Alaska Delivers Early in Cruise Season on Rare World Voyage Visit

Days 111-114, 2026 Grand World Voyage

Friday to Monday, April 24-27, 2026; Kodiak, Sitka and Ketchikan, Alaska.

Alaska is a special place to cruise. Majestic mountains with snow-covered caps, dense evergreen forests, dozens of rocky islands and if you’re lucky, plenty of sea life, wildlife and even bald eagles.

It has become so popular that some communities are studying ways to limit the impact of more and more – and larger and larger — ships. On a busy day, 17,000 cruise passengers can overwhelm Ketchikan’s 8,000 residents.

By being the first ship of the season to visit Kodiak and Sitka, and the second to arrive at Ketchikan, we’ve traded large crowds for temperatures in the 40s, but luckily no rain. I dragged my suitcases out from under my bed to retrieve the jackets and gloves I packed away after Antarctica three months ago.

Before we could leave the ship in Kodiak, we painlessly passed through face-to-face U.S. immigration and customs inspection. Only about 30 cruise ships visit this island port a year, and residents welcomed us with a craft market set up in a small indoor mall. I found local greeting cards and a book for my great-nephew in the excellent book store.

Having hiked and sketched in Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park on my last visit, today I just walked around the small downtown. The bank ATM was popular, as this was our first stop in the United States since January and an opportunity to pick up more cash for tips, repaying fellow passengers for private tours and just to replenish our funds.

We had delicious halibut fish and chips at a local restaurant filled with fellow passengers.

Sitka is one of my favorite Alaskan ports, from its history as the capital of Russian America to the Sitka National Historical Park. I always take the Totem Trail along the coast, passing by a number of totem poles.

Of more interest to me is Rich’s Log, as some of us have named a long-felled tree along the path. Fellow cruiser and blogger Rich McClear and his wife Suzi are Sitka residents. When he’s not cruising, Rich walks by and records changes in the log through the seasons.

On my last visit I painted a picture of the log for him, and I can never visit Sitka now without stopping by.

This time Elaine and I extended our walk to include the Sitka National Cemetery just up the hill. Eloise, our other sister and family genealogist, discovered that a distant relative (our grandfather’s step-nephew-in-law, to be exact) is buried there. He was killed in World War II in a Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor and has the dubious distinction of being the first resident of Jackson County, Ark., killed in the war.

His grave wasn’t easy to reach, perched on a tier partway down the hill. I gave Elaine strict instructions not to photograph me crab-walking on all fours across the slope to get there. Fortunately, we discovered an easier way (but still a bit treacherous) to leave. Perhaps it was fortuitous that the intersecting road was named Sisters Lane. Of course, we posed for a photo, and included a screenshot of Eloise in it.

Monday was one of just eight days this year in Ketchikan with just one cruise ship in port. We “parked” at the primo pier right in the middle of the tourist area. Usually, passengers fight their way through crowds up the wooden boardwalks of Creek Street (“Where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn”). We had our run of the town.

While browsing through the bookstore, I heard the owner say to his wife that perhaps the slow sales were because this is a world cruise. He explained to me that it is very unusual that they would only have sold one book so far on a day when a ship is in port. I was glad I had a wildflower watercolor book in my hand to add to his till. He said the yarn shop next door was doing a booming business. The smell of fresh kettle corn drew me to my only other purchase.

The sea days have been busy with special events. One night a barn dance (I should have received a prize for smallest hat), another Orange Night to celebrate the Dutch king’s birthday (I won’t pack a big cowboy hat but I will pack a big orange wig).

On the day after leaving Ketchikan, our group of friends prepared to say goodbye to a few who will be leaving in the next few days. Just before we left Sitka, some of us impulsively bought matching T-shirts, and we wore them on Tuesday. For the gals: “The Salty Bitches.” For the guys: “The Old Bastards.” Much silliness ensued.