Epic 7-Day ALASKA CRUISE Travel Guide 🚢 Itinerary, Port Excursions, Ship Tour & Onboard Experience 🦅

Epic 7-Day ALASKA CRUISE Travel Guide 🚢 Itinerary, Port Excursions, Ship Tour & Onboard Experience 🦅

Welcome aboard. In this video, we’re taking you 
on our very first Alaska cruise. A 7-day adventure through wild landscapes and coastal towns as we 
share some unforgettable family moments. First on a cruise. We’re on the cruise. We got through. We 
set sail from Vancouver aboard the Norwegian Sun with Norwegian Cruise Line. And over the course of 
a week, we explored four ports of call. Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Sitka. From spotting 
wildlife and wandering through misty rainforest to discovering indigenous culture and enjoying 
local seafood, we experienced it all. This Alaska trip was extra special because it was a family 
vacation. One of our favorite ways to travel. It was my husband, our daughter, my parents, and 
I making memories together, both on the ship and on land. So whether you’re planning your very own 
Alaska cruise or just want to see what it’s like to sail through the last frontier, come along as 
we document our experience aboard the Norwegian Sun and share our Alaska itinerary. We’ll 
cover everything, including ports, excursions, and a complete ship tour. Think of this as your 
Alaska travel guide for cruisers. Now, let’s set sail. On day one, we boarded our Alaska cruise at 
Canada Place in Vancouver. At first, we were quite overwhelmed by the lines as three different cruise 
ships were boarding at the same time. However, we were surprised by how efficient the whole 
process was. Since this was our first cruise ever, we had no idea saila away parties were a thing 
until Sam stumbled upon it while exploring the ship. It was a bit of a gray day in Vancouver, but 
that didn’t stop the music and dancing on the sund deck. Because the cabins weren’t ready when we 
first boarded, we grabbed lunch at the buffet, which was absolute chaos. Picture hundreds of 
hungry passengers trying to get out of the rain and congregating in one space. That moment did 
make us wonder if we’d made a mistake booking a cruise since we had zero experience with this 
travel style. However, once the cabins were ready and people dispersed, it was fine. It was just 
a bit of a shock to the system for us newbies. Once boarding was completed, we found the spot 
to enjoy the views as we sailed out of the port   of Vancouver, went under the Lions Gate Bridge, 
and began our journey to Alaska via the outside passage. All righty. So, all aboard. All aboard. 
The time has come. We are ready to set sail. So, yeah, we’re just going to be showing you 
guys as we leave the port of Vancouver.   The views are so impressive. Oh my gosh, we got 
so lucky. The weather was so awful this morning and when we first arrived here. I was thinking 
we were going to be leaving the port without   any visibility whatsoever. But now we’ve got a 
beautiful view and we’re on the sixth floor at the moment and we can basically walk around the 
entire ship. So we got views in any direction we   want. It’s going to be just awesome. The boat 
is just pulling away so smooth, so gentle. We almost didn’t even feel it like it was taking 
off, right? What’s going on? But here we go. Yummy. Day two was a sea day and we were just starting 
to find our sea legs. Because we were cruising via the outside passage, the waves were quite 
choppy and we were feeling the movement. Rather than going to the buffet that morning, we 
decided to grab breakfast at the Seven Seas.   This is an Alakart restaurant and we got an 
open-faced smoked salmon bagel, buttermilk pancakes with blueberry syrup, musli with a side 
order of fresh fruit and a burrito breakfast wrap. This restaurant was wonderful and quickly became 
one of our favorites. We spent the rest of the day exploring the Norwegian sun from top to bottom. 
So, this is where we’ll give you a tour of our   inside cabin and the bathroom. Okay, so we are 
starting on the fourth floor. This is where our rooms are located. We have an inner room. No view, 
no window, no balcony. Yeah, it’s perfectly suited our needs though. We’re very, very comfortable 
and um there are a lot of guests here. This is the longest corridor I’ve ever been in. It’s like 
a hotel that doesn’t end. And um it’s amazing. It kind of feels like kind of feels like we’re 
on the Titanic a little bit, doesn’t it? Oh my   gosh. Let’s hope not. Yes, we went for the most 
budget friendly option. I honestly didn’t mind not having a window in the room. And we all slept 
great, especially baby. As a tip, even if you’re paying for the most basic room, you’ll still 
have the option to bid on a better room without   paying full price. Of course, you are taking 
your chances because these unsold rooms will go to the highest bidder. We were not successful 
in our bid. First things first, when you come in, you’ve got a closet on the right hand side. We 
actually bothered unpacking, so everything is nice and orderly. We’ve got our packing cubes on 
the shelves. Very neat and tidy. And then we also hung up all of our clothes. They gave us lots of 
hangers. Like, we were actually quite pleased. We didn’t even need all of them, but shirts and pants 
are hanging. We have our backpacks, daypacks, our suitcase, and of course, we cannot forget about 
the life jackets in case of an emergency. I was actually quite impressed that soon after check-in, 
like we had just arrived at our rooms, one of the attendants came by and brought us a life jacket 
for the baby, so they didn’t forget about her and they brought something that’s size appropriate 
for her. So, she’s got one as well. So, here we’ve got more storage. We haven’t needed any 
of this space, but we do have three drawers should you be traveling with more luggage than we are. 
We have a nice spacious desk with a phone, lots of outlets so that we can charge our electronics. 
There’s a little stool there, a little seat, mirror so you can check out the outfit of the 
day. Hello. I’m going to make another video   about how to pack for a cruise to Alaska. So, stay 
tuned for that one. We’ve got a TV and there are two channels that we’ve been checking out. There 
is one channel that is actually just a map that shows you where the ship is, how it’s traveling 
up the coast along BC and towards Alaska. So, I just like seeing how much progress we’ve made. 
And then there’s another channel that shows you   all the excursions you can go on on each of the 
ports. So yeah, if you’re not quite sure like what do you want to do in each of these places, 
watch the channel that shows you all the tours   because it’s quite tempting. It makes you want to 
book some more tours and we already have booked a few. Then over on this side, we’ve got a couch. 
There you go. Two cushions. Haven’t used it. Up top here, we’ve got another bed, which again, we 
are not going to use. Baby does not need her own bed yet. However, if she did, there’s a single up 
there. Let me show you what the room looks like. Still quite spacious. This person underneath would 
just have to be a little bit careful in the middle of the night not to bump their head. But that is 
the third bed. And then here is a I would call this a king-size bed. You’ve got two twins pushed 
together. And I can tell you it is quite spacious. We slept really well last night. And here some 
artwork. So that is the tour of the room. Next, I’m going to take you to the bathroom so you can 
see what that is like. Okay, so next up, it’s time for a little tour of the bathroom. What does a 
bathroom look like aboard a cruise ship? I’m going to show you what it’s like for our cabin. We are 
in the cheapest cabins, the inner rooms. But yes, let’s check out the bathroom. So, I’ve got the 
door right behind me. And as soon as I walk in on the left hand side, we have our shower. It 
is a round shower. Here we’ve got conditioning, shampoo, and also body wash. And if we continue 
looking up here, we have a shower head and we’ve got a curtain so the whole bathroom doesn’t get 
soaked when you take your shower. Also something very useful, we’ve got a a drying line here. So 
if you hand wash your clothes, you can hang them up here so that they drip dry. Continuing on, then 
we’ve got the toilet right here. That’s the button that you press to flush. You want to make sure 
the lid is down. And then here is the hair dryer. Over on this side, we’ve got our bath towels, 
three of them. We have our hand towels. And we also have our face cloths or washcloths. And 
I’m really impressed because they have given us three towels. So, they didn’t forget about baby. 
She gets one, too. Then we have our sink here. hot and cold water. We have extra rolls of toilet 
paper. And then we have the soap dispenser for the hand soap. This is where you would plug in your 
shavers. They left us two glasses for brushing our teeth. And as you can see, we’ve got lots of 
space to put our toiletry kit or we can hang it on here on the door. So, I’ve got to say, I’m quite 
impressed with the amount of space we have here in the bathroom. I thought it was going to be a lot 
tighter and just more cramped, but it’s been very comfortable. I’ve already used the shower as well. 
Nice water pressure and piping hot. So, you can control the temperature. I like it piping hot and 
I can get it piping hot, which is great. So, yes, now you know what a bathroom looks like aboard 
Norwegian Cruise Lines, specifically the Norwegian Sun. So, there isn’t much more to show you on the 
fourth floor because it’s all accommodations. But what’s fascinating is that we have these maps on 
every single level of the boat. They’re literally indispensable. If we didn’t have these, I’m sure 
we’d be getting a lot more lost. Okay, so we are   leaving the fourth floor behind, taking the stairs 
up to the fifth. Going to work off all the food we have been consuming. And what do we have on 
the fifth? On the fifth, this is actually where we’ve been consuming the food. These are probably 
the two best restaurants that we can eat at. So,   we’ve been going to the Four Seasons and also 
the Seven Seas. Yes. Love both. And um yeah, this is so much better than the buffet on the 11th 
