Moomduck1
June 22nd, 2010, 11:28 PM
We just got back from our trip to Seattle and our Alaskan cruise! We had a really great time. Seattle is one of our new favorite cities! The weather was beautiful. Our hotel was ok. It was in walking distance of everything though, so that was good. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was worth what we paid for it. It was the Kings Arms. It had a McDonalds nearby which was great when we got in late from our flight. For someone looking for a lower-price hotel, I would stay here again.
We took the Chocolate Indulgence Tour from Savor Seattle Tours. It was great a 2 hour walking tour and we got to sample some really yummy things, including a chocolate martini and President Obama’s favorite candies, the salted caramel. Yum to both! The triple coconut pie was probably my favorite, and my kids really liked the chocolate crackle cookie along with the chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Hubby really liked the drinking chocolate. This tour was good because we didn't have DD's vegetarian issue to deal with. It was $49/person and I would highly recommend it. We even went back to one of the bakeries to buy the cookies that the kids liked.
We had a nice lunch at the Pike Place Brewery and even sampled one of “300 beers to try before you die”. We had a great time on the Ride the Ducks Tour, where we got to see the houseboat used in “Sleepless in Seattle”. Our driver was hilarious and we had a really good time. We walked through Pike Place Market and saw the flying fish. We saw the original Starbucks and had a tasty breakfast at the Market.
We sailed with Holland America on the Zaandam. The ship was beautiful and the staff was incredible. As soon as we walked on board, our room stewards and the Neptune Lounge concierge already knew our names! (this was our first cruise) Our room was large and we had a private veranda where we spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and looking for whales. We had a Deluxe Veranda room. The food was very good and we worked hard at making sure we didn’t gain weight! Not an easy thing. There were some amazing buffets at 10:30pm, such as Alaskan, Indonesian, Asian, and the Dessert Extravaganza. However, we didn’t eat at any of these. Hard to believe, I know! We did make sure that we worked out in the gym every day. Where else can you use the elliptical and spot whales?! As soon as we boarded, we went right to the Neptune Lounge and dropped off DH's laptop til our room was ready. We also made our dining reservations for the week. We had lunch once in the main dining room and ate diner there 3 times, although we had made the reservations for every night. We cancelled the ones we decided not to use. Tables for 4 filled up fast, so we were glad to do this. We had meant to eat breakfast in that special restaurant (because we had the deluxe suite) but never ended up doing it. The kids had cereal from the Neptune Lounge and DH and I ate in the Lido.
About a half hour before the ship pulled it out, it dawned on me that my very careful packing and planning had a very major flaw. I had forgotten to pack myself a smart casual outfit for dinner in the main dining room. I had my formal dress. And I had made sure everyone else had their outfits, but I forgot mine. So $80 later, I had to purchase something in the ship's gift shops. Sigh.
Our first day was a “day at sea” as we sailed north. Unfortunately for us, we hit a major storm. From what we were told, it was the worst weather they had seen all year and the waves were over 21 feet high. You couldn’t walk down the hallway without slamming from side-to-side as if you were drunk. DH and I toured the kitchens where we saw how they made over 6000 meals a day. Amazing! We played some Bingo (only once because it was $25), went to the Captains Lunch, but spent the majority of the day in our room. We skipped the first formal night and opted for room service for dinner instead. Thankfully, things were better by morning. We also skipped the captain's cocktail party that we were invited to. I forget when it was, but we didn't feel like dressing up and going to it. We got a bottle of champagne in our room as a departing gift from the captain which was nice.
Our first stop was in Juneau. We toured the Capitol Building and walked around the city. We had a nice lunch (it also isn’t easy finding a non-spicy vegetarian meal for DD in Alaska!) and then went on our first cruise excursion – ziplining! There were 10 lines and 2 suspension bridges, and we rappelled to base camp. My family had no qualms and easily went on each line. I, however, took awhile to warm up to it. It wasn’t the height (although we were very high up) that got me. It was the realization that each person was responsible for breaking themselves by putting pressure on the top cable. If you didn’t do this correctly or in time, you would smash into the guide, which of course I did. By the last 2 lines I was much better! Our guides were fantastic and super supportive.
We spent the next day in Glacier Bay where we saw some beautiful enormous glaciers. They were so blue! We also saw many whales, both orca and humpback. We also saw several different kinds of birds. It was a very relaxing day. We had brought Uno and some card games. And of course, the World Cup was also playing in the background!
