Monday, 04 April 2011
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One trip is not enough!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 It was an unusually cool and rainy day, even by Seattle weather standards. The drizzle was not going to dampen our spirits as we headed toward Seattle from Puyallup, about 18 miles southwest of Seattle. We dropped off our luggage at Pier 91 about 11:30, about an hour later than we had originally planned. This was our first visit to Pier 91 and we were not sure where to drop off our bags. The porters were bundled up and were not as easy to spot as the Hawaiian shirts worn by the porters in Galveston. We drove back into downtown and turned in the Avis rental where we were happily surprised to learn that the attendant could drive us to the ship. I wish I had known that was an option before we took the time to drop off our luggage. I got some great pictures of the Space Needle from the back seat. There was some noon time traffic and it was about 12:30 before we were back at Pier 91.
We were excited to have a suite booked for this cruise and with our Fun Pass ready to go, we were looking forward to breezing through security and check in. There was not a VIP line for security and we stood in line for about 10 minutes before getting to our turn at the x-ray and heading toward the VIP line for check in. The nice attendant chatted with us and had us wait for the two closest check in attendants. After about five minutes, the attendant moved us to an open attendant where we had a fairly smooth check in before heading to the boarding picture. I did note that by the time we were up to the photo spot, we were only about two minutes ahead of the people we had waited with in the security line. The point being, the VIP check in did not really do anything for us in Seattle. It may have been different for people arriving earlier.
After boarding, we headed straight to our cabin 6327 on the starboard side. The drizzle and rain made the balcony a less desirable spot at 1:00 p.m., but we were happy with the cabin and the size of the balcony. Our first order of business was to take pictures of the cabin for (insert web site) and unpack. A brief note about packing for an Alaskan cruise departing from Seattle in August… Even after accounting for the four days we were in Washington, I probably have more luggage than 70% of the female passengers on the ship. I used 97% of everything I packed. There is some room for improvement, but I am satisfied that I did not grossly over pack.
Ulung, our cabin steward introduced himself to us and we knew we were going to be well taken care of. He was quick to fill up my six pack size ice cooler and kept it filled for the entire cruise. I also asked Ulung to get Terry’s suit pressed for elegant evening two nights later (more on this later). The Cruise Critic roll call for this cruise was active and we were invited to join the group in one of the aft wrap suite cabins for a wine tasting get together at 2:30. Our hosts were two CC friends and their DH’s together with about ten more from the roll call including yours truly.
It was nice to enjoy different wines and meet the people I had been talking with on CC for several months before muster. The official meet and greet was scheduled for the next day and now we would know who to look for. The weather was lacking, but the wine tasting made for an enjoyable start to our Alaskan cruise. Woo hoo!
We had early dinner and were seated at a table for nine. I am always hesitant to go with traditional dining and sit with the same group each night. I don’t want the hassle of requesting to move if we end up at a table with tablemates we would not want to sit next to on a bus, let alone at dinner for a week. I’m the mother who always nagged our family about table manners and I want to enjoy our nightly meals in the dining room. I am happy to tell you we had a great table with interesting and friendly people from Houston, Chicago, Tampa, and Oklahoma.
DH and I ate all but one dinner (Nouveau Steakhouse on Thursday night) in the Empire Dining Room. Our head waiter was Anak. I hope I spelled that correctly. I’d like to tell you the assistant waiter’s name, but I can’t seem to remember a name after a full meal with wine and comedy club routine. The wait staff were attentive without being overbearing. Anak showed a quick wit which we enjoyed throughout our cruise. We purchased a wine package again and were pleased with our choice. I sometimes ordered a glass of a different wine from the bar if we were ordering a bottle that did not pair well with my whole meal. The bar server was a delightful young woman from Romania. We chatted with her outside of the dining room.
I did not keep track of dinner each night to offer a rating, however, I do recall a few items we enjoyed. The first night I had the flat iron steak, good flavor, good use a bit more tenderizing. DH was pleased with the prime rib and baked potato. We enjoyed the Jekyl Pinot Noir with our dinner and we both ordered the chocolate melting cake just to make sure it was up to standard for the cruise. We are selfless that way, thinking only of our tablemates.
