Travel Diary: Seattle & Alaskan Cruise - July 31 - August 10, 2025

Travel Diary is a personalized and comprehensive diary designed to document my travel experiences, adventures, and reflections. It also captures places, memories, connections, and discoveries that make my travels unforgettable and memorable. The diary addresses how every place is accessible or inaccessible during my travels. I am a physically disabled traveler and I use a foldable wheelchair. I can walk with assistance and transfer to any seated positions from my wheelchair. In this travel diary, I aim to educate readers including those with disabilities about the accessibility and inclusivity of travel. It emphasizes the importance of researching destinations, creating personalized itinerary, and booking travel arrangements such as flights, hotels, and dining reservations. I assure that the trip will be unique, unforgettable, fun, meaningful, and memorable. 

Travel Diary serves as an alternative version of Weekly Diary which describes my experiences and reflections on past weeks. It contains a similar format to the weekly diary but it is somewhat different. This diary documents what I did and how I felt during my trip. It also includes detailed descriptions of where I visited and explains how everything was accessible or inaccessible. Travel Diary will be published shortly after I return from my trip. 

Let's read my travel diary of Seattle and Alaskan Cruise. This diary took place in Seattle, Washington, Sea, Alaska, and Victoria, Canada. I went on this trip with my mom and my caregiving friend from Florida, Danielle. 

Thursday, July 31 (Day 1) - First Day of Vacation. We flew to Seattle in the morning. The flight lasted approximately 5 hours. We had a breakfast on the plane - 3-cheese quiche - delicious. We landed in Seattle around 9am PT. We headed to Hyatt House where we stayed in the hotel for two nights near Space Needle. And we sat in the lobby for a bit discussing the trip itinerary. We walked to Space Needle- it's one of the most iconic landmarks in the USA. The landmark is an observation tower that features views of the city's skyline and a revolving glass floor. It's 605 feet high. It's fully accessible. There's a wheelchair-accessible lift where the stairs transform into the lift- how cool I discovered it. We had a drink on the revolving glass floor. "Wow, that's exhilarating!", I reacted to Space Needle. Afterwards, we visited Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. The displays made up of uniquely crafted glass. Glassed orange flower display is my favorite. It's a one floor museum. We walked to 5-Point Cafe for dinner _ it's a legendary 24-hour restaurant. They have good comfort food. They also serve breakfast. I ate a meatloaf dinner- it was good but not bad.   

Space Needle 

Stunning views from Space Needle 

Stunning View @ Revolving Glass Floor in Space Needle
 

Glassed Orange Flowers Display @ Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum 

Ultimate Sea Display @ Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum 

Friday, August 1 (Day 2) - In Seattle, We walked to the Museum of Pop Culture. The museum is dedicated to contemporary pop culture. It has various galleries including guitars, fantasy, entertainment, music, and science fiction. There is a Barbie display that features dolls including a woman in a wheelchair - it made me feel so special because of my childhood memories.  The museum also features a digital display that shows cool, colorful pixels which are automatically moved by a human body. We saw Aftican-American music exhibit and a Wizard of Oz display. Every display in the museum is nostalgic and keeps its legacy alive. Then, we visited my maternal cousin's house in Bellevue, 14 miles away from our hotel. We took a house tour. There is an elevator in the house and the house has 3 floors. We saw a rustic backyard. The house is big and beautiful, and it's totally accessible. At the house, we got to experience the Made-From-Scratch Lebanese cuisine made by a brother of my maternal cousin during dinner time. The cuisine consisted of hummus appetizer served with pita bread (4 different flavors of hummus), a main course of baked kibbee, tabbouleh, stuffed kousa squash, and meat pie (my maternal grandmother's recipe), and a baklava dessert. The whole meal was amazingly delicious and homemade. Our gathering made me feel a full of joy, kindness, and gratitude. 

Barbie Display & Guitar Display @ Museum of Pop Culture 

Me with my mom and my maternal cousins @ my maternal cousin’s house in Bellevue 

Lebanese Food Cooking 

Hummus Appetizer

Saturday, August 2 (Day 3) - It's the first day of Alaskan Cruise! We boarded the Princess Cruises' Royal Princess Cruise Ship to experience Alaska for seven nights. Each of us received a Medallion which is attached to a lanyard. On the ship, we had a delicious lunch at International Cafe - I ate a Brie sandwich- mmm, how delicious! We went to our stateroom aka the Penthouse Suite. The stateroom is wheelchair accessible with a balcony and a roll-in shower. The stateroom looks very nice and comfortable. In order to complete the safety essentials, we watched the safety video in our stateroom and then went to the muster station to confirm the attendance and safety measures. The cruise ship departed Seattle in the late afternoon. We headed to the dining room for dinner where we would have a 3-course dinner meal each night of the cruise. The menu generally changes daily. Each course is individualized and smaller than regular dishes. At the dining room, I had Garden Salad as the appetizer, Short Ribs with Polenta as the entree, and Sugar-Free Lemon Pie as the dessert- very delicious. I really loved it. Afterwards, we went to the casino. The casino is smaller than main casinos but it looks really neat. I enjoyed playing video poker and slots. 🎰 

