 In May of this year, Travel Consultant Christine Hakenjos sailed to Alaska on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of The Seas. She, along with her fiancé and 14 of his family members, departed out of Seattle for an Alaskan Cruise they would never forget! Keep reading for her experiences in Alaska and her thoughts on the ship itself.  Our ship docked in Skagway, Alaska We boarded the ship on Friday, May 24th after spending the evening prior in Seattle. We arrived at the Cruise Terminal and boarded Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The check in at the terminal was a breeze! We had completed our check in process before we even arrived in Seattle. I highly recommend doing this!
Our itinerary was absolutely wonderful! Although I will say, after this cruise I DEFINITELY want to see more of Alaska! This 7-night cruise featured stops to Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia. We also had two days out at sea and one day cruising through Alaska’s Inside Passage as well as one day cruising through Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier. I will be honest, I was a bit bummed at first that we were only going to have 3 days in port, but after experiencing the views from our balcony stateroom during our days cruising, I totally changed my mind! I swear we could have sat out on that balcony for HOURS.
With a group of 16, it was hard for us all to decide on the same shore excursions so some of us did different things while in port. All our excursions & tours were booked through a company called Shore Trips because we were wanting smaller group excursions. Everyone LOVED their shore excursions! We all thought our tour guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining. The tours were very well done and worth every penny! JUNEAU, ALASKAOn our 4th day of the cruise, we arrived in the small town of Juneau, Alaska. The town was absolutely adorable and has a lot to see and do just within walking distance of the pier.
The tour that 8 other members of our group and I went on was the “Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Combo Tour.” First, we were taken to Mendenhall Glacier where we were given an hour and half to do what we wanted. We decided to take the mile hike to the foot of Nugget Falls. The views from this point were just stunning! I have never seen a waterfall that big before. The waters of Mendenhall Lake were a mixture of blues and from where we were standing, we could actually see where the fresh water from the lake met the glacier’s run-off. This change in colors was beautiful to see! The glacier itself was unbelievable. I had seen many photos of it from all the research I had been doing prior to the trip but seeing it in person was a whole new perspective.
After our visit to Mendenhall Glacier, we were driven to Auke Bay where we boarded our boat and met our very knowledgeable captain and marine biologist tour guides. They were both very insightful and entertaining. They lead us directly to whales, sea lions, harbor seals, bald eagles, and other wildlife while teaching us all about life in Alaska and the habits and lives of these beautiful mammals. Even though we had chances to see whales and dolphins from our ship, seeing them up close and personal like this was a whole other experience! We were all SO glad we took part in this tour!
Two members of our group did the “Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure.” They paddled their way across beautiful Mendenhall Lake leading them to the face of the living Mendenhall Glacier.  Canoeing on Mendenhall Lake Three other members of our group decided on the “Helicopter and Dog Sled Tour” in Juneau. Their tour began with a 20-minute helicopter ride through glacier-carved mountains to the top of Herbert Glacier where they found about 80 huskies waiting to greet them. The mushers (tour guides/dog sled leaders) then took them on a 2-mile look through the mountains, even letting them drive the sleds!
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 Old Town Skagway |  Another view of Old Town Skagway |
Our group was split into 3 on this day also. Five members of our group went on the “Mt. Riley Nature Hike with Catamaran Cruise” taking them on a scenic boat ride and then to the trail for a hike to the summit of Mt. Riley at a height of 1,760 ft. The trail took them through the temperate rain forest in their almost 5 hours long round trip. From the top, they experienced panoramic views that include the snow-capped Chillkat Mountains. They LOVED their experience on this excursion!
 Some of our group members on the Mt. Riley Nature Hike |  The view from Mt. Riley |
Another group of 4 joined the “Yukon Suspension Bridge and White Pass Trail by Jeep” tour for an adventurous trip through the mountains. Each group of 2 was given a 4-door Jeep Wrangler to drive caravan style for the day. Their driving path paralleled that of the narrow-gauge railroad, the White Pass Railway and featured stops to experience many different beautiful mountain views. They also walked the 200 ft long Yukon Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian cable bridge hanging 65 ft above raging rapids of the Tutshi River Canyon.
