Months ago when we discussed our travels to Vancouver, WA. I said to Rob (jokingly), "You know we will be really close to Seattle and we could take a cruise 🛳 to Alaska (a bucket 🪣 list item)." He said, "Okay book it." I contacted my old travel agent from Glen Burnie. She had a really good deal on a balcony room, but the travel date was August 1. We originally were planning on being in WA in June. We readjusted our schedule and booked a cruise to Alaska.
About a month before the cruise, we received notification of a change in the itinerary and we would not be visiting Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier due to a technical issue with one of the engines. We had the option to cancel the cruise with a full refund or switch our sailing date. The compensation was a full day of cruise fare per person and we decided to take the cruise 🛳.
So, we started the morning 🌄 of August 1st by traveling to the Cruise Terminal. We had to schedule a time to arrive for boarding. You were supposedly not allowed to board accept during your time slot. Our time slot was 11:30 to 12:00. We had to schedule the parking lot and they gave us a time of 10:00 am based on my boarding time. 🙃
We arrived at the terminal about 10:20. Luckily we had no issues 😉.
We had to wait in line to show our documents before heading out to the ship.
Once we boarded the ship we had to report to our Muster Station and show we had completed the online safety briefing. After that, we could walk around and have lunch. We had a quick salad for lunch before heading up to the deck.
As soon as we could get in our room, we did so. We were thrilled with our room. Our past cruises consisted of interior rooms or a room with a porthole. We were issued our SeaPass Card. Our SeaPass Card was used to obtain pool towels, drinks 🍸, gambling in the Casino 🎰 (not that we played any machines or card games). Everything was put on the card. We also received the Cruise Compass, our guide to all activities happening each day.
Within minutes of entering our stateroom, there was a knock at the door. Yulius, from Indonesia, introduced himself as our stateroom attendant for the cruise. Twice a day he tidied our room, made the bed, emptied trash, put out fresh towels and drew the curtains in the evening. Every time he saw us he greeted us by name. He was definitely working a tip which we gladly gave him at the end.
Time for some more deck time and watching 👀 us leave port at 4 pm.
A little relaxing on the balcony before dinner.
The seating for dinner is still only with only your travel partners/family, which is fine. We had a table for two and the table next to us (next to a window) was a grandmother and her grandson. They asked to be seated with their family, so we asked our waiter if we could switch tables to the window. Sure, no problem. So for the remainder of the cruise, we had a great view for dinner.
Dinner Day 1: Dress code casual
Appetizers: Maryland-Style Crab 🦀 Cakes sauteed until golden brown, with creamy Old Bay sauce and tomato-cucumber salad 🥗. Baked French Onion Soup a savory beef broth with onions and herb 🌿 croutons baked with Gruyere cheese. The crab cake was good, but not really my Maryland style.
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| Maryland-Style Crab 🦀 Cake |
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Rob enjoying his soup
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Dinner: Herb Crusted Salmon pan-seared with horseradish, celery root puree, snow peas, grape tomatoes and a lemon butter sauce. Caribbean Jerk Pork Chop grilled with rice and beans, plantains and Jamaican fried dumplings.
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| Herb Crusted Salmon |
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| Caribbean Jerk Pork Chop |
Dessert: Creme Brulee a rich vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar. Key Lime Pie with a brown butter graham cracker crust.
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| Creme Brulee |
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| Key Lime Pie |
We went to the Royal Theater. The cruise director chose two people from the audience to help him teach everyone some dance moves. The little girl was so cute. Afterwards we watched the sunset 🌇.
Our first full day on the cruise was an "at sea" day 🌊 😎, so we really explored the ship.
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| Good time for a Bloody Mary |
We stopped at the Bionic Bar. You place your drink order on a tablet. They provide the most popular drinks or you can choose your own ingredients. Your order shows on the board with how much time and what slot it will be delivered. Then Makr and Shakr make the drinks. It was fun to do once.
Rob wasn't willing to strut his stuff for the World's Sexiest Man Contest so I chose Royal Cash Bingo. I purchased my bingo cards and a dabber earlier in the day. I had six cards for five games. I should have watched the men strut their stuff 😇, because I was not the lucky winner, but it was fun.
