A 60th Birthday to Remember

 Back in October when I decided I wanted to go on a Disney Cruise to celebrate turning 60 years, I knew I would have a great time. I did not know my vacation would extend into a 3-week extravaganza! The cruise and the pre-visit to Vancouver were 9 days of glorious fun, but then I was scheduled to attend a 4-day training in Chicago. Since I would be in the Midwest, I decided a quick stop in Lincoln, Nebraska on my way home was needed to see my parents and sister. So the adventure continues.

On Monday morning, we had one last meal with our servers, Anthony and Galang at Tiana's Place. It was a yummy breakfast and then it was time to leave the ship. I was carrying my luggage off the ship since I had switched to a smaller carry-on suitcase for the last part of this journey. The boys had to wait for their luggage to be unloaded from the ship, so I caught an Uber to the airport. My flight to Seattle was supposed to leave at 12:15 pm.

Now if you are at all familiar with my travel troubles, this next part will not surprise you. The organization that was sponsoring the training in Chicago was paying for my airfare, but they would not cover an international flight. So I had to book a flight from Vancouver to Seattle and the travel agency would book me a flight from Seattle to Chicago. The travel agency was really behind and although I had been asking for over a month about an update on my tickets, I did not receive a ticket to Chicago until July 4 while on the cruise.  That was pretty stressful, but it finally worked out. 

I had my four one-way flights confirmed and I was ready. 

Alaska Airlines to Seattle, United Airlines to Chicago, United Airlines to Omaha, Southwest Airlines to San Diego, what could go wrong?

I arrived at the Vancouver airport with plenty of time to spare. I was unable to get my boarding pass on the app, so I planned to do it at a kiosk in the airport. However, when I arrived, none of the Alaska Airlines kiosks were working and the counter was closed. I looked for my flight on the screen of all departing flights and it wasn't there. My flight was supposed to leave at 12:15, but the only flight leaving from Vancouver to Seattle was at 1:30. "Hmm...that's weird," I thought. Eventually, the counter opened, and I handed my passport over to the agent at the counter. She couldn't find me listed on a flight from Vancouver. Wait, What? I showed her my flight info on the app, and she pointed out that the flight to Seattle that left at 12:15 was NOT from Vancouver. It was from VICTORIA! We had visited Victoria the week before and it took 90 minutes to get there by ferry. Ay-yi-yi! How did I book the wrong flight???

After a long phone call to the reservations department, they were able to switch my ticket to the 1:30 flight leaving from Vancouver. My original ticket was a non-refundable ticket and this new ticket was more expensive, but they let me pay the difference (instead of charging me for the entire ticket again). My panic attack started to subside and once I had a boarding pass, I headed to security. I made it through security without a hitch, gathered up my things, put on my shoes, and walked to immigration. The nice thing is that when you are leaving Canada and returning to the U.S. you go through immigration before you even get on the plane. Once I was through immigration and walking to the gate, I suddenly realized that I was missing my suitcase. I had left it in security! I was so flustered from the ticket debacle that I had not grabbed my suitcase off the track when I was getting my things.

Back to the immigration officer I went to explain that I left my suitcase behind. I must not be the only one who has done this because they pointed the way back to security and told me to just come through the immigration line again once I picked up my suitcase. Fortunately, my suitcase was still sitting at the end of the track, and no one had accidentally claimed it or moved it to a lost and found or whatever. I grabbed my suitcase and headed back to security. I got the same officer, and she waved me through since she recognized me. Whew!

I still had plenty of time before my flight left so I began looking for the boys. Their gate was coincidentally right next to mine. Eventually, they showed up and I got a chance to say goodbye again before I boarded the plane for Seattle. The rest of the trip was smooth. I landed in Seattle, found the United Airlines gate and connected to the wifi and caught up on emails and wrote my last blog post until my flight to Chicago took off at 5:00 pm. With the time change and the nearly four hour flight, I made it to my hotel around midnight.

The Summit training I am attending is going well and I am getting to know my newly hired math teacher. Today is the last full day. Tomorrow is a half day and then it's back on a plane to fly to Lincoln. As I think about this trip that was part 60th Birthday Celebration and part business and family visits, I am happy that my trip has been so memorable. 

View from the convention center on Lake Michigan

The time in Vancouver was awesome and I loved all of the different things we did while there. Vancouver is a pretty city and a fun place to visit. 

Getting to go to Chicago has been fun. Even though I'm not getting out much to see the city, I did get to experience a tornado evacuation which is something I have never done before.

