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Last weekend I had the chance for travelling a two nights trip with Norwegian Breakaway. Of course I took the chance to take many photos including panorama shots. All in all ther are now about 700 photos from the Breakaway in my cruiseship-gallery.de: Norwegian Breakaway photos

During the summer months whale watching for humpbacks is big in Alaska. There are actually 5 different types of whales in Alaska but Humpbacks and Orca are seen the most on a cruise. With any type of whale you will more then likely see the blow from their spout before you see anyother part of the whale. The blow can go 30 to 40 feet in the air and you can see it a long way off. In Alaska the humpback is feeding and will not breach, or jump, as much as when it is in warmer waters. You still may see them breach but not as often.You will see a lot of them break the surface and see them roll where their fluke will come out of the water. Each fluke has markings on it and no two flukes have the same marking and that is how they identify infividual whales. There are a couple ways they eat that you might see. One is scoop feeding, where they come to the surface and literally open their mouths and scoop food from the water barely breaking the surface. Another way is bubble net feeding. This is where several whales will start circling fish blowing air to make a net that the fish will not swim through. Then whales will come up through the center of the air net and feed on fish. They do come higher out of the water when they do this. Juneau, Sitka, Seward, Whittier and Glacier Bay are excellent places to see humpbacks. Humpbacks will rise and lower in a certain patern, so when you do see them you may be able to figure out when they will surface again. The Orca is in Alaska year round. They travel in family pods. The way to identify an Orca is by the markings around its dorcel fin this is called the saddle. No two Orca's have the same marking. The dorcel fin on an Orca can rise five feet or more in the air. An Orca is not actually a whale it is a an extra large porpoise. An Orca is a meat eater and will feed on sea lions and whales. When you Orca you will most likely see more then one. These you can see jump out of the water frequently. I actually have a picture of one in mid air off the side of a ship I was on. Orca's can be seen between Victoria and the Inside Passage. They are also in Juneau, Seward, Whittier and Glacier Bay. There are also dalls porpoise that look like Orca, however they are much smaller and do not have the large dorcel fin. These like to play off the wake of the ship and are very fast. The thing that is so amazing about seeing any whales in Alaska or anywhere for that matter, is the fact that they are all very graceful even though they are so large. I am always amazed when I spot a whale.

Cruise Line: Windstar Cruises Ship Name: "Wind Surf" Destination: Caribbean Nights: 7 Departure Port: St Maarten Cruise ID: 5017 From $1,499/pp Cruise Itinerary Day 1: St Maarten Day 2: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua Day 3: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua Day 4: Sopers Hole, British Virgin Islands Day 5: Jost Van Great Harbour, BVI Day 6: Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands Day 7: Gustavia, St. Barthelemy Day 8: St Maarten This Cruise Sails On: 12-07-2013 12-14-2013 Description: On any day, our 312-guest flagship, Wind Surf, draws admiring glances as she glides majestically into port with her tall sails billowing. Starting with all new finishes and furnishings in suites and staterooms, Wind Surf renovation now brings you some of the most beautiful public spaces at sea and lovely new reception area. When you return to your stateroom, the luxury gets personal. Windstar's signature bowls of flowers and fresh fruit will still be waiting for you, along with rich tufted headboards, soft seascape colors, beautiful new upholstery, and fine count Egyptian cotton linens welcome you to an oasis of relaxing indulgence. Experience the Caribbean on a more intimate journey, ask us about pre cruise hotel nights. Rates are per person, double occupancy for cruise and port only, unless specified otherwise. Subject to change and government taxes are additional. Be sure to go to CruiseBrothers.com for all your cruise vacation needs or Contact me today!

That observation pod looks intriguing. I just hope that all who want to try it get an opportunity during the cruise.

Thanks for the link, Swath.

Some very good points there. I would caution that the one about looking at a travel agent should also say look for an experienced cruise travel agent. Not all travel agents are experienced in cruising also some cruise agents will push one cruise line to get a maximum commision instead of picking the correct cruise line for you. So yes a travel agent can save you some money if you pick the right travel agent. I have delt with some bad travel agents when I first started cruising and I always do my own research and ask travel agents questions to see if they really do know what they are talking about.

Royal Has Archived The Media Launch form 16/April/2013 Time 10:00 AM - 11:27 AM EDT Search: Quantum of the Seas Preview Event- Archive Video AT: http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/videos/

Actually the Hubbard Glacier is not in Glacier Bay. Marjorie is the big glacier in Glacier Bay. Hubbard Glacier is in the Yukatat Bay, but it is true it is beautiful to see.