Alaska Cruise - September 2008
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For our first non-Caribbean cruise we headed up to the great Northwest and
Alaska.
A few significant differences:
Preparation and Packing, as we needed sweaters,
sweatshirts, warm jackets, gloves, scarves, etc... I think we had twice as many
suitcases!
Travel plans! We went a day early to Seattle, so no
getting up at 4:00 am for the early flight on the same day as the cruise
departure.
Ship size - the ships we've cruised on in the past have all been the "monster"
ships, with passenger capacities of 3000+. This one was a bit smaller, with only
2000 passengers... still a big ship, of course, but the size difference was
noticeable to us.
As always, lots and lots of photos in our Gallery.
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Day 1 – Friday September 19
Flight to Seattle, arriving just a bit after noon. On to the hotel (Courtyard
Marriott) at Lake Union, which is just a bit north of downtown Seattle. Got
checked in, and then headed out to see the city.
There is a nice, new street-car / trolley line that we were able to catch just a
short walk from the hotel, which took us into town. Another short walk to Pike
Place Market and the Waterfront. Lots of people, lots of shops, lots of fish,
produce and flowers. Kind of a gray, overcast day, but no rain. Heard a comment
or two about poor visibility from the Space Needle, so we decided not to go to
the top.
Dinner at a cozy seafood restaurant - the Blu Water Bistro - again, a short walk
from the hotel (well, a little longer than a short walk, but that was OK).
Don's looking forward to a nice leisurely morning, without the
rush-wait-rush-wait-rush that we usually have on the first day of a cruise
vacation. Sleep in late... casual breakfast... head out to the port mid-day...
Tracy goes down the hall to get some ice, and comes back with a handful of "Tour
Seattle" brochures - annnnd we book a bus tour for the morning! So much for sleeping
in.
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Day 2 – Saturday
Up early to get some breakfast, re-pack and check-out. Tour bus arrives promptly
at 9:05.
Aside from it spoiling Don's lazy morning plans, the tour was a good idea. They
quite smartly arrange the tour to end at the cruise-ship terminal, so it's kind
of like a 4-hour ride from the hotel. Our bus operator / tour guide was very
good - entertaining as well as informative. Weather was again overcast, but now
some rain was in the mix. Very light though, just sorta drizzley - not enough to
need an umbrella.
Several stops around town... the historic sections, the fish-ladders,
Fisherman's Terminal... also got to see Frazier's condo building and the
Sleepless in Seattle "floating house." The bus dropped us off at the cruise port
around 2:00, and we boarded Holland America's "ms Oosterdam" - note that in the
Dutch language, a double "oo" is pronounced as a long "o" as in "Oh" or "boat,"
not as a "u" like the English word "boot."
Another benefit of this schedule - no long lines checking in and getting on the
ship. Very smooth and quick process. Settled in to the cabin, and then off to
explore the ship a bit. Muster drill is at 3:30, so a little time to wander
around. Ship pulls out at 4:00 under light rain, and we're off!
Many cruise lines are pushing the open - or "freestyle" - dining options now,
instead of the traditional fixed-seating for dinner. We selected the 8:00
fixed-seating option though, as we like knowing when, where and with whom we're eating.
We've had good luck in the past with meeting new friends and getting good
table-mates for dinner, and this time was no exception. We were seated with two
couples from Sydney, Australia.
| Brian and Jill |
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Maureen and Kevin |
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Don was quick to point out that, having watched the movies Crocodile Dundee
and Mad Max, we were very familiar with life in Australia - heh heh :)
These four folks were in the middle of a five-week vacation! Two weeks touring
western Canada by bus and train, one week on this cruise, a week in New York
City, and then a final week touring eastern Canada. Whew!
The movie "Iron Man" is showing after dinner, and it's been recommended by a few
people so we go to see it. Don napped during the film :)
Day 3 - Sunday
 Port of call: None - day at sea. First full day onboard. Breakfast in the cabin
via room-service. Wonderful sitting on the balcony with our tea and coffee. A
bit chilly, but the weather is clear and the ocean is beautiful.
