{"id":2238,"date":"2026-05-28T21:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T01:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/?p=2238"},"modified":"2026-07-11T21:18:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T01:18:52","slug":"vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver + Alaska Cruise &#8211; May 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>May 17 &#8211; 28, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruising the Alaskan Inside Passage to see Vancouver and check off our 47th state!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-tiled-gallery aligncenter is-style-square\"><div class=\"\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__gallery\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__row columns-5\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?resize=600%2C600&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?resize=900%2C900&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?resize=1440%2C1440&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1440w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"1440\" data-id=\"2240\" data-link=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/pxl_20260522_224318216-mp\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg\" data-width=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260522_224318216.MP_-1024x576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1440%2C1440\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C600&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=900%2C900&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=1440%2C1440&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1440w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"2560\" data-id=\"2242\" data-link=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/pxl_20260525_233237796-mp\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260525_233237796.MP_-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1440%2C1440\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C600&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?resize=900%2C900&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?resize=1440%2C1440&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1440w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"2560\" data-id=\"2243\" data-link=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/pxl_20260517_200637446\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260517_200637446-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1440%2C1440\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C600&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=900%2C900&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?resize=1440%2C1440&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1440w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"2560\" data-id=\"2245\" data-link=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/pxl_20260520_142210860-mp\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_142210860.MP_-576x1024.jpg?ssl=1&amp;resize=1440%2C1440\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery__col\"><figure class=\"tiled-gallery__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=600%2C600&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 600w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=900%2C900&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 900w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1200w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=1500%2C1500&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1500w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=1800%2C1800&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 1800w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000&#038;strip=info&#038;ssl=1 2000w\" alt=\"\" data-height=\"2268\" data-id=\"2248\" data-link=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/11\/vancouver-alaska-cruise-may-2026\/pxl_20260520_221957695-2\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"2268\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1-1024x1024.jpg?ssl=1&amp;resize=2000%2C2000\" data-amp-layout=\"responsive\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-divider stk-block-divider stk-block stk-e8ed3ab\" data-block-id=\"e8ed3ab\"><hr class=\"stk-block-divider__hr\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.polarsteps.com\/DeannaGM\/25854153-alaska-vancouver-may-2026?s=5bcf75e7-840c-4b04-92da-1a22a8a33503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Link to our Route<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Days 1 &#8211; 4 &#8211; Vancouver, BC, Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Left home at 3am on Sunday. WestJet direct from ATL to Vancouver via Delta codeshare. Ended up with a full row to ourselves in their comfort-plus equivalent! We spent 3.5 days exploring Downtown Vancouver before boarding our Alaska cruise. Our first full day here was May 18 &#8211;&nbsp; Victoria Day, the official start of summer in Canada, AND Peter&#8217;s birthday!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transportation<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SkyTrain &#8211; Vancouver&#8217;s metro runs directly from the airport to downtown. Just tap your credit card at the turnstile when you enter and exit vs getting a transit card. The metro seems easy to navigate, though we walked or used Lyft to get around the Downtown area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Neighborhoods\/Sights:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gastown District<\/strong> &#8211; Atmospheric neighborhood that shows up in a lot of film and TV backgrounds. Has an iconic steam clock. Looks old, but was built in 1977. Worth stopping to watch the clock mechanism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Yaletown <\/strong>&#8211; Former industrial district, now bars and restaurants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Davie Village<\/strong> &#8211; Vibrant neighborhood a short walk west.