My mother had been looking forward to her Alaskan cruise for over a year. She wanted to retrace the steps she and my dad took on their 50th wedding anniversary. To her, it symbolized the end of a long year of deep sadness and grief since my father died. We booked a 10 day Alaskan cruise on the Ruby Princess, otherwise known as “The Love Boat.”
My husband was quick to inform us that earlier in the day, our ship had crashed into the SF pier. As repairs delayed our departure, news reports from around the country were posting images of the damage. Our captain kept us up to date on the status of repair work due to “unexpected contact with the pier.” He was clearly being very careful with his words.
Late Sunday afternoon, we pulled away from the pier with a countdown and you guessed it, the Princess singers and dancers. As embarressing as that was, cruising under the Golden Gate bridge brought tears to my eyes.
While we did not make it to the inside passage or within site of any glaciers, the new route made port at Ketchikan. I took my niece on an Adventure cart ride on the small island. We had a great time.
Our second and final port was Prince Rupert. Not much to talk about there, so let’s talk about dinners: It is possible to have a 3 course meal including dessert for 10 days.
Returning to the SF dock was bittersweet. We did not make, “unexpected contact” with the pier; but we did contract COVID. The Paxlovid was most welcome.