Adventures With Beci

Rocket? Is that you? 🤣

This little guy is usually nowhere to be found until after sunset, but apparently the snack schedule changed today. He doesn't seem too impressed with the ultra-hot bird seed I've been putting out lately.

Meanwhile, the bunny in the yard is living its best life thanks to the clover that's slowly taken over the lawn. At this point, I may just call it landscaping.😂

The raccoon gave the bird seed a hard pass, the bunny gave the clover five stars, and apparently I'm now running a wildlife bed-and-breakfast.

Just another day at the office. 🦝🐰

Do you have any backyard visitors? I'd love to see some photos!

So... I'm attending the Signature Travel Network Regional meeting in LA this week. One thing I'll never stop appreciating is the value of getting people in the same room.

Zoom is convenient. Conference calls get the job done. But neither can replace the free-flowing conversations, brainstorming, and relationship-building that happen at in-person meetings.

I'm proud to serve on the Signature's Cruise Committee, and it's an honor to contribute alongside some incredibly talented people in this industry. I also had the chance to spend time with colleagues like my BFF Kha ... people who help me identify blind spots, challenge my thinking, and occasionally save me from implementing what I was absolutely convinced was a brilliant idea five minutes earlier. 😄

And some of the best conversations happen between sessions, over coffee, or while standing in the hallway saying, "I have a quick question..." and then talking for 30 minutes.

Days like this are a great reminder that no matter how much technology evolves, there's still no substitute for being in the room.

Now... On to another adventure tonight, then back home to tackle the notebook full of ideas I've created in the last 72 hours!

What are you up to this weekend?

So... I simply cannot resist Japanese cuisine. Especially teppanyaki 😄

Funny, I was never really a sushi person until a chef friend suggested swapping the seaweed wrap for soy paper. I've never looked back. It opened up a whole new world of sushi for me, which made trying both Umai Teppanyaki and Makoto Ocean on Star Princess. Check out some of the dishes.

If you had to choose just one, are you picking sushi or teppanyaki?

Princess Cruises

Princess teamed up with the Magic Castle to create a venue filled with magic, mystery, and some pretty fantastic cocktails.

Spellbound left me wondering, "How did they do that?" and the atmosphere is just as fun as the performance itself.

It's one of those experiences that's completely different from anything else you'll find at sea—and definitely worth checking out. It's an additional cost, but includes two cocktails and you can return to the club through a secret door anytime the evening of your reservation.

Now if they could teach me a trick that makes my bar tab disappear, I'd be really impressed. 😄

Princess Cruises

Stand by for cuteness overload...

The grandson of the 'father of the Iditarod', and a race winner himself, brought two puppies onboard the Star Princess to delight the crowd, educate us on race history and what it takes to win.

But basically, it was an hour of hanging with puppies!!! So much fun and an encounter I've never had on a cruise ship before. Well done Princess Cruises.

After a rainy start to the day, the sun decided to join us - just as we were departing Skagway. 😁 And look who joined us in port today!

Just a few pics so far from my first sailing onboard the Star Princess. I am really enjoying the ship as it has so much of what traditional cruising that Princess Cruises is known for, mixed with the new design which gives you an understanding of where they are going. I'll share some pros and cons later ...

For now... check out some of the spaces and let me know... Have you sailed Princess? And if so, what ship?

Princess Cruises

The day you sail to see a glacier is hands down one of the highlights of any Alaska cruise. You can feel it the second you wake up. The ship gets quieter, everyone suddenly owns binoculars, people are bundled up like they’re preparing for an Arctic expedition, and the coffee/hot chocolate lines become the most popular attraction onboard 😄

And one of my favorite parts actually starts before you ever reach the glacier itself. Those first little chunks of ice floating by the ship. Tiny at first… then bigger and bigger as you move deeper into the fjord. And the color honestly never looks real. That dazzling almost glowing shade of blue that somehow looks lit from within. Photos never fully capture it. You find yourself staring at random floating ice chunks like they’re priceless artwork 😄

But we also need to have a little real talk.

The brochures love to show glacier day as bright sunshine, blue skies, perfect visibility, and a ship parked directly in front of a glowing wall of ice while everyone casually sips cocoa in light sweaters.

Reality can look a much different. Sometimes you get that postcard day. And when you do? Absolute magic. But sometimes Alaska decides she has other plans.

You may get clouds so thick the glacier plays an aggressive game of hide and seek. Or you get sun breaks that last a few minutes.

You may get rain. You may get fog. You may get so much ice in the water that the captain has to keep a much greater distance from the glacier, which is exactly what happened to us today. And occasionally, conditions can prevent ships from safely going up the channel at all.

That’s not the cruise line failing. That’s Alaska being Alaska. Wild, unpredictable, and very much in charge.

The key to loving an Alaska cruise is going in with the right expectations. If you expect guaranteed sunshine and National Geographic level visibility, you might end up disappointed. But if you embrace the experience itself, the scenery, the quiet, the wildlife, the crisp air, the sound of ice cracking in the distance while clutching a hot chocolate with frozen fingers, it becomes something pretty incredible regardless of the weather.

Some of the foggy, rainy, moody glacier days end up feeling the most authentic. And there’s something kind of magical about all of us standing out on deck or on your balcony staring into the mist, watching those brilliant blue ice chunks drift past, hoping Alaska decides to reveal herself for a few moments. And if they don’t, it’s a great excuse to book the next one and return to try again. 💙

If you have been on an Alaska cruise, please share your glacier day pics and experiences!

Princess Cruises

Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska!
And for once… no rain!

One thing I really love about Ketchikan is that you don’t have to book an excursion to enjoy the day. It’s such an easy town to just wander around, explore the shops, walk Creek Street, and take in the scenery at your own pace.

Also… the locals clearly have a great sense of humor because some of the signs around town were almost as entertaining as the views.

Princess Cruises

I'm in stateroom 10130 onboard Star Princess is a category DE standard Deluxe Balcony. The layout is well designed with a nice sized balcony, that unlike the larger ones below me, allow a full view bow to aft. I love the soothing color palate and I like the bed positioned near the window that makes the 235 sq feet seem much larger.

I'm so happy to see a Dry Bar brand hairdryer as a standard option. Other cruise lines can learn from Princess and not offer the cheapest option that doesn't work for many with long, thick hair.

The location is forward port side which is working against me while we transit from outter to inside passage. More on that later. :)

Have you sailed Princess? What did you think of the staterooms?

Princess Cruises