Report #4 Saturday September 6, 2025 Skagway, Alaska Docked Starboard Side To Pier----6:30am-8:30pm Overcast With Some Drizzle And Clouds 3mph Wind----Casual Dress

Today's port of call was Skagway, the gateway to the Klondike and the Gold Rush of 1898.  And it is one of our favorite stops on this Alaska run.  It is one of the smallest towns with 1250 hardy folks, with that number increasing to 2500 in the summer months to accommodate the visitors from cruise ships and RV travelers.  The cruise ships alone have brought 1.2 million guests in 2023 alone. Skagway is also known for their beautiful gardens full of flowers and healthy produce.   One of the biggest draws has to be the White Pass Yukon Route scenic railway.  It was built for the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898 for the miners, and continues to this day taking tourists to see the panoramic mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, trestles, alpine lakes, and several historic sites.   This narrow-gauge railroad has comfortable vintage rail cars, all with different names of lakes, rivers, or animals.  We have taken this tour to the Yukon and enjoyed it.  

 

The history here portrays a colorful past that includes the discovery of gold and the following rush of miners that arrived by the thousands.  The population increased to 10,000 residents back in the late 1800's.   Some unsavory characters were among the lot and they filled the 80 saloons in town.  There were quick fingers of gamblers and thieves and ruthless gangs stealing from the prospectors.    And who can forget the painted ladies of the Red Onion Saloon?    It was quite an authentic town back in those days.  

 

There were several shore excursions here today, but we ran out of time to document them.  However, we will be back next week, and list the options and their prices.  That is if the TV will be working properly.   Something is drastically wrong with their equipment because even the in house TV is in operational. 

 

We were not alone in the port today as the Ruby Princess and the Norwegian Joy were docked here as well.  The Zaandam had the best dock at Broadway, while the NCL ship was at Ore Dock with a long walk, and the Ruby Princess was at Railroad Dock.  That is where the most recent landslide occurred, and the guests are not allowed to walk off of the ship there.  They were required to take a shuttle to town.   We were docked there once and had to be tendered to shore away from the landslide, which was not even a 5 minute ride to the small boat harbor.

 

We left the ship around 11am, after the first crew drill of this cruise was held.   It lasted ½ hour.  And by the way, we sent out the first bag of laundry today.  It was back all nice and clean and folded by 5pm.  There was a sweet note thanking us for using their service.   No….we thank them for such great service. 

 

The first thing you notice when leaving the ship are the trees.  They include cottonwoods, pines, hemlocks, Sitka spruce ,firs, birches, and mountain ash with small red berries clusters.  These have become invasive.  Wildflowers include columbine, goatsbeard, yarrow, fireweed,  mosses, monkshood, cotton grass, lupines, and geraniums.   Passing the fairly newly built restrooms and expansive park grounds, we headed for the Pullen Creek to see if the salmon were on their migration upstream.  We could smell them before we saw them.  The bottom of the shallow creek was littered with decaying bodies as the live fish struggled to make their way upstream.  These salmon were either king, coho, or silvers and are at the end of their lifecycles where they spawn their eggs then die.  The science of this migration is fascinating as well as mysterious.  We do hope to see more of the same when we reach Ketchikan in a few days. 

 

The trains had picked up many passengers and were on their way towards the border of Canada.  There were crossing guards at every street that the tracks crossed over, which is necessary these days especially considering that so many folks are glued to their cell phones and are not aware of passing cars, buses, or even trains.  We saw one such lady that walked right in front of an RV today and would have been hit if it were not for the nice lady behind her who pulled her back. 

 

Deciding to stay in town this visit, we made our way up to the Moore House, Museum, and the red light district of the old days.    There were some benches near this area, so we stopped and had a nice conversation with two ladies from the Ruby Princess.  We must have spent a ½ hour comparing ship experiences and a little bit of everything newsworthy with all of our travels.  They were most curious about us being on the smaller ship, since the Ruby had about double the guests (3000) compared to the Zaandam (1400).  They were on an 11 day round trip from San Francisco and appeared to be heading back soon.   We wished each other well and continued on our journey just as a walking tour of town filled the benches where we were.

