Alaska Cruise - Ketchikan, Alaska (September 2026)

Joyce's family and we took an Alaskan Cruise. It has been on our bucket list for quite some time, and it was a wonderful opportunity to do it with Joyce's family. Joyce made a reservation with Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas that runs a 7-day one-way from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, Alaska. 

Alaska is the 49th state of the U.S.A. Its population is estimated to be less than one million inhabitants while its land size is 1.7 million square kilometers. It is 2.5 times the Texas to give you the perspective. 

We decided to arrive in Vancouver one day earlier to explore this beautiful city. Vancouver has almost the same population as the state of Alaska, and its metropolitan area has 2.73 million inhabitants. 

One of the landmarks of Vancouver is the Gastown Steam Clock. It is one of the rarest steam-operated clock. It plays a version of Westminster Chime using steam whistles. 

 

The steam closk contrasted with the high rise towers in the background. We strolled the Gastown District making frequent stops at a variety of souvenir shops. 

The next day, we checked in with the cruise ship and had the welcome dinner with Joyce's family. It was lovely to see our grandsons: Myles and Avery. Myles was three and a half years old and Avery was 10 months old. It was quite a joy!

We had dinner together for seven nights in a row. How wonderful the time was!

Our first port of call was at Ketchikan. It is an island where you can reach only through a ship or a plane. It is significant as Alaska's southernmost major port and the "First City" of the Inside Passage. It is renowned globally for having the largest collection of standing totem poles and its historic identity as the "Salmon Capital of the World." We had two full days of cruising only before we arrived in Ketchikan, so people were missing the land. 

We decided to walk around the town. But, we had to take a shuttle to get to downtown. It was flat and perfectly walkable. Before taking the shuttle, we had to pass through Ward Cove, an open market under the roof of a big warehouse. 

One of the places we did not want to miss was Creek Street. It is a historic wooden boardwalk over stilts over the Ketchikan Creek. It used to be a red-light district, but has transformed into a top cultural and wilf-viewing attraction. There are massive seasonal salmon runs peaking from July to September. We saw big groups of salmons in the creek.

The Ovation of the Seas had a slogan of Carpe Diem, meaning Seize the Day. It signifies the short nature of human life, so that people do not miss the opportunity, such as doing Alaskan Cruise, I think.

 We enjoyed the short visit to Ketchican, Alaska. - Jeffrey