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<\/p>\nAnyone looking to explore Alaska should seriously consider doing so on a cruise. This way you’ll get to see a whole load of Alaskan destinations, and take part in local activities that you might not otherwise have the chance to.<\/p>\n
I visited Alaska on a Princess Cruises Alaskan Cruise, and it was incredible. To be perfectly honest, the idea of a cruise never appealed to me. It was something I thought only retired people did, and it sounded like a particularly slow way to travel. I’m so used to packing my travels with daily adventures that when I heard it would be a few days at sea between each port, I thought I’d probably die of boredom.<\/p>\n
But, I’m pleased to say I was pleasantly surprised. Here’s how my trip turned out.<\/p>\n
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The cruise started from San Francisco, Pier 27 to be precise. I’m from the UK so I seized the opportunity to spend some time in San Francisco before the cruise departed, seeing the sights and visiting family members.<\/p>\n
Pier 27 was reasonably close to Pier 39 (a buzzing tourist pier, full of restaurants, arcades and shops), so we stopped there for a while for some lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp (oh yes), before walking a little further to pier 45, otherwise known as the Mus\u00e9e M\u00e9canique. This was the perfect way to spend the time we had to wait before we could board. The museum is full of arcade machines and penny games that will throw you back in time, and there’s something for everyone there too.<\/p>\n
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Once the time came for us to board, I was impressed by how speedy the process was. If, like me, you’re used to waiting in security queues at airports for absolutely ages, you’re in for a treat, because as it turns out, cruise terminals are a lot quicker and more organised when it comes to getting people through security and safely on board.<\/p>\n
Once we got through security we were handed our very own Princess Cruises cards to use on board for drinks, snacks, everything!<\/p>\n
Once the commotion of boarding had died down it was time to set sail, and three days of non-stop cruising awaited us.<\/p>\n
Having never been on a cruise ship before, I didn’t really think that there could be all that much to do. I’d packed books, work to do, my laptop, anything that I thought might keep me from going slowly insane. And do you know what? I didn’t touch any of it.<\/p>\n
WiFi on board was ridiculously expensive, and priding myself on being a budget traveler, there was no way I could justify it. So I seized the opportunity to cut myself off from the outside world for a few days, and explore what the ship had to offer.<\/p>\n
There was so much it was almost overwhelming. No matter how many times I walked around the ship, I kept discovering new things, and getting lost repeatedly (in a good way).<\/p>\n
The first thing I found on my around-the-ship adventures was endless amounts of food. Seriously, there was food everywhere. From the buffet, to the coffee shop, to the pizzeria, to the ice-cream stand, to several formal restaurants, wherever I went on the ship, I was never more than a couple of minutes away from food, and good food at that! And the best part was that most of it was free (well, included in the overall price I’d paid for the cruise).<\/p>\n
So once I’d finished trying every sweet and savoury snack I could manage, I went on to find out where and what the onboard entertainment was, because as much as I love food, I couldn’t manage a ten day cruise doing nothing but eating.<\/p>\n
There was a whole entertainment program, including things like games, competitions, workshops, evening shows, Bingo, there was even a Casino! As well as organised entertainment, there was also plenty to do spontaneously. There was a shuffle board, a basketball court, a pool, gym and a running track. So as you can imagine, I was instantly drawn into onboard activities and my books and work were long forgotten.<\/p>\n
Lots of people travel to Alaska in the hope of seeing whales, whale watching was even an optional excursion at a lot of the ports, but we were able to watch over the side of the ship and catch a few unplanned glimpses of fish, dolphins and even one or two whales.<\/p>\n
Once we got a little closer to land, the scenery was also incredible. We sailed through glacier carved fjords, and admired waterfalls – there were endless photo opportunities.<\/p>\n
One member of our party had booked a cabin with a balcony, and so even when the weather got a bit too chilly to be standing up on deck, we were able to sight see and take pictures without getting too windswept. We all snuggled under blankets, with wooly hats and a glass of champagne, enjoying the mountain scenery.<\/p>\n
Juneau was the first port of call for our ship, and it was the one I was most excited about. Why? Because I’d booked a kayaking excursion to explore Mendenhall Lake, and hopefully see some more Alaskan wildlife.<\/p>\n
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Here’s a video showing a few different clips of my excursion. We may not have seen any whales, but I stand by that it was the best possible way to explore the untouched areas of Juneau.<\/p>\n