Report # 24 Thursday September 29, 2022 Day at Sea Overcast, but clearing later 60 to 70 degrees

After the Zuiderdam left Vancouver yesterday, we passed Victoria, another wonderful place to stop (not on this trip, sadly).  The Captain said that the Canadian pilot got off at midnight, then we sailed the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the way to the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.  It was there, that we started to feel the motion of the ocean, as the ship began to rock and roll…..not bad, just noticeable.  It stayed that way all day.  But the temperature eventually improved when the clouds broke up, revealing the sun and partly blue skies.  We are going to miss viewing the scenery of the Inside Passage, since all we see now is water everywhere we look.

At the Pinnacle Grill this morning, we had a window table waiting for us, but by 8:06 am, all of the window seats and tables for two were occupied.  This is mostly a new group of guests who know it is first come, first served here.

Since we turned in early last night, we worked on the blog this morning.  Before noon, we took our mile walk on the promenade deck, where we heard people calling…..hey you two.  Turned out to be fellow world cruise friends Sandy and Jack.  So nice to see them, we all agreed it was like finding family onboard.  We shall have to catch up with ship and people news, as they were on their way to the very first team trivia event at noon.  They were meeting two friends, and creating their team for the game.  We used to play on the longer voyages, but in time it became a blood sport, and we quit.  We are sure to recognize more familiar faces when the ship takes on the passengers in San Diego.  Among them will be Denise and Howie, great friends from home and other cruises.  You may know them from Cruise Critic as dchip.  And they are as much fun as you might have expected.

We ended up with room service lunch at 2pm.  Soups, salad, and a shared sandwich.  And don't forget the apples and cookies.  Their salads from room service are made quite nicely, and our orders have been complete.  They have a good team working that venue, and we have not had a wait beyond 30 minutes.

Did we mention the mandatory signs are up for mask wearing?  For some reason. We did not receive a printed notice about this, but everyone we have seen so far, is wearing them.  We assume that both public decks 2 and 3 require masking, as well as the Mainstage and casino.  We bet this will last until we reach Hawaii….a sign that this virus is not over yet, darn.

The When and Where pamphlet has changed to The Daily Program.  No longer a tri-fold paper, it is a single fold brochure with a little more detail.  There are now symbols indicating if an event is hosted and also the duration of that event.  These symbols are faces of a clock with 30, 45, and 60 minute time slots.  Every activity that has a charge attached is labeled "Promotion".   The special presentations, performances, and the Music Walk are listed largely on one page…..easy to locate.  The Dining options are listed on the back page as well as Drinks and Services.  We find it much better than the old format.

Dinner was in the dining room, which we found not crowded once again.  These days the majority of folks dine early, many of those in the Lido.  Of course, for these five days, we are down to 1000 guests.  When we get to San Diego, and the real start of the Tales of the South Pacific, we will lose 400 passengers, and gain 1050 more or less. 

We were happy campers to see spring rolls on the menu as appetizers.  One of us could make a complete meal of these.  We added Caesar salads, and one cod entrée and a rigatoni dish.  Desserts were a very dark chocolatey torte (way too sweet) with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, and one blueberry frozen yogurt. 

And another new addition is having a Latin crooner, Daniel Bouchet, entertain in the Mainstage this evening.  We did not have that  option on the 7 day cruises.

Another nice day at sea is expected tomorrow, and according to Captain Friso, the swells should be subsiding.

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #23 September 28, 2022 Vancouver, British Columbia 7am-5pm Cloudy With Sprinkles 62 Degrees

Six thirty am, is too early to get up for breakfast, but that it the normal time for both the Dining Room and the Pinnacle Grill on the day most disembark.  We knew to arrive a bit before that time, because there was a line to enter the PG.  We were lucky to get the last table at the window as the other were already promised.  OK, from here on out, we asked for this table every morning, and the answer was yes, we will try our best.   And we did have the nicest view of our arrival to Canada Place, where we began the Alaska runs three weeks ago.  The time has flown by.  Shortly after we docked, the Ruby Princess sailed into the opposite dock.  It's incredible watching how easily these mega ships can be maneuvered into snug places, thanks to an experienced team.

On a side note, the satellite TV was shut off, and would stay that way all day until we left near 6pm.  Except for the intransit guests, the shipboards accounts are erased from the system, then start up new, we understand.  One of the requirements for the new guests is to watch the safety video on your stateroom TV.  You MUST watch it to completion before the TV will advance to the main menu.  If you do not do this, Ian will come on the speakers, more than once, begging the folks to do it.  That has occurred with every sailing so far.  Along with checking in at the muster station, the requirement is satisfied in place of a live muster drill.  Do we miss those drills?  Nope!

The skies were heavily overcast this morning, but it was far from cold with temps in the high 50's.  We hung around until 9:30am before we exited the ship.  Right before leaving, we heard Captain Friso give a nice pep talk to his entire team for doing a great job for the Alaskan season.  It turned out to be a big success with so many loyal guests coming back to cruising, despite the lingering Covid scares.  We are all learning how to live with it, more or less.

Taking umbrellas just in case, we breezed through the crew exit, showing our intransit cards.  The officials asked if we had our passports with us, and we said yes.  We did keep our masks on, which was required in the terminal, until we got outside and away from any crowds.  This time of day, fewer people are out and about.  Later on, it was a different story.  Following the seawall, we ran into Chantel, the future cruise consultant, and Captain Friso.  They were out for a long walk to get some exercise and fresh air, like us.  Nice to see them dressed like everyday tourists enjoying the scenery.  We chatted for a few minutes, then they were off to hike to the Lions Gate Bridge through Stanley Park.  

There are no lack of nice benches along the way, donated by locals.  While sitting watching the traffic crossing the famous bridge, a young sea gull landed quite close to us.  It begged for a handout, but there was no way, since signs indicated that there was a $500 fine for feeding the wildlife.  Guess the gull cannot read.

As we headed back, the sun even peeked out, but not for long.  It would take us about an hour of slow deliberate walking to reach our destination of lunch.  By now, the streets were full of people.  Right near Canada Place, an elderly couple approached us and asked if we were on the ship.  We said yes, and they offered us their Ho-Ho bus tickets, which were good for the entire day.  Apparently, they thought the idea was a good one to make it to several stops, but soon found out they were exhausted.  You really have to be in good shape to accomplish the hop on-hop off stops, which equates to being a little on the younger side.  Thanking them, we said we had a short time before we had to board the ship, and that's when they said they were on the Ruby, and she was not leaving until 9:30pm.  Our all aboard was 5pm. 

There was a surprise waiting for us when we arrived to the Steamworks Brewing Company.  At the entrance, we were stopped and advised that their internet was down, and they were not taking any new guests.  They got to be kidding?  One of the waitresses recommended something else up the street to other people in line, and they left.  We stayed wondering what to do.  Either wait the ½ hour to possibly be seated, or go back to the ship.  Going back was not a good option, because the terminal would be more crowded.  As we waited in the parking lot for 10 minutes, another waitress came and got us, and seated us where we always sit.  Glad we stayed, the pizza and beers never tasted so good.  We did linger until 2:45pm before heading back. 

This would be our fourth time going through customs, and we did not know what to expect.  Going through the x-ray check should have been simple, but leaving reading glasses in a back pocket is not an option.  Oddly enough, my new knee did not set off their equipment, go figure?  Showing the intransit cards, we were directed around the roped off customs kiosks, and went directly to officials at their stations.  No other guests were in line there.  They scanned our passports, asking for nothing more.  No printed slips were given this time.  Rounding the corner, all of the check points were gone.  No checking ArriveCan, Verifly, Covid vaccine cards, and whatever else they needed.  With no more stopping, we walked directly back to the gangway and boarded the ship.  Guess that Canada has indeed dropped their requirements for now.

Relaxing on the veranda, we watched as the Zuiderdam left the port around 5:45pm in a light drizzle.  Dinner was in the dining room, and our waiters have not been moved to other stations.  As expected, the upper dining room was not full of customers, as there was an advertised steak dinner in the Lido tonight.  And we are sailing with about 1000 guests now, not 1750.  There will be a bit more elbow space.   And by the way, masks are required in most public places on the ship.

Looking forward to two days at sea on our way to San Francisco, our original home town.

