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 5th 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
