Alaska Part 1

This was too much of a photo-editing project to do in one sitting so I decided to do it in installments.  As I know certain people are waiting (not naming any names, Dad). So, here is our boat, the Coral Princess...

The boats look huge from the outside but from the inside you just kind of think of it as a resort and it doesn't seem so abnormal.  Anyway, this was our first time on a cruise and we really enjoyed it.  We would definitely cruise again but it's also not going to be the only kind of vacation we ever take.  I think they are really great if you are wanting to visit several places that are not close together because there is no wasted travel time.  While you are sleeping, eating or otherwise enjoying the provided entertainment and ship amenities you are transported to the next location-very convenient. 

From the inside...

While there was plenty of food available at all times, I have to say for the most part it was not fantastic.  The pizza, grill, and ice cream were pretty average.  Most of the food in the main dining room was very good (only one night did we not like what we ordered) but the selection was somewhat limited.  Of course a lot of this stems from the fact that I don't eat seafood or most "semi-exotic" meats like lamb or duck (I'm kind of a picky eater).  The buffet was decent, but kind of hit and miss (again seafood, and stuff I didn't want to try).  But they did have waffles and french toast every morning!

A few views of the open decks...

As you can see not a lot of takers for the hot tubs and pools in Alaska!  The indoor pools and tubs were somewhat more popular.

Alaska was really amazing-the landscape and culture are very unique and we really enjoyed visiting, but it's a little too cold to want to go back! 

The first port we visited was Ketchikan-a small fishing and tourist village.  It rains here almost every day but we lucked out and had a mostly sunny day.  We only had a half day here so we spent most of it seeing the town and shopping.

 This was our view as we pulled into port.

Our next port was Juneau and we decided to do some hiking here.  Juneau also gets quite a bit of rain, but again we lucked out. First we went to the Mendenhall Glacier-complete with icebergs and a waterfall.

 Yes, icebergs and glaciers are naturally dirty-this is not pollution. 

And here is Nugget falls

In this one you can see the spray from the waterfall making a rainbow

And here you can both the glacier and the waterfall together

And just a photo from the same park

The glacier is just outside town so when we finished there we returned to the city and tackled Mt. Roberts.  There is a tram you can take to the top...for $30.   At the top there are some more trails, restaurant, shopping, etc.  Then you can hike back down or take the tram ($30 gets you the round trip).  But, if you hike up the mountain (about 2-3 miles) then you can ride back down for $10, or for free if you spend at least $10 in the gift shop.  So, that's what we did-better exercise and more savings! 

A few pics from the way up-and we didn't see any bears here.

The interesting thing about Juneau is that there are no roads going into or out of the city.  The only way to get there is by boat or plane.  Crazy huh?  And it's the capitol!  There were float planes taking off and landing the whole time we were there-the water was like the local highway system. 

Next up...Skagway!