Day 7 – Ketchikan, Alaska

I did it!! I went zip-lining and it was exhilarating. They picked me up at 7:30 am and we drove the 5 minutes to the base of the Bear Creek Mountain where we boarded a Uni-Mog to take us up the steep incline. We were suited up with our harnesses and helmets and had to walk about 100 feet up to the first tree platform. Once you are hooked up the rig it’s easy, I never feared for my safety at all. You feel very secure and it really was fantastic zipping through the 6 lines down to the slide. We crossed one suspension bridge and ended it all with a 250 foot slide to the bottom.

I would say that Ketchikan was definitely my favorite town on this cruise. It is incredibly quaint with loads of shopping available. We stopped at the Good Coffee shop and had a tasty Latte to keep us warm as we walked around Creek Street. It was a charming part of town, formerly the Red Light District, built on stilts. The area is full of history and culture. We were able to complete our souvenir shopping, with half price Jade and Bamboo T-Shirts. I would love to have spent more time in this port.

Alas we left at 1:00 pm and are headed for Victoria where we arrive tomorrow at 6:00 pm. It’s hard to believe our 7 day cruise is almost over. It’s been an amazing time and I am definitely going to cruise again. Thanks to Holland America, this has been a wonderful experience.

Day 6 - Stika, Alaska

We awoke this morning to the most spectacular scenery and the day only got better as it went on. We had a delicous fruit crepe on the Lido Deck for breakfast and then headed out on our private tour. The boat picked us up right from the ship as we were tendered in the bay. Within minutes of taking off, we stopped to watch as 2 hump back whales rolled in and out of the water, amazing! We continued on to Silver Bay, along the way saw starfish coating the rocks along the shore, a bald eagle on it’s nest, supposedly there were eaglets in the nest, and then onto the Salmon Haterchy. I never expected to be so facianted by this process. We saw another bald eagle family at the hatchery and watched as they tagged and then release the baby salmon into the ocean. On the way back to town we were again entertained by another 3 hump back whales within about 50 feet of the boat. The team on board were so informative and we all had a great time.

We were taken to town to the community center where we had a wonderful boxed lunch and learned about the two different tribes in the area, Raven Clan and Eagle Clan, and about there culture and heritage. After lunch we were off to visit the Russion Cathedral and then had the afternoon to explore the town and do some more souvenier shopping. I much prefer the town of Sitka to Juneau, a little prettier and abit more to see and do.

Tonight was the last formal dinner and they don’t dissapoint. I had escargot to begin the meal, then a spinach salad with mushrooms and bacon, main course was steak and Lobster (right in the shell) and finished off with the Baked Alaska (I can’t get enough of it!). We walked it all off though, doing 4 laps around the lower promenade. It was a windy and cold night but we were able to spot atleast 20 hump back whales around the ship, truly amazing.

Tomorrow is the big day in Ketchekan and our Zip Lining Adventure. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow night!

Day 5 - Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

We had a great day at sea today, arriving at Hubbard Glacier at approximately 12 noon. It truly was spectacular, and I am not sure I can find the words to describe it’s beauty. This tide water glacier is 7 miles wide, 350 feet above water and 250 below the water. We were lucky that for one we are on a smaller ship , the Rotterdam, and secondly they refer to our captain as Captain Courageous. It manouvered our ship to about 2 kms from the glacier face where it feels like you can reach out and touch it. You actually lose all perspective when you are near this giant wall of ice. And the calving was incredible, it sounds similar to thunder on the prairies. There would be an explosive sound and then you would see a chunck of ice break off the glaciers face and crach into the water creating a huge wave. We were there with a park ranger and native elder on board to tell us all about the area and it’s traditions.

As we headed back out from the glacier the skies cleared and it was the most beautiful evening. Chris and I hosted the Ensemble Cocktail party which was a lot of fun. Then 14 of us had dinner again at the main dining area. And again the meal was delicisous. I just can’t get over how incredible the food and service is on the ship. We met the captain and the hotel manager both of whom were down to earth and pleasure to speak with.

We spent the rest of the evening dancing in the Ocean Bar where they had a delightful jazz band playing.

Tomorrow of to Sitka for our Ensemble hosted shore excursion!

Day 4 - Juneau, Alaska

I awoke this morning with good intentions, I had signed up for a spin class ($12 per class) in the gym for 8:00 a.m. thinking this would ease the guilt I have been feeling about the abundance of desserts I have enjoyed thus far. Now to get to the gym I had to walk through the Lido Deck where the most magnificent breakfast is served every morning. I was so hungry and it all smelled so wonderful that I in the end decided to skip spin class and and have my favorite eggs benedict, one with mushrooms the other spinach, accompanied by freshly squeezed orange juice and a bowl of fresh fruit. I have to say I think I made the right decision. I did however manage to partake in a yoga class later in the morning which I am feeling now 24 hours later.

We had a great day in Juneau, where we stopped from 12 noon until 9 pm yesterday. All though there are numerous shore excursion to be taken, all looking very interesting, we decided to take a day off and just enjoy wandering through the town and it’s shops. We stopped for a bite to eat and a drink at the famous Red Dog Salon and did a lot of our souvenier shopping. Our feet began to feel it after a couple hours so we came back on the boat and enjoyed the sunny afternoon up on deck reading and relaxing.

