WCB

Report #16  Thursday  September 19, 2024   Sea Day Enroute To Juneau, Alaska   Cloudy With Rain Showers And Some Sun Cooler-- Temperatures 48 Degrees  Part #1 Of 1.......8 Pictures---Dressy Night

Yesterday we had the chance to purchase the Have-It-All package for the next 7 days.  The price was $65 per person per day, and both of us would have to buy it.  The perks included $100 towards a shore excursion, one specialty restaurant dinner (excluding Morimoto pop-up), and a surf internet package.  But the big draw has to be the beverage end of it which included 15 beverages up to $11 each.  The drinks included could be non-alcoholic beverages as well as wine, beer, and cocktails.  If we had purchased this package before the cruise began, the cost would have been $55 per person per day…..a better deal.   Doing the math on this offer, if you are big drinkers, you would be well ahead of the game.    We have only had the Have-It-All as a perk on one cruise and never came close to the 15 beverages a day. 

The new guests in the Neptune suites took advantage of the Pinnacle Grill breakfast this morning.  We also noticed that some of the wait staff had been re-assigned here.  This can be good, but not always.  Most of the original waiters knew we liked hot coffee, but now that they are gone, we have to start over reminding them.  Not a big deal since they are quick to learn.  

Somewhere in the pile of invoices we brought with us, we noticed that on this particular cruise, Glacier Bay was not on the itinerary.  Neither was Tracy Arm.  Substituted for Glacier Bay was scenic cruising of Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.  Do you think we could find that invoice with the itinerary changes?  The one to ask was Nyron, the shore excursion manager.  He knows everything.  So after breakfast, we stopped at the desk located across from the front desk.  Nyron confirmed that we are indeed substituting Endicott Arm for Glacier Bay day.  He added that all of the permits for Glacier Bay have stopped, as well as the entrance into Tracy Arm.   And there would be no excursion in that arm, just scenic cruising for all. 

The ship is currently sailing outside the Inside Passage in open waters.  The Captain mentioned that we would experience some deep swells, which were expected to increase later in the day and this evening.   He was correct.  The weather was a mixed bag.  The temps have dipped to the mid 50’s with high overcast.  Later in the day, it rained, then the sun appeared off and on.  There was actually a real sunset, the first we have seen since we have been here in Canada and Alaska.  No chance for a photo because it was during  our dinnertime.

We had another invite for a wine tasting today,  but decided to go to lunch at the same time.  It’s always nice to be invited however.  We also spotted a Princess ship sailing neck-to-neck with us.  It may be the Grand Princess on her way to Juneau.  Besides ducking in and out all day for walks and possible wildlife sightings, we kept busy working online.  We did check for any sightings of that promised wildlife at 6pm, but we were far from land, and we saw nothing but driving rain and high winds. 

With today being a sea day, the  evening dress suggestion was “dressy” once again.  The Captain’s welcome was at 7:15pm…short and sweet.  This group of guests seem to be more in tune with the dress code tonight.  We had new waiters tonight, one of whom we know from previous cruises, and a new fellow….both from Indonesia.  Most all the tables in the upper dining room were filled tonight.  When Pulung came around to say hi, he told us that there are 1400 plus guests on this Alaska cruise, the last one for this ship.  That is about full capacity.  The dining room staff seemed to handle this crowd quite well.  

So for this Gala dinner, we ordered one Caesar salad, and one French  onion soup.   For our entrees , we both had the rack of lamb, cooked medium.  One came with the beans, artichokes, and bell peppers.  The other plate had only a baked potato with the lamb.   Both were delicious with a nice gravy on the side.  Dessert was one flourless chocolate cake with blueberries and a dollop of whipped cream.  One of us asked for frozen yogurt….always on the menu every day along with assorted ice cream or sorbet. Anyway, the frozen yogurt was not available.  We realize now that these items are not included on the main dining room menu anymore.   One cup of coffee was served, and we were happy campers.  The entertainment was the Step One Dance Company with Musicology, but with the ship rocking and rolling somewhat, we are not sure the show went on. 

The clocks went back one hour this evening…..making everyone happy.   The rocking and rolling of the ship continued to get worse.  By the time this was written (11pm), we found it smart to stash things that may fall during the evening.

Tomorrow we will arrive to Juneau and be docked by 1:30pm.  We bet that the ship will slow down since we do not have that stop in Tracy Arm.  We shall see…..

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #15  September 18, 2024  Vancouver, British Columbia 7am-4pm  Docked Starboard Side To Pier Turnaround Day   Sunny And Warmer 65 Degrees   Part #1 Of 4......55 Pictures Of 251---Casual Dress

The Zaandam arrived to the port of Vancouver and docked along with three other ships.  The Seven Seas Explorer, the Grand Princess and a smaller Norwegian exploration vessel were in port today as well.  Hmmm, that is going to be a whole lot of folks departing and new guests embarking all four ships. 

Breakfast was early at 6:30am, although Tina said we came come anytime before they close at about 8am.  We were up at that time anyway, so we don’t mind going early.    On this day, usually most of the guests either go to the Lido or order room service.  It was not crowded at all for breakfast.

We stayed onboard working on yesterday’s photos until 9:15am.  Most all of the luggage tag colors had been called off, and we knew the call for everyone was about to happen.   Going off was easy….all we needed were our passports and room keys.  We never had to show our passports going off, or coming back onboard for that matter.  Using the “In Transit” cards, we were directed straight to the bus and taxi pick-up area.  

We pretty much repeated our walk that we did last week.   The big difference today had to be the weather.   The fog we encountered on the way here had lifted, and blue skies appeared.  How nice it was to see the sun for a change.  There still was a chill in the breeze, but there was some warmth in the sun.  Whatever….we will take it.  Compared to last week, many more locals were walking, running, and biking the waterfront promenade. 

From the cruise ship terminal, we hiked past the Vancouver Convention Center West, passing the Seaplane Terminal and the Olympic Cauldron.  Walking the seawall along Burrard Inlet,  we passed by Harbor Green Park where locals like to meet with their dogs.  Coal Harbor Quay was next filled with small vessels and sailboats…many for sale.  Stanley Park was next where we saw some Canada geese flying overhead, and two large blue herons hunting the shallow waters of Coal Harbor.  The furthest we could walk today was to the Horse Carriage Tours.  We have to mention that our time here was limited, due to the fact we had to be back to the terminal by 2pm.   But that’s another story…..

Here are some facts about Stanley Park that we missed writing about last week.  This park consists of 1000 acres with ½ million trees.  Among them are Douglas firs, western red cedars, western hemlock, big leaf maples, grand firs and Sitka spruce.  The oldest-growth trees exceed 200 feet in height.  In December of 2002,   10,000 trees fell during hurricane force winds.  Another 100,000 trees died from 2020 to 2023 from a hemlock looper insect outbreak. 

Park wildlife includes 500 species like Douglas squirrels, raccoons, otters, beavers, geese, greater blue herons, salamanders, and even coyotes.  And do not feed the animals.  If you do, you can face a fine of $500. 

Finally, horses had been used over 100 years ago for hauling lumber.  Today teams of Grey Shire, Clydesdale, Belgium and Percheron horses are used to pull aluminum-framed coaches with signal lights and hydraulic brakes.  The well- groomed horses consume 31 pounds of hay and 15 pounds of mash.  They can drink 33 gallons of water a day.   Impressive.

Time to backtrack, we took our time walking and sitting on some of the convenient benches along the way.  Then we arrived to the Steamworks Brewery right before noontime.  Perfect timing, the place filled up within minutes after 12pm.   It is popular with the local office workers as well as tourists.  Once again, we enjoyed Lions Gate Lagers with a Hawaiian pizza.  They make a very good apple dessert called a galette.  We shared one before heading back to the terminal.  What a mess we ran into this time.

Like we stated earlier, there were four ships here in transition.  Our in transit cards got us to the xray checkpoint quicker.  However we forgot that their xray is much more sensitive.  One of us got pulled aside to do a wand-check.  A wallet and eyeglasses were the culprits.  Oddly enough, the knee replacement was not detected.  Go figure?  Then we were directed to that Disneyland line that zigzagged with 10 lanes of guests.  Each lane had at least thirty to forty people.  The officials had three facial recognition pads, so it took a long time screening folks.  We prayed that we got the green check, or else we had to go in another line to see an agent.  It was green for both of us.  By the time we boarded the ship, we noticed it had taken almost an hour to get back.  It’s no wonder that some of the in transit guests like us never left the ship for town.  They would exit the ship by 10am and wait one hour to reboard.

We had an invite to the Mariner welcome in the Crow’s Nest starting at 2pm.  We got there 20 minutes late, but did get our mimosas.   There were only a handful of 3-4-5- star Mariners there, although the rest could still be stuck in that customs and border check.   Back in our room, we had our bottle of sparkling wine on ice and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.  Very good.   Since we had already done the muster check the first day we boarded, we did not have to go today.  The rule is everyone has to do this drill every 30 days.

Sail away was at 4pm, and we went to deck six forward of course.  Just as we walked out the side door, we saw some action in the water directly across from the Zaandam.  Suddenly we spotted the telltale dorsal fins of killer whales or orcas.  They appeared to be feeding in the shallow waters of the inlet.  At one point, we saw five spouts of perhaps three adults and two young ones.   How lucky was that?  In all of the times we have sailed out of this harbor, we have never seen such a display.  In a few minutes, they headed deeper into the inlet and ended up by the Chevron island.   The best thing was that the exposure was right and hopefully we got some good shots of the pod.

The bow had been opened, and filled up with folks watching the sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge.  That is, until the winds got colder, sending most everyone back inside.

Tonight, dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill.  Normally this venue is not crowded on the first evening.  However, we were told that many of the new guests had made reservations before the cruise, but Seattle failed to communicate that to the manager, Tina.  She was able to accommodate everyone, including a group of 8 or 9 officers who were dining with the Captain.   Lucky for us, we got our usual table for two where we ordered the wedge salads with the clothesline bacon.  This time we split a rib eye steak with baked potatoes.  Cooked perfectly, the size was right.  Passing on dessert, Tina wrapped up a few of the new macaroons for us to take back to the room.   Sweet in more ways than one. 

Once again, tomorrow will be a most welcomed day at sea.  Captain Willems warned us to expect some rough seas this evening. 

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #14  Tuesday  September 17, 2024    Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage 4pm-7pm  Cloudy With Overcast Skies And Warmer 62 Degrees  Seas: Flat With Slight Swell.....Part #1 Of 1......52 Pictures---Casual Dress

Cruising the Inside Passage was the title of today’s “The Daily”  newsletter.  However, for the majority of the day, we were on the outside of the islands so we could make the most of the time we needed to get to Vancouver.  And today was the final day at sea where the guests could take advantage of the spa specials, the promotions in the shops, and attending the Alaska Brunch in the dining room.  There was no early breakfast served in the lower dining room, but the extended time from 10am to 1pm was dedicated to a special brunch.  We were told that this brunch was not served in the small shot glasses like they did a few years ago.   As for us, we prefer being spoiled with the morning service in the Pinnacle Grill, which opened at 8am.  

We had the chance to talk with the other President’s Club couple, who asked us if we had gotten an invitation to a Mariner Event this afternoon.  Come to think of it, no, we did not.   This would be the first time there was no event at all.  Perhaps no one was getting a medallion, so someone decided to skip it.  We are certain that the other couple inquired at the front desk.  They have been onboard for a month now, and have had these get-togethers on each 7 day cruise.  We will have to ask them tomorrow morning what they were told about the non-event.

Later in the morning, we did get one more canvas tote bag and two tiles.  And we had an invitation to an international wine tasting in the dining room at 2pm.  As most all of you know, we are not necessarily wine drinkers.  Give us a good whiskey or scotch, then we are happy.  Anyway, Tahana, the Cellar Master, had mentioned this event a few days ago and we said we would try it.  So at 2pm, we went to the dining room to find the Captain’s table area had been transformed into a private tasting for about 18 or 20 people.  An assortment of wines were featured from France, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Argentina, the USA, and Chile.  Flags representing these countries hung from the orchestra pit.   Some were whites, but the majority were reds.  One of us cannot tolerate red wine (headaches, etc.), so a few sips of the whites would be OK.   In addition to the wines, there were three trays of assorted cheeses.  The best was the smoked gouda.  Tahana handed each of us a paper and a pencil to rate the wines by sight, aroma, and taste as we sipped them.   Great idea….that way you could remember your likes and dislikes.  Since we had not eaten lunch yet, we helped ourselves to some of the cheese slices, then tried a few of the white wines.  By the way, this event was advertised in the newsletter for $29 a person.  Since the majority of guests will be leaving tomorrow, we found it strange to have a tasting when there was only one day left.  We thanked Tahana and excused ourselves as we headed for the Lido for salads and one slice of pizza. 

The weather was not the best today.  Most of the morning, we were in the fog, which turned to drizzle and finally rain.  The temperature was in the 50’s.  We did take a walk on the promenade deck where many people were covered with blankets and sleeping in the lounge chairs.    Must have something to do with putting the clocks ahead last night.   There was a chance for scenic cruising, but not until 4pm.    The bow would have been opened, but it was too wet and rainy.  As usual, we went to deck six forward and waited and watched for one  ½  hours, but only spotted three otters.  We would have to wait until 6:30pm to see orcas, one porpoise, and several whales diving and spouting.  By then, we were soaked even with our heavy jackets.  Only three other guests joined us for the wildlife sightings.  We seem to recall we had seen the whales and porpoise in exactly the same area as last week.   

Dinnertime had some of our favorites.  Tonight was extremely casual since most everyone had packed their luggage and did not wish to dress up one more time.   Can’t say we blame them.  Starters were the spring roll and tomato soup.  We had gotten chilled to the bone outside, and the hot soup warmed us up.  Mains were the sweet and sour shrimp plate, but with the sweet chili sauce that came with the spring roll.  The other entrée was the Club Orange leg of lamb….very good.   We call these special dinners the “blue plate special” since they arrive on a blue plate.  One of us enjoyed the tiny slice of rich chocolate cake with a cup of coffee.  During dessert time, the chefs, kitchen staff, and some of the waiters paraded through the dining room singing their farewell song.  That earned them a rousing applause from the guests, showing their appreciation for the good food and great service.

Back in Vancouver tomorrow, we will repeat the same process of leaving the ship by 9:15am, spending some time in town, then come back after lunch.  Hope it doesn’t rain……

Bill & Mary Ann

PS   We have to mention that the laundry service has been excellent with the same day return.  Today’s basket came with a note saying “Thank you for sending your laundry.  I hope you are satisfied with our service.  Have a beautiful day”.  Signed by Arsa.  For those who may not know, the Zaandam and Volendam have eliminated their self-service laundry rooms.

Report #13  Monday  September 16, 2024  Ketchikan, Alaska  Docked Port Side To Pier-11am-7pm  Heavy Fog With Rain Mist All Day  52 Degrees  Part #1 Of 4......66 Pictures---Dressy Night

The salmon capital of the world, Ketchikan, was our last port of this 7 day run.  And what a difference a week makes.  Last Monday, we enjoyed the nicest weather we have ever seen in this port.  Today was a whole different story. 

