Our last stop on the Alaskan cruise was in Victoria, British Columbia–the southernmost major city of Western Canada. Victoria is in the top 20 of world cities for quality of life and it was easy to see why.
Since Victoria is known as the “The Garden City” it only made sense that we would take one of the excursions to The Butchart Gardens. There were many variations to choose from, but we decided to see the highlights of Victoria, which included a visit to the Gardens and a fireworks show. We passed by many of the highlights on our way there.
Upon arrival at Butchart Gardens, I realized I had underestimated on my expectation of “gardens”. This place was absolutely gorgeous–55 acres of gardens divided into theme areas of the Mediterranean Garden, Italian Garden, Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, and the Sunken Garden.
There were flowers
and more flowers
and gardens
and trees
and roses
and fountains
and it was all incredibly beautiful–overwhelmingly beautiful. We walked through almost all of every garden while waiting for sunset. Along the way, we learned the story of Jennie Butchart and how she transformed a gigantic limestone quarry pit into the spectacular Sunken Garden which spiraled into the other garden additions. You can download The Story of Butchart Gardens to your Kindle E-reader for the rest of the story.
Once darkness fell, the fireworks show, which included aerial and ground displays began.
The show was set to music and lasted about 30 minutes. After that, it was time to head back to the ship. We did get a nice glimpse of British Parliament along with a lesson from our driver about what items cost in Canada.
We were so happy that we decided to check out Butchart Gardens. I would recommend anyone visiting Victoria, BC set aside some time to visit.
Glacier Bay, Alaska
So, this was the part of the Alaskan cruise that made the cruise so worth it. Glacier Bay is where we were able to access Glacier Bay National Park and see the glacier perfectly from our cruise ship. If you’ve never seen glaciers before, you will want to put that on your bucket list. It was so peaceful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Our morning started off with an announcement at 7am that our National Park Service “ranger” had just boarded our ship, The Pearl, and he would be narrating our tour. Never mind that we were still in our cabin and had barely rolled out of bed–the entire public announcement system was being used and we could hear every word no matter where on the ship we were.
We quickly got our layers on (it was going to be chilly on deck) and headed out for a quick breakfast and then to the starboard deck so we could see the glacier.
It was a pretty incredible sight to see! Just a point of nature’s beauty that could only be seen from that exact place at that exact moment. We and our co-cruisers were very quiet on deck in the hopes that we would hear the glacier calving, which is when huge chunks of ice, caused by the glacier expanding, break away from the glacier. Calving is usually proceeded by a loud cracking or booming sound, seconds to minutes before the breakaway. The entry of the ice chunk into the water can cause large, dangerous waves, which is why our ship could not get any closer than we were.
After watching for another hour or so, it was time to go. I had an appointment at the spa for a massage. I figured it would be a great way to finish off a beautiful morning. What a fun way to experience glaciers!
Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan was our last US stop on our cruise a couple of years ago. This was one of the most adorable towns I’ve ever seen! It had a lot of very colorful cottages dotting the landscape, and a cute downtown shopping center.
This was the stop where I had no excursions planned and hubby was headed out on a halibut fishing trip with his father-in-law. I decided to spend the day shopping for souvenirs for friends and family members (above and beyond the jewelry I had already acquired, see my Effy Jewelry Alaska post).
It turns out that Ketchikan, which is normally a very rainy town, was actually going through a heat wave while we were there. The temperatures were around 75F the day I went shopping and there was no rain, so it was a beautiful day to walk around and explore. I started off walking east on Water St. and quickly came upon a store called the Tongass Trading Company, which had pretty much everything Alaska. I was able to get almost all of my shopping done there–salmon jerky, whale tail necklaces, t-shirts, even a puzzle of Ketchikan. I loved this store!
From there I ventured over to the historic district. I had to devote a “few minutes” to Effy Jewelers, to make my last purchase with them. After that, I mostly wandered and people-watched.
I stopped in at the Crab Cracker Seafood Bar, where I had a cup of clam chowder and a crab leg for lunch. Now, if you know me very well, you know I absolutely LOVE crab legs and you are probably wondering why would she only have “a crab leg”? This crab leg was king crab and was almost the length of my arm, so only one crab leg was necessary! We don’t get them this big back in Missouri!
When I finished my shopping/lunching tour, I headed back to our cruise ship, the Norwegian Pearl to find out what Hubby and Dad had caught. Turns out, they each caught A fish, but NOT halibut. They donated their catch to the one guy on the trip who did catch a halibut. Better luck next fishing trip guys!
Skagway, Alaska
The next stop on our cruise a couple of years ago was Skagway, Alaska. Skagway has a bit of a shady past as it was the most direct entry to the potential gold fields of the Klondike gold rush that spurred from the discovery of gold in Canada’s Yukon Territory in 1896. Because of the influx of prospectors, the population of Skagway boomed. Some of the town residents began offering goods and services to the prospectors often at highly inflated rates. This led to a mostly lawless town, overrun with fighting, prostitution, and excessive drinking.
