Cruising Alaska
Posted on July 11, 2025 by Ching under Family, Travel.
Brian and I went to visit the Orbases in Anchorage back in 2017 so this wasn’t our first trip to Alaska. This was, however, our first Alaska cruise. Neither Brian nor I are not huge cruisers. We have been on a few in the past but they were all to warm, tropical destinations. An Alaska cruise really wasn’t on our radar, that is, until we got older. This type of cruise seems to be a rite of passage as you get older. It’s very popular with the over 50 demographic. LOL.
Being the “joiner” that I am, when I found out about Jay and Becca’s Alaska cruise last year, I wanted to be part of it (despite not being a huge fan of cruises). Brian was over 50 now after all and, with me being nearly there, we fit the profile. Plus, we wanted to do something special for celebrating his getting through all his cancer treatments and getting a clear final PET scan and also June is his birthday month and I still felt like we didn’t do anything big enough on his 50th last year so I’m still kind of making up for it in my mind. I also wanted him to get to do some traveling since he missed out on the Mexico trip last year.
After I got back from Tres, I put our down payment on the cruise. Brian wasn’t thrilled at first. He had just started his cancer treatments and wasn’t really feeling the best. He wasn’t sure he would be well enough and feel up to traveling. The end of June would have been well over six months since the start of his cancer treatment journey and at least three months post. I figured it was a safe bet and I had complete faith.
As Brian’s treatments were winding down and he began to get his energy back, he started to get more excited about our trip. But the most excited he got was probably the day before our flight to Seattle when he met with his oncologist to review the results of his final PET scan from the previous week – ALL CLEAR! Only CT scans from here on out. His doctors will continue to monitor him for the next five years but all signs point to a very successful treatment. We were thrilled. And, with that cloud no longer looming over our heads, I think Brian was finally able to let go and relax a bit and really allow himself to be excited for our Alaska cruise adventure.
Before I dive in to the trip recap, I have to mention that both of our parents went on the trip also. I suppose this was a bucket list item for all of us. It was a first cruise for my mom and dad and Brian’s parents recently celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary on June 2 so this was basically an anniversary celebration trip for them. Brian and I were celebrating the conclusion of his cancer treatment journey and also his 51st birthday (a bit belated because it was on June 13) so there was plenty to celebrate all the way around.
Our adventure started in Seattle where Jay and Becca booked our group at the Edgewater Hotel for a pre-cruise stay the day before embarkation. It is a lovely hotel on the pier and we really enjoyed staying there.
Dinner on Wednesday night, the eve of our cruise embarkation day, was at Old Stove Brewing Company. Jim Tsen, a friend I made at Tres Palapas in Mexico back in November met us for dinner. Since Brian didn’t get to go on that trip, this was their first time meeting one another.
The next morning we woke up to a giant Oceania cruise ship next to our balcony.
After a nice, leisurely breakfast with Brian’s parents at Six Seven (on site restaurant at the Edgewater), it was time to board the shuttle and head to our ship. The Edgewater is next to the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) port but it was much further from the Carnival cruise port. If I had to do this again, I would sail with NCL and stay at Edgewater so then I could just walk to the ship the next day for embarkation. By the way, I am going to write separate posts about the restaurant so stay tuned for those.
Embarkation was quick and smooth. We were aboard the ship within minutes. However, staterooms were still being flipped from the previous cruisers so, despite getting on the ship super early, we weren’t able to get into our rooms until 1:30 PM.
Here’s our full cruise itinerary:
- June 26, Thursday – Seattle (Embarkation Day)
- June 27, Friday – Fun Day at Sea
- June 28, Saturday – Endicott Arm Fjord (this was supposed to be Tracy Arm Fjord but we had to reroute for safety reasons)
- June 29, Sunday – Skagway
- June 30, Monday – Juneau
- July 1, Tuesday – Ketchikan
- July 2, Wednesday – Victoria, BC
- July 3, Thursday – Seattle (Debarkation Day)
I am actually contemplating writing a post about each of these stops because there is just way too much to recap in one blog entry.
In the meantime, I will leave you with this montage of pictures and videos taken while we were on the cruise ship. Until next time. Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!
Related Stories
« April Was a Big Month « this post » The Edgewater Hotel »
