Our WONDERful first trip "home" to Alaska- A Trip Report -Finished 1/8!!!

[happenin2you]

We used a recipe we found on Epicurious for the Grape Gorgonzola pizza, but instead of making the dough in the recipe, we bought whole wheat fresh dough from Fresh & Easy. It was good, but the dough was stickier than when I make my own, and therefore not as easy to work with, but the taste was great!

Moving on to Skagway. We saw this sign up in the mountainside. I wasn't sure what a curio was, I had only heard of it in Cars. After visiting the shop, I decided it wasn't anything I needed.

Harley Store

Brewery we'd be visiting.

Can't have too many totem poles

Stained glass above entrance to one of the shops.

Gorgeous horse

Looking into the residential area from the business area.

And back towards all the ships.

Chris' flight of beers

I believe they were the first four listed.

My pineapple upside down cake martini

The description.

They infuse the vodka with pineapple and vanilla in house

The taps

I spotted what I thought was a church, so I took a picture because I like to photograph churches, but it turned out to be a museum. We come back to it later.

Then we passed a coffee shop that also had salmon chowder. They offered a free sample, we loved it and Chris and I shared a cup. I don't remember what the place was called, but if you're ever there and want some, it was right near the brewery, which was the last thing on it's side of the street.

HAHA!!! The name is Bites on Broadway, the sign is right over Chris's shoulder!

Anyway, I was a little skeptical about chunks of salmon in a soup, but it was great. They guys running the counter were the owners, and when they I wasn't so sure about their chowder, they gave me a nice sample. They had tons of other stuff too, but we wanted to check out all our options before deciding on a place for lunch.

More nice scenery

Leave it to us to find the liquor store in town... haha!

We were actually looking for the salmon vodka, which we found, but it was $39 a bottle. If I'm going to spend that much on vodka, it had better be the Goose or Belvi.





Snowblower like I've never seen before


Up next: Lunch and a museum

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by Leshaface

I'm kicking myself for not trying the Strawberry soup! I've heard marvelous things about it!

Oh man i'm so embarrassed to say this...but i've never been to Vegas And neither has my DH! We were supposed to go for our first time in February for my MIL's bday, till we found out we were pregnant and decided I wouldn't have much fun being pregnant and not being able to partake in lots of things. Especially since eating was not fun for me at ALL during that time, and I hear Vegas has some great buffets/food!

I wouldn't normally go for a cold soup, but for me, cruising is all about trying foods I wouldn't normally try.

It's ok, if I didn't live here, I don't think I would ever want to vacation here. I'm not into gambling, and you can drink anywhere. There are buffets everywhere you turn, but I prefer my food scalding hot and it's pretty impossible for a heat lamp or warming table to keep food at that temp without overcooking it. There's some really great food to be had here, but most anything near the strip is ridiculously priced. That's why I love Diner's Drive Ins and Dives, because it allows me to find good food cheap when I travel. If you never come to Vegas, I don't blame you, I'd rather cruise and go to Disney anytime, but if you ever do come to town, let me know, I'll fill you in on all the good stuff =)

SPeaking of traveling, I know you're in SoCal, but you're still a bit away from Disney right? I'm just asking because we'll be going to Anaheim in the end of September to see the White Sox play the Angels and visit Cars land. Just wondering if you happened to have any food/ drink recommendations since everything in the area is some kind of chain, it's hard to find something different. I am really excited to try some of the new food places in DCA.

[happenin2you]

The princess ships had shuttle buses taking their passengers back and forth. We thought it was kinda funny, but it's a great move on their part. They have an older clientele and a shuttle for a very short walk is something worth advertising.

We planned to return to the ship to ditch our coats and check out the lunch menu to see if we wanted to lunch on the ship or in town. The lunch menu was intriguing, so we stayed on board to eat. The problem is I cannot find an Alaskan Triton's lunch menu, so I can tell you what I think we ate, but I'm not sure.
This I'm sure was my appetizer. It was some kind of thinly sliced salmon, cold, with a sweet mustard drizzled on it. It was delicious.

I think this was Chris' cold mango soup.

And I think this was mine, a chicken broth based soup with that chicken or turkey meatball and carrot shreds. I liked it.

My fish... no idea what kind...

