Holy Colee!

Saturday morning we woke up in Seattle. It was a totally relaxed morning. We were in no hurry to get off the ship and had all the time in the world to get to the airport. We had breakfast and then watched the dockworkers unload no fewer than 5 semi loads of food for the next cruise. We spent a bit of time waiting in the Seattle rain waiting for our shuttle. Got to the airport and realized we’d left one of our bags back at the port. Oops. Of course, NCL was on top of it. Before we were even out of the airport, they called us to arrange to get it shipped back to home. The flight home was a little bumpy again, and I still giggled at Rex and Wayne, getting just a little more nervous. The landing even included a good sized bounce. Good fun, I tell you, good fun. They have never been more happy to see SLC than they were that night. Regardless of what they tell you, they had a really good time. They spent a whole week completely outside of their comfort zones, but they still enjoyed it.
I was home and doing laundry by 830, and the Dingle crew made it home at about midnight. Yay for having family you can spend a whole week with and still love at the end! It was such a good time.

Kim, your dad says next time, you can come with and he’ll keep your kids ;) I say we hold him to it!

Friday, in the words of our great Captain Gunnar, the weather was not with us. We were traveling through a front, but one that seemed to be following us. The waves were big enough and the wind rough enough that they actually closed most of the decks. The crew spent most of the day trying to find a place that they could feel the waves the least. I spent my day counting my blessings, including that apparently, I don’t get seasick. I didn’t take a Dramamine, put on a weird little patch, or use the sea bands. I just never got sick. As it turns out, a few of them are still feeling a little dizzy today. Did I mention, I am counting my blessings? Friday night was the farewell show from the dance troupe and the crew of the ship. My hat goes off to the team. They did an absolutely awesome job. 15,000 meals a day, and running an 1,100 room hotel while it moves through the ocean, keeping everyone entertained, fed, buzzed, and safe – what a job!

Thursday was another sleep in day. Since the weather was starting to turn pretty windy, it was a good day to sleep in. We played a little more Bingo – still didn’t win – and watched a movie. Prince Rupert was pretty much like wandering around Montpelier. You’d never guess it is the 2nd biggest commercial shipping port on the west coast. Mostly because that was on the other side of town and not really something they feel the cruisers are interested in. Our shore excursion here was Ancient Songs and Stories of the Tamishian People. I am a geek, and I like stories. It was fun to learn new ones. We kept thinking Wayne should have come with us, so he could have some new material. :)

Wednesday we were in Skagway. It was also our first day of rain. We met for breakfast for Donna’s birthday. Happy Birthday Donna! :) After breakfast we made our way out to the train. Yeah, I had totally forgotten to move the pictures from my camera to my computer. I got 1 picture in before I was told my memory was full. The good news is, there were at least 3 other camera’s on the trip and they are all better photographers than I am. I spent most of the trip trying not to fall off the edge of the thousand foot direct drop offs. Did I mention that I have a reoccurring nightmare of driving off the edge of a canyon? Ok, while all of that is true, I actually really enjoyed the views and the ride.
When we got back into town, I drug mom to a pizza joint for lunch. I needed a break from ship food. While it really was great, I just needed a break. It was a total dive, but the pizza was quite possibly the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. I don’t even know if it had a crust, there was sooo much cheese. It really is the simple things that make me happy.
After wandering around Skagway, we got back on ship and had enough time for Mom to call Cannon. I am not sure who missed the other one more. He was very sure to tell her who won Big Brother, which I understand mom has managed to get Cannon AND Daniel hooked on. Go Mom :)
At Rex’s second round of Bingo, he had won a spa certificate. Since he had not prepared with a swimsuit, they gave it to Mom and I and we took advantage of the semiprivate spa and relaxation room. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love a hot bath, well, what is a Jacuzzi if not an even better version of a hot bath??? The windows of the spa were at the rear of the ship, so we kicked back and watched the shore move further and further away. Thanks Rex and Nancy for giving us your prize. After the spa we went to dinner at the sushi restaurant – The Ginza. The dinner was good, the dessert was odd. I am still not sure what mochi ice cream is. Once you got inside the gummy shell, it was pretty darn tasty.
I think my favorite onboard activity happened Wednesday night. They announced it simply as a chocoholic’s buffet. Well, how do you miss chocolate? What I didn’t know was just how many ways chocolate can be enjoyed. The mousse, the cake, the chocolate covered fruit, chocolate fountain, chocolate shells on mocha chocolate mouse cupcakes, chocolate apples (imagine caramel apple only better) and the sculptures, and decorations, and flowers and…..I am pretty sure it was a preview of what heaven will be like. The only thing is, 11 pm is too late to actually eat that much chocolate, soooo breakfast was a continuation of the pure bliss from the night before. The pictures don’t do it justice. You’ll just have to imagine; unless, of course, you’ve been there.

