June 26, 2022; Glacier Bay Alaska

Happy Stitch Day to all you Disney fans! Being Megan’s favorite Disney character today is monumental day. It was celebrated in a truly monumental way here aboard the MS Zuiderdam. At 5:45 am this morning the rangers for the Glacier Bay National Park boarded the ship to start the scenic and educational presentations at 8:00am. In preparation Megan and I were in the gym at 7:00am so we could be back to our room by 8:00am. We pre-ordered room service last night so we could have a relaxing morning on our balcony as we enjoyed the sights of this amazing area of the world. Unfortunately, as we have learned during this world of uncertainty and flexibility that we are currently living in, things don’t always go as planned. As best as we can understand, something happened with the paperwork for the rangers so instead of being escorted to the bridge they were placed in isolation. Now as passenger, I give much credit and kudos to Holland America to putting our safety, health and wellbeing first and foremost in this situation. It took a while to work out some logistical and technical details, but eventually the rangers were able to deliver some of their information to the passengers through a relay of communications from their isolation area. We sailed into Glacier Bay and got to see the Margerie Glacier, Jaw Point and the Johns Hopkins Glacier. We saw gulls, seals, whales, and my favorite items that are now crossed off my bucket list, Glacier thunder and Glacier Calving. Previously, only seen by me compliments of Disney “Soaring Over the World” ride. It was something I will never forget. I got some, after photos I believe if you look closely you can see the splashing. WE got to walk on the bow of the Zuiderdam and got some great shots of the bell as well as the banner the ship is adorning for this Alaska season. It is Holland America’s 75th year of Alaskan sailing and it is definitely being celebrated. With the warm temperatures the crew struggled to try and give away the free pea soup the were serving. At 2:00pm Megan I went to the gym to have a personal evaluation from the personal trainer. Then, we hopped out to deck three so we could participate in the “On Deck for a Cause” 5k walk to benefit the Ukraine. Three laps around deck three equals one mile…so nine laps later, we completed the walk, got more exercise and raised $100 for the cause!! By then it was time to head back to the cabin to begin getting ready for our second and final Gala of this cruise. How we love dressing up!! After dinner the girls ran off to participate in the nightly teen activities and I am snuggled into the cabin writing my blog for all you to read and enjoy. Another great day. A lot of memories today of the World Cruise and of our week we spent in Antartica. Something about the blue ice, the glaciers, the floating icebergs beside the ship, being on the bow, seeing all the people crammed into the Crow’s nest…it was just a blessed time to reminisce, remember and to create new memories all at the same time. Enjoy our photos from today…we sail on to Ketchikan tonight for our last port and excursion of this trip. But you’ll have to wait till tomorrow for the details.

P.S. I’m so sorry, also like Antartica, I can not post photos tonight. I shall revise this post tomorrow and add in the photos. (Revised 6/28/22 with photos)