What is on YOUR bucket list? Do you have a trip someplace amazing on your list? Have you written it down and do you review your desired goal often or do you just “wish” your dream will come true? I want to challenge you to dream big, write it down, make a plan and go for it!
I had a goal…
of going on an Alaskan cruise and that goal had been on my bucket list for at least five years. Unfortunately my husband was hesitant to take a cruise, doesn’t like to be around lot’s of people, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to happen. It is also a chunk of change to take an Alaskan cruise, especially if you want a balcony room.
In January…
of this year we were with our best friends and got talking about taking a trip together. My friend Sandy was all for an Alaskan cruise but her husband also was leary of being on a crowded ship for seven days. We decided to explore the possibility (to come up with good ammo!) and I contacted a friend that was a travel agent and told her our concerns. She and I talked, discussed a smaller cruise ship that only holds 1,200 and planning way in advance so we could save up. Guess what? The guys went for it!!
Let me tell you, it was everything and more than we dreamed of. The ship, Holland America
Amsterdam, was beautiful and the staff was amazing. The ports of call were Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria Island. Having the verandah was the best part because we had SUN the whole seven days! Apparently this is unheard of on an Alaskan cruise but we took advantage of wine on the verandah every afternoon while we watched amazing vistas roll by.
Our favorite port was Sitka because we were the only ship in port and the town is on an island and not commercialized. We took a “Bears, Brews and Totem” tour and saw Alaskan brown bears up close and personal. Wow, they weigh anywhere from 800-1,200 pounds!
Our favorite scenic moment was when we cruised into an inlet to see the Hubbard Glacier. Because we were a smaller ship we were able to get within one-half mile of the glacier. I never knew a glacier “moaned and groaned” as it moves approximately three feet a day. It would “calve” off a piece of ice and it sounded like thunder when it hit the water. Of course we had a crystal clear day with calm seas to top it off.
What would an Alaskan cruise be like without whales? We started seeing Orca’s and then Humpbacks on the second day out. They where everywhere, amazing…..
Everyone always talks about the food on cruise ships so we were expecting good food. The selection was unbelievable and we had some very memorable meals. You could eat in the dining room or eat in the “Cafe” which was a buffet of every kind of food you could imagine. We all promised we wouldn’t get on the scale when we got home, instead we were just going back to the gym and “clean eating” trusting the few pounds we gained would come off ?
Guess what? Both the guys are hooked on cruising and want to do another one!!
Life is all about memories and experiences. In the end that is really all we have. Start that bucket list, set a time-line goal, make a plan and go for it! Make those dreams come true…..
Your Nomadic Nutritionist
Chris
Leave a Reply