Disney Cruise to Alaska - Skagway

Shortly after hearing the all clear from the Captain, we boarded a bus for our first shore excursion, Liarsville Goldrush. 

This felt like a step back in time visiting a camp from the Alaska gold rush era.  We toured the camp, watched an entertaining puppet show about the gold rush, then panned for gold. 

You are guaranteed to find a piece of gold.  The gold nugget is actually a tiny gold flake but it's still a lot of fun trying to find it. 

We were also greeted by Disney Characters.... 

They served hot apple cider and cookies after panning for gold. 

We also enjoyed a salmon lunch.
 

When we returned to Skagway after the excursion, we spent some time shopping in town.  Skagway is a small town with a population of about 900 people.  There were several stores selling souvenirs and local art. 

If you like trains, there's a fun store here at the train station.

Visitor Information Center

We shopped for totems, found that there are a number of local Alaskan artists that turn antlers into  art.  After shopping we stopped at the Red Onion for a snack and a cold beer.  Back in the goldrush days, this saloon was a brothel.  Today, they only sell food and bevarage but every so often the Madame will invite you upstairs for a tour. 

We're not sure about the bed pans



We ended our visit of Skagway enjoying views of the area from the ship.

 

 

Disney Cruise to Alaska - Tracy Arm Fjord

I would cruise to Alaska again just for this experience of cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord.  This was our first up close glimpse of Alaska and the first time I've seen icebergs up close.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves....

Disney Cruise to Alaska - A Day at Sea

A day at sea is a great opportunity to explore the ship and then relax.

Grand Foyer

 

Studio Sea

Sports Anyone

Take in a movie by the pool.

Great Entertainment at the Walt Disney Theater

One of Three Main Dining Venues

Great views while enjoying a warm beverage.

Kids pool

Inside a stateroom

Wave Phones keep your party connected while onboard.

Amazing views from our balcony!

 

Disney Cruise to Alaska - Vancouver

Apologies for the long delay in telling this story of our Alaska cruise, but life happens.  And now, back to the Alaska Cruise... 

From Seattle, we drove up to Vancouver.  Other than having to take a detour north of Seattle due to a collapsed bridge, the drive was easy and uneventful. 

Vancouver is a great place to visit over a long weekend.  We stayed at Times Square Suites downtown Vancouver.  The two bedroom apartment we rented was fully furnished with a full kitchen.  There's a wide variety of restaurants nearby and a Safeway grocery store across the street.  You can read more about Times Square Suites on TripAdvisor. 

Later that evening, we visited Gastown, a touristy section of Vancouver that's full of shops and restaurants.  We ate dinner at a restaurant called the Flying Pig.  The food was excellent and the wine was plentiful.  We left the restaurant just in time to hear the Steam Clock go off.  I always enjoy this.

The next day we headed out to the Capilano Suspension Bridge.  It was only a short drive north after we crossed Lions Gate Bridge. 

 

As if the 450 ft suspension bridge wasn't enough, they have a series of bridges connected to massive trees called Treetop Adventure on the other side of the river.  They recently added Cliffwalk, a walkway that allows you to walk out over the river.  This attraction is still fairly new and the lines are long so arrive early or prepare to wait in line.

That same afternoon we headed over to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.  This is a must see.  They have an extensive collection of First Nation artifacts including totems, masks, tools, etc.

That's it for Vancouver.  Now it's embarkation day.  After breakfast at a neary restaurant, we head to the cruise port.  We pre-paid our parking at the convention center.  As we pulled up to the cruise port we were directed to where we needed to drop off our luggage and then found a parking space near an elevator with a ship on it which luckily turned out to be the elevator that took us right up to our cruise check in desk.  After a short wait for Disney to call our boarding number, we were on the ship.