Sunny Ketchikan

Sunny Ketchikan They continue to state that this is the place on the planet that gets the most rain, they measure the rain in feet!! This was our 6th day in Ketchikan and the sun has been shining every time. The ship docked around ten, Ken and I and Joan and Marion disembarked around 10:30 and we headed for Creek Street. I was very lucky in that there was one pair of earrings to match the pendant I bought last week. I was so pleased. Joan bought a pendant, earrings and a ring in the Australian opal. Marion said nothing. We separated and Ken and I shopped a little more. We had one more gift to buy and I found a very nice pin of native art. We had lunch back on the ship, first we were with Bill and Linda and then we finished lunch with Barbara and Gordon. They are always so much fun. Marion and Joan invited us to come to their suite for a before dinner drink, which we did. Dinner tonight was scallops and they were divine. I decided to splurge since the cruise is almost over and I had cheese cake for dessert instead of my usual sugar free choice. After dinner we all went to the theatre to see the Illusionist. He blew our minds again. We finished the evening with a night cape of special coffee at the International Café. It is so hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of our cruise and we go home on Saturday.

Raining in Juneau

Well, we knew it couldn’t last. It was raining today. We had planned to go up on the Mount Robson Tram but that will have to wait till next time. This was the night of the Captain’s Circle party and so it was formal night again. We had sent Ken’s white shirt out to be laundered but it did not get back in time so he had to wear a colored shirt. I was surprised by how good it looked. Before dinner we were invited to go to Marion and Joan’s cabin for pre dinner drinks and goodies. Ken and I brought our bottle of wine and some goodies. It was a great visit. Lobster was on the menu so everyone had the same thing as usual. After dinner we went to the Captain’s party. All of the ladies decided to have the green cocktails, blue Curacao and orange juice and Vodka. None of us won the bottle of Champagne. Then Wayne and Carol and Ken and I choose which of the old fashioned pictures to buy. The choice was not easy at all. To close of our evening we went to the Piazza and we watched the band Indigo as they performed Irish music.

COLD Skagway

June 12th/2012 We had breakfast in the dining room and we ate with 2 couples who were part of a group of 57 people from New York State. They were interesting to visit with. Today we were in Skagway and it was very cold and the wind was blowing a gale. We decided that we had been to Skagway 5 times before and we really didn’t need to get that cold today. We spent a very quiet day, napping and exploring the ship again. When walking around the ship we came to one of the hot tubs and there were 2 people in it. The bravest people on the ship. It might have been nice while in there but I sure wouldn’t want to be them getting out. For lunch I went to the Trident Grill and got each of us a hot dog. This time I found the onions and the relish. We decide to go to Skywalkers,( which is the night club on deck 16) for the Elite reception since the special drink was the port which Ken enjoys so much. I had another Strawberry Daiquiri. They are soooooooooo good. We went downstairs to supper and as usual we had a grand time. After super we went with Wayne and Carol to the place where they were taking pictures of people in the old time costumes. Carol didn’t like the ones we had taken last week. After that we went to the Princess Theatre for the production show. It was “Do You Wanna Dance?” and as usual it was fantastic. I cannot believe their energy. Next we stood by Crooners to take in the Name That Tune trivia. Barbara and Gordon ended up there also. We were surprised by what we knew and what we didn’t know. Barbara and I entered the guess the weight of the diamond contest and Ken and I went for our night cap as usual. We were on our way back to our room when we came across the display of gold chains and Ken got one. Finally it was off to bed. In spite of not going ashore and not really doing anything we had a busy day.

Margerie Glacier

Today was Glacier Bay sailing. We had room service for breakfast and they brought me wonderful berries again. We dressed and prepared to spend a lot of time on the balcony. After breakfast we went to the library and entered the contest for the day. Then Ken and I walked around the deck and we went up to Skywalkers. We met Carol there and when chatting with her we discovered that we had put the wrong answer in the contest. That was before noon so we dashed down to put in a new answer. Then Carol and I went to Facets to check out the Blue diamond collection. They have nothing in yellow gold and their prices are out of this world. I went back to the room and we were about to arrive at the glacier so we decided to eat in our room. I went to the Alaskan Buffet and picked up a few things for us both. After we ate Ken got dressed and he went topside to take a few pictures. At one point the naturalist poked her head around the corner of our balcony and introduced herself and said hello. By now we were at the Margerie Glacier. This is the one that calves so much so I knew the railings would be packed. I decided to stay in the room. I could hear the thunderous roars of the glacier and at one point I went out and tried to see but it was impossible so I came beck. Soon the captain turned the ship so the people in Starboard side could have a good view. It was totally amazing. He stayed for about an hour and the glacier calved almost continually. As soon as the ship turned Ken came back and we watched the action together. I got some amazing pictures. I also got a video which I will post on you tube when we get home. The sights and sounds were amazing. We were invited for drinks with Marion and Joan at 4:30 so it was soon time to dress for dinner and our visit. We went upstairs and all of the table mates plus Linda and Bill from Burnaby were there. As usual we had a fun time. After dinner we returned to the room to watch the wales. We were sailing through Icy Straits where the humpbacks feed. Most of the activity was on the Port side but we did see a couple. Next we went to the show in the Princess Theatre. Tonight the features performer was Dan Horn, a ventriloquist. We saw him on the northbound cruise but he was so good we decided to go again. He did not disappoint. After the show we went to the International Café for a specialty coffee. We ran into Wayne and Carol so we joined them. Then it was off to bed.. another wonderful day had come to an end.

Lots of Ice!!