 

Passing several souvenir shops, we eventually found a small pharmacy that was closed on weekends.  Really?  The ladies had suggested we go to the food market to find over-the-counter drugs, but we somehow missed it.   Pizza was on our minds, so we headed to the Station Bar & Grill to find they were quite busy.  They handed us a beeper, and it buzzed in 10 minutes.  However it was for two seats at the bar, so we waited for a booth instead.  That worked since one was available in less than 5 minutes.  We ordered one draft beer, one diet Coke and a Hawaiian pizza.   It was every bit as good as we remembered.   We forgot how large they were, so we ended up bringing back 3 slices to eat tomorrow while cruising in Glacier Bay.   We do have a refrigerator, so it will be just fine.

 

Usually we split a fry bread  at the Doughboy store, but we figured that could be next week. A final stop at the Arctic Brotherhood Hall (1899) provided us with brochures and maps for research back on the ship.  This is an interesting building since the façade had 8883 pieces of driftwood on the front of the building dating back to the 1900's.  In 2005, this rotten wood was removed and 40% of it was replaced, leaving 5300 original pieces of this driftwood to be used again.  Pretty cool. 

 

We heard through the grapevine that an annual event occurred here last night.  It was called the Klondike Road Relay,  a 110-mile relay race that began last night and continued through the evening.  The runners in teams of 10 made their way along the Klondike Highway to Whitehorse, Yukon where it ended on noon today.  Runners from all over the world come here to participate.  Interesting.

 

Back on the ship by 5:30pm, we relaxed on our freshly cleaned veranda for a while, watching the parade of NCL folks walk back to their vessel.   They would leave around 7pm.  We were off to dinner by 7:30pm and that's when the Ruby Princess left the fjord.   Once again, we were last to exit by 9pm.  Dinner was simple and good tonight.  One of us ordered the onion soup, while the other had the Caesar salad.   Mains were parmesan-coated chicken breast and a plate of rigatoni with chicken meatballs.   Served very hot of course.  We had a visit from Maître-d Hakim who brought Neil, the head chef along with him.  We have enjoyed Neil's cooking for the last several world cruises.  However, we thought he was returning to the Volendam in January, but he said, no, he was getting married instead.  We wished him well, and we are not sure who will be taking his place. 

 

The World Stage Repertory Company took the honors for the entertainment this evening with "Crossroads".    It was half over by the time we finished dinner, but that's normal for us.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Glacier Bay, and we sure hope the beautiful weather we had today follows us tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

140 Pictures

Report #3 Friday September 5, 2025 Juneau, Alaska Docked Port Side To Pier Arrival At 1:30pm Leaving At 9:30pm Overcast With Fog Then Clearing To Sun 55 Degrees 5mph Winds------Casual Dress

Well, we got up early before 6:15am to watch for the pilot's arrival as well as search for more whales, as the Captain had suggested yesterday during his noontime talk.  However, it turned out the best sightings were yesterday when we saw them, and not today.  Lucky for us, they were most active on the port side of the ship and we did get plenty of photos from the comfort of our veranda.

 

The weather was dismal with damp, misty fog and high overcast.  It sure did not look promising that we might see sun and blue sky, but you ever know.  One thing for sure, it was really cold.  The best remedy for that was an early morning breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.  Arsa, the manager, greeted us, followed by waiters Andy, Violet, and Yoga….all of whom waited on us.   The hot coffee never tasted so good.   Once again, the restaurant was not full, mostly due to the fact that we would not dock in Juneau until 1:30pm.  No need to get up super early. 

 

The plan was to go into Tracy Arm, drop off a tour group, then head slowly into Gastineau Channel to Juneau.  Speaking of shore excursions, there were many of them today.  The Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer was $310 for 6 hours.  We watched from deck six forward while the guests filed onto the tour boat that went to Twin Sawyer Glaciers where wildlife sightings may possibly be viewed.  That included pigeon guillemots, eagles, harbor seals, mountain goats and bears.  There was a notice regarding this tour that stated there had been a significant landslide in August 2025, so during the remainder of August and September, the tour would explore Endicott Arm.  Now if this tour had been amended, we do not know since we don't know anyone that went on it.

