As I dipped my fork into a delicious Yellowfin Tuna Salad at Joey’s in Woodland Hills, Debi, my Crystal Cruises sales rep, asked, “What are you doing the first week of July?”

It was early March … July was a few months away, but I knew I didn’t have anything significant on my calendar until later in the month.

“Nothing much,” I answered.

“I’ll get you an invitation to a trade show on the Crystal Serenity to Alaska, okay?”

I didn’t need any prodding. “Okay!”

Simple as that! That’s one of the ways I get to experience some of the most wondrous destinations in the world – checking them out to make sure they’re good enough for you! In this case, a 5-star Crystal cruise in Alaska’s peak summer season. (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, somebody’s gotta do it!)

My cruise fare and airfare would be paid for by the travel industry suppliers with whom I’d be meeting for 15-minute appointments throughout the week. My husband, Scott, would come along for a nominal fee on his very first trip to our 49th state. For me, it had been many years since I was in Alaska. In fact, the last time I did an Alaska cruise – I missed the boat. Literally: missed the boat. Someday I’ll write a blog about it. Not my finest moment.

But I digress. On this trip, there would be no missed flights – as the 405 freeway was virtually EMPTY on the Monday morning of the long 4th of July holiday weekend.

And no flight delay, either.

And I did NOT miss the boat. The cruise, the ship, the food, the service – as expected – was exceptional. Crystal is consistently voted “World’s Best” – for good reason. Our first port of call was Juneau. Everywhere we went, the locals exclaimed about the sunshine, which they had not seen for 14 consecutive days. Scott and I booked a whale watching tour with a company called M&M Tours.

After our epic experience last year with the gray whales in Magdalena Bay on the Baja peninsula, my expectations were high. I didn’t want to just see a spouting whale in the far distance. I was not disappointed. We experienced a rare phenomenon called “bubble hunting.” This BBC video (not mine, unfortunately) explains it better than I can. Ours wasn’t quite as dramatic as in the video, but our Captain and the naturalist guide on our little boat were ecstatic so we knew this was a rare sighting! But the best part was – while we were waiting for something to happen – the school of whales surfaced just a few feet from our boat – to the left, directly in front of the boat and to the right! Took my breath away! I had my video camera rolling, but it’s pretty shaky footage so I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say, you had to be there!

Next up, Skagway – where the local Visitor’s Bureau treated us to a complimentary ride on the historic, picturesque White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway.

The White Pass & Yukon Route was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994, an honor shared by only 36 engineering marvels such as the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty and the Panama Canal. It was recognized for the numerous obstacles that challenged its construction: design challenges, granite mountains, steep grades, cliff-hanging turns and unimaginable weather conditions. The labor manager on the project was quoted as saying, “Give me enough dynamite and I’ll build a railroad to Hell.”

On Thursday, we witnessed one of the beautiful tidewater glaciers – Margerie glacier.

Ketchikan gets over 140 inches of rain annually, so I wasn’t surprised when clouds hung heavy over the town as we pulled alongside the dock early on Friday morning.

But the clouds were temporary. We walked a couple of blocks out of town and wandered into the office of a flightseeing company. Booked the last two seats on a floatplane excursion. It was a spectacular day to fly. Even the pilot, born and raised in Ketchikan, was excited.

In between all this beauty and adventure, I was working. Really! I had meetings with suppliers and learned about potential new journeys to offer – such as a small-ship sailing around the islands of Bali or the colonial and artistic mecca of San Miguel de Allende. Scott and I had to try all the dining options onboard the Serenity, such as Silk Road (by Nobu), Prego (that’s Italian!) and a great small-plates option called Tastes up on Deck 12. And there were cocktails to try (my favorite was the Jade Martini). Alas, I was so busy working, (really!) I never had time to get to the fitness facility.

So we sailed back to Vancouver on Monday morning with a few extra pounds and a wealth of great memories!

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