Ketchikan Alaska, paradise

We technically had one more port call after this- Victoria, but it didn't count (more on that later) With Ketchikan they saved the best for last. The most disappointing thing about this port is how SHORT the port call is. We needed at least a few more hours. Caveat here, Ketchikan is a special place for me- my son is in the US Coast Guard and is stationed there! 

We arrived to rain, which for Ketchikan is pretty normal. It wasn't hard rain, just that grey chilly drizzly stuff that seems to permeate the Alaskan coast for much of the year. We headed up to the Cape Fox lodge to enjoy a REALLY good breakfast with our son. The views from the Cape Fox are wonderful- you tower above the town and have a clear view of the cruise ship through large glass windows that make up the restaurant. There is an elevator tram down on Creek Street by the way, that goes directly to the lodge for any of you who are on foot. 

Our visit was spent catching up with our son, touring the Coast Guard station, visiting a little beach area, shopping and seal watching on Creek Street, and finishing it off at Fish Pirates with a famed "Bloody Salmon" (a bloody mary with smoked salmon flavored vodka)  The sun did end up coming out and IU was able to grab some great shots of the spectacular scenery. This is really all about the pictures...

The town from the water-

Creek Street

Scenery around the island

Fish Pirates, Bloody Salmon! yumm!

T minus 1 day and counting, Travelers Rev Your Suitcases

I'm really excited to share our upcoming Alaskan cruise with you all. I think in recent years, not without some legitimate reason, cruising has earned a bit of a bad name. Cruising Carnival in particular is in some circles considered as brave and dangerous a choice to make as say- taking up sky scraper repelling. This will be my 6th Carnival cruise (I have also cruised NCL and Royal Caribbean, both were enjoyable experiences.) so I have an idea of the ups and downs ahead of us. My hope is to present a really BIG picture of the family cruise, for those who have not previously cruised or perhaps have been shy to try the Carnival brand.

Is a cruise really an "affordable" family vacation? What exactly does your basic fare cover? What out of pocket expenses can you expect? Are there hidden fees?  How big are those cabins really- square footage only gives part of the picture after all! Can you squeeze 4 people in 1 cabin? Will my kids be bored? Will there be a lot of annoying drunk people around? What kind of food can I expect? What can I do on board other than eat and drink? How enjoyable can a port call really be if it's only for 7 hours? What's the REAL "tacky factor" on a budget cruise line?

I'm going to explore all of that and more; I will be inundating you daily with blog posts describing everything from the mundane to the insane-  cruise style. There will also be pictures, lots and lots of pictures! This will be a good time to subscribe to this blog or add it to your blog roller, so you don't miss any of it.