|
By: Toni Barnett
If you have ever thought about an Alaska Cruise, it's time you packed
your bags and head to the last Frontier, it's a beautiful ride, jam packed
with amazing scenery.
We had always looked forward to experiencing Alaska and
found it all we had hoped. We (my husband Rick and myself) traveled with
our children LeeAnne (20 years old) and Brittany (13 years old) and all
of us agree it was a fantastic family vacation.
We started with a few days in Anchorage; the city is set
between two mountain ranges and the Cook Inlet. A half-day walking tour
is a great way to start. We then rented a car and were off on some exciting
expeditions, we hiked around Independence mine and cuddled husky puppies
at the Iditarod center. Portage Glacier is a beautiful setting with crystal
blue icebergs everywhere; we took the hour boat ride that allows you to
get within 100 yards of the glacier!
Then we headed west to Seward where we would soon be boarding
our magnificent cruise ship the Dawn Princess. Seward is a quaint seaside
city and the drive from Anchorage is just gorgeous.
As we set sail it was time to get acquainted with our floating
hotel. It is a beautiful, large ship, only four years old. With 1,950
passengers and yet you rarely felt crowded. The four-story atrium is quite
a grand entrance, with a string quartet or grand piano playing throughout
the day. There are several bars throughout the ship and they all offer
wonderful views, what a great place to unwind at the end of the day. The
main restaurant was gorgeous, service exceptional and meals were in "Grand
Princess" style. There were several other restaurants for passengers
to enjoy as well. The pools were heated for those brave enough to enjoy
a swim (and trust me we saw plenty of children having a great time), there
were several hot tubs to soak off any pains we experienced from our hikes
or super work-outs. And speaking of workout facilities they have a large
gym with state of the art equipment and we had a chance to try out some
new aerobic classes. We actually had our best view of humpback whales
while enjoying a class, I'm sure glad we opted to workout instead of eating
a second dessert. We were actually happy to have our inside cabins; the
24 hours sunlight we experienced was getting a little tough to handle.
The truth is I would have changed it for a balcony cabin in a minute.
What a way to start the morning with an incredible view from your veranda
and the beautiful end to each day. The production show "Pirates Hi-Jinx
on the High Seas" featured the talents of an international troupe
of acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists and contortionists, it was spectacular
evening. We had to miss many of the other shows because we found the best
entertainment was simply sitting on the desk each evening with a drink
in hand enjoying the enchanting scenery.
Well, I didn't even get a chance to talk about the
exciting itinerary "Voyage of the Glaciers", so check in next
week for more or even better join us on the 31st of January for a special
presentation from 6:30-7:30pm. Judy Pippin from Princess Cruises will
be here to answer all your questions and offer a great presentation. To
RSVP call LaRue Hadden our Cruise Specialist 303 442-2340.
More on Alaska Cruises
Alaska Cruise Packages
|
