O Anchorage, Where Art Thou?

Swollen Hands and a Kink in our Plans

The Itinerary Map for Hanseatic Voyage 1213 from Seward to Vancouver. Illustration courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

I have bad news: I’m not flying to Anchorage today, and won’t be boarding Hapag-Lloyd’s HANSEATIC tomorrow.  But, if the planets align, I will hopefully still be joining her in a few days.

The reason? A bad allergic reaction to something has left both my feet and  hands swollen, sore, and covered in welts and hives. Sounds appealing, doesn’t it?  And no doubt just what airline officials, customs and border control, and the ship’s staff want to see in a traveller.

After two visits to my family doctor, they seem to have it under control. And indeed, I’m a lot better today than I was yesterday and Thursday. But that’s obviously not a sure thing, and I would hate to well up like a balloon halfway through my flight to Anchorage.

Simply put, it’s not a lot of fun – nor is its impact to this voyage, an adventure that I have been looking forward to for quite some time. In over 30 voyages and 200+ days at sea, I’ve never once had to come up with a plan to salvage a cruise before it’s even started.

But, since I always tell people here to have a “Plan B” for their cruises, it’s time for me to enact my very own backup plan:  The Live Voyage Report will hopefully continue, beginning Thursday, July 19th from Juneau, Alaska. I say “hopefully” because a lot of things have to fall into place, and I have to ensure that boarding in Juneau won’t be an issue. So cross your fingers for me.

It means missing the first four days of this expedition, but that would still leave a heck of a lot of fun to be had on the ten remaining days. From Juneau, we’ll still be able to cover the Gold Rush town of Skagway, Alaska; the Salmon Capital of the World that is Ketchikan; Tracy Arm and Frederick Sound; Petersburg, Alaska; Misty Fjord; two solid days spent sailing the glorious Inside Passage, and Victoria, British Columbia before our return to Vancouver on July 29th.

Not to mention, of course, the 5-star HANSEATIC herself – a ship I’ve always wanted to sail aboard, if only to experience her legendary German service and reputation for quality.

Virtual tours of the Hanseatic will have to do for now. But stay tuned – we’re boarding on July 19th in Juneau! Screen capture courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

So stay tuned as we kick into high gear later this week – minus the swollen hands.

From the Deck Chair will return on Monday, July 16 with a full update.