If you have taken an ocean cruise, on a larger ship, you may have seen the on-board art seller Park West Gallery. This art seller is on many cruise lines and we ran across them when we were on our first ocean cruise in 2019. At that time, we purchased several pieces and over the last couple of years bought a couple more. As a result of those purchases, Park West Gallery offered us a “free” Alaska Cruise on Princess. We have booked an Alaska cruise several times and had to cancel for one reason or another. So, when they offered up the trip we said yes. On our prior bookings we had included the land portion but for this it was only the sea part of the Itinerary that was offered. We figured “why not” and thus we found ourselves heading to Seattle for departure on Discovery Princess this past week.
Let me state at the outset, we are NOT big fans of large ships. Our trip through the Panama Canal was on the smallest ship in the Princess Fleet with maybe 800 passengers. This ship, the Discovery Princess, is one of the newest in the fleet and carries over 4,000 passengers. Needless to say, we don’t really care for all of the things that they offer – unlimited eating opportunities, casino, various craft activities, pools and lots and lots of drinking so there won’t be much about the actual Cruise – but there will be some discussion of the several excursions we have taken that got us off the ship.
Ketchikan, Alaska, is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world—Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture.
Due to our thriving, century-old commercial fishery, Ketchikan is known as “The Salmon Capital of the World” and they are proud of their fishing culture and passionate about providing opportunities for visitors to catch and/or otherwise enjoy the best seafood on the planet.
The year-round population of the City is maybe 10,000 with another large number seasonal workers coming in to support the tourist trade – from about April to the beginning of October. As we walked around the town, which didn’t take very long as there isn’t much to see, there were various shops selling all the traditional souvenirs and jewelry. When I asked several people if they were local, the consistent answer was “no, I just come for the season”. Several people said they follow the cruise ships – winter in the Caribbean and summer in Alaska. Most, if not all, of the shops close up (including boarding up windows) at the end of the season
Our first excursion, after docking in Ketchikan, was on a small boat ride where we were guaranteed eagle sightings, eagles’ nests and views of the Totem Bight State Park along with some other interesting views from the water. Once off the ship we boarded bus for the 20-minute trip to the boat we had an interesting narrative about Ketchikan and the history of the place. Our bus driver was actually a resident and certainly provided some interesting commentary about the City.
On board, we were offered a beverage (coffee, hot chocolate, water) and the use of binoculars and the trip began! Our Capitan, a 5th generation local, guided us out and pointed out various points of interest including
We had the option of sitting in the heated main cabin or enjoy the open-air observation deck – we chose the open-air deck! It wasn’t very long before an eagle was sighted – seems with the white neck, they look a lot like a golf ball sitting in a tree – at least from a distance.
As we got closer to them, they become recognizable for sure. While I had hoped to see them diving for fish in the water, they were usually stationary and only twisted their neck as we motored along.
The entire area is part of the Tongass National Forest which covers a good portion of this part of Alaska. Along the way, we were able to see the totem poles and clan house of Totem Bight State Park from the water.
Additional views from the water of colorful cabins and unique homes round out this breathtaking seascape houses were quite interesting – remember, all of this area is an island and thus most transport is via boat or float plane.
Along the way, we were offered sampler plates with salmon spread, crackers, bull kelp pickles, artisan chocolate and assorted beverages which were enjoyable for sure. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any moon jellyfish, whales, deer or other animals as we motored along. We did see some seals but that was about all for marine life. However, even though we didn’t see much wildlife, the time on the adventure was well spent and enjoyable.
The narrative provided was informative and included some historical points of reference including the history of The Guard Island Lighthouse – a 100-year-old beacon to safeguard the ocean going sailors.
All-in-all it was a nice trip and one we enjoyed very much. If you find yourself looking for something to do in Ketchikan I would suggest you check them out. https://lighthouseexcursion.com
Because there is such an influx of out of town help, they have a shortage of housing. One of the solutions was the use of a retired ferry – docked by where we joined our tour boat trip.
Once off the boat, we got on the bus and back towards the Ship or to walk around the town of Ketchikan. As we had several hours, we wandered around looking at the various shops and up to the river that runs through – where the salmon run.
While we did see salmon in the river it was not as great as it might have been a couple of weeks ago when the river was teaming with salmon on their way up.
Heading back to the ship, we noticed these lovely mosaic banners hanging from posts.
Back on the ship we relaxed and got ready for our next adventure.