Alaskan Adventure with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

By:  Craig Engstrom, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent

In August I had the amazing opportunity to visit what I might say is the most beautiful state in our country. Alaska, known as the last frontier, does not disappoint. If you are anything like me I have a bucket list of experiences that I want to have while on this earth. One of which is to get my pilot’s license. Sadly enough that is not what I’m writing about today. Maybe another day. Anyway, Alaska has definitely been on said list and I was finally able to fly my way to Vancouver, Canada to start my adventure with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line aboard “Radiance of the Seas”. 

I was able to see more than I ever thought possible. It was everything I could have imagined and more. I was expecting to see trees, some hills and small mountains, snow here and there, lots of cold weather, and small towns dotting the shoreline. It was way more than that. The vast beauty of this part of our country is astounding with not only tall snow capped mountain peaks, abundant wildlife, thriving communities, but history. The history is beyond comprehension.

Let’s be clear, when I was in high school, history took a back seat to the things that I thought were important; nope, it wasn’t math. Now that I am nearly a senior citizen (not really), I have found that history excites me and makes me want to know more. With that being said, Alaska has enough history to keep me interested for the rest of my life. I only touched a small iceberg of the rich past, present, and future this great State has to offer. Tribal traditions, millions of acres dedicated to the national parks, beautiful pine tree covered mountains and hills, glaciers, waterfalls, raging rivers, the infamous Klondike pass of Skagway marking the path of the gold rush, and the ever impressive salmon fishing that is still thriving are a few of the overwhelming spectacles you see while in Alaska.

I must elaborate a bit about the gold. Who doesn’t like a little gold in their lives?  During the late 19th Century, the gold rush made its way through the peaks and valleys of Alaska. This created a huge influx of miners trying to find their bit of the riches. Places like the Klondike Pass near Skagway have stories that are quite unbelievable to say the least. Just carrying the thousands and thousands of tons of gold is a remarkable story in itself. Train tressels wrapping their way up the tall peaks while leaving the valley far below was a testament to the determination of this stampede. As you can see I have a lot to share. Might I digress and give you a bit of my journey through words and pictures.

When I arrived at the port in Vancouver, Canada I was greeted by Royal Caribbean (RCCL) staff that made me feel welcome. They were excited to see me and were more than generous to help me find my way to this exciting trip ahead. It was effortless. Already I knew that the staff was going to be amazing. Not once did I feel like I didn’t know what to do. They were right there to guide me to the next location at the port. Following the typical check-in I was on the gangplank to walk on the ship. After getting on board I opened the door to my stateroom and was greeted by a wonderful view of the bay through my balcony window (insert deep breath and aaahhh). I am finally here. I spent the next few hours exploring the ship taking pictures and watching as more and more people came aboard. That evening we departed for our first stop…Juneau. The evening was filled with great food, music, and plenty of laughter. 

The next morning we were docked in Juneau for the day. Juneau is the Capital city of Alaska and is completely surrounded by mountains, trees, wildlife, and water. The only way to Juneau and many of the cities along the southern coast of Alaska is by boat or plane. There are no roads in or out of the city. WOW. My fellow MMT agent friend (Jesse) and I took a short ride by van to the Mendenhall Glacier. This glacier is part of the Tongass National Forest which covers 16.7 million acres which is 26,100 square miles. It is the largest national forest in the United States. What a sight to see. This living glacier has been moving for thousands of years, captivating millions of people throughout the ages. The life of a glacier is fascinating. Mendenhall has depths of up to 2000 feet deep. Isn’t that hard to believe? These great living rivers are formed by non melting snow being covered up by new snowfall which is compacted over time. Over time the glacier moves down the mountain and eventually falls forward. They call this calving. This is where you begin to see small icebergs floating about the seas. Following the hiking adventure we returned to the city and had time to do some souvenir shopping. There are definitely places to fill up your luggage with memorabilia to take home. Save some money, there is more shopping to come (cha-ching $).

After boarding the ship for the night we enjoyed another fantastic meal with our new found friends Thomas and Melissa from the Toronto, Canada area. We had so much fun with them we ended up enjoying each other’s company for the entire trip. We compared experiences and of course some drinks, casino time, and laughter. Cheers to our new Canadian friends.