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Robson Street <\/strong>&#8211; The main shopping strip. Muji is here: clothes, home goods, snacks, and a robot that made me a strawberry matcha. I love this store \u2013 we popped in 4 times. Also a Herschel store; the bag brand is HQ&#8217;d in Vancouver. I got a new laptop tote at the Gastown location.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Granville Island <\/strong>&#8211; Sprawling public market on a small peninsula. Maple glazed donut at Lee&#8217;s Donuts, then picked a live Dungeness crab at The Lobster Man: market rate, complimentary steam, ate by the water.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Denman Street \/ West End<\/strong> &#8211; Morning walk on day three. Another Tim Hortons. The A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures are fourteen oversized bronze figures, very photogenic, very strange.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Golden Age Collectables (Shop)<\/strong> &#8211; Busy comic book store on West Hastings. Peter picked out a few collectable comics for his birthday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marine Building<\/strong> &#8211; Beautiful art deco building. Filming location for Smallville, Altered Carbon, Watchmen, Fantastic Four, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tim Hortons (Coffee) <\/strong>&#8211; Peter&#8217;s favorite and our first stop off the metro. Maple donut and Iced Capp for the win.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Japadog (Lunch)<\/strong> &#8211; Japanese style hot dogs! Got the # 1, Kurobuta Terimayo: Berkshire pork sausage, teriyaki, Japanese mayo, fried onions, shredded seaweed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guffo Cafe (Breakfast)<\/strong> &#8211; Matcha and breakfast to kick off the birthday. The Nutella croissant was out of this world.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Miku (Dinner)<\/strong> &#8211; Michelin Guide recommended. Aburi-style sushi, meaning flame-seared. The wild sockeye salmon oshi with jalape\u00f1o and their sauce was delicious. Also tried the spot prawn nigiri \u2013 local and in-season right now.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nightingale (Dinner)<\/strong> &#8211; Michelin Guide recommended. We ate at the chef&#8217;s table booth overlooking the kitchen. Beet salad, buttermilk fried chicken with spiced maple syrup, guanciale pizza with pineapple \u2013 so good! We also caught the tail end of their happy hour deals 3-5PM daily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vancha (Tea)<\/strong> &#8211; Chinese tea shop with a very meditative atmosphere. Sampled Longjing (my favorite from our China trip), oolong, some snacks. We lingered here for a while to rest after a lot of walking. If you love tea \u2013 don\u2019t miss this little shop!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hotels<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Metropolitan Hotel (Hotel)<\/strong> &#8211; Marriott property near Vancouver City Centre station. First night only \u2013 booked with points.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Westin Bayshore (Hotel)<\/strong> &#8211; Switched here for nights two and three. Took a morning yoga class on-site and a bike tour!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stanley Park (Bike Tour)<\/strong> &#8211; Westin&#8217;s free 45-minute guided ride around the park. Totem poles, seawall, views across the bay. First tour of the season and only two of us &#8211; a private tour. Good workout before packing up and heading to the ship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Days 5 &#8211; 6 &#8211; Cruising the Inside Passage to Juneau, Alaska<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Holland Zaandam (Departure)<\/strong> &#8211; Three ships were boarding at the same time at Canada Place. Took about an hour in line to clear security and customs. We passed the time guessing which passengers were boarding which ship: Carnival felt family-forward, Holland skewed nature-and-international, Regent was clearly the luxury crowd.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cruise Route <\/strong>&#8211; Seven-day Inside Passage round trip from Vancouver, stopping in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, with a cruise into Glacier Bay National Park.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cabin<\/strong> &#8211; We paid a small upgrade for not one, but TWO portholes! Being in the back corner of the ship means you feel a lot of mechanical vibration. The upside is a semi-hidden private deck beside the room that feels genuinely tucked away.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Life on Board<\/strong> &#8211; Stretch and yoga classes, spa treatments, a relaxing pedicure, informative port talks. The buffet has been very good&#8230;and the dessert buffet is downright dangerous to my waistline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Internet<\/strong> &#8211; We lost Google Fi cell service on the at-sea day, but we paid for a one-device internet plan on the ship and brought a small travel router to share the signal. Worked well!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Room service <\/strong>&#8211; We have taken full advantage of the 6:00 a.m. breakfast delivery to avoid the buffet chaos.