Hey friends!  Thanks so much for returning to the blog for the third and final part of our Alaska cruise! 

In case you missed it, you can go back and read “Part 1” by clicking on this link: “Alaska Cruise Part 1: Seattle, Embarkation, At Sea”, “Part 2” by clicking on this link: “Alaska Cruise Part 2: Juneau and Skagway” And I also have a cruise planning post that you can read about by clicking here: “Alaska Cruise Planning for People with Disabilities”

On Day 5 Wednesday, we cruised the inlets of the Glacier Bay National Park.  This was a day at sea because we weren’t actually going on land but instead, viewing the glaciers from the ship.  I don’t believe there’s a better way to see them given the remote location.  Earlier in the morning, a small vessel had pulled up to the ship to drop off a couple of Interpretive Park Rangers.  They had come aboard for the day to provide narrations and other useful information while we viewed from the ship.  This was conveniently broadcast on every channel and loudspeaker so we didn’t miss out no matter where on the ship we were located.  The Mendenhall Glacier that we saw earlier in the week was a teaser for the magnificence we were about to witness. 

The forward bow of the ship was going to be open to passengers, just for the day, for viewing the glaciers.  We hoped that by having a leisurely breakfast and waiting a little while would be enough time for the initial rush of people to cycle through.  The normally crowded atrium was nearly empty as many passengers were already outside.

To get to the bow of the ship, we had to go to deck 8 and all the way to the front of the ship.  Anything that rolled, i.e. wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, strollers etc., was not allowed past a certain point.  We had to leave Caitlin’s transport chair at the halfway point of a long and narrow hallway.  At the end of the hallway there was a heavy metal door that opened to the outdoors.  Then from there, we had to climb a flight of stairs to finally arrive on the outer deck.  This was definitely a test of strength and stamina for Caitlin but she’s been exercising at weekly personal training sessions in addition to gym class at school.  Stairs are a significant barrier for people with physical disability like Caitlin but because of her positive attitude, she saw this as a chance to show that her hard work has paid off!  She has loads of confidence and often tells me: “I do steps everywhere and I’m good at them!” 

Jaw-dropping views surrounded us as we ascended on to the mostly unobstructed bow.  There was still quite a crowd of people on the deck.  However, everyone was being polite and took turns at the best picture-taking spots.  The ship was seemingly motionless as we lingered in the inlet.  Because the ship was still and quiet, this amplified the viewing experience and we took the opportunity to soak it all in.  I really got the sense of how large the glaciers are when I compared them to the ship.  As I observed Margerie Glacier, I guessed it was at least six stories (or about 70ft) from the surface of the water since we were standing eye-level on the eighth or ninth deck (subtracting out a couple decks below sea level).  That was a severe underestimate after I researched it later and discovered it was actually 250 ft high from the water surface!  Norwegian really encouraged guests to stay on the bow as long as they wanted and even served seafood chowder and hot cocoa.  We stayed for about an hour before heading back to our cabin to take more pictures from our balcony.

We saw seals slipping into the water from some of the larger pieces of iceberg as well as in the distance resting on the rock where the mountain meets the water. 

The colors of the Alaskan landscape are crisp and cool from the striking blue glaciers, to the icy teal water, to the mossy green mountains playing peek a boo through the ashen white clouds

On Day 6 Thursday, we arrived in Ketchikan at 7am.  With only about five hours in port we opted not to plan anything and just walk the town.  I was surprised that we docked at Ward Cove which is about a 15-minute drive to Ketchikan.  When looking at google maps it seemed more convenient to dock right in town, but I’m sure there was a good reason why we didn’t.  Ward Cove was under construction and there was not a lot there except a warehouse that was set up as a gigantic gift shop.  We had to walk thru the gift shop to get to the shuttle area.  The lines were long because it’s the only way to get to town and it’s not really walkable from there.  There was a separate, shorter line for shuttles for people with disabilities.  They had a couple of wheelchair accessible shuttle buses and smaller passenger vans.  Things were moving along smoothly and with a wait time of about 20 minutes plus the 15-minute drive to town, it took about 40 minutes total to get to town.  There are big plans to transform Ward Cove into a top cruise ship destination in the future but they hadn’t made a lot of progress for our visit.

Once in town, we strolled up and down the streets window shopping and popping into the many souvenir and jewelry shops.  The highlight of our walk was the Historic Creek Street shopping district.  This is an elevated boardwalk over the Ketchikan Creek with charming shops and galleries selling unique items.  We spotted a couple of adorable seals playing in the water. 

Ketchikan was the only stop on the trip where we encountered another cruise ship.  We happened to meet a nice couple that was on that other cruise.  They were about a week or so into a 28-day cruise from Los Angeles to Tokyo!  Wow, now that’s a voyage of a lifetime!

Back on the boat, our friends scored the best seats in the observation lounge.  We sat there for hours taking turns whale-watching with the binoculars and enjoying the unlimited drink package.  It wasn’t too hard to spot the whales because the lounge would erupt with excitement and passengers would point to exactly where they were.  Later in the early evening, we enjoyed the other Broadway show Jersey Boys.  It was good but not as impressive as the other show.

On Day 7 Friday, we were mostly at sea.  We had left the calm waters of the inner passage and were heading toward our final stop in Victoria.  We encountered major headwinds which delayed our arrival by nearly two hours.  The boat was rocking pretty good all day.  I’m certain we all would have been very sea-sick but fortunately we had been taking Dramamine.  We watched another Beatles show in the afternoon and during the show we could hear big booms from the waves crashing against the ship.  We were definitely swaying in our seats and I was amazed at how the performers on stage were able to keep their balance.  I guess they must be used to performing in all kinds of sailing conditions. 

We spent a bit of time again in the Observation Lounge.  The drink and food service were top-notch all week.  Take a look at these neat drinks they made for Caitlin.  When we arrived in Victoria we decided not to go on land.  It was about 9:30 at night and we were only scheduled to be there a few hours.  We chose to have an unhurried dinner with our friends on this final evening of the cruise.  We headed out to the open sea again after midnight.  The heavy winds, waves and rocking continued throughout the night.  I’m surprised none of us rolled out of our beds!

Here are some other miscellaneous tips and information from our trip.  We knew we would likely get motion sickness and preferred to stay ahead of it so we all took Dramamine every day.  Elevators on a cruise ship are always packed.  They had one marked “priority” for people with disabilities but it was actually faster just to get in any elevator that had space even if we had to go up a few decks to come back down or vice versa.  The cruise line has Port Valet Service where they take your luggage straight to the airport from the ship.  This saves you from having to get your luggage from the cruise terminal and also checking it in at the airport.  There is a deadline to sign up for the service, which we missed and unfortunately, we could not take advantage of the convenient service.  Rideshare services and taxis are plentiful at the Seattle cruise ship terminal.  I had pre-reserved a ride and he was running late and I felt obligated to keep the reservation.  Had I known, I would not have made a reservation and just grabbed any rideshare.  We used the cruise ship laundry service and it was reasonably priced.  It does take a couple of days so best time to use it is Day 3 of the cruise so you have clean clothes back for the last few days.  There were a lot of dance parties, dance lessons and music playing around every corner of the ship.  This created a fun party atmosphere and we all loved it!

That wraps up our Alaska Cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line!