Alaska Cruise - Winding Up

When we left Ketchikan Friday afternoon, the wind was brisk and it soon started to rain. I guess we were lucky that it didn't rain during any of our stops. The weather continued to worsen, the waves got bigger, and they closed the outside decks. That evening was a special Chef's Dinner in the main dining room where the waiters all dressed up as chefs and provided entertainment while serving. The food was excellent as usual.

It got rougher overnight, and I had trouble sleeping. We were rolling side to side, up and down, and occasionally there was a shudder as we hit a wave wrong. It wasn't scary, but it was uncomfortable. I peeked out very early Saturday morning and saw what I think was part of the Queen Charlotte Islands.

The very rough seas and headwind delayed us quite a bit. We were 2 hours late docking in Victoria and so all the shore excursions were cancelled. Mom and I hadn't booked any, anyway, but I had thought I might go over to the downtown part of Victoria and walk around. But where we docked was quite a distance aways, so since there wasn't as much time, I stayed on board.

Really, the whole trip was wonderful. The ship was beautiful, with art everywhere. Even these metal elevator doors, which could be a great quilt design.

The food was really good and there was always something new and different on offer.

The crew was friendly and helpful, and left little surprises for us in the evenings. :)

Mom says hello to her new pet.

This one really startled me when we came back to the room.\

We saw lots of real wildlife as well, although I didn't always get pictures. Whales and puffins headed to Glacier Bay, eagles in every town (including at least 20 in a single tree in Sitka). For other more exotic species, you really need to take water excursions out of the towns. Maybe next time.