Holland America Cruisetour - Tour Day 2

August 20, 2012

     Monday morning started off rough as we had to get up early again. I figured this would be ok since there was a Starbucks just down from the hotel so at least I could start my morning with a chai latte for the bus. Wrong. Apparently, Monday was Discovery Day in the Yukon Territory. Everything was closed to commemorate the first gold discovery. Lovely.
     Monday was spent on the road. We covered a lot of the Yukon Territory and the ride was not nearly as scenic as the ride from Fraser to Whitehorse. Chris and Marc, again, did a good job of planning stops every 1 ½ to 2 hours. Our first stop was in a 1 road town called Carcross. There was a church, a visitor’s center, a general store, a train depot, and a bakery. That’s it. The town has maybe 200 residents. The bakers should be fairly wealthy since the tour directors rave about their cinnamon rolls. The line was out the door when I finally made it to the bakery. Of course, I bought a cinnamon roll. It was huge and delicious!

        Since we had so long on the bus, I caught up on some writing and reading and we finally had a chance to really chat with other people in our group. Roy and I were the only people from the Southeast. A lot of people hail from California. There were a few from Australia, Canada, Texas, and the Northeast. Unlike my trip to Scotland with CIE Tours, I’m pretty sure I was the only AAA travel agent on the trip. Majority of the people were home based agents.

 

 

 

     We stopped for lunch at a little campsite on the Yukon River. The meal was served by our tour concierge and motorcoach driver. We continued on the road and stopped mid-afternoon at Moose Creek Lodge. Moose Creek was a quirky lodge with a gift shop, snacks, chickens, a game of horseshoe you could play, and a mosquito statue depicting the “state bird”. There was a map on the wall for guests to place a pin on their hometown and I am proud to say I was the first person to put a pin on Wilmington, North Carolina! Since our motorcoach driver is a regular at Moose Creek Lodge, he had created a ritual of feeding the birds Ritz Crackers and they would eat from his hand. He made me try it and the first time a bird flew toward me I flinched and the bird flew away but I tried again and the bird actually landed on my hand and ate the cracker!

      We finally made it to Dawson City mid-afternoon. Have you ever been to Dawson City? We were told it is a lot of people’s favorite stop on cruisetours. The town has 1 paved road which goes along the Yukon River. The town was the first capital of the Yukon. Today it’s a ghost town of the former gold rush city.

Holland America Cruisetour - Tour Day 1

August 19, 2012

     Rise and shine and load the train by 7:15am. These early mornings on vacation are going to kill me. We boarded the historic White Pass Yukon Train for a scenic ride up the mountains along the same route as the Klondike Gold Rushers. The history was alive as we passed through beautiful mountains, over rivers, and across bridges. Hint, if you are traveling this train, sit on the left side of the car. The train goes along the mountain and on the left you can see amazing scenery while the people on the right view the side of the mountain. It was a 2 ½ hour train ride that took us all the way into Fraser, British Columbia where we had to go through Canadian Customs again.

 

     We disembarked the train and were met with our luxury Holland America Line motorcoach and our driver, Chris. Our motorcoach was bright blue with a beautiful whale and the seats had enough room between them that I could barely reach the foot rest! Each seat had its own radio plug in with a variety of music stations. Our coach driver, Chris, was incredibly knowledgeable about everything we drove by. He drives the same route between Skagway and Dawson City for different Holland America groups so the knowledge he has gained was incredibly impressive! We rode from Fraser to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory but Chris and Marc planned stops for us to get out and take pictures of the scenery every 45 minutes. Some would think that is too much stopping, but the scenery was breathtaking and everyone wanted to get out and “ooohh and aaahh” over the panoramic views. The stops also helped to break up the trip so it didn’t feel like we were on the bus for hours.

