#lumber axe is so happy <33< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[thegirlwholikesart]

asexual murder besties <3

[crystalized-dreams]

So, I still have my full press conference thoughts coming soon, but I really want to break down my thoughts on ACNH separately because, well, I have a lot to say and think about. I know some people are upset that the game won’t be out until 2020, but ignoring my own personal reasons of relief from that date, I kind of expected it. There was nothing beyond a teaser until this point and with Pokemon also out this Holiday season along with Smash’s updates, I would’ve been very surprised to see Animal Crossing added to that. It being next Spring just works out a lot more in my opinion and helps it stand out.

I’m also VERY happy the game has a universal release date this time… I just need to… debate if I am crazy enough to try and buy it from Australia or something for an extra day of play despite my hate of downloading digitally.

Anyway, I’ll be talking a lot about the details of the trailer and the Treehouse segment currently happening so if you haven’t at least seen the trailer, be sure to watch it!!:

I love the little ticket look and the whole traveling by trip thing to this island. Considering we had the higher quality models from Animal Crossing Plaza and a bit from Pocket Camp as well, I’m hoping most, if not all, characters will make a return including new ones.

To start, the initial thing I’ve noticed is everything seems to have a bit of a rounder/softer touch–our character also seems a bit older/taller again:

While I may be looking to much into it and it could just be an atmospheric touch, I am wondering if the specification of it being “The Deserted Island Getaway Package” is that we’ll actually have other packages we can check out. Anywhere from being able to check out other islands to maybe things like “The City Getaway Package” where you can live it up in an apartment and/or some kind of exploration focus or traveling aspect. Maybe it could even be a DLC option.

I think that would also give a lot more to do. While I loved Desert Escape, I’m not sure how I’ll feel about an expanded game mode on that, even though it DOES seem like some usual Animal Crossing features will still be around. Essentially, we started living it up as Mayor and are now camping on an island.

And it really does bring in some new features from Desert Island such as collecting materials (though, twigs from trees is new) and some of the crafting aspects (which in the game prior, was only partially through Cyrus). #gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

You can get twigs, lumber, rocks, clay… Definitely a lot to work with. On the bright side, if you’re not a big crafter like me, you also have the option to just buy more.

I will say axes being able to break is something I’ve never enjoyed so I’m not thrilled by an even more flimsy one 😛 Unfortunately, it looks like everything has a flimsy version: Which between this and the farming makes it feel even more like Animal Crossing crossed with Harvest Moon.

On the bright side, being able to place furniture anywhere on the island is really great and it’ll be fun to decorate the island as well as your tent.

On a side note pole vaulting is amazing:

And you can apparently just… dig up trees? Definitely makes moving them around easier if so. Also, I love seeing Olivia just sitting there and I’m hoping we’ll see a lot more from villagers too. I wonder how many villagers can be on the island with you. It’s also really nice to see the Villagers in different outfits?? Eunice has a jacket instead of just a scarf and Freya actually has sleeves!! AND FUCHSIA IS WEARING A DRESS: Also that red set with the white hearts for some of the accent is new and really cute. Maybe for Valentine’s Day??

There’s also more inventory space–up to 20 from 16 (and you’ll see the pole vault item there in the third slot): Unfortunately, still no designated tool section, but maybe that can change in the future.

We can even make natural paths:

And being able to play with 8 characters is so cool!! It also looks like the back items that were introduced in Pocket Camp a few months ago will be a feature in New Horizons as well. I’m also so excited about local couch co-op as well which means I can play with several members of my family who love this game–even all at once:

In the new footage on the Treehouse, they confirmed that we’d be able to move things in halves like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer rather than full squares which is nice and offers a lot more decoration opportunities. They also confirmed the new flowers/weeds and one thing I find really cool, being able to see some of the special NPCs (like Nook and his nephews) walking around as well:

Moving onto the Nook Phone, seeing all the blank spaces makes me wonder if you can get more apps for it in the future:

Fishing has also been expanded with clams you can use to make fishing bait (I would guess there could be other baits you can make too). It seems you can get ideas for new DIY recipes which is really cool: Clams are indicated by these little shadows that spurt water which is really neat: I just hope it won’t be too convoluted and it won’t be like “YOU CAN’T GET THIS FISH WITHOUT THIS BAIT” because like. dealing with the weather and seasons is enough, Nintendo.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll end up adding more observations and thoughts as this goes. But honestly, I’m excited to play. It feels like it could almost be more relaxing in some ways and honestly, I could use that. I’m so looking forward to playing with so many people. I made so many great new friends with New Leaf and I look forward to playing with them again and making new friends as well.