Bill & Mary Ann

101 Pictures

Report #22 Day at Sea Tuesday September 27, 2022 Dense fog clearing by 4pm 60 to 70 degrees

As this seven day cruise winds down,  we thought that any chance of scenic cruising was not going to happen.  When we went to the Pinnacle for breakfast, you could not see anything outside the windows except fog….dense fog.  We could hear the foghorn blowing as well.  It's funny – some people we know love that sound, but we think it is eerie and foreboding.  Especially when you think about why they are blowing that warning horn.  We did have hope that the fog would lift later in the afternoon, and we might have some scenic cruising of the Inside Passage.

The Mariner Recognition Event was held once again in the Gallery Bar at 10:30am.  There were seven bronze medals awarded, and the total amount of guests was 14.  We recall the old days, not so long ago, when there were many more people invited to these affairs.  When everyone cannot be included, you are bound to ruffle some feathers when only a select group is included.  Where does one cut off the number of days earned to qualify for an invite?  Today, there were six President's Club members, the medal awardees, and one guest.  That speaks volumes…..  We did have a chance to visit with Henk and ask a few questions in general relating to the upcoming longer cruise.  There will be about 600 guests sailing onward, like us, with 400 more boarding in Vancouver tomorrow.  When we reach San Diego, we will have a total of 1650 for the Tales of the South Pacific.  Things have changed regarding the Covid testing, except for those boarding we think.  We will have to be tested before arriving to Hawaii.  And perhaps again in Tonga, Fiji, or Samoa of they require it there.  Sounds like we will know the details one day at a time.  Oh yes, masks will be mandatory in the beginning of the long cruise, which will begin in San Diego.  That is fine and dandy with us.

We did make a stop at the Gallery Bar to pick up some cans of water for our room.  Then we strolled through the Shops to see what was being promoted.  Usually with the final Alaska cruise, they are selling everything associated with it.  Today, we only saw some t-shirts with the 75 year sailing Alaska HAL T shirts at 75% off.  Their inventory seemed to be minimal for this area, so there is less to sell.  There were a lot of folks in these shops, so we did not linger.  Even with masks on, there was no social distancing.

By the time we got back to the room, we had two more Delft tiles, and later, we received the two full size photos of us with Henk and the Captain.   Worked on the computer, but we are still finding the connection poor.  It took hours to send one email.  We had to take a mile walk on the promenade deck to get some exercise and fresh air, even if it was foggy air.  The decks had been hosed down, so we were careful walking.  Only a few folks were doing the same as us.  We asked Henk about jogging, which was prohibited on the Amsterdam.  But here, jogging is OK since there are no rooms beneath the deck, only public areas.  Oh yes, we saw the "doggie" spot set up, so we do have a dog onboard, although we have not seen it.

Lunch for us was at 2pm with the delivery of room service.  We had been spending most of the afternoon on the veranda, on the watch for whales, orcas, eagles, or porpoise.  And it was cool, especially with the fog, which was thinning out by now.  Eventually it lifted, and we were able to see both shorelines of the Inside Passage.  According to the map on TV and a handy local Alaska map we got in Skagway, we were able to chart our course.  It appeared that we were entering the Queen Charlotte Strait near 4pm.  At that point, we spotted hundreds, if not thousands of Dall porpoise jumping, trying to keep up with the ship.  Everywhere we looked, we saw signs of this huge pod.  Now we were really on the lookout for more animal sightings.  We were not disappointed as we saw some eagles high up in the conifers, then we spotted a pod of orcas near the shoreline.  They breached one at a time, blew their spouts, and dove.  There must have been 4 or 5 of them.  It was one of those "if you snooze, you lose" sightings since it happened so fast, then they were gone as the Captain did not slow down at all. 

According to the map, it appears we were not far from Vancouver, so we expect the speed of the ship to be 8 knots or so.  The good thing is that sailing in this passage, we escape the rolling swells of the open Pacific Ocean, like we experienced last night. 

Dinner was in the dining room with the special Culinary Council meal.  We had made reservations for the Pinnacle Grill tonight, but we wanted to order the prime rib dinner, which in the past, has been excellent.  So for starters, we had the crispy shrimp salad, and the prime rib, medium rare, and one, an outside cut.  Our plates arrived hot as could be with the most delicious, tender prime rib ever.  We were happy campers.  We added the smallest dessert of a torte and a sliver of rum cake, then we were full happy campers.  The attendance in the dining room tonight was spotty, because most will be leaving tomorrow.  We are sure the Lido was quite busy tonight.

Tomorrow the breakfast will be super early at 6:30am.  We plan on doing the same hike in Vancouver that we did the last two weeks, even if it is raining.

Bill & Mary Ann

77 Pictures

Report #21 Ketchikan, Alaska Monday September 26, 2022 11am-6:30pm Rain& Drizzle All Day

With the arrival time of 11am, it sure was nice to have the morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and some internet time.   However, the internet was not working as it had been.  Nothing was going out and nothing was coming in.  According to an announcement from Captain Friso, the ship had server problems and the entire system had to be shut down during the night for it to cool down.  That explains why we were having problems on our end.  Funny thing, however, upon calling the front desk and reporting it, they advised us to shut the computer down, and re-boot.  No, nothing would help, since it was non-operational, but they never want to tell you that.  Since we had to turn in our customs form, we went down to deck one to see what we could find out.  Melissa, Henk's assistant, came over to help us and did say there was a major problem, and the IT fellow was up all night working on it.  Today he left the ship, and a new man came onboard.  Hope it gets resolved soon.

We arrived to the Tongass Narrows by 10am in the worst weather yet.  It was foggy and raining steadily, with little wind.  It had warmed up quite a bit from yesterday as we are further south now.  The Zuiderdam docked at the number 2 slip, right in the center of town.  The Ponant L'Austral was already tied up at dock 4.  There were no other ships here today.  It appeared that there was no end to the waves of showers, and no promise of it clearing today.  Sure wish we could send some of this rain to California.  Ketchikan gets about 156 inches of rain a year, which is massive.  If possible, they might be happy to share some of it with us. 

So about noontime, we bundled up, packed the umbrellas, and headed off for a hike….rain or not.  Heading towards Creek Street found us dodging deep puddles and wet streets.  On the plus side, there were  few people out and about.  Normally it is crowded going up the famous bawdy street, but not today.  The creek was running the fastest we have ever seen, but with the extra deep water, we could not see the salmon.  Even the color of the water was brown from the forest runoff.  Guess this was nature's way of cleansing the creek of the fish carcasses.  We read somewhere that the wettest time for Ketchikan happens to be in the month of October.  They can expect 19.2 inches of rain that month, which is right around the corner.  

Once up at the top of Creek Street, we crossed over the road to view the upper creek.  Where there were exposed rocks with many gulls last week, the water had to be a foot deeper with only one gull.  In fact, further up the creek, we saw a small group of Canada geese.  First time we saw them here.  There is one spot where you can access the creek and a small rocky shore of gravel.  Today, it was mostly under water, and only those with waterproof boots could go there.  From there, we hiked up the road where viewing the salmon is best.  They were still there, perhaps not as thick as last week, but still fighting that current to go upcreek.  Without the sun, it was difficult to see the masses.

Further up, we had City Park all to ourselves, although we did see the "Duck" bus pass by full of tourists.  Doubt they disembarked to look into the creek as it was still raining.  With a quick walk around the totem museum, we headed back down via Creek Street.  Carefully, because this trail was muddy and slippery.   It was a good time for lunch, so off we went to the Alaskan Brewing Company once again.  There were about three customers dining there, which compared to last week, was a surprise.  We had to wait for a table last week…today we had our choice of sitting anywhere we wished.  Our waiter said that the rain makes a big difference, and there were only two ships here today.   The staff has one more week here, and they will close for the season.  The last ship they will see will come next week.  And the only cruise line that will still make the Alaska runs for the month of October is NCL.  We bet most of the shops and eateries will be closed by then. 

We ordered what we had last week…..chicken tenders and fries with three dips.  Alaskan Amber beers went well with the meal.  And finally,  a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was shared.  On the way back, we ducked in and out of several souvenir shops, finding very few items for sale.  No more huge clearances like we used to see.  Probably a sign of the times.

