Our fourth trip to the 49th State. 12 Day round trip Los Angeles on Golden Princess in September, 2018. Our friends, Paul and Jody booked the same itinerary. Yes, we were in Stateroom Lido 214.

This was our first cruise on Golden Princess. We had read they updated Horizon Court and it seems much brighter and up to date than Star or Ruby.

The first three days were sea days. We did the normal. Off to Horizon Court around 9:00 AM. We always look for P & J or they look for us, but neither feel obligated to meet for breakfast or lunch. They prefer Anytime Dining where Suzi and I do traditional. It’s perfect. We choose to be together because we want to, not because we feel we have to.

First port, Ketchikan. Absolutely perfect day. Mid 60’s and sunny. Perfect for a walk to Creek Street and the Salmon Ladders. Docked next to the ship was Time Bandit, one of The Deadliest Catch ships. Much smaller that I imagined.

Our next day took us through Glacier Bay National Park. It is beautiful, but after experiencing Hubbard, Mendenhall, and South Sawyer Glacier, I was a bit underwhelmed.

Next port was Skagway. On the way into town, we ran into Paul and Jody, so all 4 of us walked all the way up to the Fudge Shop and meandered back to the ship.

Next port was Juneau. This was our most adventurous excursion yet. We booked the Five Glacier Seaplane Exploration. Thank you cruise points and shareholders benefits!!!!

Suzi was really apprehensive about going so weighed the options. Be completely nervous waiting for me to return or just go and be nervous. She chose the latter.

The takeoff was amazing. It was a picture perfect day. In fact the pilot took us further than normal weather conditions would allow. Halfway through the flight, I looked at Suzi. She gave me a big smile and two thumbs up!

The views were beyond words.

Here is a video Suzi took.

And here we are coming in for the landing. Perfect!

The last stop before heading home was Victoria. This was the only bad weather we had the entire trip. It was a heavy mist at times. We did the Craigdarroch Castle and City Highlight tour. We drove through quite a bit of the city, then made our way to te lookout point at Mt. Toimie. Rain. Then we toured Craigdarroch Castle, which has been through several transformations. A residence. A Hospital. A music school, etc. Now the property is being restored back to when it was originally a residence for the Robert Dunsmuir Family.

Back to LA and time for another countdown. April, 2019 Hawaii.