawn in the creek. They were literally reaching into the creek and grabbing either dead or very weak fish, eating parts of it and going for next one. The bears were huge and being only about ten feet from them on top of the bridge was about as close as we wanted to get. It was fascinating watching them just eat one salmon after another.
Sep 4 (Mon) - Skagway, Aboard Statendam
Skagway is a cute little town with old restored Victorian buildings whose main economy is the cruise ship trade. As you can imagine this means plenty of T-shirt and jewelry stores. The highlight of the visit was a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad (http://www.whitepassrailroad.com/) from Skagway to Frasier, British Columbia. This old narrow gauge railroad goes through an awesome gorge with steep cliffs and waterfalls from glaciers in the high mountains. There are several incredibly high bridges, several tunnels and spectacular views. Wonderful experience!! Dinner tonight was formal and we got dressed up for dinner (it was the only time, the rest of the time we either wore casual or skipped the dining room on formal nights.)
Sep 5 (Tues) – Juneau, Aboard Statendam
The next stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska, accessible only by plane or boat. We took the cable car to the Mt. Roberts observation deck which towers above the Juneau harbor. From there we hiked higher up the mountain fro a couple of hours enjoying some beautiful views of fall colors, waterfalls and tall snowcapped mountains until it got too foggy. After lunch we visited the Alaska State Museum (http://www.museums.state.ak.us/asmhome.html) which had a wonderful native culture section. The final thrill of the day was a float plan excursion over the Mendenhall Glacier and the seemingly endless ice fields which feed it. (http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/index.html). Although we had seen glaciers in Alaska from the ground and from the water we never grasped their vastness. We were told that the ice field from feeding this glacier (and several others) is larger than the state of Rhode Island. The amazing features of the ice were its blue color and the deep crevices and cracks that form near its base. Although the flight was only 40 minutes it was another incredible experience. As the ship left Juneau we were escorted for an hour or two by two Coast Guard boats with machine guns ( no idea why).
Sep 6 (Wed) - Ketchikan, Aboard Statendam
By Wednesday we were beginning to get a little bored with being aboard the ship. Our next stop was Ketchikan where we stayed for about 5 hours. Again there were the usual gift and jewelry stores. We were told that many of the shops, particularly the jewelry shops pack up their goods at the end of the Alaska cruise season (mid to end of September) and ship it to the Caribbean for the winter cruise season. There didn’t seem to be much to see in Ketchikan, but we took a city bus to the Saxman Totem Pole Museum displaying a collection of old and restored totem poles that had been collected around the Ketchikan area. Twenty minutes was about enough to get the idea. Back in town we spent a little town in a local museum at the library that had old artifacts of Ketchikan gold mining and the fishing industry
Sep 7 (Thur) - At Sea to Vancouver, BC, Aboard Statendam
Thursday was spent at sea, steaming toward Vancouver and we were so ready to get off the ship. We spent the day reading and watching the scenery of the inside passage. In some areas the passages were very narrow with rapid currents from the tides. We also saw some whales and Orcas along the way. There was a naturalist commenting on wildlife and local history at the Bow deck whenever we were passing interesting areas.
Sep 8 (Fri) - Vancouver, BC, to Los Angeles
Disembarkation was very smooth and convenient got our first real newspaper after 3 weeks and browsed it over a nice latte. We were now ready to explore Vancouver a bit. We took a city tour on a cute old fashioned looking trolley bus which allowed getting on and off along the way. We started at the Gastown District (very touristy), went through the central business district and, after stopping at a number of hotels (waste of time!), we finally got to Sanely Park which is beautiful and quite large with many huge old Cedar and Spruce trees. We went to the Aquarium where we got to see Beluga Whales perform tricks and other large sea mammals. Boarded the next bus to Granville Island which was an old commercial area converted to trendy shops and a wonderful huge market with great displays of produce flowers and other delicacies (not so touristy). From here we took a water taxi along False Creek through yacht marinas, houseboats and the site of the Vancouver Expo in the eighties with a lot of modernistic buildings. The next stop was at the Vancouver Art Museum which had had a terrific native Haida culture traveling exhibit. At this point, exhausted and totem polled out we took a cab to the airport.
