North America - Passports Overloaded

Victoria, British Columbia

August 03, 2015

Today we had a tour scheduled, Orca whale watching. I’m not a big fan of these types of tours because when there is a sighting everybody ends up running to one side of the ship and you never get good pictures. Either way, when you are in this area it’s the thing to do. We did get a chance to see the Orcas but pictures are difficult to capture because of how quick they move in the water.

After about 2 hours our tour was over and we decided to walk around town and take in the beauty of this city. We also had a chance to have a drink at Fairmont Empress Hotel which is a beautiful place. There was a really cool concert going on while we were there. The stage was on a floating barge.

I am excited to be heading home tomorrow we sail to Seattle and head back home. There’s no place like home

Outside Passage, Alaska

August 01, 2015

Today we cruised the outside passage. I only have pictures of us on the ship.

Maria & John – with our friend who is also the F&B Director Adam Martindale

Isaac, Michael, Nano, Maria, John & Adam

Sitka, Alaska

July 31, 2015

We just walked around town and saw the fish hatcheries and there was a really cool aquarium where we were able to touch all the sea life.

Skagway, Alaska

July 30, 2015

Today we took a helicopter to another Glacier which was once again amazing. We flew over Chilkat Glacier with cascading waterfalls around the Ferebee Glacier and the river of ice known as Meade Glacier.

We took a brief 20-minute walk on the Glacier and got a short lesson about glaciers. It was the first time I ever walked on a Glacier and John’s second time. He said it was just as exciting as the first time.

When we arrived back on land we had plenty of time before we had to board the ship, so we decided to take a walk through the town and get a bite to eat. There is one thing you have while in Alaska you guessed it King Crab Legs. Every chance we had we ate them.

A bigger family cruise ship I think it’s Celebrity

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

July 29, 2015

Today we got an up-close look the Hubbard Glacier what an amazing sight. The sounds that it makes when the pieces break off sound like thunder.

Juneau, Alaska

July 28, 2015

Today we were supposed to take a ride on a helicopter but due to the bad weather, they canceled our flight. We decided to just walk around town and grab a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants.

Wrangell, Alaska

July 27, 2015

Our tour today was another Bear adventure hopefully today we get the chance to see some.

We disembarked the ship at the pier and met up with a covered, heated boat and took a twenty-five-mile ride to Anan, traveling via Eastern Passage.

Upon arrival at the Anan, we were greeted at the trailhead by U.S. Forest Service personnel, who gave us a brief orientation of what we were going to do and see. Beginning this month pink salmon arrives at Anan Creek to spawn which attracts brown and black bears, bald eagles and harbor seals.

The walk to the observatory was 20 minutes long and about a 1/2 mile in length, we had one guy in the front with a shotgun and one guy in the back with a rifle. When we got to the observatory, we had 90 minutes of bear watching. We even saw a bear catch a salmon and eat it in the creek. The current was so strong in the creek, it didn’t even faze the bears which was wild to see how powerful they are.

Ketchikan, Alaska

July 26, 2015

Today we flew on a floatplane first time I’ve ever been on one which was cool. The flight was twenty-five minutes of breathtaking views of homesteads, mountains with dense forest, pristine lakes and a great view of inside passage shaped by massive glaciers.

When we landed, we were met by this Alaskan Naturalist who lives in the forest. After a short drive to the trail w got out of the jeep and began our half mile hike to a viewing platform that overlooks a stream brimming with salmon. Although they don’t guarantee we see Bears, this is a good place to try and see them since they know that’s where they can get salmon. We ended up only seeing a small black bear sitting in our path, but once he saw us, he ran into the forest.

Maria & John – with our friends Isaac and Michael

Inside Passage, Alaska

July 25, 2015

Today we cruised the inside passage to Ketchikan, Alaska. The view was breathtaking.

Astoria, Oregon

July 22, 2015

Today we continued our drive to Astoria, Oregon driving up the Pacific coast. It’s impressive to see such a different landscape. Growing up in Downstate New York it’s not mountainous although it’s beautiful it’s very different. We saw signs that said Tsunami evacuation route which is scary to see. Another great thing was the fact that I am greek and growing up in NY I hung out in Astoria, Queens so to see another Astoria was fun. We even got a chance to visit West Coast Game Park Safari which is in Bandon, Oregon and we fed the goats and even got a chance to pet lion cub.

We stopped along the way to check out the view at the viewpoints. John and I even spoke about possibly renting a house one summer for a month to experience the beauty of the west coast.

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been