 

     When we arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, we checked into our hotel. We stayed at another Westmark property called the Westmark Whitehorse (clever huh?). The hotel was nicer than the inn in Skagway and there was free Wi-Fi in the room! I’m sure you’re all thinking I don’t know how to survive without technology and that is partly true. The other part of the WiFi excitement is that we could finally Skype with my Mom. It is the first time Roy and I have traveled just the two of us, so by day 6 of traveling, we were missing our mediator. Since we had been cooped on a bus, it was time to breathe in the fresh air and take a walk through Whitehorse. The hotel was located on the main street in Whitehorse so everything was walking distance. Whitehorse is the capital of the Yukon Territory so it was a much larger town…it even had a Wal-Mart! We wandered down through the town and took the walking path along the lake.  We have had the best luck with weather and we have had sunshine almost every day. I haven’t even needed the 2 pairs of boots I packed! Roy spotted a bald eagle soaring above the lake and nearby mountain. Chris, our driver, had already pointed out the eagle’s nest as we drove into town so we knew one would be around somewhere. We walked for a good 2 hours then stopped by a BBQ and Salmon restaurant for dinner. It was music to my ears to hear Jason Aldean playing from the sound system. A little piece of home all the way in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Roy tried the Halibut Fish & Chips and I had the Halibut Chowder and Smoked Salmon on a Caesar Salad. I could really get used to every restaurant having so many seafood options!

 

Holland America Cruisetour - Cruise Day 4

August 18, 2012

     Docking in Skagway meant the end of our cruise portion of our vacation. Each cruisetour group met in the Frans Hal Theatre to meet our tour concierge, Marc Oxborrow. By the way, I learned the difference between a tour director and a tour concierge…a tour concierge takes care of your luggage so it magically appears in your hotel room each day while a tour director does not. Pay attention to what your travel agent is saying or what you are reading in a brochure. Marc has worked for Holland America for 7 years. We disembarked the Holland America Volendam by 8am and stowed our luggage at our hotel, the Westmark Inn. Roy and I spent the morning wandering the 3 streets of Skagway…the towns keep getting smaller the further into Alaska we get! There were lots of souvenir shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, and saloons. The town of Skagway has approximately 2600 people living there during the summer months, May through September. After the last cruise ship leaves, Skagway becomes a ghost town and dwindles to 800 year round residents. I thought getting off the ship would be so great because I would have Wi-Fi but then I learned that Skagway doesn’t have Wi-Fi. Nowhere. In the whole town. I’m serious.

 

 

     To get over this let down of no Wi-Fi or cell service, I went rock climbing. Little Miss Nature Lover (I hope you sense the sarcasm) climbed in a van with a bunch of adrenaline junkies and put on a harness and climbed a rock face. I can’t believe I did it either. The other excursions looked really boring to me and I figure if I’m ever going to try rock climbing it sure wouldn’t be in Wilmington so I might as well try it in Alaska. I survived and I actually made it to the top of the rock wall not once but twice! It was fun until about ¾ of the way up you realize you are scared of heights! I can’t say that I will jump at the chance to go rock climbing again but I can say that I have done it and survived. Roy chose a less intense excursion in Skagway and he went on a drive North to a suspension bridge and short hike that ended with a salmon bake…what was I thinking deciding on rock climbing, right?! He saw black bears and beautiful mountains and lakes and ate his fill of salmon. While Roy feasted on salmon, I ventured to the Red Onion Saloon and ate one of their famous personal pizzas.

Holland America Cruisetour - Cruise Day 3

Friday - August 17, 2012

     Morning number 2 onboard the Holland America Volendam! Lucky me, my roommate (Roy) is an early riser so I was awake by 7am again…I thought this was vacation?! I figured I might as well make the most of the morning before we port in Juneau so I set off for the Greenhouse Fitness Center. Again, the view from the bicycle and elliptical didn’t disappoint and this morning was a little different since we were getting close to civilization. After the gym, I enjoyed a hot breakfast in the Lido Restaurant. Roy set off for the Digital Workshop again for a Photo Editing class and I went back to the Culinary Arts Center for a class called, For the Love of Chocolate. With a name like that it had to be a good class! The on board Party Planner, Rebecca, and the Head Pastry Chef showed us how to decorate dessert plates and martini glasses with chocolate. They then taught us how to make ganache. Apparently, you can add any flavor to the dark chocolate and heavy cream so Rebecca took a vote and we added orange flavor, Triple Sec, to our recipe. Rebecca poured a bit much into the bowl so our ganache wouldn’t set so we had a liquid tasting. The best parts of the Culinary Art Center demonstrations are the tastings and you get a copy of all of the recipes! Roy and I met in the Rotterdam Dining Room for lunch. With only 3 days on board the Volendam, we wanted to try out all of the dining locations so this was our first time eating in the main dining room. We sat with four other people who were all from California. I enjoyed Halibut Fish & Chips while Roy stuck to the classic American burger.

