Tomorrow I’m off on my 6th Alaska cruise! Being in the business, it’s not so amazing that I’ve been there many times before… but when I touched base this week with the Vet who’s treating my Siamese “Susu” I learned that he, too, is headed to Alaska tomorrow… on his fourth Alaska cruise. And apparently he loves it as much as I do… the serenity, the skyscraping trees of the forests, mountains and glaciers all around, and the wildlife of nature (vs. the wildlife of Miami), and the refreshing sweater-weather which those of us who live in hotter climates can never get enough of – especially in August.

His outlook mirrored my own, though I’ve always heard people speak of Alaska as a “been there, done that” kind of destination. But that attitude really needs to be updated. After all, people repeatedly go to the Caribbean, or to their favorite cities in Europe. Why not Alaska? I highly recommend the experience  – the more you go, the more you can forego the excursions you’ve already tried, and just focus on the splendors of nature that we can’t see here in the lower 48 states — you can never get enough of that!

Perhaps my affection for Alaska is because Alaska was my first-ever cruise when I was working for Royal Viking Line, before we had our own ships. The accompanying photos are from my 70’s experience aboard the SS Mariposa, with Janice Farrar who handled the PR for Royal Viking, and who later married WarrenTitus, the company’s first president.

And of course I treasure the photo of me with my first “shipboard romance”, Mr Finn Berg – an 86-year old passenger who noticed me reading a Sherlock Holmes novel and struck up a conversation that continued during the trip. I say “shipboard romance” in a nostalgic way because those serendipitous friendships developed aboard ship don’t seem to happen much anymore, as dining when you want/when you want, and all the personal choices of entertainment and activities seem to keep people so busy, there’s little interest in connecting with fellow passengers who might expand your life.

I’m sailing on this cruise with my sister and her family, and I’m going to be on the lookout for all the people and experiences that contribute to the best vacations in life. This is where cruising certainly excels.

At Landry & Kling we always say…”Friendships made at sea are said to last a lifetime”. That line came from an early Royal Viking brochure, and it’s been our favorite toast, at sea and ashore for many years!

Filed under: Destination Focus, Fun & Happy Stuff, Miscellaneous