Da Bears.

In port you can get on and off the ship as many times as your feet will carry you up and down the gangway.

I went back on board for breakfast in Sabatini's where suite guests only are welcomed for a delicious breakfast. I again ordered corned beef hash from another kitchen on the ship and that was no problem for Nicholas (Philippines). Service there is exemplary.

We had an excursion to attend and were soon back on the dock to meet the small minibus that would take us to a nature preserve place a few miles out of town.

When Carol mentioned that it would be cool to go bear watching I thought she said bear catching and so I had taken a rifle and a large frying pan with some onions and canola oil from my cabin.
At the Nature Center the guide saw these and diplomatically told me we would first go and watch the bears and that way I could spot the best one for frying and later we would go out again to kill him. She took my tackle and stowed it under lock and key -"for safe keeping".
Sounded like a plan so I went with it. It was only later that I found out she had been bending the truth somewhat as she tipped the bears off and they went into hiding and I had to console myself with a hamburger on board the ship. It was very tasty but lacking in bear flavor.

The air was cool and damp befitting a rainforest and it was quiet enough to hear bears walking through the undergrowth from our rope-bridge vantage point. The only sound that was out of place was the occasional soft "whoosh" as high above us in the treetops zip liners glided overhead. It looked like amazing fun and I am up for it in the near future, in Ketchikan.

It's best to be quiet and patient when hoping to see bears in a forest setting like this. They won't come if you call them like you would a dog. If you stay quiet you may hear them rustling the undergrowth as they move along and that will help direct your gaze. Have your camera on and ready and the batteries charged up as there are no electrical outlets in the trees ( I checked).

Just take photos and video and give up any ideas like "can you get a shot of me wrasslin' one of those cubs?" Leave them alone and they won't kill you.

Here are a couple of videos I shot.

After these shots from the rope bridge we moved down to ground level where there was a boardwalk about 2 feet high to save our feet from getting wet. At one point I moved ahead of the group which was bunched up looking at some distant bears by the river. It was hard to get photos with all the heads in the way. Eventually the rest of the group followed as they saw me taking video of something in the bushes. (video)