Alaska - Cruise Day 6 - Up Schitt's Creek without a Paddle!

After a wonderful tour seeing bears and birds, we were dropped off in the center of town amongst all the shops which is a leisurely walk back to the ship. With plenty of time left before we needed to be back on board, we wandered around enjoying a mix of browsing and seeing historical signs and statues. 

Ketchikan is known as Alaska's 1st City because it is the first city settlers came to at the bottom of the inside passage. Due to the city's location in the Tongass National Forest (a 17M-acre rainforest), the city sees a lot of heavy rains. They celebrate their weather by erecting this gigantic "liquid sunshine" gauge painted sign that is as tall as the highest rainfall amount ever recorded here. It was so tall I had to take a picture of it in two halves!

Our walk led us past several instances of local culture and city history: 

Soon we had arrived upon the official Creek Street area. Most of this region features wooden planks along the walkways as by definition it is built above the creek. Easy to maneuver even by wheelchair, scooter, or with strollers. 

One of the most photographed spots is to the top right in the below photo where you can pose with a giant ceramic mosaic salmon poised like he's about to swim upstream.

It's fish cam!

Tons of places to explore on your own minutes from the cruise pier if you feel like doing some legwork:

How close is Creek Street to the cruise pier? Objects in this photo are as close as they appear.

One of the most notable landmarks on Creek Street is Dolly's House. We had a nice chat with one of the "employees" standing outside trying to entice tourists to come inside.

In case you get a little hungry after all that walking:

After our duck tour debacle in Halifax, we always chuckle at the sight of similar tours in other ports.

Our final sea day is up next where we find out why there was a man walking around the ship on formal night wearing an outfit that matched the one on his dog!

Alaska - Cruise Day 7 - Doggone it, he's a liar!

Ask any seasoned cruiser about the subject of traveling with a service animal and there's usually two different kinds of reactions. One is a look of surprise that you can even cruise with a service animal and then comes the ultimate question of "but where do they go the bathroom on board?" The other is unfortunately a recollection of bad onboard sightings where a cruiser who couldn't bear to leave behind little Muffy brings them onboard under the claim of being a service dog. A true service dog is not being pushed by the cruiser around the ship in a tiny stroller or joining their humans to dine at the table. While I'm the first to advocate for the use as well of an animal classified as emotional support, it needs to be a trained animal with proper documentation. I know you can do and get most everything on the Internet these days but please keep in mind the comfort of your pet as well. Sure snuggling with the cats I've had over the years have made me feel emotionally calmer when I've gotten anxious or upset but they would not have been happy being dragged out of the house to travel on a cruise ship. A truly trained service animal is a working animal when they are helping their human and can make a great difference when it comes to enabling those with disabilities travel the world.

Over the past few years, many airlines and cruise lines have gotten stricter about traveling with animals. At the very least requiring extra documentation weeks ahead of your plans to travel. There's also separate rules depending on the country you plan to visit that also include spending extra time with authorities when you arrive in a port so make sure you do your research. A simple google search took me to tons of blogs and websites where people share their experiences traveling with service animals as well as the exact policies of the travel providers. For a great onboard explanation, check out Molly Burke's "I Took My Guide Dog on a Cruise Ship For a Week!" video where she talks about the extra procedures and shows what the experience is like. Also includes a great interview with Captain Kate McCue! Check out her Instagram and also perhaps the most famous hairless cat on the seven seas, her cabin mate Bug Naked. If you do choose to check them out, please share that I sent you. Plus you can also check out my Twitter and Instagram pages while you're there!

During one of the formal nights of this Alaska cruise, we were hanging out in one of the lounges when a man walked by not only dressed up for formal night but matched his outfit to the tiny dress his white fluffy dog was wearing. At first glance, you'd think oh someone didn't want to leave Poopsie at home as this was definitely not a service dog. This last sea day we learned that the man and his dog was actually an onboard entertainer. Jeff Peterson and his trained dog Indy travel around, including several cruise ships, performing a comedic magic show. Indy also has her own Facebook page if you're interested in hearing about life from her point of view.

