Alaska: Explorer of the Sea - Day 7 - Victoria

Our last day was spent in Victoria, BC. My parents had been there once a decade ago, but for the rest of it was our first time. Since we were trying to keep it budget friendly we walked to town and spent the morning exploring. I'd love to go to Butchart Gardens the next time we're in Victoria as I hear they're gorgeous! We stopped at Fisherman's Wharf on the way downtown and the weather was so nice we didn't even need jackets. Such a nice change from the previous ports!

Lots of colorful houseboats on the wharf!

The British Columbia Parliament Building

I'd never worn this shirt/skirt combination before, but I'm now a fan!

The gorgeous Empress hotel.

We perused some more, stopped at a drugstore for some insoles for my sister's shoes as her feet were a lot of pain, and stopped in a gift shop before taking a water taxi back to Fisherman's Wharf.

Our gorgeous ship.

My dad always points out pay phones, but this time we got a photo too.

After boarding some and grabbing at late lunch at Windjammers some of our group went to the pool, some others lounged in the sun, and I packed and took some more photos around the Explorer. For me the last days of a trip, and even more so on a cruise, are so sad. You know it's the last day so you try and fit in all that fun stuff you haven't had time to do, but in the back of your head you know that it's practically over. But hey, the almost empty ship is perfect for photographing!

We'd been talking about doing mini-golf for days and we finally fit it in! And for the record, I'm terrible at mini-golf. If I had a dollar for every time my ball brushed by the hole I'd be rich.

Just as we finished mini-golf , about 5:00pm, the Celebrity Solstice pulled in. 

Every night I got a cold soup, gluten and dairy free, and they were all delicious. 

Anthony was showing us how to make a napkin swan.

Our last sunset on board the Explorer.

The trip was finished off with us hanging out at Schooner all evening. The best way to end the trip, for sure.

Alaska: Explorer of the Sea - Day 6 - Sea Day

Day six was another sea day. Almost every day we went to the Sapphire Dinning Room for breakfast. They're able to make gluten-free french toast, which was fabulous. The bread they use is so soft and makes the best french toast. Like usual, we hit up morning trivia after breakfast. Then after checking out some of the time-lapses my dad made I went to the towel folding demonstration. After lunch, there was charades with Jacob. I also went around to take some glamour shots of the Explorer.

Love all the lines and elegance of cruise ships.

A proper shot of our favorite hangout.

The fam in front of the Crown & Kettle Pub

Three of us went and played shuffled board on deck 4 with Sylvia. I'd never played before, but I walked away with a bronze metal! Not bad for a rookie.

For dinner I got the turkey, which has a side of potatoes and veggies.

All the waiters did a parade. In the middle you'll see Gionni, our head waiter, who always made sure we had plenty of food that fit our allergy requirements.

Who doesn't love towel animals?!

Yup, you're right! We went to Schooner Bar again! Shocking, I know.

I told you David has lots of props.