*Miss G*

We asked our stateroom attendant, upon boarding, about the fruit basket. He said they didn’t do it anymore but to let the Concierge know what we wanted and they would make the arrangements. We’ve discovered that they have some really nice fruit available, all day, in the lounge so we just grab what we want and bring it back to the room. Apples, peaches, bananas, kiwi, and nectarines come whole. They also have sliced mango (very nice), fresh berries, and grapes. They need to section the grapes, though, because you have to somehow wrestle them off the vine and it’s a fight not worth winning with only a pair of tiny tongs at hand. It’s rather like eating jello with a toothpick.

Give yourself at least an hour, pre-appointment time. You will need to register each patient (up to 4 people per appointment time) and answer some questions. You won’t need the full hour but it gives you leeway should you run into any speed bumps.

Portions of all 3 ships: the Crown Princess, the Koningsdam, and the Celebrity Solstice. My husband says I have my own cruise line but I don’t like to sail it. (He calls me Princess, both lovingly and jokingly, depending on the situation lol.) This will be my last pic for the day as I am using my phone as a hotspot and I’m only getting 3G. So you can imagine how excruciatingly slow these uploads are. IF they upload, of course. I’m getting a lot of fails.

Scenes from around town. The 2nd pic shows the “cribs” where the prostitutes took in clients. AKA “House of Negotiable Affection”. 😂

Can you see how blue the glacier is on top of the mountain? Zoomed in:

Here is the ship, and to the right is where you catch the train. These logs are wider than I am tall.

We took a walk into town (about 15 mins) but there were shuttles available if you preferred to be driven. $3 one way or $5 for an all day pass. Pay when you get off. The main road is called Broadway. Here is what it looked like back in 1897 and how it looks today, from both directions.

So I was just in the lounge and asked about trading in the “champagne”. The attendant told me we could trade it in for any of their brand name “Domera” wines (I think that’s the brand mentioned.) He said they have Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cab. Or we could have something non-alcoholic. He was about to set one aside for us until I told him we’d already poured it down the drain. lol

Oh yes, the chocolates! No more turndown service, aka pillow, chocolates but we did get some fancy ones on the first “dressy” night, along with a towel animal.

We used OnPoint Testing prior to the cruise we are currently on. I brought the free government-issued test kits and purchased the proctored testing from OnPoint @ $18.04/pp (includes the 5% discount code). Once you have purchased the testing you will be able to choose a date and time. A very friendly and professional healthcare tech walked us through the instructions and emailed the results within a couple of minutes of the completion of the process. Our appointment time began at 10:15pm and we had our results at 10:28pm.

Here is a not-very-good pic of my first bergy bit. Scale is deceiving on these waterways. Especially since I am not a photographer with fancy equipment. My husband pointed out a “jet ski” which turned out to be a 40’ yacht. 😂 This berg was at least twice the size of a 40’ yacht. Here are a couple of pretty pictures.

Thank you, @canadianbear. I will ask one of the attendants, for you, the next time I am in the lounge. I was rather sad that Wycliff actually has “champagne” written on their bottle when everyone knows they can’t do that. That should have been my first clue… and there were many. 😂 At least the last brand they had was actual champagne and was drinkable. The other downgrade, I have noticed, is no longer being able to get an americano at breakfast. I now have to go to the lounge for my morning coffee before we head to breakfast. They wanted to charge me $3.50 for it downstairs. My husband says that if it’s free in the lounge then it should be free in Club Orange. Both the real champagne and the free americanos were available on our December cruise. Removing both is not a very good look for them.

DAY 4 SKAGWAY, ALASKA This morning we are in port with the Celebrity Solstice and Crown Princess. If there are more ships, I can’t see them from here. Looks like Celebrity drew the short straw because they are tendering. We have a great spot on the starboard side because we can sit on the balcony and enjoy the sunshine. Except we had to come in because I didn’t bring sunscreen! These pics were taken before the sun made it over the mountain. You can see at least one of the rock slides in this pic. We have had breakfast and will head into town later.

Thank you, @oakridger! That is some very good advice. DAY 3 - PM JUNEAU, ALASKA Passing Tracy Arm Inlet, we pick up the Celebrity Solstice. The MDR has fish and chips on so we head there for lunch. For the first time, ever, we are seated at a table next to the stern window! This is exciting! Arriving in Juneau, the Captain and crew do an amazing job of docking behind the Eurodam. We wait for the tours and the eager to disembark before heading out.

In all our cruises it has never been a problem no matter where we’ve eaten: MDR, CO, specialty restaurants. The server told us it’s because they have a new chef but it’s got to be more than that. They are now bringing me the next day’s menus and having me choose what I think I want to eat. Tonight I’m having pot roast. lol

DAY 3 - AM INSIDE PASSAGE CRUISING Early this morning the clocks went back one hour. We wake to gorgeous Alaska scenery and I see my first Bergy Bit! It is an amazing greenish-blue. We grab our blankets and take in the many shades of blues, greys, and greens as we glide silently along.

