Monday, June 25, 2012

Day 6: Ketchikan

Today we docked in Ketchikan. This quaint town looks like an ol' fishing town...because, well...it is. This is the Salmon capital of the world. Lots of colorful old houses and a cute downtown area. My husband and his buddy, Rodney, booked a fly fishing shore excursion (through our CruiseOne website of course). It also turned out to be a private excursion...just them and the guide. They drove about 10 minutes to a mountain river. There they wadded in the water and enjoyed a few hours of successful fly-fishing. They each caught 4 fish. Their guide was very knowledgable and has persuaded my husband to "invest in fly fishing equipment" when he returns home (because he loved it so much).

My friend Birdie and I walked around downtown and wondered in and out of the many souvenir shops. If you are in search of t-shirts, jewelry or Moose Poop candy, these Alaskan ports are sure to please. Birdie and I both purchased some Northern Lights jewelry. This is the same stone you can find in the Caribbean called Caribbean Topaz. It is inexpensive but pretty and I felt this was a better souvenir than bear socks or a stuffed animal.

Today was another prime example of Alaska's unpredictable weather. This morning I had on a sweater and pants in which I was sweating. It was hotter than Florida. So, when we got back on the ship at 1:00p I changed into shorts and a tank top. And now it's cold. I'm afraid I might have to go change again.

The rest of the day I plan to spend being lazy in a padded lounge chair.

Tomorrow we will be at sea before we fly back to Florida from Vancouver. This trip has been a blast. I would recommend that everyone visit Alaska at some point. And may I suggest a back-to-back cruise? We've talked to many couples who have done just that. What could be better than 7 days in Alaska? 14 days!!

I look forward to hearing about our embellish IT! Cruise &Crop that took place last week. If you were on it, please share photos!!

-Cheri

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Day 5: Juneau

It's another beautiful Alaskan day. We didn't plan any excursions in this port. But we did get off the ship and walked around downtown. Juneau is the largest city on the itinerary. Downtown you can find a fabric store, yarn store and a beading store.

The highlight of my day was seeing Sea Planes take-off and land. I really wanted to take a ride in a Sea Plane but the budget didn't allow it this time around. Next time I come to Alaska I will definitely be flying high!!

We heard good reports from other cruisers about their whale watching excursions. I am usually a bit leery about wildlife tours but since we have seen quite a bit this time I would be more apt to recommend these types of tours.

Today's travel tip: bring sunscreen
I know it is hard to believe but even when it is cold and you are bundled up in jackets, gloves and hats that you can still get sunburned. Being a Florida girl I associate sunscreen with the beach. So I didn't bother bringing any to Alaska. All four of us have red faces.

My posts are often posted a day or two late due to cell service. We were in Juneau on the 22nd- my 10 year anniversary. It was wonderful being able to spend the entire day with my sweetheart. The day ended perfectly with an amazing sunset. The sky was pink with the snow capped mountains below it. As a bonus it was formal night so my husband was forced to dress up for the celebration. I don't know about your men, but mine prefers to be casual. Now I have bunches of great photos without nagging him to wear a tie. :)

Off to Ketchikan...

-Cheri

Friday, June 22, 2012

Day 4: Haines City - a must see

Today we docked in Skayway, Alaska - a gateway to the Yukon. We booked a wonderful excursion through our CruiseOne website. First we took a 40 minute scenic ferry down the Lynn Canal to Haines City (population of only 2,400). What a cute historic town. Our guide picked us up at the dock and took us to Chilkoot Lake. This lake is about 3 miles long and is completely surrounded by huge, snow capped mountains. Breathtaking. And thanks to the smaller size of our CruiseOne excursions, the only ones on this amazing lake were the 4 of us friends plus our friendly tour guide. She was a knowledgeable guide who moved to Haines City 30 years ago.

Afterwards we walked around downtown Skagway. There are many tourist stores selling everything from t-shirts to jewelry. I did find a few quilting/fabric stores. They carried lots of wilderness fabrics. It sure would be fun to partner with them on a future Cruise & Crop cruise.

Today's Alaska travel tip: dress in layers
We started out the day in heavy jackets. Although a bit chilly, the skies were clear and the mountains showed us their full glory. The locals said this was the nicest day in weeks. Very fitting for the first day of summer (and the longest day in Alaska - with the most sunlight). By the time we arrived at Chikoot Lake we ditched our jackets. The weather was perfect! A few hours later the wind picked up which brought in some chilly air. A few hours after that we put on our rain jackets as we reluctantly walked back to the ship in the rain.

