Well, I’m back home in the flat state of Minnesota. How could one not miss the constant view of snow-capped mountains? I also miss the gentle rocking of our boat and the gourmet, four-course meals; how torturous to have to go to the grocery store! And cook!

Disembarkation on Monday morning went smoothly. I went for my last breakfast and then sought out Philippe to get his last name (I nominated him for the “you made a difference” employee of the month program Princess runs on each of their ships) and say farewell (I miss Philippe, the French waiter!). Princess grouped all passengers based upon flight times, so at 7:40, we congregated with our disembarkation group in one of the dining rooms. Coach transfer from the dock to Vancouver’s airport gave us a quick view of the beautiful city. The Olympics are already being touted in a few places; in fact, I’m hoping to gain a volunteer spot for the 2010 Olympics.

After that, we had smooth sailing all the way to Minneapolis. Mom is already talking about a December cruise through the Panama Canal. I just laugh at her; I’ll believe it when a room is booked! Who knows when my travelog will pick up again; I have no big trips planned as of yet, but you can be sure I’ll be back! In the meantime, please check out my Alaska photo set on Flickr. I’ve uploaded everything I plan to, along with a few videos!

And stay tuned daily to my photoblog; I’ll be retouching the best of my Alaskan photos and posting them there.

Bon voyage!

Today is our last full day on the cruise. We’re currently sailing along the Canadian coast of British Columbia. We had absolutely beautiful and warm weather today. In the morning, Mom and I went to the Universe Lounge for a culinary demo given by the exec chef and the maitre d’. Afterward, we were allowed to walk through the level 5 galley kitchen. What an amazing large area for preparing all of the meals for the Bordeaux Room (one of the two traditional sit-down dining rooms). Afterward, we were giving the opportunity to spend our money on a cruise cookbook, so I purchased one and had it signed by the chef and maitre d’.

In the afternoon, I spent time on the top deck and was lucky to spot many marine animals: a humpback whale, quite a few orcas (killer whales), and even a school of dolphins (or porpoises?)! The bridge on deck 12 could tell when us passengers on 14 were on a “run,” because they could hear our feet running from port to starboard side depending on where the mammals were spotted. At least it’s exercise to burn off the food we’ve all consumed. Actually, all of the eating has finally caught up to me, and though delicious I’m ready for a break from the four-course meals I’ve had every evening.

After dinner, Dad and I walked around the ship to enjoy a bit more scenery and a gorgeous sunset. The deck felt eerily quiet. I’m sure most people were in their staterooms packing, as our plane luggage had to be packed and outside our rooms by 10PM. It felt a lot like when everyone leaves campus at the end of a year of college and all that’s left are the graduating seniors and musicians who play during commencement weekend. I could finally feel our trip ending. Tomorrow, our group is to meet at 7:40AM for disembarkation in Vancouver (ugh!). All good things must come to an end, right?

Last night, we had our second and last formal dinner.  Dad unfortunately felt sick and didn’t come, but Mom and I had good company.  We sat with two sisters from Ohio; originally the cruise was booked for one of the sisters and her husband, but he recently started a new job that he couldn’t get away from, so she invited her sister. 

After dinner, we enjoyed a “dances from around the world” show put on the song/dance group.  In my opinion, the description of the show was very loosely termed; most of the “world” dancing came from America, and the Indian and Celtic portions weren’t fully authentic, but they still put on an impressive show.  At 11PM, after the show, everyone was invited into the atrium for a champagne waterfall and free champagne!  They were allowing cruise guests to come up to the champagne glass pyramid and help pour bottles and bottles of champagne from the top, so I went up and had a go.  Then I imbibed on a free glass of the bubbly.  In conjunction, a live band was playing music, and the entertainment and wait staff were hosting a dance party right there, so I joined in. 

I had a great time dancing away, even though I didn’t know anyone.  I actually met some fellow Minneapolis residents (well, Lino Lakes, but close enough), three women specifically.  We got to talking and boy did they cluck when they realized they could hook up their single sons up with me.  Haha!  The band threw in a few slow songs, so Michael, one of the entertainment staff offered me a couple of dances with him.  He’s from Australia (actually, most of the entertainment staff have either British, Aussie, South African, or New Zealander accents) and has been on the ship since January.  He’ll be flying home to Sydney tomorrow, but in a few weeks he’ll ship out and work on the Panama Canal cruise.  Previously, he worked for the Olympics; how cool is that?!  I’m amazed at all of the people we’ve met and all the different backgrounds they come from.  At first I was nervous for dinnertime and what socially awkward people we might be “stuck” with, but I have been pleasantly surprised, entertained, and enlightened by the conversations I’ve had with fellow passengers.  I wish we could stay longer and get to know people a bit more.