Got back to the ship around 4pm, where we dried off, and tried to make the internet work again.  It was a little better, but not fixed totally.   When we went to wash our hands in our bathroom, we discovered we had no cold water again.  It was back to scalding.  We had a quick response from the plumber, who admitted fixing the plumbing next door to us.  Whatever he did, it went back to normal.   Now we wonder what will break next? 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, with our usual tasty salads, fresh warm rolls, and one halibut, and one 7 ounce filet. Dessert was a small souffle and a bit of coffee/chocolate ice cream.  We passed on the petit fours, and coffee.  We never leave there disappointed.  By the way, the restaurant was full of guests, even at 8pm.  That was seldom the case while sailing on the Amsterdam's world cruise.  Perhaps the grand voyages have more guests that dine earlier these days.

A day at sea tomorrow will be much appreciated.  The only downside is the fact the clocks went forward this evening, losing that extra hour.

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #20 Sunday September 25, 2022 Glacier Bay National Park 7am-4pm Cloudy And Cool 56 Degrees

Oh no…..when we woke up while sailing into Glacier Bay National Park at 6:45am, all we saw was fog, clouds, and a light drizzle.  Gone were the blue skies we experienced on our last two visits.  The rangers, a heritage guide, and a geographic rep boarded the ship from the Park Headquarters near Bartlett Cove.   They would be our guides until 4pm.  The bow was opened for viewing at 7am, and there were a handful of folks all decked out in their raingear.   We are so happy to be able to view this excursion for the third time in as many weeks, especially from our veranda.  It has kept us feeling close to nature, as opposed to positioning for a spot at the railing on the bow. 

Going to breakfast right when the doors opened, guaranteed us seats at the window.  All we had to do was ask.  On the other hand, another elderly couple came in, the man with a one dollar bill in his hand so everyone could see it, as he marched through the restaurant, were also seated at a window table set for two.  He slipped it to the staff member and that was that.  In all of the time we have been cruising with HAL, and other cruise lines as well, we have never seen a man give a tip in this manner.  Maybe he just wanted to be noticed . We don't want to open a can of worms here, but this did not sit well with us, not that it is any of our business. If you want to tip don't let the whole world see you do it.  We have sailed on other luxury cruise lines that forbid any tipping, or the crew member could be fired on the spot. With that said we do tip appropriately, but the whole ship doesn't need to know it.  Anyway, the view was not that exciting this morning with the low fog and clouds.  We saw no wildlife at all.

We wanted to be back in the room for Gloomy Knob at 9am, which loosely translates to Land of the Mountain Goats.  Captain Friso sailed fairly close to the shores, so we could all see the five mountain goats up on the ridges.  And we mean, waaaay up there.  You really needed a good pair of binoculars to spot them.  The guide did spot two bears on the shore, probably due to the fact it was low tide.  The Zuiderdam did not slow down, so by the time the sightings were announced we were well past the spot.  In our minds, we imagined we saw them, but in reality, we were probably looking at large black rocks.

We have to mention that in order to listen to the commentary, we had to turn on the Bow Camera station on the TV.  The volume only went halfway.  So while one of us was out on the veranda (with no speakers), the other stayed inside and relayed the info being given.  Every other ship we have sailed had outdoor speakers, but this ship has none on the verandas.  Kept one of us warmer, moving back and forth, since it was darned cold at 54 degrees.  No wind, however, which was a good thing.  No sun either.

In the meantime, our floor was having issues with the toilets…like no water in them.   Bad timing for sure.  While that was being addressed, another fellow came to change the filter matter in the overhead vent.  This is one thing we usually request while on a longer cruise, as we never know when it was changed last.  Then the laundry arrived.  The bathroom water was still running warm while turned to the cold side, so that was also in the process of being remedied.  By the afternoon, all seemed to be back to normal.

Passing both Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers, we headed towards Johns Hopkins Inlet.  We could see another cruise ship following us, which turned out to be the Norwegian Sun again.  They turned right into the Tarr Inlet, heading for Margerie Glacier.  Lucky them.  Passing Jaw Point, the glacier appeared in front of the ship.   This time, we saw fewer harbor seals on the ice chunks, and far less Kittiwakes.  Same as the last two times, the ship was turned ½ hour for viewing on both sides.  For all of us in the aft section, we had viewing 100% of the time.  Do you recall the old saying that a watched pot never boils?  Well you can apply that to watching a glacier calve.  Unlike our first visit here, there was hardly any calving or ice falling.  Right before we left the inlet, there were two very small cracking sounds, with a bit of calving.  We just know that after our hour was up, it would calve like crazy.  The Norwegian Sun was set to enter next, so maybe they had better luck today.

Sticking to plan, the Captain sailed steadily south rather quickly.  We kept our eyes peeled for any wildlife sightings, but only saw a few otters.  By the time we tore ourselves away from photo downloading, we had passed South Marble Island, where the Stellar sea lions reside.   Without the warmth of the sun, we doubt many were laying on the rocks anyway. 

By 4pm, the group left the ship, and their work was done.  It began to rain as the fog obscured any views we may have had for seeing otters or whales for that matter.  At the same time, Captain Friso came on the speakers to say we were heading out to sea, and the waters would become rough.  He added that a storm was moving in our direction, and he wanted to get the ship down south quickly, then cut back into the Inside Passage, where it is more protected.  Batten down the hatches, as the old saying goes.  And true to his warnings, we began to rock and roll by dinnertime. 

Around 2pm, we ordered a room service lunch, where the Cobb or Caesar salads are nicely done.  Sandwiches were good as were the chocolate chip cookies.  We also received the last of the Canadian Customs forms to fill out for our final visit there on Wednesday.   With a quick trip down to the front desk, we learned that our incorrect charges had been credited back to the account yesterday.  Checking this on the room TV, we had discovered that it was not updated there.

Friends back at home asked us why did we book back-to-back cruises in Alaska with the same ports.  By doing this, we have to admit that it has been most rewarding.  What we may have missed on the first two stops, we made up for it on the third time around.  We learned much more about the life of Alaskans in each and every port, as we like to visit with the locals.  The best place for this interaction had to be while in Skagway.  A much smaller town, the locals are the most friendly we have encountered.

We made our way to dinner in the dining room, dressed in "dressy" clothing.  Or maybe a bit beyond that, but we were not alone.  Many of the fellows had worn suits and the ladies looked festive with some glitter.  We had visits from the Maitre'd, Fransicus as well as his assistant Johnny.  We are in the process of choosing a table for the world cruise, and we finally found a suitable table for seven of us.  We learned that there are no "head waiters" anymore, but we do have hosts that have assumed that job now.  Currently, there are two hosts downstairs, and one upstairs.  And they are on the run when they have 1000 guests in the dining room like tonight.

Anyway, we ordered the same courses tonight starting with shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads, and chicken cordon blue.   Could have been hotter, but it was acceptable, and a nice change since we have not ordered many chicken entrees on this cruise.  One chocolate souffle and a dish of frozen raspberry yogurt finished the meal.  We were done by 9pm.

Tomorrow we will arrive to Ketchikan at 11am, so breakfast starts at 8pm.  Works for us…..

Bill & Mary Ann

123 Pictures

Report #19 Skagway, Alaska Saturday, September 24, 2022 7am-8:30pm Mostly Cloudy With Rain And Wind 48 Degrees

Back in the late 1800's, the local Tlingit tribes called Skaqua (Skagway) a windy place with white caps on water.  Eventually, it was officially called the Home of the North Wind, which sure was a fitting description of today.  By the time we woke up, the ship was already docked.  And shortly after us, came the Norwegian Jewel, sailing in during the dark of the early morning.  Sure was a pretty sight.  A fairly big vessel, that will put a lot of folks in town today, most of whom will go on the train to the Yukon.  

After a leisurely breakfast, we stopped at the front desk and asked why the Canaletto charges from last Tuesday had not been dropped.  We did see one credit, but it did not match the Canaletto charge.  Promising to follow up again, we also asked about yesterday's internet.  One of the fellows came over and said the internet had been shut down off and on all day.  No wonder our emails would not get sent. 

Last night one of us had a problem with the temperature of the water in the shower.  Thank goodness, I followed the directions to test the water before jumping in the shower.  The spray went from cool to warm to hot…so hot that it was scalding.  Turning the knob did not help, as it only got worse.  So we reported to the gal at the front desk, and she promised to send a plumber.  And they did shortly after we got back to the room.  Turned out to be a faulty mixer valve, which was fixed.  Since we boarded almost three weeks ago, the tub drain did not work well.  The plumber fixed that too. 