 

While we were eating, the ship docked in Juneau. Land! We were so excited to step off the boat to solid ground! As much as I love being on the water, it was so nice to be off the ship and breathe in the fresh Alaskan air!

 

Roy and I parted ways once we got off the ship since Roy’s Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier excursion began as soon as we got to port. I’ll prove my age when I say another exciting thing of finally being on land in Juneau was that I could finally turn off the “airplane mode” of my iPhone!  I was finally connected to the world again! Go ahead and shake your head, its ok. I set off on foot to explore the four streets that make up the city of Juneau. There were countless gift shops and a few restaurants. As I walked up Franklin Street (a little different from the famous Chapel Hill road) I saw a store that lured me in, the Alaskan Brewing Company. I wandered around the store and overheard a man talking about tours to the brewery which was only 10 minutes up the road. I did enough eavesdropping to learn that there was a tour leaving for the brewery in 5 minutes and it was only $15 for an hour tour and tasting. I marched up to the man, admitted my eavesdropping, and asked to join the tour! We loaded up in the Liquid Tours shuttle van and drove to the outskirts of Juneau to the original location of the first brewery of Alaska.

 

 

 

We enjoyed samples of the craft ales and listened to the history company that began as a hobby for a husband and wife and has turned into a statewide favorite beer. The Alaskan beer varieties are now sold all over the state and even to the Lower 48 as far East as Colorado. We headed back to the main streets of Juneau and I found a local coffee spot with free Wi-Fi and caught up on the important things of life, you know, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I wandered back to the pier to meet m y excursion group. Twelve of us set off for a Native Canoe Mendenhall Lake Adventure. We had a great guide named Jocelyn, from Colorado. She was very interactive with the group and encouraged everyone to get to know each other. Come to find out, I was the only American on the excursion aside from our guide. We arrived at the lake and got our first glimpse of the majestic blue Mendenhall Glacier. Jocelyn recommended we wear the rain gear provided for us even though the pants were 2 sizes too big and the jacket went past my knees. Better dry than cute, I guess. We paddled toward the glacier for about 2 ½ miles until we were within 250 meters of the Mendenhall Glacier. It was simply beautiful! The shades of blue and the magnitude of the glacier were astounding. Snack was provided for us so we munched on reindeer sausage and salmon dip and apple cider as we took in the beauty of Mendenhall Glacier. We paddled toward Nugget Falls on our way back to shore and went through the Falls mist and I touched a broken off piece of glacier…it was very cold but I can check that off my bucket list! The views from Mendenhall Lake were absolutely breathtaking! I’ll never forget the shades of blue in the ice or the feeling of being so small next to the glacier.

 

 

     I made a friend on trip named Justin. Justin was from the UK but now lives in Vancouver. He was traveling with his parents as well so I think we were both excited to meet someone close in age! When we got back to the pier, Justin and I asked for Jocelyn’s recommendations for a fun local place to hang out before we had to be back on the ship. Jocelyn recommended the Alaskan Bar located next to the Alaskan Hotel on Franklin Street. It was a great recommendation as it was definitely a local joint with live music.

 

We sampled some local ale and laughed about the differences in Vancouver and the UK and North Carolina. Anyone who knows me knows I love football and I couldn’t hide my excitement when NFL highlights were on the tv in the Alaskan Bar. Justin, being from the UK, is new to American football but when he mentioned that he picked CJ Spiller for his Fantasy Football team last season I knew we would be fast friends! I explained the differences of NFL and college football to him and told him all about Clemson…even though he laughed at the idea of orange tiger paws on the highway simply in the name of school spirit. We wandered back to the Volendam for dinner and we made it to the Lido Restaurant as they were closing so we didn’t have many options for dinner. Justin tried to get me to eat cauliflower and I tried to convince him that in the South mac & cheese is a vegetable. We spent the evening laughing and talking about the amazing differences of our worlds, but it was a lot of fun to find a friend even for a short while.

