July 3, 2026 Sitka, Alaska

So yes, it does rain in Alaska…we probably jinxed ourselves by saying (just last night) “our third Alaskan cruise…and no rain”. .. yes definitely a jinx…but it’s just a drizzle…could be much worse…and we have decent rain gear…and hello? It is Alaska.

.

Our view upon awakening.

Cereal and yogurt at Trident then off to Starlite to muster for our Crystal excursion “Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest”.

As we left the ship, we hitched a ride on a buggy to our excursion boat…thus calling for our first selfie of the day…the last pic Tim snapped once we were on board the very comfortable (dry and warm) vessel.

.

The first pic …tiny and minute that it is was our first sea otter sighting…beyond adorable…he was floating on his back eating…using a small rock to crack open either a clam or sea urchin.

.

We saw many eagles and eagle nests, an orange deer…and there was one brown bear sighting…I’m not sure if I saw the bear that everyone was pointing to or if I just spied a large clump of brush…anyway…it was a great excursion.

.

.

See these kayakers? This, right here, gave us PTSD…if you look closely…some of them are in the water…struggling to right themselves and re-enter the kayak…IYKYK…

Actually, 10 points if you remember …

.

.

Photo credit to Timmy…he spied these beauties along the dock as we left the ship.

.

Back on board, just before 3 pm, I had a salad from Trident…Timmy kept me company.

Please note the lineup outside of Waterside at 6:10 pm…I’m not kidding…crazy. I think Mario opened the room up at 6:15…what the actual what? No, really, I don’t get it…

.

So first, Nobu special…then Tim loved his cucumber and eel roll and teeny tiny oysters…a wonderful way to begin a super dining experience. Umi Uma never disappoints ♥️

.

Left to right..New Style Sashimi, Crab spring roll, Octopus carpaccio.

.

Willi opened the curtains so that we could enjoy the sail through the Sitka archipelago…two years ago…it was warm and sunny for the beautiful transit…I’m grateful we got to experience it then, because …tonight…not so memorable.

What was memorable? …The grilled eggplant…oh my goodness…first time we’ve tried it…beyond delicious…so tender, so sweet…trust me on this. I know there are so many other wonderful choices on the menu, it’s easy to overlook this gem…don’t. You can thank me later.

.

Tim’s shrimp and vegetable tempura and half my eggplant, my Lobster, Wok fried shrimp and scallops

.

.

These mountains in the distance are everything.

.

.

Just a wonderful, wonderful meal…greatly enhanced by Willi’s fabulous team…Ross and Edwin…because of course we need two sommeliers. Lito and JohnRyan took the best care of us♥️

.

.

Okay…what did I have for dessert?

Because we dined so early, we were able to catch the first show in Starlite…Jump and Swing-a-Mania…that Showband is just sooooo talented. Then we hit up the Galaxy Lounge for comedian Mike Delamont…we loved him. A lot.

Thanks for following along…we enjoyed a wonderful day …rain and cold not withstanding…🩵