Skagway, AK - Went on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad this morning. 3 1/2 hour train ride through gorgeous country. Started out cloudy, but cleared off nicely. I think we went over 3000 total pics!
Went back to ship for lunch, then headed into town. Did a little more souvenir shopping (need another bag to carry on for the trip home!). Stopped at the Red Onion for drinks. Very cool place, an old brothel, where the waitresses and bartenders dress the part. Decor is a collection of antique bed pans! Rest assured, there are pics!
Then went to Skagway Brewing company for chili cheese fries and drinks, before returning to the ship.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Glaciers!
Glacier Bay, AK - very foggy/low cloud cover all night. Every time I woke up, I couldn't see beyond the balcony! Woke up to much clearer skies. Sailed into Glacier Bay mid morning. Spent our time on the Lido deck, running from side to side, and front of ship. Stood out in the cold and rain. Margorie Glacier was very close, and was calving small pieces, pretty exciting!
Last formal night, and photos. They turned out so good!
College Fjord, AK - saw all of the glaciers named after ivy league colleges. You can see one after another! It was another dreary day, rain and clouds, bit simply amazing!
Went to another presentation by the onboard naturalist (seems to be where we catch a quick nap!). Then finalized our packing.
Last dinner in dining room, took pics with our waiters, and had baked Alaska for dessert.
Off the ship at 6:10 in the morning!
Last formal night, and photos. They turned out so good!
College Fjord, AK - saw all of the glaciers named after ivy league colleges. You can see one after another! It was another dreary day, rain and clouds, bit simply amazing!
Went to another presentation by the onboard naturalist (seems to be where we catch a quick nap!). Then finalized our packing.
Last dinner in dining room, took pics with our waiters, and had baked Alaska for dessert.
Off the ship at 6:10 in the morning!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Juneau, AK
Juneau, AK - What a day! First, forecast for showers, and mid 50's. Nope, we have clouds with a bit of sun peeking out off and on. We were layered up, just in case, and ended up sweating our butts of while in town.
The absolute highlight of the trip so far was whale watching! We saw about 8 or so Orcas, watching them for along while. THEN, Humpbacks! Huge groups of them! 7-8 at a time, several tail flaps, one breaching! Absolutely amazing!!
Mendenhall Glacier was next. Impressive, but I'm sure what's to come will surpass that. Followed that with some shopping, and a stop at the world famous Red Dog Saloon. Had appetizer and a glacier martini. The guys seem to enjoy the Alaska Amber, locally brewed.
Back to the cabin early evening, ate supper on the lido deck, and watched a movie under the stars, until we were frozen.
Tomorrow is Skagway. It will be a couple days of us being off-grid, so I'll be in touch on Wednesday! Pics to follow on Facebook.
The absolute highlight of the trip so far was whale watching! We saw about 8 or so Orcas, watching them for along while. THEN, Humpbacks! Huge groups of them! 7-8 at a time, several tail flaps, one breaching! Absolutely amazing!!
Mendenhall Glacier was next. Impressive, but I'm sure what's to come will surpass that. Followed that with some shopping, and a stop at the world famous Red Dog Saloon. Had appetizer and a glacier martini. The guys seem to enjoy the Alaska Amber, locally brewed.
Back to the cabin early evening, ate supper on the lido deck, and watched a movie under the stars, until we were frozen.
Tomorrow is Skagway. It will be a couple days of us being off-grid, so I'll be in touch on Wednesday! Pics to follow on Facebook.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Ketchikan, AK - what a glorious day! This place gets more rain than anywhere else in the US. We had sunshine and temp was 67. Didn't need the long underwear that I had on!
Dave and John had their salmon fishing tour, while Teresa and I shopped & did some sightseeing. The guys caught 3 nice size salmon, which are on their way to Illinois. Teresa and I left ship at 8:30. Needed a place with WiFi, so we could update everyone. First place we saw was The Asylum, a bar, which we decided would work fine. A great Bloody Mary, a group of America's sailors on leave, and we thought about just staying there! But, we had things to see and gifts to buy!
Went to Creek Street, which is where the ladies would try to "sell their affections" in the days of the gold rush. All of the old bordellos are now gift shops. The actual creek was filled with dead salmon that had swam upriver to spawn. It did not smell good!
Had to be back onboard by 1:30, so we started back. Stopped by the bar again for a Duck Fart shot! Crown Royal, Kahlua and Baileys, wow. When I get a chest cold, this is what I'm drinking, just saying!
Met the guys onboard for lunch, and another beverage. Today's special is the Grizzly Bear, and I liked it! Went to the naturalist talk on whales, then got ready for dinner early, so we could be on deck for whale sightings. I didn't see too much, the back of one as it broke water, but it became quite comical to watch people run from one side of the ship to the other! Just point, or holler, and ever one would come running!
Another great dinner, then saw the comedian, who was really good. Heading to bed, but they announced that the northern lights might be possible to see. Spent an hour waiting on deck, freezing to death, before we gave up.
Tomorrow is Juneau, and our whale watching tour. Supposed to be cloudy and chance of rain, but we've been lucky so far!
