On Our Way Back Down

This is the first day of our return back to Vancouver. The calls for baggage tags of certain colors began VERY early. By six things are beginning to move. It is a rainy cool day. We met Ann and Ken for breakfast and had our usual friendly visit. Because it was such a rainy and cool day we did very little other than stay in our cabin. Turnaround day is always so busy for the staff that it is best to stay out of their way. We received notice that they were going to be cleaning the glass of the patio doors and asked that we keep out drapes closed during the morning. With all of the wind and rain there was little to see anyway.

W e got a very nice surprise this morning . Kim sent us chocolate covered strawberries. She is the BEST TA. As well as flowers and strawberries she has given us spending money to use during these 14 days. If you are interested contact me and I will tell you how to contact her.

Happily the rain has stopped, the wind has died down and the ship is no longer rocking and rolling. When we left our cabin to head for the dining room we met our steward in the hallway and he allowed us to take his picture. He has been and is a great stewart. Every night we leave him some candy and a little thank you card. He has said that he likes that little smile we give him every day. His name is Renaldo and he is from the Phillipeins.

One thing we had not taken advantage of yet during this cruise is the Elite reception in the Vista longue. We decided to do that today so we went there at 4:30 when it started and we had lovely appetizers and I got a new cocktail. It is named Dark and Stormy. It is a mixture of dark rum and ginger beer with a piece of fresh lime. I am now a fan. I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately it comes in a tall glass and Princess only has short straws. I had to hold that straw when taking a sip and when trying to mix the 2 layers. I took that Dark and Stormy to the dining room and Emile put it into a shorter glass. This will be my new favorite drink, of course the fack that I love ginger and the flavour of rum did not hurt.

The evening was cold and wet, it was just pouring so we made no plans to go topside or anywhere near the wind and rain. Because the ship was rocking we got into bed early and soon was off to dream land.

Last Full Day of the First One!

This is the last full day of our North bound Cruise. and it is going to be a busy one. We began the day by meeting with our new friends Ken and Ann for breakfast.As usual it was a very pleasant visit. They are from Australia and have cruised often. We meet at eight and usually daudle over the meal but today we headed out about 8:45 so we could take in the chat with the officers which was happening at nine in the Princess theatre.

That was followed by the comedy cooking show which was also in the theatre. We decided to stay in the same seats because we had a very good view of the stage,. As usual the comedy routine between the excetutive chef and the director of restaurant Operations was hilarious. They prepared 3 dishes and we were given the recipes. They told us that there is a grand total of 515 crew members dedicated to providing an unforgetable onboard dining experience.

The fantastic end to this gathering was a solo by EMILE. He sings It's Time to Say Goodbye. He has an amazing voice and he sings with such power and emotion that there is not a dry eye in the place. By now it was after eleven and we had to get back to our cabin to change and get ready for the Most Travelled Passengers Luncheon. Our 650+ days put us 12 th on the list. The luncheon was in Sabatini"s When we arrived we were greeted by the officers and our picture was taken with the captain. We would receive a copy of that photo later.

There were 7 tables and an officer sat at each one. The engineer sat with us.There were special personalized menus at each place.

We were served wine and sparking water and then came the appetizers

The food was amazing. The appetizers were a trio of items, one fish, one pasta and one beef. One was beef tartare and I passed on that one because it was raw beef. I had a taste but it was not to my liking.

There was a choice of 3 mains, one seafood, one pasta and one beef.Ken and I chose the salmon with shrimp

Then came the dessert....here is what it was and I quote CELESTIAL PASSIONFRUIT REVERIE: VANILLA MOUSSEORB WITH MANGO-BANANA ROCHER It was as tasty and as elegant looking as it sounds.

And just in case anyone had room for one more amazing taste sensation a tray of treats was put on the table for all to share. I did eat one strawberry.

This was an experience not soon forgotten. Later in the day we were walking and I saw a man carrying a green duck that was bigger that a rool of toilet paper. I asked if he found that duck. He said no but I hide ducks and he handed me five ducks. They did not have tags. I will take them home, add tags and hide them on our next cruise in April.

