The weather was not the best this morning. We noticed that the veranda was very wet, so the rain must have started during the night. Since we had missed most of the Captain's noon talk yesterday, we were not certain he was going to take the ship into Tracy Arm to drop off a tour group. The time for the pilot to arrive was about 6:45am, and we are sure that occurred. Breakfast was early at 7:30am, and before we got our entrees, we had a surprise visit from April, one of the sweetest Group and Event Coordinators we have met. She was following up on the problems we had while in Vancouver and apologized for the mistakes that happened. Hopefully the departments involved are on the same page now, more so, because a few more President's Club members will be boarding in Vancouver as well as San Diego.
There was another nice surprise when we went back to our room around 9:30am and found the ship was cutting through a fairly large pods of humpback whales. Captain Smit did mention possible sightings which had occurred for the last month or so. While working online, we spotted the telltale blows as the ship sailed slowly in this stretch of water. Spouting, feeding and diving was happening continuously and it was hard to capture it all. Some of these whales were pretty far out, but a few did get closer. This has to be the largest sighting we have seen in a long time. These humpback whales are on their way south to have their young and, feed all winter in warmer waters like in Hawaii. Then they will return north by next spring and summer. Isn't nature magnificent?
When we reached the Gastineau Channel, we began to see the familiar shoreline cabins and homes, as well as the town of Douglas, directly across the channel from Juneau. With this rain, we did not expect to see eagles, but we did. With binoculars they could be seen resting on tree limbs, or roofs of the houses. It took a good eye to spot them, and the camera did the rest. Their white heads give them away.
The Zaandam was the fourth and last ship to dock in Juneau today. The RCI Quantum, Coral Princess, and the Disney Wonder were already docked early in the day. The Coral was in the Franklin Dock, where we have been for two weeks. Disney was in the AJ Dock, and the Quantum took her usual spot in the Alaska Steamship Dock. Our ship was in the Alaska Steamship Dock with a closer walk to town. Since the rain was coming down steadily, we were glad for that. It appeared that all of the tours went off as scheduled….even the helicopter and floatplane excursions. Even the Mt. Robert's Tram was running since the rin was not a problem, but high winds may have shut it down. We had light winds today.
Leaving the ship around 2pm, we took the steepest gangway which was a series of stairs all the way down. Another forward gangway had been set up on deck A, so we made it a point to come back that way. The longest line for an eatery had to be at Tracy's King Crab Shack. Even with the pouring rain, the hungry crowd stood for a long time, some with umbrellas and some not. We are not big on fish or shellfish as one of us has an allergy to it. Give us burgers any day, or pizza, and we are happy campers.
The main streets were still crowded, especially at the Red Dog Saloon. People were standing outside looking over the swinging doors. More than likely, the place was filled to capacity. Making one stop at Juneau Drugs, we found what we needed and continued to the Merchant's Wharf that houses the Alaskan Fish & Chips Co., Alaska Knife Works, Hearthside Books, the Roma Bistro (opened at 5pm), and our destination – the Hangar on the Wharf. They do serve a variety of food, but they really do have the best burgers in town. This time we had about a 15-minute wait to get a table where we ordered two Icy Bay draft beers and their BBQ burger with Jack Daniels sauce on a ciabatta bun. It came with a side of au jus for dipping and a pile of steak fries. Sure tasted good on this cold and rainy day. Several guests were having the King crab legs and loving it. Maybe not the price of $80 a pound, but how often do you do that? We asked our waiter if the crab was caught locally, and he said yes. It was fished and shipped fresh daily. When they get up to 10,000 cruise ship passengers like today, not to mention crew members, that is a lot of people to feed this delicacy. They seem to do it well. Ending our shared meal, we added the most important dessert of mud pie, of course. This was our last chance to enjoy it before we leave Alaska.
On the way back, we stopped at the Fudge Store for a small package of cashew brittle, a new flavor for us. One last stop was at the Alaska Shirt Company, conveniently located close to the Zaandam. Hands down, they had the best sales in town. Thinking that there was always a chance the next two ports might be cancelled, it was time to find that Lazy One sleep t. Much to our surprise, they were ½ off the original price, the right size, and new designs. Most everything in this large store was priced to sell like salmon, soaps, socks, hoodies, sweatshirts, magnets and keyrings, and a ton of t-shirts. It was tempting to buy more, but we had to keep in mind the weight of our suitcases going home. And once we reach San Diego, we expect the weather will warm up all the way to Hawaii.
This is a good time as any to mention the problem we are having with our bathroom….specifically a toilet that does not always work. Something occurred yesterday, that caused the whole block of rooms down our end to have the water shut off. Nothing worse than pushing that button, and nothing happens. Today, it worked, then it stopped. Every 10 -15 minutes, it flushed by itself. Reporting it to the front desk folks, we had hoped it would have been fixed by late afternoon. Nope….still the same thing. Asking our room steward, he said everyone on this floor and in this quadrant was complaining. A worker came by and tested it, and wouldn't you know it, it flushed four times in a row. He left, and a few minutes later, it stopped working. And it was not fixed even after dinner. Dilemmas of older ships we guess……
The dining room was much fuller tonight and we figured the rain kept people from dining off of the ship. A hot bowl of tomato soup was in order, as well as a crab cake and a Caesar salad. Both of us had the turkey dinner complete with dressing and cranberry sauce. It was like an early Thanksgiving. Dessert was one scoop vanilla ice cream and one sliced banana with a chocolate drizzle.
The Zaandam pulled away from the dock around 9:45pm, with the Coral Princess leaving last we assume. She should be docked with us in Skagway tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
