Report # 26 Sunday September 29, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California Overcast With Fog And Wind No Sun Sea State: Moderate 9' Swell----Casual Dress

Yesterday we got a letter regarding our stop in San Diego tomorrow.  It stated that we can leave the ship anytime from 7:30am onwards.    However, we will not be able to re-board until after 11am.   This is normal procedure except there was no mention of customs and imigrations.  Nothing to fill out since we are landing in a USA port.   This might be different for the guests who are Canadian.  Our shipboard account as well as our internet package should continue for the next cruise.  Casino money had to be cashed out since the funds are not transferrable.  Not a worry for us since we don't gamble.  And lastly,  we might have to do the muster roll call, since our letter said it was a full passenger drill.  We did this in Vancouver but are not sure it counts in this port.  It's so easy these days, it's not a problem.   

This last day at sea was a lazy one for us.  Both of us worked on yesterday's report and photos.  It was just as well since the skies were overcast and the temps were still rather cool.  We had expected a bit warmer weather on the way down to San Diego, but the overcast skies took care of that.  We had another reminder to secure our loose items before stepping outside, and to please bring in cushions from the verandas when we are not present.  We have noticed that the future cruise consultant has been keeping later hours on this shorter trip.  Even during our dinner time, she has customers.  Since we are already booked over a year in advance, we don't need to add anything more.

Sales in all of the Shops drew the guests in for a last chance at bargains.  We didn't bother since we may be over-weight on the luggage already.  Smart friends we know leave some room for extra stuff before leaving home.

Lunch was in the Lido with a ham and cheese sandwich, a salad, and 2 slices of pizza.  We think the pizza man here cooks the best pizza so far compared to other HAL ships.  The crust is allowed to rise so it's not too thin.  He keeps it in the oven long enough to make the bottom crust well-done.  We learned that this young fellow from India will be going home tomorrow.   When we asked if he was happy to leave, he answered…oh yes, very happy.  Now we wonder how many more of the crew will be leaving.  We do know that Stephen, the food and beverage manager will be going home to Australia with his wife tomorrow. 

Dinner was the farewell meal of the day, with the kitchen staff, head waiters, and wait staff parading around both levels of the dining room.  They sounded way too happy as they said goodbye to a good number of guests.  We still do not know how many are staying onboard like us, but if we see a lot of unfamiliar faces tomorrow we will know the number of guests leaving was high.  Anyway our meal began with a crab cake, a Caesar salad, and bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup.   So good on a cold day.    Mains were one pork chop with no parsnips and one ½ order of prime rib.   The parsnips were on the plate, looking like mashed potatoes, and our waiters apologized for serving it with them.   If you come from the South, parsnips are part of your diet.  For us Californians, it is not a staple we see often if at all.  Serving the bottle of L&P made up for the surprise addition on the plate.  Dessert was one coconut custard slice of cake, which we shared. 

We can say now that there was no singing and dancing show on this 5 day cruise….only comedians.  This evening, there was a movie, "The Boys In The Boat"  in the World Stage and another flick, Planet Ocean shown in the Wajang Theater.    Suitcases were starting to line the hallway when we got back to our room.   The room stewards will be busy this evening getting ready for tomorrow's turn-over.

We plan on a nice day in San Diego…..and lunch out somewhere. 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #25 Saturday September 28, 2024 San Francisco, California Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-5pm Foggy With Little Sun 62 Degrees---Casual Dress--Orange Party

The Zaandam sailed under the famous Golden Gate Bridge around 6:15am this morning.  However, it was still dark out, and the bridge was shrouded with fog.  A handful of hardy souls braved the cold and went out on the bow and also deck six forward.  We were able to see a little bit of the bridge as we sailed under it from our veranda.   Having come into the SF bay several times on past cruises, one of us stayed in the comfort of our bed.  The fog was so thick on the water that we could not see the San Francisco Bay Bridge, which is well-lit. 

 

We docked starboard side to the old pier 35, which was better for all of us since it's closer to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.   A Princess ship was already docked at the new facility, and we suspected it to be the Grand.  It turned out it was the Sapphire Princess. 

 

The shore excursions today were the Ho-Ho bus, a city tour, and a combo of Alcatraz with other venues.  There was a visit to a winery in Sonoma for a wine tasting.  Our cellar master, Tihana, was hoping to join a crew tour there today.   Hope it worked since she was quite excited to go there.   There was also a drive to Sausalito and Muir Woods in the north bay.   None of these tours exceeded $200 per person.  And if you were energetic, you could rent an electric bike for $78 per person for the day. 

 

We stayed onboard until the crew drill was about over and left the ship by 10am.  Our walk took us past the crowds going into Pier 39.  Some one walking behind us yelled our names.  We remembered this same thing happened in 2022, and it turned out to be the same couple that follows our blog.  They instantly recognized us , adding that they have been followers of our blog for a long time.  That's always nice to hear.  They are only on this ship for 5 days and will leave in San Diego.  The Jeremiah O'Brien , a WWII Liberty ship had been moved to a pier opposite us.  Back in 2020, a homeless person caught this historic vessel on fire, but luckily it was saved. 

 

Passing up pier 39, we decided to come  back here later. Continuing on to Fisherman's Wharf, we noticed that there were not many restaurants open yet.   They are mostly dinner venues.  However, one outdoor eatery was getting ready to serve customers with their famous lobster and bay shrimp sandwiches with Boudin bread.  They make the best sourdough bread, and also use small loaves to serve clam chowder in a dugout hollow in the center.    You can eat the whole thing – bread bowl and all.  Except for one of us, who has a shellfish allergy.  I can only eat the French bread. 

 

Being that today was a Saturday, the streets here were crowded with locals and cruise ship passengers.  A flywheel as has been added here, giving the folks a chance to see the city from up high . Further up the road, we went to Ghirardelli Square where we picked up a bag of pumpkin spice chocolates.  They are SO good, and expensive.  But worth it.   This area has a lot of convenient benches where we took the time to relax for a while.  We watched crazy locals swimming in the icy waters of Aquatic Park.  Most wore wet suits. 

 

Muni Pier halfway circles this water park, a place where one of us fished as a kid years ago.  Back then, both of us remembered days past when we could jump on a bus, and make our way around town with friends for a day.  Bet we were not over 14 years old then.    The city we knew and loved has changed over the years unfortunately.  That became more apparent when we entered a local CVS store and found that everything was locked up behind glass cabinets with locks.  The only items not behind the glass were chips, snacks, and souvenirs.  Another cruise passenger was waiting for someone to help her, saying she could not believe what we were seeing.  It wasn't long ago that a  new law came out that people (mostly homeless and drug addicts) could steal up to $900 worth of items and not be prosecuted.  And that's what being dubbed a sanctuary city gets you.  But that is another whole story……We left the store with nothing.

 

The shops and eateries were loading up with guests now, so we decided to head back to Pier 39.  We always go to the Hard Rock Café where we were advised there was a 20 minute wait.  Asking for a high- top table, we were seated right away.   Lunch consisted of two Stella draft beers, with a Legendary burger to share.  It came with lots of fries.   The music was loud and the place was jumping – typical HRC.   The HRC shop was out of city t's too.

 

Leaving lunch, we made our way to through the dense crowd at Pier 39 to see the sea lions.  We could hear them before seeing them as they like to bark a lot.  There were fewer here than we saw last year.  By reading the railing signs, we learned that most of them travel to the Channel Islands this time of year to breed.  They are always fun to watch as they maneuver for the perfect spot on the pontoons. 

 

The high fog never really lifted for very long.  When it did let the sun shine through, it was nice.  We were back to the ship by 3:30pm with no waiting to board.  The xray was done in the terminal building as well as the facial recognition check.  We passed both.   All aboard was 4:30pm and about that same time, the Sapphire Princess fired up her engines and left he bay. 

