Alaska Cruise Day One
I believe most of you knew I was going on an Alaska cruise. Well I am cruising now and it has not been as easy to stay in contact as I though it might have been. I am hoping to make a few posts here and there. This being the first post. Guess that was kind of obvious, huh? I have to plan these things out a bit as the internet cafe is not free and it is pricey enough to kill any thoughts of blog hopping. I miss visiting your blogs and will catch up when I return. I’m not rushing though. Cruising is a blast.
We woke up at 7:30 Saturday morning after the missus and I went to bed at two. We roused the kids and had a quick breakfast of eggs and Canadian bacon. Basically we had been clearing out the fridge so no food would spoil in our absence. Checked the house out. Turned off all of the electronics that did not need to be on. Packed the luggage in the truck (We cancelled the van that was originally hired to drive us as we had too much luggage), double checked that we had tickets and passports. Then we drove away. Bye-bye home for two weeks.
Next stop was #4 sister-in-law’s house. She was riding with us to the airport. We loaded her suitcase. From her place I stopped for gas and then we visited her bank.
With all of that done we cruised down I-59 and then on to Beltway 8 in out quest to reach the airport. That was when the first mishap of the day was discovered. #4 discovered she left her cruise boarding pass at home. Damn. So we turned back after passing through the first toll. In retrospect we should have driven on to the airport. But we did not.
We returned to her home and she retrieved her cruise ticket. Then I drove like a demon back the way we passed earlier and on to the airport. Very fortunate I did not get pulled over as I drove around 85 mph most of the way in a 65 mph zones.
One thing working for us is my missus (#6 sister btw) is an experienced traveler. She printed our boarding basses online the night before for the five of us. Once we made the airport I dropped everyone off at terminal C. We were very tight to making our flight. 20 minutes and counting and I had to park. I must seek a spot in the terminal, as I had no time to park in the outlying cheaper parking lots. Damn.
Fortunately, Saturday is not a crowded day for that parking lot. I surprised myself by how quickly I found a spot. In no time I walked into terminal C where I looked for my flight’s gate. Much to my surprise the flight’s boarding is in terminal E. Apparently, Continental Airlines takes the baggage in C for domestic flights, but uses the gates in E for boarding Alaska flights. I have never been to E and the signage was horrid. It took 15 minutes to get heading toward E.
Security almost became a problem. My arm bumped into the scanner and it beeped. That got all of the security folk’s attention. Five pairs of eyes looking at me and I felt that my luck would cause me to get strip searched or something. They allowed me to walk through again and this time I took my time. I did not touch the scanner and no beep. They allowed me to proceed and I grabbed my stuff and headed deeper into terminal E heading towards gate 9.
The missus called as I passed the Starbucks and I told her my location. She said to hurry and I got on the moving sidewalk dodging pedestrians. I could see the sign for gate 9 ahead of me and my legs moved at a brisk pace. My missus stood in the gate. A crowd of people sat in the chairs around the gate area. I soon learned these folks had nothing to do with my flight. The missus held the flight for me. The gate attendant said run. I tried to run. I really tried to run, but my hiking shoes were made for walking and their weight prevented me from lifting my feet properly. I lost my balance a couple of times. And then I fell.
My humiliation grew quite a bit as all of the people in the gate area could see my clumsy ass prove the theory of gravity. In my desire to get to my seat on the plane I tried to stand up, but the frustration and embarrassment worked against the simple act of standing up. I held a camera bag and toted my laptop backpack. My missus came to my rescue and took the camera bag. With a free hand I was able to pull myself up with the railing. The pain that shot through my knee told me I was going to be in for a long flight.
