Eagles, Bears and Totem Poles
June 1, 2025
Sitka, AK
We didn't expect to fall in LOVE with Sitka!
Morning
I woke up around 6AM and started to get ready for the day. I met the boys at Windjammer for breakfast but they had been awake since 4AM and had already been exploring the ship for a while. TIP- The Inside with a Virtual Balcony cabin has a floor to ceiling TV that features the view off the ship as if a balcony. Unfortunately, there was no way to turn this off and it made for an all day and night TV screen in the room. Chris asked the cabin steward to turn it off on night #1 but the screen automatically turned back on around 7AM each day. I had 2 large binder clips in my suitcase and was able to block the screen by clipping our curtains together but the boys did not have any and the screen was a nuisance when trying to sleep. Keep this in mind if you are looking for that "pitch black" inside cabin as this is not the case with this cabin category!
We ate breakfast at the Windjammer and opted to sit at the very back at the tables in the outdoor seating section and this provided for outstanding views of our approach into Sitka. Natalie was still asleep so I went to wake her up around 8AM and then Luke and I kept exploring the ship and watching the approach. Chris opted to get a brief nap in and this helped him a lot. Around 8:45AM, we were all ready and on Deck 5 outside promenade watching our approach. We all grabbed some Starbucks and Fresh OJ at the Café 270 and enjoyed an hour long entry into Sitka.
Sailing into Sitka Sound- This was about 7:45AM.
Luke was already LOVING all the mountains!
Be still my heart!
Luke spotting whales... We even saw some!
A pod of ORCAS actually swam by... That was surreal!
Seeing this pod of Orca was SO COOL!
Be sure to ALWAYS bring binoculars from your stateroom with you!
We are getting closer!
Another view as we approach Sitka!
Where has my baby gone!?
This was one of my favorite pictures!
We are almost parked at Sitka!
A view from the Starboard side of the ship as we were getting anchored down.
The landscaping is so beautiful!
Hello Sitka, we have arrived!
Once the captain parked the ship, we made our way to the Schooner Bar for morning crossword puzzle and Morning Trivia. Thanks to Whitney, the Guest Services manager, we had tickets on the North Star at 11AM and our Shore Excursion did not start until 12:30PM so we spent the morning casually at the Schooner Bar.
Once 10:50AM rolled around, we made our way up to Deck 15 mid-ship for the North Star. We were in the capsule with a total of 15 people which I thought would be crowded but it worked out so well- although it did get a little hot in there in the last few minutes. The capsule is bigger than you think and it provided excellent views of the ship and Sitka. The capsule took you all the way up and then did a 180* turn a few times directly at the top of the ship for a Port Day trip. On Sea Days, the North Star will actually go OVER THE SIDE of the ship (which I think would be awesome). This port day trip only lasted about 12 minutes start to finish and the Sea Day trips last 16. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone sailing on an Quantum Class ship to experience this attraction on the ship- either by a paid reservation while the ship is sailing like we had hoped or while in port FOR FREE! This was so AWESOME! Be sure to check the app at 6PM ship time for Port Day reservations- they sell out FAST!
We're in the capsule and we are ready to be taken up!
Let's go!
A view of the Anthem of the Seas about 2 minutes after starting the ascend!
This was about 4 minutes into our rise to the top!
We were LOVING THIS!
All the way at the top of the North Star! What a view!
The Anthem of the Seas just may be our favorite ship!
Hello Sitka, we are ready to explore you!
Family picture #1568982....
This did offer a few shops but the main area of town must be accessed by a FREE shuttle about 15 minutes away! You can reserve this ahead of time but all RCCL excursions will meet at these shops!
Seriously... this was AWESOME!
We LOVED this experience and I highly recommend it!
After our North Star Experience, we made our way to Deck 4 in the Royal Esplanade to get a quick lunch at Sorrento's Pizza before our excursion. We purchased the "Best of Sitka" excursion through Royal Caribbean for $135/ per person ($115/ kids 12 and under) and our tour met outside of the ship on the dock at 12:45PM. We were able to get off the ship around 12:15PM and meander around the small shopping area before meeting our tour. The Anthem of the Seas was in Sitka, AK 10:30AM to 5:30PM.
Sorrento's Pizza always hits the spot!
We love the Anthem of the Seas!
Hello from Sitka, Alaska!
This seems fitting since 3/4 of us are EAGLES at New Caney High School!
Me and my boy!
Be still my heart!
Afternoon
The "Best of Sitka" excursion provided transportation around Sitka via "fancy" school bus and an extended stop at 3 local attractions: 1) Alaska Raptor Center 2) Fortress of the Bear and 3) Sitka National Park and Totem Pole Center. Our first stop of the Alaska Raptor Center and it was nothing short of incredible. We really enjoyed getting to see Bald Eagles and other eagles at this "hospital" style location but the hiking through the Alaskan wilderness was perhaps the entire highlight of the trip. We were able to hike along a trail that led to many views of a river and it was gorgeous. Once again, the weather really cooperated with us and it was PERFECT- 47* and overcast with NO RAIN. This was the longest stop on the tour with over 90 minutes at this attraction and it was on your own timing. We LOVED this stop!
We never imagined we would like this part of the tour this much!
My 5'8" girly is so tall- check out her wingspan!
Selfie with the Bald Eagle!
Another Family picture!
This picture describes Luke's personality!
I. AM. HERE!
Plus he loves hiking and all things nature!
They loved this part of the excursion!
Another view of the forest we were hiking through!
19 years and counting!
This may be my favorite picture of the entire trip... Bare feet and all!
This hike was GORGEOUS!
