North to Alaska, Part I

Marlowe as we left Seattle

My late husband, Ed, always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska. I admit I wasn’t too enthusiastic. However, now having been on a cruise to Alaska, I realize how wrong I was. A cruise to Alaska is a blast, especially if you are going with family.

My oldest son Marlowe invited me to go on a cruise to Alaska with him, and even took care of my
trip from Salt Lake City to Seattle where he lives. We went on a 7-day Holland America Cruise, stopping in Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan and ending up in Victoria before returning to Seattle.

What is a cruise like? No cooking, cleaning, or picking up for a week is one biggie. As well as no gardening, no wi-fi or phone except in port, and fabulous food. But there is far more fun than just that!

We boarded our cruise on Sunday afternoon, after I attending church with Marlowe and his family; I heard Marlowe and his daughter sing in the choir. We took Lyft (an alternative to a taxi), and dropped our stuff in the room before going to dinner.

Food on a Cruise

Marlowe & Beth at Gala Night

There were several options to eating on a cruise—

1. The Lido deck (on the 8^th floor), a perpetual buffet with food almost all day and half the night
2. The formal dining room (call La Fontaine on our ship), where you could eat breakfast and dinner at certain times of the day, plus several Gala Nights where formal wear was requested
3. Specialty dining room where you paid extra to eat there. Ours were the Canaletto Restaurant, where you had authentic Italian food, and the Pinnacle Grill where you had steak and seafood in an intimate setting
4. There were several fun events, like the “Klondike Gold Rush Dinner,” “Alaska Lumberjack Sail away & Salmon Bake,” and “An Ice Cream Social” (with ice sculpturing)
5. There were also some cafes where you could get drinks and coffee throughout the ship. 

I loved the convenience of the Lido deck food, especially when we had to be on the dock at 7:45 a.m., but the elegant food of the formal Dining Room was nice, especially the steak and lobster night.

Activities

The hot tub

People have asked me what I did all day when we were at sea—everything! During the day, there were craft classes, cooking classes, lectures about the upcoming port, fitness classes in the workout room, Microsoft classes, newly released DVD movies in the theater that you could see next day on your room TV, seminars on painters, “Name that Tune” and other trivia games, line dance classes, art auctions, Bingo—indeed you might say, you didn’t have time to do all the activities.

At night there was Karaoke, piano bar entertainers, Showtime with the Amsterdam singers and dancers, magicians, comedians, singers, music and dancing—you name it, there were all kinds of entertainment—often geared to the port, so no one was bored onboard.

And of course there was also shopping, shopping, shopping onboard the shops, with special sales. Whether you were looking for something inexpensive or very expensive, souvenirs or diamonds.

There was also the Greenhouse Spa, with various seminars from feet, to backs, to flawless skin, acupuncture, teeth whitening, as well as all the services of the spa. As soon as we were underway on the ship, I began to get dizzy (I have a middle ear problem), so one of the first things I did was get an acupuncture treatment to deal with it. In addition to the regular acupuncture, she left four small beads in the folds of my ear. I had no further problem, even when the seas got rough as a storm hit as we were going to Sitka. It was a small price to pay to have no problem with my balance during the cruise.

I took several of the craft classes (and made envelopes and cards from Alaska magazines), a few cooking classes, some “Location Guides” where I could learn about the history of the upcoming port,

I took several Digital Workshop Classes to learn about Microsoft features like Photo Gallery,

MovieMaker, Cortana, One-Drive and even several Q&A sessions, where you could meet with the Digital Workshop host and she would answer your individual computer or Windows problems. But then everyone knows I’m a technology nerd.  I was surprised how full the classes were.

Atmosphere of the Ship

Being onboard was like being in a luxury hotel, with far more amenities. Several pools, a hot tub, gorgeous artwork everywhere, game rooms and a casino, with lots of seats to just watch the ocean.

Port Excursions

Marlowe & Beth in Sitka

Some people go on cruises for the excursions, and I can see why! There are hundreds of excursions, from flying on a seaplane or helicopter to see the sights, tours of the local towns, underground mine and gold panning, tramways to see over the scenery. There were even Zipline expeditions, dry-suit snorkeling (yes, in Alaska), sled dog and musher’s camps, kayaking, bike or extended hikes, wildlife quests, whale-sighting adventures, jetboat expeditions, guided fly fishing expedition, floatplane flights over the magnificent Misty Fjords (the only way to see them), deep sea fishing, backcountry jeep & canoe safari, off-road adventures—there were too many to choose from. The more adventuresome and exotic they were, the more they caught.

Marlowe allowed me to choose which expeditions we went on, as this was “my” cruise, indicating that someday he’d be back and do his own thing, while I probably never would. I love history and nature, so most of the excursions I picked were based on that.

In Juneau, we went to the Mendenhall Glacier, Rainforest Gardens, and took a trip via the Mt.

Mendenhall Glacier

Roberts’ Tramway to an eagle raptor’s nest.  We saw the city down below from an eagle’s view while learning about the Juneau gold-mining history.

The Hubbard Glacier was not a port, but a close view of the majestic Hubbard Glacier near Kodiak, where we had Dutch Pea Soup and hot chocolate while we enjoyed the glacier. Marlowe and I kept trying to find the best place to view the glacier, so Marlowe’s fitbit recorded the 29 flights of stairs he walked (or ran) up that day, as well as the 16,000 steps he made. As we left the glacier, they hosted a polar bear plunge in the Lido pool for those crazy enough to do so. Obviously, we didn’t. I enjoyed the hot tub!

Beth taking photos of the Hubbard Glacier

In Sitka, the Russian capital of Alaska, we went on a nature hike, visited bears, saw the salmon going upstream, and learned about Sitka’s history. All of this was done in driving rain, but it didn’t deter us or negate our enjoyment. We learned a great deal about the native Tlingit natives and that was fascinating.

Marlowe mimicking a totem

In Ketchikan, we took a Cultural Discovery
Excursion, learned a lot about native culture, saw the Totem Heritage Center, and explored the Potlatch Park, including a fully recreated native Alaskan village, and saw how they carved the totem poles. I really enjoyed the history and understanding of the culture, including how you got into the clan house.

Our final port, Victoria, British Columbia, was different as we arrived in the evening, so Marlowe and I decided to tour the Empress Hotel, Parliament Buildings, and go on a haunted tour of Victoria—on foot. Luckily it was a beautiful, warm night and we learned more history than being scared. Instead of high tea at the Empress Hotel, I bought a miniature tea set for my collection.

Beth & Marlowe in front of the Victorian Parliament

Marlowe & Beth as we came aboard

Marlowe by entrance to the clan house

Potlatch Park--a Tlinget Clan House