 

We relaxed in our room -  one of us worked on the computer while the other bundled up and sat outside watching the gulls and sea lions pass  by.   We left the pier after 5pm, and we were able to see all of the famous sights on the way out.  Being on the portside,  was plus for us today.   The birds such as herring gulls, smaller gulls, pelicans, and cormorants were out in huge numbers today as we left.  The ship must stir up the food they like to eat in the bay waters.  There were a few kite riders, sailboats….one of which the Captain blew his horn at as the vessel crossed right in front of us.  What were they thinking???   We stayed outside with our heavy jackets on, and it was still cold.   However, we stayed out until we spotted the Cliff House, and Ocean Beach and the famous Dutch Windmill.    

 

Dinner was Dutch this evening.  So one of us had the hot pea soup and the other a Westland salad with honey mustard dressing.  And what showed up on our table?  A brand new bottle of Lea & Perrins sauce, compliments of Pulung, who took credit for ordering it and finding it in the deliveries.  Entrees were one Hodge Podge Klapstuk, or a type of Dutch stew.  The other plate was the pork cordon bleu.  Really good with L&P of course.  We shared  one Lindt tulip dessert, which is the first time we have seen the new chocolatier  offered.  This dessert was like a firm chocolate mousse in the shape of a tulip.  The bottom had flourless chocolate cake.  And it was not overly sweet.

 

The comedy of Jim Flannigan was the entertainment this evening.  Come to think of it, we have not seen a show from the singers and dancers.  Bet a new group joins the ship in San Diego.  Looking forward to a day at sea.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

340 Pictures

Report # 24 Friday September 27, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To San Francisco, California Partly Sunny With A Following Wind 60 Degrees Sea State: Rough 9' Swell----Casual Dress

 

The sounding of the ship's foghorn woke one of us up in the wee hours of the morning.  We are not strangers to that sound, having been brought up in San Francisco .  The fog is a factor that we chose to mostly leave behind us, when we moved to the East Bay back in 1973.  Only 35 miles east of SF, we have more pronounced seasons of the year.  It can be hot in the 100's in summertime and drop to below freezing during the winter.

 

After breakfast in a very busy Pinnacle Grill, we paid a visit to the front desk to try and make heads or tails of our account.  The front desk gal was quite helpful and printed out the account for us.   Although not totally itemized, we found it jived with our invoice.  In fact, in today's "The Daily", we have been asked to review our shipboard account now, so you would have time to make corrections.   This leads us to think perhaps many other guests have had problems like us.  Those guests that are on this five-day segment will only have a few days to fix stuff. 

 

During the Captain's noontime talk, he mentioned that the seas were behaving much better, and we had a following wind from the north aiding in our transit.  This evening, he said the ship's speed would be reduced to 9 knots, a requirement due to the whale migration activity.  There have been some unfortunate accidents with collisions with the humpbacks in past years.  We did keep a watch out for the telltale spouting , but we saw none. 

 

The Zaandam will sail under the Golden Gate Bridge around 6:15am tomorrow morning.  The bow will not be opened since it is still dark at that time.  Some folks did go to deck six forward to possibly take some photos, but from we saw from our veranda and the TV screen, there was too much fog.   We sure hope that fog lifts and we will have a nice day in the city, as well as a clear sail away at 5pm.

 

For us, it was a day of relaxing for a change.  The sun did peek out long enough that we could sit on our veranda enjoying the warmth.  Many ship activities kept the guests busy with a series of art classes in the Queen's Room.  We believe that these types of activities have been added to the Legendary Cruises. The usual games and lectures continued as well as promotions in the Shops.

 

Everything was back to normal in regard to our dining room table at dinner time.  The powers-to-be have continued to apologize for the mix-up.   We chose this particular railing table because it is located on a turn, giving us more room in between the chairs surrounding us.     Our meals were good, although one of us substituted the chicken noodle soup in place of the French onion soup.  A chilled soup popped up on the menu for the first time.  And finally, the chefs here have seen fit to add real noodles to the chicken soup, and not the spaghetti that refuses to stay on a spoon.  We both enjoyed a spring roll, followed by meatballs and spaghetti and one chicken fajita with all the toppings.  A new dessert popped up with a serving of rice pudding.  Very good for a change. 

 

Tomorrow, we look forward to a day walking the city around the waterfront.  We know the area well.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 23 Thursday September 26, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To San Francisco Partly Cloudy With Sun And Near Gale Force Winds Rough Seas 10' Swell-----Dressy Night

 

This morning began with an impressive sunrise – the first we have seen for weeks, come to think of it.  We did not capture it with the camera, but certainly there will be more in the days to come.  Some of the most outstanding sunrises and sunsets have been in Hawaii and French Polynesia. 

The new guests, many of whom are on a five- day trip to San Diego, arrived at breakfast by 8:30am in the Pinnacle Grill.  We think the ship is full, but we will have to check that out.  The official start of the South Pacific cruise will begin in San Diego. 

The weather had improved somewhat in the sense it as not raining.  However, the seas were rough with a very noticeable swell.  The mostly cloudy skies gave way to some patches of blue, but the winds were fierce.  This is common from what we recall sailing in this part of the world.   It did make our walk on the promenade deck a bit more difficult.  It became obvious that many guests did not plan on this type of weather, since we saw a lot of shorts, t-shirts, and no jackets.  Needless to say, they went out one door, and back inside quickly. We have not put our arctic coats away yet, so we were comfortable.

Working on photos and reports from yesterday's stop in Vancouver, we spent the morning relaxing in our new room.  It is very nice having the convenience of a veranda now. 

Our late Lido lunch consisted of a salad,  linguini with Bolognaise sauce, cheesy rolls and a slice of pizza.  They are still out of honey mustard dressing and Lea & Perrins sauce.  They got a delivery of French's Worcestershire sauce, but it is not the same taste as L&P.   Pulung, the dining room Maitre'd, promised they have ordered these missing items for the next big delivery. 

We had to re-register our credit card at the front desk.  This new accounting practice began with the start of this Legendary Cruise we were told.  On our printed statement, it is called "Automated Quick Balancing".  We did make it clear that if we want our "cashable credit" we will need to do that before 30 days have passed.  That will be October 25^th.  They promised that the "non- refundable credit" will carry over to the next month and until this cruise comes to an end.   That is unless we spend it.  The gratuities are covered on this longer cruise, so we should have some credit left at the end. 

Checking out the shops, we found very few sales now.  All new merchandise has appeared targeting the warmer weather ahead.  A rack of Alaska t-shirts were all that remained from the Alaska run, along with some costume jewelry and some stuffed bears.  The library, on the other hand, has been re-done with all new books – mostly hard cover books.  There is still an exchange corner, but most of these books were in foreign languages.  And passing through the casino, we noticed that some guests were smoking.  We do not think that was allowed while in Alaska.

We had another surprise when we arrived to the dining room for the gala dinner tonight.  Two people were sitting at our table.  How did that happen?  Obviously, there was a lack of communication with one of the head waters who could not find us in her system.  She did not know we had changed rooms yesterday.  Our regular waiters and Pulung knew we were in the Pinnacle Grill, but she had accidently seated new guests at our table.   Well, this was awkward, but she moved us temporarily to another table along the railing  just for tonight.  Each one of the staff involved came over and apologized including Sarif our waiter.  The head waiter said she had cleared the situation up with the other guests, and we would have our table back tomorrow.   Sarif told us quietly that he told her yesterday that we were still onboard, but she did not listen.   It wasn't the end of the world, since we had two nice waiters that took care of us.  Now the funny thing was that most of the upper dining room was empty.  There were plenty of tables for two as well.

So gala dinner was simple.  Two Caesar salads, one chicken entrée and one pasta with shredded oxtail meat was plenty for dinner.  The rolls they serve are fresh and tasty, but they are getting smaller every time we come back on a trip.  The little round ones (about the size of a golf ball) are suitable for sliders.  Oh well….smaller rolls require less butter we say.  Dessert was one sliced banana and a hot cup of coffee.  Another change we noticed on the way to the dining room was that the Explorer's Lounge has been converted back to the String Trio venue.  We are sure it is because of the Legendary angle of this trip.

