Alaskan Honeymoon

The morning after the wedding Mike and I headed to DFW airport to catch our flight to Vancouver, Canada. The first leg of the flight was on time and went well, but the flight from Seattle to Vancouver was a different story. We were on the flight with about 30 girl soccer players (most who didn't speak English) and these girls must have been on a 4 month trip because they each had about 4 bags. While settling into our seats on the small plane we noticed the flight attendant wasn't in the best mood. She kept huffing and puffing and being very short with people. Maybe it was because we were running late or maybe it was because she couldn't get answers out of the soccer players or maybe it was because she knew that the plane was too heavy and either people or bags needed to get off. It just so happens that they took bags off. To be exact, they took our bags off. The honeymooners. The love birds. The people leaving for a 7 day cruise. So after Mike and I landed and figured out our bags were still in Seattle we talked to the airline and gave them our hotel address (thankfully we decided to get to Vancouver early and stay a couple days before the cruise left). We headed to the hotel with our carry on bags that had a couple change of clothes. It was a very nice hotel right in the middle of Vancouver. We had a blast walking around town exploring book stores, Chinatown and Granville Island. 

We ate some great dim sum at a restaurant where we were the only white people (so you know it's good!). While relaxing in our hotel room we heard a knock and found out our bags had arrived! Perfect timing since we were getting up the next morning and heading to the ship. The ship was a good size. Not a Carnival ship size, but still big enough to be able to explore and not feel like you are trapped. We were so excited that we didn't notice the only people getting on board were people in their 60's and older. Honestly, we didn't care. We weren't there to get to know people or talk to people, we were there to spend time together and enjoy each other. The cruise ship had a library, casino, pools, hot tubs, dining rooms, exercise room and so much more! 

We played trivia, went to the casino and played some Blackjack, and one night we decided to go watch The Newlyweds Game. The host ask for volunteers that had been married for 20-30 years, 10-15 years and newlyweds. I immediately raised my hand because who doesn't love free prizes when you win (and of course we would win!). We were one of two couples that were on their honeymoon and the host picked us!!! The game had 10 questions and the couple with the most answers that were the same won! The women went back stage so the men could be asked questions and answer them without us hearing them and then they brought the women back on stage. We got asked the same exact questions as the men. Some examples of the questions: When/where was your first kiss? Where is the craziest place you have done the dirty? Where was your first date? What does your spouse do that annoys you? Questions like that. Mike and I got EVERY SINGLE one correct! I wasn't surprised one bit. We won a bottle of champagne and bragging rights. I think it would be fun to do another Newlyweds Game in 10-20 years and see how our answers match up then. :) 

The cruise was awesome. We stopped in 3 different ports: Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. In Ketchikan we decided to do the Mountain Point snorkeling excursion! I know what you are thinking, "Alaska? Snorkeling? Won't it be cold?!" Well yes, it was cold BUT they put you in a thick wet suit that actually keeps you fairly warm. The only really cold part is your face. The water was so clear and there was so much wildlife there. We saw sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers and all sorts of fish! I'm so glad we did it even if it was a bit chilly. :) In Juneau we decided to take it easy and just walk around town. It was a beautiful day there and we had fun going into little shops and exploring town. We found a park nearby that we walked around in for a little bit too.

 We also found the last Blockbuster still in business. :) 

I decided I wanted something to remind me of all the fun we had in Alaska so while we were shopping I found a necklace that had a polar bear on it. It has a little bit of jade in the middle of the polar bear since Alaska has huge deposits of jade and it is also their state stone. In Skagway we decided to ride the White Pass Railroad (22 miles) to the Denver Valley (in the Tongass National Forest) and jump off and go on a 6 mile hike before the next train came to pick us back up. 

The train ride was beautiful. We went through tunnels, saw waterfalls and got to go up beautiful mountains. The train stopped to let the hikers off and then continued on. There were 7 of us including the guide that chose this excursion. It was the perfect amount. We got to explore and hike beautiful trails. We stopped at a beautiful river to have a snack and take a breather. 

We didn't see any wildlife, but saw huge trees, waterfalls and lots of different plants. Once we headed back our guide said we HAVE to make it back to the railroad at a certain time because the train won't wait for us if we weren't there. Apparently she was a little optimistic on how far our group could go and with the last mile left she told us all to run! Haha. We were all jogging along not getting to look at anything besides where our next step would be. It wasn't ideal, but it sure was memorable. :) Thankfully we made it back just in time for the train. The excursions and time on land were fun, but we enjoyed being on the boat too. I wouldn't have done our honeymoon any other way. It will be fun to go back years from now and see the same sights we saw the first couple of days of being married.