floor. Not that the buffet is bad or anything,   just the quality of the food at these two 
particular restaurants is superb. So, oh, okay, I should mention this. I’ve just noticed it. Look, 
seasick bags is what they call them. Barf bags. I just noticed those. We are experiencing very 
choppy barf at this home barf bank. Yes. Actually, I’m so lucky I don’t get seasick. You sort of 
do and your mother’s even worse. So, I feel I feel for you, too. I do. I do. Neither neither 
one of us has puked yet, thankfully. Hopefully, that does not happen. Um, but I didn’t mean to 
speak about vomit. What I wanted to tell you is that on the fifth floor, aside from the 
two restaurants that Sam mentioned, um the   ones that we’ve been going to, the Seven Seas 
and the Four Seasons, you can eat at for free. But they also have fancy restaurants where you 
can make reservations, including Luchina Italian Restaurant. And then there’s also the Atrium 
Cafe and Bar. So, let’s go to the atrium. They have macaroons and fancy coffee at that cafe, FYI. 
All righty. So here to the right, the atrium, bar, and cafe. People hanging out, having their coffee, 
having their cocktails. Look at that. This is kind of the main meeting hall here. You can book your 
excursions apparently. Sign up for different types of credit cards related to cruising. And it’s 
great. I think they’re the nicest elevators here. You get like that see-through glass as you’re 
going up and down. Ooh, let’s do that. Elevators. We’re going to go up to six. We’re making the 
impossible journey up one level. Oh my god.   Dumb bling, dumbling, dumbling. The fancy elevator 
over. We’re here. There is a lot happening on the sixth floor. Floor six is maybe the the busiest 
floor in terms of what’s available. Yes. Tell us. We got the Stardust Theater, the Bliss Ultra 
Lounge, the Wind Jammer Bar, and that’s just the bar’s entertainment, shopping, amenities, and 
activities, internet cafe, cruise consultant,   the library, photo gallery, retail shop, photo 
studio, meeting room, jogging tracks, and even a few staterooms here, too. So, all righty. 
Lot going on. What should we do first? Shall   we do the jogging track? I feel like the sun has 
come out. Yeah, we could. This is the first nice view we’ve had today. So, let’s go check it out. 
Let’s show it to you. Let’s show it to you. Now,   before we continue with our tour of the Norwegian 
Sun, I want to tell you about our friends at Cruises Itit. They’re one of the top agencies for 
all major cruise lines, and they offer discounted rates and bookings with extra perks. For example, 
for our first cruise to Alaska, they hooked us up with a photo package, so we were able to capture 
some nice memories from the trip. On top of that,   they offer the best rate guarantee with their 
cruise fair watch system, meaning they track prices right up until your final payment. So, 
if you want to save on your next cruise, check   them out. You can either click the link in the 
description box to book on your own or give them a call if you prefer a more personal touch. Now, 
let’s get back to our tour of the Norwegian Sun. Wind Jammer Bar has the Wind Jammer Bar. I’m 
simulating as if I was having a Cuban cigar cuz you can buy them here. Yes, you can. 
Yeah. This is a really cool place. This   has like that retro vintage charm. Just 
want to like kick back, enjoy a drink, have a cigar. I’ve actually seen a lot 
of people come here and play games,   board games together. So, nice place to lounge 
and um yeah, love the retro vibes. It just shows how many neat theme rooms you can find here 
in Cruipia. Well, this is the library. Lots of books in lots of different languages. You 
can see espanol. Seventh floor. What are we going to find? And we’re moving on up to the 
seventh floor. Bars, entertainment, shopping,   activities, and stateaterooms. Oo la. Oh, the 
casino right away. Yeah. Okay, let’s go there. Shopping. One of the many things you can do here. 
So, you can buy yourself a fancy watch and get yourself a new camera. or you can get the beverage 
of your choice. There’s lots of different options.   A lot of it is aimed at the kind of high-end 
luxury level. Yes, it is. Yes. So, on this floor, we also have the champagne bar and then half 
of the floor is more stateooms. Stateooms. But I think you’re getting a pretty good idea of 
how massive this place is. So, yeah, we just went through the casino. There’s a champagne 
bar, the art gallery, another entrance point to the theater. So, let’s go on up. Another floor is 
calling our names. Have more to show. Okay, so we are now waiting at the elevators. Floors 8, 9, and 
10. We are going to bypass. It is all state rooms. More rooms, nothing else. We’re going to jump up 
to 11 where we have more dining bars and lounges. Lots of them. Let’s see if we can hit them all 
up. Fancy elevator. I like these elevators with the glass. My dad keeps calling it the Titanic 
staircase. He thinks it looks quite fancy. Yeah, it does. Um, we’re saving our legs for the actual 
floors. We could walk on the staircase. Oh, and there’s a fitness center. I can see it 
already. Here we go. And a spa. All right. So, just so we don’t miss anything, we’ve got the 
Oasis pool and hot tub, sund deck, topsiders bar, modern turasia, video arcade, garden cafe, sports 
bar, and the great outdoors cafe. Oh my. Oh my. That’s a lot. That’s a lot. This is also where 
the buffet is on the 11th floor. Okay, the sun came out. We got some sun. That’s crazy. So, this 
is the place where you come out and have fun. This is where you have the pool, the hot tubs. This is 
a places where you can lounge like a lizard. And   you’ve also got a bar over there. So yeah, this 
is a fun spot. When we first boarded the cruise, they were having uh they’re having like a Cuban 
dance party and people of all ages were joining around and doing like this kind of like train 
all around the pool area. It was a lot of fun   to watch. I totally missed that. Where was I? 
Yeah. I can’t remember why we were separated, but we were for a bit and I I got to see that. 
You didn’t. Fun. Fun. So, we are now at the Garden Cafe. I would say this is probably the busiest 
restaurant on the whole ship for breakfast, lunch,   and dinner. Just a lot of people. I don’t know if 
they don’t know about the other restaurants that are really nice or they just want a quick meal. 
Well, that’s the case. When we first came here,   we didn’t know any better. Now that we do, we tend 
to only come here for snacks and and drinks when we’re, you know, in between meals, let’s say. But 
when we first arrived here on the cruise ship, the rooms weren’t ready. So basically the whole 
ship was here and it was absolute chaos and that   was our introduction to cruising. It was uh it was 
a little overwhelming to say the least. We kind of thought what have we gotten ourselves into? Are 
we going to like cruising? I know like what kind   of a zoo are we in? But since everyone settled 
into their rooms and everyone’s doing different things now the whole cruise is being utilized 
across the board. So that means that there’s no   longer the crowds here. And look at that little 
vlog from blowing in the wind. This is the best view we’ve had all day. This is the best weather 
we’ve had since we set sail. I know. We were   kind of worried. Is it just going to be gray and 
overcast and rainy the whole time? No. The sun has come out, guys. This is This is the West Coast. 
When you do get the sun, you appreciate every single moment of it. Believe me, I’m from here. 
So, we’ve got four different restaurants here. Los Stippanyaki Sushi Bar and Kag Steakhouse. 
Oh, the variety. Look at that. That’s really cool. Check that out. Cool. Nice. You can watch 
as they prepare the food right in front of you. I know. That’s so cool. And then down here, we got a 
steakhouse. Ooh. This has got to be the sushi bar. Hello. Hello. And the steakhouse. Yeah. Check 
this out. Nice. steakhouse is plenty prepared for your wine consuming efforts later. Check 
out the size of those. Check out those. Those are some nice goblets, huh? Yes. You need wine if 
you’re having steak. Of course. Of course you do. We’re already married. Just kidding. You want to 
renew your vows? No, not really. Once was enough. This is the observation lounge. So, this is also one of the coolest bars 
on the ship. You have epic views and it’s   a great place to lounge. There’s apparently a 
band coming to play because they’re all set up over there. They have the they have the drum kit, 
everything. And a really cool looking bar. So, hard to find seats here though when we came 
earlier in the day. Completely full. Yes, it   fills up very fast. Snag them. Snake them early. 
Snag them. And this is the bar. There we go. Day three brought us to our first port of call, 
Ketchikan, which is often called Alaska’s first city since it’s the first major port of call for 
northbound ships. I booked two tours for this destination, the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and 
the Crab Feast. So, it was an action-packed day. All righty, guys. So, we are off the ship. We just 
disembarked here in Ketchikan. First of all, check out the size of the Norwegian sun. This thing is 
massive. And yeah, we have just docked. It was so foggy this morning. We could not see a thing. We 
just we weren’t sure what to expect. What are we going to find when we disembark? Are we going to 
be able to enjoy the views, see anything? But it looks like the sun is starting to come out. We’ve 
got some partially clear skies. So yes, we are heading into town right now. We are docked at Ward 
Cove. So we’ve got about a 20minut ride into town. Transportation is provided by Norwegian Cruise 
Lines. So we need to go find our bus and make our way into town. And you know what? Because we are 
up so early, like I think most people are still sleeping or having breakfast, there isn’t a lot of 
action. So, yeah, I think we’re going to have no problem just getting on a bus and going right away 
without a long wait cuz check out the deck. It’s just us and a couple of other passengers who’ve 
gotten off. All righty. So, we just rode the bus into town, 20 minute ride, and we learned some fun 
