Our destination today was the capital of Alaska, Juneau, with a population of 32,000 people with a rich history. Juneau is hard to beat with its lush rain forests, jutting mountainsides with lakes, not to mention the 1500 square mile ice field, the 5th largest in the world. That's where you will find Mendenhall and Taku glaciers. But half of the fun was the trek getting here with a drop-off at Tracy Arm for a boat excursion.
Last night with the clocks being set back one hour, we were awake earlier than normal. That was around 5am. One other disturbance was a call for the medical staff in our rooms at midnight or so. There was someone that needed help in the crew mess. Turned out to be OK and may have been due to a crew party we heard.
Anyway, we happened to look outside around 5:45am to see numerous whale sightings. The ship had slowed down for the next ½ hour we assume due to the number of whales feeding and diving. They were at a distance from the ship, and they were shallow diving with many blows visible. We were lucky to have seen so many humpbacks this time. One thing for sure, the temperature had dropped since yesterday. At 7am, it was 45 degrees with scattered clouds with 70% humidity and light winds of 2.8 mph. As the day advanced, it did warm up as the Captain promised yesterday.
Breakfast was at 8am, even though it was a port day, we would not be arriving to Juneau until 1:30pm. As we entered the Gastineau Channel, we spotted an MSC ship behind us. Turned out to be the Poesia. The Anthem of the Seas (RCI) , the NCL's Norwegian Spirit, and the Ruby Princess were already there - a total of five cruise ships.. The NCL ship was anchored and tendering their guests ashore.
Approaching the town, we did spot a few bald eagles and managed to get some photos, but they were quite a distance away. Hundreds of seagulls were floating and flying as we approached the dock. They are lured here due to the Taku Fishery plant.
Going to the front on deck six, we watched our approach to the harbor. The clouds had disappeared and it was going to be a fine, warm sunny day in the high 70's. That has to be the first time ever we have had such a nice day with no rain. Once the ship was cleared, we shed our heavy coats and left the ship by 2pm. With five ships in town, everything was WAY too crowded. Every bar and restaurant had lines out in the streets, especially Tracy's King Crab Shack and the Red Dog Saloon.
We strolled past every shop and eatery and never went inside any of them. We made our way slowly to the Hangar on the Wharf where we had a 20-minute wait for a table. The greeter had said it could be up to 40 minutes, but that was the worst-case scenario. We have never seen this place so crowded at 3pm, but we had our Alaskan Amber beers and beef nachos delivered in a short time. It was nice relaxing at a high-top table for two while watching the tendering operation of the Norwegian Spirit. The best part of lunch was yet to come....a large slice of ice-cold mud pie, our favorite treat.
By 4pm, we headed back to the ship walking along the harbor front passing the mega ships along the way. One of us took several pictures of course, but the best one will be the two cooks at Tracy's King Crab Shack. One of the young fellows held up huge crab legs, which surely cost a small fortune to order. At the Hangar, the price for a pound of these extra-large legs started at $100 a pound. Lucky for us, they are not high on our list of favorites.
For some unknown reason, the Goldbelt Tram was not operating today. We stopped in their gift shop and asked why. The fellow said it was due to a maintenance problem which may or may not be fixed by tomorrow. This tram takes the guests up 1800 feet to the top of Mt. Roberts for incredible views, shopping, and dining. What we did see near the ridge was a hang glider hovering near the station riding the thermals. First time we ever saw that.
Back onboard after a facial recognition check, we had some time to relax and process the pictures and compose the report. It was almost too warm to sit outside on the veranda with the sun shining strongly. A first for Juneau. While we worked, the Anthem of the Seas and NCL ships left the harbor. Before we knew it, dinnertime had arrived. Hate to admit it, but we did not change our clothes for dinner as did 90% of the other guests. Many tours had gone out today, some coming back later this evening. People were still filing in around 9pm.
We had one Caesar salad and a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup. Noodles? Not really, but the thin spaghetti again. It was good anyway. One of us ordered the prime rib and the other the turkey dinner. Both were served piping hot and were delicious. Desserts were one scoop of mocha fudge ice cream.
All aboard was 9:30pm and we were on our way before 10pm, following the last two ships to leave. Tomorrow's port will be Skagway with an arrival time of 6:30am, one of our favorite ports. Until then, good evening.
Bill & Mary Ann
217 Pictures (available after 9/7)
