Category Archives: Alaska

Endicott Arm

I’ve been on a couple previous cruises to Alaska that were scheduled to go down Tracy Arm, but ended up in Endicott Arm instead because the entrance to Tracy Arm was blocked by icebergs. In contrast, Quantum of the Seas … Continue reading

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Sitka Sea Walk and Totem Park

About a week before our Alaskan cruise on Quantum of the Seas we received notice that the port stop in Skagway had been switched to Sitka on account of the third cruise ship dock in Skagway not being done getting … Continue reading

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Sitka Cruise Port

The first time I had a port stop in Sitka it was a tender port. The ship anchored near town with a short tender ride to the city. You could get great ship views from the top of Castle Hill. … Continue reading

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ZipRider at Icy Strait Point

When booking the 1pm time for the ZipRider at the Icy Strait Point port stop on an Alaskan cruise on Quantum of the Seas, my sister Barbara and I assumed that meant we would need to jet off the ship … Continue reading

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Icy Strait Point Cruise Port

Icy Strait Point on Chichagof Island is a cruise ship port near the native village of Hoonah, Alaska. Natives of that village are Huna Tlingit who originally inhabited the Glacier Bay area until the rapid advancement of the Grand Pacific … Continue reading

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The Family Cruise

For the last couple years my Christmas gift to my mother has been to take her on a little vacation. She doesn’t need any material things. Time spent together, experiences, and memories are more important. We stayed in cozy little … Continue reading

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North Pacific Crossing

We started our journey on the Amtrak Cascades train from Washington State into Vancouver B.C. on a rainy day. The train was full of people traveling to various cruise ships, some for that day and some for the next. One … Continue reading

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Exploring Kodiak

We stepped outside the Holland America Westerdam into the strong aroma of dead fish. All explained by a glance at the nearest building, labeled Kodiak Fishermens Terminal. We’ve had port stops at container docks before, but this was the first … Continue reading

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Kodiak Cruise Ship Port

Kodiak is one of Alaska’s lesser visited cruise ports with just a few mostly smaller cruise ships visiting each summer. Because of this the port currently remains as it was before cruise ships came to town rather than having the … Continue reading

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Double Glacier Visit to Glacier Bay

In a span of just a few hundred years Glacier Bay went from a fertile valley where native Tlingit people lived in the 1600’s with the Grand Pacific Glacier on high mountain ridges above the valley to completely buried in … Continue reading

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