You can not visit Seattle without a trip to Pike’s Place Market. Pike Place Market is the city’s center for fresh, local produce, specialty food and so much more. It is a great experience of sights, sounds and smells. We spent a couple hours walking around and it still was not enough time. It is also the home of the original Starbuck's so if you love your coffee, stop by the original Starbucks for a cup of Joe.

We started our day with the Space Needle located on 400 Broad St. The cost was$18.00/per person, I made all our reservations on-line previously so we did not need to wait in any lines, which was wonderful.It was a cloudy day but the view was still beautiful. 

We ended our sightseeing day with BILL SPEIDEL'S UNDERGROUND TOUR. The cost was $17/pp.The tour is a guided walking tour beneath Seattle’s sidewalks and streets. You actually roam the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle. It is a history tour that starts inside Doc Maynard’s Public House, a restored 1890s saloon. After a short introduction we visited three different sections of Underground—about three blocks in all. The tour lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The guys enjoyed this tour more than the ladies, but we were glad we did.

We arrived in Juneau on Monday,May 12th at 11AM. We were ready to get off the ship and start exploring Juneau. We never take the excursions the ship offers as we do not enjoy large crowds and prefer to do things at our own pace. We took a taxi to Mendenhall Glacier- Alaska’s only accessible glacier by foot, It is located in Tongrass National Forest 12 miles from downtown area. It is a short cab ride or you can use Glacier Express Bus service that takes you directly to the glacier. It is a Bright blue bus that runs every 30 minutes starting at 9AM until 6PM. We were one of the very first people to arrive so we had the place to ourselves. We took beautiful photos of the glacier and then took a hike to get closer to the waterfalls. The hike is relatively easy and it is picturesque. We were able to take photos so close to the waterfall we were getting wet. It was so beautiful and serene. We were leaving the glacier as the hoards of people and buses were arriving, so we timed that perfectly. Our friend got a glimpse of a bear in the distance, however did not have his camera ready to shoot.

Once we were back in town we went to Mount Roberts Tram. The ship docks directly across from the tramway. Mt. Roberts Tram is Juneau’s top rated attraction. You ride in an enclosed gondola up the 1800 feet level of Mt. Roberts for an expansive view of Alaska. At the top is an array of things to do and see. The cost $32/pp roundtrip. We hiked around the mountain top for awhile and took some more spectacular photos. We ended our day at the Red Dog Saloon-278 So. Franklin St. It is known for saw dust floors, animal head walls, Wyatt Earps gun behind the bar, and it is very crowded. Its a great place to grab a bite to eat and a drink (or two). You must try a drink they are known for, it's called the duck fart (Bailey’s Kahlua, Crown). It was delicious. We headed back to the ship with great memories of Juneau. 

Tuesday, May 13th we arrived in Skagway early. It is only 4 blocks wide and 16 blocks long and has the feel of western frontier town. Broadway street is the Inside Passage's most photogenic street. It's lined with old storefronts . Many date back to the Gold Rush days. We had made reservations with Chilkoot Charters to do the White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion. The excursion was 3.5 Hours and cost $126/pp. You had your choice of going up by train or by bus first. We opted to take the bus up first and then come back by the train. We met our tour guide Mike near where the ships dock. He had a small shuttle bus waiting for our tour. To our surprise we were the only people on that tour. The 4 of us had the bus to ourselves and had the best tour guide ever. We were able to make as many stops as we liked for photo opportunities. Mike took our photos, gave us great insight and details about his home in Skagway. It was very informative and entertaining. Once our bus portion of the trip was over, we boarded the train. We can not say enough about our tour guide Mike, he made that day wonderful. If you decide to use Chilkoot Charters ask for Mike to be your tour guide, he is truly the best! The railroad was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold rush this is a narrow gauge railway that once took miners to the Yukon gold fields. We rode in restored vintage passenger parlor cars to an elevation of 2,865 ft in 20 miles and had steep grades and some cliff hanging turns. And once again we lucked out and had the entire parlor car all to ourselves!!! The panorama was breathtaking of mountains and glaciers, gorges and waterfalls. You could also stand outside on the platform of the rail car which was amazing to take photos. We walked around downtown Skagway and stopped by the Red Onion Saloon its a 1898 saloon with a ex-bordello upstairs. It is a must. The staff dresses up in garb of the Gold Rush days. Grab a beer or drink , the girls are fun and great for photo ops.

Thursday-Ketchikan May 15th This port unfortunately was a very short day. We arrived around 7:30AM and had to be back on board by noon. I don't understand the reason for this as we would have loved to have had a full day there. It is called one of the rainiest cities in the US, so bring rain gear, but we lucked out and had a sunny day. We were taking a helicopter tour with Heli Tours. We met up with our transportation who drove us to the helicopter. We met the pilot Ryan and his assistant. We were not aware however that we would not all be flying together. So we were a bit disappointed in that aspect of the trip. The basic cost is $169/pp but we added on a landing zone on to our package so our cost was $199. Heli Tours took us one by one over the Ketchikan Alps, lakes and waterfalls. We all ended up together eventually at this private wilderness spot with a rainforest. It was scenic and gorgeous, we had time to walk around and take photos. It was time to head back so one by one we were flown back to our original take off spot. It was a nice excursion, just wish we had known we would not all be together as time became a factor. It did not leave much time to see the scenic downtown Creek street. This port is known for authentic Alaskan made items. It is also the Totem pole capital of the world, but we did not get to see that due to the lengthy helicopter tour.

Friday, May 17th Victoria , British Columbia-  I don't understand the purpose of stopping at a port from 8PM-midnight. We took a taxi to the downtown area for $10 (for 4 of us). Most things were closed, so we had pre-booked a ride on Tally-Ho horse carriages. We each took the Waterfront Tour 30 minutes $100/per carriage. It was suppose to be a narrative tour of historic James Bay and old heritage buildings, but our tour guide, was much more interested in talking about the horse and herself then history. Thank goodness the tour was only 30 minutes. The view of the British Columbia Parliament Legislature buildings and the Empress hotel were stunning. We would have loved to have seen more of this beautiful city during the daylight hours. We strolled the inner harbor and fisherman's wharf for awhile and then headed back to the ship.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out we got an upgrade to a mini suite. The room was so spacious, the bed was comfortable and huge. It was so nice to have a separate living area, with a couch and chair and another flat screen TV in the room. But the best part of the cabin was the bathroom.... yes the bathroom! It had a full size bath tub and shower. It made the trip so much more enjoyable for both myself and my husband.

It was time to head back so one by one we were flown back to our original take off spot.So we spent the day waiting for the next meal time to arrive.

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Our 30th Anniversary Alaskan Voyage on the Golden Princess

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