Day 10 last day - at sea

This morning we finally ordered room service. It is a nice little perk, fun to do for no extra cost. We slept in until 7:00 and our food arrived with a knock on the door while we were still sound asleep. Embarrassing!

Monte and dad went to a program about navigation and I went to one about the food preparation and a tour of the galley. We have no idea what the girls are up to. Just had our last lunch and talked with an extended family from the bay area and Wyoming. It is interesting all the different people you meet. A cruise is a very social environment.

Our last dinner





The girls have been sleeping in each day, then waiting for the pizza restaurant to open, then they have pizza for brunch. Their idea is that then they'll be hungry for dinner. They love dinner, as we all do. I think it is something special for them to get ready for. Tonight they plan to see a comedy show, Dad, Monte and I will see a show with singing and dancing.

These are our waiters








I think we are all ready to go home. It seems like Alaska was so long ago with so many days on the ship. I noticed that I have taken a nap every afternoon, and slept! I can never do that at home no matter how tired I am. I realized that on the ship I have nothing I have to do, nothing drawing me away, so I've been able to relax. A very nice break from life! Don't we all wish life was so easy!


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Day 9 Victoria

We got up early to get on our tour in Victoria. Dad, monte and I went on a city highlight tour and castle. We drove around ritzy areas of the island. The average price home is $650 K. It was amazing to see all the flowers everywhere. I guess the climate is perfect for flowers because I doubt everyone would have such a green thumb. We then had a tour of a castle built by a man from Scotland. He came to work in coal and then made a huge coal discovery and became very wealthy in the late 1800's. It was interesting. We then had a quick tour of downtown. The downtown area was quite impressive right on the waterfront, and beautiful buildings. A good day! A bit warmer for us, maybe 60 degrees with misty rain that stopped by mid morning.


















Paige and Courtney had high tea at the Impress Hotel. They were underwhelmed by the food and company, but overall had a good time too.








Tonight was our 2nd and last formal dinner- good for all us old people, bad for the girls, they love dressing up. We had wonderful lobster and shrimp. So good in fact, the girls ordered two meals!





I took pictures of them out on the deck, then we spotted some whales. It looked like about 4 of them, then we came across two more that flipped their tails. So awesome! A nice end of the day.



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Day 8 at sea

So, this morning we slept in until after 7, went to breakfast, took a walk outside, then read books in our room. The seas are still rough, but nothing like last night. Today the swells were 6 feet, lots of rocking, still uncomfortable, but bearable. Hope it improves as we head towards home. The whole day we slept, ate, slept, ate, and ate and that is pretty much it.



The funny thing that happened is when paige wanted me to look at a bracelet she was thinking of buying in one of the gift shops. She found out it was up for auction. She said it started at $50 and she wanted my opinion on giving a bid. It was a beautiful bracelet. As the sales person was showing it we found out the 50 was the number of the item, not the starting bid. The starting bid was $800! We left that store!



We all decided to go to a comedy show. The comedian was quite good and Paige and Courtney sat in the very front row. Of course Paige drew lots of attention with her loud laugh. The comedian suggested that she travel with him since her laugh was so captivating.



We read on the TV tonight that the swells are up to 12 feet and wind around 60 mph. But, in Victoria the high is 63 degrees, so we are looking forward to that!

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Day 7 scenic cruising

Today was the day for a 5 hour scenic cruising. Many ships go to Glacier Bay but our ship was scheduled to see the Tracy Arm. I'm not really sure of the difference. The scenic time was from 5:00 am to 10:00 am. We woke up at 5:20 and were on the deck by 5:30. We were very surprised to see so many people up already. We got a nice table right at the window and then we took turns going out on the deck. It was so cold I knew we wouldn't stand there all that time. It looked like we had entered a fjord with steep mountains on each side. After a few minutes I started noticing something in the water. As we continued I realized they we ice burgs. I heard an announcement that we were not in the Tracy Arm but a different glacier fjord. Had we been up earlier we would have seen the ship try to enter, but due to so much ice
we had to turn around, so that is why we went up to this glacier. It was very beautiful. The fjord ended at the glacier so we could only get so close, then the captain turned the ship around a couple times so everyone could see, then we went back out. I think our scenic cruising only lasted until 7:30 or so. I suspect Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay are more amazing than what we saw, but our trip was beautiful too.










We are at sea the rest of today and tomorrow, then we get to Victoria. So in the meantime we eat, and eat some more, and some more, take naps, read books, etc.

Just got an announcement from the captain. Gale winds ahead, secure everything in your cabin and hold on to the rails while walking! Yikes! I hate that! I guess the swells are suppose to be 3-5 meters- isn't that 9-15 feet? Help! I just applied another patch, hope it works soon!



So now we have been at it for 7 hours or so. Oh me, oh my! Scary, sickening and also kind of disoriented. It is now worse than last week. The ship moves back and forth and side by side. It pounds, makes you feel like you are on a roller coaster. We hear all the noise from bangs, rambling, doors crashing, and occasionally you here people woo-ing. I think it makes people feel insecure. This may just be what could dampen my spirits about cruising again. But my past experience has been good, so it may just be these oceans we are going through. If I was allowed off and could fly home I might just take them up on offer. It is really that bad!

