Island Princess

July 2018 -- I've only been on one cruise. It was an Alaskan cruise in 2018. I went with my friend/colleague Niki W. We had attended a professional meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, and boarded the Island Princess when our meeting was over. Unfortunately, our friend Dahlia O. couldn't go with us.

The Island Princess in Vancouver

A big ass ship

Goodbye Dahlia

A lot of decks: which room is ours?

Center deck -- too cold to swim

Basketball court on the top deck

The view from the back deck

Side deck -- love the blue floors!

We had a balcony room on Emerald Deck 8.  E710. They were having a special and I was able to get us a balcony for no additional charge. Usually, a balcony is an expensive upgrade. The rooms weren't big, but they were big enough. The bathroom was small, especially the shower. It didn't matter. All we really did in the room was sleep and shower. Though, it was nice to be able to walk out onto the balcony, especially when we came into a port. The fresh air was nice, too.

E710 Emerald Deck 8

Our room

Bundled up to watch a movie

Our ship had three stops:  Icy Strait Point, Skagway, and Juneau. The rest of the days were at sea. It was a 7 day cruise. We disembarked in Whittier, Alaska. We took a bus to Anchorage. I rented a car. Niki went home. I headed south to Seward.

Getting off

Disembarking was complicated.

Docked

One of my favorite pictures of me

Whittier where the cruise ended

One of the best parts of a cruise is the food. There were so many options, including a formal dining room.  I had salmon several times and always desert. You could request private seating or share a table with other people. It was always nice to meet fellow cruisers. The last night of the cruise, we had baked Alaska in the dining room. They made a big presentation of it.  It was tasty.  A fitting farewell to a fantastic week-long cruise. Anytime you wanted you could get pizza or a burger. There was cafeteria style dining too. We both bought a drink package (not alcoholic). 

Baked Alaska

I couldn't think of any negatives associated with the cruise. It was a lot of fun. Economical (it's the excursions that increase your cost). All in all, a great way to travel. I'd love to go on another cruise, even another one to Alaska. Anyone want to go with me?