Live? A test of Alaskan Wifi, AKA Our Alaskan Trip Report August 2018

OMG! I just had to post a reply to your narration of the bus ride! Too funny! :') Thank you for all the information, your wonderful writing style, and the beautiful pictures. I am taking notes for my trip next June on the Volendam. I think you have convinced me to rent a car in Skagway and I am left wondering if there are guided audio tours available.:confused:

Remember the photo I took from the EXC Lounge, looking straight down the Main Street of Skagway? Here is the opposite view of that photo.

 

As we were walking there were some people crowded around a truck. We passed, and I wasn't going to look, but I did, and I'm so glad I did. I still have no idea what this is! Is this a dog? Is it a lion? Is this some mythical hybrid dog-lion? It was staring straight ahead, ignoring everyone like a boss. I felt so bad for it, because people were just gawking. It looked embarrassed.

 

WHAT IS THIS????

 

 

Nothing new here to see folks, just a dog wearing hair extensions. :loudcry:

I'm really enjoying your review. Your photos have been great.

Catching up with your reports and great photos.

I'm still here & enjoying your review.

Yay! Thanks! :D

The bus driver was Mr and Mrs Grumpy’s cousin. I thought you knew that. Still here. Still enjoying.

 

 

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Aha! That makes sense! :p

OMG! I just had to post a reply to your narration of the bus ride! Too funny! :') Thank you for all the information, your wonderful writing style, and the beautiful pictures. I am taking notes for my trip next June on the Volendam. I think you have convinced me to rent a car in Skagway and I am left wondering if there are guided audio tours available.:confused:

Thank you for reading and enjoying my report so far! You will have a wonderful time, especially if you can avoid the seat hoggers! I would bet there is some sort of guided audio tour available somewhere. And if not, there's my million dollar idea!!

Nothing new here to see folks, just a dog wearing hair extensions. :loudcry:

 

I'm really enjoying your review. Your photos have been great.

:')(y)

A DOG WITH HAIR EXTENSIONS! YES! But WHY??? I really need to know what was going on, and why it is sitting like a human in the truck.

Catching up with your reports and great photos.

Thanks! Glad you're still here!

Cruise Day 5: Glacier Bay

Today was the day I had been waiting for. Glacier Bay Day had finally arrived. When I was selecting a cruise itinerary, one of the biggest decisions was Glacier Bay or no Glacier Bay. Almost everyone who has ever been asked that questions agrees that you must see Glacier Bay at least once. With a consensus like that it seemed necessary to choose a sailing that included Glacier Bay, at least for a first visit to Alaska.

While doing my extensive research, I learned that Glacier Bay does not allow any old cruise ship into its waters. I also learned that Holland America has Glacier Bay rangers and speakers board their ships to teach the passengers about the area, and the native people. This sounded really cool, and it was part of what helped me choose this particular sailing.

So on Glacier Bay Day I woke up crazy early (for me) to the sound of announcements outside the ship. Meaning, they weren't playing IN the room, but I could definitely hear that someone was saying something.

Once again I leaped out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning (OK that wasn't really possible in our room because my sofa bed took up every single inch of floor space we had, so what I actually did was sit up and pull the verandah door open from my bed so I could hear what was being said).

I don't recall was was being said, but I do recall seeing more fog and feeling disappointed.

This fog was my least favorite fog. It was like an actual curtain, hiding something that I wanted to see, letting me see just a tiny peek by lifting up the bottom but not letting me see the whole thing. Stupid fog!!!

Oh and it was cold. Cold and fog. Fog and cold. That's what my notes say, exactly.

So what do you do when it is cold, foggy, and early in the morning? You go to the EXC Lounge and get a latte, of course.

The icebergs floating by were getting bigger. I kept looking for wildlife on the icebergs. I really wanted to see an otter hanging out on an iceberg. I've heard they don't actually do that, but that didn't stop me from wanting to see it happen anyway.

DS went to his club. This may have been the morning that we brought the counselors coffee. I did ask if it was OK the night before, because I didn't want to do it if they weren't allowed to accept gifts from us. They (appropriately) said that they would never expect us to get them a coffee, but if we did, they would be able to accept it. I just want to emphasize that they handled it very professionally and graciously. And they were THRILLED when we brought them coffee. DS had asked what they liked, and found out both liked caramel flavored coffee drinks, and one likes hot coffee and one prefers cold. So we got 2 caramel lattes: one iced and one hot, and delivered them. And they were soooooo thankful.

While DS was in his club, DD and I went out on deck 10. The fog was starting to lift, and we were seeing more hints of the crazy, surreal landscape that we would see for the next few hours.

