WCB

Report #17 Sea Day Enroute To Juneau, Alaska Thursday September 22, 2022 Rain & Partly Cloudy.......Part #1 Of 2...Text Only Pictures In Part 2 Happy First Day of Autumn! Today was to be a day at sea with scenic cruising. Yesterday Captain Friso had mentioned that the weather can turn-on-a-dime in Alaska, and he was correct. We woke up to a gloomy, grey, and overcast morning with the rain eventually falling by 10am. On the other hand, we did spot some jumping porpoises while eating breakfast. If we had been a little earlier, we may have gotten seats at the window, but we were at a tiny table for two, same as last night. For sure, tomorrow we will be first in line when the doors open at 7:30am, and request a larger table. After breakfast, we went to pay a visit to Shiv, our favorite Head of Housekeeping. His office is more spacious than the one he shared with his colleagues on the Amsterdam. They were deep into computer work, but took the time to welcome us. Feels more like being home knowing so many nice officers and crew members. Shiv mentioned that the HAL tote bags had arrived and would be sent to our room. We thanked him for the follow-up. Our next stop was to see Henk, but he was there one minute, then gone the next. He probably has one of the most demanding jobs on the ship. We shall hunt him down soon…..we know where he lives now on deck one. The next job was to go to the front desk and inquire about the incorrect charges. There was no question that our Canaletto dinners were complimentary, and she promised to send that message to the accounting team. It was such a drippy day, we skipped the promenade walk, and went back to the room to work on emails and the blog. We had a nice room service lunch of salads and sandwiches. Today the potato chips were not crumbs, like someone sat on the bag. Eventually, the rain let up and stopped. The sun appeared around 3:30pm while we watched for wildlife. We had some eagle sightings while sailing the Inside Passage, and later on, there was a pod of porpoise swimming in circles as they fed on fish we assume. Then the parade of ships began. First was the Eurodam, which passed us going the opposite way. Next was the Celebrity Millennium, followed by the NCL, possibly the Sun. On closer look, it was the Bliss. They were all heading back to either Vancouver or Seattle, like horses going back to a barn. This evening’s dress code was “Dressy” or what we like to call “Gala”, which used to be “Formal”. We went formal, and did not feel out of place. The new passengers dressed accordingly, at least from where we could see from the upper dining room. A waiter we have known for many grand cruises, Heru, came over to say hi. He must have been at the back of the restaurant, and just got moved up where we are. He shared more info on his friends that left for other cruise lines. Many of them had no choice. For dinner we had one salad, and one very hot French onion soup. Nice on a cool day. Then our mains were one stuffed ricotta cheese shells and lamb chops. Both were quite small servings, but adequate. Now for desserts, our waiter brought one of each….Baked Alaska, and two types of cakes. Good thing they were small portions, since we finished all three. On our way out of the dining room, we asked Johnnie, the head waiter, how many passengers were sailing on this 7 day voyage. He said 1700. From Vancouver to San Diego, there will be about 1000 (maybe more if they can market it), and 1600 on the Tales of the South Pacific. Those are all good numbers. Best news of the day – the clocks went back one hour to be on Alaska time. Works for us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #16 Vancouver, British Columbia Wednesday September 21,2022 Sunny 70 Degrees 7am-3:30pm Part #1 Of 4........Text Only…Pictures In Parts 2 & 3 Here we are…back in Vancouver once again. Docked at 7am, we were not alone as the Regent Seven Seas Mariner was already here, and joined shortly after we arrived, was the Ruby Princess. Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill revealed that the same wait staff was still there. We have been told that by Skagway, there will be a rotation of managers and some of the staff. This appears to be the norm these days. Leaving the restaurant, we ran into Henk, who told us a few facts with the upcoming cruises. We think we heard him say that so far there will be 600 in transit next Wednesday after the last Alaska run. Then they will pick up 1000 more guests in San Diego. We heard rumors that HAL is offering a good deal to board the ship in Vancouver for the 5 day sail down to San Diego. The stop in San Francisco will now allow guests to board there. This was not the case when we booked. San Francisco is usually not a port for HAL to embark guests. The amenities for our room began arriving such as gifts of shipboard credit from our travel agent, the Have-It-All packages, two new KN95 masks, and two Mariner drink cards. Later in the day, we found two bottles of Brut sparkling wine, two trays of munchies, and 16 Cokes and one bottle of Bacardi Rum in place of the flower arrangement. We always check our shipboard account on the room TV to make sure our credits are posted. Most of them were, but we had a surprise to find we had been charged for our Canaletto dinners last night….1/2 price, but it should be complimentary for us. Tomorrow we will have to pay a visit to the front desk folks and get that fixed, as well as searching for other missing credits. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, and if we had not discovered it, it would remain incorrect. There were about 30 minutes before we had to leave the ship, so we took this opportunity to do a favor for friends that will be on the 23 GWV. We located their room and took photos of every nook and cranny for them. We happened to run into the assistant head housekeeper, Evi, who said she could do us a favor. We asked for a small dining table we could put on our veranda, and she promised to find us one. Low and behold, it did appear when we returned. Repeating pretty much what we did a week ago, we left the ship by 9:30am and headed to the area where the crew leaves. With our in transit cards in hand, we got off easily. The weather could not have been better, with the predicted high in the 60’s or more. It took us about 1 ½ hours to hike the water front from Canada Place, past the Convention center, and along the seawall. The seaplane terminal was already getting busy with float planes landing and taking off every few minutes. Passing the Westin, we continued past Coal Harbour and the marina. We spotted Lost Lagoon this time, then continued to Stanley Park with 1000 acres of evergreen trees and other venues. One of those is the Horse Drawn Carriage Rides. Today the pair of horses were Percherons, according to their handler. They were huge beautiful animals with hooves the size of dinnerplates. They pulled the aluminum frame coach with ease. A sign was posted between the two horses warning not to pet them near their mouths, as they may mistake your fingers for carrots. Ouch! It was beginning to get crowded, so we headed off into the park, taking a shortcut over the top to the Stanley Park Seawall. We saw Lumberman’s Arch, what is left of a massive tree from the beginning of the 20th century. There was also a take-away café in this area, but it was closed for the season we think. The designated pedestrian walkway and bike lane was starting to get busy. To complete this walk, it was 6 miles. The view of the Lions gate Bridge was excellent here. We did not need to go further, so headed back on the pathways through the tree-studded park. Took about an hour to make it back to the lunch place we like so much….The Steamworks Brewing Co. The pizza and beers were really good, as was the apple galette dessert. It was close to 1pm, and the place was crowded for a Wednesday. Service was a bit slow, but we needed to take our time, and not get back to the terminal too soon. With three ships to fill, there would be a lot more guests to check in. Last week this went off like clockwork. But today…..well, not so easy. We entered the terminal located under Canada Place, and proceeded to the same area the crew uses. We showed our in transit cards, and were directed to the correct line. When we reached the area where the bigger crowd was checking in, we were directed around them when we were asked if we were US citizens. At the kiosks, we scanned our passports, answered a few questions, then had our photo taken. Once completed, a slip is issued that is handed over to an official. Easy, but not for long. A row of HAL reps were getting the newly checking in passengers at the kiosks with facial recognition. We did not have to do this last time, since we were in transit. Today, they insisted we had to do this. Not listening to us that we were already on the ship, they could not locate our names as new passengers. Hello……we were in transit! These gals sent us to another desk, and another rep said why are you guys here? You are already cleared. Great, she walked us to the barrier tape and said go through and go to the gangway. As we were about around the rope, here comes another rep, saying no…we cannot go. Come on…enough already. Showing her our room keys and in transit cards, she reluctantly apologized, and let us go….finally. Both of us were thinking…hurry up before they change their minds. Good to get back to our room, we spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos. By the time the ship left the dock around 4pm, we cracked open the bottle of sparkling wine, and sipped and savored as we left the harbor. Good thing that we thought ahead and had a bottle in the refrigerator, because they failed to have the new bottle on ice. Oh, should all of life’s problems be so bad? Not. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, and we were rather surprised to find the room so full of guests. Usually at 8pm, the majority are about finished with their meals. Not so tonight. Guess we were lucky to get a table for two, even though they are really tiny. Our waitress told us that they had planned for 16 guests, but about 80 showed up. First time we noticed a long wait time for our courses, not that we were in a hurry. One table for three that were across from us, definitely must have had the Have-It-All beverage package. You know the one where you get 15 drinks a day per person? Well, at least two of them must have exceeded that number, and were really loudly whooping it up. The good news was they were on their dessert course, and once they finished their wine (a must), they left the room. Had a difficult time doing it, so some waiters came to help. So not worth the hangover, ha-ha. Tomorrow, Captain Friso warned that we can expect a change in the weather, with cloudy skies and eventually some rain. Guess our luck might be running out for sunny skies. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #15 Tuesday September 20, 2022 At Sea Enroute Via The Inside Passage To Vancouver, Canada Sunny, but chilly wind 69 Degrees Part # 1 of 2.....Text Only ......Pictures In Part #2 A day at sea was most welcomed this morning. The Pinnacle Grill was not crowded, and we think the reason for that was the time change of going ahead one hour. At the entrance to the Dining Room at 8:45am, there was a line heading down the hallway with guests waiting to be seated. We have truly been spoiled with breakfast in the smaller Pinnacle Grill. No waiting for anything. After we finished our meal, we gave the manager a list of dates for this venue and one for the Canaletto for next week. At 10:30am, we were invited to another Mariner Recognition Event which was held in the tucked away Gallery Bar on deck two. Gone are the days when a much larger group of high day Mariners were invited to attend. In total, we counted about 12 guests, including us. Wine, champagne? or mimosas were offered, along with two trays of hors’deuvres and jars of “formal” nuts, as we loved to call them. Of course we declined having just finished breakfast. The Captain had a few minutes to chat with us, sharing the news that the Zuiderdam will be undergoing a dry docking for 14 days in December at the cost of 10 million dollars. He has heard that a library may be added, but no Grand Dutch Café as we had hoped. The rest of the refit would be behind the scenes. We did have a quick discussion with Henk concerning the amended itinerary for the upcoming Tales of the South Pacific. We informed him that we had received a copy of the original itinerary on our computer just this morning. Nothing had changed. He said he was going to get to the bottom of this snafu, since the revised itinerary had been out for several days now. Ian, the Cruise and Travel Director, announced a couple of medal awardees who came forward for a photo with Henk and Captain Friso. Then the rest of us were acknowledged according to our medal