There's no place like "Homer"... If you like getting overcharged

[Adri204]

I pay close to 4.00 a gallon in Gas and dont even blink an eye. I pay 4.00 for a gallon of milk and dont bat an eye. I have chickens and charge 5.00 for a dozen of eggs and 8.00 for 18 eggs when my chickens lay eggs. We are down to 7 chickens so pickings are slim unless we get more layers lol.

 

The point of all that is to point out that Alaska is expensive. Its expensive for residents and its expensive for visitors and guests.

 

Frankly Im going to defend Homer. I love Homer and feel anyone who gets to see it is priviliged to do so. You want real Alaska garbage scow and all this is the real Alaska.

 

Homer is the real Alaska with its underwere hanging out and proud of it thats for damn sure.

 

Homer is not a dressed up cruise ship visitors town and I hope that never changes.

 

I read about the homer resident giving people free rides to help out. Thats the real homer thats the nitty gritty homer.

 

You want a place where you can walk the boat harbour and see real fisherman in thier boats on the spit. You want a place where people dont dress to impress and mean it thats Homer.

 

You want a place thats beatiful and charming and has its own vibe thats all unique to itself thats Homer.

 

I love Homer and am envious of all the people getting off the ship and getting to see it.

 

Homer is a fantastic real place where the people are real and the place is awesome.

 

As far as 15.00 thats not a scam, thats not a gouge that folks is the real Alaska. The Alaska that is expensive. I read that and I thaught shoot 15.00 thats a great deal for whats included.

 

I hope people who take this cruise appreate Homer and Kodiak as well. These are two of the best kept secrets in Alaska and for them to be on the itenary is a dream.

 

You want the real Alaska this is it.

 

Homer is not a dressed up shiny town with a bow around her. She is a beatiful place as I said with her drawers partly showing and guess what she gives you a naughty wink and a baudy laugh as you gape and gasp at her charm.

 

Adri :)

[robinsra]

Well said

[wilsonqbc]

Yup well said, its no worse than paying 8.00 per/person (each way) in St Thomas to get into the shopping area from Crown Bay.

 

You are on vacation, its pointless to get into a fus about a few dolars here and there.

 

Plus if your Lucky you can get to see " Time Bandit " (from Deadliest catch)

Homer I believe, is her home port.

[PennyAgain]

Adri, as usual, very well said.

 

I remember back in the 1970's when grocery shopping was a miserable experience in most of Alaska, we paid $5 for a dozen eggs that were not fresh. The grocery stores smelled awful.

 

Your prices really haven't gone up and your eggs aren't spoiled. We would have been thrilled to get fresh eggs!

 

The people who complain about Homer and Kodiak don't understand the real Alaska.

[alpal1993]

I for one can't wait to visit Homer and Kodiak(as well as all the other ports.)Fortunately our gas and food prices are lower down here in the Steam Bath State LOL,but our Restaurants charge about the same.Going to visit the Brewery and Winery as well as Meadry Sounds like so much fun.Kodiak will be going off to Explore the outskirts with Bonnie of Fridays Taxi what an experience that should be.

The fact that things are so expensive in Europe is the reason we selected this cruise.If we can't do the things we want due to cost or budget we won't go and will just put it back on the bucket list until we can afford it.

 

We were on one of the first cruise ship stops to Icy Straits.I did the cultural tour and Dance troop tour.The people were so excited and Proud to show us their culture and tell us about their history.That was in 2004.Now with all the tours and restaurants it just doesn't seem to be the same.I wish Homer and Kodiak stay true to themselves.If you want to go shopping there is a great Mall down my way.

[PennyAgain]

Due to the time and fuel it takes to get to Homer and Kodiak, few ships will ever make the trip. Don't worry about over doing of either place.

 

92% of cruise passengers to Alaska will stay on the well worn paths and never see the real Alaska. Most of happy with the experience and nearly all say 'once is enough'.

 

Off they go to check off another bucket list place. That's OK because if they didn't go to Alaska that 1 time, the cost for the rest of us to go would be over the moon.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thank you, Adri and Penny. I'm so glad you came here to give us your local viewpoint. My sister and I loved Homer and Kodiak. We appreciated the fact they weren't "cruise ship towns". In fact, we loved the entire 14-day itinerary so much, we have booked the same cruise next year. We'll be going to Icy Straight Point instead of Skagway, which will be new for us. Every year there's a whole new Alaska waiting........

