Month: June 2024

We are but ants compared to the nearby mountains. A photo cannot convey the scale of our surroundings. That pale green spot (sorry, Carl) on the waterline is a small-ish iceberg

Spotted several icebergs before docking. This one is a floating rest stop for a couple dozen sea birds.

Towering giants backdrop the cruise ship shopping area.

Did we mention it’s t-shirt weather here? It’s a balmy, for Alaska, 60 degrees here at 5:30pm.

I could’ve ordered a bigger pair of crab legs but I know I’ll get another chance when I feel like we have more time. So I ordered a crab bowl and Dan the pork sliders.

When your order is ready they shout out your name and where you’re from. Diane from Florida? So many people from everywhere. New York, California, Indonesia, Indiana, New Jersey, everywhere. This was a just enough portion for me.

One troubling thing for us is seeing all the jewelry stores. Asked a local shop worker why so many? She said, they come up from St Thomas, inhabit all the stores for cruise season then leave. Even bring their own workers. Also said they go to all the Alaskan towns the cruises go to and do similar. We deliberately look for local. In a way, supporting the economy is good at any cost but the locals need it more. Just saying. dmc

The ship slowed down to almost a full stop. No wait it did stop. It’s our first clue that we’re getting close to our Juneau Alaska Port. How immense is this area? So quiet if you can weed out boat and ship noise. The first excursion off our ship onto another excursion boat. And off they go. Probably to see whales and other sea life. dmc

Kinda stunning, no? Looks like a mini avalanche happened between two of those peaks. We’re about 30 miles south of Juneau, full stop in Stephen’s Passage.

Thought we were paused for whale and/or some other wildlife watching, then…

… this vessel came over and tied up midship…

… picked up a bunch of passengers headed off to an excursion. And we’re underway again.

What to do on a foggy day at sea? Well, how about the thermal spa after breakfast. Then an enlightening live presentation about whales and how changes in the food web have led to their decline, and the work to help them recover.

Buffet lunch on the lido deck, then we ducked into the ship’s library to kill some time before a presentation about the Iditarod. Did you know the Alaskan Husky was in danger of dying out before the Iditarod race brought them into the sport? They’re well cared for and all they wanna do is run.

Whooped after the busy day, we caught a nice nap before our 5:00 “dressy” dinner reservation. It’s tradition on Holland America Lines to wear orange on the formal night. Why orange? It’s inspired by the large, orange-accented celebrations that take place in the Netherlands to honor the royal House of Orange-Nassau.

Btw, we found Johnny’s golden fiddle on deck 7.