Archive for the ‘alaska’ Category
I could see stars again
For the first time since this cruisetour began, last night I could see stars again. We are heading further south and as such the sun is setting earlier and it is getting dark. Dark of course instead of dusk or twilight we have been experiencing since Sunday over a week ago in Fairbanks.
The youngest child to ride the longest zipline
According to the operators at Icy Strait Point, my daughter, at age seven, became the youngest child to ride the long zipline in the world today since they have been in operation.
Icy Strait Point is located near the Tlingit village of Hoonah in southeastern Alaska. A few ships and lines call on this port. In fact, as I starting writing this entry, Celebrity Mercury pulled up just behind us. The last tender should have just come back and we will depart at about 3pm.
Celebrity Millennium Fun Factory Facts
Since Laura and I are traveling with our seven year old daughter, I wanted to share some Celebrity Millennium Fun Factory Facts with you. The Fun Factory is the name of the children’s program. The children are divided up by age and have different activities based on if they are a shipmate, a cadet or an ensign. My daughter is a cadet.
They have a dedicated area for the kids and activities throughout the day. New to us for this cruise is we had the opportunity to pay $110 to cover the pay for the extra hours of playtime when the program had normally been closed for lunch and dinner. It also covers the late night parties from 10pm-1am which normally incur a $6 per hour charge.
A relaxing day in Skagway
As I write this, it is just after 6:30 in the morning and we sitting outside our port for the day, Icy Strait Point. Built near the Tlingit village of Hoonah, this is known for both its whale watching and the longest zipline in North America with a run of 5,330 feet and a vertical drop of 1,300 feet. I will go watch!
Yesterday, we spent a relaxing day in Skagway. This was the entry point for the Chilkoot trail into Canada during the Yukon gold rush days. It is a smaller less commercialized town than Juneau. It also happens to close to Haines which holds the largest eagle preserve in North America.
Our Alaska Adventure is at the halfway point
Our Alaska Adventure is at the halfway point. Though not focused on the end of our vacation, there is a nagging little buzzing in my mind. We are skimming along the terminator that divides the beginning and end part of our Alaska adventure. The real downer comes on Thursday when the packing begins.
However this is only Monday and we are docked this morning in Skagway. I attempted to post a blog entry yesterday in Juneau but the connection was terribly slow. This morning feels the windiest and coolest we have felt this entire trip. The temperature says 59 but the feeling on our skin is cooler due to the humidity. It is partly cloudy and the sun is trying to peek out. You can see flashes of light hitting the snowcaps on the mountains surrounding this waterway.