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>First cruise stop: Juneau<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With this stop, Peter and I have now checked off our 47th state &#8211; only 3 more to go!<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alaska&#8217;s state capital, accessible only by air or sea. No roads in or out. Population around 32,000, similar in size to Dalton. We got lucky and spotted a couple of humpback whales from the boat on the way in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tongass National Forest<\/strong> &#8211; Located in Southeast Alaska, it is the largest U.S. national forest, covering nearly 17 million acres of temperate rainforest. Glaciers, fjords, mountains, and forests of spruce, hemlock, and cedar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Juneau Tours &amp; Whale Watch Trolley (Tour)<\/strong> &#8211; Took the trolley up to Mendenhall Glacier. Driver Joey had entertaining commentary the whole way out. Spotted lots of bald eagles and a bear on the drive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mendenhall Glacier<\/strong> &#8211; About 12 miles north of Juneau. We hiked the Nugget Falls Trail. It&#8217;s about an hour if you stop for photos. The falls were really flowing. Glacier views are better back at the visitors center, but the hike is easy and worth it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pel&#8217;meni (Snack) <\/strong>&#8211; Russian beef dumplings with curry and hot sauce. Fun fact: The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. Good value, in retrospect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Downtown Juneau<\/strong> &#8211; Walked past the dock shops to find locally owned spots further back: an artist gallery co-op and a local tea shop. Also home to Alaskan Brewing Co., one of the 50 largest independent breweries in the U.S. and employee-owned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Days 7 &#8211; 8 &#8211; Skagway, Alaska &amp; Glacier Bay National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Skagway<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We docked in Skagway early this morning, and took our time getting off the boat. We had a scooter tour planned but due to a miscommunication between the booking company and tour operator &#8211; they didn&#8217;t have a tour planned. We spent the morning exploring town on foot instead. It&#8217;s chilly, but sunny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Downtown Skagway)<\/strong> &#8211; resembles an old western town, visitors center and lots of shops (we found some great locally owned ones). Founded during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush, the community of about 1,100 year-round residents. TOC can driver here (through Canada) on the South Klondike Highway.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls <\/strong>&#8211; walked from town (3.6 miles round trip, ~2 hours). Mostly flat and sidewalks + a dirt road that takes you past the railroad depot. Some famous Klondike characters are buried here &#8211; including Frank &#8220;Soapy&#8221; Smith and Frank Reid. The falls trail is a short loop from the cemetery. The falls part is a bit steep and lots of rocks and roots &#8211; so steady feet required!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jack London\/Call of the Wild<\/strong> &#8211; Jack passed through Skagway in August 1897 to prospect the Klondike, which provided the inspiration for his novel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Klondike Doughboy (Lunch)<\/strong> &#8211; Alaskan fry bread, fried dough coated in cinnamon and sugar. Delicious!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skagway Weenie Wagon (Lunch)<\/strong> &#8211; Split a reindeer chili dog (yes, reindeer).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Glacier Bay National Park<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Early the next morning we sailed into Glacier Bay. Limited cruise ships are allowed in the bay. Park rangers boarded the ship to give commentary about what we were seeing. They also brought a mini park national park store so we could pick up the park pass and token.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wildlife<\/strong> &#8211; we spotted lots of sea otters, some mountain goats (binoculars needed to distinguish them from snow on the cliffs), brown bear,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Margerie &amp; Lampugh Glaciers<\/strong> &#8211; Ship did a slow 180 turn in both inlets so the glaciers were visible from both sides of the boat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tlingit<\/strong> &#8211; Alaska native people who have inhabited SE Alaska for thousands of years. We heard a presentation from Kevin, who shared stories about his family that lived in the Glacier Bay area and their traditions and feelings about the NPS (an arranged marriage of sorts).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Days 9 &#8211; 11 &#8211; Ketchikan, Alaska &amp; Back to Vancouver<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ketchikan<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Known as &#8220;Alaska&#8217;s First City&#8221; and the &#8220;Salmon Capital of the World&#8221;. Like Juneau, it is only accessible by boat or plane, and only has about ~32 miles of paved roads in the town if you do have a car. One way you can reach it is the Alaska Marine Highway is a state-owned ferry system that operates a fleet of vessels along a 3,500-mile route from Washington State to the Aleutian Islands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We arrived around 11am and parallel parked the cruise ship between two Princess ships. That was impressive to watch! Weather was bright and sunny and in the mid 50s &#8211; so I quickly shed my extra layers. The city is in the Tongass Rainforest and is usually known for the rainy climate &#8211; we had one very light drizzle but that was it. We got very lucky with the weather this trip!