Tuesday brought a stop in Sitka. We had another exciting excursion. This time we had a fast ride in an ocean raft and explored the volcanic coast. The raft held 6 and our driver. We sped out into the ocean until we couldn’t see Sitka, but we were up close to several different islands formed by volcanic eruption. We saw puffins, seals, starfish, bald eagles, and our favorite, sea otters. Sea otters are just as adorable as they are in the pictures, but a lot larger than we had expected. We even saw a mother otter holding her baby! After a few hours on the ocean, we went back to shore. We then walked around Sitka, had a nice lunch, and spent some time at the Raptor Center. It was amazing to see the Bald Eagles and other raptors up close. This organization works hard to nurse injured birds back to health. Back on ship, we went to the formal night in the main dining room. Lobster and filet mignon – yum! It was fun to get dressed up and go to dinner.
The next day brought a stop in Ketchikan. This was our favorite town. What a neat looking city! It was filled with different colored buildings that were really unique. Our excursion was a tour on a trolley, where we went through the city and also went to a nearby park that had many different totem poles. It was really cool to see all of the different totem poles and hear the stories behind them. We also stopped at Creek Street, which is built on stilts over a creek. The shops are housed in different homes which used to be bordellos until they were shut down in the 1950s. Ketchikan also has streets that are actually just wooden steps, but are maintained by the town. Our stop here was shorter than the other two ports and we wished it was longer. That night we had the Master Chef dinner in the main dining room, where the waitstaff sang and danced while they served. It was a lot of fun. Dessert was Baked Alaska! DH and I decided to go to the theatre on the ship and watch “Avatar”. I have no idea what the fuss was over that movie!
There is a blue law on the books, in which cruise ships must stop in a foreign port before arriving back in the United States. So on Thursday, we stopped in Victoria, British Columbia. We took a bus ride through town, and our driver pointed out some interesting sites on our way to Buchart Gardens. Buchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of over 55 acres of flower gardens. There were amazing sunken gardens, rose gardens, and a Japanese garden. I have never seen such a beautiful display of flowers.
Our ship docked in Seattle at 7am the next day. We couldn’t believe our trip had come to an end! Where did the time go? Concerned about making our flights home, we surprised the kids by renting a limo to get from Pier 91 to the airport. It was great to see their faces! We had a fun ride to the airport. We couldn’t believe the lines at the airport! Fortunately, they moved quickly.
We would definately cruise with Holland again!!
We took the Chocolate Indulgence Tour from Savor Seattle Tours. It was great a 2 hour walking tour and we got to sample some really yummy things, including a chocolate martini and President Obama’s favorite candies, the salted caramel. Yum to both! The triple coconut pie was probably my favorite, and my kids really liked the chocolate crackle cookie along with the chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Hubby really liked the drinking chocolate. This tour was good because we didn't have DD's vegetarian issue to deal with. It was $49/person and I would highly recommend it. We even went back to one of the bakeries to buy the cookies that the kids liked.
We had a nice lunch at the Pike Place Brewery and even sampled one of “300 beers to try before you die”. We had a great time on the Ride the Ducks Tour, where we got to see the houseboat used in “Sleepless in Seattle”. Our driver was hilarious and we had a really good time. We walked through Pike Place Market and saw the flying fish. We saw the original Starbucks and had a tasty breakfast at the Market.
We sailed with Holland America on the Zaandam. The ship was beautiful and the staff was incredible. As soon as we walked on board, our room stewards and the Neptune Lounge concierge already knew our names! (this was our first cruise) Our room was large and we had a private veranda where we spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and looking for whales. We had a Deluxe Veranda room. The food was very good and we worked hard at making sure we didn’t gain weight! Not an easy thing. There were some amazing buffets at 10:30pm, such as Alaskan, Indonesian, Asian, and the Dessert Extravaganza. However, we didn’t eat at any of these. Hard to believe, I know! We did make sure that we worked out in the gym every day. Where else can you use the elliptical and spot whales?! As soon as we boarded, we went right to the Neptune Lounge and dropped off DH's laptop til our room was ready. We also made our dining reservations for the week. We had lunch once in the main dining room and ate diner there 3 times, although we had made the reservations for every night. We cancelled the ones we decided not to use. Tables for 4 filled up fast, so we were glad to do this. We had meant to eat breakfast in that special restaurant (because we had the deluxe suite) but never ended up doing it. The kids had cereal from the Neptune Lounge and DH and I ate in the Lido.