If you've ever been to Yellowstone, and you've been to the Mammoth area, you've seen a totally surreal alien-like landscape. Something that just looks fake, or other-worldly. That was how this felt. It felt like I was in a painting of a place that didn't really exist.

The colors were so clear. The water was so glacial.

And it just got better and better.

We saw the first glacier of the day.

And the fog continued to lift, and the landscape continued to become more surreal, if that was even possible.

We were now entering the area where most of the glaciers were, and I wanted to get DS from his club. However, when I went down there they had a native speaker in there talking to the kids about halibut fishing and the tools they use, and DS didn't want to leave. DD went to her club, and I went back out to take photos (surprising, right?).

I think most people were out on the bow of the ship, where they were giving out split pea soup, which is apparently a thing. I had wanted to partake, but we didn't make it out to the bow of the ship until after the pea soup thing was over. Boo.

But we were enjoying the view from deck 10 and above.

The counselors advised that the best glacier viewing would be Margerie Glacier, which we would see beginning at around 11 (I think- this will be posted somewhere on your ship so make sure you check).

I think I got DS from his club at 11, which may have been when they close for lunch. We headed out to check out Margerie Glacier.

It is really hard to comprehend the size of a glacier from a photo. There isn't usually much of a scale, or reference point where you can see just how big it is. You look at a photo of a pile of snow and think "Shoot, I made a pile like that in my backyard last year."

But when you see a glacier next to a cruise ship, it kind of helps you see just how massive the glacier is.

With the above photos in mind, this photo now is more impressive.

This may have been when DS and I went to the bow of the ship. The other cruise ship left, and our ship sailed into the spot where it had been. We did a slow 360 so both sides of the ship could see, and we just hung out for a while.

We saw lots of seals and otters, but I don't think I have any good photos of them.

At one point, whoever was making announcements DID announce that there was an otter curled up on an iceberg. I saw it. I KNOW I saw it. But my photo just looks like a black dot on an iceberg.

The announcement person said that seals look like a dog head sticking out of the water, with a "V" of water behind it, while otters look like bookends, with their head and feet sticking out of the water. Otters are sort of like this "l__l" in the water. Now you can go back and scan all of my photos to see if there are any seals or otters in them. Its like Where's Waldo: Glacier Bay.

Here's a photo to break up all of this boring text.

The fog was starting to return, which was weird.

I did enjoy taking photos of the icebergs.

And the icy water.

We went to eat at the Lido and it was very crowded. I think we ended up sitting out by the Lido Pool. I got a hot dog from the Dive In, and it was great.

The kids went back to their clubs. DS had park rangers from Glacier Bay in his club, and the kids were able to complete the Junior Ranger program to earn a badge. This was optional, but this was DS's last opportunity to do the program as he will age out in a few weeks. He had done it at Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier, so I wanted him to do one last program.

DD told me that the Teen Club did go out and see Margerie Glacier. She had seen a lot with me before going in to her club, so I was happy.

After lunch the kids went back to their clubs and I went to the EXC Lounge to read. I saw more seals and otters.

When DS's club closed, he and his friend hung out in the EXC Lounge playing chess, and then explored a little bit, I think. Most of the time when they were "exploring" they were really just playing video games on a portable game system DS's friend had brought. They were quietly chatting with each other while playing, they were entertained, happy, and safe, and that's all that matters to me.

That night was the second Gala Night. We were once again slumming in our jeans and sneakers (DD), button down shirt and pants (DS), and pants and sweater/top (me). I'm sure people were horrified by our slovenly appearance. They let just anyone on these ships nowadays, unlike the good old days when people knew how to dress for dinner. Sigh.

Nightly pic out the window:

I wish I could remember what kind of soup this is. Maybe the orzo soup? If so, it had about 3 pieces of orzo in it. So whoever named that soup should really try harder next time.

I mean, I could have sworn I took photos of a lot of our food. But where are those photos? I have no idea! This is some dessert. Maybe a cheesecake of some sort?

Whatever dessert that was is of no importance because there was a bigger, better dessert on the horizon. And by horizon, I meant Deck 2. Because on Deck 2, after the second dinner is over, there is a surprise for everyone.

Do you know the surprise I am talking about? Yes? Well don't ruin it for everyone else!

I'm not sure if this is just a HAL thing, or if other cruise lines have this. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the Chocolate Surprise.

What is a Chocolate Surprise? It sounds like something that could be good, or could be bad. It could be... "Surprise! Here's a bunch of chocolate!" or it could be "Surprise! This looks like chocolate but it is actually unsweetened chocolate!"