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Creek Street <\/strong>&#8211; a historic boardwalk (and former red light district) with colorful buildings on wooden stilts over a stream. Lots of cute local shops. We walked up to see Married Man&#8217;s Trail on the backside of the district &#8211; a wooded trail winding up the hill that was originally used by patrons of brothels to escape sudden police raids.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Totem Heritage Center<\/strong> &#8211; We walked over to this small museum. They have an impressive collection of original, unrestored 19th-century totem poles that were retrieved from abandoned village sites in the surrounding islands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Downtown Ketchikan<\/strong> &#8211; Small and very walkable. Feels like a fishing and artsy town combined. We even spotted one harbor seal while walking around.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Alaska Fish House (Lunch)<\/strong> &#8211; We had to have salmon in the Salmon capitol of the world! We got a late lunch here, the line was long most of the day &#8211; but it moved quickly. We had salmon chowder, salmon bowl and halibut tacos and ate on barstools overlooking the fishing boat docks. All were very good!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Island Brew Cafe (Coffee)<\/strong> &#8211; Cute little local coffee shop ticked on the back side of downtown. I had a ginger cookie and a London Fog (an early gray tea latte invented in Vancouver in the 90s).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time Change<\/strong> &#8211; Alaska has two time zones, and most of the state is one hour ahead of Vancouver and the West Coast. The ships clocks changed time on the sea days going and coming from Vancouver. We lost an hour on our last full day on board.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vancouver<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A day at sea between Ketchikan and Vancouver. We enjoyed a fitness morning with stretch, Tai chi and yoga. Then hit the buffet multiple times &#8211; aka &#8220;balance&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vancouver Art Gallery<\/strong> &#8211; An impressive museum in the heart of downtown Vancouver with a collection of contemporary and regional works. My favorite was the colorful staircase made using vinyl tape.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>East Vancouver <\/strong>&#8211; We grabbed an Uber over to E. Vancouver to explore the shops and restaurants on Commerce st. The Uber route we took down East Hastings was lined with homeless people, the worst we have ever seen on our travels. Open drug use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Lunch Lady (Lunch) <\/strong>&#8211; a renowned Vietnamese restaurant holding a prestigious MICHELIN Bib Gourmand designation. The restaurant continues the legacy of Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh &#8211; Anthony Bourdain&#8217;s favorite street food chef in Saigon. fresh rolls, beef carpaccio with taro chips and fried soft shell crab lettuce wraps with a dill sauce that was out of this world.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gatley Lifestyle Store<\/strong> &#8211; A little shop near the Lunch Lady. Cute clothes and friendly folks. I picked up a few items.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Metropolitan Hotel <\/strong>&#8211; One more night at the Metropolitan before an early AM flight back to ATL.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May 17 &#8211; 28, 2026<br \/>\nCruising the Alaskan Inside Passage to see Vancouver and check off our 47th state!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[109,108],"class_list":["post-2238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","tag-alaska","tag-vancouver","content-wrap"],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=2268%2C2268&ssl=1",2268,2268,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=768%2C768&ssl=1",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=960%2C960&ssl=1",960,960,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=1536%2C1536&ssl=1",1536,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=2048%2C2048&ssl=1",2048,2048,true],"envy-blog-1200-16x4":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=1360%2C320&ssl=1",1360,320,true],"envy-blog-1200-16x9":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1",1200,675,true],"envy-blog-960-16x9":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=960%2C540&ssl=1",960,540,true],"envy-blog-600-16x9":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=600%2C337&ssl=1",600,337,true],"envy-blog-1200-4x3":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1",1200,900,true],"envy-blog-960-4x3":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=960%2C720&ssl=1",960,720,true],"envy-blog-600-4x3":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1",600,450,true],"envy-blog-600-3x4":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?resize=600%2C800&ssl=1",600,800,true],"envy-blog-600-auto":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/travelminimalism.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260520_221957695-1.jpg?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>May 17 &#8211; 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