Continuing on with my summer updates (I know, I know, it's September and I am SO SLOW), I will next move on to my cruise in Alaska. I was lucky enough to go on a cruise to Alaska with my family in 2009. We took the outside passage and it was absolutely beautiful. My parents are quite fond of Alaska and go there on what seems to be a pretty regular basis. So when I mentioned that I would love to cruise Alaska one more time with them this summer, they jumped on the chance. My mom is a super planner, so she found us a great trip on a great ship, and fit it all into my nicely planned summer.
Day 1: Arrival and cruising
We were kindly dropped off at the dock by our friend Heather on August 7th, the first day of our cruise. We had arranged to meet the parents around noon to enter the ship, but it was only 10am. We decided to do a bit of last minute shopping for things that are expensive in Switzerland but very affordable in Canada. It's the little things us North Americans take for granted, like a "drug store" that has everything under the moon, including a fantastic electronics section and binoculars, and a Kindle cover. We went a little overboard, as we were overwhelmed by all the interesting things to buy. Before we knew it, it was well past noon and we were still quite far from the ship. We grabbed our things and hurried back towards the docks, only to find my mom in panic mode. After lots of hugs, we told her to go back through and that we would meet her on the ship for lunch. We went through a metal detector, then immigration, then were welcomed to the ship with our cards, a picture, and lots of smiles.
Paul and I checked into our room, then headed up to the Lido deck to meet everyone for lunch. Despite circling the deck 3 times, we couldn't find anyone. We finally gave up, sat at the bar, and ordered a bucket of beers. After 20 minutes or so I was concerned that no one had showed up. I phoned my dad (who always picks up his phone) and found they were hiding in the real dining room. And so our adventure of trying to find each other on this ship begins.
Again, I won't bore you with all the details of every minute onboard, just the fun stuff. We had the usual drill where we all lined up on the decks near our lifeboat, Paul and I unpacked, then we all met at our nice table for a gigantic dinner (something that would become a theme). That first night on the ship my dad, brother and I went to check out the casino. After all, that is possibly one of my favorite places on a cruise. I found the 3 card poker table and started ordering margaritas. It turned out to be my lucky night, as I won just over $500! I took my winnings with a smile and put myself to bed.
Day 2: "Scenic" cruising on the inside passage
The next day was nice and relaxing. We were completely fogged in, so we booked massages and just relaxed and spent time together as a family. It's nice to have some stress free days. There are no pictures, as all we could see was fog! We did some beer tasting, but the commentary was so terrible and the beer so slow to appear, we were not the happiest of campers. No surprise here, I found my way back to the casino. I'm pretty sure cameras weren't allowed, so there aren't any pictures.
Day 3: Juneau - Bike and Brew Tour
Paul and I were booked into a Bike & Brew tour. Everyone else had something else booked or were taking the day off. I was excited and got up early for breakfast, then once we docked we headed off the ship to meet for our tour. I was surprised by the number of older ladies and gentlemen in the van. We drove for a bit towards our start point as we were regaled with interesting information about Juneau. Finally arriving at a church overlooking a lake, we piled out of the vans and were given bikes. I was the last one waiting and it seemed they had run out of slightly smaller bikes. As one of the guides fiddled around, trying to change a tire on a bike so I could use it, the retirement crew tried out their bikes.
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| Trying to fix my bike... |
Within 5 minutes two of them had already fallen over, and it seemed as if most of them didn't know how to stop their bikes. This was going to be an interesting ride. With my bike finally fixed and a few pictures taken, we started off on our adventure.
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| Before the start, looking cheerful! |
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| I'm talented, pictures while riding! |
First we rode around Lake Mendenhall to get a view of the glacier, then realized we had lost three riders on our way. As our guides went into search and rescue mode, we took more pictures :) Finally we were off again, around the lake and towards the glacier. Once at the glacier, we saw a BEAR! I was so excited I took a picture, then ran after it to get more. It decided to hide :( And so ended our bike tour as we piled back into the van. We were then dropped off at a bar where we got to taste several beers and chat with the people on our tour. About 4 taster beers in, I realized my phone/wallet was missing. I double checked the bar, outside on the sidewalk, and my bag 5 times. Now the panic was setting in. I asked the bar guy (who had connections with our bike tour) if he had any numbers we could call. He started calling everyone he could as I wallowed in despair about losing all the pictures on my phone, my actual phone, and my wallet. A few hours later and our bar hero hadn't given up. He managed to text a friend to go to the house of the owner to get him to check out the van where he found my wallet and gave it to the cruise excursion manager to get back to me. Success! Day 3, with its ups and downs had come to an end.
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| At Mendenhall glacier |
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| BEAR!!! |
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| So happy to have chocolae |
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| Beer tasting! |
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| Our ship, the Volendam |
Day 4: Skagway - White Pass Train and Bike
Another bike day! We took the White Pass train along the famous Chilkoot trail. There were beautiful sites as we made our way up through the valley. We hopped off the train at the top, were outfitted with bikes again, and started the descent. It was just as incredible going down as we passed over bridges, fault lines, and finally through the never ending US border patrol line. We went through 3 different climates, ate wild raspberries and cranberries, took a million pictures, and then finally arrived back in Skagway. It was a cute little (little being the key word) town. We had lunch with my parents, eating fully loaded tater tots and beer tasting. The parents headed back to the ship to get some rest as Paul and I did a bit of shopping, saw an old saloon museum, then made our way back to the ship. Delicious dinner and drinks as usual, family card games, then sleep for the next day!
