One of us was certain we would see the Northern Lights last night, so much so that it was difficult to fall asleep. We left the drapes open just in case, but it never happened. The conditions were right with no city lights, not a full moon, and few lights on the ship. However, it was probably overcast and cloudy wiping out our chances of that memorable sighting. There's still time, however.
Our big job of the day was returning the Canadian Declaration Card.....again. This time it is for our visit to Prince Rupert. Then we will have to do it again when the ship returns to Vancouver. Instead of bringing the form to the front desk, they set up a table in the middle elevator lobbies of each passenger deck. That was much more convenient.
Besides having another nice breakfast in the now crowded Pinnacle Grill, we spent the majority of the day online, composing the blog, and playing games on the Kindle. In other words, it was quite relaxing. Some good shop sales are happening with the Holland America Line Alaskan clothing and trinkets. We have seen 75% off on t-shirts and sweatshirts. Not a bad deal if you allowed enough space in the luggage to bring them home.
The Captain came on with his noon update giving us the latest weather conditions. He added we had gone 464 nautical miles from Anchorage and had another 211 nautical miles to reach Bartlett Cove outside of Glacier Bay National Park tomorrow. He would have a pilot pick-up at 5am and the rangers boarding around 7:15am.
There was a special Indian lunch in the Pinnacle Grill at noontime. There was a dollar sign next to the ad, but we do not know the actual price. The head chefs are from India, so we bet this was their time to shine. As for us, we had a light lunch of a Cobb salad (no bleu cheese, but it came on it anyway). We both had the burger sliders but did not have the requested bowl of potato chips. Oh well, we can live without it. The watermelon slices were also missing. Again, it wasn't that important. We were taking the last bites of the tiny burger, when there was a knock on our door. Lo and behold, it was the room service waiter with the chips and diced watermelon with grapes. He apologized profusely and said he failed to get the entire order together. We told him it was fine and thanked him for the extra trip. We're sorry his boss yelled at him. Just yesterday, an angry man down the hall from us was reading the riot act to the room service waiter for failing to deliver his order. He claimed it was 3 hours late. Really? All you have to do is call them, and they will make it right. No need to blame the server who looked unaware of the situation.
A few happenings today included a Q & A session with the Captain, an Alaskan Ancestral memories talk, a port talk on Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, and hurry up and shop until you drop sales. We stayed inside except for a quick and brisk walk for one of us. There was also time for a few movies, both of which we have seen before. We still need to check out the movies on demand for newer ones.
Dinnertime was back to casual. Have we mentioned that the majority of these folks do not dress up all that much on these shorter cruises? Perhaps it is due to the cold temperatures in this part of the world that few people want to change to even casual let alone dressy clothes. The dining room has been on the cooler side and people leave on the sweaters and sweatshirts. We have to confess, we have been going very casual as well. Especially if the ship is rocking and rolling. It is far better to leave on the keds and not risk falls getting around. It works for us. Now when the weather warms up, we will be in the summer clothes once again.
Our meals were good with one bang-bang shrimp cocktail, two Caesar salads, and prime rib with a baked potato. This entree has consistently been excellent......cooked to perfection, tender, and tasty. Ordering a smaller portion was just right. Desserts were one turtle mousse pie and one scoop of orange sorbet.
The vocalist, Tricia Kelly, took the stage this evening with her wild impressions and funny stories. As for us, perhaps we will look for the aurora borealis once again.
Tomorrow we will be in Glacier Bay searching for the mountain goats, and if we are lucky......the bears.
Bill & Mary Ann
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