Ketchikan & Juneau

Already Day 3.

After our day at sea that allowed us to settle in and discombobulate, it’s on to Alaska! First port of call: Ketchikan, Alaska.

While some locals might argue Ketchikan exists for other reasons, its true purpose is clearly to host cruise ships and dream up entertaining excursions for passengers. Some locals might disagree.

While in port, we counted five other cruise ships docked alongside us (there may have been more), accounting for thousands upon thousands of one-day tourists. We happily joined the swelling crowds.

Regent offered numerous excursions — some free, some paid. We opted for the free Ketchikan Duck Tour.

So what’s a Duck Tour? It’s an amphibious bus that cruises the streets of Ketchikan, then drives straight into the harbor and motors around like it’s no big deal. It gave us a great look at the town, which sits on an island.

On to Day 4!

After quacking our way around Ketchikan, the ship departed for Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Completed in 1931, the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is often ranked the least grand of all 50 state capitols — no dome, no sprawling grounds, just a plain, boxy office building doing its best impression of a monument.

Juneau isn’t landlocked, but since it’s surrounded by mountains, it’s only accessible by sea or air. Its airport is technically an “international” airport, on the strength of one flight a week to Canada.

Our excursion in Juneau was called “Best of Juneau.” Once again a no-cost excursion, and once again, I’m not sure it fully lived up to the name. It took us to Glacier Gardens — minus any actual glaciers, but with some genuinely unique gardens featuring “upside-down” trees. They were pretty. The owner had the idea of planting fallen trees upside down (roots up, about 8-10 feet tall) and tucking flowers and plants into the exposed root systems. Very unique.

Next up, Mendenhall Glacier, which has receded even further than the last time we saw it back in 2009. Retreating or not, it was our top pick of what to see in Juneau.

The last stop on the “Best of Juneau” tour was a museum that, by that point in the day, didn’t really grab our interest.

Then it was back to the ship for relaxation and dinner. Ship life is very nice!