Blogs from Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, North America - page 4

Woken up by the Captain's announcement this morning telling us that we were all fixed and on our way to Ketchikan (even though we were there when we actually had taken off). As usual, the announcement was told, then repeated - word for word..... Arriving 5 hours late due to late departure and all shore excursions had been cancelled - not a problem for us but some others would be mortified as today was going to be one of several peoples highlight trips. Bugger.... But as the captain said (twice) - safety is our paramount decision...... At sea for most of the day but in the inner passage now - tight bits everywhere, along with whales and porpoise. Interesting views, then a message that says that some of the excursions are back on - hmm, not ... read more

Day 8 of our Alaska journey starts with a dose of reality. A cruise ship has been stranded in Ketchikan for several days, and as a result, we will be tendering to shore. There have been several cruise ship mechanical issues in recent months, and this is another on the growing list. However, we tendered to shore, located the visitor center, and completed a walking tour which included three excellent museums and some salmon-watching. The first museum had a focus on the development by settlers who came to the area in the early 1900's. The second museum was more historical and explained the totem pole messages and cultural significance. The third museum was the National Park Service museum. The telescope view into creek street waters was a different perspective than at street level. There were interactive ... read more

Boarding onto the ship went smooth considering we had to go through USA customs and everything. We were very happy with our choice of stateroom on the ship. Room 7003 with a forward facing porthole. No people traffic as we are right at the front of the ship. Spent the afternoon exploring the ship...wow it's huge. We have never cruised before so this is a whole new experience. The food is great..so much of it everywhere you turn. They serve over 9000 meals a day on this ship. We went to a show this evening at the theatre then dinner at the restaurant. Good service and great food. Next day was a sailing day so we relaxed and watched the view from the deck. Food is so plentiful..you roll into bed every night! We also did ... read more

Geo: 55.3542, -131.691Today the ship docked in Ketchikan at around 11 so we took the opporunity to sleep in. We had breakfast at Beach Blanket.After breakfast we went and played a round of Bingo but didnt have any luck at winning although I got to verify that all the numbers were represented and for this I got some lip balm and a hat.Then, Kelsie and I got off the ship so she could get a souvenir. Nikki went to read at Cove Cafe and Regan chilled.We grabbed lunch at the pool deck before heading to our 12:15 meeting for our excursion. We were going to the Tatoosh Islands to kayak.We had a 30 minute bus ride followed by a 20 minute boat ride on Zodiak out to the island to be instructed on how to use ... read more

All got a little active during the night. Woke up at 1.30 am and found the ship doing its own little version of the Samba. Probably wasn't particularly rough but after the smooth sailing we've enjoyed so far, doing what old men do several times a night became just that little more challenging and requiring just a little more attention to detail! But with resolute attention to detail managed to avoid embarrassment. Was a little bit concerned as it is not a well kept secret that I am not the worlds best sailor, but as it turned out went straight back to sleep. Another disaster averted. Awoke at 7am and Sandy's first words were 'man the ship was getting thrown around last night'. The fact that it woke Sandy is a testament to the fact that ... read more