facts about this. We learned some amazing facts. Our bus driver was just uh totally awesome. 
He’s just spewing knowledge the whole time. First really cool fact, there are more bears here 
than people. 10,000 black bears compared to 8,000 residents. And the wildlife here is very similar 
to Vancouver Island. There’s certain animals that you might expect to be here that are not. For 
instance, the browner grizzly bear does not exist   here. Also, no moose as well, but you do have the 
black bears. The town is really cool. It has like kind of a a port/frontier vibe. And uh it was just 
fascinating to drive through the wilderness and to arrive here in the main part of town. Now, we’re 
going to hit the ground on foot for a bit. Another   thing I’ll mention, Ketchikan. We’re on an island 
right now. I thought we were on the mainland. That is not the case. And we learned that Ketchikan 
has several titles. So, lots of capitals. It is the salmon capital, the bear capital, and also the 
totem capital with 80 totems. And it is the first port of Alaska as well. So, we’re catching up on 
facts and history. Yes. And I’m looking forward to seeing some totems. Apparently, they’re made 
from red cedar. And they mentioned that there’s   80 of them scattered across town. So, we’re going 
to go in search of those. All righty. Here we are surrounded by a whole bunch of different ships. 
These are the ones that dock right downtown. Yeah. Beautiful little town. It has that feel about 
the uh New England fishing towns kind of thing. Very cloudy and a bit foggy today, but uh we are 
hoping the sun is going to come out. And another thing I was just thinking about is that it’s 
amazing how these small towns, these communities, uh, how important tourism is for them. Yes. 
Because here we have one, two, three huge cruise ships plus the one we came in last fourth and 
there is another one coming in today. So that’ll be five cruise ships all together. The city has 
8,500 uh residents. Yeah. And each one of these ones, if you calculate, let’s say an average 
3,000 people each, that’s 15,000 people that just arrived altogether in a town that has 8,500 
residents. So it more than double the population of the town. Mhm. Can you imagine the influx of 
kind of cash that makes these communities survive? Yeah, that’s so important. You know that’s 
important of the tourism in some places that   uh a lot of time people don’t realize but uh hey 
lifesaver here. Yeah. It keeps the town alive. Keeps it afloat. Now we’re going to see if we walk 
around town a little bit. Yes. You know it’s it’s kind of it’s very humid here. I think humidity 
right now is like 90%. And we thought they they were advertising like a heat wave today. They 
were they were 27 30 Celsius and we’re kind of uh waiting for the heat. Maybe if the sun comes 
out, we’ll experience it. Yeah, because right now I’m I’m, you know, all I have is this hoodie 
and uh it’s kind of a borderline. Okay. So, if you come down this way, don’t assume that 
it’s going to be hot and you’re going to be able to enjoy it with a short sleeve. Always 
carry like something in your backpack. Yes, to be sure. Okay, good advice. Yeah, good advice. 
Okay, let’s go walk. So, we are doing a little bit of shopping. We were a little bit cold, you know, 
and we thought maybe get a toque. I don’t know, get a little souvenir. So, yeah, they have 
really good deals. Like this store has a three baseball caps for 20 bucks special. So, we’re just 
looking around. Also picking up some souvenirs for the grandchildren. And yeah, just doing a little 
shopping before we head off on our first tour of the day. This is how much he’s grown up today. 170 
in. See where the fish is? Yeah, that’s insane. A lot of you can. The highest was in 1949. They had 
202 in I mean it feels like there’s like five of me stacked on top of each other. It feels like 
it would be a flood. Absolute flood. So I’m not surprised about this at all because I grew up in 
a geography very very similar to here on Vancouver Island and we got an insane amount of rain. And so 
yeah, you would not want to be here, especially in the winter months or also in the late fall, early 
spring. Summer is probably a bit better right now. But um my gosh, that really puts it into 
perspective when you have this giant display. Also has some really interesting information, 
too. This is Alaska’s fourth biggest city. Shows where we are at the very tip, southern tip of 
Alaska. Yeah. And uh it’s a big state. There’s so much to explore. We’re only going to get to 
see a small fraction of the the southern part. So, we just got out of the show, the great Alaskan 
lumberjack. Yeah. Lumberjack uh show logging show. It was very, very interesting. Sadly, they 
wouldn’t allow to make videos. Mhm. Only pictures. So, I guess you guys took a few good 
pictures. Yes. We’re going to show you what it   was all about. Yeah. One thing that really amazed 
me was the sharpness of the axes. Every time they swung the axe and they hit the wood like they were 
removing pieces like chips of a size that you say, “Wow, if this guy hits the leg, uh, he cut it 
and slice it in half.” You know, those things were sharp as razor blades. And, uh, yeah, it was 
very nice. It was actually super uh interesting to watch and uh supposed to be like two teams, one uh 
from the United States, one from Canada, and they were kind of competing against each other and they 
made it fun, you know, like a lot of screaming and uh uh you know, Aurelia was in her uh you know, 
in a good spot because she was also screaming and clapping and she was but it’s so small and 
she was having such a good time. But anyways, it’s h it’s worth uh coming here if you pass by 
and you have a chance to see one of these shows. I would highly recommend it. Eh, it’s uh it’s very 
nice. We had a good time. We did. So, now we’ll uh we keep going, keep exploring the town. Let’s keep 
visiting the town and then we go back to the uh   to the boat and we’re going to eat something. I’m 
getting hungry, huh? You’re hungry already? Oh my. It would be so nice to see how Hi, baby. Oh, what a happy baby. It’s time 
for a crab feast. I’m so hungry. I’ve worked up a big appetite. This little one, though, 
is sleeping blissfully. Look at her. So,   we couldn’t come to Ketchikan and not try the 
crab. Yes, this may be the salmon capital of the world, but the dungeonous crab is another 
local specialty. This is a type of crab found   on the west coast of North America, extending 
from Alaska’s Illutian Islands all the way down to California. Also, we saw whales on the 
drive over. The timing was impeccable. Oh, I got it again. Oh, look. We went we went whale 
watching. All righty, guys. So, today we came to George Inlet Lodge for a crab feast. The plan to 
eat as much crab as possible. We started off with a salad and then it was time for our all you can 
eat crab feast. The meat was sweet and delicate   and it tasted delicious. Dunked in butter. Our 
host even got a bit of a competition going. Who can build the highest tower using crab shells and 
whatever else we could find at the table? So, you don’t just come here for the crab, you come here 
for the views. Yeah, baby is loving it. Beautiful. Absolutely stunning property right out here on 
the water. I could spend the whole afternoon here,   but unfortunately we do have to go soon. This was 
a super fun food tour during our port of calling Ketchikan. And we made it back to the cruise ship 
with time to spare. We’re back at Ward Cove after an absolutely amazing crab feast. Honestly, a 
feast for the ages. It was all you could eat. And we took it seriously because the remnants of the 
crab feast were stacked on a plate and there was   a competition to see who could have the highest in 
inches. So the highest tower of like crab shell. Yeah. Seriously. And and we I think we were pretty 
close to winning if we didn’t win. Yeah. It’s just   a great experience. Beautiful location down there. 
It’s kind of place that makes you want to go not just eat, but you’d want to linger and stay too if 
that was an option. Fantastic food, great service, really good young people working in the tourism 
field. Yeah, it was Wyatt and Sydney, I believe, took care of us. Shout out to both of them. They 
were excellent. That was our shuttle driver and our server. They were married, young married 
couple, and they were just uh fantastic at their   jobs. Yeah. working in Alaska for the summer. 
How adventurous. I love it. How adventurous. You got to love it. So, overall, just really 
good food, really good experience, and would   highly recommend that. And we also got some hats. 
Three for 15 bucks so that your parents can enjoy being a moose, a bear, and an eagle. So, why not, 
right? Nice. I’ll also mention that visit kind of turned into a bit of a wildlife safari. It wasn’t 
meant to be, but on the drive down to the lodge, we ended up seeing killer whales, like orcas, 
loads of them, coming up on the surface of the water. We saw deer, we saw bears. What else did we 
see? A bald eagle. Like, it was just insane. So, yeah, super fun, super exciting, and would highly 
recommend. Okay. Okay. So, we are pulling out of Ketchikan. We spent the day here. What did you 
think? thoughts, impressions. I I found it to be really uh interesting. Uh not only the uh scenic 
part, but also the the history of this uh little town. But apparently they had a um a paper mill, 
a paper mill here for many years. Apparently was one of the biggest in the world. And uh due to 
environmental issues and foreign competition, that thing was uh uh forced to shut down and 
500 people got uh they lost their jobs and that was the main industry of this little town. To me, 
this is a 100% example of how when things go bad, there is always an opportunity to turn around and 
to get something maybe even better than what you had before. Instead of uh chess despairing and 
saying, “Wow, we’re done. We’re doomed. We’re finished as a as a town or as a city.” these 
people they got uh you know uh the idea of uh starting with this um cruise ship uh tourism 
and right now the amount of people that land in this town is just staggering and I think that 
right now it’s also much better because there is uh much more people involved in the tourism 
