Skip to main content

What I Learned by Cruising to Alaska

What I learned by cruising to Alaska

I get seasick.
Curled in a fetal position seasick.  
Boat rocking back and forth. 
Watching the hangers in the closet sway.
Watching the swimming pool become a wave pool.
Hyperventilating seasick. 
Crying seasick. 
Throwing up seasick.

Being told "Eat green apple...." repeatedly.
Wanting to scream, "YOU eat green apple."
I don't like them on a normal day. 

I can nap on a chair in plain sight of myriads of people going up and down in the glass elevators when I'm seasick and under the influence of strong meds. 

Pretty sure I'm in some picture on Instagram somewhere.

There are thousands of people on a boat and they all eat at the same buffet.
I've long had buffetphobia.
Thousands of people using the same serving tongs. 
Where they put the food on their plate and then pick up a piece and eat it and then lick their finger and then move to the next set of serving tongs.

Nope.

I found a bucket of serving spoons, took one and dug out the food I wanted with the same spoon.

Sorry for any cross-contamination.

There isn't much good, healthy food on a ship.
Other than green apples.

I ate a lot of baked potatoes, cheese, and whatever meat was at the cutting station.

And ice cream. For some reason it made me feel better.

Our ship did have amazing French onion soup in the dining room.

And there was the Spa Cafe with healthier choices that was open for breakfast and lunch. So it wasn't all bad.

But being crammed into an elevator with a bunch of people who smell like cigarettes, sunscreen, alcohol, food, and body odor isn't cool.

The smell of fish is everywhere as you get closer to the restaurants.

I lived for the times we were in port.

Sweet and instant relief.

The time went too fast though and soon we were back on the ship where everyone was swimming in the same pool or sitting in the same hot tub. All I saw was DNA soup. 

Then there was the Purell overload. 
Everywhere.
People wanting to dump that poison on your hands.
And the masses let them.

I avoided, of course. #AcidMantle

The things I loved:
Looking out the windows and seeing nothing but water. Stunning.
The variety of nationalities represented by the staff. I didn't see a single USA American person and it was beautiful.
Having a room attendant. 
Chocolates on my pillow at night. 
Whales from my balcony.
A teeny glimpse of the Northern Lights.
The stars over the sea at midnight.
Time with friends, old and new.
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Standing on the balcony above the people shopping on the last day at sea, reminded me of Black Friday.
The cruise ship water tasted terrible but was really good for my hair.
The amazing way they got our luggage from the ship to our final destination (through two airports). Outstanding job. I wasn't sure I'd see my favorite stuff again but it all arrived safely.


So now you know. Cruising isn't my thing. I'd rather fly into the towns and stay longer at the locations. If I visit Alaska again I'll do it that way.

Alaska, you are lovely.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Front Row Seat

  If you've been around me any length of time, you'll know I love having a front row seat when possible. Church. Concerts. Comedy shows. Auctions. I want to be front and center, where the action is, so I don't get distracted and miss something. I want to be part of the event and front is where it's at.  Lately I've had a front row seat to some things that I wish I could unsee. My mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis and the last year and a half of watching her slow and steady decline into a world of unknowns has taken a toll.  I tend to hold every emotion inside. Always have. I've learned -these past fifteen months or so- that this is bad for my health. Stress levels are impacting how I feel. Palpitations, and a diagnosis of "harmless" PACs, have left me trying to manage this stress. It's gotten easier but, I'll admit, I still have things shoved down inside. And then along came CDH. A diagnosis I'd not heard of before it was given to gran

It's Not A Blessing if you Had to Sin to Get it

Pretty strong words but also very true. I once heard a man say his girlfriend was, "A gift from God."  Except she wasn't because she was still married to someone else. Glenn wiggled in and turned her head and snatched her away from her husband and children. How dare he think God had anything to do with that. He doesn't work that way. If you want His blessings then you need to walk closely with Him. He will never bless sin. He can't. He is unable to. Sin is what separates us from God.  Glenn may think he is living a blessed life as he runs on emotions and feelings but nothing like this will prosper. In the end it will lead to destruction.  It already has. The family he destroyed will never be the same. 

Selling items on Craigslist and common scams

I'm selling a couple of things on Craigslist. I've done this a few times before and always, the first interested parties I hear from are scammers. This time in my listing I specified that I will not take money orders and asked that scammers not contact me. Here's the first interested party that I heard from: mr robins journeycristina@gmail.com Is it still available for sale... I replied: Yes it is. Here's the second contact from the first interested party. Note that the name of the sender and the email of the sender are different than the ones from the first contact: Clyde Wright fisherr.mattyy@gmail.com Hello, Thanks for the swift response, just to let you know that am okay with the condition and price of the item, am ready for its purchase and my form of payment will be by sending you Check via UPS next day delivery. I'll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable pick up company to s