It was a momentous day (August 19, 2006). My family and I (eh-hem), left from Seattle, Washington on a cruise to Alaska (we are just spoiled are we not?). The air was full of enthusiasm (our fist cruise). There was singing and dancing (play that Funky music…), yes music was blaring, trumpets sounding (it was the bomb). Visions of eagles soaring, whales surfacing, bears catching salmon, salmon spawning, glaciers shimmering, all came to my mind (well that’s what the brochure on the cruise ship showed). A summer in Alaska, yeah baby! We were finally sailing after many plans and arrangements crystallized. But as in all things, is not how things begin, it is how they end and everything that happens in the middle contributes to its culmination (Ecl 7:8).
The good, the bad and the ugly!
The GOOD: Food on the cruise was very tasty. In restaurants or food buffets, nothing looked out of the ordinary (as in disgusting, repulsive, strange etc.) It was well arranged and appealing. One could eat from a variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, desserts. Water was free (not bottled though). The staff was very cordial no one giving any reason to complain. Service in the restaurant we frequented was exceptional.
There were also some very nice gym facilities (my boys and I worked out every day because of the above food selections).
Entertainment was varied and there was something for everyone (we enjoyed listening to music, karaoke, dancing lessons and dancing afterwards, good conversation, we laughed a lot (good for the soul). We met new friends, it was great (hopefully they’ll remain in our lives for a long time to come (you know who you are)).
My boys really liked the trip.
I composed lots of photographs, some in my mind; others I stumbled upon, some were a visual feast.
The BAD: Food on the cruise was very tasty. You have absolutely no idea how it is being prepared (are they using hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup). If you are r trying to eat clean, this makes it difficult. I was told by a source in the cruise that on average folks on cruises gain an average of two pounds per day (that’s right 2 lbs per day). You could end up with a whopping fourteen (14) pound surplus at the end of the cruise. Bad! When out of things to do (you can only explore the ship so long) most folks head for the buffet, others end up with large tabs because they spend way too much time at the casino. Yep, you have to go the gym, dance a lot or else! I officially gained five pounds on this trip, although it was not just the cruise, I had a three week vacation, somewhere in there I lost track of my caloric intake.
The UGLY: Trip brochures lead you to believe that when on port stops you’ll see the wonders of Alaska, Canada etc. It is possible to see everything as pictured but you have to have way more money than I did or budgeted for. Excursions to see a tine bit of the wonders of these places were between $100.00 and $450.00. That mind you, was per person.
I was in shock (I was on the ship already so I could not bail out), I call this the cardiac arrest inducing phase of the trip (added to the food issue above). If you are an outdoors person like I am, the trip can be quite disappointing (unless of course you’re willing to spend the exorbitant amount of money needed for such excursions). Yes, it’s about budgeting, knowing what you’re getting into and not going over your head, but let’s face it, once you’re there, are you going to stay on the boat all the time (some folks did, that’s what they like and I guess they knew this ahead of time)?
I had to do something. I suggested we go on a helicopter ride. That was a fiasco (the flights were cancelled because of bad weather), yes summer in Alaska can be like our mild winters, a little bit of rain and wind, but enough to cause the pilots not to want to fly in such weather. Being stranded on a glacier or worst, crashing into the glacier can ruin your day! We went on a harbor cruise in Canada instead ($100.00 per person), for a couple of hours. We did see eagles. That should have been fine, I got so excited I missed the shot and the eagle is completely out of focus but the trees behind the eagle are tack sharp. I got to experience the eagle sighting any way. But it will be a fish story forever! :-)
The ports were tourist traps. Some of the stores or at least the staff members were part of the cruise staff. So you get it both ways. If you really want something local and unique, you must know what to look for and go out of you way. Which could be done, but remember if you take too long, you could be left behind (that can ruin your day as well). Everything is on some time constraint. You can’t take your time and really explore the place. Oh wait one minute, you can, avoid the whole cruise and fly there yourself. It’s cheaper.
The UGLY ll: I upset my wife on more than one occasion. I wanted to wake up early to see the sunrise while on the ship (we had a balcony), missed it cause of the weather and woke my entire family up in the process. Sorry honey,… I love you! The karaoke singing was just embarrassing but I’ll never see some of those folks again anyway (well, Ok, there will be some who will remind me about my encounter with a Nat King Cole song). We took dancing lessons. It was a lot of fun, except while beginning the lessons my wife felt dizzy and left the group. I stayed and danced with another partner (somebody should have pointed out to me that when my wife said she was not feeling well, she meant, we, we are not feeling well! Dumb, dumb, dumb!). Is there a book out there Cruising for Dummies? Anyone? I gave my wife as a present, a spa session on the ship (she came out looking like a queen, relaxed etc.) I was trying to redeem myself for all the trouble I caused her. :-) That was expensive (Ok, she is worth it!).
While talking to a friend of mine about the experience I found out that her family spent twice as much as I did, I guess I should lick my wounds and learn from the experience. I will not, on second thought, we will not be going on an Alaskan cruise any time soon. We have to recover from this one. It was not a complete flop (see the section on the GOOD). But I can’t recommend it to folks that are like minded (outdoorsy).
It is my desire to say that I really liked the cruise. After all, I spent a good chunk of change. Let’s see, let’s try it: I really liked the cruise!……………
I can’t (see the BAD and the UGLY), I feel I’m not telling the truth.
Ok, let’s try this: I hated the cruise!…………….
Can’t do that either (see the GOOD and some of my photos). Let’s try this. If you like being on a sea faring hotel, eating and drinking, don’t much care about the scenery or the weather, this trip is for you. If you do care about the scenery or the weather and have lots of money, this trip is for you. Otherwise plan your own trip (this is what we have always done), and do your own thing. Above or right, a typical glacier view, wait one minute, when did I get to Disneyland.. in Alaska!
All photographs present and future for this post are a tribute to the GOOD (and not wanting to give up and admit defeat either).
To all my friends new and old, Cheers! Pictured here are Rachel (my wife), Linda, Sue, Ashley, Karina and Melissa.
P.S. If you have taken a cruise like this one and have enjoyed it completely, my intent is not to diminish your experience. I’m just conveying my experience. Don’t let the photographs influence you either way. They are what I saw, some took some determination to capture, you mileage may vary! No, it will vary! This post will keep growing.
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