Alaska 9.9-916.12

So we went on a cruise to Alaska! We started the trip in Seattle, WA. We went to the Boeing Factory, where we learned such things that it takes 3 million parts to make a Boeing plane, and half of those are nuts, bolts, screws, etc. We got see planes-in-the-making, for the new Dreamliner series. We werent allowed to take pics in the factory. It was a nice, sunny day. I wish I could have seen more in Seattle, but I will def be back!

We left on Sunday for Vancouver, Canada, where we picked up our boat, Holland America's Statendam. The water was very rocky that first day, and almost everyone wasn't feeling well. By about 4 pm on Monday, the water had calmed down. We had quality entertainment on board, and the first night was Tiffany and the HALcats, and they were great, they did a bunch of cover songs. Tiffany was amazing! Ollie, a guitarist who sang back up vocals on some songs, was awesome. I loved watching him play, he was hot, and he was into his music which was fantastic to watch! On Monday night it was formal night, and the entertainment was Showroom at Sea. They consisted of Nathan Holland, Jordan Miller, Joseph Alhomora(sp?), Carenza Laguerre(sp?), Robyn Gayle, and Sean Samura. They were amazing! All of them! Wonderful voices and talent...Broadway should snap them all up(or put them back on, in Nathan's case!) ON Tuesday, we were in Ketchikan, AK. It was raining, so we pretty much went shopping and saw The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. It was funny, kinda hokey. Not my usual idea of a good time, but the audience seemed to love it! Back on the boat we saw a comedian named Mike Robinson. He was a ventriloquist, and very good and funny!

On Wednesday we were in Juneau. STILL raining lol but we went on a Musher's Summer Sled, got to pet the husky dogs and the puppies, and learned about the Yukon and Iditarod races. Very interesting experience! After that we went to Mendenhall Glacier(such a pretty area, even in the rain!) we saw the Glacier and a rainbow trout and a salmon and a porcupine. No bears though! Then we took Mount Roberts tramway 2500 feet up a mountain. We saw a movie about the Tlinglit people, and a family of string performers who were excellent. We also saw an eagle, she was in captivity because she lost her eye and some of her beak. Her name was Lady Baltimore. Back on the boat we saw Showroom at Sea performers as "Four Corners", a show pretty much based on The Four Seasons. A shorter Jersey Boys type show. It was very good! Such talent!

On Thursday, we were in Skagway, AK. Raining AGAIN(and this rain all week was not nice light rain mind you. It was cold, torrential rain.)I loved Skagway. It was a cute town! We saw a show, Days of '98, about the gold rush and Soapy Smith. We went on a Ghosts and Goodtime Girls tour, about the prostitutes and red light district during the gold rush. The interesting thing during that tour, we went to an area where there were three ghost stories told to us. I started snapping pics all over that area, hoping to snag some orbs. When I looked at my pics after, not ONE of that area even showed up on the role! So freaky! We also went to a museum that had a lot of scrimshaw pieces. It was free, and nice. Our ship entertainment that night was another comedian, he did impersonations and he was funny!

Friday we were supposed to go thru Glacier Bay. However, the weather was going to be hurricane force winds with 28 foot swells, so our captain decided to skip Glacier Bay(much to my dismay) and get us docked safely at Seward. So Saturday, they scrounged to get us some shore excursions. We went to the Sea Life Center and climbed Exit Glacier in the freezing cold torrential rains. They had given us an option to either wade through rivers to touch the glacier or climb 200 feet up to get the best shot of the glacier. We opted for the second option, thinking we would stay dryer. NOPE! From the waste down we were soaked! And freezing! But it was an accomplishment to get to the top! When we got back, the boat had a blackout. I was in the shower when that happened. I managed to finish my shower and get dressed in the dark. It was pitch black, and they had nothing but egg salad sandwiches for us to eat.(Gross!) The entertainment on Friday was Carenza and Jordan performing different songs. Both had operatic voices and it was delightful to hear them! Saturday was like a cabaret, had a little bit of talent from Tiffany and the HALcats, Showroom at sea, and the comedian. An excellent show!

Sunday we took a shuttle to the Anchorage airport. We stopped at an overlook and at the Wildlife Center. Arriving at the airport, it was sunny. Go figure. We dropped off our luggage and went to the Anchorage Museum and the mall. Anchorage had apparently had a power outage for two days. United had cancelled a flight and bumped passengers to Delta. We didnt get on our flights. While waiting for ma to get us rescheduled, I noticed a girl had my name on her boarding pass. I questioned her about it, (there is a possibility she has my name after all) and it turns out she did not have my name. NO IDEA how TSA let her in when her id wouldnt match her boarding pass! Long story short, we ended up living in the airport for a couple days. Delta had jacked their flights up to $4400!! We took Alaska Air for $771. Well worth it to come home! My luggage had arrived before we did, and luckily none of my snowglobes broke! It was an interesting trip, I was excited I managed to leave during the day and not at night like I was supposed to. I got awesome shots of glaciers and mountains, not to mention a gorgeous Seattle sunset and amazing Boston sunrise as we left and arrived!