Juneau, Seventh Visit.

 The Grand arrived in Juneau at 6:30 am. It was cloudy but you could see the odd ray of sunlight so it was hopeful. We went to breakfast in the dining room. We shared our table with 2 couples, one from Texas and one from Washington state. As usual it was a pleasant encounter. We have been lucky , so far no one is trying to talk politics.

After breakfast we took time to hide 2 more ducks. One on deck 14 and one on deck 7.

We returned to our room and got ready to head out. By now the sun is shining brightly so it is time to head to the tram. Disembarking went smoothly. We walked to the tram stopping in a few shops along the way. The trip to the top of the tram was pricy ,,....$45.00 each., but the views were amazing. There was a movie and there were many totems to photograph. 

There were 3 ships in today so the stores were busy. I had a shopping list of 3 things and I was lucky in that I found all three today. 

By one o'clock we had walked enough and we were feeling a bit hungry so we headed back to the ship. The clouds were beginning to foll in and the lovely sunny view from the top was no longer available. We choose the time to ride the tram wisely.

We had lunch at  the International cafe. It was excellent and we were soon on our way back upstairs...nap time!

Dinner was at 5 again and it was so pleasant.Diver scallops were the special tonight. Yummy!! Gary and Debbie and Gary were not there. We are hoping they are not ill. 

We are back in our stateroom relaxing and remembering why we love cruising so much. Tomorrow we are in Skagway!!

Surprise Sea Day

 This was supposed to be our day in Juneau but we did enjoy the surprise sea day.

Last evening we enjoyed the formal night. Everyone at our table was dressed for the special evening which made it very nice. The food was great and the company was so enjoyable. The other three whose names I did not remember are Gary senior and son Gary and wife of senior is Debbie.

It is amazing how many times we laughed. The 5 o'clock meal time is better than we expected because it is not busy and not as noisy. After our meal we headed for mid ship because of the champagne waterfall. Almost immediately we were offered memosas. There are definate advantages to having the ship half full. 

Next we headed for the princess theatre for the production show called Starlight. It was very good and as we expected the Princess Orchestra was outstanding.

After the show we intended to change clothes and return to the entertainment areas but we did not make it. When we got out of our finery we decided to call it a night.

On the way to dinner we hid 2 of our ducks. This morning on the way to breakfast we hid 2 more. Right now all 4 have been found. 

We received a notice from the captain saying that each passenger would receive $150.00 as a compensation for the delay and the cancelled port. 

I woke early this morning and I was treated to a most beautiful sunrise with an amazing rainbow. We were so lucky to have had our drapes open so we could catch a glimpse of it.

We sat at a table for 4 at breakfast. The other couple is from Virginia. They usually sail free because of their use of the Casino. I wonder how much those free cruises cost them.

For lunch we were at a table for 6 and the other 2 couples were from Washington and Idaho. Again meal time was very pleasant and we met and visited with very nice friendly people.

Last evening when we returned to our cabin we found a towel annimal on our bed. It is a dog and if I even get these pictures to download I will post a picture of it. We have not named it yet.

But the big event today was receiving the invitation to the Captain's luncheon. So we are 2 of the 40 most travelled passengers. The luncheon is September 24st and that is also the second and last formal night. I will have to get my hair done that morning for sure.

It was drizzling earlier but the sun has just broken through. A good sign for sure.

We strolled around the ship and took a few pictures. Still have not viewed it all.

When we arrived at dinner we learned that young Gary found a duck. His duck is wearing a red toque and sunglasses. Really cute.

Dinner was great as usual. The main course featured Prime Rib. Ken was in his glory.

One of the desserts was carrot cake and it was done quite differently.

Tomorrow we will be in Juneau. Because this will be our seventh stop there we have nothing special planned.  

On the Move Again!!, Darn computers!!

 Even without the rocking of the ocean I slept very well. Apparently the ship sailed around eleven o'clock. We found out that the problem was a glich in the computer soft wear.

We had breakfast in the dining room and it was almost Canadian table. One couple was from Michigan. 

After breakfast we separated and I did a few errands. I went to see one of the Medalion navigators to find out a bit about the app.

Then I went to the Photo department to see if they could help with the camera downloading problem.

Then I downloaded out account statement to see if it was correct and what our balance was.

Then I stopped and signed the condolance book for Queen Elizabeth.

