Alaska – May 27, 2018

Our one-week adventure began boarding the Celebrity Cruise Ship, Infinity in Vancouver.  Celebrity Infinity was launched in 2001 (renovated in 2011).  It has 12 decks, can host up to 2,170 passengers and 999 crew members.  We had the opportunity to attend a seminar on how the cooking staff prepares 12,000 meals per day.  It was fascinating to learn and be provided with a tour of the kitchen facility.  We were truly impressed by the phenomenal workings, each area of the kitchen cordoned off, yet open.  Meat areas, bakeries, soups and salads, sauce stations, etc.  It seems endless but so interesting to witness how they operate.  One thing that we’re very impressed with is the friendliness of the staff.  Everyone works diligently to meet each passenger’s needs and yet it is highlighted that they will not accept rude or disrespectful behaviour from passengers which is a turn from what we have witnessed in previous years of cruising.

We cruised from our departure Sunday at 4:30pm until our first arrival Tuesday at 10:00am at Icy Strait Point, Alaska.  Our first excursion was the Whale and Marine Mammals Cruise.  We were so incredibly fortunate to have such stunningly beautiful weather.   The waters were calm and the sun was shining (a rarity throughout this part of Alaska).  The main mammal is the humpback whale and what a sight!  So rare to witness a nest, 3-4 whales working together to eat.

The humpback whale got its name due to the fact that the dorsal fin sits on a big hump on the whales back which is visible when the whale arches its back and dives.  They spend the spring, summer and fall months in the cooler waters around Alaska doing not much more than eating.  The waters around Alaska are rich with the nutrients they need and considering that they weigh a ton per foot and average sizes are 42 feet (often exceeding this up to 55 feet).  Humpbacks can be found in groups of four to five but generally travel and feed individually. Their diet consists of krill and many different kinds of fish including chovies, sardines, herring and capelin. They gather their food by blowing a net of bubbles to surround and confuse their prey, then with jaws open swim through the center of the air ring to scoop up their food. Baleen, finger like material, hangs down in the whale’s mouth to filter the food from the water. They eat one to one and a half tons of food a day. During winter months they don’t feed but live off fat reserves in their blubber.  Additionally, because they breed in the warmer waters, those warmer temperatures are required for their offspring.  In the summer they dive for 3-5 minutes but in the winter breeding grounds can dive for 15-30 minutes.  Commercial whalers were allowed to hunt humpbacks into the 20th century. Today as whales live so close to the coastlines they are often hurt by pollution, collision with boats and getting tangled in fishing nets.  A beautiful sight to witness and experience in person.

We completed our day by walking into the town of Hoonah, one of the most authentic Alaskan cities and doing a nature walk.  We commented to ourselves that visually, the area seems quite similar to the Muskoka’s with tall trees and steep hills.  Truly breathtaking beauty all around.

We continued onwards sailing overnight to arrive at the Hubbard Glacier.  It is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American continent.  Standing at 11,000 feet above sea level, the glacier stretches 122 KM’s from its source in the Yukon to the sea at Yakutat Bay.  It has an open calving face of over 10 KM’s wide.  It has been thickening and advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska since it was first mapped and is in stark contrast with most glaciers, which have thinned and retreated during the last century.  Again we were blessed with such incredible weather.  We’ve heard time and time again from staff of the ship that they’ve seen it multiple times, but always through rain or fog.  The glacier had a blue-tint to it reflecting the sunshine.  Always open to witness, experience and learn.

As we ventured forward, we cruised overnight again to arrive in Juneau, the Alaskan capital.  The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau.  Juneau is rather unusual among U.S. capitals (except Honolulu) in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America (ferry service is available for cars). The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. This in turn makes Juneau an island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat, in spite of the city being located on the Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains about 3,500 feet to 4,000 feet high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; two of these, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the local road system. The Mendenhall glacier has been gradually retreating; its front face is declining both in width and height.

