Alaska 2017: Ketchikan

Our last port in Alaska was Ketchikan, aka: "The Salmon Capital of the World." In addition to all of that salmon, Ketchikan is known for being the first city in Alaska. And also known for: Lumberjacks.

Our stop in Ketchikan was short and we arrived very early in the morning. We had one excursion booked; The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. Dan and I did not do the lumberjack show on our previous trip to Ketchikan, but after hearing how much everyone enjoyed the show, it was on our must-do list for this trip.

The show is located across town, about a fifteen minute walk from where the Ruby Princess was docked. Here are the pictures that we took as we walked through the town.

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show lasts about an hour and is held in an open-air arena, with first come-first serve seating.

The show centers around competitions between two pairs of lumberjacks, one pair from America and the other from Canada. It is similar to Medieval Times, in that depending on where you sit, you are either rooting for the Canadians or the Americans. All of the lumberjacks play a different character to give it a bit of a storyline. For example the "bad boy" lumberjack was on the Canadian side and he was a sore loser which ramped up the rivalry. The American side had a slightly goofy, bad-boy character too. With regard to the actual events, It was hard to tell how much was predetermined and how much was actual competition.

That said, it is a fun, high-energy show and clearly, the lumberjacks are all very talented. They did log-rolling, wood carving, axe throwing, sawing, and the final competition, where one lumberjack from each side had to climb up a tall tree. These are all skilled athletes, no matter how much of it may have been staged.

We rooted for the home team, but I can't remember which side actually won. It was a close competition throughout. The excitement wasn't so much in who won, but in the actual competitions themselves. If you're heading to Ketchikan, The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is a perfect pick for the entire family. This is also a very short port stop, so this excursion will leave enough time for you to enjoy the town.

The kids got a picture with a lumberjack. This guy was one of the "nice" characters.

Dan wasn't feeling well, so he headed back to the ship and I took the kids around the town. Ketchikan has a small indoor mall with an outlet store, where we stocked up on Alaska souvenirs and had a sugary treat.

Like the other ports, a lot of the stores in Ketchikan are tourist traps. I'm not sure what it is about cruise ports but they seem to be the place where people go to get jewelry. There are so many jewelers in Ketchikan and all of them had some kind of free trinket to entice buyers to enter their shops. We navigated around these stores, but we were lured in by a store selling items that change color in the light. I bought Zoe color changing nail-polish and Felix a tee-shirt, both were big hits.

Our morning in Ketchikan was a blur and before we knew it, we were back on the ship and enjoying an afternoon of swimming as the Ruby Princess headed to its final port, Victoria Island in Canada.

Alaska 2017: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Midway through our cruise on the Ruby Princess, we spent a day-at-sea cruising through Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Our ship slowly cruised through the five-mile inlet, getting close to the Margarie Glacier.

On our previous cruise, we visited the Hubbard Glacier, which was quite a bit bigger and more dramatic. While we only saw a few calvings on this trip, we saw many at the Hubbard Glacier. It's still exciting when it happens and we were happy that the kids got to experience it. The other thing that I noticed on both cruises, is the sounds that the are made by glaciers. When it calves, it sounds like a crack of thunder, and when the ice is melting in the water, it sounds like a glass of 7-Up fizzing.

Park rangers were brought on board to talk about Glacier Bay and answer questions. The kids club offered a "Junior Rangers" program. We skipped all of the activities and simply enjoyed the views.

As you might imagine, it's super cold being so close to a glacier. Although we all had winter coats, Dan is the only one who thought to bring a hat. Zoe and Felix are tough Swedish kids, so Dan let me borrow his cozy hat. Who wore it better?

Dan created this awesome time-lapse video as we sailed away from the Margerie Glacier.

There were plenty of animal sightings: eagles, whales, and sea lions, as we made our way out of Glacier Bay. This island was covered with sea lions sunning themselves. Or perhaps, wishing they were able to catch some rays.

Zoe and Felix were eager to swim, so we spent the afternoon poolside. Dan and I stayed bundled up and enjoyed cocktails, while the kids enjoyed the pool. The Bailey's cart was a great surprise! Coffee with a shot of Bailey's = yes please! Every now and then, they would announce a whale off the side of the ship and everyone would run over to take a look.

Another surprise was fish tacos from the Ketchikan Fish House were being served as a teaser for our next port: Ketchikan!

Alaska 2017- Skagway: Part Two

Our afternoon excursion was the "Musher's Camp and Sled Dog Discovery." Excursions to Iditarod training camps are offered at several ports in Alaska. I'd venture to say that it is one of the most popular Alaska excursions. They advertise puppies and who doesn't want to go see puppies?

We were picked up by buses near the cruise port and taken on a short ride to the base of the training camp. Here are some gorgeous pictures of the area. Alaska is so pretty!

The main part of the camp is located in the mountains and we had to take a special open-air, all-terrain vehicle, named McGyver. On the way up, Felix and I got to sit up front with the driver. I can't remember his name, but he was a great tour guide and that's him in the picture below. This was a special experience, especially for Felix, who loves all manner of vehicles.

The purpose of the camp is to train dogs for the Iditarod race. In summer, when there is no snow, they use sleds with wheels to run the dogs through a forest trail. They use the tourists to not only give the dogs exercise, but also to acclimate them to being around different people and situations. It's a win-win scenario.

The sled ride is a lot of fun, but only lasted about fifteen minutes. The dogs are really excited to run. They bark and are a bit unruly when they are stopped, but as soon as the musher gives the command to run, they get in the zone and all you can hear are their paws pounding the ground.

After our ride, we had an opportunity to pet the dogs, while they cooled down with large buckets of water.

Next, we saw a short presentation about the Iditarod race.

The best was saved for last: the puppies! We were able to cuddle puppies that were just a few weeks old. This is the part where everyone melts. Puppies.

Just before ending our excursion, we visited a look-out, where the views were stunning.

The "Musher's Camp and Sled Dog Discovery" is a fun excursion (Puppies!), but now having done similar tours on both Alaska Cruises, I don't think I'd do it again if I returned to the area. It's a great pick if you're traveling with children or an animal lover, but the entire tour is very rushed. The time on the sled and with the puppies is short, maybe 15-20 minutes each. They really jam in the tours, right behind one another, so there is no time for lingering. It's a cool experience, but it doesn't feel personal.

Next stop= Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve!