Alaskan Cruise
Reward for of a LOT of hard work
Our Alaskan Cruise in 2018 was the culmination of a LOT of hard work by Angela through her Stampin’ Up! business.
Every year, Stampin’ Up! demonstrators have the opportunity to earn an exciting incentive trip*
In 2018 that incentive trip was an all-inclusive 7-night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas for Angela and her +1 (thankfully me 😊) through the inside passage of Alaska to Juneau and Skagway.
* Fewer than 1% of Stampin’ Up!’s demonstrators worldwide achieve this extraordinary milestone.
Our ports of call
Seattle, USA | Juneau, Alaska, USA | Skagway, Alaska, USA | Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, USA | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | Seattle, USA
Friday 20th July, 2018
Day 1: Boarding | Leaving Seattle
We packed up all our stuff again this morning and waited in the lobby for our call to get on the provided bus that would take us to the cruise terminal.
We're onboard
Our cabin
We checked out our cabin, unpacked our suitcases and stashed our contraband in the safe – four cans of Pringles and four bars of dark chocolate. It was time for some exploring…
Stampin' Up!
Stampin’ Up! hosted a couple of different events on the first afternoon, the first being a meet and greet in the auditorium to welcome all the Demonstrators and give them time to mingle and network.
Saturday 21st July, 2018
Day 2: At sea
We spent today at sea and wandered around the ship to get our bearings. It was the perfect day for Angela to catch up with her Stampin’ Up! peeps.
Sunday 22nd July, 2018
Day 3: Juneau, Alaska
After a full day and a half at sea, we docked in Juneau, Alaska.
Sled Dogs and Musher’s Camp
Once off the ship we boarded a bus to Douglas Island and went to a sled dog musher’s camp, where we jumped in a wheeled ground sled and were pulled by 16 Alaskan Huskies. Such fit, beautiful dogs who love to work. Really. Love. To work!
We met all the dogs after the ride and then had cuddles with some pups.
We left the sled dog camp and were dropped off in downtown Juneau. We had lunch at the local and then boarded the ship for our next destination.
Downtown Juneau
Lunch
We sampled some of the local fare for lunch – a tasting paddle of beer, Alaskan crab cakes, sweet potato fries, and portobello mushroom fries.
Leaving Juneau
Monday 23rd July, 2018
Day 4: Skagway, Alaska
Today we explored Skagway – a great little town founded around the time of the Gold Rush (1899). The longest day in Skagway is 23 hours+ daylight in the middle of summer and shortest is less than 1 hour in the middle of winter.
Not sure I could handle that.
Skagway street car tour
We took a street car tour and learned Skagway’s story of heroes and villains as well as some of the buildings around town. Our 350cu Chev street car was built by old mate from the TV show American Hotrod and sounded sweet as it idled around town.
Downtown Skagway
On board ice show
After the magnificence of our early morning glacier viewing we had breakfast and lounged around the ship a bit more. After lunch, we attended the matinee session of the onboard ice show…
Wednesday 25th July, 2018
Day 6: At sea
Today was a day at sea doing nothing. Angela had several Stampin’ Up activities to attend so I made the most of the down time and relaxed…
Thursday 26th July, 2018
Day 7: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Today we explored Butchart Gardens, the most magnificent gardens I had ever seen. They have been in the Butchart family for five generations and include a beautiful water feature made from an old quarry.
Just stunning. Much wow!!
“The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada, located near Victoria on Vancouver Island.
The gardens receive over a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.”
View the Map
Read the Guide
“This guide is meant to answer the most common questions visitors have from touring our 55 acres of gardens.
Here you will find many of the plants either commonly used in our gardens, or those attracting the most attention.
Plants are arranged Alphabetically. The small boxes under each photo show the commonly available colours, although they may not all be found in our gardens.”
