Alaska - Cunard Queen Elizabeth - Aug 10 - 20, 2024
Alaska Inside Passage cruise
We liked last year’s Alaska
cruise so much that we decided to go again, especially since the current
itinerary included two new ports and we were visiting in a different season. We
knew that the landscapes might look different and we might see different
wildlife. We chose to go with Cunard’s Queen Elisabeth ship again mainly
because the cruise price was reasonable and for us is really easy and
convenient if the cruise starts in Vancouver.
Embarkation
This year we went with friends therefore we did not need to drive or to use the Sky train. Embarkation for the cruises starting in Vancouver is at Canada Place and it is a very well organized process. First you stay in line to check in your luggage, then you queue for boarding check. Finally, you pass trough security and immigration and then you are directed to go onboard. When we got to our room, a cold complimentary bottle of champagne waited for us, similar like last year.
Our 10-day Alaska Cruise Itinerary:
Day 1: Embarkation in
Vancouver
Day 2: At Sea
Day 3: Ketchikan
Day 4: Tracy Arm Fjord
Day 5: Haines
Day 6: Juneau
Day 7: Glacier Bay National
Park and Preserve
Day 8: Sitka
Day 9: At Sea
Day 10: Victoria
Day 11: Disembarkation in
Vancouver
About Cunard Queen Elizabeth ship
Queen Elizabeth is a
British luxury ocean liner, with a capacity of 2,081 guests and 911 crew which
gives a good service ratio per guest. The ship has luxury accommodations and plenty
of dining options. The service throughout the ship is always a five-star one
and the ship’s interior architecture and design transports you in a different
world.
Dining
When booking the cruise,
your stateroom will automatically be linked to one of their four main
restaurants. You also have to choose if early sitting, late sitting or
flexible. We were assigned to Britannia Restaurant and had flexible sitting. But
during the trip you can eat to the assigned restaurant, choose another one for
an additional cost or eat either at the ship’s Lido buffet or on the deck at the
Lido Pool Grill. We ate mostly at the Lido buffet and the food was as excellent
as last year or better. The Afternoon Tea offered every day is also an
experience we tried not to miss and we enjoyed it every day. White-gloved
waiters serve you the tea and a delicious menu (that changes every day) in a
live classic music atmosphere.
Activities and Entertainment
There were so many things
to do on the ship, we never got bored, on the contrary, sometimes we had to
choose which activity to skip in order to do another. You can go shopping,
relax and read in the Library, attend yoga classes or various fitness and dance
lessons, play games on ship’s Games Deck, swim in the Swimming Pools or just
relax in the Jacuzzi on the deck, participate in Trivia quizzes, listen to live
music and to guest speakers. And of course you can always just enjoy the scenic
landscape and wildlife from the upper decks.
On each voyage Cunard
organizes two Gala Evenings with different themes, ours were Ice White and
Masquerade Evenings. Formal attire is required for these evenings and smart
attire on any other evening if you dine in a restaurant. But you can always
dress casual if you dine at the buffet or participate in activities.
The evening entertainment
in the Royal Court Theatre was amazing each day: dance, theatrical and
acrobatic productions, musicals, rock and roll musicians and talented violinists.
Live music was played everywhere on the ship, classical guitar, harp and piano
music, classical rock groups or the music performed by the Queen’s Room
Orchestra.
All the activities were detailed
in the Daily Programme provided each evening, so we could plan ahead the
activities for the following day.
Ports of call
Ketchikan was named as
“Alaska First City”, being the first port of call as you travel north and is
also considered “The Salmon Capital of the World” due to its prosper
century-old commercial fishery. Ketchikan streets are lined with shops selling
souvenirs, jewelry, hand-crafted totem poles of all sizes, clothes and mineral
rocks. There are also unique, little craft shops along the famous Creek Street.
We walked along the
Ketchikan Salmon Walk, marked by fish-shaped signs, a trail that takes you
along the Ketchikan Stream upstream. Being the salmon spawning season we
watched mesmerized the salmon battle to make their way up the river and streams
to spawn. It was amazing to watch, you almost felt as there were more fish than
water.
