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Trip Journal - 7 day Alaskan Explorer on Westerdam

NoobCruise

By NoobCruise,
in Alaska

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NoobCruise

NoobCruise

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The rest of these are DHs shots

 

 

7986458901_02ebcbd321_b.jpg

Alaska Cruise_20120908_194531 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

 

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Alaska Cruise_20120908_195828 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

 

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Alaska Cruise_20120908_200005 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

 

7986457643_b2d1615514_b.jpg

Alaska Cruise_20120908_200115 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

 

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Alaska Cruise_20120908_214806 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

 

7986456359_fd11f70b39_b.jpg

Alaska Cruise_20120908_213014 by Rescue-Diver, on Flickr

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NoobCruise

NoobCruise

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So that's it for our Alaska cruise. We had the best trip of our lives and thanks for letting me re-live it with you. If you're still here, thanks for hanging in there with me lol

 

Now to start planning the next trip. I think we're taking the kids (21 and 24) scuba diving either to the Bimini Islands or the Turks and Caicos.

 

Then back to Alaska for me and DH lol

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Assateague Island Princes

Assateague Island Princes

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Bravo!!!! A masterpiece of a review - thank you ever so much for taking the time to write it. I love your style, enjoyed all your sunset photos, and hearing about your experiences on the first time to the Great Land. And it will be the "first" time, because I can tell you let it steal your heart, just like it did ours. Great job! And I'm sorry its over....:(

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karen of PA

karen of PA

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I have been spellbound by your review and photos. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are planning an Alaskan cruise for June 2013. However, I already feel like I have been there by living vicariously through your trip. I'm pretty sure that I was sitting with you on your balcony experiencing the sunset!

 

Thanks again!

 

Karen

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Gizmorella

Gizmorella

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I loved reading your Alaska diary from start to finish! And the photos are stunning. It was like reading a novel with the disaster beginning, the rocky middle then smoothly sailing into the happy ending (or into the sunset!). Thanks so much for sharing.

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KruisinKath

KruisinKath

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Thanks so much for taking the time to provide us with such a thorough review. I enjoyed all the tips you gave, the great explanations of what you did along with pluses and minuses, and of course, the accompanying photos! And don't sell your little camera short - I thought your photos were excellent! :)

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NoobCruise

NoobCruise

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Thanks everyone! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I had fun writing it. It helped me re-live it all :)

 

I'm amazed at how much time it took though! I have a new respect for everyone else that takes the time to do it, especially if they come home to full time jobs and kids etc. I'm not working now and my kids are grown and out of the house, so I have time.

 

Thanks so much to everyone on the board who contributed in helping me plan :)

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  • 3 months later...
fireflymd

fireflymd

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(I’m going to change to present tense here deliberately because I think it makes a bigger impact, so forgive my grammar offense lol)

 

The beautiful blues, browns and whites curve gracefully and majestically down the canyon. The view of the glacier is just mind-blowing. There’s a peacefulness and calmness across the water that is surreal. Then suddenly, as the ice of the glacier cracks, there’s a thunderous crackling that you can FEEL as it echoes through the walls of the fjord. It sounds much like a thunderstorm in the mountains. Sometimes it comes from further back in the glacier, a mysterious monster roar echoing behind the wall of ice. Sometimes it’s at the face, where we’re rewarded with a shower of ice that falls to the sea.

 

At first, only small areas calve. We’re transfixed, fascinated, thinking we’re getting a great show. Then a little more crumbles…..And a little more…. We start to comprehend that what we’re seeing is like birthing pains, just the beginning. We realize maybe we’re only seeing hints of what’s to come. We wait in anticipation, as a huge area is slowly undermined and eroded. There’s crackling coming from the front and from places hidden behind the jutting face that echo across the sky. Then an enormous boom explodes as building sized chunks of ice break off the glacier face and fall to the water, stunning us all. Cheers ring out as the ice crashes into the sea and creates a splash that shoots outward in a majestic arc. There’s stunned amazement as a huge wave rises from the submerging chunk and rolls towards us, rocking our 82,000 ton ship. We’re amazed and awed, moved…. and somehow changed.

 

 

 

Wow! Beautiful description. Can imagine myself there. Loved your review and all your photos. Makes me so excited for our future cruise!

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  • 3 weeks later...
NoobCruise

NoobCruise

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Wonderful review! I enjoyed every bit of it.

 

I have a question about your whale watching excursion. Did you book it through the cruise line?

 

We have been to Alaska twice and still haven't seen any Orcas.

 

Thanks in advance for your answer.

 

Yes, it was booked with HAL. I understand how you feel. My husband served 3 1/2 years on a US Coast Guard cutter patrolling Alaskan waters and never got to see an Orca, so he was thrilled to see several on this trip. We had both seen lots of humpbacks, but never an Orca

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mapleleaves

mapleleaves

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Wonderful review! I enjoyed every bit of it.

I have a question about your whale watching excursion. Did you book it through the cruise line?

We have been to Alaska twice and still haven't seen any Orcas.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

 

Another option for orca viewing: there are 3 resident pods that cruise the waters between WA state and Vancouver Island. If you can add a day or 2 before or after your cruise, there are successful orca viewing trips out of Victoria or Anacortes WA (1hr north of Seattle).

I've been with these companies at end ofAug/early Sept. The trips are about 5 hrs so if the orcas aren't closeby you have time to go find them. We saw orcas (with a newborn), minke whales, porpoise, sealions, bald eagles. Check the daily sightings logs:

http://www.island-adventures.com/

http://mysticseacharters.com/index.php

Anyway, just thought I'd post another option to consider .

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