Friday, June 30 – A day of leisure or excursions. Some went into Valdez for kayaking and two of us went to Kennicott Mines to learn about the copper mining town and the frontier town of McCarthy. Shuttle bus was available to take guests into the main town of Copper Center from the lodge, where you could visit the Information Center and Museum. The residents of Copper love educating traveller of the ways of life in Alaska and how things were. Many, many stories were shared and enjoyed.
Saturday, July 1 – Happy Canada Day! Bus driver Russel continued our 3 ½ hr adventure this morning to Valdez to board a catamaran in Whittier. This part of the trip took us through the Chugach Mountain range and sightings of the Worthington Glacier. During the entire land part of our trip, we had the delight to see so many wildflowers at the side of the road – purple lupine, irises, march marigold, dwarf dogwood, bluebells, Alaska’s wild rose. A moose crossed in front of us so we were able to see it in full view. With all the sunlight, nature has shown its glory in its growth. Summer is at its peak now. They say they will be getting fall starting middle of August or beginning of September. Winter is upon them already by the end of September.
Catamaran ride was along the Prince Willian Sound. Sighting of sea otters, bald eagles, humpback whales, and minke whales made the ride even more spectacular. Then we came into the port of Whittier to see our next mode of transportation – the large ship of Majestic Princess. Moving from one boat to the other was quick and easy. The hardest part now is not getting lost and getting to your destination on the shop. Prebooked dinner at the main dining room for 6 pm was very nice. We now were able to greet and chat with all tour group members. Unfortunately, we were not able to sit all together but at 3 different tables. So much to do and see on the ship.
Sunday, July 2 – A smooth ride on the Gulf of Alaska towards Yakutat Bay where we sow Hubbard Glacier. The ship was able to get fairly close but needed to keep an eye on the ice burgs. We were not able to see the top of Mt. Hubbard which is right behind the glacier. Live commentary from the bridge with Naturalist Mark Harris was very informative. This day had not on land excursions so you could discover all the wonders the ship offered – ballroom dancing and line dancing classes at the Piazza, trivia & quizzes and game shows, art appreciation and so much more. We decided to start dinner at 5:30 pm to allow more time for the event available. This was one of our Formal Nights. The staff are very accommodating and look after all our needs. Sitting in different spots again allowed for more time to get more acquainted with each other.
Monday, July 3 – Another smooth ride to Glacier Bay. We thought Hubbard Glacier was great but seeing Margerie Glacier along the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve was breathtaking. The ship was able to get even closer and hold there for 2+hrs. On our way to the glacier, we sow many sea otters, whales, and Dall sheep. The Glacier Bay National Park Rangers came on board and provided live commentary on what were seeing. Had the opportunity to meet them on the deck and ask questions about the National Park and glacier. As the ship was leaving the glacier, a larger part of the glacier brock off. This was spectacular to see live.
Dinner again was delicious and the company was great. How may appetizers can one person have and share? How many desserts can you have and share? Our table did a fine job in keeping our server busy.
– Monika Wismer, Alaska 2023 tour host
