Well, here we are once again, in the port of Juneau and what a difference a few weeks has made in reference to the weather. Back in the beginning of September, it was unusually warm in Juneau. It turned out to be record-making temperatures in the low 80's, unheard of in this part of the world. It was so hot that we could not sit on our veranda in the afternoon. Today was much different. It was a cool 45 degrees with 97% humidity, or 100% when it was raining. The 11.5 mph winds dropped the temperature even more. It was told to us that fall is about 2 weeks long in Alaska, then winter starts. The summer season is about over.
The Zaandam arrived very early at 7am and docked portside at the Cruise Ship Dock. It was a rare occasion to see no other ships in port. We did not know if any more ships would arrive later. In no rush to go ashore, we had a leisurely breakfast visiting with manager Megan and Jacques the Cellar Master. He shared some funny stories from years gone by, and we had some to match. Tonight he will host a Cellar Master's Dinner, a pop-up meal, for $$$. There have only been a couple of these specialty dinners in the Pinnacle on this trip, but we sure don't appreciate the amount they spring on the grand voyages. These high-priced dinners have taken over almost half of the days, making it difficult to make reservations for their regular meal.
Working online, we left the ship at 12pm when the rain had let up. Many guests had already left to go on one of the 24 tours they offered here. The shortest one was a salmon bake for 1.5 hours for $80. The most expensive one was a 2.75-hour helicopter excursion to Mendenhall Glacier with 2 landings for $600.
There were no lines today getting into Tracy's Crab Shack for king crab legs and more. The Red Dog Saloon had only 2 people standing outside their swinging doors. Several of the outdoor cafes and bars were shut down for the season. And the Goldbelt Tram was still not operating. Listening to the port talk, it was mentioned that there have been issues with the tram all summer.
We strolled the boardwalk along the harbor to Marina Park, that has been shut down and under total renovations. We ended up at the same restaurant, Hangar on the Wharf, for Alaskan Amber drafts, a hamburger with fries and the best mud pie ever. Located at Merchant's Wharf, this venue stays open for the locals year-round. While we were watching many folks savoring the pricey crab legs, we spotted the NCL Norwegian Encore arriving into the harbor at 1:30pm. They docked at the AJ Dock where shuttles transported them to downtown. We were not alone anymore.
Taking South Franklin Street back, we ducked into the Fudge Shop and purchased two bags of peanut brittle. The shelves were almost empty by now, so we were lucky to find two types of brittle. At least we had luck buying the sweet treats, but not so much luck with finding the Lazy One sleep t's one of us likes.
On our last visit here, the T-shirt Company had a 2 for 1 sale. Not wanting to wait in a long line, I decided to come back today. Big mistake as there was not one to be found. When they say they were having an end-of-the-season sale, they really meant it. Everyone and their brother was carrying large bags full of those sale items. And that went for the crew members who always stock up on good deals to take home. Oh well, there are two more chances to find these fun sleep t's......Wrangell and Ketchikan.
We were back to the ship by 3pm, missing most of the light rain. By now, the streets were loaded with the NCL folks who were more than likely staying until 9pm. All aboard for us was 4:30pm, but nothing was happening. The gangway remained out with some staff waiting by it. Expecting the Captain to talk, we waited on the veranda to watch the sail away. A few minutes later, we watched as a lady on a stretcher was taken off of the ship by what appeared to be firemen. Another medical disembark. This seems to happen way too often, but we hope she gets the care she needs.
By 5:15pm, we were on our way into the Gastineau Channel heading south towards Wrangell, a new port for us.
Dinner had some new treats such as chicken BBQ spring rolls - hot and crispy. Both of us agreed that having a few of those, that could be our dinner. We each had a different salad, which seemed to be getting smaller every day. Mains were the same - savory steak fajitas with extra guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Very good. We shared a small slice of cheesecake, then called it a day. Our head waiter Heinrich had an amusing story to tell us. He had gone to town and bought a Filipino lunch to eat outside on picnic tables with his buddies. He was attacked by a seagull that proceeded to steal his food. He could not believe it, but it does happen. Better to buy it and take it back to the ship.
There was a comedy show with the impressions of Jeff Burghart, who we have seen on other cruises before.
Looking forward to a new port for us - Wrangell. Hope the rain holds off.......
Bill & Mary Ann
