A Singles Traveler Cruise through the Inner Passage of Alaska

Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on Earth if you want to experience awe-inspiring beauty, enormous ice-age glaciers, abundant wildlife and learn more about the rich Alaska Native heritage. Alaska should be on the top of your bucket list!

During eight fantastic days onboard Royal Caribbean’s spectacular cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, our fun group traveling with Singles Traveler International, enjoyed the beauty of Alaska’s Inner Passage.

We left sunny Seattle on August 4, setting sail for Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Interestingly, there are no roads leading to this beautiful city. It can only be reached by air or sea! Nestled at the foothills of the impressive Mount Roberts, this town was born out of the gold rush when Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, helped by Tlingit chief Kowee, found a treasure trove of gold here in 1880.

Popular things to do is to hike the plus 3,800-foot Mount Roberts, go panning for gold, “flightsee” or trek the Juneau icefield or Mendenhall Glacier.

We spent our second port day in Skagway, part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park and the gateway to Yukon Territory. The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad runs vintage locomotives up the famously steep Chilkoot trail, in the footsteps of many gold rush hopefuls. This small town has an incredible amount of  interesting buildings and the fascinating stories that go with them. Just look at the facade of the Skagway Brotherhood building – it’s entirely made out of driftwood debris!

Our third port day took us to the scenic town of Sitka. Once the capital of Russian America and with an area over 4,800 square miles, it’s the largest city in the US – but with a population of just around 8,400 people.

Famous places to visit is the totem trail at Sitka National Historical Park, the Alaska Raptor Center and the famous Bear Fortress – a rescue center for orphan bears.
The walk along Whale Park, a boardwalk along the waterfront, is the premier place to spot whales from the mainland. Thanks to special underwater microphones, it’s possible to listen to the whales singing from the mainland.

After a full day at sea, we arrived at the beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia. The waterfront, anchored by the famous Fairmont Empress, is a lively area filled with shops and restaurants. The adorable yellow water taxis were taking passengers around the harbor while sharing the “runway” with all the seaplanes coming and going. This is a hidden gem!

As our amazing journey came to an end, it was wonderful to see new friendships being formed and many of our group members will be with us again on our Winter Breakaway Caribbean Singles Cruise.