(Written the following morning, 24/6/19.)
I had been persuaded by the Tour Sales personnel to chose this trip over a smaller excursion I had opted for originally; seeing somewhat more seemed like a good idea at the time, and I looked forward to this exploration with optimistic anticipation.
The weather was remarkably clear, the landscape magnificent. There was a hint of warmth in the air negating the need for some of the “layers” I had put on as a precaution against its being cold.
And this shore excursion “did what it said on the tin.” Whales made several appearances and I caught a split second glimpse of two jumping simultaneously. We also saw other sea life. However, this trip was heavily oversold and over-narrated, particularly on the connecting bus services. This resulted in overcrowding on the limited and restricted deck space, thus defeating the purpose of what otherwise would have been a superb experience.
Cunard did me no favours persuading me to switch tours, but am sure that they meant well.
The positive side was that I saw an abundance of continual lovely Alaskan landscape which I am unable to portray adequately. Mendenhall Glacier was spectacular, the first time I had ever seen a glacier. I did find occasional peace and quiet, and a cable car trip up Mt. Roberts, next to where we were docked, was a “nice touch” to an “interesting” day.
I discovered to my irritation, the Lido Buffet closes at 9.30. The “rope” was pulled across as I tried to help myself to some, by now, much needed sustenance. A woman behind me remarked that I should have read my Daily Programme. Quite!
Below, are pictures taken during the day, which I hope portray this part of North America adequately – “Queen Elizabeth” joined Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas”, “Ovation of the Seas”, and “Coral Princess.” Perhaps overcrowding was inevitable. However, being interested in passenger ships, I was delighted to see this cluster of vessels in such a lovely setting. The next pictures, I will send in the following blog.
David 24/6/19 at Skagway Railway Terminal.
David's Cruise 