A comedian by the name of Jim Flannigan was the entertainer in the World Stage tonight.  Or the movie, "Official Secrets" was shown in the Wajang Theater, another option.

Back in our room, we were given two very nice canvas tote bags….much heavier than the previous bags.  These are specifically made for the Legendary cruises.  We are happy that our room stewards are giving us the old style HAL pillow chocolates every night as well.  We wonder if they will ever serve the new Lindt chocolates?

Looking forward to another sea day tomorrow.  Hopefully the rough seas, wind, and rocking and rolling improve along the way.

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report # 22 Wednesday September 25, 2024 Vancouver, British Columbia Turn Around Day Docked Starboard Side To Pier Cloudy With Rain All Day 58 Degrees----Casual Dress

Well, all good things must come to an end.  We said goodbye to Alaska, and hello to the South Pacific.  Looking forward to it.  Our day started fine, but it didn't proceed that way.  You know how some days everything that can go wrong will go wrong?  That was today. 

 

After our early breakfast, we went back to the room to get all of our stuff ready to be moved to deck six.  Working with Vini, our go-to-man onboard, he coordinated the moving team with trolleys to transfer everything.   One problem we had was waiting for the current guests in our next room to leave the ship.  Until they scanned their cards upon leaving, we did not have access to the room.  They finally left at 9:30am, and thanks to Vini who called us,  we gave the new room stewards a chance to finish the room before we went up by 10am.  Some of our stuff arrived shortly afterwards.

 

Yesterday we had received new key cards, however, when we tried to access the deck six room, the cards would not work.  Going down to the front desk, Vini made us new ones.  The fellows were still bringing the luggage, so the door stayed opened.  We did not think to try the new cards.  Not checking the cards would turn out to be a problem later on. 

 

Leaving the ship, we used the old room key.  We were advised to use the new keycards when we returned.  No problem.

 

Once again, we had the in transit cards to show the pier people.  There were already a lot of new passengers arriving to Canada Place with two ships in port.  The Zaandam and the Grand Princess were the only two ships today.  And it was not the best weather-wise.  It was dark and dreary with constant rain falling.  With the temperature in the high 50's and no wind, we got by with sweatshirts and umbrellas.  No sense walking all the way to Stanley Park today.  It was way too wet.  Today we only went as far as the wind sculpture and turned around.  We figured if we got to the restaurant before noontime, perhaps the line in the cruise terminal might be shorter.  In this case, we were correct.

 

We went to the Steamworks Brewery for their excellent pizza and Lion's Gate Lagers.  We shared the apple galette once again while watching the Grand Princess taking on fuel for her next journey.  Where she goes, we do not know.  So by the time we left, it was nearly 1pm and guess what?  The line was half of what it was last Wednesday.  Remembering to put absolutely everything in the basket for the xray, the check went quickly.  The line for the facial recognition check went smoothly.  We got the green check once again.  And we are so glad we do not have to do this procedure again as we will be heading south to San Francisco, California. 

 

So at the kiosk re-boarding the ship, we used our new room keys.  They worked….no problem.  But when we got to our room, they would not open the door.  Only our new room stewards could let us in, but they were nowhere in sight.  So we went down to the front desk where 20 people were in line for other problems.   We did notice there was a Club Orange sign at the right end of the desk, and we know that we are able to use that line.   New keys were printed and to make sure they worked, one of the girls came with us to make sure they worked.  Did they open the door?   NO.  She tried her master room key, and hers did work, so the problem had to be with the card maker.  She repeated this drill two more times with no success.

 

Finally, Vini came to the rescue, and delivered two cards that finally worked.  When we opened the door when he knocked, we found him on his knees holding the cards in the air, and saying it worked thank goodness.  No kidding….on his knees.  That made six times of printing the cards before they made it work.  So we stayed in the room putting everything away.  It was almost like starting over.  The only clothes we did not have to handle were the closet ones on the hangers.    By the way, as most of you all know, we are one closet short in the veranda room.  We do have more drawers – 9 drawers instead of 3.  We left around 3pm to do the muster drill.  It has to be done every 30 days, and it could have waited until SF or San Diego.  We decided to go now and be done with it for another month.  Then we ran the drill on the room TV and we were done.

 

Two plates of goodies were delivered when we were at the muster check.  One had shrimp in cocktail sauce as well as a mango-cheese canapy, and the other place had beautiful chocolate-dipped strawberries.  We saved the strawberries for later.

 

Earlier in the day, we had received an invitation to another Mariner Society welcome onboard at 6:45pm in the Lido Poolside.  This would be a more inclusive party with 3,4, and 5 star members.  President's Club members were not announced.   Since we were still hanging things up and getting organized, we did not attend this one.  We did watch the sail away from our veranda, which was nice…..very wet and rainy, but nice.  Today there was no sign of those killer whales we saw when leaving last week.  Another lucky moment.

 

The Grand Princess left ahead of us, and we followed on her heels.  Once under the Lion's Gate Bridge, we encountered another Princess ship coming into Vancouver, which turned out to be the Ruby.  The Grand's captain tooted his horn several times, followed by the Ruby's captain blowing one big toot.  The Ruby's passengers waved and cheered as both ships passed by.   We figured it was Happy Hour time and the folks were very happy.   We did see some sea birds such as the cormorants, gulls, and a few greater blue heron.  A couple of sea lions popped up checking us out as we sailed out of the harbor.  The trees were starting to pick up more fall colors of yellow, orange, and red.  So pretty.

 

We found an amusing note on our coffee table.   It said for safety reasons and to protect the marine environment, no towels, clothing, or any other personal items are to be left on the balcony when the stateroom guests are not present.  We suppose this means you are no longer able to do a hand wash and hang it over the chairs to dry all day.  Yes, we have seen this this done over and over.  And if a sudden wind comes up, much of that wash will blow away. 

 

Trying to get the internet working was a problem.  Originally, we had paid for a plan for 77 days.  But as far as we could see, it was not recognizing that.  Vini to the rescue again.  He had to "re-buy" the plan and refund it so we were back in business.  Another upsetting moment we did not need.  But wait…..there's more.

 

The most upsetting thing happened when we looked up our shipboard account, finding that the credit we had left from the last three cruises was gone.  We were under the impression that all of our four cruises were linked and the account would roll over with each ending cruise.  It was even written on the in transit letter they send every  time we have to disembark and re-board.  It worked fine until today.  So with Vini's help once again, he promised to check into this immediately.  He did, and phoned back explaining that everyone's accounts are zeroed out after 30 days when they either charge your credit card,and or refund the cashable amount.   No one told us this.  We always leave the credit in the account to pay for tips or visas, etc.   Now they bounce it back to the card, and re-charge it again.  This is new since our last trip on the grand world cruise.  At least the non-refundable amount did roll over to this trip.  In addition to this change, they are no longer able to keep your credit card info on file for more than 30 days.  So now we have to run our card at the front desk again.  If this new policy was in our contract, we sure did not see it.  Remember……read everything before you go.  Vini promised to make a copy of our account and send it to our room.  It arrived within 20 minutes.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, the least busy night of a new cruise.  We ordered the wedge salad and clothes line bacon for starters.  We prefer the grilled lamb chops with nothing else on the plate.  We call it "naked lamb chops", which the waiters like to chuckle about.  For a side we added French fries….the skinny ones.  It was so good, we passed on dessert.  After such a long day with all of the hiccups, we were exhausted.  Good thing we have two days at sea to relax.

