Royal 6/21/10 Rex and Pam do Alaska

[CruisinMinnie]

Sounds like a great start to your 14 day adventure! :)

[Lynda90]

Pam, so happy to see you back with one of your brilliantly funny cruise journals. I hope you are enjoying your cruise as much as we are. Can't wait for the next installment! :p

[Northender]

Can't wait for the next journal post.:) This is going to be so much fun.:D

[TM]

What a great read, thanks for sharing with us. I will look forward to more...

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks Pam for the great start to your trip.

 

I G N A Z I O is an excellent MD and very funny too.

[wwinfl91]

Pam,

 

Keep up the great job. We will be on the Royal for it's August 16th cruise so keep it in good shape for us.

 

Have a great current cruise.

[DougH]

I know the small Royal doesn't have the piazza area the larger ships do but do they serve the fresh hot cookies like them? My last couple crusies have been on the Star and I've gotten hooked on those cookies. They are to die for and it's amazing to see poeple lining up for them fresh out of the oven :)

[erynwales]

Very interesting and witty. I enjoy reading your journal and visualizing each experience. Peace out.

[chamima]

Pam

I LOVE reading your posts!

Do you think there is any chance that any of the senior staff will still be on the Royal next February?

[pamwinn]

Tuesday June 22, 2010

 

***Internet service has been spotty. I'd like to post at the end of each day but so far I haven't been able to do that.

 

Sea Day

 

Wow…Jet lag. We popped out of bed at 10:45 EST (7:45 Ship’s time). That is unheard of. We don’t sleep that late. I don’t know what happened. There has been much discussion about the firmness of the beds and I concur, they are quite firm. Even with the egg crate it was akin to being in a sleeping bag on the floor. I had to line up pillows and sleep on them. We requested another egg crate.

 

This being a sea day, we opted to have tomato juice and olives for breakfast on our balcony while scanning for that telltale whale blow. No sooner had I wished aloud that a whale would show itself than a humpback not only showed itself, it breached about two hundred yards directly in front of us. It continued to frolic until it disappeared in the distance. But I can still see it! The thrill of seeing that always delivers a great rush and I always feel so thankful to have been there to see it.

 

Later we attended the pub lunch in Sterling Steakhouse. The offerings were bangers & mash, fish & chips, ploughman’s lunch, and cottage pie. Rex enjoyed the fish and chips while I scarfed the cottage pie…yummy! I felt like I needed something fresh, like a salad so we made our way down one level to the panorama buffet. With great will power, I made a small salad then Rex walked up to me with a plateful of sushi. “Well, just a piece or two” I said, because sushi is not fattening. Then someone walked by with a platter of pizza and I could see the steam rising from it. “Well, just a piece or two” I said. I will try pretty much anything as long as it doesn’t look extremely weird or gelatinous so with that spirit of adventure I tried the tuna pizza. Remember this warning; if you are ever offered a piece of tuna pizza do not take it. It is not good. It’s not at all like anchovies; it’s canned tuna on a pizza. We deduced that someone decided that was a good way to get rid of the tuna overstock but I have to disagree. It is not a good idea. Put it on crackers with an olive. Make tuna sandwiches. Make soup out of it. Sculpt it. But don’t put it on a pizza. The pepperoni pizza made up for it though. I wasn’t expecting a lot from the pizza on this ship, as I didn’t think it was very good on the Pacific last year. I thought perhaps the kitchen wasn’t really equipped for it. However, the pepperoni was good. Those who like Sicilian style pizza with thin crust that holds when you pick it up will enjoy it. I was proud that I was able to refrain and so was Rex after he ate half of a mango cheesecake.

 

After lunch we made our way to the Royal Lounge to enjoy the panoramic views. This is a room at the front of the ship on deck ten. It’s Rex’s favorite place onboard. It offers a huge “windshield” all the way across the ship with lounge chairs arranged so that one can sit and almost pretend to be driving the ship. I think Princess is missing an opportunity here; they could rent little ship stirring wheels that could be attached to the lounge chairs. At least I would always know where to find Rex. We soon became drowsy as there was a little choppiness going on and we were being gently rocked. I said, “Come on Captain Rex, let’s head for the cabin, it’s naptime”! Shortly after naptime, there was a knock at the door and hors d’oeuvres were being delivered…smoked salmon topped with golden caviar.

 

It’s 7:00 PM and time to get ready for dinner. It’s formal night, (queue, the soundtrack they play when the cannibalistic maniac is about to hack the pretty young camper all dressed up in high heels and bikini) the bane of every good tomboy’s existence.

