We went on an Alaskan cruise in May! This was supposed to be a birthday present for my father-in-law two years ago, but it was delayed because of Covid. Thankfully, we were finally able to make the dream happen. It's already been over six weeks since we returned home, and I'm just now getting around to sorting through photos and trying to share them online. There were many highs and lows throughout the trip, but overall we had an excellent time and made some wonderful memories.
We flew up to Seattle on a Sunday, boarded Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas on a Monday, and set sail. Our first port was Sitka, where Barkley and I went kayaking (my very first time). It was tranquil, peaceful, and beautiful, and I was terrified the entire time. Absolutely nerve-wracked that the kayak was going to tip over at any second or that we were going to crash into our fellow kayakers. We didn't! Phew.
Our next port was Icy Strait Point. All we did was get off the ship and walk around the shops, as there wasn't much there if you didn't have an excursion booked. Barkley and his dad attempted to teach Stuntman how to skip rocks, and I think that was the most memorable part of the day. Oh, and Grandpa got Curly-girl a new polar bear, and Stuntman got a new octopus.
Our third port of call was Juneau. We arrived in the pouring rain and just barely made it to our bus without getting completely soaked. Luckily, the rain subsided, and we had lovely weather for the rest of the day while we went whale watching!
Over the course of a two-hour boat ride, we saw several whales. That, or one whale several times. They kept their distance from the boats, so the only pictures and video I captured are pretty tiny, but I can now say I'm part of the 1% of the world's population that has seen a whale in the wild (or so my tour guide told me.)
After the boat ride, we went to an authentic Salmon Bake with, you guessed it, grilled salmon and a buffet of other yummy goodness. The atmosphere was so cozy, with picnic tables, twinkle lights, space heaters, and live music. Just a short walk up a hill beside a flowing stream was a gorgeous waterfall and a historic mine.
On Saturday, we sailed the entire day, and it was a bit of a blur for me as I ended up with a migraine that I couldn't shake. I spent a lot of that day resting. By Sunday, I was feeling a bit better, and we ventured into Victoria, British Columbia. We docked at 5 pm and had to be back on the ship by 9:30 pm, so we didn't plan to do much. We took a taxi into town, and after stopping to drop us off, the taxi driver nearly took off while Curly-girl was still in the backseat because he didn't realize that we were still slowly climbing out of the car. That terrifying moment aside, the rest of the evening was splendid.
We took a carriage ride with a tour of the historic neighborhood that also passed the harbor and parliament building. Goodness, they just don't make architecture that beautiful these days. After a short taxi back to the ship, Barkley, Curly-girl, and I took a long walk on a pier while Grandpa and Stuntman returned to the ship. (Stuntman didn't want to leave the kids' play area if he could avoid it. He had the most fun playing games in Adventure Ocean.)
Monday morning, we docked in Seattle and said goodbye to Grandpa as he had a flight to catch. We found our way to our hotel and then crashed for a little bit since my head was starting to hurt, and I was afraid it was going to turn into another migraine. Around lunchtime, we drove our rental car to the Public Market, but when we couldn't find parking, we drove back to the hotel and then walked back to the Public Market. Talk about tourism adventures. After walking through the crowded market, we stopped at The Virginia Inn for lunch, then grabbed Starbucks on our walk back to the hotel. Multiple times we narrowly avoided a man shouting a stream of expletives as he walked up and down alleyways, somehow always near us no matter how many times we redirected. (Have I mentioned I'm not a city girl?) My heart was racing the entire time, and I didn't handle the stress well.
My migraine returned in full force, putting a damper on the day. I spent the next few hours trying desperately to get rid of my migraine while Barkley and the kids napped and watched TV in the tiny hotel room. I think that will remain in my memory as the lowlight of the entire trip. By dinnertime, I was able to muster up the energy to go out, and we made our way to the Space Needle. Somehow, I managed my migraine and my fear of heights, and I can now say I've been to the Space Needle, and I am satisfied for life.
That's all! We flew home the following day, and I've been doing laundry ever since. (Yes, it's been over six weeks.) If you'd like to see video clips from our trip, you can check out my Instagram profile and then click on the Travel/Alaska highlights!
With love,
Stephanie
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