 

There was entertainment in the World Stage with Chris Bannister singing John Denver tunes.  He was on the grand world voyage this year as well, so we have seen his show and liked the music.  There was a movie as well – Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight.  For us, it was bedtime.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

105 Pictures

Report # 21 Tuesday September 24, 2024 Sea Day Cruising The Inside Passage 3pm-7pm Whales, Dolphins, And Orcas Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun 57 Degrees---Casual Dress

Before we are too far away from Alaska, we came across some interesting facts about that state.  The size of Alaska is 586,412 square miles.  It is as wide as the lower 48 states and larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined.  The biggest mountain in the North American continent is Mt. McKinley at 20,320 feet.  The Yukon River is almost 2000 miles long, the 3rd longest in the world.  Alaska has more coastline than all other states combined.  One of the strongest earthquakes happened in Alaska in 1964 – a 9.2 magnitude.   Finally there are more active glaciers in Alaska than the rest of the inhabited world.  One glacier, Malispina, is 850 square miles – bigger than the country of Sweden.

 

Today was "Brunch Day", so we did not expect to see many customers for breakfast  in the Pinnacle Grill.  We were wrong.   Many of the Neptune crowd have enjoyed the special attention in this venue.  We sure have.  The tables filled within a half hour.

 

By the time we went back to our room, we found two more tiles and an invite to another international wine tasting this afternoon at 2pm.  Nice to be invited, but we did not attend.  The weather was mostly wet, foggy and dismal with a noticeable swell just enough to make re-packing not so much fun.  We did not need to be really careful, because we will unpack when we move to deck six tomorrow.  Everything on hangers will be moved for us on one or two carts.  It still took the better part of the morning to finish the job…more or less.  Just don't ask where anything is in the four suitcases.

 

This final sea day was full of fun activities and promotions in the shops and spa.  Every venue on the ship was full of people all day long.  We had another invitation for a Mariner Recognition Event in the Explorer's Lounge at 4:30pm.  We will attend that one.  In the meantime, we ventured into the Lido for a late lunch.  Instead of salad, one of us finally tried the pasta bar.  The spaghetti with Bolognaise sauce was hot and tasty topped with  parmesan cheese.  There were two cheesy rolls left, so we took both of them.    Adding a couple of slices of pizza, and we were full once again. 

 

Every single window seat was taken with folks watching the scenic cruising of the Inside Passage.   Both the Lido and deck five were filled with onlookers.  Last week we went outside around 4 or 5pm, but it was raining, so we did not see a lot.  It appeared the sun was peeking through the clouds, so today's viewing may be better. 

 

At 4:30pm, we headed to the Mariner Eventin the Explorer's Lounge.  There was a total of seven  people including us.  Boy, have these events changed or what?  The cruise and travel director, food and beverage manager, the hotel manager, two ladies from the front desk, Vini, the event planner, and Captain Willems were present.  No one got a medallion.  But we did get a group photo with the officers and Captain.  We were served drinks, the same that we ordered last time, but no snacks….just peanuts.   Captain Willems came over and chatted with us for a bit.  He said he was heading home tomorrow and Captain Ane Jan Smit will be taking over.  All of the captains work 3 months at a time, then are off for 3 months.   By the way, we learned that the wine tasting was cancelled due to lack of customers.

 

By 5:30pm, we bundled up and went outside to look for wildlife.  The bow was supposed to be opened at 4pm, but it never did.  There were six other people with us since it was windy and cool.  No rain.  We witnessed some whales blowing and diving, then saw a few orcas in the distance.  But the best sighting had to be Dall porpoises, the most we have ever seen in one place.  It was well worth the wait, braving the elements.  These porpoises are so fast, it takes a good camera to capture their movements.  It took hundreds of shots to get some good ones. 

 

Coming back to our room, we already had 2 copies of the group photo taken at the Mariner Event.  Nice memory.   Dinnertime arrived quickly as it always does.  For some unknown reason, the menu for tonight was not on the TV.   However there were some favorites that we ordered.  Starters were spring rolls and hot tomato soup.  Mains were sweet and sour shrimp and one beef brisket with creamy mashed potatoes.  Both good.  So much so, we skipped dessert.  Right before our entrees were served, the farewell parade began with the kitchen staff, chefs, and waiters.  With swinging napkins, everyone cheered them.  Short and sweet, unlike the days of the Baked Alaska parade with sparklers on the top of the special dessert.  That was fun back then, but we think there may have been a few hair-dos that caught fire along the way. 

 

The comedy of Jim Short was the entertainer this evening with "Have Baggage Will Travel".  Then there is always a movie in the Wajang, or continue packing for tomorrow's big exit.

 

Stay tuned…we will be back.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

86 Pictures

Report #20 Monday September 23, 2024 Ketchikan, Alaska-11am-6:30pm Docked Port Side To Pier Heavy Rain All Day 52 Degrees 12mph Winds---Dressy Night

Today we will enjoy our last port in Alaska…..Ketchikan.  It turned out to be cold, windy, and downright rainy.  Typical Ketchikan weather we understand.   Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill filled up with several guests today due to the fact that our arrival to Ketchikan was at 11am.   Around 9am, we bundled up and went outside to watch the scenic sailing on the way to the city.  Strong winds almost blew us off of the deck.    The rain was coming down heavy and the deck was about flooded.  No wonder we had the entire deck six forward to ourselves.  The bow was supposed to open at 9am, but the weather prevented it. 

 

The airport was still operating despite the driving rain and winds.   Strobe lights flashed on the runway as some commercial planes landed.  We could see the floatplanes were grounded.  We highly doubt that there will be any small planes flying over Misty Fjords, the wilderness adventure, or the bear adventure.  Sadly in years past, there have been fatal accidents involving float planes here.  You could not pay us enough to take one of those tours….good or bad weather.

 

The most-booked attractions here are the totem-carving tours and the lumberjack show.  The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman (from the show Deadliest Catch) is very popular as well as any excursion that includes salmon, crab, or oyster tasting.  The pub crawl is easy and fun too.

 

The only other ship here was the Grand Princess, which arrived an hour or so before us.   Her passengers were pouring off in large groups heading for tours and shopping we assume.   The Zaandam docked portside by 10:30am, but was not cleared until closer to 11am.  It is always interesting watching the shoreside team with the ropes and maneuvering the gangway.  There is a 16 foot tide fluctuation here, making the gangway steep.  When it gets ridiculously steep, they opened deck A for easier access. 

 

We left the ship around 12:30pm  in the heaviest rain of the day.  We have never been here when it rained so hard.  Oh well, we had the hooded jackets, waterproof boots, and umbrellas, so the only part of us that got soaked were our jeans.  A funny thing happened on our way down the gangway when a couple of grumpy old men warned us by saying, "Don't go to that crab place across the street.  It was horribly salty and way too much money!"  Really?  Of course that was our lunch place, but we never order the King crab anyway.  At $150 for two pounds of legs, that's is way too expensive.

 

One good thing about the rain was that the streets were not crowded, and walking Creek Street by the Ketchikan Creek was a piece of cake.   Crossing Stedman Street Bridge, we noticed some harbor seals working the deep waters below us.  The second funniest thing happened when a man and his wife said to us…..look at the walruses.  Hmmm, wonder if they were on the town's pub crawl?  Just kidding, but we did have to say we think those are seals.  As far as we know, there are no walruses here.

 

The recent rains had the rapids in this creek rushing big time.  The depth of the water and the brown tannic acid color made it hard to see the fish.  Whatever had been dead on the banks were either washed away, or devoured by dozens of herring gulls.  We watched the activity in the creek long enough to see at least three harbor seals forcing the salmon to jump by the dozens along the shallow banks.  The gulls were right there to pick up possible scraps.  Walking up the stairs of the boardwalk, we watched the fish ladder where some salmon were fighting their way up.  We would say that the run of this variety of salmon is coming to an end.  We think they are the pinks or humpy's.  Going up to the next bridge, we saw a few locals fly-fishing.  They did catch a few trout, but no salmon that we could see.  Since the salmon are not biting now, the only way to catch them is snagging, which is legal for the locals. 

