New York Dining- Bring your Credit Card
There are some places you can afford to go as a budget traveler, for everything else there’s CREDIT CARDS! New York, we love you. You help to keep us skinny!
Ketchikan Zodiac Adventure. Whales, Eagles and a Wild Ride
Ready for a real adventure? That is the tag line on the card of Ketchikan Outdoors in Alaska. This is one wild adventure. After watching our safety video, we were led to the dock where we got into our designated Zodiacs and in an instant we were flying out into the channel. This isn’t your grandparent’s cruise excursion. This is an authentic Alaskan boat trip out into the wild waters of Alaska.
What to Pack for an Alaskan Cruise
As budget travelers and backpackers we are not used to packing large. Over the years we have learned to pack lightly and to scale down our luggage to essential items only. When Princess Cruises invited us on the #FollowMeAtSea fam trip we were obviously very excited, but also at a loss on how to pack for such an epic trip. An Alaskan cruise is quite different from a Caribbean or Mediterranean Cruise. For the warm weather cruise a person can pack their bathing suit, a few wraps, sarongs and shorts and you are good to go. An Alaskan Cruise however requires a little more planning and a lot more layers.
The Flora and Fauna of Alaska: A Photostory
Alaska is full of Flora and Fauna that if you spend enough time here you can literally see it all. From Bald eagles and Humpback whales to beautiful wild flowers and amazing National Parks. Alaska really has something for everyone.
The Ultimate Ships tour of the Coral Princess
Haven’t you always fantasized about going to the bridge of a giant ocean liner, meeting the captain and looking out over the vast and empty ocean? We have, and we were lucky enough to take a tour of Princess Cruises Coral Princess during our first day on board. Over 900 people from 48 countries work on the ship taking care of over 2000 passengers per voyage. They make it look effortless and easy, but there is an abundance of planning and organization going on behind the scenes.
Cruising Through Glacier Bay Alaska
One of the most spectacular events that take place when traveling on an Alaskan cruise is to sail through Glacier Bay. All on board activities are put on hold for this day, as sailing here is the star attraction of the cruise. After enjoying our champagne breakfast in our suite, we stepped out onto the balcony just in time to view pods of humpback whales swimming by the boat. We ended up seeing 3 different pods with a front row view.
The Great Alaskan Trail Ride
McKinley Princess lodge offers beautiful views of Mount McKinley when the weather is co-operating. It was a rainy day upon our arrival and we knew that there would be very little hope of landing on a glacier by plane in this weather. We had booked the tour weeks ago hoping to be able to fly around the mountain and land on it’s glacier. It was windy the day earlier when we tried and today didn’t look promising either. Instead of heading out to the airfield to take a chance on the weather clearing, we changed our excursion to a great Alaskan Trail ride.
Exploring Alaska’s Tri Valleys by ATV
We have had a jammed packed itinerary here in Alaska. Three days into our trip and we have already been on the river boat, panned for gold, took a scenic flight over Mount McKinley, enjoyed a history tour of Denali National Park and rode the Midnight Express from Fairbanks to Denali. Watching the Alaskan scenery is a thrill in itself, but today’s adventure takes us on an ATV tour with Black Diamond ATV Adventures.
Alaska, Land of the Midnight Sun: Snapshot Sunday
We have only been in Alaska for a couple of days but the scenery here is just breathtaking. I was not sure I would get any sunset or night shots here as the sun sets around 1am and rises at 3am. So you have to stay up late.
Flying Over Mount McKinley
Whether you are going to Alaska on a Princess Cruise or traveling independently you have to splurge and get yourself on a flight to see Mount McKinley. We arrived in Denali to the Denali Princess lodge and started our true Alaskan adventure today. We were in for a bumpy ride as the wind was bursting. Originally we had a tour planned to land on the Mount McKinely’s glacier, but the weather wasn’t cooperating today and our flight was changed to a fly over with the possibility of landing.
On the Riverboat with Princess Cruises
The sun didn’t set by the time we turned in at 10:30pm on our first day of our Princess Cruise. We are in the land of the Midnight Sun after all and we are approaching the longest day of the year. Our trip starts in Fairbanks Alaska where we will be spending 5 days on land exploring America’s Northern most state. Guy Glaeser (pronounced Glacier) our tour guide set up a great day for the early arrivals. Staying in the Princess Riverside Lodge offered an excellent home base for all our excursions and today we set out to explore the Chena River.
Not Long Until Princess Cruises Follow Me at Sea
The Month of June has come at last. Why are we so excited? It is because June is the month that we will be going to Alaska with Princess Cruises as part of their #FollowMeAtSea Press Trip. Watch for us on Twitter starting June 14th where we will be tweeting about every detail of our fantastic Alaskan adventure. If you haven’t joined twitter yet, come on over and follow us at @theplanetd
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