Day 14, Monday, August 1

Today it is the little town of Skagway and it was 55 degrees when we left the ship at 7:30am because today we booked a tour on the White Pass Scenic Railway tour.

Skagway is just a one street town.  It was originally the gateway to the original gold mining areas.  We watched a video and a Ranger presentation about the start of the gold rush.  It was very interesting as there were a lot of pictures that showed all aspects of life during that time.

The town of Skagway had not transformed itself from the gold mining gateway to a totally tourist town and they did a good job of it.

We took a narrow-gauge train ride for about an hour up to the summit and there were some amazing views along the way.

After the train ride we ate in town and then of course shopped until late in the afternoon when it was time to go back to the ship.

Most of the afternoons, we have gone to the little café and had tea and snacks and we did it again today.

We left our cabin at around 5:30pm to listen to the music before going to the 7:00pm show.

The show tonight was a magician and he was quite good.

Then, of course it was on to dinner where we sat with a couple from yesterday and also were joined by another couple

After dinner we went to the casino where Barb and a good win and Ed  also won.  Both wins were the most per day that we have had this trip.

Night from Skagway and next stop is Ice Straight.

                                                        On the train

                                                        Halibut sandwich for lunch

                                                        Downtown

                                                        Shopping with Barb's new bag!!

                                                            Our shuttle

                                                            Tea for two - our afternoon tradition

                                                        Going out for the eventing

                                                                 New friends
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Day 13, Sunday, July 31

We arrived in Juneau at 10:00am and we took a bus to a harbor where we boarded a boat for a 1-hour boat ride where we saw Bald Eagles and two whales, a momma and her baby.  We were only able to get a picture of the momma plus the elusive tail flipping into the water.  Once they do that, you don’t see them for some time. 

Then the boat took us to the edge of the Tongass Natural Park where after seeing a movie in the visitor’s center we walked one mile to almost the base of the Mendenhall Glacier and an enormous waterfall – what a site. 

To got closer to the waterfall, we had to wade across a small stream.  As you can see by the above YouTube video, Barb attempted to walk on the rocks and she splashed into the water.  Ed took off his shoes and socks and waded across.  The water was 35 drees and it was up to Ed’s calves at the deepest point.

We were then on a sand bar with others and could get much closed to the waterfall – now that was fun!!

We went back across the stream and made the 1-mile hike back to where the busses left us off for the drive back to Juneau and at that point, we walked around the shops and finally went back to the ship at 6:00pm – showered and went to the last part of the show.

We walked into the show and after 5 minutes we walked out – the singer was terrible in our view.

Then of course we went to eat and had a wonderful meal

After dinner, we went to the casino where Barb broke even and Ed won a little.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Skagway

Night - night

                                                    See and listen to the falls - amazing

                                                        On the boat heading towards the glacier                                         

                                                                  The tail flip

                                                                Momma Wale

                                                                    The Mendenhall Glacier

                                                            The waterfall - we walked to where 

                                                         the people are at the bottom of the falls!!

At the base of the falls

                                                        Ready to go out for the evening

We are being told that internet will be not working some days so if the blog is not there, that's why!!

Day 12, Saturday, July 30

Today is our first of two days at sea and we are cruising the Hubbard Glacier. The Hubbard Glacier is famous for being North America's largest tidewater glacier. It's over 75 miles long and 7 miles wide and flows directly into Disenchantment Bay, which feeds into the North Pacific Ocean.

We woke up to a foggy morning and as usual, Ed had breakfast and we wandered around until 11:00am when Ed played in the blackjack tournament where he won. No trophies anymore but he did win $100.00.

Then it was time for lunch which of course we ate a lot more than we usually do

At 1:00pm we entered Yakutat Bay and arrived at the closest point to Hubbard Glacier at 3:00pm and stayed there for about 30 minutes. What an amazing experience as we go up to 1.7 miles from the bottom of the glacier. We were able to go up to the helicopter pad at the very front of the ship to see the glacier. After ½ hour, the ship rotated so that all sides of the ship could see the glacier. Then it was time for the ship to leave and we finally exited the Bay at 6:00pm.

As is our usual custom, we went to the first show at 7:00pm and it was a singer and she was very good.

Then onto dinner and finally to the casino where we had a nice night as Barb won and so did Ed.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Juneau.

