This was our third Alaska cruise, but the first one that we opted for the Denali Tour afterwards. We had enjoyed the inside passage and decided to "conquer" more of the Alaskan wilderness.

Embarkation was fairly smooth, but since it tied in with Immigration/Naturalization [departing Canada] there was the typical INS slow-down. The flow came to a halt when one of the agents' radiation detector began to indicate a possible threat, and the hand-scanning of passengers slowed down the process. [Apparently, the 'threat' was from an elderly couple's pacemaker battery!] Grumbling aside, I STILL believe in "Better Safe Than Sorry" when it comes to potential threats.

The visits to Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway were just as pleasant as they had been on previous visits. The weather in June cooperated nicely We Took a Whale Watching Tour from the vendors at the foot of the tramway in Juneau, and thoroughly enjoyed our tour, despite limited and brief sightings of whales. We DID see lots of harbor seals and walruses. Read more