Alaskan Cruise and Land Tour - May 2019

I had the privilege of helping a small accessible group to the beautiful state of Alaska!  Land and Sea Travel small group Cruise and Land Tour with Royal Caribbean aboard the Radiance of the Seas Vancouver Northbound to Steward and continuing with a Land tour on the full length of the Alaskan Railroad Wilderness Explorer from Anchorage to Talkeetna to Denali National Park all the way through Fairbanks Alaska. (Cruisetour 8A).

There are pictures in this blog, but they cannot do justice to the scale of the scenery, usually in 360 degrees with vertical elevation changes. The air was crisp and clean and smells fresh and the weather is very dynamic. The environment changed constantly even if you were still, and it was a good thing someone else was driving as it is a lot to take in. You really do have to be here to experience the full effect.  

Getting There

From Raleigh, we flew on Delta to Atlanta and through Seattle to Vancouver. Vancouver airport is a nice airport with beautiful wildlife and waterfall scenery on the stairs down to customs. One note, there are no bathrooms in the Vancouver airport until you clear customs. We were fortunate in arriving earlier and having to wait only 30 minutes, while those who arrived later reported waiting for 2-3 hours before clearing customs.   

Vancouver – Arrival MAY 15

After settling in our room, with an awesome view of the city below, the view beckoned us to take a walk.  We found ourselves at a beautiful community park called Minoru just about a block away from the upscale Marriott in Richmond, located south of Vancouver. Beautiful trails, ponds, foliage throughout the park.   The Marriott offers breakfast, lunch and dinner at the 75 West Coast Grill that had been recently renovated.  We enjoyed our breakfast surrounded by a nice ambiance prior to our tour.  The first night after coming back from our outdoors adventures, we dined with some of those travelling with us at the Pacific Gateway hotel near the airport. We dined at a restaurant setting adjacent to the Pacific Gateway called The Deck Kitchen & Bar.   A unique take on traditional West Coast classics from an expansive 7,000 square foot deck that overlooks the Fraser River, surrounded by nature and recently renovated, The Deck Kitchen & Bar is a hidden gem away from the bustle of Downtown. 

The 2nd day, May 16, we took a sightseeing tour which I recommend for those who like smaller groups and different itineraries offered along with the cruise shore excursions as well. We started early with a drive to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal in the town of Delta right by the US border, south west of Vancouver. The Ferry docked at Swartz Bay on the North side of Vancouver Island.

Surprisingly, the city of Vancouver is not on Vancouver Island, which is massive. A bus took us toward the south end of the island, to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, where we had a brief bus tour to get oriented on the map before being dropped off at the harbor. While others chose a high tea service at the Fairmont Empress, a walk through the Chinatown, and shopping, we opted to tour the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. There are beautiful stained glass windows in the Legislature with sayings on industriousness, thrift, and other topics, and since the legislature was at lunch, we were able to get a clear picture into the chamber.

 From there, we walked around the grounds and headed to the Streamship Grill and Bar to eat on the patio overlooking the harbor. Waiting to order and then to receive the meal, we had no shortage of activity – a dinner cruise ship was docked by us (reservations are required long in advance) and water taxis were moving all over. Floatplanes were landing and taking off across the harbor and a car ferry docked near enough to see, but not to hear. We had plenty of time to eat, and the food was great, but we had spent all of our time watching the harbor and getting in tune to the rhythm of life here. As we slowly walked back, just below the street above the dock, we were suddenly aware that the time to meet the bus was upon us. We walked up the stairs and directly onto the bus with 30 seconds to go.

Now here is a quick note, when the tour guide says there is a departure time, they mean it – the bus was running and getting ready to go – set an alarm. Have a copy of your itinerary so if you do miss a pickup, you can catch up – otherwise a floatplane would be needed to get back. Next stop was the Butchart Gardens where a limestone quarry was exhausted and then converted to a garden, which grew and had additional areas reflecting regions in other parts of the world. We had a beautiful day here with even lighting from an overcast, but without rain. The grounds are immaculate and the scale of plantings is immense. There is a reason these gardens are famous for their beauty.

Read more about our adventures in Alaska at www.landandseatravel.com

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