Cruises are not my preferred method of travel, but all you can eat (basically 24/7) dining and confined spaces does have its benefits. If you've met my extended family, you'd understand why a cruise is pretty much the only way we could make anything longer than a weekend road trip within California work. We are a rowdy group of 28 persistently late, constantly hungry, and opinionated (but not decision-making) family members - but we love spending time with one another! Grandma was along for the ride and the only thing she loves more than penny slots and all you can eat buffets is me. JK...sort of? Plus, we made t-shirts, so if that's not doubling down on a family vacation, I'm not sure what is.
Logistics and Itinerary
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Cruise Line: Holland America
Ship: ms Oosterdaam Departure: Saturday, July 2 Return: Saturday, July 9 We booked through Costco, which provided a group discount - requires you to have a group lead (yours truly) to streamline communications but allows you to "price match" if the prices drop from the time you book and the date of the cruise. |
Day 1: Depart from Seattle
Day 2: Cruising at sea Day 3: Juneau (1-9PM) Day 4: At sea, Stephen's passage Day 5: At sea, Hubbard's glacier Day 6: Sitka (8AM-4PM) Day 7: Ketchikan (7AM-1PM) Day 8: Victoria / British Columbia (6PM-midnight) Day 9: Return to Seattle! Keep reading below to see what we did for our excursions! |
We got really lucky with the weather and didn't have any issues with rain. A few friends who have gone to Alaska in July had shore excursions canceled due to rain, so that's something to consider when you're booking.
Extra things you might not think to pack:
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Juneau | Mendenhall Glacier
In Juneau, I booked a glacier hike with Alaska Shore Excursions. It exceeded my expectations as I found it to be a more exciting experience than the glacier trek I did in Iceland. I was a little worried about canoeing to and from the glacier - it definitely wasn't easy, but we were all in one large canoe and took water and photo breaks along the way. Our awesome guides also kept things interesting for us with jokes and stories along the way. Apparently sometimes you can spot dog-sized porcupines on the island near the glacier, so our eyes were peeled, but no luck this time around.
The ice cave was AWESOME! They decide on the spot if conditions are safe to walk through, so I was worried we might get unlucky, but we all got to walk through it! The colors were fascinating and it was such a unique experience. This is a good place to have a good low-light lens, because our photos inside all turned out pretty poorly. We spent the rest of the time walking up and around the glacier. From the glacier, you get a great view of the surrounding lake and scenery - everything was so beautiful.
Our guides made us all feel really safe the entire time we were with them. They took the time to explain everything and kept us walking only on secure parts of the glacier. They provide waterproof gear (boots, rain pants, and jacket) and it was all really new and clean, so definitely take advantage of that. I would be sure to wear warm socks and bring an extra pair in case your feet get wet too. Because we were a large group - we were able to negotiate a discount with the tour provider via email - worth a shot!
The rest of the group (including most of the younger kids) went on a private hike with Adventure Flow which they enjoyed. Their guide took a bunch of photos and videos of the group which was included in the cost of the hike - a nice souvenir to take home.
If you don't do a trek, there were a few main streets of stores and restaurants right by the port. We spent a little under and hour exploring before we met the guides. No shortage of souvenirs or seafood!
The ice cave was AWESOME! They decide on the spot if conditions are safe to walk through, so I was worried we might get unlucky, but we all got to walk through it! The colors were fascinating and it was such a unique experience. This is a good place to have a good low-light lens, because our photos inside all turned out pretty poorly. We spent the rest of the time walking up and around the glacier. From the glacier, you get a great view of the surrounding lake and scenery - everything was so beautiful.
Our guides made us all feel really safe the entire time we were with them. They took the time to explain everything and kept us walking only on secure parts of the glacier. They provide waterproof gear (boots, rain pants, and jacket) and it was all really new and clean, so definitely take advantage of that. I would be sure to wear warm socks and bring an extra pair in case your feet get wet too. Because we were a large group - we were able to negotiate a discount with the tour provider via email - worth a shot!
The rest of the group (including most of the younger kids) went on a private hike with Adventure Flow which they enjoyed. Their guide took a bunch of photos and videos of the group which was included in the cost of the hike - a nice souvenir to take home.
If you don't do a trek, there were a few main streets of stores and restaurants right by the port. We spent a little under and hour exploring before we met the guides. No shortage of souvenirs or seafood!
Sitka
We rented bikes in Sitka and did our own thing. This is the ONLY bike shop in Sitka, so call ahead to reserve bikes if you have your heart set on that. It's right across from where the bus from the port drops you off, so you can't miss it. This website has information on a ton of hikes in the area. We did the Thimbleberry Lake-Heart Lake Trail, which honestly wasn't anything super exciting. So I'd probably recommend seeing if there's another from that list that peaks your interest. The good that about that trail was it was easy to bike to from town - on the way back, we shared a giant and delicious cinnamon roll from Grandma Tillie's Bakery (highly recommend - they have yummy savory rolls too).
Other key sites in Sitka include: Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear, and the Totem Pole Park (closed when we were there). Really recommend the cod tips with rice from the Ashmo's food truck - worth the wait!
Other key sites in Sitka include: Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear, and the Totem Pole Park (closed when we were there). Really recommend the cod tips with rice from the Ashmo's food truck - worth the wait!
Ketchikan
More TK!