Our Cruise History: Now 249 Nights at Sea

In an effort to document our cruise experiences, I shall continue to update this information.  This list now contains the history for over twenty-five years of sea voyages.  The last time I changed the listing was in the spring.  We found a last-minute, AK cruise to celebrate my birthday week.  It was a nice time that ended just yesterday. Next, at the start of our upcoming winter away, we're planning to add one more cruise this year.

Cruise #22

July 2026 - An Alaskan Cruise for Dennis's 67th Birthday Week - Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Dawes Glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan.

Vancouver to Vancouver 

Celebrity Solstice - 7 Nights

Cruise #21

March 2026 - Western Pacific: Puerto Princesa, Boracay, and Manila, Philippines; Kaohsiung and Keelung, Taiwan; Ishigaki, Naha (Okinawa), and Osaka, Japan.

Hong Kong to Yokahama 

ms Westerdam - 14 Nights

Cruise #20

December 2025 - Middle East: Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Baniyas Island.

Dubai to Dubai

MSC Euribia - 7 Nights

Cruise #19

September 2025 - Western Mediterranean for Jay's Birthday: Ibiza, Sardinia, Rome, Genoa, Marseille.

Barcelona to Barcelona

MSC Orchestra - 7 Nights

Cruise #18

January 2025 - Réunion Island, Madagascar, and South African ports.

Port Louis to Cape Town

NCL Dawn - 12 Nights          

Cruise #17

July 2024 - Alaskan Inside Passage

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Koningsdam - 7 Nights  

Cruise #16

April / May 2024 - A Short Inside Passage: Ketchikan, AK and Prince Rupert, BC.

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Noordam - 5 Nights 

Cruise #15

December 2023 - Sri Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates.

Abu Dhabi to Dubai

MSC Opera - 3 Nights 

Cruise #14

July 2023 - Alaskan Inside Passage

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Volendam - 7 Nights 

Cruise #13

May 2023 - Pacific Northwest: Astoria, OR; Seattle, WA; and Victoria, BC.

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Noordam - 5 Nights 

Cruise #12

March 2023 - Rio de Janeiro, Islands in Brazil, and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires

MSC Musica - 9 Nights

Cruise #11

November/December 2022 - Panama Canal, Inca & South America Discovery.

Miami to Buenos Aires

ms Oosterdam - 31 Nights    

Cruise #10

September 2022 - Alaskan Inside Passage for Jay's Birthday.

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Zuiderdam - 7 Nights

Cruise #09

July/August 2022 - Viking Passage: Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Canada. 

Copenhagen to Boston

ms Nieuw Statendam - 18 Nights

Cruise #08

September 2019 -  Canada / New England Discovery.

Boston to Montreal

ms Veendam - 7 Nights

Cruise #07

July 2019 - Alaskan Inside Passage for my 60th Birthday

Vancouver to Vancouver

ms Nieuw Amsterdam - 7 Nights 

 

Cruise #06

September/October/November 2017 - Trans-Pacific to Australia and New Zealand.

Vancouver to Auckland

ms Noordam - 42 Nights

Cruise #05

August/September 2017 - The Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas.

Rome to Rome

ms Westerdam - 24 Nights

 

Cruise #04

June 2016 - The Baltic Sea / St. Petersburg, Russia.

Copenhagen to Copenhagen

(New) Regal Princess - 11 Nights

 

Cruise #03

February 2008 - The Mexican Riviera.

Los Angeles to Los Angeles

Carnival Pride - 7 Nights

 

Cruise #02

May 2006 - Pacific Coastal Cruise.

San Diego to Vancouver

ms Veendam - 5 Nights     

Cruise #01

May 2001 - Alaskan Inside Passage / Hubbard Glacier. 

Vancouver to Vancouver

Regal Princess - 7 Nights

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This is the most recently-updated record of our complete cruise history.  I have found that keeping track of our comings and goings helps us recall key life events more easily.  This list starts with our first cruise in 2001.  I update information by creating a new eJournal post after completing new cruise experiences.

Birthday Week Cruise Disembarkation

That seemed quick!   We got on board the Celebrity Solstice a whole week ago, but it didn't feel like we had enough time there.  It was successful a birthday cruise even though today it was raining pretty heavily at our home port.

We ate breakfast right at 7:40 am up in Deck 14 in the busy buffet.  It seemed so sad to say goodbye to breakfast with such a vast variety.  I was sure we have no smoked salmon and cream cheese back at the apartment and that the generous selection would have to be drastically scaled back.  It only took about three days aboard to get spoilt for the spectacular food choices.  After seven, I thought it would never have to end.

It is not only the food, but the fact nobody's going to come and make up the bed whenever we mess it up.  No more shows in the theatre or new ports to experience.  The prospect for today was simply taking the SkyTrain back home and doing everything that needs to be done by ourselves.  As you can see as we were heading down the gangway, Jay put on a brave smile for the camera nevertheless.

Down the Inside Passage

Our final day on board was spent entirely at sea, cruising southbound through the Inside Passage. A soft mist hung over the water for stretches, but it was certainly not without views, giving us plenty of intermittent glimpses of the coast throughout the day. Thanks to modern satellite navigation systems, the ship glided quietly along without needing a single blast from a foghorn. I kept track of our exact progress down the channel using the blue GPS dot on Google Maps, watching our steady course home.

