BBGrace273
-
Posts
170 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Everything posted by BBGrace273
-
Yeah... I died a little today. -
I wept openly. The last view out my window this morning. My flowers lasted my whole journey! Our welcome to the terminal was festive, but it didn't raise my spirits. I'm sure I'll go back and post more in the next few days, but for now, It's Tokyo for 2 nights, Kyoto for 2 nights, and then back to Tokyo until we leave for home on the 9th. 1 month exactly from when we left for Vancouver. Thanks for following along! 20241001_073252.mp4
- 96 replies
-
- 13
-
-
You're totally right. I want to do everything again! There are so many things I wish I would have done right away, that I left to the middle. And now I'm planning my last 5 nights out so that I make sure to do all the things I want to again. I have had just an amazing time. Inalso realize that we are kinda sitting right now at the beginning of a normal length of cruise. We've been so lucky with these 18 days. On the bridge tour, one of the crew was talking about how we "just" missed some really bad weather. One day behind, and we would have had a really pitching ship. Today is a beautiful night. We cancelled our inside dinner reservation and hope to get a table outside. I'm thinking a lot of people will have that same idea though, so wish me luck!
-
Oh my goodness, I can't believe 14 days have gone by already. I think I have done everything on board that I wanted to. I had a candlelit milk bath with a glass of champagne. I watched a movie in my room with some popcorn. I swam laps and worked out almoat every day. I woke up super early and wandered while the ship was empty. I stayed up super late and closed down the dancefloor. I visited all the dining spots, and all the bars. Participated in most of the activities at least once. Have made some cool new friends being the social butterfly that I am. What I haven't really done so far is relax. Even with the six sea days, of which today is the last, there always seemed something I was wanting/needing to rush off to. I had some forced relaxation the last 2 days, as I had the sniffles (thanks lady with the runny nose and no mask at art class) but I tried to sleep an awful lot in order to nip it in the bud, and today I feel so much better. I was sad to miss the Lair's Game last night in the Venetian Lounge, but I know it was the right decision. We have 3 days of ports in a row starting tomorrow, 1 more sea day, and then we arrive in Tokyo! So now is your chance, random people. Time to ask any questions while I'm still on board. Time's a ticking!
-
Sea days! Days 9-14. Originally we were going to have 9 as a sea day, then Day 10 in Unalaska (Dutch Harbor) then 4 more sea days 7ntil Japan. Unalaska was removed from the itinerary months ago though, and Hakodate was added as a bonus in Japan. I was sad to lose it, but what can ya do? I originally thought sea days would be all about rest and relaxation. I brought books, podcasts, downloaded TV shows and movies to catch up on, a bag of yarn for crochet... but nope! Our sea days have been filled with interesting and fun things. Art classes, golf, shuffleboard, and bags competitions, cooking and martini demonstrations, cocktail classes, origami, Bridge tours, and of course, I always add in an hour or so for my swimming exercises. Rain or shine, I am in that pool doing laps! The water temp is great. Then there's the late afternoon events that we can usually still make if it's an earlier port day (which a lot of ours have been) like bingo and trivia. There's also a bunch of stuff I don't do, like table tennis, bridge, mahjong, board games, and puzzles. So, sea days have been amazing. I don't mind this repositioning cruise in the slightest. Looking forward to another one soon. That reminds me... time to make an appointment with the Future Cruise Sales desk!
-
Back to the ship for another pike bowl at the Marquee, and a swim! As I was leaving the pool the Cruise Director, JP, and I chatted a bit, and then I told him I'd see him at Bingo and Trivia. He reminded me about the SAIL AWAY PARTY! To celebrate our leaving AK and heading to Japan, there was a party on deck with some bangers. It was fun. I have made friends with some lively people on board, and it was fun to dance and sing and celebrate together. Tonight was SALT kitchen. We did a mix of both the Terrain and Voyage menus. The sunset that night was the most beautiful of the voyage so far. Magenta red. Red skies at night, sailors delight. Then SALT bar, and I headed down to the nightly theatre show. I have gone to more of these than I expected. Most posts I saw were about hack-y song and dance numbers. Not my jam. But I listened to local music, amazing singers, and even a trombonist. (Is that the right word?) But I seldom take a picture. Ah well, probably less annoying for the preformers!