On our way here last night, we woke up to the sounding of the ship’s foghorn.  Some of our friends like that horn, but to be honest, it is blowing for a reason and that’s to warn other vessels of our location.   In other words, we are not always visible from a short distance.  When the horn blows repeatedly every few minutes, then it is scary.  Looking outside our window at 7am, we could barely see the islands of the Inside Passage, and although the fog was thick, it eventually lifted and turned to rain.  The need for the horn was finally over. 

Breakfast was at 8am, even though it is a port day.  We won’t arrive to Ketchikan until 11am.  There was scenic cruising before our arrival, but the bow was not opened this time as it was raining.   A small group of us went to deck six forward as we approached the city.  Two Princess ships were already docked – the Crown and the Grand.  There was no sign of the Viking Orion. 

There was a total of 30 excursions offered here today.  We doubt that the tours that involved flights happened.  Way too dangerous to fly in this weather.  Docking between the two Princess ships, we were directly across from the iconic Ketchikan Welcome Arch.  We left the ship around 12pm, and headed under the arch for a change.  Several stores lined this street….most were high end jewelry shops like Milano, Effy, and Diamond International.   Unlike the same stores in the Caribbean, these stores did not offer a free charm.  And the prices seemed quite high and tax would be added on top of that.  Better deals could be found on the ship, and the purchases would be tax free, more or less. 

The streets were alive with cruise folks, all looking for bargains.  They must  have found them since most everyone was carrying a bag with treasures.  There is a Walmart about 5 miles out of the center of town.  Many of the crew members have access to a free shuttle that takes them there.  Their biggest purchases are snack foods.

Making our way to Creek Street, we followed the boardwalk watching the salmon fighting their way up the rapids.  The tide was in, so the creek was much deeper than what we saw last week.  It was not as easy to see the battered salmon under the acidic tea-colored waters of Ketchikan Creek.   There was a whole lot of people here today, doing the same thing we were.  Squeezing around the crowd of onlookers, we continued up the street to the bridges that crossed the creek.  We would estimate that only half the amount of salmon were here today.  Perhaps the run is coming to an end soon. 

City Park was about empty of people today.  The rain must have kept the locals inside.  In fact, the smell of wood fires permeated the air, reminding us of home in the winter.   The Totem Heritage Center is up this way, and we always take photos of the totems outside.  Several buses had brought guests here, so the place was busy.   Time to head back to town, and go to lunch.

Once again, we took the elevator at the Alaska King Crab Company.  Since it was near 2pm, the restaurant only had a few diners.  Seated at a window table, we watched as many buses, shuttles, and the Duck tour vehicles dropped off guests near the ships.  Even in the rainy weather, most all went shopping afterwards. 

Lunch was good starting with Amber Gold draft beers, a small salad, and chicken tenders with French fries.  Their BBQ sauce is really good here.   After our relaxing meal, we headed to Tongass, the biggest store on the pier.  We did not find any treasures today, but it is aways fun to look. 

Back to the ship where the rising tide had made boarding challenging.  The gangway had gotten steep.    Since we were docked portside today, when the tide went out, we could look directly out our window to the street level.  Working on photos took the rest of the afternoon while we watched the foot traffic and tour groups pass by our window. 

All aboard was 6:30pm, and shortly after that time, the Zaandam pulled away from the pier and headed south.  The other two ships had left already.  We had intended on going to the sail away, but there was none at the pool deck.  There was wildlife spotting at 7pm, but it was raining heavily so it did not happen.

Usually “dressy” evenings are on sea days.  On these shorter itineraries, a dressy night could be on a port day, which was the case today.  Honestly it really does not matter what they call it, people will arrive dressed any way they wish.  A handful of guests looked quite formal, but the majority were not.  “Fixed seating” is not the same as it used to be.  The guests were being seated wherever there was a table and a wait staff available.  Ever since anytime dining arrived on the scene with competing cruise lines, HAL followed suit.  Sure seems like a lot more work for the staff to accommodate the diners these days. 

We tried some different items tonight, although our starters were the same Caesar salads and a shared shrimp cocktail.  Pork schnitzel and the brown sugar glazed salmon were very tasty.  Actually, the cranberry rice pilaf was the deal maker with the fish entrée.    Dessert was one chocolate volcano cake (not like the old one) and a plate of sliced bananas. 

Later at 9:30pm, there was a chocolate surprise on deck five.  Musicology was the Step One Dance Company, a routine we have enjoyed many times on other cruises.  Since the clocks had to be set forward one hour, we skipped the festivities and turned in after dinner. 

Tomorrow will be the last day at sea with some scenic cruising on the way back to Vancouver…..again.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #12  Sunday  September 15, 2024    Cruising Glacier Bay National Park    7am-4pm  Rainy And Cool All Day 48 Degrees And 20mph Winds  Part #1 Of 3.....55 Pictures

Dismal skies, fog, and rain greeted us as we approached Glacier Bay.  We did have a following wind all the way to Margerie Glacier.  In order to see Gloomy Knob, we would have to delay breakfast.   We did arrive to the Pinnacle Grill at 8:30am, and were among about 8 guests at that time.  No problem.

The park rangers were dropped off by 6:30am when most of the folks were still asleep.  They set up an information desk in the Crow’s Nest, then began narration at 8am.  Ranger Ashley was our speaker today.  She has a nice voice that carried well with the speakers inside and out.     Going to deck 6 forward, we found it was raining enough to flood the deck.  The bow was supposed to open at 9am, but due to the rain, it remained closed all day. 

We did pass by Gloomy Knob and with the help of binoculars and the good camera, we did see several mountain goats that reside there.  Most were laying down trying to keep dry we assume.  At least the granite cliffs were not shrouded in fog, only rain.   Usually, this view of Gloomy Knob was part of the scenic cruising.  Now there was no mention of it in the Daily newsletter.  After passing this 1331 foot mountain, the we headed north to the US and Canadian border up the Tarr Inlet. 

The ship arrived to Margerie Glacier at 9:45am.  Last week we had seen scores of sea otters and some seals here, but today we only saw a few.   The Captain kept the ship here across from the face of the glacier for one hour, rotating so everyone could view it.    This glacier is one mile wide and about 200 feet above the waterline.  The ice flow is 20 miles long originating in the Fairweather Mountain Range.   This week we saw few icebergs, bergie bits, or growlers in the inlet.  So that was a clue that the glacier had not been calving.  Watching and listening for that spectacular calving is like a watched pot that never boils.  Last year we caught one view of this glacier calving, then nothing.

And at the same time we entered the inlet to Margerie, Dutch pea soup was served on all of the outside decks.   The waiters set up the soup cart in the hallway where we accessed the deck, blocking the way for the guests.   One of us indulged in the Dutch treat which helped warm him up.   

On the way out of Tarr Inlet, we ventured into the Johns Hopkins Inlet just enough to catch a view of that tidewater glacier.   We think it is equally as impressive as Margerie, but for some reason, we did not enter the inlet once again.  The Viking Orion was just leaving and heading where we just came from. 

Once past Jaw Point, we had a view of the smaller Lamplugh Glacier, followed by the Reid Glacier.  Watching from the forward deck, that’s when we noticed the winds were getting stronger as we were facing directly into them.   Holding onto the railings, we pulled ourselves along to access the side door.  It took a lot of strength to open the double doors.  

We went for a Lido lunch around 2:15pm.  By then, we were passing the North and South Marble Islands where typically the stellar sea lions hang out.  This week the Captain took the ship close enough to see the seals out on the rocky spits.  Of course, we had left the cameras behind.  Last week we also saw many otters in this part of the bay’s entrance.  Today we saw only a few.    By 3:30pm, the rangers departed and were brought back to the headquarters at Bartlett Cove.  Their small vessel was tossed around a lot due to the wind and swells.  The rain had never stopped all day.  This will be our final adventure in Glacier Bay since it is not on next week’s itinerary. 

We stayed warm in our room until dinnertime, doing online work as usual.   We are headed south all the way to Ketchikan where we arrive by 11am.  Gosh, it seems like we were just there. 

Tonight was Dutch Dinner in the main dining room, and Morimoto in the Pinnacle Grill.  We chose the dining room and started with the Durch pea soup for appetizers.  It is so thick, you could eat it with a fork.  And very good.  One of us had the chicken and French fry entrée and the other the tenderloin.  It came smothered with a Hollandaise sauce, which I failed to remember to say hold the sauce.  We split one small Bosche Ball for dessert.  It is one of the few desserts that is not overly-sweet.

Showtime was a musician by the name of Chris Bannister performing the hits of John Denver.  We believe he was also on the world cruise this year.  If you could stay up later, Jim Short put on a late night comedy act.    Finally, it was Orange Party Night in the Crow’s Nest.  Many folks wore a splash of orange at dinnertime….some wearing flashing orange light necklaces.  Bet these were sold in the shops today.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #11  Saturday  September 14, 2024    Skagway, Alaska  Docked Starboard Side To Pier  Cloudy And Cool No Rain Sunny In The Afternoon  52 Degrees  Part #1 Of 5.....66 Pictures----Casual Dress

Well today is Saturday, so it must be Skagway.  Again.  The ship was already docked at the Broadway pier by the time we woke up.  However the weather looked better than last week.  It was a cool 50 degrees with very cloudy skies, no wind to speak of, but best of all….no rain.   Later in the afternoon, we even saw the sun peeking through the clouds.  There were two ships here as well……  the Grand Princess and the smaller Regent Explorer. 

Breakfast was at 7:30am.  There were only a handful of guests today mostly due to several excursions available in and out of town.   The main attraction here is the White Pass and Yukon Railroad , which is considered the “Scenic Railway of the World”.  We have taken this tour several times and found it a lot of fun.  Back then, we took the train to Carcross on the Canadian side, saw the musher dog camp, and enjoyed a picnic lunch near a beautiful alpine lake.    I believe we took a bus back to Skagway.  The scenery was gorgeous. 

There was a weekly crew drill onboard at 9:30am which lasted for one hour.  We left by 10am, taking our usual route to Pullen Creek to check for the salmon run.   We were disappointed to find no spawning fish at all.  We happened to see a young gal walking her dog, and she admitted that the fish had not begun to arrive yet.  She had also been watching since the end of August.   Then she added that sometimes the fish come up the other creek Taiya.   We have one more chance to see the run next week if it happens at all.

We walked over to Broadway Street where most of the historical buildings were located.  Ducking in and out of some of the unique stores, we saw many treasures being sold.  Specially-carved knives and ulus make great souvenirs, but cannot be brought back to your room.  The ship’s security officers will collect these items, label them, and return them to you when you disembark.  On our first trip to Alaska, we found the traditional ulu (chopping knife) and the wooden bowl that is used with it turned out to be a very useful item in our kitchen.  We use it often. 

There are the expected jewelry shops in town, but some of them deal with local stones like ammolite, topaz, opals, and even tanzanite, which actually comes from Tanzania, Africa.  And diamonds are sold in every store of course.  There are artist’s studios, quilting shops, and the usual souvenir stores with sales they said.  One thing for sure, the popcorn they sell was more expensive than in Ketchikan.  We bought 2 large bags of flavored popcorn in Ketchikan for 20., but here, the smallest bag was 10.95.  Whoever would have thought simple popcorn would command such a high price?  Yes inflation has reached Alaska too.

Our final destination was the Gold Rush Cemetery, a long hike from the cruise terminal.  Taking our time, we made it there before noontime.  Passing the White Pass and Yukon Railway work yard, we crossed the tracks and followed the road to the small cemetery.  One other cruise passenger made a funny remark, and said people are dying to go there.  They sure did back in the days of notorious Soapy Smith, a soap peddler turned con man.  He had a shoot out with Frank Reid, where he was killed instantly, and Frank Reid died several days later.  Both of them are buried in the small hillside cemetery, but Reid’s monument is the largest one, while Soapy’s is insignificant. 

Further up the steep hillside is Lower Reid Falls.  Only one of us ventured to the top, while the other took advantage of some nice benches at the cemetery entrance.  Two local yellow tour shuttles brought their guest here and gave a talk at the gravesites.  Many people come in Ubers and taxis from town.  We think a town’s shuttle makes a circle here, and you can hop on for the ride back to town for $5.00. 

Taking our time hiking back, we followed the Skagway River  all the way to the local airport runway.  Many small planes were landing and taking off.  This part of town is the bedroom community of Skagway, and the walk down the wide streets is always pleasant.  It was time for lunch, so we headed back to the Station Bar and Grill once again.  Today our timing was better, getting there by 1pm.  It was  not crowded yet, and we were seated right away.   Amber Gold draft beers and one shared Hawaiian pizza made our day.  Complimenting the chefs, they smiled and thanked us for the positive feedback.  Really….it’s that good.

There was an Ace Hardware store across the street, and  we did need a few small items for our room.  We found exactly what we were looking for.  Then we had saved a little room for a special dessert at Klondike Doughboy, which is an Alaskan Frybread.  It is something that the miners developed and is still being made today.  The batter is a donut base which is deep fried in hot oil.  It spreads out to about 10 inches and when finished, they coat the thin donut with a blend of sugar and cinnamon on both sides.   They are sure good and large enough to be shared.  Local crows congregate here to beg pieces of the treat.  The same thing was happening at the popcorn store with the ravens.  The are a very bold bird when it comes to begging.

We were back onboard by 4pm, and were exhausted from the long hike in the cool weather.  We worked online until it was time for dinner.  We had expected the veal chop on the Club Orange menu, but it was a chicken entrée instead.  There were some other nice entrees, so we ordered one turkey dinner, and one honey-mustard coated chicken.  There was a prime rib dinner as well.  Too many good choices on the same night.  No dessert, but one of us had a sliced banana, feeling the need for the potassium.  The bananas help fend off leg cramps. 

By the way, this morning before we left the ship, we went online and gave special thanks to some of the crew members that have been outstanding during this trip so far.  Three of them (including our waiters) stopped by our table to say thanks. 

While we were still eating, the ship turned around and headed back out to the channel.  All aboard had been 8:30pm, and we left right after the Princess ship departed.  The Regent’s Explorer remained docked.

Looking forward to another day of scenic cruising in Glacier Bay tomorrow.  Hope the weather is as good as today.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #10   Friday  September 13, 2024    Tracy Arm Drop Off And Juneau, Alaska    Docked Starboard Side To Pier  Overcast With Rain And More Rain  52 Degrees  Part #1 Of 3......66 Pictures---Casual Dress

Well, here are headed towards Juneau once again.  But first we will have the short sail into Tracy Arm to drop off a group of folks for a boat tour.  They will see a glacier, a waterfall, and hopefully some wildlife.  Then the tour ends up in Juneau 6 hours later.   We seem to recall that this same tour last year had a short shoreline trek for about 40 minutes.  But we also remember that the trail was uneven, rocky, and muddy.   There may have been some unfortunate injuries and that part of the tour was eliminated.  There was no hike at all….no one would leave the boat until the tour ended in Juneau.

