Sail Alaska

Once arriving in Vancouver, British Columbia, we set sail aboard the Diamond Princess of Princess Cruise Lines en route to the inside passage and on into Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

Our ports of call included Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. We sailed through Glacier Bay and College Fjord and docked for a final time in Whittier. From Whittier, we went by motor coach to Anchorage for a day tour, and then half the group headed back to Springfield and the other half had booked a four-day extension trip to Denali National Park.

The Diamond Princess was a fabulous ship – one of the newest in the Princess fleet. With approximately 18 decks and more than 900 feet, there were activities every day, including art auctions, educational sessions, a world-class spa and nighttime entertainment that brought together talent from across the seas. We enjoyed an outside cabin with balcony, which was perfect for watching sunrises and sunsets! The staff was first class.

I enjoyed Skagway, the Garden City of Alaska. Everywhere you looked, there were gardens tucked into spaces between homes and businesses. Skagway is a very small town, with only 800 permanent residents. It is also the home of the Yukon-White Pass Railway, a scenic railway that was completed to help move people seeking their fortunes in gold to the Yukon Territory.

One of my favorite memories is being in College Fjord and listening to the glaciers talk to each other – the sound is at once frightening yet one of the most wondrous sounds and sights I’ve ever seen.

—Cindy Howell, ACR Nally