industry and making a living out of the tourism industry than before that there was only 500 
people living out of the you paper uh meal, you know, that that’s the part that it really got 
to me and I say, “Wow.” You know, like I’m in a a a terrible situation when an industry disappears 
from a town or from a city. Uh you can always find something else. You know, there are always 
possibilities and options. And I really all I can say is congratulations to these people. You know, 
they I think they they came up ahead up on top. So that’s uh that’s my impression. The place 
itself is said well typical Alaska magnificent, you know, like I mean the nature here is uh 
all around you. You can see it everywhere. And uh yeah, I think it highly recommended for sure. 
Come and visit. Sounds good. Thank you. Okay. Day four brought us to Icy Straight Point, one of 
Alaska’s more unique cruise destinations. Located near the village of Huna, this port is 100% owned 
and operated by the local Tlingit community, which means the experience here is deeply 
rooted in indigenous culture and traditions. Cruisers can expect a mix of Alaskan heritage, 
breathtaking wilderness, and outdoor adventures like ziplining, treetop trekking, whale watching, 
or simply walking the scenic trails through the old growth forest. This is a quieter, more nature 
focused stop, and I really enjoyed it. All righty friends, good morning. This is our second port 
of the trip of the cruise to Alaska, and right now we are disembarking in Icy Strait Point. This 
place is spectacular. We are in the middle of the forest. And first thing we’re seeing as we get 
off the cruise ship. Two bald eagles right in front of us. Pretty amazing. So yeah, we’re just 
going to try and get a little bit closer and show you the wildlife here. It’s amazing. Again, really 
great weather today. It’s a little bit overcast, but it’s nice and pleasant. So today is going to 
be all about enjoying nature, wildlife, walking, just running up ahead to get a shot of a bald 
eagle. I mean, we haven’t even got off of the   platform yet and already we’re we’re being treated 
to spectacular wildlife. So excited to be here. This is definitely a more tranquil destination. 
A really small place. I think we’re just going   to wander around, do some hiking. There’s the 
opportunity to go to the gondola. Just so happy to be here. It’s so so beautiful. So, as soon as 
you get off the dock, you’ve got kind of like this welcome area with an information center. You can 
book different tours and the first thing you spot, of course, is the gondola. That’s one of the 
main activities here. And then also, they have one of the biggest zip lines in the world. All 
righty. We have two options, guys. Yes. And we’re going to do both of them. Yes, we are. But we’ll 
talk about both. So, first off, we’ve got we’re   going to be taking the transporter gondola. this 
beautiful gondola system. It’s free. It’s free for anybody. And then we’re going to come back on 
the nature trail. It’s only a 15inute walk. FYI, there’s bear activity. Got to be careful. There’s 
bear activity. It says so there’s a sign. So yeah, be careful and be aware of the bears, 
obviously. But uh yeah, let’s go check it out. Okay, we made it. We made it. 
elevators in Germany, their own. What a smart idea for them to do this. Oh yeah. All righty. So, I’m going to show you here on the 
map. That is where we started. That’s where our cruise ship is docked. We took the gondola 
over to this area. And next, there’s a nice little boardwalk. We can walk up to there to that 
section where we’ve got the Huna Caneries. So, I think that is our plan. Oh, people are ziplining 
behind us. So, I don’t know if you can see them going past. That’s a little too scary for me. 
Um, yeah. But the ride was really nice. You just go through the middle of the forest and 
it is like so thick and dense and lush. You can tell they get a lot of rain over here. And 
yeah, it’s just a beautiful ride. The scenery is spectacular. We’re planning to walk back when 
once we’re done with our day of sightseeing so that we can actually enjoy being in the woods, 
being in the thick of it. Um but yeah, here we’ve got a nice little stop with some restaurants. 
There’s a smokehouse, washroom facilities, that sort of thing. And yes, just having a lot 
of fun. This is a really cool spot that I had never even heard of before. So very excited to 
be here in Icy Strait Point. I just want action. Here we are walking along the beach with Aurelia in 
arms with grandpa and you noticed something. Something caught your attention. Do tell. What 
caught my attention was the size of this log. I’m going to show you. Look at this behemoth. 
It runs all the way like down there. That’s a tree passing that little tree there. 
And also all of these ones, they have the uh chain system. Yes. Okay. This one has the 
chain and this one has the uh clip. That means that these logs were the ones that were used on 
the uh perimeter. You know, when they float the trees and the logs down the water by the lake or 
the river, it looks like a huge raft, but the logs in the middle are just loose. And the ones all 
around the edges, they have these chains. Yeah, they’re tied up together. Yeah, they they tied 
up together and then the tug pulls from them. So, uh, this is to avoid that the log that are 
floating in the middle and they’re not tied to anything. They just wander off with the current 
and they disappear. So, it’s basically like a like a ring made out with this and that’s how they 
transport because around here, you know, you have no roads and you have no means of transporting 
anything other than by water and uh that’s how they do it. They bring it to the mills floating 
and then they just process them for whatever it is that they need like uh boards or post and beams 
and whatever. Right. But this is the way that uh it is done here in these parts of the world. 
And another thing that you were mentioning these   are cedar trees and the other day we learned that 
they use red cedar to carve the totem poles that we’ve been seeing. Yeah. Because the cedar is uh 
one of the trees that has the most uh uh it’s like durability, would you say? Yeah, durability at 
the uh to the elements with the element to the weather. It doesn’t rot. So, uh a cedar tree once 
it’s been cut, it can stand for years, decades, and maybe hundreds of years without getting 
rotten. And this is also a tree that has a natural repellent for all these insects that like to chew 
and eat and carve and bore uh in the wood. So the cedar is also a a natural repellent. The smell 
of the cedar is there’s got to be something there that uh uh it’s like a moth bowl, a giant moth 
bowl, right? It’s a cedar tree. Amazing. Let’s go. the different kinds of salmon. Who knew there were 
so many? My gosh. Wo. Apparently, the king salmon is running right now. And the bears love to eat 
that one. It’s the biggest. So, we are learning all about salmon. How it was processed, how it was 
canned. Yeah, it’s amazing. This is the Cannery and uh they have like a actually they have the 
original machines. Yeah. That they were using for uh to process the salmon. Uh the fish is not 
real, of course. It’s make believe, you know. But uh they have different stations and they show 
over there on that side how the fish was gutted and the head and the fin were removed over here. 
And then on the other side we have the actual uh canning process. It’s uh super interesting because 
uh this is not the stuff that was made just for the museum. It’s the actual machine that these 
people were using back in the day. And you know you wonder how did they manage with so little. 
When you get to be my age, these are the type of thing that makes you wonder how many generations 
of people work in a place like this, in a factory, in a cannery like this. How many mothers and 
fathers they have to put in the days to feed the family and to bring up the kids. And uh I must 
have been a a a real hard life because back in the day here I don’t think there was much other than 
the cannery or going to the bush and with an axe and fell trees you know like uh there was no other 
means or possibilities of uh making a dollar if you will. So this was kind of a maybe for a lot of 
people a forced situation to get into and having to work in a place like this just because survival 
dictated it. Okay, since we’ve been since we’ve been talking about salmon, salmon, salmon, let’s 
actually talk about the life cycle of the salmon, which we can see here in the diagram, but my 
dad Daniel is going to give us a quick lesson. Is this a biology lesson here? Yeah, salmon 
is so good to eat, but a lot of people ignore completely what uh what’s the salmon life like, 
you know? Yeah. Uh we’re not going to talk about the farm salmon because those they they live in 
a cage basically. We’re going to talk about wild salmon. The salmon is born in a very uh shallow 
and small creek, usually up in the mountain with a very crystal clear water. And the bottom has to be 
pebbled. Okay, that’s where the salmon is born. Uh that’s where the female lay the eggs and that’s 
where the males they uh fertilize fertilize the egg. What happened the first uh the first month of 
life they they live there where they’re born. They get strong and then slowly they start swimming out 
of that little creek. They go into a bigger river and a bigger river and they always swim towards 
the uh here we’re in the west coast. So they they swim toward the Pacific Ocean. Once they reach 
the ocean they go and they spend depending on the different species of salmon the time could vary 
but usually around 4 years they spend swimming around the Pacific Ocean getting big I mean 
getting nicely and fat. And then the time comes when they have to reproduce again. And slowly from 
that huge ocean water, slowly they make their way to the same place where they were born. Exactly 
the same spot. They come into the ocean through the bigger rivers and they swim upstream always 
because the river flows towards the ocean. So the salmon is fighting always the current and 
sometimes they have to go over some falls and slowly they get to the same area where they were 
