photosg

oh! have yet to visit Wrangell, i’ll have to look out for itineraries that include it. Thank you for the recommendation.

Cold dinner at Hot Rocks Trout was the 🐟 of the day.

oops! Forgot to mention Seabourn Odyssey was in port too.

Photos from the Sea otter and wildlife quest. Behind the scenes. Navarro, Aurora, our guide/naturalist, and Greg. Captain Brandon sockeye salmon Saint Eugene and our tender at the dock.

Monday 11 September, Sitka. I mentioned things started to get bumpy once the ship reached the open waters of the pacific ocean. I generally find the ship’s motion quite conducive to sleeping but the creaky cabin was not so easy to tune out. let’s hope we don’t have too many rough nights ahead. I tried to have a light and healthy breakfast at La Terrazza and then it was time to get the Venetian lounge to gather for our Seo Otter and wildlife quest. i think about 50 of us boarded a catamaran directly from the ship and we were off on our Sitka adventure. The catamaran had more than enough seats for everybody including a partially covered upper deck. After two sunny days today was a more typical grey and slightly moist day. the forecast was for rain but it held off most of the time. Our first surprise was a bear sighting near the salmon hatchery. We saw a mother and cub and then another small bear nearby. Next was numbers of salmon leaping out of the water. They were jumping! As we sailed to our next spot our guide explained many things to us. The galley also prepared hot chocolate, coffee and tea as well as some tasting samples of kelp salsa and spruce jam. Our next stop was a channel marker where stellar sea lions were perched. Soon enough a whale was spotted and as the captain brought for a closer look more and more whales appeared. Just like yesterday after awhile it seemed like whichever direction you looked you could see a whale, or two! So you didn’t have to scurry about, you just had to be patient. After the time limit allowed for following whales we finally went in search of sea otters. We found a few of them and a couple even ventured closer to us to say hi. I remarked to a fellow passenger that all we needed now was an eagle sighting. And there on an island was we sailed by was not one but two bald eagles. At this point I decided I would only visit Alaska again if Sitka was on the itinerary. While the catamaran had picked us up directly from the Muse, we were dropped off at the pier and had to get into the tender to get back onboard. The weather cooperated and didn’t really start raining seriously until long after we set sail. The other highlight of the day was wrapping up to try the hot rocks. You haven’t really had the full hot rocks experience if you haven’t had to bundle up in blankets. We’re now heading across the Pacific towards Kodiak. The rain has stopped and the seas are a bit flatter but there’s still motion in the ship. Good night!

some photos from this morning …

whale watching in Juneau photos:

Catholic Cathedral

Sunday 10 Sep, Juneau. Woke up to a slightly overcast day and apparently it was foggy before our ship arrived. Had breakfast in Atlantide. The ship was delayed about 15 minutes. We got the 2nd furthest berth, Only Celebrity Millennium was behind us, with Norwegian Sun and O Regatta (and one more?) nearer to the town centre. Walked up Franklin Street to the Catholic Cathedral which is right next door to the Orthodox. Made it back to the ship for a ten minute roll and tea at Arts Cafe before heading out again for our Discover Alaska’s whales tour. This was the same “scientific” tour as Port Power went on, except they were on the boat earlier and we were the next batch. We even had a similar starfish when we lifted our (presumably different) crabpot. (they are monitoring an invasive species of european crab,) There were almost too many whales to watch as we didn’t know where to look but it did mean there was not a lot of waiting around after a whale did a dive. Almost immediately we would hear their telltale exhalation and turn to see another pair. Yes we saw many mother- calf pairs. The sun came out around 3pm and the whales flipping their flukes amidst white glaciers green mountains and blue skies and a very enthusiastic guide made for a very memorable afternoon. I have been on several whale watching trips but our guide was a very good combination of knowledgeable and entertaining. i have to confess i was more than a tiny bit envious on hearing port power’s group seeing the mother-calf breech. But up to then we were very happy. We were back just i time for sail away so i grabbed another sandwich (and slice of lemon tart) before sail away which gave us nice views of Regatta and Millennium stunning Juneau landscapes. Went to La Terrazza for the first time and because the ship isn’t full we had no problems getting a great table facing aft. I was reminded of a classroom as everyone was facing the spectacular Juneau sail away. I have fond memories of the duck papadelle so it gave me the warm fuzzies to see it in the menu. i was too tired after the fabulous dinner to do anything else and even fell asleep before even attempting to post this or getting ready for bed properly. was woken up by the ship‘s movement (and loud creaking) around midnight and groggily washed up and got ready for a rocking night’s sleep.

