Seward, AK

                


We were up and out of our room by 9. Our bags were picked up just before we left so that was encouraging. We drove a few blocks to drop off the rental car then walked to the convention center where we were meeting to be bused to the ship. It was very well organized with tables and chairs, rolls and coffee. We had about an hr before our bus would leave so checked our hand luggage, which was nice option, and headed to the National Park Visitor Center. They had a nice display of Alaskan animals. Amazing how many dead animals are everywhere, in restaurants, hotels, etc, everywhere!!! From there we stopped at a store then just want back to wait. We boarded the bus at 10:30 and were on our way. We sat next to a couple from Alamo, near where we live in CA. We are now having dinner with them in 2 days. It is so easy to meet people on cruises! 

We arrived in Seward at 1:30. The guide on our bus said there is a baby walrus in the Alaskan Sealife Center that was rescued when it was just 2 weeks old. Since our ship was not to sail until 9, we decided to go. So much for getting settled in!!! We found our cabin then had a light lunch. It is strange being on a ship that we don't know our way around. So far it looks very nice.




Seward has a free shuttle that stops at about 6 places in town. People were heading to the train station, 2 young girls had been shopping at Safeway. Seemed like a very nice thing to have in town. We arrived at the sealife center. It is similar to the Monterey Bay aquarium but with sea life in Alaska. The variety of colors of the starfish were beautiful. There were outside enclosures of puffins, a stellar sea lion and several seals. But the star was the baby walrus. At 9 weeks old, he now weighs 150 lbs! Walrus are community type animals who if left alone may become depressed to the extent that they quit eating and die. This baby needs 24 hr attention so someone is with him in 8 hr shifts around the clock. He eats formula every 3 hrs. He may stay at the facility until he is 2. At that time he will be transferred to another facility that has other walrus. He is the third walrus they have raised. We could not get a very good view of him as he was sleeping, with his companion constantly petting him. We walked around town for about 15 min then headed back to the ship. 

                                                                             


The cabin initially looked like it has a lot of storage. When we started to unpack, we realized that it is missing the closets with large shelves from floor to ceiling like in HAL. Everything has to be put in small drawers. We are pretty full. The closet is half dresser, so not a lot of hanging or shoe space either. Oh well, it is good enough. We are settled in and ready for our voyage. 

We asked for a table for 8 for dinner. When we arrived only one other couple was there. They are from Northern Wisconsin. I told them we usually cruise Holland America. They said they do also and that we looked familiar. I ran thru the cruises we have been on. They were on the World Cruise with us in 2009! It is a small world. Another couple arrived late. They are from Cape Town. That is a long way to come for a cruise! They seem very nice also so it will be nice dinners on the cruise. The only problem is the noise. We had to yell to hear each other, that was not good. 

We had muster at 8 then set sail at nine. We visited the shops then just came back to the room. Now to figure out the wifi so I can hopefully post this. 

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 21, 2017 at 11:38 AM

    Awesome photos! I could totally be a baby walrus cuddler as a job!!

    ReplyDelete

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