But at the same time, Alaska is breathtaking!





Ok, so another "hit" of some kind. Maybe just hitting huge waves, but it feels scary. We have been told to secure all of our belongings. Unfortunately, I would love to get off the ship. I'll just hope tomorrow is a good day.

We went to a special steak house for dinner ( a gift from our travel agent ) sadly, we are eating so much that we never seem hungry, and with ship in movement, waiters dropping things, etc. so, on a better day we would have enjoyed it more. The food was very good and in a quiet environment, and near a window....not sure if that was a good choice seeing the huge waves.

........So, now being the next day, we heard that the waves last night were 25 ft. and winds of 65 knots (55 mph?) they closed off the top deck of the ship due to it being too dangerous. Talking with experienced cruisers, no one has been on a ship with this rough of seas!

But don't the girls look cute and happy!


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Day 6 Skagway

Today we all took a 3 hour train ride into the mountains to the summit and back. The views were amazing. The mountains were so high and so extensive, everywhere you looked. At times it looked like the track was tittering on the edge of the mountain.








After returning back to the ship Courtney and Paige left for horseback riding and dad did an organized walk through town. Monte and I walked into town also to mail a post card for Courtney. It is very touristy selling lots of stuff and tons of jewelry everywhere. We are not too keen on all that. It was very cold today and the wind picked up which made it even colder.







We all returned in time for dinner, then after dinner we made arrangements for the girls to change rooms. Paige said her room was noisy and asked me for ear plugs and sleeping pills the last few nights. I had no idea how loud their room was until I went into it around 9-10 o'clock. Their room sits above a bar/club that runs until midnight with live music. When I heard how loud it was, it was unacceptable. I wish we understood that a few days ago, but we did successfully move them tonight. So instead of being around the corner, they are now down three floors and toward the front of the ship. It is quiet and much better for them.






Tonight we went out on the deck again. It was really bone chilling cold, but the views were so amazing we had to go out. We finally came in about 10:00 and it was still fairly light outside. Just beautiful! And pictures just don't do it justice! The mountains are around us 360 degrees so the camera just can't capture that.

















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Day 5 Juneau

What a great day! First the girls left at about 8:30 for whale watching and seeing Mendenhall Glacier. Next it was me, whale watching and a hike out to the Glacier, followed by Dad and Monte with a helicopter ride and a walk on the glacier. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, but we were all prepared with warm clothes. I guess the biggest draw here is the glacier, and it is amazing!






First I went whale watching with a group of just 19 people. It seemed kind of like a whale chase. All the different boats would radio each other with sightings, then we'd hurry out to the site. I think we went to three different sights and saw many different whales. We could see blow holes all over the place, lots of "humps" and twice we saw the whole tails. Someone saw one whale breech, but I missed that. It was pretty incredible! I bet we spent at least 2 hours. It was cold, but worth the thrill. I was lucky enough to sit right near the front of the boat so when we stopped I was the first one outside on the front deck. I was out there when a big wave hit us and I got sprayed from head to toe! Next we took a bus to a trail head and hiked though forest where the glacier had previously been. It was interesting to see the " old growth" vs. the " new growth". There was a clear marking of where the glacier had been, and there were people on the tour that had seen the glacier about 20 years ago. They said they could see a huge difference in it since then. Incredible sight!

Just a note: I used a porta potty in the parking lot before our hike, and with lots of layers, carrying a back pack, wearing gloves, it was quite an adventure just trying to pee. In fact, with my gloves in my mouth, holding my back pack and trying to squat with four layers of jackets, etc. I couldn't squat well enough and ended up with pee running down my leg.... Oh well, I guess it felt warm on this cold day!








Monte and Dad loved the helicopter flight and walking on the glacier. They even walked to the edge of many crevasses. It was a thrill of a lifetime for them both.










The girls agreed that the whole day was spectacular. The saw many whales too and where amazed at everything.

We will leave soon for a salmon bake for dinner, and the girls are looking forward to dinner in the dinning room. It is interesting that I think they prefer to dine without us, and look forward to meeting new people at what ever table they sit at.

Here is the salmon bake








Here is the evening as we leave, beautiful views!








This was a shot from the deck of the ship... Indeed it was!



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Day 4 ketchikan

We had a great night sleep since the boat was much calmer. All of us decided to take the same excursion, a boat ride through the Misty Fjord. We had to get up and to breakfast by 6:30. ... Way too early when you're on vacation! It was a 3 hour tour and we saw huge mountains and cruised through the Fjord. We saw eagles and sea lions, and loved watching the sea planes take off and land. Very nice!








After that we walked into town. At the end of our walk Paige's foot was hurting. She and Courtney had worked out in the gym a couple days ago ( or maybe it was yesterday) and she has had trouble ever since. I'm concern about the 1 mile walk we had planned to do tomorrow. Luckily, I was able to get the ticket changed and the girls will do same thing minus the one hour hike, so they still see the glacier and go whale watching.






After our excursion we came back, took a nap, then set out for watching the ship set sail. Did I mention that it is bone shilling cold?




Then of course, more dinner! The food never stops!








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