Night

At the present time, we do not have the ability to download pictures.  When we get to Juneau we will do so.

Day 11, Friday, July 29

When we woke up finally at 9:00am, it was 56 degrees, clear, and no humidity.  It appears that most places do not even have air conditioning and the hotel did not – you don’t need it up here.  It is so warm that we could walk outside without a coat and in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt if we wanted to - amazing!! 

It was a wonderful stay in Seward and the hotel was amazing.

We took the hotel’s shuttle to the pier at 11:00 to board our ship the Celebrity Millennium for a 7-night cruise.

Our schedule for the rest of the trip is:

Saturday -  Cruising the Hubbard Glacier

Sunday – Juneau

Monday – Skagway

Tuesday – Icy Strait Point

Wednesday – Ketchikan

Thursday – Cruising the Inside Passage

Friday – Arrive in Vancouver

Saturday – Vancouver

Sunday – Fly to Los Angeles – Atlanta – Bloomington, arriving home at 10:21pm

We have a unique cabin on this ship and it is a cabin at the back of the ship so we have a larger balcony and can see everything on both sides of us – should be fun.

We went to our cabin and dropped off our carry-on bags and then went to the back of the ship to eat at the Oceanview Café.  It is tradition that we always sit outdoors on the very back and today was no exception.  The temperature was 63 degrees and the sun was shining.

After lunch we walked around the ship to see where everything was.

There are 3 classes of ship in Celebrity and this is the smallest of the classes.  We have been on this ship 3 times with the last being in 2016 when were in Asia.

The ship has been newly renovated and extremely well done.

We went to eat at 7:30pm and met a couple from Texas.  They have over a thousand acres of land right on the border right next to Del Rio and they spent time talking about all their problems with the illegal border crossings.

After dinner, we went to the theater and the show was a comedian and he was pretty funny.

Then it was onto the casino where Barb lost a little and Ed had a great first night win.

                                                            Our room - #1141

                                                    The amazing Ocenview Cafe

                                                        Check in is about to begin!!

                                               Lunch on the outdoor deck at the back of the ship

                          Our extra large balcony at the back of the ship - we can see both sides

                                                    The Port of Seward - lots of boats

                                                Part of the comercial side of the port

                                                Notice the school bus!

Day 10, Thursday, July 28

Seward, Alaska is such an amazing little town.  The main street is basically 4 blocks and there is another “town” area a mile away at the marina.  The marina has a few hotels, tourists’ shops and restaurants and where we will board our ship tomorrow.

We were told by several locals that there was virtually no crime, little drugs and several churches in town.  This is the first town we saw no homeless persons.

Today the weather is 60 to 65 degrees, little wind and no humidity. 

Ed had breakfast in their quaint, little breakfast area and then we took a cab to the shuttle area and a 15-minute shuttle up to the Exit Glacier.   The glacier is part of the National Park Service and we join a Park Ranger in the hike up to the base of the glacier.  The first part of the trail was easy walking; however, the last 100 years was very strenuous but getting to the outlook was well worth it.  Along the way the trail was marked with different years which represented where the glacier was in those years.  It was amazing to see how far the glacier had receded over the last 100 years.  Just the amount that it receded in the last 50 was scary.  If you didn’t believe that the globe is warming, this is proof!!

We took the shuttle back to town and ate a great sandwich at a local restaurant run be 3 couple from the same church.  We had a Halibut sandwich with maple drizzled fries and it was delicious.

We then walked a block to the Sea Life Recuse Center and spent a couple of hours there and even was there when they fed the 3 seals that they have recused.

There is a free shuttle running between and within the two areas of Seward so we took it up to the marina area and walked around before taking the shuttle back to our hotel.

Dinner was in a restaurant that we tried to get into last night and they had a 1 ½ wait at 7pm so we made reservations for tonight.

For dinner we went to a restaurant called The Cookery that we could not get into yesterday.  No question, it was the best restaurant we have eaten at for the entire trip so far.  We would characterize it as a 5-start restaurant with 3-star prices.  

We had a Halibut dish follow up with a strawberry soup both prepared like we have never experienced before.  We were able to get the specific receipts from the waiter and spend some time talking with the owner.  

