Here I go again....onward to Alaska! My parents invited me to go on another cruise with them, a longer one promising new and exciting ports we had not yet seen. It did not disappoint. Unfortunately, neither Kent or Andrew could go, summer is Zion's busy season. So that left me, my sister Sandy and niece Jordan to accompany mom and dad.....I know it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!! We enjoyed 14 days on Holland America's Amsterdam Cruise Ship. Desserts, Food, Entertainment, Trivia, Ultimate Race, Awesome Scenery, Mexican Train Dominoes, Culinary Shows, Ship Tours, Friendly Staff and meeting lots of nice people from all over the world made for a fun time. I hope you like my picture diary, as much as I enjoyed my time in Alaska. If you've never been, I highly recommend it!
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| View room our hotel room at the Seattle Sheraton |
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| Friday we boarded the Holland America Amsterdam at Pier 91 |
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| Stateroom 2542 and my roomies for the next 14 days, Jordan & Sandy |
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| View of the harbor from our stateroom |
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| The outdoor pool with Seattle in the background |
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| The indoor pool with the roof partially open |
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| Promenade Deck . . . I walked it a lot . . . 3.5 laps equals 1 mile with great views |
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| Of course, no jogging . . . just walking on the Promenade |
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| The Atrium is the center hub that leads everywhere |
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| The Lido . . . food and lots of it! |
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| Explorations Cafe and the library |
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| The Crow's Nest offers great views from the front of the ship |
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| The Culinary Arts Center offered lots of fun activities |
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| Desserts galore! |
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| Orchids and fresh flowers were everywhere |
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| Fruit sculpture |
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| Friendly servers |
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| Jimmy, the Cruise Director did an excellent job! |
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| Ketchikan was our first port, cloudy & cool, but no rain! |
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| Ketchikan is known for lots of rain! |
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| Kethikan's pretty harbor |
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| Creek Street, where the salmon run during the summer |
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| Now I know where Big Foot lives! |
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| Colorful Totem Poles |
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| Neat big, old houses |
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| Where we docked |
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| Heading towards Tracy Arm |
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| Cruising Tracy Arm |
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| Lots of waterfalls and icebergs |
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| Amazing icebergs! |
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| Just so peaceful |
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| There was so much ice that we couldn't get any closer to Sawyer Glacier, but still a treat to see |
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| The whole gang . . . Dad, me, Sandy, Jordan & mom |
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| Juneau, the Capital of Alaska |
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| Statue of Patsy Ann, the dog who greeted ships for many years |
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| Her story . . . |
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| A great day for walking the town! |
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| Float planes galore! |
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| I spotted this mural from the Promenade Deck in Juneau |
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| We had fun picking up beach rocks and shells here, there was no sand at all! |
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| The old cannery is now a museum |
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| Clear, cold water off the coast of Chichagof Island |
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| Abundant berry bushes and neat relics |
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| A Tlingit Totem |
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| Funky old fishing boat |
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| Forget-Me-Not . . . Alaska State Flower |
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| Kayak anyone? Look inviting, doesn't it?! |
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| St. Elias Mountains |
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| Finally . . . a moose! |
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| I had fun walking the streets of Anchorage |
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| Anchorage is a friendly walkable city |
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| If only this old locomotive could talk |
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| Just enough room for one cruise ship |
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| Just a short, chilly walk from the ship |
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| Yes, we rode school buses . . . Homer is small! |
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| Along the Homer Spit and Kachemak Bay |
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| Cool rocks on the beach |
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| Housing for the fishermen along the Homer Spit |
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| Homer is the Halibut Capital of the World |
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| Fishing is big business in Kodiak |
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| Bald Eagle watching us as we walked to town |
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| Kodiak under cloudy skies |
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| Kodiak Harbor |
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| We spotted this starfish from the dock |
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| Another eagle at the local hardware store |
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| Piles of fishing nets scattered along the docks |
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| 1939 GMC truck with a scary looking camper! |
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| Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church |
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| Star of Kodak, a permanently moored World War II Liberty Ship is now a seafood processing facility |
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| King crab cages |
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| Kodiak fishing boat |
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| Disenchantment Bay |
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| A glimpse of Hubbard Glacier. The sound was incredible as we cruised through the floating ice |
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| An awesome sight! |
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| The ship's bow was opened for glacier viewing |
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| Looking towards the upper bow |
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| Hubbard Glacier is Alaska's largest tidewater glacier. It is 6 miles wide and 76 miles log. It's located in the US and Canada |
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| Approaching Sitka |
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| Getting the tenders ready for our 5 minute ride to the dock |
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| Neat islands and homes in the Sitka Sound |
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| Looking towards the town |
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| I finally made it to Sitka! |
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| What a pretty town |
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| Quite the picturesque setting |
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| Nice harbor |
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| Fun buildings |
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| Our ship being buzzed by a float plane |
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| Castle Hill views |
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| View from Castle Hill where Russia transferred ownership of Alaska to the US |
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| The mountains near Sitka |
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| Float plane with Mt. Edgecumbe in the background |
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| Mt. Edgecumbe |
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| Putting the tenders away |
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| Victoria, BC our last port of call |
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| The Parliament from the Inner Harbour |
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| Victoria has a British feel to it |
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| Time capsule to be opened January 1st, 2067 |
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| Parliament buildings |
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| Looking towards the Inner Harbour |
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| The Empress Hotel |
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| Archway to a garden at the Empress Hotel |
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| Stick bugs at the Victoria Bug Zoo |
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| Leaf bugs |
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| Cockroach house, he was hiding under the bed! |
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| Definitely British |
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| Victoria was a fun city to walk around |
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| Our water taxi |
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| Float planes taking off right near us |
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| Floating houses . . . for real! |
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| Unique for sure |
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| Time to board the ship for the last time . . . |
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| Mom & dad . . . the cruisers! |
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| Each night we found a towel animal in our stateroom |
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| Got peanuts? |
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| Looks like someone I know! |
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| Very cute! |
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| Don't be a crab! |
