Wings Airways De Havilland DHC-3 Otter float planes

Day 14 – Thursday, July 11, 2024 – Juneau, Alaska

We had a later excursion time than yesterday, so had breakfast on the ship before disembarking for our excursion which was a float plane ride over the Juneau Icefield. We saw several glaciers from the air, but since it was another cloudy day, many of the pictures look like they were taken in black and white, but it was still cool to see from the air.

For lunch, I decided to take a break from the seafood I was having nearly every meal, but still get something I can't get at home, and enjoyed a reindeer sausage corn dog. It was pretty good. After lunch we checked out the Alaska State Capitol building (we had visited the Hawaii Capitol last year, so it seemed fitting to see the Alaska one too). We then rode the Goldbelt Tram up 1,800 feet which gave a nice view of Juneau.

We ate supper back on the ship. Our cruise package included one specialty dining experience and we had selected to have it tonight at the Pinnacle Grille. This is one of the meals when I had to get over wasting food and just enjoy the experience and the food in small portions. I had a few spoonfuls of lobster bisque, a tasting of Keith's Clothesline Candied Bacon, and a small filet and lobster tail for my entree. At home, I would have just eaten one and taken the other for lunch the next day, but here I had a few bites of each. I finished the meal with a few bites of my Key lime pie and of Keith's chocolate soufflé.

Day 15 – Friday, July 12, 2024 – Ketchikan, Alaska

We were due in Ketchikan at 11 and had an excursion at 12:15, so we went to the buffet when it opened at 11 for an early lunch. They were slow opening and we impatiently waited along with many other passengers. After about 15 minutes, the people on our side of the ship learned that a portion of the buffet on the opposite side of the deck was open and had been for some time. So, we all went over there to get our food.

The Bear Encounter by Land and Sea excursion was the one I was most looking forward to, but also the one we were the most concerned about. It was a 4-5 hour excursion and the website said, “Bears have an acute sense of smell; do not wear strong scent or bring food of any kind.” Even though the website also said a light snack was included, we weren't sure when the snack would be, if it would be the right type of food for me, and if it would be enough to satisfy my needs over that long of period. While I'm usually comfortable sneaking food in where not “allowed”, I don't have that same comfort level when bears are involved. My husband, being the great planner and very concerned about me, took it upon himself and had multiple conversations with the cruise company who also talked to the excursion company both before and during the cruise. The excursion involved a 40 minute bus ride, followed by an hour long boat ride to the place where we would then walk down a path to see black bears. We were told we could take food on the bus and boat and then we could leave our bag on the boat for the hour or so spent at Neets Bay Bear Observatory, so we decided to go ahead and do the encounter.

When we were getting ready to get off the boat, we learned that boat was leaving us and another boat would be coming to pick us up when we were done at the observation area, but the guide assured us that bringing our bags and snacks on the trail was no problem. So basically, all that worry for nothing!

As we walked the trail to Neets Bay Hatchery and the observation area, the guide pointed out scratches on the trees that were from bears. We had heard that groups weren't seeing bears because the salmon weren't spawning yet and that's what attracts the bears. We waited about an hour and didn't see anything besides bald eagles and some other birds when some in our group saw a bear. Keith looked and saw just a glimpse before it went back into the woods, by the time I looked, it was gone. And then 10 minutes later, it was time to go.

We figured our group had seen just enough to not get the $100 credit they give if you don't see a bear because they are that confident you will see one. We were pleased to find out we each received the credit after all. It didn't change the disappointment in not seeing them, but at least we got a small compensation for our 5 hours spent to see no bear.

When we got back on the boat, we were given the provided snack of a choice of a selection of salty snacks, along with a bottle of water. I'm glad I had brought my own snack which I ate part of on the way.

When we got back to town, we wandered around Ketchikan a little and checked out Creek Street before getting back on the ship.