For those who followed my New Leaf blog, I WILL be doing a similar blog series, just over here instead 🙂 And with videos and streams again too. I can’t wait.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons!! (Breaking things down & my thoughts) So, I still have my full press conference thoughts coming soon, but I really want to break down my thoughts on ACNH separately because, well, I have a lot to say and think about.

[thetravelinggeiger]

I never thought I would find myself on an Alaska cruise. Something about being stuck on a gigantic ship with thousands of other people never appealed to me. Who wants to travel like that? Well, after starting my job as a travel agent with AAA I quickly learned the cruise industry is a big deal. Apparently, 20+ million people a year go on cruises and it’s growing, fast. When I was presented a great opportunity to go on one myself, I couldn’t pass up the chance. I had to see what this was all about.

Voyage of the Glaciers

I chose a May 10 sailing from Vancouver, Canada to Whittier, Alaska (Anchorage) called Voyage of the Glaciers.

The sailing was on the Island Princess, part of the Princess Cruise Line. I chose Princess simply because they offered a “Graduation” cruise to travel agents who had completed their training program.

I booked myself and Glenna in an interior room, while my parents accompanied us in a balcony room of their own. This gave me a great opportunity to experience both options. The daily activities on the ship and in the ports kept us very busy so I felt like the room choice was not all that important. With that said, however, relaxing on the balcony with some drinks and watching the mountains and glaciers sail by was a wonderful experience.

A Day at Sea

  We flew into Vancouver a day early to experience the city and make sure we wouldn’t miss the ship. Around noon the next day, we headed over to the marina at Canada Place to board. As expected, quite a crowd had formed. However, outside of playing the hurry-up-and-wait game, the embarkation process was very smooth. Herded like cattle, we went through a series of rooms as officials tagged and removed our luggage, verified our identification, issued us cruise cards, and ushered us onto the ship. Around 7PM that night, we set sail and had the remainder of the night and the entire next day at sea. This was ideal as it gave us time to explore the ship and get our bearings. We visited the different lounge and bar areas, listened to a couple talks in the theater, played some casino game, and of course ate a lot of food.

Ketchikan

Our first port of call was Ketchikan, the self-proclaimed Salmon Capital of the World. While it was settled because of its abundant fish and lumber, the city’s primary source of revenue nowadays is tourism. We jumped right in and followed the fellow camera toters to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.

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Corny lines and all, the show featured the historical rival lumber camps of Spruce Mill (Ketchikan, USA) and Dawson Creek (BC, Canada), as their lumberjacks competed for top place in all sorts of chopping, sawing, climbing, axe throwing, and log rolling events. It was very entertaining and also quite impressive. After the show, we walked Creek Street; famous in the 20th century for its line of brothels.

Still standing today is Dolly’s House. Outside, a sign announces it as the place “Where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn.” Ketchikan also boasts the largest collection of standing totem poles in the world, carved by the native Tlingit. Both Totem Heritage Center and Saxman Totem Park would be worth a visit.

Juneau

Dominated by jewelry stores and gift shops, the state capital of Juneau is a good place to go on an excursion or get out on a hike. We chose the latter and took a city bus west of town to the Mendenhall Valley. From there, we walked The Trail of Time through a temperate rainforest to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The trail had markers designating where the glacier edge was years ago. Remarkably, the glacier has retreated some 2+ miles and the large lake that now sits below it only started forming in 1930.

A short hike further led to Nugget Falls, where we spotted a mountain goat high above on the cliffside. The clouds parted just enough to get a decent view of the mass of blue ice.

Icebergs lazily drifted out on the lake. Back in town, we had a couple Duck Farts at the Red Dog Saloon. A mixture of Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Crown Royal, the duck fart is as Alaskan as the Mai Tai is Hawaiian.

