Btimmer

Today was Glacier Bay. I spent virtually all day on the bow of the ship watching and photographing. Lots more written detail is in my blog, but here are a few pictures from today. It was a bit overcast, but quite pleasant in a long sleeved t-shirt. Artsy Eurodam exiting Glacier Bay Marjorie Glacier - it calved while we were there! Sea lions at S. Marble Island humpback whale Our first viewable Alaskan sunset

Our experience at the hotel and the motor coaches was similar. But we still masked and socially distanced as best we could. Covid is an indiscriminate mistress.

Sorry to hear that your DH contracted Covid. In Fairbanks, the only group excursion we participated in was the Riverboat cruise and most people on that excursion did not mask up (we did). We did our own explorations there and didn't mingle with groups.

Thank you. Yes the cruise is amazing. Our granddaughter is totally engaged; breathtaking scenery; a HAL ship at about 1100 (50% capacity), and a terrific cruise director (CD) that we've sailed with before extensively in Asia. I learned today from our CD that 143 people did not make the ship due to Covid and that the rate of infections for the southbound is DRAMATICALLY higher than the northbound cruises. This is after 4 RT's. If you are planning to take the Land/sea cruise southbound, please take your Covid protections seriously. One group of 23 didn't make it. Today was Hubbard Glacier. We arrived around 3pm, discharged some guests into a smaller tour boat which was able get very close to the glacier. Because of icebergs in the water, the Captain announced that we could get any closer. Later at the Captain's toast, he commented that we didn't want to be like the Norwegian Sun a few weeks ago which hit submerged ice (a growler) and had to cancel their cruise and return to Seattle for repairs. Below are a few pictures from today. Mt. Stuart (2nd Highest mountain in North America) Tomorrow the plan is to have a full day in Glacier Bay. And like always, more details are found at my blog at https://timmertd2022.blogspot.com

Whittier is a very small and remote port which was a secret creation during WWII. The only real land access is using the mile long railway tunnel which has been opened to vehicle use. The various types of transportation and direction of travel alternate their use. Generally the trains have first priority. Even with our pre-clearance, boarding was a bit chaotic and we didn't discover the shorter 4-5 star Mariner line until we were well into the regular line. But onboard it felt right at home. We met Abdul, our stateroom attendant, did the safety drill, and ate a light dinner. Of course Katie was blown away by the lack of food restrictions in the Lido Market. And for the most part the buffet is served by HAL staff. Here are a few pictures of the ship and surrounding scenery. I'll put more details in my daily blog. The plan is to watch the sailaway even though it conflicts with the 'We are Alaska' EXC presentation. Gorgeous scenery or a lecture? It's a pretty easy choice.

Here's my balcony evening view. I think this will work!

We generally have worn masks on all of our inside excursions and on busses. Unfortunately many disregard this and we have heard of at least two families who missed their cruise due to contracting Covid. in the terminal and inside on the ship masks are being worn. Happy eaters!

Contrary to what has been reported on CC, Verifly worked perfectly on the train to Whittier. Check in took under 2 minutes just to photograph the passports and us.

You're welcome! She's totally engaged with virtually all aspects of the trip. We leave in a few minutes to take a coach to the train for a ride to Whittier. We're hoping moose are on the loose. We recommend the one hour Anchorage trolley tour which we took this morning.

We kept all of our cruise luggage with us. At each change of location, we had it sent forward to the next location. But we travel with only one roll on suitcase and a backpack. We kept the backpack with us. In Denali, we had smaller backpacks for day use. Personally I think HAL explains it way too complicated. However, if one is traveling with more than one suitcase, DEFINITELY pack cruise only clothes and items in one suitcase and have that and any others not needed on the land portion sent directly to the ship. Finally, if at all possible, do the land portion first.

It was a fabulous day riding the train south to Anchorage. We had blue skies all the way! We saw 7 moose but they escaped the camera. Here are a few pictures. The train staff was phenomenal; onboard prices were reasonable; and there were great views out the large windows. We're at the Captain Cook tonight; tomorrow we take the train to Whittier and board the Noordam.

We do wish the Denali chalet units had a refrigerator and microwave. They could also be more coordinated with the Beacon Covid testing group. I really didn't appreciate having to go over to the Princess Hotel to get simple Covid questions answered. Beyond that, the HaL staff were friendly. A bus driver today told us this was the busiest week so far this season. The on property shuttle service is wonderful as is the shuttle service to the park visitor center, Horseshoe Lake, and the bus depot.

