I’ve been eager to tell you about this for ages! Right when it happened, I wanted to share it, but somehow, I never found the time—probably because I took about a million photos that day. Anyway, there’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while, and that was to see some whales on a whale-watching trip. We’ve tried so many times in places like Norway, Iceland, South Africa, and Canada, but it always turned out to be a wild goose chase. We’d spend hours out there, sometimes spotting dolphins, which was cool, but never whales. We started joking that whales were like mythical creatures, kind of like unicorns.
During our Alaska trip, we stopped in Juneau with Celebrity Cruises and booked an excursion that included whale watching. Given our past experiences, I didn’t have high hopes. I figured, why set myself up for disappointment? As we hopped on the shuttle from the docking port, I remember a lady saying it was almost guaranteed we’d see whales that day, but I was skeptical. However, she was right!
About 30 minutes after leaving shore, we spotted our first humpback whale. It was everything I imagined. The first whale was a bit far from the boat, but as it moved, so did we. We saw it feeding by scooping water into its mouth, surfacing in a vertical motion—it was incredible! Initially, I was too skeptical to even switch my camera lenses, but after that, I started snapping photos.
As we continued along the coastline of Juneau, more whales appeared at every turn, announcing their presence with loud noises as they surfaced for air! After waiting so long to see whales, it was everything I’d hoped for. I even put my camera down for a while just to soak it all in.
Seeing whales was a defining moment of our Alaska cruise with Celebrity Cruises, making the trip even more special. Back on shore, we spotted bald eagles, which were everywhere, and then set off on a trek to find glaciers. To reach the Mendenhall Glacier, we walked through a fascinating rainforest. I’ve seen rainforests before, but the Alaskan ones were different, and the glaciers held a special allure for me. The thought of a massive ice formation existing for centuries amazed me.
The glacier was brilliant to see, and I lingered, watching the bald eagles fly around. Before long, it was time to head back to the ship. We chose to walk back through Juneau rather than take the lift, enjoying every moment.
Earlier, I had checked the Northern Lights forecast, which looked promising for Alaska. So, after dinner, we stayed at the bar, enjoying espresso martinis, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lights. Initially, nothing happened, and I’d given up and changed into my pyjamas. But then, out of nowhere, the Northern Lights appeared!
I threw on my clothes over my pyjamas and rushed to the deck to see the lights dancing in the sky. It was past midnight, but the display was beautiful. This was the first time I saw the lights move so fast, like a dance across the sky.
The Northern Lights were mesmerizing and capped off a perfect day of seeing icebergs, getting close to glaciers, and finally spotting whales. Even when I woke up later, the lights were still as vibrant as before. This Alaska trip with Celebrity Cruises was everything I dreamed of and more—an unforgettable experience for sure.