Overview:  Best Journeys of the World lists the Inside Passage of Alaska as being one of the worlds top cruises. How could it not be when sailing alongside mountains rising up 15,000 ft above the water as you coast along from the comforts of the Sapphire Princess.  The cruise began in the small town of Whittier and headed south ending in Vancouver, BC.  Making the cruise even more enjoyable was having so many family and friends to enjoy it with. Highlights and the coastal towns included College Fjord, Glacier Bay National Park, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

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                 Cruise Summary

Total Distance= 1728 Nautical Miles = 1989 Miles

Port of Call                                     Distance

Whittier to Colleger Fjord          97 nmls

College Fjord to Glacier Bay         527 nmls

Glacier Bay to Skagway                 174 nmls

Skagway to Juneau                        103 nmls

Juneau to Ketchikan                     285 nmls

Ketchikan to Vancouver                542 nmls

Day 1

Whittier

Up the morning of the cruise we dropped off the rental car and then got on the bus. It was a nice ride as we made our way along turn-again arm. Through a lengthy tunnel we got our first glimpse of the ship.  After boarding, Mike and Dad and myself took a kike up to Portage Pass and got good views of the glacier and looking back at the ship. The evening was spent walking around the palatial ship. After our first taste of cruise eating we went to Mike and Ang's room to hang out on the balcony watching the mountains unfold by us.

Portage Glacier

Mountain Shades

Day 2

College Fjord

Up early on the deck by 6 we cruised by the College Glaciers and eventually ended up at the Harvard Glacier.  When the glacier calved it sounded like gunshots- I only heard it twice.  The rest of the day was spent walking around the ship.

 The boat rotated 360 degrees to give everyone a view

Harvard Glacier

Harvard Glacier

 Sam enjoying a cup of coffee on deck

 Ice reflections

Some smoke in the air gave a very nice gold tint to the sun

 Passing by another large glacier

 Sea of Gold

Day 2

Glacier Bay National Park

As we entered the bay we saw a few whales off in the distance. I was up on the deck the whole day as we traveled the parks inlets. It was unbelievably clear and hot outside. Only able to access the park by boat or plane it had a feel of a true wild landscape. The national park staff boated in and gave a presentation about the park later in the day.

 The Fam on the Front

The wind was blasting at the front of the ship

 Another inlet of Glacier Bay

 Another impressive sight. The Blue ice of the mile wide, 300 ft tall glacier that flowed from the jagged peaks in the distance.

Later in the evening before dinner I had a memorable soak in the hot tube at the rear of the ship surrounded by the fjords of the park as we made our way back out.

 The shot of what a cruise ship has to offer... This just isn'tt right!

 Sam on deck

 Nightly Pre-dinner festivities on the balcony

 Sam and Angela

 Mom and Dad

Shawn and Christina

 The crew before watching a comedy act

Day 4

Skagway

 It was a mellow day touring the gold rush city of Skagway. The Klondike rush of 1898 cause a need for a railroad into town which it was able to build with 30,000 people. The US was on a depression at the time from over speculation in the railroad industry so thousands of men tried their luck making their way up to the Yukon. Skagway is pretty much where these men's adventure began as they unloaded their gear here before their overland trek over Chilkoot Pass.  At the pass the prospects lined up with a their required one years worth of supplies to pass.

 Many spent the day taking a tour by train up to the pass.

Day 5

Juneau

 Today from the Port of Juneau my Dad rented a car and we drove to the Mendenhall Glacier. At the glacier we took a 3 mile hike up the East Glacier Trail through a very thick forest. From there we drove North to Eagle river and Mother Teresas to walk around looking for eagles and enjoying the coastline.

 Mendenhall Glacier

 Kayaking nearby the glacier

 Large nearby falls

 Sam and Angela looking at Eagles in the distance

Outside of the ship in Juneau - no shortage of tourist opportunities here! Back in Juneau we almost missed the boat by 5 min. The evening was spent again enjoying the views of the inside passage from the spa. Dinner was comprised of a tasty Alaska king crab. Its tough.... by now we are certainly spoiled of the daily grind. The buffet is especially hazardous... when my mid day "snack" suddenly transformed itself into a thanksgiving dinner.

Leaving Juneau -  Sarah Palin's house can be seen on the left.. watch out.. she's Going Rogue

Day 6

Ketchikan

 I believe my favorite town of the cruise was Ketchikan. The city felt like it had its own little culture.  We walked through the city center in the morning and went with Mike/Ang to the Totem heritage museum. 

We toured the eagle and salmon center. I find it amazing still that the salmon are able to go to the sea then return to the same place they were born to spawn. I asked more about this and learned that a chemical in their nasal passage can tune them to the earths magnetic field. This allows them to locate the area of the river- Then at the river they can recognize the minerals and PH levels as they swim up the correct stream.

 A very cool downtown

 Native art at the heritage museum

The totems were from the 1800's and were built by the Tulat Tribe for many reasons such as a new chief, marriage or even the completion of a chiefs new home.  In the work area a totem was being made by one of the towns most famous artist. I asked a near by employee, if this totem was going to be sent to DC? "No it could be in your backyard"

 Another large totem along one of the streets

As we walked back to the ship a man on the street directed our attention to an eagle perched on a branch above a small creek. We hung out on the bridge and able to snap some nice shots.

 Totem Face

 Another colorful totem

 Wall nearby where our ship was docked

Highlights of the evening included the lobster dinner with soufflé for dessert- followed up by Mike taking 3rd place in the blackjack tournament. Sam also hit $75 on the good ole wheel of fortune.

Day 6

Day at Sea

 We had a good time sitting up on top of the deck as we cruised through the narrowest portion of the whole trip. Towns and homes are starting to pop up more frequently as we get closer to Vancouver.

Window Reflections

From the top deck

Day 7

Vancouver

 Up early we sailed under the Lions Gate bridge and got off the ship in downtown Vancouver. They shuttled us to the airport where we got our bags, car, and began the next portion of our trip to Kelowna / Banff.

 Lions Gate bridge

It was tough to pack up and leave the ship, everyone had a fantastic time and we all made the most of every moment.  Back on the road we drove to Kelowna to stay with Bill and Julie.  The next leg of the trip was on. The following day we spent touring Kelowna, then off to the best of Canada's National Parks:  Banff and Jasper.

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