To sets of poles at the top. One for skiers (yep, they ski this here volcano) and one for gondolas to take visitors to the top. We did not go up any higher. Not really a great photo, you need to look close. And, yes, that is the peak (or it was when we were there - it changes a lot). Darn it, is was cold and windy. This was in November, I shutter to think what it might be like in January. Etna, like Teide in the Canary Islands, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Evidently there a many places on planet Earth that would like to be declared with that honor, but miss out. Etna is one that made in 2013.

caroleoh - in Juneau I would suggest: 1. The Princess Alaska GAstineau Mill & Gold mine tour - is great, and young ones really like it also "A half-day tour visits the ruins of a hard-rock gold operation that operated from 1915 to 1921, then goes 360 feet into one tunnel for a mining demonstration. Guests also get to pan for gold from the mine's tailings." I think it can be booked through Princess Tours, 151 Mill St - Phone 907/463-3900. It was locals and miner's that actually established this tour, however. 3. If you don't want to spend $60 per person but are interested in mining...take a walk out to a beautiful area called Basin Road. Or taxi out ($6.00)and walk back. Snuggled in the mountain side are the original minining buildings and equipment called the Last Chance Mining Museum ( about $3.00). From Frommers " On the site on forested Gold Creek where gold was first discovered in Juneau, the museum preserves old mining buildings and some of their original equipment, including an immense 1912 air compressor and a layered glass map of the tunnels. This was once a nerve center for one of the world's biggest hard-rock mines. The highlight is its energetic and learned guide, Renee Hughes, who lives above the compressor with her husband Gary Gillette. Both are leaders of the Gastineau Channel Historical Society. Ask Renee about the cave-in of the Treadwell Mine to hear her riveting storytelling. The entrance to the site -- which contains relics and buildings spread over several acres -- is a bridge over the creek, which leads to a steep trail up to the buildings." Check for the open times before you go out there. 2. Mendenhall Glacier - is awesome and cheap. http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/mendenhall/webcam.html. There are a couple of $10 RT Glacier Express buses (in contrast to the "expensive tours" - the $10 RT bus is all you need). It generally runs every half hour in both directions - takes 20minutes to get to the glacier. The glacier is free, as are the trails there. There are a couple very short ones trails , and a 3 mile trail. The glacier visitor's center is informative (costs $3-$5 per person) but you do not need to even go in it if you don't want. The beauty is outside! Plus there is a bear lookout there (free).. and in August bears can frequently be seen trying to get the salmon. 4. Fish Hatchery is another inexpensive possibility - and is really interesting to see when the fish are coming in (usually August). http://juneaualaska.com/visit/stories/12jun_dipac.shtml For this .. you also do not need to take an expensive "tour" - the city bus goes very close to it - maybe a block 1/2 away .. and the entry fee is $3-$5. IMO the helicopter tours and dog sled tours are very unique but extremely overpriced. As for safety, when compared to the number of flights it is probably pretty good. Does that mean there are not ever any incidents? No - there are but the majority of flights are problem free. Scary problems exist on cruise ships too ... keep a sharp eye on your child! Have a fun trip .. and make sure you have rain gear .. it could be sunny every day or it could rain 24/7.

We took a Princess cruise and land tour several years ago. It was wonderful. We got a room with a balcony on the top deck so we could sit out there and look at all the sights without standing on deck being cold. We went in early May and the weather was not all that bad.....in fact, no mosquitos and very little rain. It was great to wrap up in blankets and call room service for coffee. We loved staying at one of the Princess Hotels in Denali and took the bus trip. Excellent! The train ride to Denali was OK but we took the bus back to Anchorage and enjoyed it much more. Our very favorite side trip was outside Skagway on the bus tour to the Yukon. There was also a train trip but the bus ride was a great experience. We got to stop along the way if there was something interesting to see.....like a big wolf near the side of the road. The guide was really a lot of fun and knew the history of the Yukon gold rush. We also stopped for lunch at a museum/gift shop. I bought the book Alaska by James Michener there and re read it. I would suggest you read it on your trip. We opted not to have scheduled meal times and that worked out very well. We met some people who were from a tiny town here in California where my maternal grandmother was born. Small world. We took the trip to Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau. Take lots of pictures and keep a journal so you can share your experiences with us when you return. Have a wonderful trip!

Don't go too late in the year. We took HA on a small ship on the last day cruises were offered. HUGE mistake. Because HA has to go around the outside of Vancouver Island, rather than starting within the Strait @ Vancouver as the other cruise lines do, bad weather can be a real problem. It was the end of September, and we ran into a storm. Very impressive seeing 20-ft waves hit the ship, LOL. They had to turn the boat around so we ended up losing 2.5 days, having to backtrack around Vancouver Island and start all over again heading north through the Straits. The ship never made its final 2 stops, they had to cut it short before reaching Sitka :(( Note it can be rainy in summer, so check the weather forecasts regularly. There was absolutely NO insistence on formal dress even in the main dining room. Although many folks did dress up on the final evening dinner, a sizable number did not bother at all, coming in tee shirts and tennies at every meal. We personally thought the food was okay but not great. Lots of quantity but the quality was more on level with a chain steakhouse. The upscale extra-cost restaurant wasn't much better - we actually preferred the food in the main dining room. The service is always impeccable, everywhere. We found the cruise people push a lot of jewelry on the ship and the stores nearest the port seem to be 2/3 jewelry stores. A friend of ours picked up the most delightful pendant ever, a beautifully carved pendant of a tiny polar bear on a swing! Remember that peak season for whale-watching is May - October. We obviously had a bad-luck fairy on our Alaskan cruise, as the whale watching excursion was pretty much a waste of money. We did see an orca calf - did you know they are a pinkish-orange color? - but that and a few far-off spouts were about it. Ironically, there are a number of companies on Vancouver Island that offer whale-watching tours. Our friends flew in to meet us after we got off the cruise ship, and a week later we all drove to Victoria BC. This was their first visit ever to the Pacific NW so we wanted to show them around. I had reserved the half-day tour from a local company, as I knew they would enjoy the scenery and sea air even if we didn't see many whales. Wouldn't you know it - we saw whales every few minutes! They swam so near the boat we could count individual barnacles. They splashed out of the water and spyhopped as if they were posing for photos! More orcas, and some dolphins leaped by as well. We've been on 3 whale watching tours, but this was by far the luckiest. You can just never really tell if they're going to be around the surface when your boat is nearby. But it's thrilling when you're in the right place at the right time. Good luck on your cruise!