Evi from Housekeeping showed up about the same time this work was being done.  She was there to check the speakers in the room, which we did not know we had.  Yes, we did find the small one in the headboard, although we have never heard a peep from it.  Then she showed us the speaker in the bathroom, which was hidden under the sink counter.  We all had a good laugh over finding these.  Later on, there was a general crew drill, and guess what?  These speakers actually worked.  Glad we asked about them.

After the Zuiderdam finished their drill, one was held on the Jewel.  We watched from the veranda as the crew filed outside in the very cold wind.  Their drill took an hour or so.

Bundling up, we left the ship around 11am, feeling like Pillsbury dough boys.  The rain had stopped and the sun was actually trying to peek out.  It was 50 degrees with strong winds that cut right through you.  This time there was no line, as most of the tours had already gone off earlier.  We spotted a harbor seal trying to get up the fish ladder, but did not have the camera handy.  Bet he could smell the fish, although we saw none at all.

We walked Pullen Creek again, and read about the salmon that come here.  The King salmon arrive in late May, while the pinks run in August.  The silvers come in September, but guess we missed them this year.  We followed the Dewey Lake Trail sign that led to a bridge across the creek, then the beginning of the trail system.  We have done this hike years ago, but one of us felt it may be difficult with the new knee.  Especially with the ground being recently soaked with rain. 

Our destination was a hike to the Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls.  We guess it was 1 ½ miles walking up State Street to the Moore Bridge.  Then there was a sign pointing to the Gold Rush Cemetery, another ½ mile up the gravel road.  For most of the walk, we felt really isolated from civilization.  Little did we realize there would be tour vans, two trolleys, and a bus coming up this road.  Once we arrived to the cemetery, we realized we had been here on a tour many years ago.  Located on a wooded hillside, this original cemetery is famous for its residents from the Gold Rush days.  One notorious character was Jeff "Soapy" Smith, who masqueraded as an upstanding citizen, while he and his gang robbed people of their gold.  Frank Reid was an upstanding citizen, who confronted Soapy Smith.  There was a gun fight, and both men lost their lives…..one instantly, and Reid, several agonizing days later.   Other graves were of locals who helped build the city, as well as their families, and those who died from epidemics.  Some were young children, as was common in those days.  Lots of graves were marked unknown. 

Continuing on from the graveyard, is the trail to Lower Reid Falls.  The hike from the gravesites is about 100 yards to the falls, but they failed to mention it is rather steep and slippery after a rainfall.  One of us had to really take time to climb there, but would not leave without seeing the falls, which were really scenic.  Going downhill was even slower for one of us.  The cemetery is maintained by the Municipality of Skagway, and also has convenient restrooms at the base.  Benches too.  By the time we left, the vans and buses had arrived, and it was time to go. 

One last look at the rushing river on the Moore Bridge, we headed back to town. The north wind blowing here could knock you over.  It was time for lunch, so we went back to the Skagway Brewing Company.  This time we ordered chicken tenders with 2 dips, BBQ and ranch.  The Red Star beers sure went down easy, as did the dessert of a shared slice of cheesecake. By the way, this is the only restaurant where we were charged 2.8% for using a credit card.  There were a few more stops we wanted to make such as Ace Hardware to look for a small outdoor thermometer for the veranda, the Popcorn Factory for caramel corn, and the Alaskan Quilt shop for a spool of gray thread.  Next to the quilt shop was the Klondike Doughboy Shop, where we watched a fellow frying the round yeast dough in hot oil.  It puffed up as he rolled it around to brown. We have never seen this treat before (seven dollars for one), but the vendors said it is served everywhere, but called something different.  Bet it is good coated with cinnamon sugar.  Too bad we were too full from lunch, or we may have shared one.

One last stop was at Gold Rush Gifts to buy a Lazy One sleep T to add to the collection.  They were the only shop that had a specific design I liked, and their prices were the best.  Even received a free Alaska tote bag and another nice map of the area.  Two trains had arrived by now from their trips, so we headed back to beat the crowds.  Could not believe it was after 4pm already. 

Back on the ship, we did a little more reading of the brochures and came across some more interesting facts.  Alaska has the biggest mountain in the North America Continent, which is Mt. McKinley or Denali at 20,320 feet in elevation.  The Yukon River is almost 2000 miles long, the 3^rd longest in North America.  Alaska has more coastline than all of the states combined.  At 9.2 on the Richter scale, Alaska has the strongest earthquakes.  Finally, there are more active volcanoes in Alaska than the rest of inhabited world. 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon warming up in our room.  The NCL Jewel left the dock by 5pm.  Dinnertime arrived by 8pm, and we headed for the Pinnacle Grill.  Cocktails were first, then wedge salads with extra bread that resembles tiny loaves of French bread.  They are the best.  One of us had the halibut, and the other, lamb chops…. All delicious.  Sharing a Baked Alaska, we ended the meal by 9:30pm, while watching the Zuiderdam backing up out of the harbor.

We wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow while sailing into Glacier Bay?  Captain Friso mentioned that he was going to try to outrun an approaching storm.  First time we heard of that.  Goodbye to Skagway, one of the most interesting cities in this part of Alaska, in our humble opinion.

Bill & Mary Ann

261 Pictures

Report #18 Juneau, Alaska Friday September 23, 2022 1pm-9:30pm Rain With 48 Degree Temperature

Through most of the evening, the seas were rather choppy.  This was the first time on this trip that we noticed some pronounced movement.  By the time we woke up, it was windy, raining, and downright cold at 48 degrees, not to mention the wind factor.  We have gone from summer to fall in a big hurry.   Despite the choppy seas, we still kept watch for sea life.  The only thing we saw were some birds flying by the ship at double speed.   Although our original itinerary showed a tour drop-off in Tracy Arm, it must have been cancelled once again.  We never heard the reason why.  Todays weather might have been a factor.

By 11:30am, the ship entered the Gastineau Channel, and by noon, we were docked at Franklin Dock.  In the Alaska Steam Ship Dock, the Quantum of the Seas was already tied up.  And the Seabourn Odyssey was at the Cruise Ship Terminal.  The Disney ship was not here today.  By now, most of the cruise ships in this part of the world have begun their re-positioning  to warmer climates.  Just like the Zuiderdam will do next Wednesday. 

Since this was our third visit here, we can add a few new facts.  Rain falls here 230 days a year measuring to 55 to 92 inches. The Spring months are the driest.  The wettest months are September and October.  There are more trails than roads….like 250 miles of trails.  Fish farms are prohibited in Alaska.  And a fun fact is how many times can your state fit into the state of Alaska?  If you are from Texas, it would fit 2 times.  California would fit 4 times, while Rhode Island would fit 425 times.  Yes, Alaska is that big.

The ship was cleared before 1pm, but we decided to wait until the majority of the tours left.  They all meet onshore, and the guests are no longer "stickered".  That is really better than the old way where you met in the Queens Lounge, and had to sit and wait to be called.  So we left by 1:45pm, and found the line was quite short.  There would have been no line if it were not for the new crew coming onboard with their luggage and backpacks.  Later on, we heard that some of this crew came from another HAL ship, such as the Eurodam we saw yesterday.

Bundled up with our rain gear and heavy coats, we had to wear our masks getting off the ship, as well as carry a copy of our Covid vaccination cards.  We did not have to show them to anyone, but just in case we were asked, we had them.  The streets in town were a little crowded, so we kept our masks on.  An added bonus was that they kept our noses warm.  On the way, we studied the spruces and hemlocks for possible sightings of eagles.  Some were there, but tucked deep into the branches to keep somewhat dry.  It was still raining steadily, so the only active birds we saw were the gulls.

Walking past the icons in downtown, we headed for the Hangar on the Wharf for lunch.  This cooler weather really spurred our appetites, and we were once again hoping that the restaurant would not be crowded.  We were in luck, because most of the cruise passengers were still on tours.  No problem getting a nice booth at the window.  Ordering the usual burger, extra fries, and Alaskan Amber beers, we watched as the Quantum slowly left their mooring.  She is one big ship, but not their largest we hear.  Saving a tad bit of room for dessert, we ordered a slice of their excellent mud pie.  Sure was good.  On the way out, we passed the floatplane building for Taku Lodge.  There was a sign in the window saying sorry your tours were cancelled….you will get you money refunded.  Obviously, the weather grounded all flights.

