Our Alaska Vacation in August of 2026

In August of 2026, Sandy, Don, Amy ( Sandy's sister ) & her husband Tom visited the State of Alaska in the United States, viewing the Mount Denali area by bus train & then taking a trip south on the MS Westerdam, one of Holland's cruise ships where our suite was on the 5^th deck with windows and a nice patio; we traveled by sea down to Vancouver in Canada to spend a couple days before heading home…

Thu, Aug 6th, 2026   Our 1st day!	We flew from home up to Anchorage, Alaska where we spent the night	Departure	Arrival
	Up at 4am EST ( which was midnight in Alaska ), we dressed & left for the airport at 5am to Seattle, our "via" airport Made it to the gate with a wheel-chair on time @6:30, where boarding was to start shortly… Sandy managed to resolve our seating issue at the gate, where Delta had "updated" our seats to a window/middle seat, a very bad thing for Don! Flight pushed back at 7:45am EST; about an hour in, a Chicken Salad sandwich was chosen for our breakfast munch… We arrived and made it across the airport to the gate with the 2nd wheel-chair ride The plane pushed back on time @10:45am, launching @10:54am for Anchorage, Alaska… Don snoozed mostly on the flight: his seat sadly had no usable screen to watch that he could pop up :( Don did see 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 & Don was again taken in a wheel-chair ( the 3rd ) across the airport to the baggage claim area where our bags showed up a.ok… We then met with our tour directors who checked us in & got us onto the bus at 2:40pm, transferring us 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" etc We checked in for the 1st night, showered, dressed & went out at about 3:30pm to the 49th State Brewing bar across the street to join up with Amy & Tom for a bite & a beer… We then went up to the roof and heard the group of 4 military jets howling past us several times (!) We returned, ate dinner, repacked our bags etc… we were advised that we could each only take 1 bag to our 3 days of land tours. Relaxed; Don was asleep by 5pm-ish ( which was 9pm at our home time ) and awoke a couple times… 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 the "event advisories" that are in Red were copied from our booking	4am	2pm 3:30pm
Fri, Aug 7th	Our 1st day was in Talkeetna, Alaska where spent our 2nd night	Departure	Arrival
	We awoke at 4:20am after 10+ hours of sleep, showered, dressed etc & had brkf @6:30am, coffee/OJ/etc… Sandy snapped some nearby flowers! All 4 of us twiddled in the lobby for about 90 minutes, finally boarding our coach at 9:45am which left for the Talkeetna lodge at 10am… the driver did yak a little as we rode north! We started seeing the mountains as we rode along but clouds blocked the full view… We stopped at a Subway/gas station after an hour or so 2 let people off the bus, potty, buy beer etc We arrived at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge for our 2nd night, dropped bags and checked in, a long day!! After we got into our room, Sandy, Amy & Tom took a shuttle bus downtown for a walk and lunch, a couple hours all-told… Don snoozed! Don awoke at about 2-ish and Sandy returned at about 4pm without bringing any food which he had been anticipating :( We had dinner at the hotel about 6pm, nice appetizers & beer, yet crappy chicken… Hit the hay about 7pm	10am	12:45pm
Sat, Aug 8th	We all traveled north to the Holland America Denali Lodge, Alaska, spending our 3rd night there	Departure	Arrival
	We slept well at the Talkeetna lodge; Don awoke 3-4 times, up @6am ( Sandy had already been awake for 3 hours ), rinsed, repacked, etc & dropped off our suitcases at 7:15am After a light brkf at 7:20, all 4 of us relaxed in the lobby   where Sandy snapped Don standing by a HUGE Grizzly Bear (!) until our transit coach left at 9:30am for a 2+ hour ride north pausing en rout at the Veterans Memorial in Trapper Creek ∼10:45am   and the ( richly scented… WhooWee! ) bif, and then onwards: a mountain and Mount Denali near Healy, Alaska and on to the lodge at Mile 238.9, Parks Highway in Denali National Park, Alaska We checked into the lodge at 12:45pm, grabbed a sandwich/yummy! Got onto our tour bus @1:30, viewing the mountains    especially the Hurricane Gulch Bridge; Mount Denali was sadly hidden from us on the tour by clouds and smoke from the Canadian forest fires… We returned and had dinner at the lodge, sitting at the bar—Don ordered & shared a pizza, ⅓ came back to our room!	9:30am	12:45pm
Sun, Aug 9th	We all spent the day riding the McKinley Explorer train south from Denali National Park, Alaska to the port in Whittier where we boarded our cruise ship for the week!	Departure	Arrival
