We got up at 07:00, got ready and then we headed for breakfast. We decided to mix it up that day and went to the Solarium bistro. We both had coffee. Graham had assorted fruit, a baguette with smoked salmon, and a pastry. I had some fruit punch, some melon, and a chocolate donut.
While we were having breakfast, I saw a photographer with somebody in a bear costume going by. I decided to check if they were still around. We did not have to go very far to find them. We got a photo with the bear. We then headed towards the cabin and bumped into another photographer. I got a quick photo and then we headed back to the cabin for our day in port.
Once we were ready, we went down to deck 4. We were not sure on which deck the gangway would be. This was as good a place to wait as any. We sat down outside Cafe Promenade. We did not have to wait very long until the announcement was made that the gangway was open and to proceed to deck 3. I was a little surprised by this. All became clear though. They had us line up in the casino and then sent people down to deck 2 in groups to actually get off the ship. We joined the line just past the elevator lobby. It went all the way across the old part of the casino, most of the way through the new nonsmoking casino, crossed over and then headed back to where we had come from. Fortunately, it moved steadily and about 15 minutes after we got in the line, we were sent down to deck 2 to get off.
From there, it was smooth sailing. We were able to go straight up to a terminal to have our Sea Pass cards scanned. The next part was interesting. We had been encouraged to book shuttle tickets online. The port is a fair way out from the town itself. I had booked the shuttle tickets online the first sea day for as soon as we would be able to get off the ship according to the original schedule. I tried amending my booking on the day, but it did not allow me to do this. Fortunately, we were not on any specific timetable and had the luxury of just seeing how this would pan out. When we reached the area from which the shuttles left, there were two lines, one for people with reservations and one without. There was nobody in this area to ask for guidance. Technically we had a reservation, but it was in the past. On their website, it only mentioned what happens when people arrive earlier then the reserved time, but not later. We entered that line. When we got to the front of the line, we were directed to a coach without anybody checking reservations. They had this very well organized and soon we were on our way. About 15 minutes later, we arrived Harrigan Centennial Hall, which is the drop off point for the cruise shuttle. We had a quick look at a map and used the bathroom. Then we headed off.
In 2024, we had done a highlight tour that took us past a number of landmarks and had stops at the Alaska Raptor Centre, Fortress of the Bear and Sitka National Historical Park. I enjoyed everything. However, we did not have quite enough time at Alaska Raptor Centre. I knew that there is a totem park within Sitka National Historical Park and was excited about this. Sadly, we did not go to that part of Sitka National Historical Park. When we planned this cruise, I knew that I wanted to spend some more time at Alaska Raptor Centre and also wanted to check out the totem park. Both of them are within walking distance of the Harrigan Centennial Hall and can easily combined. Our original plan had been to head to the Alaska Raptor Centre first and then check out the totem park on the way back. We set off. The first stretch took us along a coastal path with beautiful views and all kinds of sculptures. About halfway to the Alaska Raptor Centre, the walk then led us through Sitka National Historical Park. We knew before that this would be the case with the totem park being near the coast and the most direct route being further inland. What we had not realised until we looked at a map at Sitka National Historical Park was that sticking to the coastal path did not actually add that much in terms of distance. Graham asked me what I wanted to do. I opted to take the slight detour and stick to the coastal path which meant that we would see the totem poles on the way to the Alaska Raptor Centre.
As soon as we entered Sitka National Historical Park, we had our first wildlife sighting. Here was a bald eagle in a tree right by the path. This was such a treat. We walked past the visitor centre and joined the trail that goes through the totem park. I have been captivated by totem poles ever since our first Alaska cruise in 2013. I have seen a number of different collections of totem poles over the years, but this was the most diverse collection of totem poles I have had the privilege to see. There were three different types of totem poles. House poles were carved as support poles of Tlingit and Haida houses. Frontal poles were still associated with individual houses and were placed against or near the front of a house. Detached poles are more about the wider community and were placed anywhere in or near villages. Within those three categories, there were different subcategories depending on the message they conveyed or the story they tell. They either convey the ancestry (crest poles) or history (history poles) of a particular clan, folklore, or real-life experiences (legend poles), or commemorate a person of importance (memorial/mortuary poles). Having examples of all those different types of totem poles was a real treat. Some of them were inside woodland set a little way back from the coastal path and some were right by the coastal path. Some of the totem poles were just standing by themselves and some of them were in small clusters. Most of them had signage explaining what they were, where they came from and who carved them. I noticed a couple of familiar names. The one name I was most familiar with was Nathan Jackson, who is the artist that carved the Thundering Wings statue in Ketchikan and also the totem pole of Radiance of the Seas.
