Alaskan Cruise 2016

On August 7, 2016 was our 40th Wedding Anniversary.   A few weeks before that, Alex called and  said he wanted to give us an Anniversary gift of a special vacation.  He mentioned either Hawaii or an Alaskan Cruise.  We were so excited.  We decided on the Alaskan Cruise.  When Greg's parents found out we were going on a cruise, they gifted us with the excursions for each port!

So we booked the cruise and began to get ready.  It's very rainy in Alaska, so we prepared by buying rain resistant pants, raincoats, and rain covers for our hats.  We also had to get our passports, because the cruise included a Canadian port.  Then we chose our excursions and packed our suitcases.

We were planning to visit Eric's family on the way down, and see their new baby.  But some of the kids were sick.  So we decided to see them after our cruise.  So on Friday, we drove to Alex's house to stay the night.  Very early in the morning on Saturday, we left for the airport.  Eric later picked up our car and parked it at his house to save us the parking fees.

Our flight was fun, and we followed our location on the plane on the screen on the seat ahead of us, noticing the Twin Falls bridge, and Shoshone Falls.


When we landed in Seattle, Greg's Uncle Glen picked us up and took us to the top of the Columbia Center.  It had an observation floor at the top where we could see the whole city and the ocean.  Then we went out to eat, then headed for the ship.












We followed a long line of people with our many suitcases into the boarding area.  We went through security, and checked our suitcases.  Then we stood in line to board the ship.  It was exciting to see the huge ship and know that we were going to go in it!



We were given a special room key card which was also our credit card for all purchases on the ship.  Every time we left, or returned to the ship we had to present our card.











We entered the ship and immediately entered the piazza.  We were dazzled by the beauty and elegance of the ship.  All the floors had beautiful tile, or beautifully patterned carpet.  Everything was elegant in a fantasy kind of style.  There were also beautiful fanciful painting everywhere.


















We took the elevator to Emerald Deck.  Just around the corner was our room - E414.  A very handy mid-ship location.

We entered our room - here at last!  We unpacked and put everything away into drawers and the closet then went to tour the ship.







At 3:00 was a mandatory safety drill.  An announcement told us to report for our muster stations.  We knew about it and were back in our cabin before 3:00 so we just picked up our life jackets and followed the signs to our muster station.  There, we received safety instructions (kind of like on a plane but more detailed) and practiced putting on our life jackets.  Then we were free to return to our cabin, and then tour the ship some more.

Here are some pictures from the deck as we left Seattle.  We were on the Crown Princess.  Ahead of us you can see the Star Princess and the Holland Westerdam.  They always stopped at the same ports we did.








We went to dinner in the dining room the first night.  We were seated at a table with other people.  It was fun to talk to everyone and find out where they were from.  Everyone we met, the entire cruise, was so nice.  Everyone seemed to go our of the way to help people who needed a little help.  The dining room was like a restaurant, where you ordered from a menu.  The menu changed a little each night.  All the food was included, so we had two desserts!

Sometimes we ate at the buffet.  The food there also had a few different items each day, along with the standard items.  Everything was really tasty.  There were also other snack areas around the ship where you could get hamburgers, ice-cream, pizza, or desserts. Everything was included!








Sunday we headed out in the open sea for Juneau.  It's s a long way so we were at sea all day.  We explored the ship some more and listened to some of the lectures and entertainment.  As the day went on, the waves got bigger.  The captain came on the loudspeaker and said that because of the adverse weather conditions, with 15 foot waves, were were slowing down a little.  The outside deck areas were closed and the pool (which was sloshing all around) was also closed.   I thought it was kind of exciting.  I was hoping for the experience of  just a little but of rocking.  And that's what it was.  Just a little rocking.

We went downstairs to dinner and the waves looked a lot bigger than they had up in our cabin.  We decided to go dancing, and we found a nice little band in the Wheelhouse Bar.  It was a small lounge with just a few people.

Here is a picture of the dance floor.
 No one else was dancing, but we danced several dances.  It was hilarious trying to dance on the rocking ship.  We laughed and giggled as we sometimes stumbled on a step or two.  After every dance the other people there clapped for us.

That night we set our phones to wake us up at 5:00AM.   The captain had announced that between 5am and 7am we would be passing through an area that usually had humpback whales.  So early in the morning the alarms went off.  I dashed to the window and threw open the curtains and saw three humpbacked whales breech one after another!  I cried out, "The bay is filled with whales!"  But actually, we just got lucky.  We saw about 10 whales surface during the next 2 hours, but those first three where the only ones we saw jump out of the water.

