Y’all our last cruise was absolutely stunning! I highly recommend going on an Alaskan cruise closer to the end of the season but be prepared as it will only give you a taste of the beauty of Alaska.
PJ and I have been planning an Alaskan cruise since 2020. We actually had one booked and ready when COVID hit and all cruises were cancelled. To say we were bummed was an understatement. We rescheduled 2 times due to schedules and when we scheduled the last cruise of the season, we were stoked. We decided not to bring the kids on this cruise and have an adult only vacation. As I sit and reflect, I am not sure the kids would understand the beauty of Alaska, so I am happy we made it an adult only cruise.
We boarded Royal Caribbeans Ovation of the Seas September 29th, 2023 in Seattle. At the port, we had an uber drop us off at the port and they are only allowed to go so far, so there was lots of walking from the Uber to the port doors. We had an early check in time, and were a bit early, so we did have to wait in line for a few minutes while Royal Caribbean got everything ready. Once inside, the check in process was seamless and only took a couple of minutes. Once in the waiting lounge, we waited about 30 minutes then they began the boarding process. The ship was huge! Okay this is the biggest ship I have been on to date, and we have cruised a lot.
Once on the ship we began the exploring process. We started from the back on deck 5, grabbed a coffee at the Café @two270. They had coffee, sandwiches, and salads. We sat and enjoyed those and then began our exploration! The main area on the ship had your typical shops (that open once at sea), another coffee shop, guest services, etc. We walked past all that to find a pool hall and the theater. We decided to take a trip up toward the pool deck. They had an adult only area, outdoor pool and indoor pool. We also came upon the kids’ area. It had a huge game area, sports court, and access to the kids club. We did not spend much time here as our kids were not with us! Shortly after this we had access to our room. We relaxed and sat on our balcony till our luggage arrived. From there we unpacked and were ready to get some dinner. We had heard from many people that the food is not spectacular like other cruise routes. We went in with this expectation and besides specialty restaurants, this was very true. My personal theory is, they want you out enjoying the cruise then waiting for amazing food. We dined at 2 specialty restaurants, Chops and Wonderland. I will do a review on those in another post.
The ports of call for the last cruise of the season were Juneau, AL, Skagway, AL, Endicott & Dawes Glacier, and Victoria, Canada.
First stop was a smaller city, Juneau, AL . We did the Goldbelt tram and it was enjoyable. If you are afraid of heights and tight places, the tram may not be for you. You load the tram in the port and the little box car, filled with as many people as possible, goes up the mountain. As the tram moves into place for you to get off at the top, there is a lot of swaying and some jerking. This made me uneasy, but I was able to grab on to my husband’s arm and he as always, kept me calm. We were able to walk trails that were clearly marked. The weather was foggy and lots of drizzle, so many of the trails were not passable. We were still able to walk one. We saw amazing views. I wish I could show every amazing photo but I can’t on this blog. Make sure you have hiking boots and water wicking pants and layer up because it is cold up there. We sat at the little restaurant and had some chili and coffee to warm up. Once done on the tram, we walked the shopping area. The stores were all selling at half price since we were the final cruise of the season. The main gift shop was very well stocked and had a lot to choose from, even with the sale.
On the next day we visited Skagway. The port had a rockslide within the last year. It made getting to and from the port a little different than your typical port. You had to walk through metal containers to a spot for a bus to pick you up and drop you off past the “danger” area. We did the Train ride excursion up the mountain. It had amazing views and even with the cold damp foggy day, we were still able to see most everything the tour guide pointed out. This train ride was well worth the money. They tell you the history of why the tracks were built and you do enter Canada but never get off the train. So passports were not needed for our excursion. Keep in mind when booking, to check passport requirements for the excursions as there were some longer rides that do require passports. Upon returning to town, the train gave us the option to be dropped off in town or at the original pick-up location. We chose the town. The town is small and not much was open for the last cruise of the season. We found this amazing little café about a block and half from the train depot. They offered soup, sandwiches and drinks. They had Unstuffed pepper soup as the soup of the day and it was amazing. If you like stuffed peppers, you will enjoy this soup. We also grabbed the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich. They warmed the sandwich up to serve to us. It was a chilly/rainy day and people were trying to hoard tables. The area is small but well worth the fight to get a table.
The most breath-taking day of the trip and one reason why we made sure to have a balcony room, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. This was beautiful to see. We took the inside passage. While it was foggy, cold and a little rainy, It was worth every cold moment. We had several layers of clothes on, coats, hats, scarfs, gloves, and a blanket and sat on our balcony for a couple of hours just taking in all the beauty. The mountains are enormous and majestic. As you float on by, you see ducks playing in the water, dolphins, waterfalls, Bald eagles, and
fish jumping out of the water. Then comes the ice chunks. The ice we saw was either bright white or crystal blue. As the captain turns the boat for everyone to see the Glacier, the quietness comes over the boat, People are everywhere looking for the perfect spot to take pictures. We were on our balcony the whole time and when the ship turned, the Glacier took my breathe away. It was foggy, which made the Glacier even more mysterious. Even with the fog you could still see how enormous and beautiful the Glacier was. PJ and I enjoyed this part of the cruise the most.
Last stop of the trip was Victoria, Canada. We did not have anything planned in Victoria. So, when we got off the ship, we took the bus to the downtown area. The bus cost us $13 each for a hop on and off pass. We walked the downtown area enjoying the beautiful weather. It was a gorgeous 68 and sunny. The bus drops you in front of the Empress Hotel. The hotel grounds were beautiful. The trees were starting to change color and they had bright vivid flowers all over the place. It was the prettiest landscaping I have seen at a hotel.
After enjoying a little walk, we walked over to a shopping area, where we got the kiddos some souvenirs. After that we stopped at the local Starbucks to grab some coffee, we tried other shops, and they were either closed or so crowded we would had to have waited too long. After our Starbucks, we walked over to watch some of the boats come in and saw the outside of the Capital building. Victoria was a beautiful town. After spending some time walking the downtown area, we headed back to the ship and spent the rest of the day relaxing.
We left the ship in Vancouver, British Columbia and rented a car to drive back to Seattle. This part took some planning. We looked at several options to getting back to our kids, but all were going to take longer then renting a car and driving. We looked at planes, trains, and buses. And to me the car ride was well worth it. We had to rent a car from Vancouver to
Seattle and then pick up a new car in Seattle airport. This was so worth it. We were able to drive across the border, see amazing views driving into Seattle and then again when driving to Boise. We were able to get into Boise at about 9pm. If we would of taken any other route, it would have been the next day and we would of slept in airports.
Even though the food was decent, not great, the trip itself was amazing. There is so much to appreciate in the beauty of the calming comfort of the mountains. This trip just gave us a taste of what amazing things Alaska has to offer. We hope to go back to the bigger parts of Alaska someday.
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