Category: Alaska Cruises

A totem pole day in Ketchikan

As I start writing this post, it’s Monday night at midnight and the music from the Universe Lounge right above me is making the walls of my cabin vibrate. I’m willing to bet that there are a few passengers in cabins near mine whose travel agents didn’t warn them...
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Cruising the Inside Passage to and from Vancouver

It’s now Sunday morning at 06:20, and we’re sailing northbound on calm seas past Malcolm Island near the north end of Vancouver Island. I’m on my way home, though on a roundabout route that will take 7 days. For the past couple of days the Coral Princess has been...
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Ketchikan, & Misty Fjords Flightseeing

It’s now 09:05 on the final day of this sailing on the Coral Princess – we’ll be “At Sea” all day. At the moment we’re in the open ocean off Bella Bella, British Columbia – between Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlottes. The seas are fairly calm and the...
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A day on the ship in rainy Juneau

Mother Nature never did cooperate today so instead of being an “Explore Juneau” day (in my case Mt. Roberts hiking day) it was a ship day for a lot of people, including me. I was actually surprised at the number of people who did venture forth – pleased, but...
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A day off the ship, at home with the family

We docked at Juneau a few minutes ago, right at 06:00 am. The clouds are low, the rain is coming down in buckets. I expect that a whole lot of people will be doing the same as me today – staying on board. If it was my first or...
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Cruising Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay

We docked at Skagway just after 05:00 this morning, and I’m killing time now until 10:00 when Cathy is going to meet me. She’s taken the day off work and is bringing the dogs down to see me. The past 2 days have been our glacier viewing days. Hubbard...
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Cruising College Fjord, and a stop at Whittier

Cruising though Wells Passage, we met the Alaska State ferry Aurora, which was sailing from Whittier to Valdez. Prince William Sound is spectacular, but that doesn’t really look like summer, does it? Whittier has about the worst weather in Alaska outside the Aleutians. Directly ahead in the darkest part...
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Cruising Glacier Bay on the Coral Princess

Today is the final full day of this voyage – tomorrow we dock at Whittier. It’s now 03:15, 1 hour and 8 minutes before sunrise, but it’s fairly bright outside. We’re just north of Yakutat, sailing on calm seas for Prince William Sound and College Fjord. We had an...
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Arriving home (almost) by cruise ship and train

It’s a few minutes after 04:00 am, and we’re about 2½ hours away from picking up the NPS rangers at the mouth of Glacier Bay. It’s looking like a decent day, with a cloud ceiling at about 3,000 feet but no rain. I had a ball yesterday. I think...
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A day in Ketchikan

As I start writing this, it’s 03:15 am and the Coral Princess is in Stephens Passage, 44 nautical miles south of Juneau at the mouth of Tracy and Endicott Arms. Sunday was so busy that I didn’t have anything to eat until after my second presentation, which ended at...
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