Breakfast was early at 7:30am.  It was sure nice to have that extra hour of sleep last night, although one of us tuned in the Cats of Africa, a Disney movie, and watched it to the end.  We may have seen it before, but it worth watching it again.  The weather looked dismal….much like last week, but wetter.  It was cool and raining, but there was very little wind.

We had a Canadian Declaration Card left in our mail slot which had to be filled out and turned in before the end of the day.  This was only for those of us that are in transit, continuing on for another 7 day cruise.  

We went to deck six to watch our entrance into the Gastineau Channel as well as keep a lookout for wildlife.  We did see some birds, but no whales at all.  What we did see were the  banks of the channel filled with many fishermen on the shoreline casting their lines for salmon we assume.  We could see stacks of fish behind them.  Rain or shine, the locals take advantage of the five species of spawning fish when they can.  Besides freezing the catch, they like to smoke them. 

As we approached the pier, a mature bald eagle flew from the trees and circled the ship.  It sounded like the camera was taking shots continuously, which it was.  It’s not often that we see an eagle in flight.  Most times they are perched in the evergreen trees staying dry in the rainy weather.  It flew one more time, then it was gone.  That was the only sighting we had despite the fact that there are over 30,000 bald eagles in the Juneau area.   

The Zaandam sailed at a snail’s pace to the pier where the Disney Wonder, Grand Princess, and RCI Quantum of the Seas were docked.   By the time we were tied up, it was 1:30pm and the ship was cleared shortly after that.    We stayed onboard until 2pm, then walked to the downtown area with hundreds of tourists once again.  One thing we noticed was that there were no float planes or helicopters operating.  Perhaps the weather with heavy rain and dense fog had shut them down.   Safety comes first, although that is a big loss for the providers.  We decided to try for lunch at the Hangar on the Wharf since it was getting close to 3pm.  Last week we had a 40 minute wait to get a table.  Today, our timing was better and there were many tables available.

Lunch was a shared platter of “Macho Nachos” with chicken and extra sour cream and salsa.  Alaska Amber draft beers went well with the nachos.  Naturally, we ended the fun meal with a heaping slice of mud pie.  Excellent as always.  The rain never let up as we relaxed for an hour.

We did do some shopping on the way back, stopping at the Alaska Fudge Company for a small bag of peanut brittle.   The Juneau-Alaska Mining Co. had calendars (3 for $10), but ½ off today.  Wow, 3 nice Alaskan calendars for $5 plus tax.  Good deal.  Usually we wander in and out of the big stores, but they were crowded.  We really did not need anything else, so we headed back to the ship.

So far this trip, we have had the facial recognition in every port.  It must be the way of the future because it is accurate.  Of course, we still had to scan our room cards and go through the xray onboard.  Most times, the buzzer goes off with my knee replacement, but so far it only happened once.   So many people have had this type of surgery that they have lightened up on the strength of the xray.   Besides, the line to get back onboard would take forever.

Back in our warm room, we worked online until dinnertime.  We watched as the RCI Quantum passed by our window, totally blocking our view for a few moments.  That is one huge vessel, although we think they have some bigger and newer ones.

All aboard was 9:30pm, so many folks were off the ship at dinnertime.  It was not crowded on deck five.  Some did arrive late, dressed in their tour clothes.  A little too casual.  We ordered one delicious bowl of tomato soup and a Caesar salad.  Mains were two types of short ribs.  One was a stroganoff with noodles, and the other was Club Orange short ribs, but totally different.  Both were quite good and filling, so we did not order any dessert.

The Zaandam left the port of Juneau right after 9:30pm, and headed towards our next stop at Skagway early tomorrow morning.  Fingers crossed, the rain will stay away.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #9  September 12, 2024    Sea Day Enroute To Tracy Arm  And Juneau, Alaska   Overcast With Some Rain  59 Degrees  Seas Mostly Flat With A Following Wind  Part #1 Of 1......16  Pictures----Dressy Night

Today’s theme was Bound for the Great Land.  We know it better by the last frontier which is loaded with soaring snow-laden mountains, glaciers, rainforests, massive national parks, and best of all – wildlife.  Marine life includes whales, orcas, seals, sea otters and salmon.  Land animals include bears, moose, and wolves to name a few.   The birds that can be seen are puffins, ravens, and arctic terns and we saved the best for last – bald eagles.  There are a reported 30,000 of them in Juneau alone. 

We have begun our second 7 day voyage and with that, we have more credits added to our shipboard account.  These days, the credits are not all itemized, but listed in a lump amount.  And they are not necessarily posted on the same day.  So that sent us to our go-to rep, Vini, who has been most helpful explaining how it works.  He helped us figure out the math and it all added up correctly.  You would think with over 3000 sea days under our belts, we would have this figured out by now.  But every ship does things differently.  We were also missing some of the gifts we get for each cruise.  Vini took care of that with phone calls to each appropriate department.  Lo and behold, everything was delivered before the end of the day.

While at the desk, we inquired if they still handed out sea sick pills.  Remember when we could get these complimentary?   Well, no more.  The 2 pill packet has a $2 charge now.  Gosh, the bean counters in Seattle have successfully discovered every nook and cranny where some money can be saved.  One way we can look at this, it that if it helps keep Holland America in business, then more power to them. 

The ship sailed on the outside of the Inland Passage but would be in an area where wildlife might be viewed.  The estimated time for that was 5pm to 7pm.  The weather wasn’t the best as it was heavily overcast and cool.  The Captain had mentioned we may hit some rougher seas, but we did not see any problems.  Maybe a little rock and rolling, but that was it.    Eating a lite lunch at 2pm, we ventured outside where we did see some spouting whales in the distance.  It was a good time to go to deck six and view the seas from there.  We did spot a pod of blowing whales, perhaps 5 of them, then one whale appeared directly in the path of the ship.  Way too close for comfort, the whale drifted to the side, avoiding a collision with the bow.  It did escape without injury because we saw it in the wake on the portside of the ship.  There was one last whale that breached then dove deep exposing that tail.   About the same time as the sightings, the rain began to fall, so we went back inside. 

Tonight’s suggested attire for the evening was dressy.  The group of guests that joined yesterday were dressed for the occasion.  There were no jeans, t-shirts, or baseball caps seen in the dining room tonight.  The menu was the same as last week, but we tried different items.  Starters were the same like Caesar salad, shrimp cocktails, and French onion soup.  Mains were rack of lamb and bucatini (pasta) with shredded oxtail (no bones).   Very nice for a change.  We shared a dessert of flourless chocolate cake.  We asked our head waiter if we could get a list of the Club Orange dinner specials, and he came through with a printed version.  It was a 10 day rotation, but more importantly, we know when the veal cutlet (veal chop) will be served.  It is one of our favorite dishes, not to be missed.  And we can plan our Pinnacle Grill dinners a little better.

We had a visitor before dinner was served.  It was the Cellar Master who wanted to extend an invitation to us for a special wine tasting event towards the end of the cruise.  We were invited to another tasting this afternoon, but it was during our lunchtime.  Since we are not dedicated wine drinkers, we usually go to these tastings to learn about the pairing of wine with food.  We mentioned to the Cellar Master that  ever since the pandemic in 2020, the plates of food for the wine tastings had been eliminated on the world voyage.  She was shocked and said you cannot have a tasting without the food, especially the cheese.  We agreed.  She had been sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam during that period that followed after Covid, and the plates of food were always offered.  So, that proves that each and every ship does their own thing. 

Once again, we put the clocks back one hour, which works well for the entire population of the ship.  Tomorrow we will be venturing into Tracy Arm to drop off a tour group, then onto Juneau in the early afternoon. 

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #8  September 11, 2024  Vancouver, Canada, British Columbia Turn Around Day  Cloudy With Heavy Overcast Clearing In The Afternoon  59 Degrees  Part #1 Of 3......66 Pictures---Casual Dress

Our Alaska Adventure Begins…….again.  That was the title of today’s Daily newsletter.  The ship filled with new guests and we are set for another 7 days of experiencing Alaska.    Breakfast was at 6:30am, so that gave most folks the time to be ready and set to go off by 9:15am.   Since we were in transit, we were the last ones to be called off. 

We had gotten a letter describing the plan for disembarkation.  Today was a zero- clearance day, where everyone had to be off to see the customs folks as well as make their way back home.  All we needed to take with us was our passports, the ship’s keycard, and the in- transit card.   Those of us who were coming back for another 7 days would be allowed to go off one time only. 

We assumed we had to be seen by the US Customs on the way out, but we did not.   We simply followed the instructions we were given by the reps onshore and followed the crew members in their line to go to town.   That was about 9:30am.

The weather wasn’t the best with overcast skies and no sun.  It sure looked like rain and it was chilly.  We wore our water-proof arctic jackets with hoods just in case that rain arrived.  It never did, but we sure were not cold.  We like to walk the waterfront from One Canada Place all the way to Stanley Park.  If the sun had been out, we would have had much nicer photos.  It was just a dull, dreary day.  There were a few locals and their dogs out for a walk but usually it is much more crowded.  Of course, it was a Wednesday, and a work and school day.

We went as far as the horse-drawn trolley ride, where we got to see four magnificent horses starting their daily one-hour runs.  That always makes our day.  Then we back-tracked through the park of ancient giant hemlocks and fir trees, watching two types of squirrels scamper about.  Of course there is a lot more to see here, but we had limited time.  We needed to be back at the terminal by 2pm.

Lunch was our next destination at the Steamworks Brewery near Gastown.  They serve pizza there and very good beer.  We shared a Hawaiian pizza with glasses of Lion’s Gate beers.  We had saved enough room for a dessert of an apple galette with vanilla ice cream.    We got there by noontime and they were not too busy yet.  By the time we left, the place was full of customers.   That was 1pm.  We headed directly to the cruise terminal, only to find we had a very long wait to go through xray and customs.   There were two other ships in port – the Grand Princess and the Viking Orion , the one we saw in Ketchikan.  That is a lot of passengers and we were all mixed together in this Disneyland-like winding line.  And all that was needed was a check with the facial recognition camera.  We did not use our passports like we did when boarded last week.   We were told that the camera has a memory from last week, and identifies us.  If we got a green check, we were free to board the ship.  If a red X showed on their screen, we would have to go through the Canada process again.  This whole process took almost an hour.

We had a big surprise while waiting in line.  A couple we remembered from previous world cruises was in line across from us.  They were so surprised to see us as it has been at least 10 years since they sailed with us.   And they were pleased we remembered their names…Fred and Diane.  They were joining the Viking ship, so we may have a chance to see them in Ketchikan.  Nice folks.

Back on the ship, we had some time left to attend the Mariner reception for 3, 4, and 5 star Mariners as well as President’s Club members.  It started at 2pm and would end at 2:30pm.  We joined fellow President’s Club members, John and Wendy, and enjoyed a few glasses of mimosas.  There were very few guests there today compared to last week.

The sail away was at 4pm, at which time we went to deck 6 forward.  We were sure surprised to see the clouds part and blue sky with sun appear.  It was still cool, but the sun made all the difference in the photos.  We stayed until 5pm when the majority of guests went back inside due to the cold wind.

The remainder of the day was spent working online.  Dinner came soon enough and for us, that was in the Pinnacle Grill at 7:30pm.   Just as Tina had told us, it was not a really busy night.  Presty stopped by and admitted that the dining room and Lido were very crowded with guests tonight. The lines were out past the elevators.  Tomorrow will be a different story we hope.  Anyway we ordered our favorite wedge salad with a side of candied bacon.  Truthfully, the salads are large enough to be an entrée especially adding the bacon.  Both of us had the  8 ounce  filet c mignon cooked medium.  They came just right.  We each ordered fries, but no dessert.  The two petite macaroons  were sufficient for dessert.

There was no live show in the Main Stage, but there was a film on the epic tale of the HAL travel and tenacity.  Having walked such a long way today, we were more than ready to turn in.  Looking forward to the day at sea tomorrow.

Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings,

Perhaps we need to clarify the Pinnacle Grill reservations a bit more.  The manager had saved a spot for us every evening, however, we would inform her each morning which night we would dine there.  We only had dinner there once last week, and Tina knew not to hold the reservations knowing we were not coming on other evenings.  In addition, we chose not to dine in there on her busiest evenings.

Many guests will make their reservations in the Pinnacle Grill well in advance of the cruise.  Then there is no problem.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #7  September 10, 2024      Sea Day Cruising The Inside Passage     Cloudy And Overcast With Cooling Temperatures-- Flat Seas   Part #1 Of 1......  Pictures

Today is the final full day at sea for the majority of guests.  It will be a day of last- minute shop sales, final jackpot bingo, lotto jackpot drawing, and a Lido Fun Fair.  And packing……   but not for us as we will be sailing onward. 

There was an Alaska Brunch this morning in the dining room from 10am to 1pm.   We were not sure if the Pinnacle Grill was opened at 7:30 or 8am, since it is never listed in the Daily newsletter.  Going at 8am, we had our regular table.  Our breakfast in here has been most enjoyable with good food and even hotter coffee.  Except for one morning in the beginning,  it has not been crowded at all.

Taking a stroll on the promenade deck, we soon realized the weather had “turned on a dime” compared to the temps in Ketchikan yesterday.   Today was cloudy with a really cool breeze.  It felt like rain would fall sometime today.  We were correct.

On Deck For a Cause , a 5 kilometer walk for Alaska’s parks was held at 1pm.  Around the same time, one of us went to the front Desk to get some clarity on the customized internet plan we had purchased.  None of the details were provided such as the regular price for the premium plan we had purchased, or the President’s Club credits we were to get.  Being the twelfth in line, I did not expect to be at the front desk for at least ½ hour.   Just as the nice man in front of me struck up a conversation, Vini, our Mariner rep onboard, appeared from the side door, asking what he could help me with.  You should have seen the looks I got from some folks.  He said he would get the answers for me and call with the info within the hour.  That was great and I thanked him.   Most ships have a separate line for suite and Club Orange guests as well as President’s Club people.  This ship does not appear to have such a line.  By the time I left the line snaked around to the doors of the Main Stage.  In hind site, we should have asked about this right after breakfast when no one was in line.  And as promised, Vini did call back and explain how the math was done with the internet and credits.  It made sense finally and it all came out in the wash as correct.

We received two tiles this morning, left on our bed.  We assume there will be no Mariner lunch on this trip.  However we did have an invitation to attend the Mariner Recognition Event held in the Explorer’s Lounge at 4:30pm.  There was a total of eleven guests there and only one young lady got a 300 day medallion.  Another couple besides us was introduced with their days announced, followed by us.  Photos were taken.  Oddly enough, the rest of the guests were not named at all.    That might have taken an extra 10 minutes, but they failed to do so.     Vini, our rep, made sure we had drinks of our choice.  Wines were offered to everyone else.  Captain Willems and Glenn, the hotel manager, spent about 15 minutes chatting with us before they excused themselves.  Short and sweet…..just like the cruise duration.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent outside watching for wildlife in the Inside Passage.  Braving the weather (and eventually rain), we did see flocks of birds, Dall porpoises, a few humpback whales and pods of orcas.  It was a treat see this wildlife even at the expense of being chilled to the bone. 