Haines is a quaint, small
town, surrounded by majestic peaks and green forests buzzing with wildlife, a
place where seeing bald eagles soar high in the sky is a common occurrence. The
town is very pleasant for a walk downtown, shopping for souvenirs or have a
cold beer in one of the locally owned stores and restaurants.
Juneau is currently the
capital of Alaska and many ships sailing the Inside Passage stop in this port
of call bringing in the majority of its visitors. The city streets are lined up
with crafts and jewellery stores, boutiques and eateries and there are many
attractions located downtown, in walking distance from the ship.
Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
The church was built about
30 years after USA purchased Alaska from Russia by Tlingit people with Russian
funding. The interior of the church displays a lot of furnishings and icons
originally from Russia including the 6 panels of the wall of icons, seen at the
front of the church.
The building hosts the
Alaska State Legislature, the offices of the Governor of Alaska and Lieutenant Governor
of Alaska. It was open to the public and we were able to tour the State Capitol at
our own pace. While visiting the legislative chambers and the meeting rooms
we admired the collection of Alaska art, paintings, sculptures,
busts, adorning the rooms and the hallways.
After wandering the Juneau' streets, touring the State Capitol and shopping for the souvenirs we strolled
to the Juneau-Douglas Bridge for nice views of the city and the surroundings. Next, we walked to The Whale Project City Park, located at the base of the
bridge. The park’s main feature is the life-scale breaching humpback sculpture
rising from the infinity pool. While in the area you can walk the Totem Pole trail
along the shoreline and the Juneau Seawalk, a pleasant walkway along the
Gastineau Channel.
Sitka is a former Russian
fort and the former capital of Alaska until 1912, when the capital was moved to
Juneau. Known as the most picturesque town of Southeast Alaska, it is also the
place where Alaska was transferred to United States in 1867.The city has a mix
of Tlingit (local indigenous people), Russian and American heritage. A free
shuttle bus departs from Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal to downtown Sitka, every
10-15 minutes. Here we visited Sitka National Historical Park and walked the Totem
Park trails. The Park preserves the site of a Tlingit Indian Fort and its paths
are lined up with many Haida and Tlingit totem poles. We strolled through the
city on our way back and did some shopping for souvenirs.
Located on Vancouver
Island, Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada. The city's downtown is
not too big so many of the attractions are in walking distance. Our walking
itinerary included Dallas Road Waterfront trail along the shore and then a walk
through Beacon Hill Park, a very nice park with gardens, ponds, water
fountains, a petting animal farm and sporting grounds. On our return to the ship we
strolled through the colourful downtown streets and along the picturesque Inner
Victoria Harbour.
Glaciers
The highlight of our
Alaskan cruise was again viewing the glaciers, which look majestic and
beautiful regardless the season. If last year we spent one-day cruising through
Endicott Arm, this year’s itinerary on Day 4 took us through Tracy Arm Fjord
where we had a glimpse of Sawyer Glacier. We also cruised through Glacier Bay
on Day 7, which lies in the middle of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and
contains 11 tidewater glaciers that reach the sea. We cruised by two of
them, Lamplugh and Marjerie Glaciers. The latter is one of the most active
glaciers and while most of the glaciers in the park are receding, this one is
neither growing nor receding.
Landscapes
The Alaska Inside Passage
is a coastal route through islands, bays, narrow channels, national parks, snow-capped
mountains and fjords. The views are spectacular, steep granite cliffs, floating
icebergs and cascading waterfalls and each time we went on the deck the scenery
changed and captivated us.
Wildlife
The best activity on board,
for us, was spending time on the deck every day, armed with binoculars and
camera and ready to catch a glimpse of Alaska’s marine and land-based wildlife.
While is not always easy to catch on camera, we were nevertheless able to
capture some of it, because the Alaska Inside Passage’s wildlife is abundant on
land and on sea. Cruising in a different season than last year, we have not
seen harbour seals with pups because the weather was warmer and there were not
too many fragments of glaciers ice. But we’ve seen plenty of playful sea
otters, humpback whales a few times, and lots of bald eagles, the Inside
Passage being known for the largest population of this majestic bird.
Disembarkation
Our trip came to an end on
the 11th day in the morning and after enjoying a last breakfast at
the buffet we disembarked in Vancouver. We enjoyed the voyage as much as the
first time and think about doing it again in the future.