Victoria
The first or last port of the Alaskan cruise is the one required port that is outside of the United States. Victoria is often this port and sometimes Vancouver fits this requirement.
Victoria as a port is usually a half day stop. The other half day is required to get far enough North that Kitchikan is a reasonable arrival the day after the Canadian port. So getting to Kitchikan, the first Alaskan port requires at least a day and a half and two nights of travel. Everyone is excited to get off the ship a little so there is a backup on getting off the ship. This port is one that you can only choose one activity since the time here is so limited. A number of excursions are available at this port. Some are more valid than others. I suspect that the chocolate tasting and the wine tasting, tea at the Empress Hotel and the pub crawl lack a little authenticity since it all happens between 8:30 and 1pm. The exception to this is when Victoria is the last of the ports vistied before heading back to SF. This set up allows the passengers to be on board in the late afternoon and and early evening. Our favorite excursion here is the Butchard Garden/butterfly garden combination. Both of theses are exceptional trips and are combined together for an additional 8 to 10 dollars over the Butchard Garden excursion by itself. About 20 big greyhound like buses arrive on the tarmac near the ships (about 150 yards away). These busses head for either the butterfly garden first or the Butchard Garden first.
Victoria's Butterfly Gardens
The butterfly gardens reside in a greenhouse like environment. Young high school/college aged docents show the visitors the way the butterflies are raised and point out how to attract them to land on your hat or your colorful clothing. Koi fish and flamingos also inhabit the environment. Some pretty exotic butterflies and moths are visible throughout the tropical plant areas. It can get pretty stuffy in this big covered environment. A fairly large butterfly themed gift shop accompanies this place. It is a great place to have a movie camera as movie makers try to capture butterflies in flight.
Butchard Gardens- Victoria
Butchard Gardens is a wonderful stop. These gardens were made on an old limestone quarry that produced raw materials that allowed San Francisco to be rebuilt after the earthquake fire of 1906. If you have ever planted flowers in your backyard you will be amazed at the various themed gardens that are presented here. It is not a sendentary activity so make sure you have some comfortable walking shoes to attack this one. A merry-go-round is a fun activity for kids of all ages. It is on a grassy knoll at the end of the main route. There is even a computer generated design fountain at the end of the formal garden. My favorites are the hanging begonia gardens on an terrace on the left side as you walk down the main trail, and the rose garden with the rose tunnel and the blue delphinium backdrop to the rose grotto, on the right side of the main trail. Make sure your rub the Tuscan pig's brass statue on its nose for good luck for the year.
Sue has two favorite stops at this place. The gelato shop on the garden side of the Italian formal garden has the best mango gelato in the world. The main gift shop is amazing too. It has a super collection of fine English tea cups for sale. It also has seeds of almost every seed used in the garden. Particularly interesting is the rare blue asian poppy that was discovered an propagated here. They have seeds available for trying at home.
Both of these parks are about 13 miles from the dock. It is really not practical to hire a taxi to take you to these locations. There is really nothing at the dock except a picnic like park area. The town is about 3-5 miles away. It is not impractical to get a taxi to take you to town if you would like to see it. The bus from the gardens usually takes a side trip through the city on the way back to the bus. The bus driver often provides a commentary about living in Victoria. Do not plan on getting off to shop however. There is usually enough time for passengers to sift through the dock side gift ship before you need to go. Check the next paragraph for more information regarding the gift shop.
Since you will only be here a half a day renting a car is a little over the top too.
If you want to just get off the ship and plow around, the best Canadian gift shop is located at the end of the dock. It takes and give change in either US money or Canadian (this is a rarity). It is crowded most of the time but the prices are very good and if you need something that says Canada on it or if you want to bring back some of those little English tea biscuits...this is the place.
Other Ports not of the Docket
Over the years they have included other ports and some ships still dock at those ports. We find that the itineraries for this year have not included two ports that we have enjoyed over the years. Sitka, now served by other lines included many cultural stops. The Russian influence is noted here where the local women have formed folk dancing presentations that the excursions highlighted on this stop. We also had a great experience at the endangered raptor center here and came face to face with an educationally designated adult bald eagle. The visit to St. Michael's Eastern Othodox church was stunning and memorable too. We had great adventures in the many islands that surround Sitka. There are islands that have a remarkable colony of sea lions.
Besides Sitka, princess cruises has also stopped going to Icy Point. These port was great because it had great connections with the Indian culture and provided a out adventure stop with hiking zip cording. Sue and I had an amazing whale watching trip off of this port. The humpback whales of California and Hawaii come here to feed. They are usually around Point Adolphis. While this is often a part of the Juneau package, they are much closer here.
The only reason Ican think of as to why Icy Point and Sitka are no longer included is that they both require a tender trip in. Tenders are little boats that are used in emergency to get passengers to safety. They are also used to get passengers to ports where the dock is suitable for the cruise ship to dock and let passengers off. On two occasions medium sized excursion boats were hired to get the passengers back to the ship in time for the ship to meet its schedule.
If these ports seem important, check out other cruise lines that make these ports part of their itinerary.
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