You Mean We Left the Ship to See This!
Written: Aug 01 '02 (Updated Aug 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rugged mountain views, wildlife, salmon, glaciers, and English is spoken!
Cons: Overcast or rainy days
The Bottom Line: I did not expect much from the ports. The ship and the scenery make this cruise worth the money.
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| blimbach's Full Review: Alaska |
Having always been enchanted with mountains and seashores, we felt the cruise up the inside passage of Alaska seemed the perfect fit. This completed my visiting all 50 states in my 66 years.
Our ship, the Zaandam of Holland America's fleet, was our luxurious home for seven days. We spent our first day at sea, marvelling at the snow capped mountains as we cruised the deep blue waters of the inside passage. Our first port was Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
For our first side trip, we chose the combination trip to the Mendenhall Glacier and city tour. The day was overcast and cool. Upon reaching the viewing point for the glacier, we looked at exhibits explaining facts about the area and walked to a spot near the water to see the glacier. It was still a ways away and to hike the trail up to it would have made us miss our bus trip back. Seeing something that is so old and still evolving is worth seeing.
Our city tour of Juneau was not very interesting. Their capital building is one of only two that has no dome. It looks like any other building. Perhaps if they had taken us into the capital building, I would have liked it more. If you can get to the glacier without paying for the city tour, do it. You can get a much better feel for the area by just walking around.
Our next port was Skagway. Once more we docked right in the downtown area. All tours and a train left from an area about a block from the ship.
First we boarded the White Pass Railroad, a narrow gauge railway up Dead Horse Gulch named after the 3000 horses that died from either being overburdened by the gold miners or from falling off the narrow path. The route followed the path taken by the Stampeders as the gold rushers were called. It led to the Yukon. It took us through very scenic mountains.
The problem was the overcast and foggy day which obscured many of the high peaks. Looking down into the valleys full of rushing water did make up for some of the weather. Being a flower lover, I did appreciate seeing all the differ
ent flowers along the way and could find them in a guide given out on the train.
The train cars have been modeled after the original cars. You can stand on the platforms between cars to take in the scents and sights better than inside the cars. Only a few of us brave souls did so, though, as it was a shaky spot, not very large.
After lunch on the ship (it was paid for, after all), we took the touring street car driven by a bearded driver in vintage clothing. He was very comical, but unfortunately we could have seen the main street easily by walking a short distance from port. The rest of his tour to an overlook of the port and a cemetery of old time miners was not worth the cost of the tour.
We spent a day on the ship going to and inside Glacier Bay. This was a highlight despite the foggy day. We saw ice chunks floating in the water as we got closer to the Margery Glacier and spent an hour stationed about 1/2 mile from the huge towering ice wall where enormous chunks of ice fell with a boom and created huge splashes into the water. The overcast day allowed us to see the blue ice normally being white on sunny days. This glacier moves about 12 inches a day so you often hear the booms from its cracking. We could not see most of the other 12 glaciers along the way due to weather conditions.
Our last port was quite interesting, but again, the duck (both land and water vehicle) tour of the town and port could have been skipped. Save your money for the many shops within walking distance. Our ship was moored in the middle of the fiord allowing us to see the harbor that way. The town is built on stilts and areas are blasted out of the granite mountains for more sites as there is not flat land on which to build.
The many stores have wonderful shopping opportunities, even for non shoppers like me. One item you see all over are the curved chopping knives and wooden bowls in all price ranges. If you do buy an Ulu knife, be sure not to pack it in your carry-on luggage.
Behind the main street is Creek Street, with very picturesque homes which housed the red light district. Its wooden sidewalk is hanging over the creek below where many kayaks travel. You may see Dolly, all dressed up in finery to attract the male customers with a wave. You can't miss her
house as her name is in big letters across the front of her house.
We did not go to the totem pole parks as they were not one of our interests, but you can walk to the one in town to see two totem poles outside the park. If you choose, you may join a walking tour of the town to get more background information.
We spent between $400 and $500 on tours. There are many other choices if you care to be more adventurous than we are. I would not waste money on the port tours, though.
Once you walk the towns to enjoy the architecture of the old buildings and get some shopping done, spend the rest of your day enjoying the beautiful ship. After all, you paid for it.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
blimbach
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Illinois, near the Wisconsin border
Reviews written: 367
Trusted by: 146 members
About Me:
Grandmother of 4 (so far), married to the same great guy since 1961, retired teacher.
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