Today was the start of the 2013 Cruise Ship Season in Juneau! Our first ship in port was the Carnival Miracle - a whopping 963 feet in length with a capacity for 2,124 passengers. Needless to say, it's a beast of a ship, and you can see it all the way down the Gastineau Channel when it makes its way into port.
Today's weather was typical for Juneau - and very unfortunate for our eager beaver tourists. It seems like it's been raining for weeks. We're in May already, and it's hard to believe it stopped snowing just three days ago.
I have lots of friends who poke fun when tourists have to experience our bad weather, saying that at least visitors will get the "real picture" of Southeast Alaska. But I wish our tourists could witness our rare bluebird days and our sunny moments - those times we locals know and love. Not only is great weather good for boosting the local economy, it's good for the soul. But for now, our warm hospitality will have to be the trade off.
From far away, the cruise ship looks more like a massive building than a seafaring vessel.
The umbrellas were out in full force today.
View of the stern of the Carnival Miracle.