Our next stop was Icy Strait Point. Here I was able to check off another off my bucket list…See a whale in the wild. OH MY GOSH! What a majestic animal to see. I saw my first whale. No, I saw my first four whales of my life. One was escorting their young calf as they scoured for as much food as they could before returning to the warm waters near Hawaii for the winter. My pictures don’t do it justice at all. Their large tail fin emerged and then disappeared in a slow graceful manner. It was magic to my eyes. After that our guide took us to Seal Mountain. This wasn’t a mountain of rock but a buoy piled with sea lions enjoying the warm air. It sure was a mountain but it really appeared as a  game of “King or Queen of the Mountain”. We also saw sea otters, dolphins, and bald eagles. It was quite a day. It is also common for people to see Orca whales and brown bears. Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky ones. 

Sitka was the next city stop. Here, another island city cut off from the mainland; allowing only floating vessels and planes into its harbor. Here the salmon industry was in full swing. Thousands of salmon were taking their final journey upstream to spawn. This being their birth place and where they will spend their last few days before dying. Quite a fascinating life to say the least. We also saw a salmon hatchery where a human-made river was built for salmon to swim up  and find their final resting place, having the eggs extracted and the fish moving on to be used for fertilizer or ingredients in dog or cat food. Sorry, a little graphic here. Here are a couple pictures of the process.

We also experienced the Sitka National Historical Park where we were greeted by large totem poles. Did you know that each totem pole tells a story about the family that created it? Each is unique; telling their own story. Though it was pouring rain we hiked through this beautiful forest and enjoyed every view it had to offer. In fact, these forests are considered rain forests. I always thought that rainforests were only tropical. I stand corrected. According to Wikipedia the definition of a rainforest “is characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, high humidity, the presence of moisture-dependent vegetation, a moist layer of leaf litter, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire.” See, there is my history interest again. I can’t help myself.

Our final stop was Skagway. Skagway was another story filled city that was by far a city to never forget. Skagway is one of the center most points for the gold rush stampede. As described above, the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park reminded us of the harsh conditions that they endured and how they overcame the difficult terrain and developed ways to transport gold in a more humane way. We experienced the White Pass Summit Rail excursion. If you are afraid of heights, pass on this one. We traveled up and up and up until we were about 2 miles from the bottom of the valley. The valley where hundreds of people made their way searching for their fortune in gold. It was breathtaking. I included pictures here but they really don’t show the intimidating intensity. Incredible! 

We were supposed to visit the Hubbard Glacier after Skagway but the weather was causing too much movement with the Icebergs floating in the bay. Therefore we had to head out to sea to find our final resting place, Seward. It was a quick exit on the final morning. 6:00 AM. As soon as we departed the ship we were greeted by a train with glass roofs that would take us to the airport for our final journey home. The next two-and-a-half hours proved to be one of the most breathtaking views of nature I’ve ever seen. Tree-covered mountains on both sides of us, marsh lands filled with fauna and flora, eagles flying overhead, whales in the ocean bays, and an occasional moose running through the marshlands. Yes, moose. I knew moose were big but, OH MY GOSH, they’re huge! 

Sad to say but my experience is nearly at its end. If you have Alaska on your bucket list or if you have any interest in an Alaskan Adventure with Royal Caribbean don’t hesitate to put it on your travel list. I found it to not only be relaxing and beautiful but interesting beyond explanation. RCCL was the perfect way to experience this last frontier. The staff, the amazing food, the on-ship amenities, the solarium pool, the casino, and the entertainment was top notch. They did not disappoint. I have my full confidence in what Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has to offer. I would never hesitate to recommend them to anyone. This was my third cruise this year and each of the three cruises proved impeccable. To top off the trip we made some great new lifelong friends. 

You may be surprised at how affordable an Alaskan Adventure with Royal Caribbean is for you and your family. You may not have to put it off for as long as you might think. 

Lastly, I would like to give a shout out to Samuel (our room steward), Jesse Foutz (fellow travel agent), and Thomas and Melissa, our new Canadian friends. They all made this trip memorable and definitely an experience of a lifetime. I would also like to thank them for some of the photos that were included in this article. Next on the bucket list: flight school. LOL.