Statendam Southbound Alaska, August 17-24, 2014

Enjoy your cruise Roy, I'll be anxious to hear your impression of the Statendam as we will be on it for 30 days later this year.

 

Helen

I predict you’ll have a wonderful cruise. As noted, I’ve just seen one trivial defect so far. I’m also a person who uses stairs instead of elevators and one difference I’ve noted from the other R & S class ships: Staircase Oscar, the stairs that are mostly outside aft but are enclosed as they go past the dining room have metal walls in that enclosed portion. On the Statendam those areas are light and airy with nearly full glass walls.

*Just the Piano player will do. Didn't know they offered other entertainers. This will my first time on a HAL ship with The Mix. Continue to enjoy your cruise.*:)

I think what’s typical for the Mix is a guitarist (Vince here) in the early evening and the pianist later. With last night’s show at 9:30 I did not linger in the Mix and really only saw the number David Anthony played in the show lounge. I do plan to spend some time there for his Nat King Cole session tonight and should find out how long he’ll be onboard.

I placed a 5AM wakeup call but was up a few minutes earlier. I checked marinetraffic and it appeared the Statendam was already approaching the dock. My room had a verandah but it faces the mountains, rather than the ocean. If I go out on the balcony, looking hard to my left I could see the bay, and there was no Statendam in sight. There was a slight early morning drizzle.

My plan for the day was to head to the pier after church. The staff told me Saturday if I left my bags with the bell staff they would deliver them to the pier. When I checked to reconfirm the answer had changed, and I needed to be on the shuttle with the bags. I booked the 10AM shuttle, planning to drop off the bags and return on the shuttle. We were told they could not accept the bags until after 11, so the shuttle driver agreed to keep the bags with him until after church.

I had about a half hour to walk in town before the 11AM service at Seward United Methodist Church, 3 blocks from the hotel. The hotel shuttle runs once each hour, and the service was nearing completion about 11:50. I opted to head back to the hotel after the first verse of the closing hymn, rather than wait for the 1PM shuttle. I got back to the hotel just in time for the noon shuttle. After 7 days the sun finally came out and stayed through the evening.

Checkin was quick and I was onboard the Statendam a bit before 12:30. My plan was to go to the Mariner embarkation lunch and then head into town and an internet café. The dining room was deserted; my guess is there is no Mariner lunch because most people start the day in Anchorage and arrive late at the ship. The Seward free shuttle took me back to town and a lunch at the Sea Bean café. I was back on the Statendam for good about 3PM, still pretty much a ghost ship.

The Statendam held a few surprises for me. It is leaving the fleet in about 15 months and there was speculation that the newest version of the pool grill, called “”Dive In Café” would not be installed. It is there and functioning. The biggest surprise was the aft pool. On all the R and S class ships I’ve been on the Lido deck runs all the way to the back of the ship and there’s a pool or poolette behind the Lido café. On the Statendam, there is only a minimal deck space behind the Lido Café; the pool and deck space are one deck down. Overall, the oldest HAL built ship seems to be in very good shape, the only defect I’ve seen has been in my room; the baseboard under my closet is very loose and the door stop mounted on it flops around.

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Soon after my return to the ship my bags arrived. My room steward, Dedi, introduced himself soon after that and promised to separate the beds at turn down (makes it easier to see out the window). I was pretty much unpacking the rest of the afternoon.

My early seating assignment is table 21. It’s a 4 top and Marilyn and Duane from Calgary are there. My waiter is Dewa. Dinner was quite efficient, and when I returned to the room Dedi and Wayan were in the middle of rearranging the beds.

At 8:00 the last of the lines were being pulled in and we left soon afterwards. Backing out with the coal carrier JE Verdure alongside was quite a slow process and it was about 8:35 when we passed the last buildings of Seward. I had hoped to get a close look at Fox Island on the way out, but we were still about 3 miles away at 9:30 when the welcome aboard show started. Cruise Director Annette Montanez introduced the entire entertainment team. The main troupe in the showroom is 4 singers and 6 dancers.