level. One fellow was sitting alone, away from the group, and Ian failed to mention him. He corrected his mistake and invited him up for a photo, asking where his wife was. His answer was she was not feeling well. Someone in the group remarked they hoped it wasn’t Covid. With that comment, the man nodded that it was. After the event was over, Ian came over and we talked about the pandemic mess of March 2020, and where we all had been stuck when the ships ceased operations. At that time, he was on the Volendam’s Grand South America cruise, but was not allowed to debark due to the fact he was British. He ended up on a Princess ship which was headed to Europe and England. Under the circumstances, he praised the Princess team for doing a great job getting him home. Taking a walk on the Promenade deck, we saw many people with cameras and binoculars looking for whales, they said. Way out in the distance, we did see many blows, but did not see any diving whales. At least we saw some. We were told we may see some orcas around 5pm when naturalist, Kainoa, has a wildlife spotting session at the Sea View Pool. When we went back to our room, we had two Delft tiles left for us on the bed. Another end to a 7 day run. It was a room service lunch for us with salads and sandwiches at 2pm. The complimentary 8 x 10 photos we had taken in the Mariner Event was delivered to our room by 4pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent working on the computer as well as relaxing on our veranda. The further south we traveled, the nicer it got. It had warmed up to 57 degrees with a slight breeze. The skies remained blue for the most part, so the sailing into Queen Charlotte Strait was beautiful. We never did see those orcas like we did last week, but the scenery sailing between the islands of the Inside Passage was rewarding. Following closely behind us was the Regent Seven Seas Mariner, and way far behind was the Celebrity Eclipse, we believe. Dinner was in the Canaletto tonight. Andre greeted us and gave us a nice table for two. For starters, we ordered salads and a shared bowl of veal meatballs with freshly-grated parmesan cheese. One of us had the lasagna and the other the special of the day……short ribs. Not particularly fond of the sides, he added a baked potato, and assumed the toppings would come with it. The butter and sour cream did not come with it, and by the time they brought it, we were about finished. Oh well, we will need to remember to order it all at once. Our waitress felt bad, but we said it was fine. We had saved a little room for desserts of gelato, one with espresso and chocolate shavings. I ordered the cappuccino like I had last night with almond milk. It was better than dessert. Yesterday, we got the letter describing what we do in Vancouver tomorrow with the zero clearance and debarking. We will need to leave the ship around 9:30am, and be back before 2:30pm. Looks like the weather will be even nicer than last week, if that is possible for the first day of autumn. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #14 Monday September 19, 2022 Ketchikan, Alaska 11am to 6:30pm Sunny, but chilly wind 51 degrees Part # 1 of 4........Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,And 4 Yesterday, there was a hint that it may be 70 degrees in Ketchikan, but we think they were off by 20 degrees. It was sunny, but downright chilly. We are not complaining, because more times than not, it is raining here. We will take sunny, blue skies over rain any day. The Zuiderdam was scheduled to be docked by 11am, so that gave us the morning to relax, although, there were many activities happening around the ship. One of them was Honoring HM Queen Elizabeth ll and the broadcast of the State Funeral. They were able to record it, and present the film in the Mainstage at 10:30am. It appeared on the BBC HD TV channel. In real time, we could have watched it live from 11pm last night until this morning. We began our approach to Ketchikan entering past the Tongass Narrows. On the Gravina Island side, we spotted a humpback whale blowing, then diving very near the shoreline. Guess some of them have not left yet. There was only one, and he was diving deep, but we were still able to capture a few photos. As we sailed closer to Ketchikan, which is located on Revillagigedo Island, we saw a smaller cruise ship tucked into a cove. Turned out to be the Norwegian Spirit, and may have been docked at The Mill at Ward Cove, built in 2021. The downtown piers had the Royal Princess and Celebrity’s Eclipse, both large vessels. The town will be crowded today for sure. To avoid the long line of debarking guests, we waited until noon to leave. No problem this time, as most of the passengers had probably gone off on tours. We were not sure if we should take our heavier jackets, but with that wind blowing, we opted for the arctic coats. And glad we did. As the day wore on, a fine layer of clouds blocking the heat of the sun appeared, keeping the temps lower. The strong winds never stopped. We took our usual route to Creek Street to see if the salmon were still running….actually swimming up the creek. The first thing we noticed while standing on the Stedman Street Bridge were two harbor seals working the waters. We knew the salmon were still coming up the creek or else these seals would not be here. We did take Creek Street up to the top, but did not dilly dally, since there were way too many people crowding the boardwalk and viewing platforms. The best place to see the incredible number of salmon, is in the upper creek on Park Avenue. Even several sea gulls were pigging out on the rotting carcasses in the shallow portion of the river. This is the salmon spawning area, and there were hundreds if not thousands of fish making their way upstream. Asking a local what type of salmon these were, the answer was either chum or pinks. The pinks have the humpbacks, and that was what we were seeing. Many more were dead and dying compared to a week ago. Of course, the aroma was not so pleasant as one might expect. Bet that attracts the bears too, who make their way here during the night we were told. While getting up close and personal on the gravel banks, the manager of the Pinnacle Grill appeared with a buddy. Seeing those dead and decaying salmon, he said that sure sharpened our appetites for a salmon dinner…….NOT exactly, we all agreed. Once again, we crossed the road and followed Salmon Road to the hatchery and the City Park. Taking advantage of a picnic table and benches, we sat and watched as a couple of “Ducks” drove their passengers to another bridge up the river. Two tour buses also let their guests out to view the fish from the bridge. After all of the vehicles left, we strolled up there to see what they did. Actually, we decided the lower bridge offered a much better view of the creek, which was loaded with spawning fish. Snapping one photo of the totem in front of the Totem Heritage Center, we headed back to town. It was already after 2pm, and we knew to try for lunch at the Alaska Crab Company, the same place we dined last week. With so many passengers in town, we might be out of luck. Off the beaten track somewhat, access to this restaurant is by taking a small elevator up to the third level. We were told we had a 10 minute wait, so we stayed. It was only a couple of minutes before we were seated at the very same table we had last week. In fact, the servers recognized us, and welcomed us back. And by the way, most all of the tables were occupied, many of the diners chowing down on crab legs or fish and chips. We ordered a plate of crispy chicken tenders with three dips….the best one was the BBQ for me and the honey mustard for Bill. A pile of fries came with the chicken, and we had Alaska Amber beers again. Dessert was a shared slice of caramel cheesecake. If all goes according to plan, we should be back here in a week. After exploring a few stores, we went to the Visitors Bureau and picked up some more brochures. In the same area is The Rock, a bronze sculpture of Ketchikan’s first people and pioneers. Nearly 20 out of every 100 residents can trace their heritage back to the native tribes. Across the street is the Welcome Arch which welcomed visitors in the early 1920’s. You cannot stop in this city without going into the Tongass Trading Company, boasting the best shopping on the Inside Passage. They have just about everything you can imagine, and at reasonable prices. It is always a place we visit because they have a mounted full size polar bear inside behind glass. Impressive. Time to go back onboard, the security gal held up the same ipad we saw while in Skagway. She said it was facial recognition, just like what was used in Ft. Lauderdale going through customs and immigrations when we did back-to-back trips in January through April. We still had our room keys scanned, so this is a new process in the making we assume. While we worked on photos and reports, the Royal Princess must have sailed out of the harbor. These ships move almost silently, and we never noticed it was gone. Around 6:30pm, the Celebrity Eclipse left the port. Within minutes, we followed them out. Once the sun dipped below the mountains, it was really cold. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, and we ordered the same salads we like…..the wedge. Mains were grilled lamb chops, and halibut, and both were cooked to perfection. A chocolate souffle and some vanilla ice cream finished the meal. For a change, we enjoyed cappuccinos, one with almond milk. Excellent. The only downside was that the clocks had to be put forward one hour this evening. So we passed on the Orange Party again. We both agreed that depending on where your stateroom is located, makes a difference in your cruise experience. It’s a simple fact that having a forward room, like we had on the N. Statendam, we passed through the shops, the music venues, as well as the casino after dinner. The booming noise of the Billboard Onboard, the Rolling Stones, and the BB King venues were loud enough to wake the dead. The casino was so mobbed, that we had to wiggle through to access the elevators. On the other hand, having a room in the aft, like here, we avoid all of that unless we go out of our way to those venues. We have yet to do that, but we will have to, or else we won’t know how it compares to the other ships. Even the Shops on this ship are off of the beaten track for us. Bill & Mary Ann

Here are a few answers to your questions. Linda and Dave - The Dining Room Manager is Franz. Presty arrives here November 17th, when we go home. The KN95 masks are not typically given, but the surgical ones are. So few guests are wearing them, which is too bad. It is not mandatory.....yet. Hi M&M from Alabama - It seems like yesterday when we met while hiking in St. Thomas. Bon Voyage! The Main Dining Room does not seem that crowded, like we feel it was on the N. Statendam. Now that we have moved to a table on the railing, deck three, we have more space. At 8pm, there are fewer people eating there. Masks are few and far between as far as the guests are concerned. Usually we eat around 2pm in the Lido for lunch, finding a table far from everyone. Bringing your meal outside is a good option as well. On this trip, we have had a lot of room service lunches. On port days, we go out to lunch. We suspect booking tours onshore will be possible. Cannot advise on that since we do not take them anymore. We love our aft cabin, but there is noise from the azipods and wake. Not a problem for us. Do not notice vibrations here. Finally, we did not attend any CC meetings this time. Hope this helps. Thanks riverrat for the offer. We think we are good. See you soon! Mary Ann & Bill

