Things Were Different a Year Ago

I turned 61 years old today.  The outside temperature in New Westminster, BC reached about 20°C (68°F) but seemed cooler.  In fact, I chose to wear long pants rather than shorts this morning.  I'm much more at home when temperatures are around 10°C hotter than this.  It was a calm and restful day.

However, I couldn't help but recall my birthday last year when it was a tad cooler than this.  On this date in 2019, Jay and I explored a glacier just outside of  Skagway, Alaska.  I had waited sixty years for my first helicopter ride.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Cruise: Vancouver Disembarkation

They kicked us off the boat today.



This would be my last Holland America breakfast for awhile! We were waiting for a chance to collect our luggage by 10:15. We rolled it to the SkyTrain and got home without a hitch.

What? Nobody is going to ask what we'd like to eat or if they can get us coffee or a drink! Nobody is going to make our bed and decorate it with a towel animal and chocolate each evening! There is no show going on in our apartment building after a sit-down 3-course dinner.

Getting used to real life is going to be a little hard!

Cruise: The Inside Passage to Vancouver

This was the relaxing trip back down through the Inside Passage on our way home.

It rained a lot today too but that made being in the comfort of the ship feel cozy and nice. Some people who have never taken a cruise do not understand that the world was mostly discovered through maritime means. Save for the last lifetime or so, humankind travelled on water to faraway ports. I'd not have made a real explorer or seaman, but I can surely appreciate the lifestyle on modern cruiseships!

Cruise: Ketchikan, AK

Today was a wash out. I never thought I'd say that I am happy about such a circumstance. Katchikan boasts that it's the Salmon Capital of the World. It is also know to be one of the wettest American cities. So it seem appropriate that we got to see it as it generally is.



The city was pretty close to the end of the Alaskan panhandle. That means we were not far from the BC coast. In fact, I think I read that one can take a six hour ferry to get to Prince Rupert.

Cruise: Glacier Bay

The MS Nieuw Amsterdam got to the inlet early. The passenger passageway to the bow of the ship was from our corridor on Deck 5. What an amazing national park! Only two cruise ships are allowed in each day, so we had the impression the sights were just for us. A ranger was aboard to describe details during our time in the Bay.

Imagine having a relaxing lunch on the Lido Deck with the view of Margerie Glacier! This was our second time here and that make me feel priviledged as many folks will never have the chance to see it in person.

Cruise: Skagway, AK

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! One reason we took an Alaska cruise this summer is because we were able to do so for my sixtieth birthday.




It started out a little overcast but by the time we got to my bucket-list activity, the weather had improved to prefection. At home, we arraged to take a helcopter flight at 4:30 PM today. We took one to Meade Glacier where we landed and met up with some guides who spent the day there with other adventurers. After a forty-minute walk, we returned to our helicopter which had run back to town for another load.

A few years ago, I went up in a hot air balloon in Luxor, Egypt. It was amazing, but today's helicopter rides made this a birthday I'll not soon forget.

Cruise: Juneau, AK

Yay! We made it here around lunch after floating around in the Tracy Arm Inlet. I think I like Juneau a lot. Of the three ports we will visit, this is one in which it'd be easiest to make home. Imagine a state capital that isn't connect by road. One needs to come in by boat, as we did, or nowadays by air.

We walked a lot but didn't have any excursions today.

Cruise: The Inside Passage

Going north between Vancouver Island and BC is amazing. We had a relaxing day and I remembered why cruising is the cat's meow. People kept trying to serve us and some succeeded.

Jay and I had an opportunity to wear our suits this evening as Holland America still encourages Gala Nights.

Cruise: Vancouver Embarkation

What a great port from which to catch a cruise! We got on a SkyTrain a few hours ago and rolled our bags bound for the Vancouver Waterfront. Without lifting our luggage, merely rolling our two large suitcases, we dropped them off at the cruise ship luggage area.

We've already explored the ship, the MS Nieuw Amsterdam, and found it quite like the Holland America ships we've been on. We're on the Lido deck and just heading to our first meal of much too much food.

See you soon, Alaska!

Nights at Sea

Next Monday, we'll be in Juneau. I like the idea of a state capital with no road access. I wondered if I could find a photo of our last and only other visit to the Alaskan city and I did.

This was taken in 2001 on our first cruise adventure ever. This photo would have been after our second night aboard the ship. At the end our upcoming 7-day revisit, I calculated we will have spent exactly 100 nights aboard cruise ships.

Birthdays and Bucket Lists

It makes sense to start crossing off items on one's bucket list more quickly as one gets older. My upcoming birthday in July sounds somewhat like an important one because of the big, even number. I was left thinking I needed a special gift this year.

I understand that on one's birthday, one is simply a single day older than the day before. However, this year's made a good excuse to book a 7-day Alaskan cruise. I love having a summer birthday! We leave from downtown Vancouver on Saturday, July 20th. Three days later, on the actual date I was born, we will spend the day in the port of Skagway, AK. Jay and I began looking over the available activities last week.



I have spent a lot of time in the air during my life. I've been on airplanes both big and small, but mostly big. A few years ago, I ticked off a bucket list item of riding in a hot-air balloon. It was amazing as we rose on an early morning flight at the edge of the Valley of the Kings and silently drifted across the Nile River, landing in a crowded backyard in rural Luxor.

Of course, our time in Alaska will be much different. Realizing I have never ever been in a helicopter, we confirmed tickets to land on a glacier. We will only spend around 40 minutes exploring the top of the river of ice. However, experiencing the Alaskan scenery from a rotorcraft seems like a perfect treat for my sixtieth birthday.

Semi-Formal Attire for Gala Nights at Sea

We do not often wear suits unless someone gets married or dies. Yet, getting dressed for dinner does occasionally feel good.


Scandinavia / Russia Cruise - June 7, 2016
We hardly ever eat out at fancy restaurants, but we are lucky to find ourselves on cruise ships once in a while. Each cruise line caters to a slightly different clientele. One reason we value Holland American over other lines is they maintain many old-style sailing traditions. Next month's round-trip Alaskan cruise has two 'gala nights' during the week we are aboard.

Today, we left our suits uptown at the dry cleaner.

The Crowded Inside Passage

If you happen to read this post between July 20th and 27th, then you will be seeing exactly where we are. Our second-ever Alaska cruise will be during my birthday week. I will be 60 years old on July 23rd and we are going to be in Skagway for the whole day. The Saturday to Saturday route from Vancouver stays the same for the whole summer.


Click the map's + or - to adjust the zoom level: 'MS Nieuw Amsterdam'.

Watching Glacier Calving

The last time Jay and I were on an Alaskan cruise, I was 41 years old.



Might taking another be a good gift for my upcoming 60th birthday?