The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway is one of the most popular excursion spots in Skagway, Alaska. The White Pass Summit excursion is a specific tour offered, and by far one of the best when you’re limited on time.
Having a hard time packing for your Alaskan cruise? We’ve got your back. We took an Alaskan cruise in 2023 and took note of everything we wish we had, and everything we wish we left at home.
Today we are in the capital city of Juneau, Alaska. The ship is in port for a good portion of the day, and we don’t have an actual excursion planned. This could make or break the day but we’ll take it as it comes. We seem to be following a pattern this week of getting up later and later. We were up and heading to the buffet by 6:30 this morning. We didn’t make the early tender call this morning like we did yesterday. The difference for today is that we will need to tender into port, instead of getting off on the dock. The process for tendering included waiting in line at the casino to get a tender time slot and ticket. We were still among the first groups to tender into port from the Norwegian Sun. The rest of the ships were already letting guests off, and the town was already bustling.
In my research and planning phase of this trip I had read about the “blue bus” and all of the different ways you can get to Mendenhall Glacier. The excursion stall for the blue bus was super easy to find and we bought two tickets thinking it wouldn’t take long to get going. We were directed around the corner (from the excursion stalls) to the parking lot…where the line was wrapped around other bus lines. We were on the fourth bus out to Mendenhall, and about a twenty minute ride later we were there. The crowds here were monumental. It was only 8:30 AM but everyone here seems to be an early bird. We walked the trail down to Nugget Falls, and right up to the beach for a front row view of the glacier.
We shuttled back into Downtown Juneau around 10:30 AM, much earlier than I thought we would be. We were split between trying to book another excursion or just exploring on foot. The self guided tour won the race and we took off for Devil’s Club Brewing. We had a before-lunch beer, and planned out our walking tour. It shocked me how small downtown Juneau really is. You can easily walk anywhere inside the city, and there are only a few stops outside of town that you’d want to take the bus to. We walked over to Tahku, a giant humpback whale statue on the waterfront. After visiting him and walking the SeaWalk, we were at a little bit of a loss on what to do. Our initial attempt to take the bus over to the DIPAC fish hatchery failed because we didn’t have change. The weather wasn’t exactly on our side either, the fog was rolling in and so was the rain. We made another lap around town and made a pit stop at the Red Dog Saloon. Ben tried the famous “Duck Fart” shot, and people watched until we were out of beer. The afternoon was winding down and we were running out of options for last minute stops. We had already shopped, visited, and viewed everything we wanted to. That left one last place to go. Alaska Brewing Co’s location near the cruise dock is a little bit too handy. We split a beer and enjoyed being out of the rain for a little while. The tender line back to the ship was beginning to get longer and we made the journey back to the ship before it started to get too long.
The evening on the ship was slow, we are not leaving Juneau for a little while yet but we went for dinner anyway. Ben and I shared baked zitis, scollops, baked trout and bratwurst. All of that written down sounds like a bad mix but it was fantastic. After dinner we did a few laps around the jogging track with my camera. The ship was just beginning to leave port and we started seeing whales surfacing in the distance. It was magical to see them as the sun was getting lower on the horizon. Our night ended shortly after, relaxing in the room for the night.
Our first full day on our 9 day Southern Alaska cruise, onboard the Norwegian Sun. Today is an at sea day as we cruise up to Ketchikan.
Victoria, British Columbia is a Canadian cruise port located across the bay from Seattle, Washington. Cruise ships dock at the Ogden Point Pier which is within walking distance of downtown. Make sure to check with your cruise line before packing for your cruise if you will need your passport to go here. There are mixed answers floating around on the internet and checking with your cruise line is the best option.
Victoria is an easily walkable city, however, the farther you go the more things are spread out. Victoria has a city bus system that you should utilize if you plan on leaving the downtown or James Bay area. Water taxis are another way that some choose to skip the walk to the downtown area. Don’t underestimate the walking distances if you have limited time in port, it takes time to get around the city.
This is a unique stop for any urban explorer. The grassy park opens up to the Fisherman’s wharf where you will find food and drink vendors, house boats and dock seating. You could spend a few hours enjoying the view and food if you so wanted to. The house boats are private residences however, so please be mindful that it is still someone’s neighborhood you’re exploring.