 

The nearby Mendenhall Glacier had several options that included hiking, kayaking, canoeing, and a helicopter ride to trek the glacier.  Prices ranged from $80 to $585 with the tours lasting from 3 hours to 5 ½ hours.  Two popular excursions included the sled dog discovery and musher's camp with a mile long trail of spruce and hemlocks.  There was an opportunity to see puppies as well.  The other tour was a seaplane ride to the Taku Lodge Feast for $485 and 3 ½ hours.  It was on that excursion that friends of ours witnessed black bears licking the grills that the salmon had been cooked on.  In the distance of course.  On past trips, we have taken the Goldbelt Tram to the top of Mt. Roberts, and also the whale watch and wildlife boat ride.  We have visited Mendenhall Glacier  and the salmon hatchery several times.  Now we prefer to do our own thing at our own pace.

 

We discovered that our TV was not working again.  Even last night, we had lost the reception.  Gosh, we sure do not remember these problems on last year's Alaska trips.  We were on the same ship in the same ports, but seldom had any problems like this.  It remains a mystery.  Oh well, better to go outside and get some walking in.  On the promenade deck, we did see some whales blowing in the distance, so all was not lost for some sightings.  By 11:30am, we made our way back to deck six forward to watch the sailing into the Gastineau Channel and eventually Juneau.  Much to our surprise, Captain Smit came down from the bridge, joined us,  while welcoming us back onboard.  We met him last year while doing these same 7 day runs.   He is very personable and friendly, and we will probably be seeing him at some events as we sail towards the South Pacific.  He informed us that there were three other ships already in the port.  They were the NCL Joy, the Disney Wonder, and the RCI Quantum.   Since the Zaandam was the last ship to arrive, we lost our usual slip and had to dock at the "B" position or Franklin Dock.  The Disney ship was in our spot.  The NCL ship was the furthest away, but the locals did provide a shuttle for them to downtown. 

 

At exactly 1:30pm, the cruise director announced that the ship had been cleared, and we would need to get off at deck two forward.  However the only access to that deck was by taking the center elevators and walking the hallway towards the front.   We waited for 45 minutes while the ship emptied, then left without much of a hold up.  There were no greeters for any of the excursion folks getting off, like we always see on the grand voyages.  But we did see a "wolf" and an "eagle" (costumes of course) for the photo stop.  Very few folks stopped for a picture, as most of the buses were there to load up.  

 

We did our usual walk through the downtown area and found it very crowded with cruise ship guests.  One of us had forgotten some necessary items at home, so we needed to locate the drug store.  Naturally, this pharmacy was really jammed full of people doing the same thing.  The bad news was that most of them were coughing and sneezing while blocking the narrow aisles looking for remedies.  We exited "stage left" quickly after finding that the shelves were already depleted of many products….namely the one we were searching for.   We'll have to look in Skagway tomorrow.

 

From there, we hiked to the Hangar on the Wharf for a late lunch.  Of course, it was full of customers as well as groups waiting outside with beepers.  It was only a 15-minute wait, but well worth it.  Ordering two blonde Alaskan draft beers, we relaxed and enjoyed sharing cheese nachos with ground beef.  The best treat was splitting a slice of whipped cream, chocolate-drizzled mud pie.   It was the first dessert we have had since we left the Zuiderdam in May.  And boy…..was it good or what?

 

Making our way back, we stopped at the Alaskan Fudge Company  to purchase a small bag  of peanut brittle.   The final stop was at Monarch Jewels for a complimentary tiny pink-stone pendant representing the Alaska state flower of forget-me-nots.  Of course, I could have purchased a matching set of earrings for $20 (credit card) or $10 (cash).  I passed on it.  Maybe next time since we will be back.  Then we made a quick sweep through one shop that had everything. A favorite item one of us likes to buy are the Lazy One sleep t-shirts.  Since last year, at least four new ones were there.  Most of the popular size were gone, so we will continue to search in Skagway or Ketchikan in a few days.  