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As today’s parting shot the muster drill seems to be a constantly evolving affair. Our drill today was published as a 7:30 event, but the alarm went off at 7:15 with a “stage 1 alert” calling for the crew emergency plan to go into affect. We were told no passenger action was appropriate at that time, although I had been outside on the lower promenade deck at that time (while Dedi and Wayan were fixing my bed) and was directed to go back inside. The stage 2 alert was for all crew to assume muster duties with traffic monitors taking positions. The final alert was at 7:30 for passengers to go to the muster station. I think it is great that the drill was done in this way as it should have closely paralleled what would be done in a real situation. Two things could have been improved. The first is shipboard communication. None of the prior information on TV or on the backs of our doors explained the situation and at the first tones people started heading for the muster stations. It was only after a minute or so that Annette came on the PA and said no action was necessary. That could have been handled better. The other thing is that passengers need to do a much better job paying attention. When the final tones went off Annette started things off telling us to wait for her entire announcement before leaving our staterooms. She gave precise instructions, including having no food or drink with us, and closed with “Now go to your muster station”. People were walking down the hallway all through the announcement, and at our station one lady was incensed when the crew confiscated her drink threatening to report the crew member who did it. People, we can do better.

Roy

Our friends are on your ship so I look forward to all of your reports about what is going on. We would have been with them, but we ended up doing Alaska last year. How has the weather been? I have been watching and it seems things cleared up and the temperatures are decent. Hope that is accurate.

Have fun!

gator582, that's pretty accurate

Gail, David Anthony is on board through September 28.

When I went out on deck a little after 5 the sky was mostly clear, and a roughly 1/4 moon was shining brightly. The day here is quite off center with sunrise coming after 6, and sunset well after 9. By sunrise there was a band of clouds on the horizon and the sun was not visible for another 20 minutes, and then only briefly before the clouds took over. There was good news. The clouds did not produce any rain and it was a bit cool but a very pleasant day outside, a perfect day to enjoy 5 miles on a real promenade deck. I finished my walk about 7:15 and settled into what was a very busy day. I skipped the morning shore excursion, but Location Guide Wallis gave a presentation on what to expect in Glacier Bay and in our ports.

With self service in the Lido suspended until lunch tomorrow I opted for a hot dog lunch in the Dive In, and in his noon report Captain Sybe de Boer predicted good conditions for Glacier Bay, and a generally good week for weather. At 1 he joined the Hotel Director and Chief Engineer for a Q&A session in the Showroom. Cruise Consultant Thom had a 2PM presentation of tricks for booking a cruise. Most of the late afternoon was devoted to catching up on some computer responsibilities.

For the first formal night of the cruise everybody looked very nice. The evening entertainment was the Statendam Singers and Dancers in Northern Lights. It was a good show but it seemed a bit strange that there would be a show that seems inappropriate to any destination other than Alaska. I also felt a better rapport with the troupe on the Prinsendam. 9 months after disembarking I still remember dancers Alex and Natasha, I doubt that anything like that will happen with the current troupe. Dinner service was very good and still had a chance to make the 7PM show and still enjoy some time with David Anthony in the Mix without being out very late.

Today’s parting shot ponders the effects of perspective. We get a daily digest of the New York Times and I noticed them lamenting that the New York Yankees had just lost 2 games in Baltimore. They may not like that but I was very pleased to see it. Keep it up, O’s.

Note: Internet is very poor this morning.

Roy

Thanks for the update! My friends would be happy to find out the Milwaukee Brewers swept the LA Dodgers. Hopefully they saw that. :)

Weather does sound good. Makes me smile. We had rainy, cool weather last year.

At 60 North lines of longitude get quite close together and we have completed a full time zone’s worth of travel eastward from Seward to our morning location; sunrise and sunset are a full hour earlier than in Seward. On my morning walk someone pointed out “a barge full of snow”. I guessed it might more likely be salt or perhaps something else. There were broken clouds at dawn but one of the prettiest sunrises I have seen this trip. Clouds built up during the morning and around 10 we started using the foghorn. We also boarded park rangers about 10, and there was a “polar bear plunge” on the aft pool. I believe the pool was heated but the air was quite chilly.