	We both slept well in the lodge; Don was up once and then awoken at 4:30am by Sandy, who was already in the shower Don had a bite of his pizza for brkf & we packed bags by 6am for us to get to the bus by 7:15am for the ride to the train A bus took us to the station at 7am, where we waited 20+ minutes ( chilly! ) for the train's arrival, honking very loudly as it stopped!! At 7:30am, we moved to our 2nd-floor seats on the glass-domed train—the views were stunningly good & many great window-views were caught on the 9+hours southern trip!!      ( a view of Mount Denali ) We had a delicious full breakfast ( in the food cabin ) on the 1st floor of the train at about 8:45am ( click & scroll down to the "McKinley Explorer Gallery" images for a view? ); Don had a nice skillet for $19—too many potato bites tho'… Don took a snap of us after we returned to our seats ( on the left side ) ∼9:30am Our lunch at 1pm was soup & a sandwich, another beer; we went back to our seats for the rest of the awesome trip which seemed to go by too fast as it was so enjoyable! Our ship-boarding advisor lady boarded the train at about 2:30 to have our passports & boarding passes, etc checked We then arrived at our cruise ship, the MS Westerdam in the early evening and checked-in to our suite ( a tad small! ) on the ship… Having had 3 nights in a row in hotels, unpacking/repacking etc, etc, it's going to be a nice 6-straight days / nights in the cabin! We sailed away in the early evening for our cruise from the port in Whittier; we had our 1st formal dinner with Amy & Tom at 8pm—Don had a beer, then salad & halibut, deep-fried with curry, creamed spinach & a cheese plate, delicious! We hit the hay at about 10pm	7:30am	∼6:30pm
Mon, Aug 10th Our 1st day at sea	We spent our 1st day cruising along the Hubbard Glacier	Departure	Arrival
	After awakening & enjoying breakfast etc, we got to see our 1st glacier after lunch… approaching it at 3:25pm and then up close at 4:35pm, a stunning view of the 5-mile-wide behemoth along with crackles! We relaxed for the rest of the day, eating dinner together at about 6pm and hitting the hay at about 9pm 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		3:30pm
Tue, Aug 11th	We spent the 2nd day cruising the glaciers in Glacier Bay and others	Departure	Arrival
	Another glacier was there and Don caught a snap of Sandy, Tom & Amy … While he did not catch the Margerie glacier calving, Don did find a YouTube of one! After we all ate dinner, Sandy & Don had some professional snaps taken… the guy who took them "tweaked" the snaps a little to improve the color, contrast and our facial wrinkles—pretty nice!!        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
Wed, Aug 12th	The 3rd day of the cruise was spent touring in & around Skagway, Alaska	Departure	Arrival
	We had hit the hay at 10:30pm-ish, Don was up a couple times… he awoke at 7am-ish, washed, meds, dressed etc & we headed 4 brkf at 8:30—we had already arrived in the port of Skagway, Alaska at about 7am Relaxed for a while & then the 4 of us went down for our local 4-hour tour to the historical Klondike Highway Gold-rush    We exited the ship @11:45am & then rode a bus to the one-way train tour ( which departed at about noon ); they handed each of us a hanging player w/earphones to listen. The train left at 1pm & we rode up through the mountains for 90-minutes; not the best passenger seats but some **great** views!    <zoom-in to see the details? We rode back down from the mountains in a fast coach, stopped 4 a beer at a brewery in Skagway & then headed to the boat to relax for the afternoon We went down to dinner at 6:30pm where Don ordered a beer & had beef carpaccio to start, then some kind of deep-fried cod with mashed spuds, etc (yum!) & finished w/ice cream. Sandy & Don then went to yesterday's photo place and purchased the pictures ( which are shown above ) from a dozen—will be hung by Sandy on a wall somewhere when we get home!! Went after that to a lovely variety, song & dance show, where Don ordered a Brandy Alexander ( which it just wasn't what he expected—but tasty! ) and we headed back to the room at about 9pm. Don continued to watch a movie, Moonstruck ( he had seen before ) and hit the hay when Sandy asked, at about 10:15pm 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 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	11:45am	7:00am 5pm
Thu, Aug 13th	We were blessed on day 4 to tour the Glacier Gardens in Juneau, the capitol of Alaska that is only reachable by boats ( our cruise ship ) or a plane	Departure	Arrival
