Alaska Cruise

On August 1st we left for an Alaska cruise on Princess Cruises. We boarded the Golden Princess in Seattle. Wes found out that he was able to go only a couple of weeks before and I was so excited. We had pretty much given up hope of him going because he is still on probation but his training officer was amazing and got the time off for him. He had to find a flight last minute and so the whole time we were traveling I kept worrying that he wasn't going to make it. I finally calmed down once he walked on the ship. The fun could finally begin. We knew so many people on that ship. We counted and found out that we knew over 60 people. It was great knowing so many people and always seeing a friendly face wherever you went. The ports of call were amazing and I am so glad that we got a taste of Alaska.

Juneau, AK was the first port and we decided to go sea kayaking. I have never been before so I thought that Alaska would be the perfect place to try it. They were double kayaks so Wes and I were paired up. I was a little nervous but once we were on the water it was ok. The water was super could but we were pretty protected so we didn't get too wet. We got to see some bald eagles and a lot of fish. At the end of our tour we got to see some seals. I can't believe anything can live in that water, I don't think I have ever felt anything so cold! It was an amazing experience and I think that I might try it again.

on the bus ride to go kayaking

the beautiful Golden Princess

Skagway, AK was great and what it is famous for is the White Pass which is the route that old travelers and explorers took. It was so pretty and we got to see some mountain goats on the way up and the way back. We then got to walk around town which reminded me of an old western town. The salmon were running there and it was so cool to see all of the fish swimming up the river. We were there for the perfect time to see them. There were so many fish in the stream you could just reach in and grab one.

White Pass

During the cruise there was one day where we sailed through Tracy Arm Fjord. It was scenic cruising and it was beautiful. We had to wake up pretty early and it was cold outside but we had a balcony in our room so it was nice to just wake up and go outside. We got to see a lot of amazing this such as icebergs and glaciers. It was awesome and we really felt like we were seeing Alaska.

you can see where the sea water and the glacier water meet

my niece Bridget

a glacier

One of our favorite things to do onboard the ship is play BINGO. I am not a gambler but there are plenty of people that we were with that do and they always need an extra stamper so that's where I come in. No one won the big pot this time but maybe next time.

Ketchikan, AK was the next stop and it was my favorite town in Alaska. I loved Creek St. were the buildings are built right on the stream. They had such cool little shops but we were only there a half a day so we just walked around the town and saw some of the sights. In the stream on Creek St the salmon were running there and we were able to see a bald eagle catch a fish and fly away with it. So Cool! We got a lot of shopping done there and it is a place that we definitely want to go back some day.

a bald eagle catching a fish

Creek St.

Our last port of the trip was Victoria, BC. We were only there for a couple of hours so we had to pick what we really wanted to see. I heard that the Buchart Gardens were amazing and something that we had to see while we were there so we jumped off the ship into a taxi and headed over there. It was getting dark so we had to run through the gardens in order to see everthing but it was worth it. It was completely amazing and totally worth it. The flowers were so pretty, I just wish that we can go back one day to really get the full experience.

All in all the cruise was amazing. We had so much fun with all of our friends and family. It was a great end to the summer and we were so lucky for the amazing weather that we had. I would definilty plan a trip to go back one day and would recommend the trip to anyone.