It's Memorial Day, Monday May 30th, and I'm at a loss of how to begin describing the wonder that is Alaska. I posted a small album of pictures on facebook and I'll of course keep adding to it! We're on 7-day cruise itineraries now so we'll see the same ports every week all summer long - and I couldn't be more excited about this. I love it here because it reminds me of my hometown Bend, Oregon. You've probably heard me say this but Alaska is Oregon on steroids :) I can't wait to truly enjoy all the outdoor activities that Alaska has to offer.
Our home port is Vancouver. I totally love the city, especially after being in such tiny Alaskan towns, and I would seriously consider moving there if I were all alone in the world. Its great because the port is right downtown so we're in the heart of the city upon stepping off the ship. In addition to being able to enjoy Vancouver every embarkation day, I am also taking advantage of being a "spa model." The ship spa offers guest tours every embarkation day to showcase their services and they need people to "model the treatments." So, I volunteered for a slimming treatment called ionthermie and a hydrating anti-aging facial. Besides a few passengers peeking in the rooms, we get the full spa treatment absolutely free! It's a tough job but someone's got to do it :) I think I'll sign up for a free facial every week... man it's gonna be hard adjusting to real life after this!
I was nervous for seven day itineraries because I thought we would be performing our 6 shows every week. I was relieved to hear that they cancelled two of our shows, "Sing that Song" and "Songbook" for the Alaska run. So, Jeremy and I only have four shows a week. However, on every show day we have a full tech run plus two performances, so basically three shows a day.
Here's our Alaskan schedule:
Wednesday: Vancouver 7:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday: At Sea
Friday: Juneau 2:30pm - 10:30pm
Saturday: Skagway 7:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday: Glacier Bay 7:00am - 4:00pm
Monday: Ketchikan 10:00am - 6:00pm
Tuesday: At Sea
The first week that we were in the ports, I wanted to take advantage of being able to use my phone and free wi-fi! I was sitting at the Imperial Saloon - the best place for free Internet in Juneau - when I turned on my phone for the first time in 40 days. Literally 1 minute after turning on my phone, our good friend David called because he saw on facebook that I had posted we were in Juneau. He was in the Hong Kong Disneyland caroling quartet with me and we carol in Disneyland together. He's currently performing on a Carnival ship that is one day ahead of us so they visit all the same ports but one day before us. We joked that we could leave each other notes at random places in the city :) In fact, there are many cruise ships that make the same Alaskan run all summer long. So far, we are always in port with a Crystal and a Princess ship.
After the first week of seeing the towns and enjoying the use of my phone, I decided to sign up for a shore excursion. As a staff member, we can sign up to be an escort on any excursion and we get to see the sights for free! All of the tours want one staff member to help out in case of an emergency so every week I plan on signing up for one excursion. I plan on whale watching, fishing, hiking, rock climbing, zip lining, dog sledding, biking, and going on all of the cultural tours. The only excursion I would have to pay for would be the Helicopter ride. We get a discounted rate but it would still be in the hundreds. Unfortunately, Jeremy and I can't be a free escort on the tours together, but for the ones we really want to do together, one of us can pay the discounted crew rate.
Last Saturday, I signed up for the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad. The railroad was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush and was constructed in 2 years, 2 months and 2 days. The train ride was three hours round trip, covering 20 miles and climbing from sea level to 3,000 feet. Apparently a train can only safely handle a 4.1% incline grade and this train features steep grades of 3.9%! Some highlights of my trip were passing a massive waterfall that tumbles 5,000 feet, seeing class 6 rapids of the Skagway River that have yet to be "successfully navigated" (!) and traveling through tunnels of solid granite that took literally of tons of dynamite to blast through. The White Pass and Yukon Route was designated an international historic civil engineering landmark in 1994, an honor shared with the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower. As you can imagine, it was truly an amazing afternoon.
On Sunday we sailed through Glacier Bay and I would be foolish to even try describing the beauty of the bay. So...check out the pictures on facebook, even though those can't do it justice either! I wrote this in my picture album, but sailing through Glacier Bay made me absolutely overwhelmed with God's creativity as evidenced in the natural wonders all around us. I find Alaska to be a very spiritual place because no matter what you believe, you can't experience these sights without sensing the presence of our loving and powerful God.
Another highlight of Glacier Bay is that the ship offers a lunchtime Salmon and Clam Bake. They BBQ fresh Alaskan Salmon on the Lido deck - it doesn't get much better than that. I've had some good salmon growing up in the Pacific northwest, but this salmon definitely competes for the best I've tasted.
And now for a random tid-bit: Last night, I had an Indian Coconut Oil hair treatment from my Indian security officer friend. When we first boarded the ship in Singapore, Ruby was the one who checked us in and she immediately told all of the girls that she offers this in-cabin silkening treatment. While she was massaging coconut oil into my scalp, she asked if I, or any of my family, ever wanted to visit India. She grew up in Goa and Dubai and offered to hook me up with her friends that have visitor Bungalows. Apparently it's like an Indian bed and breakfast where the family cooks you homemade Indian food every day. Don't worry Miriam...I'm definitely keeping in touch with Ruby! :)
Another random tid-bit: we had an actual fire on the ship today. Small fires are pretty common and this fire was nothing serious but it was the first time we've heard an emergency alarm for real. They have so many emergency drills on the ship, at least one a week, and we always know exactly what time the alarm is going to sound. So when the fire alarm went off at 7:00am this morning, we panicked a little! The fire was in the incinerator room and was extinguished within minutes of being reported so have no fear - the officers on board are well prepared and we were never in any danger.
We're now headed back to Vancouver to start the process all over again. We love you!
J & J
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