DAY ONE
We started our morning with a leisurely breakfast and then a stroll around Sitka before meeting at the Alaskan Dream Cruises’ hospitality room near St. Michael’s Cathedral. It was clear from the get-go that this was to be a family cruise with far more kids than I’ve seen on previous small ship cruises. The youngest child was 6 years old; the oldest was my son at 18. (Ok, technically, he’s an adult, but he’s still my baby!) Many of the children actually were traveling with their grandparents. One large group was 13 strong and consisted of Grandma and Grandpa, three adult children and their spouses, plus several grandkids.
KidTripster Tip: When you arrive in Sitka, you’ll receive a list of all the passengers and their hometowns, so you can start to get to know your fellow passengers.
In small groups, we walked to nearby Sitka Sound Science Center. Here we were expertly guided through the small but informative learning center that also serves as a salmon hatchery. Seeing the various stages of the spawning process was really interesting, especially when you consider how important the salmon industry is to the state of Alaska. The center also had a large touch pool, where we were encouraged to feel starfish, sea anemone, sea slugs, and sea urchins.
We continued walking to the Sitka National Historical Park where we took a hike to view several native totem poles.
KidTripster Tip: Look at the back of the first totem pole for instructions on how to use your cell phone as an audio guide. We didn’t clue into this option until it was too late.
After eating lunch back at the hospitality room, we headed to the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for bald eagles, hawks, kites, osprey, and owls. The bald eagle therapy area was quite impressive; 16 bald eagles were in various stages of rehab when we visited. We then listened to a short, well-informed presentation from a trainer, who gave us an up-close look at a juvenile eagle named Spirit.
Our last stop before heading to the ship was the Fortress of the Bear, a recovery center for Alaska’s brown and black bears. This stop was my least favorite of the day; it felt a bit zoo-like. I also knew that my family and I would be seeing bears in the wild at Lake Clark National Park later in the trip, so I wasn’t thrilled about spending an hour here.
All these sightseeing trips were necessary to give the crew time to prepare the ship for our arrival. Finally, around 4 p.m., we boarded the 207-foot Chichagof Dream, named for one of the islands in this area. The crew was incredibly friendly as they escorted us to our cabins – one for my husband and I and one for our two sons. The cabins were fairly roomy, impeccably clean, and well-equipped with ample storage. Click here for a tour.
The rest of the evening included an orientation meeting, safety drill, dinner, and Alaskan-style team Jeopardy game. As we crawled into our comfortable beds, it was easy to float off to sleep.
KidTripster Tip: I’m prone to seasickness. However, I experienced absolutely no issues while cruising the Inside Passage, even in the areas of more open water. If you want to error on the side of caution, I’d recommend packing over-the-counter, non-drowsy motion sickness medication plus a sleep aid like melatonin. I think that you’ll find seasickness bands and patches unnecessary.
