Cruise recap

We have been back for almost a week but due to a cold (me), and sorting/cleaning/unpacking, I am only now sitting down to give some background to some of these pictures I put up on the blog!

First of all, our strategy of preparing Paige to go to the cottage for the week with her Grandma and Grandpa (and getting her all excited about it) worked. When it was time for us to say goodbye she said "Bye...going on a plane". She didn't yell "mommy!" with arms outstretched or anything gut wrenching like that. So it was a bit sad, but easier than anticipated.

We then made our way to the airport and after an uneventful plane ride (extremely uneventful when you're talking only the 2 of us sans Paige on the plane watching movies and sipping pepsi and wine) we arrived in Vancouver for the night. Had the worst room ever at one of the most expensive hotels in vancouver (the Westin Bayshore) right beside the elevator where we had to turn the AC on full blast to drown out the sounds of the elevator. What a rip off, but had a nice meal the night before and a great breakfast when we met up with Jen and James the next morning. They had been in Victoria and took the ferry over that morning. We then took a taxi van to the Cruise ship terminal.

I have to say the check in procedure with Celebrity was far superior to that of Carnival. We basically were whisked through every line and before we knew it were sipping complimentary champagne up in the Palm Springs Cafe on deck 11. We got to relax for a few hours and try a few drinks that "will sneak up on you like a thief in the night". Then the ship set sail at 5:00 where we proceeded to sail for days on end. The original itinerary was to stop in Sitka, Alaska on the Tuesday. Due to a medical emergency we unknowingly set sail back towards BC on the Monday to meet with a helicopter to transport a little girl to hospital (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/helicopter-airlifts-sick-child-from-cruise-ship/article1218589/) . In order to get her to land safely we had to divert from the itinerary and as a result had to miss the first port. Everyone was very understanding, and the crew on the ship were great with putting together a great itinerary for our extra day at sea. By the time we actually got off the ship on Thursday though we were ready to get off after so many days at sea.

But before that, the ship went for some scenic cruising to the Hubbard Glacier. We completely underestimated this part of the cruise. The build up was fantastic. You could see the glacier for miles as we approached it, and the captain of the ship with the help of a special "pilot" person or ship (not sure if it was a person on the ship or in a smaller boat out front), was able to manoeuver around icebergs in the water so we could get within a very small distance from the massive glacier. The cruise ship is so big that as we were moving through the water it was pushing through massive ice chunks, and probably only avoiding the bus-sized ones. (We were told by the onboard naturalist that there are things called ice bergs, bergie bits, and other various names for the different sizes). When we got up close to the glacier there were literally building sized chunks breaking off. I think I have a few pictured of that in the slideshow. Obviously as we were sailing through the ice we couldn't help but think of the Titanic. Anyway, words can't describe how cool this was. You just have to experience it for yourself (and bring warm clothes, because when there are icebergs in the water it is obviously cold!)

Speaking of the onboard Naturalist, there was a man named Milos who gave talks almost every day on various topics...Alaskan Wildlife, The Moon, Volcanoes, and Glaciers. Very informative, and made us feel like we were on a cruise and learn! We would take a cup of tea to go from the cafe and just listen to the talk. I loved that it reminded me of being in a university lecture hall minus the note taking and pressure. The naturalist was also on the intercom the entire time we were at the glacier giving a commentary.

On Thursday we went Whale Watching and got to observe an apparently rare behaviour of humpback whales which is "bubble net feeding". I won't explain it, but apparently it is the only time that a bunch of humpback whales feed together. So, in essence, we got to see lots and lots of whales. We also went to the Mendenhall Glacier. After everything we went shopping.

On the Friday we went ziplining. This was through the Tongas rainforest. Very picturesque. This excursion also involved going down the longest and fastest slide i have ever seen in my entire life.

Funny that both excursions were operated by very very young staff, and in the case of the ziplining, they were all under 21. But because we weren't in Mexico for a change we felt very safe! ;)

Other activities on the cruise involved a trip to the spa, a yoga class, a scrapbooking class, tons and tons of food and drink (they told us that the average person gains 1-2lbs a day on a cruise!!??), talking with the staff, reading on the deck under many blankets (they have a few towels by the pool, but mainly blankets), relaxing in cafes with a coffee, watching a magic show, going to the casino, listening to music, and so many other things. It was sooo much fun to go with Jen and James, and fun that our rooms were right next door so we could run back and forth borrowing things, watching movies, eating more food, etc. Nice to be waited on hand and foot for a week. I find that after our twice daily room cleanings on the ship, our bathroom at home always feels like a mess! And our meals are not up to par! We definitely miss Jen and James though, and are eagerly anticipating staying with them for 12 days in September!!

But, of course it was nice to see Paige when we got home. She yelled "DADDY! MOMMY!!" and frantically reached out her arms for us to hold her. Such a nice welcome back. She had been prepped as well and repeatedly said "Welcome home daddy mommy.... I love you!" the entire way home.