CLUB ORANGE - DAY ONE Oh dear. What can I say about Club Orange that puts them in a good light? The staff are lovely. They are slammed but we get it. It’s the first night and everyone’s trying to get their bearings. The first server introduces himself and asks about allergies and sensitivities and off he goes. Some minutes later, a second server tells us the first server is too busy for us so he is now our server. He introduces himself and asks my husband about allergies and sensitivities, then launches into today’s special and what do we want. We have to interrupt him to let him know I have allergies and sensitivities. So, for me, cracked pepper sets off an asthma attack. I have always let our servers know — once — and it’s never been an issue again. Our seafood cocktail appetizer arrives and it’s delicious. Second course is a tuna and asparagus salad… covered in freshly cracked pepper. Sigh. We let them know and repeat why it’s a problem. A very scary problem. Okay, don’t worry, it won’t happen again. He asks if he can get me something else and I pass. I’ll wait for the main course. Main course arrives… covered in freshly cracked pepper. The first time is a mistake. The second time is negligence. They will make me another. Oh no, wait. No they won’t. It will be another 45 minutes for pork medallions without cracked pepper. Seriously? He offers salmon or steak, instead, so I choose steak. I am now terrified of their food. My husband is long finished his courses and is falling asleep. It’s been a long week. I tentatively take a few bites and then the ice cream dessert comes out. They can’t put cracked pepper on that, but you know what they can do? Leave it sitting out since the cracked pepper main. Now it is just a glass of sweet milk. Can they not see that? We take a look at it and decide we’re done. They should be ashamed of themselves. You know what? It’s hard to go to bed hungry on a cruise ship, but it can be done!

There are two complimentary bottles of Aqua Panna as well as a bottle of “champagne”. Champagne is in quotation marks because it isn’t. It is California Wycliff Brut and it is disgusting. My husband calls it “Brutal” and I say “Why, Cliff, why?” That will help me remember to never buy it. It has a resealable twist-off top which allows all the bubbles to escape. We pour it down the sink. We freshen up and head to the lounge so we don’t have to deal with the Lido. There are glasses of champagne (not California Brutal) and limited snacks. I’ve mentioned, before, that I am not a big fan of the Pinnacle-class Neptune Lounge. The beverage and snack area is tight and snacks are behind glass partitions making them very difficult to get to. Perhaps that is the point. They are also sadly lacking. We finish our champagne and head to the Grand Dutch Cafe. Pea soup and a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Yes please! We meet a lovely couple who recommend the french fries. We will try those next time.

It really is. Here’s the Royal Princess as we sail away. I’ll be back to post more later. We have docked in Juneau so are heading into town.

This room would be perfect for a longer voyage as it has more than enough drawers, storage cupboards, and closets.

DECK 7 - NEPTUNE SUITE Unlike our last HAL voyage where they forgot to put our room keys outside the door, this time they were in the slot. Wheeee! We’re in! A fabulous feature of a Koningsdam Neptune Suite is the separate water closet. I knew this would be a hit with my husband who comments on every single HGTV show which shows the toilet out in the open. Gone is the ample dressing area in the other class ships, but this is a great use of space and we are happy to have it. In the main bathroom is a shower, a jetted tub with wand, and two sinks. The WC from the hall showing the door to the main bathroom: The main bathroom from the WC: The WC from the main bathroom:

The VeriFLY line was long so we went through the Suite line. A very nice lady checked VeriFLY and passports, then put a red tag inside. Next were the check-in kiosks. We were sent to an actual person as they were using both for efficiency. He checked boarding passes then took a picture. I guess we must have changed a lot in 8 months. Next, it was out the door and downstairs to Security. Another snaking line, show your red tag, then put your bags on the belt and walk through the body scanner. Off you go to US CBP. They were not taking NEXUS/Global Entry users today. Canadians and Americans were directed to one line; all other passport-holders went to the World line. After snaking around for a while, we finally got to the kiosks. You scan your passport, answer the Customs questions, and then it spits out a receipt. Unless, of course, you’re me. I was rejected by the machine and told to proceed to a CBP officer. We were redirected to the (very busy) World line. OMG. Another huge line to stand in! After directing the people in front of us to join the World line, I asked the officer if that also applied to NEXUS holders. Since the handicapped line was fairly short, he said we could go there. Phew. Others, behind us, piped up that they, too, had NEXUS, so they joined us. Non-holders had to queue up in the World line for a longer wait. Once through CBP we are sent outside and then down another flight. Here they checked our VeriFLY, again, then sent us to the Suites/4&5* Mariner section. At 11:30 they announced that our rooms wouldn’t be ready until noon but we could board now. As we entered the ship they were scanning the boarding passes and telling us our rooms were ready. Okay then! We are finally at the end of our boarding odyssey.

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION! PORT OF VANCOUVER We had a mediocre breakfast at the hotel, but they redeemed themselves by having great coffee. Packing up, we had the Front Desk call for a taxi. This hotel is not how I imagined it to be in that I was expecting there to be a Valet to park the car and hail a taxi. I guess the price threw me. We had a fairly quick and terrifying drive to the port as our driver was a bit of a madman. The nice thing about taking a taxi is they bring you right to the luggage drop-off point. Staff were refusing to let anyone proceed to the terminal if you weren’t wearing a mask. Elevators were busy so we took the stairs. I believe we walked up three flights, so a series of six sets of stairs to get to check-in. Today the Royal Princess is also in port.

Yesterday was a busy day with my husband finishing up some work, car rental drop-off, train to downtown to pick up new rental, back to hotel to pick up luggage, then finally hit the road with 50,000 other people. Seattle traffic has always been bad but this one was for the record books. When we finally got to the border (Pacific Highway) the NEXUS lane was backed up and moving at a snail’s pace. We have no idea what the problem was but when your NEXUS lane is slower than your regular lanes… there’s a problem. I decided to time the little red car in front of us. Six minutes and then sent to secondary. I would say that was happening to 60% of the vehicles. Thankfully, not us. We finally made it to my family’s house for a lovely visit with Uncle and Cousins (my 2nd-Mum Aunt passed 3 years ago), had a nice BBQ of Pacific salmon, chicken, and salads followed by fresh berries and rhubarb sauce from the garden, then off to the Vancouver Airport Marriott. There were obvious signs we were on the COVID ward. I mean, floor.