Hi Guys Welcome back,

If I can be super honest, the hardest part of doing this specific blog post was the thought that I wouldn’t make justice to any of it, this trip was once in a lifetime and I had a hard time putting it into words … everyone has had that vacation that you feel you totally disappear from reality and experience so amazing that you wish you can re-live it over again, took me 3 years to finally write it, so hope you enjoy :)

We went to Alaska in August of 2017. Butch wanted to go somewhere different from the tropical places and I always imagined our honeymoon in a bungalow villa in Jamaica or something like that but after Butch told me we needed to experience "a cruise in Alaska" something completely different I started dreaming of the Alaska honeymoon too!

We went on a 7-night cruise in Radiance of the Seas, Starting in Seaward, Alaska sailing all the way to Vancouver. We needed to fly to Anchorage, Alaska where they have the international airport.

On August 16th we flew from Cabo to Anchorage, we got to the airport to check-in when we found out our first connecting flight to San Jose California was a delay so they had to rush us to the next flight that was in the next 10 min, we barely got to hug Chris (my mother in law) goodbye and we ran to the gate, they escorted us through all the lines and that felt pretty good the lady right next to us broke her shoe in the rushing to the gate but other than that all was good we were on our way to the honeymoon of our dreams.

It was an all-day traveling, 3 layovers until we arrived in Anchorage. It was 1 a.m when we arrived, we were super tired and we just wanted to go to bed, we took a cab from the airport ( the driver was a little scary and he was face timing the whole time he was driving so that was weird haha) we got to the hotel and pretty much passed out right it away ZzZz ( I think we took a shower you know airport feeling yikes) .. anyway….

The following day we had a full day in Anchorage, we were getting ready to go explore the city that's when Butch realized our camera was gone, this was such a bad thing to start our honeymoon without the camera we borrowed from my sisters, then Butch thought we left it with the taxi driver and we called the taxi company, in the meantime without know if we were going to get it back we went to "Best Buy" and bought another one. Good thing we got it back from the taxi company, actually our driver from the night before meet Butch and he said he actually was very nice not scary lol so now we had 2 cameras, and one that was ours, score!

Alaska is such a magical place, I don’t know if it is the feeling of being very far away or you feel like you went back in time, almost like the time is not really passing so fast and you can enjoy your life :)

Everyone is super nice and such a friendly atmosphere also nature surrounding you, bears crossing by just kidding we didn’t see any in the wild. In our day in Anchorage, we went to a brewery called "Glacier Brewhouse" excellent beer and food yummy, we walked around town (maybe I went to the only Alaska mall hahaha, sorry couldn’t resist) and then we went back to our hotel to get some rest because the next day we were heading to Seaward the port to embark to our ship, "Radiance of the Seas".

the next day in our tour bus, we got a very funny bus driver telling us a lot of jokes like… If you survive a bear attack you are local, if you survive a second bear attack you are…. a liar, ha ha ha.

We stopped in some places before, one of them the wildlife park where they have animals that they rescue one of them bears :)

When we got to Seaward It was raining a little bit, very common in Alaska then we boarded our cruise and that's when my first cruise experience began, We went straight to our room, we got a balcony room on the 7 floor which was super nice and very easy to locate because it was right by the elevators so we wouldn't get lost lol.

We were so happy to finally be there, Radiance is a small ship compared to the other ones Royal Caribbean has but very charming and cozy, after seeing our room we went to explore the ship, then we went back to get ready for our first dinner at the cruise, what a lovely time! We met our neighbors who were going to be seated on the table right next to us for the other nights and they were a lovely couple from England that we ended up becoming good friends they even visit us here in Cabo when they were doing the Panama Canal cruise, they go on a lot of cruises so they gave us all their tips, shared some advice’s and told us all their amazing experiences from all their trips. The perfect first night on the cruise.

Next morning we woke up and we were sailing to the Hubbard Glacier, the longest and most active of its kind, a "truly marvel" as they mentioned in our newspaper of the day, that was one of the things we were more excited about this cruise when we were booking it in the pictures they showed that part of the trip looking stunning, when people get to sail right next to the glacier and you can be there out in the bow of the ship admiring this amazing natural wonder which for us that comes from a place that doesn't have anything like that it was what we were looking forward the most.

Turned out there was hurricane strength wind, so we couldn’t sail by the glacier it was too dangerous so the captain announced in the middle of the day, that really sucked, we were very sad, we were sitting at the bar when the captain said the announcement, at least we were drinking a delicious Alaskan beer ha.

Traveling is always an adventure and we can't expect things to go like planned so we moved on and enjoy the rest of our day sailing through the Alaskan bumpy seas, that first day was a little rocky and my hangover from the night before didn't help too much.