We arrived back in Oxnard at 1:30 am exhausted but grateful to be home.
The transfer from Anchorage to the cruise ship MS Statendam (http://hollandamerica.com/cruiseships/Statendam)went very smoothly. On the bus trip down we finally got to see the Turnagain Arm on a clear day. The welcome on the ship was very pleasant and attentive with a piano player livening up the spirits at the lobby. Our stateroom although not grand seemed luxuriously spacious after the 2 weeks in the RV. We spent the next few hours exploring the ship and getting oriented. Right near our room was a three deck high atrium with a large maritime fountain in the middle of circular stairs. There was a casino with slot machines, a pleasant and cozy library with a large selection of books comfortable seating areas and computer terminals with an espresso bar. There was no shortage of Bar/lounge areas with comfortable seating and nice views playing various types of music and live bands in the evenings. A movie theater was showing 2 movies every evening. There were, of course, lots of shops and an art gallery with frequent art auctions. There were two swimming pools, one in an area with a sliding roof, with a couple of Jacuzzis, and another outside with an open sun deck (probably for Eskimos only). There was a spa area that offered a variety of massages and treatments and a fitness center offering Yoga and other classes every day. In addition there was a large theatre for live shows, where you could order drinks as well and a large two deck dining room. In addition there were also a cafeteria style restaurant and a “fine dining” restaurant which offered more intimate dining for a fee. There was a nice walking deck. 4 cycles equaled a mile. We walked 1-2 miles every day. Lame but better then nothing.
Sep 2 (Sat) – Seward to Hubbard Glacier aboard Statendam
Set the alarm for 6:30 to make sure we don’t miss the expected whale sighting. Sure enough we saw many of them spouting and diving in the distance. We saw several Orcas or Killer Whales swimming in pairs with their characteristic dorsal fins and several Humpback whales as well. A little later in the day the ship pulled into a bay at the foot of the Hubbard Glacier, a huge field of ice 350 feet tall and six miles long. The ship spent two hours within a quarter mile of the face of the glacier cruising in circles to allow us to see and hear the glacier calving. The ice was incredibly blue, and there were many ice bergs floating in the water in front of it. Thundering cracking noises could be heard before chunks of ice would break off. It was a great experience but somehow not as thrilling as the first time we saw the Aialik glacier calving furiously in Kenai Fjord a couple of weeks before.
We had dinner at a table for 8 in the dining room and met our dinner companions for the cruise: a “kiwi” couple (from NZ), a couple of "Ausies" a Canadian and some “Okies” headed to upstate NY,
Sep 3 (Sun) – Hubbard Glacier to Icy Strait Point-Hoonah village Bear Sighting, Aboard Statendam
We arrived at a place called Icy Strait Point and a town called Hoonah. A fairly new cruise stop. A local Indian tribe which lost it’s livelihood due to restrictions on logging and fishing was given a grant to refurbish an old cannery and turn it into a cruise ship destination, allowing only one ship per day to help retain some of the local character. The Ship anchored some distance from the Island and we went ashore using small tenders and really enjoyed the experience. There was a very interesting cannery museum showing how salmon canning was done and, of course, lots of gift shops. A native community house had native dancing shows. We signed up for a bear spotting tour and took a school bus out of town to a place where a boardwalk trail had been setup along a creek filled with salmon. Along the way we crossed a road bridge where several bears were feasting on salmon that came to spawn in the creek. They were literally reaching into the creek and grabbing either dead or very weak fish, eating parts of it and going for next one. The bears were huge and being only about ten feet from them on top of the bridge was about as close as we wanted to get. It was fascinating watching them just eat one salmon after another.