 

There was no point going to the park or the Totem Heritage Center, because the rain never let up.  Going to lunch sounded a lot better to us.   Heading back to downtown, we went for lunch and ordered a salad and chicken tenders with the best honey-mustard and BBQ dip.  Some guests sitting near us had ordered one King crab leg, which was quite large.   It came with rice and veggies and cost $50.  We enjoyed the draft beers and a shared slice of carrot cake.   That is one dessert that we have not seen served on the ship so far.  Since this was our last chance to get some room treats, we headed for the popcorn stand for 2 more bags of kettle and caramel popcorn.  Checking out a few stores there, we did not see discounts like we saw in Juneau.  They get the prize for the best sales this year.

 

The gangway had not been changed yet, so we hauled ourselves up the steep one to deck two.  Those with walkers had lots of help from the attentive crew.  I swear we left a trail of water on the way to our room.  It would take all night for the jackets and jeans to dry.

 

The ship left after 6:30pm…in the rain.  We found it strange that there was a wildlife spotting from 7 to 8:30pm from the Sea View deck.  It was dark by then, so we don't get it.  And it was cancelled anyway.  Dinner time came quickly, and this evening was dressy.  Another strange request when it had been a port day where we left late.  Most folks ignored it anyway.  We had one shrimp cocktail, a Caesar salad, pork schnitzel and a salmon plate.   Skipped dessert since we had indulged at lunchtime.   If we had stayed out and about until 9:30pm, there was another chocolate surprise on deck five.  Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate keeps one of us awake at night.  Not worth it.   The entertainment was Humanity, another show we had seen numerous times.  With the clocks going back one hour, we turned in right after dinner.  One thing that is different with a seven day cruise compared to a 128 cruise, is that the guests squeeze every activity in every day and every night.  Passing the Ocean Bar, we noticed there was not one empty seat.  Probably the Have-It-All option contributes to the number of guests getting their quota for the day.   Good for them.

 

Tomorrow we will be packing most of our things for a move to another room on deck six.  That should be fun…… or not!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

218 Pictures

Report #19 Sunday September 22, 2024 Scenic Cruising Endicott Arm And Dawe Glacier 9am-3pm Partly Cloudy With Periods Of Sun Cool In The 50 Degree Range 7 ---Casual Dress--With A Splash Of Orange

This is our third Sunday onboard, but we will not be going to Glacier Bay because all of the permits have been stopped for the season.    We were initially disappointed, but the substitute of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier proved to be a good one.  Right after breakfast, we bundled up to go outside and watch our trek into this fjord about 9am.  It's been many years since we did this run when we were on the Amsterdam.  At that time, we sure do not remember seeing much.  Today was a different story.

 

This entire area of Tracy Arm/Ford Terror Wilderness consists of 650,000 acres of pristine wilderness with sheer walled fjords that include Endicott Arm.  Each of these fjords are 30 miles long with tidewater glaciers at the end.  The last two weeks, the ship dropped off a group of guests that took an excursion up Tracy Arm to see North Sawyer Glacier.   Today there is no tour, so all of us can view the fjord and the glacier from the ship.  

 

Reportedly, this wilderness is home to brown and black bears, mountain goats, wolves, bald eagles, harbor seals, whales, and sea lions.  Where were they today?  Who knows……

 

The secret of today's success with photos had to be the appearance of the sun when the clouds parted.  Patches of blue sky added the color needed to make things pop.  The scenery of the tall granite cliffs studded with evergreen firs and hemlocks was stunning.  Even more so when the sun hit the glistening wet cliffsides and also the large floating icebergs.  Today we saw the most icebergs, growlers, and bergie bits compared to Glacier Bay. 

 

The sailing into the fjord took almost 3 hours.  We spent the entire time on deck six forward along with a lot more people that found their way up here.   The bow was opened at 9:30am, and wildlife guide, Kainoa, began his scenic narration earlier than planned.   His commentary did get broadcasted on all outside decks, but there were so many people where we were, that we could not hear him well over the chatter surrounding us. 

 

The color of the water in this fjord took on shades of aqua, emerald green, and milky silt.  With the sun peeking out, the trees were brilliant green and some fall color had begun with some deciduous trees and shrubs.  Even the granite cliffs revealed veins of orange and red, while the threads of waterfalls made for a truly scenic sailing.

 

Down on the bow deck, they set up a table with the hot coffee/chocolate and your choice of alcohol to spice it up.  A long line of cold people were happy campers enjoying the hot drinks.  At 10am, piping hot pea soup was served on all outer decks.  It's a bit early for us, but we know they will have it in the dining room tonight. 

 

It was really cold, even though it was 57 degrees, it felt much colder than that.  The deeper we got into the fjord, we did see some flocks of birds which we believe to be surf scoters.  Some folks near us thought they were puffins.  There were various types of gulls here and there, but not a lot.  We searched each and every iceberg for harbor seals, but saw none.  When we arrived to the Dawes Glacier, it was quite impressive.  The face is very high at hundreds of feet and one mile wide.  Judging from the ice in the water, we figured we might see calving.  But it never happened.  You know that a watched glacier does not calf.  Probably when we are around the bend when no one can see it, that will occur. 

 

The Captain stayed for a while, then turned the ship slowly so everyone had a chance to see it.  We stayed until 12:30pm before heading back to our room to warm up.  We still had a great view from our window as we sailed back to the opening.  Good time to sort through the photos….there were hundreds of those.

 

Lunch was at 2:30pm in the Lido.  Salad and sandwiches and pizza filled us up.  Every window seat was filled with folks that may have spent the morning there and never moved.  They took pictures with cell phones and real cameras, then fell asleep for a bit.  We are sure that the same thing happened in the Crow's Nest as people will go there at 6am to get the perfect chairs.  We prefer to be out in the elements and feel the experience as well as see it.  If you are dressed properly, it is very enjoyable.

 

Around 6pm, we were watching out our window, and saw a whale right alongside the ship.  It dove straight down, exposing the tail.  You just have to be in the right place at the right time.  Pure luck.  Earlier at 4pm, we had walked the promenade deck, but saw no wildlife.  We are sailing at a good clip as we need to be in Ketchikan by 11am tomorrow.

 

Tonight's attire was casual with a splash of orange.  It was Dutch Dinner night in the dining room featuring some of the flavors of Holland.  The only starter we had that was Dutch was the pea soup.  It was very hot and filled us up.  Mains were one pork cordon bleu and one roasted chicken with fries.  We shared the other Dutch treat – a Bossche Bol – chocolate-coated cream puff.  So good.

 

There was the usual Orange Party in the Crow's Nest at 9pm.  The other option was showtime with Chris Bannister singing tunes from influential artists from the 1970's.  The third option was turning in after a long day at sea.  Oh yeah, on our way out of the dining room, we noticed that the library has been re-stocked with all brand new books.   We figure this will be ready for the Legendary Tales of the South Pacific.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

197 Pictures

Report #18 Saturday September 21, 2024 Skagway, Alaska 6:30am-8:30pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Cloudy With Rain All Day Cool 45 Degrees ---Casual Dress

Well here we are in Skagway where the Zaandam docked at the Broadway Dock, the best spot in the wharf.  Only the Grand Princess was here and was docked near the rockslide area, where we believe they had to use buses to get to downtown.  It was dark when we arrived and it will be dark when we leave after all aboard time of 8:30pm.  It's probably a scenic trip entering the Taiya Inlet from the Lynn Channel, but we never see it. 

 

With all of the tours offered today in Skagway, the most booked has to be the ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route train.  And for that reason, there were only four of us in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast.  We had the best service ever, as well as the chance to visit with Tina and her assistant Neli.  It's the best way to start the day, thanks to them all.

 

Today's weather was not the best as it was raining with temperatures in the 40's.   There was no wind at all.  If there was a wind event as predicted, it happened yesterday.  We sure hit it while we were sailing into Juneau. 