We enjoy the "Full Day at Sea" days on cruises... very relaxing, and there are
enough activities scheduled to keep one busy if desired. Tracy went to a flower
arranging presentation, and then lounged by the (covered) pool and read a book.
Don tried his hand at the Black Jack tournament - he finished third, winning a
t-shirt, polo-shirt and baseball cap... woo hoo!
Tonight is the first "formal" night at dinner. Not Don's favorite part of our
cruise itineraries, but we do get dressed up and, as always, Tracy looks
absolutely beautiful!
Day 4 - Monday
Port of call: Juneau, Alaska. Yep, we have now been to our 49th state!
Scheduled a "Whale Watching" excursion. Short bus ride through town and onto the
whale watching boat. Weather is overcast, but again no rain. The lower deck of
the boat is fully enclosed - very spacious and comfortable, with large tables
and facing bench seats. We meet and sit with "Sid" from Tasmania (lots and lots
of Aussies on this cruise!). Very nice guy. When the boat stopped for whale
sightings, we head up top where it was pretty chilly, but not really cold.
Moving at full speed, though, it's pretty cold standing in the wind - although
Don spent time up there saying it reminded him of Chicago winters.
 
We saw lots of whales, but due to environmental regulations (as well as whale
behaviors) the boat can't really get very close. Still, we took lots of pictures
(most of which just sorta show the peak of the hump), and got a few decent shots
of their flukes. At one point a whale "breached," jumping almost completely out
of the water, which the tour guides assured us was a rare sight. Naturally, we
did not get a photo of that. Also saw an island just full of sea lions. Don't
want this to sound bad, but we saw so many whales that it almost became a little
boring... "oh look, there's yet another whale..." Decided against
wandering around Juneau, so it's back to the ship.
Dinner in the dining room, discussing the day's activities. Our table-mates went
into Juneau, but are rather worn-out from two weeks of running around Canada so
they have not scheduled any organized excursions. After dinner, we stopped by
the Piano Bar - popular place and packed with people - and had a good time
listening to Johnny Jones.
Day 5 - Tuesday
Port of call: Hubbard Glacier. Not the traditional "port," as we don't leave the
ship - rather the ship enters Yakutat Bay and eases its way to - well, tough to
judge distance - but I'd say within 500 meters or so. Our coldest day on the
trip, but perfect weather! Bright sun and little to no wind. Still, we bundled
up with layered sweatshirts and jackets, and glad we brought along scarves and
gloves (and Tracy's earmuffs).
The glacier is truly impressive. It stretches 76 miles to the sea, with an open
calving face over six miles wide and 350 feet tall. Every few minutes we hear
oohs and ahhhs from the passengers gathered on the bow, see the ice falling off
the glacier's face, and then hear the roaring thunder as the ice crashes into
the water. Even when the ice is not falling, there is an almost constant
moaning, creaking and cracking, as the glacier itself is in motion - although,
at a glacial pace :)
Had some lunch, including the traditional Dutch Pea Soup, and then met up with
our table companions at the Crow's Lounge for Team Trivia. I think it goes
without saying that We Won, but I'll say it anyway :)
Tonight's main show is an illusionist named James Cielen. Very entertaining -
'course, as he himself pointed out, we must have been starved for entertainment
since we all spent the day watching ice!
After another very pleasant dinner, we head back to the main show theater to
watch the semi-final round of "Oosterdam Superstar," an American Idol-like
passenger talent show. The 10 singers had varying levels of talent (they sang
Karaoke style), but the panel of three judges kept the whole audience laughing
throughout. No real nasty "Simon" type comments, just lots of laughs - including
from the not-quite-so-talented contestants.
Day 6 - Wednesday
Port of call: Sitka, Alaska. Trying to avoid wearing ourselves out (as we often
do on vacations), we have not booked an excursion here, but we do want to walk
around town a bit, so we hop on a tender. Weather is again perfect - chilly, but
sunny and dry.
