Day 1

7th June

We have a long wait in the lounge for our flight. I got a bit bored so I've entertained my self by posting a picture of the airport.

We took off a short while ago and now wifi is on. So I'm going to upload the photo I took just after we left the ground. The lights of Auckland.

There were plenty of spare seats in our cabin. So while we ate dessert, beds were made up for us in spare seats across the aisle.

Taking off from San Francisco heading to Seattle.

Seattle (USA)

8th June

This morning we went up to the roof terrace to see the views.

Looking towards the Olympic Mountain range.

Looking south over Seattle.

Mount Rainier.

The Space Needle is an observation tower built for the World's Fair in 1962.

This photo was taken on our walk to find some lunch.

For lunch we bought a portobello mushroom burger. This is Colleen's half.

Embarkation

9th June

Our wrap round verandah.

Majestic Princess with us at Pier 91.

Views from our verandah.

Mount Rainier.

A glass of bubbly for the sail away.

Pier 91 where we boarded.

The Space Needle in Seattle.

Sea Day

10th June

Today we are cruising the Inside passage.
It is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland.

Ketchikan (Alaska)

11th June

Travelling through the inside passage into Ketchikan.

Docking in Ketchikan. There is the Majestic Princess docked ahead of us and the Noordam and Carnival Luminosa behind.

We went for a walk in town.
This is Creek Street a historic area of Ketchikan. The street is actually a boardwalk mounted on stilts on the east side of Ketchikan Creek, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

From Creek Street we followed the Salmon Walk to the Fish Ladder.
The ladder helps Salmon up the river to reach their spawning grounds.

The last to arrive and the last to leave. We are all alone at the dock now.

Sitka (Alaska)

12th June

Approaching our anchorage for Sitka.
Sitka was under Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The United States bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2 million at 2 cents per acre.

Sitka.

This is St. Michael's Cathedral.
It was built in 1848 and rebuilt after being burnt down on January 2nd 1966.
It is in the main shopping area and the streets have been closed to traffic for the benefit of the tourists.

The mountains became a bit misty in the afternoon but the light was better for this photo of houses from our verandah.

Hubbard Glacier (Alaska)

13th June

Sailing in to see Hubbard Glacier.
It is better weather than last time we were here.

A Celebrity ship leaving the glacier as we arrive to take our turn at the terminus.

Looking back down Disenchantment Bay.

Seals in the bay.

Hubbard Glacier terminus.

Some of our passengers paid to boarded the boat for a closer look at the glacier.
This photo shows how high the terminus is.

The glacier calving.

Colleen all rugged up on our deck.

Hubbard Glacier as we sail away.

Valdez (Alaska)

14th June

We are taking a tour of Valdez.
Our ship the Westerdam anchored off the town.

After driving round the bay we were taken up to Thompson Pass. A 2,678-foot high mountain pass through the Chugach Mountains.
Looking back down the valley the way we have just come.

On the other side of the summit is Worthington Glacier. The road to the glacier had been cleared a few days before we arrived. There is not much of the glacier left now.

On our way back to Valdez we stopped at a couple of waterfalls.
This is Bridal Veil Falls.

And this is Horsetail Falls.

The Thompson Pass road looking towards Valdez.

These wooden figures are outside the US Forest Service Centre. The Fisherman has caught a Bear.

The evening sun on the mountains.