Want to know some of the best places to eat in the next port you are visiting?  Need to know where the closest Internet Cafe is? Ask a crew member - they can tell you many of the things you want to know about your next port.  While crew like to play tourist just like the rest of us, they often don't have the time or inclination to tour at each and every port.  From my conversations with crew over the years, if they haven't joined a tour of some sort, they tend to do several things in port:

1. Look for a phone or Internet Cafe to call home
2. Take the crew shuttle to a local Walmart or other superstore
3. Walk to local shops or attractions
   
4. Find a restaurant/pub to relax in

And there is the key - crew have been to these ports and know their way around.  I have had great Chinese restaurants recommended to me in several Alaskan ports and now know the best Filipino eatery in Acapulco.  They can also tell you where to buy supplies to take back on ship and what attractions are within easy walking distance. 

Obviously each port is different, but if you want to be strategic with your time on shore, ask your stateroom attendant or bartender for their advice about your next port - they may just be able to point you in an interesting direction. 

Everyone who cruises has their favourite ports of call and Jan and I are no different.  While every place we visit is interesting and has its own charms, there are some places we really look for ways to return to.  Sitka, Alaska is one of those places.  Located on the west side of Baranof Island, this community of 9,000 is located in an area where the Tlingit people have lived for tens of thousands of years.  Russians settled in Sitka (then known as New Archangel) in 1799 to pursue the lucrative sea otter fur trade and Sitka became the capital of Russian America in 1808. When Alaska was purchased in 1867, Sitka was the capital of the new American territory and remained so until the capital was moved to Juneau in 1906.

Sitka displays its Russian heritage in many ways, the most predominant of which is  Saint Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral at the intersection of Lincoln and Matsoutoff Streets; and by intersection, I don't mean on one of the corners, but right in the middle of the street.  As you drive by, remember to make that right-hand turn at the proper time or you will in inside the church!  The church was built in 1848 and rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1966.

The Sitka National Historical Park, located to the east of the marina and within walking distance of the pier, contains an old growth rain forest with Tlingit totem poles placed throughout the park.  Walking through the park and continuing further east you will find the Alaska Raptor Center which rehabilitates raptors from around North America.

For those who would prefer to explore for marine wildlife, Allen Marine operates cruise and independent excursions that go out into the Sitka archipelago to look for seals, sea lions, whales and huge rafts of sea otters just floating about in the water.  Of all the ports in Alaska, if you want to see sea otters in any numbers, this is one of the best places to do that.

This is a port that is quite easy to explore on your own and the relatively compact size of Sitka makes most of the things you want to see within walking distance of the pier.  If you would rather not walk the entire way, consider taking a bus tour to the raptor center and then walking back to downtown via the National Historic Park.

As a side note, Sitka does not have berthing facilities for cruise ships so all passengers are tendered in to shore.  The harbor is well protected so there is little chance of heavy seas preventing or interfering with the tendering process but those passengers with mobility issues should be aware of this.