In an effort to work off some of those calories I put 3000 steps on and saw some different door decorations. It is easier to walk the different floors because there isn't a lot of people there. Along the was I made note of a couple of decorated doors. Not as many door were decorated as I expected. I took pictures of 2

We met another amazing couple at dinner. They are from Hamilton, two of few Canadians on board. We did not go to the evening show, we just relaxed in our cabin. This cruise has come to an end. Many will disembark in the morning and new passengers will arrive and we will head south.

College Fjord

College Fjord in the northern sector of Prince William Sound, is considered one of the most scenic fjords in the world with spectacular glacier viewing. . There are over a dozen major glaciers in the fjord, all surrounded by rugged snow-capped mountains. It is possible from one point to see eight glaciers at once College Fjord was discovered in 1899 during the Harriman Expedition. Edward Henry Herriman, a millionaire railroad tycoon, set sail with 125 other passengers and crew, including 23 of esteemed scientists from several Ivy League schools, to explore the fjords of Alaskan. The scientists named the glaciers in this fjord after their Ivy League alma maters and their sister schools. Those names include Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale. The glaciers of the northwest side feature names of women's colleges and those of the southeast side are names of men's colleges.

Glacier Bay National Park

Located in Southeast Alaska, west of the capital city of Juneau, Glacier Bay is a beautiful National Park full of snow capped mountains, tidewater glaciers and wildlife. Experience wildlife in all its beauty from boat trips for whale watching and hiking through the trails of the Park. It is a protected area full of wonder to be explored. Almost all of the day was spent enjoying the view of the bay. Unfortunately it was raining most of the day and the views were not spectacular. Since Ken and I have been here many times it was not bad for us but we felt sorry for the people for whom this was their first and perhaps only chance to see these wonders.

This was also the day of the Captain Circle cocktail party and it was also a Formal night. So we gat dressed up and away we went. The ship is full and the numbers were interesting. The Most traveled passengers were in this order: first 2104 days, second 1702 days and third was 1409 days. These numbers are unusual for Alaska. As a matter of fact there were 2621 first timers on board which is the norm. When that event ended we headed for the dining room, this was formal night a the night the staff was recognized and thanked I had my escargo and of course surf and turf with lobster was a choice for the main. I had a lovely light fruity dessert.

The sea has been a little bouncy this evening. I knew there might be a problem when I saw barff bags at the end of each set of stairs. I took Gravol to make certain I could sleep. It worked!

Skagway

Located at the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, Skagway is a one-hour ferry ride from Haines. By road, however, the distance is 359 miles, as you have to take the Haines Highway up to Haines Junction, Yukon, then take the Alaska Highway 100 miles south to Whitehorse, and then drive a final 100 miles south on the Klondike Highway to Skagway. North-country folk call this sightseeing route the Golden Horseshoe or Golden Circle tour, because it passes a lot of gold-rush country in addition to spectacular lake, forest, and mountain scenery The town is an amazingly preserved artifact from North America's biggest, most-storied gold rush. Most of the downtown district forms part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System dedicated to commemorating and interpreting the frenzied stampede of 1897 that extended to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Nearly all the historic sights are within a few blocks of the cruise-ship and ferry dock, allowing visitors to meander through the town's attractions at whatever pace they choose. Whether you're disembarking from a cruise ship, a ferry, or a dusty automobile fresh from the Golden Circle, you'll quickly discover that tourism is the lifeblood of this town. Unless you're visiting in winter or hiking into the backcountry on the Chilkoot Trail, you aren't likely to find a quiet Alaska experience around Skagway. Because of the landslide people cannot walk into town . Instead a shuttle is the mode of transportation. There are 4 ships in port so it will be very busy in town as sure.

We met Ken and Ann for breakfast. We visited so much that they had to clean off our tables to give us the big hint that it was time to leave. We have not decided if we will go ashore today. A quiet ship is a pleasant place. Even the Horizon Court was not very busy.

We basically had a lazy day. Altogether I have found 5 ducks.

During one of our strolls we took time to check out these strange chairs which are outside of the Wheelhouse Bar. We were not sure why there were openings at the sides?????

Ken sat in one to demonstrate....elbow places.....now who ever thought of that??

We did go to the evening show . It features a magician. He was amazing. Try as you may you cannot figure out how they do what they do. Tomorrow we are Glacie3r cruising. Our good weather is about to end. It is supposed to rain tomorrow.