Princess Cruises - Royal Princess Ship 

Sunday, August 3 (Day 4) - It's At-Sea Day! We slept in. Danielle and I went to International Cafe for late breakfast - I ate egg avocado toast - delicious and some blueberry superfood pudding but it tasted somewhat weird. We had a drink time at the plaza lounge. We played Bingo together at Vista Lounge. We prepared for a formal night. We all wore sparkly looks. I wore a Lilly Pulitzer blush pink sequined 3/4 sleeve dress. We took a fancy photo together behind a metallic New Year's Eve-style backdrop. At the dining room for dinner, I had Alaskan Crab Cake as the appetizer, Alaskan Halibut with Prosciutto as the entree, and Vanilla Crème Burlee as the dessert - what a magnificent meal! We attended an opera and dance show at the Princess Theater - vocals were beautiful. Dancing was dazzling. 

Princess Cruises Formal Night 

Monday, August 4 (Day 5) - We got light breakfast from the concierge lounge which is located close to our stateroom - orange parfait, smoothie, mini charcuterie board,  smoked salmon egg toast, and fresh fruit.  When we were awaiting our arrival in Juneau, we had a drink and sandwich lunch at the lounge. We arrived in Juneau - the capital of Alaska.  We rode the bus for whale watching. On our way, we saw what Juneau looks like- it's like a rustic and wild city with bold wildlife and mild, cool climate. There are many merchants and restaurants in the city. We took out the bus and got to the accessible boat for whale watching. On the boat, we watched whales- how cool and exciting we saw them! Afterwards, we headed back to the cruise ship. We had enough time to get ready for dinner. We headed to Sabanti's Italian Trattoria - Speciality Dining for dinner. At the restaurant, I had Ribolita Soup (a soup made of beans in a tomato broth), Burrata Appetizer, Spaghetti Polpette (spaghetti and meatballs made of beef and pork tossed in a chunky tomato sauce), and Tiramisu - lovely meal. 

Whale Watching @ Juneau, AK 

Tuesday, August 5 (Day 6) - We got in-room breakfast- I ate a cheese omelette with wheat toast and drank a glass of orange juice- super yummy 😋. As we took off the ship to Skagway, the staff assisted me with a special lift to avoid stairs and pushed my wheelchair into the water shuttle which accommodates wheelchairs. We rode the water shuttle to Skagway Dock. We took a train ride around the town. The train accommodates wheelchairs. On the train, we sighted the wildlife, mountains, and rustic environments - how beautiful we saw them! The train ride lasted about 2.5 hours.  I stopped at the dock for photo opportunity. When we headed back to the cruise ship, we had light lunch at the lounge. We went to Crown Grill Steakhouse- Speciality Dining for dinner. At the restaurant, I had Crab Cake as the appetizer, Caesar Salad, Filet Mignon with Truffle Parmesan Fries and Creamed Spinach as the main course, and Triple Chocolate Treasure (layers of blonde brownie crust and chocolate mousse topped with golden chocolate macaroons) as the dessert - fancy meal. We attended Colors of the World show at the Princess Theater. The show featured dancing and singing.  It highlighted India, Greece, New York and even more. The performances were spectacular.  

White Pass Railway Train @ Skagway, AK

Skagway Dock 

Wednesday, August 6 (Day 7) - Glacier Bay National Park Scenic Cruising. As we watched the glaciers, we all wore Lilly Pulitzer cozy pink floral pajamas and matching robes sitting in the balcony. A glacier is a form of rock that is constantly moving downhill with its own weight. The glacier contains some snow. Beautifully breathtaking views! The weather was very chilly. We ate in-room breakfast in the balcony. We enjoyed watching the glaciers. We received in-room lunch - I ate a salmon burger - mmm, delicious. At the dining room for dinner, I had Bruschetta as the appetizer, Chicken Corbin Bleu as the main course, and Alaskan Blueberry Cobbler as the dessert- yummy. 

