Hey, Y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend and everyone is getting back into the grind this Monday! I am definitely adjusting to the time zone changes we went through and the whole more-than-four-hours-of-night time-thing! (Alaska had about 20 hours of daylight!). 

Just a heads up, this post is filled with pictures so I hope you're ready for a longer-ish post. Kollin and I were so excited for this trip since we both love the Pacific Northwest and all that Alaska had to offer! We started out boarding the ship in Seattle and left port in the afternoon.  

We had a full day of sailing all the way to Juneau, Alaska, but the views on the way there did not disappoint! Once we arrived in Juneau, we had our first excursion of whale watching. It was cold and rainy that day, but it made for some pretty ominous and epic pictures! We boarded a smaller boat and made our way to a lodge for a salmon bake prior to whale watching. After a delicious lunch, we hopped back on the boat and set out to find some whales. We saw about 5 humpback whales and it was so neat to be as close as we were to them! I think the whale watching excursion is great, but you will definitely see a ton of whales while on the cruise ship so keep that in mind if you are looking to do something else!

Following whale watching in Juneau, we boarded the ship and made our way to Skagway, Alaska (my favorite part of the trip!). Our day in Skagway consisted of taking a coach bus to the top of a mountain and boarding a train to take back down the mountain. This was by far the best day for visibility, as you can see in the pictures! We stopped several times during the bus ride up the mountain for some breathtaking views and then boarded the train to head back down. 

Over the next two hours, we cruised rode down the mountain and saw such breathtaking, amazing imagery. I wish we could've stayed in Skagway for a few more days, it was the cutest town and area! *Fun Fact* Skagway was rushed upon by miners in the late 1890s on the hunt for gold. With thousands of miners traveling to the area, it quickly became the hub for gold miners looking to strike it rich. However, this was because Skagway was the closest town to the gold fields, a difficult 600 miles away. Thousands of men and horses died on the passage from avalanches, illness, murder and hunger. This difficult journey was mostly unsuccessful for the majority of the travelers because the mines had been dug by so many that by the time they reached to field, the gold was gone.

Jacket - old (Similar) | Boots 

After Skagway, we sailed on to Tracy Arm Fjords and Glacier and began to venture into icy waters, literally! Unfortunately, because of the ice we were not able to see the glacier and bypassed that part of the trip to continue onto the Canadian portion of the cruise.

During the sailing day between Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia, we celebrated the Fourth of July on the ship with a "street" party in the promenade and a festive dinner. This day was actually really beautiful with sunshine and warmer weather!

Sunglasses (use code "NewShades4You" for 10% off!) | Jacket | Shoes 

Our last stop on the cruise was Victoria, British Columbia. This was the best weather of the trip, sunny and a high of 80 was a great change of pace! We docked and jumped on a bus to go explore Victoria. We stopped at several shops and gathered some mementos, Canadian favorites (maple syrup) and some unique artwork to take home. It was the perfect ending to the trip before we headed back to Seattle. With gorgeous scenery, whales, delicious food and incredible memories, this trip is one we will never forget! Kollin is already asking to go back! lol

What I packed:

• Jeans (several pairs)
• Leggings / Yoga pants
• Jean jacket, army green jacket, cold weather jacket, rain jacket
• Sweaters
• Baseball hat, would highly recommend a beanie as well for colder days!
• Two dresses for dinner (one formal)
• One pair of heels, flip flops, boots, tennis shoes
• Tank tops for layering under cardigans
• Sweatshirt or pullover for excursion days to layer under jackets (lived in this one!)

Thank you so much for stopping by & reading!