I hobbled down the long gangway that leads to the cabin access. The stewardess greeted me and I entered the plane. There I felt truly guilty as I looked down the long cabin. All of these people looking at me. The flight was full too. Not an empty seat except for mine and the missus. The kids and #4 were sitting down already. As I headed to my seat I saw #3 brother-in-law and his wife a few rows behind my seat. My seat was away from my family. It placed me next to the window with and mei-mei and jie-jie sitting next to me. The two little girls were cute, but I had no desire to sit next to the window with my leg in its present condition. Fortunately, their mother sat next to my missus and she let me swap seats. That gave me the left side aisle seat. Without that seat I would have had a horrid seven and a half hour flight.
The lady behind us was really nice. She handed me some tissue paper as I sweat a great deal from my running about. Then #3’s brother-in-law walked up and handed me a water bottle. I needed that so bad.
Then the pilot announced that he would delay takeoff for 30 minutes. The air traffic controller had issued a bad flight plan. So all of my rush and pain seemed to be for naught.
The time passed quickly and the plane took off and we were off for Alaska. The food was just snacks. The movies were nothing special. They showed Aquamarine and then Something New. Nothing exciting happened on the flight.
We made good time, but I could not get comfortable and was happy to step out in Anchorage. This was the third time I landed in Anchorage Airport. Twice I stopped here on the way to Korea. Both times I landed in the middle of the night. Now it was daytime and I could see the mountains in the distance.
At the baggage area the Princess Cruise personnel greeted us. They took our luggage, while we boarded a bus that would take us to the port of Whittier and the Sapphire Princess, our home for the next week. We had a great bus driver. He pointed out Dahl sheep and made sure we noted the blue of the ice in the glacier near Anchorage. We drove along a body of water which had no ships floating upon its waters. Turns out that at low tide all of the water would be drained out and there would only be mud flats. Very treacherous stuff as people could get stuck in the mud, just like quick sand. If the mud did not swallow you, the frigid water would come and finish the trapped person off.
The bus made great time too as we had to pass through a one-lane tunnel to reach Whittier. The tunnel was used by wheeled vehicles, as well as trains. We arrived in time for southbound traffic and drove on through, with little delay. The other side of the mountain was quite rainy. But through the rain we were able to catch our first glance of the Sapphire Princess.
The bus let us off and we received our ship passes. We walked onto the ship and I tried to go to the clinic to get my knee examined. The clinic would not open until the next day and emergency care was pretty pricey. I passed on it. In a short time we arrived at our room on deck eight. Here is a peek at a cabin. Very tight living for us.
We hooked up with my wife’s family a short time later at the buffet. We are a loud group. There are 22 of us altogether. Take a look at us all.
This group includes my wife’s mother and father. Next there are her two brothers and three sisters. Yes, all of her siblings on board. In the 20 years I have known her, this is the first time we had everyone together at one time. There are two sister-in-laws and three brother-in-laws (including me) on board. There are four grandkids with us, which includes my children. My son is the only boy amongst them. Both brothers had some of there in-laws join us. #1 son brought his father-in-law and sister-in-law. #3 son brought his brother-in-law’s family, consisting of his wife and son. This give my son a boy to hang out with.
That’s all for now. Hope to post more later.
Note. /Siblings will be identified by their birth order to try and keep it easy.
#1 son
#2 daughter who has a daughter present (I will call her older niece)
#3 son
#4 daughter who has a daughter present (I will call her younger niece)
#5 daughter who is traveling alone
#6 daughter is the missus.
July 30th, 2006 at 2:30 am
Hey all. I am in Vancouver today and have free internet in the hotel. Yay! So much to post. Lots of pictures. Oh the food. It was to die for.
July 30th, 2006 at 3:04 am
That’s a big family! Any particular occasion?
Hope you didn’t bruise too badly from falling.
July 30th, 2006 at 3:15 am
hey it’s so great to have you here again! missed ya!
looks like you’re having a great time there! hope the knee’s better though. and yes, eat more for me, and diet later when you come back. heh.
July 30th, 2006 at 3:19 am
It’s a week later Plinksan and I am still gimpy.
We celebrate my F-I-L’s 80th birthday. You got a Blue Ribbon too!!!