Wednesday, September 1 – “Lumpy Seas”There was some movement on the ship as we traveled the open ocean heading toward Dixon Entrance, Alaska. I love to sleep in but on a cruise, I am usually up before 7:00 a.m. I’m excited to look out the window and see the landscape or seascape. We usually have coffee ordered from room service to arrive about 7:00 and this morning we added a couple of pastries. After a leisurely cup or two, we dressed and headed for the dining room. DH orders eggs, sausage, potatoes, and tomato juice with Tabasco every morning. After reading several cruise reviews from Snoozeman, I always order eggs benedict in the dining room for breakfast the first sea day. We were the last couple seated at a table for 12 by the window. Coincidentally, I sat next to a couple that lives just a few blocks away from our son’s family in Pasadena, Texas. On the other side of the table was a lovely couple from Wyoming who live near Douglas, Wyoming which was the only town big enough for a hotel when I visited Bill, Wyoming some years ago. I’m talking a ½ blink town that is only big enough for a half a PO Box address. If they had been from anywhere else in Wyoming our meeting would not have been remarkable. It can be a small world, especially on a cruise ship. This was a lovely way to start our first day at sea.
The eggs benedict was fair and the bacon crisp just as I like it. Eight times out of ten I like the bacon on Carnival. Sometimes I wish I had brought a paper towel to blot the grease, but it is good and I rarely eat bacon at home. DH enjoyed his omelet, sausage, hash browns, and tomato juice with Tabasco.
We wandered around a bit and then headed back to the room to get the sign for the Cruise Critic Carnival Spirit Roll Call Meet and Greet. I had a sign made without the name of the ship that I hope to use for future cruises. About 10:30 a.m., DH and I met at the Fantail bar situated aft in the pool area. The pool and whirlpool was not open our entire trip. We saw some workers looking at it that first night. This was a fairly quiet area that was good for whale watching and eating lunch outdoors. It may not be the same when the pool is open, but it worked great for us when the tables in the La Playa Grill (buffet) were busy. There are ice cream machines and a grill on either side of the bar. We first set up on the right side and then were reminded of the smoking that is allowed outdoors on the starboard side. From a roll call of 17 CC names representing about 40 cruisers total, we had about 14 show up for the meet and greet. I think that is pretty good. I enjoyed a bloody mary that was made with half spicy mix and half regular. The cocktail server was not sure about doing this, but he agreed to try and I had a good bloody mary while DH and a few other CC’ers enjoyed hot spicy bloody marys or other drinks. We enjoyed meeting everyone and hearing about everyone’s plans for Alaska and beyond. It makes the cruise even more fun when you have already met a few “neighbors” and know folks to wave to over the days ahead.
During the meet and greet, I realized that night was the elegant evening and I had sent DH’s suit for pressing to be delivered in two days, not one. Uh, oh! We always mess something up for elegant evening. Ties, belts, even dress shirts have gone “missing” and this time I had no one to blame but me! Ulung to the rescue! Our room steward said he would take care of it right away and he did. DH’s suit was delivered to our room by 5:00 p.m. and I was only charged the two day fee. It’s one of the little things that make you want to stay on the ship when it is time to go home.
After the roll call we wandered the ship and went back to our room and the nice balcony. Michelle, the naturalist / biologist on board, came on the loud speaker throughout the afternoon to tell us about the area we were cruising through and alerted us when whales could be spotted. By this time we could feel the ship “rolling” up and down which made walking the hallways interesting. Michelle said we had “lumpy seas”. I had not heard that term before, but it accurately described what we were experiencing. I take ginger and use motion eaze. I don’t know if it acts as a placebo, or if it is really preventing seasickness, but I felt fine.
Throughout our cruise Michelle would tell us when whales were frolicking on the port side of the ship. I was in our cabin balcony on the starboard side of the ship. When we went up to a viewing spot near the port side, the whales would be on the starboard side. I only saw one whale from the Spirit during the entire cruise. I had two main objectives for my first Alaskan cruise: 1) to see whales in their natural habitat, and; 2) to see a bald eagle, preferably flying and perched somewhere I could get a good look. I spoke with several people who enjoyed the same cruise I did and had the pleasure of seeing whales from their balconies and elsewhere on the ship. They saw whales breach from the ship and numerous sightings throughout the travel on our sea days. One passenger told me by the end of the cruise they had seen hundreds of whales from the ship! Sadly, this was not the case for me and I am very pleased we booked a whale watching trip for our cruise. I will tell you about our wonderful whale watching in Juneau on the review for Saturday, September 4.
DH and I have attended several wine tastings and we enjoy each one. The wine tasting on Spirit was held at 1:30 in the Nouveau Steakhouse. It is a pretty room on decks 9 and 10, with the entrance on deck 9. We paid attention knowing we would be returning the next night for dinner. The sommelier offered us six different wines and unlike our prior tastings, our plates included a bite of salmon and beef in addition to the customary cheese, cracker and fruit. It is $15 per person and you won’t fill up for lunch, but we enjoy learning more about wine.