Report #13 Glacier Bay 7am-5pm Sunday September 18, 2022 Partly Cloudy With Lots Of Sun 50 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.....Text Only Pictures In Part 2-4 Well, today was our second time to scenic cruise Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. It is almost impossible to wrap one’s head around the fact that it is 3.2 million acres. You could spend a lifetime here, and never see all of it. Beginning the morning in the Pinnacle Grill at 7am, we inquired about two missing waiters. We were informed that they had tested positive for Covid a few days ago, and are currently in a ten day quarantine. And here we thought the virus was mostly gone. Wishful thinking…… With this in mind, we will continue wearing our KN95 masks while inside the ship, and anywhere else that appears over- crowded. Hope their recovery is quick, as they are missed. By 8:40am, we were approaching Gloomy Knob, the cliffs where we spotted the mountain goats a week ago. Since they are territorial, we figured they might be in the same area. By gosh, they were, although not resting together on a knoll. The park ranger had seen them as well, and said the name Gloomy Knob translated into the land of the mountain goats in the native language. He added that the indigenous tribes gathered their shed wool, and used it to weave fabric. Many kittiwake sea birds were nested in this area, and we even saw some pelagic cormorants, as they are called here. We had exceptional weather today, even warmer than last week. Oddly enough, the day started out with low fog and clouds, but eventually the sun came out and the skies turned blue. How lucky was that? Once again, we were able to get a glimpse of Mount Fairweather in her white glory at 15,300 feet in elevation. At this point, we began to see some ice floating in the bay as we got deeper into the fjord. Saw some stray otters also. There was a ship following in our wake, which turned out to be the NCL Sun. There was no mistaking the colorful symbol of a shining sun streaming on the bow of the vessel. We understand that only 2 ships are allowed in the bay each day. Further up the bay, they turned into Tarr Inlet to view Margerie Glacier we think. We are so glad we have this cabin, and don’t have to go to the bow, where the people were like sardines in a can. No social distancing there. We did notice that most everyone was bundled up, but on our veranda, we were actually peeling off the layers. The ship glided past the smaller Reid and Lamplugh Glaciers with the promise we will see those on the way back. As we approached Johns Hopkins Inlet, the ranger had some good info of this area. He said that the glaciers are a river of ice with year round snowfall that compacts and flows down the steep downhill slope. The storms providing this snowfall come from the Gulf of Alaska. Some of the tallest mountain ranges in the world exist here such as the Fairweather Range. A whopping 145 feet of snow falls annually in this area. There are over 1000 individual glaciers in this park. By 9:45am, we passed by Jaw Point, and searched for signs of black or brown bears. There were no sightings today. It’s the luck of the draw, and we had that luck last week. By the way, we have to mention that there are no speakers on the verandas. We can’t even locate a speaker in our room….only one in the hallway. Good thing we can turn on the bow camera, and get the lecturer talking. We do have to dart in and out of the room to hear the commentary. The door can be propped open, but with the huge mosquitos outside, we did not do that. Once again, we were told that Johns Hopkins Inlet was closed to ships most of the season, due to the protection of the harbor seals. The size of a human, these seal numbers have been declining as much as 75%, and the experts are not sure why. Who knows, it could be like Covid for people. On the other hand, other seal species numbers are on the increase. At the end of the inlet, we could see the tidewater glacier with the width over one mile wide, and the face 250 feet high. The closer we got, the ice increased in the inlet. The larger chunks of ice are not big enough to be called icebergs. They are bergie bits, and home to hundreds of the harbor seals. Only 10% of these chunks of ice are visible above the water surface. The rest, 90%, is under the water. The smaller ice is called growlers. Captain Friso gave each side of the ship 30 minutes of viewing, with the hopes we would experience some calving. Today all we saw were a few small chunks of ice falling near the face with small cracking noises. Now last week, we heard the thunderous cracks of calving, followed by giant pillars of ice falling into the waters below. Reportedly, the glaciers calve a few times every hour….it just wasn’t our hour today. Maybe next week…… Yesterday, we had received a flyer advertising a sale of a souvenir HAL stainless steel insulated mug filled with a choice of four coffees with alcohol, or steaming hot chocolate. We called up the Exploration Café to see if this offer was still going on, and they yes. So we ordered one hot chocolate and one Gold Rush coffee with Grand Marnier, coffee, and hot chocolate. They were perfect to drink while viewing the bay. And we think we got a better deal, since we do have the Have-It-All beverages, so we only got charged for the mugs. We can use these to get coffee in the Explorations Café, saving them the paper cup with lids. We would like to thank Secretary of State, William Seward, who bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for a mere 2 cents an acre. “Seward’s Folly” as the deal was known, was quite a deal, wasn’t it? Just think, if that never happened, we would probably have never seen any part of this wonderful state. This seemed like a good time for lunch, so we ordered from room service again. Salads, quesadilla, sandwiches, and one bowl of soup filled us up. No cookies this time, just fresh green apples. The service has been on time and nothing was missing. The NCL Sun was on its way to Johns Hopkins Glacier by the time we were exiting. We back-tracked past Lamplugh and Reid Glaciers with no commentary. By now, we were doing 18 knots heading back. The guide suggested keeping a lookout for otters and seals, as well as humpback whales. He did level with us that most all of the humpbacks are gone on their way to Maui now. Just like us pretty soon. The final sealife we spotted was at South Marble Island, where we viewed Stellar seals that weighed up to 2000 pounds. Most all of these red fur sun bathers were males, while the females stayed away on the outer rocks. The rangers had to leave the ship by 3:45pm to go back to Bartlett Cove and the Glacier Bay Lodge. A catamaran-type boat picked them up. They circled the ship, giving us all a chance to wave goodbye. Somewhere around 4:15pm, the NCL Sun appeared, and the same process happened with them. Their group of rangers were also transported back to shore. Once again, we filled out the Canadian customs form, and inquired about the Arrive Can we have to do again for the following stops in Vancouver. The guest relations manager offered to do this for us, and all she needed was to make copies of our Covid vaccination cards. Perfect. We provided them, and she had the form printed with the new code, then sent it to our room. This should take care of that until we head for the South Pacific. Once the ship began to sail to open waters, we had some rolling. We consider ourselves lucky that the storm that hit the Bering Sea area missed us altogether. With 54 foot seas predicted, we sure did not want to experience that again. Twenty years ago while on the Volendam’s Asia/Pacific Explorer Cruise, we navigated through 55 foot seas near Dutch Harbor. Never again did we want that kind of ride, we said. Knock on wood….we never did come close. Dinner tonight was labeled “dressy”. Except this time, dressy was just casual for most. We spotted one fellow in a suit in the upper dining room. Glad we did not put on the ritz, or we might have really felt out of place. We have a feeling the guests on the longer 50 day cruise will be more conventional. We’ll see….. Anyway, we ordered the veal chops and they were great. Tasty and tender, and even served hot, we were happy to see this on the menu. Tomorrow we will be back to Ketchikan with the promise of temperatures in the 70’s. How nice it that??? Bill & Mary Ann

What we were given regarding the changes with the Tales of the South Pacific is identical to what is listed on the Navigator app. However, it may still change. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #12 Saturday September 17, 2022 Skagway, Alaska Partly Cloudy And Cool With A Steady Breeze.....Part #1 Of 3.....This Page Text Only Around 5:55am, one of us awakened with a sudden knock on the door. Probably still dreaming, I could have sworn I heard “fire alarm”. Which really must have been room service, and they had the wrong room. So much for sleeping in a bit later. By the way, we were already docked at Skagway, and the only cruise ship there today. Once again, we had no satellite connection, but we did have internet. Breakfast was earlier , 7 – 8:30am to accommodate the tours, most of which were variations of a ride on the White Pass Scenic Railway. Other thrilling excursions involved a plane or a helicopter ride to view glaciers and the countryside. Back to breakfast….they served the best English bacon with our waffles and pancakes today. Moist and tender. It was downright chilly this morning, with temps in the high 30’s. Now we are really glad we brought those heavy jackets, because we wore them when we left the ship at 11am. There was no long line getting off today, since most all of the tour groups were gone. Actually, the later train tour was about to start, so there was a very long line for the folks to board the coaches. From what we could see, the coaches were full. Here are a few fun facts about Skagway. The current population is about 1200 people according to the 2020 census. In the winter, there are 800, while there are up to 2500 people in July, the peak of tourist season. Their public school has 130 students from K – 12. The climate in summer has 45 to 67 degrees and the summer solstice has 19 hours of daylight. However, in the winter, the temps drop from 18 to 37 degrees with many days at below 0. Darkness exists most of the day. Skagway gets 26 inches of rain and 39 inches of snow. White Pass can get 20 feet of snow. Summer tourists were 1.1 million cruise ship passengers in 2019, while 2020 had zero, due to Covid. In 2021, tourists numbered in the 100,000 range, and it is expected to be much higher for 2022. The largest employers are visitor and transportation industries and government jobs. A copper mine still uses this port. Finally, in May of 2022, unleaded gas was $5.50 a gallon, while milk sold for $7…..thanks to inflation. Today our hike took us to town, where we stopped at the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitors Center. They offered many brochures, so we decided to pick some up on the way back. No sense packing them. Also ducked into a few stores to compare prices from Juneau and Ketchikan. Continuing up the road, the houses ended, and we saw the Train Yard buildings. There was an arrow pointing to the Gold Rush Cemetery, another ½ mile away. Reid Falls was beyond that. Perhaps we will save that hike for next week. Crossing the highway, we walked over the Moore Bridge where the Skagway River rushes under it. Just as we were leaning over the railing looking for fish in the river, a plane flew overhead, preparing to land at the small airstrip along the banks. Took our breath away, since it was so low and loud, and too close to us. Time to head back. Lunch would be at the Skagway Brewing Company for a burger, fries, and two Amber Red beers. We dined in their upstairs restaurants, where we found about a dozen customers. It was not crowded like the Red Onion Saloon on Broadway Street. Again, it would have been nice to have the pizza at the Station Bar & Grill, but they opened too late for lunch. The next stop was at smaller shop that sold ice cream and popcorn. We purchased a large bag of caramel corn with candied pecans, a nice snack for our room. They actually had tasting bowls where the folks could reach in and take a handful. No way would we do that these days. To tell the honest truth, Covid does not seem to be front and center here. Compared to where we live, it seems to have hit, and is mostly gone. The majority of the locals were not wearing masks. Our last stop was at the Visitors Center to gather some brochures and maps, as well as the local newspaper. Asking the park ranger about the impending storm up here, he said that it missed this part of Alaska, but hit the Aleutians. He added that it was headed to California, where they may get up to 2 inches of rain or even better, some snow in the mountains. Heaven knows….we need it. We got back to the ship after 4pm, and warmed up in our room snacking on some of that good popcorn, while working on the computer. Sitting on the veranda reading the information we picked up, we had to wear our heavy jackets and even use the plaid wool blankets. Exposed to the wind, it was quite cool. The time for dinner arrived, and we headed for the dining room. One of our favorite dishes was on the menu……short rib Bolognese with linguini noodles. Really, it was ground beef and tasted wonderful with extra parmigiana cheese. Even better served hot. Our new waiters must have gotten the message we like our meals hot. A small serving of ice cream finished the meal. After the ship left Skagway, Captain Friso announced that we were going to have an emergency helicopter medical evacuation of an ill guest. He asked for no filming especially with flashes as it can blind the chopper pilot. He expected the pick up to be between 10 and 12pm, but as this was being written, we heard it hovering behind the ship around 10:40pm. Job done, they were on their way by 11pm. Hope all is OK once again, since that makes two taken off in two days. Tomorrow will be scenic cruising in Glacier Bay. Wonder if it will be as spectacular as last week’s visit? Bill & Mary Ann