 

There was a ship crew drill at 9:30am which lasted for one hour.  We left the ship by 10am dressed with our warmest clothes and rainproof jackets.  We did also need the umbrellas.  Here are a few nuggets of information about Skagway.  According to the 2020 census, there were 1240 permanent residents.  With the addition of the summer workers, that population increases to about 2500.  The largest minority is Hispanic or Latino at 7%.  Native Alaskans (mainly Tlingit) make up 5.5% of the community.  Skagway was the first incorporated city in Alaska in 1900, then it became a municipality on 2008.  There is a 5% sales tax which drops to 3% in the winter.  School enrollment is 130 kids in grades K to 12.   They have achieved very high test scores as well.  The surrounding peaks soar to 7000 feet and the power is supplied from three hydroelectric facilities.  The summer temperature average 45 to 67 degrees.  The average winter temps are 18 to 37 degrees.  They get 26 inches of rain and 39 inches of winter snow.  In White Pass, the snowfall is 20 feet.

 

In 2023, there were 1.2 million cruise ship visitors and in early May the gas price was $5.75 a gallon.  Today we saw the price was $4.75 for regular.   Milk was $8 a gallon, while the houses were ½ million dollars.  If you drive from Seattle to Skagway, it is 1819 miles and it takes 3 days to do it.   If you drive from Miami, it is 4818 miles and 9 days to get here.  And that's all we have learned with three visits here.

 

Since it was so wet out, we walked the town starting with the Pullen Creek.  There were no fish coming up this stream, so perhaps they went to the Taiya River instead.  We came to the Mollie Walsh Park, named after a pioneer lady who chose the wrong man to marry.   In time, he killed her.  A former suitor, Jack Newman, actually built a bust of her calling her the Angel of White Pass.  A children's park is here in her memory as well as a very nice public bathroom facility.  This city is very people-friendly with many opportunities for rest stops.

 

The William Moore Homestead was next, but it was closed today.  Not a surprise, since several businesses in town had closed for the season.  We spotted a native squirrel who was working the grass under a spruce tree.   He was busy gathering up the small cones to stash for the winter.  We read that the squirrels only eat cones from the spruces.  Carrying on, we followed Broadway Street until we ran out of shops and cafes.  No need to go further, since the rain was getting worse by now.  Time to head for lunch.

 

The Station Bar & Grill was about full, but one table was available.  Perfect.  We ordered two Alaskan gold draft beers with the Hawaiian pizza.  Hands down, their pizza is the best.  There are a couple of other pizza parlors in town, but why take a chance when you where it is the best?  Talking to the waiters, they said they will be closing for lunch soon, especially when the cruise ships stop coming.  There may be a few more until the beginning of October.  Then the waiters here head down to the lower 48 for their winter jobs.

 

We saved a little room for the Klondike Doughboy Alaskan frybread to share.  They are pricey but oh so good.   Lastly, we paid a visit to the Boreal Shop up the street where one of us had spotted a particularly beautiful light wool scarf with a native design.  Actually, we had seen these scarves last year, but ran out of time to buy it.  The ship was leaving earlier at that time.  This time we purchased the scarf which will be suitable for a dressy night.   Compared to Juneau, there were few good deals here in town.   It did not stop the folks from buying a lot of souvenirs, which helps keep this city going.  We had spent 5 hours out and about and it was time to head back.

 

The tide had gone up a lot, so climbing the gangway was steep.  We spent the remainder of the late afternoon catching up with the photos.  Before we knew it, dinner time had arrived.  We have been watching the Club Orange menu to see when the veal cutlet (chop) would be offered.  Our new waiter Sarif said he has not seen it served on these 7 day runs.  He also added that this special dinner will probably show up on the next longer cruise.  We hope so since it is one of their best entrees in the dining room.  This evening we ordered the same starter and main meal with Caesar salads and chicken meatballs with rigatoni covered with red marinara sauce.  The entree plates came hot and delicious.  We passed on the dessert. 

 

The ship left the port 15 minutes after the all aboard time of 8:30pm.    Tomorrow we will not be scenic cruising Glacier Bay, but will be entering Endicott Arm instead.  We have done this run many years ago, but don't recall seeing much. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

194 Pictures

Report #17 Friday September 20, 2024 Juneau, Alaska--1:30pm-9:30pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Cloudy With Rain All Day Cool--45 Degrees ---Casual Dress

We woke up to a very heavily overcast day with rain showers off and on.  After breakfast, we went outside on deck six forward from 9:30 am to 1pm to catch the scenic sailing all the way to Juneau.   To say it was cold is an understatement.  The temperature was in the mid 40's with a wind chill to match.  The bow had been opened at 9am, and it was interesting watching the folks venture outside in all types of clothing.  The majority did have heavy jackets, hats, and gloves.  However, there were some with shorts and flip-flops.  Needless to say, they did not last very long.   Some came with the deck blankets wrapped around them, which was useless in the strong wind. 

 

We kept an eye out for any sign of wildlife, but for the most part, we saw very little except some flocks of birds.  Some were gulls, snow geese, and a few that resembled puffins.  When we got closer to Tracy Arm, we did see a glacier up high.  This one did not reach the waterline.  Passing this area up, we will come back to the nearby Endicott Arm on Sunday.  It will replace our venture into Glacier Bay.  About the same time, a whale or two appeared along the coastline.  We were lucky to get a shot of the big one as it breached, then dove, exposing that famous tail. 

 

As we approached the Gastineau Channel, we saw more whales spouting in the distance.  At least our perseverance paid off, and we did see some wildlife.  Just as in the last two weeks, there were many fisherman up to their chests in the water fishing for salmon.  We cannot imagine how cold that water must be.   On the way to the pier, we did see some eagles in the trees on the Douglas side.  There were no eagles in flight today like last week.

 

The Zaandam was the last ship to dock here.  The RCI Quantum, Grand Princess, and the Disney Wonder were already there in their usual spots.  So what put Juneau on the map?  It had to be the $150 million worth of gold that was found here in the 1880's.  Can you imagine what that would be worth today?   And it was also the fisheries and lumber industries that flourished here back in those days.  Now the city of 32,000 hearty folks work for the government and also the tourism industry.

 

By the time we left the ship, it was almost 2:30pm.  And it was raining.  We went directly for lunch at the Hangar on the Wharf of course.   Today there was no wait for a table.  We did the same as last week by ordering the macho nachos with ground beef this time.  Two Amber Gold beers and a dessert of mud pie completed our meal.  On the way back, we did some shopping.  Juneau Drugs had what we needed in the way of toiletries, and The Alaska Fudge Company had the delicious peanut brittle we like.  We did stop at the Alaska Shirt Company Extended, but were surprised to find most everything on sale was 3X to 5X.   The prices were really good such as $5 t-shirts, $10 pull-over fleeces, or nice jackets for $20.  What we did not know was that this shop only carried extended sizes.  At the Alaska Juneau Mining Company one of us could not resist purchasing another Lazy One sleep T ……discounted for a quick sale, like most everything else in the store.     One last sweep through the larger Alaska T Shirt Co. and we were done.  It was so crowded in there with their close-out sales, the aisles and registers were super busy. 

 

We got back to the ship by 5:30pm a little wet from the rain, but not too bad.  While we were downloading photos, we watched as the Quantum sailed past us.  The Disney Wonder had already left.  By 9:30pm, the Grand Princess left, and we took off last about 9:45pm.  We're not sure how many more ships will be up this way for the remainder of the season, and judging by the last minute sales that appeared this time, we think they will be shutting down soon.

 

By the way, a few days ago we had received an invitation for appreciation of our loyalty as President's Club Mariners, an exclusive dinner would take place in the Pinnacle Grill this evening.  The invite did not say who was hosting this dinner, but we did hear from Tina that it would be the Captain and perhaps some of his officers.  Since there is only one other PC   couple onboard, there would be only 4 guests.   Had this been on a sea day, we would have attended.  But on the final Juneau day, we did not want to sacrifice the port for an early dinner at 5pm.   We gave our regrets and that was that, although we did have a visit from cellar master Tahana, who said the wines would be top shelf.  Of course, we don't drink the wine, so it would not be up our alley. 

