I thrive on vacation planning. Once one vacation is over I am day dreaming about the next. An Alaskan cruise has been a dream of ours for awhile and what better way to cruise than with our favorite fellow cruisers-my parents, and brother/his family. David finished his ENT fellowship June 30th and July 3rd we set sail. I have to say I was quite nervous about a 7 day cruise with an 18 month old but besides trying to get her to sit for the 1 1/2 hour long dinners she did awesome (who can blame her!). This was David and my 5th cruise together (our second with Holland America cruise: the Oosterdam) and we splurged for a nice cabin with a balcony which was great to sit out on while Bella was napping.
We left out of Seattle and our first day was spent wandering the ship and eating, of course. The fourth of July was our day at sea-we played Bingo, trivia, did a galley tour and got all dressed up for formal night. I will say I was highly disappointed in the lack of Fourth of July festivities, especially since we usually cruise over some sort of holiday and the ships always do something exciting.
At the top of the ship for sail away (brother Ilhan, sister in law Clare, niece Emily with Bella, me and my mom)
At the top of the ship for sail away (brother Ilhan, sister in law Clare, niece Emily with Bella, me and my mom)
The next day was spent cruising the inside passage which is a narrow path up to the glaciers. We started to spot some whales, puffins, bald eagles and of course the glaciers. It was spectacular to see these massive ice structures and it was even more amazing when they would calve (a piece breaks off)-it literally sounds like thunder booming.
Passing time by playing chess. Cruising to the glaciers.
Passing time by playing chess. Cruising to the glaciers.
Our first port day was in Juneau. In the morning we took a tram up a mountain for some beautiful views and some hiking. The weather our whole trip was supposed to be rainy but this was the only morning it rained!! In the afternoon we went on a whale watching tour. We saw some seals, a bunch of humpbacks and even a few orcas. At the end of our tour we came upon a group of orcas trying to kill a seal...it was so sad but there was a moment in which one of the orca's jumped up and onto it's back to try and drown the seal and it was truly a National Geographic moment (we left after awhile so I am not sure of the fate of the seal but am hoping he survived!).
In port in Juneau
In port in Juneau
Mount Roberts tram
Our next port day was Sitka. We walked through the town up to the Raptor Center. This is a place where they rehabilitate birds of prey. We then hiked through the national park where you can see all the totem poles.
Sailing into Sitka. There were a bunch of little islands leading up to the mainland.
Sailing into Sitka. There were a bunch of little islands leading up to the mainland.
The next day we were in Ketchikan. David had a deep sea fishing trip (where he caught a bunch of Salmon), I went zip lining with my brother and his family, and my parents watched Bella. We all met up in the afternoon to walk a cute little area with shops along a creek, appropriately called Creek Street.
Gearing up for zip lining...a little nervous!!
Gearing up for zip lining...a little nervous!!
Our last day we were in Victoria, British Columbia. We booked an excursion to go to Butchart Gardens. It was amazing. The whole park had a very British feel which I just loved and there were flowers I had never seen before and millions of them. The flowers are changed out 4 times a year! That evening was a firework show which Bella loved...she kept saying "light go boom!".
And thus ends another great vacation; one we had dreamed of for such a long time! The next day we arrived back in Seattle and headed back to California to prepare for our next adventure...moving back to Texas!
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