On 28 June 2011, Susan and I took off for Seattle. We spent a few days with Marty, Bonnie, and Ed Ronish (Marty is Susan's step-sister). Then we went on a cruise to Alaska on the Celebrity Infinity from July 1 to July 8. My Sister Kerrie and her husband David and my Sister Jacqui and her husband David accompanied us.
It was a splendid experience. We sailed to Ketchican where Susan and I took a float plane trip to a crab feast.
After Ketchican was the Tracy Arm - a magnificent fjord. We couldn't stop taking pictures. The captain was very bold. He took us to within about 1/2 mile of the glacier. Another ship stopped a couple miles away.
Then we stopped in Juneau where we watched whales. We saw a lot of orcas, which proved difficult to catch with the camera. Likewise the humpback whales. Which we saw bubble feeding. A group of whales circle around underwater and build a fence of bubbles. Then they come up through the circle of bubbles with their mouths agape, feasting on the herring trapped in a net of bubbles. We got a few poor snapshots and a little snippet of a movie. (But you can see bubble feeding thanx to youtube.)
Skagway was the next stop, where Kerrie, David, Susan, and I paddled to Davidson Glacier. Susan got to taste glacier ice, which made her very happy. And I got some spruce tip ale (hopped exclusively with spruce tips), which was extraordinarily good and made me very happy.
We then sailed overnight to Victoria. Kerrie, Jacqui, and the two Davids went to Butchart Gardens, which I gather was a hurried trip, too much bus time. Susan and I just wandered around Victoria. I had some fine scotch (ardbeg) in the Bengal room in the Empress Hotel.
Then, alas, the cruise was over. We enjoyed umbrella drinks. Susan swam and saunaed every day. The accommodations were very comfortable. And the food was great. Including formal dinners with our waiter Muchlis.
A memorable and pleasurable cruise.
And some amateurish Movies