As far as I can tell, there are two kinds of people in Juneau. Those who love the cruise ships and those who hate them. Every day during the cruising season (May to September), anywhere from 2 to 5 giant cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau disgorging thousands of waddling tourists, all wearing sweatshirts and fanny packs. I say waddling because I’ve been on one of those ships and know how much food is consumed.
My niece told me of riding the bus to work on the final day of cruising season last year and when the bus driver announced “there goes the last cruise ship of the season, half the people on the bus cheered and the other half sat in stony silence. Those cheering were thrilled that they could now have their city back without the hoards, while the glum ones felt like their last link to the outside world was being severed.
As for me, I enjoyed watching the ships come and go from my niece’s place across the channel from the docks and on our various excursions.
If you have the time and resources to take an Alaska cruise, I highly recommend it. And if you’re not the cruising type, then consider a trip on the Alaska Marine Highway. The price is of course lower, but the views are the same! We took 4 ferry trips, and I’m ready to spend the rest of the summer on board one of those ferries.
Quick update: We are on our way back to Minnesota. Gracie (mom) flew back on Wednesday, so it’s just my sister and me. Hoping to be back by The Fourth!
Gonna be there this summer! Ian is manager of the photography team on one of the cruise ships, and we’ve decided to spend a week with him this summer. Really looking forward to it!
I was telling my fam about him the other day as we were watching the ships come and go. Which one is he on? I’ll be we saw his ship come in (so to speak).