Blog

Wednesday, June 17

We made it to Alaska on time and hopped on our coach busses for a ride from Anchorage to Whittier.  That was about an hour and a half drive through Turnagain Arm, where we saw our first glimpses of glaciers up in the mountains and eagles who were fishing for salmon. A few of us saw moose too.  To get to Whittier, we had to drive through a 2.5 mile mountain tunnel which was only wide enough for 1 car at a time.  Once on the boat, we headed for a cocktail party for all Boychoir Alaska travelers in Pharoah’s Palace and a fabulous dinner in the dinning room.  The ship set sail at about 10:00 p.m.  It was hard to go to bed because sunset was at 11:40 p.m. and sunrise is at about 4:30 a.m., so it was dusk all night long.

Thursday, June 18

Early this morning we were awaken by the ships travel guide at 6:00 a.m. to an incredible view of multiple glaciers, including the largest, Harvard glacier in College Fjord.  Sea otters, dolphins, and whales have been along side the boat several times.  The boys were up early for an 8 a.m. rehearsal and a performance at 12:30 in the Versailles Lounge.  The adult choir also sang with them.   The concert went very well and they sang to a full audience.  Unfortunately, our ship had headed in to open water at concert time, which was a little rough, and we had a couple singers leave with some sea-sickness.  The rest of today we will be at sea heading towards a day in Sitka tomorrow. 

Friday, June 19

When we woke up this morning, the ship was still.  It is an amazing sight when we open the curtains. This morning we were looking at the mountain ranges in Sitka.  In 1867, this is where the Russians negotiated with William Seward for the sale of Alaska.  We stood on the very spot where the documents were signed on Castle Hill.  Sitka is filled with history and culture.  We had a full day of sight seeing with all kinds of adventures that included the Totems at the Sitka National Park, St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ahlgren Aquarium, a Salmon Hatchery, Russian dancers, the oldest building in Sitka - Russian Bishop’s house from 1741, a bear reserve, and my personal favorite – Theobroma Chocolate Company where they hand out free chocolate, and lots of shopping.  There were so many things to do and see we didn’t arrived back to the ship until the last ferry at 6:15.  As soon as we were on board the ship, it started out for Juneau.  We settled in for dinner in the Empire Lounge and then off to see some of the many shows like the Blues Brothers, a Hypnosis, Bingo, Karaoke, swimming, music, dancing and many more activities too many to mention.  Sunrise is at 3:54am and Sunset tomorrow is 10:04pm.

Saturday, June 20

We were up early this morning to watch the ship dock in Juneau. Today, families did several different excursions and some explored Juneau on their own.  This is a gold rush town, discovered in 1880 and became the capital of Alaska in 1906. Some visited a dog sled camp, others did the zip-lining, and several of us took a bus tour of downtown Juneau and then visited the Mendenhall Glacier.   We were dropped off in the historic downtown for lunch, where several ate at the Red Dog Saloon for a unique Juneau experience and did some souvenir shopping.  Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts are the 2 mountains in town.  Some visited Marine Park along the water front while others hiked or took the Mt. Roberts Tram to the top for the view.  In the late afternoon, we all went to meet the Alaska Youth Choir for a beautiful concert at a packed Northern Light United Church.  The Alaska Youth Choir sang first, then the boys, who brought the church to their feet.  The Adult Choir sang one song and then we had the privilege to sing the Blessing with the boys.  It is such a wonderful experience singing with the boys.  Afterwards the Alaska Youth Choir hosted a “pie by the slice”reception with all different kinds of pies, too many to mention, and some combinations I had never seen before.  YUM!  Then we headed back to the ship. Some of us saw a magician, while others went to the Flashback deck party to listen to music from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. 

Sunday, June 21

Skagway, Alaska is a at the top of the Inside Passage, which was a starting point for prospectors and gold miners on their way to White Pass and through to Canada and the Klondike for the gold fields. Today, many went on and excursion to tour the downtown and then up the Klondike Highway to the top of White Pass, which is 3,292 feet above sea level. Then drove in to Canada to the Yukon Territory to see the headwaters of the Yukon River. Others went up to a mushers camp to see where teams of dogs train for the Iditarod. They rode on a training sled with wheels behind a team to see where the dogs spent their summers and then visited new puppies. In the afternoon, the Boychoir performed in Pharaoh’s Palace to a full house with a standing ovation. Then on to the Atrium, mid-ship, to perform for several hundred people gathering for a formal dinner at 6 p.m. The boys sounded incredible in the Atrium, what a wonderful space to sing.

Monday, June 22

We docked in Ketchikan, Alaska this morning at 11 a.m.  The word Ketchikan means Salmon Creek, which runs right through town.  Today, Allegro boys had their day out with Mr. J on a Duck Tour of the city.  It sounds like they had a great time.  They all got off the duck bus with duck beak kazoos as souvenirs. Some families hopped on the Undersea Tour excursion to see ocean critters, like star fish and jelly fish.  They also saw lots of eagles.  Others spent time shopping at the many stores in downtown. It’s a free evening for families to enjoy many events on board, including the Big Easy show, a Comedy Show, ping-pong or swimming. We leave Alaska tonight and set sail for our final leg of the trip to Vancouver. 

Tuesday, June 23

We had a great day at sea today, traveling the Inside Passage on our way to Vancouver.  This afternoon the boys sang a beautiful concert in the ship atrium.   After dinner, we had a fun end-of-tour gathering in the Versailles Lounge to look at a few pictures and hear fun stories that boys experienced on tour. The seniors wrapped it up with a funny impromptu skit. Tomorrow we disembark early in the morning and transfer to the airport. 

Wednesday, June 24

Many of us are traveling home today. See you soon!