travel

As with all the ports, there are many excursions to choose from. With Ketchikan being the Salmon Capital of the World. Being the Salmon capital of the world, it seems fitting the main attractions highlighted are salmon and seafood. Neither thing my crew is fond of. Again like all other ports in Alsaka we were short on time, and didn’t want to go to far. We were in port for roughly 7 hours, but by the time the ship is cleared, you don’t really have that long. Plus, who wants to wake up at 6:00 am while on vacation? 

Before heading back to your private viewing area, aka balcony, swing by the restaurant or a bar for a coffee or hot chocolate. The complete journey for this route measures 30 miles. The travel time is around 4 hours. Regardless of your location on the ship, both sides will witness the passage’s beauty. Most ships open the front bow of the ship for up close veiwing. Make no mistake, the deck will be full. One more reason to have your own balcony, no crowds. Once you arrive at Dawes Glacier the captain will turn the ship 180 degrees and exit the passage. 

There are many destinations to explore while in Juneau. Finding one that is affordable is a whole other story. After hours of researching, we decided we would walk around the town and explore the port that way. In the past, those are the best excursions, I remember. Having the ability to see the town for what it really is and not the tourist side they showcase. 

Stika is located on Baranof Island. Stika is the first and oldest city in Alaska. Stories have Stika dating back roughly 10,000 years old. And was home to the first Eurpoean settlements. Stika is isolated. You can only reach Stika by plane or boat.  Although Stika is the 4th largest city in Alaska, Stika is the largest city in the United States. 

Every cruise line has their own private island and MSC's is called Ocean Cay. Ocean Cay is located in the Bahamas. The islands full name is Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. This spot was an indu

On our last sea day we spent time at the pool relaxing. Since there was nothing exciting happening this day, I will share more pictures of the ship. Our favorite lounge to hang out in was the Le Cabaret Lounge.  In the early hours it wasn't crowded, had good music and great service. 

From the ship, this looked like a beautiful port. We were, however, encouraged to stay with our tour guides, or stay within the market area right off the ship, for our own safety. They strongly advised against solo travel. And be aware of scammers.  We were off the ship for about an hour. There wasn’t much to see in the close vicinity of where we were. 

Day 4 and it is still raining. Today we stopped at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is part of a chain of islands between Florida and Venezuela. This forms a divide between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. 

Because of the delays on embarkation day, the Captain altered our cruise itinerary. Our ports of call were reversed to help make up time. The first port of call was Nassau, Bahamas. We have all been to the Bahamas before and once you have been, once you are good. Now, if the weather was a little more accommodating, we may have gotten off the ship to walk around, but it was raining heavily that day and since we have all been there before, we hung back and explored the ship instead. 

Our first cruise in 10 years. The kids are excited; we are excited, this is going to be epic. We arrived in Miami the night before the ship’s scheduled departure from port. I highly recommend always doing this to lessen the stress on you, especially if you are traveling with a group or young kids. We wanted to enjoy a relaxing evening at the hotel, get a good night’s sleep, wake up to a big breakfast, and then head to the Port of Miami to board. Our scheduled boarding time was noon.