When we woke up this morning, we were happy to see that the rocking and rolling of the ship had stopped, and we were heading towards the Gastineau Channel. That is where the capital of the state, Juneau, is located. And it is impressive with 3108 square miles of towering forested mountains, islands, bays, and flatlands. An interesting fact is that Juneau can be reached by air or by sea only. The population is about 31,700 people. Many locals that are associated with the tourism business head to the lower 48 during the fall and winter months, we have been told.
The biggest attractions in Juneau are Mt. Roberts with an 1800 foot tram ride to the top. Or a trip to Mendenhall Glacier, where, depending on the time of year, one can view spawning sockeye salmon, bald eagles, and black bears. Another good option are the several types of whale-watching boat tours in the channel. We have done that more than once. Some of our friends have taken the Taku Lodge Feast and glacier seaplane tour….pricey, but a unique experience. Where else can you watch bear come out of the forest to lick the BBQ grates?
Then there are the shops where you can locate high end jewelry as pointed out in the flyers and talks given by the onboard shopping ambassadors. A visit to the Red Dog Saloon is a must, and they do serve a good burger if you can find a place to sit. It has been our experience that many shops and restaurants have already closed up for the season. But who knows? Today we will find out. Our arrival time is 1pm, but we don’t leave until 10:30pm. Plenty of time for all of those tours to get back in time. The shore excursions are divided by categories. They are wildlife, adventure, and sightseeing. The prices range from $34 for the tram ride to $620 for the ultimate 4 hour Taku Glacier adventure. Better hope you have not over-indulged in the food department, or the surcharge weight over 250 pounds is $170. By the way, this tour does not include a meal. Wow
Watching the sail into Juneau from our veranda was a good plan. It was very cold, but luckily we brought our arctic jackets with us, complete with hoods. The Captain had mentioned earlier that some whales had been spotted on the starboard side, so we hoped we would see them on our side. It was not to be. A few dolphins and seals swam by close to the ship, but that was all. Another ship was directly behind us. We believe it was a Princess vessel. As it turned out, the Star Princess was already in port, followed by the Coral Princess. Once we were alongside, the Nieuw Amsterdam pulled in behind us. We figured that was about a total of 10,000 passengers, not counting crew members.
The guests began debarking before 1pm, so we figured it was a good time to do some emailing. We are happy to report that the internet speed was much better today, just like they said it would be. Sure hope this continues.
There were two exits to get off of the ship, so the waiting was minimal. Having done most of the tours here, some more than once, we decided to walk the town. Turning left, we hiked the shoreline until we came across a newly built Seawalk. This wide wood-planked walkway meandered through a marsh flat complete with a pond. It is a sanctuary for birds. Eventually the trail led to the Whale Statue surrounded by a fountain. It is a replica of a humpback whale and sure looked real from a distance. The fountain activates on a timer, we assume, and makes the whale appear to be rising out of the water. There is bench seating as well as signage and restrooms (out of sight behind the whale).
We wanted to get back to town and find a place for lunch before it got too late. So we back-tracked through town and went to the Taku Fish Company and the Twisted Fish Grill. Last year, this restaurant was closed, so we were pleased to find they were opened today. We ordered a salad and a Margherita pizza (8 inch) with a soda and an Alaskan beer. All was good, and the cool weather and walk sharpened our appetites.
On the way back, we walked through the nearby shops to find that there really were no good sales today. Despite the signs that most everything was up to 50% off, it was only good for a few items. That’s when we ran into Yvonne and Johnny, who had just shopped at the Alaska T-shirt Company. They were happy with their few purchases and said we had to stop there, warning us not to stop in the jewelry stores where everything was double-priced. Yeah, we already knew that. So it didn’t take but a few minutes to find a good deal on long sleeve t-shirts and sweatshirts. The lines were long, so you knew their prices were good.
By now, it was raining, so we made our way back to the ship. Every high end jewelry shop owner tried to entice us inside for a “free” token, claiming that they would be closed for the season in less than 24 hours. We have also heard that before, but we were not in the market for any expensive trinkets today. Now if the popcorn stand had been opened, we may have indulged there. But it was closed.
Back in our room, we warmed up and worked on photos for the remainder of the afternoon. Sea planes were taking off right outside of our veranda, so many tours must have been sold between the four ships. The fog and rain kept up for the rest of the day, so we are not sure how good the sight-seeing from the plane would be.
We had reservations in the Tamarind this evening at 7:30pm. While in town today, one of the Tamarind waitresses recognized us. She had worked in the Pinnacle Grill on the Amsterdam’s world cruise in 2014, and claimed to remember us, although we did not recognize her. Now we are convinced that our photos are posted somewhere for the staff to see. One day, we will ask. Anyway, we were greeted by the staff in the Tamarind, and seated at a nice table for two at the window. The restaurant was fully booked. And for good reason. The food is unique and totally delicious. We had starters of a Thai salad and crispy spring rolls with dips. One of us had shrimp crackers, while the other had rice crackers. Our mains were wasabi-crested tenderloin with breaded onion rings, direct from Burger King. Surely, our waitress was joking. Sides were a bowl of brown rice and sautéed veggies. Desserts were a chocolate pudding in a chocolate cup and one large almond fortune cookie with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream. These are two desserts we would not pass up. Glass cups full of a strong coffee finished our meal.
Thinking there was no show this evening, we discovered that there was one show at 9:30pm, starring Joseph Reohm, a magician. The ship left the port late at 11:30pm, and at 10:30pm, there was the Filipino Crew Show. Since we still had much more work to do on the computer, we headed back to our room to finish the job.
Tomorrow we shall be scenic cruising to Glacier Bay.
Bill & Mary Ann
PS By the way, for those of you who are searching for photos, you need to click on the PDF link to access them.