Dinnertime found us in the dining room making choices with many favorite starters and mains.  We had one Caesar salad, crispy spring rolls, tomato soup, the Club Orange lamb plate, and one sweet and sour shrimp with Jasmine rice and veggies.  Small baked Alaskas finished the meal.   Right before dessert arrived, some of the kitchen staff and chefs came and did the walk through the upper and lower dining rooms.  Everyone cheered, clapped, and swung their napkins.  It was also short and sweet.  A fine farewell. 

Luggage was lining the hallway when we got back to the room.  Lucky for us, we did not have to do that.   And in our mail slot, we had two photos from the Medallion event.   That was sure quick.  We will be back to Vancouver early tomorrow morning.  There will be a zero clearance and everyone will have to be off of the ship by 9am.    We had a front desk fellow bring up a customs form for us to fill out, since they had forgotten to send it.  Tomorrow we will be seen by both Canadian and US customs.  We intend to spend the day exploring Vancouver, going to lunch, and coming back before 2pm.  We have been given intransit cards so we do not have to wait in line with the new guests that will be boarding.  Hope it doesn’t rain……

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #6   Monday  September 9, 2024  Ketchikan, Alaska  Docked Port Side To Pier  11am-7pm  Mostly Sunny And Warm 70 Degrees  Part #1 Of 4.....75 Pictures---Dressy Night

Since day one we have had a problem with the temperature of the water in our bathroom sink.  The hot water has been scalding, while the cold water has been warm at best.  Asking about fixing it, we were told it was not possible.  Really?  Finally, today it appeared to be working properly, so perhaps more guests in this block of rooms have complained way more than us.  Whatever the reason for the fix, we hope lasts for the next two weeks. 

Another question we have had concerns the internet onboard.  It is spotty, even when we are docked in a port.  We have discovered that it helps to prop open the door to get more bars.  It is not a true fix, but at least we are able to send larger files that way.

The Zaandam arrived to Ketchikan before 11am.  It was already a beautiful partly cloudy, but mostly sunny day.  Compared to the temps in Glacier Bay, today there was barely a breeze blowing.  Lucky.  We went to our favorite viewing spot on deck six forward.  The bow was opened also.   Scanning the outskirts of the city, we spotted the rock slide that recently happened.  It was not as massive as we had expected, but wide enough to cause some homes to be demolished and the road blocked.  It has been cleaned up and covered with some type of green plastic to keep it from further erosion. 

There were other ships already docked in town today.  We sailed past Ward Cove where the Oceana Regatta was docked.  Closer to town, we saw the Royal Princess as well as the Grand Princess.  The Viking Orion was also in port.   It was a good thing that there were over 30 tours offered today, because that would take many of these cruise guests out of town.  The excursions ranged from reasonable like the Lumberjack Show for $43. each to mid-priced tours such as the Saxman Village or seafood feast for $170. per person.   Outrageous-priced excursions (IOHO) were  the bear encounter for $300 or a floatplane to a bear adventure for $600. each.   None of these tours exceeded 5 hours and most did not include lunch.  We have heard that it is the insurance end of the equation that has driven up these prices.  Isn’t that the case with every type of insurance we purchase these days?

We were perfectly happy to get out and explore on our own now, as we have done many of these tours through the various cruise lines.  And that’s what we did today.  Leaving the ship before 12pm, most of the guests had already left.   One of the pluses was leaving the heavy jackets behind.   Sweatshirts would be sufficient.  We sure cannot remember a visit here that it did not rain.  Known as the salmon capital of the world, Ketchikan lived up to its reputation today as we viewed what we think are the pink salmon fighting their way up the creek to spawn.  From the amount of fish we saw today, it is our guess that it is the beginning of this run, and will get better in the next two weeks. 

Passing the fire department and the Federal Building, we came upon one of the many totem poles in town.  This one was named Chief Johnson, a replica from 1901.  Totem carving is an art, and many examples of how they are created can be seen out of town.  From here we crossed the busy street and saw lots of fish, many dead ones, from the Stedman Street bridge.  We followed the crowd that was making their way up Creek Street, the famous redlight district from 1902.  More than 30 bawdy houses lined the banks of this creek.  Today this area is part residential and commercial.  One of the most famous places is Dolly’s House, once an infamous brothel.  It has been preserved and is complete with antiques and gaudy décor of those wild and crazy days.  

It was slow-going the rest of the way up the creek boardwalk as many folks were stopping and taking photos of the fish below.  Once at the top, we turned right and followed the road to the bridges across the creek.  We think there were about half of the spawning fish compared to what we saw last year.  We continued to the old fish hatchery and City Park where we took advantage of an empty bench.  Checking the creek on Fair Street, we noticed there were few fish there.  Then it was time to back-track and make our way back to downtown.  We ducked in and out of some shops along the way, then arrived at the Alaska King Crab Co. for lunch.  By 2pm, it was not crowded, which suited us just fine.   There was an ad inside the elevator for king crab.  It was $150 for a two pound serving.    Holy cow……or should we say holy crab?  It would be interesting to see how many folks order the treat.

Due to allergies, one of us is not a big fish eater.  Shellfish is the culprit, but crab and shrimp are OK.  Honestly, a hamburger works better in most cases.  So we ordered one small salad, and a burger to share.  Beers of choice were the Alaska Amber drafts.  Really good when ice cold.  They serve nice desserts here, so we split a slice of carrot cake.  And to top it off, we had a coupon for free shot glasses which were gifted when we finished our meal.  One of us recalled finding Lazy One T’s in the shop below.  We found them and bought one to add to the collection.   And with another coupon, they handed out souvenir shopping bags with the purchase.   From what we saw, most of the best deals were here in Ketchikan.  People were shopping like there was no tomorrow.  And since we had plenty of room in the large shopping bag, we purchased two big bags of popcorn before heading to the info center.   We picked up the walking tour map of town, which is full of useful information.  By the way, our friendly waiter told us that this coming Thursday, there will be 20,000 cruise ship passengers in town.  They will be busier than ever, which is great for their economy.  In the early days, fishing, canning, and lumber were the top industries, but today, it is tourism.

We had quite a steep climb re-boarding the ship, since the tide had risen quite a bit by 4pm.  There were plenty of crew members to help those who needed it.  As always, we used the rest of the afternoon to put together this report with the photos.    All aboard time was 6:30pm and we were so engrossed with our work, we hardly noticed when the ship left the dock 10 minutes later.  Tomorrow will be a scenic day cruising the Inside Passage on our way back to Vancouver.

Dinner for us was in the dining room, where the suggested attire was “dressy”.  Quite a few of the fellows and ladies  seemed to miss that  memo because some came dressed in old jeans, t-shirts, windbreakers and baseball caps.  We hate to sound like the clothes police, but we have been around long enough to see the changes from proper attire to “we are too lazy to change clothes”.   There was an Alaska Seafood Boil for $35 per person in the Lido, but we are sure that was only in one part of this venue.  While on the grand world voyage this year, it was announced more than once that if the call was for dressy or formal, it was the required dress for the full service table restaurants.  And very few folks showed up with inappropriate attire.  And the dress code on those special evenings was enforced by the head waiters as well. 

Anyway, our meal was just fine with starters of Caesar salad (always ice cold and crispy), and a shrimp cocktail.    The dinner rolls have been consistently good.  While waiting for our mains, the hotel manager, Glenn Cowley, stopped by for a chat.  He remembered us from last year’s fall cruises on the Volendam, and welcomed us back.  He and his family had joined this ship the same day we did.  Then after we finished our meals of beef tenderloin minus the crab and a pork schnitzel, head waiter, Pulung, stopped by checking up on us.   He is such a nice fellow.  We ended the meal with one small chocolate volcano and a plate of sliced pineapple…..so refreshing.  

There was a Chocolate Surprise at 9:30pm on deck five and the Step One Dance Company with Musicology.  It had been a very long day and we were ready for bed.  And the clocks went forward one hour tonight.  We don’t like forward, but in a few days, we will be setting them back again.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #5   Sunday September 8, 2024     Scenic Cruising Glacier Bay, Alaska 7:30am-3:30pm  Heavy Fog Clearing To Sunny Skies Cool   Part #1 Of 3......66 Pictures---Casual Dress

The Glacier Bay Park Rangers, Alaska Native Voices Cultural Ambassador and Alaska Geographic Representatives had joined the ship at 6:30am at Bartlett Cove.  The rangers opened a desk in the Crow’s Nest and the Geographic Reps open a small store.  Their narration began about 8am and it could be heard in the Crow’s Nest as well as the outside decks.  

Breakfast was in order by 8:45am, and so were several cups of hot coffee.  Our meal seemed to taste even better today after being out in the refreshing air for a few hours.   Tina had worried about us being late, which was thoughtful, but we reassured her that all was well.  We thanked her for her concern and said that when we are in Glacier Bay next week, we shall also be missing until later.  There were other guests that arrived even later than we did, and it was fine.

On the way towards the first set of glaciers, we saw several sea otters on both sides of the ship.  We do not recall seeing them this deep into the bay.  The otters must have had a record year, because we never saw so many.  Nice to see their antics as we slowly sailed among them.  Many were taking a ride on the small  icebergs floating by.  They could easily be mistaken for harbor seals, but when we blew up the photos, they were definitely otters of all sizes. 

The ship was as far as Jaw Point into the John’s Hopkins Inlet, but turned around before we were able to see the actual glacier.  Sometimes this glacier is off limits if the seals are pupping.  Usually this is the only glacier that calves regularly.   The ship headed north towards the Tarr Inlet and Margerie Glacier, situated near the US and Canada border.   We lingered for quite a while near the face of the glacier, waiting for the Crown Princess to leave.   The bow had been opened by now, and it filled with guests, adding a lot of color to our photos.   Dutch pea soup was served on the outside decks as well as a coffee set-up where one could spike it with a variety of liqueur.  It was very busy today.   It would have been nice if we saw some calving, but it was not to be.  The Captain spent about an hour at this point, then turned the ship and sailed slowly out of the inlet. 

We needed to go back to the room to defrost and start sorting through the photos.  Since we had missed lunch, we went to the Dive-In Grill and ordered one hot dog and one Cannonball burger.  No fries.  They were good and hot and we dined in our room.  It would hold us until dinner at  7:30pm. 

About the time we were passing by North and South Marble Islands, we went back outside in hopes of seeing more otters, the Stellar sea lions, and possibly whales.  As it turned out, we were too far away to see any wildlife on these strips of islands.   Scanning with powerful binoculars, it appeared the sea lions were not there anyway.  There was a record number of otters once again.  At 3:30pm, the rangers and reps were picked up by boat and headed back to their headquarters at Bartlett Cove.  The ship headed south past Hoonah and the Inside Passage.  We should arrive to Ketchikan tomorrow before 11am.  

Dinnertime was casual attire with a splash of orange.  And the theme was Dutch Dinner featuring the flavors of Holland.  One of us ordered a bay shrimp cocktail and the other Dutch pea soup.    Salads were West highlands with mustard dressing.  Mains were bami goreng, a Holland/Indonesian dish and pork cordon bleu.  Both were tasty.  We are finding the cuisine very good on this trip.  Later during our dessert of Boshe bols (chocolate eclairs), Presty stopped by for a chat.  He agreed that the food is better than even the food on the world cruise mainly because all of the shipments are coming from the USA and Canada.  It is fresh and of high quality and replaced every 7 days.  It does make a difference.  We complimented the bakers on their skill of producing breads that are tender and stay fresh.  Presty totally agreed. 

Entertainment this evening was a singer by the name of Chris Bannister performing hits from the now bit older crowd such as Dylan, Taylor, Simon, Croce and many more.  The Call of the Wild (new version) was in the Wajang.  Then at 9pm, there was the Orange Party  in the Crow’s Nest.  Many folks were dressed for the occasion.  It was a long day for us, so we called it a night.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS   Thank you for all of the nice comments on Cruise Critic.  We are also sorry we did not follow up on the “24 GWV, but life hit us with “fires” to put out.  Not literally thank goodness.

          We are currently in a very comfortable outside room, but will move to deck six on September 25^th.  We have access to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast due to being President’s         

           Club members.  And worth mentioning, we turned in the first laundry bag this morning.  It was returned by 4:30pm.  Can’t get much better than that.  By the way, laundry by the

          bag is $25 or 7 days unlimited for $59.50.

Report #4  Saturday September 7, 2024  Skagway, Alaska  Docked Starboard Side To Pier  6:30AM-9PM  Overcast With Sun And Rain Cool Wind 52 Degrees  Part #1 Of 4.......66 Pictures---Casual Dress

By the time we woke up, we were already on our way to docking in Skagway.  It appeared that the weather was going to be OK today, although it was chilly with drippy skies, we also had periods of sun here and there.   We were not alone today as there were two Princess ships here…..the Crown and the Grand.    A whole lot of people for sure, but we suspect many of them would take the tours on the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad. 

Luckily we were docked in the center at Broadway Dock.   Last year, one time we were near the side of the rock slide, and we had to tender 200 yards to the small boat marina as we were not allowed to walk in that danger zone at all.  Bizarre.  Today we left the ship around 10am, right in the middle of a crew drill.  Looking outside after breakfast, we almost went out with just sweatshirts.  Even though the sun was out, the chill was in the wind.  In fact, the name Skagway loosely translates to windy place in the Tlingit language.  We know that the winds can be fierce enough to prevent docking.  That occurred last year when this port had to be cancelled with Haines being substituted.  That was fine and dandy for us since we have only been to Haines once in the past.   It was a tender port and a rainy one at that, but we really enjoyed it.

Hoping to see some spawning salmon coming up Pullen Creek, we were disappointed to see none.  From the info we read later on, the pink salmon run here is later in September.    We will be back the next two Saturdays, so there is still a chance to see the fish.  If not, the run in Ketchikan seems to be always good.

We took our usual path following the creek to the Pullen Pond, reading the signage along the way.   The well-done signs are all about the flora and fauna of this area of Alaska.  Making our way up Spring Street, the crowd of tourists had thinned out because we had left the shopping area.  We would do that on the way back.  There were some historical areas in this area that are worthwhile touring starting with the Mollie Walsh Park.  Created for the little ones, there is also a very nice restroom stop which is used by the bus tours.    This is a very people-friendly town as far as amenities go.   

The Moore house and cabin are located here.  The oldest structure in Skagway, this homestead was built by Captain William Moore in 1887 just prior to the gold boom that happened here.  He prospered with building a dock, warehouse, and a sawmill.  He and his family watched this area become a major port and railroad hub.  Even though the gold rush did not last for long, he still made his fortune.  It is always a pleasure to tour the cozy house and try to imagine what life was like back then.  It was not all rosy however, since his wife often traveled back home and eventually left for good at one point.  We see this part of Alaska during the summer/fall season.  Being here in the darkness of the harsh winters must have been something else.