Holland America Cruise Tour - Cruise Day 2

Thursday - August 16, 2012

     Jet lag really makes me mad when I wake up before 7am local time simply because it is 10am at home! It’s vacation for goodness sake! I’m supposed to sleep in! But noooo my brain thinks I have slept the day away because it’s still on East Coast time! I got up and headed for the Lido Restaurant and my made to order omelet that I knew was waiting on me. I sat outside and enjoyed the peacefulness as everyone else thought it too cold (perks of being one of the youngest onboard!). I hit the gym and the view from the elliptical was worth the sweating! Nothing but endless ocean! I found Roy after I finished at the gym and he was going to attend one of the classes in the Microsoft Digital Workshop so I headed off to shower and attend my own class in the Culinary Arts Center. They have a state of the art kitchen where they do cooking classes and demonstrations. I participated in an Alaska themed demonstration where Alex, one of the head chefs, prepared a wonderful scallop recipe and a halibut recipe. Every attendee was given copies of the recipes and samples of the scallops. Roy and I reconvened for lunch in the Lido Restaurant then went to a mandatory meeting for the travel agent FAM. Later in the day, we spent some time in the Explorations Lounge checking email and reading. After dinner, we attended the first big stage production of the cruise, Amore! It was a great singing and dancing show with a complimentary champagne party. What’s not to love!
     Thank goodness we will arrive in the first port of call tomorrow, Juneau! While the ship is beautiful, I am not used to sitting around. I can’t wait to get off the ship and explore the “Great Land”!

Holland America Alaska Cruisetour - Cruise Day 1

Cruise Day 1 - Wednesday - August 15th, 2012

    Thanks to our plush beds and blackout curtains, Roy and I woke up feeling much more human than we felt when we collapsed Tuesday night. We wandered the hotel trying to find breakfast and resorted to the hotels’ restaurant, Oru. Our mouths hit the menu when we saw their buffet breakfast was $30 per person! What happened to the $9 omelet like I got at Sawmill last Sunday?! That even came with a drink and a side! We settled on a smaller a la carte breakfast choice that still cost us as much as our dinner from the previous night. After breakfast we packed our bags and the hotel was gracious enough to hold them once we checked out of our room and we hit the streets of Vancouver.

We decided to buy tickets for the Big Bus, a hop on hop off narrated tour of the city. We rode through all of the boroughs such as Yaletown and Chinatown and around Stanley Park. The city still looked the same to me…high-rise, after high-rise, after high rise. Finally, the Big Bus drove through Gastown which looked unique. There were not any high rises and the buildings had character which was a twist compared to the uber modern glass monstrosities around the rest of the city.

 

  

     I am not a big city girl by any means and my time in Vancouver confirmed that. I mean, hello, I broke the curtains because I tried to open the large drapes in our hotel room by yanking them open only to find out that there was a button that would slowly open them electronically.  I was completely out of my comfort zone in the city of Vancouver. I do not like crowds or a fast pace atmosphere. I believe in Southern hospitality and taking my time. Twenty-four hours in Vancouver was enough city life to last me a long time and make me truly appreciate my beach life in Wilmington.
     Anyway, to snap me out of my cranky city induced mood I grabbed an iced chai latte at Starbucks (my absolute favorite) and headed back to the Fairmont Pacific Rim to get our luggage.  We made our way across the street to Canada Place and effortlessly went through security and check in and boarded the Holland America Line Volendam.
     Our room was ready upon check in so we were directed to our ocean view stateroom on the Lower Promenade deck. The stateroom was spacious, well, as large as cruise cabin is going to be, it had a large picture window, and a bathroom that you could actually turn around in. Roy and I settled in and then grabbed our cameras and set off to explore the ship. The Volendam has approximately 1400 guests onboard and crew of 600. There are 10 decks, 5 restaurants, 2 pools, a casino, a culinary arts center, a sports court, a fitness center and spa, and a variety of other lounges and bars.