born and that’s where the female will lay the eggs again and the male will fertilize and that’s 
the cycle of life is over. The salmon dies there. Now it’s over for the fish, but it’s not over for 
nature because out of that you have all kinds of wild animal that they feed and they survive thanks 
to the salmon because they eat it. You have a lot of the um natural uh trees and vegetation that 
can drive because of the nutrient they get from the salmon. Usually the bears or the wolves or 
the foxes or the eagles will take them into the forest consume part of it and the rest will be 
there left to rot. So once is rotten that goes into the ground and it gives a lot of nutrient to 
the trees and the plants. And as you can see, it’s a cycle of life that not only feeds a human being 
that they fish the salmon and then they, you know, eat it, but it also serves to feed a whole variety 
of wildlife and even the uh plant life. Okay, this is one of the biggest mysteries of uh life. No one 
knows exactly for sure. There are some theories, but no one knows exactly for sure. How does the 
salmon manages to after swimming four years in the Pacific Ocean make his way back to the same 
spot little mountain creek where he was born? What kind of GPS is the earth magnetic field that 
guides them? We don’t know for sure. But the thing is that this this fish can find his way back to 
the origins and uh that’s the story of the cycle of life, a life cycle of the salmon that a lot 
of people don’t know. It’s a it’s a marvel of uh nature, right? Thank you. Thank you for that 
lesson. I hope I didn’t bore you with it. No, that was fascinating. Okay. So, I really enjoyed 
visiting the Canary area and so appreciated the history tour you did with your father. That 
was fascinating. Yes, there’s a gift shop. Yes, there’s also places to eat, but they have a 
fascinating museum inside so you can learn   about the history of this place and also about 
the history of Alaska and the different industries they’ve had over the years. So, I found this a 
really fascinating place to go. Very laid-back, very chill, and we spent probably almost 2 
hours here. So, we had a really good time.   Okay, so we are now walking back to the cruise 
ship and you saw us come on over via the gondola. Now we are going back on foot. There’s a nice 
hike. It’s a 15minute hike and it’s a trail that winds through the forest and all around us. We can 
also see the treetop trekking. That’s one of the activities that you can do here in Icy Straight 
Point. So, if you’re feeling adventurous and you don’t have a problem with heights, they have all 
sorts of obstacle courses. You can also see them behind me. And I wanted to share one piece of 
advice. If you are traveling as a young family with babies or little kids, it’s good to have an 
allterrain stroller with big wheels. Especially if you’re planning to do the hiking cuz here we 
are on like a dirt trail with a bit of gravel. I mean, if you do have the the simpler, smaller 
umbrella style stroller, you’ll probably want to come and go via the gondola because you’re going 
to struggle. You you’ll probably lose a wheel. But we have my dad pushing Aurelia, who fell asleep 
finally. This here, Alaska, the last frontier, is not for flimsy equipment or Mickey Mouse 
things. here you need, you know, equipment that can take it. And the stroller is uh is a good 
uh example of that. If you come with a little umbrella, folding stroller, uh $29.99 kind of 
thing that includes in the city here, you’re going to destroy it and you end up carrying the baby in 
one hand and the stroller in the other one. So, get yourself an a 4×4 stroller and then you won’t 
have any problem. There you go. Believe me, it’s a good piece of advice. He’s had three kids, so he 
knows. Despite the abundance of forest wildlife, ranging from deer, bear, and moose, there 
are no snakes to be found in Alaska. Look at the size of the leaves. Like, I need to 
put my hand here just for scale. Look at the size of that. It looks like we’re walking through 
Jurassic Park. the size of some of these plants, it’s just out of this world. Especially under 
a canopy of a pine tree like this, you know, it seems like really we are in some even I don’t 
know subtropical or even it looks in some area look like a tropical forest. The this one we 
call the lettuce. Look at that. The lettuce, you know, look at this. And also the uh when 
you when you touch under the uh the tree trunks, it seems like it is a sponge, you know. Yeah. 
Like a cushion of leaves, like some sort of a cushion of uh moss and uh all kinds of debris. 
And that’s a good indication of the amount of water that must fall over here in the way of 
rain. You know, otherwise you couldn’t have, you know, this type of vegetation. this only, 
you know, this these are all species that require a lot of water and I mean not just a couple 
of days of rain a month. I mean heavy stuff and the height of these trees. It seems like 
these ones they grow forever and that’s also probably due to the good excess of water that they 
receive. So water water amazing rain rain. Yeah. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Friends, I just completed an epic ride up on 
the Sky Peak Gondelola. Check it out on my wrist here. Everyone else was basically hanging out 
and chilling back on the cruise ship. We had a very busy day kind of just wandering around, but 
I thought I had one more activity still in me, so I decided to do this. It was $49. I’ve got 
to tell you, I used up all of my courage points for the day. That was one of the steepest gondola 
rides I’ve ever been on. There’s an area where it just feels like there’s just pure vertical ascent. 
Anyways, the views were simply phenomenal. As soon as you get to the top, you get off and there’s 
this viewpoint of Glacier Bay and you’re like, “This is the Alaska I came here to see.” 
The raw wilderness, the ice cap mountains, the pristine water. I mean, just nature at 
its finest. Raw, rugged beauty here in Alaska, and it was so worth it. Upon finishing that, I 
just went on the little nature hike that they   have on offer. It wasn’t spectacular, just 
an easy little walk. You have a little bit of a lookout point, but that’s not the highlight. 
The reason to go up there is for the epic views,   and it was definitely worth it. 49 bucks and uh 
that covers your return trip. So, I’m really glad I went up there. And that is it for me today. 
I’m going to partake in the siesta just like everyone else. Alrighty, it’s windy. So, we are 
now leaving Icy Straight Point. We spent the day here. It was beautiful. Enjoyed it so much more 
than I thought I would. I mean, when I heard we weren’t actually visiting a real town, that this 
is just a stop for cruising. Um, I wasn’t sure what it would be like because everything we visit 
today has been built for tourists. But honestly, it was really fun. We got to visit a museum 
and learn about salmon canning. And the trail through the forest was just gorgeous. Sam ended up 
taking the gondola. Well, we also took one of the gondilas, but like not the epic one that goes up 
the mountains. And yeah, it was just a lot of fun. Now, we are continuing onwards to Juneau. And the 
captain just came on the speakers and announced that there’s a very good chance we’ll be able 
to do some whale watching on the way to Juneau. The water is super calm right now. Like we 
have really lucked out with the weather. So, we’ve just grabbed the table here on the outer 
deck with the whole family. And we’re going to see maybe maybe we get lucky and we see some humpback 
whales or some killer whales. We already saw whales in Ketchikan. So, I mean, we’ve ticked that 
box, but it’d be great to see some more. And yeah, we’re just going to enjoy the journey. We’ve 
got really long summer days at the moment. So, yeah, perfect for just enjoying the scenery 
here in Alaska. This has been a lot of fun. I’m enjoying cruising. First cruise and I’m sold 
on the concept. So, it’ll be the first of many. say hello. On day five, we reached Juneau and we had 
one goal to reach the Mendenhall Glacier. All righty. Good morning. Good morning and welcome 
to Juneau. Oh, it’s a little chilly this morning, huh? It sure is. It is foggy. It is misty, moody. 
It looks beautiful. This is the Alaska. I also imagine I was knew we weren’t going to get sunny 
days all the time. We’re so excited to be here. This is going to be the biggest destination. 
We visited the capital city of Alaska. A lot   of people don’t know that. Think it would be 
Anchorage, but no, it’s Juneau. And um yeah, we’re just pumped to be here. We all had a good 
sleep. We’re all well rested. Today’s going to   be a bit of a misty, moody day, but we’re going to 
make the most of it and get out here and explore, see all the things to do here in Juneau. We’re 
really pumped. So this is our third port of our Alaska cruise and today the plan is to try and 
reach the Mendenhall Glacier. That is the main attraction here. So we’re going to go in search 
of the shuttle that takes us there and then we just want to do some hiking, explore the town. 
Honestly, I love the the colorful buildings and the way they contrast against the the greenery 
of the forest and the fog. So, it’s going to be really fun to take some photos and bring you 
along for that. And yeah, just ready to explore. We’re starting off super early today. We docked at 
6:00 a.m. Uh we’re just getting off now at 7:30, but we’ve got plenty of time ahead of us to 
to enjoy Juneau. So, we just got off the bus. We did. We are going to visit the glacier, the 
main attraction here in Juneau. And we were so impressed by the public bus service. You could 
take tours and all kinds of tour buses to get   here, but we decided to go the local way. Yes, we 
took uh number eight, the express bus. We had the nicest driver. I I wish I caught his name, but he 
was so kind. We didn’t have exact change. It’s $2 per adult. Babies ride for free. So, I only had 
a $20 bill. So, he’s like, “You know what? Just   pay just pay double when you get back.” So, so 
kind of him. Was a really nice ride. We got to uh go through the downtown a little bit. 
And then we went through some it seems like   some some very scenic areas. We saw some bald 