Elegant evening in the dining room was fun, especially with DH in his suit instead of his bathrobe. Thank you, Ulung! DH and beef of some sort and I had the lobster with a glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay which I would not have ordered without the wine tasting earlier in the day. After dinner we visited the Punchline Comedy Club for the first time and sat in on one of the PG shows. We chuckled and laughed a bit before leisurely heading back to our cabin. I love cruising!
Thursday, September 2 – Tracy Arm Fjord
Breakfast was French toast (with bacon, of course) which I had overheard someone complimenting and I completely agree. Yum! DH surprised me again ordering an omelet, sausage, hash browns, and tomato juice with Tabasco. ? All day Wednesday I had to ask what time the excursion into Tracy Arm Fjord was to begin. Friends at the meet and greet had already received their tickets before noon on Tuesday. Originally when we booked the excursion, there was only one tour available. Evidently there were so many requests for the tour (the favorable CC reviews don’t ya know) that a second tour was added. We received our tickets when we returned from dinner Wednesday. We were scheduled for the 11:00 am launch to meet at 10:45 in the Pharoah’s Lounge (aka Punchline Comedy Club). The CD, Stu, gave us an overview of the tour and answered a few questions while we waited for the boat to take us on a tour. Depending on the weather and ice berg conditions (hard to avoid the mental references to Titanic) the Carnival Spirit will either travel down the Tracy Arm Fjord or Endicott Arm. There were a few cheers when it was announced that we would be going down Tracy Arm. From the map, it looks like the Tracy Arm Fjord allows the boat to get closer to the glacier from two access points to see South Sawyer and North Sawyer glaciers.
There were about 120+ passengers leaving the Spirit and getting on the St. Nicholas (such a fitting name) to head into the Tracy Arm Fjord. There were binoculars available on the seats in the heated, double decker cabin and a small snack bar with items for sale and free coffee. The third deck was an open air observation deck.
The Spirit entered Tracy Arm Fjord off of Holkham Bay where we boarded the St. Nicholas. Most passengers on the boat found seats and then a good number found their way to the open deck.
Tracy Arm is 30 miles long. We began our trip with a light drizzle of rain and cool temperatures. The rain did not deter from the wonder we experienced as we traveled through glacier carved rock walls rising up to 4000 feet above us with cascading waterfalls looking like strings of pearls all around.
We saw glacier ice throughout our cruise into Tracy Arm. Some of the ice is almost emerald green and others are white with tiffany blue. How often do I see a big chunk of ice float by the boat I’m in? Well, never, and I was startled by the size of some of the chunks of glacier ice we passed as we headed closer to Sawyer Glacier. The beautiful blue color of the glaciers is created by the density of the ice which absorbs all the colors of the spectrum except blue, which is reflected. Some of these glaciers are as tall as a two story building and others are the size of your hand.
I was glad I had purchased a rain jacket for this cruise. I searched for some time to find something I might possible use again living in sweltering Houston. As my DH says, “In Houston we have two seasons, summer and August.” I found a blue Anorak jacket with a removable fleece liner. It was perfect with a pair of gloves. I rarely used the gloves because of the camera, but my free hand was comforted with the glove in my pocket. I am warm blooded and rarely wear a coat in Houston even when it dips below 45. When the temp dips below 40 at home, I still want the window open a few inches. On the boat heading into Tracy Arm Fjord, I stayed outside 90% of the time and I needed every bit of fleece in the liner to keep me warm. I also stayed dry under the jacket, although, the rain was steady enough at times that I did duck under the stairs to dry off my camera lens.
It is hard describe the beauty we found as we followed the S curve in the fjord and made our way through the mist. Everyone was friendly as we would occasionally jostle into one another as we stood up close to the side of the boat to get a good photo shot. The boat pulled within 30 feet of a waterfall and a second time we pulled up close to see the plant life clinging to the walls of the fjord.
We traveled this way for over an hour. This is a three hour tour and about half of that time is spent traveling into the fjord, pulling up close to the rock walls and close enough to feel the spray of the waterfalls. You don’t see Sawyer Glacier for more than an hour into the trip. The rain had cleared as we passed by the fork in the fjord with South Sawyer Glacier straight ahead.
