Georgia_Peaches

9 hours ago, harrywpb said:

Thank you for a great post. Do you happen to know where to meet an uber on disembarkation ? Can they pick up at the curb or do we have to meet them at the ride share lot ?

Thanks Harry

 

 

We arranged a transfer with Seattle Express. It was $28 pp. I noticed when we pulled into the port the other day that the Seattle express shuttle busses were allowed to park closer than the ride share vehicles. 

Last night we nearly missed dinner because DH was on a roll in the casino!  But still, we pulled away and went up one deck to dine in Blu. I’m sure we were the last to be seated. We had a nice 2 top in the middle of the venue and the view through the window was spectacular. One thing I noticed about Blu with regard to the view is that it’s mostly lacking. There are 5 banks of windows and only 40% have a view. The other 60% of windows are blocked by life boats just outside. Regardless, we enjoyed Blu all the same. 

 

We both had the beef short rib which was very tender and not very fatty. We shared a lobster and spinach pasta appetizer and way too much bread!

I thought getting up early to see the icy straights leading to Mendenhal glacier would be difficult but it seems my internal clock is still on EST. This mornings scenery was some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen. 
 

The sun has come out over the horizon creating what looks like sheets of green glass in the reflection of the water. 

It’s chilly outside but the sun’s warmth, along with cozy blankets made curling up on the Magic Carpet with a mimosa was heaven. 

19 hours ago, hcat said:

some will be  more dressed up and some less!..we do not wear jeans on cruises..

   no ties required!

We usually don’t either but have worn jeans on this cruise. Feels strange, though. 
 

6 hours ago, SerraG said:

Our first stop was Butchart

We looked into going to the gardens but I thought I read that they closed at 5. Have the hours been extended or was this exclusive to your excursion?

Love all your pics!

3 hours ago, Reel Love said:

Loving your review Georgia_Peaches! (as always!)  🙂

In your first post you noted that you are in the retreat....we (group of eight) are planning an Alaskan cruise and hoping to all book in a suite for the first time.  Question for you (and others who have sailed in suites before) - are folks in suites allowed to attend/eat in the MDR's if they don't like the menu in Luminae?  (Apologies in advance for what is likely a rookie question lol.  We are seasoned X cruisers but know nothing about suites).  Thank you! 

Absolutely, yes!  In fact, we have found that the MDR staff are excited to have us. Tonight we dined in Blu. The menu was just better and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate us. I will note that we stopped in around 6 to make sure they could seat us at 8. No problem. 

We had a lovely day in port…despite the rain. In fact, given that I was prepared, I welcomed the rain by channeling my inner child and splashing through rain puddles…because I could!

After a walk about town we made our way to the 11:15 lumberjack show. We bought our tickets on line ahead of this trip and used a military discount to gain entry for an addition 15% savings. The show was the perfect amount of cheesy with a sprinkling of historical account of the logging industry. We had a ball!  I’d like to give a special shout out to the Ketchikan Fire and Rescue who promptly and professionally attended to an elderly cruise passenger who was having difficulties at the beginning of the show. My heart and prayers go out to the patient and family. 🙏

After the show we sought a place to eat smoked salmon dip to be washed down with a local brew. Not sure why I thought such was a thing because apparently it isn’t. After 3 failed attempts to find such elusive offerings, we gave up and headed back to the ship. We opted instead for a cocktail in the hot tub on the retreat pool deck.  It was a great way to while away the afternoon. 

And finally, I found this in a gift shop on our way back to the ship. I thought it was appropriate, so I bought it. I’m happy to add this little number to my cruise T shirt collection. 

And a visit to Dolly’s house of ill repute. Where she lived until her death in 1972. Her house and its contents are as they were back in the day. 
 

A few pics from Ketchikan:

Salmon walk where salmon swim up stream to spawn…

34 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

@SerraG and @Georgia_Peaches would you agree with this for dinner attire.  I’m seriously contemplating packing designer jeans in dark and white with a mix and match of blouses and two easily packed dresses (not cocktail, more professional/work) for chic nights.  For DH, designer jeans and polos with black dress pants, dress shirt, two different ties for the chic nights.  I think this seems okay, but want to make sure. We aren’t opposed to dressing up but if it’s much more casual want to “fit in” and avoid excess luggage.

Yes, you are right on the money!