Continuing on, we spotted an old train engine that you can explore.  It was located right next to the nicest building in town….McCabe College 1899.  Built with native granite stones imported on the railroad, it was a short-lived college-prep school.  For the following 55 years, it served as a US Courthouse, the Marshall’s office and a jail.  These days, it is a museum as well as the City Hall.

From here, we headed to the Klondike Highway, passing the railroad work yards as well as the trail that leads to the famous Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls.  We decided to save that hike for the next two stops here.  Crossing over the Skagway River on the Pat Moore Bridge was dicey.  The brisk wind was quite strong blowing up the canyon, living up to its reputation.  A nice spacious park called Seven Pastures is located on the left with Dedman Stage right in the center.  Since there were few people there today, we took advantage of the stage to rest up for a bit.  A pair of husky cross-bred dogs came along to check us out.   Lucky for us they were friendly.  Their owner appeared and the dogs ran off to his vehicle.  This was a good turn-around point.

According to the weather report, there was supposed to be heavy showers by 1 or 2pm.  If we headed back to town, we might miss the showers.  It was constantly sprinkling, but when we reached the homes that were surrounded with large trees, we were sheltered somewhat.  Taking Alaska Street back, we watched as planes landed at their small airport that paralleled the Skagway River.  Directly across from this halfway point of the road was the settlement of Dyea, which was once larger than Skagway.  It was also the start of the Chilkoot Trail and the way to the gold fields.  Lots of history there, although most of the town is gone now we read.

The best part of the day was looking forward to lunch at the Station Bar and Grill on 4^th Street.  Located off the main streets, this restaurant is usually not crowded.  Today was a different story.  We arrived by 1pm and learned we would have a 20 to 30 minute wait for a table.   Not a problem…it would be worth the wait for the best pizza in town.  Eventually we were seated at a nice table where we ordered a Hawaiian pizza and two Amber gold draft beers.  The pizza was every bit as large and tasty as we remembered…glad we waited.  An hour went by quickly, and we still wanted to explore some of the stores before heading back to the ship. 

One of those stores was the place that sold Alaskan Fry Bread.  The best way to describe this sweet treat is that it’s like a large round flat donut, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.  Too bad we were so filled with our pizza lunch, we decided to pass this time.  It was interesting to see the jars of jams and pickled things such as pickled kelp.  Really?  We also located the spruce tip jam and jelly.  Now that’s a different twist with jams.  Huckleberry looked the best.

The shops were over-loaded with shoppers looking for sales.  We saw little in the sales department this time and we swear all of the prices have gone up since last year.  Not that we really need anything, but one of us likes the Lazy One sleep T’s.   We saw very few of them today, but we still have Ketchikan to shop as well as two more trips this way.  We arrived at the gangway by 3pm where we were greeted with an official using a facial recognition device.  One of the trains had just let people off, so the line was long and s-l-o-w.   We were well-chilled by the time we entered the ship as the winds seemed to have increased during the afternoon.   By the way, the afternoon rains never happened.

The remainder of the day was spent working on photos and the report.  At the visitor’s center located in the Arctic Brotherhood Hall, we had found a treasure trove of brochures for not only Skagway, but for all of the ports we visit on these back-to-back cruises.   We both agree that the history in this part of Alaska is most intriguing with really infamous characters and events.

Dinnertime arrived by 7:30pm with some good choices for appetizers and mains.  For a while we were about the only ones in the upper dining room, but eventually, the tables filled with folks from the open seating group.  And the all aboard time was 8:30pm, so there may be some guests that went to town for dinner.   Anyway, we both enjoyed shrimp tacos (tasty, but messy) and Caesar salads for starters.  Our mains were rigatoni with chicken meatballs and a turkey dinner…..both excellent.  We shared one of the new desserts – a stroopwafel cheesecake (without the wafel).  For a change it wasn’t overly-sweet.   

The entertainment in the Main Stage was a performance with the Step One Dance Company.  We have seen the show several times on past trips, so it was off to bed for us.  It had been an invigorating day with about 8 miles of walking in the fresh brisk wind.   Needless to say, we looked forward to a good night’s rest.

The ship left the dock after 11pm, after the Crown Princess pulled out.  Tomorrow’s itinerary includes a trek into Glacier Bay, which is always a treat for both of us.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #3  Friday September 6, 2024  Tracy Arm Drop Off At 10 am And Juneau, Alaska Arrival At 1:30 pm  Docked Starboard Side To Pier  Cloudy With Steady Rain In The Afternoon  Part #1 Of 3.......46  Pictures----Casual Dress

This morning greeted us with heavily-overcast skies with passing showers as we headed towards Tracy Arm for a tour drop-off.  We would get to see some scenic cruising and be on the lookout for wildlife, but this is simply a service call..  Our actual destination is the capital city of Juneau later in the day.

But first, it was time for breakfast and some hot coffee to get the day going.  On port days, the restaurants open at 7:30am….the Lido at 6:30am.   While waiting for our orders, shore excursion manager Nyron appeared at our table.  He had spotted us sitting in the “window” seats and came to say hi.  It’s always nice to be greeted by familiar and happy crew members.  Nyron has a very special voice that can be heard above any crowd.  He has been the shore excursion manager for several world cruises, so we were surprised to see him on this ship.  We asked if he will be on the 2025 grand voyage, but he said no, he will be joining the Zuiderdam for the Voyage of the Vikings next summer.

Speaking of tours, there were a bunch of them offered here today.  The Tracy Arm and glaciers was 6 hours for $290 and must have sold out before the voyage began.  There were several options to see whales and wildlife, some priced more reasonable than others.   A small boat with a few guests ran $480 for 4 hours.  The Mendenhall Glacier is th biggest attraction here and there also many ways to see it.  Some by bus, and some by helicopters.  The most extravagant tour was by helicopter for a trek on the glacier for $570 and 4 ¼ hours.  For the foodies, there was a flight to Taku Lodge for a feast for $475 and 3 ½ hours.   A salmon bake for 1 ½ hours was a mere $80 (no flight).   Bike the rainforest and bike and brew were $155 for 3 – 4 hours.  Easy gold panning was 2 ¼ hours for $90.  We have done some of these tours in the past, but never took the chance to go by float plane or helicopter.  Probably never will…..  

So the Tracy Arm tour went off by 10:20am…just about the same time it began to rain.  Many folks went to the bow, while we went to deck six forward.  We watched as the tour boat loaded their passengers.  We guess there were over 100 people doing this trip.  The plan was for them to view glaciers from the boat, have a short hike along the channel, then boat to Juneau where the ship would be docked.

While some of the guests were on the bow, some of them began to ring the ship’s bell in the very front.  Then we heard an announcement asking people not to do this….please.   Eventually the light rain drove the folks back inside the ship, including us.  It was downright chilly outside and we were glad we had brought our Arctic-rated jackets once again.

The Zaandam arrived to the Gastineau Channel by 12:30pm where we watched hordes of fishermen (ladies too) trying to catch salmon on the banks.  We have never seen so many folks fishing here before.  As the ship sailed past the Douglas area, opposite the downtown part of Juneau, several bald eagles could be seen hidden in the tall trees along the banks of the channel.  Many took flight as the Zaandam passed by, but one bird in particular stood out.  He was a youngster who was proudly perched on the very tip of an evergreen tree.  However, he was not alone as several black ravens were taunting him by attacking him one at a time.  Standing his ground, he fended them off and held his perch for quite some time.  There is a possibility the eagle was trespassing on the raven’s favorite spot.  Several other eagles were flying in this same area, and they were also attacked by the bold crows.  Sure is interesting watching nature in action, even if it is the bird’s behavior.

The ship docked starboard by 1:15pm.  There were four other ships in port.  The Disney Wonder, Crown Princess, Quantum of the Seas (RCI), and finally the Silver Muse (Silverseas).   The Muse was anchored with two tenders running their guests to a landing pier.   That was a whole lot of people.   We bet the population of Juneau, which is about 32,000 was doubled with the arrival of five cruise ships.  They boast that Juneau has one million visitors every summer season.  Land of the Tlinket people, what we see today are old historic buildings, saloons, pubs, and shops.  Most offer fine jewelry, gifts, canned salmon and native art to name a few.  The capital has come a long way from the gold rush days and the fishermen, hunters, trappers, and traders of the past. And one interesting fact about this capital is that it is only accessible by sea or air.

We left the ship after the thundering herd had gotten off.  That was about 1:45pm.  It was drizzling, but our jacket kept us dry and warm.  The wind was not blowing so that was a good thing.  It was time for lunch, so we headed straight for the Hangar on the Wharf.  Crowded, we were handed a beeper and told to come back in ½ hour.  We did take a walk towards the bridge, but when the rain began falling steadily, we turned and headed back.  It was a total of 40 minutes before we were seated, but it was worth the wait.  We had refreshing Amber draft beers, a Jack Daniels burger, and finished with a shared slice of mud pie, of course.  We have never seen this restaurant so busy, but then there were five ships here.  

Taking our time walking back, we were in our room by 4:30pm.  No sense going through the stores in the rain, as we will be back here two more times.   Maybe the weather will be better.

This evening we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill.  Much to our surprise, the entire place was full of guests even at this later hour of 7:30pm.   These 7 day cruises are a different animal compared to a grand voyage.  There is such a short time to try to do everything, so most all of the activities are crowded every day.  In our opinion, it is a vacation that you need to take another vacation when you get home to recover. 

So tonight we had the chance to try some new entrees.  The wedge salad was still on the menu as was the clothesline bacon.   The rolls were fresh, warm, and tasted great served with only garlic-infused butter.  One of us ordered the Alaskan special of Chilean sea bass served with a puree of dill/butter dip…..very green.  The second entrée was the braised short rib (no bones) with fun noodles, not the exact description, but oh so good with thinly-sliced snow peas and mushrooms.  This will be a winner for sure.  One shared dessert was also new, the stroop waffle cobbler with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.  It appeared to look more like a brownie, but when Tina came by, she said it brought back memories of the chocolate volcano, which has been gone like forever.  She was pleased we were happy with the new choices.  Lastly, we had a tray of four petite macaroons, which replaced the gormandizes we used to get and seldom eat. 

The ship left the port of Juneau about the same time we got back to our room, 9:40pm.  It had been a very long day, and we were most happy to call it a day.  Skagway tomorrow….

Bill & Mary Ann    

Report #2  Thursday  September 5, 2024  Sea Day  Enroute To Juneau, Alaska Via Tracy Arm Inlet  Sunny With Clouds 75 Degrees   Sea State: Rough  Part #1 Of 1........0 Pictures---Dressy Night

We woke up to a foggy morning, but it soon changed to sunny skies with some clouds later in the day.  No rain.  The seas had become rougher overnight due to residual swells from the waters in the Gulf of Alaska, according to Captain Michiel Willems.  Hmmm, sure brings memories back from 22 years ago when we hit seriously rough waters near Dutch Harbor.  We are well aware of how nasty these waters can be.

With the rolling of the sea, we slept soundly last night.  We were ready for our first breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill restaurant at 8am.  To our surprise, Tina from the world cruise is the manager here until November 9^th.  Knowing that we were arriving, she saved a space for us every evening for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill if we wish to dine there.  How thoughtful that she was thinking ahead, since the ship is sold out and reservations are limited.  By the way, new Pinnacle menus appeared last night with  revised choices.  One item missing was the halibut. The lunch menu has also changed and no longer offers the well-liked hamburger.  We do appreciate that the time has come for changes in this venue. 

Our orders took a while this morning because the restaurant filled with guests….all from the Neptune suites.  Tina admitted that this morning was the busiest yet this summer.  The breakfast menu was updated a bit, and we still get the complimentary mimosas, fresh-squeezed orange juice, cappuccino and espresso coffee.  

One of us went to the front desk with a list of questions regarding our shipboard account.  There were at least one dozen people in line doing the same thing.  On both sides of the counter were signs announcing there were no rooms available for upsells.  The staff member who helped me was patient and spent 20 minutes getting most of the questions answered.  If she was not sure, she went to the back and asked someone in charge.  When we do linked back-to-back voyages, we always make sure that we can carry over the credits from trip to trip.  I was advised they had to make an exception in our case, and would let us know tomorrow. 

I did learn that the room tips have gone up.  For the inside and outside cabins, the gratuities are $17 per person per day.  Vista rooms and Neptune suites are now $19 per person per day.  So having a contract that includes the tips is a good deal these days.  The charge for the refrigerator recently re-appeared on all of the HAL ships and is $2 a day.  We will only need it for three weeks, then we will be moving to a Vista suite that already has one.  Hope it works….

After our refreshing morning walk, we came back to the room to do the fine tuning.  That included setting up plug strips for numerous things like clocks, camera battery chargers, Sonicare toothbrushes, a razor kit and our new little USB tower.  With the Zaandam being an older ship, there are no extra plugs or USB ports on the nightstands.  So one needs to be creative.

There was an invite in our mailslot for a complimentary Regional Wine Tasting at 2pm in the main dining room.  Of course, we would have the chance to buy a wine package for 50% off.  However, since we do not drink wine, we did not attend.

We had a light lunch at 2:30pm in the Lido with salads and shared sandwich and thin crust pizza.  We had considered attending the Dutch high tea, but decided salads were a better choice. By this time there were fewer diners, but some of our favorite items were gone and not replaced.  A chicken Caesar salad was a turkey Caesar salad.  It worked.

There was a notice in the daily newsletter saying there may be wildlife spotting between 5 and 7pm at the Sea View Pool.  Of course out here in the open waters, our best sighting had to be humpback whales.  It took maybe ½ hour of watching before we started seeing those spouts in the distance.  Very few were breaching or diving, but they were surface feeding.  One large whale actually appeared right down where we were standing and blew its spout.  We heard the noise before we saw him ski the surface.  We guess it was as close as 20 feet to the aft of the ship.    Doing 19 knots, we put some distance between us and the whale in a short time.  We must have cut through a large pod since they were spotted on both sides of the ship.  We do have Canadian pilots onboard and we are certain they are well aware of where these pods hang out.  Other than the whales, we also saw some cargo ships and later on an NCL cruise ship.  

This evening was the first “dressy” night and the Captain’s welcome at 7:15pm in the Main Stage.  Since that is in the middle of dinner service, we do not know how many would attend this brief welcome.  We are still keeping away from large gatherings, so we missed this one.  “Dressy” turned out to be a bit above casual.  No tuxes, few suits, and mostly collared shirts.  There are still fellows that arrive with baseball caps on their heads.  What’s with that?  Oh well, each to their own we say.  The menu had some nice choices with shrimp cocktails, French onion soup, Caesar salad, and fresh rolls.  Mains for us were rack of lamb and the surf and turf…..tenderloin steak and shrimp (no lobster and filet mignon).   Still tasty, we ended the meal with a shared strawberry sundae and a cup of coffee.   We had several visitors that made certain our meal was perfect.  The wait staff has been most gracious. 

There was supposed to be The Step One Dance Company performing Humanity, but it had been cancelled due to rough seas.  There was a substitute comedian instead.  Also performing in the lounges were Cat Paz on the piano and The Band in the Ocean Bar.  In the Mix, Josie Oliva played her guitar and Eli Moore played the piano later on.  At 11pm, you could dance to the hits in the Crow’s Nest.  From what we saw on our way back to our room, all of the lounges were full of guests.

