We arrived in Juneau 30 minutes early, which allowed us to explore Juneau for a bit before our 3pm excursion.  We took the Whales & Rain Forest Trails excursion, which was lovely.  Our guide had recently moved to Alaska with her boyfriend, and was a year-long resident.  She was very knowledgeable.  The hike was about a mile on easy terrain (my dad has problems walking and he didn't have any issues).  The highlight of the hike was walking to the end of the Mendenhall Lake and seeing the Glacier.  After the hike, we took a bus to our whale watching excursion.  Saw at least 12 whales, and about 5 of those whales showed us their tails.  I got some great pictures, even on my point-and-shoot camera (hint:  use the setting for action photography which takes a series of fast shots in a row).  The weather was beautiful -- sunny and 60 degrees.

We had early excursions this morning.  Four of our group took an independent excursion with Packer Expeditions to Laughton Glacier, and three of us (myself included) took the Yukon Expedition & White Pass Railway.  This review is only for the latter, as I did not take the hike to the Glacier, but my family seemed to really enjoy themselves on that hike.  If you are taking the Yukon tour, I'd advise you to get off the boat early because the busses leave for this tour when they are full (there were probably 4-5 busses for this tour), so if you are on an early departing bus you have more time to see things on the way out to the Yukon.  Our guide made two extra stops than busses that left later, including a stop at Emerald Lake, which is beautiful.  I really enjoyed this tour -- you take a bus up the Klondike Highway to the Yukon Territory, and made a number of stops along the way (including at the "Welcome to Yukon" sign).  We also saw a bear at the side of the road!  At Carcross, you can get your passport stamped at the local post office.  On the way back you take the wonderful White Pass Railway (sit on the right side of the train coming down).  We were lucky again in Skagway with weather -- about 55 and partly cloudy.

I wasn't really looking forward to this stop as much as the others, as most of the ship excursions seemed to be touristy.  I imagined this to be a giant tourist trap stop.  We booked an independent excursion with Ketchikan Taxicab Tours, which completely changed my mind about this island.  This tour was WONDERFUL.  I'd highly recommend them to anyone.  We were able to drive all over the island and see the "real Ketchikan".  The highlights were a trip to Settlers Cove, where we walked on the beach in low tide and then took a quiet hike (but somewhat difficult for those who don't like stairs) through the rainforest, and a stop for bear watching, where we saw three bears.  Note that tour busses can't go to Settlers Cove, so you have to book with an independent tour guide or a smaller excursion.  We also had great weather here -- 52 and partly cloudy.

We had three cabins in a row on Deck 5.  Yes, we were above a life boat, but we didn't hear any banging.  I was "lucky" to be in a room with three people - slept on the sofa bed which was better than I expected (but not amazing).  Also, the way the deck above us was situatated - the balconies shot out a little further from the ship - protected us from the rain in Glacier Bay.

It was my first time on Holland America, and I was a bit apprehensive knowing the reputation for the older age range of people who sail on this ship (I'm 31); however, the itinerary was fantastic (Glacier Bay and long port calls), so I knew this was the ship to pick.Also, the way the deck above us was situatated - the balconies shot out a little further from the ship - protected us from the rain in Glacier Bay.

Zuiderdam Review

Amazing Alaska

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Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom

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