[Adri204]

Your welcome, I just love Homer, I love love love where I live here in Meodowlakes and dont want to live anywhere else. But at the same time I also love Homer.

 

As I said she aint always pretty but she will give you a wink and a laugh. Thats Homer in a nutshell. Homer is well Homer and if some folks think Homer should change to suit them then no thanks from this Alaskan Resident.

 

Im glad a few cruise ships are seeing Homer and Kodiak. I just hope it remains a few and that those who go truly appreate the rare oppurtunity on a cruise to see the real Alaska. The inperfect, charming, raw, funny, interesting place that I choose to call home out of a great and deep love.

 

Adri :)

 

P.s your welcome Penny, yea our gas prices are holding steady right now. Our eggs in the store are holding steady on price. But we did loose our local dairy that hurt us as now Milk is imported so very sad.

[RuthC]

Im glad a few cruise ships are seeing Homer and Kodiak. I just hope it remains a few and that those who go truly appreate the rare oppurtunity on a cruise to see the real Alaska.

I hope so, too. I have fond memories of Homer 20 years ago, and hope that I won't find too many changes when I get back there this August.

I also remember Ketchikan from that first trip 20 years ago, and am very sad when I step on the dock and look around now. People who leave the ship, but never leave that dock area, think they have seen Alaska. They have no idea. :(

I hope Homer does not get like that.

[Adri204]

I hope so, too. I have fond memories of Homer 20 years ago, and hope that I won't find too many changes when I get back there this August.

 

I also remember Ketchikan from that first trip 20 years ago, and am very sad when I step on the dock and look around now. People who leave the ship, but never leave that dock area, think they have seen Alaska. They have no idea. :(

I hope Homer does not get like that.

 

I dont want Homer to change either. Thats why Im glad that very few cruise ships dock thier. Its a great place. There have been some changes but over all its homer warts and all lol :).

 

Adri :)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I would love to visit Homer and Kodiak - we had to cancel the 14 Day Amsterdam this June but hope we will be able to do it later this summer or next year. I don't want to got to Alaska and see Diamonds International etc. as you do in Skagway, Juneau, etc.

 

A couple of years ago we were on a Tauck cruise on the Yorktown Clipper which I believe is now owned by Cruise West and we stopped at a delightful little village named Elfin Cove - somwhere between Glacier Bay and Sitka. It was Alaska as Alaska should be. I would think Homer and Kodiak would be similar.

[Adri204]

I would love to visit Homer and Kodiak - we had to cancel the 14 Day Amsterdam this June but hope we will be able to do it later this summer or next year. I don't want to got to Alaska and see Diamonds International etc. as you do in Skagway, Juneau, etc.

 

A couple of years ago we were on a Tauck cruise on the Yorktown Clipper which I believe is now owned by Cruise West and we stopped at a delightful little village named Elfin Cove - somwhere between Glacier Bay and Sitka. It was Alaska as Alaska should be. I would think Homer and Kodiak would be similar.

 

 

Thank you for this and you have a good point. Isent it exciting to go to ports that are not port towns but represent somthing real and nitty gritty?

Thats Homer and thats Kodiak as well. Im sorry you had to cancel your cruise and hope you can rescedule.

 

I dont understand the complaints to be flat out honest. They book a cruise that has some ports that are not wrapped in a cruise bow and then complain.

 

Alaska is expensive thats how it is up here,

 

Adri :)

[greatam]

No offense IRL.. I read all the posts.. and it was MAM's understanding that the the Chamber of Commerce charged- and her undersatnding came from..... most likely HAL.. I have seen more posts about misonformation from HAL- They cant even explain why there is sewage smells for yrs on the Statendam.. Ive read 100 different posters versions of why this is so...

 

And to say that HAL is not profiting off this $15.. is IN MY OPINION ludicrous.. so please IRL- before you go off on me- get your facts straight..I do- I suggest you do the same

 

The same 5-10 people blindly defending a company that made a 2.5 BILLION dollar proft last year is actually quite comical..

 

Yes-Im sure HAL protested intensely before this gouge came out- heck- they got a state to change an entire tax code- yes- IM sure HAL is fighting the $15 very hard- some may sneer about cost,

 

but $60 for a family of 4 to ride into town from 4 miles is LUDICROUS..just my opinion

 

You are so totally wrong about everything you posted. I am a part time Homer resident-in fact, I am in Homer now working in our fish shipping business.

