For our last post from this trip, here are a few photos of Ty visiting with some characters on the ship. They actually had a pirate themed night one evening and some of the guests went all out, but we were not as prepared and kept it very Texas instead.
Lastly here is a shot on deck as we left Alaska headed back down to Canada. We then stopped in Victoria and had a great view of our own ship from our whale watching excursion as it headed out of port. It was certainly a vacation experience of a lifetime.
After several days on the boat, it was exciting to set foot on land again. Our first stop in Alaska was the town of Skagway. We signed up for a shore excursion that sent us to a small town called Liarsville which served as a base camp before prospectors headed off into the Yukon in search of gold.
Ty got a chance to pan for real gold and found a few flakes even. Not enough to pay for the trip or anything fancy, but some to make it fun. A few of the characters joined us at that event which also included a cookout with fresh salmon. Later we walked around the picturesque town of Skagway admiring the majestic snow capped peaks surrounding us on all sides.
We spent the first two and half days of the cruise pretty much at sea. It gave us a chance to get to know the ship and enjoy all the amazing Disney amenities. We also ran into a few familiar characters wandering the ship. Ty had fun in the kids' activities club, and it was even warm enough to enjoy a swim in the pool (the pools were heated of course).
Once we sailed up through Canada, our first real glimpse of the Alaskan wonders was at Tracy Arm near Juneau. We did not get off the ship, but rather the boat made its way through a fjord carved by the massive Sawyer Glacier which we pulled up to within a few hundred yards. We sat there for awhile and even saw a few chunks calve off which was incredible. In the last photo of this set, you can see it behind Ty.
It almost began with a terrible start. A year in the planning and constant discussions in the weeks leading up to our departure. But when traveling by air, anything can happen.
Dad was determined to get us to the ship, so when the crisis of no flights to Dallas hit us on departure day, we improvised. We drove to Dallas and caught a direct flight to Seattle, ensuring we would make it to the boat the next day.
And something memorable came of that airport ordeal in Austin as well. We spent over an hour in line next to a very cool young actor known throughout the world as the star of The Lord of The Rings. Here is a picture above of Elijah Wood and Ty, as well as a few other shots below from the morning in Seattle before we got on board our cruise ship.
The excitement and emotion was almost too much to contain as we finally arrived at the pier and saw The Disney Wonder, our home for the next seven days.
We headed across the waterfront to the amazingly designed Boston Children's Museum. There was lots of hands on stuff for Ty to do including climbing a four story high maze. The special exhibit featured characters from the show "Arthur". There was a green screen set up that allowed the kids to dance along with the characters in the show. The result below is priceless.
It was a hot afternoon and Ty wasn't so excited about touring the grounds of Harvard Yard even with Dad as a tour guide (Dad spent the summer of 85 there). However, cruising around Cambridge we came across the only Curious George store in the US and that seemed to lighten up his mood.
We took in an evening game at the famed Fenway Park while on our trip. The stadium was packed and the Sox actually hit a few homers that night in a win against the Marlins. Ty's favorite part was enjoying the delicacies of the ballpark including a Fenway frank and a big pretzel.
How random is this?
As noted, we were traveling in Boston and decide to stop for lunch at the famous Regina Pizza in the North End. Ty and I had just ordered and were siting at a booth near the back of the restaurant. In walks an entourage of well dressed men in suits wearing earpieces. They are followed in by none other than the Governor of the State of Texas, Rick Perry. Yes, our governor, in a pizza joint in Boston at the same time we're there.
I stood up and said hello as he approached our table and identified us as living back in his home turf. He sat down next to Ty and we all chatted for several minutes. Apparently he had just concluded some business meetings nearby and was playing tourist and having a famous pizza lunch just like us. He was extremely friendly and later posed with Ty for the photo posted here.
With a good pair of sneakers and the enthusiasm of following a brick line almost 2 miles, Ty trekked the whole Freedom Trail in downtown Boston. Cloud cover helped keep us cool, but he was so excited to see anything Paul Revere related, the heat didn't really matter.
Here is Ty in front of the Paul Revere statue with the famed Old North Church visible in the distance. Afterwards we stopped for lunch in the North End, where we encountered a famous face from today's political world. More on that in our next post.
Stuck a feather in his cap, and called it macaroni. Ty tried on a 3 corner hat inside one of the shops. Not sure the t-shirt is authentic 18th century clothing though.
Meanwhile, just outside at Faneuil Hall in Boston, A HUGE piece of macaroni.
