Alaska

It is common knowledge that I am not a fan of the cold. So when my friend Colby invited me to go to Alaska on a cruise. I tried to find every reason not to go. In the days leading up to the trip I asked him repeatedly how cold he thought it would actually be. I elected to bring my ski gear because the colder it gets, the worse my attitude becomes and I didn’t want to ruin our trip. Little did I know however, that Alaska was going to be the trip of a lifetime.

I flew from ATL to Calgary and from Calgary to Vancouver. The process for getting onto the boat was harrowing. I felt like I was going through TSA and border patrol over and over again. The lines would careen and criss cross and the signage was poor but eventually we made it onto the ship.

The welcome lunch onboard the ship was the first clue that the trip would be great. We had fried chicken that was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside but well cooked! I still salivate thinking about it. For the remainder of the trip our meals on Holland America were consistently delicious.

Alaska has breathtaking snowy mountains and glaciers. Sailing through the Fjords did not disappoint. Alaska had plenty of opportunities to interact with animals that I had only ever seen in books. Orcas, sea lions, wild goats, whales and porpoises to name a few.

At every cruise-ship stop we participated in an excursion. Colby and I wanted a chance to explore all that Alaska had to offer. The details on the excursions we did each day are included in the linked itinerary. The best excursion (and the most expensive) was the helicopter ride to the glaciers. If you had to chose only one excursion for the Alaska cruise, this would be the one.

Up to this point, I had sat in a helicopter for work but never took flight. To say I was nervous would be an understatement but it was well worth facing my fear. It is difficult for me to describe the views from the helicopter and it often times felt unreal. There were times where I felt like I was in a screensaver. Some would even say it was a spiritual experience. Everything was magestic, untouched and picturesque.

When we landed on the Glacier, I felt privileged to have the opportunity to see a glacier before the entire thing melts due to global warming. I made sure to drink the glacial water and touch the glacial plants.

While on the cruise, I won bingo twice: the first time I won cash and the second time I won a free cruise. The ship also had a library and although other ships have libraries, this was the first time that there were many books by people of color. I felt that diversity mattered to Holland America and this was just one area where it showed. There were plenty of places to shop and the entertainment was of the standard ship variety.

Alaska owes me nothing. I highly recommend putting this trip higher up on your list of places to visit and I am very happy Colby encouraged me to go.