View from my hotel room on the 24th floor.

I am looking forward to seeing my parents and their new place. It will be good to visit with them and the rest of my family.

The Disney Cruise, however, is the highlight of this trip. Joe expressed it well when he said, "I am being treated like I am a rich person." The crew and cast of the cruise line were so accommodating and kind. We never a grouchy staff member and those who were assigned to our stateroom and table got to know us so well. We were warmly greeted by name each morning and evening and even if we saw them at another location. The rooms were comfortable and everything you needed was available. The ship was well maintained and beautiful. And the excursions were fun and informative. And finally, the scenery was exquisite. Alaska is a gorgeous state and the views were breathtaking. 

I can head home in a few days knowing that I have a wealth of experiences and memories to treasure for a long time. Happy Birthday to me!

Last Day at Sea

 Yesterday was bittersweet since it was our last day at sea. We arrived in Vancouver this morning and we had to be out of our rooms by 8:00 am. So yesterday was all we had left before our Disney Adventure ended. Each of us spent the day doing different things sometimes together and sometimes apart. While David caught up on some sleep, Joe and I got a little tour of the ship focused on the design elements of the ship, particularly the lounges. We also got to tour the Oceaneer's Lab which is for kids only. What a fun place! Overall the tour was very interesting and we learned a few insider tips. Joe and I agreed that this tour would have been more helpful at the start of the cruise instead of at the end. While on the tour, we saw a craft activity where people were decorating anchors for their cabin door. So once the tour was done, I went back to make my anchor. Many people decorate their doors with Disney magnets so for our last night I wanted something to put on my door.

Next, David joined us for Bingo which was really fun. We didn't win anything, but it was a fun and entertaining experience with the crew joking around at every turn. I haven't played Bingo in a long time so I enjoyed seeing how much technology has taken over. There were tablets that held 24 cards and the program actually marked the spots. We purchased the family pack which gave us two tablets with the digital cards and then 12 old school cards with markers. "Shake it up Betty!" was the phrase repeated by all players when we didn't like the numbers that were coming up. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

Since we all were busy touring or sleeping during breakfast, we had an early lunch. David and I ate at Cabanas for the buffet and Joe had Bruschetta and Carbonara at Tiana's Place. Later in the afternoon, I attended a towel folding class to learn how to make some of the amazing towel animals that were waiting on our beds each night. The teacher was one of the cabin stewards (called hosts). He was funny and told some corny jokes while also teaching us how to make a swan, a dinosaur, an elephant, and a monkey. The boys were busy going to more trivia games and I joined a few of them, but eventually went back to do one more load of laundry so I had plenty for the training I am attending this week. Suitcases were packed and then it was time for the final live show, Disney Dreams.

Disney Dreams told a sweet story of a girl trying to find the magic to fly. She was visited by Peter Pan along with an assortment of Disney characters who sing and dance to help her realize she always had the magic inside herself. The quality of these shows was very good. The same cast actually did three different shows, The Golden Mickeys, Frozen, and Disney Dreams. It is quite impressive that they are able to keep it all straight!

Our final dinner was at Tiana's Place. It was Mardi Gras night so we were given beads to wear while the music played and then we ended the evening with a big dancing line. After the festivities, it was back to the stateroom for me to sleep one more time in the luxurious bed.

Ketchikan

 Yesterday was our last port of call, Ketchikan. It was a cute fishing village with brightly colored buildings that just make you smile. We arrived in port late in the morning, so we were able to sleep in and have a later breakfast before walking down the gangplank right into town. The main road is built upon the pylons on the dock. We had about 90 minutes before we met our tour guide so we wandered the shops and noted things we’d come back and buy later.

Joe had reserved a tour with Wild Wolf Tours which was not part of the Disney excursions but a locally owned tour company. Our guide Zach picked us up and then drove to another dock about 7 miles away where a couple from Norwegian Cruise Lines joined us. We headed to the Tongass National Forest for a nice little hike. The trailhead was at the end of the road and it took us through the rainforest down to a little cove. The trail is named Lunch Creek Trail because it is along a creek where bears come for lunch. The salmon hadn’t started running yet, so we didn’t see any salmon or any bears and that was okay with me. There was a lovely waterfall and the forest was just gorgeous filled with red cedar trees and hemlock tress and tons and tons of blueberry, huckleberry, and salmonberry bushes. Zach told us all about the how a fallen tree becomes a nursery for new trees and other plants who feed off of the nutrients and we saw examples of this several times…tree logs covered in moss, with a plants and trees growing out of it. The log itself had become very spongey as it was being decomposed.

