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Juneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL Constellation
  • AICW Great Loop Segment
  • AICW Great Loop Segment

Juneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL Constellation

We liked the Inside Passage of both Alaska and British Columbia so much that we decided to cruise it again on a different small ship, the American Cruise Lines Constellation. Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 13, 2026
    AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Pensacola to Juneau, Alaska

    September 13 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    15 flying hours and five time zones with delays and transfers made for a 20 hour day. Fortunately, wine stores in Juneau are open late. We knew to come in a day early or we d be too exhausted to enjoy the day. Despite 42 degrees, our sixth floor room at the Baronoff hotel was hot even with the window full open. We will have a full day tomorrow to explore, since we've never been here before. The population is 30,000 which doubles when the max six cruise ships come in tomorrow. The landscapes from the jet from British Columbia to Juneau were awesome.Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Juneau, Day 2

    September 14 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Juneau, Alaska Day 2

    So glad we arranged the extra day to explore this area! We walked the cruise docks, where all the shops are having sales because this week marks the end of the cruising season and the start of cold and snow. Oddly, a major king crab processing plant is wedged in among the ships loading tractor trailer trucks with frozen crab legs destined for your local Costco. However, there are no roads into or out of Juneau, which is surrounded by saltwater and ice fields. They are driven onto barges for the three day trip to Seattle; flying is the only other way out.

    We took a trolley tour to the 370 ft Nugget Falls outflow by Mendenhall Glacier which has been shrinking for over 100 years. The generous two hours there allowed us to hike all three trails and the visitor center. Every few blocks you see a Bald Eagle sitting atop a street lamp.

    We had a great dinner at the Harbor Docks, which was and is the float plane dock. Alaska Airlines was founded by local float plane bush pilots. Juneau is the location of one of the extremely few documented instances of an aircraft fishstrike, which occurred on March 31 when a bald eagle carrying a salmon in its claws was shocked into dropping it while gaining altitude. The pilots were surprised, but carried on. The incident made national news on April Fools Day.

    The downtown Red Dog Saloon dates back to goldrush days, where marshals collected guns before one could dine. Wyatt Earp was miffed, especially because when he finished drinking around sunrise (a man after my own heart) the marshalls were off duty and he had to abandon his gun, which is still on display above the bar.

    The Alaska State Museum was very interesting, with a fascinating emphasis on the ethnic first peoples lives. A coach took us and our pre-loaded luggage to the ship for lunch and the initial briefings. We had the least luggage of the 90 cabins (hey, there's free laundry machines and pods on board).    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Juneau to Glacier Bay, Alaska

    September 15 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    It was an interesting voyage to Bartlett Bay in Glacier Bay National Park. Only a few cruise ships, tour boats and private boats get permits to come in daily. The ranger center is here and the ship docked to pick up a ranger who then accompanied us while giving commentary up to the confluence of several glaciers, passing a lot of ‘growlers’ (mini icebergs) along the way with lots of wildlife. Dozens of groups of river otters would languidly float on their backs with slow foot strokes a few dozen feet from the ship (which was running under 8 MPH in those areas). Just beyond that confluence, a landslide in 1958 at the glacier generated the largest tsunami in recorded history, at 1,700 feet high in the fjord (the Empire State Building is 1,450 feet high if you include the antenna).

    Constellation then turned a bit south into another arm with another glacier face for the night. Incredible, spectacular pristine scenery all along. We are so glad to see it again.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Glacier Bay, Day 2

    September 16 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    After anchoring off another tidewater glacier for the night, we headed back to Bartlett Bay ranger HQ for a ranger led walk in the temperate rain forest. Each year, over 700,000 cruise ship passengers enter Glacier Bay, but under 5% actually are able to get off the boat and walk the trails. It was more absolutely spectacular beauty.Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler
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    Glacier Bay to Haines, AK

    September 18 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Back at the ranger station in Bartlett Bay in Glacier Bay we took a 90 min ranger led walk into the temperate rain forest that covers 350 miles in the area. There are many remnants' of the glaciers progress, like kettle pots where icebergs melted and remnant boulders. This area is well worth exploring, although we are reluctant to trailer this far at this point (should have done it 20 years ago). There is NO condensation anywhere in the boat, we stay warm and dry and had Dungeness crab omelets for breakfast and Dungeness Crab Cakes for dinner with much better wine than we would ever buy for ourselves, so it's all good.