We made our way up Glacier bay through the morning and early afternoon. Apparently the Westerdam was there ahead of us, and passed us while I was taking a break; I caught just a glimpse of it heading into Johns Hopkins Inlet behind us.

We arrived at the head of Glacier Bay about 2 and spent about an hour there. There are over a thousand glaciers in Alaska; all but 12 are receding. We spent an hour by Marjorie Glacier, one of the 12 and Grand Pacific Glacier, no longer grand at the ocean. We were joined by a small tour boat, Admiralty Dream, as well as a number of birds, one hitching a ride on a piece of ice.

The bow was open and crowded, I spent a bit of time there but thought the upper decks were a better viewpoint. I heard a number of cracks from Marjorie Glacier but only saw one calving chunk splash into the water. It was a near perfect day, a bit on the chilly side but good enough to spend a lot of time out on deck.

We left the head of the bay about 3 and on our way out made with a long detour into Johns Hopkins Inlet where there were several glaciers, John’s Hopkins Glacier being very pretty. It was about 4:30 before we bid adieu to the last glacier.

My tablemates had said yesterday they were waitlisted for the Pinnacle Grill. They must have gotten an opening, as I was the only one at the table. Dinner service was excellent, and I was out of the dining room within an hour, leaving time to spare for magician Jeff Peterson’s 7PM show. I also caught most of David Anthony’s tribute to Frank Sinatra.

As today’s parting shot, some people see the glass as half full and others as half empty. This was the kind of day that makes complaining hard, but I’ll bite anyway. It was a day where it was hard to get a decent picture because the camera was always pointed into the bright sunshine.

Roy

Sounds like a gorgeous day touring all the glaciers! That's awesome. :)

Enjoy Alaska and SADM Roy! :) Just a heads up; the "3-Alarm system" has not been implemented on all fifteen ships as of yet. Crew training is still in progress; those ships that don't use it, still use the prior system of "Fire" and "General Emergency" alarms

Enjoy Alaska and SADM Roy! :) Just a heads up; the "3-Alarm system" has not been implemented on all fifteen ships as of yet. Crew training is still in progress; those ships that don't use it, still use the prior system of "Fire" and "General Emergency" alarms

I presume this is what Captain Albert is out training / implementing?

I presume this is what Captain Albert is out training / implementing?

That's part of his curriculum, yes

Roy, thanks for info on the entertainment. Appreciate you taking the time to tell me. Looks like I will enjoy myself in The Mix. Sept. 21 won't come soon enough for me. Continue to enjoy your cruise and may the sun shine. It's been beautiful here in greater Vancouver for all of August so far.:)

Thanks, Copper and Gail.

Haines sits on the Lynn “canal”, actually a fjord, about 15 miles from Skagway. It was long a Tlingit settlement with the first westerners coming as missionaries, and became a quieter alternative to the lawlessness of Skagway during the Gold Rush.

Taking an abbreviated morning walk there was partial cloud cover and some nice color in the sky but the sun did not appear due to the surrounding mountains. Soon after we pulled up to the dock (about 6AM) a blanket of fog covered the area. Haines has a permanent population of about 2500, swelling to 3500 for the summer. It only gets one cruise ship per week (Oosterdam and Statendam call alternate Wednesdays), but a number of tourists arrive each day via the fast ferry from Skagway. While people started leaving the ship early, my tour (Haines Adventure Hike) did not leave until 9, leaving time for a leisurely breakfast.

12 hikers and 2 guides huddled in a van for about a 10 minute drive along the Coast to our trail in the Chilkat State Park. Our hike was about 1.2 miles each way to Kelgaya point. The trail was initially an improved gravel path but the final 3/4 were up and down ravines with mud, large tree roots, and a couple of dicey stream crossings. Our guides gave us a safety briefing before leaving, pointing out “Devils Club”, a plant with large leaves which look nice but are full of barbs on the under side. There are also bears in the area and the guides carry a spray but our best defense was to stick together and avoid showing weakness. While we were prepared, the only wildlife we actually saw was a squirrel. I am normally a slow walker but was about the fastest on the trail today. While the group moved relatively slowly, nobody had any difficulty completing the hike.