 

So how do I look, Rex? “Yum. Pretty”. He always says that. Sometimes I put on something goofy to test him but he never falls for it. Good man. Smart.

When we arrived in the dining room we discovered we had been moved to a different table. It is a table for six, set for two. Located in the aft corner portside, we can see everything in the dining room and outside. We will miss our original waiter Edgar and especially his assistant Joel. They are both very gregarious while our new waiter, Vergel, seems a little shy though he is efficient and helpful. I couldn’t figure out who his assistant is though. Nonetheless, this is an excellent table location although I can’t help wonder why they thought the two of us needed a table for six.

 

I had the salad, crab quiche, and halibut. Rex also had the salad and crab quiche but ordered an off-menu big, juicy New York strip-rare. I enjoyed all of it very much and Rex gave his patented classically sophisticated gastronomic version of his Two Thumbs Up Certification when he declared, “Yama Lama Ding Dong.”

 

We are not much for cruise ship entertainment venues but for those interested there were assorted dancing opportunities throughout the evening in the Royal Lounge. Variety Showtime in the Cabaret Lounge featured Vocalist Ross Burford and Comedian Tom McTigue. The Cruisetones performed in the Casino Lounge followed by piano man Bobby Hamilton. The Princess and the Frog was the feature movie. My favorite activity, “Looking for Whales” is on the always-available menu. There is something to be had for almost everyone.

 

So pardon us while we retire to our balcony to ponder the meaning of a table-for-six- for-two. The fog is rolling in and the ship is gently rocking…

[OnVacation11]

We did the same cruise in 2009 on the Pacific Princess and loved it !!! I am looking forward to re-living it again through your posts.

Thanks.

[2Scots]

This is so funny - let the adventure continue!!!!

 

I think you and poster "sailor Jack" should write a book!

 

My DH rarely shops and LIKES to wear some of the pants he had in 1964 (before we met) - and he knows where they are.:rolleyes:

 

Right, they are at Sears!!! Didn't we all get clothes from Sears and JCP in the 60's ??

Oh wait, that's almost my age now!!

[rdsqrl]

. . . and so was Rex after he ate half of a mango cheesecake.

 

. . . I can’t help wonder why they thought the two of us needed a table for six.

These two things might not be unrelated . . .

Sounds like a fantastic cruise so far. Continued thanks for the witty and informative updates!

[pamwinn]

June 23, 2010

 

Ketchikan

 

I got up at 4:15 AK time and Rex had been up for an hour and a half. We are now 4 hours behind our dogs. We arrived in Ketchikan around 7:00 AM. True to reputation it was raining. I think Ketchikan is a pretty town with most all structures on piers or precariously perched on the side of a mountain. We can look down on the Aleutian Ballad (Dangerous Catch) from our balcony as we are docked at the far side of town. We were the first ship to arrive followed by the Zaandam and the Millennium.

 

Two of our top ten excursions are available here. One is the Misty Fjords Flight-seeing and the other is a scenic cruise into Misty Fjords. Both are breathtaking and humbling in their beauty. I am certain we will do one or both again on a future cruise but today we just had a small shopping list, earmuffs being at the top, as I will need them in for our excursion in Icy Strait Point. The rest is just exercise, people watching, and enjoying what the city has to offer.

 

Upon getting out of the shower I noticed that my waxed lip rash is finally gone and replaced by tiny little whiskers. That didn’t last very long and I am not doing it again during this cruise. I can’t see them unless I get close to the mirror anyway and I try not to do that anymore than is absolutely necessary. Rex and I tend to nickname passengers that we see a lot around the ship so I guess someone of similar ilk is referring to me as Fuzz Face or something similar.

 

We tried to wait out the drizzle but decided it wasn’t going away which turned out to be true. We felt a need to walk and a craving to shop so we got off the ship and headed for what Rex calls the Chinese Cash Collection Centers. He’s always trying to find stuff made in America and as everyone knows that’s all but impossible. By the time we returned to the ship, we were walking in the rain so I burst out in song….just siiiiinging in the raaaain. I don’t really mind getting wet. It wasn’t windy or cold so it was fine with me. The Tongas Trading Company is a good place to outfit yourself. I found some earmuffs so I am good to go. They have Northface, Columbia, and many other brands of nice sportswear and shoes such as Keen, Merrill, and other higher end walking/hiking shoes. Go upstairs for the good stuff. We returned to the ship shortly before sail away, which happened on schedule at 2:00 PM.