This was our last chance to buy some goodies at the Alaskan Fudge Company.  Peanut brittle and walnut/chocolate fudge should last us a week.  There is another one of these shops in Skagway, but last week they were closed, probably for the season.  For the first time, we took notice that there were no huge sales happening in the souvenir stores.  Usually you see signs saying everything has to go.  The only places we saw that sign were shops that had permanently closed and left town for good it looked like.  We got back to the ship by 4:30pm.

We kept warm and dry in our room until it was time for dinner, still keeping watch for more eagles.  There was the pair in the evergreen tree across from the ship, and eventually one flew out, leaving the mate in the tree.  At least we got to see them again.  Dinner was in the dining room, which was not totally full.  Both of us ordered the rice/cheese ball rolled in a crispy crust for appetizers, along with Caesar salads, no anchovies please.  Mains were one chili rellenos and a braised beef short rib dinner, which was only warm, not hot.  The poblano chili was hot, since it was just fried, but the beef was just warm.  Guess we need to ask our waiter every night to make it hot as can be.  We really do not complain, but if you don't let them know, they cannot fix it.  Desserts were a new version of apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and one pineapple frozen yogurt. 

During dinner, around 9pm, the Seabourn Odyssey pulled away from the berth, and sailed out of the channel.  Passing very slowly by us, it was a pretty sight to see it all lit up in the dark.  All aboard here was 9:30pm, and we left shortly after that.

Tomorrow we will be in Skagway early, so that means an early breakfast.

Bill & Mary Ann

169 Pictures

Report #17 Sea Day Enroute To Juneau, Alaska Thursday September 22, 2022 Rain & Partly Cloudy

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Today was to be a day at sea with scenic cruising. Yesterday Captain Friso had mentioned that the weather can turn-on-a-dime in Alaska, and he was correct. We woke up to a gloomy, grey, and overcast morning with the rain eventually falling by 10am. On the other hand, we did spot some jumping porpoises while eating breakfast. If we had been a little earlier, we may have gotten seats at the window, but we were at a tiny table for two, same as last night. For sure, tomorrow we will be first in line when the doors open at 7:30am, and request a larger table.

After breakfast, we went to pay a visit to Shiv, our favorite Head of Housekeeping. His office is more spacious than the one he shared with his colleagues on the Amsterdam. They were deep into computer work, but took the time to welcome us. Feels more like being home knowing so many nice officers and crew members. Shiv mentioned that the HAL tote bags had arrived and would be sent to our room. We thanked him for the follow-up. Our next stop was to see Henk, but he was there one minute, then gone the next. He probably has one of the most demanding jobs on the ship. We shall hunt him down soon.....we know where he lives now on deck one.

The next job was to go to the front desk and inquire about the incorrect charges. There was no question that our Canaletto dinners were complimentary, and she promised to send that message to the accounting team.

It was such a drippy day, we skipped the promenade walk, and went back to the room to work on emails and the blog. We had a nice room service lunch of salads and sandwiches. Today the potato chips were not crumbs, like someone sat on the bag. Eventually, the rain let up and stopped.

The sun appeared around 3:30pm while we watched for wildlife. We had some eagle sightings while sailing the Inside Passage, and later on, there was a pod of porpoise swimming in circles as they fed on fish we assume. Then the parade of ships began. First was the Eurodam, which passed us going the opposite way. Next was the Celebrity Millennium, followed by the NCL, possibly the Sun. On closer look, it was the Bliss. They were all heading back to either Vancouver or Seattle, like horses going back to a barn.

This evening's dress code was "Dressy" or what we like to call "Gala", which used to be "Formal". We went formal, and did not feel out of place. The new passengers dressed accordingly, at least from where we could see from the upper dining room. A waiter we have known for many grand cruises, Heru, came over to say hi. He must have been at the back of the restaurant, and just got moved up where we are. He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines. Many of them had no choice.

For dinner we had one salad, and one very hot French onion soup. Nice on a cool day. Then our mains were one stuffed ricotta cheese shells and lamb chops. Both were quite small servings, but adequate. Now for desserts, our waiter brought one of each....Baked Alaska, and two types of cakes. Good thing they were small portions, since we finished all three. On our way out of the dining room, we asked Johnnie, the head waiter, how many passengers were sailing on this 7 day voyage. He said 1700. From Vancouver to San Diego, there will be about 1000 (maybe more if they can market it), and 1600 on the Tales of the South Pacific. Those are all good numbers.

Best news of the day - the clocks went back one hour to be on Alaska time. Works for us.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures

Report #16 Vancouver, British Columbia Wednesday September 21,2022 Sunny 70 Degrees 7am-3:30pm

 

Here we are…back in Vancouver once again.  Docked at 7am, we were not alone as the Regent Seven Seas Mariner was already here, and joined shortly after we arrived, was the Ruby Princess.

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill revealed  that the same wait staff was still there.  We have been told that by Skagway, there will be a rotation of managers and some of the staff.  This appears to be the norm these days.  Leaving the restaurant, we ran into Henk, who told us a few facts with the upcoming cruises.  We think we heard him say that so far there will be 600 in transit next Wednesday after the last Alaska run.  Then they will pick up 1000 more guests in San Diego.  We heard rumors that HAL is offering a good deal to board the ship in Vancouver for the 5 day sail down to San Diego.  The stop in San Francisco will now allow guests to board there.  This was not the case when we booked.  San Francisco is usually not a port for HAL to embark guests.

The amenities for our room began arriving such as gifts of shipboard credit from our travel agent, the Have-It-All packages, two new KN95 masks, and two Mariner drink cards.  Later in the day, we found two bottles of Brut sparkling wine, two trays of munchies, and 16 Cokes and one bottle of Bacardi Rum in place of the flower arrangement.  We always check our shipboard account on the room TV to make sure our credits are posted.  Most of them were, but we had a surprise to find we had been charged for our Canaletto dinners last night….1/2 price, but it should be complimentary for us.  Tomorrow we will have to pay a visit to the front desk folks and get that fixed, as well as searching for other missing credits.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, and if we had not discovered it, it would remain incorrect.

There were about 30 minutes before we had to leave the ship, so we took this opportunity to do a favor for friends that will be on the 23 GWV.  We located their room and took photos of every nook and cranny for them.  We happened to run into the assistant head housekeeper, Evi, who said she could do us a favor.  We asked for a small dining table we could put on our veranda, and she promised to find us one. Low and behold, it did appear when we returned.

Repeating pretty much what we did a week ago, we left the ship by 9:30am and headed to the area where the crew leaves.  With our in transit cards in hand, we got off easily.  The weather could not have been better, with the predicted high in the 60's or more.  It took us about 1 ½ hours to hike the water front from Canada Place, past the Convention center, and along the seawall.  The seaplane terminal was already getting busy with float planes landing and taking off every few minutes.  Passing the Westin, we continued past Coal Harbour and the marina. 

We spotted Lost Lagoon this time, then continued to Stanley Park with 1000 acres of evergreen trees and other venues.  One of those is the Horse Drawn Carriage Rides.  Today the pair of horses were Percherons, according to their handler.  They were huge beautiful animals with hooves the size of dinnerplates.  They pulled the aluminum frame coach with ease.  A sign was posted between the two horses warning not to pet them near their mouths, as they may mistake your fingers for carrots.  Ouch!

It was beginning to get crowded, so we headed off into the park, taking a shortcut over the top to the Stanley Park Seawall.  We saw Lumberman's Arch, what is left of a massive tree from the beginning of the 20^th century.  There was also a take-away café in this area, but it was closed for the season we think.  The designated pedestrian walkway and bike lane was starting to get busy.  To complete this walk, it was 6 miles.  The view of the Lions gate Bridge was excellent here.  We did not need to go further, so headed back on the pathways through the tree-studded park.  Took about an hour to make it back to the lunch place we like so much….The Steamworks Brewing Co. The pizza and beers were really good, as was the apple galette dessert.  It was close to 1pm, and the place was crowded for a Wednesday.  Service was a bit slow, but we needed to take our time, and not get back to the terminal too soon.  With three ships to fill, there would be a lot more guests to check in.  Last week this went off like clockwork.  But today…..well, not so easy.