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After hiking the first mile through thick forests we came out on a gravel beach to the final stretch. Kelgaya point is almost to Battery Point, a narrow point in the fjord that was fortified when the fort at Haines was occupied. We stopped there for about 30 minutes and the guides set out snacks and hot drinks for us. Our return was along the same trail we used to get to Kelgaya, and we were back at the van just after 12 and at the ship about 12:30.

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I left some stuff off at the ship and picked up my laptop. This is my 3rd visit to Haines, the previous 2 being via the state ferry. The first was just a brief stop while cars were taken on and off (about an hour), and in 2010 I stayed here for a couple of days, so the town looked pretty familiar. The dock is about a half mile from downtown with a few stores and restaurants. I stopped at the library which offered free (donation requested) wifi, but it was pretty slow. The main attraction in town is Fort Seward, an army base active roughly from the gold rush days through World War II. It was basically abandoned but bought by some retired officers who had ideas of a planned community. That didn’t really work out but did result in saving the buildings.

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The parade field is mostly in place with a few art galleries spring up. It seems a bit strange for a parade field as it has a significant slope. The corner closest to town has the old guard house, now a bed and breakfast. I stayed there in 2010, and the rooms are still referred to as “cells”; they don’t look like cells and the residents are no longer required to haul coal up from the waterfront. Next to the guardhouse was the fire house. It has been completely remodeled but the hose tower still stands as a beacon over the complex. Other quarters became the Hotel Halsingland, and officers row is now private residences. The old barracks is dilapidated, but the old commissary is a Salmon Restaurant. I had planned to stop at a pizza place at the end of my walk but did not find it and seeing that it was 3PM went for tea time on the Statendam instead.

Departure from Haines was 9PM and there was no “regular” entertainment (there was a “Marriage Game” and the Indonesian Crew Show at 11). I would normally have a picture of the Anglkung Orchestra but was on stage when it happened.

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Today’s parting shot wonders about Haines as a cruise port. I thinxk it must be the most authentic Alaskan Community of all the cruise destinations. While I had hoped Icy Strait/Hoonah would be, the buildings are authentic Alaskan structures but they’ve largely been remodeled into typical tourist traps on the inside. I saw none of that in Haines, it is a real small town. Perhaps it’s a pity it doesn’t get more ship calls, but then perhaps the low volume of calls explains it’s authenticity. In any case, it was a very nice place to be on a lovely day.

Roy

Wonderful review!!

Great pictures.

Great pics and review. Thank you again!

Sounds like you were invited to play an Angklung with the orchestra, Roy :) Next time you're in Haines, perhaps try the Haines Brewing Company located on the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds

Roy, as always am loving your reports.

Who do you request the menus from, by chance?

Roy, as always am loving your reports.

 

Who do you request the menus from, by chance?

My last 3 HAL cruises my waiter has given them to me at the end of each meal.

After Wednesday’s late crew show I turned off the alarm clock and slept in a bit. It was about 6:15 when I awoke and we were fast to the dock. We had Juneau to ourselves at the moment, but as I headed up for coffee the Celebrity Century was rotating into position for the dock ahead of us. We were in the northernmost berth immediately beside the library, and were joined in port by the Norwegian Sun mid-morning and the Pacific Princess after lunch.

My Juneau Underground Gold Mine tour had been booked for 9AM but was rescheduled to 12:45. I had planned to spend some time using the library’s wifi and went over at 9:30 only to discover it didn’t open until 11. I took a walk down to the terminal NCL uses; I have often seen ships there but not the dock itself I found that the dock is about a half mile from downtown as the crown flies but double that when walked. There is a shuttle that runs to the downtown area.