 

The upper dining room was half full when we arrived at our usual fixed seating time of 7:30pm.  Little by little, the tables filled with guests who appeared to be coming directly from an excursion.  The Lido was opened until 8:30pm, but when they closed, the guests kept coming until close to 9pm even though this venue closed by 9pm.  No one was turned away.  About 8pm, we could see the rain cascading down the aft dining room windows.  We doubt many folks would be in town with that kind of rain.

 

Our meal began with tomato soup and one Caesar salad.  Mains were sliced tenderloin and a chili rellenos with rice.  One dessert of chocolate whiskey torte and we were done.  When we returned to our room, we had the final customs declarations form to be filled out and returned to the front desk. Last week we had gotten this form and the instructions early in the morning.  They must have forgotten and sent it at the last minute, since it was due to be returned before we left port.  We quickly filled it out and brought it the front desk folks. 

 

Tomorrow we shall be back in Skagway as long as the predicted winds don't prevent us from docking.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

180 Pictures

Report #16 Thursday September 19, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Juneau, Alaska Cloudy With Rain Showers And Some Sun Cooler-- Temperatures 48 Degrees---Dressy Night

Yesterday we had the chance to purchase the Have-It-All package for the next 7 days.  The price was $65 per person per day, and both of us would have to buy it.  The perks included $100 towards a shore excursion, one specialty restaurant dinner (excluding Morimoto pop-up), and a surf internet package.  But the big draw has to be the beverage end of it which included 15 beverages up to $11 each.  The drinks included could be non-alcoholic beverages as well as wine, beer, and cocktails.  If we had purchased this package before the cruise began, the cost would have been $55 per person per day…..a better deal.   Doing the math on this offer, if you are big drinkers, you would be well ahead of the game.    We have only had the Have-It-All as a perk on one cruise and never came close to the 15 beverages a day. 

 

The new guests in the Neptune suites took advantage of the Pinnacle Grill breakfast this morning.  We also noticed that some of the wait staff had been re-assigned here.  This can be good, but not always.  Most of the original waiters knew we liked hot coffee, but now that they are gone, we have to start over reminding them.  Not a big deal since they are quick to learn.  

 

Somewhere in the pile of invoices we brought with us, we noticed that on this particular cruise, Glacier Bay was not on the itinerary.  Neither was Tracy Arm.  Substituted for Glacier Bay was scenic cruising of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  Do you think we could find that invoice with the itinerary changes?  The one to ask was Nyron, the shore excursion manager.  He knows everything.  So after breakfast, we stopped at the desk located across from the front desk.  Nyron confirmed that we are indeed substituting Endicott Arm for Glacier Bay day.  He added that all of the permits for Glacier Bay have stopped, as well as the entrance into Tracy Arm.   And there would be no excursion in that arm, just scenic cruising for all. 

 

The ship is currently sailing outside the Inside Passage in open waters.  The Captain mentioned that we would experience some deep swells, which were expected to increase later in the day and this evening.   He was correct.  The weather was a mixed bag.  The temps have dipped to the mid 50's with high overcast.  Later in the day, it rained, then the sun appeared off and on.  There was actually a real sunset, the first we have seen since we have been here in Canada and Alaska.  No chance for a photo because it was during  our dinnertime.

 

We had another invite for a wine tasting today,  but decided to go to lunch at the same time.  It's always nice to be invited however.  We also spotted a Princess ship sailing neck-to-neck with us.  It may be the Grand Princess on her way to Juneau.  Besides ducking in and out all day for walks and possible wildlife sightings, we kept busy working online.  We did check for any sightings of that promised wildlife at 6pm, but we were far from land, and we saw nothing but driving rain and high winds. 

 

With today being a sea day, the  evening dress suggestion was "dressy" once again.  The Captain's welcome was at 7:15pm…short and sweet.  This group of guests seem to be more in tune with the dress code tonight.  We had new waiters tonight, one of whom we know from previous cruises, and a new fellow….both from Indonesia.  Most all the tables in the upper dining room were filled tonight.  When Pulung came around to say hi, he told us that there are 1400 plus guests on this Alaska cruise, the last one for this ship.  That is about full capacity.  The dining room staff seemed to handle this crowd quite well.  

 

So for this Gala dinner, we ordered one Caesar salad, and one French  onion soup.   For our entrees , we both had the rack of lamb, cooked medium.  One came with the beans, artichokes, and bell peppers.  The other plate had only a baked potato with the lamb.   Both were delicious with a nice gravy on the side.  Dessert was one flourless chocolate cake with blueberries and a dollop of whipped cream.  One of us asked for frozen yogurt….always on the menu every day along with assorted ice cream or sorbet. Anyway, the frozen yogurt was not available.  We realize now that these items are not included on the main dining room menu anymore.   One cup of coffee was served, and we were happy campers.  The entertainment was the Step One Dance Company with Musicology, but with the ship rocking and rolling somewhat, we are not sure the show went on. 

 

The clocks went back one hour this evening…..making everyone happy.   The rocking and rolling of the ship continued to get worse.  By the time this was written (11pm), we found it smart to stash things that may fall during the evening.

 

Tomorrow we will arrive to Juneau and be docked by 1:30pm.  We bet that the ship will slow down since we do not have that stop in Tracy Arm.  We shall see…..

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

8 Pictures

Report #15 September 18, 2024 Vancouver, British Columbia 7am-4pm Docked Starboard Side To Pier Turnaround Day Sunny And Warmer 65 Degrees ---Casual Dress

The Zaandam arrived to the port of Vancouver and docked along with three other ships.  The Seven Seas Explorer, the Grand Princess and a smaller Norwegian exploration vessel were in port today as well.  Hmmm, that is going to be a whole lot of folks departing and new guests embarking all four ships. 

 

Breakfast was early at 6:30am, although Tina said we came come anytime before they close at about 8am.  We were up at that time anyway, so we don't mind going early.    On this day, usually most of the guests either go to the Lido or order room service.  It was not crowded at all for breakfast.

 

We stayed onboard working on yesterday's photos until 9:15am.  Most all of the luggage tag colors had been called off, and we knew the call for everyone was about to happen.   Going off was easy….all we needed were our passports and room keys.  We never had to show our passports going off, or coming back onboard for that matter.  Using the "In Transit" cards, we were directed straight to the bus and taxi pick-up area.  

 

We pretty much repeated our walk that we did last week.   The big difference today had to be the weather.   The fog we encountered on the way here had lifted, and blue skies appeared.  How nice it was to see the sun for a change.  There still was a chill in the breeze, but there was some warmth in the sun.  Whatever….we will take it.  Compared to last week, many more locals were walking, running, and biking the waterfront promenade. 

 

From the cruise ship terminal, we hiked past the Vancouver Convention Center West, passing the Seaplane Terminal and the Olympic Cauldron.  Walking the seawall along Burrard Inlet,  we passed by Harbor Green Park where locals like to meet with their dogs.  Coal Harbor Quay was next filled with small vessels and sailboats…many for sale.  Stanley Park was next where we saw some Canada geese flying overhead, and two large blue herons hunting the shallow waters of Coal Harbor.  The furthest we could walk today was to the Horse Carriage Tours.  We have to mention that our time here was limited, due to the fact we had to be back to the terminal by 2pm.   But that's another story…..

 

Here are some facts about Stanley Park that we missed writing about last week.  This park consists of 1000 acres with ½ million trees.  Among them are Douglas firs, western red cedars, western hemlock, big leaf maples, grand firs and Sitka spruce.  The oldest-growth trees exceed 200 feet in height.  In December of 2002,   10,000 trees fell during hurricane force winds.  Another 100,000 trees died from 2020 to 2023 from a hemlock looper insect outbreak. 

 

Park wildlife includes 500 species like Douglas squirrels, raccoons, otters, beavers, geese, greater blue herons, salamanders, and even coyotes.  And do not feed the animals.  If you do, you can face a fine of $500. 

