Samantha Havlisch Travel- Waves and Wonder

09/10/2026

🇨🇦 Three Days in Victoria was the perfect ending to our Alaska adventure!

After getting off Celebrity Solstice in Vancouver, we headed to Victoria and spent three days exploring before flying home.

We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Empress, right in the heart of the Inner Harbour, which made it so easy to get out and explore.

One of our biggest highlights was Butchart Gardens. The gardens were absolutely beautiful, and there was so much more to see than I expected. Even the kids enjoyed exploring all of the different areas.

We also spent time around the Inner Harbour and Parliament Buildings, explored Miniature World, and simply enjoyed having a few days to slow down and experience the city.

I’m really glad we didn’t head straight home after our cruise. Adding Victoria gave us a completely different experience from Alaska and was such a fun way to extend the trip.

If you’re planning an Alaska cruise from Vancouver, Victoria is definitely worth considering for a pre- or post-cruise stay!

Would you add a few days in Victoria to an Alaska cruise vacation?

09/01/2026

✈️ Ketchikan gave us an entirely different view of Alaska—this time from the air!

For our day in Ketchikan, one of the experiences we were most excited about was taking a floatplane over Misty Fjords National Monument.

Seeing Alaska from the water and trails had already been incredible, but flying above the mountains, waterfalls and fjords gave us a completely different perspective. It was one of those experiences where you spend most of the time just staring out the window trying to take everything in.

And taking off and landing on the water definitely added to the adventure!

After our flight, we had time to explore more of Ketchikan, including the famous Creek Street, before heading back to Celebrity Solstice.

This was definitely one of the splurge experiences of our trip, but also one we’ll remember for a very long time.

If you were visiting Ketchikan, which would you choose?

✈️ Floatplane over Misty Fjords
🐋 Wildlife excursion
🏘️ Explore Ketchikan on your own
❤️ Somehow fit in all of it!

08/19/2026

🏔️ Juneau gave us one of those Alaska days where the scenery just kept getting better.

We started the morning with incredible glacier views right from the ship—definitely not a bad way to wake up!

Once we arrived in Juneau, we picked up a rental car and explored on our own. I loved having the flexibility to set our own pace, especially traveling as a family.

Our first stop was Eagle Beach, where we had plenty of room to slow down, take in the scenery and just enjoy being surrounded by Alaska.

From there, we headed to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked out to Nugget Falls. Seeing the glacier is impressive enough, but walking up to that massive waterfall with the mountains and glacier nearby made this one of the most memorable stops of the entire trip.

One of my biggest takeaways from Juneau? You don’t necessarily need an organized excursion to have an incredible port day. Renting a car gave us the freedom to combine several places we wanted to see and spend our time where we wanted.

If you were spending a day in Juneau, which would be at the top of your list?

🏔️ Mendenhall Glacier
💦 Nugget Falls
🌊 Eagle Beach
❤️ All three!

Next stop: Ketchikan—and an adventure that gave us an entirely different view of Alaska. ✈️

08/15/2026

🚂 After hiking Lower Dewey Lake that morning, we weren’t finished exploring Skagway!

Our afternoon took us aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, and this was one Alaska experience we had really been looking forward to.

The historic train climbs out of Skagway and into the mountains, with incredible scenery unfolding outside the windows along the way. Mountains, waterfalls, bridges and views that just kept getting better—the journey itself really is the attraction.

I loved that we were able to combine two completely different experiences in one port day. We spent the morning actively exploring on the Lower Dewey Lake Trail and then got to sit back, relax and take in Alaska from the train in the afternoon.

It made for a pretty perfect Skagway day. 🏔️

If you were planning a day in Skagway, which would be higher on your list?

🥾 Hiking Lower Dewey Lake
🚂 Riding the White Pass Railway
❤️ Both—just like us!

Next stop: Juneau! Glacier views, a rental car, Eagle Beach, Mendenhall Glacier and a hike to Nugget Falls are coming up. travel

08/07/2026

🥾 One of our favorite surprises in Alaska wasn’t an excursion at all—it was a hike right from Skagway!

We got an early start and headed out to hike the Lower Dewey Lake Trail before our afternoon plans.

This ended up being such a great way to start our day. We traded the cruise port for forest trails, beautiful views, and some pretty incredible Alaska scenery. And when we finally reached Lower Dewey Lake… 😍

One thing I loved about this experience was that we could do it on our own. No organized excursion needed—just hiking shoes, some water, and a willingness to tackle the trail!

It was also a fun reminder that you don’t have to book an excursion for every minute you’re in port. Sometimes one of the best experiences is simply getting out and exploring.

And we weren’t finished with Skagway yet…

🚂 Next up: the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad!

If you were spending the day in Skagway, would you add a hike to your plans? 🥾

08/04/2026

🏔️ Our first stop in Alaska was Icy Strait Point—and it was the perfect introduction to Alaska.

We started by purchasing tickets for the Sky Peak Gondola at the port and rode to the top for incredible views of the mountains, forest, and coastline.

After taking in the scenery and walking the trails, we headed back down and explored the historic cannery area using the free Green Line gondola.

One unexpected favorite? The mini donuts! There were so many flavors to choose from, and they were absolutely worth the stop.

Before heading back to the ship, the kids skipped rocks along the beach, and instead of riding the gondola back, we enjoyed walking through the peaceful forest trails.

It wasn’t a port filled with big attractions—and honestly, that was part of its charm. It was the perfect place to slow down and simply enjoy being in Alaska.

Would you spend your day hiking, exploring the small town, or just enjoying the scenery?

07/28/2026