The next stop was the Fortress of the Bear about 20 minutes away. Once at the Fortress of the Bear we were greeted with a guide who explained these bears were abandoned by mom and this is a rescue facility. We were able to see 3 Grizzly Bears and 4 black bears. These bears were hungry and we arrived at feeding time so we got a SHOW and we loved it. This stop was only 35 minutes but we loved every minute of it!
A view of the bears at the Fortress of the Bear!
The black bears that roam near the Fortress!
These bears were HUNGRY and they really put on a show for us!
Bald Eagle in the wild... SO PRETTY!
The Davis Family LOVED Fortress of the Bear!
The final stop of this excursion was the Sitka National Park and Totem Pole Center approximately 30 minutes away from the Fortress of the Bear. Once at the park, we were given 70 minutes on our own to explore the park. We opted to immediately do a hike within the park. The entire hike was over 2 miles and Luke was a little anxious we would miss the bus back to the ship so we did not make the whole loop but we loved this hike. We were able to go about .6 miles out and then the same back to the entrance of the park. We were able to see bald eagles in the wild and gorgeous scenery on the hike. We then went into the welcome center and the kids and I hiked over rocks from low tide to get to the Sitka Sound water and touch it. This was an incredible stop and I just wish we had more time here.
Sitka National Park
This was about .5 mile into our hike from the entrance of the park!
Sitka National Park and Totem Pole Center.
These were not as intricate as the Totem Poles we have seen in Vancouver but they were so cool!
Hiking to the Sitka Sound.
We loved getting to touch the FREEZING water in the Sitka Sound!
Hello Sitka... WE LOVE YOU!
Upon the ending of our last stop, the bus took us back to the cruise terminal where we were able to make some souvenir purchases. TIP- This tour also had a drop-off "in town" where there were countless stores and shops but the downtown area was a 15 minute bus ride from the Cruise Terminal and the timing of our excursion ending was going to be cutting it close so we opted to just shop at the 3 stores near the ship. We all LOVED Sitka and when planning our next Alaskan cruise, I will find a sailing with Sitka as a stop- It was THAT good! Despite the crazy high cost of the excursion ($520 for a family of four), I would say this was worth it and we got our money's worth! Remember- Alaska excursions will ALWAYS cost this much... it's just part of it! I recommend budgeting at least $200/pp per port and in reality it should probably be higher like $350/pp these days!
Once back on the ship we got some afternoon snacks at Cafe 270 and then went to the Sea Plex as we had reservations for Roller Skating at 5:30PM. TIP- The Sea Plex offers all kinds of things to do but MANY require reservations in the Royal App and oftentimes were "sold out" so be sure to go through the app once onboard to reserve what you want.
The roller-skating organization was a complete fail by the RCCL workers but the overall experience was great. Luke struggled a little bit trying to figure out how to actually roller skate but they both had a GREAT time and didn't break any bones and no bruises from falling either so I will call that a win.
Natalie didn't want to skate as she says "I hate roller skating" but she had a GREAT time!
She was smiling every time she passed by!
Luke took a little while to get used to is and had to asked for a helper!
But in the end he LOVED IT!
This was a win!
Goodbye Sitka!
The Anthem of the Seas set sail for Skagway shortly after 6PM!
Evening
The kids got done roller skating and went to take showers and get ready for our dinner at Chops Grille while Chris and I went for pre-dinner drinks at Vintages. The kids met us at Vintages for a few "mocktails" and then we made our way to Chop Grille near the Schooner Bar for our 7PM reservation. The boys were extremely hungry as our last meal was at 11:45AM and that seemed apparent in the speed of service. The overall dinner was GREAT and the experience for the kids was PERFECT but it did seem that this service was a little slower than usual, even for Chops. It took over 2 hours for our complete meal which is just too long in my opinion. We did notice a HUGE rush as we arrived so maybe the 7PM time was just too busy but it was a slower experience than usual. The food, however, was PHENOMENAL and all four of us loved it. I was not sure how the kids would like a specialty restaurant but they loved and I think we will be booking Chops again with them on the Harmony in February 2026.
This is ALWAYS my favorite meal on a Royal Caribbean ship!
The Chops Menu.
You can order 1 from each category, although we have ordered more than one and never been charged!
The kids were excited for this "fancy" meal!
The Goat Cheese Salad- 5.0
This NEVER disappoints!
The Mushroom Soup-5.0
My favorite soup of all time, easily!
The Chops Filet- 5.0
Again, it always hits hard!
The Red Velvet Cake-3.5
It is too rich (and chocolatey) for my taste buds!
After dinner we went to the room to take meds and change clothes for the Hypnosis Comedy show in the Main Theater. TIP- Alaskan cruises do not have the same type of entertainment as Caribbean cruises as the focus is the destination and not the ship or journey. This was the first offering of a "show" on this sailing. All four of us liked this show very much and laughed so much! I don't really know if the hypnosis was real or fake but it made for good entertainment.
After the show we made our way to the aft of the ship in 270 for the 80s party. This is usually one of my favorite things on Royal Caribbean ships but the 270 had a closed in vibe and it wasn't as fun or "rowdy" as other times we have seen on the Royal Promenade. We stayed for about 20 minutes but we were all so very tired for the day that we called it a night before 11PM.
It was an INCREDIBLE DAY spent in Alaska and we all fell in love with Sitka. The views our excursion provided we second to none. We love you Sitka, we will be back!
This "may" have been our favorite day of the cruise!
We love Sitka!
Did you miss day 2- Check it out HERE!
Up Next- Husky Puppies and Sled dogs in Skagway!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
