Alaskan Cruise

One of John Harrison's many nautical-themed outfits :)

Catherine and John Harrison in the cruise stateroom.

John Harrison enjoying a mini ball pit in the kids' play area.

This picture is looking downward at a small glass dining table in our room. John Harrison in under the table trying to reach up through the glass to get his ball. The ball was actually a tissue paper ball that an Asian women (who did not speak English) gave to John Harrison in the buffet.
The paper ball was actually really fun---it came compressed and you blew a little air into the tiny hole in the middle of the silver area and the ball inflated....the delicate ball actually lasted a few days before John Harrison ripped so many holes in it that it would no longer hold air. The Asian women was one of MANY "friends" that John Harrison made on the ship.

Catherine and John Harrison eating in the buffet.

The port of LA was insane!!! This picture shows just a very small area of containers....many of which had come over from China on freighters. All I could think as I looked out at the endless stacks and rows of containers was how Americans have access to so, so, so much STUFF.

I have cruised the Carribean four times now and next up on my cruise wish list were Alaska, transatlantic, and Panama Canal. The transatlantic cruise wouldn't work with the dates we had in mind and there are not too many Panama Canal cruises to choose from, so we decided to go to Alaska. Also, with wanting to visit my brother and sister-in-law in L.A., we decided to combine the two trips since we found an Alaskan cruise that left out of L.A. David's dad took him on an Alaskan cruise 12 years ago as a graduation trip, but I had never been to Alaska so I was eager to see the beautiful scenery for which Alaska is well-known. Back in our pre-baby days, cruises were incredibly relaxing and our days at sea were spent relaxing and reading around the pool, sleeping in, enjoying leisurely dinners in the dining room, and walking around the ship and drinking coffee after dinner. Cruising with a baby is quite different. Relaxation morphed into keeping John Harrison happy and occupied, trying to work in naps, and trying to find baby-friendly activities both on and off the ship. We had a lot of fun with our little guy and really enjoyed the time together as a family, but had to adjust to the different cruise mentality with having a baby :).