The final day of this voyage arrived so quickly, we cannot believe it. Time flies when you are having fun. We have just gotten everything in its place, while most others are packing to leave tomorrow. Glad we are staying.
When we returned from breakfast, we had a note from the Mariner Society explaining the new tiles we had been given. The funny thing is there were no tiles. We guessed that Pande may have forgotten them, although on some past trips, they had run out and promised to mail them when we got home. We never did see them. Later in the afternoon, Pande delivered the tiles with an apology that he had forgotten them. To date, we have lost count to the number of tiles we have at home....probably enough to tile an entire bathroom.
One of us was still processing pictures from Glacier Bay day, which took all morning. I had not written a word of the daily report last night, so that took some of the time. Luckily I had kept some notes and saved the map the park rangers provided. We should know every nook and cranny of this massive park because we have been lucky to visit it several times. Our only disappointment was not seeing any ice calving which can be extremely exciting. Maybe next week, or definitely while at Hubbard Glacier.
There were a bunch of activities today, most of which included promotions and sales. Last minute chances for most everything. On Deck for a Cause was held at 11am, during the one-time-only brunch in the lower dining room. The fee for the 5K walk has gone up to $40 now with the proceeds going to the park system.
Captain Willems came on the speakers with his noon update where he listed the temperature to be 57 degrees, the winds at 11.1 mph, and the humidity 88%. No rain expected. The good news is that the same conditions should hold for Vancouver tomorrow. At 12 noon, we still had 257 nautical miles to reach Vancouver very early tomorrow morning.
We had received spa credits of $60 each but never used them. And for the first time ever, a 15% discount was offered towards all shore excursions, stating this was not available to the general public. Doubt we book any, but you never know.
There was also a Lido Fair at the Lido Pool area at 2pm. That consisted of games, prizes, and fun under the Dome. We also had an invite to wine tasting again, but as you all know, we don't drink wine. We have noticed pre-owned Rolex watches for sale in the Shops, but never saw "pre-loved" handbags before. Is that something new?
There was an Alaskan Seafood Boil for $35 in the Lido starting at 5pm and also a Cake Me Away display in the Lido Market. Passing on these events, we ordered a simple room service lunch with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and 2 mini burgers from the kids menu. With a bit of watermelon, it was just enough.
Jobs for the day completed, we watched as the Zaandam began inside passage scenic cruising later in the afternoon. The skies remained overcast and it was chilly. There were some sightings of humpback whales earlier in the day and some dolphins or porpoise in the late afternoon. The green forested islands were a sight to see on both sides of the ship with occasional birds here and there.
Marie, our concierge, stopped by to see that all of our requests had been done. The final thing we asked was for the ceiling HAC filter to be replaced. She also wanted to remind us of the detailed instructions for leaving and returning to the ship tomorrow in Vancouver. But we can address that tomorrow after it happens.
Dinner was casual of course, and we found some nice things on the menu such as a wedge salad. It is almost a meal by itself with a shared plate of anti-Pasto. Our entrees were the same - beef Wellington with small baked potatoes and toppings. They were not part of the entree, but our waiter gladly added them. Dessert was a shared mini–Baked Alaska served after the parade and song by the kitchen staff waiters, and chefs.
The show was a magician by the name of Steve Marshall with surprise - magic moments. It was bed for us for an early breakfast tomorrow.
We did get some photos of entering Vancouver Harbor and going under the Lion's Gate Bridge along with a sun rise at 6:30am.
Sweet dreams,
Bill & Mary Ann
