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Alaska Cruise Travel Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier Juneau Ketchikan Skagway United States

Reliving Our Alaskan Cruise Highlights

 I’ve had several friends ask me what the best part of my Alaskan cruise was. Choosing our Alaskan cruise highlights is just as impossible as coming up with my favorite Hanson song! The whole cruise was absolutely remarkable! We spent time checking out all of the sights in Seattle, explored Skagway, British Columbia & The Yukon, saw the Mendenhall and Dawes Glaciers, hiked countless trails, and took in all of the sights of the Last Frontier. How can I select just one of those as a highlight? To put it simply, I can’t. Here are some of my favorite things about my trip:

Alaskan Cruise Highlights

The Wild Life

How can you not appreciate the wildlife of Alaska? It’s so funny because everyone on the ship was hoping that they would see a whale on the cruise. I didn’t book a whale-watching excursion and I can’t even begin to tell you how many whales we saw on this trip! We saw humpbacks galore and even got to see some orcas frolicking in the water. Seaworld ain’t got nothin’ on Alaska y’all!

On the ship, there was a naturalist that stood on the bridge of the ship and made an announcement anytime she spotted a whale, seal, bald eagle, porpoise, etc. It became kind of a game to rush to the side of the ship that she referenced in her announcement.

While we were in Juneau, we hopped on a bus to the Mendenhall Glacier. As we were driving through downtown Juneau a mama bear and two cubs ran across the road. It was the coolest thing ever! I definitely didn’t expect to have a bear sighting- especially in downtown Juneau!

The Lakes & Snow-Capped Mountains

As a Florida girl, it was nice to see something other than palm trees, sand, brackish water, and flat terrain. I loved all of the gorgeous green lakes, evergreens, and snow-capped mountains. There were mountains galore! We even got to play in the snow… in the summer! And yes, I fought back the urge to sing songs from Disney’s “Frozen”.

The Glaciers

Seeing the glaciers was pretty rad too! We visited both the Mendenhall Glacier and the Dawes Glacier on this trip. We were amazed by how blue the glaciers were and how gorgeous the surrounding water was. It was pretty neat sailing by little icebergs on our way through the Endicott Arm.

The lush green hillsides stood out in comparison to the vibrant blue water. It was absolutely stunning! Another cool thing about the Endicott Arm was all of the waterfalls that lined the waterway. I don’t think I’ve been anywhere quite as beautiful as the Endicott Arm! It was truly that beautiful.

Yes, Even Canada, eh

Believe it or not, we actually spent about as much time in Canada as we did in Alaska! We spent several hours driving through British Columbia and Yukon Territory. We also made a pit-stop in Victoria, British Columbia. This part of Canada was just as gorgeous as Alaska! I’m so glad we made the drive from Skagway to Carcross!

I have a feeling we’ll definitely be back to The Last Frontier. Now that we’ve been formally introduced, we’d love to drive around and check out more of what Alaska has to offer. Going to Alaska was a dream come true, I can definitely see why people consider this a trip of a lifetime.

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Alaska British Columbia Canada Cruise Excursions Cruise Travel Skagway The Yukon United States

Skagway, British Columbia, and The Yukon Territory

Weren’t the Endicott Arm and the Dawes Glacier amazing? Our next stop on our Alaskan cruise was Skagway, Alaska. Imagine waking up, stepping out onto your balcony, and being welcomed by this view. Welcome to Skagway, my friends! Skagway is home to colorful gold-rush era buildings, vintage locomotives, and some of the most friendly people you’ll encounter!

Our first glimpse of Skagway, Alaska

We had a lot on our itinerary for the day. We were heading to British Columbia and The Yukon, and of course, we had to explore this charming little town. We planned on fitting as much as we could so that we had a chance to really explore this area. First, we followed the White Pass Trail from Skagway up to Frasier, British Columbia passing cascading waterfalls, gorgeous snow-capped mountains, and some of the most spectacular lakes I’ve ever seen. Yep, you read that right- we headed into Canada!

British Columbia

Words simply cannot describe how stunning British Columbia was! The towering snow-capped mountains, the lush green evergreens, the azure glacier lakes were more gorgeous than I can put into words. Visiting this region was like a dream come true- I’m dying to go back!

I spent the hour-long ride from Fraser, British Columbia to Carcross, Yukon Territory gazing out the window with my jaw dropped. The vistas were breathtaking! This would be an amazing spot to pitch a tent for a couple of weeks and forget about the world.

Yukon Territory

Next, we made a pit stop in Carcross at the Caribou Crossing Trading Post for a delicious barbecue lunch and a chance to stretch our legs.

After lunch, we went to spend some time with animals. We fed goats, alpacas, and donkeys! This goat reminded us so much of our little terrier Parker. He had a way of forcing himself on you so that you’d pay attention to him.

Then, we had a meet and greet with some of the Alaskan sled dogs. We watched as they were harnessed up and carried sleds off into the hillsides.

Next, we made a pit stop at the Carcross Desert, which is often called “The World’s Smallest Desert”. It was a great spot to stretch our legs and admire the biodiversity of the area.

Our last stops in The Yukon were Spirit Lake and Emerald Lake, both well known for their impeccable green coloring.

Have you met my pet monkey Isabelle? Isabelle has traveled with me for nearly 2 decades. She has visited 18 countries with me and joined me on my trip into Canada since she missed out on my first trip to this amazing country!

Skagway, Alaska

Finally, it was time to check out Skagway! Isn’t it such a charming little town? It was covered with Gold Rush-era buildings painted in vibrant colors and decorative storefronts.

How cool is this building? It’s covered entirely in driftwood!

Lastly, we met up with some friends at the historic Red Onion Saloon, one of the best-known brothels in all of Alaska. The ladies of the Red Onion are all in full costume and character and are an absolute riot. The upstairs is a museum dedicated to the building’s past and the saloon’s role during the gold rush. The day was a perfect introduction to all of the wonderful things we would see throughout Alaska and western Canada.

While in Skagway…

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Slide on over to our post about checking out the famous Mendenhall Glacier in Tongass National Park just outside of Juneau. Be sure to give us a like on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more travel tips and tricks. See you next time!

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