The rain had cleared as we passed by the fork in the fjord with South Sawyer Glacier straight ahead. There is a small "island" blocking a direct view of this side of the glacier. The boat turned several times to allow us to get pictures of South Sawyer Glacier before we headed back through the chunks of glacier ice to turn down the other side of the fork toward North Sawyer Glacier. As we came up to the North Sawyer Glacier there were lots of oohs and aahs as we came up closer to this glacier, passing through slushy water filled with glacier ice. It is hard to explain the size of the glacier. In some of the pictures it looks like we are within a few hundred feet of the glacier, when in reality we are more like 1.5 miles away. We spent a good deal of time in front of the North Sawyer Glacier. The open third deck was roped off while we were moving and we could only go up there once the boat stopped running. Earlier in the journey one of the employees from the St. Nicholas brought out a try of hot cocoa and offered it to the passengers. She even came up to the open third deck. I would say we were at our closest position at least 20 – 30 minutes with everyone taking pictures with the glacier in the background. There were little flying bugs we thought were mosquitoes flying around when we were the closest to the glacier. What I did not realize until toward the end of the tour is the Carnival Spirit was also heading into the fjord behind us. The ship was so far back that we did not see the Spirit until we had been at the glacier for over an hour. The second tour gets on the ship deep into the fjord closer to the glacier. Our group enjoyed the return trip from the comfort of the ship. Hundreds of passengers had parked chairs next to the windows on all of the decks. Some played cards and many held binoculars. It’s hard to describe the beauty and majesty of the snow capped mountains in the distance and the glacier water contained in a rock walled channel with thin water falls to numerous to count. Think of an experience blended between a visit to the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon. It was an amazing excursion we will never forget. Day 3 at Tracy Arm Fjord was a wonderful day for us. We finished the day with dinner at the steak house. Our reservation was for 7:30 so there was enough light to still enjoy the scenery, although, the ship was not moving when we first sat down. You don't need a reservation to sit at the bar and it has a great view. I'm not sure what the hours are, but I would go there again if I wanted a quiet indoor spot for a cocktail one early evening. Our table wasn't ready when we arrived which surprised me as I saw a number of empty tables. When I learned we were going to sit next to a window, I happily went to the bar and enjoyed a very nice cosmopolitan with DH. Our wait service was very nice and we were pleased with the wine the sommelier recommended. DH and the lobster bisque and I had the crab cake. The bisque won. DH had the prawn cocktail and I had the beefsteak tomatoes. The prawns won. The chef sent two different amuse-bouche to our table. DH had the potato soup served in a spoon and I took the salmon tartar. The potato soup won. I normally get the fillet or the surf and turf. I took our waiter's recommendation and went for the NY strip. DH had the prime rib chop. DH's steak won for tenderness and my won for flavor. I took half of it back to our cabin. The baked potatoes were also very good. For dessert, DH had the Washington apple dessert and I had the chocolate sampler. My chocolate sampler won hands down. We always spend more than we budget for this meal. While it is $30 per person for the meal, we had two cocktails and a bottle of wine. We have enjoyed excellent service so we add to the included gratuity. It was a great meal and we will do it again on our next cruise.
I am including the details of our shore excursions in the port review section. Below are some more notes about our time on the ship.Friday, Sept 3 – Skagway I am up early on cruises so I can see what is going on outside. I love sunrises and sunsets on the ocean. We entered Skagway early Friday morning. DH and I read Psalm 104 each morning before these excursions. It was particularly appropriate for Tracy Arm Fjord on Thursday and our train tour out of Skagway also delivered majestic views. It was a great excursion.
After we returned to the ship I enjoyed one of those great vacation naps. After the nap we went for a walk around the ship and wound up, by accident, participating in a British Pub trivia game. The first trivia game we have ever participated in on a cruise ship and we came in second. Okay, there were only three teams competing but the ship on a stick is still highly prized as our first ship award.
DH and I had dinner as usual in the MDR followed by another stop at the Punchline Comedy Club. We had already seen Merl Hobbs so we went back to see Tom McGillen’s PG rated show. I chuckled here and there, but not enough to go back. There were a couple of jokes at the end that probably went over the younger ones in the audience and would keep me from the R rated show. I thought Merl Hobbs did a better job keeping the show PG.
About 11:30 I was out on the balcony and saw the only night sky of this cruise that was full of stars, and I mean magnificently full of stars. I’ve only seen a sky like these a few times in my life and this was breathtaking. I prayed, went in and got a coat to go on top of my robe, and went back out for another 15 minutes or so. It was chilly, especially with the wind generated from the ship’s speed. This was a special night. I went back in the cabin and wrote in my journal for a moment before going to sleep with the curtain open so that I could still see out the night sky some.
