Skagway, Alaska

Hello from Skagway!

As expected we were at the Broadway Dock, the prime spot to get into town. Just walk straight off the ship and you're there!

Leaving early enough allowed me empty streets, one of my favorite things about going out early in Skagway. Later on one of my least favorite things in Skagway will happen when the streets and walkways are packed with thousands of cruise ship passengers.

Best time of the day

Ed and I have fond memories of Skagway. It always held a place in our hearts as our favorite Alaskan cruise port. We did the same things every time we visited and they are what kept us coming back again and again.

• Walking around a near empty town with only one or two ships in port. Or early enough before the swarms of passengers descended. 
• People watching from our window seat table at the Sweet Tooth Cafe. Ordering at just the right time - 10:45ish - so Ed can order from the breakfast menu (biscuits and gravy with extra gravy) and I can order from the lunch menu (still the best patty melts I ever had). 
• Making runs to Starfire and getting Thai food to take back to the crew. Having a hard time not breaking into the containers right then and there because it smelled so good.
• Buying new Alaska t-shirts and hats in the big blue building at Skagway's Alaska Shirt Company. 
• Sitting on a wooden bench and eating chocolate covered gummy bears we bought at the Alaskan Fudge Company.

Unfortunately, very unfortunately, not one of those businesses in Skagway survived Covid. The places we loved coming back to year after year are now buildings just sitting empty. Sweet Tooth Cafe. Starfire. Alaska Shirt Company. Alaskan Fudge Company. All gone. Closed up with nothing new taking their places. Becoming even more overrun by jewelry stores (no surprise) and way too many cruise ship passengers arriving daily on ships larger than they ever used to be. 

Two of the four ships in port today

Throw in the slide area and ships having to use tenders to get their passengers on and off makes it even more undesirable. Just check out Royal Princess' tender lines by mid-afternoon. No, thank you.

Alas, our favorite Alaskan port is no more. 

I've thought long and hard these last few days about why I'm on this ship, the Grand Princess. It's been a stressful time onboard for reasons I easily could go on about but won't. But maybe I needed to be here and needed it to not be relaxing. Maybe I needed to be reminded about the not fun side of cruising. About the rude and inconsiderate passengers. Lackadaisical crew who know they don't have to work as hard (or care) on these 7 day trips full of new cruisers who don't know any better. What a shock to the system after coming off the Island Princess where all the crew were working the World Cruise!

Maybe I needed to see what happened to Skagway for myself. Maybe I needed to be ready to say goodbye to Alaska. I wouldn't have seen the Northern Lights in Whittier if not having made this voyage. And my flight path from Southampton certainly wouldn't have crossed over Greenland if I was going straight home.

Knowing this might be my last visit to Skagway ever, I headed out of town and rolled my way to the Skagway Bridge. I had forgotten how far it was - almost two miles to get out there - but the views made it worth it. I even encountered a dinosaur along the way.

I took a little video just in case you need running water and mountains in your day.

I always knew at some point I'd have to close the page on cruising to Alaska and today's visit sealed the deal. After talking to Ed I went ahead and canceled our 14 cruises we planned for next summer. We're not done cruising by any means - we still have a couple dozen over the next year and a half - but Alaska won't be part of it. We'll leave Alaska for those who don't know how good it used to be.

Tomorrow we're in Juneau and if the rain holds off, I'm making a run to Juneau Drug to get some goodies. If it doesn't I'll have to come up with another plan. See you there!

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Hello from Glacier Bay! It was a rainy and cool day here today.

With the weather all gloomy - and not wanting to deal with the coughing crowds in the buffet line - I did something I’ve only done twice this summer. When my alarm clock rang at 6AM I turned it off, stayed in my nightgown, pressed the privacy button on my door panel, climbed back into bed, and went back to sleep. When the ship’s fog horn woke me up I knew I had made the right decision to pass on breakfast but not on sleep.

It was a later arrival to Glacier Bay today so it all worked out. After my room service lunch of chili and grilled cheese but before my room service dinner of a turkey sandwich I had a picture of Lamplugh Glacier.

I had a picture of John Hopkins Glacier.

I had a picture of a raft of sea otters. So. Many. Otters.

And us lucky ducks even made it to Margerie Glacier today. I did see it calving but missed getting a photo of it.

And for the first time since Covid quarantine I stayed in the cabin the entire day. (Don’t worry, I’m fine.) There are lots of sick folks on the ship right now with no regards as to where they are coughing or who they are crowding. With the bad weather we’ve had the last couple days it’ll be spreading and I don’t need them hovering over the top of me when I’m sitting on my scooter when it does. 

Tomorrow we’re back to Skagway and will be in the prime Broadway Dock spot. I’m planning on getting off the ship early before the town gets busy. See you then!