eagles and then we also got to go through some industrial and residential areas. So we really 
got to see how spread out Juneau is. And I think it’s an excellent way if you’re traveling on a 
budget, you want to save a little bit of money,   take the local transportation. And we’re very 
happy we got dropped off and now we have about a mile and a half to the visitor center. So like Sam 
mentioned, the express bus is the number eight. That one runs every 30 minutes. But if you happen 
to miss it, you can also catch bus number three or bus number four. That one is going to take you 
a bit longer, anywhere between 50 minutes to an hour. But I mean, if you’ve got the time and you 
want to sightsee, you get to see more of Juneau. The Mendenhall Glacier is a massive blue 
river of ice nestled in the Tongas National Forest. It’s one of Alaska’s most accessible 
glaciers, just a short drive from downtown, and it truly takes your breath 
away the moment it comes into view.   We spent time at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors 
Center learning about how the glacier has changed over time and then walked one of the nearby 
trails for stunning views of the glacier   and Nugget Falls or roaring waterfall 
that flows into the same glacial lake. All righty, guys. So, that was the Mendenhall 
Glacier. We got to see it for ourselves. It was beautiful. So impressive and majestic. And I mean, 
you can really feel the the temperature shift the closer you get to the glacier. You know, the 
temperature starts to drop. It feels cooler. It feels icier. Uh baby’s a little bit fussy. So, 
we ended up doing a shorter trail. We did the the photo trail, which is only half a kilometer. 
It’s a little loop and it brings you to a nice photo spot. You’ve got a lookout where you can see 
the waterfall and the glacier as well. And yeah, it was quite nice. The only surprising thing for 
us was the amount of people that were there. It was almost a bit overwhelming. This has been the 
most uh I would say crowded tourist attraction we have been to out of every port of call we have 
visited during this cruise. So that’s something to keep in mind. I mean, of course, this is the 
main attraction here in Juneau. So it is to be expected, but we were still a little overwhelmed 
by the thousands of people there. So yeah, just something to keep in mind. But overall, still 
very glad we went because the crowds do not take away from the beauty of the glacier itself. 
So yeah, we hope you enjoyed the the scenery and the footage we were able to capture. So we 
just finished visiting the glacier and now we are making the trek back to the public bus. We’re 
going to be catching the number eight back there. We we can officially count that. Well, after an action-packed morning visiting 
the glaciers, we came back, stuffed our beaks with pizza, and I’ve been tasked with exploring 
downtown Juneau, and I couldn’t be happier. I have the energy, the excitement, and I’m going to show 
you as much as I can in just about 2 hours time. One thing I can say so far is that I’m loving the 
frontier vibe here in Juneau. Reminds me quite a bit of where we’re living in a in a rural area in 
southern Alberta. This place has a lot of history, a lot of character. Some bars have been open 
since the late 1800s as well, so there’s plenty of historical buildings worth checking out. And 
yeah, it’s just been fun to pound the pavement so   far. Friends, if you want to get off the beaten 
path a little bit, I recommend going down Gold Street. It’s a fascinating kind of hilly street 
with a lot of residential homes. You get a you get a much better idea of how people live here in the 
downtown part of Juneau. What’s also fascinating   is that as you get closer to the mountains and 
the hills, you have these steep steps that lead all the way up to certain properties. This is 
exactly what I’m talking about. These apparently lead up to homes. So, let’s walk up a bit, see 
what we can find. Check this out. For instance, this staircase leads up to the home. And you 
can see that the home itself connects with a side staircase. Fascinating, friends. that took a 
little bit more effort to find, but that’s exactly the kind of experiences that I love to have. 
It’s nice to get away from all of the tourist crowds and to actually walk around and feel like 
you’re exploring, seeing how locals live. And if you want to do exactly what I just did, just head 
to Harris and Fourth Street and then head up the stairs. I’m having a blast wandering through 
the residential areas here of Juneau. And guys, look how high up I got. Check that out. Got 
a long way to go back down. I’m going down Fifth Street. I’m going down Fifth Street. And 
friends, this is a path that I randomly found going down Fifth Street. Heading down the hill 
trying to get back to the cruise ship. Woohoo. This is awesome. Well, friends, that concludes 
my brief walking tour of Juneau. As they say, it’s never crowded along the extra mile. And by 
that I mean my favorite experience here by far was just getting off the bean path a little bit, 
walking up the hills and visiting the residential area. That is a very very fascinating place to 
check out because a lot of the homes are located on the on the on the mountains on the hills. So 
I really enjoyed getting the time to do this. I didn’t have a lot of time. So that’s what you can 
do with uh a couple hours here of free time. And I highly recommend doing it. So my biggest 
tip would be if you can head up the hills,   if you can head up the mountain to check out 
the residential area, I think you’re going to find that it’s the most charming and the most 
fascinating place to visit here in Juneau. So   while Sam went out for the walking tour of Juneau, 
Baby and I had a little nap. Little Monte Carlo had a nap. He’s waking up. Hello. Are you feeling 
well rested, baby? Are you feeling well rested? Did you sleep like a princess? Like Sleeping 
Beauty? Yeah, I think you did. Yes, I did. So, the plan, we’re going to go upstairs. 
Today’s a bit of a shorter day in Juneau. So,   3:30 was all aboard. 400 p.m. we are sailing 
off to our next destination. Off to Sitka. Off to Sitka. Yeah. So, we want to go watch that 
unfold. Yeah. We’re going to watch that. Get some of the shots from the port. Let’s get you dressed 
and let’s go on up to the deck. All righty. 4:00 p.m. and we are setting off. Goodbye, Juneau. 
Wham, bam, shazam. Goodbye, Juneau. These quick uh day trips are are forcing us to really see 
and do as much as we can in a in a limited amount of time. And uh Juneau is a big place. It’s 
like not a huge city in terms of population, but it’s very spread out. Um, I got the 
impression that if you really wanted to do a lot, if you wanted to do more hiking, if you wanted to 
do more of the outdoor adventure type activities,   you’d want to give yourself a couple more days 
here for sure. But this was a great introduction. Um, as fun as it was to to see the glacier, and 
it’s it’s just a feast for the eyes, it’s it’s an incredible sight to behold. My favorite thing to 
do was to wander around town. And I just thought Juneau was was a really interesting city in 
terms of like it has that mountain backdrop, but a lot of other cities that have a mountain 
backdrop, it’s off in the distance. Juneau is just like right in your face. It’s like bam, here’s 
your mountain right up against the coast. So, I had a really good time here. Wasn’t my favorite 
place on the Alaska trip, but I’m glad we had a chance to come and visit. And um if I ever do 
come back to Juneau, I’d like to have a little   bit more time to really delve into the nature 
activities. But that’s it for us from Juneau. Next up is Sitka. So we hope you’ll stay tuned for 
that. Thanks so much for watching. Ciao for now. Day six brought us to our final port of call, 
Sitka. A coastal town with a fascinating blend of Indigenous, Russian, and American 
influences. All righty. Good morning. Good morning and welcome to Sitka, Alaska. This is our 
fourth and final port of this cruise. And well, as you can see, the Alaskan weathesr is out 
in full force today. It was raining earlier this morning. Now it has stopped, but it’s 
quite gray and misty and moody. And today we are going to be exploring independently. 
So, in some of the previous destinations,   we’ve been doing tours. We’ve been running around 
getting on the bus to go see glaciers. Today we’re going to go at a slower pace. We’re here in the 
marina and our plan is to do the sea walk. Oh, I’m just excited to be here. It looked like we 
were going to have like horrendous weather. So,   I’m so so thankful that it’s just misty and 
overcast, no rain at the moment. We’re going to pound the pavement and see if we can explore 
nature. It’s uh like I think you were saying, not   a not a very serious itinerary today. Just let’s 
see what we can get up to. One reason why we’re doing this lighter itinerary today is because 
we only have a few hours in Sitka. All aboard time is 100 p.m. So yes, just a few hours here and 
we figured, okay, let’s enjoy on foot instead of feeling rushed with tours. So that’s the plan. All 
righty. So we have begun our little walking tour. We’re next to the harbor at the moment. Yeah. Uh 
final port of coal, Sitka, Alaska. And uh yeah, we’re here at the port and I was taking a look 
at the fishing uh boats. And what uh what is uh strange is that uh most of these uh fishing uh 
boats, these ones, they seem to be all made out of u metal. I don’t know if it is aluminum, stainless 
steel, or whatever, but it reminds me of the uh Cyber Truck, the Tesla. Oh, yes. Yeah. You know, 
that shiny thing. Well, this these boats, they they look the same. The more uh modern ones, the 
the older ones, they still look uh like, you know, traditional with the white holes and stuff like 
that, but the the new ones, they they all look like cyber boats. No, cyber boats. That’s a good 
name for that. And another thing is that u how high and low the tide is. The amount of difference 
between low tide and high tide is just amazing. I mean, what four or five meters at least yesterday 
when we got off the the uh cruiser. We were at low tide in Juneau and you could see the pylons, 