In regards to upgrading to a Signature Suite for the world cruise, we were offered a good deal. And since the cruise was almost all Future Cruise Credit, we said, "Why not"? Thanks for the storm update. So far, we have escaped it. We are in Skagway today, with temps in the 30's and down right cold. The seas are flat. Also, that makes more sense about the cancellation of Tracy Arm tours. Too much ice is dangerous. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #11 Juneau, Alaska Friday September 16, 2022 Raining, overcast, then sunny 55 Degrees 2pm-9:30pm Part #1 Of 2.........56 Pictures We woke up to heavy clouds, rain, and temps in the 40’s early this morning with spotty TV reception. It appeared we would not be as lucky as we have been for the last week with mostly sunny days. Something one of us has to remember is that anything dark chocolate for dessert and even decaf coffee is not a good idea at dinnertime. Sleep evaded me until 2am. We don’t know why, but there was no stop at Tracy Arm for an excursion this cruise. Just scenic cruising to Juneau, with an arrival time of 2pm. Good time to relax, as one of us needed it. Now this is funny…….one of the first things we were asked in the Pinnacle Grill this morning was would we like a mimosa? Oh my gosh…..can they read our minds? Of course, we said yes, thank you. That might help improve the mood of the dreary day. Then a miracle happened. The skies cleared up, and the sun appeared. It was actually warm on our veranda, where we stayed watching for wild life. This area is considered a temperate rainforest, so the dense evergreen trees of the mountainsides were beautiful. Peaceful and quiet. This time we looked for those orcas and porpoises, but saw none. Only a few scattered sea gulls. The Zuiderdam approached Juneau and the Gastineau Channel by 12:30pm. We were docked by 1:30pm, but we never did hear the announcement that we were cleared by the local authorities. Just by coincidence, some folks on the deck below us, spotted a black bear way up high on the mountainside near a waterfall, then alerted us. It was even difficult to locate it with powerful binoculars, but we did see it and got a few pictures. However, flying within reach of our veranda was an eagle heading towards a nest on the shoreline. It had been perched with another one across the bay. Once it landed, it tucked itself deeper into the branches, and was difficult to see. On our last visit, we spotted the same birds there. Today we saw a total of three. The area of Juneau is 3255 square miles, although 928 square miles is ice cap. Water consists of 704 square miles, while the actual rural area is 14 square miles. They get 62 inches of rain and 88 inches of snow annually. The average temperature is 35 degrees. Their main industries are government, tourism, fishing, and mining. There are more trails than roads, and 280 species of birds, black and brown bears, five types of salmon, orca and humpback whales reside in this area. Getting off of the ship was a joke. The line on deck two mid ship snaked all the way to the Mainstage. There was only one gangway that could be opened today. Next time we will wait at least 20 minutes for the crowd to clear. This is where the masks are a must, in our opinion. It was next to impossible to maintain a 6 foot distance, since many folks were anxious to get to their tour buses. A group of officers, including Henk, Manish, and Shiv, were on the landing to greet the guests as they left for the day. That did help to unruffle some feathers. That gave us a minute to ask about the upcoming port changes that we heard concerning the Tales of the South Pacific. Henk was surprised that we have not been notified by HAL, and he said he would send the amended itinerary to our room. One of the biggest disappointments was missing Bora Bora, but due to the fact the passenger count exceeded their requirements, they were forced to substitute somewhere else. We would learn more when we got back and found the itinerary in our mailbox as promised. Slowly walking through town, we decided it was already getting late, so we headed for lunch once again at the Hangar on the Wharf. We knew that when the excursion folks got back from their tours, it may be crowded there. By the way, two other ships were in port…..the Disney Wonder and RCI Quantum of the Seas – both rather large vessels. The restaurant was not crowded, so we went inside and got seated in a nice booth. Starting with Alaskan Amber beers, we added one Jack Daniels BBQ burger with fries, followed by that delicious slice of mud pie. Plenty for two. While we dined, the Quantum sounded her horn, and pulled away from the dock. We had a bird’s eye view as she sailed out of the channel. On our way back, we stopped at Marine Park, where a young local gal had spotted a mountain goat on the same cliffside we had seen the bear. There were two telescopes on stands pointed in that direction, and we looked for the goat, but did not see it. We told her of the bear sighting, and the local girl said those bears come down to town during the night, and raid whatever they can looking for food. Can be a dangerous place. Our final stop was at the Alaska Fudge Co. for more peanut brittle and Mendenhall Mud fudge (looked like rocky road). That will last for another week. The shops were getting too crowded, and we really did not need anything, so we boarded the ship, and worked on photos the rest of the afternoon. Once the sun disappeared, it got downright chilly. Unfortunately, we had to wait a few minutes to re-board, because there was a medical evac taking place. A man was brought off on a stretcher, and taken to a waiting ambulance. We sure hope he will be OK. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, where we began our meal with two cocktails. Earlier in the day, we had taken the time to thank the staff here online, and they had already received the message. They have really taken good care of us, and they deserved the kudos. Anyway, the restaurant was surprisingly full of guests, but then we have to remember this is a seven day trip and people are going to hit every venue they can. Both of us enjoyed the wedge salads, 7 ounce filets, French fries, and mushrooms. Two tiny scoops of Neapolitan ice cream finished the meal. We had window seats where we could watch the last of the guests coming back to the ship before 9:30pm. A forklift driver removed the gangway, and soon we were ready to sail. We watched the sail away from our veranda until it got way too cold. We sure got lucky for such a nice day here in Juneau. Tomorrow we will be back in Skagway….hope it is just as nice as today. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #10 Day at Sea Enroute to Alaska via Inside Passage Thursday September 15, 2022 Mostly cloudy/some showers 57 degrees Part # 1 of 1 ..............16 Pictures We just realized that we did not receive the HAL or Club Orange bag or the commemorative ship tiles we usually get after the Mariner Event. Will have to ask our new room steward, Putu, to provide them. Since we have not cruised on this class of ships, the tiles will be new ones. We also asked about the bag, and Putu heard they were back-ordered. Where have we heard this before? Oh yeah, on the N. Amsterdam a year ago on a Alaska Cruise. They promised us that the two N. Amsterdam tiles would be mailed to our home. Even after a couple of phone calls to HAL offices, they still have not arrived. Doubt they ever will. There were all new customers in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. We asked Remco, the PG manager, how many intransit guests carried over like us. He surprised us when he said a total of seventeen. We expected it to be more. Another observation was that the complimentary mimosas are not actively promoted at breakfast time, as they are on other ships. Yes, they are listed on the menu, but easily missed. A subtle cutback perhaps? A Celebrity ship, the Millenium, passed us heading back towards Canada. Other vessels included a few fishing boats and many barges being towed by tug boats. Wildlife sightings were few such as some dolphins or porpoise, and birds of course. The Captain took the ship between the islands, then headed out to open waters, we assume to make better time heading to the 49th state. This manuever occurred several times during the day. There was really a mix of weather conditions today. Early in the morning, we caught some warm sun, followed by overcast, and later by rain showers. It was still pleasant walking on the promenade deck for our mile hike. There were several folks doing the same thing around lunchtime. After the Captain spoke on the speakers, Ian, the former world cruise port lecturer, came on for the afternoon activities. We assume he has taken over Valerie’s place as the travel and cruise director, or whatever they are called these days. In addition, we have another naturalist speaker, Kainoa, who we have known from many Hawaii and South Pacific voyages. We shall be on the lookout for him, since we heard he has slimmed down a lot. Forgot to mention yesterday, that while the ship was turning over, we took advantage of that, and located the room we will have on the world cruise in January. It is a Signature Suite with much more space than we are used to. We happened to run into an assistant head housekeeper, who invited us in for a look. We were not disappointed as the room was plenty spacious and well appointed. Nice bathroom, but there were still the clingy shower curtains. Perhaps when the ship goes into dry dock, they will get rid of the curtains. There will be no problem with storage, but we will really enjoy the larger veranda that has two wicker-woven lounges with thick pads, and a table with two chairs. Once again, we passed on the wine tasting at 1:45pm, and ordered room service for lunch. We are still leary of going to the Lido or even the dining room, which is too early for us for lunch. They make great chicken Caesar salads, and very tasty quesadillas in place of a sandwich. We have learned to order doubles on the salad dressing, because the ramakins are so tiny, they hold one tablespoon of dressing at the most. There are no more fruit bowls in the rooms, so we added some apples and oranges to our order. It is worth mentioning that we sent the laundry out at 8am, and it was returned by 4:30pm. Excellent service. Dinner was in the dining room, where we re-claimed our original table on the railing we reserved about a year ago. Even though we are still surrounded with other diners, this area seems much less busy and even quieter. Our new waiters were Adrian and Karl, both from the Philippines for a change. This evening’s dress code was listed as “Dressy” in the When and Where, however, the menu stated “Gala”. Believe this……..few were truly Gala (suits, tuxes, or even sport coats). Most were less than Casual. Seven day cruises are a different animal from the longer voyages, as most folks do not want to pack the extra clothes. The ladies are the exception, wearing a little more glitter. We enjoyed shrimp cocktails, Caesar salads (no anchovies), one halibut, and one rack of lamb, minus the beans. All was delicious, although we need to request HOT food once again. The next time we come on Saturday, we will nicely tell him. Desserts were a special chocolate mousse cake, and one chocolate layer cake. The serving sizes have shrunk, and for this, we are glad. A decaf coffee finished the meal. Our new waiter mentioned that the wait staff is due to rotate maybe after this 7 day cruise ends. This seems to be the norm, where everyone gets rotated and the two man teams separated. Hope this does not occur on the grand voyage, as it is such a nice thing to have the waiters get to know us, as we get to know and appreciate them. Back in our room, we found two tiles, two pillow candies (get 2 every night), two HAL blue bags, and a reminder to set our clocks back one hour to be on Alaska time. Actually, we had expected a Club Orange bag, like we received on both the N. Statendam and N. Amsterdam. Lastly, we had another notice that tomorrow is balcony-cleaning day between 12:30 and 4pm. On the last cruise, the ship stopped for a tour in Tracy Arm, however, this was not mentioned for tomorrow. Wonder if it was cancelled? Those who booked the tour there are probably really disappointed. Bill & Mary Ann PS Here are a few answers for questions that have been asked. A Grand Dutch Café will not be added to this ship for the Grand World Voyage. We would have loved it, but it will not happen. We have not seen any water cans or bottles that can be re-sealed, unlike the aluminum bottles that were previously sold. In addition, there are signs posted on the water/tea/coffee vending machines in the Lido saying personal bottles or thermoses cannot be filled there.

