Monday, June 18, 2018

A Fantasy Vacation to Alaska...by Kristin Wallace


I’ve been off topic for a good bit this year, since I had 3 book releases back to back (to back). This month, I can follow the theme, which is “My Fantasy Vacation”. Next month I’ll be fulfilling one of those fantasies as I go on an Alaskan cruise with my family. 

I’ve known many people who have gone, and everyone says it’s amazing. I can’t wait. We fly from Florida to Alaska, so from one corner to the other corner. It’s pretty much the furthest you can in the US. I don’t know how many hours that will take. I don’t even want to think about it. There will also be a time big changes, as Alaska is 4 hours behind Florida. Losing those hours is rough. You want to go to bed at like 8 because, of course, it’s midnight back home. It’s pretty easy to wake up, on the other hand. Also, since Alaska is so far north, and it’s the middle of the summer, it will be daylight most of the time, anywhere from 18 to 22 hours a day. The sun barely sets, which I’m thinking will mess with the body quite a bit.

We’re flying into Anchorage, Alaska. From there we’re going on a 4-day train trip into Denali National Park. Then we have a 7-day cruise, which ends in Vancouver. We have excursions booked to see the glaciers, of course. Plus, a fun adventure to see sled dogs. Not sure if we just watch or if you can actually ride in a sled. (I’d totally do that, if they let us.) Whale watching is also on the agenda. There’s sure to be a bear hanging out in National Park. Don’t they just sit around waiting for photo opps all the time? 

So, have any of you done the Alaskan cruise? Tell me your experience? Is there anything I shouldn’t miss? What was your favorite part? Give me some travel tips! 

I’ll actually be on the cruise when it’s my day to post next month, so in August I’ll be back with the update on my trip. 

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She has three series, Shellwater Key Tales(sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Check out her newest series, The Heiress Games, a sweet contemporary that sees three very different women competing for custody of a pampered pig…and a $120 million fortune. 

Book 1: Least Likely Heiress
Book 2 Not Quite An Heiress
Book 3: The Forgotten Heiress

Available at Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Kobo




6 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

Kristin, I've never been on any of the Alaskan cruises but everyone I know who has gone has been delighted! Our very own Lynn Lovegreen lives and writes in Alaska. I'm sure, if there is something you've missed mentioning, she'll know. Have a great time!!! and, being off-topic is always a choice and your sharing the story behind The Heiress Games has been welcomed.

Sarah Raplee said...

We lived in Alaska a long time ago for 5 years. We took the ferry from Prince Rupert, B.C. to Sitka. A great adventure! You'll have a wonderful time. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Marcia King-Gamble said...

Yes, I’ve taken a few. I love Alaska. My favorite Alaskan little town is Skagway. Make sure to go to the Red Dog Saloon in Anchorage. I love Denali and it’s always fun to visit one of the old whore houses in the other cities. I spent many a summer in Alaska, love it there. Vancouver is also one of my favorite cities.

Maggie Lynch said...

I've been to Alaska on business, but never for vacation. A cruise is one of the many bucket list things I have. Will definitely love to hear about your trip and the things you saw.

craftydr said...

My husband planned a cruise for our 30th anniversary where we went with a couple and their car group. There were ten of us on this cruise but we did the one that you will do on your cruise only we went from Seattle to the inside passage stopping at Ketchican, actually a rain forest if you can believe that, then through the Fiords but forgot their name and that was awesome, the Juneau, also a rain forest and it did rain when we went but stopped to make our whale watching cruise wonderful and we saw so many Orca's which was unusual they said and that was exciting and Humpbacks which one did come out of the water and flipped back as you probably have seen in photos. That was my favorite part of the trip, then on to Skagway which someone else mentioned was a fun town and we took the train trip to see the valley where the miners tried to go to get to the gold rush and the train was built by some millionair to help them travel better as that valley they went through was called something like death valley but that wasn't the name but you get the idea. The train went into Canada as well and we could have stayed on it to go back to Skagway but we did the bus trip back. Both Skagway and Ketchican had the soiled doves hanging out the windows so that was fun to see how they kept a lot of the old western part of the saloons and gold rush.
You are taking the next trip I want to do to Denali. My nephew just moved to Anchorage as a UPS pilot and that is his base so I want to also spend time with him if that works out. I don't know when we are going but I hope he still lives there. We will see when winter sets back in up there.
We went on Celebrity what cruise line are you going on?
You will love it. We unfortunately lost our camera somehow on the very last day while waiting to depart the ship. I don't know if it somehow got left or fell out of hubby's backpack or someone took it while I was supposed to be watching but kept falling asleep. We lost about 400 photos of our trip so we have to go again.
Have fun as I am sure you will and it was our first cruise and I loved it, wheelchair and all.

Crystal104 said...

You will have a wonderful time. Memory of a lifetime experience. My family went in 1976. Drove from Texas! My Great Aunt has been to all the states except Alaska and my dad’s folks headed that way to homestead during the depression, by the time they got to Washington State, it was too late in the year to get there and build shelter before the snows came. We drove 10,000 miles in 30 days. My special treat was flying to Point Barrow, Alaska with my Great Aunt. I saw the Arctic Ocean before I ever saw the Pacific, crossed the attic circle, spent time in an Eskimo village and the tundra. Saw kids playing on 4 wheelers with the dogs and friends along the shore past midnight. Saw the sun sink in the sky to what in the lower 48 would be about 7:30-8:00 at night and circle and start to rise once more. My younger brother got to go fishing for King Salmon and caught a 57 pounder that was wider than he was at the time. We saw a project at the University of Alaska where they were attempting to domesticate the musk ox for the natives so they would have meat as well as the renewable resource of the underfur (softer and stronger than cashmere) every year for clothing as well as annecinomic boost to the villages. Part of the process was to dehorn the herd. They got about half of them done and then were delayed in completing. Those who were demoted were getting beat up by the ones who were. They ended up nailing a strip of used steel belted radial tires to their skulls to give them cushioning and some protection. They (deformed group) all look liked heavy weight contenders after the fight, Black/blue/swollen eyes and face. In Homer, AK we saw people catching halibut up to 80+ pounds from the shore. My folks had Salty Dog at the Salty Dog saloon. They said the all over the walls, ceilings, support beams were various amounts of $$$ with notes to buy friends, relatives, etc. a drink when they arrived. None was ever taken down, only added. Throughout the journey from the time we crossed into Canada, we saw some of the most scenic and awe inspiring views of mountains, glaciers, all kinds of animals: grizzlies, mountain goats, mountain sheep, elk, caribou, I found both a lemming and a ptarmigan our on the tundra. Long days of sun. Traveled the entire Alaska Highway. Met countless people from all over. We had fresh salmon steaks from Matt’s catch for several days and traded the rest for canned and smoked at the cannery...and reared up when we opened the last can. 44 years ago, we took that trip and it seams like yesterday. Have a wonderful trip. Take lots of photos and videos.