Dinner Day 2: Dress code Dress to Impress
Appetizers: Iceberg Wedges with fresh iceberg lettuce, tomato, and crispy applewood-smoked bacon drizzled with blue cheese dressing.
Dinner: Seafood Linguine Alfredo in a Chardonnay-cream sauce tossed with sauteed Bay scallops, shrimp, and Mussels. Spaghetti Bolognese 🍝 a rich and meaty sauce with San Marzano tomatoes 🍅, roasted garlic, pecorino-Romano cheese and fresh basil.
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| Seafood Linguine Alfredo |
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| Spaghetti🍝 Bolognese |
Dessert: Carrot 🥕 Cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted walnuts. Gran Marnier Souffle: an orange flavored custard baked until light and fluffy, served with vanilla sauce.
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| Carrot Cake |
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| Gran Marnier Souffle |
Tonight they sat a young couple, Michael and Victoria, at the dinner table we vacated. They had just moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland from the Harford County area. He works for the sheriff's department and I just happen to know who his boss is. Small world. Victoria is an x-ray technician. She is also a body builder and was just coming off a competition and had to specially order her dinners. They originally had the later dinner reservations and decided 8:30 was too late to eat.
We really enjoyed talking to them.
After dinner photo 📸 op.
Our show tonight was the headliner Goddess. The star was Monique Lualhati, runner-up on The Voice and X-Factor. I'll be honest, we don't watch either show. Actually, we hardly watch TV at all. I enjoyed the show, Rob not so much.
My drink for the show was a Chocolate Martini.
After the show we went to the Music Hall for some music and pool 🎱. We each won a game. Secret, I really won 2, but didn't want to embarrass him 🤪.
We had a little mouse waiting when we returned to the room.
Our first port stop on day 3 was in Ketchikan, Alaska. It was nice to open the shades and see the countryside. It was chilly, but I was able to enjoy my coffee on the balcony in my pj's.
This was our view during breakfast. I did not take pictures of our breakfast. The Windjammer was the buffet style dining room. The mornings were so crowded.
Once, we were off the ship we walked around the town. Forecast, cloudy with chance of rain, temperature 61°.
The Rock is a Monument to Ketchikan's heritage. The statue represents a fisherman, a minor, a logger, a bush pilot, a frontierswoman, a Native drummer, and Chief Johnson.
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| View of the ship |
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You don't see a Tsunami Evacuation
Route sign on the east coast |
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The Potlatch Bar
The beer here is cheap, and the
entertainment is cheaper. |
Totem Heritage Center houses a collection of 19th Century totem poles retrieved in the 1970s. The center was small, but had a lot of interesting items and totem poles. So glad we stopped.
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| Raven - Fog Woman |
We strolled City Park and along Ketchikan Creek.
We made our way to Married Man's Trail 👣. The trail goes over the river and through the woods. It really was the muddy path men would use to discreetly visit the working houses along Creek Street.
We checked out Creek street: Fisherman, Bootleggers, & Prostitutes, OH MY! This is Ketchikan's old red-light district. In the mid 1920's there were over 20 bawdy houses just on Creek Street. During Prohibition bootleggers would smuggle in Canadian Whiskey to supply the prostitution and backroom saloons. The bootleggers would wait for high tide and most of the houses had hidden trap doors.
Ketchikan Shingle Mill - 1904- 1918 on this site a 22 foot water wheel turned, creaked, and groaned to power the Ketchikan Shingle Mill.
20 Creek Street Circa 1920 - this house was part of Ketchikan's notorious red light district where both fish and men came upstream to spawn.... the fish once, many of the men repeatedly. The most infamous resident was Beatrice Greene, who began to ply her trade here in 1947.
Dolly's House is Circa 1905. Dolly Arthur was one of the creek's longest "working" residents. From 1919 through the 1940's, this was her place of business. Dolly lived in the house until 1973 when she moved into a nursing home.
One of the signs on the window says 'If you can't find your husband, he's in here!'
Chief Johnson Totem Pole was raised in 1901. It has since become one of the most photographed totems in the world. The pole depicts the legend of fog woman and the creation of Salmon.
