2019 Aug 31- Sep 7 Alaska Cruise

Our 6th Alaska cruise but our first Medallion cruise on the Royal Princess. The medallion is an RFID coin that replaces a cruise card for entry and purchases but can also be used to locate people on the ship. Nice concept that's a little more secure than carrying a cruise card and i like how it unlocks your cabin door when it senses that you are close by. We had a big group with mom, Allyse, Steven, and Kevin & Liz.
Since we've done most of the excursions before we opted to go to a crab feast at George Inlet Lodge at Ketchikan. All you can eat fresh, steamed Dungeness crab. There was a 90 minute time limit but we were a little past capacity when it was time to leave.









We rented a car in Juneau and explored on our own along the 42 mile scenic highway. Stopped by at McCaulay Salmon Hatchery, Auke Bay, Eagle Beach, the National Shrine of St Therese, and Mendenhall Glacier. Saw a few eagles and a mama bear with a just caught salmon crossing a creek with two cubs at Eagle Beach. Another mama bear and cubs were crossing the road along the drive.

At Skagway, we visited the Kroschel Wildlife Center in Haines. Very entertaining place where they rescue animals but also do wildlife filming.The owner/guide had the personality of Doc from Back to the Future. Crazy and funny and strange, he introduced us to some exotic animals up close and personal. We got to see a bear, wolverine, arctic fox, baby moose, lynx, mink, feed a wolf, kiss a moose, feed caribou, and pet a porcupine.























The last couple of days were scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. The highlight of Glacier Bay is Marjerie Glacier which is a 21 mile long tidewater glacier with a 350 ft high, one mile wide face where it enters the bay. We learned that it is one of the few glaciers that is not receding.

College Fjord is named for the 5 tidewater glaciers and 5 hanging glaciers that can be seen at the northern end of Prince William Sound, all named after elite east coast schools. They are tightly packed where we could see at least 8 of them from a single vantage point.




After disembarking the ship at Whittier, it was a 90 minute drive to Anchorage. We had 13 hours until our flight so we  drove 2 hours to Matanuska Glacier and a beautiful hike on the foot of the glacier. We climbed inside ice caves, saw moulins, crevasses, and many other ice formations. Not as adventurous as the Denali helicopter glacier hike or as strenuous as the Athabaska glacier hike but it's always interesting to be on a glacier in any circumstance.