A highlight for us was an excursion we splurged on, Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter.  We boarded a helicopter breaching the Alaskan sky.  The views were indescribable, snow-capped peaks and dense-green rainforest below.  Everywhere you looked it’s as if you were part of a painting we so often witness.  Truly a spectacular privilege to see from above what thousands of years of ice created.  We landed on the surface of the Mendenhall Glacier stepping out to marvel at the frozen landscape.  We met up with a group of “Mushers,” and 280 energetic Huskies to learn the ins and outs of the states favourite and furriest sport.  Our “Musher” guide, Shaynee with Alaska Icefield Expeditions, was a delight.  Both her and her husband live on the glacier (along with several other mushers) from May to September.  Living in tents they work for one week, have one day off to chopper back to Juneau for laundry, shower, call home to friends and family, then return.  They personally own 43 Husky breeds with a new litter of 6-week old puppies that we got to hold.  It’s a well-oiled machine, they ensure (and are regulated) to have the least amount of environmental impact so all the dog dodo is flown out each week.  They have no children so count 43 of them as their own;)

The day concluded with a Tram ride and a hike on Mount Roberts and most importantly, one of the most entertaining and humour-filled evenings at the Red Dog Saloon.  A true ode to past times.  All side arms to be left at the door and legend has it that Wyatt Earp visited and left his side arm which is still displayed behind the bar.  All the waitresses adorn thick red and black dresses (heavy on the corsets) with entertainment being offered that is a must to partake in.  Entertainment was offered by a man known as, the “Infamous Baldini” (yes, he’s old and bald).  When he sang, the crowds got going with songs like, “In The Bar, Drunk, Your Mind is on Vacation and Basin Street Blues,” all encouraging sing alongs. It was exceptional, memorable fun. Part of the reason is that they’re just a great group of wonderful people, the other was one of their famous drinks, a Duck Fart, which was purchased just enough times to stop counting;)  I will say, that for us, it was one of the most organic ways I have witnessed just a small hand full of times in life that this will go down in the memory books and the story carried for years. Truly a joy for us to experience.

Our next and final stop brought us to the town of Ketchikan. Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island, near the southern-most tip of Alaska’s panhandle. It is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest, which is managed by the US Forest Service.  The city has a total area of (15.3 km²).  (11.3 km²) of it is land and (4.0 km²) of it (29.14%) is water.  Ketchikan has a population of just shy of 1,400 and houses the worlds largest collection of standing totem poles found throughout the city.

We were treated to another shore excursion, a wilderness exploration and crab feast.  Out of this entire trip, we were more than blessed with such great weather but today was off and on showers.  This is due to the area’s climate is the high amount of rainfall (it rains 267 days a year), with a yearly average of 153 inches (12.75) feet.  By comparison, London, Ontario receives on average 39.2 inches (3.3) feet.  A private boat tour with our group, out to catch some crabs from the sea (no, we did not eat what we caught, we learned about them and sent them free).  It concluded with a lesson in how to eat crabs.  They say, “Eat as much as you want” but in reality, it’s a small learning curve and a whole lot of effort to dig that meat out so it limits it:)

We set sail for our destination home and won’t stop again until we pull into port in Vancouver.  Yet again we are in true amazement at the experience of it all.  Good cruise line, food, people.  It was very well organized and a shout out to the performers who provided most of the shows.  The singers and dancers were truly fantastic with such a wide variety of talent, mashing of some old songs and making them current again.  We had the opportunity to speak with some of them…very interesting stories.  We’ve been to many little shows at resorts and such, but this was truly terrific entertainment, always high energy and talented where it was a joy to listen to them sharing their art.  For us, the company in our group specifically, everyone is truly and individual but it’s not often that you find a group of people and their partners who highly mesh so well.  Kim, of our group was our Cruise Director and did such a fantastic job keeping us together.  It was just a lot of fun, and a true gift, something that is nurturing for us all.

Love,

D&D