We pulled into Juneau and got ready for our hike.  It was a rainy day, so we dressed in our rain gear.  I had forgotten to bring a waterproof purse, but I wrapped my purse in a plastic bag and hoped that would work.  (It didn't, everything was soaked!)  We boarded a bus for Mendenhall Glacier.  There was a visitor's center there, and a short hike to Nugget Falls.  Everything was so lush, because it rains almost every day.



There were beautiful flowers and lush plants.  The waterfall was huge.  We watched another excursion paddle their boats up closer to the glacier.  Friendly people offered to take our picture everywhere we went.

We then took a tram ride up the mountain.  It was a very steep climb!


There was a restaurant at top where we had lunch, plus a gift store.  There was also a pretty trail.  It would have been an impressive view except for the fog.  Greg stayed dry and I hiked the short loop trail.  I'm embarrassed about my hair in many of these photos.  Wearing a hat in rainy and foggy weather is hard on hairstyles!



The view from the restaurant was of the Alaskan rain forest.  On the tram ride down, we saw two bald eagles in a pine tree.

The next day was our most amazing day in Skagway.  We got up very early and had a early breakfast because our excursion started ab 7:30 AM.  We boarded a bus for a quick ride through town to the train.



The train had huge windows and went at a modest pace so there was time to look at things.  We took many many picture, but will just show you a few of the best ones.  The train roadbed had to be blasted out of the very steep mountain.  So the built a narrow gauge track so they wouldn't have to have as wide a roadbed.  Because it was so narrow, it could also turn corners more easily.  For us, the narrow gauge was wonderful because it was like following a narrow trail, and the mountain side, trees, and flowers were very close to us.  We passed a waterfall so close you could almost reach out and touch it.  We were allowed to go out on the platform at the back of the train car to take pictures.






We went up over the pass to Whitehorse, Canada.  During the Klondik gold rush, thousands of hopeful men hiked this same route to get over the mountain.  They were required to have 1 ton of supplies to get them through the year, your they were not allowed into Canada.  The men had to carry their supplies on their backs for a few milesl then they set them down, went back down and took another load.  In this way doing many many small trips, the moved their one ton of supplies.  Here is a picture of the miners trudging up the snowy slope.

When we got to the top of the pass we were in an alpine tundra environment.  The guide told us that the trees were not baby trees, but were over one hundred years old, stunted by the extreme weather.

At Whitehorse there is a beautiful lake, and a border patrol office.  That's all.   A border patrol officer boarded our train and checked everyone's passports.  Then we got off the train, walked for 30 seconds, directly to the buses and got on.  Then we traveled back down the same way, but on the other side of the canyon.  We were told that the lake at Whitehorse freezes all the way to the bottom, killing all the fish.  But the lake is stocked in the summer so that the border patrol officers have something to do while they wait for the one train that arrives each day.

The bus ride down was equally beautiful, and the fog had lifted a little so we could see more of the mountains.

We arrived at a suspension bridge across a rushing river.  We crossed and walked to the different view points of the surrounding mountains.  The was an example of hoodoos like the Natives would build.  These piles of rocks were a message to those who followed.  Sometimes the rocks formed a window, that showed where a good fishing or hunting spot could be found.  It was very windy up there.














After leaving the bridge, we traveled to Jewel Gardens just north of Skagway.  The tour included lunch there in their charming greenhouse lunchroom.  The floor was painted with pansies, and fancy lady's hats adorned the walls.

Outside were beautiful flower gardens enhanced with glass blown ornaments.  We were able to watch the glass blower at work as he encouraged guests to help him create glass balls.

There was also a miniature railroad track that wove thought a large area of the gardens.





































We finally arrived back in Skagway.  I had read about a waterfall above the Gold Miner Cemetery, so we found a bus that took us within half a mile of the cemetery.  We finally found the right bus, then began to walk to the cemetery.  We hurried because the last bus back was in a short time, and we also had a deadline to get back to our ship.  If we missed the bus, we might miss the ship!








We hurried as fast as Greg could manage, rushed past the cemetery, and hiked up the very short trail to this beautiful waterfall.  Other people were there, and of course, offered to take our picture.  The other people hurried back to catch the bus.  We told them not to leave without us.  We hurried the half mile back, and as we turned the final corner saw, with relief, the that people were still waiting and the bus wasn't there yet.  A few minutes later another couple hurried up.  So we all made it back to the bus, and back to the ship on time.


Here is a photo from our window as we sailed away from Skagway.  What an amazing day!