Two interesting things occurred yesterday:

1.  Deal or No deal cards went on sale in the casino and the line was very long and slow moving. I wasn’t in line but I was playing at a slot machine in the thick of the line. It was interesting to hear people’s complaints about various things…in this case, the very slow moving line. The game must be a lot of fun..not sure I would have waited in that line. At one point there was a brief, yet hostile exchange between 2 passengers regarding possible line cutting. It was quickly resolved but not before a few choice words were exchanged. Celebrity may want to reconsider how they go about selling the Deal/No Deal cards. 
 

2. Evening chic is very casual. Those of you who are struggling with how to pack all your Alaska stuff AND chic attire, rest assured there’s nothing to fret about as it seems most anything goes. 
 

But regarding chic night, the other interesting thing occurred in the theater in the reserved section for Retreat guests. We were seated just behind this area at the high top bar (great for quick exits) and witnessed a lady become irate bc she wasn’t allowed to sit in the reserved section. She was loud and quite vocal in expressing her disgust with all the “able bodied people in that area taking space away from a little old lady…”. We offered our seats but she declined. And if that wasn’t enough, the show was standing room only with crowds of people standing behind us…carrying on full conversations… during the show!  It ceased a bit when I turned around and flashed my teacher grade stink eye in their direction. People never cease to amaze me…

Lunch was in Luminae. I had the petit filet and DH had the salmon. I liked mine better. 

For dinner, we dined in Tuscan. We find the MDR menus to be more varied and the Luminae menu didn’t appeal. Additionally, the MDR’s ambience is much more pleasing to us because we don’t feel packed in like sardines. 
 

The food was good and the service was excellent!  I had the lamb t bone and DH had the fish. We tried the duck breast but I’m not a fan of the leathery texture. The apps of baked Brie and scallops in a cream sauce (not how it’s named on the menu) were my favorite. 
 

 Water aerobics in full swing… but not much going on outside. 

Note to self… post in small chunks in case something goes haywire!

We gained an hour last night so it’s currently 6 AM. Ketchikan is simply charming with very light rain and temps in the 40’s. Today I’ll be wearing my rain gear!

Yesterday was fun!  We caught a Beyond the Podium lecture, a bar show, and met up in the Retreat lounge with friends we made from a previous cruise. 
 

Later we watched a show in the main theater.. the cruise director said it was standing O material… I guess like food, entertainment is subjective. We thought the show was fine. 

I just lost all my commentary…🤦‍♀️. 
 

Pulling into Ketchikan now. 
 

More to follow 

1 hour ago, cruisebeachgirl703 said:

Following along. What was the result of pointing out the price discrepancy? (was it sommelier or waiter?)

It was the sommelier. He poured me a glass and didn’t up charge it. 
 

47 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Is this a nice wine?  
Irregardless the heart of the matter is you have already invested $5k in a 7-night cruise that includes premium drinks.

I’ll bet you had a Bourbon and Peaches instead. 😉

How much, pray tell, is Whispering Angel in Luminae?
This is one of my go to lunch wines.

Hydration is very important. 

I consider it an ok sauv blanc. It’s produced by the Wagner family (Caymus) and runs about $20 + or - a bottle back home. Certainly the up charge wont break the bank… the inconsistency is puzzling. 
 

Im now on a recon mission for Whispering Angel… stay tuned!

Emmolo Sauv Blanc is $17 in the Martini bar but $22 in Luminae. I pointed out the discrepancy today at lunch when I was told there was going to be a $5 up charge. The nickel and diming of the “elevated” wines is annoying. 
 

18 hours ago, AbbyCruiser45 said:

That should do it! You’ll need to do that every time you post a batch of pictures, but it’s an easy fix. 

Thank you for this tip!  Works perfectly now! 😊

On 5/31/2024 at 8:23 AM, Ferry_Watcher said:

@Georgia_Peaches, I believe that you are sailing as a Retreat passenger.  There will be Pier-side Retreat Host outside the terminal when you arrive.  If they are already inside escorting other guests, just make yourself known at the Retreat priority entrance on the right side of the terminal building.  

The Ovation OTS will also be at Pier 91, but ignore that line and head over towards the Edge.

The embarkation process in this port was unlike any I’ve experienced!  The drop off line was a mass of cars, vans, busses criss crossing each other every which way. It took longer to snake our way to the curb that it took to get from our hotel to the port. 
 

Thank you for the info on the Retreat check in location. Very helpful!

Embarkation day didn’t disappoint. Edge is a nice ship in and IMO, she’s in great shape!  Had my first eclass ship experience not been on Ascent, I’d have no idea how different Edge’s layout is from the new ships. 
 

