As Covid restrictions continue to ease in the US and many other parts of the world, getting back to traveling is a welcomed relief and priority to again see some of the great treasures the world of travel has to offer. Seeing and touring the many places that people always talk about going to, someday.
As the weather turns warmer here in the desert, TeamTullyTravel decided to find a cooler climate and go back to a place we haven't been to in 30 years, Alaska. We checked the annual temps in the ports we were going to visit, high 50’s to low 60’s great! Sure beats the 100+ temps we are experiencing in the desert.
So we set sail on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas for a 7 day cruise to Alaska. Let me get this out right away, the ship in one word is BEAUTIFUL! More on that later. We left Seattle with a sea day ahead of us before we hit our first port.
Ice Strait Point & Hoonah
Canary Row
As you exit the ship you walk up a steel bridge out to a point where the town gets its name. There is not much to see at Icy Point Srait, a visitor's building and some souvenir shops and the Hoonah Packing Company museum. The neighboring town of Hoonah is a $5 and 5 minute tram ride away. The main reason you come here are the many excursions you can take.
The Hoonah Packing Company built the first cannery in 1912, the area which today is Icy Strait Point. Most of the cannery workers doing the arduous task of killing and cleaning all the fish caught were women, while the men worked out on the fishing boats. Ownership traded hands several times before the Icy Strait Salmon Company purchased the property in 1932. The area continued to grow with the cannery employing many of the new transplants. But the great fire on June 14, 1944 destroyed much of the town. As the town was rebuilt, many residents made the cannery their home.
Getting off the tram in Hoonah felt like a town stuck in a time warp. Not many shops open or even many places to eat. It felt like a town with two purposes, totem pole building and fishing. The scenery was beautiful and your phone/camera never leaves your hand. It was a casual walk and picture taking. Take a quick tour of your own.
But if you were seeking a little more action, you could choose many of the different shore excursions available.
Skagway
Leaving behind the quiet of Icy Strait Point we sail northward to Skagway. Having visited this town 30 years ago, we never really saw the town, only taking the Skagway train tour up the side of the mountain. This town reminds me of what could have been a raucous and rowdy gold mining town back in the day.
Skagway, Alaska is the northernmost point in Alaska’s Inside Passage, at the far end of Lynn Canal. In its heyday, Skagway was the boomtown gateway to the Trail of ’98 and the Klondike gold fields. One of the first white residents of Skagway was Billy Moore, a former steamboat captain. He believed that gold would be found in the Yukon and in 1887 built a dock and a trading post in anticipation of the gold rush. He was proven right 2 years later when prospectors began to arrive on steamships and prepared for their overland journey north into the Yukon to Dawn City.
As we left the ship and started to take the 10 minute walk to the downtown area, I was amazed by the temperature. Forget the 50’s as we expected, hello 77℉. Though cool by desert standards I missed my shorts already, I didn’t bring any.
It also reminded me of being in too many Caribbean ports filled with jewelry stores. Jewelry shoppers who have been in Caribbean ports will feel right at home in this town. Men, those of who are not shoppers, I am included in this category, will relish the plentiful benches outside the shops while your loved one peruses the wares inside the store.
If shopping is not your cherished activity you will find many excursions to keep you occupied while the ship is in port. Too many to list them all, but here is a sampling.
Juneau
Being Alaska’s state capital, it is also one of its most beautiful cities and one of the most visited communities in the state. Downtown Juneau sits snugly between Mount Juneau, Mount Roberts, and Gastineau Channel, and is a maze of narrow streets running past a mix of new structures, old storefronts, and quaint houses featuring early 19th-century architecture from the town’s gold-mining days. The waterfront bustles with cruise ships, fishing boats, and floatplanes zipping in and out. With no road access to Juneau, it is the only state capital in the United States that can only be reached by airplane or boat.
If you are not taking any excursions during your day stay in Juneau and shopping is your thing, you will find a diversity of interesting retail spots. Juneau has more of a mix of shopping than Skagway and even the men might go inside this time. You might as well since they lack ANY seating outside to rest your weary bones.
If you are not a shopper there are plenty of tours and excursions that can provide a full day of sightseeing and fun. Most of them are repetitive ones like you can get in other Alaskan ports. But in Juneau you can step up a notch on the excursions.
I guarantee you after a day of any of these excursions you will feel fulfilled and happy about your journey to Juneau, tired and but above all, hungry. So head back to the ship to relax, fill your tummy with food from so many places to eat on the ship, and relax for a day at sea before our next port.
Victoria, BC Canada
Our last stop on our amazing Alaska cruise is the great port of Victoria BC, Canada. Victoria, capital of British Columbia, sits on the craggy southern end of Vancouver Island. With abundant parkland, it’s known for outdoor activities. The city's British colonial past shows in its Victorian architecture, including stately Craigdarroch Castle mansion. Butchart Gardens, with 55 acres of vivid floral displays, plus statuary, water features and a carousel, is one of many formal gardens in the city.
Victoria is a beautiful port city filled with people, lots of flowers, fresh air and fun things to spend your time with. We were only there a short time, luckily we had toured Victoria on our first visit there many years ago. I highly recommend that if you only have time for one tour make it Butchart Gardens. If you like color, beautiful gardens and flowers, it will take your breath away. You come away with the thought, “I want to make my yard look like that!” See what I mean?
There are many historic places to visit and fun places to see while you are in Victoria. Here is a small sampling of ways you can keep busy during your visit.