The next day we sailed into Glacier Bay.  There were many many small iceburgs in the water.  Everyone crowded up on the decks to see the glaciers.  Again, everyone was so nice, and took turns at the rail, then let others take a turn.  After a few minutes I allowed a very short lady to take my place at the rail.  I told her, I can see right over you!    The glacier had scraped rock from the walls of the mountain, which resulting in a landslide onto the glacier last year.  We could see the pile of dirt and rocks on one side.  In the shadowy areas the glacier was blue.  The ice is so compacted that the blue light is reflected.   Even some of the larger icebergs were blue.  It was cold and windy, but we were cozy in our warm hats and coats.













The next day, Thursday, was Ketchikan.  This is the view from our window.   It was another early day, as we met the bus for our excursion at 7:45AM.








The bus took us a short way into town to a Lumberjack Show.  The audience was divided into groups to cheer for either the Canadian team, or the Americans.  We were in the Canadian cheering section.  These men showed impressive strength and skill in contests of sawing, chopping, climbing, and keeping their balance on floating logs.





After the show we took another bus ride through town.  Ketchican has no roads in or out of town.  There is an airport, or you can take a boat.  The town is built on the side of a very steep, pine tree covered mountain.  Most of the town near the water is actually built over the water.  The homes on the steep hill often have no roads to them.  They have stairways going up to them.  If the stairways have over 100 steps, they are considered a "street" and have a street sign!






We also went through a famous tunnel.  You can go over, under, around, and through this tunnel.

The bus took us to another short, lush, pretty trail to see some native totems and a Native American Lodge.  Very interesting.  The totems were burned by the first European settlers as idols.  But they do not have religious significance.  They actually tell stories, or are to honor special people.  If you were on a boat and saw a totem, you would also know which tribe lived there.  (There are MANY islands.)

 The lodge housed a tribe.  Each family had a part of he lodge floor.  The floor planks could be moved to store possessions under the floor.

The logs which formed the walls would shrink in the warmer weather, allowing cooling breezes to enter.  But in the winter the logs would swell, closing the cracks and creating a warm shelter.  After that we hurried back to the ship which left the port just after noon.

That afternoon, there was an "egg drop" for the families.  Kids and their families dropped eggs in protective packaging from the balcony in the piazza to see if they would survive.  One 11-yr girl and her father had rushed to their room, cradled the egg between two pillows packaged in one pillowcase.  Unfortunate, the egg broke, all over their pillows.   The winning team had an umbrella parachute,  plus they all looked like a team in white robes (from the ship) and goggles.  It was fun.

Later, also in the piazza, was a fashion shop featuring passengers from the ship.  They chose outfits from the ship boutique to model.

 Thursday night we attended a musical in the Princess Theater on board the ship.  It was called "Magic to Do," and featured songs by Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the songs for "Wicked."  Two of the songs were "Popular" and "Colors of the Wind."   It was a beautiful, amazing show including some of the classic magic tricks. 

The next day, Friday, we were on the ship all day until we got to Victoria, Canada in the evening.   We decided to walk around the town, but I was worried because Greg's feet was bothering him, and he was very tired.  So at the end of the dock we found a pedicab and took a three hour tour.  It was delightful!  Our strong-legged guide was very interesting as he told us about the Victorian homes we passed, and told stories of their past inhabitants, including ghost stories.

We saw a baby (150 year old) sequoia tree in a beautiful park.  We also passed through China Town, and the Legislative buildings.  The water on the harbor was very still, creating beautiful reflections.








We returned to the ship at about 1030 PM for our last night aboard our cruise.

Here you can see our ship, the Crown Princess, and the Holland American ship, the Westerdam.










The next morning we waiting in our disembarkation room for our turn to leave the ship.  Then we proceeded to a huge luggage warehouse with color coded signs where we easily found our luggage.








Greg's Uncle Glen again picked us up, and we spent a lovely afternoon with him.  We went to lunch at Collections Cafe.  A unique dinner featuring the many collections of the owner. Then we went to view the Chihuly Glass Museum.   It was also amazing.  I including just a taste of the glass we saw there.





We drove to the locks which allow boats to move from Lake Washington to the sea and back, and also the fish ladder.  We listened to a bit of an outdoor concert.

Finally we drove to the airport and flew to Salt Lake City.





Eric picked us up.  We had a wonderful evening with them, saw their new baby, Caleb, and attended church the next day.  Trevor had created a sweet picture to welcome us that said, "Thanks for coming."

Then we visited Glen and his family.  We arrived home late, and prepared for work the next day.

We will always remember this amazing, perfect week!