We traveled the last week of July, first week of August on the Saphire Princess out of Vancouver. We have never been to Washington so we spent 3 days/2nights in Seattle

. Had dinner at the Space needle. Expected the worst but a wonderful meal, with a spectacular view of Mt. Rainer. Next day went to Chuli museum. Wonderful museum.


We took the north bound cruise. Ketchikan was first port. Long ago this town was the salmon capitol of Alaska. There is a state park of restored totems poles just outside of town. Many dating back over 100 years. We hired a cab and negotiated a fee of $100 for 2 and allowed us to stay for a hour so we were not rushed. Cab dropped us off in town at a shopping area that included a stream with spawning salmon running.

Next stop Juneau. We signed on Ocra Adventures. They have smaller boats for whale watching which we have found in the past the bigger the boat the more you have to compete for viewing. A great day which included stopping at the Mendenhall glacier. A great day. They also include the option for a salmon roast. The interesting thing about the 2 stops is we saw the salmon run in the beginning at Ketchikan I the end at Mendenhall at the end of the run. In Ketchikan the salmon are still grey and healthy. At Mendenhall at the end of the run shallow streams, the salmon have been out of sea water and have turned pink and are easy picking for black bear. 3 couples in our group took a helio ride to a glacier, then had a dog sled ride. Cost $1000 per person from Princess.

Next Skagway. My wife and another couple signed up for a glass blowing class thru Princess. They had a great day. I spent the day in town shopping.

We debarked at Anchorage and took the train to the first of 3 lodges that Princess run. I forget the name of the village that we stayed the 1st night but Princess offers a fishing trip that some people took and they had a great time.

At Denali we signed up for the Denali trip that Princess ran. You have 2 options-9 or 13 hours on a bus. We opted for the 9 hour trip. It sounds like a long time but they do a great job with many breaks to stretch and get off the bus and site see. The park will not allow you to drive a car in the park unless you're camping there.

To get prepared for our trip we read James Mitchner's book Alaska. It gave us wonderful inside into the state. We went in late July and early August. The weather was perfect. High in the 70's, no rain. Vancouver had not had rain in 30 days. In Ketchikan the saying is if it's not raining when you arrive it will be by the time you leave. That was not the case for us. Finally bring layers for clothing you never know what the weather will be. Even with weather being great when we were in Glacier Bay we were up early and needed gloves, hats, and wind breakers with layers under the jacket.

I hope this helps and have a wonderful trip.