Sawyer Glacier

At first I didn't understand the attraction of our surroundings as we sailed to Sawyer glacier, but once I was on deck I was amazed at the waterfalls, iceberg chunks littering the water, and occasional seal sightings! Our ship got as close as we could to the glacier then turned right around. What maneuverability! Did I just spell that correctly the first time?

This little guy appeared very close to our side and tread water on the surface for several seconds before disappearing in the water. Any wildlife sitings brought forth Giddy Ginny. I couldn't help get excited! During the course of our cruise, from our moving ship, I did manage to see a few flukes and dorsal ridges belonging to unknown species of whale. Still fun to see though!

Juneau

Juneau's adventures included a drive through town to the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center though we bypassed the center in favor of walking to Nugget Falls and the glacier. It is an estimated 45 minute walk round trip and we had about 45 minutes there till we were to be whisked to a hatchery tour. Children and our touristy sight seeing ways caused us to be in a rush to get back to our bus, but we made it.

The salmon run at the hatchery was completely filled with fat salmon fighting their way up. We enjoyed touch tanks (sea star, hermit crab, and sea cucumber) and aquarium. Click here for a live view!

After that we were transported to a salmon bake. It was all the fresh grilled salmon we could eat along with a campfire to roast marshmallows and a trail ending at a waterfall and abandoned mine.

Ketchikan

This Alaskan cruise felt different in that the entire cruise up through Alaska was spent with land views. The whole first day at sea we were struggling with Henry's shoes falling off. The velcro kept undoing. Thankfully the first building you come to when disembarking in Ketchikan was a store that sold shoes! Equipped with new shoes we were ready to explore the town.
Henry kept trying to feed this small totem a rock. Below is a picture of the boys and a totem in the visitor's center.
We didn't book any excursions, but knew there was a lumberjack show that we could see if we wanted to. And on getting it recommended to us by the store associate where we bought the shoes we decided to go. It was amazing watching them swing away with their axes so quickly. It was a good show.

Seattle Departure

We arrived in Seattle Friday night. Mom and Dad met us at the airport and we took a shuttle to a hotel. Saturday morning we woke up and took a van to Pier 66 to get onto the boat. It was a pleasant wait in the VIP Reception area while sipping on orange juice and snacking on cake. Lines, no thank you. We were escorted to Cagney's Steakhouse to enjoy a leisurely lunch while we waited for the go ahead to go to our room. It was nice exploring the deck and listening to the band as we disembarked from Seattle. The rest of the day included getting Bruce registered for the Kid's Crew and a mandatory boat drill. Kirk and I did go dancing in the evening.


The room was perfect for all 6 of us. There was a queen bed, a sofa sleeper, and pull down queen. Each sleeping area could be partitioned off with the curtains. It made naptime for Henry easy. Off to the right was where the dining table was located and when moved accommodated the pull down bed. We had just enough drawers for everyone's clothes. The bathroom included dual sinks with a tub and shower. Our cabin was located on the main level of the ship, deck 12. It was fantastic!

Alaska Whaa?

We recently went on an Alaskan Cruise with Mom and Dad Wing. It was AMAZING! Well, traveling with the boys was a bit stressful and packing conservatively for two different climates (possible rainy, chilly Alaska and dry, hot Utah) was a challenge. We planned to stop over in Utah following the cruise.

We've decided we cannot go on any cruises without Mom and Dad and their V.I.P status. The special banquet area while processing your paperwork to board the boat, reserved box seats, breakfast and lunch in a specialty restaurant, personal butler and concierge, and special escort as we're getting off the boat definitely spoiled us! I was very impressed with the staff's attention to the boys. They were friendly and accommodating. Bruce enjoyed the kids club. Kirk and I had plenty of opportunity to get out at night thanks to Mom and Dad.

For this trip, I was really hoping to see some whales. Let's be honest, it was to see whales and eat eat eat! Results...check and check!