Victoria, British Columbia

On day six of our 2022 Alaskan cruise our last port-of-call was beautiful Victoria, B.C.   We arrived in Victoria around 4:00 pm and had until 9:00 pm to explore.  

Cruising through the Salish Sea/Views of Olympic Range

Coast Guard boarding our ship

Victoria's busy harbor

Victoria's cute welcoming committee

Although we had our passports in hand we did not need them as customs was closed.  We strolled on through the port of entry and in to down town, Victoria.

After a little sightseeing and souvenir shopping we decided to find a pub and grab something to eat along with a few local brews.  The Garrick's Head Pub did not disappoint and to make things even more fun our shipmates, Kurt & Patti, found us and joined the festivities!  What do you eat and watch while you're in Canada?  Poutine and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, of course!  This was the first time we had eaten Poutine and the messy plate of goodness was just as sinfully delicious as it looks!

Next, courtesy of Kurt, the four of us hitched a ride on a Pedi-Cab.  Our driver was so entertaining and gave us an amazing tour through town before he wheeled us back to our ship.

Some of the sights we saw in Victoria include...

The Victoria's Inner Harbor is home to the famous Victoria Harbor Ferry Company.  You might recognize their iconic oval shaped, checkered cab decorated ferries.  Although this was on our list of things to do in Victoria our time frame did not allow us to enoy a ride on one of the ferries.

The Fairmont-Empress Hotel is an award-winning Victoria hotel that is on the National Historic Registry List.  This beautiful hotel is a blend of the vintage and the modern.  This amazing hotel offers magnificent views of the harbor, city and gardens.

Overlooking Victoria's majestic Inner Harbor, the Parliament Buildings and surrounding areas are located in the traditional territories of the Lekwungen people. Visitors are invited to discover the architectural splendor of the Parliament Buildings and learn about British Columbia's Legislative Assembly.

Located on Vancouver Island on the west coast of British Columbia, Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada, and one of the oldest in North America.

To see more of our adventure in Victoria, B.C., click on our video below.  Don't forget to "like" and "subscribe" to see more!

Endicott Arms, Dawes Glacier and Juneau, Alaska

Our ship sailed through the night and when we awoke we found ourselves nearing Endicott Arms.  

Waking up near Endicott Arms

Spotting our first baby iceberg aka growler

Endicott Arm is a fjord that is about 50 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.  At the end of the fjord lies the Dawes Glacier. The fjord lies in the Tongass National Forest on the Stephens Passage , a strait in the Alexander Archipelago , from which it runs in a southeasterly direction. In 1980, the United States Congress declared the Endicott Arm, along with the parallel Tracy Arm and their environs totaling more than 1000 square miles, as a Wilderness Area under the name Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness , the strictest class of protected areas in the United States.

From the ship, looking into Endicott Arms

On the small boat and pulling away from our ship

Here we go!

Due to the high density of ice in Endicott Arms our ship's captain decided not to attempt to go any further through the fjord.  Thinking that this might happen, we booked an excursion where a smaller boat picked us up from our ship and took us through Endicott Arms and as close as possible to the Dawes Glacier.

We had watermelon margaritas made from THIS small growler

When we boarded the smaller boat there was a naturalist on board that explained to us that Dawes Glacier had calved overnight and the entire fjord was filled with small growlers.  We had to weave in and out of these growlers, going very slowly.  Occasionally we could hear the awful sound of the boat hitting/raking the ice chunks.

As we neared the glacier the boat's captain turned off the engine because the sounds from the engine can cause vibrations that travel through the fjord and cause the glacier to calf even more.

There's Dawes Glacier!

We didn't see any wildlife inside Endicott Arms but once we were heading to Juneau our boat's captain pointed out a single humpback whale feeding near the Stephens Passage.  We only got to see her one time before she dove down to feed and stayed submerged for 15 minutes at a time.

After nearly five hours on the smaller boat we reached the Quantum of the Seas docked in Juneau. After eating lunch on the ship we headed into Juneau for a little sight seeing.  We have to say that out of all of the ports we visited on this trip Juneau was our least favorite.  The town was extremely crowded as there were several cruise ships docked at the same time.  

We attempted to get on the Blue Express Bus to ride to Mendenhal Glacier, however, the tour guide with the Blue Express talked us out of it saying that it was crowded and would take too long.  With only four hours left at port we ended up walking around Juneau, shopping for a few souvenirs and having a beer at the famous Red Dog Saloon.

Patsy Ann, Juneau's famous dog

Tired from our walk and excursion we decided to head back to the ship and enjoy the hot tub while we had the ship to ourselves!  From the hot tub we could see the beautiful mountains surrounding Juneau and watched several bald eagles flying in and around the port.

This would be our last night in Alaska.  The next day was a sail day before we reached our last port of call, Victoria, B.C.

Goodnight from Juneau, Alaska!

If you'd like to see more of our adventure in Endicott Arms and Juneau please visit our YouTube channel by clicking on the video below!