Tuesday we were in Juneau. It was not quite as lovely as the day before, but it was still very pleasant. We did a little bit of shopping, but mostly just exploring the town. Did you know that Mt Roberts has over 300 miles of mining track? The highway that runs through Juneau is 26 miles with a dead end on both sides. Seems a little backwards, eh?
We didn’t have as long to spend here, so we walked the group down to the museum, and then Mom and I went back to catch our bus to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. OH MY GOODNESS. I know it’s just fish, but this was amazing. Fresh caught, cooked over an open fire in a grill cage and covered with a pineapple brown sugar glaze. It brought a tear to my eye. The area was beautiful and it was just a great meal, kicked back feeling. It was so kicked back I wasn’t even worried when the shuttle came to pick us up 20 minutes late. We got back to the ship and were literally the second to last persons back on before they pulled up the gangway.
After Juneau, the ship made its way up the Tracy Arm toward Sawyer Glacier. This was by far the prettiest leg of the trip. The water was a creamy dark green and the hills, oh the hills. You’d think we had never seen mountains before. We made it as far as we could until there was too much ice for the ship to keep going. The captain and pilot did a great job.
Tonight the show was called Cirque Pacific. It was a combination of the singing and dance troupe and the Chinese acrobats….it was really a good show, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I did not love it. It was just too much all at the same time. It went from ballet to Irish dance to feats of strength to plate twirling to stomp all in the same show. I like each of them, in their own right, but together it was just confusing.

Monday we were in Ketchikan. The weather was completely amazing. They get 256 days of rain on average in Ketchikan, and it was such a beautiful day, I managed to get sunburned. We spent most of the day wandering between the jewelry stores. They were handing out gemstones and pendants and stuff and we were being the most touristy of tourists. The next time I am there, I will book more shore excursions. I love tours, and wish we had done a little more of that. I did really enjoy The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. I could have easily taken a couple of the lumberjacks home ;) Instead, my souvenir is the ring Kelly couldn’t help herself from bargaining for. She loves a challenge and getting $130 rings for only $30 was a victory. She was trying for $20, but she got pretty darn close.
Back on ship we spent the lovely weather outside on the deck, playing cards and watching for whales. We did see a couple of different pods of Orcas as well as dolphins. None of them stuck around long enough to get pictures.
Our waiter at dinner that night was hilarious. His name was Ernesto. He was great. I think the funniest part was how funny he thought he was. He was definitely laughing at his own jokes, which is why I was laughing. The next few nights when our group went for dinner, they either asked to be in his section or he came over to visit anyway.
After dinner we went to see the Chinese acrobats. I am pretty uncoordinated, so watching them made me more jealous than normal, I think.

Sunday was our day at sea. We took full advantage by sleeping in and having room service for breakfast. We found the rest of our group out on the deck and decided to explore the ship. We lost half of them when they started snooping around the 14th floor penthouse suites. So, Mom, Rex and I went to play BINGO. We did not win. We lost Rex’s interest when we went to the shopping seminar. We learned more about diamonds and gemstones than I have ever wanted or needed to know. Apparently, jewelry shopping is a big thing in Alaska. And since we were in the last 2 weeks of the season, the deals were going to be even more AMAZING! Too bad I am not really in the market for diamonds, eh? I must admit, I did fall in love with the blue diamonds… hint hint – anyone looking to butter me up.
After a couple of diamond workshops we discovered The Versaille. Not the real one – duh. It is one of the 11 restaurants on the ship. This is where Mom’s love affair with chilled fruit soup started. I am pretty sure she had chilled soup with every dinner for the rest of the week. My love affair was with the French bread. It really was THAT good. This is also the day I decided I was going to enjoy the food and take my chances with my gall bladder. I am a terrible patient. Just because I KNOW you are worrying now, I have had no issues since I was diagnosed.
After dinner we went to see the Jean Anne Ryan Company’s tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was much fun. I think I have found a job for a couple of my friends though. Jazz Hands!

We started our journey early Saturday morning. The Dingle crew had come down the night before so we could be at the airport at 630. Everything went very smoothly, which is a good thing when you’re flying with people who have never or rarely flown before. The ride was a little bumpy, but just enough to make the uncles nervous. I have to admit I giggled under my breath watching them cling tightly to the seats in front of them.
When we got to Seattle we had a little time waiting for our shuttle. We made friends with the pigeon who was wandering around the shuttle stop. Justin had him, literally, eating out of his hand before we left. Our shuttle driver was a little nuts, and a terrible driver, but he managed to get us there safely. We made it through the boarding process and even found our way up to lunch. I’m not gonna lie, it felt like an accomplishment.
After we were allowed into our rooms, we dumped the carry-ons and went up to the pool deck for the bon voyage BBQ. This event prompted the question that has been on my mind ever since. How much alcohol is consumed on the average cruise?
That night we went to the Stardust Lounge for the kick off show. The entertainment was amazing. We could tell it was going to be a great week.