In August 2019, my daughter (age 9) and I went on our first cruise on the Royal Princess. I have written a series of posts about our adventures. This one is about our Skagway Alaska Excursions.
“Signature Wall”
A view of a graffiti covered rock wall greeted us on the morning that we arrived in this port. Looking more carefully, we noticed that it was actually a kind of roster of ships. “Autographing” the wall is a way for cruise ship crews to commemorate their ship’s first voyage to Skagway. The tradition began in 1928.
Glass Blowing
The first excursion we did in Skagway was glass blowing at Jewell Garden. For whatever reason, our tour group consisted of just the three of us, which was great! We each selected glass colors and helped the artisans to create a personalized ornament. The artists were awesome and the activity was unique and fun.
After completing our artwork, we admired the garden, paid a visit to the gift shop, and sat down to enjoy a lovely tea service at the Jewell Cafe.
Main Street – Skagway Alaska Excursions
This former gold mining town is full of shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a mid-morning treat at The Klondike Doughboy (delicious!).
White Pass Scenic Railway – Skagway, Alaska
In the afternoon, my friend went for a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway. Thinking that this trip would be boring for Nina, I planned something more kid-friendly for our second excursion of the day:
Panning for Gold
Dredge Town is a typical tourist trap: a cute little stage village which encircles a dredge. I researched and learned that a dredge is a machine that scoops up dirt from the river. The dredge in this region of Alaska gets to pick up soil that has tiny gold nuggets in it!
An actor in clothing typical of the 1890 Klondike Gold Rush performed a skit. It was a very hot day and there was no shade or water available. Plus, the group that we were in was really very big. All of those people made it very difficult for us to hear or see anything that was happening. IMHO, the company in charge of planning and organizing this part of the trip didn’t do a great job.
The actors demonstrated panning techniques, and gave us each materials to try out our new skills. Swishing water into the dirt allowed the tiny golden nuggets to separate from the grains of sand. A visit to the “bank” revealed that our 28 grains of gold was worth $24.73! WOOHOO! At the gift shop, Nina chose a necklace in which to display the treasures.
Iditarod at Dredge Town
Every year, mushers and their dogs run the 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome, hoping to be the fastest in the Iditarod. The winner could finish in 8-9 days, and the prize is $50,000 and pick up truck.
Musher Kaci Murringer talks about the Iditarod and shows off her boots in Dredgetown – Skagway Alaska
We got to meet musher Kaci Murringer, who is entering the race for the first time this year. Kaci will wear 12 pounds of clothing, including these boots (above)!
Kaci’s goal is to travel 100 miles per day and complete the race in 10 days. She and her team of dogs will stop each night to eat and rest. In her sled, Kaci will have food, first aid and camping supplies, and 12,000 booties to protect the feet of her team. After meeting her dogs, we got to watch the team complete a lap race around a gravel course.
The best part of the excursion came next: a chance to cuddle 3-week old puppies!!! O!M!G!
The last thing we did on this excursion was visit a 40-degree-below-zero room. This gave us a feel for what it is like to experience an Alaskan winter.
We had a nice day and really enjoyed our time here!
Read more about my adventures in Alaska:
- Anchorage Alaska With Kids
- Road Trips From Anchorage – Wasilla, Seward, Palmer and Denali
- First Day on Royal Princess Alaska
- Onboard Cruise Activities – What I found to do on the ship
- Food Aboard The Royal Princess Alaska
- Ketchikan Alaska Excursions – including The Alaska Raptor Center
- Juneau Alaska Excursions – including dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier and evening whale watch
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