One of the beautiful Lipizzaner stallions on its way to the training ring in Vienna, Austria
Travel Tuesday Photo: Lipizzaner Stallion
Categories: Austria, Europe, Picture of the Week
Tags: Austria, Europe, Lippizan, Picture of the Week, Travel Tuesday Photo
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Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
At our final port of call, we did not visit the port town of Nanaimo (nuh-NYE-mo) where the ship was docked. Instead we took the Hullo Ferry across the Strait of Georgia to have lunch with a friend who lives just south of Vancouver and drove up to meet us.
When Holland America docks a ship at Nanaimo, that blocks the usual port for the Hullo Ferry. So locals can still park in the usual lot but they (and we) then take a shuttle bus to the temporary port. The shuttle runs a half-dozen times per day but due to the hours we were in port, there was really only one time over and one time on the return that would work for us.
Hullo Ferry at the temporary terminal
Categories: British Columbia, Canada, Cruises, Holland America, North America
Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Cruise, Ferry, Ground Transportation, Hullo Ferry, Nanaimo, Ocean Cruise, Trip Report, Vancouver
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Travel Tuesday Photo: Air Crossroads of the World Sign
The Air Crossroads of the World sign just outside the visitors’ center in Anchorage, Alaska. ANC is a stopping point for many longhaul flights.
Categories: Alaska, North America, Picture of the Week, United States
Tags: Alaska, Anchorage, Picture of the Week, Travel Tuesday Photo
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Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
I knew nothing about Prince Rupert, British Columbia before our stop here, but it was another perfectly delightful little port town. We were in port from about 7 AM until 4:30 PM and the town is not that big, so we had a leisurely morning before disembarking. It was quite foggy early in the day but by 11:30 or so the fog had lifted and we had an amazingly sunny afternoon.
Categories: British Columbia, Canada, Cruises, Holland America, North America, Trip Report
Tags: British Columbia, Canada, Cruise, Marina, Ocean Cruise, Prince Rupert, Trip Report
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Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
After a busy day in Juneau, our time in Ketchikan was much more relaxed. For one, the ship didn’t reach port until late morning and we decided to let all those who needed to rush off get out of our way before we disembarked ourselves. So it was nearly noon before we left the ship.
Ketchikan is quite picturesque with colorful buildings in the downtown and historic districts as well as the expected marina areas. It’s known as the Salmon Capital of the World and has the street sign to prove it.
Categories: Alaska, Cruises, Holland America, North America, Trip Report, United States
Tags: Alaska, Creek Street, Cruise, Holland America, Ketchikan, Ocean Cruise, Salmon, Totem Poles, Trip Report
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Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Juneau was the only port where we had booked a shore excursion. The ship docks right in the city so you can walk right off the boat and into town. One of the most popular attractions is the Mt. Roberts Tramway which is a cable car that departs from the city street nearly straight up the mountain and offers great views. Unfortunately, the tram was down for repairs during our visit.
We had booked our excursion using the same company we did for our cruise, and snagged a 10% discount on an excursion that included whale watching and a visit to Mendenhall Glacier.
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Categories: Alaska, Cruises, Holland America, North America, Trip Report, United States
Tags: Alaska, Cruise, Glacier, Grey Whale, Holland America, Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier, Ocean Cruise, Trip Report, Whale Watching
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Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Valdez was the prettiest port on our cruise. When we arrived, the ship couldn’t even send any tenders out because the fog (or cloud) was so thick. But once the fog burned off, oh my goodness, was it gorgeous. My photos don’t do it justice.
Categories: Alaska, Cruises, Holland America, North America, Trip Report, United States
Tags: Alaska, Cruise, Holland America, Ocean Cruise, Trip Report, Valdez
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Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Anchorage is a much larger city than Kodiak and we were blessed with great weather for the second day in a row. While we did not have to use the tenders to leave the ship, we were docked in an industrial area so there were motorcoaches waiting to drive us downtown to the convention center.
Our first stop was the visitors’ center which allows you to fill out post cards for free and they’ll mail them for you (within the US). We sent several to friends and family. I loved this Air Crossroads sign outside!
Categories: Alaska, Cruises, Holland America, North America, Trip Report, United States
Tags: Alaska, Anchorage, Cruise, Holland America, Mushing District, Ocean Cruise, Street Art
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Travel Tuesday Photo: A Lionfish in New Orleans
A lionfish at the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans, Louisiana
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Trip Introduction – Alaska Cruise on Holland America
Lodging Review: Element Seattle Downtown
Our Time in Seattle
Ship Review: Holland America ms Noordam
Our Time in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Time in Anchorage, Alaska
Our Time in Valdez, Alaska
Our Time in Juneau, Alaska
Our Time in Ketchikan, Alaska
Our Time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Hullo Ferry Between Nanaimo and Vancouver
Our first port of call was the town of Kodiak, Alaska. It’s a small town of around 5,500 people at the last census and is one of seven communities on Kodiak Island. Our ship anchored out in Saint Paul Harbor and we had to take tenders to reach the town. If you are mobility-challenged and cannot stand long enough to step from the ship’s dock to the tender, you will not be able to visit any port where tenders are required. We saw a number of people with rolling walkers, and that worked fine, but motorized scooters did not make it aboard the tender.
Our first stop was the Kodiak National Wildlife Visitors Center. You can start your visit there with a short film about the area and then visit the exhibits. The lower level has details about the brown bears in the area.
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