Chris' salad, that he did not realize was going to be a salad. I don't remember what he thought it was, but not a salad. He really liked it though.

We skipped dessert and got back off the ship and into town.
The police department.





Does that say what I think it says?

Yup. It does. Creative name for a hotel

Lots of interesting names for places around here

There's that museum we wanted to visit.

Used to be a school.

Admission was $1. How could we pass it up?
Quilt of Duck necks.

Boreal Night



A stuffed bear, actual size. I still wanted to see a real one.

Bear skulls



They had some really random stuffed animals, but what can you expect for a dollar? Chris seemed pretty serious about that goat.



Canoe

Creepy beaver...


Up next: More Skagway and the brothel

[Leshaface]

You made that pizza yourself? You did an amazing job! It looks so professional!

Oh my, how was that martini?!?! It sounds and looks delicious! I can't wait until i'm able to have a glass of wine or beer or something!

Salmon chowder? Now that is different, but something i'm sure I would really enjoy. Anything with fish in it, is fine by me.

@ the hotel sign!! Are you kidding me!? I thought this was a family friendly town! Now with this and the old brothel, guess it may not be!

Originally Posted by happenin2you

I wouldn't normally go for a cold soup, but for me, cruising is all about trying foods I wouldn't normally try.

It's ok, if I didn't live here, I don't think I would ever want to vacation here. I'm not into gambling, and you can drink anywhere. There are buffets everywhere you turn, but I prefer my food scalding hot and it's pretty impossible for a heat lamp or warming table to keep food at that temp without overcooking it. There's some really great food to be had here, but most anything near the strip is ridiculously priced. That's why I love Diner's Drive Ins and Dives, because it allows me to find good food cheap when I travel. If you never come to Vegas, I don't blame you, I'd rather cruise and go to Disney anytime, but if you ever do come to town, let me know, I'll fill you in on all the good stuff =)

SPeaking of traveling, I know you're in SoCal, but you're still a bit away from Disney right? I'm just asking because we'll be going to Anaheim in the end of September to see the White Sox play the Angels and visit Cars land. Just wondering if you happened to have any food/ drink recommendations since everything in the area is some kind of chain, it's hard to find something different. I am really excited to try some of the new food places in DCA.

I LOOOOVE TRIPLE D! Watch it all the time! In fact, when we did our mini tour of New England last summer, I got to try my first Triple D restaurant over in Rhode Island and it was so good! Are there lots of Triple D restaurants in Vegas? In fact right when I got pregnant, I asked DH if we could do a Triple D tour up through Washington state during the Summer since he'd be off for work and it would be a good trip for me since i'd be sitting the whole time in a car. Then a few things happened: 1) I hated food..or at least my pregnancy hated food and 2) I can't sit down for long periods of time so that trip definitely wouldn't have worked out for me. Now our Triple D tour has been delayed.

Yeah, i'm about 3 hours away from Disneyland. Unfortunately i'm not too familiar with food in Anaheim, but if you were going to Long Beach I could definitely give some recommendations. You're going to love Cars Land! It will be busy but it will be fun! I really enjoyed Flo's Cafe for Breakfast and Dinner and was surprised that I liked it! Also, if you're going to be having some wine or drinks, check out the Wine Country Trattoria lounge upstairs! The last time we went in April, it was closed off, but it was opened this past time and it's so quaint and lovely up there. They have couches with tables and it's great to be above the crowds. If you can get up there during a parade, that would be awesome! You would have a great view.

[pixarmom]

Originally Posted by happenin2you

SPeaking of traveling, I know you're in SoCal, but you're still a bit away from Disney right? I'm just asking because we'll be going to Anaheim in the end of September to see the White Sox play the Angels and visit Cars land. Just wondering if you happened to have any food/ drink recommendations since everything in the area is some kind of chain, it's hard to find something different. I am really excited to try some of the new food places in DCA.

Thanks so much for the update! We're sailing two weeks from Monday and very excited - really appreciate all the additional photos and information.

If you're visiting DL soon, I must put in a plug for Newport Beach - my favorite vacation destination since childhood! Growing up, I spent two weeks there every summer (but had to scale back to 7-10 days in recent years, based on the kids' schedules.) I started a thread about Newport earlier this year: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2895078

We don't eat off-site at DL - it's usually either DL, Newport or Laguna - but at DL we really enjoy Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria, Storytellers, Napa Rose and Carnation Cafe. And we rarely eat CS, but the Mexican CS at DCA is very good. That's a wide variety different foods and atmospheres, but I'm happy to answer any questions!