If you’re looking for a perfect picnic spot, this would be it. There are rose gardens, stone bridges, fountains and ponds to contribute to the natural beauty. Just a fun fact, Winston Churchill planted a tree here in 1929.
The castle was built during Queen Victoria’s reign, between 1887 and 1890, and is now a historic site. Take a trip back in time to the Victorian era by taking a guided tour of the mansion. Admission is $20 per person, they do offer child and senior discounts.
Miniature World has over 85 miniature dioramas on display and a wide variety of themes. From Camelot to Swiss Family Robinson, they have the scenes. Admission is $19 per person and they offer child discounts. A thing to note: if you visit Victoria in the evening, they close rather early.
The Fairmont Empress makes it onto most travel guides, but for the most part it is a photography stop. The hotel is a National Historic Site that overlooks the bay. If you want to venture inside they have several bars and restaurants to visit.
These beautiful buildings are the home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. If you want to take a self guided tour of the buildings, they are open weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Be sure to check online before you visit in case they are closed for a special event.
Victoria, British Columbia is a beautiful stop on an Alaska cruise. No matter how long you have in port you will be able to find something to do. If you visit in the evening and have a chance to see the lights on the Parliament buildings it is even better.
Juneau is Alaska’s capital and one of the most popular cruise ports in the State. If you’re visiting on your next cruise, this is the guide for you!
Many visitors see Glacier Bay National Park from a cruise ship. This guide will help prepare you for cruise day!
The first day of vacation is always the most exciting for me, even if it is a travel day. I guess that depends on perspective-some people don’t like waking up before the sun, flying to your destination, and the excitement of getting there aren’t always someone’s idea of a great day but they are to me. We were up at 3:00 AM, made the hour drive to the airport and through security for our 6:50 flight. Logan was surprisingly busy at 5:00 in the morning, the Delta baggage check line was longer than the security line. We had just enough time to get breakfast and coffee before boarding the plane.
Long distance flights are never fun, but those seven hours to Seattle dragged on. I was super excited to get us booked in the same row with a window seat, just to find out the “window” I had didn’t exist. It’s not a big deal but I was definitely caught trying to peek out the window of the person in front of me. Leaving SeaTac was remarkably easy, we Ubered to the Burien Enterprise to grab our rental car. We had originally booked an SUV with the intent of car camping, but they only had smaller cars and a very small SUV. It was interesting, Enterprise didn’t want to give us a Kia because they were being targeted in robberies around the city for the starter.
We left with the small SUV and headed for Starbucks while we decided where to go from there. Our options were Mt.Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and Leavenworth. The weather played heavily into our decision, and Leavenworth won the battle with the best weather forecast. The two and a half hour drive was spectacular. I might be a little star struck seeing new landscapes for the first time but it truly was beautiful.
The drive should have taken two and a half hours but it ended up taking four because we made a pit stop at Snoqualmie Falls (upper and lower) to walk around and see the sights. We really took the day as it came, and picked out where we were going to stay the night as we were rolling into town. The prospect of rain and a much smaller car than we anticipated took car camping out of the line up. We booked the Sleeping Lady Resort on a whim and checked in right when we got to town. The resort is just on the outskirts of Leavenworth and absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. If we are able to I really hope that we will make it back there someday for a longer stay.
After getting settled into our room and walking the resort grounds we went into Leavenworth for dinner and drinks. We were exhausted but that was all the time we had to explore downtown before we head back in the morning. Our first stop was Rhein Haus for a giant pretzel and a couple beers. The back deck overlooks the main street with all of the shops and Bavarian style buildings. It really is a small town with just a few streets so walking the whole town didn’t take very long. Our very last stop in town was Icicle Brewing Company, they were doing live music outside and had a beautiful porch. Leavenworth would certainly be beautiful in the winter, but seeing it in the summer gives the town a fairytale vibe.
Our evening consisted of sitting in the hot tub and relaxing in our room. The Sleeping Lady Resort is without a doubt the best place around to stay in Leavenworth. I am so glad we ended up staying there. Tomorrow morning will go by fast I’m sure, we have to make it all the way back to Seattle first thing to board the ship.
