While I’m technically in Sitka now, this entry is going to really be more about what has been happening especially yesterday as it was our Hubbard Glacier day.
After my last entry in Juneau, I left the Internet cafe and walked back to the ship. This ended up being a very wet mile, but it was nice to get a semi-hike in. Back onboard, I got changed into dry clothes and went to dinner followed by a comedy show and then a version of “American Idol” they hold on board where passengers “try out” and then sing before a panel of judges which included our illustrious cruise director, one of the singers from the shows they do on board, and one of the DJs. It was most definitely a lot of fun.
I’ve finally realized something which maybe should have been more obvious, but I’m not always the first to catch onto stuff – a fact that will come as no surprise to many of you, I realize. Anyhow, what I’ve come to see is that going on a cruise is really almost more about the ship than it is about the destination. This being the case, I can see why it’s such a desireable thing to do in places like the Carribean. So rather than viewing the cruise as just a mode of transportation to take me someplace I want to be, like I would an airplane, the ship itself becomes an active participant in the overall vacation experience. I took some time and walked around the ship yesterday and found a cooking demonstration by one of the restaurant chefs, people winning and losing all kinds of money in the casino, a never-ending abundance of food being served in the various dining rooms, and shopping galore.
All this is to say that I’m finally starting to see what I need to do in order to get more enjoyment out of being on the ship itself…and who knows, this might just change my entire outlook on this trip.
Yesterday was a rather long day, partly because we didn’t get off the ship at all. I had sessions with my travel group in the morning. They’ve been taking us through a full DISC personality assessment which has been interesting – turns out I’m a High I and my overall profile is “The Persuader” (I is the highest with D next and then very low S and even lower C). At 12:15 we all met on the Aft Deck to get a group photo taken as we began motoring in to see The Glacier.
One might be tempted to think that if you’ve seen one glacier, you’ve seen them all. And while I agree with this statement, I also am always amazed by glaciers. They’re just really beautiful… Sadly because we were on a large cruise ship, we could not get in as close to the glacier as you can in places like Portage where the ship gets so close that the glacier fills your field of vision completely. Still, Hubbard was a pretty large and breathtaking sight.
After being outside so long I couldn’t really feel my fingers anymore, I went in, grabbed a tray of food, and went to the room to sit and eat on the balcony and continue to take in the stunning view.
I then did my walk around the boat – checked out the culinary arts demo, looked in every nook and cranny, and then went to change for dinner before heading over to our second group DISC session.
We all were given a gift card for The Pinnacle Grill which most of us were doing after the session. The food was great – I’ve never seen so much salmon on one plate in my life. I was able to eat about half of it before knowing that to continue would only mean pain. The chocolate volcano cake I had for dessert (because let’s face it, there’s ALWAYS room for dessert) was to absolutely die for.
Anyway, so after dinner I went to a magic show which was really fun – the man and wife team performing have done shows in Vegas and other places so you can imagine how talented they are. After that, there was another more intimate show playing in the lounge with the four singers who performed a medley of Broadway tunes – everything from “My Favorite Things” to tunes from “Rent”. Very fun.
I finally ended up my day as I do on the Aft Deck which gets really quiet after the pool and hot tub close down at 10pm. I sit out there with a glass of wine and enjoy the peace and beauty… It’s good to be alive.
It’s all so beautiful and so peaceful looking.. I hope you are getting rejuvenated and rested in the cool, crisp Alaskan air. I miss you! love you, and talk to you when you get home.
I second Esther’s comment. Here Here! I was shocked when you said that while you had brought along some books you have yet to read much of them!! MAN!! Talk about RELAXATION…I would be all about sitting around getting massages, eating good food and reading all day. Oh, and swimming! SIGH…vacation for SURE!