If San Francisco is vibrant and colourful, then Alaska is pure and tranquil. Think snow-capped mountains, wild animals and untouched scenery.
From San Franciso,we take a domestic flight to Anchorage and stay one night at Comfort Suites -- a small but cosy inn with clean spacious room, comfy bed and soft fluffy pillows - before embarking on the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium to Alaska.
The room is adequately equipped with a microwave oven, mini fridge and a small kitchen sink. There are also free cookies, piping hot from the oven and beverages like ice cold water, hot chocolate, coffee and tea at the lobby for guests. This is hospitality at its best.
Cruise to Alaska
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| The cruise ship |
The next day after breakfast, we rent a car and drive about two-and-a-half hours to the port to board the cruise ship at Seward. It is raining incessantly that day and the sea is very rocky in the night. Our concierge cabin is quite small and not much walking room due to the sofa bed. But the picturesque view from the balcony more than makes up for it.
As concierge class guests, we have some privileges such as a bottle of sparkling wine, a daily platter of fresh fruits and delicacies and best of all, we get to select the type of pillows we want. I request for a body pillow which is supposed to be great for easing body aches. It turns out to be huge and occupies half the bed! The pillows are made from down feathers and are extremely soft and comfy.
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| Alaskan king crab legs |
The Celebrity Millennium is not a new ship but has everything a cruise ship has onboard -- jacuzzi, pools, library, spa and several restaurants. It is in one of their fine-dining restaurants, the exclusive Qsine that we have one of the best gastronomic experiences -- a sumptuous lunch of Alaskan King crab legs, crab cake and crab soup. Dipping the crab legs and crab cake into the melted butter sauce, the taste is phenomenal!
Stunning Glacier
Our first stop is at Hubbard Glacier, which stands at 11,000 feet above sea level and stretches 76 miles from its source in the Yukon Territory in Canada to the sea at Yakutat Bay and Disenchantment Bay. Measuring approximately 7-miles wide and 400-feet high, the glacier is a breathtaking sight to behold. Looking out from our room balcony, we have a first-hand spectacular view of glacier ice bergs in varying sizes and different shades of colours -- some are light blue while others are pure white and a few are even black -- floating on the seas. We are told by the cruise captain that some of these glacier ice bergs are more than 400 years old.
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| Glacier ice bergs on the sea |
Due to the huge chunks of ice bergs floating on the seas, the ship captain has to navigate the cruise ship carefully through the waters so as not to crash into the ice bergs. From our balcony, we are given a demonstration of the crew using some devices to move the bigger chunks of ice bergs aside so that the ship can navigate forward. It is indeed an eye-opener!
Quaint Juneau
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| Juneau town |
Our next stop is this quaint little town named Juneau, which is also the capital of Alaska. It is nestled deep within the Inside Passage and is founded during a gold rush in 1880. The former gold mining town faces the water from the mainland side of Gastineau Channel where several magnificent fjords are located along the channel coast, and the majestic Mendenhall Glacier is just nearby. With a current population of approximately 30,000, Juneau boasts spectacular nature and wilderness. However, we are not able to catch a glimpse of any grizzly bears, not that we mind.
If you are into shopping, you will be delighted by the eclectic mix of touristy shops comprising costume jewellery retail and souvenir shops selling uniquely designed T-shirts, as well as exquisite hand-painted Russian and Alaskan dolls. There are also some bespoke shops selling unique Alaskan artefacts and crafts.
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| Russian dolls aplenty |
Amongst my best buys is a quaint crankshaft musical box which plays the Amazing Grace tune when you turn the crank; and an exquisite hand-painted Russian doll that comes in a set of five with each smaller one hidden in the bigger one.
In summer when we are there, the shops are bustling with tourists but according to a shop assistant in a jewellery shop, the retail shops here are closed in winter as it's too cold for tourists to come here, so the retailers move to other parts of the United States, like the Caribbean, for business. Talk about versatility.
Historical Skagway
Skagway is another small town like Juneau but much smaller and less busy. It used to be a gold mine town but now boasts mainly jewellery shops like Juneau, except that Skagway has a historical museum that records the history of the town and its gold rush era. It has also preserved a frontier spirit complete with saloons and dance clubs.
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| Skagway Ivory Museum |
Picturesque Icy Strait Point
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| Breathtaking Icy Strait Point |
Unlike Juneau and Skagway which are populated with many tourist shops, Icy Strait Point, located near the city of Hoonah which is the largest native Tlingit Indian settlement in Alaska, is a breathtakingly beautiful place flanked by high mountains, rocky beach and clear blue sea. Home to a historic cannery, the port's connection to the sea is significant. It is not uncommon to spot humpback whales, orcas, seals, sea otters and five species of Pacific salmon in the sea here. Its spectacular nature is almost unspoiled except for a handful of cottages, craft shops and restaurants, as well as several holiday-makers sunbathing in the cool summer.
Bustling Ketchikan
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| Ketchikan - Alaska's first city |
Our last port of call is a sleepy little town named Ketchikan, which means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle" in Tlingit Indian. Squeezed between the 3000-foot Deer Mountain and the sea, the rustic, picturesque town which is once a fishing camp, sprawls out in the shape of an eagle in flight, hence its name. Like the other towns in Alaska, Ketchikan is surrounded by beautiful nature and wilderness. This is something city-dwellers like us will not get to embrace in our concrete jungle.
Overall, the 7-night Alaska cruise is a wonderful experience that opens up our eyes to a whole new horizon of spectacular nature and awe-inspiring wilderness in beautiful Alaska. The wide expanse of deep blue sea, towering snow-peak mountains, quaint little towns dotted with pretty cottages and dipped in rich history, with a breathtaking sunset to behold -- these and many more will form a collage of beautiful memories of Alaska in years to come.