Cool. I've got ALL the paperwork so that's no issue. I'm sure they will take a much better GD picture than what I took today! Denali has been fabulous and I can't see how one could realistically do less than a Triple Denali. A quadruple might even be in order.

Yes. It sounds like what we experienced with no use for the Covid tests HAL required for the land portion of our trip, but were never looked at and were comptemptuosly talked down by HAP staff.

I got everything entered into Verifly and all is good. We ate at Fannie Q's Saloon on the Princess Property and we liked it. Our hike to Horseshoe Lake today was quite pretty although we didn't see any beavers. We did see their handiwork, though. The train even made an appearance. We'll be in one of those dome cars much of the day tomorrow on our way to Anchorage and a stay at the Captain Cook hotel.

Covid Testing Observations In our welcome pack was a QR code to sign up for our Covid test. Wednesday night I used it to sign all three of us up for our Friday tests. The app didn't give a time or confirmation that the sign up was successful. So, Thursday we tried to get an answer at the HAL McKinley chalet front desk, but they directed me to the Beacon medical desk at the Princess lodge. So we took a shuttle there and the staff confirmed we were in the system. Today, Friday, at 10am we showed up in the McKinley Chalet at the testing site. There was no line. The test process went smoothly and quickly. The negative results were emailed to me a few hours later. Around noon there was a long line for the testing. So we are good to go on the cruise! What a relief!

We passed our Covid tests and are cleared to board the ship! Yesterday's Tundra and Wilderness tour was wonderful. We saw moose, Dall sheep, a caribou, and more. Details are in my blog. Our granddaughter pronounced it, "terrific!". I would note that the tour was done on a school bus which has been previously reported. We found it comfortable and there was nice air conditioning.

We had a terrific Tundra and wildlife tour today. The haze has slightly cleared and we got to see Denali from the MP 43 turnaround. We saw moose, Dall sheep, caribou, ptarmigan, raven, & squirrels. More pictures later. Our GD deemed this excursion "terrific".

Thanks!! That's what happens when one is pecking away on a phone at midnight after a long day.

We've had a great day today doing the Discovery III riverboat cruise on the Chena River and then we motorcoached to Denali. Our granddaughter really liked this tour especially the chance to pet the sled dogs and the display of the 2 trophy moose with interlocked horns. The bus wasn't full and we saw no animals along the way. It is still quite hazy here. We opted to attend the family style "Music of Denali dinner show" at the Gold Nugget Saloon. Our GD really liked it except the love songs were mushy. Before retiring back to our chalet, we scoped out the businesses across the Highway noting the Subway for future meals. I noted that there was a whole Princess Lodge A&B that looked unused. The other Princess Lodge appeared in full operation. Nobody has asked for our pre-tour Covid test, and the HAL greeter here said they weren't interested in it and if anyone had issues they were to direct their concerns to corporate HAL. We were instructed to schedule our pre-cruise Covid-19 test on Thursday or Friday. My understanding of the protocols is that the antigen test needs to be done 2 days ahead of embarkation or no earlier than Friday for a Sunday sailing. I've started my official blog in which I write more details than I share here. The blog address is: https://timmertd2020.blogspot.com. There will be few if any pictures there. Tomorrow is our tundra tour and maybe something else. Below are a few pictures from today. This pilot did demo take-offs and landing in this 1950 Piper Super Cub Daughter of world famous Susan Butcher There's an interesting back story on this dock. It'll be in my blog. Paddlewheel action Super sized dahlia Our room in the Ridge View complex

We're approaching Denali and it's super hazy.

Here's our walking track from today. The high points were the Thompson Cultural Museum "that was cool", lunch at Costco, a stop at the Blue Door Antiques house on Illinois Street "that was very cool" and ice cream at the espresso stand south of the post office and in the parking lot of the furniture store (a very kind lady paid for our treats without our knowledge or opportunity to thank her). I picked up our welcome packet upon return to the Westmark hotel. We'll ship our roller suitcase from hotel to hotel and not send anything on to the ship. Oh, and the smoke is downright oppressive even in the hotel room. Just needs a little restoration Toad flax

BTW, it's super smokey here in Fairbanks today. All 3 of us are getting congested and wearing a KN95 mask really helps reduce the pungent smell.

I've consulted closely with my Doctor and he does not recommend the second booster at this time since we had Covid just a month ago. Last night we passed our rapid Antigen test to start our land portion of our triple Denali.

I'll add her comments from time to time. Yes it was root beer, and she loved the salad. Pizza seems to be her favorite so far.