After enjoying the show, Indy held a meet and greet in one of the lounges. You could pose for pictures with her and unlike most cruise ship staged photos, Jeff was happy to take one for you with your own camera. It was funny how shocked he was when a couple passengers asked to take a photo of him with Indy as well as have him take one of them. 

Each time someone stepped up for a photo, Jeff (pictured with Indy below) would cue her to stand on her hind legs.

I wasn't sure if we were allowed to touch Indy hence the stiff pose. You know I would have snuggled her for an hour if I could. 

Our evening entertainment this last day was topped off by a funny cruise staff hosted show called The Liar's Club. If you've never seen this show, we've seen it on several different lines, the premise is that one person hosts a panel of 3 other cruise staff members. Obscure words are presented and the cruise staff on the panel give you each a different definition for the word in hopes that you'll believe them. The audience participates by turning in their team number's paper slips to the person they believe is telling the truth. It's great fun to see when the real definition is revealed and how many people believed the wrong ones. We have seen a few of the words repeated over the years but that just makes it funnier when you hear the other off the wall definitions.

Test your friends to see if they know what these words mean!

Hope you enjoyed the Alaska side of my adventures on this trip. This cruise itinerary ended the next morning in Vancouver, British Columbia as our one non US port as required by law. Stay tuned for our day exploring this western province of Canada with a private tour.

Alaska - Cruise Disembarkation Day in Vancouver Part 1

Since we started this journey as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska, disembarkation at the end of the cruise in Vancouver, British Columbia was unusual in that it meant ending in a city I'd also never visited. Aside from our Grand Med cruise the year before this, most of our city sightseeing was pre-embarkation because we'd return to the same city post cruise. I wish I still had the name of the private tour company we used and the price quote to share but all I can remember is that our guide was the son of the owner and his Dad emigrated to BC from Hong Kong. 

We booked a private tour for the two of us with pickup at the port. The young man, who as mentioned told us later was the son of the owner, arrived on time in a nice roomy SUV. Always a plus when you have several pieces of luggage. One of the most frequently visited places in Vancouver, especially by cruise passengers is the complex where your ship docks known as Canada Place. Our first stop on this tour was the top of the complex featuring the Vancouver Lookout and the Vancouver Lookout Viewing Deck. The Lookout shares space with the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant with slanted floor to waist high windows and telescope viewers to use. 

Our guide pointed out a few noticeable landmarks from this vantage point but I soon ventured off to snap photos while he chatted with Dad. 

And of course it didn't take long for me to spot a great view of the ship we just left, the Grand Princess.

One of the rare times you'll see an empty pool deck:

Hey, nice aft!

Our next stop was a visit to the city's historic Gastown district. We mostly drove around seeing the area from the car except for a photo stop at the town's historic antique style clock. It is partially powered by steam and whistles like a tea kettle once on the hour.

One of the recurring themes on these trips includes visiting something related to when the city hosted the Olympics. Our next stop this day was to see Vancouver's Olympic Cauldron, built for when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010.

Stay tuned for the next installment where we visit totem poles and take an unnerving gondola ride!

Alaska - Post cruise - My what big poles you have!

Our disembarkation city tour of Vancouver continues with a visit to Stanley Park known for its beautifully designed totem poles, some of which are as tall as the trees themselves. Or even taller than them like this work of art:

It's amazing to see the intricate details put into these totem poles as they are carved. If you ever have the chance to visit this place, take the time to savor each level as each pole is designed around a theme to tell a story or convey a message. 

These totem poles, collectively known as the First Nations Totem Poles feature a wide array of patterns and colors as well as heights.

I'm curious to know what the model or inspiration was for the guy depicted in the middle of this totem pole on the left:

You can really see the pride these artists had for their designs:

Several had 3-D features like this one carved to look like a bird in flight:

Insert random picture taken this day of two of my favorite things to photograph on a trip - the local flag and a lighthouse!

On the drive out of Stanley Park, we stopped to see Vancouver's version of Copenhagen's famous Little Mermaid statue. Who could have predicted that two years later I would be fulfilling a bucket list dream of seeing the real Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. While often referred to as Vancouver's Little Mermaid statue, the real name of the sculpture is called Girl in a Wet Suit. The life size bronze sculpture was created in 1972 by Elek Imredy. Today, the statue was being enjoyed by tourists and birds alike:

After a quick stroll along the pier at Porteau Cove Provincial Park where we watched divers in wet suits and scuba gear seem to work on something around the buoys in the water, it was time to ride a gondola. 

