Day 17, Thursday, August 4

Today is our second and last day at sea as we cruise the Inside Passage.

Our day started with a tour of the theater and the backstage which was interesting. One thing that we learned was that the entertainment staff have an 8-month contract and they are allowed to bring family on the ship for up to 3 months. That’s a huge perk.

After the backstage tour, we went and had morning tea and then we had a private tour of the bridge, which of course was very interesting.

By then it was time for lunch and ate a small lunch in the Oceanview Café.

Alaska’s Inside Passage is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast.

The Inside Passage stretches 500 miles along the Pacific Ocean and boasts wildlife-filled fjords, tidewater glaciers, and lush island scenery.

Before entering the Passage, we were invited to a cocktail part with members of the senior staff. That was fun talking with them after a great cruise.

The show tonight was

We ate dinner with the couple from Road Island again and it was fun as we had a lot of things about our lives that were in common; however, they did not play in the casino.

After dinner we went to the casino for our last session where Barb broke even and Ed had a nice win and in total we were up for a good total win.

Night from Canada this time and tomorrow we arrive for a couple of days in Vancouver, BC

                                                        Going out for the day's tours

                                                           The theater from the stage

                                         The second officier explaining the navagiation equipment

                                             We had a snack at about 4:00pm!

Going out for our last evening of this cruise

                                                    Palo, the Casino Manager, left and 

                                                      Charles our Casino Host  

                                        

Day 16, Wednesday, August 3

Now we are in Ketchikan and the highlight of the day was our Misty Fjords National Monument Flightseeing Tour in a floatplane.

But first we walked around the town and looing at the sights.  We walked right away to the old town area and walked along the creek where the salmon were running.  Later, we stopped at the local Eagles Club for a Halibut sandwich.  The club was recommended by one of the local shop owners.

Then we walked to the Salmon Latter and watched the salmon climb the rapids and the Salmon Ladder which was an easier way to go upstream.  Salmon always returns from the ocean to the stream where they were born, spam and then die.

They had a wonderful museum showcasing totem poles and their history.

After than we took off at 2:45pm for a 2-hour trip, including landing on an alpine lake for a chance to get out and take some pictures.  The Misty Fjords National Monument is a 2.3-million-acre area which is larger than Yellowstone National Park and the only way to get to it is by floatplane – what an experience!!   This was truly one of the major highlights of the trip.

The floatplane we were on was owned by the female owner and pilot, Michelle.  She came to town 35 years ago, worked on a fishing boat for 2 years to save enough money to buy her first plane.  Then she also bought another plane and has a very, very successful business.

The highlight was landing the plane on a very small lake high up in the mountains and we got out and walked around for about 20 minutes.  Then it was time to get back on the plane for the trip back.  We hope the videos show the experience we had.

The show was two acrobats and it was just ok.

The casino tonight was not good for us as both of us lost a little.

After that we went to our restaurant and shared a table with a couple from Road Island and very fun to eat with.  We decided to eat together tomorrow.

That’s it and now we set the clocks ahead 1 hour and we will get up and be cruising in the Inside Passage all day.

Night from our next to the last day of our cruise.

                                                                Ready to go to Ketchican

                                                     Sampleing Sockey Salmon - Wonderful!

                                                        The old town area with the Salmon stream

                                                        On the floatplane

                                                    Landed on a beautiful lake

                                                               What an experience!!

                                                            Snacks as we were leaving port

                                                            Time for dinner, etc.

                                          The Hotel Directors sent us a bottle of good Italian wine

                                                    and a plate of chocolates

                                                    Salmon climbing the Salmon Ladder

                                                    Taking off in the Floatplane

                                      Just flying - there are no roads here - just lakes to land on!

                                                          Landing on an isolated lake

                                               Total isolation and total beauty - very quite