the the barnacles all the way up there. You know, I said, “Audrey, look at the difference.” You 
know, I never thought that uh uh that was going to be eventually underwater. And then when we 
came back from the tour of the of the city, it was uh high tide and all the barnacles had disappeared 
and everything was underwater again. And I go, “Wow, you know what a big difference.” And also 
here um uh it’s a lot of uh halibut fishing, you know, halibut uh that that that fish that is 
very strange looking, kind of flat with a white belly like uh some of those specimens that you can 
catch here, they are huge. There are monsters of the deep. So a lot of people come here to do uh 
you know recreational fishing like sports fishing stuff like that. So if you like to fish I would 
suggest uh this is a good destination because you you see advertise everywhere. The tours are uh 
you know all day fishing. They take you out and uh it is not cheap because uh what I was looking 
at the prices uh roughly for an all day uh fishing uh excursion is around $7 $800 US. So it’s it’s 
not that uh you know that cheap. But if you’re into fishing and you want to see if you can catch 
some of the big ones, I think these are the places to be. Now it started raining. Yes, we’re going 
to get wet and uh there is no other way to do it. Let’s do it. Into the rain we go. Let’s jump in 
the water. Let’s go. Hey, I went and visited the National Historic Park. That is the lungs of the 
city. The most beautiful place to go if you’re seeking nature. And guys, I’m drenched. Look at 
me. But it was worth it. Totally worth it. That I think might be one of the most beautiful trails 
we’ve been on during our entire trip to Alaska on   this cruise. And um you know what? This weather 
reminds me so much of my my hometown, Cold River, Vancouver Island. So just felt natural and 
appropriate that that I was out getting getting blasted by rain in all directions. I should 
say the rain was like not just coming down   hor or vertically. It was also like horizontally 
blowing in my face. But what you’ll appreciate the most if you take the time to visit that 
park, not just the extensive trail system,   it’s beautiful, but also you get a chance to 
see a lot of different totem poles. In fact, I think it’s the most totem poles we’ve seen 
at at any particular trail that we’ve been on.   Beautifully carved, beautifully preserved, and um 
you get to walk right along the coast as well. So, you get some stunning views of of the coastline. 
Um the forest itself is just so dense, so lush. those giant big trees, you’ve got moss, you’ve 
got it’s just teeming with nature and um yeah, definitely check it out. It’s not that 
far from the downtown and it’s worth   it if you think you’ve got the legs to to 
head out on there. So, highly recommend. All righty, we are indoors in a little corner 
here in the visitor center. It is crowded because it is really wet out there. So, we’re 
all trying to stay dry. And there’s a museum in the visitor center. So, we’ve all had the same 
idea and kind of gone in there. It’s nice and small. It’s cozy. Admission is $5 per person. 
Um, but it covers the history of Sitka pretty well. The important the highlights, I would 
say. It really hits off the highlights. So,   it starts with, you know, its first 
nations, its indigenous history, then goes to its Russian history. Yes. 
Which is super fascinating. you know, even though it’s raining, I may go around and 
try to film some of the Orthodox churches that   are in town. Okay, good for you. Yeah. Um, 
and then of course it’s American history. And what’s really interesting is that here in 
Sitka, this was the first capital of Alaska. Yeah. A lot of the people don’t even know it’s 
Juneau now. They probably think it’s Anchorage,   but Sitka was the former capital of 
Alaska. Yeah. And just to mention quickly, they also cover the history of like the transfer 
of the land from Russia to the United States. And they talk about like what what kind of emotions 
were running through the the residents through the town. Apparently, people were very sad 
because even though they were Russians, like Sitka for many residents was the only home 
they had ever known. Like this is my home. This is my country and all of a sudden it belongs to a 
different nation. Yeah, it was quite the transfer ceremony was just like crying as they lowered the 
Russian flag for the last time. So, yeah, it’s it’s interesting to take the time and and read the 
descriptions of of what that event was like. Yeah,   absolutely. I would say it’s a great rainy day 
activity and uh very informative if you take the time to there’s really good information aside has 
very thoughtful displays but lots of text, lots of information. So yeah, you could spend a good half 
an hour, an hour in there if if you if you have   the time to do that. So recommend it for sure. 
All righty. So we are back on board with a little baby hanging out in in one of the bars because 
it’s where we were able to find a quiet little spot. That’s true. Everybody’s on board. So it’s 
busy, busy, busy. All aboard means every there aren’t too many uh hidden gems. This being one 
of them. What can you tell us about today’s walk? What an interesting day. This was the one day 
where weather kind of defeated us, I would say. And you guys ended up seeking shelter and going 
back to the to the cruise ship early, which I totally understand. What I ended up doing was 
doing a a self-guided walking tour of Sitka in the rain. So, there were a lot of really interesting 
places to visit. Um, I got to check out sort of   the the Russian heritage side of the city, which 
included like the church, the cathedral. So, yeah, it was just an interesting kind of way to to 
spend the day. I got soaked. Um, walked around. I checked out the the downtown area and I think 
the most interesting store I ended up finding was uh a Russian Christmas store. And Oh, the 
Christmas ornaments. Yes. They had really, really high quality stuff. I was thinking like if you and 
your mom were in there, you would have absolutely   loved it. Yeah. But um yeah, it was neat checking 
out Sitka. Kind of reminded me a little bit of of some places that again I keep going back to my 
Vancouver Island days, but kind of reminded me a little bit of like Campbell River and Port McNeil 
and Port Hardy. These port towns that are small, compact, they have their own little unique charms 
and quirks. And um I I I also understand why we were only there for half a day. it it was 
a very small place and and can be covered   easily on foot. So, you know, it would have been 
nice to have a little bit better weather to to go on some longer hikes together as a family. 
But, you know, it is what it is. And um yeah, I’m back on board with my my Chunky Monk and we’re 
we’re we had a overall had a decent day. We just shows you like you know when you come out to this 
part of the world, when you come out to Alaska, if you’re on Vancouver Island, you have to be 
prepared for rain. In fact, like if you went on a   trip and didn’t have at least one rainy day, that 
would be weird. That was basically our our final day sightseeing out here on our Alaska cruise. And 
uh I thought we made the most of it. What do you think, Really? Wow. Action. I want action. Action. 
Yes. So, with that, we’ll say goodbye. Rey’s ready to go. So, I suppose I am too. Tata for now. Day 
seven was another sea day as we cruised down the coast of Alaska and British Columbia. This time 
via the Inside Passage. We spent the day exploring the ship and discovering a few places that we 
had originally missed like the kids program. That’s right, Norwegian Cruise Line has a kids 
program called Splash Academy. And within that, they have guppies, which is for 6-month-old 
babies to threeyear-olds. They have a soft play area with loads of toys that are swapped 
out daily. and our daughter loved it. I wish we had found this place earlier, but we made up 
for lost time. And just so there’s no confusion, parents have to stay with their kids at Guppies. 
This is not a daycare or babysitting service. Oh, it’s got a cool bath, too. Look. Oh, yeah. 
Guppies. Just like at home your play. It’s like being at home. All right. This is Guppies at 
Splash Academy. Yeah. This is so cool. We didn’t discover this until literally the last day at sea. 
But this is a beautiful place they have set up for this is for 6 months to 3 years old. Look at this 
mat. It’s almost like being at home. We have a gymnastic mat just like this. And she’s having 
a great time. She’s just the thing that she’s lacked maybe a little bit on this trip is is tummy 
time and crawl practice. And so this is she’s just having a ball being here. Look. Look. Yeah. Oh, 
new toys to play with. And this has to be like parent supervised play. It’s not that you get a 
babysitter or anything. No, no, no. You don’t just   dump your kid off it and go have have champagne. 
This is like you you come and you get down on your hands and knees with the with your with your 
kid and and you get a chance to play together,   which we love. We like Can we come back on the 
mat a bit? Are we having fun together? Oh, look. And that brings us to day eight, our arrival in 
Vancouver. While this embarcation looked pretty chaotic, once we were off the cruise ship, it 
was a breeze. We waled through immigration and the ferry terminal, walked a couple of blocks 
to Waterfront Station, and then hopped on a   train bound for the airport where we boarded 
our short flight from Vancouver to Calgary. And that wraps up our 7-day Alaska cruise aboard 
the Norwegian Sun. This was a completely new type of travel for us, and we honestly love the ease 
of it. We weren’t sure what to expect bringing a baby, but it was a very positive experience and 
one we’ll definitely be repeating. This cruise was also really meaningful because we got to share it 
with family. Alaska had been a dream destination for my parents and we got to see it together. 
So, if you enjoyed cruising Alaska with us, don’t forget to give this video a thumbs 
up, subscribe for more travel adventures,   and drop a comment below. We’d love to 
hear if Alaska is on your bucket list or if you’ve already been. Thanks so much for 
watching, and we’ll see you in the next one.