We entered the terminal located under Canada Place, and proceeded to the same area the crew uses.  We showed our in transit cards, and were directed to the correct line.  When we reached the area where the bigger crowd was checking in, we were directed around them when we were asked if we were US citizens.  At the kiosks, we scanned our passports, answered a few questions, then had our photo taken.  Once completed, a slip is issued that is handed over to an official.  Easy, but not for long.  A row of HAL reps were getting the newly checking in passengers at the kiosks with facial recognition.  We did not have to do this last time, since we were in transit.  Today, they insisted we had to do this.  Not listening to us that we were already on the ship, they could not locate our  names as new passengers.  Hello……we were in transit!  These gals sent us to another desk, and another rep said why are you guys here?  You are already cleared.  Great, she walked us to the barrier tape and said go through and go to the gangway.  As we were about around the rope, here comes another rep, saying no…we cannot go.  Come on…enough already.  Showing her our room keys and in transit cards, she reluctantly apologized, and let us go….finally.  Both of us were thinking…hurry up before they change their minds.

Good to get back to our room, we spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos.  By the time the ship left the dock around 4pm, we cracked open the bottle of sparkling wine, and sipped and savored as we left the harbor.  Good thing that we thought ahead and had a bottle in the refrigerator, because they failed to have the new bottle on ice.  Oh, should all of life's problems be so bad?  Not.

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, and we were rather surprised to find the room so full of guests.  Usually at 8pm, the majority are about finished with their meals.  Not so tonight.  Guess we were lucky to get a table for two, even though they are really tiny.  Our waitress told us that they had planned for 16 guests, but about 80 showed up.  First time we noticed a long wait time  for our courses, not that we were in a hurry.  One table for three that were across from us, definitely must have had the Have-It-All beverage package.  You know the one where you get 15 drinks a day per person?  Well, at least two of them must have exceeded that number, and were really loudly whooping it up.  The good news was they were on their dessert course, and once they finished their wine (a must), they left the room.  Had a difficult time doing it, so some waiters came to help.  So not worth the hangover, ha-ha.

Tomorrow, Captain Friso warned that we can expect a change in the weather, with cloudy skies and eventually some rain.  Guess our luck might be running out for sunny skies.

Bill & Mary Ann

216 Pictures

Report #15 Tuesday September 20, 2022 At Sea Enroute Via The Inside Passage To Vancouver, Canada Sunny, but chilly wind 69 Degrees

A day at sea was most welcomed this morning. The Pinnacle Grill was not crowded, and we think the reason for that was the time change of going ahead one hour. At the entrance to the Dining Room at 8:45am, there was a line heading down the hallway with guests waiting to be seated. We have truly been spoiled with breakfast in the smaller Pinnacle Grill. No waiting for anything. After we finished our meal, we gave the manager a list of dates for this venue and one for the Canaletto for next week.

At 10:30am, we were invited to another Mariner Recognition Event which was held in the tucked away Gallery Bar on deck two. Gone are the days when a much larger group of high day Mariners were invited to attend. In total, we counted about 12 guests, including us. Wine, champagne? or mimosas were offered, along with two trays of hors’deuvres and jars of “formal” nuts, as we loved to call them. Of course we declined having just finished breakfast. The Captain had a few minutes to chat with us, sharing the news that the Zuiderdam will be undergoing a dry docking for 14 days in December at the cost of 10 million dollars. He has heard that a library may be added, but no Grand Dutch Café as we had hoped. The rest of the refit would be behind the scenes. We did have a quick discussion with Henk concerning the amended itinerary for the upcoming Tales of the South Pacific. We informed him that we had received a copy of the original itinerary on our computer just this morning. Nothing had changed. He said he was going to get to the bottom of this snafu, since the revised itinerary had been out for several days now.

Ian, the Cruise and Travel Director, announced a couple of medal awardees who came forward for a photo with Henk and Captain Friso. Then the rest of us were acknowledged according to our medal level. One fellow was sitting alone, away from the group, and Ian failed to mention him. He corrected his mistake and invited him up for a photo, asking where his wife was. His answer was she was not feeling well. Someone in the group remarked they hoped it wasn’t Covid. With that comment, the man nodded that it was.

After the event was over, Ian came over and we talked about the pandemic mess of March 2020, and where we all had been stuck when the ships ceased operations. At that time, he was on the Volendam’s Grand South America cruise, but was not allowed to debark due to the fact he was British. He ended up on a Princess ship which was headed to Europe and England. Under the circumstances, he praised the Princess team for doing a great job getting him home.

Taking a walk on the Promenade deck, we saw many people with cameras and binoculars looking for whales, they said. Way out in the distance, we did see many blows, but did not see any diving whales. At least we saw some. We were told we may see some orcas around 5pm when naturalist, Kainoa, has a wildlife spotting session at the Sea View Pool.

When we went back to our room, we had two Delft tiles left for us on the bed. Another end to a 7 day run.

It was a room service lunch for us with salads and sandwiches at 2pm. The complimentary 8 x 10 photos we had taken in the Mariner Event was delivered to our room by 4pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent working on the computer as well as relaxing on our veranda. The further south we traveled, the nicer it got. It had warmed up to 57 degrees with a slight breeze. The skies remained blue for the most part, so the sailing into Queen Charlotte Strait was beautiful. We never did see those orcas like we did last week, but the scenery sailing between the islands of the Inside Passage was rewarding. Following closely behind us was the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, and way far behind was the Celebrity Eclipse, we believe.

Dinner was in the Canaletto tonight. Andre greeted us and gave us a nice table for two. For starters, we ordered salads and a shared bowl of veal meatballs with freshly-grated parmesan cheese. One of us had the lasagna and the other the special of the day……short ribs.  Not particularly fond of the sides, he added a baked potato, and assumed the toppings would come with it. The butter and sour cream did not come with it, and by the time they brought it, we were about finished. Oh well, we will need to remember to order it all at once. Our waitress felt bad, but we said it was fine. We had saved a little room for desserts of gelato, one with espresso and chocolate shavings. I ordered the cappuccino like I had last night with almond milk. It was better than dessert.

Yesterday, we got the letter describing what we do in Vancouver tomorrow with the zero clearance and debarking. We will need to leave the ship around 9:30am, and be back before 2:30pm. Looks like the weather will be even nicer than last week, if that is possible for the first day of autumn.

Bill & Mary Ann

33 Pictures

Report #14 Monday September 19, 2022 Ketchikan, Alaska 11am to 6:30pm Sunny, but chilly wind 51 degrees

 

Yesterday, there was a hint that it may be 70 degrees in Ketchikan, but we think they were off by 20 degrees.  It was sunny, but downright chilly.  We are not complaining, because more times than not, it is raining here.  We will take sunny, blue skies over rain any day.  The Zuiderdam was scheduled to be docked by 11am, so that gave us the morning to relax, although, there were many activities happening around the ship.  One of them was Honoring HM Queen Elizabeth ll and the broadcast of the State Funeral.  They were able to record it, and present the film in the Mainstage at 10:30am.  It appeared on the BBC HD TV channel.  In real time, we could have watched it live from 11pm last night until this morning.

We began our approach to Ketchikan entering past the Tongass Narrows.  On the Gravina Island side, we spotted a humpback whale blowing, then diving very near the shoreline.  Guess some of them have not left yet.  There was only one, and he was diving deep, but we were still able to capture a few photos.  As we sailed closer to Ketchikan, which is located on Revillagigedo Island, we saw a smaller cruise ship tucked into a cove.  Turned out to be the Norwegian Spirit, and may have been docked at The Mill at Ward Cove, built in 2021.   The downtown piers had the Royal Princess and Celebrity's Eclipse, both large vessels.  The town will be crowded today for sure. 

To avoid the long line of debarking guests, we waited until noon to leave.  No problem this time, as most of the passengers had probably gone off on tours.  We were not sure if we should take our heavier jackets, but with that wind blowing, we opted for the arctic coats.  And glad we did.  As the day wore on, a fine layer of clouds blocking the heat of the sun appeared, keeping the temps lower.  The strong winds never stopped. 

