Home – June 1, 2017

After two weeks away, we arrive right back where we started from at Canada Place. We went down to the dining room for one final breakfast in our exclusive Breakfast Club. We were a little rushed because we needed to be home in time to get a ride with our neighbour, Linda Sue. Consequently, we packed up and left our cabin a little after 8 am and headed for the gangway. I was a little disappointed because just before we left for express departure there was an announcement and hoards of people got ahead of us in line. We followed the crowd through the terminal to customs, where I needed to get a form completed for my goods to follow – a much better experience than the last time when we came via Toronto.

Outside on the street we made slow progress with our heavy cases and found the escalator at the Skytrain was out of service. The journey was uneventful and Linda Sue was waiting for us at Scott Road for the final leg of our journey.

Inside Passage – Thursday May 31, 2018

With our final sea day, we had a rather lazy day – no long distance walking! Alison started her day in the gym, as usual, then we went down to the restaurant for our usual breakfast. On sea days we get invited on tours and today we were invited to the galley, bridge and backstage tours. Unfortunately, due to conflicting times, we could only make it to two of them. We assembled on deck 10 forward for the bridge tour and were screened by security then led down the corridor to the bridge. Compared to other ship’s bridges we have been on, this was very spacious with lots of open areas and even several couches. Our guide showed us the wing controls first which were indoors with glass floor panels, unlike other ships. Then we assembled around the central control stations and were even allowed to sit in the captain’s chair. It was a short tour of 20 minutes because there were several other groups all waiting back-to-back.

Then we rushed down for our backstage tour in the theatre. The lead singer, two dancers and lighting led our tour. Firstly, we went on to the stage and then backstage to see the dressing areas and finally back to the front of the house for the Q&A period. It was quite a very small group of around 20 people, possibly because the hour changed last night and perhaps people missed the event. Following a shortstop in the Concierge lounge, we went to the Windjammer for lunch. Then we had the golf rematch at which Alison won easily with her best score of 24 while I had over 30.

In the afternoon, Alison went swimming in the outdoor pool then we relaxed in the Solarium until time to get ready for dinner. We went to see Ricardo in the Concierge lounge to thank him, say goodbye and for a photo. After dinner, attended our second show of this cruise which was another comedian and the wrap up with the singers and dancers. I watched out for the ones we had seen earlier in the day on the backstage tour. Later we went up to the Diamon lounge to see the view as we went through the narrow part of the Seymour Passage. Once the passage opened up it was less interesting and we finally returned to the cabin to pack.

Ketchikan – Wednesday May 30, 2018

It was a slower start today since we did not dock until 9:00 am and had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast. Our plan was to walk a loop around the town, going in the opposite direction to the way we usually go. It has been our goal to try to do something different in every port. We began by trying to walk along a pier near the front of the ship but stopped to observe an eagle perched on a lamp post on the pier. Once it flew away we continued to the end and found several drunks hanging out on the pier. Back on the road, we ascended to a totem museum then walked by a salmon hatchery and along the river where we had walked in previous years. Then ascended a steep set of steps to the lodge at the top of the hill and went inside. The funicular which provides rides up from the town was out of service, but not a problem for us as we never use it. Instead, we followed the trail and steps back to the river and along the famous Creek Street. Finally, we walked back along the road to the ship, at which point Alison went her own way. She was procrastinating returning to the ship, knowing that it would be the last time boarding the ship on this cruise.

We had lunch sitting out the back of the Windjammer and the weather was sunny and pleasant. One of our waiters, Fabian, came to talk to us for a while about life as crew. After lunch, we went up to play on the putting green for the first time on this trip. It had been too cold on all the other days. At the end of the 9th, we were drawn and we replayed the 9th hole as a tie-break which allowed Alison to win. Alison swam 20 lengths on the pool deck, then sat out in the sun to dry. This was the first time we could do so during this entire trip.

After dinner we had the top tier loyalty event where we were greeted by the Hotel Director, Philip, giving Alison a hug. We had talked to him at length about some of the disappointments on the cruise and he had sent a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries to us. I guess we have become the squeaky wheel and have been noticed, but it was nice to be recognized. The food and beverage manager, Wym, commented that he had not heard from Paul who he remembers from a previous cruise. Later while sitting, a girl from guest relations came over to talk to us. Overall it was a good experience, which it should be.

The remainder of the evening we rested in the concierge lounge as the production show was one we had seen last week.