First, the martini bar is quite different in layout with the bar tucked to the far end of the space with limited seating around the bar itself. We enjoyed our embarkation cocktail here soon after we boarded. 

 

Next, we went to the Sunset bar…another of my favorite areas…but not as much on Edge. The space isn’t laid out the same as Ascent as it doesn’t have terraced seating and the bar area is not as enclosed. 
 

Our stateroom is awesome. We met both our room attendant and Butler early on and my preembarkation request of extra hangers were in place upon arrival. Our sparkling wine was already chilling and we have a lounger on the balcony. There is an umbrella in the closet and it’s a decent size… big enough for me and half of DH. 

I asked our room attendant if sleeping with the door open would impact rooms around us and he said no. So, in a cruising first, we slept with the door open!  It was amazing!  The room was chilly, as I was hoping, but there were extra blankets under the bed that our attendant set up for us at turn-down. Sleeping bliss!

We dined in Luminae for lunch. It was good! But the space itself is not my favorite layout compared to S class. We were seated at a 2 top. I had the view of Seattle and DH had a view of the wall. People were seated next to us but they were perpendicular to our table and the felt very close. But we enjoyed the meal…no pics but DH had the burger and I had the pasta. DH ordered a bourbon and peaches as per usual but this one was different in that it tasted like there was jalapeños in the drink…a spicy B & P?

After lunch we continued our exploration of the ship. The Retreat lounge is very nice. The indoor space isn’t as large as Ascent and there’s no bar. On Ascent there is a bar where this small sofa is located:

Last night we dined in Eden. This is our favorite restaurant on E class and last night’s meal was delicious. 
 

We didn't attend any shows last night but we did enjoy a live set in Eden prior to heading to the casino…which wasn’t open. 🙃 More on that later. Instead, we went bar hopping. This morning I remind myself that it isn’t necessary to try every drink on the menu in the first day!  The rule of the day is pace myself…and I will leave it at that 🤦‍♀️. 
 

The casino opened after 9 pm. The vibe was quiet and there were many games that were new to me…. Like the Mummy machine that I stumbled upon and played for several hours. It was generous and when I finally cashed out, I had almost enough on my ticket to cover more than half my cruise fare!!  
 

We are looking forward to a relaxing day at sea!

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

We thoroughly enjoyed our Alaska cruise but sorry it doesn't come close to being the "Last Frontier".

For goodness sake it has: towns, roads, airports, railways in fact all the "benefits" of modern society.

Try Antarctica (not on a scenic cruise but an expedition cruise) if you really want to see the Last Frontier.

 

It was my attempt at poetic license. lol

Happy turn around day!  Bet it feels great to turn around and walk right back on. 😊. See you soon!

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

interesting photo..looks diff from other posts..

 

I take  pics on my Android  phone ..then I  hit the "Add Files"  box in a post ,  and then find images I want  to post..  I pick abt 3 or 4  and they upload.  to sep them i then hit edit and space them and re post

(learned that from Jim)

Yeh, I have no idea how that pic turned out with no background… lol. 😆 

1 hour ago, Stem to Stern said:

When I was doing the Live from MSC Seascape Yacht Club last year, I found this to be problematic at first.  I'm no Apple techie, but what I found was if I created the text of the post, then clicked "Add Files" and selected the photos from my Recents album in my Photos app, then went back into the text to where I wanted the pic, then clicked "Insert" and so on until all of my selected pics were inserted where I wanted them among the paragraphs of text, then I paused my fingers and took a few deep breaths and just scrolled through my entire draft of my post before hitting "Submit Reply" to make sure all of the pics had fully uploaded and were not showing black or partially-black (partial uploaded.)  I hope this is of some help.  Although I gather you are quite agile on your own.  Is this your mother-daughter cruise?  What is for breakfast?  Heehee.

Thank you!  Will give that a try..,especially the deep breath part. 
 

Mother/daughter cruise is end of July. 😊. If I don’t drag DH with me every so often, he’ll get bogged down in work, forgetting to decompress. Part of me relishes the thought of connection issues…for his own good, of course!

Breakfast was awesome!  Scrambled eggs, sausage, assorted fruit and pastry…. Starbucks coffee, of course. But I’m full of embarkation butterflies, so didn’t have room for  much. 
   

As an aside, I didn’t know the complimentary breakfast was a thing until we checked in.. a very pleasant surprise….other pics are black… 😡.