Alaska Cruise Aboard The Cunard Lines Queen Elizabeth

Alaska Inside Passage - June 23 - July 03 2025

This was my third year in a row being invited aboard the Queen Elizabeth by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Cunard Cruise Lines to give a series of talks for the passengers. Even though I have done a couple of variations of this trip before, Alaska remains an amazing and fascinating place for me, and I loved being able to return, this time a little earlier in the season than usual.   The Queen Elizabeth is a wonderful ship, and it was great to be on board again.

Day 01 - 2025 06 23 - Depart Seattle

Day 1 - Up at 4:30 AM to get to the airport & fly to Seattle. This was first time in Washington State. The flight was uneventful and the weather was good. I boarded the Queen Elizabeth at the Seattle docks and got settled in to my stateroom. Our departure was so smooth, I didn’t even notice the ship moving as we sailed past layers of mountains, headed north towards Alaska.

Day 02 - 2025 06 24 - At Sea

Day 2 - Today was a sea day. It was also the day I gave my first talk in the Royal Court Theatre. It went well, and I love the stage in their gorgeous theatre. I had quite a few people come up to me afterwards to ask questions. The weather was rather gloomy with overcast conditions all day, but I caught s few glimpses of cloud-covered land from time to time. Tonight was also the first of 2 formal gala nights, which was fun.

Day 03 - 2025 06 25 - Endicott Arm Fjord & Dawes Glacier

Day 3 - The weather was questionable at first with foggy, cloudy conditions as we entered the Endicott Arm Fjord and cruised southeast. We started to see small icebergs, a clear sign that the Dawes glacier has been active recently, as well as a fine delineation in the water where the sea water and the silty, glacial fresh water didn't mixed. The steep walls of the fjord were dramatic with wispy clouds, and the occasional glimpse of snow-capped peaks. I tried going out to the bow on deck 5 but there was a heavy rain coming down, and the wind was too strong, so that plan was abandoned, and instead I went up to the Commodore club on deck 10 to enjoy the view from there. As we got deeper into the fjord, I went topside and got some great views of waterfalls, more icebergs, sea birds, and quite a few harbour seals, who shelter on the icebergs in the fjord from the orcas that don't like the silty glacial-fed water. We were able to get quite close to the glacier (for a cruise ship), but who knows how long that will remain possible as the glacier has been retreating about a half mile a year, so the sea floor closer to the glacier is uncharted. The ship spun around and all sides of the ship got some great views. This was the first time in a couple of years that the Queen Elizabeth has been able to get this far up the fjord due to the iceberg conditions. The weather got better, the rain stopped but the clouds remained, really enhancing the blues in the ice.

Day 04 - 2025 06 26 - Icy Strait Point

Day 4 - The weather really cooperated, and the rain I was fearing never came. I went ashore and walked around, checking out the shops, the fire pit, and the salmon cannery museum. I then did some beach combing along the waterfront, and spotted a bald eagle close by in a tree. I got some pics, then it flew off, joined a second eagle, and the two of them circled around, likely hunting for fish. Continuing on I went to the gondola and took it up the hill. From there I took the walking path through the woods, snapping lots of pictures along the way of the trees, moss, some mushrooms, an eagle’s nest and more. Took some photos of crows along the boardwalk, and eventually circled back to do some more beach combing along the other side of the pier. There were bear caution signs everywhere, but I never did spot a bear. I did briefly see a beaver though.

Day 05 - 2025 06 27 - Juneau & Mendenhall Glacier

Day 5 - After getting off the ship in the Alaskan state capital of Juneau, I took a bus excursion to the Mendenhall Glacier in the Tongass National Forest. on the ride there we spotted a stand of trees that was absolutely filled with bald eagles! I don't know how many there were, probably at least a dozen. The last time I was here, there was a glacial outburst flood which closed part of the park, did a lot of damage in town, and even swept away a few houses. Conditions were much calmer today. After getting some photos of the glacier from photo point, I walked along the trail to Nugget Falls and spotted a porcupine high up in one of trees. The falls were roaring away, and I love how you can get right up to the rushing water, no guardrails here.

Day 06 - 2025 06 28 - Skagway

Day 6 - Skagway is an old gold rush town that now is a tourism hot spot in southeast Alaska. It's home to the old White Pass & Yukon Route railway that was originally build for the gold rush, but now takes passengers up into the mountains above Skagway and into the Canadian Yukon Territory & back. I was going to perhaps ride the train, but visibility wasn't great today with low clouds and drizzle, so instead I wandered around the old, historic part of town, taking in the shops and having a bite to eat at the Red Onion, a famous old saloon & former brothel.

Day 07 - 2025 06 29 - Glacier Bay National Park

Day 7 - I got up early as we were entering Glacier Bay National Park early, picking up the park rangers at 6 AM. The weather wasn’t ideal with lots of low clouds, some fog, and rain. We could still see what was going on, but visibility was a bit compromised. There was an announcement that we were going to pass an area with steep cliffs where mountain goats can sometimes be seen. We made a close approach, and I did indeed see a goat. I was pretty far, but it was there. We also saw quite a few sea otters floating near the ship as we got deeper into the park. The first glacier we saw was the Lampugh glacier. It came into view from behind a green, mossy hill. This glacier was very dirty, covered in dirt from the moraines, and in particular a landslide that happened a few years back. The rain was coming down, so I alternated between drying off inside, and going out on the top decks to get photos. The visibility at Marjorie Glacier was a little worse due to foggy haze, but its blue colour was still spectacular. There were some small pieces breaking off, and the water surrounding the glacier was full of bergy bits and growlers.

Day 08 - 2025 06 30 - Ketchikan

Day 8 - Today was by far the worst weather day of the trip. Not too surprising since Ketchikan is known for its rain. As a matter of fact, this town can get up to 12 feet of rain a year! Once ashore I took in the local lumberjack show. Unfortunately, because of the last-minute tickets, I was seated in a spot with not protection from the rain. The good part was that this was the front row, so it kind of worked out, despite getting soaked. The lumberjacks put on a very entertaining show of skills and strength. It really is impressive to see these guy chopping wood, wield chainsaws, climbing the poles and doing the log roll. After the show I grabbed a bite from a local fish place (Ketchikan is the salmon capital of Alaska), but the rain had still not let up, so I went back to the ship rather than stay out in the rain and get even more drenched.

Day 09 - 2025 07 01 - At Sea

Day 9 - Happy Canada Day! Yesterday was our final port of call in Alaska, and now we’re sailing south, out of U.S. waters back into Canada, past Haida Gwaii, towards southern Vancouver Island. I gave my second, and final, talk aboard the ship, and tonight was the second gala formal night (with a “masquerade” theme.

Day 10 - 2025 07 02 - Victoria, British Columbia

Day 10 - A nice sunny day, but it was remarkably windy as we pulled into the B.C. provincial capital of Victoria. I didn’t have any firm plans for today, so I just decided to walk around the city. I took a shuttle to the city center then wandered about through the waterfront area, then over to Market Square, then over to Chinatown. I managed to catch a nice 22° solar halo that I photographed behind a sculpture near the waterfront. I then walked back towards the provincial parliament building and back to the ship.

Day 11 - 2025 07 03 - Seattle, Washington

Day 11 - That’s the end of this journey. Having been to the Alaska Inside Passage 3 times now, I found it to be different each time, with varying ports, weather, and wildlife each time. The Queen Elizabeth is a gorgeous ship, and it was a great honour to be invited back aboard. I disembarked in the morning and grabbed a taxi to the airport where I flew directly home back to Toronto.

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