 

After passing the facial recognition check, we were back on the ship by 5:45pm.  Yesterday we made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill for dinner tonight at 8pm.   Although we were not starving (we are never starving on the ship), we kept the meal simple.   Wedge salads and a shared candied bacon platter were our starters.  Halibut and the 8 ounce filet mignon with a side of French fries was ample for the two of us.   Dessert was one serving of a bread pudding and the three macaroon cookies they serve these days.  Tonight was not supposed to be crowded, but it turned out Arsa had well over 100 customers – a record he said.  

 

We finished by 9:30pm and were happy to call it a night.  There was a magic person, Nick Paul, as the entertainer in the World Stage this evening.  He has performed on Penn and Teller Fool Us as well as Conan and Netflix magic for humans.   Movies in the Wajang were the Big Miracle and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

 

The ship quietly pulled away from the dock shortly after 9:30pm.  We could hear the foghorn blasting again as we left the area.  We were the last ship to arrive here, and the last one to leave.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

264 Pictures

Report #2 Thursday September 4, 2025 Sea Day Enroute To Tracy Arm And Juneau, Alaska....Overcast With Some Sun, 20mph Wind.....Dressy Night

It appears that the worst of the smoke was gone during the course of the night due to the fact we had such a nice moon sighting .  However, due to foggy conditions later in the evening, the repeated blowing of the ship's foghorn kept us awake part of the night.   Some guests really like the sound but to one of us, it is a reminder that we could be sailing in dangerous waters. 

 

We had our first breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill at 8am, the time for days at sea.  Port days, breakfast will be starting at 7:30am in the dining room and the Pinnacle Grill.  The manager greeted us, but we did not get his name and he is new to us.  Will look closer at his name tag tomorrow.   We asked to be seated at the table nearest the entrance, which we hope to keep for the duration of the cruises.  It is one of the tables with a "window" that provides a view of the hallway.  On this class of ship, this venue has no real windows, and you never know if it is night or day.  The room was slow to fill up with customers this morning.  We guess many folks in the Neptune suites slept in later.   More arrived before 9am and were seated.  And as always, some guests wandered in to find out they had to go to the dining room located on deck four aft.  By the time they figure this out, their cruise will be ending.  Our meals were very good, and served in a timely manner.   Neil, the head chef from the Zuiderdam's grand voyage was here.  We did not expect to see him as he rushed through the restaurant on his way to the main kitchen.  Now we know the food will be good on these trips.

 

On our way out, we made a visit at the front desk to clarify some shipboard account details, taking note that there was no special priority line for Club Orange or President's Club members.  There were several staff members at the desk, so the wait was short. 

 

Have we mentioned that there is something wrong with the TV reception?  Sure, we have always had some problems in this part of the sailing, but the TV was acting sporadically, and we were not sure if it was just ours.  On the world cruise, the technicians had to replace our TV four times before we got one to work.   Our room steward said to give it time, and it will work eventually.  Hope he is correct. 

 

So today was one of promotions.  For instance, we had until 9pm this evening to sign up for the Have It All package.  For $70 per person, we could get their signature beverage package with a limit of 15 beverages priced at $11 or less.   If a drink costs more, you could pay the difference.  A credit of $100 would apply to a shore excursion and you would get one meal free at the Pinnacle Grill or Tamarind.  The wifi surf package was included as well.  If there were two of you in the room, then both would have to purchase the offer.  Sometimes this offer includes gratuities, which is a better deal. However, the 7 day voyages do not have the tips included.  

 

For those that are interested in the laundry package,  a stuffed to the gills bag will cost $30 for "wash & fold".  Or it is $35 a bag for "wash & press".  Unlimited laundry is $70, but since your last laundry has to be turned in 48 hours before disembarking, this package is really only good for 5 days.   Now we really appreciate the perk of having free laundry.  The service has worked well for us over the years.

