Excursion review: Vancouver to Whistler Rocky Mountaineer Trip

Today we are on an excursion I booked through Viator.

We were picked up at 6.50 am at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver where we are staying and transferred to the train station where we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer train to go to Whistler. 

It's a lovely sunny day here with a forecast   temperature of 27 degrees. 

The train trip is a very picturesque ride through the fjords and mountains.

On the train they served us a nice breakfast of yoghurt and a ham and cheese croissant along with tea, coffee and juices. Very nice.

The trip to Whistler takes 2-3 hours. 

Here are some photos taken from the train as we made our way through the fjords and up to the mountain.

When we arrived in Whistler we had four hours free time before we had to meet our bus to go back down the muntain.

We had a nice lunch at The Blacks Pub. Heaps of Aussies everywhere!

Then we went on a cable car trip up to the top of Whistler mountain where we would get on a gondola to go 'peak 2 peak' between Whistler mountain and Blackcomb mountain. A bit scary but awesome. Here are soma shots we took.

These little cable cars take up to 6 people. 

This was just the cable car up the mountain. It took 25 minutes so you can imagine how high we had to go. As we approached the top of the mountain, the views became more majestic as snow topped mountains came into view. I can only imagine this place in winter with snow everywhere. I can see why this was the location of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Then at the top of the mountain we got on the gondola to go across to the other peak. Here is a photo of the gondola car. This one seats up to 24 people.

Just awesome.

Then we did the same trip in reverse to return to the base.

After this we went to meet our bus and started on the 3 hour rude back to Vancouver.

We got back to our hotel after 7.00pm so we were super tired. We had been out six 6.00am.

A great excursion, big day. Tomorrow we board the Disney Wonder!!

Hubbard Glacier

On the cruise we spent two days at Hubbard Glacier. The ship goes right up to the glacier and spins around a few times so everyone gets a good look.
The whole day is spectacular as you sail up to the glacier, the anticipation builds. Get a great spot on your balcony or on deck, grab a hot beverage and prepare to be dazzled. At this place it is like all the worries of the world are forgotten. It is very cold but worth every moment.

As you sail up to the glacier the water is more and more littered with glacier ice. The sight of this glacier and the sounds of it cracking are eerie and this is an awesome experience.

Photos below

Juneau, Alaska - on our own

Today we are in Juneau for the second time on this trip. Last time we were here we went on an excursion to the glacier so this time we decided to explore on our own. In Juneau we step off the ship and we are in the main tourist part of town Right at the wharf is the Mount Roberts Tramway which is a cable car that takes you up Mount Roberts. Tickets are a little pricey, $32 per adult and $16 per child but you get a full day pass it you want to have multiple rides.

We took the cable car up, it is a little eery going into the clouds hanging by this cable but was worth the experience. We did a little souvenir shopping at the store and then went and had lunch at the restaurant there. Very nice meals and a lovely setting. I had to have the king crab legs, I am hooked on these and I doubt I will get to have then again!

After lunch we took the cable car down the mountain and went shopping.

We had attended a shopping presentation on board the ship. This presentation was designed to give you the best tips on shopping in each of the ports and how to get the best discounts.

One thing I was surprised about was that all these Alaskan towns are full of jewellery stores. Just about every second store is a jewellery store. I didn't understand why this was the case. It turns out Alaska is the place to shop for precious gems and jewels! The stores here are the size of department stores.  The stores open only during the cruise season and then pack up and go home. The selection is endless! When we attended the presentation we got to understand about he different gems available here. 

We started our shopping at Diamonds International to get our free charm bracelet. They are very smart getting you in the door to get your 'free' bracelet and then they start the sales pitch. Anyway they must have seen me coming because I left this store much poorer!

In the next store Effy, I managed not to buy anything other than a small earring and pendant set which was a special offer that I had from the ship.

