Before we hit the road, we took Mom on a cruise to Alaska. It had been on her bucket list for quite some time, and it seemed like the perfect time to go. We booked a little suite on the Island Princess, which is a one way cruise to Wittier Alaska, departing from Vancouver, BC. The one way option meant there would be more glaciers on the agenda. We were fortunate in that the weather was beautiful most days, and we took full advantage of exploring ports and nearby excursions in the sunshine.
The ship itself had so many things to keep their passengers entertained. Movies outside, dance lessons, moose racing, bingo, shows, an awesome spa, even a little casino, and so much more. The massage therapist in the on-board spa were amazing. They made sure we were nice and relaxed by the time the cruise was done. If you ever go on a cruise, we highly recommend a massage or two.
We love meeting new people and learning from their adventures, so instead of having our own little private table at dinner, we opted to join larger tables. We met quite a few people who had been on this cruise multiple times over the years, those who would be embarking on a week-long land adventure after the cruise, and others who were turning around for week two on the boat as it returned to Vancouver.
One of the more spectacular excursions we took was to see Mendenhall Glacier, which was once visible from the visitor’s center, is now almost two miles away due to accelerated melting and retreating. The change to the glacier has exposed a pretty amazing waterfall, which was an easy hike to access.
We had a private balcony, which made it easy for us to pop inside to warm up. The Island Princess did a great job of making sure everyone had an opportunity to view the glaciers, rotating in the bays and fjords. We saw so much wildlife from our balcony – whales, eagles, seals, otters, and even bear on the shore line.
The ship spent hours in Glacier Bay, where we were able to watch major calving activity. A naturalist on-board said he’s been there over one hundred times, and that this was in the top 5 of his trips. We felt lucky to be able to see so much activity. It was truly the highlight of the trip.
Traveling Team Fischer 