Next I checked out one of the shops and found a VERY NICE almost formal top. Regular price $109.99 on sale for $29.75. It fit and I really like it.

Then I checked with the outlet that sells alcohol to find out what rum they had on board. I don't know why but there are 2 Xmas trees in one of the shops. They are nicely decorated.

I returned to the room, left my parcel and got ready to go to the Cruise Critic gathering. There was a good sized group of travellers and the officers were well represented..The captain explained that because of the delay in departing the schedule of ports would change. Tomorrow will be a second sea day and then we would stop at Juneau and then Skagway. Icy Strait Point would be missed. There are 1500 passengers on board , a little more than half capacity.

Next we headed to the DaVinci dining room for lunch. This time it was a completely Canadian table. It was a table for six with a window view. The nicest table yet. There was a couple from Vancouver and a couple from Calgary.

As usual lunch was very tasty and we had a great time visiting. Lunch took over an hour and a half so we headed back here to have a little nap.

Our appetizers just arrived. This is the first formal night. We will finish the bottle of champagne that we began last evening.

Dinner is at 5 instead of 6 which will be good because we will want to go to the production show at 7:30 and it usually takes at least 2 hours to have dinner.

We sailed the inside passage all day and it was a bit cool to say the least. The water was very calm and the scenery was grand. This is indeed a beautiful part of the world. The sun peeked out about an hour ago but even with the sun it is chilly.

We are on board!

 Stewart and Ellenor arrived right on time and we loaded the luggage and away we went.The GPS directions were printed and Ellenor helped to make certain we were in the right place. It was only an hour and we were unloaded and on our way to the ship. 

There were perhaps hundreds of people there but the line moved really smoothly and we had no problems. 

As we boarded the ship there was a line of staff holding hearts and cheering us with words of welcome.

The atrium was decorated with many welcome signs. It seem that that are as happy to see us as we are to see them.

Our room was ready for us when we arrived. The wonderful surprise of a large bouquet of roses was waiting for us. Kim never fails to surprise us and make us feel so special. 

The safety drill is something you do on your own. First you watch the drill on your stateroom television and then you go to your muster station the sign in. Thay involves tucking your medalion to a screen and confirming your room number.

Then we headed to the DaVinci dining room on deck 6. As usual Princess did herself proud. I had bay shrimp and avacado as my starter and baked salmon for the mail course. I asked for and received fresh fruit for dessert. They even brought me iced tea. A perfect start. 

Next we decided to walk around the ship and explore it. We stopped at the art gallery along the way. Because of people boarding and supplies being loaded some areas of the promanade deck were blocked. But we simply retraced our steps and had a good walk.

Next we went to our room. Our luggage had arrived and choo brought the ice bucket abd ice along with 2 champagne glasses. We would be ready for the sail away toast. 

I wasn't certain that I remembered the time and location of our dining reservation. Frustration set in. Then I could not get the computer to connect. Well after I washed and dressed for dinner I decided to go to the internet cafe to ask for help. George was a great help and in just minutes I had internet and I knew that our dinner reservation was for six at Bottacelli.

We had some of our champagne and stood on the balcony waving at the people on shore. In minutes the ship was backing up. That was not normal. Soon the captain come on the speakers to tell us that because of technical problems they were returning to the dock and hoped to have repairs made right away. The plan was to be underway at 3:30 so that we would not miss the tide at Seymour Narrows. It is now 4:32 and we are still tied up. Unless the repair happens soon and I mean really soon we will not be getting to Seymour narrows on this tide. 

I will keep you informed. But I am on a cruise ship being treated like a queen so I really don't care where the ship is or isn't!!

Well we drank champagne and changed our clothes for dinner. We are at a table for 8 and everyone is so nice and friendly. We decided we would like to sit together for the entire cruise so we made those arrangements with the Maitre d. One couple, Joan and Bob are from Eagle Mountain and she is a retired teacher. The other group of three are from the Sacramento region. The group is a husband and wife and son. I do not remember their names, I will have it tomorrow. I think this will be a fun group.

There was another man from Louisianna. He is traveling with his 92 year old mother and sister. He will not become part of our group

 because he will eat with them. His name is Bruce.

Now back to our mechanical issue. Apparently there is a problem with the propulsion and they are still working to correct it.

I sure hope they do not decide to send us home.

It has been a long day so I am going to close it and head for dreamland.