The next store we went to was Del Sol. This is a great store for t shirts that change colour in the sun. They also have Disney character t shirts that change colour in the sun too. We got a few of these. Michael was disappointed he couldn't wear one right away, there is no sun here! 

We kept going on our shopping tour, in the drizzly rain and our next stop was Milano Jewellery. I wanted to go to this store to get our free rain poncho....but left 30 minutes later after having purchased some 'dancing diamond' earrings. I am such an easy mark!

I think we will stay away from the jewellery stores for the rest if the trip!

Here are some photos of the ship alongside the town.

Here is a photo from the top of Mount Roberts. The two ships are Rhapsody of the Seas and Silver Shadow. There is also a Holland America ship here in addition to ours.

Although it was raining, which is normal for Jueanu, we had a good day out.

Alaskan Crab: yum

We have been on the hunt for the best Alaskan King Crab on this trip. I tried some at Tracy's King Crab Shack in Juneau and again in Skagway at the Skagway Fish Company. Today I tried it right here on Radiance of the Seas. Rita's Cantina previously Mexican fare has been transformed into a Crab Shack for the Alaskan season. They serve king crab legs, chowder in a bread bowl, fish and chips and other variations. It is a la carte but it not too expensive, worth a try though.

I think the best crab legs were those at Tracy's Crab Shack. The venue is pretty rustic and can be cold to dine there but the food is great. 

The crab is served hot and comes with condiments but I like it plain. It was so delicious!

Seward Alaska

We have reached the most northern port on our Alaskan cruise. Most passengers are disembarking today. We are staying for the return cruise to Vancouver.

This morning we will be changing over our sea pass cards and being 'cleared' to commence the next cruise. Later today the ship will be full again with a new group of passengers. 

Here are some photos from our balcony this morning. It is very cold here. The snow on the mountains is proof!

Excursion in Skagway: The White Pass Railway and Historic City Sights

In Skagway we went on a ship organised excursion where we headed up the mountains in our coach and then boarded the White Pass Railway to descend the mountain. This railway has historic significance as it was built during the gold rush by 35,000 men in the early 1900s. It took just over 2 years to build and it was considered at the time an impossible venture to build a railway in these treaturous mountains. Many died during its construction. The conditions were also deadly through the Alaskan winters. Rock was blasted off the mountain face with explosives until a roadway could be made to lay the track.

The train was authentic and the carriages were as they were in the old days. 

The excursion was really good with narrated commentary throughout the trip.

We left the ship at 8.00 am and returned to town at 12.00. We had the choice to take the train back to the ship or get off in town which is what we did. We had a look around before heading back to the ship on foot, not far at all.

On the way to the ship, near the wharf, we stopped at the Skageay Seafood Company for lunch. I had to have king crab legs! Trevor had fish and chips. The king crab is awesome. The legs are huge! 

Here are some photos.

  

Juneau Excursion: 'Discover the Mendenhall Glacier'

I am sitting in our tour bus as we leave the Mendenhall Glacier site. It was drizzly and cold but that didn't stop us. What a wonderful natural marvel.

Here are some photos:

This was a short ship organised excursion where you get taken to the site in a coach and then you have 1.5 hours of free time at the site to explore and take photos.

Now we are heading back into town.

I would recommend this excursion.

Juneau - Alaska's capital city

This morning we were greeted by a cloudy foggy day. Rain is forecast but we are headed off on an excursion to see the Mendenhall glacier.

This is the view from our balcony this morning.

There are two other cruise ships in town today. I suspect it will be a busy town today with potentially over 7,000 people arriving by ship!

We have arrived in Alaska.....first port.....Ketchikan!

Our first port in Alaska is Ketchikan. This was Alaska's first city and is the salmon capital of the world!

After breakfast we went ashore to the meeting place for our excursion 'Historic Ketchikan Trolley'. This was a tour around the city sights and to a totem pole village. We then teturned to town and went for a walk through the streets before making our way back to the ship.

