So my husband, Micah, won a cruise with his job to Alaska and Canada! We were very blessed to be able to take our boys, as well as my husband’s parents with us. The timing of the trip was actually perfect! We left the weekend after our boys finished school, so it was the perfect way to start off our Summer break! The cruise also just happened to be scheduled on the same week as our 11 year wedding anniversary! This trip was especially exciting for us because we have never been to Alaska, and the boys and I have never been to Canada before. Also, our boys have never been on a cruise before!
Beginning our trip, we flew out to Seattle, Washington to board our ship. Seattle is not only beautiful, but is known for having the very first original Starbuck’s. We got to see it from the window of our bus in a distance, but I have to say I was a tiny bit disappointed that we didn’t get to actually go inside for a coffee! Ha
We cruised on the Norwegian Pearl. The accommodations, food, customer service, and friendliness of the staff throughout the entire trip were wonderful!!
First Port: Juneau, Alaska
Juneau is a cute, quaint little town that reminds me of a smaller version of Gatlinburg, TN. We did a little souvenir shopping before taking a hike (in the rain!) to see Mendehall Glacier. It was totally worth it though! The waterfall and glacier were beautiful! (Side note for those traveling to Alaska….make sure to take a rain jacket!) Ha!
Second Port: Skagway, Alaska
This was probably one of my favorite places that we visited in Alaska because they had a Starbucks inside one of the shops! Ha! Seriously though, I loved the town and I loved the scenery! For this port’s excursion, we decided to do a scenic train ride, White Pass & Yukon Route, and we loved it! We rode a bus on the drive there, and we road the train coming back. It was probably my favorite activity out of the whole trip. The scenery was gorgeous, and we got to see a lot of wildlife including a bear, porcupine, moose, and a mountain goat! They also served us lunch on the train, so all in all, it was a really fun experience!
Third Stop: (At Sea) Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Our third stop, we cruised through the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. It was equally as beautiful as Mendehall Glacier, but we were able to see this glacier up closer. It’s one thing to see pictures of glaciers in magazines, but its another seeing them in person! You can’t visit Alaska and not see a glacier!
4th Stop: Ketchikan, Alaska
This stop was probably my second favorite in Alaska. The town was so cute!! Not to mention, we ate at an incredible little restaurant named, Alaska Fish House, that had delicious salmon! But of course they did, this is the Salmon Capital of the World! The excursion that we chose for this port was probably our boys favorite. We decided to go on a float plane with Misty Fjords Air & Outfitting. It just seemed like the Alaskan thing to do! Ha! If you ever visit Ketchikan, this plane company and our pilot are fabulous!!
Our Final Stop: British Columbia, Canada
First off, it was cool to visit British Columbia just so I can say that I’ve been to Canada! Ha! We booked an excursion to see The Butchart Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful and well worth your time and money if you ever visit this area!!