 

Finally, horses had been used over 100 years ago for hauling lumber.  Today teams of Grey Shire, Clydesdale, Belgium and Percheron horses are used to pull aluminum-framed coaches with signal lights and hydraulic brakes.  The well- groomed horses consume 31 pounds of hay and 15 pounds of mash.  They can drink 33 gallons of water a day.   Impressive.

 

Time to backtrack, we took our time walking and sitting on some of the convenient benches along the way.  Then we arrived to the Steamworks Brewery right before noontime.  Perfect timing, the place filled up within minutes after 12pm.   It is popular with the local office workers as well as tourists.  Once again, we enjoyed Lions Gate Lagers with a Hawaiian pizza.  They make a very good apple dessert called a galette.  We shared one before heading back to the terminal.  What a mess we ran into this time.

 

Like we stated earlier, there were four ships here in transition.  Our in transit cards got us to the xray checkpoint quicker.  However we forgot that their xray is much more sensitive.  One of us got pulled aside to do a wand-check.  A wallet and eyeglasses were the culprits.  Oddly enough, the knee replacement was not detected.  Go figure?  Then we were directed to that Disneyland line that zigzagged with 10 lanes of guests.  Each lane had at least thirty to forty people.  The officials had three facial recognition pads, so it took a long time screening folks.  We prayed that we got the green check, or else we had to go in another line to see an agent.  It was green for both of us.  By the time we boarded the ship, we noticed it had taken almost an hour to get back.  It's no wonder that some of the in transit guests like us never left the ship for town.  They would exit the ship by 10am and wait one hour to reboard.

 

We had an invite to the Mariner welcome in the Crow's Nest starting at 2pm.  We got there 20 minutes late, but did get our mimosas.   There were only a handful of 3-4-5- star Mariners there, although the rest could still be stuck in that customs and border check.   Back in our room, we had our bottle of sparkling wine on ice and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.  Very good.   Since we had already done the muster check the first day we boarded, we did not have to go today.  The rule is everyone has to do this drill every 30 days.

 

Sail away was at 4pm, and we went to deck six forward of course.  Just as we walked out the side door, we saw some action in the water directly across from the Zaandam.  Suddenly we spotted the telltale dorsal fins of killer whales or orcas.  They appeared to be feeding in the shallow waters of the inlet.  At one point, we saw five spouts of perhaps three adults and two young ones.   How lucky was that?  In all of the times we have sailed out of this harbor, we have never seen such a display.  In a few minutes, they headed deeper into the inlet and ended up by the Chevron island.   The best thing was that the exposure was right and hopefully we got some good shots of the pod.

 

The bow had been opened, and filled up with folks watching the sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge.  That is, until the winds got colder, sending most everyone back inside.

 

Tonight, dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill.  Normally this venue is not crowded on the first evening.  However, we were told that many of the new guests had made reservations before the cruise, but Seattle failed to communicate that to the manager, Tina.  She was able to accommodate everyone, including a group of 8 or 9 officers who were dining with the Captain.   Lucky for us, we got our usual table for two where we ordered the wedge salads with the clothesline bacon.  This time we split a rib eye steak with baked potatoes.  Cooked perfectly, the size was right.  Passing on dessert, Tina wrapped up a few of the new macaroons for us to take back to the room.   Sweet in more ways than one. 

 

Once again, tomorrow will be a most welcomed day at sea.  Captain Willems warned us to expect some rough seas this evening. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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Report #14 Tuesday September 17, 2024 Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage 4pm-7pm Cloudy With Overcast Skies And Warmer 62 Degrees Seas: Flat With Slight Swell---Casual Dress

Cruising the Inside Passage was the title of today's "The Daily"  newsletter.  However, for the majority of the day, we were on the outside of the islands so we could make the most of the time we needed to get to Vancouver.  And today was the final day at sea where the guests could take advantage of the spa specials, the promotions in the shops, and attending the Alaska Brunch in the dining room.  There was no early breakfast served in the lower dining room, but the extended time from 10am to 1pm was dedicated to a special brunch.  We were told that this brunch was not served in the small shot glasses like they did a few years ago.   As for us, we prefer being spoiled with the morning service in the Pinnacle Grill, which opened at 8am.  

 

We had the chance to talk with the other President's Club couple, who asked us if we had gotten an invitation to a Mariner Event this afternoon.  Come to think of it, no, we did not.   This would be the first time there was no event at all.  Perhaps no one was getting a medallion, so someone decided to skip it.  We are certain that the other couple inquired at the front desk.  They have been onboard for a month now, and have had these get-togethers on each 7 day cruise.  We will have to ask them tomorrow morning what they were told about the non-event.

 

Later in the morning, we did get one more canvas tote bag and two tiles.  And we had an invitation to an international wine tasting in the dining room at 2pm.  As most all of you know, we are not necessarily wine drinkers.  Give us a good whiskey or scotch, then we are happy.  Anyway, Tahana, the Cellar Master, had mentioned this event a few days ago and we said we would try it.  So at 2pm, we went to the dining room to find the Captain's table area had been transformed into a private tasting for about 18 or 20 people.  An assortment of wines were featured from France, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Argentina, the USA, and Chile.  Flags representing these countries hung from the orchestra pit.   Some were whites, but the majority were reds.  One of us cannot tolerate red wine (headaches, etc.), so a few sips of the whites would be OK.   In addition to the wines, there were three trays of assorted cheeses.  The best was the smoked gouda.  Tahana handed each of us a paper and a pencil to rate the wines by sight, aroma, and taste as we sipped them.   Great idea….that way you could remember your likes and dislikes.  Since we had not eaten lunch yet, we helped ourselves to some of the cheese slices, then tried a few of the white wines.  By the way, this event was advertised in the newsletter for $29 a person.  Since the majority of guests will be leaving tomorrow, we found it strange to have a tasting when there was only one day left.  We thanked Tahana and excused ourselves as we headed for the Lido for salads and one slice of pizza. 

 

The weather was not the best today.  Most of the morning, we were in the fog, which turned to drizzle and finally rain.  The temperature was in the 50's.  We did take a walk on the promenade deck where many people were covered with blankets and sleeping in the lounge chairs.    Must have something to do with putting the clocks ahead last night.   There was a chance for scenic cruising, but not until 4pm.    The bow would have been opened, but it was too wet and rainy.  As usual, we went to deck six forward and waited and watched for one  ½  hours, but only spotted three otters.  We would have to wait until 6:30pm to see orcas, one porpoise, and several whales diving and spouting.  By then, we were soaked even with our heavy jackets.  Only three other guests joined us for the wildlife sightings.  We seem to recall we had seen the whales and porpoise in exactly the same area as last week.   

 

Dinnertime had some of our favorites.  Tonight was extremely casual since most everyone had packed their luggage and did not wish to dress up one more time.   Can't say we blame them.  Starters were the spring roll and tomato soup.  We had gotten chilled to the bone outside, and the hot soup warmed us up.  Mains were the sweet and sour shrimp plate, but with the sweet chili sauce that came with the spring roll.  The other entrée was the Club Orange leg of lamb….very good.   We call these special dinners the "blue plate special" since they arrive on a blue plate.  One of us enjoyed the tiny slice of rich chocolate cake with a cup of coffee.  During dessert time, the chefs, kitchen staff, and some of the waiters paraded through the dining room singing their farewell song.  That earned them a rousing applause from the guests, showing their appreciation for the good food and great service.

 

Back in Vancouver tomorrow, we will repeat the same process of leaving the ship by 9:15am, spending some time in town, then come back after lunch.  Hope it doesn't rain……

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS   We have to mention that the laundry service has been excellent with the same day return.  Today's basket came with a note saying "Thank you for sending your laundry.  I hope you are satisfied with our service.  Have a beautiful day".  Signed by Arsa.  For those who may not know, the Zaandam and Volendam have eliminated their self-service laundry rooms.

 

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