Going to Sleep on the 28th, Waking up on the 30th – Crossing the International Date Line.

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

September 28th ~ 30th, 2026

Our weather has improved dramatically since yesterday and we have returned to our normal speed instead of the throttled back, slower pace when the worst of the swells were battering us. The captain indicated that we had 5 meter (16 feet) swells during one of his announcements, but I’m not sure if that was the peak or not.

This was two days ago with a lot of white caps and big swells. Much calmer now.

At one point when at dinner, a wave splashed against the side of the ship, completely covering the dining room window, which caused a few gasps from fellow diners.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, Japan, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Progressive Trivia, Scavenger Hunt and Deteriorating Weather

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

September 26, 2026 ~ At Sea

There is always a lot going on every day while on a cruise ship with a wide range of activities to choose from. They are quite good at offering a variety. Here are some examples of today’s options.

Want to get active? Besides the gym, there were classes offered in Zumba, Line dancing, and a 80’s Grooves dance class.

Improve your health? You can attend a lecture or class on Acupuncture for pain management, How to increase your metabolism, Better posture and alignment or Relieve back, neck & shoulder pain naturally.

Hair and beauty? I found these options – Master hair class, Look 10 years younger, Non-surgical facelift.

Enrichment? Coffee and chat with the officers, Destination talk on Tokyo, and a lecture on Bears and survival in the north.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, Japan, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Whittier, Alaska: A Town Under Two Roofs and a Day with Wildlife

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

September 24, 2026

Along Turnagain Arm

Whittier is one of Alaska’s most unusual towns—a small port tucked between steep mountains and Prince William Sound. Developed as a military port during World War II, its history and isolation help explain its unusual buildings and tunnels.

Heavily damaged during the huge 1964 Good Friday earthquake, Whittier rebuilt, but condensed into two primary living quarters – the 14-story Begich Towers (originally built for military housing) and Whittier Manor. Individual homes are pretty much non-existent.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

College Fjord, Alaska: A Majestic Journey Among the Glaciers

Posted on September 25, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

September 23, 2026

We entered College Fjord late in the day so our lighting was not ideal and there is a blue tinge to the photos. The fjord contains a whole collection of glaciers, lining a narrow inlet in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. We could see chunks of ice floating in the water.

The college names date back to 1899 when the Harriman Expedition named the glaciers after eastern schools including Harvard, Yale, Smith, Amherst and Vassar. Generally, women’s colleges are on your left as you sail into the fjord, men’s colleges on your right.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Scenic Cruising ~ Hubbard Glacier (Yakutat Bay)

Posted on September 23, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Wednesday September 23, 2026

Hello from beautiful Alaska! We had been expecting and were all prepared for a very wet and rainy cruise. But (knock on wood), so far we have had lovely weather. Feeling very fortunate!

Yesterday was listed as “Scenic Cruising” and it did not disappoint.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ketchikan Alaska ~ Salmon and Totem Poles

Posted on September 21, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Monday, September 21, 2026

Ketchikan, Alaska from our balcony

Ketchikan, Alaska is called the “Salmon Capital of the World” and “Alaska’s First City” as well as the “Rain Capital of Alaska”.

It is a colorful waterfront town known for its rich Alaska Native heritage, salmon fishing, and historic totem poles. Set amid lush rainforest along the Inside Passage, it’s famous for historic Creek Street—a charming boardwalk lined with buildings on stilts—and its gold rush days.

This was an early and relatively short stop. Docked at 6:00, but we were not in a huge hurry, so waited until after breakfast and disembarked at 8:00. The town was already bustling with three cruise ships in port.

This was a substitute port for us so we had not booked any shore excursions. Fortunately, the main part of town was an easy 10 minute walk from our berth.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Last Minute Itinerary Change ~ Just Part of Traveling

Posted on September 20, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Sunday, September 20th, 2026 ~ At sea

Just another cruise ship sailing past us

I received a message from my sister two days before we were scheduled to leave for Seattle. “Did you see the schedule change for our cruise?” Or something like that…

No, I had not.

Evidently our floating Princess home for the next two weeks had some mechanical issue that needed fixing. The end result was that we would be skipping our stop in Juneau and Ketchikan would be substituted.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Cruise | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

Off on a New Adventure ~ Long Overdue

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Hello to our friends, both old and new. Tim and I have been staying healthy and busy here in HOT Southern California. We hope you are also doing well and enjoying life to the fullest.

Just a short “sneak peek” of what is in the works.

Photo courtesy of
Cruiseshiptracking.com

We are all packed up and ready to head out the door for our next big adventure. This time we will be flying from Orange County to Seattle and then boarding a Princess cruise ship. We will be on board for 14 days, cruising north to Alaska with stops in Ketchikan and Whittier (Anchorage), before continuing across the Pacific and eventually arriving in Tokyo.

Continue reading →
Posted in Alaska, Japan | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Shipboard Moments and a Cancelled Port

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Tim and Joanne Joseph
My handsome guy all ready to go to dinner

This cruise has had an abundance of “at sea” days. Originally we were scheduled to have five days from Los Angeles to Maui, four days in the Hawaiian Islands, and then five days from Kauai back to Ensenada, before finally returning to Los Angeles.

In the early morning hours of December 23rd, just before we were scheduled to enter the harbor in Nawiliwili, Kauai, our captain made an announcement over the shipboard PA system letting us know that unfortunately, both he and the harbor pilot had determined that due to the ocean swells and winds that it was not safe for our ship to enter the harbor. No other option to dock was available to us, so this stop was scratched from the itinerary. That then gave us six days at sea sailing back easterly.

Fortunately, both Tim and I are good sailors and the large swells help rock us to sleep each night. It does make walking around the ship a bit more tricky at times, and I know for sure that I sometimes look like a drunken sailor while navigating the long halls and staircases. Now I’ll need to look up the origins of the term “drunken sailor”. 😁

Continue reading →
Posted in Cruise, Hawaii, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Memorial at Sea

Posted on December 28, 2025 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Have you ever contemplated having ashes of your loved one scattered at sea? Or wanted to somehow memorialize a parent or spouse?

As we have reached a certain age, sadly loosing those near and dear to us is becoming part of our reality. Being on a cruise ship, especially over the holidays, we have met numerous recently widowed seniors who did not want to be home alone.

At our assigned dinner table of eight, we have three widows, that includes a daughter accompanying her mom, another couple and Tim and myself. Very quickly we all bonded and have become friends.

Continue reading →
Posted in Cruise, Hawaii, Reflection, United States | 2 Comments