Alaska - RV style

So our never been camping family decided the best way to see alaska was by RV.  So we rented an 8 person RV for 8 people and survived to tell about it.  Actually, considering there was a fire ban, and rain half the time, we did well 'camping'.  The boys slept great, actually I think everyone slept pretty good!  And it was a great way to get around....  Best value for dollar :).

Oh and we saw Mt McKinley!  The clouds had cleared one night, so my Dad and Doug went to check things out at 10pm.....At 10:30, we got the call to bring my camera and come check it out....so out walked my sister and me the 20 minutes to town and beach :).  We were super fortunate to see it - even if it was partially covered by cloud.  People we talked to on the beach had been up to Alaska 4 times, and that night was the first they had seen it.  Then on our plane ride home, I was talking to a lady next to me who had been up there a good week earlier, and the smoke had been so thick that they couldn't see Mt McKinley.  So at 10:45pm, I was snapping pictures.  Crazy.

Alaska part 4

Alaska part3

So the humpback whale.  We had heard cheering so we knew something was up!  A lady told us there was a whale and all of a sudden we saw a big circle of bubbles right in front of us.  A few seconds later, up comes the whale.  I snapped away!!!!  The more we thought about it that day, the more we realized how fortunate we were.  It was my sister, me and Charlie who saw it.  My dad, sister and Doug had been on the beach 30 minutes earlier but had just gone back to the ship......they were disappointed :(

Pretty incredible.

Alaska part 2

Alaska part 1

We had a great family trip....I LOVE cruising and this was our first with the kids.  I would say it went better than expected (with children).  We had fun sightseeing, eating, visiting, eating, whale watching, eating, keeping the kids entertained, eating, sleeping, and eating! :)

A few highlights were the whales we saw.....We were diligent to watch for them as we sailed, and then we just happened to be in the right place at the right time and a grey whale open mouth fed right in front of us at the beach!  Incredible.  And I was just lucky enough to have my camera out and ready.....  We really enjoyed getting to see 4 different glaciers and having really good weather to enjoy them!  And you can't ignore the food!  Doug says you just eat, eat, and eat some more.  I was a bit more selective at breakfast and lunch, but definitely enjoyed desserts and treats.  Charlie and Moe especially loved eating at dinner...usually consisting of fruit, pizza, mac and cheese, and french fries.  We filled them up with fruit and veggies the rest of the time.  And Charlie loved the unlimited supply of ice cream.

It was especially sweet to watch how the staff reacted to the kids.  They just loved on them and went out of their way to get special snacks and an extra hug.  I really felt for them as they have their children waiting for them at home.....

Anyway - here are some of the pics.