On our afternoon in Ketchikan, we embarked on a ziplining excursion over the forest canopy. Two of our guides were actually Minnesota natives. Adam (from near St. Cloud) and Topher were assigned to our group. We were heavily geared up in bottom and top harnesses, ropes, helmets, and gloves before being given a demo and test run on the zipline ropes. Adam always ziplined to the next platform to receive each of us while Topher would attach us to the line and send us on our way. We traversed seven lines total, the longest spanning more than 750 feet I believe, plus three suspension bridges. The furthest from the forest floor we reached was 130 feet up. The excursion was a breeze for me, but watching Mom attempt it was nothing short of a At one point, her glove got caught comedic act. She forgot to break with her hand a few times, which caused Adam to repeatedly yell “Break, break, break!” before she came crashing into him. At one point, her glove got caught in between the trolley and line which caused her to stop about 25 feet from the next platform. Adam had to come out, hook himself to her, and pull them both back. Upon completing our adventure, we were each given a medal.

One of the girls in our group, Amy, has actually been a staff member on board the Coral Princess. She is a teacher during the school year in Vancouver, but this is her second time working for Princess as an activity leader for the kids on board. Last year, she was employed on a Caribbean cruise (Princess actually flew her to port in Florida), but she enjoys the Alaskan outdoors instead. She is only doing this for two weeks as something fun during her summer time off; this makes me wish I was a teacher so I could do the same thing! I would definitely consider working part-time for a cruise line if I had extended time off.

August 2, 2008
12:15PM AKDT
Ketchikan, AK

Our boat docked in the southernmost large town (4^th largest in the state) of Ketchikan this morning around 9:15. We were having our usual buffet breakfast at that time after which I went up a flight of stairs to deck 15 to enjoy the fine weather. Few clouds were dotting the blue sky and the sun was providing the warmest temperatures we’ve encountered yet; in fact, I was wishing I had shorts. After taking in views of the harbor front, I settled into a lounge chair to read my book which very soon turned into a sunbathing nap, shoes and socks off, jeans rolled up.

Around 10:30, I disembarked to just walk around town. Ketchikan is in the midst of its Blueberry Festival, and although I didn’t see any blueberries myself, many locals were out and having a good time. We just finished buffet lunch and are waiting to disembark the ship again at 12:50 for our last excursion—ziplining over the forest canopy.

Yesterday, our two excursions in Juneau were quite a treat. In the morning, we were bussed over to the Glacial Gardens on the outskirts of the capital. Ten years after a large landslide ripped through the area in 1984, a husband and wife decided to clean up the mess and do something with it. The area around their visitors’ center is covered with beautiful plants and landscaping including some upside down trees stuck into the ground with the root area used for a flowerbed. Our tour boarded onto a limo-sized golf cart and was driving 580’ up through the temperate rainforest for a view. Unfortunately, the clouds were low so we didn’t see very far.

Our second excursion proved to be a highlight of our whole trip—a helicopter ride around the Mendenhall Glacier and then a chance to land on it and walk around for an hour. Upon reaching the airstrip, we were outfitted with boots (like ski boots), windpants, growlers?, wind jacket, gloves, and climbing pack. Then based upon weight, the nine of us were each assigned a seat in the two helicopters. I was lucky to get a seat in front between Mom and the pilot. This being our first time in a helicopter, the ride was pretty amazing, so amazing that I’d like to learn to fly one! We spent 30 minutes viewing spectacular waterfalls, spotting mountain goats, and flying back near the glacier’s 12-mile beginning before landing. Once on the glacier, our boots were outfitted with crampons which have spikes to allow easy traversing of the icy landscape. A glacier’s surface is just like crusty ice and snow. There’s no chance of falling through the ice, because it is so compact; in fact, we were standing on 1,200 feet of ice. Our guides Gabe and Chris showed us a few crevices varying greatly in size. We also had a chance to drink glacial water directly from its runoff (see the latest photos on Flickr), so I bent down and took a sip.