-
Day 8 and Kodiak! Early morning with @GrumpySushiBear. We planned ahead of time and shared a small boat water tour. It was very laid back compared to the other two, but still very enjoyable. Dave and Stephanie were our guides. We saw otters (with babies!) and sea lions, and some whales. Including one that dove exactly away from us, so the fluke was perfectly outlined. In my massive stupidity, I left both my good camera AND my binos (as they are called here). So, Dad and I shared them. We also saw the coast guard do8ng maneuvers. Really cool! Excellent morning. Then I had also arranged a taxi to take us around town. We started at Fort Abercrombie, then to the Russian Orthadox church, then to the Kodiak Museum. There was an entire exhibit just on the historical bars in the area. Then to the mall with a very cool bookstore, a drop off of the 50 or so postcards I had written, some quick craft souvenirs and back to the tender dock. While waiting, I met this vocal sea lion and his friend. The last of Alaska. 20240919_111938.mp4 20240919_133951.mp4 20240919_134107.mp4
-
Ah ha ha. I just realized I made a somewhat duplicate post. Ah well, that's what I get for playing catch-up. Day 7 was a sea day before Kodiak. It was pretty rough, and the only day that I wasn't able to swim laps so far. I tho7ght to myself that I'd have a lovely relaxing day. Nope! There really is just too much I want to do on the ship! I went for a treatment in the spa, and visited steam room and sauna. Lunch in the Grill. I did a tuna poke bowl, and Fad had a hot dog. He said it was really good. I snagged a french fry, and it was perfect and warm. (There were definitely posts I read on here about food temps all over thr place... I haven't found that to be the case.) Took my first cooking class in the SALT Lab. We made mushroom soup and berry crumble from scratch. Still had bingo and trivia. People who I've met who see me in the halls often comment thar I always seem to be heading somewhere as quickly as possible. Gotta take advantage of the offerings! This was our second night at Silver Note. We were meeting at 7:30 the next day and there was no hour gained that night, so I skipped the nightcap hangouts, and called it an early night. 1000024636.mp4
-
Day 6 Part 3 - La Dame. Oh my goodness. I know that people have poo-pooed it, but I reall loved it. I know that one of the major complaints is the new price on the Nova class. Double the others. I added the champagne pairings too. A girl always needs her bubbles. I forgot to take a picture of the set menu, but I might actually go back to LA Dame before the cruise is over (it was that good) and I'll take a picture then. I don't think it cchanges. Or if I'm right and it doesn't, I can just download the menu from the MySilversea onboard "app". It was decadent. I did the Signature menu which is basically a tasting menu, but man! It was NOT tasting menu portions. Everything was fullsize. I was hurting by course 3. Then ended up sending my cheese plate to my suite, as well as the other accoutrement from my desert. There were 3 birthdays celebrating that day. The room was lively. All of the window tables were full, but it was not crowded. Fantastic end to the evening. (Which actually ended with a nightcap at Salt Bar.) 1000024573.mp4
-
Day 6 part 2. A caveat for my posts. While I have stopped separating the photos into their individual descriptive snippets because it was taking forever, it seems that they aren't attaching in order at the end either. Sorry about that. If you have any questions, just let me know. Now on to the second excursion of the day. The Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. We passed back right by the Silver Nova. First up on our sea otter quest was, of course... a brown coastal bear! Then 4 more!!! More check offs of my animal sightings list. Yay! Then some cute sea otters. Whale after whale. (This was actually where I saw the white fluke). I started with my camera, but then just put it away. I got really good at being able to focus with the binoculars. Then we saw some basking sea lions. I ended up not exactly planning all that well clothing wise. I was wearing jeans, and ended up getting SOAKED. Ooops! We ended up getting dropped off directly at the ship. It was the best excursion! Side note... I've tried several times and although the photos are not upside down on my phone, they are loading upside down. Sorry! Day 6 Part 3 in a Lil bit. Dinner at La Dame! 1000024487.mp4
-