This town is very unique. The construction of the homes is mainly timber and as the town is built on a mountain side, the homes are often high up.

The weather was cool, forecast was for 15 degrees. This is typical summer weather in Alaska! It rains most of the year but for a few hours we had clear skies and then it started to rain very slightly. 

There are three ships in port today, our ship the Radiance of the Seas,  the Celebrity Solstice and the Pacific Princess. 

Here are some photos.

The view from our balcony as we had just docked in the port.

This is the Trolley car we went in for our excursion.

We are now back on the ship and relaxing prior to sailing away to the next port this afternoon.

Today we boarded our cruise on Radiance of the Seas to Alaska!

We arrived in Vancouver yesterday afternoon from Los Angeles.  We checked in to our hotel, the Hyatt Regency which was really nice. We then went off to dinner at Pacifico Pizzeria and Ristorante. I had found this place on Yelp and made a reservation before we left Australia. Dinner was really nice and then we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Today we boarded our cruise ship. It took  ages to get through customs at the port as there were two ships embarking at the same time. We eventually got in the ship and we are now enjoying our lovely Grand Suite. This will be our home fir the next 14 nights. Very nice.....

Our cabin is 1554 and is on the hump of the ship.

My preordered Evian water was here waiting for us along with a welcome back gift from Royal Caribbiean for being a loyal return guest. 

This should be a good trip with visits to Ketchiken, Juneau, Skagway, the Hubbard Glacier and we hope to see some great sights...,.

Our stay at Disneyland

We arrived at our accommodation the Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel after a long day at Universal Studios.

We had booked a transfer through our travel agent and they arrived promptly. The driver was terrible, we thought we would not arrive in one piece. After an hour and a half we were there.

This hotel was one of the cheaper ones to select on the Disney website when I booked our package stay. It was not great and the restaurant was not very good. One day we wandered down to breakfast as you do at a hotel only to be told that there was a 40 minute wait for a table. Never seen that before at a hotel! I should have booked the Grand Californian which was nicer but more expensive. Oh well.....

We had two days at the the parks so we decided to go there in the mornings and evenings and return to our hotel for a rest in the afternoons. That was a good idea because we were so tired. 

Michael enjoyed Cars land at the Grand  California Adventure Park and went on some rides and saw his favourite places in Radiator Springs. Even though he is ten years old and says he doesn't like Cars anymore, he was still very excited to  be in Radiator Springs!

On the first night we returned to the park to watch the World of Colour water show. 

We had secured a 'fast pass' earlier in the day and returned at the designated time to get our spot for the show. We lined up for over an hour even with the fast pass and then found a spot. After another hour the show started.and it was really good. 

After the show we headed back to our hotel to sleep. 

On the second day we looked around Disneylsnd. I preferred this park to the first one. We want on lots of rides and checked out various attractions. It was a good day.

We had dinner at Naples Restauramt in the Dowmtown Disney District. I would recommend this restaurant if you go to Disneyland. The pizza is excellent and authentic.

The downtown Disney district is really cool for shopping. It's a hive of activity and it's not even in the park!. 

Universal Studios!

Today we visited Universal Studios with a front of line pass. We took the studio tour which was really good. So hot though .... We spent a better part of the day doing the usual theme park things before heading back to our hotel. We are having a refreshing drink before we head off to Anaheim to spend the next two days at Disneyland.

Arrival in the US

We arrived in the US on Sunday the 17th of August, same day we left Australia, just 2 hours later. How weird? The flights were ok, lots of turbulence and very very long lines at customs on LA. We had our fingerprints taken and even our photograph! We checked in at our hotel, the Loews Hollywood. It was centrally located with all the Hollywood attractions just down the street. We checked out the walk of fame which was extremely crowded. Here is a photo of Robin Williams star which was adorned with flowers.

We went to dinner at Trastevere in the Highland Center. We had a nice Italian meal and then went back to the hotel for an early night, we were very tired by this point!