This was a southbound itinerary from Anchorage to Vancouver aboard the Dawn Princess. We flew 3 days prior to the cruise so we could do some things out of Anchorage. Since we were flying from Florida, it was a good thing we flew first class because that was a super long flight.

We rented an SUV from Alamo.com for 3 days at $140 using a coupon from BJs.com. This was the best deal and it was a good thing we got an SUV because the 3 of us had two pieces of luggage each (one with clothes and one empty for stuff to buy). While walking from luggage claim, we took the escalator and thank goodness we were holding on to the rail because it suddenly stopped and we would have started the vacation out with a fall.

We were staying at the Anchorage Marriott Downtown and before going there we stopped at the local Wal-mart to get drinks and also some souvenirs and postcards. For those that plan on fishing, Wal-mart a good place to buy a pole if you don't want to lug your own. The Marriott offered excellent service as always. We ate at the SeaGalley for dinner that night. It wasn't anything special and the service wasn't great either.

The following morning we woke up at 6 am to drive to Seward. This was a beautiful drive and it took us approximately 2.5 hours with some stops along the way. Once we arrived in Seward, we stopped at the post office to mail our post cards and then we checked in at Major Marine for our all day glacier and wildlife boat tour of Kanai Fjords. Before getting on the boat for this tour, we shopped around at the stores along the street. If you don't want to pay the $15 for their buffet dinner, there is a Subway you can get some sandwiches or salads at. Make sure to stop in the building for the National Park Services. There are excellent pocket guides and children's books. I got one book on whales for a 5 th grader and had the author who was there (a park forest ranger) sign the book for her. The Kanai Fjords all day tour by Major Marine was excellent. If you book online, you save 10%. We saw Orcas, humpbacks, otters, dall porpoise, black bears, puffins, harbor seals and glaciers. The lunch buffet was great for the price and it was nice having assigned tables.

Upon arriving back at the marina, we watched the fishermen who were also returning, clean their fish. They were catching huge halibut and salmon. Next time I go to Alaska, I am just going to fly into Anchorage instead of cruising because there is so much you can do and fishing will be my next thing to do.

The next Day (Sunday), we went to the Market (open on Saturday and Sunday) and this was a nice place to pick up souvenirs and try some unique eats like salmon quesadillas. They also had live music. Afterwards we went down to the creek downtown across from the ULU factory to watch all the people trying to catch salmon swimming upstream. They have poles you can rent and you can also buy your license. It looked like a lot of fun but we will try this next year. On Monday, we had Kenny Timberwolf from Alaska Timberwolf Journeys & Tours pick us up to take us to Whittier. He followed us to drop off the car rental at the airport. We were going to rent from Avis and drive ourselves to Whittier but it was cheaper with the Alamo price we got added to Kenny's price. Avis was much higher and added the drop off fee. Kenny has an SUV Limo with a trailer hitch for the luggage. I would highly recommend him. Upon arriving at the cruise terminal, we checked in our luggage, picked up some coupon books for the stores and then checked in with Princess. Remember if you have a suite, there is a shorter line. We got on the ship, put our stuff down and left the ship to go on a boat tour of Prince William Sound with Phillips 26 Glaciers. This was a 4-½ hour tour. We specifically asked if we would see whales before booking and we were told we would see wildlife 50% of the time, so I thought half of the time we were on the boat we would see wildlife — what they meant is only 50% of time do people see wildlife. I think you see 26 glaciers but they don't point them all out — they just stop 3 times at 3 glaciers. This was nice but nothing in comparison to the Kenai Fjords tour. The only wildlife we saw were sea otters and a black bear, which was a speckle on a mountain. I don't recommend this tour unless money is growing on your trees. Also, they reserve seats (not just tables) and we reserved window seats but when we got on they reserved the same seat numbers to another couple and all they said was sorry, there are seats in the middle of the boat (not even near a window). This wouldn't have mattered if they let us go outside the whole time as they did on the Kenai Fjords tour but on this one, you can only go outside when they stop the 3 times.

After the tour we embarked the Dawn Princess. Embarkation was easy — not crazy like it was in Seattle last year. The ship itself is nice. Nothing glitzy but that is why I like it. We had a mini suite, which was plenty big - in fact the mini suite on this ship was the same size as the Penthouse Suite we had last year on the Carnival Spirit. The cabin had a fridge for our drinks. Since the ship isn't that new, I think the beds need to be replaced. Make sure to request a foam mattress, as the beds are pretty hard to the back. The bathtub Jacuzzi is excellent - the pressure is better than mine at home. Dinners were good, I think all cruise ship food is the same no matter the line. They all taste the same to me. After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard show. The setup of the Princess Theatre is terrible because it is like a movie theatre instead of the seats and tables we have seen in the past. So since you have people coming in late, everyone has to stand up to let them by.