[happenin2you]

Sorry im a bit behind on updates... there's been a lot going on around here lately. Ill get one up soon, I promise.

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by Leshaface

You made that pizza yourself? You did an amazing job! It looks so professional!

Oh my, how was that martini?!?! It sounds and looks delicious! I can't wait until i'm able to have a glass of wine or beer or something!

Salmon chowder? Now that is different, but something i'm sure I would really enjoy. Anything with fish in it, is fine by me.

@ the hotel sign!! Are you kidding me!? I thought this was a family friendly town! Now with this and the old brothel, guess it may not be!



I LOOOOVE TRIPLE D! Watch it all the time! In fact, when we did our mini tour of New England last summer, I got to try my first Triple D restaurant over in Rhode Island and it was so good! Are there lots of Triple D restaurants in Vegas? In fact right when I got pregnant, I asked DH if we could do a Triple D tour up through Washington state during the Summer since he'd be off for work and it would be a good trip for me since i'd be sitting the whole time in a car. Then a few things happened: 1) I hated food..or at least my pregnancy hated food and 2) I can't sit down for long periods of time so that trip definitely wouldn't have worked out for me. Now our Triple D tour has been delayed.

Yeah, i'm about 3 hours away from Disneyland. Unfortunately i'm not too familiar with food in Anaheim, but if you were going to Long Beach I could definitely give some recommendations. You're going to love Cars Land! It will be busy but it will be fun! I really enjoyed Flo's Cafe for Breakfast and Dinner and was surprised that I liked it! Also, if you're going to be having some wine or drinks, check out the Wine Country Trattoria lounge upstairs! The last time we went in April, it was closed off, but it was opened this past time and it's so quaint and lovely up there. They have couches with tables and it's great to be above the crowds. If you can get up there during a parade, that would be awesome! You would have a great view.

Thanks so much on the pizza! We love cooking together and making really ambitious things. It was so good. Maybe as good as Palo The martini sounded amazing, but it was just fine, not great. The salmon chowder though, that was to die for! I wish I had some of that right now to keep me warm in this freezing air conditioned room...

A Triple D tour would be amazing! Maybe after the baby, while he's still small enough to sleep a lot and do well in the car. They just did an episode on Vegas, Guy went to UNLV so he likes to talk about us a lot My in-laws just took us out to dinner last night at Forte, which was recently on DDD. It was so good!!! If you ever come to Vegas, put it on the list with the Double Down for your bacon vodka drinks. soo good! We've also recently discovered a BBQ place called John Mull's Road Kill Grill that's been here since the 40's that was on DDD. Yum!

Less than three weeks until we're Cali bound for baseball and Disney I'm super excited to eat at Flo's, the menu looked great. I kinda want to try the Carthay restaurant too, but it looks a little pricey. I guess that will depend on availability since I'm not planning to make a ressie, and how we're feeling that day. There are so many great food options in DCA that I'm not worried about it. I will have to look in to that wine patio, especially for parade time. Hopefully that will work out.

Originally Posted by pixarmom

Thanks so much for the update! We're sailing two weeks from Monday and very excited - really appreciate all the additional photos and information.

If you're visiting DL soon, I must put in a plug for Newport Beach - my favorite vacation destination since childhood! Growing up, I spent two weeks there every summer (but had to scale back to 7-10 days in recent years, based on the kids' schedules.) I started a thread about Newport earlier this year: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2895078

We don't eat off-site at DL - it's usually either DL, Newport or Laguna - but at DL we really enjoy Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria, Storytellers, Napa Rose and Carnation Cafe. And we rarely eat CS, but the Mexican CS at DCA is very good. That's a wide variety different foods and atmospheres, but I'm happy to answer any questions!

Last year my husband took me to Newport for my birthday. It was really pretty. We also visited Huntington, Santa Monica, and some other places that are escaping me right now...