Finally, the clocks were set back one hour to be on Juneau time.  We will give this hour back on our return to Vancouver.  We are headed to Juneau tomorrow by 1:30pm with an early morning service stop for a tour in Tracy Arm.  

Bill & Mary Ann 

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Report #1  Wednesday  September 4, 2024.......Embarkation Day In Vancouver, British Columbia At Canada Place On The Zaandam  Sunny And Warm 78 Degrees  Part #1 Of 2........59  Pictures

Well, here we are again…….starting another adventure which will take us to Alaska on three back-to-back seven day cruises, followed by a legendary trek through the South Pacific for 56 days.  We have been lucky to have done this same itinerary for the past five or six years now.   We’ll enjoy the cooler weather of the Pacific Northwest, then bake in the humid heat for several weeks as we head southwest for Hawaii and the many islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga below the Equator, then onto  French Polynesia.   San Diego will be our last stop before flying home in November. 

It certainly was a challenge packing for both types of weather.  We managed to take the basics with four pieces of luggage plus carry-ons.  Over the years, we have compiled a list of things to take in the “lotions and potions” department.  That way we seldom forget anything.   We are sticking to mostly casual to dressy clothing this trip because it seems to be appropriate.  We do not believe there are any formal evenings.  We will discover how fancy people will get tomorrow night since it will be the first dressy evening.

Leaving home at 4am, we were off to SFO for a flight at 8:41am.  Lucky for us, there was little to no traffic all the way despite the fact that today was a Wednesday and a commute day.  It was just the opposite at the airport with crowds of folks traveling today.  All went smoothly with check-in and the TSA checkpoint. 

Being that we had some time to relax, we waited until 6:30am to have a shared breakfast in one of the restaurants that offered full service.  Their coffee sure tasted good.  Our plane was full and it went quickly as we headed to Vancouver.  For a change, both of our TV screens worked with one of us watching a movie and the other old sitcoms.   Although the plane did arrive ahead of time, we had to wait for an available gate. 

It seemed as if the terminal was miles away from the baggage area.  And it was the busiest we have ever seen it.  Going through the customs banks of kiosks was slow although the directions were excellent.  Gathering the luggage was easy, and we were actually met by an HAL rep.  Holland America has a counter set up where the luggage can be dropped off.  They promised we would see it in our room.  Then we sat outside and waited for a bus for the transfer to the pier.  There were only four of us on this huge bus, but the driver picked up about eight more folks before heading through town.    As luck would have it, it turned out to be a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 70’s.  We had been told by some locals that it has been raining quite a bit this summer, so we appreciated the sunny clear day.  Hope it lasts…….

We arrived at Canada Place  after noontime where we saw a Regent ship, the Explorer,  as well as the Zaandam.     Once we went through the entrance for HAL, we were greeted by the local team who knew our names.  They escorted us to a separate desk where we showed our passports and boarding passes and had our photos taken.   One more time through the customs kiosks, but at the xray check, one of our bags had to be checked for several batteries.   They were well-buried, so the checker let us go after spotting the back brace.   The batteries were mostly for a tens unit for back pain. 

From there, we had two VIP escorts….the food and beverage manager as well as the Mariner concierge who took us to our room.  Good thing Vini was there to see that our room keys did not work.  He went back to the front desk, coming back with new keys.   Guess what?  Those did not work either.  This is not our first experience with faulty room keys.  Since we were in need of lunch, he advised us to go ahead and he would leave new keys in the mail slot, testing them to make sure they were good.  The third time was a charm.

We had some nice surprises upon entering our room.  Some of our amenities had arrived such as a bouquet of flowers, some Cokes, and sparkling wine on ice.  Two trays of canapies and sweets were on the table as well.  Our bed was full of cards and the daily newsletter.  We did ask our room stewards for some extra felt hangers and they found us some.  We always request extra toweling, and they came with more later on. 

The Lido was over-flowing with hungry guests, but we did manage to find a table to enjoy salads and a slice of pizza.  We ran into Presty who happens to be the Lido manager.  He made sure that we had our requested table in the dining room for main seating dinner.  Of course, our room keys said open seating, which we ignored.  We had an invite to a Mariner party in the Crow’s Nest at 2pm where we met with a couple who seem to enjoy this trip as much as we do every year.   They have been on the ship for three weeks already and will do one more week.  And they informed us there will be a dinner invite with the four of us with some of the officers before the week is over.  Should be fun.

It was time to attend the muster drill, which is so easy these days.  Going back to our room, we found the room keys and they worked this time.  At life boat #6, our cards were scanned and we listened to a brief talk by one of the staff members.  From there we went back to the room until we noticed we were sailing out of the harbor.  All four pieces of luggage had arrived, and we got busy stashing it away.  Deciding that could wait, we went to deck six forward and aft to watch the scenic cruising.  It did not disappoint us either as we spotted some feeding whales in the distance as they blew their spouts.  As many times as we have done this route, we don’t believe we ever saw whales here.   First time for everything we say.  One last stop at the aft pool deck to watch the sail away activities (drinking and dancing), we went back to finish the unpacking.  We can say for a fact that we have plenty of space to stash it all, even in our outside cabin.  These remaining smaller ships (Zaandam and Volendam) were built with longer itineraries in mind.   We will stay here for the Alaska runs, then move to a veranda room for the Tales of the South Pacific.

Our room stewards, Den and Irfan, took care of our requests, some of which had not been done.  One was the request for a refrigerator.  When they brought it to the room, it did not work.  It was the most beat-up fridge we have ever seen….no wonder it didn’t work.    Leaving a note on it, we found it had been replaced with a much nicer one that actually got cold.   Now the surprise was that we are going to be charged $2 a day for the use of it.  Consider us spoiled, but we have not paid for a spare fridge for years.  We shall inquire about this tomorrow as well as many other questions.

About the same time as we finished unpacking, it was time for dinner.   At first the upper dining room was spotty with customers, but as the evening went on, the whole place filled with the over-flow from anytime diners.  Our waiters Arim and Arya were very attentive and we also had visitors the entire time.  The maître-d, sommelier, head water, and several waiters came to say hi.  Even though they may not have been our personal waiters, they remembered us from previous cruises.   And that’s about the best aspect of returning to HAL trips.  The staff is excellent.

The food choices were nice tonight and the menu seemed newer and revised from what we remembered from last year.  The Club Orange menu had Peruvian chicken, which one of us ordered, and a very tasty pork medallion plate with lingonberries.  We shared a no sugar added lemon torte.  One cup of coffee ended our pleasant meal, and we were to bed early.  We plan on sleeping like babies tonight.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #133    Saturday  May 11, 2024  Fort Lauderdale, Florida- United States   Docked Port Side To Pier 26  At 5:30am    Scattered Clouds And Sunny  90 Degrees  76% Humidity     Part #1 Of 1.....83 Pictures

Well, we have arrived to Ft. Lauderdale an hour ahead of schedule, just as Captain Friso had promised.  Around 5:30am, the Zuiderdam was pulling alongside Pier 26 in Port Everglades where we started over 4 ½ months ago.  None of us can believe how quickly this time has gone by.  The trip began as a “mystery” not knowing where we would be going for sure, but even with the changes that had to be made in the itinerary, we feel it turned out just fine.   Those folks that decided not to go the Africa route were able to leave the ship in Singapore and receive future cruise credit for their missed days.  We feel that was totally fair, but have no idea of how many guests chose to do that.

It looked like it was going to be a nice day with temps in the 90’s.  There would be passing clouds, but we did not see any rain in the forecast.  Good thing because we had already packed the umbrellas and they were gone in the shipped bags.

Breakfast was early for us at 6:30am in the Pinnacle Grill.  Not all of our “breakfast club” showed up, since they wanted to be the first to debark.  We figured with fewer customers this morning, the service would be perfect.  Not really the service, so much as getting our orders right.  Starters always are the same with orange juice and Greek yogurt with fresh fruit.  Our waiter came along and took our orders, which was done correctly.  But we sat and sat, waiting like forever, and no food.  Obviously there was a problem since we could see our plates sitting on the end of the counter, but nothing was coming our way.  One of the waiters was cutting into the omelette and decided it was not right.  Finally he came and said they put the wrong items in it and it would have to be replaced.  Fine, but in the meantime, the other entrée sat  there getting cold.  When they brought our food, most of it was cold.  By then, we just wanted to eat and leave.  Bottom line is that their method of serving is not working as we were not the only ones with problems. The same thing happened every day to some folks.  It sure worked better on the Volendam when we had one or two waiters and everything was done right.  Here, we have 6 or more people involved and it doesn’t work some days.  We have discussed this situation with Henk, our hotel director, but he claims he cannot change the operation.  It has to come from Seattle.

We went back to our room to relax because we knew our group was to be called off last by 9:30am.   That’s one nice thing that we are not kicked out of our cabin like on other cruise lines.  The groups began to be called off by 7am, the earliest we can recall.  We watched the activity on the dock and spotted the massive amount of shipped luggage ready to be scanned through xray and loaded into a gigantic van.  We assume they drive it to a secured location and will attach the shipping labels when they get them.  We could see the regular Luggage Forward tags on some of the bags, assuming they were Neptune folks. 

Our veranda was just being hosed and cleaned when our group, green #1 tags were called by 9am.  Dedi, our room attendant, came running down the hall and gave us both hugs.  Both he and Putu made up for the confusion in with the breakfast today with their kindness.  We hope to see them again in the future.

There was a line-up of the Captain, Henk, Christel, Chantall, Maja, and Kimberly – all saying good-bye.  We got the best hugs from Christel and Maja, very special ladies.  Then we were off to pass through the immigrations checkpoint, but we did not have to stop. Remember, we had already cleared customs in San Juan.  With no luggage to drag along, we located our shuttle, boarded the bus, and were the only ones going to the Renaissance Hotel in Plantation.  We were there within 15 minutes.  Getting off on a Saturday worked out well because there was no commute traffic.

When we entered the lobby, we spotted two groups of guests waiting there to be transferred to the Zuiderdam and the Enchanted Princess.  We do know that the Zuiderdam will be going Transatlantic, but not sure about the Princess ship.  Despite the fact that we were early, there was a room ready for us.  Perfect, we were glad to be rid of our hand carrys.  The front desk fellow handed us an envelope with directions for our stay and tomorrow’s transfer.  When we got to the room, we read the paper, and they had the incorrect air information.   Back down to the desk, we located the HAL rep who had a table set up for the outgoing guests.  She saw the problem and got on the phone and made the correction with the home office we assume.  She re-confirmed the flight and gave us a 4:30am pick-up time on Sunday morning.  Honestly, we have never had such problems with the air arranged by HAL, and hope nothing else changes in the meantime. 

It was already 10:30am, and we figured we may as well start our hike along the canal and head for lunch, which would be at Chili’s on University Avenue.  It’s quite a walk, but we made it there by 11am their opening time.  We did see a lot of birds, a few lizards, and no snakes or alligators, which could be sunning themselves on the concrete walkway.  We searched the trees for iguanas but saw none.  The air-conditioning never felt so good when we entered the restaurant.   The combination of the heat and humidity is a killer.  We were given our favorite sodas, followed by two more each.  Yep, it was that hot.  We ordered salads, one of which was the quesadilla explosion with crispy chicken.  When it was served, there was no chicken.  The manager said they were having internet problems and the kitchen had not gotten that message.  Gosh, the snafus were following us all day it seemed.  When the manager brought the chicken, he doubled the amount which was shared by both of us.  Really good too.  We thanked him and were on our way, back onto the heat by noontime.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the comfort of our room with a view.  It was the perfect time to catch up on news as well as reports and photos. 

Since we will need to wake up at 3am, we figured we better get something to eat earlier, and not our usual 7:30pm dinner.  When we stay at this hotel, we always take a stroll to nearby Bokampers, a sports grill and bar.  Instead of turf and surf or escargots and liver pate, we wanted something totally opposite.  That turned out to be chicken and cheese nachos which we shared of course.  It went quite well with the 22 ounce draft beers of Kona Big Wave.  A slice of Key lime pie was just enough to end our fun meal. 

Back at the hotel, we got our stuff back together, so we can meet our driver at 4:30am in the lobby.  We know the drive to the Ft. Lauderdale airport is short, but we will be there in plenty of time for a 7am flight – straight through to San Francisco.  It will be great re-connecting in person with family and friends.  In the meantime, it is early to bed for us to get our beauty sleep.

We will be back with a final report once we are home and settled in.  So stay tuned……

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #132    Friday  May 10, 2024   Sea Day #2 Of 2    Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida- United States     Scattered Clouds And Sunny  77 Degrees  76% Humidity   Slight Wind 10 mph 6' Swell   Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress

Well, the 128^th  day has arrived and it is time to call it quits.  What a trip.  We received the final sticker for this entire cruise, and we have logged 37,776 nautical miles, or 32,849 statute miles.  We always remark on how much water there is on earth with all of the seas and oceans we have crossed in 4 ½ months.  Incredible, actually.  And it is time to plant our feet on firm ground once again.

It was still warm and balmy today with temps in the 70’s and humidity almost the same.  The skies were partly cloudy, but mostly blue as the day wore on.  With a wind speed of 12.3 mph and relatively calm seas, it turned out to be a most pleasant day.  For an Atlantic crossing, this has to be the best ever.  And most of that algae or kelp has disappeared, which made it nice for the boobies that appeared to catch the unsuspecting flying fish.  Adding to the drama at sea, a few frigates were flying high early this morning.  They lived up to their name of pirates of the sea as they bombed the boobies with fish in their beaks.  The frigates are a larger bird and quite capable of being bullies.  We will miss this science in action.

So, what’s the story on the missing luggage shipping tags?  At our “breakfast club” we heard some likely explanations from friends in-the-know.  One couple said they knew for a fact that the Neptune suite guests received their pre-printed tags.  The rest of the shipping labels were possibly left behind in a San Juan hotel room and missed the ship.   Who knows for sure, but that is the latest version.  We all agreed that we will be happy when and if they get delivered to our homes.  As far as a time frame as to when to expect that delivery, nothing has been mentioned.  It sure would be of help if this fiasco was set straight and put into writing.  We seem to recall Kimberly said the real tags with the tracking numbers will be attached and we will get an  email with those tracking numbers.   When, we do not know.  

We had to make a stop after our morning walk to the Shops to pick up the guarantee for the Effy tanzanite set we purchased a few days ago.   They had promised to send it to our room in 2 days, but that never happened.  However, we know their angle for not sending it because that is their way of getting us back in the store in an attempt to sell us more treasures.  The salesman had to go through a stack of envelopes to find ours, but we were happy to wait for it.  Another job done.

