Your Ultimate Guide to a Perfect Vacation and Alaskan Cruise

Day one

We flew direct from Chicago to Seattle early in the morning and took an Uber to our hotel at Hotel Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown where we were able to check in immediately. This hotel was in the perfect location in Seattle if you were looking to walk or scooter around. They also offer luggage storage if you get there too early and aren't able to check in right away. They are also within less than 15 minutes from the cruise port. We rode Lime scooters to breakfast at Skillet and shared a delicious burrito and some bloody Marys. We purchased a combination ticket for Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass and got to experience a fun piece of Seattle. We later went to dinner at Yard House and then enjoyed drinks at The Nest Rooftop during sunset. This rooftop bar had the most stunning view of the city at night.

Day two

We started the day right by going to Pikes Place Market for a two-hour guided tour that we booked through Viator. We absolutely loved this food tour! We learned so much about the history of the market and got to try over 13 different foods. Afterwards, we walked to the Seattle Aquarium, where we saw so many fun sea creatures and learned a lot. We then went back to the hotel for some relaxation. For dinner, we scootered back to the Yard House because we really enjoyed their laid-back atmosphere and great bar food. We ended the night on the rooftop at Altitude Sky Lounge, which offered more amazing view of the city at sunset.

Seattle’s Pike Place Public Market; Ketchikan sea plane excursion

Day three

We walked to breakfast at 5 Point Cafe, where I had a veggies omelet and my husband enjoyed biscuits and gravy. We made our way over to the cruise port, where we immediately boarded The Celebrity Edge. We have been on an Edge-class ship before and the Edge didn't disappoint. Before our room was ready, we headed to the Oceanview Cafe and grabbed lunch and then explored the rest of the ship. We went to dinner at one of the four main dining restaurants before going to the nightly game show. We love going to the game shows every night on Celebrity. We ended the night by heading to the silent disco, which if you have never experienced before, is so much fun! Everyone wears headphones that have three different music stations playing, and we all dance along to our own channels.

Day four

Today was a sea day. We took advantage of sleeping in and enjoying the views from our balcony. We played Deal or No Deal, the game show that the ship put on. It was a lot of fun! We ended the day playing trivia and enjoying the sunset bar views.

Day five

We arrived in Ketchikan bright and early. We explored the charming town before heading to our excursion that we booked through the cruise called “Destination Highlight: A Misty Fjords Flightseeing”. We went up in a seaplane and Derek rode as copilot. We went up above the fjords and glaciers for about an hour. It was breathtaking! We headed back to the ship for lunch, where we saw a humpback whale no more than 200 feet in front of us jumping out of the water. This was so cool and something we were really hoping to see while on this trip. We enjoyed the ship's main dining for dinner and afterwards headed to the game show and ABBA dance party.

Day six

We got up around 0500 while we were cruising through the Endicott Arm to see the Mendenhall Glacier. We had no idea that our ship would get so close to it and it brought for the most spectacular view of the entire trip, again, pictures do no justice! We enjoyed the view from one of the hot tubs they have on the top deck. Later that morning, we arrived in Juneau. We had another excursion booked through the cruise line called “Destination Highlight: Mendenhall Glacier River Rafting.” We took a short bus ride to the river start, where our experienced guides gave us a quick safety briefing and then we were off. We went for about two hours through class three rapids and serene scenery. We saw seals, eagles and a falcon along the way. We had so much fun! Afterwards, we walked around Juneau and went to some shops, then headed back to the ship for another night of food and entertainment.

White water rafting the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau; The Skagway White Pass Train

Day seven

We arrived in Skagway bright and early and de-boarded right away for our excursion. This excursion was also booked through the cruise and was called “Small Group: White Pass Train and Klondike Bike Tour”. We started by boarding the train in the city center and taking it all the way up. The views were unbelievable. The ride is about an hour and a half, and they tell you all about the history as you wind your way up the mountain. After the train, we followed our guide to the starting point where we would be biking down the Yukon Route, a total of 15 miles. I was terrified as I don’t normally do a lot of things like this, but it turned out to be something I will never forget. Taking in those views while zipping down the mountains past waterfalls and fjords felt dream-like. I highly encourage anyone of any age group and activity level to do the adventurous excursions while on this type of trip, you won’t regret it! We ended our ride back in the heart of Skagway. This town looked like a movie set. We walked around the streets checking out historical sights, shops and some sweet treats. We grabbed a late dinner at The Station Bar and Grill, then headed back to the ship, where we called it an early night after our adventure-filled day.

Views from the White Pass Train in Skagway; Biking excursion down the Yukon Route 15 miles to Skagway city center

Day eight

Another sea day! We slept in again and just enjoyed the relaxing environment of the ship and our surroundings. For dinner, we went to the OceanView Grill and then to the game show and 80s dance party. We were treated around 1:30 pm to a view of the northern lights, i was so excited!!

Day nine

We went to a pizza making class that was offered onboard through the shore excursions desk. It is a newer excursion they offered, so we decided to try it out. We enjoyed our pizzas that we made but would say this is an activity you can skip. We had a later port docking in Victoria, British Columbia. Let me tell you, I had zero expectations for this port, but it was beautiful! This city is so modern, clean, has beautiful architecture and the pier is within walking distance or a short ride to tons of shops and restaurants. We dined at an old Irish Pub called Irish Times and had the best nachos of our life, and that’s saying a lot! We took the rest of the night to stroll the city blocks before making our way back to the ship for our final night.

Views of the Endicott Arm from our room balcony; Irish Pub Eats in Victoria, British Columbia

Day ten

The day finally (sadly) came where we had to disembark the Celebrity Edge and we made our way home back to Wisconsin.

My key takeaways from this trip were:

• Do the adventure filled excursions, they make for the best memories

• Get involved in the ship activities, they really do plan so many fun thing to do while on board

• Get up early and take in as much of the surrounding views as possible

• Bring lots of warm and waterproof clothing, I was surprised as a midwestern native how cold it got

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Alaska. In need of further inspiration? Check out Chelsea Kavcic's guide, 7-Day Alaskan Cruise.