We started our cruise from Seattle, so we arrived a day early to enjoy clam chowder at Ivars on the wharf, a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field, and a morning strolling through Pike's Market before boarding the ship.
We sailed on the Golden Princess, which provided constant opportunities for activities. Some of the shipboard activities we enjoyed were the production shows, the comedian, trivia, crew talent show, meals, ice carving demonstrations, bingo, karaoke, getting whooped multiple times in Canasta by our kids, facials and massages at the Lotus Spa, cooking demonstrations, naturalist talks, ship tours, the hot tub, crafts, and afternoon naps on our balcony. Needless to say, we found plenty to do!
We sailed on the Golden Princess, which provided constant opportunities for activities. Some of the shipboard activities we enjoyed were the production shows, the comedian, trivia, crew talent show, meals, ice carving demonstrations, bingo, karaoke, getting whooped multiple times in Canasta by our kids, facials and massages at the Lotus Spa, cooking demonstrations, naturalist talks, ship tours, the hot tub, crafts, and afternoon naps on our balcony. Needless to say, we found plenty to do!
We enjoyed the company of some of our neighbors, who were fun to travel with, and were great to include the kids in our activities.
Our first stop was Juneau, and we took a ride out of town and into the Rainforest to a great zipline activity. It was a warm sunny day, and it made it so comfortable to get suited up to descend through the trees via multiple zip lines until we reached the bottom.
That first time was a little tough to step off the platform and let gravity take me where it wanted to. But we had a great zipline crew that got us safely from one zip platform to the next.
By the end of the zip tour, we were having a blast!
We also visited Mendenhall Glacier, one of Alaska's most accessible glaciers. It starts out a mile thick at the top and ends a mere 150 feet thick at the face where it meets the lake.
In Skagway, we decided to head out of town to a mushers camp, and participate in the summer training of several teams of dog sled racers!
Of course, with no snow on the ground, the huskies pulled us in wheeled sleds on the dirt roads instead.
The dogs loved to run, and they were so excited when they heard us arriving because they knew that meant they could get running soon!
We strolled through Skagway, learned about the gold rush and the White Pass Railroad and did a little souvenir shopping.
One of the most spectacular highlights of the trip was the day we cruised in Glacier Bay National Park. From the moment we entered Bartlett Cove and the Park Ranger got on board to narrate our travel, all the way to Margerie Glacier with it's beautiful blue ice, we experienced a feast for the eyes.
We got to experience some glacier calving, hearing the loud cracking sound a few seconds before the ice separated from the glacier and fell into the bay.
We saw some grizzly bears on shore, some humpback and killer whales. The kids also saw a whole bunch of dolphins on their side of the ship, playing in the wake of the boat.
That first time was a little tough to step off the platform and let gravity take me where it wanted to. But we had a great zipline crew that got us safely from one zip platform to the next.
By the end of the zip tour, we were having a blast!
We also visited Mendenhall Glacier, one of Alaska's most accessible glaciers. It starts out a mile thick at the top and ends a mere 150 feet thick at the face where it meets the lake.
In Skagway, we decided to head out of town to a mushers camp, and participate in the summer training of several teams of dog sled racers!
Of course, with no snow on the ground, the huskies pulled us in wheeled sleds on the dirt roads instead.
The dogs loved to run, and they were so excited when they heard us arriving because they knew that meant they could get running soon!
We strolled through Skagway, learned about the gold rush and the White Pass Railroad and did a little souvenir shopping.
One of the most spectacular highlights of the trip was the day we cruised in Glacier Bay National Park. From the moment we entered Bartlett Cove and the Park Ranger got on board to narrate our travel, all the way to Margerie Glacier with it's beautiful blue ice, we experienced a feast for the eyes.
We got to experience some glacier calving, hearing the loud cracking sound a few seconds before the ice separated from the glacier and fell into the bay.
We saw some grizzly bears on shore, some humpback and killer whales. The kids also saw a whole bunch of dolphins on their side of the ship, playing in the wake of the boat.
We spent the better part of the morning first on our balcony (starboard side) then on Lauren and Richie's balcony (port side) to maximize our views.
Thursday brought us to Ketchikan, which was a really fun little town. We hired a bush pilot to take us up in a float plane through the mountains and fjords in the area. He climbed up over the snow capped peaks, then dropped back down into the wilderness and landed on a beautiful lake.
Then he took off again and we soared over hundreds and hundreds of lakes and some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen. Like most places that are this breathtaking, a simple photo can't capture the beauty that we experienced.
Our pilot, Kevin, and our co-pilot, Richie, brought us safely down again.
After the float trip, we hurried to the Ketchikan Lumberjack show, where four lumberjacks put on an hour long competition to show off their skills in sawcutting, chainsaws, pole climbing, axe throwing, log rolling, and of course block chopping! It was an entertaining show, followed by a bit of shopping and then back to the ship.
Friday, the girls went to the spa while the boys enjoyed the 3 hour Ultimate Tour of the Golden Princess. They came back with all kinds of treasures that were given to them on the tour, like a pad of personalized stationery, a plush velour Princess Cruises robe, and Richie's personal favorite from the galley--a chef's shirt.
That night at dinner, the whole group sang "Happy Anniversary" to Scott and I to help us celebrate 30 years together.
Thursday brought us to Ketchikan, which was a really fun little town. We hired a bush pilot to take us up in a float plane through the mountains and fjords in the area. He climbed up over the snow capped peaks, then dropped back down into the wilderness and landed on a beautiful lake.
Then he took off again and we soared over hundreds and hundreds of lakes and some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen. Like most places that are this breathtaking, a simple photo can't capture the beauty that we experienced.
Our pilot, Kevin, and our co-pilot, Richie, brought us safely down again.
After the float trip, we hurried to the Ketchikan Lumberjack show, where four lumberjacks put on an hour long competition to show off their skills in sawcutting, chainsaws, pole climbing, axe throwing, log rolling, and of course block chopping! It was an entertaining show, followed by a bit of shopping and then back to the ship.
Friday, the girls went to the spa while the boys enjoyed the 3 hour Ultimate Tour of the Golden Princess. They came back with all kinds of treasures that were given to them on the tour, like a pad of personalized stationery, a plush velour Princess Cruises robe, and Richie's personal favorite from the galley--a chef's shirt.
That night at dinner, the whole group sang "Happy Anniversary" to Scott and I to help us celebrate 30 years together.
Our final port was a stop in Victoria, and we decided to spend a few hours there at the Butchart Gardens. This area used to be a cement quarry, and when it was excavated out, Jenny Butchart decided to plant seeds in the walls of the quarry to try to cover up the ugly bare rocks that remained. Her project continued to escalate into what it has become today--55 acres of beautiful plants and flowers.
We had a wonderful week and experienced so many new things in Alaska. We were so grateful for the opportunity to go, and felt very lucky that Lauren and Richie could take time off to spend with us old people. We loved having them along (even if they didn't let us win at Canasta).
1 comment:
How cool! I am so glad you got to go.
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