Icy Strait Point – Tuesday May 29, 2018

Today was a long walk to Hoona, which is the native town which is about 4km from the port. The weather was fine but it was a bit of a slog getting there. The town seems to be getting more interesting for tourists. When we first went there around 10 years ago there was little of interest other than a cafe. Now there are more native exhibits and craft outlets. We came across a couple of men carving a totem pole talking to tourists and learned a little. Back at the port, Alison went exploring the museum and shops while I went back onboard for lunch.

After lunch, we went to the Solarium for the remainder of the afternoon and fell into our dinner ritual. The evening was a formal night, yet we noticed that about a quarter of the guests were wearing jeans in the dining room. The couple on the table next to us have been very demanding and often have the head waiter or chef over to deal with situations. This evening they seemed to be in a particularly bad mood and left early without talking.

For the first time on this cruise, we went to the evening show as it was an act we had not seen. This was a singer who gave a broad range of music and had a way of engaging the audience. Overall it was entertaining and one of the better performances. Finally, we went up to the Diamond lounge to watch the view as we sailed out of the channel.

 

Skagway – Monday May 28, 2018

After breakfast, we went to see the Loyalty Ambassador, Terrance, again. We have experienced a series of problems without Diamond Plus benefits and I was alarmed that my Internet service was cut off yesterday when I thought I should have 48 hours. He explained it was actually 2 days of 24 hours each, so it should be fine.

Alison had wanted to return to a jewelry shop we had visited last week so we started there and spent a long time deciding whether to buy something. Then we followed an interesting trail past the airport and along the waterfront to Smuggler’s Cove. On our way back Alison returned to pick up her item from the store while I went straight to the ship for lunch We realized that this was the first time we had entered the Windjammer on this cruise (starting from Seward).

Following lunch, Alison went out shopping – what a surprise – while I went up to the Concierge lounge to fix the Chromebook. To my relief, once I logged on everything was still as it should be. I simply had not been able to log in sooner without an Internet connection. The remainder of the day was pretty much routine. Having seen the magician on the outward journey we skipped the show again. So far we have not been to a single show on this downward cruise. Instead, we stayed in the Concierge lounge and talked to our American pinnacle friend.

Juneau – Sunday May 27, 2018

We had a slow start to the day since it is Sunday and we don’t need to be at church until 11:00 am. After breakfast, we walked slowly through Juneau up to 5th. Alison stopped in the Russian Orthodox church to check it out but there was a service in progress. Then we went next door to the RC Cathedral. After the service, we went into the church hall for coffee and donuts which we regarded as lunch so we did not have to return to the ship. Talking to a man at the coffee morning, he suggested a walk we could take so we continued up the steep streets and along to the mountain trailhead. Just across the street was the trailhead for Fluke Trail which was the one we wanted.

This was an old railway track which had been covered with a boardwalk, so it was very flat and interesting. Eventually, we made our way through the streets and back towards the ship. There I stopped in the Library while Alison went for a walk along the shopping streets – of course! While I was reconfiguring my Chromebook I seemed to have damaged the OS and it went into a restore loop. Having been in the library for a few hours I decided to leave fixing it until we were back on the ship since it could take a long time.

Finally, about 4:00 pm we went back to the ship for our usual drinks, dinner and hang out in the Concierge lounge. There was no show in the evening, but instead, we had a movie in the main theatre called “Please Stand By” about the adventures of an autistic girl. This was well worth seeing and was something we could relate to.

Hubbard Glacier – Saturday May 26, 2018

Alison went to the gym first thing in the morning as usual. We both went down to the dining room for lunch but found there was no breakfast club since it was so busy on the first day. We were offered a table for two but somehow ended up on a table for 4 with a couple who did not seem happy. Service was rather slow and I was disappointed, but these all seem like first world problems! After breakfast, Alison went to sort out some Diamond Plus benefits with Terrance and I went to the Concierge lounge for the decent orange juice and cup of coffee. I am not a people person and really appreciate the sanctuary of quiet isolation in the lounges. This was our first sea day and just like the last time, there was no capacity for WLAN access.

After lunch, we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier (again) and went out on the helipad to view and get photos. It was a lot clearer than the previous visit but still cool. After about 30 minutes most people had left and we joined them to return to the Concierge lounge where we stayed until dinner. Having seen tonight’s production show of Piano Man, we returned to the Concierge lounge where we talked to some experienced cruisers – one an American Pinnacle and an Australian Diamond Plus.