We also ordered some Alaskan White, which is brewed just down the street by the Alaskan Brewing Company. On a sunny day, I think the Mt. Roberts Tramway would make for a great trip, but it wasn’t in the cards for us.

Skagway

  The history of the Klondike Gold Rush lives on in Skagway. Appearing almost overnight, Skagway and the neighboring town of Dyea formed the main gateway into the Klondike. For three years from 1897-1900, hopeful miners came by the thousands. Arriving by steamship, their trip had only just began. They then must haul 1 ton of supplies up either the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, or the 43-mile White Pass Trail to Bennett Lake. From there, it was a measly 550 miles by boat on the wild Yukon River to reach Dawson City and the gold fields. By the time most arrived, the claims had been made and the gold was gone.

We retraced the route of the White Pass Trail by motor coach, stopping at the Yukon Suspension Bridge, and feasting at a salmon bake for lunch. Back in Skagway, we explored the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Museum and browsed a few shops. We also had a beer at the Skagway Brewery and took a brothel tour in the Red Onion Saloon.

Retaining some of its 1890’s atmosphere, Skagway was my favorite port town.

Glacier Bay National Park

Glacier Bay National Park is iconic Alaska. Carved by advancing glaciers over 300 years ago, they have since retreated, leaving behind a breathtaking, remote landscape. For over 65 miles, pristine blue water runs up numerous inlets and smaller bays, all surrounded by jagged, snow-covered mountains and huge swaths of ice. Enormous tidewater glaciers flow from mountain tops miles away, inching their way to the bay where they calve off in thunderous roars. Joined by some National Park Service Rangers who gave a wonderful commentary, our boat sailed the duration of the bay. At the terminus were the main architects, Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers. While Grand Pacific is full of dirt and glacial debris, Margerie is picture perfect.

We floated here for almost an hour, listening to the cracks and groans of the moving slab of ice. Eventually, we had to leave and make the return trip back down the picturesque bay.

College Fjord

We had truly been spoiled. College Fjord was the most stunning landscape we had come across… other than Glacier Bay. From where our boat sat, we could see all 5 tidewater glaciers spilling into the bay, as well as numerous others high in the mountain tops. There was so much ice it was almost blinding.

  The boat lingered here before making a short journey across the Prince William Sound. We docked that night in Whittier and disembarked in the morning in a freezing rain. A coach bus took us from Whittier to Anchorage and dropped us off at our hotel. Our first cruise had come to an end.

Food & Service

I can not overstate how incredible the food was on this ship. Sitting down for a meal in the main dining area was like being treated to a 5 star restaurant… every night! Seriously, we were treated to salmon, halibut, crab legs, lobster, steak, perfectly cooked every time. Top that off with fabulous appetizers and incredible desserts, it was truly a highlight of the trip. The food in the buffet areas and grills were just as good. Heck, even the room service food was ridiculously delicious.

Tips & Tricks

Princess@Sea. As do probably all the cruise lines, Princess has its own Intranet on board their ships. You can use this to message other passengers and look at the schedule of events for the day.

Hit the Happy Hours. Drinks on board the ship are pretty pricey, and you have to be a fairly heavy drinker to make the $55/day Beverage Package worth it. Instead, hit the twice daily happy hours and get 2-for-1 prices.

Don’t bring a book. A, you probably won’t read it and B, every ship has a whole library full of them, including a take a book/leave a book section.

Bring Binoculars. This is especially necessary in Alaska, where whales and wildlife are all around.

Manage Your Excursions. I definitely recommend going on at least one excursion, but don’t go overboard with them. Some of the ports have a lot to offer and it’s fun to just walk around on your own.

Island Princess Specs

Registered in Hamilton, Bermuda

Built by Chantiers De L’Atlantique- Shipyard of St. Naizare, France

Built in 2002

Max Passenger 1,970

Max Crew  900

Read more about our Alaskan adventure, including our Kayak trip in Kenai Fjords!

Voyage of the Glaciers- A First Time Alaska Cruise I never thought I would find myself on an Alaska cruise. Something about being stuck on a gigantic ship with thousands of other people never appealed to me.