As we walked along the trail, Zach regularly picked berries and encouraged us to do the same. He knew a lot about plant life and told us many facts and stories that kept our interest. As we came down to the beach, Zach was sure to let us know that although it looked like a lake because we saw land all around us, we were actually looking at the Pacific Ocean and this was where salmon would return to swim up the stream into fresh water to lay their eggs. It was low tide so Zach took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and waded out looking for tidal creatures. He reminded me a lot of my own Zach, a little quirky and a man on his own individual path. After the hike Zach gave us crackers with salmon spread. Joe was brave enough to eat, but David and I took the granola bars instead.

We climbed back into the van, and Zach drove the opposite direction on the main road until we got to a Totem Pole collection. I think it was called the Totem Potlatch, but I don’t remember, and I don’t have enough data to look it up using Google. He told us some of the traditional stories that the different totems represent as well as the ones that represented a lineage. They have a very nice gift shop where we wandered spent money. After the totem poles, Zach dropped us off back downtown where we finished up our shopping and headed back to the ship for an acapella concert by three women who are called Pipeline Vocal Project. They were very talented and put on a good show.

Dinner was at Animator’s Palate and it was so awesome. When we came in there were papers the size of a placemat at our table with markers. There were instructions to draw a person. The head arms, torso and legs were in different sections, but there were examples showing you how to complete your drawing. They collected the drawings, and then after dinner, there was music with the very characters we drew dancing across the screen. It was great fun and Animator’s Palate became our favorite restaurant of the cruise. 

Skagway & Juneau

 Yesterday was Skagway and today was Juneau. I am doing two days in one blog post because uploading these posts is getting costly. Actually, that isn’t the problem. It is the hidden apps on my phone that download podcasts and other things on my phone in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping. You have to remember to log out of your browser every time you are done or your phone or computer will use up all of your precious data!

So back to Skagway. We had booked an excursion that had three parts - train ride, pan for gold, and sled dogs. It was a 6.5 hour enterprise. First we took a 1.5 hour train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route. Our host was Max Glacier, a young guy who had been doing this job for about 2 months. He was dressed in character and did a decent job telling stories. The boys liked him better than I did. I got a little tired of him constantly exclaiming “Whoo!” The railroad was an alternative and easier way for prospectors to get to the Yukon where gold had been discovered. Building the railroad was treacherous and only one man seemed to have the willpower to get it done, Michael J. Honey. The train ride took us from sea level to 2,078 feet and then back down. The views were spectacular and breathtaking.

After the train ride, we went to a place where we learned how to pan for gold. Fortunately, the guides are much better at it, and helped us swirl the pans so the gold flakes settled on the bottom. My gold measured 1.4 grams with a value of $16.72. So of course I had to spend $40 to store it in a Christmas tree ornament. Next we moved on to learn about the Iditarod from an actual musher who has raced his dogs a number of times in the race. He told some very interesting stories. For example, he shared that although some people like to put foot warmers in their boots, it can cause your feet to sweat which can then lead to frost bite. We also got to see the dogs do a very brief demonstration of pulling a sled. The dogs were Alaskan huskies. Not at all like the Siberian huskies or malamutes. They were relatively small, but apparently very strong, fast, and smart. The best part of seeing the dogs though was when they brought out the puppies. Oh my goodness! They were only about two weeks and their eyes had just opened. Such cuteness!

There was more talking and listening as our guide told us more about gold mining and the pieces of equipment used. It was a warm day and I was getting tired of listening, so I was glad when headed back to the dock. We went back on board to change clothes and leave jackets behind and then took a quick walk through downtown Skagway. Nothing too impressive to see, just lots of jewelry stores. So it was back to the ship to watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny before our 8:15 dinner. I was in bed by 9:30 preparing for another early morning.

This morning after a quick breakfast, we were off on our second excursion. I liked this one better, I think mainly because we weren’t tied to non-stop talking guide and got to explore things on our own. Our bus driver was funny and pointed out sites along the way to the Mendenhall Glacier. We saw an eagle’s nest and he pointed out at least four different bald eagles on the drive. The Mendenhall Glacier is in the National Forest and is actually run by the Forest Service. It is not a National Park. There is something spectacular about seeing a large swath of ice covering the space between two mountains and realizing that the ice actually carved its way through and created the pass. Although the glacier moves anywhere between 1/2 foot to 1 foot per day, it isn’t moving enough to combat climate change. The glacier is melting at a very rapid rate. You can see the photos from 1930 up to today showing that the glacier is retreating dramatically. In 1930, the glacier was at the actual location of the visitor center. Today it is over a mile away. You can still see it, but the expectation is that by 2050, it will no longer be seen. We walked on the Nugget Falls Trail and saw a great waterfall that fed into Lake Mendenhall which is at the base of the glacier. It was a nice little hike about a mile out. We even saw a porcupine on the hike.