I got some work done when the library opened but had to stop midway in applying updates to my netbook. After a quick pizza in the lido it was off to the Gold Mine. Several gold mines were established in the early 20th century in the Juneau, with 2 mines still operating. The AJ mine is about 3 miles South of downtown, taking the highway almost to the end and then climbing a steep hill on a one-lane gravel road. The mine opened in 1915 and closed soon after WWII. One attempt has been made to reopen the mine and another is being considered, but it is likely the cost of recovering additional gold would outweigh the return. The mine has also been used as a site for teaching mining skills.

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The 10 or so of us started our tour with a mine shaft visit led by a former miner. The mine has something like 13 levels of tunnels where gold was mined; we spent all our time on the top one, in a shaft with a grade just sufficient to allow gravity to propel loaded cars out of the mine. Most of the tools worked via compressed air and our guide demonstrated a saw, a drill, and a loader with a scoop that picked up rocks and the scoop arched over the tractor and dumped in a following car. The gold itself was found in veins of quartz, quite abundant in the mine.

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The mine shafts were in good condition but the former processing plant was in ruins. At the remains of the plant a lot of equipment was on display. There was a second example of the loader we saw in the mine sitting in good light, and a mechanism to tip a railroad car was on display. The equipment on display was mostly mining equipment, but there were some other things including an antique engine from the Hoonah Fire Department. An area was set aside where people could try panning for gold. We returned to the ship about 3 and I did a bit of shopping and finished up my work at the library. Somewhere between the 5:30 all aboard and my 5:45 dinner there was an announcement about 2 passengers not accounted for.

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The 3 of us were present at table 21 as we made our way out of Juneau within 3-5 minutes of our 6PM scheduled departure. The evening entertainment was Comedian/Ventriloquist/Magician Mike Robinson. He was ok but not really my cup of tea. The sun faded behind the hills soon after the first show ended.

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Today’s parting shot comes out of the Times Digest. I was pleased to see the release of Dr. Barnsley and Ms. Writebol in Atlanta. I feel a bit of a connection to that situation from being on the Amsterdam in April and missing port calls in Africa due to what then was an emerging situation that has gone on far too long. It is good to know that with proper care Ebola patients can defeat the disease; if only that quality of care was available in West Africa. Congratulations to the staff of the Atlanta hospital that made this outcome a reality.

Roy

Great review and pictures.

Thanks, KK

This was a bit of a mixed port/sea day with our midday arrival in Ketchikan. It started with a 3-mile/12 lap walk on the Lower Promenade deck. It was also to be laundry day, and I’ve seldom seen laundries closed but the Statendam’s didn’t open until almost 7, so the walk and wash were pretty much consecutive. A bright sun made it’s way over the horizon early in my walk. I did not do much in the way of activities in the morning but did spend some time organizing photos. We started making our way up the channel between Revillago and Gravina Islands around 10:30 and I was on deck for most of the sailin. We docked at the northernmost berth, separated from the Amsterdam by the Seven Seas Navigator and Norwegian Pearl.

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The tour I had booked, Orca Beach Rain Forest Nature Trail, was cancelled for lack of interest and I did not book a replacement. I left the ship about 12:30 and walked South just in time to see the Amsterdam pulling away from the dock. I checked a couple of stores and picked up a walking map at the visitor center, walking most of the Newtown walking tour and extending north to the ferry terminal. The northbound part of the walk was elevated on Water street, and the Celebrity Century came by as I walked, replacing the Pearl. The walk included Hopkins Alley, reportedly typical of streets in 1907, and Wiley Street, a staircase. A newspaper headline at the ferry terminal seemed to answer the question “What happened to Dam Dollars.” A stop at McDonalds on the return trip brought lunch and free wifi. My overall walk was a little over 4 miles, or 7 including my morning stroll. I boarded the Statendam for the final time about 4, got coffee in the Lido, and watched the Alaska ferries Littaya (local) and Matanuska head out. I have a soft spot in my heart; in 1991 it hosted my very first night at sea on the way from Ketchikan to Skagway. I sailed it again in 2010 from Prince Rupert (it’s current destination) to Wrangell. It’s not luxurious, but a wonderful experience. I am booked on a 2016 cruise through from Seward to New York through the Northwest Passage, and a suggestion was made on my Cruise Critic roll call that there was a store in Ketchikan that was a good place to get gear for the Arctic. I stopped for a while at Tongass Trading Company and it was a very interesting store.

