just returned from a 7-night Disney Cruise to Alaska. Prior to this, I did a similar trip in 2013, and wasn't excited about cruises (in my mind, I impressed a 'cruise people' stigma).

But this time was different. The kids l-o-v-e-d running around the ship and stumbling on Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and company... and the service level was top notch.

A mystery how Disney manages to keep the crew working non-stop for 10 months straight, without weekends, and make them seem genuinely joyful to see their customers no matter what.

(The second to last day, Autumn picked a carton of chocolate milk and proceeded to dump it on the table, creating a gigantic mess. No one could stop her on time... and yet, the service folks looked amused and even happy to see the mischief and help clean it up.)

cameras

When two toddlers and their tantrums are involved, my small Sony A7Cii with the tiny 24mm prime turns out to be too much to carry.

On board the Disney Wonder · Alaska · May 14, 2025 · 2:569m · Sony a7c ii 24mm, f/13.0, 1/160s

I brought the camera to our first stop in Skagway, but left it in the cruise the following day when we visited Juneau. Unfortunate because Juneau and the Mendenhall Glacier were 10x more impressive and photogenic than Skagway.

The iPhone was the make do solution, and was more than capable of capturing the majestic scenery. The photo below comes straight from the iPhone, no adjustments.

Nugget Falls Trail · Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska · May 16, 2025 · 11:50am · iPhone 16 Plus

Rain and drizzle would alternate during our cold hike to Nugget Falls. We lost count of the 'bear country' signs and hoped that the high-decibel chaos of the kids would keep the fluffy and furry friends away.

We survived.