(with commentary and photos from ME!)
Day 1 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
16:18 Commenced sea voyage to Tracy Arm
Waiters came around the deck, pushing carts with beer and wine. Greg and I each bought a beer, stretched out in our lounge chairs and watched as the ship headed out of port. I didn't even know we were moving until Greg pointed it out.
Not much happened the first day, since we left left port at about 4:00pm, but we did have our first fancy dinner in the fancy restaurant. We requested a private table before ever leaving home and by golly, we got it. Yay!
(not my photo. It's from hollandamerican.com)
We spent the day exploring the ship.
They had a presentation in the theater about the shore excursions:
and then we just walked around.
It's amazing what they can fit on a cruise ship: a spa, a casino, shops, restaurants, lounges, a coffee shop, a library, pools and a basketball court! When we got back to our room in the evening, we found that elves had folded a towel into an animal and the next day's itinerary was laid out on the bed.
"Land, ho!" (Who you callin' a ho?)
Those lovely cruise people thought of everything as we stood out on deck in the rain, enjoying the scenery: hot chocolate, coffee, Bailey's, etc...
I saw the glacier, took a picture and went inside to shower for dinner. You gotta understand- I've seen glaciers in Canada. Heck, I WALKED on a glacier in Canada. And I really needed a shower.
But when I came out of the bathroom and checked the ship's cameras on our TV, we were practically next to the glacier! And the darned thing was a shade of blue I've never seen in Canada.
I threw on clothes and ran outside- hair dripping wet. Other people were in the hallways, running to Deck 3, the best spot for viewing.
The ship stayed in this spot for a while. An hour or two, in fact. Later we watched the blue ice glide further and further away as we sat enjoying our dinner.
21:10 Exited Tracy Arm and continued sea voyage to Juneau, Alaska
Day 4 JUNEAU, ALASKA
05:51 Safely docked
We were signed up for a shore excursion. It couldn't have been easier. We registered online for the tour days before we left Calgary, a representative met us with a sign as we walked off the ship and then a bus took us to the boat that would take us whale watching. (I wrote in detail about this excursion here.)
We also had time to walk around Juneau a bit before heading back to the ship. A great day!
17:54 Commenced sea voyage to Sitka, Alaska
Day 5 SITKA, ALASKA
06:55 Safely at anchor
Sitka, Alaska, doesn't have a dock for anything as big as a cruise ship, so we had to anchor off shore and take a lifeboat in. It was very well managed, but it still sucked. The enclosed life boat bobbed on the water while we waited for everyone to get on and sit the heck down. We were smart to sit by the only open window, sucking in that good fresh air while keeping our eyes on the horizon.
Unfortunately, we traded in one bobbing boat for another. I signed us up for a ride on a “semi-sub” which would give us great views of the underwater world in Alaska. I’ve been on a glass-bottom boat in Florida and expected it to be similar. Well, it wasn’t!
We sat down here...
(Not my photo. This is from their website)
...and looked out the windows as weird looking jellyfish and starfish
went by.
That was fine. It was later, while we were in deeper water, that the fun began. We cruised through a “kelp forest”- all this wavy, yellow, sea-weedy stuff- and started to rock. Whoa.
That was fine. It was later, while we were in deeper water, that the fun began. We cruised through a “kelp forest”- all this wavy, yellow, sea-weedy stuff- and started to rock. Whoa.
Thank goodness it was above
water and I was able to get some fresh air. I never saw the inside of the
bathroom, I just stayed up on deck for the duration of the tour. Even when it
started to rain, I stayed.
Although I missed the divers’
‘show’, I got to see them get ready
and jump overboard. The nice crew offered me hot tea and a jacket. I moved to a
covered space with benches where a closed circuit TV showed the the images the
divers sent back via video cameras on their masks.
15:52 Commenced sea voyage to Ketchikan
Day 6 KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
06:54 Safely docked
Look at all the cruise ships! Ours is the big, hulking, blue mass on the left.
Greg met a friendly lumberjack lady who insisted on taking a picture with him. Not sure what that was about, but later his wallet was missing. (Har har.) Of course, this is someone from our ship posing with passengers as they disembarked. They sort of force these photo ops on you throughout the cruise. Guess how much I loved that? No, go ahead and guess. I’ll wait.
Now that you’ve
thought long and hard about your answer, there’s a clue within this very photo.
See the feet behind Greg, inappropriately clad in flip flops? That’s me
scurrying by.
We spent the day enjoying the ship. this was our favorite spot to sit and read, but it was chilly!
We also finally checked out the casino, but only played a couple of slots. We're not big gamblers.
“Oh, we are cruising to Victoria…Victoria…Victoria
Oh we are cruising to Victoria, Victoria today!”
Day 7 VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA
20:30 Safely docked
In case you aren’t paying attention to the schedule I so
painstakingly copied from our captain’s manifesto, I’ll spell it out for you.
We arrived in Victoria late in the evening. We didn’t have a shore excursion
scheduled because we were in Victoria last summer, but those who did were
disappointed to find out that all excursions were cancelled. There wasn’t
enough time.
We arrived behind schedule due to some malfunction which I chose
not to speculate about. (eek!) I’m sure it was no biggie, but this just reminds
you that nothing is carved in stone on a cruise. A boat is a boat, even if it
is a ship. Things happen, plans change.
I was inexplicably fascinated by this pilot boat that came out to
meet us. It reminded me of those parasite fish that swim along with bigger
fish. Or an annoying little sister that insists on tagging along. Not that I
know anything about that.
The pilot boat circled the ship while we passengers watched and ran from one side of the deck to the other (we had obviously been at sea a
long time) before pulling up alongside.
And then it took off again like that little sister who finally
yells, “Oh yeah?? Then I don’t want to play with YOU!!” Or so I’ve heard.
A shuttle took us into town where we walked around, making a wide arch around this statue which wasn’t a statue at all (don’tcha hate when they come to life? creepy).
We looked at the boats and checked out the vendors.
We walked around long enough for this to happen...
and then took the shuttle back to the mother ship.
Waiting in our room was our last fun towel-animal:
23:50 Commenced sea voyage to Seattle
Day 8 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
07:00 Safely docked
08:30 Disembark
Time to go! We showered, ate breakfast and waited for our turn to leave the ship.
We had a tour of Seattle booked through Holland America. They met us after disembarktation, drove us around the city for a couple of hours and then dropped us at the airport. Very convenient!
During the tour, we visited the Space Needle, where we zoomed up to the top and took in the views:
Next stop- the airport. We had some time to kill at the airport during which I enjoyed my last few moments in the US by using everything my iPhone data plan had to offer. We also watched airport security get nervous about a bag someone left on a seat at our gate. An airport employee asked if it belonged to anyone and then called security. A policeman showed up and took the bag with him out the door to the tarmac and sped away in a police car.
Drama over. Sort of. Our flight was cancelled. Not because of the mysterious bag! There were mechanical issues that would take too long to resolve. After some angry moments among the passengers, we were put on another flight, which actually got us home earlier. Sweet!
Our first cruise, first time in Alaska and first last-minute booking of anything won't be our last. Wait. What? What I'm trying to say is...I had the time of my life and no, I never felt like this before. Yes! It's the truth! And I owe it all to you, Holland America.
But I can't be exclusive. I think we should see other destinations. It's not you- it's me. You've opened up a world of possibilities to me that I need to explore. But just remember, you'll always be my first.