To be continued… It’s now 4:46pm and I’m in an internet cafe in Ketchikan (drastically cheaper than on the ship). Our boat closes the gangway at 5:00pm, so it’s time for me to cut this short and run back! One person was almost left behind yesterday. They had to put the gangway back up for him. Yikes! We’re off to the Canadian coast this eve

Thursday, July 31, 2008
3:29PM
Skagway, AK
Last night, we had a French waiter, Philippe, so I tried out my Français with him. He complimented me on my accent, so I kept using French when I could. I’m very rusty having not practiced in awhile. Today I ran into him quite a few times during his short time off. I’m hoping to catch him again and ask “Voulez vous parler français avec moi?” (Would you like to speak French with me?).

This morning we docked in Skagway, AK. It’s a small town of perhaps 200 permanent residents, but during the cruising season the population triples in size due to the people who employ the 8 blocks of shops. Furs, gold, key chains, t-shirts, hats, chocolates, saloon spectacles, postcards, things that one does not really need—this is what Skagway is all about. After a leisurely morning and an English breakfast at the buffet, I strolled into town. It felt good to get out and walk. I thought about purchasing one of those fur hats that has flaps to cover your ears (think “Fargo” the movie), but I refrained. I bought a UV filter for my camera, eyed a pair of binoculars (Dad accidentally left his in my apartment), and purchased a very cute and warm Marmot windstopper jacket that I really don’t need. Of course. While wandering around the area, I happened upon a Filipino hangout (the store’s sign is in Tagalog) that I’m sure caters to all of the ships’ workers. Now that I’m back on the ship and running low from breakfast, it’s time to hit up Afternoon Tea in the Bordeaux room. Noelle, I wish you were with me!

Yesterday’s cruise into Glacier Bay was nothing short of amazing. My eyes wanted a shut-eye after lunch, but the mountains and glaciers we were passing begged me to come look at them. The Coral Princess finally parked itself about a quarter mile from Margerie Glacier for an hour of awesome viewing.

Before this trip, I was quite familiar with the term “glacier,” but I had never taken the time to ask myself what exactly one is. A glacier is basically a frozen river of ice. They carve themselves down through a mountainscape to meet the sea and are usually growing forward or retreating. Margerie Glacier is apparently retreating at about 3’ per day.

The large glaciers are indescribable as to their size. Margerie is roughly 250’ tall and perhaps a quarter of a mile wide. The glacier landscape is like an optical illusion—because it’s so gigantic, you can’t quite tell how far away you are until a nearby seagull flies toward the glacier’s bookend mountains where they become very, very tiny specks of white.

We were extra lucky, while viewing Margerie, because she calved a number of times. Calving is the term used for when ice breaks off of a glacier. A couple of good-sized chunks broke off causing the viewers to ooh and ahh, but then a very large piece (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was hotel-sized) came crashing down causing a large enough wave that even caused the ship to rock. Calving creates loud, crisp cracking noises when the ice breaks free of the glacier; being so far away and having the sound travel the distance to our ears, it actually seems as though the noise comes from the ice’s contact with the water. By the time we left Margerie, hundreds if not thousands of new icebergs had been born and created a fan of ice from the glacier’s cliff.

The ship continued back the way we came and turned into an inlet for a viewing of the Johns Hopkins and Lamplugh Glaciers, both also amazing to behold. I probably took more photos of glaciers and mountains that anyone wants to see which goes to show that you really have to be here to experience the grandeur of it all.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
11:30PM
Somewhere along the Alaskan coast

One always hears about the quality and quantity of food served on a cruise ship. Indeed, this is one moveable feast! I wish I was on board for a month just to be able to try all of the edibles available to us. Today, they had a big sushi bar set up for lunch. We watched as two chefs carried in a ginormous (as in 3′ in diameter, at least) platter of more sushi as another one emptied. The breakfast buffet itself caters to all various tastes. Fried rice for the Filipinos (and other cultures I’m sure), baked beans for the British crowd (yay! I miss my Full English). I beelined to the sushi for lunch, but I also eyed the caprese and Greek salads, croque madams, and other foods that I can’t even remember. In the end, my lunch consisted of salad, sushi, apple sauce, fruit tartlet, Diet Coke, water, and hot tea.