Enough of the brief history lesson, we had just as much fun while visiting. After walking around the town a bit, we headed off for Musher’s Camp. The ride there took us along the waterfront of Dyea which during the Klondike gold rush used to be a town, but is now largely abandoned. The forest has almost completely grown back over where streets and buildings used to be.
When we arrived at camp, we were assigned a custom made dogsled which was kind of like a golf cart with no motor or steering wheel and a musher. Musher’s camp is where the dogs train for the Iditarod in the off-season and is comprised of dirt/mud trails. Our musher explained how the dogs learn from one another during training and he demonstrated how they comprehend commands. The best example was when we were approaching a fork in the trail. On our first pass, the musher gave the command to veer to the left, and we gently did, bypassing the fork. On the second pass, however, he told the team to take the turn left. It was pretty impressive to experience the dogs doing their work. And it’s obvious their handlers are crazy about them and take great care of them.
At the end of the ride we got to go back down to the camp for hot cocoa and to meet the puppies. I could have stayed there all day! They were so cute!
It was hard to leave, but we had Ghosts and Goodtime Girls to get to next. Hubby had a LOT of fun bragging beforehand that his wife was taking him to a brothel! At the starting point, we were assigned a “working girl”. She gave us a tour of the town of Skagway pointing out the notorious areas for prostitution and various businesses back in the gold rush days.
Along the way we were given quite the image and education of how rough life was for the prospectors, the working girls, and others associated back then. We also toured the brothel and Red Onion Saloon seeing where the girls lived, slept, and conducted business.
At the end of the tour, we got to hang out at the saloon and enjoyed a couple of beers while waiting for our ride back to our cruise ship. We felt we had earned it. After all, it had been a long day of puppies and Gold Rush education that we didn’t learn in school!
Effy Jewelry–Alaska
Ok, so this post started out as a post about Skagway, Alaska, but then it took a turn. I feel obligated to give a shout out to Effy Jewelers.
I forgot to mention anything in my last post, Juneau, Alaska, about the semi-scavenger hunt. Our personal shopper on the cruise ship presented us an opportunity at each port. If we went into Effy Jewelers at each stop and showed we were cruising with NCL, we would receive a FREE pendant–a different gem at each stop–and for $10 we could add the matching earrings. Since I always enjoy a good challenge, I like negotiating prices, and I love jewelry, this sounded kind of fun and gave me an excuse to go into multiple jewelry stores (which can be a pricey risk for me) and collect them all. Don’t ask hubby’s opinion though–he was less than humored, until they offered him a beer.
Now, I know, I know–it was just a gimmick to get us to shop. But, we WERE on a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I was prepared to make the most of it. At our first stop in Juneau, I went in to Effy and quickly found my freebie pendant–a dark blue topaz–and of course I ponied up the $10 for the matching earrings.
I figured, if nothing else, the set would be a good souvenir for friends or family. Since Effy also provided us a beer while we were there, we had time to do a little window shopping, and then headed out to the Mendenhall Glacier.
At our next stop in Skagway, we popped into Effy to get my next freebie pendant. Here’s where I digress. Back in Juneau while window shopping, a collection called Watercolors caught my eye. At this stop, hubby wound up buying me the most beautiful Watercolors pendant and matching earrings. (I think the beers provided in the store helped facilitate the purchase!)
After our purchase, I asked about the freebie pendant. Our sales guy asked how many I wanted. How many? I could get more than one? Only because of the purchase we made. Awesome! Knowing I was going to buy the matching earrings, I limited myself to three. These gems were a beautiful light blue topaz.
More souvenirs! Some of you may still even have yours.
I must mention, we were in the store longer than planned, and ran a little late getting back to the ship. Luckily, they didn’t depart without us!
Our last port that had an Effy Jewelers was in Ketchikan. Hubby was scheduled for a fishing trip with my Dad, so I went to Effy on my own. I couldn’t resist–I found the perfect Watercolors ring to complete the set hubby bought me!
This was also the stop that when I got my freebie pendant, it was the coveted Northern Lights topaz, which is a multi-colored, “mystic topaz”, also know as Labradorite.
This one was going to be MY souvenir! It had all the colors of the Aurora Borealis and was super gorgeous!
While the Effy Jewelry scavenger-type hunt was gimmicky, it worked for me, but it may not be for everyone. While I feel I got a beautiful remembrance of our cruise to Alaska and some pretty, affordable souvenirs, I do know I didn’t end up with flawless, top-of-the-line gems. If you shop Effy, just be aware of what you’re buying and what it’s worth truly is. And watch out for the sales guy that may fluctuate on his prices. (Some of these guys can talk in circles.) Only pay what you feel it’s really worth. For me, it was worth every penny, simply because of the experience we had at each stop, I have fun memories of our experiences in each Effy and if I’m ever on another cruise stop in a port with an Effy Jewelry, I may find another piece! (I’m already eye-balling a blue saffire and diamond starfish collection they have.) Feel free to comment on your Effy experiences.