Having a full sea day at the tail end of a voyage is a wonderful way to close out the trip before we pull into the cruise terminal in downtown Vancouver tomorrow. It creates a comfortable buffer, letting the entire week settle in before stepping off the ship. We enjoyed a relaxed final lunch on board and packed up our stateroom at our leisure, enjoying these last peaceful hours on the water.

I often think about how very lucky I am. With Jay, we can plan and execute just about any travel itinerary we can envision. This cruise popped up as a last minute chance, and I feel so deeply appreciative that we were able to take up the unexpected voyage.

My Favourite Port of the Alaskan Panhandle

We spent the morning at sea, making a calm southbound approach through the Revillagigedo Channel toward Ketchikan. After the birthday festivities last night, a quiet morning spent watching the misty islands slide past from the upper deck was just what was needed.

We tied up in Ketchikan right on schedule at 1:30 in the afternoon. Sitting just fifty miles from the British Columbia border, it remains one of my most favourite port stops along the entire coast, even though we have never actually booked a formal excursion here. The place simply feels like it could be a home. Sometimes one travels to a location that extends an aura of a personal fit, and Ketchikan does that for me. We spent the afternoon strolling along Creek Street, walking the elevated wooden boardwalks built on pilings directly over the rushing water, taking in the steep hillside backdrop and the timber-town charm.

We headed back to the Solstice well before our 8:00 evening departure. As the ship pulled away from the berth and turned south into the Inside Passage, it marked the end of our final Alaskan port call for the trip, leaving only the long sea day back to Vancouver ahead of us.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Waking up early on my birthday was made easy by the scenery outside. The Solstice spent the morning from 5:30 to 10:00 navigating the narrow waters of Endicott Arm, slowly working its way toward the face of Dawes Glacier. And we were up! As one of the main marine outlets of the Stikine Icefield, Dawes has undergone a rapid retreat, pulling back nearly 4 kilometers since 1985 at an average pace of over 100 meters a year, while thinning fast enough to fragment its terminal face. Witnessing such a grand show of changing nature on the anniversary of my birth felt like a genuine privilege. Standing at the rail as the ship turned in front of the ice face beat any standard birthday routine.

We cleared the fjord by late morning and made the run down to Juneau, docking right on schedule at 1:30 in the afternoon. Rain settled in for most of our stay, keeping the town thoroughly damp throughout the afternoon. Since Juneau is a familiar stop for us, there was no urge to force organized excursions. We discovered that the gondola up Mount Roberts, which we first took to overlook the city twenty-five years ago, was closed due to an accident earlier this spring. Instead, we spent a few unhurried hours exploring the streets on foot under our umbrellas, taking in the usual mix of state capital bustle and waterfront traffic.

We headed back aboard well before our 8:30 evening departure and had dinner in the formal restaurant, where the waiters, as expected, came over to sing Happy Birthday. However, we were in for a major surprise when we returned to the room that evening. They had decorated the place with wild abandon and set a complimentary bottle of white wine right in the middle of all the decorations. Spending a birthday surrounded by cold water, glacial ice, and birthday extravagance made for a memorable entry in the log.

Skagway or Bust! (Again)

We tied up in Skagway early this morning, docked and secured right at 7:00. Having a full thirteen hours in port until 8:00 in the evening meant there was no need to rush off the ship, which always makes for a far better day ashore.

Skagway sits at the northern tip of the Lynn Canal, famously serving as the primary springboard for the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. This was our sixth time in town, as it features on almost every Alaska itinerary. Our return here in July 2024 proved memorable for all the wrong reasons when the train up the pass could not bring us, my sister, and her friend back to the ship, and a major landslide blocked the return bus, turning my birthday into a full logistical exercise.

Today was vastly simpler. We revisited streets we already know intimately, keeping the pace deliberate, and popped into the local public library to catch up on a bit of internet.

With the Solstice staying docked until 20:00, we had the luxury of heading back on board for lunch, relaxing during the afternoon, and taking another stroll through town before dinner. Leaving the pier as dusk began to settle over the fjord made for a fine end to a calm, comfortable day.

Our First Views of Hoonah, AK

The morning was spent at sea, cruising through the northern channels as we made our approach toward Chichagof Island. Ocean mornings on a ship this size have a comfortable rhythm, leaving plenty of time to sit by a window with a coffee and watch the coastal landscape gradually narrow.

We docked at the Wilderness Dock near Hoonah right on schedule at 1:30 in the afternoon. From there, we walked the coastal trail over to the old cannery to stretch our legs along the shore, holding off on the free gondola until our return later in the day. Originally built in 1912 by the Hoonah Packing Company, the facility processed salmon for four decades before shuttering in 1953, famously housing much of the local population after a disastrous fire leveled the town in 1944. The Huna Totem Corporation has done a splendid job restoring the site, keeping the original 1930s butchering machinery, steam retorts, and mechanized canning lines intact inside the museum buildings.

Hoonah itself was one of the main reasons we jumped at this itinerary in the first place, as neither of us had ever been to the town. We bought a ride on an old converted school bus into the city proper to see what the actual community looks like beyond the restored cannery precinct. It was a great way to get a grounded sense of the area.

The Solstice remained tied up late into the evening, finally pushing off from the pier around 10:00. Watching the wilderness slide past under the lingering northern dusk made for a quiet, satisfying conclusion to our first official Alaskan port call.