10/07/2024
Our last stop for the Alaska ports was Sitka! The port itself is smaller with some snacks and souvenirs, but it is about 4 shops and a snack stand/one place to grab a bite. This was definitely the smallest town to explore of the three but was filled with beautiful mountains and plenty of history. Unlike Skagway where they offered a shuttle but you could walk to town, Sitka you have to take the bus. It is complimentary (and is very much a bus like back in elementary school!)
After your approx. 10 min ride into town, you will find a few shops and restaurants. We didn’t book an excursion here but decided to take the 7-10 minute walk to Sitka National Historical Park where totem poles line the park with plenty of trails and wildlife. We saw salmon in the river and a bald eagle. We then headed through the park to a little local brewery that made wood fire pizza. After the walk back we waited in line for the shuttle (little tip* get back with plenty of time because though the line moves fairly quick, it was a longggg line waiting for the bus back to the port)
This was a shorter port day so after re-boarding we decided to try out the rock wall on the side of the ship and then play some skee-ball in the arcade. We made specialty dining reservations for that evening so we got dressed up and enjoyed a pre dinner drink at Boleros, one of the nicer bars on the ship (that turns into a Latin club in the late evening. Of course, being from Annapolis we had to try the Painkiller (my Maryland friends, if you have ever been to Pusser's downtown, you know what I'm talking about!)
For dinner we chose to try out Izumi, where we chose the prix fixe menu and it was so delicious and SO filling! This Japanese restaurant had amazing service and they make sure you have plenty to eat, we loved everything!!
With this being our second to last port and the last port in Alaska, the Alaska portion of our cruise honestly lived up to every expectation!
*Disclaimer about Sitka if you are a movie fan: If you have ever seen the movie “The Proposal” that is based in Sitka (with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds) they did NOT actually film the movie there and it doesn’t look anything like it did in the movie. I didn’t warn my husband of this ahead of time and he was pretty disappointed when I told him it was actually filmed on the East Coast. 😂
