I wanted to go on this Alaska cruise right from the start, for I had
never
been to such a faraway place. My mom picked Celebrity Cruise Lines because
me, my mom and dad, and my two grandparents had been on the Horizon when I
was only two, and they had enjoyed it.
I imagined the trip would be exciting, something new to experience (I did not
remember the Horizon) and to enjoy. I imagined the ship very big, with lots
of dining rooms and lots of art, pools and small rooms, lots of people and
five-star service.
When we landed in Vancouver, I saw lots of tall buildings and a great view of
the water. Our hotel was very nice and one night we went to Planet Hollywood.
When I saw the Galaxy, I was dazzled by its size. I saw 12 stories of
windows and bright colors. We first went into our cabin, a comfortable
little room with a bathroom and two sets of colorful bunk beds that fold. A
great view of the water was at the back of the room. I thought, "Nice and
comfortable!"
Then we explored the entire ship together. We visited every deck, from top
to bottom. We went through every dining room and to every pool. I noticed
lots of artwork and colorful rugs. There were at least 12 bars and lots of
lobbies.
There was a Stratosphere Lounge for looking out and a big dining room called
Orion restaurant with stars on the ceiling. The Oasis Cafe always had big
buffets and Oasis Grill always had hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream at
lunch.
There was a place where grown-ups would try wines and pastries called
Tastings, a library, a spa and a large casino. That was basically it except
for the Celebrity Theater. My favorite places were the theater and the Oasis
indoor pool. I also enjoyed running up and down the stairs, trying to beat
my little brother to our destination.
Orion restaurant was extremely large, with bright carpeting. It was two
stories high, and at dinner, you were assigned a table, so you got to know
the waiters quite well. It was a very nice dining room from my perspective,
very cozy and relaxing.
The menus were full of all sorts of food, with sections for every course.
There was a menu for kids and a menu for adults. The kids' menu was full of
everything kids love to eat, such as hot dogs, cheeseburgers and fish 'n'
chips. It's a kids' paradise.
The adult menus were filled with all sorts of food and beverages from around
the world. First you would get your appetizer and salad, not to mention lots
of bread and your beverage. By the time you got your main course, you were
stuffed! I ordered my appetizer and salad from the adult menu and my main
course from whichever one sounded best. Usually I ordered dessert from the
adult menu, but it was fun to have a choice. The food is really good and you
get to try things you don't have at home.
The kids' program was full of kids of all ages. There was a kids' program so
adults could do what they wanted to do. The groups went by age. The
youngest kids were called the Shipmates and were always in the Fun Factory, a
colorful room for them to hang out in. The Cadets were from ages 7�10 and
met in the Teen Disco. The teens were all together too.
What I liked in the Cadets was playing video games in the Fun Factory and
watching movies. I also liked to go on scavenger hunts all over the ship.
What I didn't like was playing bingo. The counselors were nice people,
always trying to help.
When we weren't eating, swimming or at the kids' program, we got to visit
Alaska. One of my favorite thing to do was walking through all the towns and
cities we stopped at, just to see how other people lived. Even the shops
were interesting. I really like the totem poles and seeing how they are
carved. We went to a totem pole park and the guide explained the history of
each pole and what it represented.
My favorite excursion was when we took a narrow gauge train ride into the
Klondike to see how the miners during the Gold Rush had to reach the gold
fields. I liked looking at the landscapes with the big mountains. We even
had a chance to pan for gold, listen to stories about the Gold Rush Days and
taste some of the foods they used to eat.
One of the most unusual excursions we took was a helicopter ride onto the
Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. The tour guide explained how a glacier moves.
We stood on top and looked down into very deep crevices.
The scenery, especially the mountains covered with snow, was really cool.
When I was back in school, I had to pick a subject for a science report, and
I chose the subject of glaciers because I was able to tell about it from
experience.
There are lots of great reasons why kids love cruising. You get to go to
exciting places you've never been to before and you remember them forever.
You get to share your experiences with your family, and you have fun
exploring such a big new place. If you go on a cruise once, believe me,
you'll want to go again!
