The 49th State

I went to Alaska. And it was awesome.

Mom and I went on a Mother-Daughter bonding seven-day cruise on Holland America's MS Westerdam in September. We went to the Juneau, Glacier Bay National Park, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, BC. My favorites: Glacier bay National Park, Sitka, Victoria, BC, Juneau, Ketchikan. Honestly, we could've skipped Ketchikan altogether and I would've been fine.

The weather was beautiful, especially while we were in Glacier Bay National Park. I loved being on the water and spent a lot of time just watching the water and walking around the ship at night. While the Northern Lights were supposedly visible while we were there, the ship gives up too much light. Also the moon was full (and huge) so it was far too bright. 

This is what I learned about cruises: They are ridiculous. They are full of overly-positive people putting on an act to make it seem like everything is fine. They are weird and over-the-top. If you embrace all of that, they can be really entertaining. 

I can really see why they are popular with the older set and for those with limited mobility. The ships are almost completely accessible. I mean everything. And they provide wheelchairs and other items one might need if they have problems getting around. It's a way those who might not be able to travel to travel. And there was something really cool about that. 

Would I go on another cruise? Surprisingly, yes. I wouldn't want to do a Caribbean cruise because I don't like sun and heat. But the Alaska or New England type thing? Sure. I could really see how going on a cruise with a larger group of people could be a lot of fun. Plus, you can buy alcohol about ever ten feet. And while paces like Vegas gauge you for alcohol, the prices on the ship were about what I would expect to pay at a mid-level bar. Another reason I would go again? It was perfectly acceptable to take a nap at any time or any place in any setting. And I did, just that several times. 

I took close to 300 photographs. One of the reasons I bought my new camera was for this tip and I am so glad I did. It made such a big difference in the pictures I was able to take. 

The Food

What does a vegan do on a cruise? Call ahead and make arrangements. And Holland America has a separate vegetarian/vegan menu. I read a lot of blogs and experiences about the food beforehand. Some painted a shitty picture, some were raving. My experience? Somewhere in the middle The food was somewhat bland, but I appreciated the effort. There was a stuffed grape leave, hummus, baba ganoush appetizer that was great and the butternut squash soup was great. I learned what I could get by with in the Lido deck (buffet). The Asian station was good and one of the other stations often had a tofu dish and one day had barbecued tofu. 

So how did it all work? The night before I was given the standard veggie/vegan menu and I chose the item I wanted. The regular (rotating) menu often had a vegetarian item but it wasn't always obvious if it was vegan. We had breakfast delivered once and it was "eh." From then on we went to the dining room. Breakfast is the most difficult meal when traveling. I ate a lot of oatmeal and bagels with peanut butter and fruit. 

If you landed on this page because you were Googling for info on vegan meals on Holland ships, let me give you a piece of advice: As soon as you get on the ship, head to the front desk and ask for a menu and ask to speak to the head of your specific dining room. I called Holland prior to leaving and checked and double-checked that my account would be marked as vegan. I was told there would be a menu in my room when I arrived and I would select an item for that night. There was no menu. I went to the main dining room for dinner and asked about it. They said they could handle it but I might just have to eat a baked potato. Oh, hell no. They made me something based on what they had available, but how I was told it would work wasn't how it worked. 

If you need a special meal of any sort, advocate for yourself almost immediately. 

The Itinerary

We left Seattle and it was just cool. The sun was out, we drank margaritas and beer. It was so clear you could see both Mt Rainier and Mt Baker. Very cool. I walked a lot that night. Three trips around the promenade desk was a mile. I walked at least a mile. 

Leaving Seattle

The first day was an at-sea day. It was long. Very long. But I had a 75-minute Swedish massage. It was awesome. I got a bit seasick that afternoon and was frustrated by not being able to find a quite place. Then I went out on the promenade desk and saw a women sitting on a deck chair, wrapped in a blanket reading a romance novel... and I thought, "she's got the right idea." So I found a deck chair, got out my ereader and promptly fell asleep. 