Saturday 9 September. Ketchikan I hope my arms will be able to lift my camera tomorrow…. The highlight of the day was kayaking in the tattoosh islands. we had the perfect weather for this. not only was the sun out but, as you will see in the photos, the sea was also mirror flat. the guide told us the whales had headed off to hawaii already but a curious harbour seal did come and inspect us. by the time i can back onboard (after wandering around the shops a little) it was already 3pm to a visit to spacina…. spicana… spacana… the pizza place was in order. They serve gelato there too! The sail out was spectacular too. after dinner at Atlatinde, i dropped my Silver Note to listen to the music. And now it’s time for bed again!

today’s the day! i’ve actually been looking for you since Tuesday….

Friday 8 Sep. While reading the Chronicle last night discovered that there was yoga at 8am but you had to book or sign up ahead. Unfortunately it was after 10pm and the spa had closed. I called a few minutes before 8am but it was full already. That will teach me not to skip the gym/spa visit on embarkation day. After breakfast in Atalantide, (baked peaches with honey!) went back to the spa to sign up for the 5pm stretch. Then i attended both beginners as well as intermediate bridge lectures. This will be my sea day routine. For lunch we had sashimi and sushi at Kaseki followed by a nap. I’ve been avoiding naps in order to beat the jet lag but didn't feel i could get through the evening without one. Went to the gym at 5pm for evening stretch (since i missed yoga at 8am) If past cruise experience is anything to go by it will be much easier to get a slot as the cruise progresses. Went up to deck 11 to walk a few rounds on the walking track and then went to change for formal night. This is when i discovered my trousers couldn’t button up without much sucking in and belt tightening. The bartender at Tor’s observatory made me a refreshing mocktail and i had a small plate with three mini canapés. Went down to the Venetian lounge for captains’s welcome. my estimate was less than half were in tuxedos/dinner jackets, while most opted for lounge suits, There was a japanese party looking splendid in Japanese formal wear. We have decided we want to eat our way through the Atlantide menu. (And i was advised to wear more loose fitting trousers in future.) I actually fell asleep posting this update back in the cabin while waiting for the show so am now finishing it off before setting our clocks back and getting ready for our first port, Ketchikan, tomorrow.

Muse was berthed behind O Regatta. Dried fruit. wireless charger! Arts Cafe Au revoir Vancouver! “Singapore sling” um… ok… sweet and yummy. good night!

We are onboard the Silver Muse! Embarkation at Canada Place this afternoon took about a hour. It was quite a bit faster for those with US and Canadian passports because there were only THREE agents at US boarder control. First stop was lunch at La Terrazza and at 2:29pm our rooms were officially declared ready. I had already unpacked and stashed the cases away and even had a cup of earl grey and a cucumber sandwich at Arts Cafe before my butler appeared. One thing i learned today was that the notepad on the console was actually a wireless charger for devices. Despite having to watch a 15minute safety video on the TV, at 5pm we all gathered at Dolce Vita for an in-person muster drill complete with walking out on deck to a lifeboat. At the welcome aboard show the cruise director informed us that there are only 420 guests on board, including 50 solos. The assistant cruise director said this was more than usual for a crossing.. It’s been about 10 years since my last SilverSea cruise on the Silver Whisper. My most recent cruises have been on Spectrum of the Seas and Celebrity Beyond although before and immediately after the pandemic I’ve been mostly on Cunard. So far the included wi-fi has exceeded expectations and I hope to update most days, but we’ll have to see how that goes. Good night!

I noticed this when i was trying to book a single cabin too. I figured it was because they add TWO persons worth of add ons. This also means whatever % discount you get from the bundle is negated by the 100% extra. So when you go single it is a much better deal to go for the cruise only price and add the extras individually. Even you full priced classic drink package is not going to cost you $3000!

Breakfast plates at Spa Cafe Breakfast at Cosmopolitan

Dinner at Roof Top Garden Grill.

We enjoyed Eden so much we booked again.

Dinner at Le Voyage. As you can see it is very dark inside. There are no views, you can't really tell you are on a ship.

The pre-show for Elements. A scene from Stage Door.

I only went on one Celebrity provided excursion when we were at Chania, Crete. (and cancelled my other after that.) I heard more grumbles than praises in casual conversation with other passengers who went on Celebrity excursions. I AM looking at the Western Mediterranean on the Ascent, but it will only be in September 2024, so you might beat me to it? 😅I will definitely write a review if I do go. (I am also looking at Queen Anne and Silver Ray at the same time but will only go on one. An AMA Rhine cruise is the latest possibility!)

oh definitely 8100, the oceanview. The main downside was it was right at the front of the ship, whereas 6222 (NB SINGLE IV) was right in the middle of everything. I go into A LOT of detail in the review.

Try this? Celebrity Beyond Review by photosg