Well I'll tell you, this was the good kind of surprise. This was the "Surprise! Here's a bunch of chocolate!" plus "Surprise! Here's a bunch MORE chocolate!" followed by about 6 more surprises.

The servers all parade out carrying tray after tray of chocolate.

They keep coming.

And coming.

And coming.

I was a little afraid it was going to be like Costco, where everyone rushes the free samples, and older people shove mothers and children out of the way so they can grab 5 one inch pieces of pizza and leave none for anyone else. But there was so. much. chocolate. There was nothing to worry about. First of all most of the older people had been asleep since 6pm. Second of all there was SO. MUCH. CHOCOLATE!

DS took at least one of everything.

Several of these had nuts, so if you have allergies it is best to just stay away from the Chocolate Surprise. For you, this is not going to be the good kind of surprise.

DD has nut allergies, and we had (correctly) guessed this would not be an experience she could enjoy. She was MORE than happy to escape to her club and hang out with her friends and skip the whole thing.

DD grabbed a few extra goodies for his counselors and we headed up to his club.

I'm sure I headed to the Gryffindor Common Room and had a Strawberries and Bubbles and read my book until it was time to get DS. Then we went back to the room and watched part of a movie while waiting for DD to come back so we could all go to sleep.

Tomorrow was our Ketchikan day, and we had big plans! It felt like we had been on the ship forever, in a GOOD way, and it was a little sad that we were making our last port stop. But we were looking forward to our adventure, and I was looking forward to exploring Ketchikan.

Oops, I forgot one thing I did on Glacier Bay night. I didn't go to the Gallery Bar, not right away anyway. I went to the Billboard show. This was SO GOOD!!! Once again, the counselors had recommended it, and once again they hit the nail on the head! The singers and dancers sang a medley of Billboard #1 songs from the 50's (?) through the present day. If you like popular music (Beatles, Rolling Stones, ABBA, Beyonce) or appreciate a musical show, I recommend this one.

I took one photo, from one of my crummy seats in the balcony. I tried to move to a better spot but somehow I just kept ending up in a worse location.

Super photos of Glacier Bay day, the fog adds to the atmosphere!

We were lucky to have clear sunny days during both our cruises to Glacier Bay.

What was your favourite chocolate from the chocolate surprise selection?

I was told that the 2 previous cruises had bad weather in Glacier Bay and didn't see nearly as much as we did.

Would you believe I didn't try ANY of the Chocolate Surprise treats??? I had such a great dinner (I think I had filet mignon and some awesome dessert) and I just couldn't eat another bite.

Thanks for your reply.

I am loving your review! We were on a Princess cruise to Alaska in the spring. On one of the bus tours we took, a woman moved the gear of another couple and switched seats while everyone was off the bus at a stop. We cruise Carnival often and I have never seen this behavior on a Carnival excursion. I blame it on generational entitlement. Carnival tends to a younger crowd. Maybe the parents taught the kids well, but forgot that lesson themselves.

I just can't believe the nerve of some people! Where does this sense of entitlement come from? I have not seen behavior like this anywhere else, including on Disney Cruise Line. People sure like to say that parents of young children "think the world revolves around [themselves]" but I have found the opposite to be true.

Cruise Day 6: Ketchikan

We got to sleep in today, which was nice. I definitely wanted to hit the town, either before or after our excursion. I was hoping for before, because I know after our excursions the kids tend to want to just get back on the ship. But we realllllllllly needed some sleep.

We docked at Ketchikan at around 10am. That's around when we awoke as well. We got up and went to Lido for a late breakfast, and managed to grab a few waffles before they closed precisely at 10:30am.

We saw some fishing boats, which got us pumped for our excursion.

We had our first view of our last port, as well.

We got off the ship and headed to Creek Street.

I really liked this tunnel. We just don't have things like this at home.

Thank you for continuing your report and sharing your super photos

We arrived at the main shopping area, but not before passing 3 stores called Tongass Trading Company. It was quite ridiculous, but that didn't stop us from shopping there (later).

We finally arrived at Creek Street. I was so excited to see this place! I'm sure most people will know the history, but the story is that this used to be a place where men would... find pleasure with new female friends. There is a trail behind the stores here called Married Man's Trail which is which was used for a quick escape back in the day. The whole thing overlooks a creek full of salmon. It was fairly busy, but so worth the visit.

This sculpture of a salmon was so cool. It was hard to get a photo of it "swimming" upstream, due to 2 children who did not want to hang around while their mother tried to take a photo.

