The Sapphire Princess is an amazing sailing vessel. She is 946 ft. in length, and 164 ft. in breadth. Her bridge is one of the most advanced in the world. The Sapphire Princess has the ability to safely navigate in any weather, around the world. She has been equipped with luxurious amenities to satisfy any passenger's fancy. And, after reading the 1st PrincessPatter (the paper delivered to our room each day), I learned that her captain was Italian: Captain Nicolo Binetti.
How cool is that!!
As we left port, Saturday, June 27, 2009, we passed under the Lions Gate Bridge and headed northbound past Maud Island and entered Seymour Narrows, the narrowest part of our voyage. Oh, but wait...we are having a fire drill. Great way to find your way around on a huge ship, right?
The next day, we were at sea all day cruising north westerly through Queen Charlotte sound towards our 1st port of call-Ketchikan. Time to unpack yet? .....uh, I don't think so. There is too much going on...ceramics, makeovers, library, gym, spa, sauna, hot tub, pool, casino, culinary arts, wine tasting, scrap booking, photography, Internet cafe, dancing, movies, stage productions, trivia, bingo...I could go on and on (This list is not inclusive.) I bet you're wondering about the food. All I can say is whatever you can imagine, anytime of the day or night. What's a girl to do? Enjoy!!!!!
From the time we left port in Vancouver, we all had a great time, doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. I am sleep deprived already! June 29, 2009 early morning, we had arrived at Ketchikan. Wasting no time, I would prepare to go ashore, see the sights, and make it back in time to set sail again. Ketchikan is known as Alaska's "First City" because it is the first major community travelers come to as they journey North, and it means "eagle with spread-out wings". Below are some pictures of Ketchikan, taken from the balcony of our stateroom.....
June 30, 2009, at 6AM, we arrived at Juneau, , capital of Alaska & our 2nd port of call, where we spent the day. But, was I was better prepared to go ashore? Sunrise was 3:52AM, and sunset was 10:06PM that day. I'm not sure how much sleep I have had this cruise. We all would catch ourselves saying, "It's (whatever time it was), and it's still light outside." And, truly, it is amazing to be awake, on a ship that size, on the top deck, looking at the awesome splendor of Alaska's nature at all times of the day and night. I had to sneak away often and alone, to reflect.
The 1st picture below is a shot of Mt. Roberts Tram, which takes one through the Southeast Alaska rain forest to the top of 1800 foot Mount Roberts. The 2nd is a shot of downtown Juneau from the balcony of our room. The 3rd is a broader shot of both.
My niece (a couple years younger than I) should have won a contest for the passenger who attended the most events. But, there she was, asking me if I want to go here or do this. Who cares? This is a once in a lifetime adventure! We left Juneau late evening, set sail towards our 3nd port of call-Skagway and arrived July 1 at 3:30AM.
After breakfast, I would go ashore and see the sights and be back in time to leave Skagway later in the evening. Below, find the 1st 3 shots of downtown Skagway, which was known to thousands of hopeful gold rushers as the gateway to the gold fields. The last shot was taken while being invited to attend one of many tourist attractions, for your viewing pleasure (LOL).
If you have not read Part 1: Seattle to Vancouver, please do. And, check back soon for Part 3 of this adventure.
A great big thank you (TY, my Love) to Captain Spaulding for allowing me to present this here! He's quite awesome!
If you would like to reply, please do. I'd kind of like to know if you enjoyed this.
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July 19- 1974- the first day of a 3-day rock festival- billed as "The Ozark Music Festival" (or- by many- Mid America's "Woodstock")- and held at the Missouri State fairgrounds in Sedalia- which is recalled in this press story.
The youthful throngs began arriving in Sedalia earlier that week. By Friday- most of the area around the fairgrounds had more or less been taken over by the estimated crowd of 200000 to 400000 people (hippies).
