Day 13 Seattle

Took the early morning Amtrak train to Seattle arriving just in time for lunch. After that, took the "Show Me Seattle" tour to get the lay of the land. One of the highlights of this tour was a visit to the Hiram M. Crittendon Locks where boats and salmon move between sea level and lake level. Also got to see the houseboat from "Sleepless in Seattle". Dinner at Shuckers in the Fairmont... The most amazing salmon we have ever eaten...Copper River salmon. Our meal included halibut, scallops and Dungeness crab mac & cheese...unbelievable!

Day 12 Vancouver

The Island Princess docked at Canada Place, Vancouver, BC at 7 am. We had a quick and easy disembarkation and arrived at our hotel shortly after. We started our walking tour of this beautifully manicured city in the downtown and walked through the magnificent Stanley Park which has gorgeous shoreline, walking paths, biking paths, and views of the city and harbor. The weather was perfect...clear and sunny. Had lunch at the Tea Room..some had fish and chips, and others had lobster salad. Dinner was on the waterfront, casual, but very good. Turned in early...6:30 am train to Seattle tomorrow.

Day 11 At Sea

A wonderful day of eating and relaxing! The guys indulged in the dessert buffet while the girls visited the Lotus Spa for a scalp an neck massage and a facial. The final night in the dining room was a celebration of Independence Day...lots of red white and blue.

Day 10 Ketchikan

The quaint town of Ketchikan, land of totem poles and the "Salmon Capital of the World". But we had salmon yesterday, so today we went to the George Inlet Lodge and indulged in an all-you-can-eat feast of Dungeness Crab which was out of this world. Our server, Anna gave us a quick tutorial on breaking open the shells to maximize getting all the elegant crabmeat. That was topped off with a cheesecake covered with Alaskan blueberries. We then boarded a DeHavilland Beaver floatplane for a 25 minute flight-seeing tour of the Ketchikan area. Our ship sets sail tonight headed for our final stop in Vancouver, BC. We will have a day at sea tomorrow so we plan to enjoy some of the many things offered here aboard the Island Princess.

Day 9 Juneau

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, no roads in or out, you can only arrive here by boat, plane, or birth canal! Went whale watching today aboard the St. Maria...saw many humpback whales, harbor seals, bald eagles, and stellar sea lions. Grilled silver koho salmon lunch at the beautiful Orca Point Lodge, then off to the magnificent Mendenhall Glacier. Just when you think you have seen the most spectacular sight on earth, you find another equally or more unbelievable.
Gene finally saw his bear...ha ha! Formal dinner night...lobster which was delicious. If you don't see something on the menu that you want, just name it and they will fix it for you. We are getting very spoiled.

Day 8 Skagway

What a fabulous day! Docked at Skagway and took helicopter to Meade Glacier. Landed and walked all around on the glacier seeing lots of crevasses. Beautiful breathtaking views. Lunch at the Stowaway. Delish fish and chips and xango for dessert. Then these adventurers headed out to do the zip line in the rain forest. Took our breath away...literally! Back to the ship for yet another fine dinner in the beautiful dining room. Tomorrow...whale watching in Juneau. Stay tuned!