This brings me to another tip that might be worth a thread of it’s own later on. Please make sure your balcony light is off when you go to bed at night (if you have a balcony, of course ?) The cabin stewards close the drapes so people coming in and not opening their curtains may not realize the light is on. The night sky I describe above is diminished when the balconies lights are on. Of course, if you are out on the balcony reading or something and want your light on, that is completely your affair. I’m referring to when I have gone out on our balcony late at night, or in the wee morning hours around 3:30 of 4:00 a.m., and the balcony next to me had their light on. I realized the next night that it was still on and figured they might not even be aware of it. Anyway, please turn off the light if you are not out on the balcony using the light.
Saturday, September 4 – Juneau It was another early morning for me as we approached Juneau before sunrise. I booked our tour privately with Harv and Marv. We were scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m. , not too far from where the Spirit docks at the pier. That meant we had time for breakfast so we were in the MDR about 7:30. I had some standard like fruit and a croissant. DH shocked me and ordered Eggs Benedict, with tomato juice and Tabasco, of course. He also ordered sausage which gave me a little more confidence that life had not changed too dramatically :->
After our day in Juneau we went to the comedy club after dinner again. There were two new comedians. We saw JeROME at the 8:00 p.m. PG show and we really laughed. I think every comedian that I have heard on a cruise ship jokes about the accommodations and the tiny showers. JeROME did as well, but I still laughed. He also had some ad lib stuff going that was really funny.
We did not attend any of the shows, however, we did hear the Spirit Showband after dinner one night and we really enjoyed their music. We went once to the Ballroom Dancing class which I have not seen offered on the Ecstasy or Conquest. This was the second class and we were there at the start time and people were already dancing so we did not stay. Of course, DH was thrilled. He still gets kudos for showing up with me.
Sunday, September 5 – Ketchikan It’s Sunday morning and I’m on a cruise heading into Ketchikan, Alaska. If you have read this far, you know where I was at sunrise.
We did not book any tours for Ketchikan but spent a few hours in port shopping and looking at salmon jumping in the creek. Once back on board the Spirit we enjoyed a nap after lunch (I love cruising!). Saturday was the deadline to sign up for the baggage handling service at $20 per person that is now offered through Carnival. The service checks in your luggage from the ship and delivers your boarding passes to your cabin the night before disembarking. Knowing we wanted to spend the morning in Seattle, we coughed up the additional $40 (plus airline baggage fees, ugh!) and signed up for the service. When we picked up our luggage at baggage claim in Houston Tuesday night, we were glad we used the service.
I have lost my invitation, but I think this was also the welcome back reception about 4:00 that afternoon. It was the best welcome back reception we have attended. Captain Volpi was the most personable and funny captain we have heard speak. I believe he will take command of the Miracle next. It was also the second elegant night and we dressed up a bit for dinner.
We said goodbye to Alaska as we headed back out to the Dixon Entrance which leads us back toward Vancouver Island. It was that little reminder that we are heading back to reality that always begins the last full day of a cruise.
Back in our cabin after dinner and wandering around the ship some, I figured out how to open cabin door and keep it propped open (don’t tell anyone ?). I didn’t care about the AC turning off with the door open because with the door open the cool air was coming in from the outside. DH wasn’t thrilled, but he is generous with me and I was able to enjoy a nap and overnight sleep listening to the waves and resting in the cool air.
This was also the night we had to move our clocks forward one hour. I forgot to mention on Day 2, Wednesday, we moved our clocks back one hour.
I stayed up late editing the clips from the movie camera and editing pictures. The ship was rocking a good bit and I decided to take a Bonine about 1:30 a.m. I was surprised by the vibration I was feeling as high up as we were. I will continue to take ginger, but I will never cruise without Bonine and Dramamine.
Monday, September 06, 2010
We went to breakfast in the MDR on Monday morning. I had OJ, bacon, and eggs. DH had :::drumroll::: eggs, sausage, potatoes, and tomato juice with Tabasco.
We strolled around the ship after breakfast and went to see pictures in the photo gallery. There were a couple worth buying, but :::drumroll::: we didn’t buy any pictures this trip. That saved $50 which I am certain we spent twice over elsewhere.We try to take the stairs before and after meals in the MDR. We were on the sixth floor and we our table for dinner was on the first floor of the MDR which is on deck 2. That is the same entrance we used for breakfast. Four floors does not sound like much, but it is when you have back packed your saddles with three four course meals.
