North to Alaska, for Chills and Thrills!
Written: Apr 12 '01 (Updated Apr 12 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: wonderful ship, interesting and exciting itinerary
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Best suited for everyone who wants to experience nature and exciting adventures but without roughing it..
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| ifif1938's Full Review: Norwegian Wind |
Our cruise to Alaska was a bit unusual, at least for us. Instead of boarding ship in Vancouver, like most Alaskan voyages, we began our journey in Los Angeles on what was called a repositioning cruise. That's when a ship leaves one ocean, travels a great distance to another ocean or to another area of the world, to begin a new seasonal itinerary, picking up and dropping off passengers at different ports of call.
Our ship, the Norwegian Wind , started this cruise in Miami after a winter of Caribbean Island hopping, it traveled through the Panama Canal, stopped at a few Mexican resort towns, continued on to Los Angeles to begin it's summer Alaskan itinerary, where we boarded her. This was perfect for us as we had been visiting relatives in the "city of Angels" and it was so convenient to take this particular cruise. Another benefit, because this was the first cruise of the season,( beginning of May), the ship wasn't filled to capacity with other passengers, and the prices were very reasonable. The temperatures were a bit cooler in Alaska than in the summer months but we relished it after the hot, humid, year in Miami.
The Norwegian Wind is a beautiful ship, with every extravagance built on board all the newest ships. The public rooms were gorgeous, every detail, painstakingly buffed and polished. The dining rooms, multilevel, and beautifully outfitted with all the best china and crystal. The food and the service were outstanding, serving Pacific Rim specialties as well as all sorts of other variations and of course, as with all cruises, all you could possibly eat.
There is a great little casino, where I actually won a little money, a full size theater, interesting little bars tucked neatly into almost every nook and corner, on different levels, all over the ship. And, a Sports Bar above it all, with satellite TV playing day and night, also serving food in case you actually missed a meal!
There is a fitness center, with all the most up to date equipment and, on one level, a jogging and walking deck, measuring one quarter mile, where I spent a great deal of time pounding my little feet, lap after lap, with binoculars in hand, always on the lookout for the elusive whale or other Alaskan wildlife.
Our stateroom was lovely, we had a mini-suite with a queen sized bed, a sofa and sitting area, a small but compact bathroom, full mirrored vanity-dressing area and the best part, a verandah, big enough for two lounge chairs, perfect for stretching out, in complete privacy, between ports of call, to rest and to watch the scenic beauty of this lush, Alaskan, wilderness, pass before our eyes.
Before we arrived in Alaskan waters, we had a stop in San Francisco, which, in itself, is always a special treat, we spent the day wandering through Chinatown and the wharf and got a nice little taste of this beautiful city by the bay. It was a thrill to see the Golden Gate Bridge from the ship and, when we reboarded to continue our trip, as we watched it fade in the distance, we knew we were on our way.
We were at sea for two days as the ship headed due north to our first port, Sitka , then a little further north to Juneau, then south, through the inside passage, to Ketchikan.
What a glorious time we had! Even the two days at sea were sensational, all sorts of activities awaited us. There were lectures in environmental studies about the sea and wildlife we would hopefully see, you could attend or not, vege out, eat, workout, go to the theater, eat, shop, gamble, eat, whatever you heart desired. And of course eat! We must not forget the food...One day they had a Chocoholic Buffet, everything was made out of chocolate! Or, covered in chocolate, every conceivable type of chocolate, in every shape and form, it was an incredible sight to behold. Needless to say, I did a lot of laps around that quarter mile deck that day, still on the lookout for whales!
But the most exciting events were still to come. The excursions. We had pretty much planned what we wanted to do before we even left and signed up the first day at sea for the ones we wanted. That's always advisable as they are limited and fill up fast.
Sitka , our first stop, finally appeared in the horizon and I was looking forward to our Sea Otter Quest, which promised some good wildlife sightings. So, on that early, misty morning, in our first Alaskan port we were ready to board a much smaller boat, a jet boat, called the Dolphin, to visit the kelp beds and the home to the multitudes of sea otters and other little sea creatures that lived in this area. Sure enough, after just a few minutes out there, we spotted them, the little adorable critters, floating on their backs, preening themselves and their babies, who lie on their mothers bellies while they are small, eating and playing, just as cute as can be. Amidst them all were seals, sea lions, and many varieties of sea birds flying overhead, hoping to catch a scrap or two of food, from whatever was left behind by the larger sea animals.
