Disembarkation Logistics – Sunday, July 2, 2023

With 12 of us leaving the cruise, we had a challenge working out how we would all get back. To add further complexity, there was a port strike so getting luggage off the ship would be delayed and we expected most guests would walk off with their cases. Alison’s parents needed help getting off with their bags and moving to a hotel near the airport. Meanwhile, we needed to help Paul. Sammy needed to get to the airport for an afternoon flight and the Burock family was self-sufficient.

We all woke up at 6:00 am and set about the plan which involved getting most of the cases to Michael’s club early, before the elevator got congested. Then we had breakfast in Luminae before departing the ship. Emma, Kevin and Sam looked after Alison’s parents which allowed us to help Paul. We took the Skytrain to Richmond then Kevin brought us the rest of the way home. Meanwhile, Emma and Sam escorted Alison’s parents to their hotel and used the Skytrain to get back but didn’t have a key to the apartment. Kevin had the key but he was driving Alison back to Richmond to spend the remaining time with her parents. By the evening, everyone was in their rightful place.

Phew!

Canada Day – Saturday, July 1, 2023

We celebrated Canada Day with a sea day trailing back along the inside passage. I used the day mostly to catch up on my blog. In the evening Emma had prepared a video of our time together which we viewed in the Hayter suite.

In the evening there was a special event planned in the centrum to celebrate Canada Day. I was rather disappointed to find the event was just the singing of our national anthem while waving flags, before resuming the disco music. The theatre entertainment was a “Rock” show performed by singers and dancers.

Ketchikan – Friday, June 30, 2023

As usual, we had breakfast with Alison’s parents in Luminae. Then Jo visited (twice) to replan the celebration. In the morning we had a loyalty wine-tasting event where there were only 15 people participating. I decided to skip lunch since I had eaten a large breakfast.

We arrived at Ketchikan and walked along the front with Paul to the site of the lumberjack show. He wanted to buy a T-shirt. Then we walked along Creek Street and up the steps to the hotel with a nice view. The pizza restaurant we saw being built the last time we were here is finished and open for business. However, the funicular is still a work in progress. We continued down the steps toward the river and back to Creek Street where we split off from Alison who went shopping while Paul and I returned to the ship.

Along the way, we met Alison’s parents and sat talking for a while before boarding. One on board, I joined them in Michael’s Club for afternoon tea and scones.

We were asked to stay out of our suite until 4:00 to allow time for decoration. When I arrived back it was magnificent with balloons, posters, food plates, chips, milk for the children, champagne and chocolate strawberries. We dressed for another formal night before being joined by the family.

Later we had dinner in Luminae with lobster and baked Alaska, then rushed out to catch the 7:00 pm show performed by Take 3 playing tunes on piano, cello and violin. Following the show we went to Michael’s Club for coffee and finished the remaining chocolate strawberries. With the hour change, we decided to have an early night.

Juneau – Thursday, June 29, 2023

We had a very early start so only had time for a quick breakfast at the Oceanview Cafe. Our meeting time was 8:15 on the dock and most of us made it except for Sam and Kevin who thought we were meeting at 8:30. We rode on a bus with other groups to a marina where we boarded a boat with exactly 12 seats, just enough for our group. There were two crew, our captain and a naturalist called Bailey.

It was a little bumpy heading out and we soon found a pod of about six orcas which is a rare sighting. After a while, we broke off from that group and found several humpback whales. Most of the time I stood outside on the rear deck to get fresh air. We also had a family photo on the front deck which was quite a squeeze. On our way back to shore we passed a buoy where there were a lot of sea lions sleeping.

The bus stopped for a photo shoot at a viewpoint of the Mendenhall Glacier. In town, Paul and Kevin went to the famous Red Dog Saloon for lunch while we went back to the ship for lunch in Oceanview. Following my afternoon nap, we had tea and scones in Micheal’s Club before drinks in the Hayter suite and dinner in Luminae. Then Alison and I went back to their suite to watch the sail away.

We talked to the retreat manager, Jess, to detail the plans for our anniversary celebration before Alison went to the show with a Broadway singer, which I skipped.