Report #9 Wednesday September 14, 2022 Vancouver, Canada 73 Degrees Cloudy With Heavy Overcast 6:30 am To 4pm Part #1 Of 3.......60 Pictures Well, here we are, back in Vancouver, and ready to begin another seven day journey to Alaska. We woke up way too early to be ready for breakfast, which began at 6:30am. There were more guests than we expected already in the Pinnacle Grill. Last night, we had decided we would go off of the ship in Vancouver, mostly because it was going to be a nice day….overcast, but not chilly. The prediction at noon was 71 degrees. Perhaps the next time we arrive here, it may be raining. The ship was docked at Canada Place, with the Grand Princess already sharing the opposite pier. Together with us, there would be quite a few folks going through customs and immigrations today. If we had chosen to stay onboard, we would have been required to meet with the other intransit guests to go off as a group at 9:45am to be cleared. That process could take up to an hour, but we do know that sometimes, it takes over two hours. Once the zero count was achieved, then the guests were free to go back onboard, but not allowed to leave after that. So when the final color was called for the luggage tags, we went off carrying our passports, room keycard, a photo ID, and Covid cards, although we were never asked to show them. It was also mentioned that we may need the ARRIVECAN paper with the QR code and number. Once again, no one asked to see it. We believe that info is already on our chipped passports. As we walked out of the garage area, we did see a few buses bringing the new guests for both ships to board at 9:30am. Not sure if they were made to wait. Making our way to the Burrand Inlet, we passed the convention center, the sea plane terminals, Coal Harbour and Quay, the Westin Hotel, and the marina. From there we made our way to Stanley Park, and the horse-drawn carriage ride. Charges for a one hour tour for seniors was $46 CAN or about $35 USD. The aluminum frame carriage was already full of tourists. The horses were magnificent. Some of them are imported from England, and could be either Grey Shire, Clydesdales, Belgiums, or Percherons. Quite large animals, they pulled the coach with ease as they set off for a slow scenic trek in Stanley Park. Speaking of Stanley Park, it is 1000 acres of hemlocks, western cedars, deodora cedars, totem poles, and an Aquarium. From the looks of the grassy areas, it is apparent that they are in a drought, as the lawns were dry and brown. We have never seen that before, but it sure reminds us of home in California……very dry. We walked back slowly, taking advantage of the convenient benches along the way. By now, the wide walking path was full of hikers, bikers, and folks with dogs. We noticed how clean the area was of dog droppings, and we found out why. A sign was posted saying there was up to a $2000 fine for not picking up after your dog. Obviously, it is working. Reaching the Pan Pacific Hotel near 1pm, we continued up to the beginning of Gastown and a restaurant we really like. We had worked up a good appetite, and were pleased to see that the Steamworks Brewing Co. still sold pizza. We ordered two “sleeves” of Heroica Red draft beer on the recommendation of our waiter. We learned that a sleeve is comparable to a pint. The Hawaiian pizza sounded perfect, as did the apple galette for dessert. We shared both. Great lunch. Upon leaving the pub, we walked down the street to take a picture of the Gastown Steam Clock, a relic from the turn of the century. The white-globed lamp post with hanging flower baskets were really pretty. The shops around here sell maple syrup, candy, and Canadian souvenirs. It was also very crowded, so we left our masks on. Very few people, including the locals, wore masks. The time had come to head back to the ship as it was near 2pm. Henk had suggested to wait until 2pm to avoid the crowd going through customs. And it worked. We showed our in transit cards, then we were directed to the check-in area. The line to the right had at least two hundred new guests checking in, while we went to the left to do the passport scan. Once scanned and accepted, we answered a few typical customs questions, had our photo taken, and were free to go. Each of us got a slip that we handed over to the officials. From there we found our exit door, and walked the gangway to board the ship. We already had our room keys, and the security folks welcomed us back. But not until I had my knee double-checked by one officer. Scanned with the wand and patted down, I was free to board. Now that we were beginning a new cruise, we expected to find the same amenities we had a week ago. Missing was the sparkling wine on ice, and also two credits of Captain’s gifts on our shipboard account. One of us made a trip to the front desk to straighten this out. Of course there was a very long line of folks with questions, but the Club Orange line only had one guest. Since we are welcomed to use that line, I did not have a long wait. Once again, I probably got a few dirty looks. The young fellow at the front desk had to go to Michelle, the guest relations manager, to advise him of the slow process to post amenities. It should hit the account tonight. The sparkling wine never arrived, but, another gal from the beverage department offered to exchange the wine for Coke. We said fine, and got a case delivered to our room. We will not run out anytime too soon now. On the way back, I stopped at the Pinnacle Grill to make some more reservations for the week…..three in the Pinnacle Grill and one in Canaletto. We could book Sel de Mer, a pop-up option here, but the cuisine is not our favorite. We missed the exclusive reception for the Mariner guests, but we did not miss too much. Remember, last time the Crow’s Nest was full of folks reclining in the chairs, half asleep. If we knew some of the guests, that might be different. Our first dinner of this trip was in the Pinnacle at 8pm. It was not crowded and the service was perfect. For a change, we both ordered a cocktail, and enjoyed it. Since we had taken such a long hike today, we figured we earned it. Then we ordered one halibut and one pork chop….both were very good and hot as well. Sharing an order of French fries, we left a bit of room for ice cream and berries. Bet we sleep good tonight. Tomorrow will be a lazy day at sea. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #8 Tuesday 13, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To Vancouver, Canada Part #1 Of 1......40 Pictures After departing the Land of the Midnight Sun (Alaska), we looked forward to a day at sea. One nice aspect for us is the fact we do not have to pack to go home. Our turn will come, but not for another six weeks. We began the day with a nice breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. The rising sun was blinding at the window seating. Good thing there are sliding drapes, despite their unusual fluffy texture. At 10:30am, we had been invited to the Mariner Recognition Event in appreciation of our loyalty as one of the President’s Club guests onboard. We understand there is another PC couple here, but we are not familiar with their name. This very private event was held in the Gallery Bar lounge, and was attended by about one dozen people. It was nice to see Friso again, who is Captain Friso Kramer gezegd Freher now, having been promoted from Staff Captain a few years ago. We have known him for a long time, and he has not changed a bit. Friendly as ever, we chatted with him for a few minutes before the event began. If all goes according to plan, he will be the starting Captain on the Grand World Voyage in 2023. Friso will do the first two months, and another Captain will do the rest. That’s a first. He added that the planned ports are not set in stone, and that also applies to the South Pacific cruise coming up in a few weeks. Situations in other countries can change, so they remain flexible. Six bronze medallions were awarded, then we were announced, along with the other couple, as President’s Club members. There was no mention of days any of us had, which is better, as they never seem to get it correct anyway, and frankly, it does not matter. The Captain had a talk in the Mainstage at 11am, so he bid his goodbye to all. Henk stayed, and spent a half hour with us. He had been looking for us at the back deck at sail away, but we have yet to attend. Our room has such a wonderful veranda, we hate to leave it. We learned that there are over 1700 guests on this ship, which is great news. We forgot to ask how many will be In Transit tomorrow. Henk went over the procedure for the zero clearance, and leaving the ship to enjoy Vancouver, or not. We have not decided what we will do, but Henk did suggest that we be back to go through customs around 2pm. By then, most all of the new guests will be onboard. More than likely, there will be two ships docked, and that will take even more time. We had a conversation about the upcoming world voyage, and some of the challenges facing the staff. Manning the ship poses some issues, due to the fact many seasoned employees have left the company. It was a matter of survival for most, needing to find work within the industry or outside of it. The clock is ticking, so there is a lot of work for them to do with such little time. We have faith that it will all work out for the best. On the way out, we visited the Gallery Bar, and picked up some more sodas. Then we hopped in an elevator, and went to the Crow’s Nest to see if they sold the vitamin water they used to have. Of course they did not sell it, because it came in resealable plastic bottles. These are not allowed onboard now. It seemed so odd not to see the usual bar up there, or the band area that was so popular. Times change…… Taking a one mile walk on the promenade deck chilled us, since the sun had disappeared and was replaced with overcast and wind. The Captain said that once we turn back into the passage, it will warm up. He was right, it did rather nicely. We had some catching up to do online, still trying to figure out why the photos are not going through as they usually do. We are trying a few things to rectify it. It was room service lunch again for us. We sampled the quesadilla appetizer, had one Caesar salad, and two sandwiches. Had asked for 4 cookies, but got 6. Had to eat them, of course. The scenery became very nice, and we had an added treat of seeing a few orcas, dolphins, and numerous birds. Other than some fishing boats and a couple of ferries, we enjoyed the calm waters and scattered villages as we headed towards Vancouver. By 4pm, two large photos from the medallion event were left in or mailslot. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, which was pretty busy still at 8pm. We had the usual starters with a shared order of cold jumbo shrimp. Mains were one filet mignon and one halibut. Both were cooked perfectly. With just a little room left, we split a Key lime pie. Good to go, we will be back in the morning for an early breakfast. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 6 Sunday September 11, 2022 Glacier Bay National Park 50 degrees, partly sunny & partly cloudy Part # 1 of 3…………….84 Pictures The Zuiderdam entered the park around 6am, then picked up national park service rangers, the cultural heritage guide, as well as the Alaska geographic representative. The scenic narration began at 8am, where it could be heard on outside decks and the stateroom TV’s on the Bow Channel. Breakfast was early for us in the Pinnacle Grill. But before we left the room, we turned in the first of the laundry. We shall see how long the turn-around will be. It was a matter of hours later, the laundry was returned. Around 4pm. Great service, there was a thank you included. Our room steward is Sir Speedy. Our room was in tip top shape when we returned by 9:30am. Although we had missed the beginning of the narration, we could catch up. It not like we haven’t been here before. However, today the weather was exceptional with mostly clear and sunny skies. We were informed that on the last cruise, the weather was terrible, so we considered ourselves lucky. We looked forward to the scenic viewing from the comfort of our aft veranda. And we were not disappointed. Glacier Bay has to be one of the most scenic spots in Alaska. It sure is big enough, consisting of 3,283,168 acres. The elevation goes from sea level to 15,320 feet at Mount Fairweather. Because it was so clear, we were able to see that peak today. The bay itself is 65 miles long and 2 ½ to 10 miles wide. As recently as 200 years ago, this bay was filled with ice 5000 feet thick. It was a far different place then with a verdant valley where the Huna Tlingit tribe lived around 1680. By 1880, the glacier had retreated 45 miles as was recorded by naturalist John Muir, who sparked the interest in tourist travel here. Passing Gloomy Point, we began seeing wildlife with the help of powerful binoculars. What a surprise we had when a black and a brown bear was sighted on the shoreline. Yes they were far away, but the photos turned out well. When we got closer to the tidewater glaciers, Reid and Lamplugh, we saw bergie bits and brash ice, some with harbor seals floating on them. From here onward, we began to see a large numbers of these plump seals taking in the warmth of the sun. On the granite mountainsides, there were resting mountain goats, another lucky sighting. With their furry white coats, they can be spotted easily. Also seen, were a few tufted puffins, as they floated on the surface. We are not sure why the ship did not go up as far as Margerie Glacier, but we did take a left turn past Jaw Point into Johns Hopkins Glacier by 10:30am, a true tidewater glacier. The Captain stayed for at least an hour, giving everyone a chance to view the calving ice. It had to be the most spectacular calving we have seen for a long time. Ice towers taller than downtown buildings separated from the pack, and cascaded with a roaring crash into the waters. It occurred at least four separate times, beginning with the thunderous cracking sounds, then almost exploding as the ice tumbled down. The harbor seals floating on the ice bergs seemed oblivious to the movement of the waters, as they rode with the flow. Having the aft veranda, we never left the railing, as we had the best panoramic view. Even when the Captain flipped the ship around, we still had the entire face of the glacier in sight. And to add to the ambience of the sighting, a giant flock of gulls or kittewakes flew back and forth across the face of the glacier, screeching all the way. We have to add here that the