It’s nice sometimes to stay on board when everyone else is gone, you have the whole place to yourselves. We ended up dining at the Caneletto Italian restaurant, no extra charge for that one, and had a lovely dinner overlooking the port of Juneau as the sun sank slowely behine the mountains. As we pulled away from port that night we relaxed in a hot tub on the Lido Deck. There were a total of 4 other ships in the harbour that day, which is about what you can expect daily according to a local merhcant.


I tried to make it to the midnight buffet again last night with no luck, the days are just to long and action packed to stay awake that long.

Stay tuned for more from Hubbard Glacier tonight!

Day 3 - Alaska

I awoke this morning to the feeling that I was going to roll right out of bed. We had run into rough water conditions overnight and can still feel them now as we get ready for bed. Supposedly this is not the norm and they have advised us it should settle down some time later tonight. Luckily I was not affected adversely by the rocking motion, took a little getting used to, especially walking in a straight line, but overall not bad at all. We also had gained a wave pool on the Lido Deck and you had to be careful not to get soaked as the water gushed over the edges of the pool as the boat rocked to and fro.

Today we were at sea all day as we passed the Queen Charlotte Islands, land was nowhere to found until late this afternoon. We spent the day relaxing and exploring the ship. I believe we finally have our bearings and can move about the ship with ease. I took in a seminar on Detox for Weight Loss this afternoon and then rode the elliptical for about half hour. I didn’t fell as guilty for all the delectable treats I have eaten throughout the day. I have also discovered the Explorers Café and am very impressed with their lattes and even purchased a coffee card today, 10 lattes for $26.00, not bad at all.

The ship is filled with the most amazing art work and historic pieces. You could spend days just taking it all in. We came across Chinese sculptures dating back to 220 A.D. and Japanese Samurai armor from the 1700’s. There was the most fascinating cabinet from 1700 century Italy, with parquet inlay. The detailing is beautiful. Everywhere you look they have stunning paintings with some available for purchase.

Tonight was the formal evening and 14 of us in my group met for dinner in the main dining room, La Fontaine for a late meal at 8:00 pm. I just love the serving staff on board; they are such a pleasure to be around, witty and so friendly, they do make the meal such fun. I started off with Jumbo Shrimp, Yukon potato and yellow tomato soup, fresh Alaskan King Crab legs soaked in butter and ended off with the Baked Alaskan with caramel toffee sauce. I can see why the average person gains 7-14 pounds on a 7 day cruise. I have decided that I am going to try and take advantage of the complimentary gym, and take the stairs as much as I can and also eat a light lunch so we can treat ourselves at supper time!

Tomorrow is a full day as I have signed up for spin class at 8:00 am and Yoga at 9:00 am and we will be arriving in Juneau, the Alaskan Capital, at 12:00 noon. We plan on exploring the town on our own in lieu of a shore excursion.

We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow night 

Day 2 - Alaska

Still being on Winnipeg time I was up at 6 am today, looked out the window to see a new ship had arrived in port right across the street from the lovely Marriott Waterfront. I slept like a baby; the beds were large and incredibly comfortable. After a quick shower we headed downstairs to the deli in the lobby for a deliciously simple breakfast of sausage and egg muffin accompanied by a bowl of fresh fruit. For the two of is it cost $16 which wasn’t bad in comparison to the bistro and surrounding area diners.


We decided to head over to Pike’s Place Market after finishing our meal for my morning Caramel Macchiato. To my surprise it turns out that this particular Starbucks was in fact the first Starbucks to open, ever! What a special treat, the staff put on a real show, with one in particular standing on a platform basically entertaining all of us with interesting Starbucks trivia. The building itself was over a 100 years old with the original flooring. And they still use the original machines, not the automated ones you see in all the other stores. This requires them to make each espresso shot individually, takes about 10 times as long but was well worth the wait. Chris and I both picked up travel mugs emblazoned with Pike’s Place, The First Starbucks Store.

It was a fairly easy process getting over to the boat; we paid $7 each for a shuttle to Pier 91. And I have to say that I could get very used to the service you receive everywhere you go here. It seems almost everyone you come across from the hotel staff, serving staff and cruise line employees are so incredibly friendly and seem genuinely happy to see you. Our luggage was collected directly from the shuttle and magically appeared in our cabin by about 2:30 pm. We boarded the ship at about 1:00 pm and grabbed a bite to eat on the Lido Deck, what a choice of foods there were. I can see why most folks gain weight on these trips! Thank goodness for the all the stairs you can climb getting from deck to deck.

An afternoon nap and a hot shower revived us and we were off to dinner in the Main Dining Room. We opted for the Open Dining plan and I’m really enjoying it. You can eat anytime from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. We showed up at about 7:00 pm and were given a beeper and sent to the lounge to wait for a table to come available. We were seated by 7:30 pm in this very elegant dining room. Our servers were so charming, and dinner was fantastic! I started off with Scallop Ceviche, then barbeque pork ribs with buttermilk mashed potatoes and finished off the meal with Apple Strudel with vanilla cream sauce. We decided to skip the show tonight and went for a walk on deck instead.

It’s 10:00 pm and I am totally exhausted. Our cabin is spacious and comfortable and I am looking forward to a good night sleep so I can take advantage of all the activities tomorrow for our day at sea. Perhaps Tai Chi on deck or a digital photo class.

I’ll let you know what I decide tomorrow night 