Then it was off to the front desk to once again confirm our post hotel stay and transfers.  That part was fine, BUT looking for our Sunday morning flight showed nothing with our confirmation number.  Definitely not what we wanted to hear.  She asked us to double-check our confirmation number and come back.  Something was wrong, but no sense getting upset.  Back in our room, we placed a call directly to Michelle, our concierge, who was on a break but did hear from the front desk girl that there was a problem.  Michelle worked on it and discovered the girl was looking at American Airlines for our booking, which should have been United.  She apologized profusely for the mix-up and sent us an updated confirmation straight to our room.   We sure did not need that hiccup, but were relieved that it was resolved.  Another job done. 

At 10am there was “A City On The Sea” show for the grand finale of the crew farewell.  It came with a complimentary glass of the bubbly wine, which packs the World Stage every time.  The star of this voyage had to be our Cruise Director, Kimberly, who received the longest and loudest applause ever.  She truly earned  it with her effervescent personality that seems to be contagious with most everyone onboard.  We look forward to seeing her on the 2025 Grand World Voyage as she enjoyed being here as much as we all did. 

Lunch in the Lido Market was a seafood symphony which drew a huge crowd from 11:30am to 2pm.  We saw lobsters piled high at the salad bar and there was a line forming well before they opened the curtains.  Some folks made four trips to bring food to dine outside by the pool.  So far, we have not eaten one lunch in the Lido and obviously will not for this trip.  Too many memories of the Covid times and rules that should still apply to serving one self remain in our minds. 

Many sales were in progress in the Shops area like clearances, sample sales, an Effy raffle, 75% off some watches and a shopper’s raffle.  Final fireball bingo must “go” at 3pm and over $511,000 Paradise Lotto had a jackpot drawing at 9:30pm.  Want to bet no one wins it?  But wouldn’t that be something to take home?

We finished the rest of the packing leaving only our dinner clothes out.  The luggage needs to be put out in the hall by 10pm, earlier than we have always done.   There were nights before our final port where we could hear luggage hauled down the hallways even at 2am.   Now that we began this process yesterday, there are few bags left to pick up.

Dinner was good with All Time Favorites as the special menu.  There was not a Club Orange selection, but a couple of days ago, we asked our waiter and headwaiter Hazel if we could be served the veal chop one last time.  She promised to check with the chef, and said if it was still available, we would have it.   But before we had a chance to order, the entire kitchen staff including the waiters disappeared.  There was going to be a parade through the dining room before any of us were served food.  Great idea.  Kimberly announced Neil, the head chef, who paraded his crew through both dining rooms with napkins flying and guests clapping.   It was a nice send-off for all of us. 

Anyway, Yanwar took our orders for starters, but not the entrees since he knew the chops were coming.  Good thing we did not eat lunch today as the chops were huge….tasty and cooked perfectly.  We added one dessert of Snickers cake with a side of vanilla ice cream to share.  It was too good, but probably the last dessert we will have for some time to come. There were many goodbyes with longtime friends and staff, but we will be seeing most of them next year, God-willing.   

The final three suitcases went out before 10pm, and we will be all set for tomorrow.  Breakfast will be at 6:30am, so it was an early evening for us.

Stay tuned as we will be staying one evening in Ft. Lauderdale and should have time to do a report tomorrow at the hotel.  Until then…..sayonara from the Zuiderdam.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #131    Thursday  May 9, 2024   Sea Day #1 Of 2    Enroute To Fort Lauderdale, Florida- United States     Scattered Clouds And Some Sun 80 Degrees  75% Humidity   Slight Wind 13mph 6' Swell   Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress

Early this morning, we all got a disembarkation package in our mail slots.  We have a post cruise hotel stay with an approximate debark time of 9:30am.  Actually, the later the better since check-in time might be in the afternoon.  Now that we have all been cleared through the US immigration inspections, getting off on Saturday morning should go much smoother.  As we previously mentioned,  the shipped luggage will not have to be claimed in the Ft. Lauderdale terminal.  That is a big deal, since in the past, that was the worst part of going home. 

Anyway, we have been given green #1 tags to use on any luggage we may be taking off with us.  We chose to ship everything – a total of nine pieces of luggage. Whatever we need for the overnight stay will fit in our hand bags.  We also got a message with important information for those of us using the Luggage Forward Services.   It stated there had been a change of plans for the tags being provided for that shipment.  So now HAL rip-proof tags are being produced onboard with their logo, our last name, and stateroom number.  Nothing else.  Oh yeah….thanks for your patience was added.  Usually, we are provided with real shipping labels (either Fed Ex or UPS) complete with our names and address.  We are not quite sure how this is going to work unless it is all done with a QR code or something similar.     One of us jokingly said these tags will be the same ones they always use.  Who knows?

After working on yesterday’s photos and packing some more stuff, we went off for a much needed promenade walk, followed by a trip up to the Seaview Pool.   The weather gods have been kind to everyone with mostly blue skies and some drifting clouds.   Captain Friso has been taking some credit for the nice weather and low swells, so we will give him that.  The humidity is still with us, but no where near as high as yesterday in the Old Town of San Juan.   Looking forward, the sailing will continue the same all the way back to Florida.  Then Kimberly came on after the Captain, like she always does.  After a run-by of the afternoon’s activities, she mentioned that the special luggage tags were being delivered as she spoke.    So we went down to our room, to find Dedi delivering envelopes to each of his rooms.  And guess what we found in the envelope?   The same old luggage tags with a label attached with our name and room number.   They were numbered from one to nine and we were to attach these to each piece of luggage.  No joking…the same tags. 

We suppose that the guest service desk got slammed with phone calls asking many questions, because Kimberly came on the speakers again to explain the tags and please do not write anything else on them, like an address.  An educated guess is that someone fouled up and did not get the real printed tags in time to bring them here.  Our next deduction is that somewhere along the line, these bags will be scanned with our names and room number and have a “real” tag attached with all of the info.  At least we hope so.  Just in case they go astray, we added a slip of paper in each bag with our name and address and a phone number.   No other explanation was given for the change of plans.

During the afternoon, we locked and tagged six of our suitcases and put them outside the door to be picked up.  This was a great idea because waiting until the final evening left a hard job for the fellows who had to move it all well past midnight.  The last three will go out tomorrow evening after dinner.

Here is a twist for you all to hear.  There was a crew talent show held in the World Stage at 2pm.   We always go, but were still deep in photo sorting and final packing.  Figuring we could watch it as we always do on our room TV was not to be.  Later at her 5pm talk, Kimberly mentioned that a DVD would be available to purchase with both the passenger talent show along with today’s crew show.    Really?  Boy that is sure not the way it used to be, making us wonder how solvent HAL is these days.   They are figuring many ways to squeeze the last few dollars out of the guests in our humble opinion.  

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, the last one for this cruise.  Going at 8pm, we noticed the room was pretty full.  We ordered our favorite salads and steaks followed with a shared slice of Key Lime pie.  At 8:45pm there was a chocolate wow or a chocolate surprise in the World Stage.  Of course, we were in the middle of our dinner, so missed it. 

The Flyrights delivered a farewell show promising a whole new performance.  We missed that also as dinner ran overtime.   At least we do not have to put the clocks back tonight as we are already on the correct time for Florida.  Four hours back in a week’s time is too much too fast.  But that is part of travel….like it or not.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #130    Wednesday  May 8, 2024  San Juan, Puerto Rico  3pm-10:30pm  Docked Port Side To Pier    Scattered Clouds, Rain And Some Sun 85 Degrees  78% Humidity   Slight Wind 10mph   Part #1 Of 6.....66 Pictures---Casual Dress

Finally, we are seeing the return of the birds, the first one spotted during breakfast this morning.  These appear to be the Caribbean brown boobies.  By 9am, there were dozens of these soaring and diving birds having a feast of the small flying fish.   We did spot one masked booby from our veranda later on.   Strange, just one.

The bad news was that we woke up to rain and heavily cloudy skies.  We figured it would be a wet day in San Juan, but as the morning went on, it began to clear up.  That  would be a miracle, but sometimes things work out that way.  Just as Captain Friso had promised, we arrived to the port by 2pm.  At 12:30pm, Kimberly gave a sail-in commentary that could be heard about everywhere on the ship.   The bow had been opened as well.  

We stayed on our veranda and had the best place to photograph the entrance into the harbor, passing El Morro, the oldest Spanish fort in the New World as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The sun was at our back, and the views were spectacular….clear, sharp, and full of color.  Eventually the skies did cloud up again, but we got lucky while doing the sail-in.

The first job we all had was to have a mandatory immigration inspection in the terminal, not on the ship.  Around 2pm, the passengers decks were called off starting with 10 and 8, then the rest followed.  It would be a zero count inspection, and no one was allowed back on the ship until everyone had been cleared.   Kimberly suggested for those who did not intend on going into town, could wait until the final call and go off last.  Tour groups would go off, and go through the process then head for their buses.   Simple enough, but we did hear later that three passengers had to be called to finish the roster, and they held the waiting group up until 4:20pm.    It happens all of the time and that does not make these folks very popular. 

The crew members filed off the same time we did, but they had a separate area of the terminal for their inspection.  All of them were able to return to the ship and continue working. 

We went off by 2:30pm and decided to take the room umbrella since Captain Friso had mentioned that the south part of the island was experiencing flash flooding.  We had no way of knowing if it was heading this way but chose not to take any chances.  The customs checkpoint was quick, with a short line and several officers.  Then we were off and heading the way we usually walk.  Uphill.

In the meantime, there were some tours today which began with a historic walk-through San Cristobal Fort to see the secret tunnels and dungeons for 3 ½ hours for $55.  A drive to see the highlights of San Juan for 2 ½ hours was $70, while a folkloric show in the evening was 1 ½ hour and $80.  The history and cuisine of San Juan on foot was 3 ½ hours for $110 where canopies and a 3 course meal would be served.   Craft cocktails and a sample of Puerto Rican food for twelve people was 3 ¾ hours for $170.  Easy Old Town for 3 ½ hours for $180.  This may have been a tour in an open- air vehicle for 6 people with a weight limit of 800 pounds.   There was a tour listed previously that must have been cancelled.   It was a bioluminescent Bay Kayak trip for 5 ¼ hours and $170.  This would be a boat ride to the island where the organisms in the water light up like glow worms.  There were two people to each kayak and a waiver had to be signed before going.  And there was no guarantee that you would see the light show, but refreshments would be served.  Too bad it was cancelled.

Anyway, back to our hike uphill.   Even though it never did rain, the humidity was so heavy you could cut it with a knife.   And today, we were not alone as the Carnival Celebration was already docked  right across from us.  And it was a big one.  We need to look up her stats, but we guess with 16 lifeboats, there may be up to or over 6000 passengers.  The Zuiderdam looked like a baby next to her.   No doubt, there will be a lot of folks in the Old Town today. 

We headed up the main street to the Plaza Colon, where the Christopher Columbus statue sits in the center.  It reminded us of a small scale version of the monument in Barcelona.  Columbus landed here in the early 1500’s followed by Ponce de Leon, who became the first governor.  That was well over 500 years ago when he declared the island for Spain.  Further up the street we came to the Fort San Cristobal, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is one of the largest forts in the New World.  Turning left on the Malecon Road, we passed the old pastel houses and businesses along the cliffsides.  It was so hot and sticky, we wished for rain that never came.  As we got closer to the La Perla area, we began to see swarms of tiny bugs, like knats, but smaller.  They must be hatching out in the fields of very green grass surrounding the oldest Spanish fort of El Morro.   Many locals were out and about, and appeared to be waving at each other.   Then we ran into the bugs, and realized they were all waving them away from their faces, hair, arms, and legs.  They just stuck to us, and we had to be most careful not to get them in our mouths and noses.   It almost became comical when coming back down from the gates of the fort.  Many guys pulled their shirts over their faces and the gals cursed while swatting at the little critters.  Our best bet was staying off of the expanse of grass, because that was where they were coming from. 

Instead of back-tracking, we continued walking past the several plazas that eventually led back over the ridge and back into the streets of the old town.   We had hoped to find the pizza place we had found several years ago, but when we got to the right street, it appeared the place had changed to something different.  If nothing else, we went in search of beers somewhere.  The only place that was serving draft beer happened to be Senor Frog’s.  Thinking that might work, we opened the door and got blasted with unreal noise of drums and people starting a congo line.  Definitely not what we had in mind, we ended up back at the ship before 6pm. 

We have had a bottle of sparkling wine in the refrigerator for months now, and today was a good day to pop it open and enjoy sipping it on our deck.   Relaxing with the wine (which we normally don’t drink), we watched as the last of the guests on the Carnival ship boarded.  It was fun watching the kids or adults riding the Celebration’s rooftop roller coaster or going down the tubular shoot to the back pool.  Doing a little research on this behemoth, we learned that this new ship came out in 2022 at a cost of 1 billion dollars.  At 183,521 gross tons, it is the largest ship in their fleet.  At max capacity, there are 6500 guests with 1735 crew members.  A big WOW.   One thing we noticed when we walked back from our hike was the fact that the Celebration completely hid the Zuiderdam from sight despite the fact we were docked almost side by side with the terminal in the center.   This ship was successful in blocking the entire sunset from our view as it left the harbor before 7pm.   It sure was a pretty sight as it was lit up for the night as was the city.

Dinnertime found many people missing.  Many guests may have gone out to dinner because all aboard for us was 10:30pm.  The choices were limited but we did enjoy the hot bowl of pea soup and salads.  Entrees were the Peruvian chicken (half order) and they were just right.  Desserts were rocky road ice cream (finally) and one Tres leches flan.  

The ship left after a few toots of the horn by 10:45pm.  We are heading towards Ft. Lauderdale and will arrive on Saturday morning.   We have two full sea days to finish the packing.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #129    Tuesday  May 7, 2024    National Tourism Day    Sea Day #4 0f 4  Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico     Scattered Clouds 80 Degrees  73% Humidity   Slight Wind And Choppy Seas   Part #1 Of 1.....59 Pictures---Casual Dress

Day four at sea was another pleasant day as far as the seas and temps go.   Still a bit choppy, the swells and most of yesterday’s clouds were gone today.  It may have rained during the evening, but blue skies were peeking through early on.   If it stays this way, we will be happy, as it is not cold as our usual crossings are. 

Since we are getting closer to San Juan, Puerto Rico, we may as well add some info here because we have the time.  The population of Puerto Rico is 3.5 million folks that speak Spanish and English.  There are actually four main islands here, with the largest, San Juan, having a population of 555,000 people.   Christopher Colombus landed here followed by Pone de Leon, who became the first governor of this 500 year old city. 

It is said to have a swashbuckling history due to its proximity to the United States.  These days the islands boast salty sea breezes at numerous resorts and beaches as well as casinos for the gamblers and a high-gloss city after dark.  San Juan, the capital has the old cobblestone streets, pastel colors of the colonial buildings and a famous fortress of days past.  El Morro is a prime example of what this island was all about.  

Now it is a city of bars and clubs reverberating with “salsa” (not the dip) but the rhythms on the dance floors.  The music has lasted through generations.  What kind of food do they like here?  The four main ingredients of Puerto Rican food are rice, beans, plantains and pork.  Fried, grilled, stewed or skewered pork is the King.  Their favorite lunch is a savory spit-roasted suckling pig cooked for over 8 hours until it is smoky and tender. 