 

The Chamber of Commerce had NOTHING to do with the shuttles other than maybe some guidance and co-ordination with the City of Homer. They are actually being run by the local travel agent, Homer Tours. Shelly had to rent the buses from the school district, provide BIG TIME liability insurance (something like $5,000,000 per passenger), pay all the drivers, maintenance and fuel. Just the insurance alone was something like $20,000 for the few days the buses were going to be used. I am in the international logistics business. We own a lot of semi trucks. Even our $1,000,000 worth of liability insurance costs us over $6,000 per year PER TRUCK and we are NOT carrying passengers, which is much more expensive. And we have an entire year to recoup the costs, not just a few days.

 

You could have called the Homer taxi OR rented a car for the day-Adventure Alaska Car Rentals had rental cars for $45 per day and up. Or I guess you could have walked.

 

Any other complaints about the shuttle should be taken up with HAL. Why blame a very small town when you have NO IDEA what you are talking about???

[greatam]

We were on the cruise with you and completely agree with your views about Homer - the shuttle bus didn't even stop near the Safeway which would have been more use than some of the other stops. We made our feelings known to the Shore excursions Dept and it appears we have not been charged for the "hop on hop off shuttle bus to nowhere". We felt Homer & Kodiak were very much "fill-in " visits to extend the Cruise, That said all the other ports of call the weather and experience in general were exceptional.

 

Obviously, you should NOT go to ports anyplace in the world that are not glitzy or upscale. Homogenized, "Americanized" ports are what suit you well.

 

Sorry you missed some of the best Alaska has to offer.

[mountainmare]

I think the OP is making the point that for them it is not $15 but $60. In that case calling a cab to run the four miles to town or (if a car rental is $45) renting a car would be cheaper.

Had they known before they left for the cruise they could have arranged a car rental or a cab.

 

That being said I am also one of those off the beaten path people (have never taken a ship tour--including Europe and Egypt) and hope that some ports remain true to their past.

[PennyAgain]

.

 

Adri :)

 

P.s your welcome Penny, yea our gas prices are holding steady right now. Our eggs in the store are holding steady on price. But we did loose our local dairy that hurt us as now Milk is imported so very sad.

 

That is awful! That Mat-Su dairy was always so important to Alaska folks. Back to milk brought up by barge again?

 

Barge milk or the non-fat dry milk.....again. So sorry!

[greatam]

I think the OP is making the point that for them it is not $15 but $60. In that case calling a cab to run the four miles to town or (if a car rental is $45) renting a car would be cheaper.

Had they known before they left for the cruise they could have arranged a car rental or a cab.

 

That being said I am also one of those off the beaten path people (have never taken a ship tour--including Europe and Egypt) and hope that some ports remain true to their past.

 

As many have pointed out, it was posted online in the excursion section of the HAL website, it was in the excursions brochure and it was announced on the ship.

 

Forget the shuttle cost. Did everyone complaining not even look at a map??? It is a long stretch of road from the tip of the Spit into "town". How did they THINK they were going to get there??? A little research on the OP's part would have gone a long way towards either KNOWING the cost of the shuttle, making arrangements IN ADVANCE to get a rental car (which is not cheaper when you figure in the gas and taxes but you could have gone at your own pace further out of town) or known about the Homer taxi and made arrangements.

 

I really, really resent all the slams to the little town which is one of my two favorite places in the world. Homer is NOT a normal port stop. Our town tried to do it's best for everyone concerned. Sure there were some glitches. But that is part of the beauty of traveling and not just being a tourist-seeing someplace that is NOT perfect, NOT made just for tourists. If you want that, stick to the Inside Passage cruise ship routes or stay in the Caribbean.

[epixx]

As many have pointed out, it was posted online in the excursion section of the HAL website, it was in the excursions brochure and it was announced on the ship.

 

Forget the shuttle cost. Did everyone complaining not even look at a map??? It is a long stretch of road from the tip of the Spit into "town". How did they THINK they were going to get there??? A little research on the OP's part would have gone a long way towards either KNOWING the cost of the shuttle, making arrangements IN ADVANCE to get a rental car (which is not cheaper when you figure in the gas and taxes but you could have gone at your own pace further out of town) or known about the Homer taxi and made arrangements.

