Here are the edited photos from our trip: http://pisarro.org/Alaska2024

This was our final morning with Dawn and Bunny. We walked to the Dahlia Bakery, where we were  surprised and disappointed to see a sign on the door saying  they were closed for the day because of a softball game. We wished they had posted the sign the day before! Plan B was to go to Lola’s, across the street, where we had eaten on our first day. Guess what! They were closed for a softball game, too. Perhaps the employees of each restaurant  were playing softball against each other. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 11 — September 9, 2024 →

The four of us agreed to have breakfast at 7 AM on Sunday morning. The  cafeteria, called the World Fresh Marketplace, was very crowded. It seemed that the rest of the 3,702 passengers  were breakfasting at the same time. I chose the  typical morning meal  that I would have at home: oatmeal with fruit. For Nick, this was the last breakfast on the ship at which he could have foods he would not get at home, so he chose a chocolate croissant and another pastry. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 10 — September 8, 2024 →

On Saturday morning, after enjoying freshly made waffles, we attended what was listed as  a  demonstration of  how to prepare a three course meal. Dawn and  I both love cooking and baking, so we were ready for something we thought  we would enjoy. Two “chefs”  would each make pasta with pesto sauce, salmon,  and  a black forest cake. It was quickly evident that one was preparing the food accurately, while the other was  deliberately mixing up the ingredients for each course. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 9 — September 7, 2024 →

I have neglected to mention that upon arrival on the ship, everyone is given a “medallion” (RFID tag) that is used to make purchases. It can also be used to identify the location of the passengers. On Friday morning, after making my breakfast selections, I couldn’t find Nick. I found a uniformed crew member and told her my problem. She used my medallion to locate Nick’s medallion and  in that way, we were able to find each other. We didn’t have to worry about our breakfasts getting cold. I had chosen slices of cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, while Nick had selected a chocolate croissant and a brioche covered in sliced almonds. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 8 — September 6, 2024 →

On Thursday, Dawn started coming  down with a cold, but she was able to medicate herself thoroughly. The four of us had planned to take the same day trip from Skagway, Alaska, called White Pass Summit Rail and Bus Excursion. Skagway was an important port during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike Gold Rush was a migration of 100,000 prospectors in 1896 who left three years later after finding no gold. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 7 — September 5, 2024 →

We awoke at 5 AM on Wednesday to see Endicott Arm from our balcony. Endicott Arm is a fjord that ends with Sawyer Glacier along the inside passage. We were  deeply impressed by elements of nature that we had never seen before: glaciers, fjords, and icebergs. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 6 — September 4, 2024 →

Today we were going to Ketchikan, a town in southern Alaska at the entrance to the Inside Passage. Our excursion began at 7:30 AM and we were told to arrive early. The International Cafe is open on the ship 24/7, so  we stopped there for a quick breakfast. We discovered that many of the other passengers had early excursions, too,  and were already on line there. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 5 — September 3, 2024 →

We awoke to a view of fog from our balcony, lots of fog. Although I didn’t feel seasick,  I began to feel somewhat off balance. I tried the ginger lozenges. When there was no improvement in how I was feeling, I tried a pressure band,  and I applied a patch behind my ear. Throughout the cruise I would see patches behind the ears of many passengers. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 4 — September 2, 2024 →

Dawn and I began texting each other at 7 AM. We decided to go to Dahlia Bakery for breakfast. Nick chose a chocolate croissant, while Bunny and I chose almond croissants. Dawn  had a tomato and cheese sandwich. The baked goods were absolutely delicious. Dawn said she had read that the owner of the bakery was an Iron Chef. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 3 — September 1, 2024 →

We were ready for breakfast at 9 AM. Unfortunately,  because this was the start of  Labor Day Weekend, so was every other tourist in Seattle. Plan A was to eat at the hotel restaurant, but the line to get in was quite lengthy. We asked Yelp for ideas, but the closest restaurants also had long lines. The length  of the wait at Lola, where we had eaten the night before, was half an hour. Across the street, I saw a sign that said Dahlia Bakery, and found that the line moved quickly. We shared a slice of quiche (egg, bacon, potato, and scallion) and a cherry almond brioche. Both were absolutely wonderful. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 2 — August 31, 2024 →

Nick and I have different opinions about how much time before a flight we should leave for the airport. He wanted to leave at 4 AM, and I, at 3 AM. 3 AM won, because one never knows how much extra time one will need in order to get to JFK, our only choice, because LaGuardia has no flights to Seattle. There was a cloudburst on the way, but no serious issues. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska, Day 1 — August 30, 2024 →

Nick and I typically take one major trip each year. Our favorite trips are Rick Steves tours to a variety of European countries. This spring, after our trip to Greece via Rick Steves Tours was finalized, my niece, Dawn, asked if we would be interested in accompanying her and her Mom on a cruise to Alaska. Continue reading Cruise to Alaska — Preparing for our Trip →