So if you are planning a trip to Alaska - be prepared for all types of unpredictable weather.

Off to Juneau tomorrow.

-Cheri

Happy 10th Anniversary, Luke & Cheri!

10 Years ago, Cheri married her sweetheart! 


May you dance the night away tonight on your cruise like you did 10 years ago.  Congratulations on 10 beautiful years together!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Day 3 of our Alaska Cruise

Day 3 travel tip: bring binoculars

Today we are in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska...it is breathtaking here. Some park rangers boarded the ship this morning and they will be on all day sharing great information about the park. Right now me and the gang are siting on the 15th deck enjoying the view. There is the chance we could see some humpback whales, brown bears, tuffed puffins and other marine life. Sure do wish we had brought some binoculars! Even though the shore doesn't look too far away, it is over a mile. So even if we do see the wildlife, it will be quite small. I definitely recommend bringing binoculars... If you don't own a pair, then borrow some from a friend.

Bar service keeps walking by with offerings of "enhanced" coffee. Their slogan is "Drink more, see more whales". I bet that works on many of the cruisers onboard. :)

Cell service is not good today. I am hoping I can post this tomorrow in Skagway.

Alaska enthusiast,
Cheri

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Leaving on a jet plane....

Cheri's travel tip for the day: always bring a water bottle with filter. These are perfect for airports and cruise ships when you want to have great tasting water (and not pay $5 a bottle). I hope to one day have a stainless steal bottle (hint, hint for my birthday next month) but until then, this one works great.

I am about to board my flight to Anchorage, Alaska. I am excited to spend the next 10 days on a kid-less vacation with my husband. We will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary onboard the Coral Princess. Our good friends, Rodney and Birdie are coming too to make the trip extra fun.

Honestly, I am a bit lost without a suitcase of scrapbooking supplies. This is my first non-scrapbooking cruise in years. My husband, Luke, is ecstatic to have my undivided attention. LOL. I will be sure to share pictures of Alaska!

Gail will be in the office all week so be sure to show her some love and book your next Cruise & Crop cruise (or non-crafting cruise).

Sincerely,
Cheri

Monday, June 4, 2012

Celebrating 50 Cruises - Blog Giveaway winners

Thank you to everyone who entered our Blog giveaway and helped us celebrate our 50 Cruise & Crop cruises.  Below are the names/posts of 4 Cruise & Croppers plus 2 Cruise & Crop hopefuls.  We will be sending each of you a very cool 2-page layout kit from Lickety Split Scrapbooks.  Please e-mail us at info@cruiseandcrop.com with your mailing address.

  1. Shirley - I've enjoyed three scrapping cruises. One with Lickety Split in March, 2010 when my sister and I had a great cruise out of Tampa. Shellie and I really enjoyed the Cricut Cruise with Cara out of Miami in March, 2011. I really learned to use my cricut and gypsy with much more ease. Finally, in Nov., 2011 we went again on a PIT cruise out of Port Canaveral. Not sure when the next one will be. But I'm open for suggestions.
  2. Haley D. - Congrats, Gail & Cheri! Some of my gal pals and I had great fun sailing with you in Feb. 2009 (I think it was). I still have my Cruise & Crop charm in my stamping tool bag and my Queen of the Crop tiara is in my craft room- of course in a place of honor! We hope to do it again one day.
  3. Kim Forsyth - Wow, 50 cruises ~ that IS a milestone! I was privileged to be part of the stamping cruise with Nichole Heady, Emily Bella and Gina K. I must say it was one awesome cruise. The classes were wonderful and we got an amazing amount of goodies!!!
  4. Ann - Congratulations on 50 cruises !!! Wish I could say I'd been on all 50, but I've got two fantastic stamping cruises under my belt... along with memories of not only delicious food, but educational and fun excursions, and of course lots of inspirational card making !! My very first cruise was February, 2011 out of Tampa to the Western Caribbean. Hosted by Sparkle and Sprinkle, Impression Obsession and The Paper Cut. WOW - what a GREAT time we had !! Cruise number two was out of Ft. Lauderdale this past February, 2012 to the Eastern Caribbean. It was an honor and a privilege to be part of a team that created nearly 500 cards to send to Military Troops deployed overseas through our host, Operation Write Home. So, where's the next cruise??? Alaska or Hawaii would be my next choice... Let's Go Cruisin' !!! :-)
  5. Kat - I love to cruise and love to scrap but have never combined the two. I look forward to booking one soon.
  6. Concetta Chocolate - My dream cruise and crop cruise would be through the Mediterranean - beautiful scenery while scrapping at sea!