We took our usual route to Creek Street to see if the salmon were still running….actually swimming up the creek.  The first thing we noticed while standing on the Stedman Street Bridge were two harbor seals working the waters.  We knew the salmon were still coming up the creek or else these seals would not be here.  We did take Creek Street up to the top, but did not dilly dally, since there were way too many people crowding the boardwalk and viewing platforms.  The best place to see the incredible number of salmon, is in the upper creek on Park Avenue.  Even several sea gulls were pigging out on the rotting carcasses in the shallow portion of the river.  This is the salmon spawning area, and there were hundreds if not thousands of fish making their way upstream.  Asking a local what type of salmon these were, the answer was either chum or pinks.  The pinks have the humpbacks, and that was what we were seeing. Many more were dead and dying compared to a week ago.  Of course, the aroma was not so pleasant as one might expect.  Bet that attracts the bears too, who make their way here during the night we were told.  While getting up close and personal on the gravel banks, the manager of the Pinnacle Grill appeared with a buddy.  Seeing those dead and decaying salmon, he said that sure sharpened our appetites for a salmon dinner…….NOT exactly, we all agreed.

Once again, we crossed the road and followed Salmon Road to the hatchery and the City Park.  Taking advantage of a picnic table and benches, we sat and watched as a couple of "Ducks" drove their passengers to another bridge up the river.  Two tour buses also let their guests out to view the fish from the bridge.  After all of the vehicles left, we strolled up there to see what they did.  Actually, we decided the lower bridge offered a  much better view of the creek, which was loaded with spawning fish.  Snapping one photo of the totem in front of the Totem Heritage Center, we headed back to town. 

It was already after 2pm, and we knew to try for lunch at the Alaska Crab Company, the same place we dined last week.  With so many passengers in town, we might be out of luck.  Off the beaten track somewhat, access to this restaurant is by taking a small elevator up to the third level.  We were told we had a 10 minute wait, so we stayed.  It was only a couple of minutes before we were seated at the very same table we had last week.  In fact, the servers recognized us, and welcomed us back.  And by the way, most all of the tables were occupied, many of the diners chowing down on crab legs or fish and chips.  We ordered a plate of crispy chicken tenders with three dips….the best one was the BBQ for me and the honey mustard for Bill.  A pile of fries came with the chicken, and we had Alaska Amber beers again.  Dessert was a shared slice of caramel cheesecake.  If all goes according to plan, we should be back here in a week.

After exploring a few stores, we went to the Visitors Bureau and picked up some more brochures.  In the same area is The Rock, a bronze sculpture  of Ketchikan's first people and pioneers. Nearly 20 out of every 100 residents can trace their heritage back to the native tribes.  Across the street is the Welcome Arch which welcomed visitors in the early 1920's.   You cannot stop in this city without going into the Tongass Trading Company, boasting the best shopping on the Inside Passage.  They have just about everything you can imagine, and at reasonable prices. It is always a place we visit because they have a mounted full size polar bear inside behind glass.  Impressive.

Time to go back onboard, the security gal held up the same ipad we saw while in Skagway.  She said it was facial recognition, just like what was used in Ft. Lauderdale going through customs and immigrations when we did back-to-back trips in January through April.  We still had our room keys scanned, so this is a new process in the making we assume.  While we worked on photos and reports, the Royal Princess must have sailed out of the harbor.  These ships move almost silently, and we never noticed it was gone.  Around 6:30pm, the Celebrity Eclipse left the port.  Within minutes, we followed them out.  Once the sun dipped below the mountains, it was really cold.

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, and we ordered the same salads we like…..the wedge.  Mains were grilled lamb chops, and halibut, and both were cooked to perfection.  A chocolate souffle and some vanilla ice cream finished the meal.  For a change, we enjoyed cappuccinos, one with almond milk.  Excellent.  The only downside was that the clocks had to be put forward one hour this evening.  So we passed on the Orange Party again. 

We both agreed that depending on where your stateroom is located, makes a difference in your cruise experience.  It's a simple fact that having a forward room, like we had on the N. Statendam, we passed through the shops, the music venues, as well as the casino after dinner.  The booming noise of the Billboard Onboard, the Rolling Stones, and the BB King venues were loud enough to wake the dead.  The casino was so mobbed, that we had to wiggle through to access the elevators.  On the other hand, having a room in the aft, like here, we avoid all of that unless we go out of our way to those venues.  We have yet to do that, but we will have to, or else we won't know how it compares to the other ships.  Even the Shops on this ship are off of the beaten track for us.

Bill & Mary Ann

208 Pictures

Report #13 Glacier Bay 7am-5pm Sunday September 18, 2022 Partly Cloudy With Lots Of Sun 50 Degrees

 

Well, today was our second time to scenic cruise Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.  It is almost impossible to wrap one's head around the fact that it is 3.2 million acres.  You could spend a lifetime here, and never see all of it. 

Beginning the morning in the Pinnacle Grill at 7am, we inquired about two missing waiters.  We were informed that they had tested positive for Covid a few days ago, and are currently in a ten day quarantine.  And here we thought the virus was mostly gone.  Wishful thinking……  With this in mind, we will continue wearing our KN95 masks while inside the ship, and anywhere else that appears over- crowded.  Hope their recovery is quick, as they are missed.

By 8:40am, we were approaching Gloomy Knob, the cliffs where we spotted the mountain goats a week ago.  Since they are territorial, we figured they might be in the same area.  By gosh, they were, although not resting together on a knoll.  The park ranger had seen them as well, and said the name Gloomy Knob translated into the land of the mountain goats in the native language.  He added that the indigenous tribes gathered their shed wool, and used it to weave fabric.  Many kittiwake sea birds were nested in this area, and we even saw some pelagic cormorants, as they are called here. 

We had exceptional weather today, even warmer than last week.  Oddly enough, the day started out with low fog and clouds, but eventually the sun came out and the skies turned blue.  How lucky was that?  Once again, we were able to get a glimpse of Mount Fairweather in her white glory at 15,300 feet in elevation.  At this point, we began to see some ice floating in the bay as we got deeper into the fjord.  Saw some stray otters also.

There was a ship following in our wake, which turned out to be the NCL Sun.  There was no mistaking the colorful symbol of a shining sun streaming on the bow of the vessel.  We understand that only 2 ships are allowed in the bay each day.  Further up the bay, they turned into Tarr Inlet to view Margerie Glacier we think.  We are so glad we have this cabin, and don't have to go to the bow, where the people were like sardines in a can.  No social distancing there.  We did notice that most everyone was bundled up, but on our veranda, we were actually peeling off the layers. 

The ship glided past the smaller Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers with the promise we will see those on the way back.   As we approached Johns Hopkins Inlet, the ranger had some good info of this area.  He said that the glaciers are a river of ice with year round snowfall that compacts and flows down the steep downhill slope.  The storms providing this snowfall come from the Gulf of Alaska.  Some of the tallest mountain ranges in the world exist here such as the Fairweather Range.  A whopping 145 feet of snow falls annually in this area.  There are over 1000 individual glaciers in this park. 

By 9:45am, we passed by Jaw Point, and searched for signs of black or brown bears.  There were no sightings today.  It's the luck of the draw, and we had that luck last week.  By the way, we have to mention that there are no speakers on the verandas.  We can't even locate a speaker in our room….only one in the hallway.  Good thing we can turn on the bow camera, and get the lecturer talking.  We do have to dart in and out of the room to hear the commentary.  The door can be propped open, but with the huge mosquitos outside, we did not do that. 

Once again, we were told that Johns Hopkins Inlet was closed to ships most of the season, due to the protection of the harbor seals.  The size of a human, these seal numbers have been declining as much as 75%, and the experts are not sure why.  Who knows, it could be like Covid for people.  On the other hand, other seal species numbers are on the increase.  At the end of the inlet, we could see the tidewater glacier with the width over one mile wide, and the face 250 feet high.  The closer we got, the ice increased in the inlet.  The larger chunks of ice are not big enough to be called icebergs.  They are bergie bits, and home to hundreds of the harbor seals.  Only 10% of these chunks of ice are visible above the water surface.  The rest, 90%, is under the water.  The smaller ice is called growlers.