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This was the second formal night of the cruise; I expected it might be the International Chef’s dinner, but was not disappointed that it wasn’t. All aboard was 6:30, and at that time Captain Sybe de Boer announced that we still needed 30 passengers, but they must have arrived quickly because we pulled away from the dock about 6:55. The sailout from Ketchikan is quite scenic, and I stayed on the lido deck until about 7:30. The evening entertainment was the Statendam Singers and Dancers in Rockin’ Roadhouse.

As today’s parting shot, people who have never been to Alaska naturally think of it as a very cold place. Weather can always change, but this week has had excellent weather. Even while I was enjoying my lovely afternoon walk I was a bit surprised to pass the bank and see that the temperature was a very balmy 80F. Seward’s icebox–certainly not today.

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Roy

Thanks again, Roy, for posting your blog and wonderful pictures.

Greetings from Tim Hortons Vancouver. Thanks, Gail, your cruise on the wonderful Statendam is now less than a month away.

We did lose an hour Friday night so it was quite dark but not unpleasantly cold at 5AM, but the lower promenade deck was quite deserted this morning. My planned walk was 3 miles (12 laps) but I extended it another 2 laps until the sun found a space through the clouds.

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With a little time for packing, breakfast, and internet checks, it wasn’t long before 9AM rolled around and On Deck for a Cause. The 5K walk (3-mile) is 12 laps on the Statendam but I counted the extra 2 laps from my morning walk and only did 10. When I left Vancouver August The Zaandam came by on our port side about 9:45, I knew the Radiance was moving more slowly and watched for it, but never was able to pick it out. The Celebrity Century appeared off our stern about noon and overtook us in the next couple of hours. I also saw what might have been a BC ferry approaching Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

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Wallis had her presentation on Vancouver in the Showroom at 10, followed by the Mariners Brunch at 11. Afternoon packing was interrupted for a while by cupcake tea.

The evening meal was the International Chef’s Dinner, concluding with introductions of the dining staff and other crew and a sad farewell to Dewi and Andy. Jeff Peterson and Indy had an encore show at 7:30. By the end of the show we must have been headed pretty much eastward through the narrows as the sun was setting behind the ship. The Dancing with the Stars finale was held at 9:30. I missed that but did see a bit of David Anthony in the Mix.

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As today’s parting shot, congratulations to Baltimore favorite son Michael Phelps.

Roy

It was dark but pleasant when my 5AM wake-up call came. After coffee I walked a mile on the lower promenade deck and waited until we were a little closer to Vancouver before going back out. Sunrise was officially 6:15 but it did not show itself until after we passed under the Lions Gate Bridge around 6:30. We headed into Canada Place soon thereafter with the first lines going out just after 7. I finished writing my Saturday post and had 30 minutes of internet left but no connection at Canada Place. I left room 637 for the last time about 8AM.

I had booked a program from Shore Excursions where my bags were to be stored and I was given a day pass on the Big Pink HoHo bus along with a Skytrain ticket to the airport. I was assigned Lime 3 tags with an estimated departure of 8:15 from the Mix. When I arrived there about 8 there were several other people there but no staff. One thing I wish HAL would do on disembarkation is publish a comprehensive list of tags and estimated times so we could get an idea of where things stood. As it was, 8:30 passed and we had no idea how much longer. The call for lime 3 came about 8:40, and it was pretty quick to get off the ship.

