​We boarded the ship on Friday, May 24th after spending the evening prior in Seattle. We arrived at the Cruise Terminal and boarded Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The check-in at the terminal was a breeze! We had completed our check-in process before we even arrived in Seattle. I highly recommend doing this!

​Our itinerary was absolutely wonderful! Although I will say, after this cruise, I DEFINITELY want to see more of Alaska! This 7-night cruise featured stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, British Columbia. We also had two days out at sea and one day cruising through Alaska’s Inside Passage as well as one day cruising through Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. 

​I will be honest, I was a bit bummed at first that we were only going to have 3 days in port, but after experiencing the views from our balcony stateroom during our days cruising, I totally changed my mind! I swear we could have sat out on that balcony for HOURS.

With a group of 16, it was hard for us all to decide on the same shore excursions so some of us did different things while in port. All our excursions & tours were booked through a company called Shore Trips because we wanted smaller group excursions. Everyone LOVED their shore excursions! We all thought our tour guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining. The tours were very well done and worth every penny!
​

JUNEAU, ALASKA

​On our 4th day of the cruise, we arrived in the small town of Juneau, Alaska. The town was absolutely adorable and had a lot to see and do just within walking distance of the pier. 

The tour that 8 other members of our group and I went on was the “Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Combo Tour.” ​First, we were taken to Mendenhall Glacier where we were given an hour and half to do what we wanted. We decided to take the mile hike to the foot of Nugget Falls. The views from this point were just stunning! I have never seen a waterfall that big before. The waters of Mendenhall Lake were a mixture of blues and from where we were standing, we could actually see where the fresh water from the lake met the glacier’s run-off. This change in colors was beautiful to see! The glacier itself was unbelievable. I had seen many photos of it from all the research I had been doing prior to the trip but seeing it in person was a whole new perspective.

After we visited Mendenhall Glacier, we were driven to Auke Bay where we boarded our boat and met our very knowledgeable captain and marine biologist tour guides. They were both very insightful and entertaining. They lead us directly to whales, sea lions, harbor seals, bald eagles, and other wildlife while teaching us all about life in Alaska and the habits and lives of these beautiful mammals. 

​

Even though we had chances to see whales and dolphins from our ship, seeing them up close and personal like this was a whole other experience! We were all SO glad we took part in this tour!



​​Two members of our group did the “Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure.” They paddled their way across beautiful Mendenhall Lake leading them to the face of the living Mendenhall Glacier. 

Three other members of our group decided on the “Helicopter and Dog Sled Tour” in Juneau. Their tour began with a 20-minute helicopter ride through glacier-carved mountains to the top of Herbert Glacier where they found about 80 huskies waiting to greet them. The mushers (tour guides/dog sled leaders) then took them on a 2-mile look through the mountains, even letting them drive the sleds!

SKAGWAY, ALASKA

​We arrived in Skagway, Alaska, on our 5th day. This was the port that I had been most excited about. There is so much history in this small town! Skagway is best known for the Gold Rush and is still home to gold-rush-era buildings that are now preserved as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. ​Walking the town of Skagway is an experience within itself. While it is a very small town, there is so much to see and do!

​Our group was split into 3 on this day also. Five members of our group went on the “Mt. Riley Nature Hike with Catamaran Cruise” taking them on a scenic boat ride and then to the trail for a hike to the summit of Mt. Riley at a height of 1,760 ft. The trail took them through the temperate rain forest in their almost 5 hours long round trip. From the top, they experienced panoramic views that included the snow-capped Chillkat Mountains. They LOVED their experience on this excursion! 

Another group of 4 joined the “Yukon Suspension Bridge and White Pass Trail by Jeep” tour for an adventurous trip through the mountains. Each group of 2 was given a 4-door Jeep Wrangler to drive caravan style for the day. Their driving path paralleled that of the narrow-gauge railroad, the White Pass Railway and featured stops to experience many different beautiful mountain views. They also walked the 200 ft. long Yukon Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian cable bridge hanging 65 ft. above raging rapids of the Tutshi River Canyon. 

I, along with 4 others, decided to take part in 2 excursions while in Skagway. One in the morning and the other later in the afternoon. We began our day boarding the Scenic Railway of the World on the “White Pass Train and Drive” tour, which took us on a 28-mile journey between Skagway, Alaska, and Fraser, British Columbia. The historic train ride took us through breathtaking panoramas of mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls and tunnels while we listened to our guide's narration of the history of this route. The views from this train were unreal! There were many points at which I looked off the back of the train car and felt as if we were just going to fall right off the side of the mountain. The scenery changed drastically as we rode from Alaska into Canada. 

Once we reached Fraser, a tour vehicle picked us up and transferred us back to Skagway with stops to Pitchfork Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the infamous Alaska Sign along the way! This tour and our guides were simply amazing! I would recommend this tour to ANYONE visiting Skagway.

In between excursions, we walked the town of Skagway and grabbed lunch. Afterward, 6 of us joined the “Speed Boat Fjord Discovery” tour for some thrills on the water! We met our captain and our tour guide and got into our “exposure suits” to protect us from the wind. Our boat was the same type of boat used by the U.S. Navy Seals and Coast Guard and was VERY fast! The tour took us through the Lynn Canal which is North America’s longest and deepest fjord! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and got us up close and personal with many hidden coves, massive waterfalls, and a lot of wildlife. We got to see harbor seals and a whole lot of bald eagles and their nests! This was yet another tour that I would recommend to anyone visiting Skagway. It was not only informative but very thrilling all at the same time. 

​VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

​On our last and final day on our cruise, we stopped at British Columbia’s capital – Victoria. None of us had booked an excursion for this day because we wanted to explore this city for ourselves. Some visited the infamous Butchart Gardens while the rest of us walked the city and the surrounding parklands. It was such a beautiful day! We walked around and did a bit of shopping since we had the Canadian dollar on our side 😉 I missed out on the visit to Butchart Gardens and after seeing the photos from the other members in our group, I definitely regretted not going! This will be on my list of “must-dos” when I get a chance to go back!

THE SHIP

The food on board our ship was always so delicious, and the service was always amazing. We had a group dinner one evening at the specialty dining restaurant Chopp's Grille which I think made everyone’s trip. Our waiter turned the dinner into a full-on dining experience with magic tricks involving the whole group. The goat cheese salad was so good, and I’ve had a craving for it every day since! For dessert, our waiter drew a picture of Joe’s grandmother with chocolate as an early birthday celebration for her. It was a great evening! 

​Our balcony stateroom really did make our vacation! Waking up and enjoying room service on our balcony as we sailed past glaciers felt like living in a dream. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Like I said before, this cruise was so amazing and it left my Fiancé and I wanting much more of Alaska! I have never traveled to a destination that immediately had me wanting more, but after the pure beauty we witnessed we want to go back ASAP!

​I am still in complete AWE of what we experienced during our trip and I still find it hard to believe that all these views are right in our backyard! If Alaska is not on your travel bucket list, it should be!

Ready to start planning your dream Alaskan vacation?
Contact Christine Hakenjos at 314-439-5700 ext. 134 or email her