Juneau was a nice stop - we headed out to the Mendenhall Glacier early in the day which was a great choice. The local bus was cheap but took an hour and stopped a mile short of the Glacier, so we opted for the blue school bus which was $16 round trip direct to the visitor center with local commentary (25 mins each way). Bus leaves from the bottom of the Mt Roberts tramway every 30 mins. Arriving early at the Glacier was a great move. We did the 1.5 mile hike (easy, flat) to the waterfall, and by the time we got back the main tour buses had arrived and it was a bit too busy for us. Great to get this close to a real glacier, although the marketing hype that you can walk on it didn't hold true. Very beautiful and well worth the visit. 
On return to Juneau we had lunch back on the ship and then headed up the Mt Roberts tramway. It's far more impressive from the top than you might think from the bottom. One of our party hiked down and enjoyed that. The only downside was the price, I think a bit steep at $27 but I guess they have a limited operational window given the seasons and inclement weather. 
Worst part of Juneau was the shops. There were FIVE cruise ships in town and it was really unbearable. So many people crammed into largely tacky nasty shops selling very predictable goods. 
Lots of other people on the ship went whale watching in Juneau and we didn't hear a bad review, would certainly do this in the future. 


Juneau

We loved Sitka! It was grim and rainy when we arrived, but the little town was very pleasant and has great character. Of the ports we visited this actually seemed a bit real as opposed to totally geared to cruisers and run by the cruise ships, probably because not many lines dock there (we were the only ship in that day). Very cool Russian Orthodox Church in the town, and a raptor center a short walk away. We did a tour (through HAL) Sea Otter and Wildlife - 5+ stars. Nice warm, comfortable boat which seemed very stable even though the sea was a bit choppy. Super knowledgeable and friendly crew - found us a whale which conveniently breached twice up close, sea otters (so cute), eagles, puffins, deer. Just gorgeous scenery. Freshly cooked snacks and hot drinks. This was a great excursion, probably the best we have ever done - $119 pp. 


Sitka

Ketchikan was a pleasant spot to disembark. The town is small and typically full of cruise oriented shops, but they seemed less crowded and superior in quality and choice to those in Juneau. We went to the Lumberjack show which is right in town - very good entertainment if a little hokey. However we did see the same show around 5 years ago and pretty much NOTHING changed so I think it's not really a repeat experience. 


Ketchikan

The ships dock around 2 miles from the city center so a taxi is required (around $10 CDN each way). Main drop off area is in front of the Empress Hotel is very nice, Government buildings are impressive. Colorful area with arty/craft booths and some interesting street performers. The main shopping street in Victoria has a nice mix of regular and tourist shops. However my main issue with Victoria on both my visits has been that the streets are filthy and there seem to be a lot of homeless people and younger drunks out on the streets. Since the cruise ship didn't arrive until 6pm, it was a bit disturbing to be walking around with my 11 year old dodging the dog poo and steering him away from street beggars. We ended up going back to the ship a bit early since we encountered what seemed to be two stag groups out on the streets. I think we'd have enjoyed this port as a family much more if we'd arrived earlier in the day. 


Victoria

5072 - nice view although immediately above the tender/lifeboats.  Good size, comfy beds, nice size storage for clothing.  Space under the bed for cases.  Small desk area was a bit cramped though.

One of the great joys of cruising a large ship such as this for us was that there are so many ecosystems on board that everyone was able to find their niche without feeling we were permanently compromising, but we also had many shared experiences to enjoy being together.Evening meals were generally good with a great choice although I think they overdid the adventurous soup route a bit too much.

Oosterdam Review

Great Time on the Oosterdam

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Deluxe Ocean-View Verandah Stateroom

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