After the glacier, our driver took us to a salmon hatchery where we learned about the different stages of life of salmon and we even got to see some swimming up the ladders to their final destination. It’s so crazy, that salmon babies have their birth location imprinted in their system and that they are able to return to their birthplace five years later to spawn even after living in the ocean for most of that time.

Our last stop was the Alaska State Museum which had many interesting exhibits about Native Alaska, Russian Alaska, and American Alaska. There was also a separate exhibit about how intestines and other parts of animal gut were used to make so many different things including parkas.

After the museum, Joe and I headed into town to explore. Once again, there were plenty of jewelry stores, but there were more shops of interest and Joe was able to get a huckleberry milkshake which I am told was very good. We both purchased a few souvenirs before heading back to the ship.

I finished off the day doing some laundry, watching the Frozen Live Action show, and eating dinner at Tritons. Tomorrow is Ketchikan, but we won’t even get off the ship until 11:30 so it will be a good day to sleep in a bit.

And the winner is...the glacier!

Today was our last day before we start visiting ports. Today was also the day we sailed past the Sawyer Glacier. After breakfast at Triton's the boys and I participated in two trivia games. The first was Heroes Quotes Trivia, and the second was Villain’s Quotes Trivia. We were the winning team for the Heroes Quotes thanks to David who knows A LOT about Disney. Joe helped too, and my minimum contribution...the name of the black panther in Jungle Book was Bagheera. Regardless, our team won with the most correct answers and we wore our medals proudly. The host of both trivia games was a funny man from the U.K. named Lewis. We happened to be in a room that had large portholes and whenever someone had a whale sighting, he would stop the game and run over to look out the portholes. Lewis was as excited as everyone else. I got to see the spray from a whale's blowhole and also the back of one for a very brief moment.

After the trivia, the ship began its voyage through the Tracy Arm Fjord toward the Sawyer Glacier. It was slow and steady through a narrow passageway with rock cliffs towering over us. Some of the rock had trees growing, part of the Tongass National Forest. There were white streaks coming down the sides of the rock and on closer look, you realized they were little waterfalls. It was beautiful. At a much larger waterfall, the captain stopped the ship so everyone could enjoy the view. As we drew closer to the glacier, there were little icebergs floating in the water. Sometimes, you could see a baby seal or two on them off in the distance. The ice was mainly white with shades of blue especially closer to the waterline.

David and I spent a half hour at Cogsworth Countdown which was like the game show Minute to Win It. He was on a team while I was the cheering section. He stacked cups and slid on a magic carpet around some cones while holding a ping pong ball on a spoon. Our team was the Belle team and we tied with the Gaston team so we all got Disney fidget spinners as our prize.

We were getting close to the glacier so we went back outside to view the sights. When we reached the glacier, I was mesmerized and just kept trying to find places to stand and look at it. It was so impressive. I even saw a small “calving” where a piece of the glacier falls off into the sea. I kept going to different decks and sides of the ship as we slowly turned around to head back down the fjord.

The live show tonight was a magician, The Chipper Experience. It was a comedy/magic show that was entertaining and funny. The magician even spoke to David during the show, but he didn’t call him up on stage. I think he wanted a married couple.

After the show it was up to Deck 9 for the Freezing the Night Away party and then dinner at the Animator’s Palate again. There are three restaurants that we will rotate through while onboard. The first night was Triton’s which had Little Mermaid decor. Tomorrow we will dine at Tiana’s Place. The last two nights we have been at Animator’s Palate. 

I really like the vibe of this restaurant. It is all black and white with paintbrush pillars, and the chairs have two buttons on the back that look like the buttons on Steamboat Willie’s pants. On the walls, are screens to look like picture frames. Last night, we watched rough sketches of various characters get drawn. Tonight the frames had scenes from Frozen and the menu was Frozen related. In true Disney fashion, no detail is overlooked. I love this!

Tomorrow is our first port, Skagway. We have an early excursion, so it is off to bed in preparation for another fun adventure.

For another perspective, read my son, David's blog at Favorite Son's Spiel. 