 

Other promotions included the Alaska Shopping Show held in the World Stage at 12 noon.  Free port maps, VIP cards, a traveler tag, and free coupons were handed to everyone that attended.  There was a chance to in a $1000 shopping spree and complimentary diamond jewelry.  Traveler tag trackers, specially-made pendants by Effy could be collected during the week.  However, we are not certain that was happening due to the fact that we had the notice of the Shop's closure after September 5^th to make the changes for new merchandise and vendors to replace the ones here.  This occurred on the Zuiderdam's world cruise also and on other HAL ships we understand.   Has anyone heard of "Paws for Prizes"?   It appears to be another effort to get the folks shopping onboard by collecting stamps for visiting the jewelry shops, spa, Ocean Bar, shore excursions, the art and photo shops.  Another raffle was to take place later in this trip. The photo department had several free things to entice people to buy pictures.  

 

A separate flyer had been added to today's Daily newsletter.  It was a Behind the Scenes Tour of the ship's restricted areas, meeting with senior officers on a guided tour.  The cost was $179 per person, tours we have done for free in the recent past.  Nothing stays the same forever, does it?   

 

A letter was circulated informing all of us that it was necessary to change the times for Ketchikan's stop.  Due to tidal conditions, we will arrive a half hour early to Ketchikan and leave an hour earlier.  The shore excursions affected will be adjusted.

 

At 1:50pm, we had an invite to a complimentary Regional Wine tasting in the dining room.  We toyed with the idea of attending but changed our minds mostly because we don't really drink wine.  We do like the cheese and fruit if it was served , but we thought it was best to go to the Lido for a real lunch instead.  The salad bar server created nice salads, which we had with a slice of freshly-baked pepperoni pizza. This ship seems to get it right.  The dough was excellent as were the toppings.  This could be dangerous, but if we keep it to one slice, we should be OK. 

 

Passing through the Lido Pool area, we saw that the old taco bar had been removed during a drydock that occurred since we were here last year.  That was a major improvement.  The Dive -In venue had also been remodeled and the Lido pool area looked like the drapes and chairs were new.  Walking to the Sea View Pool, we saw that a wheelchair lift had been added to the port side stairs to deck nine.  The same lift was added for the stairs into the World Stage on deck five.  A few new automatic doors were included on the promenade deck making it much easier for the scooter and wheelchair folks to access this deck.  Finally, wheelchair areas had been added to every bar….all ADA compliant.  

 

Some additions were added to the railings on deck three and the Sea View Pool in the way of poles.  They remain a mystery and we will have to ask a deck hand what they will be for.  Finally we made a sweep through some of the Shops to check out the sales.  Most of what was left of the $5 t-shirts were XXXX sizes.  Much of the items for sale were not the regular stock.  The fellow in the liquor shop said his job ends when the new vendors arrive in 2 weeks from now. 

 

The TV reception was restored by 4pm, and we were happy to get some news.  Now we hope it stays on for a while.  We had whale sightings by 6:30pm which was another nice surprise.  We did get some good shots of humpbacks breaching and diving even though they were in the distance.   At his noon talk, Captain Smit mentioned that tomorrow, he would be picking up the pilot at 6:15am.  Last week there were numerous whale sightings, and he hoped to see the same tomorrow.  Other than that, the temperature was 52 degrees with foggy and overcast skies.  There was a little swell of one meter high, and he expected it to stay calm and cool.  To make us all happy, he said the clocks would go back one hour this evening to be on Alaska time.  That was just fine with us.

 

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner and dressy night.  Most guests came dressed nicely, although there are always a few that never comply to the suggested dress code.  However, we saw no t-shirts or shorts like we saw last evening.   The menu was the usual items like escargots, steak and shrimp, or rack of lamb and oxtail pasta, which we ordered.  Starters were shrimp with aioli and Caesar salads.  We mentioned to our waiter Regie that we really like the mains hot, and he said certainly.   He must have informed Elvis, the Maitre'd, because it was Elvis that brought piping hot plates to us.   And they were excellent.  What a difference "hot" makes.  The rack of lamb had to one of the best entrees served for quite a while.  Enjoying every bite, we ordered a small plate of sliced watermelon for dessert….very refreshing. 

 

Entertainment this evening was the World Stage Cast with "Solid Gold", a 70's Celebration.  The showtimes were 7:30 and 9pm.  We seldom attend since our dinner is never over that early.  Oh well, it is hard to do it all!

