Join us for the final three destinations on our Alaska cruise with NCL Spirit. We sailed from Hawaii to Alaska for 16 days and the last 3 stops were just as amazing. He was thrilled to be on this cruise and see two states he’d never seen before. It was indeed a treat!
Scenic Skagway: From NCL Freestyle Daily
Skagway, a compact city in Southeast Alaska, sits in a narrow glacial valley at the tip of Tyre Cove, at the northern end of the Lynn Canal, the northernmost fjord of the Inside Passage on Alaska’s south coast. It houses gold rush-era buildings, now preserved as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, the World Scenic Railway, runs on vintage locomotives along the famous steep Chilkoot Trail, offering sweeping mountain views on its way up to Canada. Surrounded by the national park’s unparalleled scenery and resident wildlife, Skagway paints a picture of Alaska like no other.
Side note: About 20 years ago, my parents traveled to Alaska with my aunt, uncle, and other relatives in a campervan/RV. I was looking at pictures of their trip and Skagway was one of the stops. The town hasn’t changed a bit, so we took pictures of the same building. A building covered in driftwood and a yellow building on top of a dome you can see below.
This is what we saw when our ship docked at Skagway Harbor, disembarked and walked towards town. We booked the tour through a travel agency not affiliated with the ship and had no problems. We, along with a few other people, boarded the tour bus and climbed the mountain for sweeping views of the snow-capped mountains.
As I said above, this town looks like something out of a movie.
The driftwood-covered AB building was also very unique, and so was the dome-shaped hotel. My mom’s album also had these buildings, so it was fun to compare them.
Golden North Hotel
We made our way up the mountain, admiring the soaring views all around us. I could see the mountains covered with ice and snow.
We had to take pictures there too as it was spectacular. You know that!
Alaska is a rugged place with beautiful scenery around every corner.
There were signs of an avalanche at the top of the mountain. We also saw some campers taking a spin on their snowmobiles while we were watching.
It has to be someone special who wants to camp in the frigid Alaska. It’s not my favorite, but a lot of people seem to do it.
Look at that snow and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
You can see how everyone on the snowmobile is having a lot of fun.
This view of the NCL Spirit ship down the mountain was also very pretty.
The driver took us to the Gold Rush Cemetery. There we passed through old tombs and reached a beautiful waterfall.
Isn’t it lovely?!
We enjoyed walking in nature. It wasn’t that cold, so a jacket was enough for the day.
Mark bought all the T-shirts. That’s his hobby and almost every place we visit he buys T his shirts. he has a lot of them!
Our ship awaits us.
We saw some amazing sunsets on board in Alaska and tried to take as many pictures as possible.
Juneau, Alaska: From NCL Freestyle Daily
The City and Borough of Juneau, simply known as Juneau, is the state capital of Alaska. Nestled in the Gastineau Straits and the Alaskan Panhandle, this hotel is nestled among the most relaxing geographies, with majestic mountain peaks and pristine waterfronts. Set against a majestic mountain peak backdrop, Juneau bills itself as “Alaska’s Summit Experience.” Juneau may be one of the best places in the world to see bald eagles. In fact, estimates put between 15,000 and 30,000 of him in the Juneau area.
We chose to visit Mendenhall Glacier during our stay in Juneau. This was also the day Mark started feeling sick. He was sick with a cold head, but the day rejuvenated us, and we took the bus to the glacier, walked the trail to a beautiful waterfall, and then returned to the boat.
We watched a video about Mendenhall Glacier at the visitor center and then took a leisurely walk through the forest to the falls.
We saw a mountain goat on the hill above us. I heard that there are many wild goats in Alaska, and I even saw some from afar.
The waterfalls cascading off the mountains by the glacier were amazing.
I was particularly fascinated by the moss growing all over the rocks and forests. It was so green.
A view of a ship moored in the harbor. We finished our day on this glacier tour in Juneau and returned to the ship for some rest and dinner. Mark wasn’t feeling really well and the next day he had one more excursion day left, so I told Mark not to go, I was going alone to let him rest. He stayed in the room all day and slept, but it was good that he started feeling better on his last day at sea.
Ketchikan: From NCL Freestyle Daily
Just 90 miles north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Ketchikan is nestled in the bluffs that form the coastline along the southwest corner of Levijagihedo Island. Known for the many Native American totem poles displayed throughout the city. The nearby Misty Fjords National Monument is a glacier-carved wilderness featuring snow-capped mountains. Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “First City” due to its location at the southern tip of the Inside Passage. Nestled in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, 17 million acres of rainforest abound with lush cedars, Sitka spruce, waterfalls and wildlife. It has been nicknamed the “Rainy Capital of Alaska”. Average annual rainfall is 140 to 160 inches per year.
I had booked a tour to see the Tongass National Forest. I should have done a little more research on what to see, but in the end it all worked out. After disembarking the ship, we took a shuttle bus to Ketchikan. I was instructed where to meet the tour guide, so I asked for directions and found the guide in front of the rain gauge. We hadn’t been in town long and met up with two other couples on the tour, so it was a small one.
We had the chance to see a bit of the city during our walk to meet our tour guide. Her two cruise ships were docked there at the same time, but it turns out that NCL built its own cruise her dock because it had been evicted from its prime location in the city. rice field. We boarded a van and headed to Tongass National Forest where we did a forest walking tour.
Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and it was fun listening to him. He is a native Alaskan of the Tlingit tribe and did a great job with our tour.
The first thing we saw in the forest was this beautiful yellow flower that reminded us of the calla. They are called Asian skunk cabbage. Not a very appetizing name for a beautiful flower.
He explained that the trees are uprooted from the forest, creating a different habitat and an artistic look. I thought these would be interesting to see.
The forest is also covered with moss, creating a fantastic scenery.
There are also ponds and waterfalls in the surrounding area.
The hollowed-out tree trunk gave this tree a fairy-like appearance. I was hoping for a gnome to come out!
I can’t remember now what he called these little bowls on this twig, but they were also fairy-like, so small and delicate.
We walked and saw great views. We were happy to have Mark back on board as it was a bit of a walk.
We saw a few bald eagles while in the woods. He said this is a young man.
I was very fascinated by the yellow skunk cabbage plant. they were everywhere.
When we returned our ship was waiting and I was happy to board and prepare for dinner on the next final day. We spent another day at sea before arriving in Vancouver and flew back to Atlanta.
Last night on the ship before arriving in Vancouver. We made the most of our cruise and enjoyed every moment.
Finish your water adventure with NCL Spirit at the final sunset.
Did you like our cruise? Yes, we did! It was such a memorable trip that I made a photo book of Hawaii and Alaska to remember everything. We had a really good time and didn’t regret going out for so long, but we were also getting ready to go home. We are home but love to travel. This one is forever memorable and can cross Alaska and Hawaii off your list. As I said earlier, we are more Hawaiian than Alaskan, so we will definitely plan a return trip to Hawaii to explore more of the islands. It helps that Mark’s daughter and his family live there, it gives us a good excuse to go back.
We hope you enjoy this cruise. It was truly a trip of a lifetime!
If you missed the other post, catch up here.
How I Packed for a 16-Day Cruise from Hawaii to Alaska
Cruising on the NCL Spirit
NCL Cruises: Hawaii {Kona & Kauai}
NCL Cruise. Hawaii {Maui & Hilo}
NCL Cruises: Alaska {Icy Strait Point & Glacier Bay}
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