( full details are below )
down to Vancouver in Canada, where we spent a couple days before heading home…
Here's our eDiary—more snaps & details may arrive here and on my FaceBook page!
| Date | Events | Arrival | Departure |
| Thu, Aug 6th, 2026 Our 1st day |
We flew North from home to Anchorage in Alaska
Up at 4am EST ( which was midnight in Alaska ), dressed & left for the airport at 5am to our via airport, Seattle Made it to the gate with a wheel-chair on time @6:30, where boarding was to start shortly… resolved the window/middle seat! Flight pushed back at 7:45am EST; about an hour in, a Chicken Salad sandwich was chosen for our breakfast munch… I had a couple bites We arrived 
in Seattle, our transit airport,
and made it to the gate with my 2nd wheel-chair ride
The plane pushed back on time @ 10:45am, launching @ 10:54am for Anchorage, Alaska… I snoozed mostly on the flight: my seat had no usable screen to watch that I could pop up :( Saw out of the window ( from the left side of the plane, no idea as to where, but guessing to the West of us ) as we started to descend some beautiful snow-covered mountains for the 1st time on our waaaay-North vacation! We hit the ground in Anchorage at 2pm & was again taken in a wheel-chair ( the 3rd ) across the airport to baggage claim where our bags showed up a.ok—tipped the transporter & then both of the luggage haulers, up to 5x$5 so far! Probably not going to catch them all ;) On the bus at 2:40pm, transferred by the cruise team to the Hilton Hotel; our driver advised us nicely as he drove, pretty nice weather, sunshine vs. rain, mid-60’s, partly cloudy. Got some overnight what-to-do advice, bags outside of room by 6am Checked in for the 1st night, showered and went out for a beer around 3:30pm 
where we heard the group of 4 military jets howling past us several times (!)
We returned and ate dinner, repacked our bags as we could only take one with us for the 3 days; relaxed; I was asleep at 5pm-ish ( 9pm home time ) and awoke a couple times & we awoke at 4:20am, 10+ hours of overnight sleep! The town of Anchorage, beautifully situated on the Cook Inlet & surrounded by the Chugach Mountains is a hub of activity with everything from fine restaurants & frontier saloons to museums & art galleries Each of these red "event advisories" were provided with our booking |
2pm |
4am |
| Fri, Aug 7th | Talkeetna, Alaska We were up by 5:55am & had brkf at 6:30am, more coffee, OJ/water, eggs, bacon, sausage & potatoes Twiddled for 90 minutes, coach boarding at 9:45am and we left at 10am 
driver yakked a little!
Stopped at a Subway/gas station after an hour or so 2 let people off the bus, potty, buy beer etc
Checking in etc after 2+ hours of seeing trees on both sides with occasional mountains… a bit of a yawn We arrived at 12:45pm at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge for the 2nd night, dropped bags, went to an adjacent bar for an hour or 2 as the room wasn’t ready until 4pm or so, a long day!! After we got into our room a little early, Sandy’s downtown trip w/Amy & Tom for a walk & lunch was a couple hours… I snoozed! Awoke around 2-ish and Sandy returned around 4pm without bringing any food which I was anticipating :( We had dinner here around 6pm, nice appetizers & beer, crappy chicken… $98 after tip!! We hit the hay around 7pm |
12:45pm | |
| Sat, Aug 8th | Holland America Denali Lodge, Alaska
We slept well awoke 3-4 times; up around 6am ( Sandy was already awake for 3 hours ), rinsed, repacked, etc & dropped suitcases at 7:15am with a light brkf at 7:20… relaxed in the lobby until our coach left at 9:30am for a 2+ hour ride to the Holland America Denali Lodge at Mile 238.9 Parks Highway in Denali National Park, Alaska Checked in at 12:45pm, grabbed a sandwich/yummy! Got on the tour bus at 1:30, stopping a few times, especially at the Hurricane Gulch Bridge We had dinner there, I ordered a pizza, 1/3 of which came back to our room |
||
| Sun, Aug 9th | Denali National Park, Alaska
Slept well, up 2 p once, awoken at 4:30am by Sandy who was in the shower Pizza bite for brkf, bags packed by 6am, be at the bus by 7:15am for the ride to the train On the McKinley Explorer, a train from Denali that headed South to Whittier, our departure port A bus took us to the train station, dropping us off where we waited 20 ( chilly! ) minutes or so for the arrival, which honked very loudly as it stopped!! At 7:30, moved up onto the 2nd floor, great window views!! Brkf in the food cabin on the 1st floor at 8:45, nice skillet for $19—too many potato bites tho’ Lunch was soup & a sandwich, another beer, back in seat at 1pm We arrive late afternoon after riding the rails all day & got to our suite on the ship; the ship boarding lady showed up around 2:30 to check passports, boarding pass etc. Asked if she can help with our free-dinner timing, suggested we call them from our cabin once we are all checked in Our 1st formal dinner was at 8pm! I had a beer, then salad, halibut, deep-fried with curry, creamed spinach & a cheese plate We then sailed away from Whittier |
8:00pm |
|
| Mon, Aug 10th At Sea |