The Fourth at Sea

 Happy 4th of July! It seems that every summer I am spending Independence Day traveling. It’s just the way my vacations work out. I am always away from home. This is the first time I have spent the holiday on a ship, though. No fireworks planned. I assumed it was because we were on a ship, but one of the cast members said it was because we were in Alaska. Not sure exactly why, but no fireworks celebration tonight. 

Both Joe and David stayed up late last night exploring the ship and going to different trivia and Karaoke activities. I on the other hand went to bed after struggling to post my blog. When I tried to log into Facebook to post a link, it required two-factor authentication which meant it sent me a text message. The problem is, my phone was not getting text messages. Later today, I received several codes from Facebook when we were in Alaska waters and close enough to a cell tower apparently. But when I came down to my computer the brief connection was gone again.

Breakfast was at Cabanas. It was the largest buffet with the most choices I have ever seen. Any American fare you can imagine was available. In addition, there was breakfast food that is more  typical of both European and Asian cultures. During breakfast the boys and I discussed a few chapters in a book we are reading called Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation. Typically, we discuss it during our Sunday lunches, but the past few Sundays we have been occupied with other things, so we are using the mornings on the ship to discuss a chapter or two.

Alaskan Inner Passage

A bit windy

Today’s plans included some trivia games, a nap for me, and movies. Joe watched The Little Mermaid, and David and I watched Elemental. Later on this week, Indiana Jones will be playing. It’s nice that the new releases are being shown on the ship along with many other Disney favorites. The ship is currently traveling through Alaska’s Inside Passage, so we spent some time outside on deck to see the land on either side. It was very windy, so we didn’t stay too long.

Before dinner, we went to the Golden Mickeys, a live show that celebrates Walt Disney’s legacy to animation. It was very well done with a talented cast. there was animation mixed with live performers singing and dancing on and off stage.

It's almost time for dinner at Animator’s Palate and then I am sure the boys will have other plans afterwards. We’ll see if I am up for them or not.

Setting Sail

This morning we checked out of our Airbnb and headed to Canada Place and the Port of Vancouver. We had tickets to see Flying Over Canada before our check-in time for the cruise.

Flying Over Canada, celebrating its 10 year anniversary, was created by two entrepreneurs who were inspired by Soaring Over California after a visit to Disney’s California Adventure. They actually worked with a Disney Imagineer when creating the attraction which explains why it felt very familiar. There were a few changes to the design of the seats which made it better such as no feet dangling above you and wider seats. We enjoyed spectacular views of Canada, most of which we didn’t know. I did, however, recognize Niagara Falls, Vancouver, and the Northern Lights. When we got off the ride, there was a map showing all of the different sites. 

1. Hudson Bay, Manitoba
2. Twillingate, Newfoundland
3. Iceberg Alley, Coast of Newfoundland
4. Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
5. Riviere Rouge, Quebec
6. Toronto, Ontario
7. Niagara Falls, Ontario
8. Muskoka, Ontario
9. Rockyford, Alberta
10. Rocky Mountains, Alberta
11. Mount Louis, Alberta
12. Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
13. Bella Cool, British Columbia
14. Blue Mountain Winery, British Columbia
15. Lower Mainland, British Columbia
16. Vancouver, British Columbia
17. Tofino, British Columbia
18. Northern Lights, Northern Canada

They were each an impressive site to behold and a great finish to our time in Canada.

It was time to check in to our cruise. So we got our luggage from the car and returned the car to our Turo host. Getting on the cruise was a four-step process. 

1. Check in with your boarding pass and get a security bracelet.
2. Drop off your luggage.
3. Go through Security/Immigration
4. Wait in the Cruise Ship Terminal waiting area until your number is called.

The whole process took about an hour and then we were walking down the gangplank onto the ship. We ate lunch in the Cabana buffet, found our staterooms and explored the ship. There is a lot to see and do! Our staterooms are on Deck 1 and many things are on Decks 4 and 5 as well as 9 and 10. A colleague told me to use the stairs since there is so much eating on board. That’s a lot of climbing. I better have stronger legs by the time we finish!

Dinner was delicious, but late. We are in the second seating at 8:15 which is my bedtime, so it will be a challenge for me not to overeat so close to when I go to sleep.The boys can enjoy the nightlife, but I plan on having some sweet dreams tonight. Tomorrow is a day at sea, so we will continue to explore what the ship has to offer.

Note: Wifi is slow and expensive on this cruise, so my apologies for not having any photos. I’ll add them when I can.