 

Tomorrow, we will be sailing into Tracy Arm for a tour drop-off, then onto Juneau for a 1:30pm docking. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

100 Pictures

Report #1 Wednesday September 3, 2025.....Boarding Day In Vancouver, British Columbia At Canada Place On Holland America's Zaandam Sunny And Warm 78 Degrees Very Smoky----Casual Dress

From The Tundra Of Alaska To The Palm Trees Of The Tropics: A 77 Day Voyage On Holland America’s  Zaandam  With Bill And Mary Ann--- 9-3-25---11-19-25 

Greetings fellow readers!

 

Well here we are about to begin another series of fall cruises on HAL's  Zaandam, one of the two remaining ships of that class in the fleet.  Having sailed many of the grand cruises on the Amsterdam, it is almost like being home, especially after that flagship was sold 5 years ago when the Covid pandemic hit the world. 

 

We will be sailing three 7-day back-to-back cruises to Alaska, followed by the 56 day Tales of the South Pacific.  Packing for the changes in the weather from chilly to steaming hot is always a challenge, but we were able to do it using four suitcases.  There are no formal evenings, so that eliminated the fancy stuff.  Casual and dressy is as good as it gets.  And we make it a point to bring the basics of meds, lotions, and potions.  Half of our luggage consists of stuff we will need and may not be able to buy along the way. 

 

Our driver picked us up at 4am this morning, and we had a nice ride to SFO, which only took over an hour.  Traffic was light which was nice.  The airport was busy, even at that time of day.  Thanks to our trusty hand-held scale, our bags passed the 50 pounds or less mark.  Going through security was a bit easier since no one had to take their shoes off, or take the computer out of the case.  Sometimes when we get to the airport very early, they like to go through the contents of one bag or hand carry.   Not today.  And we had plenty of time to enjoy a hot breakfast at the Lark Creek Grill.

 

The 8:30am flight was on time, and by the time we relaxed while watching some TV shows, we were landing at the Vancouver airport before 11 am.   It is a long hike to get from the gate to the baggage pick-up.  One nice thing about Vancouver is the fact they provide baggage carts complimentary.   But before we collected our things, we had to go through the customs and border patrol.  We had to find a kiosk, then answer a bunch of questions logging in with our passport numbers and pictures.  Facial recognition was used everywhere we went today.  Once we were approved, a ticket was produced to be handed to an official on our way out. 

 

We have to mention that the weather conditions were most unusual.   The air was smoky in the entire area, making photo-taking about impossible.  In all of the times we have been in this part of British Columbia, we have never seen the skies so obscured. 

 

Now this was when things took a different turn.  It would happen more than once today too.   We had paid for a bus transfer to the pier.  Usually upon exiting the baggage area, reps at a desk are there to take your luggage.  Well it seems that when we arrived, they decided to have us wheel or luggage outside and have the bus driver load them on the coach.   That was a bit unsettling since we were with mostly Princess people.  It seems that the Coral Princess was at the pier, as well as the Seven Seas Explorer.    We think the Princess ship was doing a short Alaska run, so most guests were able to fit all their belongings into a rolled bag and back packs.  After a 20 minute wait, a bus arrived, and every single seat was filled with Coral folks and us, the only HAL guests.    For a fleeting moment, we worried our luggage was going to end up on the Coral Princess.  The driver reassured us that they would take the luggage to HAL, and we had no need to worry.

 

The bus driver had taken a different route to the pier today and entered on the opposite side of Canada Place.  Going through security, we had to do the xray drill before entering the building.   At that point, we split from the other guests, and were taken to a different desk for the HAL passengers.  We were also given an HAL escort who got us in a different shorter line for the customs checkpoint.   Once again, it was done with facial recognition, and we were each given the green checkpoint to proceed to the gangway. 