 

For dinner, we decided against the Rotterdam dining room and we went to the Italian restaurant, Caralleta. The food was wonderful! We went our separate ways after dinner as Roy went to the evening show and I set out for the Greenhouse Spa. The spa was offering an arrival special Top to Toe massage and facial so I reasoned that was a perfect way to begin vacation! The masseuse was very excited to learn that I was from North Carolina because Michael Jordan is his hero. When I told him that I was from Jordan’s hometown, he decided that I deserved an added bonus for my massage and he used hot stones. He made me promise not to tell anyone, but I don’t think he has to worry about that since I can barely remember his name, much less pronounce it!

 

Vancouver - Pre-Cruise Night - August 14th 2012

Day 1 of our Alaska Cruisetour with Holland America Line
August 14, 2012

     They say that when you travel you learn more about yourself. You are pushed outside side of your comfort zone. Well, I can attest to this and I am only 3 days into this vacation. As soon as we landed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada it was as if the flight attendants kicked me out of my world and said “Welcome to the real world, Christina”. There were people everywhere. No one was smiling. Everyone was in a rush. Few people spoke understandable English. And we had not even left the airport.
     Roy and I survived the 3:30am wake up and the plane changes in Charlotte and Phoenix without any problems. When we arrived in Vancouver, we found our barely damaged luggage and cleared Customs. We decided we wanted our adventure to start right away so we chose to brave the Sky Train and take Canada Line from the airport into downtown as it only cost us $8.75 per person versus the $35 for a cab. We rode the train to the very end of the line and got off at the Waterfront Station and proceeded 3 blocks, luggage in tow, to the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.

        Holy Moly. I didn’t know I had made reservations at the Taj Mahal. I have never stayed at a Fairmont property before, but I knew they were supposed to be very nice and they are only located in select major cities around the world. I figured I would take advantage of my lovely travel agent discount and we could spend a pre-cruise night in Vancouver. The check in at the Fairmont Pacific Rim was seamless and the receptionists were friendly and spoke clear English – seemed normal. We proceeded to our room where we came face to face with a solid wood door with a doorbell. Yes, a personal doorbell for our hotel room. We walked in and still the room seemed fairly standard…2 queen beds, flat screen TV, wall of windows overlooking the city. It wasn’t until I walked in the bathroom, which is always my favorite part, that I realized I was not staying in a standard hotel. The bathroom floors were marble, the shower was glass, and the mirror had a tv within the mirror. Yes, you read that correctly…there was a small television within the mirror of the bathroom. You know, so you can keep up with ESPN while you shower. After screaming for Roy to check out the bathroom, I began to notice more of the details of the room. There were no light switches. The lights were powered by a touch screen panel that gave you settings for different moods…groom, spa, relax, night, welcome. There was an Ipad for our use in the room which gave access to a virtual concierge, weather, internet (for a fee), and room service. The staff somehow knew when we left for dinner because when we returned, the lights were in “relaxed” setting, the drapes were closed, there was soft music playing, and I suddenly noticed the painting above the beds which was now illuminated. We were definitely not staying at a Hampton Inn.

      After being overwhelmed by the luxurious Fairmont, we set out to see Vancouver. The area of Vancouver has approximately 2.2 million people. I think they all live downtown. I have never seen so many high-rise buildings. All of the buildings looked the same. Roy and I ventured to the Vancouver Tourism Center, only 1 block from the hotel, and picked up some maps. We walked toward the water and saw Canada Place…the convention center and cruise port. We stayed along the sea wall just as the receptionist told us to. It was amazing to see the contrast of the high-rise concrete jungle and the water and the forest located on the other side of the water from us. We watched seaplanes take off and land, people were jogging, families were playing in the grassy areas. It truly was beautiful along the water. We proceeded toward the marina to Cardero’s , a restaurant our receptionist at the Taj Mahal recommended to us. We were seated immediately out on the patio overlooking the marina and we enjoyed a seafood dinner in the sunshine. As we made our way back the Pacific Rim, we noticed that BMWs are like Hondas or Toyotas back home. They were everywhere! The wealth in the downtown area was noticeable everywhere you looked. We held our eyes open as long as we possibly could, but inevitably we were asleep before 9pm; midnight back home.

