Alaska, baby!

On cruising Alaska, the room does matter!  Most of the ships going to Alaska have their balconies, so everyone can see the ports and scenery du jour.  But, there is one room worth planning for, and it is Room 4228 at the back of the boat on the Carnival Spirit.

 I asked lots of people who had been on an Alaskan cruise, and they unanimously said it was a trip they would take again. With their suggestions, and guidance from our cruise coordinator, we organized a complete and fantastic journey into the unknown wonders of Alaska. To start, we knew that the view was imperative on this type of cruise because taking pictures was one of our priorities on this trip. Coming from flat Florida to the glorious mountains, well, I just had to find some eagles, bears and moose, goats/sheep, and icebergs!  Our room afforded all of that.  Room 4228 had almost as much exterior room on the balcony as it did in the room itself. It curved around to the side, and lucky enough, was the side of all the port calls.  We could enjoy people watching after a day of shopping, and we could watch the ever-changing scenery right from our bed as well.  The cabin was fantastic and much like a super nice apartment with wonderful wait staff at our beck and call. Besides, being our anniversary didn't hurt.

From this view, we didn't miss much!  I must have photographed a dozen eagles, saw a sea lion, and spent hours lounging outside watching the snow covered mountain peaks, glaciers, numerous iceburgs of all shapes and sizes and many of those were so blue. I have to admit I missed seeing bear and moose...but I am sure they were there somewhere!  Ed rented a pair of great binoculars from the ship, and I hogged them most of the time.

Our first day at sea as we were racing to the most northern port, we were a bit sea sick, but I quickly learned I could lay in bed and actually enjoy the ride. Its when you try to stand and fight it that you feel the sickness and Bonine really works. We had those awesome windows and the curtains wide open, so we could see out for miles.

This cruise, we did not do as much of the entertainment (evening shows, karaoke, casino, etc.) as we had on other cruises, but with that balcony and view... it was worth giving up for the serenity we felt out there with mother nature.  Since we traveled with four others, our balcony was often the place to be...plus room service was free!

Suite 4228.

Mount Ranier as we leave Seattle for Alaska.

                         











Our suite's view...

The deck of  Suite 4228.

From our deck, you could see everything!  Even when it drizzled, we were covered and enjoyed looking and taking pics like these.

A glacier from our deck!

I will get to more later in upcoming segments of our trip to Alaska... the ports, the shopping, and neat places to eat.