cruise – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

We went on a cruise along the coast of Alaska and the Inland Passage last year. I only managed to get Day 1 done and well, I think I spent the last year and a month recovering from the travel home. Out of the ship at 8 am, to the airport in Vancouver, sit around until 3pm, board, fly to San Francisco, sit, leave at 7 or so, fly overnight to Washington DC, get in at 5 am, board at 6 am, fly to Hartford, in at 9, drive home, collapse and swear never to fly in a plane again.

Viking really does it right. It didn’t hurt that the weather for the first 5 days or so, was magnificent.

We had never been on an Ocean cruise before, only river, so we were happy to see the World Cafe, a buffet to choose from for our three meals a day! And Snacks!We would both rather graze across the options than be served in the restaurant.

The room was a little bigger than a river cruise room but everything is set up the same. It is a comfortable feeling. The ocean cruise has a laundry, which came in handy because my husband’s clothes didn’t arrive for another 3 days. We had to cancel our excursion on the second day to shop in Valdez for enough clothes so he wouldn’t have to wear the same things over and over.

The view from our balcony and all around the ship were breathtaking and it was hard to pull myself away.

The ship picked up a pilot and they brought us in close to the Hubbard Glacier on our full day of sailing. They tried to put together a $$ one, but not enough people signed up. Good thing, because then we all got it for free! It was really a beautiful sight.

We met two nice couples: one couple from Virginia, and the wife grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and the other from Minnesota. We spent a couple of hours on the front deck with a couple from Arkansas/Florida, and although we tried to meet up again, it didn’t work out.

We didn’t partake in any talks or entertainment after dinner but we really enjoyed early morning coffee in the cafe, walks around the “track”, sitting in the afternoon sun on good days, getting a snack and cup of tea or coffee or wine (me) in the afternoon while sitting in cozy chairs reading our books. They had books in all sorts of nooks and crannies and we both found ones to enjoy on the trip. We sat a little bit after dinner as well, but usually were back to our room by 9pm.

It was interesting to watch the scenery change as we sailed closer to Vancouver from snow covered mountains to green forests and small towns along the way.

This morning I told my husband I was longing for another river cruise!

I walk out my back door almost every morning at about 6:15 to work out. I have taken so many pictures of these mornings. Why? I don’t know! I feel like I have to capture what I see to make it real. To remind me of what I’ve seen.

As I stood and looked around this morning, I wondered “did I enjoy this summer? Did I dig in? Or did I just go through the motions?”

I felt very confident that yes, I did embrace this summer. It was hotter than Heck, but I sat outside under the cover you see in the picture or on the covered side porch where there is always a nice breeze.

I would head out there after dinner and my husband would soon follow. We’d sit outside there for 2 hours, me reading and him watching you-tube videos.

I rode my bike a few times, less than I hoped, with my husband and friends but that is something there is still time for before the winter sets in.

We didn’t spend much time on our boat and that will be a conversation during the winter. Give it one more year? Give it up? The few times I was on it, I enjoyed it! Sometimes it’s the getting there…

And of course, there was our cruise to Alaska! That took up 10 days of the summer. The travel to and from felt like it took 10 days itself, but it was worth it.