So proud to be honored and to represent Cabot’s 1100 farmers who own Cabot Creamery Co-operative on the 2017 Cabot Celebrity Cruise to Alaska.  I met more than 60 of the most amazing volunteers and their guests on the cruise that honors volunteers across the nation for their selfless acts of volunteerism.  We spent seven days onboard the Celebrity Solstice and visited the most amazing ports of call including Ketchikan, the Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia.  Volunteers participated in social media, grant writing, and fundraising workshops on our days at sea, and we all made great new friends, learning how to be even better volunteers and, oh yes, we ate and we ate and we ate, but I didn’t gain any weight. Mike on the other hand, he’s still exercising twice a day. Thanks Roberta MacDonald, Bob Schiers and Marilyn Russell for sharing the good works of the Cabot Farmers with me over the years.

The ship was grand.

Embarking was super easy. Cabot, especially Cheryl, kept us up to date on all things to know about the upcoming cruise. I also did a lot of research on Cruise Critic, a great message board that I’ve used in the past. I found out that a cruiser should order plastic cruise ticket holders. They were really helpful.

On board I noticed that people affixed Dry Eraser Boards to the metal door when traveling with others to tell them where they were because while at
sea there is no cell service.

Green roof on the Solstice

The solstice was easy to navigate especially with these diagrams located near the elevators

During days at sea the Cabot Community Celebrities took tours of the ship.

We wore these sashes proudly to identify each other as volunteers being honored by the Cabot Farmers. It gave us a chance to chat with other
cruisers about our mission as well as the wonderful Volunteer Rewards program that Cabot Farmers provide.

The Solstice is a magnificent ship with lots of great shopping

The dining areas are amazing. This is the one Mike and I had dinner every night.

The center lobby allowed you to see all community floors of the Celebrity Solstice. My favorite spots on the ship were the library, Casino and of course the Buffet. Great spots for people watching.  BTW I won nearly every night on slots at the Casino, leaving the ship with $250. So when people say the slots are tight on ships, not on Celebrity Solstice.

I should have practiced my poker game as July 15, 2017 I’ll be participating in the Cabot Cheese Bad Beat on Hunger Poker Tournament to Benefit the Community Foodbank of NJ. Who knows what could happen, last year Justin Beiber showed up at midnight to play poker.
http://www.cfbnj.org/event/bad-beat-on-hunger-poker-tournament-2/

Back to the boat. There were two pools, one inside and one outside. Both had hot tubs, and nothing is better than hanging in the hot tub
while it’s raining and 37F out.

The Captain’s perch

Heading into Mendenhall Glacier

To the left is an Eagle flying towards a newly born seal on a glacier with it’s mom, as another Eagle waits nearby for dinner.

Mendenhall Glacier is so gorgeous.

The cruise ship sat in the Mendenhall Glacier bay for 4 hours which gave everyone a chance to check out the beauty

and popular calving of the glacier. It’s hard to judge the height of this fall, but it’s estimated to be 15o feet. The boat was about a mile away.

a view from our balcony. We did see eagles, bears and whales from this vantage point

Juneau

Juneau

Juneau

Did you know that Alaska has the largest rainforest. It’s true.

Skagway. Take the train, it’s a great way to really get to enjoy the beauty of Alaska

At the top of the Continental Divide, everyone switches seats from the other side so everyone can enjoy the various views.

Skagway is adorable. The year round town boasts 800 permanent residents.

All aboard. It’s a new day cruising as all guests go through a thorough screening including metal detectors before being allowed back on board.

Docking in Victoria, BC was tricky. Kudos to the Tugboat and local ship captain, who boards the ship about a mile out, to dock us safely.

Victoria was adorable, especially with these two Barbara Grimes and Marilyn Russell

We enjoyed dinner in Chinatown

Seattle in the morning right before we docked.

Pike’s Market. They have a pig too.

Mike and I took an excursion to Tillicum Village,

A salmon bake at a longhouse are decorated with traditional coastal Indian art.

You can also take a nature walk
Back to Seattle and a red eye to home at 1030PM.

Thanks Cabot Farmer’s for a trip of a lifetime. It was great to do and see the most amazing things on the cruise, but the reward for me was meeting so many incredible volunteers from around the country who give of their time, money and experience to make other people’s lives better.
That was the best gift for me soul.
rewardvolunteers.coop