Ooh misti. I have to diet for a hundered years when I go back. I ate that much. And I’m still eating hor!!!
Red Ribbon for you!
July 30th, 2006 at 4:34 am
It sounds like you are having wild (and dangerous) adventures with beautiful people. Can you feel the envy, and also the well wishes?
July 30th, 2006 at 5:10 am
hahaahaaaa! a hundred years of dieting!!!!!
glad you’re having fun anyway!
July 30th, 2006 at 5:11 am
hokie, i’ll post twice if you don’t mind. twice will get my post up faster. kiasu they say. instant gratification’s the name of the game!
July 30th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Have fun cruising!!!
July 30th, 2006 at 8:56 am
I’m so sorry… I actually laughed out loud when I read how you fell in the airport. Now feeling guilty knowing that you are still suffering from it…
so sorry…
The get-together seems like a great trip after all! How I envy that…
July 30th, 2006 at 10:14 am
Enjoy.
July 30th, 2006 at 10:22 am
i confess.
i also laughed out loud. you’re a good writer, if that’s any consolation.
July 30th, 2006 at 10:26 am
hahaahah cool!
you could use AGENT 001 ,AGENT 002 , AGENT 003 instead!LOL
*pat pat*
my heart really went out to you when i read abt you falling and hurting your knee and rushing for no reason…ouch,sure hurts..hahah
July 30th, 2006 at 11:05 am
It was a beautiful cruise Kimananda. But I think I can take a turn being envious of you too.
You are having some fun journeys of your own. Hope to get some more pics up soon. And you earned a White Ribbon.
Okay misti. Definitely having fun. Hope to post some more things soon. Vancouver is cool. Ate the best char siew bao yesterday. Evah!!!
Eeee kiasu. Somebody needs a spanky.
I am Christine. Thanks.
It’s okay laymank. This is not the first time I’ve been done in by this leg. I’m still having a great time.
I am PY. I hope all is well with you and your test.
Another reason to spank you misti. Chey. hehe
Thats true Pink Cotton. But then I got to type a few more letters. I be lazy.
Rushing is bad. Very bad.
July 30th, 2006 at 11:23 am
wow big family!! its always like that huh, when there’s a family reunion.. the bunk-beds are so cute!
July 30th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
you’re spanking me everywhere i meet you. cheh back at you.
July 30th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
I’m kept bumping my head on thoe darn things JJ. Its a lot of folks. But its fun to be around them.
haha misti. Hugs for you too.!!!!
July 30th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
the bunks are so cool!!! I’ve never been on a cruise ship before, I’d always imagined them to be really cramped up… heheheh! hello, SA’s in-laws… nice to meet you…
July 30th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
wow! big happy familiu!
thank god u didn’t hurt too much from the fall!
*steals a bite at the cha siew bao*
another week to go, have MOREEE fun!!!
July 30th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
hihi SA dear,
u blend in REAL well……………..
:P
July 30th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
which one is your wifey?
reminds me of my own cruise eons ago….I wanna go again!
July 30th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Wow, cruising with the whole family! That’s a grand idea! I think we’ll give it a try when my kids are big enough to resist jumping off board because of something cute on the water! My youngest in only 4 months, so the wait is long.
Lovely family you have…which Asian country are they from? They look like they’re from Philippines, but I couldn’t be sure.
have a wonderful cruise!
July 30th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
I went on a weekend away in Kanchanaburi (3 hours from Bangkok by train) to play with Tigers and to ride and to bath with elephant… It was great! I will show you photos later..
I miss you! Have fun… it seems lot of fun to me anyway!
July 30th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
It is awfully cramped May. I’ve bumped my head a gillion times on that top bunk. The bathroom is really tight. But the food makes all of the cramped space worthwhile. I recommend a cruise to anyone. So much to do and you don’t have to fret about driving about. Leave it to the Captain.