One of the things on my list to see was Hopkins Alley, an olden wooden Boardwalk that is a historical landmark. It was along this alley that several of Ketchikan's early bawdy houses were established. I was expecting more.
It also has the same name as my kids.
Back on board for some pool time and to watch as the ship leaves port. Really enjoyed Ketchikan. It was an easy town to walk around.
Dinner Day 3: Dress Code Casual
Appetizers: Shrimp Ceviche 🍤 lime marinated shrimp tossed with cucumber, avocado, radish, red onions, cilantro and Serrano chilis. Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup 🍲 rich and silky, topped with roasted corn 🌽, red peppers 🌶, fresh cilantro, and sauteed chorizo.
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| Shrimp Ceviche |
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| Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup |
Dinner: Chicken Parmesan was a breaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, served over al dente spaghetti.
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| Chicken Parmesan |
Dessert: Mississippi Mud Pie chocolate filling on an Oreo cookie crust, whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
A great sunset 🌇 before the show.
Time for the Headliner Show starring The Las Vegas Tenors in the Royal Theater 🎥. Three gentlemen, Bobby Black, Chase McMichen, and Lannie Counts. From Boston to the Doobie Brothers, The Moody Blues, to The Bee Gees and Groban to Pavarotti. Music for everyone! They were really good, even Rob enjoyed the show. Broadway Show Tunes, R & B, Country, 70’s, Gospel, & Roll, Broadway Show , R & B,
When we awoke on Thursday morning we were already in port in Sitka, Alaska.
Welcome to Sitka! Forecast, cloudy with chance of rain, temperature 59°.
Our ship 🚢 docked at the Old Sitka Pier, located five miles from downtown. The city provided all day service between the pier and downtown.
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| This was our ride |
We tried to walk in the opposite direction of everyone else. We walked around the Sea Walk around Crescent Harbor, past the local marina and everyone else went towards the main street.
We walked by the Sitka Sound Science Center, as did everyone else. The young man was releasing the live fish from the net much to the delight of the on-lookers.
We continued on to Sitka National Park, Alaska's oldest Federal cultural and historic park. We walked the Totem Trail. None of the Totem Poles on the trail came from Sitka. We also walked the Russian Memorial Loop. |
| Love ❤ my signs |
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| Totem Trail 👣 |
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| Raven Shark is a legend pole |
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| Yaadaas Crest |
We went inside Saint Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church ⛪. The oldest standing church in Sitka, built in 1899.
We walked past the Russian's Bishop House. The bishop lived here alongside with Tlingit students, and Native, and Kryol (mixed ancestry) men studying to become Orthodox Priests.
We stopped for a snack (someone was hangry) at Sitka Pel'Meni a Russian dumpling restaurant. We chose the potato with curry powder, butter, sriracha, rice vinegar, and cilantro. It also came with a slice of bread and sour cream. Yummy!
We moved on to see St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral. In 1848 St. Innocent, the first bishop of Alaska, established the first Orthodox Cathedral in North America.
We walked down Lincoln St. Past the American Legion to Baranof Castle.
Baranof Castle
Everyone else decided to return to the boat the same time as us. They had several busses and the line moved fairly quickly. As you boarded the bus 🚌 they did a head count, well, apparently two people cut in line and the last two people boarding 🙄 didn't have seats and had to wait for the next bus, even though the rest of their family was on the bus. Several people, including Rob, were saying the two that cut line should remove themselves. No one spoke up, how rude.
Our view before dinner. It was a little chilly.
We made a quick stop in the Casino 🎰 to get a lemon drop martini and an old fashion drink before dinner.
Dinner Day 4: Dress Code Casual
Appetizers: Asian-Style Pork Tacos with Roasted Pork in a sweet-chili-soy sauce with sauteed vegetables in a soft bun. A Greek Salad with Diced tomatoes 🍅, cucumbers 🥒, and bell peppers 🫑, tossed in a red wine vinaigrette with olives and feta cheese.
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| Asian-Style Pork Tacos |
Dinner: Garlic Tiger Shrimp broiled until golden brown, served with jasmine rice, roasted seasonal vegetables and herb butter. Steak Diane seasoned strip steak served with a baked potato, grilled vegetables, and a rich mushroom cognac sauce.