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| Crossing the border into Canada |
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| Paul was napping when I tried to take this picture. He was not amused... hehe |
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| My favorite parents EVER! |
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| It was SO COLD at the top! |
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| What a beautiful ride! |
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| Top right is a fault line - awesome! |
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| My favorite guy :) |
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| Glacial waterfall! |
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| Skagway is such a cute little cheesy town! |
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| Our ship in the bay. |
Day 5: Cruising Glacier Bay and MOM'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I woke up that morning a little late and peeked out the window. Imagine my surprise at what I saw - a glacier! I must have slept in! I threw on some close and ran outside, with Paul close on my heels. We hang out on the balcony, watching the glacier move slowly by and watching for calving. Paul pulled out the binoculars, and we just drunk in all the beauty. The day moved slowly by as we went from deck to deck watching all the glaciers and took lots of pictures. It was just breathtaking!
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| Look at that glacier and sky! Incredible! |
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| It got a little cold and windy so we moved inside. The view didn't get any worse, and the drinks got better. |
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| Mom's birthday dinner - we were lucky it was formal night :) |
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| Look at my mom's eyes, this picture made us laugh uncontrollably for about 30 minutes... |
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| See what I mean? |
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| Love it! |
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| Still can't stop laughing! |
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| Sibling love <3 |
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| And the Parent's of the Year award goes to... |
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| Love my mommy! |
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| And my daddy! |
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| A perfect sunset to end a perfect night. |
Day 6: Ketchikan
This is a little town I've visited before, but last time I didn't have an excursion and just wandered around. This time Chris and I had booked a kayak around Eagle Island. It didn't start right away, so Paul and I had a chance to walk around, see the fish ladder, some totem poles and do a bit of shopping. It has a cute little boardwalk area and some nice little restaurants and bars.
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| EAGLE!! |
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| Eagle Island! |
When Chris and I kayaked, we got to see lots of marine animals and EAGLES! We saw several adolescent eagles and their parents on Eagle Island. The views were incredible and Chris and I make a great team. We never fell out of our kayak and only splashed each other a little bit. I'm so glad we got the chance to do that together.
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| Adolescent eagle |
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| I love this boardwalk area! |
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| Fish ladder - just watching these fish jump through the rapids was crazy. |
Day 7: Cruising
This day was spent walking around the outside deck, watching for dolphins and whales, and we got lucky! We saw some beautiful animals, as well as incredible scenery. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any pictures, except this cute one of Paul and his binoculars. I love cruising because it is so relaxing, and you just get to be with the people you love.
Day 8: Cruising and Arrival
We arrived EARLY in the morning, and I got up in time to have one last great American breakfast and give my parent lots of big lovely hugs. I already missed them and they hadn't left yet! Paul and I had packed the night before, but we were going to be the last ones off the ship. We chilled in our room until our departure number was called, then we sadly said goodbye the the Volendam. Time to enjoy a bit more Vancouver...
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| This little weird towel animal arrived on the last day. There was a new one everyday. |
We were kindly dropped off at the dock by our friend Heather on August 7th, the first day of our cruise. We had arranged to meet the parents around noon to enter the ship, but it was only 10am. We decided to do a bit of last minute shopping for things that are expensive in Switzerland but very affordable in Canada. It's the little things us North Americans take for granted, like a "drug store" that has everything under the moon, including a fantastic electronics section and binoculars, and a Kindle cover. We went a little overboard, as we were overwhelmed by all the interesting things to buy. Before we knew it, it was well past noon and we were still quite far from the ship. We grabbed our things and hurried back towards the docks, only to find my mom in panic mode. After lots of hugs, we told her to go back through and that we would meet her on the ship for lunch. We went through a metal detector, then immigration, then were welcomed to the ship with our cards, a picture, and lots of smiles.
First we rode around Lake Mendenhall to get a view of the glacier, then realized we had lost three riders on our way. As our guides went into search and rescue mode, we took more pictures :) Finally we were off again, around the lake and towards the glacier. Once at the glacier, we saw a BEAR! I was so excited I took a picture, then ran after it to get more. It decided to hide :( And so ended our bike tour as we piled back into the van. We were then dropped off at a bar where we got to taste several beers and chat with the people on our tour. About 4 taster beers in, I realized my phone/wallet was missing. I double checked the bar, outside on the sidewalk, and my bag 5 times. Now the panic was setting in. I asked the bar guy (who had connections with our bike tour) if he had any numbers we could call. He started calling everyone he could as I wallowed in despair about losing all the pictures on my phone, my actual phone, and my wallet. A few hours later and our bar hero hadn't given up. He managed to text a friend to go to the house of the owner to get him to check out the van where he found my wallet and gave it to the cruise excursion manager to get back to me. Success! Day 3, with its ups and downs had come to an end.
Great shots and it was a lovely family trip.
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