I woke up in time to go to a beer tasting. You can't go wrong with a beer tasting.

The almost full moon the first night at sea. It's blurry but I like it. 

Juneau was first. It was fine. It was a touristy town. Mendenhall Glacier was cool. We saw a couple of Salmon. In town we walked up to the Russian Orthodox church but it was locked up (we peaked in the windows). It was cool coming into the area and it was cool to see the ship dock. 

Heading into Juneau.

Mendenhall Glacier.

Russian Orthodox church in Juneau. 

A rescued eagle on Mt Roberts in Juneau.

Glacier Bay National Park was next and it was amazingly awesome. Seriously awesome. We arrived at 6:00 am and they opened the bow of the ship. Our room was right up by the bow so I went out there was soon as I could. The water was like glass and the sky was completely clear. We were in Glacier Bay National Park until mid-afternoon and I spent the entire time on the bow. We saw several eagles, including one that landed on a big chunk of ice and another that flew in front of the bow of the ship. We saw four or five glaciers, including the Johns Hopkins glacier which they can't go to until September (the baby seals are gone by then) but it is usually foggy. It was so very clear and so very breathtaking. 

I did more walking that night. As I came around the stern of the ship I saw one of the most brilliant full moons I've ever seen. So cool. 

Entering Glacier Bay National Park at 6:00 am. The sun was rising on one side of the ship...

And the moon was setting on the other side of the ship. 

Eagle in flight. Glacier Bay National Park.

Eagle in flight. Glacier Bay National Park.

The water was like glass. Glacier Bay National Park.

It was seriously beautiful. Just amazing. Glacier Bay National Park. 

Marjorie Glacier. Glacier Bay National Park. 

Lamplugh Glacier

Johns Hopkins Glacier. There was lots and lots of ice in the water. 

Sitka was my favorite town. I chose this itinerary because it included a stop in Sitka. Why? Because Sitka was the Russian capital in North America and it had the first Russian Orthodox church in North America. Sitka has a strong art community so we went on an art walk where we visited some local art galleries (I bought a glass skull and met someone who had a tattoo by my tattoo artist). Then our tour guide took us to her glass studio where we pulled glass canes. It was really damn cool. I brought back part of my cane but left big chucks of it there where our guide/glass artist will make me a couple of glass pendents. 

I wanted to buy a matryoshka doll while in Alaska. I saw a really lovely one in Juneau, but I wanted to wait until we were in Sitka. I found a gorgeous set featuring the Firebird. I love it. She is so pretty. 

I liked Sitka because it didn't feel like a town built for tourism. It was a real, working town. 

St Michaels, Russian Orthodox Church in Sitka.
This isn't the original. The original burned several decades ago.

St Michaels, Russian Orthodox Church in Sitka.

The ship docked in Sitka. We had to be tendered to shore

Ketchikan. I have read really great things about Ketchikan. I wasn't impressed. It was super touristy and just kind of overwhelming. I know of some who did a kayaking trip in Ketchikan and loved it. Maybe if we'd gotten out of the town it would've been better. 

Salmon ladder in Ketchikan. We only saw dead salmon.

Ketchikan

Following Ketchikan, I got another massage. Hot stone massage with a scalp and should massage, and a facial. Mmmmmm.....

Victoria is just a beautiful city. It's pretty easy to get to Victoria from where I live but I haven't done it yet. We were only there for a few hours, but it was enough time to take a pedicab into the main part of the city and have a lovely dinner at Lotus Pond. 

The Parliament Building at night. Victoria, BC. 

We docked in Seattle early, disembarkation was quick and easy. Mom and I headed up to Wayward Cafe for breakfast and I pretty much ate my weight in cinnamon rolls, biscuits and gravy, tofu scramble. And then after a week of getting along really well, we argued most of the day due to both of us (mostly me) being tired and achy.