Adventuring in Alaska
Hey friends and new faces! Happy memorial day weekend and “official” start of summer. I used to love this holiday as a kid and not much has changed, and knowing June is next week makes me wonder where the time has gone. How can we be nearly halfway done with 2023?
In the spirit of relaxation, my dad and I spent the past week cruising through Alaska, with a stop in the lovely Victoria BC, via the Holland America Line Eurodam ship, out of Seattle. I haven’t cruised in a while and it was a truly iconic experience that I can’t recommend enough. Alaska has been on my bucket list since I was young enough that I thought it was located on the wrong side of the country. What an epic state it turned out to be! So without further ado, a look into my latest travel adventure with a couple sightseeing highlights in five truly incredible spots.
General Cruise Ship Comments: For those looking for your next cruise destination, I’ve decided to include a short review of my time onboard. I always love any chance to pretend I’m a critic, and since this blog is a long ways away from being sponsored by an international cruiseline, I can be as honest as I’d like😊
· The Good
o Ship Variety – With 11 decks filled with things to do, there was never a moment for boredom! From the ship’s luxurious spa, library, and observation deck café to its game room, kids club, two pools, and countless bars, there is tons to do on board.
o Crowd Control – Probably because of the wide range of options, the cruise line does a fantastic job regulating traffic flow, with the rare exceptions of popular meal times and some sea day moments. For example, the buffet on board chooses to have several different stations (international food, salad bar, homestyle cooking, etc) rather than one line for food so that the people spread out during mealtimes. We had a total of around 2100 people on our cruise and I think this is a major advantage of HAL over some other cruise ships.
o Food – One of the better cruise (and vacation) experiences I’ve had when it comes to food, both in terms of quality and variety. The ship offers selection from a buffet style option, which stays open pretty much 24/7, and a fine dining menu. What is super unique is the impeccable service from HAL’s dining crew and the diversity of options available, which even offers rotating food items each day. And if you’re in the mood for an upgrade, there is also an array of specialty restaurants to choose from, with delicious pan-Asian, sushi, Italian, and seafood cuisines to enjoy.
o Poolside Options – I just really can’t overhype the wonderful crew of the Eurodam, and at no time like during a relaxing moment by the cruise ship’s TWO pools. One is adults-only, while the other offers a kid-friendly option that is also weather-resistant with a covering. Whether ordering a drink or playing a friendly game of Ping Pong in the pool area, you’re sure to have a blast!
o Daytime Entertainment – In the same scope of things, HAL offers a vast variety of things to do during the day, all made available and recognizable through their digital Navigator app, which makes it easy to keep track of activities on the go. From coloring for adults to body conditioning and even to pickleball instruction and wildlife spotting with a specialist, there is something for every age and personality made available.
· The Bad
o The Excursion Schedule— Probably the biggest flaw HAL has some work to do on is their excursion timeline. While the cities en route are each very cool, they warrant a great deal more time than this cruise ship offers. For example, while Victoria is a truly beautiful city, we were docked there for 4.5 hours, which at a 30 min walk from downtown, is a rather sad amount of time to truly see the city. While a lot of this is due to external regulations, it can sometimes be stressful to feel rushed, especially when the excursions are booked either outside of the ship’s connections and you find yourself running to make your “all aboard”.
o Not Quite “Picture-Perfect”— While there are plenty of opportunities to get your photo taken while on board the Eurodam, these pictures are expensive and end up being quite hard to actually get your hands on. Be warned that it might be cheaper (and better) to just snap a photo yourself.
o Internet Issues – Even though we purchased the internet package for this cruise, I can think of at least six different occasions where my internet failed me, and even more where I couldn’t even text my dad due to failed service.
o Nighttime Disappointment – Another big thing that’s definitely missing from HAL is a youthful energy from the night shows. Maybe a series of all-inclusive resorts have conditioned me to expect to be wowed when it comes to shows at nighttime, but the Eurodam’s shows felt lackluster and were definitely aimed at an older demographic. The one standout, however, was the piano bar atmosphere of Billboard Onboard, where Zac and Emma spent each night singing requested hits live for an audience. But the shows themselves felt a bit like a lecture at times, where others dragged on for far too long.
Juneau, AK: The capitol city of Alaska leaves much to the imagination, but it definitely doesn’t disappoint. To mark our first shore excursion of the week, we took a helicopter up to Herbert Glacier, one of the flat and stunning wonders of the city. Up there, where its daylight all day long post summer solstice, we enjoyed an even greater adventure: Meeting, sledding with, and hanging out with Alaska’s Siberian husky sled dogs. If you’ve ever been fascinated by the brutal conditions of the Iditarod race, this excursion will especially blow your mind. One look at the beautiful sled dog Teddy, who quickly became my best friend in the span of ten minutes, and you will be hooked too. The city itself is also stunning, complete with beautiful churches and A LOT of jewelry stores.
Icy Strait Point & Glacier Bay: A day long sailing through Glacier Bay, with a deck-POV into Alaska’s beautiful glaciers proved an eye-catching sight, and was even cooler thanks to the Glacier Bay rangers that hopped on board to explain all the cool things we saw. Not only did I get to impersonate Jack and Rose on the bow of the ship, but I got some of the most jaw-dropping views I have really ever seen. We topped off the day with an excursion to Icy Strait Point, a quick but must-see overlook on the pacific ocean. And I can’t mention it without mentioning our excursion, where my dad and I chose to try the world’s longest zipline! No dumb gimmick, it is actually about 50 feet higher than even the empire state building, and the view from the top will take your breath away. Or if that doesn’t, rocketing down through the swoosh of wind definitely will.
Sitka, AK: What used to be the capitol when Alaska was Russia-owned, Sitka is a great historical and nature-based excursion that was one of my highlights of the entire trip. There are such awesome cultural remnants of Russia present in the city limits, from Pelmeni sold on the streets to little Russian nesting dolls in all the store windows. We took our exploration right to the water, with a rafting adventure that was unlike anything I’ve ever done. After donning our floatation suits, we sailed into the waters where we spotted cute groups of sea otters, sea birds, remnants of an active volcano, and even a humpback whale!
Ketchikan, AK: Our fourth and final stop in Alaska, Ketchikan brought cars, cruises, and crab! First, I took my first turn behind the wheel of a UTV, similar to an ATV but with a little more control. We drove over beautiful mountains into the heart of Ketchikan’s beautiful photo opportunities. We then sailed to George Inlet Lodge, a previous site for fishing canneries turned crabhouse! Not sure I learned anything about how to eat crab correctly but the food itself made up for any scratches in the process😊
Victoria, B.C.: And finally, we docked in Victoria, apparently entitled the “Hawaii of Canada”. It didn’t feel like Hawaii, though the crisp breeze in our step made a perfect accompaniment to the ghost tour we went on. There’s nothing like a ghost tour, and with Victoria being one of the most haunted cities you can visit, it made a great second ghost tour of 2023 for me. We topped off the evening by looking at rows of Canadian maple syrup from the windows of souvenir shops, taking photos outside the renowned Empress hotel, and saying goodbye to an incredible cruise experience.
Ultimately, Alaska (and Victoria, I guess) made for an unforgettable trip. Whether onboard the ship itself or docking on land, I found myself noting that the photos I took didn’t nearly do the places I visited justice. And isn’t that the telltale sign of a great trip?