Although the totem poles were the main draw for me, this was definitely not the only thing that Sitka National Historical Park had going for it. There were some amazing views along the way of the bay and also of a stream further along the trail. We also so more bald eagles, all kinds of other birds and some seals. It was a very enjoyable walk. Suddenly things started to look very familiar. We had ended up where our guide had taken us in 2024. We crossed the bridge and left Sitka National Historical Park. Once we were on the main road, it was only a short walk to the Alaska Raptor Centre.
When we got there, we headed inside to get our tickets. They had a film inside about the work they do at the Alaska Raptor Centre, which was about halfway through. As this was not a particular long film and we were not on any timetable, we sat down and then stayed to watch the full film. At the back of the room were photos of the resident eagles with short biographies. There was also a viewing window into the bird hospital. Thankfully while we were there, nothing was happening. Every year about 200 birds pass through the Alaska Raptor Centre. They are mainly bald eagles, but also other raptors and even birds like ravens. The aim is to treat them, rehabilitate them and then release them. Birds that are not fit for release will find a home at the Alaska Raptor Centre where they will act as ambassadors or go out into the community to educate. When they can no longer do this for whatever reason, they retire to the backstage areas where they can live out their lives away from the public.
From the room where most of the indoor facilities are, we were able to access the Flight Training Centre. This is large open space where the bald eagles can practise flying. The area is open to the elements at the top to keep this as natural an environment as possible. Alongside the main area of the Flight Training Centre is a corridor with floor to ceiling windows. However, this is some kind of one-way set up where people can see the bald eagles, but they cannot see or hear the people. This is to avoid them becoming used to people as much as possible. There were three bald eagles living at the Flight Training Centre when we were there. However, we only saw one. That particular eagle was flying around at great speed, which was encouraging to see. Hopefully, he has by now passed the flight test and has been released.
Then we headed out. The first area we came to was an outdoor habitat that was shared by three male bald eagles. It was great to observed them in a relatively natural environment. Next to them was another outdoor habitat for their only golden eagle. Then we headed over to the mews near the main building. I had thought on our first visit that they were just aviaries so that people could see the birds during the day and that the birds would go elsewhere when there are no people around. This is not the case. The mews are made up of indoor and outdoor areas, and this is the home of the birds. Some of the mews were empty while we were there as the birds that live there were out working in the community.
The first mew I had a good look at was the home of Sable. Sable is gyrfalcon/ peregrine falcon hybrid. She was a working bird for many years in Washington state where she and her owner were hired for pest control. When she was retired, her owner surrendered her to the Alaska Raptor Centre. I was talking to one of the guides and I was quite surprised that she is a permanent resident there. Sable can fly just fine and is also able to hunt. However, she is conditioned to hunt on command rather than spontaneously and therefore would never be able to survive on her own. I wondered if cross breeding would also be a concern, but apparently like most hybrids, she is sterile. She is a beautiful bird, and it was a privilege to see her and learn more about her.
While I was with Sable, a trainer brought out Fe, who is an American kestrel. Fe lives backstage but comes out to meet public when she feels like it. This is a very sad story. Fe was never injured and is in perfect health. Yet she will never be able to be released. When she was a chick, she fell out of her nest. Rather than contacting a bird sanctuary, the people who found her took her home and hand raised her. When she was about two years old, she developed some challenging behaviours, and they surrendered her to the Alaska Raptor Centre. By then, it was too late. Fe never learned any survival skills and was imprinted on humans. Her trainer explained about the work they are doing with her and that Fe is in control of everything that happens. She is presented with a transport box, and she knows what this means. It is then up to her to either go in or not. If she goes in, she is then taken to whatever location she is heading and again, it is her choice if she wants to come out. If she does not, she is just heading home. That day, she decided to come out an meet us. At one stage, she became a little restless and the trainer offered her the transport box, but she chose not to go in. It was great to learn more about the processes that they follow.
Our last destination were the three bald eagle mews just outside the main building. When we were there in 2024, I had met Luci there and we definitely had a moment. Luci is now retired and lives backstage. However, there were three other female bald eagles called Rain, Sitka, and Spirit. I spent a while observing them and talking to the guide in the area. A lot of people where just passing through and he was only too happy that somebody was showing a genuine interest in the birds and their stories.
