Trip Index
- Preparations, pre-cruise stay in Seattle
- Embarkation, Day at Sea, Ketchikan
- Sitka, Endicott Arm, Juneau, Victoria, disembarkation
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This morning, Quantum of the Seas arrived in Sitka.
After breakfast, we got off the ship a few minutes past 10am and waited 20 minutes in line for the complimentary shuttle to town. The bus ride took about 15 minutes. Nothing was planned except to visit Sitka Pel'Meni, a restaurant that served Russian dumplings.
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Sitka is the largest city by area in the United States, Alaska's oldest city and was the first capital after the U.S. purchased the territory from Russia. The area's Russian heritage is on full display in places such as St. Michael's Cathedral, North America's first Russian Orthodox church, which was our first stop.
Next, we visited the site of Baranof Castle, also known as Castle Hill.
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We then walked along the tree-lined trails within Sitka National Historical Park, admiring totem poles and captivating mountain views.
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By now, our tummies were rumbling, and the rain clouds that were just off shore decided to come inland, so we ducked into a building that housed Ludvig's Chowder Cart and got some piping-hot chowder paired with homemade potato bread.
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Once the rain stopped, we headed back towards downtown and stopped by Sitka Pel'Meni. The dumplings were freshly prepared, so there was a little wait for our order. These buttery potato-filled pockets accompanied by sour cream and spicy sauce hit the spot.
We boarded the shuttle back to the ship. Dinner tonight would be at Izumi. The specialty dinner package included one small plate, two large plates and a dessert. We also were served edamame to start the meal.
The sushi tasted pretty good for a cruise ship. Kaleb and I were so stuffed.
The next morning, it was time for scenic cruising along Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier. There were little berglets floating in the water. Unfortunately, there was too much ice in the narrowing channel so the ship couldn't reach the end of the arm where the glacier was.
The ship turned back and made its way to Juneau, Alaska's capital city. Every time Kaleb and I are here, we visit Tracy's Crab Shack for some succulent king crab legs.
We returned to the ship and relaxed until dinner time - another visit to Chops Grille. With such an extensive menu, we were able to select all different dishes.
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On Saturday, the ship was at sea - another lazy day. We had a lovely dinner at Jamie's Italian again. Almost all of the dishes tonight were different. I had to repeat the arugula salad since it was so good.
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On Sunday, our last full day of the cruise, Quantum was en route to Victoria.
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For lunch today, we did Jamie's Italian yet again! Yes, I had the arugula salad again, but everything else was different.
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We were greeted with a rainbow upon our late afternoon arrival in Victoria. Too bad we didn't get here earlier in the day as I really wanted to get some chocolate from Roger's. The shop on Government St closes at 5pm, even when cruise ships are in port in the evening. If they would open a little later, they would make so much more money! In the meantime, Kaleb and I enjoyed a nice walk around downtown.
Our last specialty dinner was at Izumi. I didn't mind eating here a second time. The desserts were fun.
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The next day was disembarkation, boo hoo! Our flight left at 1pm, leaving plenty of time to take public transportation to the airport. The journey would be little over an hour long, consisting of a bus ride ($2.75) followed by light rail ($3.00). We again used the Transit GO Ticket app to purchase the fares. I took pictures of the stairway up to the overpass and the sign showing the path to the bus stop for future reference.
Before our flight, we had time to enter the AMEX Centurion Studio to enjoy a quick lunch. A larger AMEX Centurion Lounge would open later in early 2023.
And that was the end of our 7-night Alaska cruise on Quantum of the Seas! I thought the Unlimited Dining Package was a good deal, and it especially helped to break the monotony of main dining room food. Would I purchase it again? Only if I've been sailing Royal Caribbean too frequently and on a large ship that offers many specialty restaurants. I really enjoy cruising to Alaska for its weather, scenery and overall feeling of serenity. There are still a few ports in "The Last Frontier" that we haven't been to, so I'm sure we will be back again in the near future.
What's next? We are headed to the island paradises of Tahiti and Bora Bora...stay tuned!
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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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