Shannon Chapman

Again on this day, we had to tender into the dock, as there were other cruise ships there. I was concerned when we got there. It was overcast and we had a seaplane and boat ride to Misty Fjords booked. But our luck on the trip had been sun everyday and that is just what we got! We again assembled in the lounge and took the tenders into Ketchikan. Boarded busses and got to the seaplane dock.

My dad was so excited to get this particular plane that was built before he was born. I couldn’t tell you what the name of the plane is. But my dad thought it was great! We had a fabulous flight to Misty Fjords and landed at a platform in the water where a sightseeing vessel picked us up. We had to wait an hour or so for some people from another ship that were running late, it wasn’t so bad. The captain took us on a cruise around some of the fjords. After we picked everyone up they served a great lunch of smoked salmon dip, veggies and chowder. My dad was very impressed with our guide. Again, another local who talked about the effects of the restrictions of logging and fishing on the people. Misty Fjords National Monument is something like 2.2 million acres of untouched pristine beauty. This was a fabulous excursion!!

After we got back we walked around town to get some last minute souvenirs. My dad found a great tee shirt at one of the old brothels. We went up Creek Street where a lot of local craftsmen have their goods. We also went to the Tongass hardware store. My aunt and I spent quit a while there. It was a great store. We had a late lunch at a local place by the dock.

By that time our ship had docked. We were supposed to sail at 8pm but we didn’t. The ship had a transformer problem. They announced that we would set sail as soon as it was fixed. At midnight they had this huge buffet in the dining room. This I will have to say was the lowest point of the cruise. They talk about this “Grand Buffet”. Well, you get there at midnight and ALL of the passengers come too. They parade you around the food for an hour. All of the people take photos of it. It was very late, my daughter having a “moment” had to be sent back to her room. It was a pretty presentation, don’t get me wrong. In my opinion this “Grand Buffet” was a disappointment to us. Now, remember we live in Las Vegas where they have these buffets at every hotel 3 times a day. So really it was no big deal to us. We were tired of “looking” at the food and decide to go to bed. When we went back to our room we noticed that our ship was still in port. I would have been happy if we would have had to stay an extra day in Ketchikan……

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