Will the darkening clouds be in our favor?

Alaska - Post Cruise in Vancouver - We take to the skies!

As we started to drive to our next stop of the tour, Sea to Sky Gondola, the winds picked up and it started to drizzle. Our guide questioned whether they'd even be running the gondola but we all agreed to at least head there and see before making any changes to the plans. Once at the facility, we browsed the gift shop while our guide called in to double check that the gondola was running. Of course the gift shop stays open even if the whole premise of the place isn't running! He came back with the news that it was still operating and directed us toward the gondolas. 

I seem to recall we had to pay for our tickets, it wasn't included in the tour rate. Here's the current list of hours and rates based on whether you visit on a weekday or weekend and what age you are.

The word gondola can have two different meanings depending on your location. In my cruise travel experiences, I've been to Venice (aka that other trip I never bothered to write up yet) and ridden in their small boat shaped similar to a canoe on the canals steered with a long pole by a narrating and serenading gondolier. Here in Vancouver, a gondola is a capsule with bench seats and glass walls that rides up and down a mountain side via a cable.

The venue does offer assistance to anyone needing help entering or exiting the gondola and has level ground for rolling walkers or a wheelchair in and out. Depending on the size of your group seems to be the rule for how crowded your gondola will be. It can hold anywhere from 1 to 6 people seated on the benches. If you're not a fan of heights or enclosed spaces, this may be an issue for you. At least they don't fill each capsule with the next 14-16 people in line like they do at the London Eye. 

The Sea to Sky Gondola attraction can be a great stop to spend an hour or two while visiting Vancouver. You get a cool ride up and down the mountain with beautiful aerial views. At the summit is multiple restaurants whether you're looking for a quick bite and some coffee or more of a sit down meal. With your body refueled, you can pick the adventure that fits your comfort level. Take in the wonders of nature on a slower pace walking or hiking a variety of trails that leave from the restaurant's doors. If thrills are what you seek, opt for the suspension bridge or what they call the Squamish Via Ferrata which has you safely tethered to fixed cables while you climb a series of ladder like rungs built into the side of the mountain in addition to the suspension bridges. I've climbed many a hill and hiked in my day but checking out the experience for this on their website makes me think it should be called Squeamish instead. The fact that they picture little kids celebrating reaching the top on their website makes me feel old.

Off we went to board a gondola with just us inside. Here's what the one in front of us looked like from the outside.

Much like a ski lift, the gondolas operate as part of a loop. You board on one side to head up the mountain and you get out on the other side once you've come back down. The higher we got in the gondola, the heavier it started to rain. With the rain came the wind and several times we felt our little capsule rocking back and forth. The higher in elevation we reached, the more the mist and fog obscured our views. It made for an uncomfortable and unnerving ride when the rocking was combined with the limited visibility. 

No the window wasn't dirty - just a sign of things to come as we got high enough to see the pavilion roof covering where you enter and exit the gondolas at the bottom.

Our view straight out at the horizon as we continued to climb:

We would reach periodic clearings where the clouds would part enough for us to see the mountainside:

Hmm, I thought we left the glaciers back in Alaska. Oh, no that's the fog hanging out over the town we just rose above:

We were soon at an altitude where we could see clearly but the fog was above and below us. It was quite the sight to see each gondola pod appear from the vapor.

Our guide gave us a couple hours to explore alone and get some lunch with the offer to have the gift shop owner call him should we decide to leave earlier than that. You could have easily enjoyed a couple hours at the top but our weather today prevented us from even seeing the trail outside the doors much less walk it. We took the time to grab a burger and fries from a cafeteria style restaurant and relax at one of the multiple long picnic tables inside Summit Lodge. After some browsing at the shops up there as well, we opted to head back down fearing that the weather might get worse. Thankfully once we reached ground level, the rain had eased off. 

Back in the SUV we go as we travel from the high skies to the low underground.