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About Me
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Location
Alabama
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Interests
Farming and cruising
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Favorite Cruise Line(s)
Princess, HAL, NCL and Celebrity
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Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
Anywhere there is wildlife
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When we asked the FC rep if she could print out the orders, she just shrugged her shoulders and said she couldnât. As far as the Northern Lights go, youâre probably right in that the nights will continue to get shorter the farther north we cruise from here on out. But at least now we know there is a âjust in case we get luckyâ signup sheet at Guest Relations! đ
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Hereâs a âHeads Upâ we just encountered when trying to purchase FCDs for family members that are not on our cruise. We had originally read on a Cruise Critic thread a while back that we could purchase FCDs for other friends/family that are not on our cruise as long as we had their Captains Circle number. Basically, the Future Cruise person we talked with onboard today said Princess was phasing that âoptionâ out and was reluctant to proceed with purchasing them for us. When we finally insisted she at least see if the âcomputerâ rejects the FCD requests for the family members in question, she successfully processed all 6 of them and our credit card was subsequently charged for each one. But now we have to wait to hear from those family members to make sure an FCD was actually posted to each of their accounts, or at least got the notification email that should have been issued with the purchase. For us weâll just use the Princess App to purchase our FCDs before we get off the ship to make sure the 1 year expiration date is as far out as possible.
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Iâm glad to hear your embarkation went smoothly through the Vancouver port terminal. Weâre currently on the Grand Princess cruising on an 8-day itinerary similar to yours, only we embarked on April 30 and it was a total nightmare that took us over 90 minutes to wade through the check-in process. So I was curious how you made it through the terminal so effortlessly. Then I checked and only 2 HAL ships were in port your embarkation day, the Noordam and yours, both HAL ships. In our case there were 3, the Grand and the Ruby, each with around 2700 guests, and the Noordam. I guess after our Apr 30 fiasco, the terminal management staff got together to figure out a better way to process folks through the terminal. BTW guests on all 3 ships processed through the same 6-line security section. In any event, have a great cruise and the weather has been great! That is until we got to Ketchikan today! đ
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Had a good time on our 2-hour excursion. We wouldnât say it was loaded with wildlife viewing options like the one in Sitka, especially since it was pouring down rain a lot of the time. But we still saw a good variety of wildlife for this area. A couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls hanging out watching the world go by. Bald Eagle nest Bald Eagle flying overhead There were a few Dallâs Porpoises having lunch in the area. Along with is Humpback Whale. Black-legged Kittiwake Bonaparteâs Gull Then it was time to head back to the ship. It appears the Zaandam has docked behind us, which you might notice is a tad smaller than the Grand! đ
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We have arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska! It was a pretty cruise into port. But the closer we got, the darker the clouds and the chillier it got reconfirming that we will definitely be wearing our cold-weather clothes on our 2-hour wildlife cruise this morning! 𼜠But on the bright side, we did see a humpback whale right next to the downtown shoreline while eating breakfast at Sabatiniâs! đ
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After a very tasty Surf and Turf dinner at the Reserve Dining Room on Formal Night, we headed to watch Comedy Magician Kyle Marlett. Then we were off to the Vista Lounge to watch the very funny Marriage Match Game! đ Then when we got back to the cabin and looked out over the balcony, we saw that the sky was clearing to the north of us as we continue to cruise south! đ Then add in the increased potential for the Northern Lights tonight Well, letâs just say are fingers are crossed the sky will continue to clear up! đ
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Total Solar Eclipse- August 8, 2026 - Sky
Ken the cruiser replied to phabric's topic in Princess Cruises
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Correct. The 45 minute timespan listed in the Patter is referencing the sign-up window for booking a slot for the planetarium show the next day. BTW get there early, as it is a popular show with limited reservation slots as there isnât a lot of space inside that dome on the stage, especially when you have to lay on the floor to watch the Northern Lights show on the ceiling. The actual show runs about 15 minutes with an additional 15 minutes before the show for explaining whatâs going to happen.
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This afternoon we went to the âVoyage to the Starsâ Planetarium in the Princess theater and had a good time and was worth the effort if you havenât been to one of these before. As it is âby reservation onlyâ you just need to remember to sign up for it the day before the event. As you can see itâs just a single line item in the Patter. Speaking of the potential for Northern Lights, tonight is looking great IF the clouds go away that is. đ
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Then it was time to head on back out of Glacier Bay, which took about 3 hours. I took various photos on the way out while imagining at the same time how pretty it would be on a clear day! Thatâs the HAL Zaandam following us out of the park. I believe this is a sea lion just looking for something to eat. OTOH I think these are two sea otters because there was a lot of sea weed in the area where I took this picture. The park ranger had their boat come over to take him back to the Bartlett Cove Seaplane Base.
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Here are some photos as we cruised over to the John Hopkins Glacier. Turning from the Tarr Inlet onto the John Hopkins Inlet. If you look real close and see two white specks in the middle of the photo, those are Bald Eagles watching us cruise by. đ Lamplugh Glacier We werenât allowed to go into the bay in front of the John Hopkins Glacier because itâs the time of the year when the harbor seals are having their pups, and apparently they prefer this bay to have them in.