Sep 4 (Mon) - Skagway, Aboard Statendam
Skagway is a cute little town with old restored Victorian buildings whose main economy is the cruise ship trade. As you can imagine this means plenty of T-shirt and jewelry stores. The highlight of the visit was a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad (http://www.whitepassrailroad.com/) from Skagway to Frasier, British Columbia. This old narrow gauge railroad goes through an awesome gorge with steep cliffs and waterfalls from glaciers in the high mountains. There are several incredibly high bridges, several tunnels and spectacular views. Wonderful experience!! Dinner tonight was formal and we got dressed up for dinner (it was the only time, the rest of the time we either wore casual or skipped the dining room on formal nights.)
Sep 5 (Tues) – Juneau, Aboard Statendam
The next stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska, accessible only by plane or boat. We took the cable car to the Mt. Roberts observation deck which towers above the Juneau harbor. From there we hiked higher up the mountain fro a couple of hours enjoying some beautiful views of fall colors, waterfalls and tall snowcapped mountains until it got too foggy. After lunch we visited the Alaska State Museum (http://www.museums.state.ak.us/asmhome.html) which had a wonderful native culture section. The final thrill of the day was a float plan excursion over the Mendenhall Glacier and the seemingly endless ice fields which feed it. (http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/index.html). Although we had seen glaciers in Alaska from the ground and from the water we never grasped their vastness. We were told that the ice field from feeding this glacier (and several others) is larger than the state of Rhode Island. The amazing features of the ice were its blue color and the deep crevices and cracks that form near its base. Although the flight was only 40 minutes it was another incredible experience. As the ship left Juneau we were escorted for an hour or two by two Coast Guard boats with machine guns ( no idea why).
Sep 6 (Wed) - Ketchikan, Aboard Statendam
By Wednesday we were beginning to get a little bored with being aboard the ship. Our next stop was Ketchikan where we stayed for about 5 hours. Again there were the usual gift and jewelry stores. We were told that many of the shops, particularly the jewelry shops pack up their goods at the end of the Alaska cruise season (mid to end of September) and ship it to the Caribbean for the winter cruise season. There didn’t seem to be much to see in Ketchikan, but we took a city bus to the Saxman Totem Pole Museum displaying a collection of old and restored totem poles that had been collected around the Ketchikan area. Twenty minutes was about enough to get the idea. Back in town we spent a little town in a local museum at the library that had old artifacts of Ketchikan gold mining and the fishing industry
Sep 7 (Thur) - At Sea to Vancouver, BC, Aboard Statendam
Thursday was spent at sea, steaming toward Vancouver and we were so ready to get off the ship. We spent the day reading and watching the scenery of the inside passage. In some areas the passages were very narrow with rapid currents from the tides. We also saw some whales and Orcas along the way. There was a naturalist commenting on wildlife and local history at the Bow deck whenever we were passing interesting areas.
Sep 8 (Fri) - Vancouver, BC, to Los Angeles
Disembarkation was very smooth and convenient got our first real newspaper after 3 weeks and browsed it over a nice latte. We were now ready to explore Vancouver a bit. We took a city tour on a cute old fashioned looking trolley bus which allowed getting on and off along the way. We started at the Gastown District (very touristy), went through the central business district and, after stopping at a number of hotels (waste of time!), we finally got to Sanely Park which is beautiful and quite large with many huge old Cedar and Spruce trees. We went to the Aquarium where we got to see Beluga Whales perform tricks and other large sea mammals. Boarded the next bus to Granville Island which was an old commercial area converted to trendy shops and a wonderful huge market with great displays of produce flowers and other delicacies (not so touristy). From here we took a water taxi along False Creek through yacht marinas, houseboats and the site of the Vancouver Expo in the eighties with a lot of modernistic buildings. The next stop was at the Vancouver Art Museum which had had a terrific native Haida culture traveling exhibit. At this point, exhausted and totem polled out we took a cab to the airport.
We arrived back in Oxnard at 1:30 am exhausted but grateful to be home.
posted by Dahlia and Lance Riley @ 12:13 PM
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