I am having lots of fun Angeliu. I’m so fat. I’m sure the knee will recuperate when I return to work.
Of course I blend in well Cat. I’m half Chinese. My better half. keke
Hey, FF. She is third from the left in the first picture and second standing on the left in the second shot. I will definitely cruise again.
I was on a Princess cruise Serendipity. They had an excellent program for my teens. I also noticed they had things for younger shool age kids. Really brings the family together.
My wife’s family is Hong Kong Chinese.
Played with tigers Jane!!! That sounds cool. Whoo!
July 31st, 2006 at 5:21 am
we r missing u big time! but u enjoy ur holidays first!
July 31st, 2006 at 9:32 am
Keep on rockin’ and have a great time
July 31st, 2006 at 1:40 pm
We are mnssing you, but I’m glad to hear you’re having a great time!
July 31st, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Glad to know you’re having fun!
Missed you lots.
“Of course I blend in well Cat. I’m half Chinese. My better half. keke” –> SO SWEEEEEET!!
July 31st, 2006 at 10:18 pm
*punch you in the arm, you lucky you*
July 31st, 2006 at 11:12 pm
I am so impressed with this family trip. Awesome to get so many on board. I don’t think my family has such great passion to want to be stuck together for so long on a cruise ship. Good on you and missus.
July 31st, 2006 at 11:58 pm
ouch! hope ur knee’s fine from the fall n WOW, that’s a big family but big families mean lotsa cousins n thats nice.
cant wait to see more pix!!
August 1st, 2006 at 12:26 am
I will certainly do that Wuching. Today I am in the Canadian Rockies and it is just beautiful.
Will do just that M.
Missing my regular blog routine Etchen. But the beautiful scenery helps to ease the seperation anxiety.
Making me blush socialpest. Miss you too university girl.
Ow-ah misti. So lucky to have bruise, huh. keke Hugs back.
The family cruise is so nice Mother S. You can get away when you need to. Plenty of hiding places. And then there are places you know you can find your friends and family.
Me too YvY. I’m taking pictures like crazy, but have not had time to photoshop them yet.
August 1st, 2006 at 11:14 am
*peeps in to see if you’ve left any crabs here*
August 1st, 2006 at 11:34 am
Am glad to hear from you again. So that’s where you’ve been eh! Good break from the monotony.
August 1st, 2006 at 12:45 pm
i love ur family photos! so sweet!!:)
reminds me of that same big family cruising trip we had like 10 yrs back with all my family and relatives! it’s really fun hanging out in a big group!
get well soon ok?
hongkong chinese? cool!!no wonder u like yum cha!
does ur children speak chinese too?
August 1st, 2006 at 2:00 pm
out of curiosity.. do they all speak english?! you’re very fortunate if they do.. my uncle who is english, can’t communicate with my grandma!
August 1st, 2006 at 2:40 pm
*looking for lobsters this time…*
August 1st, 2006 at 9:13 pm
Enjoy your trip! *Waiting for more pics to come*
August 1st, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Oh dear! How’s your leg now? Feeling better? Waiting to see lots of pic from your trip. Have a good day.
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:46 am
Misti, those crabs did not stand a chance.
It was a nice break. I feel energized and ready to teach classes as a guest instructor at your college. keke
Ah, so you know all about this big family fun Winn. My kids don’t speak much Chinese at all. My daughter knows some Mandarin. Though mostly she just criticizes my buhao accent.
I cannot talk to my M-I-L, JJ. Well not in any formal language. But we still manage to communicate. hehe
I passed on the lobster and ate pheasant misti. Everybody else had lobster though.
Will get the pics out Titoki. Promise.
My leg is still bugging me Hijack Queen. You take care too.
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:00 am
*looking for pheasants’ bones…
August 2nd, 2006 at 2:40 am
What a bad start on the journey huh? But luckily it got better.. and every body look happy in the group photo. Where are you kids? Camera shy?
