Victoria, BC June 15th

We all slept late as it has been as very busy week for us.  We didn't even get up in time for breakfast and Debbie and I need to start packing.  We went to Lido for lunch and our favorite wine steward was serving on Lido today so he went and asked about some things for Lindsay so she had quite the variety for lunch today which included sushi and finished with soft serve ice cream.  They had an afternoon show with a ventriloquist and he was very good and funny.  Lindsay liked it and we all agreed the afternoon show was very nice rather than having things so late at night.  We did see all but one of the shows and they were all good.  They had a magician with a little dog that Lindsay liked and two production shows.  The dancers were great and costumes very nice.  We had a great cabin and probably the best I have ever had.  Plenty of room but again as with the Amsterdam the service with the cabin left a lot to be desired.  We did eventually get everything we asked for but just not up to Holland America standards.  This balcony on the diagonal was awesome and double the size of the others.  It was also great for Glacier Bay day but we were out there everyday even in the bad weather since we were covered.  The food was just ok but we did have great waiters and they went out of their way to help with Lindsay's peanut allergy in trying to make sure she had things she could eat.  They usually would bring her two entrees each night to be sure she had one she liked.  We ate at the Pinnacle one night which is their steakhouse and it was very good and the service was excellent.  But likewise we went to breakfast in the dining room one morning and waited an hour after ordering before our breakfast arrived at the table and we were at a table for 8 and all were delivered at the same time.  We did enjoy the conversation with the others but poor Lindsay was cold as it was drafty at the table we were sitting and she was hungry.  I was very proud of her though as she didn't complain and acted very grown up. 

Debbie and I almost finished packing before we went to dinner and we arrived and docked in Victoria while we had dinner.  Great views from our table by the window.  We got a cab into town and walked around the harbor area which is beautiful.  They were having sort of a flea market on the opposite side and we walked over there and Lindsay found some things she liked.  A very unique item we found was a woman who was making names and words from ummmmm it was kind of a thick wire and she bent it by hand into script names and added jewels and ribbons of your choice.  I should have taken a photo as they were very cute.   Lindsay got her name for the wall in her room and we got one for Paige too.  We looked through the other booths and then decided to head back to the ship.  We walked through the gift shop at the port and then walked back to the ship.  Debbie and I finished packing while Lindsay ran up and down to Lido getting one cup of hot water at a time for tea.  It kept her busy and when we had all 3 cups we went out on the balcony and watched as the people flowed back onto our ship and the Golden Princess which was docked next to us.  The NCL Jewel was already docked when we got there and left while we were out there.  As cold and rainy as it has been all week, tonight was a beautiful night in Victoria and we sat outside with not even a sweater on.  Shortly thereafter we were all in bed.  A note here as to the picture below.  This picture was taken after we were back in the Pacific the night we left Ketchikan.  The ocean was like a sheet of glass..not even a ripple.  Looked like we were sailing in a big lake instead of the Pacific ocean.  It was mesmerizing and even the crew commented on the calm seas.

We were up early and it was the first time all week that room service actually came after the time we asked.  We were off the ship and on our way to Seattle airport by 8:15 AM.  The airport was crowded with cruise passengers and since this is like Atlanta it is a huge international stop for flights from Japan and Asia.  We had a few hours to wait since our flight wasn't until 12:55 PM but Lindsay was a trooper and we landed in Atlanta and she was beside herself waiting at baggage claim for Mom, Chris and Paige to pick us up.  It was so cute to see them all so happy to see each other.  We came back to my house to unload and since I was stuffing things anywhere they would fit at the end, I kept all the luggage and they unpacked all their goodies and they left with their gifts and Lindsay's medication.  Just like that it was over.  It was a great cruise and special time with Lindsay.  Teresa asked her if she had to pick one thing that she liked the best , what would it be and she said the float plane we took to Taku Lodge in Juneau.  It was the most expensive thing we did but after I did it with Kay I knew I had to take Lindsay and it was worth every penny..just watching her delight on her face in seeing it and experiencing the float plane was awesome!  Iit's also the only way to really see how vast the glaciers and the wilderness truly is there.  God certainly did a beautiful job on Alaska and it is wonderful that it has remained as pristine as when he created it!  The one state that should be a must see for everyone if you can find a way to do it.  It was a wonderful trip with Lindsay and I hope that she will remember some of it when she is an adult.  I was very proud of her and the beautiful young lady she is becoming.  I am very fortunate to have been able to share this experience with her.  I love you Lindsay.  Big thanks to my best friend Debbie for sharing the experience with us!

Ketchikan

Another early morning..we left the card for room service to bring our breakfast at 6:15 AM and for the second day in a row they knocked on the door at 5:30 AM! By the time we got up it was cold so Lindsay had her cereal and it was time to go. We had to meet the tour at 7:20AM ..I am wearing out with this early morning stuff! We got on the bus and headed out to George’s Inlet to do the Crab Exploration and Feast that Kay and I did two years ago. Lots more crab in the pots this time and besides the salmon jumping we spotted a black bear, black tailed deer and several eagles. The feast part of the trip is the best and the college kids that work the lodge make it fun. Lindsay loved it and eat her weight in crab and then got up and did a dance with them they called the “crab dance” which I got to video. It was very cute and she loved it. We were only here until 1 PM today and all aboard was at 12:30 so we didn’t have much time to do anything when we got back but take a few pictures of town. We were anxious to get back to see how Debbie liked her Zip Line experience. She came in a few minutes after we did and was excited that she had done it and loved it. I had to take a picture of the picture they took of her to get it on the  blog.  We will try to include her photos here with the others. We had the International Dinner tonight and it was very confusing ordering but Lindsay had ordered hers the day before and loved both the items she picked. She had tried to call Mom several times before we left Ketchikan but couldn’t get her so I think she is a bit down and homesick tonight. We went to the production show tonight and it was good and now we are having tea before turning in tonight. Tomorrow will be a busy day as we have to pack and dinner is early as we get to Victoria at 7 pm then Saturday morning it is over and we head back to Atlanta. This will probably be the last post until I get home and sum up the cruise. We turn our clocks forward tonight to get back on Pacific Time instead of the 4 hour Alaska Time zone. Debbie and I are looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow…hopefully.



The 79 steps you need to be able to go down and then back up!








This is a female and the dark areas are the eggs she is carrying.



She did it!!  Woohoo!





Our tablemates contributed to our stack of shells..



Sitka

Sitka
Hi everybody this is LINDSAY!!!!!!!!!! We went on the sea otter and raptor center tour today. We had a great day it was beautiful ….. For being indoors. Through the rough winds and rains we saw 5 whales, 1 porpoise, several rafts of sea otters, starfish, jellyfish, a lot of bald eagles, and 3 seals and of course me being the best I saw 1 of the seals .  Guess what?  That was only on the boat that picked us up at the ship so we didn’t have to go to shore and get tangled up in that mess at shore. After the boat we went to the raptor center.  A raptor is a bird of prey like the bald eagle. But there were plenty more birds that have been rescued from so many dangerous things that happened to them  .Later at the raptor center we met a special bird named Sitka she was one of the birds that had been rescued after being hit by a car. Also our bus driver to and from the raptor center was very nice and funny. Other than that we haven’t done anything but tonight we go to the dining room for dinner and this all written by LINDSAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GREAT. This is all my grandma's idea for me to do the blog.