ALASKA CRUISE

OUR ALASKAN CRUISE!

At the end of June we went with MIke's family on an Alaskan Cruise.  It was spectacular!  I loved it and I've been having cruise withdrawls since :)  Here is our trip day by day:

Day 1 - Sunday

Tanner woke up at 6:30 today ready to play (which was good, in a way, so we could see him before we left).  We got our things ready and left my parents house and met Angie & Rob at McDonald's so we could ride together to the airport.  We met up with everyone and were on our way to Seattle at 11:00!  When we got there it was rainy and 50 degrees (not much of a change from what we came from in Utah actually).  We boarded the ship and started partying!  We immediately went to the buffet because we were all starving from traveling all day.  That night we all met for dinner and then went to a singing/dancing performance and a comedian act.  Mike and I thought we could catch a late night movie of "How to Train Your Dragon" but we only lasted 5 minutes and then fell asleep.

Day 2 - Monday

Today was a day at sea.  We (the girls on the trip) went to a port and shopping show which turned into a show about how to buy diamonds in Alaska (which I'm not too interested in).  The seas were a little rocky today and I got motion sick so we just rested for a lot of the day.  Tonight was "Formal Night" so we dressed up in our formal wear and went to dinner.  The dinners are delicious!  We then went to a show called the Piano Man.  The piano player was the highlight for me.  He was amazing!  After the show we headed to Club Fusion where I competed in the first heat of "Princess Pop Star" (an American Idol type contest).  I didn't make it to the next round...but I had a blast!  It was just fun to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. 

Day 3 - Tuesday

This morning we arrived in Ketchecan.  It is a cute little fishing town.  We walked down Creek Street which used to be the red light district there for the fisherman.  We then walked up to the Totem Museum.  The tradition of carving Totem poles is interesting.  They have poles collected from mountains and beaches mostly from the Tlinget tribe.  We walked into some shops in town and then went back to the boat.  Something I loved about Ketchecan was all the seaplanes taking off and landing.  Many of the homes in the harbour had planes parked on the water behind their houses.  There is no way to get to Ketchecan by land.  After we got back on the boat we went to "How to Train Your Dragon", had some dinner, and went to bed!

 

Day 4 - Wednesday

We were up bright and early for scenic cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord.  Beautiful views of icebergs and waterfalls and a magnificent glacier at the end of the Fjord.  It was rainy and COLD my feet and pants were soaked from standing on the deck to see the views and try to get some good pictures, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything!  After leaving the Fjord we all decided to play BINGO.  Mike and I were a team...we were on the last game (the Jackpot game)...and 3 numbers away when they called those very numbers!!!  We won $500!  LUCKY!  Then that afternoon we arrived in Jueneau.  It was so cold that we only ventured out for a bit.  We rode the bus into town and walked around some shops then headed back to the ship.  What a small little town for the capital of Alaska!  We had dinner at our usual time of 5:30 and relaxed for the evening. 

Day 5: Thursday

Today we woke up in Skagway.  We immediately got up (well actually we slept in a little bit....) and we went into town.  Our weather was so much better today!  I loved Skagway!  It is an old gold mining town with a whopping 800 residents.  W went and saw some historic sites and watched a video at the visitor's center.  We bought fudge and a Mountain Dew for Mike at the Alaskan Fudge Company.  We then got back on the ship and relaxed for the afternoon.  We went to dinner and then the show "I've Got The Music in Me".  It was fun. 

Day 6: Friday

Today we headed back toward Victoria.  We were at sea all day today.  We enjoyed breakfast together (yet again) and then went to a cooking demontration and tour of the galley.  It was interesting.  They make mass amounts of food on this ship.  We went to karaoke at noon.  Mike and I sang "I Got You Babe".  It was fun but I don't know that I can count on Mike ever doing that with me again.  Angie also sang.  It was a blast!  Tonight was formal night again.  We had so much fun and stayed in our formal wear for most of the night. 

 

Day 7: Saturday

Today was really our last day on the ship.  We did the usual relaxation and wandered around for most of the morning.  We went to BINGO again (Mike and I sat this one out) and Pat WON $150!!  I guess we were a lucky group this trip.  We sat on our balcony most of the day because the sun finally showed itself.  We arrived in Victoria in the evening and took a bus tour through town on our way to Buchart Gardens.  It was so beautiful and relaxing!  Victoria is a quaint little city and I hope to vaction there again.  I loved it there.  We then got back on the boat and Mike and I enjoyed the full moon out on the deck.  We walked around and then hit the buffet at 12:30.  Crazy us!  It was a fun last day!

Day 8: Sunday

We disembarked today and rode a bus to Seatlle Airport.  They wouldn't let us check our bags yet so we couldn't really go anywhere while hauling all that luggage so we bumbed around the airport until our flight left.  Once we got through security there were shops and a big food court where we could walk around.

I would call our cruise a success!  We had so much fun!