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North to ALASKA, updated last page


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Got things organized a little earlier than I had expected.

Preface:

This TR will not be as flamboyant as I would have liked. As many of you know Grandma (Linda) has a walking disability so we rented a ECV (from a company who shall remain nameless for now) for her to use on the ship. Well it was a POS. At times it would go 30 ft and then stop and at other times it would go 3 ft and stop, a problem that started as soon as we got to the cabin, so it limited her ability to maneuver about the ship. As a result I don't have a lot of pics on the ship, but I was able to get a lot of the beautiful scenery. We also were not able to explore the ports, we tried to use the POS in SKAGWAY, but it was fruitless so JUNEAU and KETCHIKAN were definitely out of the question. To make matters worse, since we didn't have the ECV, she fell, nothing serious, but she ended up with a bloody nose, a bruise on her chin, several others, as well as a sore knee. What makes this whole thing even more upsetting is after we got home I made one phone call and there was someone in JUNEAU who could have repaired it. I'll keep you posted as to how this fiasco all turns out.

OK HERE WE GO.

Well we left Cincy and drove to Chicago (Downers Grove) where our son and his family live and then flew Southwest out of Midway to Denver where one of our daughters live. We figured we might as well use the time to visit prior to the cruise. We spent 4 days in Denver and then off to Seattle.

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From Seattle we took a bus(about 5 hrs) to Vancouver since that is where the ship was, some crazy rule that they can't start in the US for the first cruise. Isn't the government wonderful! We arrived at the port and of course we were a little early , but not too many in front of us. I got yelled at though, "NO PICS IN THE TERMINAL"..Oh well!

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We finally got to check in and of course "Capt Mickey" was there to greet us. Linda's sister and her/our friend Mark went with us since they had to cancel an ALASKA trip several years ago.

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As is the SOP you get to go to lunch before you head to your cabin, so we took advantage of the buffet in Parrot Cay.

Ready to eat.

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A few sweets

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The healthy stuff

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Ice cream toppings

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The "carver"

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The kids buffet and soups

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After lunch it was off to our cabin. We had an accessible room at the rear of the ship, 6154.

Our "small" verandah

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Grandma on the verandah

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Since we are now "ole salts" we got our Castaway Club gift.

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While waiting to "hoist anchor" I got a picture of how some of the locals travel and the Vancouver skyline.

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We finally get underway. We were going to the "Sail Away" party but since we had rain it was held in the Atrium and way too crowded for Linda so we just watched the scenery.

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A few of the locals or possibly some of the cruisers family members see us off.

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As we leave, Claire and Mark come to visit.

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Up next, we head to dinner. I did get a couple "food pictures", but not many.

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Sorry to hear about the ECV. My mom has MS and for the most part just uses a cane, but when there is a lot of walking to be done the use of an ECV has been a blessing for her.

Can't wait to read more about your trip. I want to go on an Alaskan cruise sometime. I actually lived there when I was little and can remember a little bit about it, but sadly the memories are fading as I get older.

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Looks beautiful so far....I have never been on a cruise and wish to do that as well as visit Alaska someday. My DS6 wants to go whale watching in Alaska. I am very sorry about the injury and that you guys couldn't get around very well or explore the ports. I am hoping your next trip works out much better in that regard!

Boo to the person who yelled at you also.

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Aww poor Linda! That's a crappy way to start a vacation. Glad that it wasn't more serious.

Grumpy got yelled at right off the bat?! Can't you ever behave? ;D

Looking forward to the rest!

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Ooooh, so sorry to hear of the ECV troubles and Linda's fall :( Hint for next time. Bring your own!! Southwest is wonderful about transporting them. (Or did you drive a smaller car and no room?)

Can't wait to read more!!!

That's what we found out. Should have checked first :banghead: especially since our son is one of their pilots.

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Dave-

Like everyone else, I'm sorry to hear about the POS ECV and Linda's fall. That stinks!

But, I am enjoying your trip report.

It's weird to see people on the Wonder with jackets on.

Congrat's on that cabin! That is an awesome veranda!

I've never been to Alaska, so I'm looking forward to seeing all your photos and reading your report!

TCD

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As I stated I did get a few, but not many, food pics so here are couple from dinner the first night.

Shrimp appetizer

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Escargot

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Baked Flounder

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Baked chicken

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After dinner we went back to the cabin for a little bit and I got a couple more pics as we worked our way North. We sailed through the straits as we headed for Tracy's Arm. It makes for a smoother ride.

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At first I thought this was only a tug and then the barge came into view. Hope the cable holds.

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Took a second pic of the tow and barge and then spotted the whale in lower left hand corner as I was going through the pics.

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We finally decided to move about a bit, low and behold who do we run into in the corridor.

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Window decorations in one of the shops

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Since Linda was walking we head back to the cabin to watch more scenery go by as we cruise for about another 30 hrs to get to Tracy's Arm.

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Disney did listen and added at least one "decent" channel to the TV line-up so all was not lost

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Haven't quite got the "picture thing" figured out, sorry for the different sizes.

More scenery

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Captain had to watch his speed, cops are out and about. (Canadian Coast Guard)

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A couple eagles, they look like large golf balls/snow balls in the trees

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Out on a fishing trip

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Wanna race?

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Animators Palate for dinner

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Our head server Victor, the "Ham".

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Assistant/beverage server Kamish, opening the evening's libation.

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The menu.

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One more pic before bed.

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Our next destination.

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Next "Mother Nature" changes our course, but it wasn't a bad detour.

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As I mentioned "Mother Nature" sent us a detour. As we got close to the Fjord the Captain announced that we had to turn South and go to Endicott Arm and the Dawes Glacier instead of North to Tracy's Arm and the Sawyer Glacier. Too much ice. Well as you will see in the pics that follow, it was a good decision by the Coast Guard. It was not a disappointing journey.

Both Arms are about 30 miles long so it was a relaxing journey and we passed another cruise ship heading out.

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A couple Dolphins decide to chase us.

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We get close and head for the entrance of the Fjords.

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We start to see the ice.

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A waterfall along the way.

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too many pics, next page

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