In the terminal Customs checked out declarations before we got to our bags, so there were no formalities after we collected our luggage. There was a pretty slow line where we sent our bags to storage; I was on the street about 9:30. While we were supposedly on the double decker Big Pink busses, those were in short supply and we were put on Big Red busses, single level vehicles almost completely open at the top. I took an initial short hop on the bus, disembarking near the hotel where we stayed our first night in Vancouver, and grabbing a snack (and wifi) at the nearby Tim Hortons, then walked a few blocks to St. Andrews Wesley United Church. It’s quite a large church I last visited about 3 years ago, and had a mostly jazz service this morning.

Back on the bus I rode around the False Creek and English Bay areas and got off for a quick lunch in West Vancouver after passing through Stanley Park. This segment’s Rob was the best driver of the day, pointing out a tree high on a condo which was at the same elevation as the area’s original tall trees, the inukshuk, and stepping off the bus in Stanley Park to pick up and pass around some spruce bark and explain how it was used in weaving. My final segment on the bus went to Granville and Chinatown and ended in Gastown at 3:30. The steam clock announced the hour with a little tune.

I had not planned on watching sailaway but 3:30 was all aboard time and it was just a short walk to Canada Place. As I approached I think I heard the first stage of the muster drill, a few minutes later I was closer and clearly heard the second signal. As they had on my cruise, passengers were congregating on the deck and had to be shooed away; one lady strenuously resisted giving up her lounger. Once the deck was cleared, the crew got busy folding up the loungers to make room for people to stand and the general alarm was sounded. People and luggage were still arriving as the drill progressed, and one man was wheeled up the ramp after the general alarm sounded (perhaps delayed by the SF earthquake). The cargo hatch was closed about 4:10, the gangway about 4:30, and the Statendam backed away from the dock about 4:45. Adios to a fine lady.

While the Waterfront Station was a bit confusing the ride to the airport was pretty quick and stress free. I got a nice surprise checking into the Fairmont Airport hotel, the desk clerk told me my luggage was already in my room. That part of my departure package worked extremely well.

I’ll take today’s parting shot from St. Andrews Church. While this is a traditional Christian prayer I say recently I don’t think this version attributed to the New Zealand Prayer Book should offend anyone:

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, forever and forever, Amen.

Thank you Kiwis.

Roy

Flying days are always a chore and this was no exception. It started out easily enough. My booking was through Royal Caribbean Choice Air on American through Dallas. There was a bit of a surprise on checkin as the time was moved up from 8:30 to 8:00. Checkin, security, and customs were all pretty easy as I was up at 5 and in the US portion of Vancouver airport about 6:05. After buying my Timbits and coffee the internet at the airport was effortless, and the flight to Dallas was on time. The easy part of the day was over.

My time in Dallas was supposed to be a little over 2 hours. I had plenty of time to walk to my connecting gate in another terminal. My plane was apparently coming from Chicago which seems to have had some weather issues. After 3 delays and 3 changes of gate (the last after boarding was supposed to begin), we finally left about 75 minutes late and got to BWI just after 10 instead of 8:30. There was also a foul-up with the Airport Shuttle and on arriving at BWI had a message on my cell phone that the flight they thought I was on arrived at 8:30. Fortunately, when I called they had another van coming to the area, but it was half an hour away. I left BWI at 10:45 and was home, quite tired, a half hour later.

As my final parting shot, I will have only one cruise on the Statendam before she heads off to her retirement life with P&O Australia. I’ll be sorry to see her go. While no match for the Prinsendam, it was a great cruise and my memories of her will be very good.

Roy

I was in Ketchikan the same day you were, but on the Amsterdam. You had caught a picture of us leaving, so I thought I'd provide the same for you guys coming in. My husband and I ventured down that way, saw the Statendam coming in, and decided to stay and watch for a while. We couldn't believe all the people all over the decks - they were everywhere!!

Great pictures.

Was your cruise 7 days? I'm thinking if so you should have had pretty good weather the whole week, as mine was horrible on the northbound but improved the day of embarkation.

Roy

Yes, it was a 7 day cruise. Beautiful weather the entire time, we were so lucky. Tracy Arm day was chilly but it was clear out. Our cruise director did tell us how lucky we were and that the week before it had rained almost every day. Glad you got to experience some of the nice weather too!