And you are the only ‘kwai lou’ in the family.. Hee hee.. did they start talking in Cantonese and loose you?
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:14 am
alright, I didn’t laugh when I read about your fall, my reaction is “oh.. huh… poor u”
Your wife looks so sweet
August 2nd, 2006 at 4:40 am
WOW!!!!! so glad you are having so much fun..after all those endless nights calculating taxes jiji!!! here it is getting exremly hot. Working non stop as usual and missing your kisses and hugs, niff sniff. Your family looks so happy and i lurve it!!!
kisses and hugs from Spain! :-*
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:08 pm
i would think your daughter may be somewhat better than me in mandarin..i live here and hardly use mandarin!! so embarassing i tell you!i struggle to communicate with my grandparents!
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:18 am
Misti. I ate them bones too.
ZM I don’t know what is happening half of the time. I could of met Fantasy Flier if they would have told me we were spending a night Calgary. But my wife translates what I need to know most of the time. And no one can ever talk bad about me in front of her or she will translate.
And who knows what the cousins were doing. I think they went to the Teen Zone to play then.
Thanks Pinkie. It feels better today. Stairs are becoming more bearable.
I hate my PC Car@. I cannot see your Cbox so I cannot leave you hugs like normal days.
Hope they give you some time off for holidays.
I suspect you two might be able to converse okay in Mandarin. But she really is not as good as she could have been JJ.
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Awwwwww despite the air port rush it sounds like you had a good time. The pictures look great, and I can’t wait to see more from your trip!! I’m sure you did more than just eat
Then again, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find the 24 hour buffet and live there!
August 3rd, 2006 at 9:35 pm
*sits here… no wait, i’ll crawl under your dining table.. heh.*
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:00 pm
WAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! Hug from Jomel too…
Big long trip yeah?!Must b fun.. We’re currently at Coffeebean in Bangsar. You must tell the Captain to drop anchor here soon!
August 4th, 2006 at 3:40 am
Wow, the ship pictures bring back sooooo many memories. I gotta go for another cruise soon!!
August 4th, 2006 at 11:44 am
catch ur breath back yet? more pix! more pix! more pix!
August 4th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
The 24 hour buffet was awesome, Alisa. Back to Vancouver now. Spent 4 days exploring the Canadian Rockies and now look forward to visiting Victoria Island.
Is that you I been kicking misti. You won’t find much scraps from me. I’m a vacuum cleaner at mealtime.
You know LB I been lookind at some other cruises. Would love to go a little further and a little longer. Have checked one cruise that goes round worl in 102 days. Only $25K US. Haiz… I can dream right? Hugs for you and Jomel.
Do it Bkworm. The only way to travel. Leave the driving to the Captain.
Still catching my breath YvY. Only reason I took time to get on internet today is that I needed to order my daughter’s school books. Bummer. More money spent.
August 4th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
don’t forget to feed our bug k? he deserves more crumbs than me. duh.
August 5th, 2006 at 7:17 am
*waiting for day 2*
August 5th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Hey, enjoy your vacation. It’s fun to travel in a big, jolly group. Post pics later, okay?
August 6th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
That bug is so stuffed from the cruise misti. Not even funny.
Me too Winn.
Yep Abaniko. We had a blast together. Though restaurants cringe when you request a table for 14.
And everybody. I am now home. Hope to get pictures churned out soonest.
August 7th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
*sits quietly and awaits to be “tortured” by piccies*
:D
*scatters some huglius for my liulius*
August 7th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
I better do something quick Angel. Oh boy. So much liution out there.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
What great pics and great narrative! No cacations for us this summer but you are filling the void!!!!!1 Thank you SA!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your cruise! Damn I can’t believe you fell! Hopeit gets better!
August 10th, 2006 at 9:01 am
I’m back to work now Candi. Still gimpy. Thanks for enjoying the post. I don’t know if I can ever do a cruise again, but I sure hope I will some day.