 Yukon Suspension Bridge |  One of the group's Jeeps stopped on the path  Looks like a postcard! |
I, along with 4 others, decided to take part in 2 excursions while in Skagway. One in the morning and the other later in the afternoon. We began our day boarding the Scenic Railway of the World on the “White Pass Train and Drive” tour, which took us on a 28-mile journey between Skagway, Alaska and Fraser, British Columbia. The historic train ride took us through breathtaking panoramas of mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls and tunnels while we listened to our guides narration of the history of this route. The views from this train were unreal! There were many points in which I looked off the back of the train car and felt as if we were just going to fall right off the side of the mountain. The scenery changed drastically as we rode from Alaska into Canada.
 Fraser, Canada  Christine and future sister-in-law Jenna with their train conductor |  US and Canada Border  View from the train |
Once we reached Fraser, a tour vehicle picked us up and transferred us back to Skagway with stops to Pitchfork Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the infamous Alaska Sign along the way! This tour and our guides were simply amazing! I would recommend this tour to ANYONE visiting Skagway.
 One of the many amazing views  We saw so many beautiful waterfalls on our trip |  The Welcome to Alaska sign  Waiting to go through Border Patrol customs |
In between excursions, we walked the town of Skagway and grabbed lunch. Afterwards, 6 of us joined the “Speed Boat Fjord Discovery” tour for some thrills on the water! We met our captain and our tour guide and got into our “exposure suits” to protect us from the wind. Our boat was the same type of boat used by the U.S. Navy Seals and Coast Guard and was VERY fast! The tour took us through the Lynn Canal which is North America’s longest and deepest fjord! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and got us up close and personal with many hidden coves, massive waterfalls and a lot of wildlife. We got to see harbor seals and a whole lot of bald eagles and their nests! This was yet another tour that I would recommend to anyone visiting Skagway. It was not only informative but very thrilling all at the same time.
 A breathtaking waterfall  The view from our boat |  Christine and her fiancé Joe  Sea lions we saw on our excursion |
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
On our last and final day on our cruise we stopped at British Columbia’s capital – Victoria. None of us had booked an excursion for this day because we wanted to explore this city for ourselves. Some visited the infamous Butchart Gardens while the rest of us walked the city and the surrounding parklands. It was such a beautiful day! We walked around and did a bit of shopping since we had the Canadian dollar on our side 😉 I missed out on the visit to Butchart Gardens and after seeing the photos from the other members in our group, I definitely regretted not going! This will be on my list of “must-dos” when I get a chance to go back!
 The beautiful Butchart Gardens |  Bastion Square |  A cute puppy we met in Victoria |
THE SHIP
The food on board our ship was always so delicious, and the service was always amazing. We had a group dinner one evening at the specialty dining restaurant Chopps Grille that I think made everyone’s trip. Our waiter turned the dinner into a full-on dining experience with magic tricks involving the whole group. The goat cheese salad was so good, and I’ve had a craving for it every day since! For dessert, our waiter drew a picture of Joe’s grandmother with chocolate as an early birthday celebration for her. It was a great evening!
 Delicious goat cheese salad |  Joe's grandmother with her birthday treat |
Our balcony stateroom really did make our vacation! Waking up and enjoying room service on our balcony as we sailed past glaciers felt like living in a dream.
Breakfast with an AMAZING view
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Like I said before, this cruise was so amazing and it left my Fiancé and I wanting much more of Alaska! I have never traveled to a destination that immediately had me wanting more, but after the pure beauty we witnessed we are wanting to go back ASAP!
I am still in complete AWE of what we experienced during our trip and I still find it hard to believe that all these views are right in our backyard! If Alaska is not on your travel bucket list, it should be!!
I am still in complete AWE of what we experienced during our trip and I still find it hard to believe that all these views are right in our backyard! If Alaska is not on your travel bucket list, it should be!!
Ready to start planning your dream Alaskan vacation?
Contact Christine Hakenjos at 314-439-5700 ext. 134 or email her
Contact Christine Hakenjos at 314-439-5700 ext. 134 or email her
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