cruise ships have not had permission to sail in here recently, due to the harbor seals pupping and nesting birds. On the way back, we passed both Lamplugh and Reid Glaciers, slowing to take photos. By now, we began seeing more seals and even some sea otters. Sailing past the numerous smaller islets, the otter sightings became so numerous, we lost count. They are just as curious as the harbor seals, and do not try to escape. The seals will dive, but the otters appear to roll, getting air into their coats to stay afloat. Their best posture is floating on their backs while eating shellfish or crabs. Hard to believe they were almost wiped out by the fur traders centuries ago. The rangers and guides completed their talks and left the ship around 3:30pm. Once we left the bay, we were on the lookout for possible whale sightings. Seeing a few blows of humpbacks, pretty much ended the sightings for the day. What a day it had been. Even though the bow was opened on deck four, we opted to stay in our room instead. From watching the bow camera, the deck looked like wall-to-wall people…..way too crowded for us. We did miss the serving of Dutch pea soup at 10am, but enjoyed another room service lunch instead. For the first time ever, we ordered two burgers from the Dive-In, along with salads. There will be a service charge for the burgers, but we have lots of have-to-spend credit, and that is one way to do it. Right before we got ready for tonight’s “dressy” dinner, there was a beautiful sun setting around 7:30pm. It reminded us of the tropical sunsets of the South Pacific. That will come soon enough. “Dressy” was not formal, so we went to the Canaletto in more comfortable dressy clothes. Since today was Sunday, the special entrée was chicken parmesan, which we ordered with a side of Bolognese spaghetti. Starters were salads and a shared veal meatball appetizer. We saved a bit of room for desserts of gelato and a Nutella tart. Our buddy from the N. Statendam’s Grand Dutch Café, Andre, was greeting folks in the Canaletto, and seated us at a nice quiet table for two at the window. We do hope he will be on the world cruise, and so does he. By the way, the “dressy” dress code was widely ignored….most going very casual. There was a BBC Earth Presents: Alaska in Concert in the Mainstage, but we chose to turn in and try to finish sending reports and photos. Everything was slow today, and we did not want to fall behind too much. These days are flying by all too fast as it is. A reminder of that was the need to fill out the Canadian immigration card today. The rest of the guests had to fill out disembarkation forms. Glad we did not have to at this point. At the moment, we are sailing on the outside of the passage, and will cut back in during the night. Our arrival time to Ketchikan will be 11am, with time to sleep in a bit later. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #5 Saturday September 10, 2022 Skagway, Alaska 7am To 8:30pm Sunny, Windy, And Cool 50 Degrees........Part #1 Of 3...... 80 Pictures The Zuiderdam must have arrived to the port of Skagway, Alaska, in the wee hours of the morning, because by the time we were awake, the vessel was docked. We are not in our usual spot due to the fact there was a small landslide during the summer on the cliffside where the famous graffiti is painted. The ships have been moved over in the different slips, but just as close to town as always. The weather was pretty nice with lots of sun out, but also with a chilling breeze. White clouds floated on by, with no threat of rain. So glad we brought the arctic jackets now. Checking out the temperature, Bill heard and spotted a harbor seal, who seems intrigued with the two ships. Only saw one. Today the Grand Princess joined us shortly after we arrived. Should be busy in town today, unless most of the guests take an excursion on the train, which we would highly recommend. More about tours shortly…. These days the population of Skagway is in the area of 900 people. Back in 1897 – 98, the Klondike gold rush hit Alaska, and the population grew to a whopping 20,000 in a matter of three months. Outfitted with their gear, the courageous prospectors had to hike over dangerous snow and ice-covered mountains and raging rivers to the gold mining areas. Many of them lost their lives, as well as their animals. This prompted the creation of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway with vintage coaches, a much better way to access their fortunes. However, the gold rush ended suddenly, and the hordes of miners moved on. The railroad stayed. So this is a good time to mention a few tours. The excursions here offered a few different options of traveling on the White Pass Scenic Railroad. The extremely scenic ride toke the folks up 2865 feet in 20 miles with views of granite gorges, many waterfalls, and green meadows with emerald lakes. When we took the tour, we ended up in Carcross, where we got to see some of the musher dogs, as well as enjoy a BBQ lunch at picnic tables. Since we had crossed the border into Canada, we had to pack passports with us. Today’s train tours were priced between $140 to $200. Locals were also selling tickets as we got off of the pier. There were other options like a helicopter ride to walk on a glacier for $380, or a trip to a musher camp with sled dogs for $180. Gold panning was recommended for the families with a salmon bake for $110, and zip lining for $120 or bike riding for the younger group at $120. There are several hiking trails out of the town as well. Two shorter tours included re-enactments of the gold rush, and ghosts at the Red Onion Saloon priced at $50 to $100. Usually there were street cars giving city tours, but we saw none today. Even one of the information places was closed, as was the restaurant where we know there is delicious pizza. Perhaps it is due to the fact it was Saturday, and they only open for dinner. Darn, we had kept breakfast light to be able to dive into that pizza…… Putting on the warm jackets, we went off the ship about 11am. Today there was no line, but the gangway had changed to deck two instead of three because of the rising tide. It was really steep. The town of Skagway is laid out in a grid, and is easily walked. In our opinion, it is the least commercialized town that we have visited. Yes, there are numerous jewelry shops and souvenir stores, but low key. Nothing like being in the Caribbean. Some popular items for sale are the native ulu knives and cutting boards. Most useful, we never thought they may be denied being brought onboard ships. One shop had signs saying ask us how to bring these home. Of course, anything sharp would be stored for you, then returned before the cruise ended. Speaking of items allowed onboard, there has been a sign outlining beverages we can bring. Wines would have a corkage fee, but each person could bring on 6 sodas or water in cans . No plastic is allowed. We walked past a new building, which was under construction last year. Turned out to be a modern restroom for the tourists. It was situated in the fenced parklike greens where the trains pass by. The locals must use the field for events we suppose. The Pullen Creek goes down one side, and is well marked with information panels. Everything you need to know about local flora and fauna can be found here. The one thing we could not find was the name of the trees full of red berries surrounding this park. We heard some people suggest they were pyracantha, but we know for a fact, they are not. Similar berries, but not the same. There was a lot of info about the life cycle of the salmon in this area, although, we did not see a single fish in this creek. When we reach Ketchikan, there will be salmon there we hope. Most all of the shops and cafes were open today, and the streets were not crowded yet. One of the trains passed by, and we saw that each car was full of tourists. They would be back later, then do the town we suspect. We did not notice any sale signs yet, but that will come in a few weeks. That is when the crew members come out to shop for their families at home. Something somewhat unique to Alaska are their Christmas ornaments, sold all year. We were hoping to find Christmas cards as well, but had no luck. Maybe we’ll find some in Ketchikan in a few days. Like we said, the small café, The Station Bar and Grill, was closed. Checking this out online, we found that thy open at 4pm on weekends. Strange it was not posted on their door. Since the ship was scheduled to leave after 8:30pm, we could do a late lunch, with a light dinner. A few other places were opened, such as the Red Onion Saloon, but there were way too many people in there for our comfort. Best to go back to the ship, which is what we did after our stroll through town. We got back after 2pm, and ordered a room service lunch. Despite the fact that the waiter repeated my order, we received only one panini entrée. So we shared the little roast beef sandwich, along with a soup and one salad. They did get the plate of four chocolate chip cookies correct. This evening, we have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, so we will be good and hungry. Around 4pm, one of us did make a run to the Lido for a few slices of pizza to bring back to the room. At least the pizza is not self-serve. Did we mention that we have no satellite TV feed once again today? It must be blocked from the steep mountains here. We did have internet however, allowing for photo work and watching (or listening to) a couple of movies. While checking the temperature this morning on the TV, we saw that Glacier Bay was missing on the line-up. Had they cancelled the scenic sailing tomorrow? That would be so disappointing. A quick stop at the front desk remedied that. It had been an error, and we were indeed, going to Glacier Bay. They stressed that it was the highlight of the seven day cruise. We agree, especially if the weather co-operates. Later in the day, we received some printed info of what to expect for the scenic touring beginning early in the morning. Of course, having been here just a year ago, we think we have the brochure memorized. L.ooking forward to the sailing. Dinner was good in the Pinnacle grill with starters of wedge salads, clothesline bacon, and something new……panko breaded mushrooms. The mushrooms came three on a plate, which we ate with our salad. Very good. Once again, we asked for our mains to be served as hot as they can get it. Our waiter appeared a bit surprised at our request, but agreed to serve it immediately after it was plated. And it was much better than our last meal here, where our entrees sat on a side table, while the waiter served a large group. This evening we had one entrée of lamb chops and another of filet mignon. Both delicious. Saved a tad bit of room for ice cream and one decaf cappuccino. While we dined, the ship left the port, turned around, and headed south towards our next stop. One of the waiters in the Pinnacle recognized us from world cruises, and asked if we knew one of our favorite waiters, Gan, had left HAL for another cruise line? Wow, now that is news…….. Step One Dance Co. performed In Tandem, while many guests sat at attention for the Lincoln Center Stage strings performance. We have yet to walk through the Casino, so do not know how crowded that venue has been. Time to turn in, since the scenic cruising will begin early in the morning. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #4 Friday September 9, 2022 Tracy Arm & Juneau, Alaska Mostly cloudy with rain & 54 degrees Part #1 of 3...............76 Pictures Today was our first port of call in Juneau, Alaska. But first, we had a brief stop near Tracy Arm for a service call only. Usually we have scenic cruising into Tracy Arm for half a day, but not so today. The service call was for a 9:30am boat tour that took some people directly from the ship onto a very nice vessel for sight-seeing of a few glaciers. After the tour, they would head up to Juneau, and re-join the ship, where we would be docked by 1pm. Breakfast was served earlier, due to it being a port day. So after 7:30am, we headed for the Pinnacle Grill, which was half full already. Although we forgot to ask Henk how many guests are onboard, we understand this sailing is almost full, as are the rest of the 7 day runs. The service was good and the wait staff friendly as they get to know us. Our room was neat as a pin when we came back. Our room steward is quite efficient, and always seems to be close by. Yesterday, we had a notice that the veranda would be cleaned, but not until after noon time. We did not need to be here, since they access the outside decks by opening all of the partitions between the rooms. Actually, the deck is clean, and only the glass needs attention. We spent the morning at the railing watching for sea life once again. Arriving near Tracy Arm, we spotted several disturbances in the water, realizing that it was pods of small dolphins. Probably Dall dolphins, they don’t surface, but stay under the surface. As promised, the ship slowed to a stop, and the tour boat came alongside. Most all of the passengers were outside on the aft deck, as well as some in the warmer interior. There were some bergie bits and small icebergs floating near the entrance to a glacier. The vessel headed in that direction, as we sailed onward. Having some time to do computer work, we ran into a problem when the photos disappeared, not to be found anywhere. Not sure if this was a glitch, or the fact that reception was cutting in and out. On the way here, we had lost all satellite TV reception, which happens most times in this area. There would be time to figure this out later. The skies were heavily clouded this morning, giving the vista a very gray color. It was quite apparent that we were heading into rain, as we could see showers in the higher mountain peaks. It did begin to drizzle, but our veranda has an overhang, and we did not get wet. It was chilly for sure. The passage narrowed and we had land on both sides. It was densely forested with an occasional waterfall. A couple of fishing boats passed by too. Juneau happens to be the capital of the state, and has a population of over 31,000. By Alaska standards, that is large. The borough covers 3,108 square miles of huge evergreens, mountains, bays, and residential flatlands. The city is accessible by air and sea year round, but not by roads. The longest stretch of roadway is 40 miles, according to the AAA book. A gold rush brought miners here in the 1880’s, but the mining ceased in 1944 when the extraction became too costly. These days, there are many hiking trails for the fit with fishing spots