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On board the cruise ship "Mercury" from Vancouver to Alaska, the first stops include Ketchikan, Alaska and the Hubbard Glacier.
A great start to an Alaska cruise just has to be seeing whales while having breakfast. It was only 7.00 a.m. on the first day of the cruise but several people were already in the Palm Spring Cafe. Then up went the cry "Whales!" A whole pod of these wonderful creatures put on a display. The MercuryAlthough not one of the largest ships afloat, Mercury is large - 866ft. in length. The decor of the public rooms is elegant, the food delicious and the service is superb. Everything to make the passengers feel pampered. There are several lounges, two night clubs, shops, a terrific spa and a swimming pool. The latter on an Alaska cruise was usually devoid of people but the jacuzzis were sometimes in use. Ketchikan, AlaskaThis is known as the "First Stop" port on most cruises and is well known for Creek Street. This is a street of small wooden houses built above a river up which salmon leap to their spawning grounds. In the early days it was also known as the street where men "come to spawn". The houses were the local bawdy houses and for $5 you can still visit Dolly's, but now it is a museum. The name Ketchikan is from the Tlingit Indian and means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle". It is reckoned to be the second rainiest city in the U.S. A word of warning - take rain gear. The town specializes in shops - mostly souvenir and jewelry stores. What is fascinating is to see that some of the shops are built on pillars over the water. The excursions from the ship include some for the very hardy, such as canoeing, jet boats, jeep tours and salmon fishing. For laughs there is the Great Alaska Lumberjack Show and Ketchikan DUCK tour. For "getting away from it all" there is the Misty Fjord Flightseeing; a float plane trip over the forest and the fjord. Providing the weather is kind, the plane lands on the water the better to absorb the beauty and peace. For those wishing to learn more about the local Native Americans, there are tours to the Saxman Native Village and to Totem Bight State Park. The latter is a stroll through the woods learning about the native flora, then into a replica of a Tlingit Indian Settlement. This includes thirteen totem poles (replicas as the originals have, over the years, rotted away). Finally there is time in the Community House to sit down and be regaled with stories of the Tlingit way of life. The Hubbard Glacier, AlaskaFrom Ketchikan the Mercury sailed to Yakutat Bay and up to the Hubbard Glacier. Many cruisers choose to go out on deck bundled up in cold-weather clothing. The actual temperature may be above freezing but when the wind chill factor is added in, it can be icily cold. Waiters come around offering hot chocolate - laced with Baileys if so desired - and hot soup is served by the pool. The glacier, which is six miles across and 300 ft. high, resembles a pile of dirty laundry from the grit that has been compressed into the ice, but with an overall blue sheen. The expert commentator explained (over the PA system) that the ice has been compressed so densely it absorbs all other colors in the spectrum and reflects only the blue. Hence blue ice. Where the ice is white it means that there are tiny air bubbles in it. For more information about Alaska cruises, which operate from late spring through fall/autumn, contact Celebrity Cruises. All too soon it was time to sail away to more ports of call such as Juneau and Sitka.
The copyright of the article The Hubbard Glacier Cruise in Cruise Lines & Routes is owned by Barbara Bothwell. Permission to republish The Hubbard Glacier Cruise in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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