Juneau, Alaska
Juneau was the first stop on our Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago. We pulled into port shortly after lunchtime. Lunch, by the way, was really just a snack, but it was incredible! The Pearl (our cruise ship) had a wonderful sushi bar simply called Sushi. We were afraid if we didn’t try it that day, we wouldn’t have time to eat there at all. We ordered a quick roll while waiting to port.
Pulling into Juneau, which is the capital of Alaska, we really got our first impression of what Alaska looked like. There were lots of mountains and you could see snow on some of them. You could see little houses nestled into the hillsides amongst the firs and evergreens. It was so different looking from Missouri, but looked very cozy! Apparently, Juneau is a rather unusual town because there are NO ROADS that connect it to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America because of the rugged terrain. Imagine if the only way to leave your town was by boat or plane…
Our first excursion was to the Mendenhall Glacier. It’s located on Mendenhall Lake and is 13.9 miles long. The glacier was rather impressive once you hiked up close enough to realize how much ice it’s made of. That is A LOT of ice! It was sad to watch the time-lapse video in their visitor center that shows how quickly the glacier is retreating and shrinking due to global warming.
The Mendenhall Glacier is located in the Tongass National Forest. There are several trails in the area, but a number of them were closed due to recent bear sightings. While we DID NOT see any bears, we walked around the Steep Creek trail area. Part of the trail was closed, but some of it was still open. It was pretty cool to see the salmon spawning as we walked over one of the bridges on the trail.
After exploring here, we headed back over to catch our next excursion which was a trip whale watching. In Auke Bay, we boarded an Allen Marine catamaran which had a enclosed cabin that had a snack bar, and an observation deck upstairs. They provided us with binoculars, a route map, and our captain was our tour guide. He guaranteed us a $100 refund if we did not see any whale, and boy, did he deliver! (On whales–no one got the $100.)
We saw numerous different humpbacks throughout the tour, and one even breached but I wasn’t quick enough to capture a pic. If you ever get the chance to go whale watching, do it! It is quite breathtaking to see these creatures in their habitat.
In addition to seeing the whales, the scenery was incredible and the atmosphere was comfy and fun, not to mention the company. We definitely had a memorable day!
Cruising
What do I think of cruising? I know a number of people who think that a cruise is the only way to go. And it is. For some destinations. Do you want to experience a vacation with multiple stops like Alaska or the Mediterranean? Then a cruise is the way to go. We took an Alaskan cruise
But a cruise is not the best way to go for me. As a matter of fact, a cruise makes me feel slightly short-changed; gypped.
First, let’s talk cost. For years I’ve heard people talk about how cheap cruises are, however, I disagree. I think they are way overpriced. Maybe I just expect too much. But yes, I would like a room with a window or a balcony so I can see the ocean we’re floating on. That just upped the price. And yes, I would like to be able to eat at different restaurants instead of the buffet for every single meal. There went the price again. Would I like to take any excursions while ported?
Of course! And there goes the price some more. Ok, so to save some money, I’m going to pass on the drink plan that covers drinks, costs additional, and is required to be purchased for everyone in your stateroom whether they drink or not. Besides, I don’t need to over-imbibe every day. Wrong! (Not the over-imbibing part.) Do you have any idea what a beer costs on a cruise ship? $14! That’s higher than ballpark prices. And a Bailey’s with decaf while cruising through Glacier Bay set me back $28! That was an expensive morning without even leaving the ship. I didn’t do the math during the trip because I was afraid it would bring me to tears. Update: I have now done the math. If you ever intend to drink more than three cocktails in a day, you’d better buy the liquor plan. By day 4, I already knew we could have vacayed for 2 1/2 extra weeks in the Caribbean or had a really nice Sandals Resorts trip based on what we had already spent just on beer and cocktails!
Second, let’s talk claustrophobia. I don’t necessarily mean in the sense that the ship felt small. I can actually feel claustrophobic on a small island. The ship was huge, it even had a pool and rock wall on the top level. 
I mean claustrophobia in the sense of knowing that you are limited by boundaries. Knowing that you’ve already walked the entire ship 10 times in a day and you will NOT see anything different until the next port. There are only so many times I want to sit at the Ice Bar, watch another show in the theater, or donate more money in the casino in a day. And I don’t want to go watch TV in my room. I can do that at home.
Finally, while I think a cruise is a good way to see multiple places in a short period of time, if you’re on the cruise because there’s one place on the itinerary you really want to visit, be prepared to only spend a few hours there. The hours you are ported at a location really only give you enough time to take an excursion (maybe two if you’re there longer). If you are really hoping to immerse yourself in a particular place, you should really just take the entire trip there.
Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to travel in comfort from port to port, even while sleeping, eating, or getting a massage in the spa. So maybe that was worth some of the cost. And I’m sure it was the best way to see the glaciers calving in Glacier Bay. Aside from that, I’m just as happy hopping a plane to my location, getting there quickly, spending as much time as I want sight-seeing and experiencing the culture and even having money left over to go do it again somewhere else later. Bon Voyage!