 

There is this game that I have played for as long as I can remember. I haven’t always referred to it by this name but I currently called it “Crank Yanking.” I like to say or do things just to see if I can get a rise out of someone. I guess that’s why I am a little difficult to get to know because I do it to family, friends, co-workers, and strangers alike. Some of those people don’t realize it’s a game. Over the years Rex has learned the game and he plays it with me when we go to the wine tasting. It’s one of the Elite perks and I like the little souvenir glasses. The “wine expert” is talking in all seriousness about color, clarity, swirling, legs, sniffing etc. Instead of paying attention or following instructions, Rex just picks up his glass and slams it. It’s so embarrassing. He promised he would not do that and then did it anyway. I may yank his crank a little later.

 

After the wine we attended the Snow Pass Whale watch lecture conducted by the onboard naturalist, Ann Burgess, as we all scanned for whales. Perhaps we should have attended the Bear Lecture earlier instead of going to the wine chugging. Crank yank karma reared its ugly head and while getting ready for dinner, Rex sprayed Curad Spray Band-aid in his hair thinking it was hairspray. He asked me what he should do and I said, “It’s safe to spray on wounds, so it’s probably not going to hurt you.” His hair smelled funny, somewhat like burning rubber, but otherwise, it worked pretty well. Rex thinks it’s both a thickener and water-proofer. We are going to get the big can tomorrow in Juneau. At least now he can be in touch with his televangelist side.

 

Surf and turf with king crab appetizer and Caesar salad with some really nice anchovies was our dinner selection. A man near us ordered a plateful of the appetizer and received a mountain of crab legs. They were on the small side and split, but very nice and tasty. I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like except the tuna pizza. I forgot to mention: today’s Weird Pizza of the Day was proscuito with fresh arugula. This one I liked. I learned that on the late port days, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, the dining room reverts to open seating. The one thing I’m not real fond of on these small ships is the lack of “Anytime Dining”. At least we get to have it for three nights.

 

The entertainment for the evening consisted of various dancing venues, Famous Faces Trivia, Bobby Hamilton on the Piano and the show was Music, Music, Music contrary to what was posted in the patter. The Wednesday movie feature was Shutter Island. After sampling all the offerings we retired to our cabin and shortly thereafter to bed. I had to keep increasing the volume of the television to drown out the moose honking (Rex’s snoring) while I watched depressing movies. The Single Man, was followed by The Notebook, a beautiful love story that reminds me of how much I love Rex, antlers and all. I’ve seen it at least fifty times.

 

Good Night.

[Wormy53]

Pam - just LOVE your "journaling"!! I'm so glad when you take another cruise so we all can experience it too!:D

[Sissy Ruth]

Pam,

Luv your journal. So many things you say, really hit home which makes it even more enjoyable. We will be on the Royal, 8/30 and will be

avidly reading everything you have to tell about your venture. We live in one of the hottest places in the USA, so don't have very many

"cold" clothing items - glad to hear we can buy some things in our ports - we haven't seen a pair of ear muffs in 25 years. Have a great

time - can't wait to hear more. We also prefer a table for 2 - how do we do that successfully???

Cindy

[pamwinn]

DougH, I haven't seen any hot cookies yet. There are cookies in the Club Bar in the AM when we get coffee but I don't think they are hot.

 

Sissy, In order to get a table for 2 if you are not already assigned one is to speak to the Maitre d' on embarkation day. It was from 2PM until 3PM for us. You probably need to be willing to accept second seating. First seating must be really full because second has plenty of room. I think everyone wants first seating. We did not care about that. We are not the only couple seated alone at a table designed for more. We were nice to the Maitre d' (we are always nice to the crew) but witnessed many who were not so nice...making demands, threatening to never cruise Princess again...that kind of stuff. They did get little tables for 2 but they are squeezed into a service path...haha.

 

The Maitre d' was so stressed out that first day. I felt really sorry for him trying to accommodate so many requests when it's nearly impossible to do so.

[GogoSF]

Pam, Add me to the list of everyone else who just loves your writing style! If you're not a professional writer, you should be. I am officially in love with Pam and Rex and would like to read an entire book (or maybe a daily blog) about every single thing they do and say. I'm not sure why, but as I read your posts I picture the two of you as Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man movies. thanks so much for taking us along!:)

[pamwinn]

June 24, 2010

 

Juneau

 

Guess what? It’s raining in Juneau! It really hasn’t been pouring rain it’s more like a steady light misty drizzle since Ketchikan. We are docked alongside the southern-most pier, which is about a half mile from downtown Juneau. The weather forecast for today is more of the same with a high of around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and almost no wind, which has pretty much been the same since we left Georgia.

