At Sea

I wouldn't necessarily call myself a "cruise person." It's not that I have any qualms about being stuck on a boat or being out in the open ocean, but I just don't get the whole cruise subculture. People have this stuff down to an art form and it's just so foreign to me. I mean, I don't really have an urge to buy Carnival sandals or get my photo taken with the Captain. That being said, though--after going on an Alaskan cruise this summer, if you asked me if I wanted to go again, I would say yes in a heartbeat. 

We sailed from Seattle (after taking a few days to explore Portland, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Oregon coast) and spent the first day at sea. If you've never been to the Pacific Northwest, go as soon as you can--it's breathtaking, and the views just don't stop. I spent most of the first day reading out on the deck, bundled up--because even though it was summer, it was so chilly!

The closer we got to Alaska, the more we started seeing wildlife. One of the more awesome things about our cruise was that there was an onboard naturalist, whose main job was to sit at the top of the boat and watch for wildlife. It was great, because she would immediately call out their location and we, more often than not, were in a position to catch a glimpse. We saw seals, sunfish, a grizzly bear, and several whales!

My mom and stepdad had splurged on a balcony room, which was super nice for when the decks above got a little crowded (or when the wind was a bit too chilly...). It was nice to not have to fight for photography space! We had an interior room, which also had its perks--less motion sickness and total darkness at night, which is definitely a plus when the days stretched a little long. 

Probably the biggest plus to taking a cruise instead of flying or driving is that you really don't have to think about much of anything--you just enjoy the views, eat whatever you want (and however much you want!), go to sleep, and when you wake up, you're at your next destination. It really is a pretty low-stress way to travel, and as an avid planner (you should see my itinerary for our England trip!), it was definitely a nice change of pace.

I truly can't overstate how beautiful it was, even just at sea. Mountains, ocean, wildlife, rainbows--I felt like every time I turned around there was something else to "ooh" and "ahh" over. And when we got into the Tracy Arm Fjord--my favorite thing of the entire trip!--it was absolutely mindblowing. I can't wait to show you the photos from that part of the journey. Alaska definitely snagged a place in my heart.