Captain Friso gave each side of the ship 30 minutes of viewing, with the hopes we would experience some calving.  Today all we saw were a few small chunks of ice falling near the face with small cracking noises.  Now last week, we heard the thunderous cracks of calving, followed by giant pillars of ice falling into the waters below.  Reportedly, the glaciers calve a few times every hour….it just wasn't our hour today.  Maybe next week……

Yesterday, we had received a flyer advertising a sale of a souvenir HAL stainless steel insulated mug filled with a choice of four coffees with alcohol, or steaming hot chocolate.  We called up the Exploration Café to see if this offer was still going on, and they yes.  So we ordered one hot chocolate and one Gold Rush coffee with Grand Marnier, coffee, and hot chocolate.  They were perfect to drink while viewing the bay.  And we think we got a better deal, since we do have the Have-It-All beverages, so we only got charged for the mugs.  We can use these to get coffee in the Explorations Café, saving them the paper cup with lids.

We would like to thank Secretary of State, William Seward, who bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for a mere 2 cents an acre.  "Seward's Folly" as the deal was known, was quite a deal, wasn't it?   Just think, if that never happened, we would probably have never seen any part of this wonderful state.

This seemed like a good time for lunch, so we ordered from room service again.  Salads, quesadilla, sandwiches, and one bowl of soup filled us up.  No cookies this time, just fresh green apples.  The service has been on time and nothing was missing.

The NCL Sun was on its way to Johns Hopkins Glacier by the time we were exiting.  We back-tracked past Lamplugh and Reid Glaciers with no commentary.  By now, we were doing 18 knots heading back.  The guide suggested keeping a lookout for otters and seals, as well as humpback whales.  He did level with us that most all of the humpbacks are gone on their way to Maui now.  Just like us pretty soon.  The final sealife we spotted was at South Marble Island, where we viewed Stellar seals that weighed up to 2000 pounds.  Most all of these red fur sun bathers were males, while the females stayed away on the outer rocks. 

The rangers had to leave the ship by 3:45pm to go back to Bartlett Cove and the Glacier Bay Lodge.  A catamaran-type boat picked them up.  They circled the ship, giving us all a chance to wave goodbye.  Somewhere around 4:15pm, the NCL Sun appeared, and the same process happened with them.  Their group of rangers were also transported back to shore. 

Once again, we filled out the Canadian customs form, and inquired about the Arrive Can we have to do again for the following stops in Vancouver.  The guest relations manager offered to do this for us, and all she needed was to make copies of our Covid vaccination cards.  Perfect.  We provided them, and she had the form printed with the new code, then sent it to our room.  This should take care of that until we head for the South Pacific.

Once the ship began to sail to open waters, we had some rolling.  We consider ourselves lucky that the storm that hit the Bering Sea area missed us altogether.  With 54 foot seas predicted, we sure did not want to experience that again.  Twenty years ago while on the Volendam's Asia/Pacific Explorer Cruise, we navigated through 55 foot seas near Dutch Harbor.  Never again did we want that kind of ride, we said.  Knock on wood….we never did come close.

Dinner tonight was labeled "dressy".  Except this time, dressy was just casual for most.  We spotted one fellow in a suit in the upper dining room.  Glad we did not put on the ritz, or we might have really felt out of place.  We have a feeling the guests on the longer 50 day cruise will be more conventional.  We'll see…..

Anyway, we ordered the veal chops and they were great.  Tasty and tender, and even served hot, we were happy to see this on the menu.

Tomorrow we will be back to Ketchikan with the promise of temperatures in the 70's.  How nice it that???

Bill & Mary Ann

153 Pictures

Report #12 Saturday September 17, 2022 Skagway, Alaska Partly Cloudy And Cool With A Steady Breeze

 

Around 5:55am, one of us awakened with a sudden knock on the door.  Probably still dreaming, I could have sworn I heard "fire alarm".  Which really must have been room service, and they had the wrong room.  So much for sleeping in a bit later.  By the way, we were already docked at Skagway, and the only cruise ship there today.  Once again, we had no satellite connection, but we did have internet.

Breakfast was earlier , 7 – 8:30am to accommodate the tours, most of which were variations of a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway.  Other thrilling excursions involved a plane or a helicopter ride to view glaciers and the countryside.  Back to breakfast….they served the best English bacon with our waffles and pancakes today.  Moist and tender.

It was downright chilly this morning, with temps in the high 30's.  Now we are really glad we brought those heavy jackets, because we wore them when we left the ship at 11am.  There was no long line getting off today, since most all of the tour groups were gone.  Actually, the later train tour was about to start, so there was a very long line for the folks to board the coaches.  From what we could see, the coaches were full.

Here are a few fun facts about Skagway.  The current population is about 1200 people according to the 2020 census.  In the winter, there are 800, while there are up to 2500 people in July, the peak of tourist season.  Their public school has 130 students from K – 12.  The climate in summer has 45 to 67 degrees and the summer solstice has 19 hours of daylight.  However, in the winter, the temps drop from 18 to 37 degrees with many days at below 0.  Darkness exists most of the day. 

Skagway gets 26 inches of rain and 39 inches of snow.  White Pass can get 20 feet of snow.  Summer tourists were 1.1 million cruise ship passengers in 2019, while 2020 had zero, due to Covid.  In 2021, tourists numbered in the 100,000 range, and it is expected to be much higher for 2022.

The largest employers are visitor and transportation industries and government jobs.  A copper mine still uses this port.  Finally, in May of 2022, unleaded gas was $5.50 a gallon, while milk sold for $7…..thanks to inflation.

Today our hike took us to town, where we stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitors Center.  They offered many brochures, so we decided to pick some up on the way back.  No sense packing them.  Also ducked into a few stores to compare prices from Juneau and Ketchikan. 

Continuing up the road, the houses ended, and we saw the Train Yard buildings.  There was an arrow pointing to the Gold Rush Cemetery, another ½ mile away.  Reid Falls was beyond that.  Perhaps we will save that hike for next week.  Crossing the highway, we walked over the Moore Bridge where the Skagway River rushes under it.  Just as we were leaning over the railing looking for fish in the river, a plane flew overhead, preparing to land at the small airstrip along the banks.  Took our breath away, since it was so low and loud, and too close to us.  Time to head back.

Lunch would be at the Skagway Brewing Company for a burger, fries, and two Amber Red beers.  We dined in their upstairs restaurants, where we found about a dozen customers.  It was not crowded like the Red Onion Saloon on Broadway Street.  Again, it would have been nice to have the pizza at the Station Bar & Grill, but they opened too late for lunch. 

The next stop was at smaller shop that sold ice cream and popcorn.  We purchased a large bag of caramel corn with candied pecans, a nice snack for our room.  They actually had tasting bowls where the folks could reach in and take a handful.  No way would we do that these days.  To tell the honest truth, Covid does not seem to be front and center here.  Compared to where we live, it seems to have hit, and is mostly gone.  The majority of the locals were not wearing masks.

Our last stop was at the Visitors Center to gather some brochures and maps, as well as the local newspaper.  Asking the park ranger about the impending storm up here, he said that it missed this part of Alaska, but hit the Aleutians.  He added that it was headed to California, where they may get up to 2 inches of rain or even better, some snow in the mountains.  Heaven knows….we need it.

We got back to the ship after 4pm, and warmed up in our room snacking on some of that good popcorn, while working on the computer.  Sitting on the veranda reading the information we picked up, we had to wear our heavy jackets and even use the plaid wool blankets.  Exposed to the wind, it was quite cool.

The time for dinner arrived, and we headed for the dining room.  One of our favorite dishes was on the menu……short rib Bolognese with linguini noodles.  Really, it was ground beef and tasted wonderful with extra parmigiana cheese.  Even better served hot.  Our new waiters must have gotten the message we like our meals hot.  A small serving of ice cream finished the meal.

After the ship left Skagway, Captain Friso announced that we were going to have an emergency helicopter medical evacuation of an ill guest.  He asked for no filming especially with flashes as it can blind the chopper pilot.  He expected the pick up to be between 10 and 12pm, but as this was being written, we heard it hovering behind the ship around 10:40pm.  Job done, they were on their way by 11pm.  Hope all is OK once again, since that makes two taken off in two days.

Tomorrow will be scenic cruising in Glacier Bay.  Wonder if it will be as spectacular as last week's visit?

Bill & Mary Ann

134 Pictures