Glacier Bay National Park 

Me sitting in the balcony behind the view of Glacier Bay National Park 

Thursday, August 7 (Day 8) - We headed to the dining room for breakfast- I had French Toast - what a lovely breakfast. We took off the cruise ship and arrived in Ketchikan. Ketchikan is a historical town that is known for its many Native American totem poles throughout the town. It embodies the Native American culture and wildlife. We took a walking tour there. When we headed back to the cruise ship, we had a drink time at the lounge- I got a strawberry daiquiri. I also got a salmon sushi for lunch- yummy. At the dining room for dinner, I had Seafood Deviled Eggs and Escargots as the appetizer, Penne alla Vodka as the main course, and Princess Love Heart Dream chocolate raspberry mousse as the dessert- super delicious. The host made a special speech, shouting out to the stars and the guests. We all grabbed and rotated a napkin! They brought Baked Alaska to the dining room. 

Ketchikan, AK - the town embodies the Native American culture and wildlife. 

Native American Totem Pole @ Ketchikan, AK

Friday, August 8 (Day 9) - It's the last full day of the cruise. We slept in until about 10am. We skipped breakfast and went to Horizon Court, an international buffet for early lunch - I had a salad, a main plate of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies, and little chow mein noodles, and a chocolate mousse cake. It was a big, great lunch. The buffet offers a variety of delicious food options from the world. We spent an hour gambling 🎰. We spent some time packing our luggage for the next day's cruise disembarkation. We got ready for the farewell dinner. We all wore Lilly Pulitzer coral and lime green 3/4 sleeve dress. Before heading to the dining room for dinner, we had a wine time at the concierge lounge close to our stateroom. We talked with great strangers in the lounge. They praised our appearance and matching dresses. We stopped at the deck staircase for photo opportunity - what a gorgeous photo and we felt fancy in our presence there. At the dining room for the farewell dinner, I had Watermelon & Feta Cheese Salad as the appetizer, Sweet & Sour Shrimp Stir Fry as the main course, and Gelato Baked Alaska (gelato and sponge cake topped with browned meringue) as the dessert. I also ate some fettuccine alfredo. What a grand finale meal! As the cruise ship arrived in Victoria, Canada around 8:30pm, we saw the city's skyline and another cruise ship through the window from our dining table - the view was fantastic. 

Deck Staircase @ Royal Princess Ship

Saturday, August 9 (Day 10) - Cruise Disembarkation Day. We had a delicious breakfast at Horizon Court. We took off the cruise ship in Seattle around 8:30am and then headed to the Marriott hotel at Waterfront in Seattle. We spent a few hours waiting for our hotel room. At the hotel room, we prepared for the next day's home flight and got ready for dinner at Metropolitan Grill (Fine Steakhouse) about 10 minutes away from the hotel. We took Uber to the restaurant. At the restaurant, the atmosphere was fancy. We shared a crab cocktail- mmm, delicious. I got a house field greens salad and a combo of Prime Filet and Wagyu Filet with mashed potatoes and Mac & cheese. The salad was delicious. The filet mignons tasted really good. The sides were really delicious. We shared a bananas fosters table side dessert- the waiter was cooking bananas on the side of our table - it's flamed up!! He added cooked bananas to ice cream. The dessert was sweet and made in heaven. What a magnificent dinner meal but it was very expensive. I rated it 9/10. During our Uber ride, we saw the grand ferris wheel, piers, and buildings around the waterfront and the downtown - amazing view! 

Sunday, August 10th (Day 11) - Last Day of Vacation. We had a breakfast at the restaurant inside the hotel- I ate scrambled eggs and a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam. We arrived in the airport around 9am PT. Our flight left Seattle at 11:20am PT. On the plane, I watched Wicked and The Parent Trap. I got a spinach cannelloni with a bread and a chocolate peanut butter cake for late lunch- delicious. Our flight arrived home around 6:45pm ET. We got back home around 8:30pm. I skipped dinner because of a long day. We talked about our trip experience with my dad. I felt somewhat exhausted since today was a long day but I was feeling great. I thanked Danielle for joining us for vacation and we shared our goodbye hug - I will see her in December when I get back to Florida. 

It was a very wonderful vacation experience. It was a fantastic and wild adventure. It was a trip of a lifetime. It was the most beautiful adventure I have embarked on. Our vacation highlights the discovery of Alaska and the sightseeing of Seattle as well as the bold wilderness and culture. We loved exploring the adventure and learning about the culture and history of Alaska. Everything I experienced is accessible. . In fact, we took a long walk to our cruise stateroom on the deck each day of the cruise because we had to go to bed and got back from the outings - Sometimes we got stopped by a cleaning cart to resume our route. we felt a bit overwhelmed lol 😂 10! This might be the Best Trip of a Lifetime Ever!

Thank you for reading my travel diary. Let me know how you react to this diary in the comments below. I hope you enjoy reading it. I would greatly appreciate your comments and support. 

💖 Marisa