Cruising Alaska: Royal Caribbean

Port of Seattle

The Thompson Hotel was an ideal base for exploring Seattle before our cruise. Located in the heart of the city, it’s just a short walk to Pike Place Market, the Seattle Great Wheel, and the waterfront, making it incredibly convenient. The hotel itself boasts chic, modern décor, and the amenities, like the rooftop bar were perfect.

We kicked off our day with lunch at Luke’s Lobster. Delicious! It’s a must-visit for seafood lovers with a laid-back atmosphere. After lunch, we went to Pike Place Market. The bustling market offers everything from fresh seafood to handmade crafts, street performers to local produce. We watched the famous fish toss at the iconic fish market, checked out the bubblegum wall, and admired all the fresh flowers and local crafts. After that, we went to the Seattle Aquarium.

We ended our day at Cutter’s Crabhouse for dinner, which sits right on the waterfront with beautiful views of the harbor. If you’re looking for fresh seafood in a picturesque setting, Cutter’s is a solid pick.

Cruise

We cruised on Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The ship itself is huge and there is certainly something for everyone. We had no trouble finding things to keep us entertained during sailing times.

Cruising the icy waters

Sitka

Sitka was our first port and was super cool! We took an easy shuttle ride downtown for an hour before our excursion. The town has that unique blend of Russian history and Alaskan charm. After that we did the Wildlife Quest and Fin Island Lodge Excursion. Our catamaran tour was nothing short of extraordinary. We were fortunate enough to encounter a variety of marine wildlife in their natural habitat, including sea otters floating on their backs, bald eagles soaring overhead, sea lions basking on the rocks, and the awe-inspiring sight of whales breaching the surface of the water. After the tour, we stopped at Fin Island Lodge for an authentic Alaskan meal. It consisted of fresh salmon, crab and seafood chowder as well as prime rib. It was absolutely delicious!

Sitka

Sitka

Skagway

Skagway was our second port. The town was just a short walk away and had several restaurants, bars, and shops. We headed out on a dog sled excursion here. The shuttle took us up into the mountains, where we learned all about dog sledding and even got to do a sled ride, and meet the dogs. After that, we were introduced to the puppies that would start training for dog sledding once they were old enough, so cute! The scenery back to town was absolutely breathtaking and there were many photo ops. We had lunch at a favorite local spot, Woadies. The fish sandwich was delicious. We followed that up with a short hike and ice cream at The Kone Kompany.

Skagway

Juneau

Juneau was our next port and favorite excursion. We went whale-watching and were lucky enough to have several whales swimming around our boat. It was spectacular to see them breaching, and we even saw one jump out of the water. At one point our captain said it was very rare to have so many swimming around the boat at a time. After that, we went on a rainforest hike and were able to see a glacier up close. It was by far our favorite day of the trip!

Juneau

Vancouver, BC

We did not have any plans here, so when we departed the ship we were excited to see all of the pedicabs available. We had a great time on our tour with Victoria Pedicab Company and our driver was amazing. She even climbed up a tree to get a great picture of us! I would highly recommend the pedicab tour while here. We finished the day with dinner at The Local, which was fabulous!

Vancouver

We visited Alaska in June and it was perfect. We had beautiful weather and were able to see the whales which was important to us.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Alaska page.