An Alaskan cruise is an unforgettable experience. We were fortunate to have great weather when we cruised on Regal princess in 2001 after a 7 day trip across the Canadian Rockies with more inclement weather. The ports we visited were Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. When we visited in June, the humpback whales were returning some with calves to spend the summer feeding in the rich Alaskan waters. The temperatures were like our Spring but outdoor warm clothes are advised as it can be cold.
One of the must sees is the Mendenhall Glacier. We did a trip on an inflatable dingy down the Mendenhall rapids which was quite exhilerating for half a day. We also took another trip for the remainder of the day in a float plane over the glaciers. This was a highlight as the full beauty and splendour of the glaciers is appreciated. The plane took us skimming over mountain tops and we could see glaciers as far as the eye could see. At one point several converged into one valley.
Again we did two trips to maximise our time. We took a coach trip along the Klondike gold rush trail up to White Horse Pass. Our luck meant that we had one of the few sunny clear days in the year to see the pass in full glory. Tails were told of the goldrush on the way there and back and you have to marvel at the determination of these men and women in their quest to find the gold and get a beter life. The other trip we did took us on a catamaran to Haines an old American Fort town. On the way we saw a humpback calf breaching several times. To see a whale breach in this way is something to behold and is one of the lasting memories for us.
Here we opted to go on a wildlife viewing trip as the ship wasn't anchored for a full day. The sighting of wildlife was almost guaranteed with money back if a certain number of species weren't seen! We saw humpback whale, sea otters, a rare sighting of a Sitka Black tailed deer and bald Eagles. No brown bears or Orca unfortunately so another Alaskan trip is required!
This took us to Hubbard Glacier and it was very cold as the ship neared the glacier. We saw no wildlife and eventually the cold got the better of us depite having a lot of warm clothing on. The bay was dotted with broken ice which had packed as we turned round to sail out. The sound of the ice shattering and tinkling as the ship broke through it was another marvel to hear.
Thanks to Caroline Morrell
The day we were in Boston was very hot, so we did not see all of a very interesting city. There is a well marked walking tour that shows all the sights. One day we will go back when it is cooler.(David Toft)
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