Jen - LEG Travel

Hosting my first cruise excursion in Ketchikan was a day I'll never forget.

My step-sister and I had the privilege of hosting 49 wonderful guests, and Mother Nature decided to give us a true Southeast Alaska welcome... torrential rain from start to finish. 🌧️😂

While my poor sis headed out into the downpour to track down our tour guide, I stayed onboard gathering everyone at the meeting point, making sure they knew where to go, and handing out extra rain jackets and umbrellas to anyone who needed them. Thankfully, everyone arrived with smiles, and before long we were rolling through Ketchikan on three buses.

Our guide was fantastic, weaving together stories about Alaska's "First City." Ketchikan grew as a fishing and logging town and is famous for having one of the world's largest collections of standing totem poles. The rain may be legendary here (they receive around 13 feet of rain each year!), but it only adds to the charm of this colorful waterfront community.

Our first stop was George Inlet Lodge, where we enjoyed a light brunch before diving into an unforgettable Dungeness crab feast. I have photos of my plate before... and after. 🤣 Let's just say I got my money's worth! The crab was unbelievably fresh—some of the best I've ever had—and I think I polished off about two and a half crabs' worth of legs. Yum!!

Next we visited Saxman Native Village, where we watched traditional Tlingit dancing (my step-sister and I ended up joining in on stage! 😅), explored one of the largest collections of standing totem poles in the world, and learned that totem poles weren't objects of worship, they were storytellers, family histories, and public records carved into cedar.

My favorite tells the Tlingit legend of a hunter who married a grizzly bear woman and gained supernatural senses. After breaking a promise to never look at his former human wife, his protective bear cubs tragically killed him in a panic. Today, the historic cedar carving preserves this story, using stylized animal ears and faces to symbolize the hunter's transformation and sharp senses.

Our final stop was the carving workshop, where we met a master totem carver whose work has been displayed in museums and collections around the world. Watching centuries-old traditions continue through living artists was something truly special.

After dropping off our guests, my sis and I wandered around Ketchikan's shops... still in the pouring rain. I was soaked, but so happy we made it into town.

The best part of the day wasn't the crab or the scenery, though. It was hearing so many of our guests tell me afterward how much they enjoyed the experience and how grateful they were for the day. ❤️

And here's the icing on the cake...

Because of the wonderful feedback from this sailing, I was invited to host another Distinctive Voyage in Alaska in August 2027 aboard Silversea! 🎉

Who's coming with me? 😉 An all-inclusive luxury Alaska cruise, hosted by yours truly, with an included shore excursion as one of my guests. I can't wait to do it all again!!

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Some destinations are unforgettable because of what you do. Others stay with you because of how they feel.

That was Icy Strait Point for me.

We didn't book an excursion or chase a checklist. Instead, my step-sister and I spent the day wandering the waterfront, taking a long walk, and enjoying the quiet beauty of Southeast Alaska.

Icy Strait Point is unique because it's not a traditional cruise port. It's owned and operated by the nearby Native Tlingit community of Hoonah, Alaska's largest Indigenous Tlingit village. The area was once home to one of the state's largest salmon canneries, and many of the original buildings have been carefully preserved, giving the waterfront a sense of history that feels authentic.

Icy Strait Point may not have been my most exciting day in Alaska, but it was one of the most peaceful. And honestly, that's a pretty wonderful souvenir to bring home.

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Some cruise ports are all about getting off the ship. Glacier Bay National Park is the exact opposite.

I spent the day wrapped in a blanket on a lounge chair, simply watching one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth drift by. No itinerary. No rush. Just hours of glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife.

One of the things that makes Glacier Bay so special is that only a limited number of cruise ships are allowed to enter each day, helping protect this incredible wilderness. As we sailed through the park, a National Park ranger came aboard and narrated our journey over the loudspeaker, pointing out wildlife, sharing the park's fascinating history, and explaining how these glaciers have transformed the landscape over the past 250 years.

Wildlife seemed to be everywhere. We saw sea otters, bald eagles, seabirds, and the unmistakable blow of whales in the distance. Some guests were even lucky enough to spot crested puffins!

The grand finale was reaching two magnificent tidewater glaciers. Standing before walls of ancient blue ice that stretch hundreds of feet high is hard to put into words. My step-sister even witnessed one glacier calve (a massive chunk of ice crashing into the water). I missed that moment, but honestly, Glacier Bay isn't about checking boxes. It's about slowing down enough to appreciate a place that reminds you how small we are.

Days like this are why Alaska is unlike anywhere else.

Cunard Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve