traffic on I-90 over the Cascades was horrible. We finally settled into the Lake Pleasant RV Park in Bothell late in the afternoon and relaxed. The week before the cruise was spent doing some last minute shopping, packing meeting with the pet sitter who would be watching over Smokey the Cat while we are gone. As you can see, Smokey felt that he should be allowed to go on the cruise, even if it meant going as cargo.On Sunday, September 9th we threw our somewhat over-packed bags into the car, kissed the cat goodbye and headed for the cruise terminal in downtown Seattle. Parking was a breeze and we were on the ship within an hour of arrival at the terminal. The ship departed at about 5 pm and we spent the afternoon getting to know the ship and the bartenders. We were
on the MS Noordam, the newest of the Holland America Line's big ships. Had a very nice veranda cabin. Interesting how living in a motor home for two years makes a cruise ship cabin seem not as small as they did on past cruises.Monday was a day at sea so we busied ourselves with the usual shipboard activities, eating, drinking, gambling, more eating, more drinking, a show, more eating, etc. etc. There are three other couples from the Indio Elks on the cruise with us, Bob and Gloria, Travis and Gail, and Roy and Mary.
Tuesday we arrived in Glacier Bay National Park and spent the entire day slowly cruising the narrow fiords of the park. The weather was cold and foggy in the morning but gloriously clear
and sunny in the afternoon. The ship's crew commented several times that we were experiencing the best weather they had seen in months. The views were outstanding, snow topped peaks, ice filled valleys and several large glaciers. At the Pacific Glacier we watched a number of "calvings," chunks of the face falling off into the water. The chunks of ice in the water were a lot smaller than I expected, the largest no bigger than a Volkswagen, but the sights were breathtaking. Spotted one bear along the shore and a lot of sea lions.Wednesday morning we woke up to a foggy morning docked in Juneau, Alaska. We went out for some shopping and had lunch at the Red Dog Saloon, which has been around since the 1800's. In the afternoon we took a three hour bus tour of the area, including the city, a salmon
hatchery and the Mendenhal Glacier. While Juneau is the capital of Alaska, it has only a little over 200 miles of paved road and can only be accessed by air or sea.Thursday morning brought us to Sitka, Alaska. Again, a foggy morning and a clear, comfortable afternoon. We took another city tour which took us to the Sitka National Historic Park and a Russian Dance show. Lots of totem poles at the park and a very entertaining show put on by the Russian dancers (who were not Russian, but pretty good anyway). The eight of us from Indio, who are all members of the Indio Elks Lodge, then visited the Sitka Elks Lodge which was within walking distance of the waterfront. Had a drink, visited with some local members and got our Lodge Pins. After lunch we did a little local shopping.
Friday morning we awoke in Ketchikan, Alaska. We were only docked there for the morning so we went out early for some shopping and walking around. All three of the Alaskan cities we
visited were perched on very narrow pieces of land between the mountains and the sea. They all had a rugged, "frontier" look to them, although t-shirt shops seemed to be the most prevalent industry. The wilderness areas, mountains, forests, and fiords surrounding these cities were very dramatic and beautiful. It was easy to tell you were out in the middle of nowhere.Saturday we were at sea until about 6 pm when we pulled into Victoria, B.C., Canada for the evening. Victoria was a fairly large, modern city with very clear British influence. We took a bus tour of the city that including a tour of an old 1800's mansion. Since we were only there for the evening we weren't able to do any shopping.
Sunday morning we awoke already docked back in Seattle. Disembarking was as easy as the embarkation process and we were off the ship and headed back to the RV park by 10 am. This
was our first cruise on Holland America and I will say that we would cruise with them again. The staff on the ship was very attentive, the ship was beautiful and well maintained, the food was good, and the service was excellent. We had a busy but wonderful week and enjoyed every moment.No time to relax though - we got off the ship on Sunday and Monday morning we left for Salem, OR and another rally. We are headed for the Monaco Corporation's "Come Home" rally. More on that later. See ya!