We've eaten at Blue Bayou, Wine Country Trattoria, and the Plaza place where the Minnie and friends breakfast is in DL. I love the meat on a stick counter service in adventure land, although I never pay attention to what it's called.. After having reservations for table service in the park last time, I was thinking I wanted to do counter service this time because the times I scheduled for us last time were not convenient for us once we were there, and because I remember seeing so many things, mainly in the fisherman's wharf area, that I wanted to try counter service. I am thinking I might want to try the new tiki bar at the DLH pool that has food as well. Our DVC guide showed it to us and we didn't have time that trip, but I'd really like to check that place out. Any input?

[happenin2you]

I last left you with that scary beaver... There were also some old things that people used during that time.

The people that might have used those things.

After we left that building, we discovered that the city hall also shared the building. So around the corner to the left

Some nice flowers

And bird shots



More totem poles



I wanted a picture with the snow covered mountain peak.

And then, on to the brothel tour. Hence, the red light.

This hole in the floor is where the women would drop the money they received for their services. It went into a safe in the basement, but the change could be heard going down the pipes by the bartender. Each woman had a doll behind the bar that represented her likeness and if she were working, her doll would be placed on it's back, and when the bartender heard the money go down, he would stand the doll back up so that men would know she was available again.

Apparently, Skagway was one of the first places in the US to be fully wired for electricity, but everything got screwed in like a light bulb. The end of the curling iron had to be screwed into the light socket to work. Also, if it were dark, they would have to chose to curl their hair in the dark or not curl at all.

After the brothel tour, we were done with all we wanted to do in Skagway, so we went back to the ship. It was still pretty deserted. We had the top deck all to ourselves. We ordered the drink of the day and layed out in the sun, fully clothed since it wasn't warm enough to bring out the bathing suits to tan.

The whole town from the ship.



And zoomed in on the town a bit.



After we walked around the deck, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. Tonight we would be at Parrot Cay. I apologize in advance, the food pics are horrible. I was not on my game this night. I started with Jamacain Marinated Chicken Tenderloins In a Sizzling Spicy Jerk Sauce with a Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing

Chris had the Baked Crab Dip Martinique Jumbo Lump Crab Baked in Creamy Cheese Sauce served with colorful Tortilla and Plantain Chips

After my yummy strawberry soup at Palo, I was trying all the cold soups I could get my hands on, so tonight I went with the Cold Cream of Mango and Papaya Flavored with Passion Fruit

Chris had the Cream of Green Asparagus With Crabmeat and Asparagus

Almost everyone at our table ordered the Mixed Grill Grilled Sirloin Steak, Lamb Chop, Bacon Wrapped Sausage and Jumbo Shrimp on Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Grilled Tomato with a Cabernet Mushroom Sauce, including Chris.

And I had the Pan–Seared Grouper With Baby Shrimp Lemon Butter
Served with a Saffron- Herb Basmati Rice and Snow Peas

For dessert I went with the usual trio Parrot Cay`s Sweet Temptations A Trio of Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate S`More Vanilla Cake

And Chris had French Toast Banana Bread With Coconut Ice-Cream and Caramel Sauce


Up next: Juneau

[LindaBabe]

Loving your report! Can't wait for tomorrow!

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by LindaBabe

Loving your report! Can't wait for tomorrow!

Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm working on the next update right now

[happenin2you]

We woke up the next morning in the capitol city of Juneau, AK. The weather was not great.

We had a quick breakfast on the ship and disembarked to explore the city.

The fog was so thick the Mount Roberts Tramway just seemed to disappear into the sky.





Chris wanted to ride up the tram, but I was skeptical. I have this weird fear, not of hieghts, but of being on things that are suspended on what appears to me as a small wire. I'm also not a fan of bridges. For the most part, I just suck it up and do things that Chris wants to do, but for this one, I was not into riding it if I couldn't see the top. We decided to explore the city first and then if we had time and I was willing to ride, then we would go up the tram later. This is me, happy with our compromise.

We were standing right under where the tram comes in. It's crazy how close it gets to you.

More birds, there were so many in Alaska that I thought we interesting.

The main street that goes into town from where the ships are.

The birds, which were the raven and the hawk I believe, are important to the Native American cultures in the region. This is a really cool sculpture on the side of a parking garage.

There's apparently a large Filipino presence in Juneau. I wouldn't have known if there wasn't this plaque and bust. Everyone I saw looked white or native.

Another Harley store. They really love their Harley gear in a place where there's not much or a riding season.