 

I really, really resent all the slams to the little town which is one of my two favorite places in the world. Homer is NOT a normal port stop. Our town tried to do it's best for everyone concerned. Sure there were some glitches. But that is part of the beauty of traveling and not just being a tourist-seeing someplace that is NOT perfect, NOT made just for tourists. If you want that, stick to the Inside Passage cruise ship routes or stay in the Caribbean.

 

 

Hi Greatam:

At present we're signed up for the guided nature tour by the CACS:

http://www.akcoastalstudies.org/guided-tours/57-guided-natural-history-tour.html

The Center has been accommodating enough to schedule a special tour for ms Amsterdam passengers, to fit with the port time. I have had trouble finding reviews of these tours. Have you ever taken their tour to the Peterson Bay Field Station, or do you know from anyone else whether this is a good tour?

 

Thanks.

[serendipity1499]

Well, it's $30 in and $30 back ... $7.50/p/direction. I agree that's a bit high (we've taken many HAL shuttles of about that distance and they usually range from $3 to $5 /p each way) but we found that pretty much everything in AK is about 50% more than we pay at home.

 

You are so right & sometimes it's even more than 50%..I too think that $7.50 pp each way in Alaska, is considered normal..

In Anchorage, we paid almost $100 for a simple dinner for the two of us, which included one glass of wine & a 20% tip..That dinner here is SW Florida would have cost approx $50.00 & def. no more than $60.00 with wine & tip..Most of the gifts we purchased for the Kids & Friends, were well above what we would normally pay in the Caribbean, with the exception of those we purchased in the Turnagain Arm Wildlife Preserve gift shop. (can't remember the name)...All of our excursions which we independantly booked were quite high..

 

 

As many have pointed out, it was posted online in the excursion section of the HAL website, it was in the excursions brochure and it was announced on the ship.

 

Forget the shuttle cost. Did everyone complaining not even look at a map??? It is a long stretch of road from the tip of the Spit into "town". How did they THINK they were going to get there??? A little research on the OP's part would have gone a long way towards either KNOWING the cost of the shuttle, making arrangements IN ADVANCE to get a rental car (which is not cheaper when you figure in the gas and taxes but you could have gone at your own pace further out of town) or known about the Homer taxi and made arrangements.

 

I really, really resent all the slams to the little town which is one of my two favorite places in the world. Homer is NOT a normal port stop. Our town tried to do it's best for everyone concerned. Sure there were some glitches. But that is part of the beauty of traveling and not just being a tourist-seeing someplace that is NOT perfect, NOT made just for tourists. If you want that, stick to the Inside Passage cruise ship routes or stay in the Caribbean.

 

Also agree with you & all the other posters who hope these small towns will never change! One of our most memorable stops was in the small one horse town of Nanana...We loved that little town as well as loved Talkeetna..:D:D

 

When we went to Alaska in '88, I spent weeks downloading everything I could find on both this board & the Alaska board..I asked many questions, checked out tours, car rentals, even restaurants & knew everything would cost much more than our normal cost of our two week vacations..DH was amazed at the reams of paper I kept printing out..I had a loose leaf notebook filled up in just a few weeks...

 

Homer & Kodiak remain on our bucket list too! :) We thoroughly enjoy going to little off-beat places in Alaska sans tourist traps.. ..I was a bit disappointed in Juneau, Ketchikan & Skagway with their touristy atmosphere..Could not believe that Diamond's Intl. were in those places too... :eek::eek: Fortunately we did many independent tours & stayed clear of the tourist traps...

 

Hope, that HAL continues to go to these little off-beat places! Maybe someday I'll convince DH to fly to Seattle & take a round trip cruise to Alaska..It's the flying he doesn't enjoy..

 

Cheers.....:)Betty

 

P.S. sorry for the small porint...Wish I could set all my replies to one size print forever..Does anyone know haw to do it?

[greatam]

Hi Greatam:

At present we're signed up for the guided nature tour by the CACS:

http://www.akcoastalstudies.org/guided-tours/57-guided-natural-history-tour.html

The Center has been accommodating enough to schedule a special tour for ms Amsterdam passengers, to fit with the port time. I have had trouble finding reviews of these tours. Have you ever taken their tour to the Peterson Bay Field Station, or do you know from anyone else whether this is a good tour?

 

Thanks.

 

I have never been on that particular tour but have taken other things offered by Alaska Coastal Studies (including a two day class). The Center is BIG TIME in Homer. You should have a great time. You should see all the sea otters, which are one of my very favorite things in Homer. When I see the sea otters, I feel like I am "home". Someday (when this d*** condo is paid for) we will live here, at least more than we do now.