About a half hour before the ship pulled it out, it dawned on me that my very careful packing and planning had a very major flaw. I had forgotten to pack myself a smart casual outfit for dinner in the main dining room. I had my formal dress. And I had made sure everyone else had their outfits, but I forgot mine. So $80 later, I had to purchase something in the ship's gift shops. Sigh.
Our first day was a “day at sea” as we sailed north. Unfortunately for us, we hit a major storm. From what we were told, it was the worst weather they had seen all year and the waves were over 21 feet high. You couldn’t walk down the hallway without slamming from side-to-side as if you were drunk. DH and I toured the kitchens where we saw how they made over 6000 meals a day. Amazing! We played some Bingo (only once because it was $25), went to the Captains Lunch, but spent the majority of the day in our room. We skipped the first formal night and opted for room service for dinner instead. Thankfully, things were better by morning. We also skipped the captain's cocktail party that we were invited to. I forget when it was, but we didn't feel like dressing up and going to it. We got a bottle of champagne in our room as a departing gift from the captain which was nice.
Our first stop was in Juneau. We toured the Capitol Building and walked around the city. We had a nice lunch (it also isn’t easy finding a non-spicy vegetarian meal for DD in Alaska!) and then went on our first cruise excursion – ziplining! There were 10 lines and 2 suspension bridges, and we rappelled to base camp. My family had no qualms and easily went on each line. I, however, took awhile to warm up to it. It wasn’t the height (although we were very high up) that got me. It was the realization that each person was responsible for breaking themselves by putting pressure on the top cable. If you didn’t do this correctly or in time, you would smash into the guide, which of course I did. By the last 2 lines I was much better! Our guides were fantastic and super supportive.
We spent the next day in Glacier Bay where we saw some beautiful enormous glaciers. They were so blue! We also saw many whales, both orca and humpback. We also saw several different kinds of birds. It was a very relaxing day. We had brought Uno and some card games. And of course, the World Cup was also playing in the background!
Tuesday brought a stop in Sitka. We had another exciting excursion. This time we had a fast ride in an ocean raft and explored the volcanic coast. The raft held 6 and our driver. We sped out into the ocean until we couldn’t see Sitka, but we were up close to several different islands formed by volcanic eruption. We saw puffins, seals, starfish, bald eagles, and our favorite, sea otters. Sea otters are just as adorable as they are in the pictures, but a lot larger than we had expected. We even saw a mother otter holding her baby! After a few hours on the ocean, we went back to shore. We then walked around Sitka, had a nice lunch, and spent some time at the Raptor Center. It was amazing to see the Bald Eagles and other raptors up close. This organization works hard to nurse injured birds back to health. Back on ship, we went to the formal night in the main dining room. Lobster and filet mignon – yum! It was fun to get dressed up and go to dinner.
The next day brought a stop in Ketchikan. This was our favorite town. What a neat looking city! It was filled with different colored buildings that were really unique. Our excursion was a tour on a trolley, where we went through the city and also went to a nearby park that had many different totem poles. It was really cool to see all of the different totem poles and hear the stories behind them. We also stopped at Creek Street, which is built on stilts over a creek. The shops are housed in different homes which used to be bordellos until they were shut down in the 1950s. Ketchikan also has streets that are actually just wooden steps, but are maintained by the town. Our stop here was shorter than the other two ports and we wished it was longer. That night we had the Master Chef dinner in the main dining room, where the waitstaff sang and danced while they served. It was a lot of fun. Dessert was Baked Alaska! DH and I decided to go to the theatre on the ship and watch “Avatar”. I have no idea what the fuss was over that movie!
There is a blue law on the books, in which cruise ships must stop in a foreign port before arriving back in the United States. So on Thursday, we stopped in Victoria, British Columbia. We took a bus ride through town, and our driver pointed out some interesting sites on our way to Buchart Gardens. Buchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of over 55 acres of flower gardens. There were amazing sunken gardens, rose gardens, and a Japanese garden. I have never seen such a beautiful display of flowers.
Our ship docked in Seattle at 7am the next day. We couldn’t believe our trip had come to an end! Where did the time go? Concerned about making our flights home, we surprised the kids by renting a limo to get from Pier 91 to the airport. It was great to see their faces! We had a fun ride to the airport. We couldn’t believe the lines at the airport! Fortunately, they moved quickly.
We would definately cruise with Holland again!!