    Haines has a small port for only small cruise ships and 27 foot vertical tides in a small village with the basics. It has a road as an alternative to the State Ferry system. Our excursion was a tamden (very stable) kayak adventure along Lake Chillicothe. We were lucky to watch a grizzly bear foraging along the shore ignore 14 humans in 7 kayaks for about 30 minutes of picture taking. Also saw salmon, a bald eagle, a pair of blue herons, magpies etc. in a spectacular setting among five waterfalls spilling from snowpacks. Our guides said this is the last venture for the season.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler
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    Haines to Peterson, Alaska

    September 20 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    This was a fairly rough 12 hour overnight passage not fit for a trailer boat. Constellation has stabilizers and the motion did not bother us, but did some passengers. Peterson is in a very well protected bay, but five miles away Windy predicted 28 MPH winds, gusts to 40 and over five foot seas so the boat and flights to the nearby glacier were cancelled.

    The village namesake is not the saint, but a Norwegian fisherman (Peter Buschmann) and cannery owner, so we're lucky its not named Buschmannson or you'd need a larger envelope to address every letter return address. We had unexpectedly good weather and even some sun for our six mile walk and coach tour. We saw a bunch of bald eagles and an orca patrolling the shoreline and a fish ladder beside a roaring waterfall.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Peterson to Wrangell, AK

    September 21 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    We saw rough spots and smooth areas enroute with depths to over 1,000 feet. The weather is always rainy for the temperate rain forest that covers almost all the Inside Passage of Alaska with both highs and lows in the 50s. There was a guided hike to the top of nearby Mt Dewy, which features many muskeg bogs floating on water and mud over bedrock. Another tour took us to Petrograph Beach with 8,000 year old beach rock carvings. The Wrangell Museum was very impressive for a town of under 3,000 people.Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Wrangell, Alaska

    September 22 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    This town of 3,000 is welcoming the last two cruise ships of the season. The docks cant handle the big ones (over 500 PAX) which makes for a more realistic view of the area. This entire coast includes the rain forest, the size of ten states combined. Most folks seem to have several side hustles. The bus driver works at the airport in winter, her mom is a cruise ship singer and has a jewelry shop etc.

    It is amazing how calm the winding fjords can be with the protection afforded by the mountains protecting the waters from the 3,000 mile fetch of the Pacific Ocean waves. We did have some rough seas enroute with small craft advisory with the stabilizers out.

    The food and wine are really good. We use the five flights of stairs as a stair master...20 times equals climbing the Empire State Building.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Wrangell to Ketchikan, Alaska

    September 22 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    Some more rough seas that would be challenging to a trailer boat, with no easy divert options out of the wind. Ketchikan seems even more giant cruise ship touristy than last time we were here on the David B (check them out for a REALLY small ship...us and two other PAX). We took a guided hike up Mt Dewy to the lookout over Ketchikan. There are many watery muskeg bogs over mud and water trapped above bedrock low areas; don't step on one ore it may be 15 feet deep or more. Skunk cabbage somehow maintains 70 degree leaves in spring that allow it to be first to pop out, attracting bears just out of hibernation. The Lumberjack Show is a campy hoot tourist must-see.

    Were enjoying great food, including lobster hash with more lobster in it than any $40 lobster roll we've ever had! We hiked up to the Deer Mountain trailhead but didn't go up it very far because we didn't want to miss lunch. The center of tourist town is along Creek Street, built on 20 foot crowded boardwalks above the tide. This is all still part of Tongass National Park temperate rain forest in rainy season, to there is a lot of rain, wetness and deep puddles with temps in the 50s daily.

    Unfortunately, this cruise can not stop at any of the interesting and beautiful ports along the Inside Passage of British Columbia over the next few days at 12 MPH like we did on the David B cruise. The Jones Act applies to cargo; another 1880s law applies to this ship (US built with US crew and US safety standards; all of which we like).    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Ketchikan (US) to British Columbia

    September 23 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    No stops allowed, but beautiful scenery on both sides, especially down the narrow fjords that are not wide enough for another small ship to pass. The captains have all that planned out well in advance. Dixon Entrance and two other smaller passes are open to the Pacific Ocean 3,000 mile wind fetch from Japan. It was a bit lumpy even with stabilizers deployed but we slept right through it.

    Most areas are plenty calm enough for a trailer boat to manage, but there are not a lot of bail-out options in many areas. The condensation would be a big problem with water dripping down on your bunk unless you have a specially rigged diesel heater that exhausts the wet air to the outside. At this stage, we've lost interest in towing Cat O Mine out here vs seeing the amazing scenery from our comfy warm third deck balcony or the 180 degree lounge with stabilized binoculars and a naturist pointing out things we would have missed.

