Well its taken awhile, but we finally managed to sit down at a pc and add another entry to our journal. We have just disembarked from our cruise ship the Carnival Spirit in a place called Whittier, Alaska. The cruise was superb - a perfect way to relax for 7 nights. The scenery was unbelievable!! Not having to worry about moving from place to place - being able to unpack for a week was a good feeling.

We boarded the ship in Vancouver late on 25/8. it was an overcast and rainy day. We were very happy with our cabin and especially the balcony. We had picked the right hand side of the ship intentionally to hopefully obtain the best views of the cruise. After doing the compulsory life boat drill, we set sail. The Lions Gate Bridge as we depart

We woke the next day to find the weather on the improve and we spent the day cruising through the Inside Passage area of British Columbia, including Grenville Channel where we saw some humpback whales and bald eagles. Water in this channel is 1600 feet deep. View image of Grenville Channel

Our first port of call was Ketchikan, again the weather had closed in, which is not surprising given the average rainfall is 162inches a year. We spent the day wandering around in rain jackets and umbrella's (even 5 mins squeezed into a phone booth). We visited the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Preserve. We also did the touristy walk through Creek Street (old brothel area built on stilts over the water). Not forgetting the souvenir shops! By late afternoon the weather had cleared as we sailed off to the next port of Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

The weather in Juneau was again overcast and drizzling. Hopefully this wasn't going to be the theme all the way through!! We decided to catch a local shuttle out to the Mendenhall Lake & Glacier. The views of the Glacier are remarkable. View image of Mendenhall Glacier

When we arrived in Skagway on Sunday 29/8 we were welcomed by a lovely sunny day. We spent the morning wandering around town. This is a quaint little town - with lots of character even if a lot of the shop fronts are just facades. We both agreed this was our favourite port.
In the afternoon we boarded the White Pass & Yukon Railway train for an adventure into the mountains to travel the path of the old gold rush days. The train travels to the summit of White Pass and rises over 3000 feet in less than 20 miles. The views were extraordinary. I spent the whole trip to the summit standing outside on the back deck of the carriage taking photo's and video footage. On our way to the summit
That evening we cruised out through the Lynn Canal. View image of Lynn Canal

The last port of call was Sitka this was originally the main Russian settlement in Alaska before Alaska was sold to the Americans. It was also the capital for a period of time. The weather was fantastic - we both walked around all day in t-shirts. The cruise ship cannot dock here, so they anchor in the protected waters offshore and use the life boats as tenders to ferry people to and from shore. The first and last time we hope we need to get into a life boat :-) Michele did her obligatory souvenir shopping. The novelty of looking at the same souvenirs - but in different shops had worn off for me about the port of Juneau, so I preferred to stay outside and apply gentle hints that I was bored.

We looked through a wonderful little cathedral called St Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral before walking along the marina enjoying the sunshine and watching thousands of salmon trying to swim into the spawning creek. We headed back on board early to beat the rush for the tenders and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on our balcony in the sunshine enjoying the view and drinking beer! (Well I did anyway) Our ship at anchor

That evening we sailed across the Gulf of Alaska and arrived early afternoon in Prince William Sound on Tuesday 31/8. We cruised past Bligh Reef, where the Exxon Valdez ran aground, and headed towards College Fjord. Late in the afternoon we began cruising up College Fjord with the magnificent Chugach Mountain Range on one side and numerous glaciers down both sides. The water was dead calm and we stood up the front of the ship to best experience the awesome scenery as we approached Harvard Glacier. The quietness, apart from the occasional loud tourist who needed to hear his own voice, added to an incredible atmosphere. We cruised to within 500-600 metres of Harvard Glacier at the end of College Fjord. The visible face of the glacier is 1.5miles wide and over 300 feet high and is an awesome sight. The thunder cracks as it groans and calves were incredible. Definitely the highlight of the cruise. Tourists and the Harvard Glacier
Another closer view of the glacier
That evening we met up with our Irish New York friends from our dining table for a few beers while playing roulette in the ships casino.

The following morning saw us disembarking at Whittier, Alaska and boarding a coach for the 1.5hr trip into Anchorage to collect our rental car. Thus brought to an end a fantastic and most relaxing week. Anyone who comes to this part of the world should really consider one of these cruises.