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| Garlic Tiger Shrimp 🍤 |
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| Steak Diane |
Dessert: Tiramisu mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers, espresso, and a hint of Kahlua liquor. Apple Blossoms a la Mode a warm apple tart served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
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| Tiramisu |
Any pictures 📸 missing from dinner was because someone would not take a picture or would not wait for me to take a picture. Just Sayin!
Tonight's show was A tribute to Sir Elton John starring Andy Elton. We heard Crocodile Rock, Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and many more. Andy put on a pretty good show.
After listening to Andy Elton, we went to the Music Hall to listen to Supernova Band. This was the band for dancing.
We came back to our room and there was a monkey hanging around.
Juneau here we come! Forecast cloudy with chance of rain, temperature 59°.
Welcome To Juneau! YAK'ÉI HAAT YEEY.AADÍ "It is good that you all have come."
Even though the weather wasn't our Florida weather 😒 we still walked around the town. We almost bought the Furkini and The Duke, but we knew you would all want to see pictures 📸.
After checking out the shops we moved on:
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| St. Nicholas Orthodox Church |
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Cathedral of the Navity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary |
It was drizzly and chilly (at least for us), but we continued to walk around.
This house was built in 1898 on Chicken Ridge overlooking Juneau. James Wickersham and his wife, purchased the house in 1928. James was an integral part of Alaska's political history as a pioneer judge, the lone Territorial Delegate to Congress, an early statehood advocate, and an influential private lawyer in Juneau. He enjoyed his golden years here with Grace (his wife) until his death in 1939.
A few more photos of our walk around town:
We didn't go in, but apparently there were some people from Cape Coral, FL there. I loved the sign, 'Ladies Entrance'. If they only knew, lol.
We checked out the menu for Tracy's King Crab Shack, definitely a tourist trap.
Back to the ship for some pool time and the drink of the day to warm up.
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| Vanilla spiked hot chocolate |
Our dinner companions were dining at the specialty restaurant Wonderland, so we had the area to ourselves.
Dinner Day 5: Dress Code Casual
Appetizers: Seafood Puff Pastry a flaky seafood pastry with a lobster 🦞 cream sauce. Baked Potato Soup, was a rich and creamy, baked potato 🥔 soup, served with cheddar cheese 🧀, bacon 🥓, sour cream, and fresh chives. Rob also had an Eggplant & Kalamata Olive Tartare a spiced eggplant roasted with red peppers 🌶, served with red pepper 🌶 hummus, kalamata olives and garlic bread.
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| Seafood Puff Pastry |
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| Baked Potato Soup |
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| Eggplant 🍆 & Kalamata Olive 🫒 Tartare |
Dinner: Mojo-Marinated Grilled Pork Chop a bone-in pork loin marinated in a savory citrus sauce, paired with sweet potatoes, broccoli 🥦, and a cumin-citrus reduction. Lasagna al Forno was Layers of lasagna pasta, beef ragout, marinara sauce, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. |
| Mojo-Marinated Grilled Pork Chop |
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| Lasagna al Forno |
Dessert: Bananas Foster, sauteed bananas 🍌 🍌 topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
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| Bananas Foster 🍌 |
Tonight was Name That Tune Trivia in the Music Hall, three teams tied for first, so they had an air guitar 🎸 standoff.
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| The Winner! |
After trivia it was another SuperNova night. They played most nights and more than one set and each set was different. They covered all genre.
In case you weren't sure what day it was, all you needed to do was step in the elevator. They changed the tile everyday.
Apparently, it is 'a thing' to decorate your door 🚪, so we walked the corridors and checked out the decorations. We even bought a magnet ourselves to place on our door.
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| Our magnet 🧲 |
We had a nice relaxing day at sea.
Dinner Day 6: Dress Code Dress To Impress 👗
Appetizers: Insalata Caprese, sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh mozzarella drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, basil chiffonade and a balsamic reduction.
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| Insalata Caprese |
Dinner: Broiled Lobster 🦞 Tail served with melted butter a baked potato 🥔 and tender seasonal vegetables 🥕 🥦. Rob also had Roasted Beef Tenderloin, roasted and carved with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a rich morel mushroom sauce. We were both served a second lobster without requesting.