The weather started to turn, and we decided to head back into town. I was very glad that we had made the decision to check out the totems first. We headed back along the road. It did not take long until we were back in town. There were two things I still wanted to take care of. The first of those was a visit to the Lutheran church in Sitka. I was raised in the Lutheran church, and Alaska is about the last place I would expect a Lutheran church. The original building was built in 1843 and the congregation founded on the say so of the eighth Russian governor of Alaska who came from Finland and was Lutheran. The original church was the first Protestant church on the west coast of North America. When Alaska was sold to the United States, a lot of the congregation moved back to Europe and the building fell into disrepair. The original building was demolished in 1888 and the plot where it once stood remained empty for 54 years. Fortunately, Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, visited the abandoned church shortly before it was knocked down and preserved the furnishings and organ by taking them to the museum he had established at the Presbyterian Mission. In 1940, the congregation was re-established, and a new church was built. That church burned down in 1966 when much of downtown Sitka was destroyed, It was rebuilt a year later, but once again suffered serious fire damage in 1993. Fortunately, the furnishings and the organ survived both fires. When we were there in 2024, we met a lovely couple at the church, and they were fascinated by the fact that I was raised Lutheran in Germany. We were not so lucky this time round, but it was still nice to just sit down for a while and enjoy our surroundings.
In 2024, we had found a great shop near the church, and we wanted to have a quick look. This time round, they had nothing that tempted either of us. We headed back to the Harrigan Centennial Hall to get the shuttle back to the ship. They only had one line there and that looked impressive. We decided to use the bathroom before we got into the line. Thankfully, the line moved steadily, and we were sent to a bus about 15 minutes later. On the way into town, we had lucked out and had a coach. This time we had a school bus. I am not tall, but even I struggled with the lack of legroom. The journey felt about three times as long as it really was. I was very relieved when we pulled into the port.
When we got back to the ship, the Windjammer was about to close. I suggested that we could go to Cafe Two70 to get a Kümmelweck. Graham was up for this. This is something we discovered on our very first Royal Caribbean cruise, but after a less than stellar version on Radiance of the Seas in 2024, we have not had one since. However, as they have always been great on Ovation, we decided to give this another go. They did not disappoint. We both had a coffee. Graham had a Kümmelweck with roast beef, mayonnaise, and gravy. I had Kümmelweck with roast beef, and mayonnaise. Once we had finished our main course, I went to get some dessert. Graham had a coconut ranger cookie, and a couple of lemon cookies. I had coconut ranger cookie, a chocolate bar, and a piece of chocolate marble cake.
When we had finished our food, we headed back to our cabin to drop off our coats. I picked up my iPad and then we headed down to the Amber and Oak Pub. We still had some time until afternoon trivia, but considering how small this venue is, we thought we better get there early. Graham had a couple of the drink of the day, which Irish coffee that day. I had a Stout espresso martini first. I did really like this, but it was very rich and I felt I did not need another one. I had Sea @ T as my second drink. This consisted of Beefeater London Dry gin, Lagoon Bay liqueur, simple syrup, lemon juice, and tonic. This was nice and refreshing. We did not do too well that day with afternoon trivia. We scored 6 out 15. The winning score was a very impressive 14.
Once afternoon trivia was over, we headed upstairs to the solarium to relax for a bit. Half an hour before dinner, we went back to the cabin to have a quick shower and to get changed. Then we headed downstairs to get some photos.
The menu that day was A Taste of the Caribbean. We both had a glass of the Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling. Graham had the crispy coconut jumbo shrimp with pineapple celeriac slaw and sweet chili dipping sauce for his starter. He then stuck with the shrimp theme and had garlic herb buttered tiger shrimp with jasmine rice, sautéed seasonal vegetables and garlicky herb butter for his main course. He decided to have dessert that day and went with the typically Caribbean dish of warm blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I started with the Asian style pork bao tacos. I decided to take the risk of freaking out our serving team. Most of the main courses that day involved plantains. I am severely allergic to bananas. I have never had plantains, but as they are part of the banana family, I am not going to chance this. As it is unlikely that bananas are hidden in food, I never declare my allergy. I did this once and I hated the fuss that this resulted in. However, I thought it was prudent that day to become clean. Our server took this in his stride. I had the Jerk seasoned pork chop with rice and beans, and Jamaican dumplings without a plantain in sight. For dessert, I have pineapple sunshine cake. Everything was delicious.
After dinner, we headed to the Pesky Parrot for a drink. Graham had a Monkey Business again. I had a Painchiller, which consisted of Bacardi Caribbean spiced rum, Hard Truth toasted coconut rum, piña colada mix and blood orange sour.
Once we had finished our drinks, we headed up to the solarium. There was no chance of a sunset that evening, but it was nice to just relax on a round lounger for a while. Once the light started to fade, we headed back to our cabin. We got ready for bed. I read a chapter in my book and then we both fell asleep.
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