Although we had gray skies for most of our cruise through the Inside Passage, the scenery from the ship was still mesmerizing and frequently breathtaking. Most of the passage is through fairly narrow channels with endless vistas of pristine forest and glacial rock on both sides.
Surprisingly few people were able to tear themselves away from the buffet (aka feeding trough) to spend much time on the deck, though.... Often when I made my laps around the promenade I would encounter only 20-30 people (on a ship with >2,000 guests)
The placement on the map is only approximate - there are no street signs out there....
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Seattle skyline near the Public Market. Although the clouds were looming all day, we had a beautiful day with no rain. We were in Seattle one day early before our Alaska Inside Passage Cruise.
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As our giant cruise ship gracefully pulled away from the Bell Street Pier, we celebrated from Deck 12 on the Norwegian Cruise Lines Pearl and had fantastic views of the Seattle Skyline against the blustery gray skies.
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We stood on Deck 12 aft and watched the wake and billowy clouds as we departed Seattle. It had been raining heavily earlier in the day, but was dry, although blustery, when the ship pulled away from the Bell Street Pier.
This may have been the last glimpse of blue sky we saw for the next 6 days on the Alaska Inside Passage Cruise.
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The cruise staff had the guests dancing energetically as the ship headed out into Puget Sound for the beginning of the Alaska Inside Passage cruise. The clouds remained ominous and the drizzle and wind kept people away from the pools all week, though the hot tubs were in frequent use.
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