Admiring the fog.

This building looked cool.

The local police car. I love the mountain design.

The capitol building was so large, the only way to get it in the photo was to take it from an angle.

Notice the liberty bell replica.





And a frontal shot of the capitol.

We went inside to check it out and learned they have free tours! So we signed up and had to wait a short while to see if anyone else would be joining our group. I found this old phone booth. It was pretty cool. The door would shut and the lights would come on and a fan overhead for circulation.

We rode an elevator to the top and started there. From this first room, you could see this building across the street which holds a lot of historical value. It has been several things such as a school and legislative building, but if I remember correctly, it was the former capitol building, before AK was a state.

From here you could also see across the water to the other side of Juneau, which is an island that is mostly residential and where most of the population of Juneau lives.

This is the room we were taking the pictures from.

We visited the state House.


Up next: The Governor's Office

[LemonPie]

I a really enjoying your TR. We will be on this trip A year from today.

[Chilly]

I'm very behind so this might be a long post!

I restaurant you went to on your birthday in Vegas i've been to for a wedding last year.

First thing, i'm in your sail away party photo I agree with you about the party i've been twice now and would miss it no problem in future.

Maybe i'm not as behind as I thought as you had a side trip.

And i'm not that behind because I now realise i've read this bit already oops!

We've never been to a food tasting demo, are they good? Does it cost extra?

That's cool you got a pin at the wine tasting, we didn't at Martini tasting. Jesus is who we had as well. We saw a lot of whales during the tasting.

Oh love the 3 suns photo.

Be glad you didn't stand at the front all morning like we did, it was soooo cold, I was like a mummy all wrapped up.

Great day in Skagway, it was a beautiful place.

I keep looking for myself in all your photos now, no more sightings though.

[princess aleya]

Love Love Love your trip report. I'm really enjoying all the pictures and your side reports too. Can't wait to see more!!!

[happenin2you]

Originally Posted by LemonPie

I a really enjoying your TR. We will be on this trip A year from today.

You're going to love it, it waws amazing!

Originally Posted by Chilly

I'm very behind so this might be a long post!

I restaurant you went to on your birthday in Vegas i've been to for a wedding last year.

First thing, i'm in your sail away party photo I agree with you about the party i've been twice now and would miss it no problem in future.

Maybe i'm not as behind as I thought as you had a side trip.

And i'm not that behind because I now realise i've read this bit already oops!

We've never been to a food tasting demo, are they good? Does it cost extra?

That's cool you got a pin at the wine tasting, we didn't at Martini tasting. Jesus is who we had as well. We saw a lot of whales during the tasting.

Oh love the 3 suns photo.

Be glad you didn't stand at the front all morning like we did, it was soooo cold, I was like a mummy all wrapped up.

Great day in Skagway, it was a beautiful place.

I keep looking for myself in all your photos now, no more sightings though.

I was kinda bummed about the Sail Away party. I feel like if the next time we are on a Disney ship, the party is held outdoors, then I will go and see how it compares. But still, maybe not. It just seemed like a time to introduce the staff and see the characters.

You're so funny! I love how you're talking about rereading on accident I'm always losing track of where I am on other reports.

The tasting segments were no charge. You just show up, watch them cook, get a little food sample and a small glass of wine, and you're good to go. I loved it. I had seen it on someone else's TR and knew I would want to check that out.

I thought it was wierd that we got pins at the wine tasting but not at the other tastings we went to. Oh well. It was an unexpected bonus. How was the martini tasting? We wanted to do them all, but it was a lot to drink and we honestly just couldn't drink anymore that day! We went to bed early that night.

It's awesome that you're in one of my photos! It makes me wonder how many strangers photos I could be in all over the world. The three suns was a pretty cool trick that my camera did all on it's own. I doubt I could replicate it. It seemed like everything in Alaska was so beautiful, it was so easy to get tons of amazing pictures.

Freezing outside on Tracy Arm day is something that I can guarantee will not happen again if we do another Alaska cruise in the future. I will just wait and go about my business until the ship gets to the glacier before I stand outside and freeze. Not worth it.

Originally Posted by princess aleya

Love Love Love your trip report. I'm really enjoying all the pictures and your side reports too. Can't wait to see more!!!

Thanks! I've got another update coming up!