On to Day 6, and Sitka! I'm pretty sure this was the night that the announced over the in room speakers that there were northern lights off the starboard bow @ 12:25 in the morning (thanks for that heart attack, BTW) because I have a bunch of black sky photos. The sunrise was beautiful that day though. I'm pretty sure I popped off a little post on here of that morning, but here's more of the day. Quick tender ahore, and we started with an excursion called Raptors and Ravens. This place is really cool. They keep the eagles in an enclosure that has single-sided glass. The birds don't know that the people are there and they also place loud running water inside so that they can't hear modern life either. The place does a lot of really good work. Birds that cannot be re-released into the wild for various reasons and have a good temperament can become ambassadors. It was just a really neat place to be. Then we hopped back on the mini Bus to the Sitka National Historical park. There were some beautiful totem poles and a bunch of lovely trails. Dad and I picked a short one and walked along the river. There was no one else with us. It was really beautiful and serene. Then on to the Ravens portion. We went to the Sitka Community house. We learned about some of the clan history. It was very informative. Dad and I then walked around a little to the Russian Block House, the beautiful orthodox church, and then a bite to eat. We had a fantastic seafood chowder at the Bayview restaurant. We walked back to the tender point, stopping at the Baranof Castle state Historic Site for some beautiful views. Then on to the next post, and our second excursion of the day. 1000024215.mp4 1000024236.mp4
-
Now Day 5 part 2! Chef's table. Intimate with only 3 of us, and lucky me it was with a couple that I had already made friends with. Fabulous. Then some beautiful evening shots of another ship alongside us. 1000024048.mp4 1000024059.mp4 1000024047.mp4
-
And it's time for day 5. We now have a perfect weather day. As my Irish family would say, "gorgeous"! This was an early day. We tendered for 2 minutes, as the spot where we docked was off limits due to land slide problems. The town has a cute little western feel. Most people take the train or bus up to White Pass, but I decided long ago to rent a car and drive all the way up to Emerald Lake in the Yukon Territory. So we grabbed the car, some road trip snacks, and we were on our way! It was absolutely 💯 the best! We had a big mix of weather. Some fog, rain, sunshine and brilliant blue skies. I wanted to stop like every 15 feet for another picture. (And I did!) I had printed and brought along the Murry's Guide to the Klondike Highway. It's a step by step of what you'll see along the way. We stopped at the welcome to Alaska sign, the Carcross Desert, and the arrived at the picturesque lake. On the way back we stopped in Carcross for a quick bite. Then it was a few more photos, dropping off the car, and back to the ship. From my balcony, I could see the 2 different spots where some of the cliff had fallen. There were also painted rocks showing different ships and events. Interesting. Then it was off to dinner. Day 5 part 2 to follow. 20240916_130551.mp4
.thumb.jpg.835b32557246ec6f405177a712e58053.jpg)
-
Ok. Day 4, and port #2, Juneau.y The weather was awful (as I expected for the last 10 days) so the highlight of the excursions, the helicopter tour of the glaciers surrounding Juneau, was cancelled. I was sad, but I had been preparing myself. Safety first! After a breezy breakfast at the helth focused Grill, I took a wet walk and taxi around town, and stocked up on some Bubly and LaCroix at the FoodLand. Grabbed some sugar free Canada Dry for my dad. My best friend's family was on another cruise stopped in Juneau that day. Perfect timing. We met up in front of the Red Dog Saloon for a quick hello. Then back to the boat for a quick bite of the finger sandwiches for lunch at the Arts Cafe. Then a cold, wet, and rainy whale watching tour. We saw many whales, and I saw a beautiful almost totally white fluke. No pictures, but oh well. I know that @agape01 got some good ones. ThenI dropped off Dad again, and went around town. Tried to go to the Amalga Distillery, but alas, they were closed for their end of season staff party. So, I walked down the street to the Devil's Club Brewing Co. I had a flight +1 of their amazing beers, bought a 4 pack of passionfruit seltzer, and had olive oil popcorn topped with nutritional yeast. It was warm and delish, and perfect after being in the rainy cold. Then I walked a few doors down to the Imperial Bar & Billiards. They were playing the Bear's game, and there were a bunch of fans in the bar. Super cool. Another mini snack of a carnitas taco. Have to soak up some of that booze! Then The Triangle Club. A 3rd generation bar started in 1947. Industry vibe. It was nice. Did some souvenir shopping at the Red Dog Saloon, and then took some GORGEOUS photos of our ship all lit up in the dark. Tonight was Silver Note. Blue Rose and the piano player were fantastic. Then I rounded out the evening watching the Alaskan String Band in the Venetian Lounge (they were wonderful) a drink up at the SALT Bar, and then a final champagne in the Panorama Lounge while I watched the last of the dancers on the floor, appreciating the DJ. The longest day of the cruise! Sail away was a late 10pm. On to day 5! (Maybe after a bit of a snooze in the morning!)
-
Yup. Like @jollyjones said. Actually this is one of my tiny little annoyances (not even to the level of complaint). When people are cooking the prawns and then end up burning some of the shell, it makes it smell like burning hair. Overpowers the delicious smell of grilling steak.