and gold mine ruins. Some of the attractions are the Mt. Roberts Tramway, which lifts folks up the 1800 foot mountain. It is about a 5 minute ride with some attractions at the top, and the price is $45. The next draw for tourists is the Mendenhall Glacier 13 miles from the town. Many HAL tours went there, and some of them included a plane ride or helicopter ride to walk on the glacier. We failed to get the prices and times on these tours, because they were available yesterday. Next time, we will try the day prior to the visit. One fun tour we have done more than once is the whale watching and wildlife excursion. It’s as good as it gets here. The Captain arrived a bit early, and docked in between the Disney Wonder and RCI Quantum of the Seas. We looked small compared to those ships. The ship was cleared by 1pm, when it was announced that all were welcomed to go ashore. Even though we waited a while, there was one heck of a long line of folks getting off. We think we were mixing with tour people, who headed for the waiting buses. There are hardly no tour tickets now, as most folks order their tours on their cell phones. Those without phones (yes there are some folks like us), had the tickets delivered to their rooms yesterday. While docking, we spotted several bald eagles, some in flight, others perched deep in the conifers. They appeared to be watching us. When one of the adults flew from the perch, the dozens of gulls scattered quickly. We wonder if the gulls become the eagle’s meal? We need to mention that there was no mandated mask-wearing off of the ship. However, there were some shops that required masks. Compared to last year at this time, we had to wear our masks off of the ship….indoors and outside as well. And carry our Covid vaccination cards with us. Those were not required either. Today, we were in the minority as to who was wearing the masks. Many were piling on the waiting coaches for tours….most unmasked. Glad we were not among them, we walked to town. The good thing was the rain had stopped, even though we packed umbrellas, we never needed them. It was cool and breezy, but not cold enough for the arctic jackets. Heavy sweatshirts were fine. Thought we had packed everything but the kitchen sink, but batteries were among the missing. Recalling there was a Ben Franklin on a side street, we found it and made our big purchase. Most everything in the store was more expensive than we recalled. But then, isn’t that the case everywhere now? From there, we made our way to the area near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge, where there is a fairly new sculpture park. The centerpiece has to be the life-size sculpture of a humpback whale. Few people were there today, since it was really chilly. We got our photos, then went back towards town. On the way, we stopped at the Hangar on the Wharf, a restaurant that is popular here. It was great to sit and relax with Alaskan Amber beers, and a shared burger with fries. But the best treat was a generous slice of mud pie that we split. Made our day. Making our way back to the ship, we ducked into a few shops….one of which was the Alaskan Fudge Co. On the way earlier, we had witnessed fudge and peanut brittle making through the window. What a process to see. And the aroma coming out the door was enticing. The only negative was the fact there was no wiggle room inside with so many customers. But now, the shop was empty, and we had to go inside to purchase some of that peanut brittle and walnut fudge. Another added treat for our room. The final stop was a walk through the Taku Fish Factory, where we watched some fellows processing and packing the smoked dried salmon filets. It is shipped worldwide. Just as we were climbing up the gangway, it began to rain. We got lucky today, but that was due to packing those umbrellas. Going through the xray, I set off the alarms. Guess I can expect this every time due to the new knee. With a quick wanding, I was free to go. But first we made a sweep through the Lido Bar to collect some Cokes from Twinkle. Surprisingly, the bar was quite busy at 4:30pm. Guess many folks coming back from tours, were grabbing a late lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos and reports. Recently, we bought a new computer, and are getting used to using it. This morning we ran into a glitch which prevented the viewing of the photos. Contacting our techie son, he fixed it, we hope. Please bear with us until we work out the kinks. Dinner came quickly in the dining room at 8pm. We ordered salads and appetizers of arancini, tasty breaded rice and cheese balls. Although they were very good, they were not as hot as they should be. Before our entrees arrived, we asked our nice waiter if he could bring them hot. No problem he said, and did just that. The wiener schnitzel came hot as could be, and tasted excellent. Cleaning our plates, we passed on the dessert. It had been a long day, so we turned in right after our meal. Tomorrow, we will be in Skagway at 7am. It is another one of our favorite ports. Bill & Mary Ann

So sorry, but we have encountered a glitch that is preventing access to the photos! Hopefully our son will be able to fix this. Should be remedies shortly. Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 3 Thursday, 9-8-22 Scenic Cruising Inside Passage Sunny & 60 degrees Part #1 of 1 57 Pictures It seems that for every 20 miles we sailed north, the temperature dropped a degree. And that’s exactly what we expected. The nice part is that the sun has stayed out, and there is no sign of rain…..yet. It may come as soon as tomorrow as we head towards Tracy Arm, followed with our first stop in Juneau. In the meantime, we enjoyed soaking up the warmth on our veranda. It has been so unforgivingly hot at home, we never thought we could feel cold again. Wish we could send some of this coolness to our family and buddies back home. After sleeping pretty well last night, we began our day with our first breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Our greeter remembered us from the Nieuw Statendam last spring, which is always nice. At 8:30am, it was already busy in there with the suite folks. On a side note, there is Club Orange on this ship, but their special dining area is located in the main dining room on deck two. One of the first things the wait staff learned about us is the fact we like hot coffee, and lots of it. It became like a challenge for the waiters to keep our cups full. And that they did so gladly. Today’s breakfast was fairly simple with Greek yogurt and fresh berries, Belgium waffles with a slice of ham. Oh yeah, we shared a blueberry muffin with our fresh-squeezed orange juice. The bakers have done a great job with their breads so far, and that can be dangerous. We could have had a mimosa, but we refrained. We attempted a walk around the outside deck, but failed to bring sweatshirts. We lasted one round, then ducked inside. Maybe we’ll try it later. At least we know the deck goes completely around, and not what was written in the Berlitz book, which stated you cannot get around the bow of the ship. We took a stroll through The Shops, to check out their items. Found they were similar to all of the ships, except for the Alaskan smoked salmon, warm clothing, and some local jewelry. We bet that in three weeks there will be a good sale on what will be left before the ship heads south to the palm trees. And good news……there were no pushy sales people, at least this early in the day. Hope it stays that way. If we were seeking items from Effy, their high-end jewelry collection, we could have attended the Shopping Show in the Rolling Stones Lounge in the morning, and had a chance to get a pendant if we were the first of 200 people there. We had a big job waiting for us in our room, so we spent the better part of the day getting everything stashed. Once again, we brought the super duper ceiling magnetic hooks along with some wooden dowels. So now the wall where the thermostat is located, is full of colorful Tommy B short sleeve shirts on hangers. Even hung some over the mirror behind the bed. Did we mention that this ship has the felt-covered thin hangers that are sold at Costco for instance? They are great. A shoe bag worked well for all the small stuff from toiletries to masks, over-the-counter meds, a sewing kit and scissors, as well as small lotions and potions. The best thing is that the pouches are clear and everything can easily be located. This time the jewelry pouch (a small version of the shoe bag) was hung on a hanger from the ceiling too. It is so much better than the plastic container I used on the previous cruise, where the earrings got all tangled. We thought ahead and purchased 20 small magnetic hooks that one of us used to hang necklaces…all from the ceiling. There is absolutely no metal in the walls, and attempting to use Command hooks failed. There is a gritty texture to the walls and the sticky pads do not work. But they will hold on any wooden surface, such as found in the closets and around the desk area. That’s where a full size calendar was hung along with clips to display the daily newsletter and invites, etc. Speaking of invitations, we did receive one for a James Suckling’s Wine Tasting in the afternoon. As most everyone knows, we seldom drink wine, so we did not attend. While we were busy as bees, a technician arrived to find out what was wrong with the extra refrigerator. We explained it was not working correctly, but we would keep it and use it as a cabinet. Not sure he really understood that, but he agreed. Later, he came back with a set of three plastic drawers, larger than the nightstands. Well that will be convenient, so we asked him to leave that also. Sailing on the Amsterdam, we always had drawers in the desk. But here, there are none but the two small drawers in the nightstands. So, in the end, we ended up with uncrowded closets with extra shelf space in there. The four empty suitcases fit under the bed. Job done! It was already 2pm, so we ordered a room service lunch. It arrived rather quickly. One of us had a chicken Caesar salad, the other had the chicken noodle soup (without the spaghetti, let alone the noodles). Is that a cutback? We shared a club sandwich, with was half the size of what we remembered. Probably better for us. Working on reports and photos took up the rest of the afternoon. Most of the day, Captain Friso sailed in and out of the passage. Our veranda has the best panoramic view of the aft seas. With the use of powerful binoculars and the good camera, Bill was able to take pictures of whale blows, an eagle, a school of dolphins, many sea birds, a few fishing boats, and a surprise display of killer whales. What a treat. Around 6:30pm, the ship slowed to a crawl, and apparently picked up a pilot from a boat. We could see the evidence of a separate wake as we continued sailing on, capturing a photo of the exiting vessel. We had made last minute reservations in the Pinnacle this first gala (Dressy) evening at 7:30pm, and we made it by the skin of our teeth. Had we attended the Captain’s Welcome, we would have arrived even later. Been there, done that, and it would be crowded in the Mainstage for sure. Not our thing, even though we have continued to wear our masks while inside the ship. We failed on the Have-It-All perk today, as we forgot to collect our beverages. Will have to catch up tomorrow. When we boarded yesterday, we discovered a nifty little orange booklet called The Basics. Among other things, it outlines the dress code. Tonight’s was labeled Dressy, taking it up a notch with slacks, skirts, dresses, blouses, collared shirts and jackets. The term Gala was not mentioned, but Formal was. The suggested attire for that is suits and dresses. Casual is described as smart attire, but no distressed jeans, shorts, beachwear, or tank tops in the table service restaurants. This evening in the Pinnacle Grill, we saw a mixed bag of clothing, but most all acceptable. Only one young fellow strolled in with distressed jeans complete with holes. He was not asked to change. As for us, we dressed a bit more on the Formal side….tux and glitter. Dinner consisted of wedge salads with warm rolls and garlic butter as well as a bell pepper/cream cheese mixture. We shared a clothes line bacon appetizer to eat with our salads. We did not see any extra charge for ordering more than one or two appetizers, however, if you chose to order more than one entrée, there was an additional fee. Our main was the same…..the small filet mignon, medium. It came almost rare, and not quite as hot as we normally prefer it. A baked potato, one serving of sauteed mushrooms, and one order of French fries rounded out the meal. We will have to request the waiter to serve the food as hot as they can, or else it comes lukewarm. Perhaps that was due to the fact our meals sat on a side table for a bit too long. Desserts were one crème brulee and an Almost Baked Alaska, which almost had no ice cream in the middle. Frankly, I can do without the meringue and cake, and just have the Cherry Garcia ice cream. What had been in the middle of the cake (not even Cherry Garcia) had melted out completely. Of course, our waiter had no idea it wasn’t up to par, but we explained the mess I left. He offered another one, but we declined, laughing on our way out. Perhaps the next time, I will order the Key lime pie, which is always tasty and sweet. And speaking of sweets, yesterday we had informed Edy, our room steward, that we did not need towel animals, cute as they are, we figured it saves him some precious time. Instead, we opted for two pillow chocolates daily. He said no problem, and for two nights, we have had them on our bed in the evening. He did not have to go to anyone for special permission, as they had to on the N. Amsterdam and Statendam. For the Dressy night, we did not receive the Seattle’s Best formal candies. Not sure they serve those anymore. The clocks went back one hour tonight, affording us the time to compose this report. We could have gone to see the Humanity Step One Dance Company performance, but that is one we have attended a few times. Best to keep up with the reporting. One of these evenings, we will have to check out the Music Walk and see how crowded those shows are. Tomorrow we shall stop briefly in Tracy Arm, then continue to Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Want to bet there will be many other cruise ships there? Bill & Mary Ann PS We were very sad to hear of Queen Elizabeth’s passing today. Captain Friso came on the speakers and gave a moving speech about her amazing life and service to her country. God bless the Queen!

