Weather
We literally could not have asked for better. Remember now that we spent 4 days in Vancouver and 7 days in Alaska. We did not experience temperatures below 10°C (which was in the middle of the night in Alaska) and the majority of the time during the days it was between 24°C and 28°C. We also did not see a single drop of rain for the entire time. Yes, we were as surprised as you probably are!! The closest we came to "bad weather" was some extremely high winds on the way into the Tracy Arm Fjord. Doesn't really qualify as bad weather in my books though. More just a result of where we were.
The Cruise Experience
I think it's safe to say that we will be cruising again. It is such a fantastic way to spend a vacation! You can do as much or as little as you like (there is ALWAYS something to do). An endless supply of great food is both a blessing and a curse so you need to control yourself. The convenience of travelling while you're having fun or sleeping is pretty great too. We boarded the ship after our day in Skagway, had dinner, went to a show, went to bed and when we woke up the next morning we were suddenly in Juneau! The crew on the ship treated us like royalty in every aspect. Everyone, from the cruise director to the maintenance and cleaning staff, were happy to do anything they could to make it a great trip. The ship was immaculate!! Everything was also very well organized. I was a little worried at first because I was wondering how they manage to deal with 2,300 people getting on and off the ship in port, or just keeping them fed and entertained. My concerns ended up being unwarranted because everything was very smooth and well managed. The only line we waited in was Canada Customs when we were leaving the ship at the end of the trip!
So, what's the big deal with Alaska?
I have a similar problem with Alaska that I had with the Grand Canyon last year. Pictures just don't do it justice! As many of you know, I'm not much of a city-boy. Alaska is right up my alley! Everywhere I looked there were breathtaking vistas, storybook landscapes, raw wilderness and unspoiled nature. For the first time in my life, I really got the feeling that I was "experiencing nature" and seeing things that were unchanged and unaffected by humans. I realize that this isn't exactly accurate, but it was the impression that I got. During the course of only a few days, I saw bears, eagles, humpback whales, seals, orcas, jellyfish, starfish and a 320 pound 6' 4" tall Alaskan Native Tlingit man who asked us to call him "Cookie".
I'll finish with a few tid-bits and stories to highlight the experience, and then on to the pictures.
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I never got used to the sunsets/sunrises (which technically never really happened). The extent of the sunset finished at about 10:30 or 11:00 PM but it never got completely dark up there. There was always a dim glow of light over the horizon and then at about 3:30 or 4:00 AM the sun would come up again. Now, I'm an early riser already so this wreaked havoc on my sleeping patterns. I generally get up early enough to see the sunrise every day so my mind seemed to think that this practice should continue despite it being at 3:45 AM.
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The fifth evening on the ship was seafood night in the dining room. After much turmoil, I decided to pass on the lobster and get the seafood pasta. When the waiter came back to make sure my meal was OK, I joked with him about saving some lobster so I could have it for dessert after my pasta. He laughed and told me to trust that he would take care of me. A few minutes later he returned to the table and placed a lobster dinner in front of me. I now had a massive plate of seafood pasta and a lobster and shrimp dinner, but NO... I did not eat it all. I left the veggies alone.
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One of the highlights of the trip (there were a LOT of them!) was when we sailed into the Tracy Arm Fjord to see the Sawyer Glacier. We went head-on into some of the strongest winds I've ever experienced and it would flip between warm and cold as we progressed through the passage. We spent over 6 hours standing at the furthest point forward we could get to on the ship. Everyone was in awe of the landscapes and surroundings. Ice caps blanketed the mountain tops, the water had an eerie turquoise glow, vibrant green patches were scattered throughout the rock faces and mountains, seals and icebergs dotted the water all around us. Every once in a while the Captain saw fit to challenge an iceberg head-on. The hollow thunder of what sounded like a massive gong would ring through the ship, up your body and out your finger tips. The trip though the fjord would have been impressive enough, but after 3 hours of threading the 90,000 pound vessel through a narrow channel littered with ice, the glacier appeared in front of us.
Well, I suppose I have droned on long enough... especially since most of you probably just came here to browse through a few photos. Here are a couple of albums to look through. I managed to narrow my choices down to about 500 for Alaska and a little over 300 for Vancouver. I just wish I could show you what I saw, the way I saw it.
I hope you enjoy!!
Bonus Photos!! These are the photos we bought on the ship that were taken by the photographers running around on every deck.
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