Our ship in port in Ketchican, Alaska
Jan and I did a one week cruise from Vancouver to Alaska this July, 2014. We stayed for 3 nights in Anchorage and then flew home. We hadn’t done a cruise for a few years. It was Holland America. I always wanted to see Alaska but didn’t relish the thought of driving. (We live one hour from mile zero of the Alaska Highway).
So I’ll get this out right away. We aren’t in a great rush to cruise again. Too much food, too hard to be active. BUT, having said that – we really enjoyed. The food was fine, very good at times. The scenery was breathtaking. I mean to cruise up to a glacier spilling into the ocean is pretty unique. We had great weather for that area. We loved the opportunities to explore a few small Alaskan towns. Best part of the cruise – a good sized deck off our room. And it was a good size! Our room was almost as big as a standard hotel room! Nothing small about it. We really enjoyed the deck. After the cruise we landed at Seward, Alaska and from their took a train to Anchorage. It was about 3 and a half hours and we really enjoyed it. Relaxing and incredible scenery.
One of my fav photos, taken with my Blackberry out the train window.
We didn’t see much wildlife it seems but then again we see bears and moose all the time so we didn’t look too hard. The average age on the cruise ship was certainly a fair bit older than Jan and I. There were a few families with kids but not many. It wasn’t hard to go to bed early and get a good nights rest.
The three nights in Anchorage were terrific. Great food, fun hiking around and exploring. We rented a car. I have never fished in my life much so Jan and I went salmon fishing with a guide. It is stunning to see the salmon run. I had a few close calls. Jan caught a couple. Very exciting for both of us.
It was a heck of opportunity to see Alaska. On a cruise ship passing through the islands of the coast was mesmerizing. Time with Jan together on a cruise ship fun. I guess we have the rest of our life to walk off all those calories. The cruise ship crowd made us feel young.
It was a trip well worth taking. Alaska is so beautiful. A cruise up that coast unforgettable.
Jan and one that didn’t get away! Beautiful sockeye salmon
Kevin Hilgers 