This will cover our cruise on the Celebrity Infinity from Seattle to Alaska and back to Seattle over a ten day period. We embarked Friday, September 16^th. We met our dinner companions that evening. Three Germans who like cruising and interesting destinations. A couple from Florida named George and Eileen. She is a judge and we had some fun conversations about sensational trials such as O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony.

On Saturday we spent the day at sea. Celebrity has introduced a new program called Celebrity Life. This includes guest speakers with destination or special subject programs. We went to a program given by Don Enright , a naturalist. The first subjects were about humpback whales, otters, seals and walruses. His program included some magnificent pictures of all of these mammals and he explained where on the cruise we might spot some or all of them.

Our first port was Ketchican. We relied on the local bus system to transport us to several places. Sharing the public library building is a great local museum about the city and Alaskan heritage including a section on indigenous tribes. We then went to heritage center focused on totem poles, clans and their symbols and moieties. Most of the clans and particularly the moieties are matrilineal. The largest and best known are the Tlingit and Haida people. Their symbols are the raven, eagle, beaver, bear, wolf and killer whale.

Several miles outside of Ketchikan is the Bight State Historical Park. If you follow the trail you can see 14 totem poles. The poles represent different mammals, birds and sea life and each one tells a story. For example the thunderer’s pole tells of 4 brothers who create thunder and lightening like the great thunderbird and live high in the sky and on mountain tops. There was a beautiful example of a clan house at the park. The clan or tribal house was once the center of native life. The door are low (about 4 feet high) and face the water. It is one large room with 4 huge supporting poles at each corner. It traditionally housed several families who used a central fireplace but had separately allotted space for housewares, blankets, etc.

On Monday the 19^th we docked at Juneau. We went to the state capitol building to do a tour. This is the first capitol building that we have seen that does not have a dome. It also is the only state that has a capitol only accessible by boat or plane. You cannot arrive by road. For this reason there is an occasional effort to move the capitol to another Alaskan city.

The day was gray and rainy so we skipped the tram to the top of Roberts mountain. We went by bus out to Mendenhall Glacier. The colors of the glacier and ice broken off of the glacier was lovely. There were hints of blue, green and teeny slivers of pink. Seals napped and swam around oblivious of the tourists and cameras. Mendenhall is one of 38 large glaciers in the Juneau ice field.

On Tuesday we arrived at Skagway. This town is unique because it is located inside the National Historical Park. The businesses rent their buildings from the U.S. Department of the Interior. This park has a self sustaining income. We enjoyed a 45 minute ranger led tour of Skagway complete with the history of the very important Klondike gold rush. This area contains the make it or break it Chilkoot Trail. Gold seekers had to provide thousands of pounds of supplies and transport them 33 miles uphill to be considered eligible to stake a claim or buy one. Not only was the trail uphill but seekers had to contend with snow, ice and winds and those unscrupulous scoundrels who were more than willing to steal supplies. It was a daunting task sometimes ending in failure or death.

On Wednesday we were scheduled to go to the Hubbard Glacier. A storm complete with wind and high waves caused our ship’s captain to detour through the Tracy Arm Fjord. We obviously don’t know what we missed with the detour but the Fjord was spectacular. We saw both the Tracy and Endicott Arms with 7,000 foot mountains, waterfalls, seals and the gorgeous Sawyer Glacier.

Thursday we arrived at Icy Strait Point. After we tendered ashore we took a nature tram. We were pleased that it was sunny but cool. The lady guide gave information on local plant life and trees and how they are used medicinally. We stopped near a rocky beach and looked at an eagle nest from a safe distance. While we were on the tram we spotted a sea otter enjoying an afternoon lunch. It appeared to be playing with the fish before chowing down. We saw several Sitka deer. The people living in Hoonah, a near by village, are allowed to kill 6 a year per person. They use every part of the animal. Nothing is wasted. They are a small version of the black tail deer are never reach more than 120 pounds.

Then we went to the Constellation room where we saw and participated in tribal dancing. Each tourist was given a postcard that had different animals in the corner. As the tribal dancers performed they called out the names of animals and that was your signal to stand and join in the dancing. I was one of several tourists that danced the final dance complete with a gorgeously decorated blanket.

Friday was a sea day. We were cruising the Inside Passage with strong winds hitting the ship broadside. For a while the ship sloped to one side. It was a different feel than high waves. We later learned that we were at a 5% tilt. We had a special treat at dinner. The loyalty ambassador of the Captain’s Club invited us to dine at the captain’s table. Dressed in our finest we dined with the first officer and two other staff officers. It was a lovely and memorable evening.

Saturday the 24^th was also a sea day. The highlights were another program by Don Enright and porpoises playing on the waves made by the ship. They danced and dived to the delight of the passengers and shipboard crew.

Our last stop was Victoria, British Columbia. To our great joy, we were met at the dock by Peter and Diana Dobbs. We met them the previous winter in Kissimmee, Florida at Ponderosa RV Park. They graciously drove us around to local parks, beautiful neighborhoods and to shop in China Town. One of the shops specializes in hand rolled cigars. None of us smoke but it was an interesting process to observe. Of course, we stopped at Tim Horton’s to indulge in a doughnut and coffee.

The 26^th was the end of the Alaska part of the cruise. We stayed onboard, moved to a different cabin and watched how they orchestrated emptying the ship of passengers while bringing many tons of supplies onboard for the 17 days of travel through the Panama Canal. Then the process of boarding eager passengers began again. The next stop is San Francisco but I will save that for the next segment of our travels.