On the road again…this time all by myself
Way back in 2002, Kathleen and I took our first international trip. To celebrate turning 50, we took a two-week trip to Italy. Before that journey, I had never been outside the United States, except for a short weekend trip to Canada for our first anniversary. Since…
Day 7—Disembarkation and Rounding It All Up
I guess before I round up the entire trip, I need to mention disembarkation. It, like embarkation, was one of our best ever. Because we were in a suite, we didn’t have to wait for a luggage announcement. We finished breakfast, took our carry-on bags to the Retreat…
Day 6 Bonus—a hilarious celebration
Just a short post to wrap up day six. It had been a nice day in Ketchikan, but it was about to become a hilarious night on board. About halfway through dinner, our butler, Hilario, sent me a WhatsApp message asking how long it would be until we returned to our suite….
Day 6—Ketchikan
Well, it happened. We got a tan in Ketchikan. Sunshine is almost unheard of in this town, and this is the third time we have found it here. Every other time, it has been rainy and cold. But yesterday was wonderful. We awoke to bright sunshine and an announcement at…
Day 5-Juneau
We have been to Juneau on all 12 of our previous Alaskan cruises, so going back there would be pretty much the same for us. Most of those visits just involved getting off the ship and walking around downtown. Maybe we would take the cable car tram to the top of the…
Day 4—Hubbard Glacier
Sometimes when I am doing a live blog like this, it is hard to remember the day before yesterday. Especially when you have a really big excursion on the intervening day. Yesterday we were in Juneau and went out whale watching but that’s a story for tomorrow. Today is…
Day 3—Icy Strait Point
Way back in August 2007, we last visited Icy Strait Point. Back then, it was a tiny tourist attraction featuring two things: the longest (at the time) zip line in the world and an old cannery that had been turned into a museum. Here we are, just under 20 years later,…
Solstice Day 2—A Sad Sea Day & Your First Food Report
For years, I have been telling people that you are much better off taking an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver rather than Seattle. One of the main reasons is the Canadian Inside Passage. This is our 13th Alaska cruise and our eighth (I think) from Vancouver, and it is…
Solstice Day 1—Embarkation
Good day to all of you! It’s a sea day (haven’t had one of those in a while), and we are sailing up the Canadian Inside Passage (which is usually like glass) on a cloudy day. After the 80+ degree temps in Vancouver yesterday, this is welcome weather to me. First, I…
North to Alaska…one more time
We are hitting the road again this weekend, and it will be fun. We have decided to take a Celebrity cruise on the newly refurbished Celebrity Solstice. It’s a round-trip sailing out of Vancouver and includes stops in Icy Strait Point (AKA Hoonah), Juneau and…