Then it was time to pack for tomorrow when we finally board our ship, the Celebrity Millennium for 7 nights of cruising.

Night from Seward, Alaska again.

                                                        Part of the hotel lobby

                                                              The breakfast room

                                                                      The Exit Glacier

                                                                Downtown Seward

                                                                 Just posing for the  people

                                                                Feeding time

                                                                Glad its behind the glass

                                                            Part of a huge marina

                                                    Halibut with an amazing Zucchini puree with 

                                                     Ceviche freash vegtibles.

                                                        Strawberry soup with Rice Krispies and 

                                                         shaved white chocolate plus more

                                                The ownner giving us their history

                

Day 9, Wednesday, July 27

Up at 5:45am to check out and take a taxi to the train station for a 6:30am boarding.

Boarding when smoothly and again we had the best seat on the train – the front row with all the windows in front of us.   We had asked several months ago for those seats and they gave them to us.

We sat with a couple from Houston, TX and enjoyed breakfast of reindeer sausage, eggs and biscuits. 

The 4-hour trip went fast and the hotel shuttle was at the station to meet us; however, we could only give them our luggage as we had a boat trip to take for the next 4 hours from 12:30pm – 4:30pm. 

WOW!! What a great 4 hours.  The Captain told us that the odds of seeing a whale was very, very slim and guess what – WE SAW A WHALE!!  We also saw, Puffins, Sea Lions, Seals and Bald Eagles. 

After an exciting trip, we took the shuttle to the hotel to check in.  The Hotel is the Hotel Seward and it has been in existence since 1905 and has only had 4 owners.  They gave us a great room as you can see by the picture.

We went to a local restaurant for dinner and had a fresh caught Halibut dinner.

Back to hotel to take the COVID test and we both tested negative – YEA!!

After another long day, it was to bed for a fun day tomorrow in Seward.

Night from Alaska again.

This is when we saw the Whale - wait till you see the end!

Just sunning themselves on the rocks

                                                            The view from out train

                                                                         A small "town"

                                                        A very small glacier

                                                                  Fun in the sun!!

                                                            Our room at the hotel

                                                      The Hotel Seward at twilight

 

Day 8, Tuesday, July 26

We woke up late to a beautiful day with the skies clear.  The temperature is going to be from 56 to 66 and it is very crisp as there is no humidity.

We went first to the mall to exchange an iPhone power pack and then it was on to a place called Ships Creek to see the Salmon running.  We had been told that low tide was at 1:39pm so it was a perfect time to see the Salmon.  It was amazing to see all the Salmon trying to get upstream. 

Along the way to Ships Creek, we did stop at a store and Barb bought a new coat and Ed bought a hat and gloves.

Lunch was again at a bar that Rick Snow recommended and it was very good.  We ordered Salmon spread and also Alaskan Crab nuggets and there was enough food for 4 people.

After that we had lunch, we walked to the Anchorage Museum where we spend almost 3 hours looking at all the displays in the Museum.  

The early history of the Alaskan people was really interesting.   They were living quite peacefully and each of the islands in the Aleutian change had their own language and customs.  Then the Russians came in the 1800’s and diseases decimated the population.  

Following that, the US government moved a lot out because of concerns during WW II.  In some villages they went from 10,000 to only a handful of people left!!

We got back to the hotel at 6:00pm, had some snacks in the Concierge Lounge and then went to dinner at 8:00pm.

Dinner was at a highly recommended restaurant called Simon & Seaforts Saloon & Grill and the earliest we could get in was at 8:00pm, which was fine as we ate a late lunch.  The restaurant has been in operation for the last 43 years.  

We ordered a pan seared King Salmon and it was the best meal that we have had on the trip todate!!

Tomorrow, we have to be us at 5:45am so that we can take the 6:45am train to Seward, a 4-hour trip.

Seward will be our last place we visit before boarding the ship on Friday.

Night from Anchorage

                                                  Watching Salmon running on Ships Creek

                                                               Lunch at Humpys

                                                         Salmon Spread and King Crab Nuggets

                                                                        Yes, we enjoyed lunch!!

                                              One of many displays - the white parka was made

                                                             from the guts of seals

                                              Going out for dinner - Barb with her new coat

                                                                Pan-seared King Salmon

                                                                    The cooking line at the restaurant

                                                                   Another view