I'm in the planning stage of a trip in July that will start in Anchorage and finish in Seattle.

I'm not sure yet how much Lighthousing will be involved but I'm asking for opinions- and we all know there are plenty of those here. I'd also like some facts, though.

Facts first- has anybody taken a trip to Alaska which includes both a land portion and a cruise from Seward to Vancouver?

I'm curious if there are any Lighthouses visible from the Cruise ship during the cruise.
We'll be in the Anchorage, Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Misty Fjords and the Inside Passage to Vancouver.

We intend to stay in the Vancouver area for 2-3 days and then move on to the Seattle area for 2-3 days.

Here's what I'm looking for - any ideas on which Lighthouses are a must see in the Vancouver and Seattle area. I'd also like feedback on any hotels or restaurants in those areas that you've been to. I haven't decided exactly where we'll be staying, but it will probably be not too far from Sea-Tac Airport while in Seattle.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have.

Dennis

Hi Dennis...

These are just a few suggestions that I have for that area:

I took a similar cruise last summer during the end of July and first week of August. It was the first week it hadn't rained the whole summer. I didn't do the land and sea cruise so I'm not sure if that is good or not. Some friends we have talked with said the land part was good and bad depending on the weather.

A few things to consider. It's more expensive for airfare flying in to Anchorage and out of another city than to Vancouver or Seattle. Second, IMHO, I would pick a ship that goes into Glacier Bay. They are restricting the number of ships that can go into Glacier Bay and that was our most beautiful scenery day on the cruise. It is absolutely stunning to see. Another suggestion is to take a seaplane tour over the Misty Fijords. This was my kids favorite activity.

As far as seeing lighthouses goes, I only saw one from the ship. Our ship went into Haines and we were able to go by Eldred Rock. There are not many ships going into Haines anymore.

As far as staying in Vancouver goes, I would leave there and take the car ferry over to Victoria. It is a beautiful city to stay in with lots to see and do. John and I stayed in a Best Western that was one block from the car ferry and right by the downtown water front. It was about $120/night but came with a continental breakfast. It is an easy drive to go see the Fisgard lighthouse while in Victoria. John and I also took a seaplane tour out of Victoria and flew over the San Juan Islands to see the orca pods. You can see Lime Kiln lighthouse from the air. This was lots of fun.

You can continue on down towards Seattle by taking the car ferry to Friday Harbor and overnight in the San Juan Islands. You can see Lime Kiln and Cattle Point lighthouses on San Juan Island. Continue on the car ferry and go to Anacortes. Drive down highway 525 and stop at Admirality Head lighthouse. The next ferry you take towards Seattle comes into dock right next to Mukilteo lighthouse.

There is so much to see and do in this area that it's hard to do it all in a couple of days. Most of where we stopped to eat was just finding a place that was on our route as we drove along so I don't have much to reccommend for dining. We did enjoy eating at the top of the Space Needle as it rotates around the city for some nice views.

Sorry this is so long.

Dennis,

I haven't taken a cruise to Alaska. I'm interested in responses you get because we may be taking a cruise to Alaska this summer.

I do vacation on San Juan Island every summer though. If you have time to spend there, let me know. Seeing the whales is a must. My passion for lighthouses started while sitting by Lime Kiln all day, waiting for the orcas to pass by.

Vancouver looks like a beautiful city. A sales guy e-mailed me a link with some photos today. If you visit Vancouver Island, don't forget to visit Fisgard Lighthouse.

Lorie, if you read this, would you let me know what cruise line you took. You must go on a lot of cruises.

Tammy

Thanks for the responses.

Lorie I already booked the cruise so I'm locked in there. I'll be doing the land portion before the Cruise part. We get one night in Anchorage, Talkneeta, 2 nigths in Denali and 1 night in Fairbanks.

I haven't decided how i'm going to do the Vancouver/Seattle leg yet. I may do the Victoria through the Islands route. I'm still researching. I don't have a lot of time as it's an addon at the end to the main trip.

The small plane trip is probably out- I couldn't get Esther in a helicopter last year in Hawaii.

Tammy I may spend a short bit of time in the San Juan Islands- not quite sure yet.

Dennis

I've been on several Alaska cruises including Seward to Vancouver. Have also taken the land trip from Fairbanks to Anchorage with two nites in Denali. You'll love the scenery.

As far as lighthouses, you do pass a number of lights (mostly on the inside passage) in BC and some in Alaska. The biggest problem is that most cruise ships travel at night and are in port in the daytime. So whether or not you can see the lights depends on whether it's daylight or not.

In Vancouver you should see Pt. Atkinson, Prospect Pt.and Brockton Pt. lights from the ship as you come into the Vancouver area. You'll probably have to get up early in the morning as most of the cruise ships arrive at the dock by 7:00 or so. Pt. Atkinson (in North Vancouver) and Brockton Pt. (in Stanley Park) are both easily accessible if you have a car.

In Seattle you can visit Alki Pt. and Mukilteo lights easily (with a car) and West Pt. light which requires a modest hike on nice trails. There are lots of good places to eat in Seattle. A couple of my favorites on the Seattle waterfront are Ivars Acres of Clams at pier 54 and Elliotts Oyster House. Also, don't miss the Pike Place Public Market which is interesting and also has a number of good eateries.

Larry