If you’ve ever thought about an Alaska Cruise, do it! We took the 7 day inside passage aboard the Ruby Princess and it was a trip like no other. I cannot put into words the beauty of the green water and majestic glaciers. We soared over the incredible landscape in helicopters, went dog sledding on the Mendenhall glacier {see video below}, saw a bear up close and personal catching his salmon lunch for the day {see video below} and much more. Here’s an overview of our itinerary with highlights from our trip. I highly recommend this cruise for everyone {our family group age ranged from 8 to 80} in order to truly experience this beautiful landscape yourself. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Best Alaska Cruise Review Aboard The Ruby Princess
Seattle: We began our vacation in Seattle, staying at the Marriott Waterfront which is right where all the action is. We walked through the Pike Place market {home of the 1st Starbucks coffee shop}, went up in the Space Needle and dined at Ivars Fish Bar along the pier. Everyone was so excited about the adventure before us, we could hardly contain ourselves, as you can see.
Juneau: Saturday we were all aboard the Ruby Princess and started our voyage towards Juneau. I’m not sure how we lucked out, but we did have the best weather during the entire cruise. It never rained, and the sun was out shining every day. Our first excursion was straight out of an adventure movie and probably the best thrill of my life. We helicoptered to Mendenhall Glacier and went dogsledding. The views were spectacular, the sun was shining and everyone could not believe this experience was happening. No words can describe the beauty and feeling of pure joy up there. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea.
The puppies were the cutest! Can you even?
After the best time ever, here comes our ride home!
Skagway: We weren’t sure how the rest of the cruise was going to measure up to our first stop, but it did. In Skagway, we hopped on a bus and headed up the White Pass and Yukon Route all the way into Yukon Canada. Once again we had full sun and the most breathtaking views from mint green water and rushing waterfalls to ice capped mountains. Seriously, it was magical. Here are just a few of the hundreds of photos we took.
Glacier Bay National Park: Princess Cruises is able to cruise into Glacier Bay National Park and get right up to the glacier for amazing views. Watch the video to get a panoramic view.
Ketchikan Excursions: In Ketchikan, we DID see a bear. And we saw the bear catch his lunch, a HUGE salmon in the river. Pretty amazing.
Victoria, British Columbia: We ended the cruise on a high note in Canada! Victoria is appropriately known as the “City of Gardens”. We walked around the waterfront and famous Empress hotel, checked out the shops and then stopped off for a cocktail at a beautiful outdoor dining spot right on the water.
Well, what are you waiting for? It’s bucket list worthy for sure. This vacation was truly magical – one for the books!
Laura Trevey spreads her artistic expertise to bring her happy and vibrant watercolor designs to life in a variety of ways – including consumer products and online content.
If you’d like, follow along on Instagram @lauratrevey and Subscribe for updates delivered to your inbox.