Embark with us on an unforgettable 7-day Alaska cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun, where we explore some of the most breathtaking destinations in the Last Frontier. Our journey begins in Vancouver and takes us to four incredible ports of call: Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Sitka.

Along the way, we share the best things to do in each port, from scenic hikes and wildlife spotting to cultural experiences and local cuisine, so you can make the most of your own Alaska adventure.

This video is more than a vlog; it’s a complete Alaska cruise travel guide. You’ll get a full Norwegian Sun ship tour, tips for shore excursions, insights on life at sea, and plenty of stunning views of glaciers, mountains, and coastal towns.

Whether you’re planning your first Alaska cruise or simply dreaming of one, this in-depth look at the itinerary will inspire your next voyage and help you plan it with confidence!

🚢 Book Your Cruise: https://samandaudrey.membercruises.com

Epic 7-Day ALASKA CRUISE Travel Guide 🚢 Itinerary, Port Excursions, Ship Tour & Onboard Experience 🦅

7-Day Alaska Cruise Itinerary from Vancouver, Canada
01:13 – Day 1 Boarding in Vancouver
03:11 – Day 2 At Sea
20:32 – Day 3 Ketchickan
35:01 – Day 4 Icy Strait Point
58:30 – Day 5 Juneau
01:09:44 – Day 6 Sitka
01:20:28 – Day 7 At Sea
01:22:32 – Day 8 Disembarking in Vancouver

#alaskacruise #cruisenorwegian #cruising

7-Day Alaska Cruise Guide: NCL Sun—Ketchikan, Icy Strait, Juneau, Sitka + Family Cruise Tips 2024 BC

🚢📸 INTRO – First-Time Alaska Cruise (Norwegian Sun) | Family of 3 + Grandparents

We set sail from Vancouver on a 7-day Alaska cruise aboard the Norwegian Sun.

🛳️🎥 DAY 1 – Boarding in Vancouver | Sailaway, Buffet Chaos, Outside Passage

Canada Place was buzzing (3 ships boarding), but embarkation ran smoothly. Before cabins opened the buffet was mayhem—hundreds hiding from the rain—then bliss once rooms were ready. We watched sailaway under Lions Gate Bridge as skies cleared and the “are we cruise people?” jitters melted away.

🍳📷 DAY 2 – Sea Day & Ship Tour | Seven Seas Breakfast + Inside Cabin & Bathroom Tour

Choppy Outside Passage swells = seasick bags spotted, but breakfast at Seven Seas (smoked-salmon bagel, blueberry pancakes, muesli, burrito) became a fave. We filmed our interior cabin (no window, perfect sleep, great storage, baby lifejacket delivered) and bathroom (round shower, drying line, hot water). Then a deck-by-deck ship tour: Four Seasons & Seven Seas, Atrium Café, Wind Jammer Bar, library, casino, theatre, glass lifts, pool & hot tubs & fitness centre.

🪓🦀 DAY 3 – Ketchikan | Lumberjack Show + All-You-Can-Eat Dungeness Crab

Docked at Ward Cove and bussed into town. Ketchikan = salmon, totems, black bears (10k!), and New-England-meets-frontier charm. We hit the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show (no video allowed—axes sharp like razors), then George Inlet Lodge for an all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feast (butter, views, and a “tallest shell tower” contest). Unexpected safari on the drive: orcas, deer, bears, bald eagle.

🦅🌲 DAY 4 – Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) | Tlingit-Owned Port, Free Gondola, Cannery Museum

Laid-back, nature-forward stop run by the local Tlingit community. Bald eagles greeted us at the pier. We rode the free transporter gondola, walked the forest boardwalk, learned cannery history. Sam braved the Sky Peak Gondola ($49) and Glacier Bay views that scream “This is Alaska.”

🧊🏙️ DAY 5 – Juneau | Mendenhall Glacier via Public Bus + Photo Point Trail

Foggy, moody, perfect. Juneau is Alaska’s capital (not Anchorage!). We saved $$ taking the public bus #8 (super-kind driver, $2 exact fare) and walked ~1.5 km to the Visitor Centre. Did the easy Photo Point Trail: Nugget Falls and that electric-blue glacier chill. It was the most crowded site of our cruise—still absolutely worth it. Sam explored downtown’s frontier streets and hillside staircases.

🌧️🗿 DAY 6 – Sitka | Rain-Soaked Walks, Totem-Filled National Historic Park, Russian Heritage

Mist turned to full rain, but we explored the seawalk, cyber-shiny aluminium fishing boats, and massive tidal swings. Sitka National Historic Park delivered our prettiest forest trail of the trip—towering trees, moss for days, and loads of totem poles. The Visitor Centre museum ($5) covers Tlingit roots, Russian era and the transfer to the U.S.; Sitka was Alaska’s first capital. Sam filmed Orthodox churches.

👶🧸 DAY 7 – Sea Day (Inside Passage) | Splash Academy “Guppies” Win

We finally found “Guppies” at Splash Academy: a parent-supervised soft-play room for 6- to 36-month-olds. Baby loved it!

🧳🚆 DAY 8 – Vancouver Disembarkation | Easy Exit & Final Thoughts

Disembark looked busy, but once off the ship it was a breeze: immigration, a short walk to Waterfront Station, train to YVR, quick flight to Calgary. First cruise as a family? Loved it—the ease, the meals, the mix of ports and sea days, and sharing Alaska (a bucket-list dream) with grandparents.