I have always wanted to take an inside passage Alaskan cruise. Hubby had never cruised and was resistant at first, but finally agreed and off we went, along with our adult son and daughter-in-law (separate cabins). Flew from Houston to Seattle on Friday for an overnight stay before shipping out on Saturday afternoon. Must see - Pike Place Market! Buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers to adorn your ship stateroom. I wanted to buy them but wasn't sure I could take them aboard. While waiting inside the terminal saw several ladies with bouquets and I was envious. The process for getting on the ship was a nightmare. It took over two hours. Long lines and not so friendly terminal staff.

Anyway, rough seas overnight headed to our first port, Ketchikan. Booked a "Hummer Adventure" excursion and was somewhat bored and wished the guide had not just moved to Ketchikan. His tour was memorized, but he was a nice guy. We met folks on the ship later who had gone on a whale hunting boat and they had a lot more fun than we did. Not much to see in Ketchikan, but the rain forest was beautiful. Next stop Juneau for the Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest. Saw plenty of whales and bald eagles, but didn't care for the large bus loads of people to get there. We got packed on the buses like sardines for a 30 minute trip to the bay. Also, the excursion took the full port time and I did not get to spend any time walking or shopping in Juneau. Next stop, Dawes Glacier. We were supposed to see the Sawyer glacier, but apparently the ice field surrounding the glacier made the trip to dangerous, so we spent a lot of extra time getting to Dawes, but it was worth it.

Next stop, Skagway. Instead of taking the train, I booked a scenic tour via motorcoach. Let me tell you, that was awesome. Our guide, Mark, has lived in Skagway for years and was very, very knowledgeable. At this time of year, the train only goes to the Alaska/Canada border and then sends passengers back to Skagway by bus. The van went much further into the Yukon, we saw some beautiful scenery, stopped for lunch and we stopped multiple times for pictures (the train does not stop along the way). Saw two bears and lots of mountain goats and still had time to time to walk around Skagway and spend some money on local treasures. I highly recommend this trip over the train. Last port, Victoria, BC. Quite boring actually. I would have much rather been able to spend more time in Juneau or one of the other Alaskan ports. Walked downtown, had lunch at Earl's (like a Canadian Chilis), then back on the ship early. Would have gone on an Orca search, but we didn't disembark until after 2p, and it was to late to book anything after we got onshore.