Vision of the Seas - Alaska

Click for larger pic.

As you've probably noticed I've started each days report with some discussion of the previous evening. Simply, this is due to the difference in time zones. I'm trying to get you these reports in a timely fashion.

All of my reports are coming to you via Royal Caribbean Online. The computer Internet room is located on Bridge Deck (deck 8) right around the corner from my cabin. There are 14 terminals on the Vision. Access is simple and surprisingly fast. It will cost you 50 cents per minute to surf the net or check and answer e-mail. Your time can be charged to your Super Charge card, or most major credit cards. Normally you cannot send e-mail attachments, but the systems specialists onboard are assisting in sending back my pictures from the central computer room.

	Article continues below

Speaking of rooms. I haven't yet told you about our superb cabin. We're in a category C cabin on Bridge deck. The cabin has twin beds moved together to form a king size bed. There's also a comfortable seating area with a sofa, cocktail table,

Towel Creature Click for pic.

and two armchairs. There's certainly no shortage of storage space here. The cabin has its own in cabin safe, a small bar fridge, a very large balcony, and a bathtub. The bathtub is quite large with a telephone shower-head on the wall. Initially I saw this and thought, Great, no dealing with clinging shower curtains this trip. But! There's an oddity here. I'm 6' 3" tall. When I stepped into the tub to shower, I discovered it's only 6' tall. I'm quite a hunch backed site in there. I'd send a picture, but I don't want to scare you.

Captain Bang Click for pic.

Last night we returned to our regular assigned dinner table. It was interesting to see this group of previous strangers already becoming good friends. Any awkwardness of the first night's meeting was gone, and it seemed the order of the day was now a little Kukiness. We laughed until they threw us out of the dining room.

Wed. Aug. 2 - Skagway

For a moment today I thought I was in St. Thomas, not Skagway. There were 4 ships in port; Sea and Regal Princess, Norwegian Sky and Vision, and it was sunny and warm. I suppose we can understand some of the concerns of Alaska residents in having their ports overrun on a day like this when well over 10,000 people are dropped into a town with a normal population of 800.

Kiki & Friends Click for pic.

That said, I think Skagway is a fun, touristy sort of town that may not even exist without the tourist trade. Mrs. Kuki and I chose not to book any excursions here. We left the ship in the morning and just went walking. I'd call it hiking, but those that know me know I'm not athletic enough to be allowed to use terms like workout, hiking, etc. I believe some states actually have a statute against it.

After our walk we returned to the ship so I could take my nap to recover from activity my body is unaccustomed to. We later walked back to town to enjoy one of my favorite spots in Alaska, the Red Onion Saloon. This place is Skagway's answer to the Caribbean's Carlos and Charlies, or Senior Frogs. It offers a fun "Klondike" feel, with staff dressed in period wear, and a gold rush era piano player entertaining from mid-day on. As the day wears on and more Alaska Brewery products are sampled, a sing-a-long generally gets going.

We did make it back to the ship for our 4 PM

Mr. and Mrs. Kuki Click for larger pic.

sailing heading towards an evening in Haines. In Haines, I took Mrs. Kuki for an after dinner horse and carriage ride which made for a very pleasant evening. The ride included a stop at the American Eagle Foundation, where I actually learned a couple of things. Thanks to our guide Meggie, and our horse Cody for the relaxing ride.

Tomorrow Mrs. Kuki and I are booked for the Glacier Expedition Helicopter Tour, complete with a glacier landing and dog sled ride on Norris Glacier. I'm somewhat concerned my team of dogs will take one look at me, lay down, and start whining... No way we're going to pull HIM!!!

The adventure continues.....