Vancouver to Skagway via the Holland America Zuiderdam
We sailed away from Vancouver under sunny skies, just clearing the Lions Gate Bridge – the limiting factor for cruise ships in Vancouver.
Our cabin was on the 1st floor (officially called the Main Deck– jokingly called the Pluto Deck) with our porthole looking straight out at the water, providing views of the islands of British Columbia as we sailed the Inside Strait.
Food and service aboard the Zuiderdam was excellent, the best we have had since the Columbus in 2020. Our first evening gave us a fabulous sunset and our first whale sightings!
The first full day it drizzled off and on, but remained fairly warm. To provide education and keep people entertained, there are naturalists onboard who lecture about the animals commonly seen along the trip.
Our only stop for this leg of the journey was Juneau – one of only 2 state capitals that cannot be reached by land). It became the capital of Alaska in 1906 and is second in size to Anchorage (and is the only state capital that borders a foreign country).
Rather than do any tours, we wandered the city on foot (and will be back again in 2 weeks). We had a mission – find Wifi and a grocery store. The grocery store was on the edge of downtown, en route we enjoyed a local beer at one of the many pubs (most places did not have wifi – a restaurant /bar at a hotel is your best bet to connect, there is also free wifi provided by the library on the pier – but so many people jump on its very slow).
One of the must stop-ins is The Red Dog Saloon across from the pier. The waitstaff dress in late 19thcentury outfits (complete with corsets for the ladies), there is live music and local beers (and root beers) on tap.
The Alaska Museum is close to Food City and is open until 4:30 (and they mean 4:30 – they are ushering you out and locking the doors). It provides an excellent history of Alaska, and had a special display of the salmon industry in the Juneau area and the importance of Alaska in WWII.
I had forgotten that Japan had invaded and taken over part of the Aleutian Islands, creating the drive to create the Alaska-Canada Highway –which still connects the Yukon in Canada to Alaska.
We said goodbye to the Zuiderdam and the wonderful staff in Skagway to head into the Yukon!