 

Carnival Fantasy

June 30, 2012

Being a travel agent has its perks. Last weekend I was able to enjoy one of those perks. I left Wilmington bright and early and drove my favorite route, Highway 17, down to Charleston, SC. I was able to take part in Carnival's travel agent ship inspection of the Carnival Fantasy. The Carnival Fantasy is incredibly popular because of the convenience to so much of the Southeast. Carnival is known as being the Fun Ship and family friendly. Check out these pictures from my tour and I'll tell you what I thought at the end.

 

Well, what did you think? Exactly how Carnival describes it - fun family friendly. Yes, it is certainly all of that. However, I will caution you. If you have cruised before with other cruise lines or even on other Carnival ships, you may be disappointed. The decor is a little cheesy and bright and a bit outdated. The environment is loud and chaotic. Carnival is definitely known for being the "Fun Ship" and I'm sure it is. It is also crowded and I must say again, loud. The ship is a bit run down and in need of some TLC. Unfortunately, Carnival does not intend to renovate the ship anytime soon. Reality is that the cabins are very small, the food is very good, and the Carnival Fantasy provides great family fun. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a bad family vacation option. If you are interested in a quick easy getaway only 3 hours from Wilmington or if you are looking for an inexpensive short cruise - the Fantasy does 5 night cruises to the Bahamas - then this is a no brainer easy option.

Feeling Adventurous?

     May 2011 I was in the midst of paradise, Hawaii. It was the most amazing vacation! I was lucky enough to get the last spot on a AAA Exclusive Adventure group trip to Kauai and Oahu. We spent 5 days exploring Kauai and 3 days hitting the highlights of Oahu.

The word, adventure, seems to scare people. They seem to think that when travel agents talk about adventure travel trips that we are trying to send you on a trek up Mount Everest. We're not! I promise! Now, we can certainly arrange that for you if you are interested, but adventure travel applies to more than you think.
     Adventure travel does not have to mean hiking, kayaking, or cycling. Sometimes adventure is simply a state of mind; being open to new cultures, foods, experiences. Traveling outside of the box. G Adventures offers amazing itineraries that highlight culinary experiences in Tuscany, local living programs in Guatemala, and overland safaris in Africa. These tours provide incredible cultural adventures without high intensity activity.
     I will be the first to admit that I am not a high intensity adventure girl. I thoroughly enjoy being active and trying new things, but I am not prepared to repel from cliffs or bungee jump from bridges. My travel buddies quickly figured out that I don't make 10 mile hikes or mountain biking a part of my normal weekend activity. However, I jumped right in and was ready to act the part of a true outdoorsy girl and keep up with the pack!
     In Kauai, we went hiking 6 miles in to the Waimea Canyon on our first day as a warm up. It was a little muddy, but I put on my ugly hiking shoes, slipped and slid down the hills and felt very proud of myself as I led the group back to the van - even though my group teased that I was just ready to go back to the hotel.

 

Day 2 of hiking was hot! We hiked 9 miles out of the Waimea Canyon on the Nualolo Overlook to the Lolo Vista which overlooked the Na'Palii Coast. The hike was up and down a trench-like path and finally ended at the most breathtaking lunch spot above aquamarine water and beside the infamous palis.

 

As we prepared for our kayak adventure on the Na'Palii Coast, we took our Dramamine, packed our waterproof bags, and lathered on the sunscreen. I was partnered with a 6'5" guy who's' arm stroke was 1 for every 2-3 of my arm strokes. Needless to say, Austin and I struggled to get in sync but we made the best of it and even yelling "huli" as our kayak tipped over after being hit by a wave was fun! I was definitely a little nervous about kayaking 17 miles along the Na'Palii Coast, but the experience of paddling alongside the towering palis and exploring sea caves and watching a sea turtle swim under my kayak was a feeling I will never forget!
 

 

Hawaii was a dream destination for me - a girl who has the ocean running through her soul - crystal clear waters, sunshine every day, minimal humidity (no frizzy hair for 10 days!), and no bugs! Yes, I said no creepy crawlies! I can't wait to return to "island life" and explore the other 4 Hawaiian islands!