 

We lingered on the ship until the people on shore were no longer running with hooded heads or blossomed umbrellas and made our way into town. We really had just one mission today: king crab. We skipped breakfast in preparation. We know Juneau pretty well so we made a straight path to Tracy’s King Crab Shack. I ordered the combo, which is one large crab leg, a cup of crab bisque, and hush puppy-sized crab cakes. Everything was delicious. We were there for quite some time as Rex ordered the medium bucket that serves 2-3 hungry people. While he was enjoying his feast, several people lingered by to take a picture of him. By the time he was finished the shells were clean and his hair was buttered. He wanted to put the shells in his backpack to bring home as souvenirs and when I agreed, he changed his mind (Crank Yank).

 

We originally planned to take the cable car up to the top of Mount Roberts as it’s been a few years since we’ve been up there. Unfortunately, the cloud ceiling was low until late afternoon. By that time, the temperature had dropped and the wind picked up so we decided against it. That was a wise decision because the cloud lift didn’t last for very long and it started raining again. You need really nice weather to fully enjoy being up there. In the past, we have gone whale watching with Captain Larry of Orca Enterprises (highly recommended), we’ve gone to the Salmon Bake (meh), we’ve gone to see Mendenhall Glacier (nice) and out of desperation we’ve gone on a whale watch excursion through the cruise line (just say no). Libby Riddles boarded and gave her presentation on her Iditarod adventures. We have attended her lectures and visited with her in the past and enjoyed it. We mostly wandered around town and visited all our familiar haunts. We tried to find a hatpin for Rex at the William Spear store but they didn’t have what he wanted. The pins are unique and beautiful I just wish Spear would come up with some new designs. I looked for a hat that I should have bought last year. We stopped by the Red Dog Saloon and, at Rex’s insistence, the fudge shop. After all it had been several minutes since the crab legs. If I can’t have mom’s fudge, I don’t want no stinkin’ fudge. I still haven’t bought anything…so far so good.

 

We went to the elite/platinum/suite lounge so Rex could see what a mojito tastes like without much investment. They were pretty good. We followed that with a trip to the Casino lounge to listen to Bobby Hamilton sing and play his piano. He’s good. He sings like Sachmo.

 

Still full from the crab feast, we skipped dinner altogether. Of course, there is always the late night bistro or room service. The room service menu has been expanded since last summer and you can order some hot food items like black bean chili, lasagna, a Moroccan vegetarian dish with pita bread, as well as all the regular items that have been around for some time. I probably won’t try any of that. I am not sure how I would feel the day following midnight chili. For those interested, the power hour $2.99 drinks are still available from 8:00 PM until whenever on this ship.

 

The entertainment for the evening included the multiple dancing venues, Dan Downy on guitar, Bobby Hamilton on his piano and Comedy Showtime with Dick Gould. The movie for the evening was Dear John. For the grammar fanatics, I properly italicize all these titles but the formatting is lost when I paste into this thread. I could go back and fix it all but that would mean I would eat up precious internet minutes so I’ll beg forgiveness. I’m really doing it on purpose anyway to yank the cranks of the grammatically astute.

 

As of yet we don’t know why but we are late leaving Juneau. We should have left about an hour ago. We were ready to depart and then the forklift started back up and the gangway was reassembled. Curiosity finally got the better of me so I called the pursers desk and was told it had something to do with immigration but I have no further details. We are only 34 miles from the next port so we are going to be powered by a trolling motor anyway. At 11:33 we pulled away from the pier.

 

Tomorrow is going to be fun…whales!

[Northender]

Thank you, thank you. We are planning Alaska for June/July 2012.

I have now started a word doc and doing a copy paste of some of the things that sound so great.:):)

 

Awaiting the next journal entry:cool:

[TracieABD]

Thank you for the continued installments! I have really looked forward to reading about your adventures!

BTW, Tracy's Crab Shack is my husband's favorite. I think he talked about it for a whole year!!!:)

[DougH]

What are the evening dining optuions in teh buffet? You mentioned the Bistro, does it just change from dinner service directly to Bistro only? It's been a long time since I've been on a smaller ship and I know they handle things differently. How about pizza, what are the hours of service? I could never understand how on the Star pizza was only available thru room service during the hours the deck bakery was open. If I wanetd a late night snack that is whenI'd want to use room service not when I could just go get a slice myself.

[Woobstr112G]

Loved reading your thoughts.....:):):)

 

Bob

[phabric]

Where do you find Tracy's King Craab Shack in Juneau?

[suzyheights]

Hello from your friendly Interloper! We will be on the next sailing--July 5th. This will be our 3rd sailing on the Royal within 7 months.

 

Pam, I just love reading your journal. It's a shame we are not with you now as I'm sure my Paul and your Rex would make great eating (oops- feasting) companions!

 

Cheers!

Saundra