Most of the buildings here are shops, and many contain old news articles about the area. I really enjoyed walking around here, stopping in the shops and seeing what there was. The stores had a lot of different souvenirs, rather than the same "generic" souvenirs you'd find in stores along the Main Street. Don't get me wrong! I love a good cheesy, generic souvenir! I have many of them! But these shops tended to carry more unique goods. One store had Star Wars character prints that had native animals embedded in them. I can't really explain it, other than to say they were like Star Wars totem animals. So incredibly cool, but more than I had wanted to spend. They had really unique ties, puzzles, and other goods. Definitely check out these stores!

There is also a funicular that takes you up to the top of the hill. I am not sure if it was working. We didn't stick around to see. No one was around, which makes me think it was not in use.

Dolly's House is one of the unique Museums in town. You can read more about it here, if you like tales of old-timey debauchery (and who doesn't enjoy old-timey debauchery!).

http://www.alaska.org/detail/dollys-house-museum

Your reports are bringing back good memories. Thank you.

We headed back toward the pier so we could join our last excursion. This was one I probably never would have booked if I hadn't read someone else's trip report where they went on and on about how awesome this was. There was pretty much nothing about this excursion that appealed to me, in theory. But this reviewer was SO enthusiastic, and loved it SO much, I had to book it. I figured it would appeal to the kids, or at least to DS.

Let me back up a bit. DD has food allergies, as I've mentioned. For years she has tested positive for allergies to tree nuts, coconut, and shellfish. For years we have had to avoid all of the above, and DD has felt excluded from a lot as a result. I try not to shelter her, and I want her to have the tools she needs to navigate the world independently. I want her to know how to handle life with her allergies. I never want her to have anxiety or live her life in fear.

Before our vacation, we had her annual allergy appointment where she gets a blood draw and skin test. The blood draw gives us measurable numbers to compare annually and track any patterns (hopefully the numbers go DOWN each year!) and the skin test is sort of a cross-reference to the blood test.

Side note: the blood test used to be a NIGHTMARE that involved at least 2 adults holding DD down while she screamed and kicked and fought the tech who was drawing blood. Now she just moans about it for days beforehand, and all the way into the seat, where she then talks NONSTOP to the tech as she gets her blood draw, and she then casually comments how "That wasn't so bad" and she saunters off until next year when it all happens all over again. Good times.

So anyway, the shellfish numbers have been going down steadily to almost zero. She has never had shellfish, so there has never been a reaction, and shellfish is super easy to avoid as it is not a hidden ingredient in most foods. By comparison, tree nuts are really tough to avoid as there is a cross-contamination risk pretty much any time nuts are around (IE in pretty much any bakery).

So imagine our surprise when the allergist declared that DD was no longer considered allergic to shellfish! I mean, she has NO interest in trying it, but knowing that we don't have to worry about it anymore... it is a HUGE weight off our collective shoulders.

This news made our excursion even more exciting, because we were going (to watch some people) crab fishing!!!

Not only were we going crab fishing, we were going DEADLIEST CATCH crab fishing on the Aleutian Ballad!

Again, this was nothing I would have booked on my own because we don't eat crab, and we don't watch Deadliest Catch (though I guess my kids have seen it).

We boarded the ship on the early side, having learned from experience that boarding late can leave you at the mercy of people with entitlement issues. I chose seats right in front of the tanks, while mentally telling myself I was OK with people moving in front of the tanks and standing in front of me, because that's normal behavior. And I'd probably be getting up and walking around anyway. It is insane the amount of thought I had to put into this.

So we "claimed" our seats and met our neighbors.

Your reports are bringing back good memories. Thank you.

Awesome! I am really enjoying looking at the photos and remembering our trip. I love looking at others' photos, and reading about their experiences as well. Have you written about any of your travels?

We were encouraged to get up and walk around, and the ship wasn't anywhere near full, so it was easy to walk around and even go upstairs for a better look at some of the ship's gear and the area where we were sailing.

Our fishermen were amazing. These guys were experienced, they knew their stuff, and they knew how to make it interesting and accessible to all of us who knew nothing at all about crab fishing.

The stories they told and the enthusiasm they brought to the experience made it so impressive.

The ship had a very small galley, with coffee, hot cocoa, and soda and snacks for purchase. They also sold t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. They were also showing video footage of the Rogue Wave episode of Deadliest Catch on a constant loop.

We sailed around, and they talked about the crabs in the tank, and this super cool fish they caught.

The scenery was amazing.

And all of a sudden, we had company.

We had sailed into an eagle nesting area, and we were here to feed them. The fishermen did let us know that most of the eagles had moved on, and were much more interested in catching their own food, but we were so glad that a few of the lazier eagles had stuck around to entertain us.