A relocation cruise from San Francisco to Alaska via Canada
By: Elizabeth Pilley, for Cruise Weekly

When arranging my most recent cruise to Alaska, the thought of only seven nights seemed quite absurd, so we chose a 14-night relocation on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, which not only fulfilled my dreams at sea, but saved quite a bit of money in the process.

Doing a relocation cruise enables you to get a longer cruise at a cheaper price. You can also save money purchasing your shore excursions at the port from the locals - and it means you're giving back to the local people.

First we flew to San Francisco and spent three days riding the trolley cars, walking along Lombard street, touring Alcatraz and trekking across the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

On the 3rd May we made our way to The Embarcadero, Pier 35, where we met Alexander Downer and his wife whilst waiting to board! Sailing away under the Golden Gate was an unbelievable experience - you can stand right at the front of the bow, just like in the Titanic movie!

1st Port: Astoria Oregon
Astoria was once famous for its salmon but now sardines are canned here. Free Willy was filmed here, and it also has the most trecherous bar in the world, with many shipping and boating tragedies. We did a walking tour which included the Liberty Theatre, Columbia Maritime Museum and Fort Astoria.

2nd port: Seattle, Washington State
Started with the Pike Street Markets, where the lobsters, scallops, squid and even strawberries were huge! We caught the monorail to the Seattle Needle and I spotted the houseboat from the movie Sleepless in Seattle and the ferries from Grey's Anatomy.

3rd port: Victoria, British Columbia
We did a whale-watching shore excursion, but didn't see any. However, the scenery was beautiful and we walked around, visiting the Empress Hotel and its picturesque gardens.

4th port: Prince Rupert, British Columbia
This was quite the sleepy village. Did a walking tour, took in the sunken gardens, fire hall museum, city hall and its totems, visited the Atlin cruise terminal. Some cruise passengers purchased a whale-watching dingy tour here and saw whales and bears.

5th port: Juneau, Alaska
As this is the capital of Alaska, we purchased a city and glacier tour from the port which was a saving. It cost A$30 for two people, whereas the ship's tour charged A$46 per person.

The driver took us to the chapel by the lake, built with spruce logs. It was so rustic that instead of stained glass at the front, it was clear and had the most extraordinary view of the Mendenhall Glacier. You couldn't help but feel so close to God. Mendenhall Glacier is a magnificent creation. Iced-capped mountains all around a blue-grey glacier silt in the lake water with huge towers of ice. Some of our fellow passengers had the delight of seeing bears here.

6th port: Skagway, Alaska
Surrounding this gold rush town, the snow-capped mountains are breathtaking. Strolling around town, it was like going back in time. There is an old train station and you can take the train here for A$104 from the port or purchase off the ship for A$150.

7th port: Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, Alaska
As the name indicates, it is bitterly cold here. There was a haze over the whole place, but it was so serene. On arriving off the tender, we were given a cedar chip from the local native Tlingit people to place on a fire. The tradition for all those who visit Icy Strait Point is to contribute your cedar chip and sustain the light of the wood chip fire.

Hubbard Glacier - The highlight of the cruise
The Captain managed to get the ship quite close and we circled over and over, which enabled everyone the chance to view from their cabin. Every now and then you would hear a roar and pieces would fall off the massive glacier. There were many icebergs that went deep down into the ocean, and as we sailed away you could see extremely high mountains peering over the clouds.

There were also whales and seals swimming beside the ship.

8th port: Sitka, Alaska
Did a walking tour, went to the aquarium and explored Sitka National Historical Park, where we watched a Tlingit man carve a totem pole out of a 40ft long cedar tree.

9th port, Ketchikan, Alaska
The Oosterdam, Golden Princess and Statendam were docked here, which was a real treat for me. Did lots of walking along a babbling stream where the salmon get released, and then up to Cape Fox Lodge to relax. We caught a furnicular tram down the mountain and saw some great shops in this little village.

Days at Sea
As a repositioning cruise, there were many days at sea, which I loved, and three formal nights where everyone got dressed up. The evening shows were great. (One of the guests was Bobby Arvon, who wrote and sang the 'Happy Days' song.) After the shows we would return to our cabin for the late-night sunsets.

Departure: Vancouver, Canada
We spent one night in Vancouver and sadly watched the ship sail away from our hotel.

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