Destination: Alaska Inside Passage
When: June 6-13, 1998
Itinerary: Flew into Seattle, motor coach to Vancouver, flew home from Vancouver

Ross and I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas. We boarded the ship in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 6, 1998 for a 7 night, round-trip cruise of Alaska's stunning Inside Passage. The ship was spectacular! Rhapsody has a passenger capacity of 2435 plus more than 750 staff members. She is 915 feet long, weighs more than 75,000 tons and can cruise at a speed of 22 knots. She features a rock climbing wall, an outdoor pool, six whirlpools, and indoor/outdoor pool in the Solarium with a sliding roof, a stunning 5-story Centrum and open atrium featuring tons of shopping, themed bars and lounges, beautiful, airy dining rooms, the Casino Royals and a fantastic ShipShape Day Spa and Fitness Center.

The first full day of our cruise was spent sailing along the northern west coast. We arrived in Juneau, Alaska at noon on June 8. The first order of business once in Juneau??? GET MARRIED! Decked out in a wedding dress and a tux, we heading out onto the pier where the crowds went wild! Everyone clapped and cheered as the watched us walk together to the waiting limousine. The driver took us to the Vital Statistics office where we were issued our marriage license. Then we headed to Skater's Cabin on the shores of Mendenhall Lake which is fed by Mendenhall Glacier. There we were met by a local Lutheran pastor, our photographer and wedding coordinator. We were married along the shore under an evergreen canopy. It was perfect!

After the wedding, we headed back to the ship and got ready to tour the town of Juneau. We took the Mount Roberts Tram up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed spectacular views. We saw bald eagles nesting in the trees as the tram rode by them. Remember to bring rain gear when you visit Juneau!

As we sailed on day two, we spotted a humpback whale. Well, I should say Ross spotted it! He saw the water spraying up from the whale's blowhole. As we watched, it breached out of the water and splashed back down. What a thing to witness!

Our next stop was Skagway, the home of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. From Skagway, thousands of gold-seekers began the 45 miles trek over White Pass towards the Klondike gold fields. Gold crazed travelers stumbled through the mountains with all the gear they could carry in hopes of striking it rich. The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was born of the mad rush and became the supply link for the gold fields. Today, visitors can ride the train to the top of the summit. The views are spectacular!

Our third stop was at Haines, Alaska. Coming up to the pier, we could see the town and the hundreds of bald eagles that soared overhead. In Haines, we did a shore excursion to Chilkoot Lake. We rode on a very old school bus up into the mountains to the lake. We then boarded a pontoon and sailed around the lake. Here is where we saw our first Grizzly bear! We watched eagles hunt and fish and sheep on the mountain ledges.

Our fourth day was spent cruising Glacier Bay National Park. The glaciers are absolutely amazing. We could hear them cracking and snapping, and watched the huge chunks of ice crash into the water as they calved. The ice is so blue! There were little icebergs floating in the water everywhere.

Finally, we made it to Ketchikan, Alaska's "First City" and "Salmon Capital of the World". We visited famous Creek Street, Alaska's original Red Light District of the roaring 1890's. Madam Dolly's brothel is still standing and is open to tourists to walk through. The boardwalk is still there, lined with shops of all kinds. We saw a lot of totem poles here.

My Recommendations: GO! This is a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime trip. However, I would suggest sailing on a southbound itinerary to avoid the backtracking and time on the wide open sea, unless you enjoy that! Dress in layers, bring rain gear and lots of film or memory cards!