It was another overcast day and the sun was reluctant. We passed the northern tip of Vancouver Island at 1:00 p.m. and we were passing through the Strait of Juna De Fuca at 4:18 p.m. We enjoyed another nap in between and woke in time head for dinner for our last meal. Well, you know what I mean ?
We went back to our cabin after dinner and in time to see the ship docking in Victoria, B.C. Pictures
DH and I have both visited Victoria, although, it was many years ago. We decided to finish packing up our things and then decide if we wanted to go ashore. The ship docked about 7:30 p.m. and we were scheduled to leave at 11:30 p.m. By the time we finished packing, we could no longer see the pier in the picture about the fog was so think. It looked like an old black and white movie with pea soup fog scene. That was enough to deter us and we decided to finish our Bon Voyage gift and say goodbye to our comfy cabin.
Tuesday, September 7 – Seattle We received our airplane boarding passes and group number for disembarking in an envelope left in our cabin while at dinner Monday night. That’s when we learned we would be getting off the ship before 8:00 a.m. This is our first time using a cruise port outside of Galveston and we are accustomed to arriving about 7:00 a.m. and waiting to hear our number called, usually after 9:00 a.m.
Our son’s family lives about 39 miles southeast of Pier 91. Our sweet daughter in law had offered to pick us up and take us to the airport, but once I learned how early we would be off the ship, I did not want her to have to pull our two year old grandson out and fight rush hour traffic so early in the morning. We decided to pitch hit Tuesday morning and find our own way into Seattle. At least we did not have to worry about our heaviest luggage. We used the transfer service and our checked in luggage was going straight to the plane.
Room service is not an option on disembarkation day, so we headed to the MDR for our first cup of coffee. Stu, the CD, was making announcements before 7:00 a.m. Gratefully, we only heard him if we opened the door or stood out on the balcony. The announcements were not bad and he was actually kind of funny with the wake-up call bit. Still, I don’t need any additional reminders that my balcony cabin is no longer my home.
For breakfast I had French toast and bacon. DH had eggs, sausage, potatoes, and tomato juice with Tabasco. If you were so interested or bored that you decided to go back through all of the prior posts, you would know that DH sticks to a good thing ?. We were taking the stairs back up to our cabin about 7:30 and our disembarkation number had already been called twice with the self assist passengers. With a lump in my throat we left our cabin and headed toward the gang plank. Ahem, sorry, I mean the exit.
We were off the ship and without luggage to claim and passing through customs by 7:45 a.m. After a quick look at the free city map that is available in the cruise terminal we decided to get a cab to the Space Needle. The cab driver quoted DH $10 to get to the Space Needle. It was almost $13. My ulterior motive was to get to Pike’s Place Market before heading to the airport and then see if we could meet up with our grandson and daughter in law. Did I mention our flight departure was changed to 1:30 p.m. about a month before the cruise. The original departure time was 3:30 and we would have had more time in Seattle. As it was we wanted to be at the airport no later than 12:15. We have a good deal of experience at SeaTac and we know to get through security at least an hour before the flight.
We choose the Space Needle as a taxi drop off point, because I knew the monorail goes from the Space Needle and also connects Seattle to the airport at Westlake Center via the Link Light Rail for a total of $4.50 each one way. If we couldn’t meet up with our family and/or the weather decided not to cooperate, we would be near transportation for the airport without shelling out more for a taxi.
Once we arrived at Seattle Center (where the Space Center is located) we learned the monorail does not begin operation until 9:00 a.m. It was about 8:15 a.m. and I did not want to lose forty five minutes just sitting there. It wasn’t raining, so we headed out on foot toward Pike Place Market (about 1 mile) dragging our carry on luggage behind us. We had a great time at the Market and we will go again the next chance we get. Be sure to try the donuts, check out the flowers, taste the fruit, and don't forget to watch the fish throwing.
Well, that’s it. We went to the airport and said goodbye to our family which always makes me a little sad. I’ve been saying goodbye to family at SeaTac for the better part of twenty years. At least I know we're going back.
This was our best cruise vacation to date and we have really enjoyed our other cruises, especially the snorkeling in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. It was the whole experience with the CC roll call, the friendly staff, nice cabin, and the magnificent views. Alaska provides the awesome wonder of creation that brings the perspective I need to keep my head in the right place back at home. It is good for my mental and spiritual health. Hmm, shouldn’t that somehow make it a deductible expense
