Ketchikan is the southernmost town on the famed Inside Passage that sits on the Ketchikan Creek. It is referred to as the "Salmon Capital of the World". The city has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, found throughout the city and at four major locations: Saxman Totem Park, Totem Bight State Park, Potlatch Park, and the Totem Heritage Center. Ketchikan weather is rainy with 153 inches of rainfall a year.
The ship docked around 6:30 am at Berth 4. After an early breakfast at Garden Cafe we disembarked the ship around 7:15 am . The weather was cloudy but no rain. The town was absolutely empty since Norwegian was the first ship to dock.
Our plan for the day was to take the town shuttle to Totem Bight State Park bright and early, then come back into town for lunch and stroll around.
Our first stop was going to be the Visitor Center to get the maps for the walking tour. We had printed a couple of copies from here as well . The lady at the visitor center informed us that due to construction the shuttle bus would not stop at Front -Dock Street and so we should instead board the shuttle at the Museum.
Here is a link to the shuttle bus schedule https://www.borough.ketchikan.ak.us/DocumentCenter/View/6314/Bus-Schedule-MAY-2019-Final
The bus runs every 20 mins. To get to Totem Bight State Park we needed to take the Silver Line North shuttle. It turns out the Museum is a common stop for both the Silver Line South and Silver Line North route. Around 7:46 am the Silver Line South shuttle came to the stop and the driver informed us that he is headed south and would turn north and be back at same stop at 8:25 am but we were welcome to board the bus earlier than later as long as we didn't mind the long ride. The bus was empty plus we get to see more of Ketchikan , so we went ahead and boarded the bus. Note - the fare is $2 each way and they require EXACT change.
The BUS stops right at Totem Bight State Park. You can get off and explore the park on your own, its that easy. We took with us a print out of this document describing the totem poles inside the park. DD was our personal tour guide. The trail is a loop with clear entrance and exists marked. The lush greenery of the Tongass Forest leads you to a rocky beach front lined with all the totem poles.
There is a Clan House that you can visit as well.
After about an hour at the park we decided to head back into town using the Silver Line South shuttle. Once back in town we got off at the Museum.
Across from the Museum is a parking lot that you can cut through to enter the iconic Creek Street. Creek Street is a historic boardwalk that lines the Ketchikan Creek. Back in the day it was a Red Light District. In summer months you can see hundreds of salmon trying to spawn upstream in the Ketchikan Creek . It is a sight not to be missed.
After a short walk along the creek we decided to eat lunch at the Alaska Fish House. They have a limited menu of tacos, burger, fish and chips - each served as cod, salmon or both and half/full crab.
They pride themselves in serving the freshest salmon - caught literally at the dock under their hotel and they damn right should be, this was the freshest salmon we had ever had!
After lunch we strolled around town. DD wanted to get the free necklace pendant and bracelet charm that was in a brochure that came with the cruisehip Daily. We were told that Ketchikan was the cheapest town on our cruise stops to buy souvenirs and so we did.
The clouds had begun to clear up a bit, but the town had begun to get very crowded as well. But not a drop of rain, how lucky are we!
All aboard time was 3:30pm.
The show that night was Comedy Of Larry Omaha which we all really wanted to watch, so DD ushered everyone out from their room at 6:45 pm sharp. We did manage to get some good seats. The comedy was supposed to be family friendly but we did find a few mature content here and there. Overall it was an entertaining and hilarious show.
That night we dined at the Tsar Palace. While at dinner, a bunch of patrons spotted whales around the Aft of the ship.Literally everyone left their tables and rushed to be back of the dining hall to catch a glimpse.
Here is the Freestyle Daily for Day 3
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