Cruising the Hubbard Glacier More details will appear as I drill the cruise details! As you travel, you will come face to face with a gigantic wall of ice that fills your view & extends for miles in either direction The glacier is a titan on the move, advancing faster than almost any other glacier on the continent. When it reaches saltwater at Disenchantment Bay, the imposing architecture of this behemoth measures five miles in width & 40 stories in height, dwarfing even the largest ships As you glide along this sparkling blue marvel, watch for seals basking on ice floes, listen for the loud, deep rumble & wait for the mighty crack & thunderous crash At any moment, you could be witness to an eternal drama as nature's hand sculpts icebergs before your wondering eyes |
In Port: 3pm |
6pm |
| Tue, Aug 11th | Glacier Bay
As a Biosphere Reserve & UNESCO World Heritage Site, Glacier Bay National Park protects a unique ecosystem of plants & animals living in concert with an ever-changing glacial landscape How does it feel when a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier & crashes into the sea? The sound is like thunder. The impact shoots water hundreds of feet into the air. You hold your breath as you catch the moment on film. Then you wait for it all to happen again. And it does. Glacier Bay has more actively calving tidewater glaciers than anyplace else in the world |
In Port: 8:30am |
6:30pm |
| Wed, Aug 12th | Skagway, Alaska
The sidewalks are all but rolled up in Skagway come winter, so you can only imagine the frightful conditions endured by the gold prospectors who passed through en route to the Yukon, with a mandatory ton of supplies to be hauled with them over the steep & treacherous Trail of '98. Today, summertime visits to Skagway require nothing of the sort, but you can still ride the antique White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway up through silvery-purple rock faces, past Deadhorse Gulch, to see what it was like back then Local tour to the Klondike Highway via the White Pass rail for 4 hours Take your time & poke into every little store from the Trail Bench to Lynch & Kennedy's Dry Goods. The Red Onion Saloon, with its honky-tonk piano & costumed barmaids, is a treasure trove of memorabilia featuring pictures of Klondike Kate, Peahull Annie & other vintage characters. To complete the picture of those rip-roaring days, visit the nostalgic Trail of '98 Museum. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park boasts restored buildings & wooden boardwalks that invite you to take a stroll into the past |
In Port: 7:00am 12:30pm |
9:00pm |
| Thu, Aug 13th | Juneau, Alaska
Located at the foot of the grand mountain peaks on the Gastineau Channel, the town of Juneau has the massive Mendenhall Glacier & the immense Juneau Icefields at its back door. Juneau is the place to let your imagination run wild. Explore the lush Tongass National Forest. Visit the rustic shops in town. Or get out & kayak, dogsled, raft, hike, whale watch, flightsee or fish Local tour to the Mendenhall Glacier and the gardens for 4 hours; Don stays in the ship There's no end to the adventure because of the long daylight hours. Climb aboard the Mt. Roberts Tramway for a great spot to hike & shoot a souvenir photo |
In Port: 8:00am 9am |
6:00pm |
| Fri, Aug 14th | Ketchikan, Alaska
Built out over the water & climbing weathered stairways, Ketchikan clings to the shores of Tongass Narrows & drapes the mountains with a cheerful air. Besides the main attractions - Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park & Saxman Village, try a wilderness cruise to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument--a transformational adventure not to be missed Local Hummer tour around Ketchikan These deep water fjords left by retreating glaciers left granite cliffs towering thousands of feet above the sea & countless waterfalls cascading into placid waters. The souvenir photos you'll take from the pontoons of the plane are worth the trip alone |
In Port: 11:00am 12:30pm |
7:00pm |
| Sat, Aug 15th At Sea |
Scenic Cruising along The Inside Passage | ||
| Sun, Aug 16th | The last day on the boat… Vancouver, Canada
We debark from the ship by around 7:00am Transfer: Holland took us from the ship to a hotel in town Galleries, boutiques, colorful public markets, restaurants of every ethnicity: this vital port city has them all. Visit vibrant Chinatown & Stanley Park, with its 1,000 acres of forests, gardens, lakes & lawns in the heart of the city Possible shore excursions: Highlights of Vancouver & Granville Island; Stanley Park & Scenic Grouse Mountain |
at 9:00am |
|
| Mon 17th & Tues 18th | We visit Vancouver…
Day trip around Vancouver |
||
| Wed 19th Our last day of the trip |
Sandy & I checked out & flew home from Vancouver to ATL via Salt Lake City
I was taken in my 1st wheel-chair to the gate, departed at 6:50am, landed at Salt Lake City and again taken in my 2nd wheel-chair to the gate where we launched and arrived in ATL at 5:05pm and was again taken in my wheel-chair ( the 3rd ) to the baggage area Grabbed a cab home around 5:15pm (rush hour), arrived at 6:15... yakked Sleep!! |
6:15pm |
6:50am |
Well, that’s the trip diary—comments are welcome!