Portside cabin, midship was small but adequate.  Good and quiet location on the ship.  Sliding door onto balcony with two chairs and small table was an added bonus for cruising Alaska.  Bathroom shower very small with no space to put your shampoo bottles or soap.  Separate closet/storage area separated from the main cabin which kept luggage out of the way.  Cabin equipped with one TV, small bar fridge, desk, safe and hairdryer.  Comfortable bed.

With a new itinerary in place, we had to give up half of what we wanted to see in Skagway.  Our 7.5 hour Yukon Rail with Dog Kart Experience had to be reduced to a 3.5 bus and rail one.  The bus portion was uneventful but did include a stop at the Dyea Overlook, Bridal Veil Falls and the Alaska sign.  The return by rail on the scenic railroad riding in a vintage coach offered amazing views.  It was interesting to see the drastic change in landscape as we made our 3,000 foot descent down the mountain following the trail of the stampeders.

Due to our late arrival, our best option was booking the Mendenhall Glacier Explorer through the cruise line.  This allowed us 2 1/2 hours at the glacier with roundtrip transportation,  We walked along a well marked 3/4 mile trail to get to Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls.  Seeing a massive 100 foot high flowing river of ice next to a 377' flowing river of water was an amazing site.  Also here is a Visitor's Centre where you can watch a film about the glacier.

Just steps away from the cruise ship is the entrance to the Mount Roberts Tram.  It is a 5-minute ride on one of the most vertical tramways in the world to get to the top.  Panoramic views of Juneau and the Lynn Canal as well as a scenic hike through the alpine meadows and forests makes for a special "top of the world" experience.

In an entertaining and rowdy competition of humor, athletics and skill, we watched Alaskan Lumberjacks compete against BC Canadian Lumberjacks  in such activities as springboard chopping, buck sawing, axe-throwing, log rolling and a speed climb up and down a 50-foot tree pole!

Located one block from the cruise ship, this one hour show was fun to watch and a worth while activity to see in Ketchikan.

With Mitchell, the owner of Island Wings as our skilled pilot, we boarded her red and white DeHavailland Beaver seaplane and were off on a 2-hour Misty Fjords flightseeing adventure!   From the air we viewed lush rain forests of pine, cedar, spruce and hemlock, snow-capped mountains, pristine mountain lakes, spectacular waterfalls that plummeted thousands of feet into the sea and deep glacier carved fjords.   We also landed in Punchbowl Cove.  Here amidst the untouched serenity of the wilderness, we were able to get out of the plane and step ashore onto a remote stretch of beach.

The scenery of Misty Fjord National Monument is breath-taking, offering lots of picture postcard  moments!

This was our first time on a seaplane and we had a great and enjoyable experience exploring the mystifying and scenic natural beauty of the Misty Fjords National Monument with Michelle of Island Wings!

Built on wooden pilings over Ketchikan Creek is historic Creek Street.  During the 1920's-1950's, this was a  red-light district, a seedy place, with 30+ brothels and known as the place, “where both men and salmon swam upstream to spawn!”  Today the brothels are gone and with the creek on one side and a steep hill of green trees on the other, it is a pleasant tour attraction, home to restaurants, curio shops and Dolly’s House Museum.

When this was a red-light district, Creek Street’s most famous madam, Dolly Arthur ran a bawdy house here.  Calling herself a “sporting woman” she provided her services until prostitution became outlawed in 1954.  Today visitors can tour her home which is filled with antiques and old photographs and step back in time and see the house as it looked in Dolly’s day.  This house with its 5 rooms and 2 bathrooms is quite small and it does not take long to tour it. We spent less than 15 minutes in Dolly’s House. We paid $7.50/admission (normally it is $10/person)  Was it worth the admission? Considering how small the house was and how much time we spent there, I didn’t think so–but we were here on a cruise visit and it did provide some historical insight on life back in the days when Creek Street was a red-light district.  Dolly’s House is an original brothel building, with original furnishings and decor and stands in its original historical location, so even though the admission is a bit on the hefty side it is part of the Ketchikan experience!

We also made the climb up Married Man's Trail.  Located at the end of the boardwalk, this trail takes you up a set of stairs as its winds up a steep hill through the trees.  This trail dates back to Dolly's days, when police raids on brothels were frequent and being caught meant a hefty fine--so patrons looking for a quick escape took this route.

To go for lunch in one of the main dining rooms meant standing in a long line--again something we had not experienced on other lines.Although the service on Princess was good--food and drinks served quickly, room service efficient and on time, entertainment was top-notch, the ship felt crowded.

Crown Princess Review

Not that impressed with Princess!

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