Smooth sailing!
June 18, 2004 | 12:00am
When I was younger one of the things I remembered doing right after school was spending thousands and thousands of hours in front of the television. From catching the much-loved Three’s Company to Punky Brewster to Small Wonder to the ever-popular The Love Boat, the 30-minute sitcom was my best friend and one thing’s for sure, they always gave me ideas. I remember thinking to myself while watching the Love Boat that riding a huge cruise liner like that must be an amazing experience. Unlimited food, awesome entertainment, and good-looking people as far as the eye can see! Indeed that fantasy came to life in my head when I was only eight years old, and now 16 years later I finally managed to get myself on a cruise ship to Alaska to see if it was as good in real life as it was in my imagination.
The verdict… it was better! True, the ship wasn’t overflowing with dapper young men and women (as a matter of fact, according to the ship’s log we were but 25 young individuals on board with the rest of the 1,000 passengers belonging to the much older generation) but, even despite this, it was still everything I had hoped it would be and more.
Taking a cruise was something my parents had actually been planning for a long time. It wasn’t a spur of the moment idea and naturally getting all the tickets and visas in order was another three to four months in the making but after all the preparation the trip went off like clockwork. My family began our vacation flying via Philippine Airlines to the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada four days before the cruise departure. Vancouver is often called cruise city as most of the cruise liners port and depart from there. But other than being just a port city, Vancouver is one of the loveliest towns in the world.
Though small in size, Vancouver has lot to offer tourists and travelers. When we arrived in the chilly (although it was already early spring) city we were checked into the Empire Landmark Hotel by our family friend Rosanna Araneta. Not only are the rooms large and spacious, the hotel is also located right at the heart of the busy and happening part of the city – Robson Street, which is the Orchard Road of Vancouver.
Shops are lined up on Robson Street as far as the eye can see culminating in the Pacific Center Mall at the end of the road. Great places to find fab finds are everywhere – Vancouver’s own Lulelemon, BCBG, M.A.C., Club Monaco, and (my favorite) Zara, among others. I spent a large part of my time in the city just roaming around the great shops along Robson. And when I wasn’t emptying my bank account I was enjoying the Vancouver Art Museum, the Aquarium, the beautiful Elizabeth Park, and just the wonderful feeling of the great outdoors that permeates even the heart of the city. It’s spectacular!
Then, after four days in this beautiful Canadian town, my family and I boarded the luxurious Coral Princess cruise ship (of the Princess Cruises lines) and settled into our amazingly large stateroom. Indeed everything on the ship was both amazing and large and to say it took my breath away would be an understatement.
As large as a small city the Coral Princess boasts incredible rooms and even more incredible amenities. Five-star dining restaurants and cocktail bars flood all the decks along with 24-hour delicious buffet dining for those opting against the traditional sit-down meals. There were filled-to-the-brim gift shops, internet cafes, game rooms, a library, enclosed and open-air swimming pools, Jacuzzis, pizza bars, movie theaters, karaoke bars, art studios, a state-of-the-art gym, a fabulous spa, a beauty salon, a fully-equipped medical facility, and everything else one could ever hope to find on a luxurious ocean liner.
From our first night on the boat I could barely decide on what to do. With a daily guide of cruise activities delivered to our doorstep every night I would happily map out my schedule for the day keeping my activities as packed as possible. I think I did a pretty good job of doing it all. I took a sculpture class with Mexican artist Martha Rose, joined spinning and Pilates classes with gym instructors Ian and Boela, listened to the smooth piano stylings of Sam Joseph, had a makeover with hip metrosexual makeup artist Nathan Woodbridge, chatted with our constant dinner servers Mexican Vicente and Romanian Alice, caught several wonderful Broadway-caliber shows put on by the Princess Cruise dancers and singers Tony Hayes, Dezera Page, Bruce Smith, and Karen Dalton, and ate and ate and ate!
The ship continuously offered a plethora of amazing activities and scrumptious food to satiate all possible guest cravings. Every day was like a party and on our docking days we disembarked in Alaska, another one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! If I had thought that Vancouver was a beautiful nature town, Alaska was even more of one. From afar on the ship I could just gaze into the gorgeous Alaskan landscape and imagine how wonderful it would be to wake up to the crisp clean air and untouched beauty of the snowy state every single day.
We stopped in three Alaskan towns on our journey, namely Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway and embarked on nature-loving trips while we were there. From salmon bakes, to bear watching, to helicopter tours Alaska is chockful of things to do. In Juneau, we boarded a whale-watching boat and spent the entire morning looking out for humpback whales and orcas. We managed to catch quite a few and on the way even bumped into adorable seals, sea lions, and majestic bald eagles. In Alaska, everywhere you look you see something extraordinary.
To be sure the dual package of amazing ocean liner and the beautiful state of Alaska is a winning combination. Even as we spent the rest of the four out of seven cruising days on the boat I was never without anything to do and see. From the confines of the ship Alaska could impress. Drifting by Glacier Bay and College Fjord stunning ice-blue glaciers could be seen all around and the sea resembled a large glass of water with floating pieces of ice around. And if the view wasn’t enough there were always games, shows, movies, food – you name it, you got it, plus an accommodating and absolutely gracious cruise staff who’ll do just about anything for the guests.
That was another thing I loved so much. The staff was so diverse it was like the United Colors of Benetton ship. Romanians, Englishmen, Americans, Canadians, French, Italians, Thai, Japanese, and Australians (to name a few) could be found everywhere not to mention the throngs of Filipino staff members who were exceptionally kind and helpful to their native-land brothers and sisters (the uber-friendly Captain’s Steward who was Filipino even took us to the bridge to meet the man behind the wheel Capt. Giorgio Pomata). The diversity of the people on the ship (both staff and guests) fostered such a feeling of warmth and camaraderie among peoples of different backgrounds that Martin Luther King would have cried with pride.
To conclude, the entire cruise was so wonderful I didn’t want to leave. But like all good things it had to come to an end. We finally reached port at Whittier, Alaska – often joked as the port without a town and disembarked from the fabulous Coral Princess with our wonderful and precious memories and the extra 10 pounds we’d packed on during the sojourn.
Taking that cruise was unbelievable and something I recommend that everyone do in their lifetime. From the Mexican Riviera to the Panama Canal to untouched and beautiful Alaska there’s a destination for all lighthearted travelers to enjoy. It’s something everyone should fit into their future. As a matter of fact, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can hop on a Princess Cruise ship to the Caribbean in the future!
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