My 2nd Cruise - Alaska

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Hello Happy Travelers!!

You might be asking, what happened to the traveling and the cruise before my 2nd Cruise!  Well, I started going through photos and decided to start with this one, going down memory lane a bit.  My second cruise was an Alaskan cruise aboard the Crystal Harmony in June 2005.  As many of you know, Crystal Harmony is no longer part of the Crystal Cruises fleet, being retired in November of 2005.  I am so glad I was able to experience this ship before it retired.  Incidentally, my first cruise was in the Caribbean aboard the Crystal Symphony!  More about that another time.

This spectacular adventure started in San Francisco on June 11, 2005 and ended in San Francisco 10 days later.  It was a beautiful day for sailing and exiting under the Golden Gate Bridge.  We were on our way with the first stop in Vancouver.  From Vancouver we sailed through the Inside Passage and our next stop was Juneau Alaska.  From the buy shops to the totem poles to St. Nicholas church there was so much to absorb.  The highlight of this stop was a Helicopter ride to a glacier where we were able to get off, wearing special covers for our shoes.  After walking around a bit and taking in the expanse of this glacier, we were treated to Champagne and Chocolates!  How wonderful is that.  After some photo ops and taking in the beauty of it all, we boarded our helicopter, headed back to Juneau to board the ship.

The next stop was Skagway, the Gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.  One of the attractions was the White Pass Snow Fleet.  One of my friends on the trip did take the train tour and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I decided to venture off down the street, taking in the “old town” look of the buildings and soaking up the sun and the local hospitality.  A few of us had a bite to eat and a couple of beers at Moe’s Frontier Bar and Grill which was demolished in 2008.  Based on what I’ve read, there have been a lot of changes, not only to Skagway, but to many towns due to the cruise industry.  Make way for the new!!

After enjoying the day in Skagway, we departed for Glacier Bay.  There are no words to describe the beauty of not only the glacier but of the surrounding countryside and it’s snow capped mountains.  It is very quiet and the ships basically have to do manual navigation so as not to disturb the environment while in the bay.  The ship slowly turns and you can hear the ice calving as chunks fall into the water.  The chunks that do fall make a nice spot for the wildlife.  It is amazing to see and experience. 

After Departing Glacier bay, we headed to Ketchikan and Wrangell and then back down the Inside Passage to return to San Francisco.  If you have never been on an Alaskan cruise, I highly recommend it.  This cruise gave me a whole new perspective on our 48^th state with its beauty and fragile environment.  You can check out some photos by visiting my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RCHDreamTravel!  Contact me and let’s discuss your next dream vacation! Possibly a cruise to Alaska! 

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