Tracy Arm Fjord

Tracey Arm Fjords was a day I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from. I couldn’t understand why it got so much advertising in our cruise brochures. Well now I get it!  The outside temperatures were in the high 50s to low 60s, warm enough to get by with a hoodie or sweater. Chunks of ancient ice broken off of massive glaciers floated by. We spotted humpback whales and sea otters in our group, other groups reported seeing mountain goats on the surrounding cliffs. Something that surprised us was how narrow the channel was and how close were to the actual rock faces. It was amazing to see the waterfalls up close and personal! The Miracle offered a special excursion for people to ride small craft to a point up close and personal to Sawyer Glacier. We opted out (we’re budgeting our money for different expenses) but those who went seemed to have a great time. Otherwise this is a sea day- a sea day filled with amazing views, spectacular food, fun drinks, and plenty of casino bells ringing.

Our day on board was a mixture of busy and relaxing. Sightseeing on the decks took up a chunk but there was plenty of time for on board activities. We spent a few hours in the casino, mostly losing the winnings we’d made the night before- but we set a budget and we always go in expecting to lose it all and anything we make is a bonus. I stick almost exclusively to what I call “Mommy’s video games’ aka the slots. I’ll venture over to roulette a few times during a cruise but it’s few and far between because I like to make my fun money last a long time. My husband enjoys a particular type of black jack Carnival offers called “Fun 21”,  my non-player perspective is it works like traditional black jack but each seat has a special spot for a fun chip, it c an be as low as $1. If you hit blackjack on your initial deal then the house doubles your fun chip. This is on top of your normal bet. Typically my husband does much better at his game than I do at “Mommy’s video games”.

We also took some time out in the evening for some invigorating fun- we put the large, warm, plush bathrobes Carnivals supplies each guest in their stateroom, on over our bathing suits and headed for the adults only serenity deck. The Alaskan air was chilly and the Serenity deck was mostly empty, we hit the hot tub under the shadow of huge, imposing snow capped mountains… it was amazing!!

Late at night we opted to hit the Punchliners Comedy club for the 10:15 rated R show. Its strictly 18 and over, and the comedians at this set are usually pretty raunchy. Last night’s didn’t disappoint- it was belly laughter time!

If you’re wondering what our tween and teen daughters did during this adult time, the younger one was super busy with activities from her Camp Carnival teen Circle C club. They did everything from tween dance time to shipwide scavenger hunt, to smoothie party. My older daughter went to the older teen club for a bit then decided to snuggle down in her cabin with a good book and movie. This is why I like cruises- everyone does what they want!