Awesome Alaska

I really don't like the over-used word "awesome". However, when it comes to Alaska, there's no better word. When you hear other people describe Alaska, adjectives tend to flow more than other destination descriptions, magnificent, glorious, spectacular.......

My family enjoys cruising, it's a great way for our us to travel. There is enough space and activities where we can let our children ages 9 and 11 go their own way. So when the opportunity for us to try out an Alaskan cruise presented itself, we pulled our schedules together in about 10 days prior to departure.

We flew into Anchorage, where we were met by Holland America ground representatives. After collecting our bags we had to wait around for about an hour due to some disorganization on their part. After traveling from GSP through Atlanta through Salt Lake City and 5.5 hours from there to Anchorage, an hour delay seemed like ten. Most of the cruise ships depart from the small town of Seward, which is a 2.5 hours trip from Anchorage. There are several options to get from the Anchorage airport to Seward, the most popular being a train or bus, either of which you can purchase through the cruise lines. They both take the same route, which is more like a tour than a transfer. The route basically has you hugging the coast line most of the way. You cut through forest, mountain ranges with the opportunity to see lot's of unique vistas and possibly wildlife that you may not see elsewhere.

We cruised on Holland America's Statendam for a seven day inside passage cruise heading south. This cruise is great for those who are looking to learn more about this diverse eco-system. Holland actually has a naturalist on board most of their sailings, who provides lectures, as well as wild-life spotting alerts as you sail. It's not unusually that an announcement comes over the P/A system while you are having dinner; "if you will look out the port side of the ship @ 10 o'clock you will see a pod of Orcas meandering". The cruise itself is as much about the views while sailing as it is the ports of call. The ports of call for this sailing are Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan. There isn't much to do in Haines other than the excursions offered by the cruise lines. We choose to not do an excursion there and spent the day walking around the small downtown and actually heading back to the ship early. Juneau on the other hand has a bustling downtown area, which is right where the ship docks. In Juneau we took two shore excursions, one was a "gold-panning" trip and the other was a mountain biking trip. The gold-panning was authentic in the fact you actually go to a mining site and you do get to pan for gold. However, on the way back they tell you it's not economically feasible to make any money even if you automate the process, as all you get is a few specks per full pan. This was a so-so experience. In the afternoon we took a mountain bike tour to a glacier. I would highly recommend this excursion, it gives you a nice experience in the wild. The tour caps off with a visit to the Alaskan brewery. Ketchikan is where we had the best excursion experience. The ship arranged for us to board a 22-foot open air skiff with a captain, for a few hours of fishing in the bay. First you take a short walk to the docks, where you are fitted with rain-weather gear, regardless of the weather, then you are led out to your vessel. After a 20 minute exhilarating ride, we dropped anchor and began to fish. In a matter of 2.5 hours we caught over 100 pounds of fish. We caught halibut, flounder, shark, from "bottom-fishing". Then trolled and snagged a 5lb King Salmon, and a 15lb Coho Salmon. After catching the fish, we went to a really neat campground and had the fish prepared in a boulibase. A description of the camp and the food wouldn't do justice. It has to be one of the more scenic places I've ever been. This excursion isn't cheap, but it was certainly the best I've been on.

A lot of the beauty recognized in Alaska is of her glaciers. And I doubt there is a better way to see these other than on a cruise. The ships actually go inside of passages that are national and state parks, to get you really up close to nature and these massive glaciers, some of which are six miles wide. Our cruise came to an end in Vancouver, where we stayed a couple of extra days before heading home. In closing, Alaska is well worth the effort getting there, and I if you are only going once, cruising is a great way to see her.
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Disney Cruise Report by Mike

I’ve just returned from a 4-night cruise aboard the Disney Magic. The Disney experience begins when we arrived at the Orlando airport. We were met by very a courteous Disney rep. who gave us a brief explanation of how our transportation to Port Canaveral was to take place. Because we had pre-purchased this transportation, we had placed special luggage tags that were provided in our documents on our bags before we left home. We didn’t see our bags again until they were in our stateroom aboard the ship! The ~45 minute bus ride to the port was very pleasant. On the ride, excitement grew by all the passengers, as the bus driver showed a video about the Disney Cruise.

Boarding the ship was very efficient and quick. Upon entry to the ship, we were met by a Disney representative who escorted us to our stateroom, and gave us a quick overview of the ship en route. The ship is over 80,000 gross tons and is the length of 3 football fields end to end. The ship is tastefully decorated throughout in the Grand 20’s style. There is original Disney artwork displayed at every turn.

Our stateroom was a category 6, which is about midway in Disney’s pricing scheme. It included a spacious veranda, a bath and ½ with tub (very unusual), a queen sized bed, a couch that converted into a single bed, another single bed that folded out of the wall, a television w/remote, and a mini-fridge.

Some unique things I observed on the cruise:

¨ ~ 40% of the passengers were families, there were a surprising number of couples without kids.
¨ There are 4 restaurants, 3 of which you rotate through for your evening meal, each with a different theme and menu. The fourth is Palo’s, a northern Italian, adult only restaurant that requires reservations.
¨ The children/teen programs exceeded my expectations. The facilities are fantastic! There is a computer lab, games….everything a kid today would enjoy. You can check your kids in and they can come and go as they please. For the younger ones, they are given a “hospital” style bracelet that identifies them. The parents are given a beeper, so when the kids are ready to be picked up, the counselors beep the adults.
¨ The Disney characters come out about 3 hours or so for photo-ops.
¨ There were 3 shows on board, all of which were very entertaining for the kids as well as the adults. It’s amazing how Disney can produce entertainment that is enjoyed by such different age ranges.
¨ There are 3 pools on the Disney Magic all for different age groups, which is nice since the adults w/o kids can enjoy the sun w/out kids in relative peace.
¨ There is a section of the ship that provides adult only entertainment and lounges.
¨ First run movies, some of which premier on the ship first, are shown throughout the cruise. They are of course, Disney owned movies.

Insider tips:

¨ If you have small children, don’t worry about lugging a stroller down. They are available on-board for free. (See the purser’s desk)
¨ For the stop in Nassau, if you choose not to go on a planned shore excursion, do not go to the Atlantis hotel on nearby Paradise Island if you are looking for a place to enjoy the beach. We did (big mistake) and we found out upon arrival, the hotel charges $25 per person (including kids) to use their beach. There are plenty of public beaches in Nassau, available by cab or public transport.
¨ An extensive menu is available for in-room dinning 24 hours a day at no-additional charge.

In summary:The cruise is very Disney, great for families and adult Disneyfile’s as well. The ship and staff exceeded my expectations.