On board there are lots of activities to do such as arts and crafts, dance lessons, computer classes and lectures. If you go to the shopping talk, sit in the front row in the center because the speaker tosses stuff out and hands a lot to the front row.

Glacier Bay is beautiful! We saw some humpback whales on the way into the Bay and bears on the cliffs. Make sure you have a good jacket, scarf and something to cover your ears and gloves so you can enjoy the scenery outside. Since we had our own balcony, we stayed in our room and ordered room service. The club sandwiches were great and the fries were always hot. They also offer hot milk which I haven't seen available on Carnival or Celebrity. Since we aren't coffee drinkers, we brought one of those kettle pot warmers to heat milk for hot chocolate but this time it wasn't necessary. They offer hot chocolate but it is made with water, which isn't as good as with milk, so we bring flavored hot chocolate mixes with us to keep us warm.

We went to the casino in the evenings and actually won about $1700 on the slots. I love the wheel of fortune slot!

Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan

The first stop was Skagway. I highly recommend renting a car for about $80 from Avis car rental and driving up into the Yukon. You can go further than the train and stop for beautiful photos when you want. There is a detailed mile map that will help you with the drive. Make sure you bring your passports, as you will be crossing the US border into Canada.

Our second port was Juneau. Although I have used Capt. Larry on my own whale watching tour, I enjoy Allen Marine much more and the cruise line uses them so I got my tickets through the ship. We did the Mendenhall and Wildlife Quest tour. We first went to Mendenhall and were allowed to walk around and go inside for about 45 minutes. Then we got back on the bus and went to the marina to board our boat that would take us on a wildlife quest. They provided a map of the area and binoculars. We saw sea lions, sea otters, eagles and lots of whales. The naturalist on board is very informative and the crew goes out of their way to take your photo with your camera. Bring a good jacket and something to cover your ears so you can stay out on deck for the best photos. On the way back to the ship, the tour bus will drop you off in town to shop if you don't want to go back to the ship.

Our final stop was Ketchikan. For the second time, we used Island Wings to see the Misty Fjords on a floatplane. Michelle is the best pilot in Ketchikan in my opinion! I can't wait to go on her bear tour she offers during July and August. I hear it is awesome. Michelle lets you choose what music you want to listen to during the flight back. She does a great job of pointing out everything you are seeing. We saw some goats on one mountain. The view of the fjords is just awe inspiring. Michelle also lands on the water and lets you get out onto land for about 30 minutes, which is great for photos. Something that really helped us out was the fact that Michelle can speak Spanish. One person in our party only spoke Spanish so this really made the trip for them. On our flight back, Michelle let me fly the plane (they have dual controls). This was really cool for me! I highly recommend this trip, it is my favorite tour in Alaska (even over helicopter landing on a glacier). Shopping is also great in Ketchikan because they have so many cute unique shops along Creek Street. This town offers a lot to do on your own. The information center on the dock gives out a free walking map and with it, there are many things you can walk to such as the salmon hatchery, totem poles, etc.

Our cruise ended in Vancouver. Marriott has several hotels downtown including the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside and the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown. The Pinnacle used to be another hotel so Marriott is in the process of sprucing up the rooms with better bedding etc. It is definitely needed! The Renaissance was better but I am sure once the Pinnacle is updated, it will be the one to stay at. Last time we were in Vancouver, we just got a pass for the hop on/off bus. This time we rented a car so we could drive all over. We drove to Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. We also drove the car onto the Ferry that takes you to Victoria. It is about $30 for the car each way and $10 person each way. Victoria was nice but if you only have a couple days, Vancouver offers plenty. We saw Orcas from the Ferry, which was neat.

A few weeks before our vacation, I purchased the Entertainment Coupon Book for Vancouver for $10 and there are a lot of buy one get one coupons for many of the attractions that will save you a lot. Definitely go to Stanley Park and take a horse drawn trolley ride (there is a coupon in the guide). The Vancouver Aquarium is also nice to go to if you have kids. I always love seeing the white Beluga whales. A visit to Granville Island is also a must. I love their Public market with all the beautiful flowers being sold and lots of yummy treats. We always pick up some fresh berries to munch on. There are a lot of art studios in this area and Vancouver is filled with all kinds of stores for your shopping needs!

Taxis to the airport from downtown are $30.