Speaking of Coke, many less things are not included (or “free”) as I’d thought. If a beverage is bottled or contains alcohol, pay up. This includes carbonated beverages and fancy coffees, which completely blows my plan to enjoy a “free” latte every morning. In fact, if you really like your Coke, you can spend $30 and enjoy unlimited Coke beverages for the rest of the cruise. Internet is not free, even if you bring your own laptop. Of course, you can save money if you do; wireless time is $.50/minute rather than $.55 (IF you buy a package of 100 minutes up front). The ice cream bar sounds really tasty, but I saw today that ordering a tasty treat means coughing up the dough. Of course, the ship makes it very easy to spend away your hard-earned bucks. Before boarding the ship, everyone sets up a spending account with their credit card. Our room key then also acts as our spending ticket. Want a soda or a souvenir from one of the many on-board boutiques? Just give them your cruise card and they’ll put it on your rolling tab. There is no need for cash, checks or credit cards here—just the cruise card.

Now I must speak of the suppers here which are the fanciest and most formal of meals. A new menu is printed up for each evening and everything is fair game. The menu is broken down into Small Plates, Soups and Salads, Signature Dishes, Large Plates, Vegetarian Options, and a few Always Available plates. Tonight, I went with the Kiwi and Grapefruit Raspberry Coulis, followed by the Tea Infused Wonton Soup, Two Beef Filet Mignons, and capped with a Hazelnut Soufflé and coffee. It’s like eating at a five-star, break-the-bank restaurant every evening! I should have weighed myself before boarding and then compared it to when we disembark.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
11:30PM
Somewhere along the Alaskan coast

Upon our observation of all the Eastern Europeans holding land jobs for Princess, Mom commented, “Just you wait; there’ll be Filipinos working on the ship.” I just laughed and rolled my eyes. But as mothers tend to be right, we are now surrounded by Filipino waiters, maitre d’s, hostesses, housekeepers, you name it. It’s fun to hear them speaking Tagalog to one another and to Mom, although she has to correct them that she speaks a different dialect.

Ah-Choo
The Coral Princess is among the smaller ships of the fleet containing room for 1,900 passengers and 900 employees.  Princess has been very insistent on reminding us at every corner that we should wash our hands as often as possible and to rub our hands with soap for at least 20 seconds so as not to contract the norovirus.  This is good because what could be worse than one big floating island of diseased people?  Ick.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
11:30PM
Somewhere along the Alaskan coast

Cruising is an AMAZING experience to behold, truly. I am currently typing this entry up in the ship’s Library which I believe holds an assortment of 3,000 books for check-out. The Card Room is also relatively empty at 11PM, but the Library has big, comfy, leather seats. As I am situated near the Atrium, I can hear the piano lounge singer two floors down entertaining a cozy liquored-up crowd still dressed to the nines from this evening’s Formal dinner. They are currently belting out “Hey Jude.”

There is so much to do on a cruise, there really is no time to fit everything in. Every evening, we receive a four-page bulletin that lists the next day’s smorgasbord of activities. From basically 9am to dinner time, a planned activity is going on every hour. Tomorrow, for example, I could go to “Line Dancing Mania” at 9:30am, attend a “Pictionary Challenge” at 10am, receive a “Glacier Bay Park Rangers Presentation” at 11:15am, and enjoy “Afternoon Melodies” with the resident musicians at noon. And that’s less than half of what’s offered in the morning. The activities list really gives true meaning to job of a Cruise Director.

Evening Embarkation
When we boarded our ship at 6:45pm yesterday, we had basically an hour to get settled before the ship-wide safety drill. We were instructed to take our life vests to our assigned Muster Station. Once everyone had mustered (not to be confused with mustard), we learned how to put our vests on and what to do in a real emergency. After that, it was time for our 8:15pm assigned dinner. We were seated with five other people and enjoyed a good evening of first-time company/conversation. I think we’ve really taken to one family—husband and wife with their 8th-grade son—and in fact we happened to join them for dinner again this evening.

Sun at Sea
Today, Mom and I spent time outdoors on the lido deck. We sat in lawn chairs, I with my book and she with her postcards. With lack of wind and the sun out (finally!), I was at times thinking I’d be content in shorts. At anytime, we could look up and enjoy a continuous view of snow-capped mountains in the distance. I keep thinking that the mountains will give way to plains, as if driving from Denver to Kansas, but no, they keep going! At one point, someone from the helm broadcast over the loudspeakers that four killer whales were spotted on the port side.