A tale of two cruises.
| Previous Trip | This Trip |
| Sunny, warm weather, June 2019 | Cool, damp and overcast, September 2022 |
| Eagles everywhere | No eagles 🙁 |
| Got to go biking, hiking and fishing at ports | Short port calls with no time for exploring |
| Minimal days at sea | At least 4 days at sea |
| Easy getting on and off the ship | Use of tenders in rough water at one stop |
| Nice casino with plenty of poker | Lots of video games, but not much poker |
| Great meal in Victoria (Nautical Nellie’s) | Better meal/visit in Victoria (Tania’s house) |
| Visited Sitka, my favorite AK city so far | No Sitka stop |
| Visited the magnificent Hubbard Glacier | No Hubbard stop |
| Came home healthy | Came home sick, either cold or COVID |
| Holland America | Royal Caribbean |
This year’s Alaska cruise was disappointing in many ways. If I ever go again, I’ll have to take this contrast into account.