To celebrate Mark Baicker's 65th birthday, we joined the Baicker family vacation for a cruise around Alaska and a few days in Vancouver. Although the primary objective of the vacation was making new friends among the 55+ crowd, our ship stopped for great excursions in Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.
Itinerary
Day 1: Flight from Newark to Anchorage (with epic delays, missed connections, and rerouting through Seattle -- totaling 30 hours to travel)
Day 2: Scenic train ride from Anchorage airport to Seward port
Day 3: Day at sea, passing Hubbard Glacier
Day 4: Port at Sitka with nature hike and kayak tour
Day 5: Port at Juneau with city walk and Menenhall Glacier hike
Day 6: Port at Skagway with ziplining tour
Day 7: Port at Ketchikan with floatplane over Misty Fjords
Day 8: Day at sea, cruising through inside passage
Day 9: Arrive Vancouver and visit to granville island
Day 10: Bike tour through Stanley Park
Day 11: Fly Vancouver to Newark
Highlights
- Stopping to stare at our first eagle hidden in a tree during a nature walk in Sitka...only to walk down the main road and see like 7 more about an hour later
- Enjoying champagne in the hot tub as the ship sailed through fog covered forests (which quickly became a daily habit)
- Getting fresh crab legs both on the boat and off
- Playing "how much does this useless souvenir cost" with Dan's dad while walking through Juneau
- Dan splitting his pants mid-bike ride in Vancouver and biking back in his boxers
- Finding a delicious sockeye salmon sushi restaurant for pre-dinner snack
Hotels
- Silversea Cruises