	Don arose @6:30am after arising 3x times, washed, meds, etc; we then had breakfast, where Don somehow managed to drop some of the jam for his toast onto his shorts—wear once & wash… good job he packed two pairs!! The 4 of us then hiked down the exit stairs from the ship and then Don hauled his butt up the quite steep ramp (!) from the dock to find the bus; we clambered on at 9am for the tour Sandy had re-booked this after the Mendenhall Glacial Gardens ( see another view? ) visit was canceled due to flooding! After a short ride to the gardens, we rode on a buggy ( the gardens are on the side of a steep hill ) and saw many delights…    After riding back down, we visited the memorial Whale Site in Juneau at about 11am and the 2 Totem Poles —Sandy caught Don and Amy sitting and snapped some flowers … in the summers of Alaska, flowers are simply **stunning** in their intensity of color & the profusion of blossoms—both are from the long days of sunshine with abundant rains, which we were blessed to have avoided! After they dropped us off, we grabbed a table in the nearby brewing house and had lunch where we all grabbed a beer before heading back to the boat We relaxed in the room at 1pm with Don watching the rest of the Moonshot movie, had dinner around 6pm, enjoyed a comedian at the World Tour stage & hit the hay 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. 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
Fri, Aug 14th	We spent day 5 in & around Ketchikan, Alaska	Departure	Arrival
	After we awoke and enjoyed breakfast, etc, the 4 of us went into town for a local Hummer tour around Ketchikan… Sandy snapped Amy & Tom at about noon as we waited for our driver who was very communicative and pleasant, taking us out of town to several very nice places One was where the driver thought we might see a bear… Sandy caught several snaps, one walking towards her one crossing the river & catching a salmon The driver then took us past a waterfall and to the local Salmon ladders that helps them to get upstream to spawn After he dropped us off, we had lunch at Tracy's King Crab Shack ( a view from our cabin! ) where Don grabbed a beer and a grilled cheese sandwich We then headed back to the boat, relaxed, had dinner, enjoyed more music on the World Tour stage & hit the hay at about 9:30pm 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 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
Sat, Aug 15th At Sea	We spent the day cruising The Inside Passage heading south to Vancouver, Canada	Departure	Arrival
	A very relaxing day cruising south towards Vancouver, Canada, snapping pictures like this mountain    and eating various yummy things! In the afternoon Sandy, Amy & Tom played Mah-Jongg up in the Crows' Nest on the ship, meeting some people
Sun, Aug 16th	Our last day on the boat…	Departure	Arrival
	We packed up, ate breakfast and disembarked from the ship at about 9:00am taking a cab to our Hyatt Hotel where we checked in for 3 nights Sandy, Amy & Tom went into town via the nearby Metrotown SkyTrain as Don relaxed ( he was pooped! ) They found & ate lunch at a Chinatown place, the Jade Dynasty Restaurant on East Pender St     (starters+a beer) (veggies) (& yummies!) They then walked to visit the close-by classical Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Gardens, snapping many delights…    < Orange Jasmin and they then headed back home We all had dinner at around 6pm & then hit the hay 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		10:00am
Mon 17th	We all traveled to the nearby Victoria Island for the day… Victoria is the capitol of B.C. & can also only be reached by plane or boat	Departure	Arrival
	Monday was a long & full-day trip—see some info here? After breakfast, we rode downtown on the train, mounted a bus, crossed the sea on a ferry to the Butchart Gardens arriving at about noon… We caught many, many snaps of places, the gardens and the delightful flowers that Sandy ( who was literally "in heaven" ) enjoyed so much…          We visited the Gorgeous Rose Garden…       Snapped the Sunken Gardens…    Don snapped the view in front of him ( from left to right ) as he was sitting, awaiting Sandy's return…    Snaps of Sandy and Don in the gardens As we left, our 2-hour visit to the marvelous gardens was just not long enough!! We were then taken into the city of Victoria, visiting a very nicely seated restaurant for lunch at about 2:30pm, the Milestones    We went back to the hotel after lunch via the bus/ferry/bus & train trip, arriving at about 10:30pm, hit the hay!
Tues 18th	A quite lazy & relaxing day…	Departure	Arrival
	We awoke after our long travel day yesterday and had breakfast in the hotel at about 9am; I relaxed in the hotel Sandy, Amy & Tom went into town by train to visit the Granville Market & had a relaxing time catching a couple of videos… download and play the 1st and the 2nd ones? We all had a lovely dinner in the hotel, where the manager brought us drinks and we then hit the hay early
Wed 19th Our last day…	We checked out & flew home from Vancouver to ATL via Salt Lake City	Departure	Arrival
	We were up at 4am to take a taxi from the hotel to the airport, checked our bags in, etc… Don was taken in his 1st wheel-chair ride to the gate, where we departed at 6:50am We landed at Salt Lake City and Don rode in his 2nd wheel-chair to the gate; we launched and arrived in ATL at 5:05pm and Don was again taken in his wheel-chair ( the 3rd ) to the baggage area… We then jumped into a cab home at about 5:15pm which with rush-hour was a bit slow, arriving at home 6:15… yakked Sleep!!	6:50am	6:15pm

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