Have any of you seen bioluminescent bays?  It is nature’s magical trick, where in some parts of the world you can experience the jewel-like flicker of light dripping from your hands while night-snorkeling or kayaking.  There is actually a tour offered tomorrow that will take some folks to the tiny island to kayak in the darkness of night.  Interesting for sure.  Many years ago, while sailing somewhere in the world, we did witness this phenomenon when we happened to look out our window in the middle of the night.  The water was glowing and we could not believe our eyes.  The following day, Captain Mercer explained what we had seen.  Pretty cool and we didn’t have to snorkel or kayak to see it. 

Too bad there will not be enough time to sink our toes into the white sands and turquoise waters, as we will be arriving late in the afternoon.    Captain Friso did mention he would try to get us to the port by 2pm, but then we have to deal with customs and immigrations, slowing everything down for sure. 

Today was a busy one with many things happening.  Borrowed books had to be brought back to the library, and the photo contest has wrapped up, and we were able to get the one photo for free just for entering.    Any extra ones would have a charge of $5.  We had to sort through five piles of photos to locate the one we entered.  Then we had some cashable credit on our account, and took care of that, getting a complete copy of the entire statement.   Thanks to the refunded port charges for the change of itinerary and extra SB credit to help cover unexpected visa charges, we still had some left to take home. 

While getting “take-out” at the Dive In Grill, we noticed there was a White Elephant sale in progress in the Lido Poolside.  Fellow guests were invited to sell whatever they chose not to take home to other guests.   Many people who have done these long cruises do not need the extra gifts we got, nor do they wish to pay more to send them back home with Luggage Forward.  We have heard of many people giving their small suitcases, or duffels, jackets,  canvas hand bags, and even the Delft plates to their room stewards or waiters.   And we do know for a fact that much of this memorabilia shows up on eBay.  Believe it or not, there is a market for dated HAL items that command some nice prices. 

This evening was “Surprise Night” where the guests and crew were invited to the hottest club on the high seas – the Lido Poolside.   DJ Nyron would be spinning the tunes, while the guests sipped complimentary sparkling wine or indulged with drink specials and a late night snack.  This began at 9pm to 11pm with snacks at 10 to 11pm.  This would definitely be targeted for the early diners, since we were still eating our dinners at 9pm.  Our meal started with shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads.   Our mains were one BBQ pork ribs, and one ziti pasta with andouille sausage (a bit heavy on the cayenne).  It took a scoop of biscotti ice cream to soothe the burn.   

And the clocks went back one more hour, putting us on Eastern time now.  Puerto Rico….here we come.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #128    Monday  May 6, 2024    National Beverage Day    Sea Day #3 0f 4  Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico     Scattered Clouds 80 Degrees  73% Humidity No Wind And Flat Seas   Part #1 Of 1.....59 Pictures---Casual Dress

Our third day at sea began with even smoother seas and continuing balmy temperatures and high humidity.  Looking out the window during breakfast, the sea took on the look of silk floating in the breeze.  We’re almost afraid of saying this because it may jinx it.  Guess what?   It did.

We have also been seeing more and more of an algae-like greenery in the waters ever since we left Cape Verde.  Not sure if it is a type of kelp, but it seems to be getting thicker and larger  in size.  Usually, we are transiting the Atlantic from further north, such as from the Azores or Funchal, and we don’t recall seeing this algae as the waters have to be cooler there.  In addition, we never remember having a crossing being so smooth or warm.  Normally, we would be bouncing off of the walls trying to pack.  But we are certainly not complaining about that.

During breakfast, there was a surprise announcement from Kimberly saying that some animals had escaped from a zoo and they were filling up the Lido Poolside.  In the back round, she was playing “A Lion Sleeps Tonight”, a blast from the past.  Of course, we had to go get the camera and take some photos before the critters were rounded up by 9am.  Last  night between 11pm and 12am, the room attendants got together and provided the most creative towel animals we have seen so far.  There were the usual suspects of monkeys, elephants, turtles, birds, and sea critters.  Then the guys had made life-size crew members sitting in chairs or even in a wheelchair.  Not sure everyone thought that to be amusing.  Even the pink, green, yellow, and blue cleaning cloths were made into little lemmings.  All-in-all, there were hundreds of escapees from the zoo.  Good work room stewards!

Today was one of presents.  The first ones arrived early with the HAL Sailing 150 Years tiles.  No ship design or date was on them.  Although it is really 151 years, these are from last year.   Later in the day, we were given the commemorative plates for the 2024 Grand World Voyage.  We had been told that these plates were small, but we did not expect them to be that small.  They are 6 inches in diameter and do not have an itinerary on them.   Remember the movie, “Honey I Shrunk The Kids”?  Well we feel that has occurred with these final gifts.  Way back in 2005, we were given platters, then it went to plates, some round, some oval, but always something with the actual itinerary on them.  Due to changes in itineraries, not all of the plates were correct.  One year, they put the wrong world cruise on them and replacements were mailed to us.  Oh well, guess we should not look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak.  They will be easier to pack.

Kimberly gave her last port talk on San Juan, Puerto Rico.  This will be an unusual port stop because we are not due to arrive until 3pm.   The Captain said he is striving to get us there at least an hour earlier.  The number one priority will be doing the customs and immigrations clearing with the local officials.  This will occur onshore we understand.  This will be a “zero count” meaning that every person including crew has to attend before anyone is allowed back on the ship.    Usually this is done in Ft. Lauderdale, but since Puerto Rico is considered part of the USA, we can get this process out of the way.  It will make debarking in Florida a whole lot easier. 

The photo contest ended today and three photos were picked for each category.  This was a plus for the photo department because many folks stopped and checked out the numerous entries.  We are sure that they sold more of the pictures that have been displayed for weeks.  We are not sure how these entries will be voted on or by who.

The Crow’s Nest was closed from 3 to 6pm once again to accommodate another Mariner Reward Event.   This must have been the last of the three sessions they did over the last sea days.  There used to be one last cocktail party where the awardees were all recognized in front of the World Stage receiving their medals and having a photo taken.  It was a one night event prior to each dining venue – early or late.  Like many things, that has changed. 

We did our usual walk, then went to the Seaview Pool to find the lounges about empty.  The sun was out and it was great sitting outside talking to Greg for a while.  We did notice that some clouds were forming on the horizon.    By 6pm, it was totally cloudy and it rained.  The sea got rougher, the winds were higher, and we had some good downpours.  Part of the starboard promenade deck was even flooded.  So much for the totally smooth crossing.   Also, Kimberly mentioned that there may be thunderstorms in San Juan. Sure hope not.  Thinking on the positive side, we packed the umbrellas and have no idea which suitcase they are in.  We do have the orange umbrellas in our closet, but they are quite large, so we never used them. 

Today was the final day for turning the laundry in and it had to be out by 12pm.  For the very first time on this trip, we did not get our last laundry back the same day, not that we expected that.  But as of tonight, we still have not seen it.  Of course, a needed sweatshirt was turned in to be cleaned, and everything else warm is packed.  We are sure they are over-whelmed in the laundry department.

Tonight’s dinner was the final formal, although there are still some folks that do not comply.  Their excuse is probably that they packed all of their nice clothes.  We stuck to the dress code, and everyone around us did the same.   Appetizers were shrimp cocktails, a Caesar salad, and one a hot bowl of tasty tomato soup.  Mains were rack of lamb….about the best we have eaten so far in the dining room.  They were even more tender and juicy than what we get in the Pinnacle Grill when we order the lamb chops.  Desserts were one panna cotta, and one glass of vanilla ice cream with a warm fudge sauce. 

Good news, we think, the clocks went back another hour.  No matter which way the clocks go, it still leaves us all tired.  More so when it is done almost every other day.  We still have another hour to go back before we get to Puerto Rico on Wednesday.  We’ll be walking zombies by then.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #127    Sunday  May 5, 2024     Cinco de Mayo Day    Sea Day #2 0f 4  Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico     Scattered Clouds 75 Degrees  73% Humidity 15mph Winds  7' Swell    Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Casual Dress

We’re not sure if we mentioned this, but we had another hour back on the clock last night.  One more hour, and we will be on Eastern Standard Time, also correct for San Juan, Puerto Rico.  And the other event we forgot to mention was Derby Day, a knock-off of the Kentucky Derby.  The “horses” names were Harry Trotter, Chewbacca, Hoof-Hearted, Ahhh Sol and Talk-Derby-to-Me.   The best hat of the day competition was at 1:30pm.  The Grand Voyage Band was present and it was fun for all that attended. 

Thank you for the explanation of the Dutch Liberation Day, which followed yesterday’s Remembrance Day.  We learned something new. 

There was a final Brunch Sampler in the dining room at 11am.  We are not fans of this meal, but many love it.   It was breakfast as usual for us in the Pinnacle Grill, followed by a deck walk and some more packing.  We are caught up with as much as we possibly can be, leaving just what we need for the rest of the week.  For a change, we are ahead of the game.  For our convenience, there are weigh stations in every passenger elevator lobby to assist us with the luggage weights.  We still have the hand-held scale, and it works well.  

There were many promotions in the newsletter today, and that reminded us that we have to pay a visit to the Shops and see how we can make the best use of our non-refundable shipboard credit.  A few days ago we received a call from Guest Services reminding us that we need to spend that credit or chance losing it.    Nice of them to remind us, although, we have known this is something we needed to do.  Something with tanzanite might work for one of us…….

One of us had an appointment at 3:30pm for a haircut.  The wait was over ½ hour, but well worth it since the haircut came out quite nicely.   This has to be one of the busiest places on the ship, keeping our friend Rene, the manager, busy all day….even on port days as the spa is aways opened for business.  

During the 5pm dinnertime, we figured a visit to the Shops would be a good idea.    The manager of the Effy portion of the jewelry shop was most cooperative with helping us find a tanzanite necklace and earring set, and was able to get us a discount as well.   Later on, a Mary Frances beaded handbag was added to our collection.  And that was a wrap.

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm.  By then, most everyone was almost finished and we had good service.  As always, we began with the wedge salads and one order of clothesline bacon.   The bacon is not quite the same as it used to be.   Slab bacon was what they used to serve, but now the bacon is thinner and not as smoky.  Still good, we put it on top of our salads.  One of us ordered the halibut, while the other went for the ribeye steak.  It was far superior to last night’s offering in the dining room.   Skinny fries were shared as well as a slice of Key Lime pie.   It is going to be rough going home and cutting back……..

The entertainment this evening was a singer by the name of Suzanne O. Davis with hits from the 60’s.  There was also star-gazing at 8:30pm with Ted Blank, one of the three lecturers onboard.

Two more sea days and we will be in Puerto Rico.  Hope the weather and seas continue to be good.  Today’s temperature was 75 degrees with a light breeze.  Can’t beat that.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #126    Saturday  May 4, 2024     Kentucky Derby Day    Sea Day #1 0f 4 Enroute To San Juan, Puerto Rico     Scattered Clouds 75 Degrees  73% Humidity 15mph Winds  7' Swell    Part #1 Of 1.....No Pictures---Dressy Dress

Very few of our “breakfast club” showed up early for breakfast this morning.  We’re guessing that since we have four days at sea now, many people slept in or stayed up late last night.   Now you would think that those of us that were dining there would have the wait staff’s undivided attention, but that wasn’t the case.    Once our breakfast was served (missing the ham) the waiters seem to disappear.  One of us gets a carafe of coffee, but the other has decaf…one cup at a time.  But no one was pouring it this morning.  Another waiter made a sweep with the pastry tray one time only.  Even one of our buddies had to get up and go help himself from the tray on a side table.  We were happy to see someone spotted that and came running.  We are the only ones that get the sugar-free packets….the rest of the tables have none.    This has been occurring for the last month, leading us to think they are running short.  Anyway, we will survive, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.  Unlike our dinner waiters, we do not have a designated waiter for breakfast.

We spent some of the morning catching up on yesterday’s photos and labeling.  We took our morning walk with pleasant temperatures and a little wind.  So far, it is still on the warm side, but we don’t expect it to last long.  One thing for sure, we are enjoying watching the hundreds of flying fish scatter when the bow breaks the surface.  Their only worries are what is underneath them in the sea, but not overhead, since the birds are not here.

Spending an hour at the Seaview Pool, we found it was plenty warm.  Our regular deck waiters were not there today, and the ones that took their places never came around with ice water.    It appears the jobs have been changing as we get closer to the end of the trip.   Deep cleaning has continued in every restaurant as we get closer to that inspection in San Juan. 

We packed more luggage today, finding some clothes that were left in a side pocket of a duffel.   One of us knew some things were missing, but figured they were left behind while unpacking from the Tales of the South Pacific and re-packing for the world cruise.  At least one of us has some new dinner clothes for the final week here.

We received several invites.  One of them was for our travel group gathering at the Sunday Brunch tomorrow in the dining room.  Since we do not care for the brunch menu, we will not be there.  Another invitation arrived for a Mariner Society Lunch in the dining room on the 7^th at 11am.    It was by special invite from Captain Friso and Henk, our hotel director.  Chances are they will not be hosting tables as they have done in the past.   This year it appears that the officers have not been hosting tables on formal evenings either.  There may be a few of them that were invited directly, but not many. 

The most important note came to everyone regarding the use of requested wheelchairs for disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale.  It was made perfectly clear that the service is limited and it applies to guests who have used mobility devices from day one.   Or perhaps if someone was injured onboard and needed assistance ever since, they would qualify for help.  Otherwise, it is not an alternative for luggage/package/carry-on transportation options.  You would be surprised how many folks did this years ago in order to be taken off first. No more.

At 5pm, there was a requested two minutes of silence for Dutch Remembrance Day or Dodenherdenking in Dutch.  It is similar to our Memorial Day and we’re certain it was honored by all in the public areas.  Tomorrow is dubbed Bevrijdingsdag which might stand for Cinco de Mayo???    We sure don’t know.

We received a full size photo taken with us and the Captain and Henk at the Mariner Recognition Event a couple of days ago.  It was a lot more casual that the posed pictures we normally took, and probably better.  Thinking back on that afternoon, we feel bad for the folks that had gotten their 5 star level medallions.  Each of them should have been recognized since it took a lot of days to get to that level.  At least they were invited to take a picture with the officers before leaving the party.  

It was “dressy” for dinner, although many of the guests chose not to be that dressy.   We know that everyone is in the packing mode and use that as an excuse not to dress up.   There is one more formal evening, and we are really sure many will not follow the suggestion.   It’s not like the formal night will be on the last evening, as it will be on Monday with plenty of time to pack it up.  Dinner time found us ordering smoked chicken slices with a raisin aioli sauce.  It was really good as was the crab fritter.  Following our salads was the rib steak dinner, the chef’s recommendation for the night.  We did not expect the meat to be as good as in the Pinnacle Grill, but it was pretty close.  There was room for a tiny scoop of Neapolitan ice cream for dessert. 

The entertainment tonight was another performance of the The Flyrights.  They promised a  sensational show – different from their last one.   We shall see.

Bill & Mary Ann