Report #2 Wednesday 9-7-22 Boarding Day Vancouver, Canada On The Zuiderdam....... Clear & Sunny 75 Degrees........Part #1 Of 1.....67 Pictures The plane landed at the Vancouver airport to the nicest weather we can remember. We found it interesting that the flight was only half full, not that we were complaining. It was lucky that it took off on time, and not cancelled until the next flight. Yes, that has happened to us many times flying from either Los Angeles or San Diego to San Francisco, as these are considered commuter runs. It seemed like we were walking forever to reach the area of immigration kiosks, where we had to log in with our passports, answer some questions, and have our photos taken. That generated a coupon that we handed off to the immigration official. All was well. We did take note that the Arrive Can had been attached to our electronic passports already, and there was no need to show anyone our printed paperwork. In addition, there was no inquiry as to our recent Covid test. Luggage carts were complimentary here…a nice touch. We picked up two, and headed for the turntable for Air Canada. These days, it is easy to find your luggage as most folks do not check bags. At this point, a rep from HAL was there to direct us to the exit, where there were at least three cruise line counters set up. The HAL group took our four pieces of luggage and promised we would see it in our room on the ship. That was most welcomed news. All we had to do was board the coach for a 40 minute ride across town to the pier. By now, it was noontime, and the tree-lined streets and avenues were full of locals out and about for lunch and shopping. We arrived at the pier at One Canada Place, where the Pan Pacific Hotel is located. It is one of the nicest and scenic hotel/piers, where we have had the pleasure of staying and boarding many ships. Today we chose to board directly, and gosh, it was some boarding process. There was one other smaller ship in port, which was the Regent Mariner. All together, it appeared that there were hundreds of guests in line to go through the screening. This would have taken a long time, if it were not for the help of Henk Mensink, the Hotel General Manager of the Zuiderdam. He must have been on the lookout, and lucky for us, found us. It has been over two years since we last saw each other, and that was when the Amsterdam’s Grand World Voyage of 2020 was abruptly stopped in Australia. Little did we know that the flagship of the HAL fleet, the Amsterdam, would be sold months later. So here we are, on another “Dam” ship, and so glad to be back with Henk and his specially-picked crew. We joined the shorter line for the 4 & 5 star Mariners and suite guests, as well as President’s Club members (we understand there are only 4 of us on this trip). Producing our passports, boarding passes, the current Covid test papers, and Covid vaccination cards, we proceeded to the next step. By the way, the skew on the boarding passes did not work, so a small receipt had to be duplicated in order for us to continue. Henk led us off to board, but we were stopped to have our photos taken. Then we set off to board the ship, ending around the ship’s photographers. That is one picture that seldom comes out good for us. Henk came all the way to our room, and we were soon joined by Shiv, the best Executive Housekeeper and his assistant. He was there to confirm that all of our requests had been met, which they had. There was an extra refrigerator, which we did not really need as there is one in the room anyway. We discovered that it did not work, but decided to keep it and use it for a cabinet. It also was a good place to put our bouquet of flowers. Our room steward, Edy, arrived and said he was the only one servicing the aft cabins, which is unusual. He did say he had half the amount of rooms, which is a good thing. So, we had two bottles of California champagne on ice (also known as sparkling wine), a mixed bouquet of fresh flowers, and a bunch of gift cards from the front desk and our travel agency. Trays of canapes and sweets were waiting for us as well. Since there was no luggage yet, we headed off to satisfy the muster requirements. While we were gone, we let the flat screen TV play the muster directions, a must-do as part of the drill. Of course, we have seen it before and knew the drill. On the way, we decided to have lunch in the Lido. Salads and sandwiches filled that need, although it was a surprise to see some of the sandwich bar was self-serve. Not fans of that idea, we will stick to staff-served items. We should mention here, that there is a recommended mask mandate, not mandatory. However, we have chosen to leave the masks on regardless of what others are doing. One of us had the virus back in late January while on the Nieuw Statendam, and sure do not want to repeat that experience. So it is “washy-washy”, hand sanitizing, and K95’s for us. Our room keys were scanned for the muster, and we had to listen to a very short talk by a boat commander. So much better than standing in a tight group for a very long muster drill, usually done in the hot sun. There was an invitation to the Mariner’s welcome reception in the Crow’s Nest at 2:40 to 3:20. We did attend, but only stayed briefly, as there were no more seats available. Most of the guests had taken the forward facing lounges and were actually snoozing. One last stop was at the Seaview Bar, where we ran into the assistant beverage manager, Twinkle. We have known her for many years, and she also remembered us. Filling us in on the last two years, she said how happy she was to get back to work. Like many of the crew, the pandemic really disrupted their lives. Then she helped us out by explaining how the beverage package worked. She tested it by giving us four cans of Coke Zero, which worked as part of our 15 beverage per person a day count. By the time we got back to the room, the luggage had been delivered. We missed the sail away festivities at 4pm. at the aft pool, but did enjoy the sailing out of the harbor from the comfort of our extra-large aft-facing veranda. No kidding…it is big enough for a party. What a beautiful day we had here in Vancouver. Hope to explore the city when we return for three more visits in the upcoming weeks. We did attempt to stash some of our belongings, but did not get far. Tomorrow would be soon enough to do the chore. Dinnertime came at 8pm, and we headed for the upper dining room. When we booked this series of cruises, we had a table request at 66. However, we had been given a table at the side window. It is not a bad table, but not one on the railing. We had visits from the head waiter, and both the Maitre’D and his assistant. They said they could relocate us at the beginning of the next cruise, where we said we would let them know. Our waiters seemed to be really nice, so we may not want to leave them. We had a salad, soup, and roasted chicken entrees. Desserts were a lemon torte and a hot fudge sundae. And since we have the Have-It-All promo on these trips, one of us ordered a decaf cappacchino. It will be quite a challenge to reach the 15 beverages a day per person. There was no show in the Mainstage this evening, only lectures, not that we would attend anyway. The Music Walk did perform this evening with the Rolling Stone and Billboard entertainers. It had been the marathon day we had expected, and we were more than ready to turn in to the comfort of our room. Looking forward to the motion of the ocean to rock us to sleep. More tomorrow………….. Bill & Mary Ann You can find pictures at our blog site below "Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann.

Report # 1 September 7, 2022 Wednesday Leaving San Francisco to Vancouver 71 days on the Zuiderdam 78 degrees @ 4am and hot We are heading off into much cooler weather as we fly north to Vancouver today, thank goodness. Yesterday was a record-breaking 112 degrees at our place in the hills of the East Bay. Today, there was even a promise of higher temps , which seemed to make the news folks giddy with excitement. Wrapping up all the last minute things to do, one of those was the ever-important completion of the Covid tests. It was done at Safeway at a reduced price of $69 each. Remember the days these were free? Not so anymore. There was one glitch however, when one of our negative tests was not sent to our computer by the time we arrived home. With a quick phone call to the pharmacy, it was re-sent and all was well. Now our only concern was the fact that due to the extremely high temperatures, there was a possibility of having a brown out with the electricity. Lucky for us, it never did involve our area. It was one long night of sticky heat, with the exception of getting up at 2:30am for an early ride to the airport. Yes, we were ready to go. It has been a few years since we have flown to Canada, and things have changed. Around 72 hours prior to our flight, we had to go online and fill out info for Arrive Can, a Canadian requirement to enter their country. We had to send proof of our Covid vaccinations ( our two boosters were not required), and passport info, along with flight details. They asked for an address and postal code of where we were staying, even though we were not spending more than a few hours in transit. We put One Canada Place for the address of the cruise terminal and their postal code. It worked. Finally, HAL sent an email for us to respond to their health questionnaire. Even our wonderful travel agent phoned to make sure we had done all of the necessary requirements, and wished us a safe trip and smooth sailing. Our driver showed up close to 4am, and we were off in a van big enough for 10 passengers. Lots of room for our four pieces of luggage. He explained that once he was in the city, he would stay to pick up several guests coming off of a Princess ship at Pier 27. That was the reason for the larger vehicle, which was fine with us. At first, we thought we might be ride-sharing, something we have done with other companies in past years. At times, it took hours to get us to the airport. Not so today. We arrived with little commute traffic shortly after 5am, plenty of time for our 9am flight. Checking in at the busy Canada Air desk was easy. We did not use the kiosks, since we had to weigh and tag the luggage at the desk anyway. All were 50 pounds or less. It is not a surprise why so many passengers do not check bags in, because the rates are $30 first bag and $50 second bag. Definitely gone up since our last flights in the beginning of the year. With that done, we went through the security checkpoint, with only one of us requiring extra screening. Naturally, my new knee is going set off the scanner every time. The good thing is that nothing had to be taken out of our hand-carrys, and we did not have to remove our shoes. Within a few minutes, we were both cleared. Time for a relaxing breakfast, we stopped at Lark Creek Grill. Surprising how busy the airport is during a weekday, especially this early in the moring. Travel is back again….big time. You may ask where we are going? For starters, we are boarding the Zuiderdam in Vancouver for three back-to-back 7 day voyages to Alaska. Twenty one days of scenic sailing, and Alaskan towns, and possibly……showers. At this point, it sounds good. Then the ship will re-position with a 50 day trip to the South Pacific, which will include the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Niue, and Cook Islands, with a stop in the Marquesas on the way back to San Diego. Like we said, from Glaciers to Palm Trees! Still waiting for our flight to begin boarding, so we shall follow up with more reporting tomorrow. Should be a marathon day! Bill & Mary Ann