On day 7 we had a bus tour of Victoria British Columbia. The ship docked inside a small inlet of water on the shores of Victoria British Columbia. Our guided tour bus was waiting on us when we got there.

We were incorrectly told that we would be required to wear covid masks in Canada. However, that was not the case. We loaded onto the large tour bus and had to wait about 15 minutes on some folks that didn’t get there on time.

The bus driver was a young man that gave us his life story in a nutshell during the cruise. He was very energetic and knowledgeable and a good driver to navigate that huge bus through city streets and residential areas.

We asked about the primary source of income for the city as we drove by 15-30 million dollar homes. He said the most common source of income was retirement money from wealthy individuals who had done well in their respective carriers.

The golf course club named Victoria Golf Club was $70,000 to join, and $10,000 / year to stay a member. If that tells you anything about the type of people that live in the area.

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When we left the Glacier, the next day was one of rest and exploring the ship. The scenery presented us with waterfalls, seals, 1 whale tail, and much more. I wanted to do the parachute simulator, but my contacts pushed me over the maximum weight limit. In case you were worried, we ate good while cruising on our way to Victoria British Columbia.

We hope you enjoy the few videos we took during the day of travel

Day 5 we were on our way back South from Skagway. The next stop is Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. The nice thing about cruising is the ship sails while guests are dining, watching shows, or sleeping. We Enjoyed our day at Skagway and the Foreigner concert on the ship. Dinner was waiting on us at the “American Icon Grill”. After that, we late night excitement seekers went to bed around 9:00 p.m. Remember, the sun doesn’t completely set in Alaska.

Endicott Arm fjord is located approximately 50 miles southeast of Juneau. Breathtaking Endicott Arm extends over 30 miles long, with nearly one-fifth of its area covered in ice.

Over 600 feet tall and around one mile broad, Dawes Glacier is a mighty remnant of an even bigger ice block that forged Endicott Arm Fjord thousands of years ago. Dawes Glacier covers 250 feet of ice underneath the surface of the glacier.

The Captain sailed into the fjord very slowly and watched for floating ice, some of which were as big as a house. The ship was only able to get about 1/2 mile from the actual glacier. One of the more fascinating moves of the ship was to rotate the front point of the ship from “12 o’clock” position pointing directly at the glacier. Then turn it to the “9 o’clock”, then around to “3 o’clock” so that everyone had an equal opportunity to get some photos, and different views while the sun moved over the horizon.

You will also see a small “tender” boat taking passengers who paid extra for an up close and personal visit to the glacier. We learned that they were allowed to get off the “tender” and walk on the glacier. That would have been fun.

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After having walked all day in Juneau and still not seeing everything we wanted to, we moved on to Dinner at the “American Icon Grill”. All week, Evans and Kamal have spoiled us by keeping our drinks full, surprising us with a personalized appetizer charcuterie board having cheese, crackers, grapes, and other varieties.

They are very professional and excellent at what they do. However, I stopped them just short of putting my napkin in my lap. I’m a big boy and old enough that I don’t need that level of assistance just yet.

We had another great nights sleep in our state rooms and those beds were like sleeping on a cloud. You would think the boat rocking and turning would prevent sleeping well, but everything was perfect, stable and quiet.

On Day 4 we looked forward to just checking out and getting on the train, BUT, hold on !!!! There was a tremendous land slide just where our ship would have docked at the port where it normally would. The Port Authority required the ship to park way away from the normal port location. This required using several tender boats to get us to the walk ramp from the small boat docks. It was a bit of a hike from sea level up to the land level where the train was waiting.

Once we got to the train, it was filling up fast because several other cruise ships unloading guests into Skagway. The train hosts guided us to one of the cars toward the front of the train, and assisted on and allowed to sit wherever we wanted. The seats were arranged like a dining room car with booth style seating. 2 face the front, and 2 face the rear with a table between each bench.

During the train ride, they came to collect our tickets, and offer us souvenirs.

White Pass & Yukon Train Excursion details.

Tens of thousands of men and 450 tons of explosives overcame harsh climate and challenging geography to create the “railway built of gold”. Today, 116 years later, you can re-live the adventure and the “triumph over challenge” in comfort and safety!

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway is “The Scenic Railway of the World”. Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, a designation shared with the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

The WP&YR railway was considered an impossible task. However, blasting through the coastal mountain allowed completion in only 26 months.

The $10 million project was the product of British financing, American engineering and Canadian contracting. Tens of thousands of men and 450 tons of explosives overcame harsh and challenging climate and geography to create “the railway built of gold.”

The WP&YR climbs almost 3000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles. The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.

Enjoy these 190 photos from our day in Skagway AK.

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After a great nights sleep during the ship’s continued sailing onto Juneau, we ate a hearty, healthy, flavorful, and fresh assortment of breakfast options. Then we walked down to deck 3 and checked out of the ship and departed for a day of shopping and sight seeing in Juneau.

The staff were all hyper sensitive about covid and all wore masks even though the guests were not required to do so. As you enter the “Wind Jammer” buffet area, you were greeted by a staff member that would detour you through the hand washing station as he shouted ” WASHY WASHY, YUMMY , YUMMY “. As I am one who needs coffee before jokes, humor, or conversation in general, I wanted to smile and tell them good morning, but I was deficient in caffein and it didn’t happen.

Juneau is the capitol of Alaska, but is also land locked from the rest of the state. You either fly or boat into the capitol city. There is an “Air Taxi” that operates in and out of the same port we were docked.

Our first excursion was to ride the Mt. Roberts Tramway up the 2000+ foot elevation via cable car up to the shop and restaurant. The food was good but mostly sandwiches and fries. The shop was mostly souvenirs and gifts so we didn’t purchase anything there. The most enjoyable part of that excursion was the cool air, and unbelievable views.

Here are almost 200 photos from a great day 3 in Juneau.

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