Tomorrow is our last stop before a couple days at sea. I'll try to update then.
Dave and John had their salmon fishing tour, while Teresa and I shopped & did some sightseeing. The guys caught 3 nice size salmon, which are on their way to Illinois. Teresa and I left ship at 8:30. Needed a place with WiFi, so we could update everyone. First place we saw was The Asylum, a bar, which we decided would work fine. A great Bloody Mary, a group of America's sailors on leave, and we thought about just staying there! But, we had things to see and gifts to buy!
Went to Creek Street, which is where the ladies would try to "sell their affections" in the days of the gold rush. All of the old bordellos are now gift shops. The actual creek was filled with dead salmon that had swam upriver to spawn. It did not smell good!
Had to be back onboard by 1:30, so we started back. Stopped by the bar again for a Duck Fart shot! Crown Royal, Kahlua and Baileys, wow. When I get a chest cold, this is what I'm drinking, just saying!
Met the guys onboard for lunch, and another beverage. Today's special is the Grizzly Bear, and I liked it! Went to the naturalist talk on whales, then got ready for dinner early, so we could be on deck for whale sightings. I didn't see too much, the back of one as it broke water, but it became quite comical to watch people run from one side of the ship to the other! Just point, or holler, and ever one would come running!
Another great dinner, then saw the comedian, who was really good. Heading to bed, but they announced that the northern lights might be possible to see. Spent an hour waiting on deck, freezing to death, before we gave up.
Tomorrow is Juneau, and our whale watching tour. Supposed to be cloudy and chance of rain, but we've been lucky so far!
Tomorrow is our last stop before a couple days at sea. I'll try to update then.
Friday, September 12, 2014
We have arrived!
We are here! Raining when we left Chicago, but ended up being a good flight. A couple "beverages" later, we were in Vancouver. Shuttle to cruise terminal was informative, it's a beautiful city. And then there's the first sighting of the Island Princess, and she is impressive! Straight to our mini-suites, to check them out. Very nice! Balcony is bigger than anticipated, but I think the best part is this huge balcony on the front of the ship, which no one seems to know about. We are the third cabin from the front of the ship, so we check out this area every morning and evening.
Weather, so far has been great! Low 70's, sunny, light breeze, beautiful evenings, and a gorgeous moon last night. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 55 and cloudy, but no rain forecasted, yay!
This morning we had our first wild life sighting! Stepped out onto the balcony at 7:04 (just missed sunrise by 10 min) and saw several Dall porpoises playing off the starboard side. Very cool! Then this afternoon we saw a couple sea lions.
Dave has enjoyed the dining room more than I expected. The dressing up is a whole other thing though. Thursday evening was our first formal night, with portraits prior. That also wasn't his favorite thing, but he did it for me 😊!
Saw our first show in the Princess Theater, then to bed. Early morning in Ketchikan on Friday. Guys are going fishing and we are touring/shopping. I'll update you Saturday, when we get to Juneau.
Can't get my pics to pull in from the phone, so I will post them direct to Facebook.
Weather, so far has been great! Low 70's, sunny, light breeze, beautiful evenings, and a gorgeous moon last night. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 55 and cloudy, but no rain forecasted, yay!
This morning we had our first wild life sighting! Stepped out onto the balcony at 7:04 (just missed sunrise by 10 min) and saw several Dall porpoises playing off the starboard side. Very cool! Then this afternoon we saw a couple sea lions.
Dave has enjoyed the dining room more than I expected. The dressing up is a whole other thing though. Thursday evening was our first formal night, with portraits prior. That also wasn't his favorite thing, but he did it for me 😊!
Saw our first show in the Princess Theater, then to bed. Early morning in Ketchikan on Friday. Guys are going fishing and we are touring/shopping. I'll update you Saturday, when we get to Juneau.
Can't get my pics to pull in from the phone, so I will post them direct to Facebook.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Ready, Set, Go!
Alright, a little over 12 hours from our flight. Bags are packed and we are ready to go! All luggage is loaded in the car, and each one is well below the weight limit, yay!!
We are on the road to Chicago. Flight out of O'Hare to Vancouver, tomorrow morning, then sailing on the Island Princess for 7 days, followed by a 5 day land tour in Alaska.
Sailing all day Thursday, with our first stop at Ketchikan, Friday morning. I'll check in then!
We are on the road to Chicago. Flight out of O'Hare to Vancouver, tomorrow morning, then sailing on the Island Princess for 7 days, followed by a 5 day land tour in Alaska.
Sailing all day Thursday, with our first stop at Ketchikan, Friday morning. I'll check in then!
Friday, September 5, 2014
Mini Trip
So, here we are, a short 5 days from the vacation of our dreams. We have to finish packing, close the pool, empty the fridge, take out trash, pay bills, etc. But first, we are getting bowling lessons and trying out new equipment. (I know that means new equipment in the Eskew household soon). Traveled to Sheboygan last night, so we could participate in the lessons being given by Hank Boomershine, Lindsey Boomershine and Chris Schlemer, at Odyssey Fun Center. Steve Richter, thank you,....seriously! I do enjoy our trips to Wisconsin.
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