Juneau

Juneau, Alaska's capital and third-largest city, is on the North American mainland but can't be reached by road. Bounded by steep mountains and water, the city’s geographic isolation and compact size make it much more akin to an island community such as Sitka than to other Alaskan urban centers, such as Fairbanks or Anchorage Juneau is full of contrasts. Its dramatic hillside location and historic downtown buildings provide a frontier feeling, but the city's cosmopolitan nature comes through in fine museums, noteworthy restaurants, and a literate and outdoorsy populace. The finest of the museums, the Alaska State Museum, opened in May 2016 on its old site as the expanded Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum (SLAM) following several years of planning and exhibit research. Another new facility, the Walter Soboleff Center, offers visitors a chance to learn about the indigenous cultures of Southeast Alaska–-Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. Other highlights include the Mt. Roberts Tramway, plenty of densely forested wilderness areas, quiet bays for sea kayaking, and even a famous drive-up glacier, Mendenhall Glacier. For goings-on, pick up the Juneau Empire (www.juneauempire.com), which keeps tabs on state politics, business, sports, and local news. When we arrived this morning the fog horn was blowing but it was not long before the fog lifted to reveal a wonderful blue sky and a sunny morning. The forcast said rain but fortunately it seems they were wrong.

Our excursion today is an Alaskian Salmon Bake. We do not need to disembark until 11:50. I was awake early so I decided to go topside to have a quiet cup of coffee. That was a mistake. It was a mad house up there and I was quite uncomfortable with all of the people and all of the comings and goings. I really do prefer the small ships. Yesterday the Grand was in Ketchikan when we were and I could not help but think that we should be on that ship instead of this one. I returned from upstairs and got Ken for breakfast. We went to the dining room for breakfast and we sat next to a lovely couple from Australia. They are recently retired and doing a lot of traveling. The visit made for a very pleasant breakfast. On the way to breakfast we hid 3 more ducks. Hiding when the ship is almost empty is so much fun. This morning I found a tiny and I do mean tiny duck. So now I have found 2.

I forgot to post yesterday that we got our invitation to the most travelled Passenger luncheon. I checked and found out that we are number 12 on the list and that there are several passengers with thousands of days. It was disappointing because I thought we might be one of the most travelled, but at least we are going to get to go to lunch with the captain. We had time to kill after breakfast and before we had to go ashore for our excursion so we just relaxed. I fought with the internet but that is becoming par for the course. We went ashore and met our transportation to the Salmon Bake. We traveled in what was an old school bus but it was comfortable enough.John was our driver and he is a member of the Tlinget nation, the Eagle clan. He told us a few things about the area during our 10 minute ride.

As soon as we got on the grounds we could pick up a small cup of clam chowder. It was very nice.

Next we were to pick up a plate and peruse the buffet. The choices were many and I gather it was all you could eat. The menu items were green salad, coleslaw,assorted pickles, baked beans, corn bread, rice, spare ribs and scalloped potatoes. You made your selection and then headed to the area where they were cooking the Socheye salmon. Everything was deliscious and you can get seconds if you wished. There was hot coffee and lemonade as well as a blueberry cake for dessert. They also had a fire set up so you could roast marshmallows if you so wished.

The area was covered with clear plastic and there were those gas heaters at evert table. They had a gift shop and bright clean washrooms as well. There was bar service if you wanted spirits or wine. ( for cash)

There was a gentleman singing and playing a guitar. He had his CDs for sale.

The area was very well laid out and landscaped. It was not rainy today but we would have stayed dry if it had rained because the area was well covered. But it was also well landscaped with water features and totems.

It was very well attended with bus loads of people coming and going the entire time. The buses came and parked and as soon as they were full they left and others arrived. We waited less than 5 minutes to get on our way back to the ship. There were 4 ships in port so on our return we sat out on the balcony and watched the seaplanes coming and going. We caould also watch passengers disembarking a neighbouring ship. Soon it was time for a nap. We got up and we soon had to get ready for dinner. My stomach was not happy so I had very little for dinner I guess I was still full from the salmon. We met 2 very nice couples who we hope will be dining near us again. After dinner we returned to the cabin so I could complete this entry on the blog. I am so pleased that the picture problem has been solved. Now to go back and put some photos into the previous blogs. Tomorrow we are in Skagway.