We awoke on the morning of the 4th day of our cruise to find the Volendam docked in Skagway Alaska, the “Gateway to the Klondike.” A town we were excited to explore. During the great Klondike gold rush in the late 19th century, Skagway had 80 saloons and was known as “the roughest town on earth.”...

“This is the capital of Alaska?” I asked as our cruise ship prepared to dock along Juneau’s wharf. “I expected it to be bigger.” But with a population of 30,000 and being completely landlocked with no roads in or out, it made sense why it was so small. Once docked, we made our way down the...

After departing Vancouver on Holland America’s cruise ship, the Volendam, we headed north through the inside passage on our way to Alaska. The first day and a half would have us at sea and on the morning of the third day we would venture into Tracy Arm fjord to see some natural beauty, or something,...