Sunday June 10th We started the day by going to Horizon Court for breakfast. We were later than usual having gotten a late start,. We ended up having lunch with a gentleman from Australia, Bruce Alexander. He has to be the most travelled, well informed person we have ever met. Before we knew it it was time to head out for the meet and greet. First we went to the library to enter the Wake Show contest and then we went to Crooners to meet with the Cruise Critic group. About a dozen people appeared and we all had a great visit. We went to the Savoy dining room for the British Pub lunch. As usual it was good. We checked out the art auction offerings and then it was back to our room to check out the Glaciers in Yakutat Bay. The captain maneuvered the ship in close to the Hubbard Glacier. We could not believe how filled with ice the water was. It was thick with ice burgs and burger bits. While watching out the balcony door we had the television on and the on board naturalist was narrating the view. We were so close and at one point the ship shuttered and the naturalist said “Oops, I guess that was an iceberg” That is not something you like to hear when on a ship in an ice filled channel. Too soon it was time to dress for formal night and head out to dinner. Much to our relief the dining room staff had changed our table to a table for eight and we did not have to lose any of our friends. Gordon was wearing his new tie that we had given him and Joan and Marion brought him a lovely red boutonniere to match his tie. We posed for photos and as usual we had a grand time. This was the night of the Captain’s welcome party and the champagne waterfall. We got a glass of bubbly and watched all of the beautiful people go by. There are a lot more high fashion elegant outfits this time. But as usual there are some who have never looked in a mirror. Ken and I returned to our room with plans to change and go back out again but we never left the room again and we just relaxed for the trest of the evening. Glacier Bay tomorrow!! Gordon smiles with his new tie and his pretty flower.:-)

Whittier, Alaska

Saturday June 9th, Today was our day in Whittier, Alaska. We actually docked at midnight last night. Passengers who are doing the 7 day cruie have to disembark this morning. We are so glad it is not us. We are not ready to go home. We had breakfast in the dining room and we met Marion and Joan there. After a visit Marion asked if I would use my netbook to recharge his I-Pod. Ken and I walked the stairs and they met us in our room. The steward arrived with our new mini bar set up. We still have all of the last one left so we are going to have to do some drinking on this leg of the cruise. We were visiting and having great time when we realized that we had to go to Club Fusion to register our new cruise card. In the process of doing that we met Wayne and Carol. Marion and Joan agreed to show Carol their suite. We were invited to come along. It is the same as the suite that Wayne and Carol had for that one night. We visited with them and soon it was time to go for lunch. We ate at Horizon Court and then came back to the room to write Recognition card for our favorite staff and check our account etc. After a nap we dressed for dinner and went up to Skywalkers for a cocktail. I had a Blue Hawaiian and Ken had a Mai Tai. When we went to dinner we discovered that it was open dining tonight. Wayne and Carol are now at our table, number 69 and we are not sure who else will be eating with us. We will be disappointed if our other table mates have been moved. Hopefully we will also be moved to a table for eight. They were so much fun we would hate to lose any of them. There are a lot of newbies on board and it is fun to listen to their comments and queries. I know we sounded the same on our first cruise. The sun has broken through and the sun on the snow is magnificent. I don’t know if I have even seen snow looking so wonderful. We invited Wayne and Carol to our room and the four of us sat and watched for well over an hour. We were absolutely spell bound by the beauty. Joan and Marion show off their fruit basket! The natural beauty defies description!

Last Day of Northbound Cruise

Friday June 8th For some people this is the last day and they have to begin packing to go home, others have to pack for the land portion of their vacation and for us it is the last day of the first cruise. I am so glad we are doing both north and South. I am so not ready to go home. We had a wonderful sleep. We are crossing the Gulf of Alaska so there was some motion on the ship last night. It just rocked us gently and we had the best sleep ever. We went to the dining room for breakfast and they seated us with a couple we had dined with before so that was fun. After breakfast Ken shopped for some rum and much to our surprise they gave it to us. Usually you get it when you disembark. We met Wayne and Carol and they are excited to have their black card already when they didn’t expect to get it until the end of the next leg. Carol and I both shopped the big sale and I picked up a tie for Gordon , our table mate. Then we went to the International café for a coffee and Marium and Joan were there. Apparently they have a red bow in their room so they are going to get the tie box decorated and we will get the head waiter to deliver the tie to Gordon. It should be fun. Next Ken and I and Wayne and Carol checked out that game in the Casino. I played twice using the tokens we won. The game is much harder than it looks. I am so surprised that someone won the 500.00 last cruise. Next we just sat and relaxed for a while to wait for time for elevator roulette. It was played differently this time . Ken and I each won three prizes and Wayne also won 3 prizes. I got a magnet, a fan and a pen. We went to Horizon Court and had some fruit for our lunch. We spoke to the head waiter from the dining room and he is going to play along with us and deliver the tie to Gordon. He has promised to make a big deal of it . Ken went to the magic class and I came here to blog. We got dressed and went to dinner early so we could give the tie to Gabriel or Gabby as he likes to be called. Gordon was thrilled with the gift of the tie and it was so much fun to see the look on his face. Dinner was great. I had a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. Tonight was the parade of the baked Alaskan which is always fun. All six of us are returning to Vancouver so we have another week to enjoy each others’ company. Barbara and George are meeting relatives in Whittier but Marium and Judy and Ken and I do not have anything planned. We will just relax and enjoy the ship. After dinner we went to the late show and it starred Dan Horn, a ventriloquist. We met Wayne and Carol and we went downstairs for a special coffee. Sunset tonight is at 11:18 pm and sunrise is 4:28 am so it is a very short night indeed. Whittier and cruise two begins tomorrow Gabby presents a gift to Gordon!! Surprise!