 

Last time I went anywhere with them was in the "mud" (dangerous unless you have a VERY good guide). Super special guides taking a bunch of people on places they should not go without a VERY experienced guide.

 

Enjoy!!!! Homer is super special to me. As I posted, one of my two favorite places in the world (Phnom Penh Cambodia being the other-such disparity)

[greatam]

 

Also agree with you & all the other posters who hope these small towns will never change! One of our most memorable stops was in the small one horse town of Nanana...We loved that little town as well as loved Talkeetna..:D:D

 

When we went to Alaska in '88, I spent weeks downloading everything I could find on both this board & the Alaska board..I asked many questions, checkedout tours, car rentals, even restaurants & knew everything would cost much more than our normal cost of our two week vacations..DH was amazed at the reams of paper I kept printing out..I had a loose leaf notebook filled up in just a few weeks...

 

Homer & Kodiak remain on our bucket list too! :) We thoroughly enjoy going to little off-beat places in Alaska sans tourist traps.. ..I was a bit disappointed in Juneau, Ketchikan & Skagway with their touristy atmosphere..Could not believe that Diamond's Intl. were in those places too... :eek::eek: Fortunately we did many independent tours & stayed clear of the tourist traps...

 

Hope, that HAL continues to go to these little off-beat places! Maybe someday I'll convince DH to fly to Seattle & take a round trip cruise to Alaska..It's the flying he doesn't

 

Cheers.....:)Betty

 

 

P.S. sorry for the small porint...Wish I could set all my replies to one size print forever..Does anyone know haw to do it?

 

 

Betty,

 

Just a suggestion

 

Don't know where you live or if you are retired or not, but lots of RV manufacturer's look every year (most are in Indiana or surrounding states like Iowa-Winnebago-and Illinois) for people to drive their new RV's to Alaska. Cruise America and most of the RV companies in Alaska also have special deals to get their RV's from "winter" places (like Arizona or Florida) back to Alaska.

 

Usually get 10-14 days from Indiana to Alaska for about $50 per day + gas and any other expenses (except breakdowns). NO flying, lots to see. You can even drive to Washington and put the RV on a ferry to save time (your cost, of course, but not particularly expensive).

 

I just had 3 out of 8 employees drive RV's to Alaska for fish shipping season. They all dropped off in Anchorage because they are spending the entire summer up there so a lot of time to sight see. But they all had a heck of a trip and enjoyed themselves immensely up the AlCan. You may want to consider this if your DH is not into flying but will drive.

 

PS-just click on "reply" and forget about trying to do your response on something like WORD. Just write what you think.

 

Gina

[Debbie&Chaz]

I've followed this thread since it first appeared, and must make a comment. We have only been to Alaska twice, but have had the opportunity to see two types of ports.

KJS - at this point they all exist to tap the tourist dollar. I'm not objecting to that. I enjoy these ports. But they are more about shopping and high dollar excursions by large companies that have ties with the cruise lines.

Haines, Sitka, and Seward - these seem to be more the "real Alaska."

We have really enjoyed these ports as they seem to be much slower paced. The shuttle drivers at Sitka($10) and Haines(free to pax) are locals who are really welcoming, and you can tell they love to share information about their communities. When we were in Seward on Sunday, none of the stores on main stree opened until 1 PM - they said it was Sunday and everyone was at church!

My point is that in selecting this cruise for the 12th of July, we hoped to see more ports like the later group. And the opportunity to actually cruise into Anchorage is incredible - I don't think it will fit into either of my above groups. My two cents: I certainly don't feel these are "fill in ports to extend the cruise," but rather a large part of our reason for selecting the cruise this summer!

Just my opinion, Chaz

[Adri204]

As many have pointed out, it was posted online in the excursion section of the HAL website, it was in the excursions brochure and it was announced on the ship.

 

Forget the shuttle cost. Did everyone complaining not even look at a map??? It is a long stretch of road from the tip of the Spit into "town". How did they THINK they were going to get there??? A little research on the OP's part would have gone a long way towards either KNOWING the cost of the shuttle, making arrangements IN ADVANCE to get a rental car (which is not cheaper when you figure in the gas and taxes but you could have gone at your own pace further out of town) or known about the Homer taxi and made arrangements.