Quantum of the Seas
We took our cruise onboard Quantum of the Seas. Quantum of the Seas is a Quantum-class cruise ship currently operated by Royal Caribbean International and is the lead ship of her class. At her time of delivery in 2014, Quantum of the Seas was the third largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage. It has since lost this ranking when Royal Caribbean launched Wonder of the Seas in 2020. No matter the size the Quantum, in one word, is beautiful.
Once onboard it has all of the amenities any passenger is looking for in a cruise. The heart and soul and focal point of any Royal Caribbean quantum class ship is its Royal Promenade. The Royal Promenade serves as the main thoroughfare on some Royal Caribbean cruise ships. This passageway, flanked by bars, restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues, is a microcosm of Royal Caribbean's "wow" factor, and it maintains a light and fun atmosphere all hours of the day and night.
Guests can stroll and browse the many shops and places to catch a snack, have a small lunch, a quick coffee and pastry or the best part, find a comfortable seat and people watch. At times you will find a musician playing music to put all guests in a great mood.
The Royal Promenade is not only filled with places to eat, drink and celebrate, but it's also the ship's logistical hub, where passengers can take care of business at the guest services desk, talk to a future cruise consultant or book a tour at the shore excursions desk. It is always fun to spend lots of time on The Promenade. It is just a good feeling place to be and talk with people, especially on sea days.
If you are looking for an adventure and always want to have an activity planned each day, you have taken the right ship. There are many different and exciting things to do for all guests. Let’s look at a few.
The FlowRider is a Royal Caribbean mainstay and one of guests’ favorite things to do onboard Quantum of the Seas. This 40-foot-long surf simulator circulates more than 30,000 gallons of rushing water to mimic the rolling waves of the ocean. Grab a board and try to shred standing upright like a pro, or hit the waves horizontally and go bold boogie-style. If you’re looking to level up your surf skills, you can opt for a private lesson while on your travel vacation with one of the cruise ship’s trained instructors. Or watch and get splashed from the sidelines as adventurous tide-tamers try not to wipe out. You keep hearing the Safari’s 1963 song Wipe Out as you gaze on these brave souls.
North Star provides to soak in the views from the top deck as you approach an exciting new port, or watching the sunset over endless miles of shimmering blue ocean. North Star offers an unparalleled way to scope out all the beauty that surrounds you as you sail from one captivating cruise destination to the next. The Guinness World Record-holder for tallest viewing deck on any cruise ship, this observation capsule gently lifts you over 300 feet above sea level in a smooth, gentle ride. Make sure you have your camera ready to snap some epic selfies. You can also ride as many times as you like. North Star is complimentary for guests.
SeaPlex is the biggest indoor activity space at sea is also home to some of the biggest thrills onboard. In addition to its epic bumper car track, the SeaPlex on Quantum of the Seas offers plenty of other ways to fill every moment with fast-paced, action-packed fun. Team up with new friends and dribble it out on the full-size basketball court. Take a high-flying trapeze lesson at circus school. Grab a controller and reach a new top score in the space’s video game zone. Or wild out on wheels at the roller skating rink. All while jamming to tunes from a floating DJ booth that hovers over all the action below.
RipCord allows the thrill of free falling as you skydive, however this time you don’t have to jump out of a plane or helicopter to experience it firsthand. Quantum of the Seas is home to RipCord by iFLY, the only indoor skydiving simulator at sea and one of the most epic attractions onboard this groundbreaking ship. Change into a special skydiving suit and step into a translucent capsule. Then get ready to soar as a strong blast of air lifts you up, up, and away from the ground, simulating the feeling of weightlessness. The whole family can get in on the zero-gravity thrills too because this activity is open to guests aged three and older.
Restaurants
So when you have sufficiently worked up an appetite in all your travels around the ship and the many off-shore excursions you may have on your busy schedule, Quantum of the Seas has a venue to meet the needs of any guest. I guarantee you will be satisfied no matter what your choice may be. The complimentary restaurants are plentiful and have menus that are pleasing to any palate.
There are four main dining rooms located aft on floors 3 and 4. The scheduled dinner time restaurants are on deck 3. Each serves the same menu but the decor in each restaurant has its own individualistic theme.
The anytime dining restaurants are on deck 4. Again different in decor but the same menu.
The other complimentary restaurants scattered throughout the ship are unique in the food and style of restaurant decor. There are so many it’s hard to capture all of them in this article. We tried almost all of them and walked away very satisfied.
For those guests who like a more upscale specialty restaurant experience, Quantum does not hold back. Each venue has its own unique style, menu and decor similar to any restaurant you would try on land. These specialty restaurants do charge extra, but it if looking for a great dining experience I would highly recommend you make reservations (preferably before you board) because the time slots fill up quickly.
The 7 day trip went very fast and we met a lot of great people from all over the country. It’s nice to see and talk with people on any cruise and to relax by the two main pools Quantum of the Seas has onboard, and just have fun. Life can be so hectic and complicated and you need to get away and forget about the real world for a short time. Sailing on Quantum of the Seas will provide you with all of the opportunities to do just that. Relax, Reload and sample really good food. I hope you start your own journey soon and see what cruising and Alaska have to offer. But before you go, see for yourself the beauty and elegance Quantum of the Seas has to offer.
But before you leave take the tour of Quantum of the Seas and see for yourself how much you will have on your trip.