Quaint formerly Russian town - it reminds us of what gets portrayed in typical
TV sitcoms or dramas about small Alaskan towns. Tracy buys a couple sweatshirts
and a jacket, along with a Christmas ornament and a knick-knack or two. Don eats
a "Reindeer Hot Dog" (gee, who would've guessed?).
Prior to dinner, we watch Bryson Lang perform a comedy juggling show. Best
parts, as usual, were when he pulled audience members up on stage with him.
Day 7 - Thursday
Port of call: Ketchikan, Alaska. Known as "Alaska's First City," it is also the
rainiest city in North America. Our luck holds, though, as we are greeted with
another clear, sunny day. The ship's crew and our tour guides keep commenting on
how we've had the best weather of the cruise season! This is a short stop, with
the ship arriving early in the morning but then departing again just after noon.
| We booked an excursion tour to Misty Fjords, and this will be our first-ever
trip on a Float-Plane. The Misty Fjords, as one might surmise, gets its name
because it is always shrouded in mist... except today. Since we've brought our
magic perfect weather with us, the mist is nowhere to be seen. Still, this
allows the pilot to fly higher than usual, offering a wonderful view of the
scenery below. Taking off and landing on the water is pretty cool. |
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Back on the ship, we watch the once more hilarious finals of "Oosterdam
Superstar." Our Australian friends were sticking around for the $100,000 jackpot
bingo (which nobody ended up winning), but we weren't really in the mood for
letters and numbers. So, Tracy went to the cabin to relax, and Don headed to the
casino. Yep, Don likes to spend a bit of time at the gaming tables, this cruise
playing three-card Poker and (very low stakes) Texas Hold'em. He did pretty good
this trip, finishing on the plus side.
Another "formal" dinner evening. (On a side note, after we return home and
unpack, Don realizes that the black suit he took along was a mis-matched pair of
pants and jacket, and not actually his black suit... but that's another story
for another time.)
Day 8 - Friday
Port of call: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This was a bit of an odd stop
- the ship arrived at 6:00 pm, and the Gangway is raised for departure at 11:30
pm. So, not much time for sight-seeing if we also want to eat dinner.
Met up with Kevin, Maureen, Brian and Jill at 7:00 for dinner - because of the
port schedule, our floor of the main dining room is not open, but the lower
floor (used for the non-fixed seating diners) is open. Also joined by John and
Helen, a couple more Australians who our table-mates had gotten to know the
previous two weeks. We hadn't planned to go into Victoria, but they convinced us
that we should.
Jumped off the ship and took the shuttle bus into the city. Plenty to see, even
though the sun was long set. Lots of bicycle-carriages around, so we hopped into
one and a pleasant young girl gave us a half-hour tour of Victoria.
Back on the ship and, as always, the late hours of the final night on the cruise
are spent packing up. Luggage must be out in the hallway by 1:00 am.
Day 9 - Saturday
Port of call: Seattle, end of the line. Up and out of the cabin by about 7:30 am.
Breakfast at the buffet, and we're off the ship. We took advantage of a new
service offered by the cruise line... for a relatively small fee, our flight
boarding passes are already printed, and the luggage goes right from the hallway
outside our cabin door to the airport and into the airline's baggage service.
So, no waiting in the cruise terminal to find our bags and lugging them to the
airport.
Our flight wasn't until 1:30, so we had a few hours sitting at SeaTac.
Uneventful flight back to Atlanta... no luggage lost... drive from the airport
to Tracy's Mom's house to pick up the dogs - oh, we miss them when we're away!
But, we know they are in safe, loving hands.
Back Home
Overall, it was a great trip with spectacular weather. Our new Australian
friends were delightful, and helped make this vacation one of our best. An
Alaskan cruise is highly recommended, and taking the final cruise of the season
in late September turned out to be a great choice. |
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