The very best vacation I ever took was to Disney World. I was eleven.
The very best vacation I ever took that I planned myself, as an adult, was to New Orleans, LA. I was 26.
And as an adult, I always wanted to go back to New Orleans, not just for the drinking and debauchery (note: I never experienced any debauchery), but for the people, the sights, history, tours, and FOOOOOD. So much fun. Different after 2005 (I have not been back since the hurricane), but still a living city and one I always enjoyed more than any other location in the south.
Then, I met Jenni. Jenni's favorite vacation of all time (that did not involve dinosaurs) was going on a cruise ship, specifically with Princess Cruises. She had tried another line, but vastly preferred PCL... and upon her recommendation, we saved up, got a great deal, and have just returned from a 7-day cruise to Alaska.
Now I know someone else's vacation photos are not always the most interesting experience, but for my own memory, and to perhaps sell YOU on it (both of my dear readers), here's a rundown. Not the most geekly/nongeekly experience, but not ALL vacations can be to comic-cons and the movie theater, alas.
PROS:
1) Getting to see Alaska. I'm not used to describing scenery as "beautiful," because first of all I'm a dude, and second of all it's a bunch of fucking dirt. But I was blown away driving through Northern California for the first time (also at about 26), and Alaska was even more impressive than that. It's all too easy to use phrased like "snow-capped mountains," and "glacier-carved rocks," but it's an entirely different thing to see these things in person. No photograph can do them justice. It's like having sex, you can read all the manuals, see all the pictures and/or videos you like, but NOTHING can do the actual experience justice. That and bacon. Some things just need to be seen/experienced to be believed.
2) The fucking SHIP. Holy crap, there was so much to do. Food, swimming, art gallery, drinking, live shows, live music, movies, the VIEW. Rocking with the waves for ten hours straight was definitely a new experience, and three days back and my legs still aren't used to a steady floor. But damn if that wasn't part of the charm.
3) The people. When you put that much planning into a vacation... it's not like you're going to run into locals on the ship who are annoyed you're there. 99% of the people were damn glad to be there, the staff was friendly and excellent at their jobs, they're just there to bring you stuff and chill out, man. They're seeing the world, too. And the other passengers... most all friendly, happy to be there, and just as eager to learn about the sights and sounds, too. And then there's just staring out at the ocean.... for all the vacation destinations at home and abroad, being surrounded by water is definitely unique for any type of vacation.
4) The ports. We stopped at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria BC. Each has something unique to offer, Ketchikan was so/so (more on that in a moment), but Juneau was a perfect mix of small town and wilderness. Plenty of mountains, regular amenities, nice people, and shopping options beyond just the regular tourist crap. Skagway was far smaller, but we did get to see some wilderness there, going ziplining fifty feet above the ground, between trees. Highly recommended, by the way, provided you can go hiking for an hour without needing to sit down and pass out. The jumping is easy... the hardest part was getting up the side of the hill. But then you're surrounded by giant trees, with clear views of mountains and some train tracks on the side of said mountain. Pretty fucking impressive.
5) The FOOD. We ate nowhere but on the ship (though we did take a one-day cruise from Vancouver to Seattle before we started, and Ketchup Flavored Potato Chips (unique to Canada) are fucking TERRIBLE)... where was I? Too many parentheses, but the point is, the food was fucking delicious, plentiful, and included. Some room service items had a tiny room service charge ($3 for pizza), but most all included and spectacular. I'm actually quite sad that no one put a napkin in my lap before dinner tonight.
CONS:
1) Only a couple hours in each port. Ketchikan is tiny, a little fishing town, there's tourist shops but not much else, so there's nothing there you couldn't get at every other port (which is probably why this one was first). There's not much town to see beyond the few blocks of the tourist area, but the scenery... nice. Juneau I could have spent a week in. Skagway, tiny as it is, the same. Small rural streets, with wooden planks at the sidewalk, just like in an old west town. Granted, it would probably be quite different with a foot of snow on the ground, but look! Mountains!
2) Crowds. Embarking and disembarking in Seattle was a mob, but no better or worse than getting on an airplane, or more accurately a sports stadium. On ship there was less of that, everyone off doing their own thing, in their cabins, it's actually quite thinly populated (or seems so) except at the beginning of the first day, the end of the last day, and getting off the ship anywhere in between. Other than that, chill as hell. Easily a con that can be overlooked.
3) Motion of the ocean. I don't get seasick, but as stated, after ten hours of that... whoa. I actually didn't mind so much in bed, and if I just got irritated by the motion, a nap actually helped. Jenni, on the other hand, spent a couple days getting adjusted... it's definitely not like flying. But after a while, for me anyway, it got charming... "Oh look, time to take a shower. Better learn how to do it at a 15-degree angle!"
4) Price. We got a great deal-- a GREAT deal-- but it's still four figures. Granted, this is a family of four, but I'm new to the whole family vacation thing, and I'm used to going on vacation for $500 tops. This was definitely not that. But hey, at least I didn't have to get scanned naked.
5) Length. A week? PSHAW. By day six we were all winding down and ready to be home, shower in a space bigger than a shoebox, do our laundry (though there IS laundry on the ship, but who wants to do laundry on vacation?), but as I got off the ship on day seven, I just wanted to do it all over again. I'd walk more of Ketchikan.... I'd drive more and shop more in Juneau. Skagway I'd take more pictures, talk to the staff, schedule more sightseeing/activities. And Victoria, well... I only got an hour there, and it's definitely a city that appreciates looking good instead of just being functional (I'm looking at you, Every City in Texas). Plus I didn't get to try the raspberry raisin Orange Crush, or whatever the fuck that was...
.... IN TOTO, the pros far outweigh the cons. By a WIDE MARGIN. Oh, and the DJ in the nightclub was a fucking moron, but he played requests so that can be overlooked. Is it New Orleans? No, but nothing is... it's still a floating village, interesting people, fun and entertaining all hours of the day. Worth the money, worth the time, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
And the more friends, the better it is. Hint, hint. :D
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