Later I booked an appointment to get my hair done and get a bronze glow that was advertised in the newspaper “Amazing deal” so I couldn’t let it pass because that night was going to be the first "Formal night" of the voyage and I wanted to look my best. I went to my appointment and Butch went exploring the ship, then we met at the room and finish getting ready, that night was so memorable because, for Butch and me, We felt like we finally got the prom night that we never had! It was an unforgettable, romantic night until Butch got seasick, which we both thought before going on the cruise that I was going to be the one getting seasick all the time but lucky me I never really did but poor Butchi so we went to the bar upstairs and got him a ginger ale that supposedly helps with that after it made effect and we enjoyed the rest of a lovely night.

The next morning we woke up in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, the most beautiful and stunning view, what I would do to be waking up there again. Juneau has the Mendenhall Glacier that we got to visit and admire for a good part of the day, we went on a tour around the town and then we went back to our ship. Butch wanted to go on the hot tub but I didn't want to because it was really cold, haha, he convinced me and we went it was like a dream to be in a hot tub having the view of the thunder mountain of Juneau, those moments are where I think how amazing is to be alive and to experience to be on this earth so much beauty, then another young couple just like us joined us in the hot tub and told us they were on their honeymoon as well! it was amazing to meet another couple that chooses Alaska as well :)

The feeling of traveling to a cold place has such a charm, we wore our coats to be out and the cruise had the heater so we were always nice and cozy but then outside exploring Alaska it’s a very humid but cold weather, so green, so fresh, I think it’s a place like no other. for locals it was summer and they were dress super normal but for us that come from Cabo it was our opportunity to hear our winter clothes haha.

Our next stop the next day was Skagway, one of the most amazing little town also with lots of history when the gold rush happened, it's very historic, very charming, the buildings in there are the originals from that time. On Skagway, we took a tour bus that took us to the route of the White Pass (known as the dead horse trail) to the Yukon river, were back in 1890’s thousands of people went there in the hope to get rich from the gold of the region that part of history it’s a little sad to hear how many people and horses die in the trial to get there but the pathway was very dreadful but it’s interesting to read about it anyway let’s keep going, history class for another blog JK ….

The bus even drove us to the Yukon part of Canada literally we cross the border and drove back, that part of Alaska gave me a feeling of being on a different planet! the views, the feeling, so amazing and stunning, the colors of the glacier water is so vibrant, everything about it so magnificent.

Then we left the bus to go explore on our feet the town and have breakfast! honestly one of the best places we ever had a breakfast, later we visited a restaurant/bar that used to be a brothel from the gold rush times very interesting place, we took a mini-tour to the upstairs part of the restaurant that used to be the rooms of the ladies for not saying bad words hehe, the tour guide told us one of the girls die in there and her spirit still remains there, I don’t believe in ghost or spirits by any means but that place really gave us the chills, I did felt a presence… idk haha but we recommend visiting that restaurant is a most.

We also visited Icy Strait Point which as a beautiful port, very forestry and cool, it was very small so we walk through the place very fast,then we head back to the cruise and got ready for the second formal night very short day in that port.

Our last stop was Ketchikan which is a very beautiful city, it rains all the time, we took a tour through the town, visit the totem park and almost encounter some bears but we didn’t get to see them, then we explore some small waterfalls that are all over the city and went to small stores and one museum, it was a lovely day and also a little sad the last day in Alaska.

The next morning we woke up to be sailing all day through the inside passage of Alaska entering Canada, all I can say it’s gorgeous!!! so peaceful, we even saw some killer whales, it was truly a wonderful experience, once all this horrible virus situation passes and we are able to travel and cruise again we 110% recommend going to Alaska it’s an experience like no other!

Our last morning on the cruise we woke up in Vancouver, went for one last breakfast at the Windjammer (the buffet in the cruise), and then left the cruise crying emoji! we got serious post-cruise depression haha, even though we had 2 more days in Vancouver we already felt sad not to be in our cruise, seriously we didn’t have to worry about anything.

We spend 2 days in Canada and it was lovely, we visited the Capilano Provincial park and it was wonderful, the only bad thing we believe all the other passengers of the other cruises were sent there too because the park was packed and we could barely cross on the big bridge lol but regardless very beautiful park. The next and our last day in Vancouver we went to the aquarium and walk through downtown.

Alaska was truly a dream come true and if you are planning on traveling there when we are able to please do you will love it! We didn’t have enough money for the expensive excursion like the helicopter and sleigh sliding with husky puppies sad face but in our opinion, you don’t need too much to have a magical time in Alaska.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and be on the lookout for “Why Cruising is the best way of travel” and Symphony of the Seas coming up.

Love,

Diana.

On our way, drinking my fave Alaskan beer.

When the captain announced we couldn’t sail by the glacier, grrrr

The room where the ghost presence still lingers :0 got the chills?