Ketchikan
It is now Day 4 of my trip, but Day 3 of the cruise – it is Sunday, May 13th, 2012, and it is also Mother’s Day. Ketchikan was our first port visit on the cruise, and therefore, my first real glimpse of Alaska. I had a shore excursion that I had pre-booked with our CruiseOne shore excursions provider http://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/Ketchikan-Shore-Excursions-s/104.htm. The shore excursion consisted of three excursions in a package, and would allow me to experience Ketchikan, as well as two of the other port stops – Skagway, and Juneau. The price was really good, and I figured that instead of just walking around the pier where the cruise ship docks, I should go further into these destinations, and go to the main attractions. So, today’s Excursion 1 (out of 3) is the Saxman Native Village and Ketchikan City Tour.
I live in San Diego now, so it’s a little like someone coming to San Diego, but not knowing about the beautiful beaches of Del Mar, La Jolla, and Encinitas or about Balboa Park, or the Hotel Del in Coronado. If they just wander around the cruise port area, all they would see is beautiful SeaPort Village, and the harbor area near Anthony’s Fish Grotto Restaurant. There would be so much left of San Diego that would be left undiscovered, and that is why you sometimes just have to take these excursions, so that a professional tour organizer will take you to the best spots.
I only had to walk about two or three minutes away from where the cruise ship docked to check in with the bus – all the information about the meeting point was on my ticket. The bus set off promptly at 8:30 am and altogether this excursion lasted about two and a half hours. We went past the downtown Ketchikan area, which is within walking distance of the cruise terminal, and then made a few stops along the way to our ultimate destination – Saxman Native Village – which is where all the totem poles are. The two stops we made along the way were so we could take pictures of a waterfall, and a lake.
Here are some pictures of these two stops along the way:
This picture was taken while in the bus on the Saxman Native Village Tour shore excursion
I kind of like the picture above, even though it’s not the best since it was taken in the bus, and shows one of the passengers in the way of the view. The waterfall pictures were not that unique, so I didn’t include. Below is a picture of the lake where we stopped, and then I just had to take a picture of a house in Ketchikan. Then there are some pictures of totem poles, and some interesting street signs, as well as a Ketchikan trolley.
Some historical information about the totem poles
After viewing all the totem poles, we headed back to downtown Ketchikan, which is where I took the rest of the pictures below:
Don’t forget to visit Dolly’s House on Creek Street, this is a tourist attraction – with a story behind it that I won’t get into here. Ketchikan is well worth the visit, it is so colorful, I could not stop taking pictures. I hope you enjoyed looking at all of my pictures, and please let me know if you have any comments.
Vancouver
Today is Day 1 of my trip, and it is Thursday, May 10th, 2012. I left San Diego on an early flight and got into Vancouver at around 1:30 pm. I was daring, and took the train which is right outside of the airport to one stop before Burrard Street, I think it was called City Centre. I say daring because I had two suitcases with me, a large one, and then another bag with my laptop, other electronics and paperwork in it. If my third bag, a small carry-on that had to be checked in – hadn’t got misplaced – I would have had to take a taxi or a shuttle bus, but since the airport promised to deliver the delayed bag to me that evening, and since I had only two bags or cases, it was manageable on the train. It was a 35 minute train ride from the airport to the stop which was most convenient to the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, where I would spend my night. The train ride was only $8.75 Canadian dollars for a one way trip and I purchased my ticket from the machine outside on the platform.
When I got off the train, I asked someone where the hotel was, and it was easy to walk to, just about a block and a half away, probably less than a five minute walk. I checked into the Hyatt Regency, and was very pleased with their check-in and with their level of service. Since one of my bags had been delayed, I informed the front desk about this – so that if I was out in the evening, they could look out for my bag for me. They asked if I needed toiletries, and I told them I was okay, that I had those with me. However, after I had arrived in my room – 2003 – on the 20th floor with the awesome view shown above (fourth picture) – there was a knock on the door, and I was handed a toiletry bag complete with toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving stick and shaving cream, and other items. I was really impressed. I loved the room, it had a really nice modern feel to it, and I also loved this hotel – what’s not to love when it has a shopping mall attached right next to it, that you access from the lobby of the hotel, and there is a Starbucks right in the lobby too!
Vancouver is so pretty. Make sure that you allow yourself more than just a day for this beautiful city. I had only one day here, and it was not enough. This was my second visit to Vancouver, I spent about two weeks here previously many years ago. If you have only a short time in Vancouver, I recommend taking the Red Hop On Hop Off Bus which I took, and it allowed me to see much more than if I would have ventured out on my own. There is commentary, and part of the bus is uncovered, which is excellent for those of you who want to take pictures and videos. I will be posting a video soon. Look out for it on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/luchaniktravel
If you would like to see more pictures that I took in Vancouver, please take a look on my Facebook page, and please consider pressing “like” on my page. Thank you. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.433759606649054.105771.182290738462610&type=3 By the way, I love Stanley Park – beautiful place to go and take pictures.
Update: I have another post on Vancouver and a video, you can view it here: Vancouver
12 Day Trip Vancouver to Alaska, May, 2012
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I flew into Vancouver from San Diego on May 10, 2012, and spent a day there, and then caught a seven day cruise on the next day from Vancouver to Seward on the Radiance Of The Seas. The port visits for the seven day cruise from Vancouver to Alaska include Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, […]
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