Seward – Friday May 25, 2018

We came back to our breakfast club which was much appreciated. Then finished packing and left the ship at 8:30 for our walk. We had planned to take the free shuttle to the trailhead but found a long line of passengers waiting for it to go to the train station. Consequently, we decided to walk there instead. Along the way, we crossed the busy highway and walked through a residential area before finding an entrance to the Twin Lakes trail. We ascended a very steep set of steps to join the trail loop and then walked around a very pretty trail with lots of photo opportunities. A little further along the road, we found the trailhead to Mt. Marathon where a group of the crew was about to climb up to find snow.

We continued through residential streets all the way to the aquarium at the end and decided to go inside to check it out. There was a gift shop but we discovered free wifi so stayed there for a while checking and responding to messages. Paul had told us that the garage door was not opening and needed to deal with that. We walked slowly back following the coastline through all of the campgrounds. It brought back memories of doing this walk a year ago when I felt unwell. This time was good but towards the end, I had blisters on my feet and felt stiff following the 8 km walk.

Boarding the ship was simple with our in-transit pass and we went straight for the consecutive cruiser lunch in the dining room. There we enjoyed a very nice 3-course lunch with salmon. Later we went up to check out our new cabin and Alison was disappointed at its condition. There was a very noisy vent in the bathroom. Then we went up to explore the Concierge lounge that we were now allowed to use as new Diamond Plus members. We didn’t stay long before heading to the Solarium to relax for the remainder of the afternoon. The ship seemed really quiet since few passengers had boarded yet.

In the evening we dressed up for Alison’s birthday celebration and returned to the Concierge lounge for drinks. There was a bar so we mostly had to fetch our own drinks and often wait for service. I left Alison there while I went to guest relations to get our name on the upgrade request list and to see the loyalty ambassador, Terrance, to complete our transition to Diamond Plus. Timing was tight since Terrance came on duty at 5:30 and we had mustering starting 15 minutes later. At dinner, we had our usual table adjacent to the couple from Austria and Russia, but different waiters. We decided to skip the evening show since it was the same awful comedian we had the previous night. Instead, we stayed in the Diamond lounge and I read.

Hubbard Glacier – Thursday May 24, 2018

We woke up early at 7 am for our arrival at the glacier. Since the dining room wasn’t open yet, we had breakfast in the Windjammer. It was very crowded and made us really appreciate our breakfast club. Then we went up to the Diamond lounge to watch our arrival at the glacier. There was much more floating ice than we had ever seen since it was early in the day and season and therefore very cold. We did not see any calving but did see a man wearing only shorts having his photo taken. Alison decided to go to the helipad while I remained upstairs in the warm. Later I joined her but didn’t stay out long in the cold and rain.

The remainder of the time was a sea day which was a chance to relax and catch up on reading and blogging. The show after dinner was a comedian who was awful. He assumed the audience was all American and the jokes were crude and nor funny. I would have walked out but found myself boxed in.

In the evening we packed ready for turnaround day tomorrow and then stayed in the Diamond lounge reading.

Juneau – Tuesday May 22, 2018

Alison is getting back into her routine of going to the gym first thing in the morning. I went down to breakfast club to get a seat before they close and Alison joined me later. Our excursion was to ride the gondola up the mountain where we walked a one-mile trail loop. The weather was overcast so the views were not great. Following our walk, we explored the buildings at the top including a nature centre which looked very much like a tourist shop. In the main building, we watched a 20-minute movie on the history and culture of the Tlingit people which was interesting – I stayed awake! I waited while Alison explored another tourist shop then we descended back the town below. Alison walked back to the shops – do we see a theme yet? Meanwhile, I returned to the ship and waited in the Diamond lounge and watched a new coffee machine being installed.

For lunch, we sat out at the back of the Windjammer but found it too cold. In order to get full value from our tickets, we returned to the top of the mountain and Alison walked the loop again while I waited in the building for her. Visibility was much better but still overcast and it was busier in the afternoon. Once down in the town again, we walked to the State building then back to the library to get some free Internet time.

Back on the ship, we had our drinks as usual in the Diamond lounge followed by dinner. There was no show this evening so we returned to the library until it closed at 8 pm. There was still time for a short walk around town before returning to the ship. We finished the evening in the Diamond lounge with coffee.