Hubbard Glacier – Wednesday, June 28, 2023

As we were getting dressed, Louise visited with the grandchildren. This set us back so by the time we got to breakfast, Alsion’s parents had left. We watched the approach to the glacier from their balcony with blankets and hot chocolate. Louise sat in their hot tub in a bikini. It was slightly misty but we got to 1/2 mile which is the closest we have experienced. There seemed to be a lot of calving. We then moved to our balcony as the ship rotated.

We had lunch in Oceanview with the family. Later, we had an exclusive loyalty club celebration entertained by one of the acrobats and a more exclusive trivia in Michael’s club where surprisingly we achieved second place and won a bottle of wine. As usual, we met for drinks in Alison’s parents’ suite but had dinner alone since they went to one of the specialty dining rooms.

In the evening, we met our butler, Jo, who wanted to talk about plans for our anniversary celebration. He always seems to want to talk when we are in a hurry, which on this cruise is all the time. We were on our way to the portrait studio to view and choose photos from the earlier event. We also needed to decide whether to take prints or digital photos on a USB drive. The family voted for digital and we received a large box with plenty of room for the relatively tiny USB drive.

The show was an entertaining magician. Back in our room, we got ready for a very early start in the morning.

Sitka – Tuesday, June 27, 2023

We started our day with another breakfast in Luminae with Alison’s parents. We were delayed getting there and missed them.

We don’t often get to visit Sitka so this was a rare visit for us. The ship docks a long way out of the town so the port provides a complimentary shuttle bus. We decided to walk to a park where there are lots of totem polls. Along the way, I was helping Paul get his cellular data working. It turned out that instead of topping up the plan, he had bought a new SIM which needed to be installed when we had Wi-Fi service in the visitor centre.

Walking back through the town we met Edwardo, who is our waiter, and found out he has a sister working on RC Brilliance who he sees once a week. We continued up to Castle Hill where Alaska was formally handed over from the Russians to the United States.

Back on the ship we had lunch in the Ocean View restaurant with the family since we prefer a light lunch which is difficult to get in Luminae. Following my nap, we met in the Hayter suite for drinks and examined the glass artwork which had cooled from the previous day. Later we went to Luminae for dinner followed by the show which was an English singer.

Sea Day – Monday, June 26, 2023

We were back in Luminae for breakfast with Alison’s parents followed by a very busy day. At 10:30 we all met at the glass-blowing studio. Alison had offered to let every one of the family members make something. Paul went first and was very excited about making a whale’s tail. Sam was next making a vase followed by Louise making a jellyfish paperweight and Emma making a cup.

Following lunch, we had a loyalty celebration in the Sky Lounge then tea and scones in Michael’s club. The family participated in a trivia challenge and this was to keep Alison’s parents out of their suite while it was decorated for a surprise party in celebration of their 64th anniversary. We joined them in their suite in formal dress for the evening and had a photographer taking lots of photos of the family.

Another of the benefits of suite guests is getting reserved seats on the balcony for the show. This evening was a performance of the singers and dancers on “Topper”. It was a good production but a confusing, not existent, storyline.

Leaving Vancouver – Sunday, June 25, 2023

Our departure was from Vancouver which makes things simpler since we don’t have any flights to catch. Our neighbour, Rod, kindly gave us a ride to the Skytrain station which was a bonus to not having to navigate the local bus. We arrived at Canada Place just in time to meet the passengers coming off multiple cruise ships. It seemed we were the only ones going against the flow.

Following the usual check-in, security and customs we were led to a crowded holding area. There was barely enough room to sit on the chairs which were next to one another. We obviously missed the Suite check-in since Alison’s parents were taken to an uncrowded private area. It wasn’t long before we boarded.

Once on board, we went straight to our suite to drop off our bags. We were extremely fortunate to have a large suite on this cruise to celebrate our anniversary. All the other members of the family had regular cabins and the Boruck’s had a family cabin with two separate bedrooms. Suite guests also had access to the Luminae dining room where we met the parents for lunch. Following lunch, we went to the exclusive Michael’s Club for coffee.

I relaxed and read a book during the afternoon. Dinner was back in Luminae and the show was an American comedian with poor bathroom humour.