Till tomorrow.

Negative...Yeah!!

 Yesterday we had to get a Covid test. We choose to do it using Zoom. We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and how smoothly it went. Of course the fact that we use Zoom for Sunday worship and therefore are  familiar with it didn't hurt.

But we tested NEGATIVE. Yeah. That was the last hurdle.

Today we have hair appointments... have to try to look good in at least one of our pictures. 

Both of the suitcases are under 50 pounds. Not that it matters since we are not flying.

Our neighbour is going to water the plants and collect the mail, we certainly are lucky to have good neighbours.

We live only an hours drive from Vancouver and the cruise terminal but getting there can be difficult. If we drive there what do we do about parking for 12 days or longer?The cost of parking in a big city like Vancouver is very costly and prohibitive. There is no rapid transit to get us from here to there. Again having friends is a blessing. Usually we will drive one couple and then when we need a drive they will drive us. Unfortunately covid and age has reduced the number of friends who are still travelling. Our very good friend has a retired son who has agreed to take us into Vancouver tomorrow. We really appreciate Stewart for doing this. He will pick us up around ten in the am and then he will come back and get us on the 26th.

Well I guess that is it for tonight. The next time I write we will be on board the Grand.

Alaska Cruise

 12 Day Round Trip from Vancouver.

September 14 to September 26th/ 2022

Itinerary

Day & Date	Destination	Duration
Wed, 09/14/22
Wed, 09/14/22	Vancouver, Canada Check In Begins At 12:30	– 3:15pm
Thu, 09/15/22	At Sea
Fri, 09/16/22	Juneau, Alaska	1:30pm – 9:00pm
Sat, 09/17/22	Skagway, Alaska	7:00am – 8:30pm
Sun, 09/18/22	Icy Strait Point, Alaska	8:00am – 5:00pm
Mon, 09/19/22	Glacier Bay National Park (scenic Cruising), Alaska Scenic Cruising	6:45am – 3:45pm
Tue, 09/20/22	Sitka, Alaska	7:00am – 4:00pm
Wed, 09/21/22	Endicott Arm And Dawes Glacier (scenic Cruising), Alaska Scenic Cruising	6:30am – 12:00pm
Thu, 09/22/22	Ketchikan, Alaska	7:00am – 6:00pm
Fri, 09/23/22	Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada	7:00am – 6:00pm
Sat, 09/24/22	At Sea
Sun, 09/25/22	Victoria, Canada	9:00am – 11:00pm
Mon, 09/26/22	Vancouver, Canada	7:30am

On the Seas Again!

 Because of the pandemic we have not been on a cruise since February 29th of 2020. Oh how I missed it. I actually thought it had been 2019 when we sailed last, but the blog knows it all.

So in 4 days we will be boarding the Grand Princess and heading out on a 12 day cruise to Alaska. It is a Vancouver to Vancouver trip so we do not have to fly. That is a special bonus. Flying has become torture and of course Covid did not help.

 Our very first cruise was aboard the Grand Princess which makes this cruise even more special. We have cruised on 16 different Princess ships and we have been at sea for 525 days on 52 adventures. Do you think we might like it??

We had to cancel a cruise to Norway and this trip is a way to use up some of the credit that we had earned. 

We have been to Alaska three other times but this trip is a little different.It is 12 days and there are a few new ports of call. We go to Prince Rupert and Sitka which are new to us and a different Glacier field.

Princess is now using the Medallion App for boarding and for service during the cruise. This involved a rather steep learning curve for this non-teckie senior. But I am excited to tell you that we are in the GREEN lane which is supposed to mean that we have jumped through almost all of the hoops and we will be welcomed aboard with few or no problems.

There is one hoop left and it is a Covid test. We have an appointment to get our test done using ZOOM. The test is scheduled for 11:15 on Monday. If we test positive we will not be allowed to sail. We feel fine and have been vaccinated and boosted so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Both Ken and I are almost finished packing. We are using our large suitcases because we will be bringing along winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Alaska will not be warm or at least that is the expectation. However on one trip we were pleasantly surprised and the temperatures were in the 70s and 80s. So far my suitcase weighs only 32 pounds and I have only cosmetics, meds and jewelry left to pack...Oh and shoes, haven't decided on them yet. Lotions and potions weigh a lot but I should be fine.

Come along with us and share our joy at being able to travel again.