 

Handing the security guy the boarding passes, got us through the door.  We did not know it, but there were officers looking for us to escort us to our room.   Just by luck, we ran into the Hotel General Manager, Leonie, who brought us to our room.  On the table, we had two bouquets of fresh flowers – one as a perk, and the other from the Mariner's Society.   The Mariner rep, April, as well as the guest relations manager, Cynthia, greeted us on the way.  We met our room attendants, Ron and Mat, who could not do enough for us.  Yes, some of our requests were missing, but we told them to take their time correcting it.  By then, three of the bags were delivered, but we were missing one.   Somehow, we had a feeling it was being scrutinized for some questionable items in their eyes.   But first, we had an invite to a 3, 4 and 5 star Mariners and President's Club Member exclusive reception in the Crow's Nest.   We were surprised to find out we were the only President's Club members on the ship for this 7 day run.  Another passenger we met last year, Linda, joined us for the 45-minute reception.  It turned out that the sparkling wine and jar of nuts were as close as we got to lunch today.   

 

One more job to do was attending the muster gathering on deck three, where our cards were scanned and we were given directions in case of an emergency.  All we needed to do was run the muster video on our room TV to complete the job.  Back in our room, we did indeed find a note concerning the missing bag.  We had to go to deck A and see the security officer that insisted our new extension cords we brought from home were not allowed.  These were the very same extension cords we have used on several of our most recent cruises.   There was no convincing the officer, so they will keep them until November 19^th, and supply us with their cords.  So we went back to the room, grumbling all the way, and asked our room steward for a replacement.  Funny thing…..he came back with an identical cord.  Go figure?  Every ship seems to have their own rules, so be prepared for the unexpected.  And it was not worth the energy to get angry since it was not the way we wished to start our adventure.   

 

Before our arrival, we had requested some felt-covered hangers, however, describing these to our room stewards, was not successful.  Eventually, he brought some wire hangers as well as a few felt ones.  Bringing less clothes, we did not need to hang any shirts on the dowels with the magnets.  Save that for the world cruise.  It took us the rest of the late afternoon to find space for the rest of the clothing and supplies.   One of the better things we brought was the shoe bag, which becomes the holder for all the small stuff.  And the jewelry holder is also convenient, both of which hang from the magnetic ceiling.

 

We did take a few minutes to go the deck six forward to watch the sailing out of the harbor.  The bow was also opened as well as the Seaview pool sail away.   Knowing this venue may be crowded, we stayed away from it.  Have to admit, it was one of the warmest sail aways we have experienced in Vancouver.  Keeping our eyes peeled for wildlife sightings, we saw very little.  Later on, around 7pm, one of us decided to go on the veranda, and surprise - there were some orcas and humpback whales diving in the distance.  Why we happened to go outside then, was just sheer luck.  The sun was beginning to set about the same time, and it was most stunning with the smoke.

 

We have fixed seating, late dining in the upper dining room.  Table for four, set for two on the railing.  Pretty much the same as the last two years sailings.   Our waiters introduced themselves and will stay with us until November.  We also met the Maitre'd, Elvis, and assistant Maitre'd Liberty.  Murat, the food and beverage manager stopped by to say hi.  He sailed with us last year.  Nice fellow.  Both lower and upper dining rooms were not too busy, and we figured many folks would be lured to the Lido for the special "steak" dinner.   Starters were a seafood cocktail, tomatoes and cheese, and Caesar salads.  Expecting small salads, we were happy to see a nice portion with lots of lettuce and shredded cheese.  Mains were one salmon bowl, and pork tenderloin with lingonberry sauce.  The salmon looked good, but had some bones -  a real turn-off for one of us.  Passing on dessert, we made our way through the casino, lounges, and shops on the way back to the forward elevator.   Every venue was full of people, something we seldom see while on the grand voyages.   These passengers are hell-bent to make the most of every single day, especially on a seven-day run.   And we noticed a lot of shopping was happening,  Back in our room, we found out why the shops were busy.   There was a letter saying that all of the stores will be closed on September 5^th because they are re-doing them, just like they did on the Zuiderdam's world cruise.    They will remain closed for the remainder of the week.  Essential items like toiletries, medicines and sundries will be available at Guest Services.   Bet there will be some good sale items tomorrow…..

 

By bedtime, the moon appeared, colored yellow/orange due to the smoke.  It was shining in the calm waters and reminded us of the old beer ads.  Hmmm, guess that dates us.  The scenery changed by 1:30am, when the sounding of the foghorn blasted for the rest of the evening.  But then, that's another story for tomorrow. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

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