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| Broiled Lobster Tail 🦞 |
Dessert: Baked Alaska a neapolitan ice cream wrapped in sponge cake and torched meringue.
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| Baked Alaska |
Tonight's show was Production Showtime Sequins & Feathers, a journey from the Classic to Modern Day Showgirl. The costumes were amazing and some were pretty skimpy.
We couldn't miss SuperNova. Someone was having a really good time and was just singing away.
The Lobby for the elevators 🛗 had 2 boards: one for date, time, location, temperature and the second board told you where you were on the ship and the location of the restaurants, bars, pools, theater, all the social areas.
There was a section on the stairs on level 15 that looked straight down. Rob practically ran to get past without looking down. Even I was holding on to the railing.
Good Night!
Good morning! It is our last day 😢.
We walked through the kid zone and we got to see the bumper cars 🚗 in action.
We spent the afternoon by the pool, watching the whales and sea lions. You can't see them in the picture, but they were pretty cool to see. We also could see a submarine going out.
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| Whale watching |
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| Submarine |
We didn't really do lunch each day but today we tried the Solarium Bistro for lunch. A small buffet featuring fresh ingredients and Mediterranean flavors. Lunch with a view!
We watched as the ship pulled into Victoria, British Columbia. Forecast mostly cloudy, temperature 72°.
We decided to stay on the ship and not check out Victoria. We didn't dock until 5 pm. I sort of regret not checking out the area. Due to Canadian regulations, the ship was only allowed to have one bar per deck open which was no big deal.
Every day as we took the stairs, Rob would point out this one piece of artwork. It is made out of cards, the Jack, Queen, and King of Diamonds.
The good part of staying on board was the ship was pretty empty. At dinner we really had time to talk to Aniket and Sagar, our waiters from India.
Dinner Day 7: Dress Code Casual
Appetizers: Roasted Beets & Orange Salad 🥗 Roasted Beets tossed with orange segments, watercress, toasted almonds, ricotta and mint with a red wine vinaigrette. Crispy Coconut 🥥 Shrimp 🍤 breaded coconut shrimp with a pineapple-red-onion slaw and sweet chili dipping sauce.
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| Roasted Beets and Orange 🍊 Salad |
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| Crispy Coconut 🥥 Shrimp 🍤 |
Dinner: Classic Fish & Chips deep-fried tempura-battered Atlantic Cod served alongside thick-cut fried potatoes, coleslaw and tartar sauce.
Dessert: Dark Chocolate Brownie 🍫 with caramel sauce and torched meringue.
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Dark Chocolate Brownie
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As you can tell I really enjoyed the dinners. It was so nice to have decent food that someone else prepared. Aniket and Sagar were awesome! I enjoyed dressing up not something I do often now.
Our view during dinner was a Canadian ship.
It was such a nice evening and we walked the outside of the ship to check out the views.
We stopped in the gym, just to weigh ourselves. lol. It was a nice gym.
We had a cocktail at the North Star Bar on Deck 15, our first time at this bar.
Sunset time!
Might as well stop at Schooners Bar. Wished I could put the video of Rob singing, best I could do was just a picture.
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Someone had another
good night! |
Hush! Silent Party, everyone was wearing headphones 🎧, dancing and singing. It was a little strange to watch.
Our last night a picture of the moon.
Disembarking time ⏲, tag numbers 5 and 6 were scheduled for a 7:30 am departure time. We had to Muster in the Two70° Lounge on Deck 5. Worked perfectly. We had breakfast from Cafe Two70 while we waited to be told to disembark.
Our luggage was waiting for us, easy peasy. Grabbed the shuttle to the parking lot and we were on our way.
We really enjoyed our cruise. We even tried to book for the following week but they only had two interior rooms left. We are cruise snobs now 😎 and will only do balcony rooms or better.
We may have gained a pound or two, the food was so good. 🤔
We are so glad we got the deluxe drink package! It more than paid for itself!!
Would have loved to have seen a glacier, but we really didn't miss not seeing 👀 one.
In the future, we will definitely be taking another cruise to Alaska and possibly elsewhere. Maybe a Mediterranean Cruise.
Stay tuned!
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