(**In very hodge podge order...because Hello...between five adults there were five cell phone cameras and several DSLRs**)
While I wish the days at sea had been more interspersed amongst our port days, that first day at sea was a blissful one. I will admit it took me a little while to finally snap out of the "go-go-go" mode of wrapping up work, packing, getting out of the house, and traveling thousands of miles with an excited to walk by herself toddler...but once I did, I really started enjoying myself.
Some "fish eye" views of the ship (compliments of Gary)
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| Some "fish eye" views of the ship (compliments of Gary) |
Hannah woke up early (still halfway on East Coast time...and the kid had gone to sleep at 6:30 pm Alaskan time) and she and I slipped out super early to explore the ship and give her daddy some much needed sleep. I found my way up to the buffet breakfast and found us a formidable little feast, then found the legit didn't-taste-like-crap coffee at the cafe and returned back to the room ready to pass Hannah off to her daddy so I could head up for a massage and kick off this trip correctly!
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| Pensively and playfully enjoying the deck |
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| Our little princess chilling on the deck chairs of the Star Princess |
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| Hannah playing the slots while we would all rather be eating dinner... we manned the casino in shifts. |
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| enjoying the views and looking for otters and seals |
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| Dinner time take 3...we finally got it right and spent dinner time playing with Hannah and then went on a date! |
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| she really enjoyed the green |
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| Dinner take 3 - how many adults does it take to occupy a Hannah? |
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| Pretty sweet view for nursing and snuggling my cutie! |
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| If this isn't a classic sibling pic, I don't know what is |
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| dressed up for dinner |
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| bath time! thankfully Daniel's family had a bathtub (she enjoys showers) but baths are great! |
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| Hannah loved the banana milkshakes! |
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| semi-formal night - all ready to go! |
My hot stone massage was ahhhhmazing. I had not had one before, but had been wanting to try one...it was a fantastic way to start the trip! I got back just in time to nurse Hannah and take a nap with her. Mmmm. Perfect. I woke up finally feeling relaxed and "on vacation"
The days at sea were fun in some ways and dangerous in others. The main thing to do on a cruise ship is eat. It's dangerous game. We all did our best to strike a balance between vacation-induglence and feeling like we should be in the Wall*e movie. But I definitely enjoyed not having to worry about where my meals were coming from, cleaning up, or grocery shopping! We took turns working out and watching Hannah to attempt to break even-ish.
Dinners were a disaster until we finally conceded and ate in shifts. At the 5:30 dinner, the Hals would enjoy their meal while Daniel and I played with Hannah all over the ship (she also ate dinner...but that takes ten minutes if we're lucky). And then at 7:45 when the open seating time arrived we would leave Hannah with her lovely grandparents, aunt, and uncle and scurry away to enjoy our own peaceful meal. It was delightful to have a dinner together each night.
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| Cruising towards Hubbard glacier |
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| Glacier Bay |
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| Glacier Bay |
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| Hubbard Glacier |
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| Glacier Bay |
While enjoying the days at sea, we also enjoyed the scenic aspect of the cruise. We weren't just at sea - we were cruising around the Hubbard glacier and into Glacier Bay National Park where we enjoyed the harbor seals, otters, and ice bergs and flows that had sloughed off the numerous glaciers. The landscape was breathtaking! Hannah was not too interested though - but she was enthralled with exploring the expansive decks and walkways! She was so excited to walk and walk and walk all over!
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| She loved counting and petting the dolphins with me - over and over and over and over and over |
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| Say, that is definitely some red hair kiddo! |
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| Walking all over the ship, loving her independence and the views |
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| Our little family enjoying our days at sea! :) |
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