    A few more Ketchikan shots attached too. We never saw another boat except when passing Bella Bella at night.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Inside Passage British Columbia, Day 2

    September 24 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    We are sailing 24/7 down the Inside Passage through some of the most impressive fjords you''ll ever see bordered by sheer mountain cliffs with no civilization around. It's all Narional Park or First Peoples land with no development.

    We arranged for our next cruise down the Snake and Columbia rivers (save 15%, which is most ACL discounts, if we book on board, with the flexibility to make changes. All their bookings include trip insurance.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Inside Passage BC, Day 3

    September 25 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Most of the day, the weather reverted to the mean (wet, cloudy, foggy, no sun, low 41, high 44). Some clearing after 4PM. The ship had to hang back for several hours to cross the Seymour Narrows and Ripple Rock, a narrow area with fast currents that at worst tide ran today at 15 MPH, which is faster than the ships max speed. By waiting, the captain subjected the ship to under 3 MPH We could still see and feel some swirling. Ripple Rock impeded passage in the middle of the narrows until it was blown up in the 1950s for safer navigation. The Inside Passage has numerous areas like this where you need to do your homework before taking off in a trailer boat. There are multiple sources providing such schedules and no excuses for not using them.

    After cruising all night again, we should reach Port Angeles in the US tomorrow around noon. We haven't seen any other cruise ships and very few boats. Unfortuanately, I cant get any video clips on Find Pinguins.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Inside Passage BC to Port Angeles, US

    September 25 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Back in the US! Everyone is looking forward to getting off the boat and on land. interesting harbor with docks our ship can fit in with its 8 to 9 ft draft, so the big boats cant get in here. we enjoyed a cute Sat Farmers Market and saw the largest sweet onions we have ever laid eyes on. We had a nice long walk up and down hill and a complimentary coach tour to the Dungeness River and a small mueseum in Sequim ("Squim" not See quim). Good to be back in the good old US with cheap gas where wine and gas are not sold by the liter.

    In this area in the 1950s a local farmer was digging out a bog for a pool when he lifted two giant tusks from a giant mastodon. Tool marks on it and other animals offered the first proof that humans were living and hunting here 14,000 years ago, over 10,000 years before previously thought. It makes me wonder what else we dont know that we thought we did.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler
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    Friday Harbor, Washington

    September 27 ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Another pretty San Juan harbor that only small ships can fit into. We took a wildlife cruise out into the Strait of Juan De Lucas to see sea lions, harbor seals, cormorants, but no orcas. Overlooking the harbor, we had a fun and interesting wine tasting flight and a nice walk all around the town.

    The ship will be transiting the San Juan islands until Nov, when it goes into drydock for updates and repairs to a prop that got bent after hitting a berg in Glacier Bay. Their new ships all have pods with keel protection, but not Constellation.    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler

    Tacoma, Washington

    September 28 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    There wern't many excursions today, which worked out fine since it gave us a chance to meet my sister Carol and Steve for a while. We toured the Tacoma Zoo, which had a lot of marine life exhibits, walked a nearby beach park with lots of seals and birds and then had lunch at Anthony's on the waterfront. No rain today and a bit of sun, which was a nice change from the last two weeks. We knew we were visiting over 500 miles of temperate rain forest, but this trip we saw more of Alaska, and last trip more of the Inside Passage of British Columbia on the David B. Constellation is a US ship with US crew and US safety standards affected by the passenger version of the Jones Act, so it couldn't stop in Canada. However, there was a LOT of daytime cruising down dozens of fjords cutting through vertical snow topped mountains. Approaching the San Juan Islands, the mountains became hills and the weather less cloudy and Rainey.

    tonight the ship sails to Seattle for disembarkation by 7:30 and a coach ride to the gigantic SEA TAC airport. Dinner was the best of the trip...filet mignon with a large lobster tail stuffed with Dungeness Crab: superb! When we get back home we're prepared to get back to less expensive food and wine, but it sure has been a great cruise!    Read more

  • AICW Great Loop SegmentJuneau, Alaska to Seattle on ACL ConstellationTraveler
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    Seattle, Washington end of cruise

    September 29 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    The coach to the airport was scheduled to leave the marina at 0730, so we figured we wouldn't get to the airport til after 9AM and we were right. We had made plans to stay at a SEA TAC Hilton tonight and leave early in the morning. In the meantime we toured the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, the largest in the world. Had a great time but look forward to getting home tomorrow.Read more