It was an exhilarating morning and when our sea quest was over, we still had the rest of the afternoon to explore the town of Sitka. Fascinating in itself, with it's Russian influence and the Cathedral of St. Michael, the first Russian Orthodox Church in North America. Of course there was the shopping that had to be done in the many interesting stores along the Main streets.
Back on board, it was fun sharing our day experiences with the other passengers and hearing about the variety of things that they had done, while we dined or had a drink in one of the many bars.
But wait! The next day was even more thrilling. As we exited the ship that morning, I was a bit apprehensive as to what we were about to do, a seaplane ride. We were going to fly over the Mendenhall Glacier. So, heart pounding, clutching my camera, I got in the back seat of this little plane, my husband and the pilot in the front and, as I held on to my seat, we set out for a sight too beautiful and awe inspiring to imagine. Our bush pilot, called it "a flight back to the ice age," and we watched in wonder, as centuries old glaciers passed by beneath us. We looked directly into deep, blue, ice crevasses, some of them hundreds of feet deep, till we reached the Juneau ice fields, actual remnants of the ice age! Fifteen square miles of solid ice, thousands of feet thick. This "mother ice field," as they call it, feeds all the areas glaciers with millions of tons of centuries old ice. It was starkly beautiful but totally inhospitable, where no animals live or could live even if they chose to. By then, I was a little more confident on the plane but still held on tight as we descended over the spectacular canyons on the back side of Juneau to conclude with a thrilling water landing. I must say I was little sad to see our flight end, but happy at the same time to see our ship sitting calmly in the harbor.
Juneau itself is a very interesting city, the capitol of Alaska, though small in size, has much to offer it's visitors. With Victorian mansions built alongside log cabins, both competing for space with hulking state office buildings, the only state capital in the nation inaccessible by road, the only way in or out, by sea or in the air.
After our exciting and exhilarating morning we choose to just meander about the city, found an incredibly beautiful wall mural that told the legend of man's relation to the whale, then ended up at the famous bar "The Red Dog Saloon", with sawdust on the floor, it was wild, we "bellied' up to the bar and ordered the drink it's known for,( I kid you not) the "Duck fart." Don't ask me what's in it, I only know I'm happy we made it back to the ship!
But, we were not done yet, Still another day ahead filled with yet another thrilling adventure. Sea Kayaking in Ketchikan, this would prove to be the funniest experience of them all.
We had never been kayaking in our lives until that day when we set off in a two man kayak. We were with a group of about eight other kayaks and one guide. Everything went smoothly for a little while, as we tried to keep up with the others but soon, we realized we had gotten a little behind and slowly separated from the group, little by little, they were further and further ahead of us, until we started to drift out to sea, our guide finally realized what was happening and had to double back, throw us a rope and tow us to the rest of the group. Embarrassed, but a little relieved, we finally got into the swing of things and enjoyed the rest of our kayak adventure...When it ended, we were in the middle of what was once the "red-light" district, during the heyday of the gold rush. Now, all those rustic wooden "houses" built on the edge of the water, are reputable gift shops and boutiques but you could just imagine what it must have been like in it's wild and woolly days.
There was so much more to see and do, but I don't want this to become a book. The rest of the trip back south was as scenic as going north, passing through the Misty Fjords, spotting the white heads of Eagles in the tall trees wherever you looked, dolphins swimming in the wake of the ship, endless beauty as far as the eye can see. It was all so wonderful. Everything I had expected it to be and more, except for the fact that the whales remained elusive to me on this trip.
I was sorry to see the cruise end but looked forward to the next few days we were to spend in Vancouver, "The Gateway to the West" for visitors from the far east and for us.
But that's another story altogether.
So young man, and young woman, go north, North to Alaska for thrills of a lifetime.
Happy and safe travels
Now that I found this new category of Cruise ships with all the ships listed, I rewrote and edited this review because I thought it belonged under the category of the ship rather than under Alaska.. Thanks for reading it again if that's the case
Recommended:
Yes
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