 

I really, really resent all the slams to the little town which is one of my two favorite places in the world. Homer is NOT a normal port stop. Our town tried to do it's best for everyone concerned. Sure there were some glitches. But that is part of the beauty of traveling and not just being a tourist-seeing someplace that is NOT perfect, NOT made just for tourists. If you want that, stick to the Inside Passage cruise ship routes or stay in the Caribbean.

 

 

Thank you this post makes me cry and tear up. I love Homer to very much. Its an extremly special magical dear place to me. I got my first job in Homer taking people on rides up to the Head of the bay amoung the russian villiages.

 

So to see this place trashed by some who clearly dont want to learn what makes Homer such a magical place does upset me. I relize in some ways it should not bother me. But it does, I love where I live in alaska. Meodowlakes is very special to me its where I grew up and choose to live my life.

 

But Homer makes me smile, she makes me laugh and she has a very special charm. Im sorry that some people dont bother to do thier research and trash such a special place. I dont understand booking a cruise to remote areas of Alaska and then wasting time complaining when one see's the real Alaska.

 

Oh and Penny, it is terrible I really miss Mat-Maid she is an instution all in herself as well,

 

Adri :)

[serendipity1499]

Betty,

 

Just a suggestion

 

Don't know where you live or if you are retired or not, but lots of RV manufacturer's look every year (most are in Indiana or surrounding states like Iowa-Winnebago-and Illinois) for people to drive their new RV's to Alaska. Cruise America and most of the RV companies in Alaska also have special deals to get their RV's from "winter" places (like Arizona or Florida) back to Alaska.

 

Usually get 10-14 days from Indiana to Alaska for about $50 per day + gas and any other expenses (except breakdowns). NO flying, lots to see. You can even drive to Washington and put the RV on a ferry to save time (your cost, of course, but not particularly expensive).

 

I just had 3 out of 8 employees drive RV's to Alaska for fish shipping season. They all dropped off in Anchorage because they are spending the entire summer up there so a lot of time to sight see. But they all had a heck of a trip and enjoyed themselves immensely up the AlCan. You may want to consider this if your DH is not into flying but will drive.

 

PS-just click on "reply" and forget about trying to do your response on something like WORD. Just write what you think.

 

Gina

 

Thanks so much for the suggestions Gina..

We're not into RV's, & unfortunately we no longer enjoy driving long distances...I do most of the driving now..We were Sailboaters & traveled to many areas in our slow-motion boat..;) We love the water & no longer enjoy driving & sightseeing by car....We sold it just before Hurricane Charlie hit...Now we spend our vacations mostly cruising in & out of Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or Miami..

DH is very spoiled, as we were able to fly first class when I worked & retired from an International Airline..Unfortunately our Airline is no longer in business & we now pay for our Economy tickets... Can't afford first or Business class along with the longer cruises now..Today my Friend (She & her DH normally travel with us) mentioned taking a Tran=Atlantic next year to both our DH's...You would have thought we were asking them to fly us to the moon..:rolleyes: They're both over 6 ft w/ long legs & say Economy is not comfortable..My Friend says she will pay for her DH to fly Business, but she has no idea of the cost..I got DH to agree to fly R.T. into NYC for our Bermuda cruise in Aug. only because we are visiting his family beforehand & he hates waiting till Nov. for our cruise..That's a start..LOL :)

Re the font size: I actually rarely use WORD...I hit reply, but don't like the small print..So I change the font/size in my posts..In the one above I forgot to change the second answer's font..What I'm trying to figure out is how to set the font I want to use permanently & wonder if anyone knows how to do it, or do I have to keep doing it every time?..Just like I'm about to do now..

Thanks anyway...

Cheers...Betty

[CowPrincess]

To the Alaskans, the part-time Alaskans, the used-to-be-Alaskans (and still are at heart), and the wannabe-Alaskans who have posted (or are lurking and reading):

 

Please realize that not everyone who has read this thread is able to actually form any kind of polite response to the accusations and slurs being thrown around about your state, your towns, your home. Please recognize that the many who aren't able to respond politely nonetheless are cheering you on as you discuss your heartfelt affection and attachment to your home. You have every right to be proud of where you live, and to be proud that you can share a bit of it with the "rest of us" :)

 

Some of us "get it". Some of us understand that the people fortunate enough to be able to visit the out of the way places in Alaska are blessed beyond measure. As I said earlier in this thread, I doubt I'll ever be able to afford this cruise, but oh-man, I wish I could :)