-
Day 3-Sept 14th, and our first port. Ketchikan. Super easy, as we docked right in the middle of town. Did the Rainforest Wildlife Sanctuary tour, which was super interesting. I licked a banana slug at the urging of the guide. Indigenous moms would use it for their teething children among other things, as it causes numbing. Visited the old saw mill that is the current studio for some local totem carvers. We saw a black bear in the parking lot. (Cross that off what I didn't see from last time I was in AK.) Then back to town, and dropped off Dad (already enough walking for the day). I ran around for some errands. Stamps, a couple of postcards and stickers. Checked out Creek Street (as well as Married Man's Trail above it.) Saw a harbor seal. Went to the Ketchican distillery and had a ginger bee's knees, made with locally sourced honey. Then hit up a liquor store which had the Amalga gin I wanted, a small plastic 5th of another Alaskan gin, as well as cans of from the Port Chilkoot Distillery which was on my list of things to find later in Juneau or Sitka, so I was able to cross that off my list. Weather was now gorgeous. Quick lunch at the Grill and time for laps in the pool! And then just hanging out in the pool because it was so sunny! More bingo with dad and then trivia and a lovely grapefruit and pistachio tart. Then spa for a blow out. (I love the shampoo and condition!) Then dinner at Kaiseki. It was lovely. A couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We were given golden cake. Went to the Panorama Lounge for some tunes and a little dancing. My knees have been behaving. Yay! Back to my room, and saw the aurora. Up to the top deck for better photos, and I guess I should have a drink in the Salt Bar again.
-
Let's finally do some catch up posts. Second sea day of 6. This 18 day cruise is FLYING BY! Rather than trying to insert photos as I go, I think it'll just be faster for a little blurb, and then photos to follow. I can answer any questions if people have specifics. So, it really pains me to say, that here's finally just part 2 of day 2 only. (I mean I know it's because I am just enjoying myself so much, but I haven't even really journaled or posted on the socials either.) So... went to the spa, then Atlantide for a quick lunch. Tried to go to the art class, but it was full. Went to the Dusk Bar instead, and ended up seeing a breaching whale, so definite silver lining! Did bingo (Dad won a bingo!), and then @FauxNom asked me to join her friends for their trivia team. We came in 2nd! Then it was the Captain's welcome cocktail gathering which was formal optional. Dinner at the Grill, a perfect sunset, and then drinks at the Salt Bar. Perfect 2nd day.
-
Awww, thanks! Sadly it's now gone. Time to pick a new color tomorrow!
-
Sounds good. See you then!
-
@GrumpySushiBear, when and where are we meeting tomorrow? Who are thea other 2 coming with?
-
Love the movement of the birds, @agape01!
-
@GrumpySushiBear Great photos! Thanks for sharing. I had just fallen asleep when they announced the lights. I went out on the balcony for some photos, but I couldn't gather then energy to go topside. Also, prize goes to @GrumpySushiBear for the best skorts on the ship. Sitka was AMAZING! The Raptors and Ravens excursion was nice, but the Sea Otter and Wilderness Wildlife cruise was fan-freaking-tastic. We saw 5, yes FIVE coastal brown bears. Sea otters, sea lions, and some lovely sea birds. We also saw MANY humpback whales. I even saw a beautiful, mostly white, fluke. I have 0 pictures of the whales. I got tired of being dissapointed, with my results so I just put away the camera and concentrated with the binoculars. It was very rewarding. @agape01 was on the excursion with me, so I'm sure he'll post some more doozies! Not to toot my own horn, but I was REALLY good at spotting them. It was so much fun. We got dropped off right at the ship. Rockstar service. I went to swim laps, and all the deck furniture was being put away. We are in for some rough seas the next couple of days! I finally made it up to the infinity pool, a quick shower, some glam, and I am currently sitting in La Dame about to enjoy course 3 of the signature menu, along with the champagne pairing. Life is ALWAYS better with bubbles. More to come tomorrow. I am excited to finally get back to the trivia competition! @FauxNom was so nice to ask me to join with her friends, and I've missed 3 days in a row! Scandalous! Here's a teaser for tomorrow's food post.
-
Here's sitka this morning. I'm off to try and win Andrew's heart away from Margaret. Wish me luck, because who wouldn't want Betty White as a grandmother-in-law?
-
I agree with @GrumpySushiBear. Pretty much everything has been terrific. I have enjoyed the food immensely. My only miss was the first day lunch at the Marquee. My dad has loved everything so far. We did Kaiseki for dinner, and I did Chef's table last night. Terrific. There's so much to do. I haven't had time for any good photo posts in several days. (Because I'm trying to cram in post card writing, while I can still use American stamps to mail them.) Sea day tomorrow, so I'll have some time (hopefully) to catch up!
-
Oh my goodness! We took the exact same photo. Now I can't remember whose is whose!
.jpg.edbc5995b58b0730bc2c974efbd57ef7.jpg)
