Rob C.

Our last stop, was in between the size of Skagway and Juneau. The ship docked right in the heart of the shopping area. This definitely was the best port for shopping. There were 4 ships in port that day, however the dock only holds 3, so the 4th ship (the Norwegian Star) had to anchor offshore and tender their passengers in. If you're looking for jewelry (particularly diamonds) at heavily discounted prices, this is your stop. Of all the stops, this was easily the most convenient from the ship. You got off and were within 50 yards of the stores. We decided to go to the Lumberjack Show which was $29.00 per person. It was located a short walk from the ship and was a great way to spend an 1 1/2 hours. It's an outdoor show area with covered grandstands. We had a great emcee who divided the two grandstands into the Canadian side and the US side. Lots of cheering for your team which consisted of 2 guys per team competing in log chopping, pole climbing, ax throwing, log rolling, chainsaw carvings, etc.. It might sound hokey, but between the action, the amusing emcee, and the "side" shows going on, it was really a lot of fun. Kids especially would enjoy this excursion. In the afternoon, I went on the Misty Fjords Floatplane tour. This was absolutely the highlight of the whole trip for me. We departed from a dock about 1/2 mile from the ships and seeing it's a floatplane, took off from the water right between the cruise ships at the dock and the Norwegian Star. What a thrill! The plane was a 7 seat De Havilland Beaver. Each seat had a set of noise-canceling headsets which played music during the flight with narrations interjected at points along the route by our pilot. The plane is very loud as it had a 13 cylinder radial engine. I was seated in the co-pilot seat which was fun since I have prior piloting experience. The flight started down the shipping channel while we gained altitude and then headed east to the Misty Fjords National Park. The views were incredible! We saw huge waterfalls, shear granite cliff walls, whales swimming in the waters, and gorgeous forests. Then we flew into one section of the fjords where we landed on a fresh water lake surrounded on all sides by granite mountains. Our pilot brought the plane to the shore line where we got out and walked for about 25 minutes. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. What serenity and beauty!! The shore line was covered in a alpine forest with wild berry trees scattered about. You could eat these berries right off the trees. A gentle layer of clouds hugged the tops of the mountains. They don't call it MISTY Fjords for nothing. This was simply the most beautiful place I had ever seen! On the flight back, I was chatting with the pilot about my former flying experience and she asked if I wanted to fly the plane while she ate her lunch. So I got to fly the plane all the way back to Ketchikan. She landed of course, but it was a great thrill. All in all it was about 70 minutes of flight time plus the lake landing. As we left Ketchikan on the back to Vancouver, the ship cruised into the Misty Fjords Park. It was so great to see the same areas by ship as I had by plane a few hours before. The captain stopped the ship at the end of one of the inlets, and gently rotated it so everyone could get 360 degree views. It was beautiful!

TIP: If you don't mind flying in small airplanes, you have to do this tour! It was well worth the $199.00. It's an experience you will get few other places. Go for it! Not all the operators will bring the plane to the shoreline on the lake. Some just stop and have people get out and stand on the pontoons of the plane. Our operator was Island Air Tours operated by a woman named Michelle. Get your tickets inside the Tour Kiosk building right on the dock. Be sure to ask for Michelle's tour company as their are several floatplane companies there.

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