2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

Thanks! I am fine for a while, but on the deck for an hour or more can be cold! Have found many ideas on the web, but thought you would have a good answer based on your review.

Dave

 

Well, I don't know if my answer was useful or not, but there are two Academy Sports stores opening this weeekend here in Concord & Kannapolis, and they seem to have good prices, so they might be worth a look since you aren't TOO far away!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Back to the final lap of the review! Having spent a few minutes in the Colony Club snapping photos, I worked my way out and back to the Bombay Billiard Room, and then back out into the Schooner Bar. A few views along the way....

 

 

 

The back right edge of the Colony Club main floor, sitting ara, and the little foyer on the way back to the Bombay Billiard Room...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice, colorful floral arrangement

 

 

 

 

 

 

A different perspective passing through the Bombay Billiard Room (no, this early in the morning, the bars weren't open...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last time in the Schooner Bar - Seating rock star style - all you need is a velvet rope - and an entourage!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful glass globe - the closest I'll get to Africa for a while (maybe for my 50th...)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last look...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now - we're off to the casino!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WannabePhotog]

Well, for all the owl fans out there, here are a couple of shots of the Eurasian Eagle Owl I took at our local rehab center. They say they're the biggest owls in the world. All I know is that those orange eyes are AWESOME!!!

 

 

 

"Look into my eyes!"

 

 

 

 

L.J.

 

I'm not sure I'd ever want to run into one of those in the wild. Good gracious it looks huge!

[WalleyeLJ]

I'm not sure I'd ever want to run into one of those in the wild. Good gracious it looks huge!

 

LOL - I know! If I'm remembering quickly, I think a Great-Horned Owl's head would just about come up to this gal's (I can't remember her name)chin.

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Here are the pages of the Day 3, Juneau, Cruise Compass

 

 

 

Day 3 - Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3 - Inside Page 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3 - Inside Page 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day - Back Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[avalon007]

Hummingbirds are tough to photograph, FAST shutter speed if you want to stop their wings. The faster the better, so set a high shutter speed and then adjust ISO and aperture to make sure you get a properly exposed shot. Good luck, I have been trying to get hummingbird photos for awhile and all I can manage to get is when they land on a branch, haha.

 

I love the owl shot too, I wish I had one near me! I've been looking for a snowy owl this year but no luck!

 

LJ- I did get the 2x extender! Can't wait now!!

 

 

Hi WannabePhotog,

 

I was looking through a Flickr album & came across this great hummingbird pic- I recalled someone had asked about it on this thread, so I located your post as I thought you may like to see it - link is here.

 

Not sure what shutter speed they used sorry, but it was taken with a Canon SX50 HS that I recently purchased & it's max shutter speed is 1/2000 of a second so it can't be any faster than that at least.:D

 

I was reading some other interesting camera blogs etc & came across 2 sayings I think are amusing & quite true that I thought were worth sharing.

 

1.During a discussion about the size of lenses etc - this was said - 'It's the 12 inches behind the camera that are the most important ingredient in good photography - the photographer!'

 

2. Another about reading facts & figures related to using your camera - 'Don't expect to take great shots by reading the camera manual, it's very much like the manual you get with your car - it doesn't teach you to drive.'

 

A little photography humour!:)

[andyn2013]

I'm starting my research for a 2014 Alaska trip.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write up your trip. It's very helpful!! :)

[WalleyeLJ]

So, while staying on Deck 6, we now move forward from the warm, rich decor of the Colony Club and Schooner Bar, to the main atrium, on into...the fun, exciting, the sometimes smoke and intrigued filled...Casino Royale!!! While we are not big gamblers by any means, we usually try and go on a night when the Casino is a little less crowded, and the $5 Blackjack tables are open and have a couple of seats available. We did well our first couple of years, but recently we're lucky to break even - and by "we" I mean Bev managing to keep herself even, as I seem to lose my stake each trip no matter what. This year, they had a night with $3 Blackjack, so we jumped all over that. We got out of dinner and were waiting at the velvet rope for the tables to open that night. We each had $50, and after two hours of playing, we were $2 ahead between us. So, we left our massive pile of winnings with the dealer and pulled out of the game, even money. Vegas & Monte Carlo, here we come!

My Mom, on the other hand, is a slot machine savant. It seems like every time she plays slots, she wins. I think the first two nights she won and was several hundred dollars ahead. I'm not sure if she ended up even or ahead for the week, but she played several hours a day each day, while we had our 2 hours of glory and were done. She and my Dad have the same luck with Bingo. Rarely do they go three nights back home and not win. I'm zero for lifetime getting a simple Bingo - even when I go with them. So, should I ever be faced with saving the planet, for all our sakes may if not require a game of chance...

So, since it was still pretty early in the morning, the tables weren't open, but a handful of people were playing slots and other games, so I figured I could grab a few photos. Somehow if I showed up on a packed night and tried to do that, I figured there would be some sort of trouble, so I had avoided that. Before heading into the Casino from the atrium area, there was of course seating and a lounge area right outside where you can people watch if the games don't intrigue you but someone else inside wants to give it a whirl.

Seating outside the Casino, atrium left edge, outside elevator back in the upper left...

Heading into the Casino Royale!

Some promo monitors showing what table games are available...

For those that are wonder what types of games are on board, they range from nickel slots with way too many line pay options for me to count or understand, to $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $2.00 and $5.00 slots available, most with 3 pay lines. We usually pay the $0.25 slots ($10 doesn't go very far!), but my Mom plays the $1 or $2, three line betting each spin. Also, for those who have been to casinos before, just not on a ship, you can use our room key to key in at the machines or tables just like regular casinos often have, without having to get a second, special card. Just don't forget it in the machine, or you may end up with unexpected visitors in your room!!! Here are few looks at some of the game machines available...

fEELIN' hOT hOT hOT - red hOT!!!

Quarter Machines

Wheel....of....FORTUNE!!! (Pat & Vanna not included on our cruise)

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I'm starting my research for a 2014 Alaska trip.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write up your trip. It's very helpful!! :)

 

Andyn,

 

Thanks - I'm glad you found some things useful. If you have any questions about anything, please let us know!

L.J.

Edited March 12, 2013 by WalleyeLJ

[WalleyeLJ]

Cruise Compass, Day 4, Skagway!

 

 

 

Day 4 - Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - Inside Page 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - Inside Page 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - Back Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[Jdfireman]

WOWOWOWOWOWOW I want to go now lol

 

 

LJ when you were taking the mass of awsome pictures did you have any troubble with the 100 to 400 lense with the slide.. Did you find it a pain in the but to get rapid shots while moving the zoon in and out.. I do not use mine a lot was looking for some ideas... thanks

 

JD

[WannabePhotog]

Hi WannabePhotog,

 

I was looking through a Flickr album & came across this great hummingbird pic- I recalled someone had asked about it on this thread, so I located your post as I thought you may like to see it - link is here.

 

Not sure what shutter speed they used sorry, but it was taken with a Canon SX50 HS that I recently purchased & it's max shutter speed is 1/2000 of a second so it can't be any faster than that at least.:D

 

I was reading some other interesting camera blogs etc & came across 2 sayings I think are amusing & quite true that I thought were worth sharing.

 

1.During a discussion about the size of lenses etc - this was said - 'It's the 12 inches behind the camera that are the most important ingredient in good photography - the photographer!'

 

2. Another about reading facts & figures related to using your camera - 'Don't expect to take great shots by reading the camera manual, it's very much like the manual you get with your car - it doesn't teach you to drive.'

 

A little photography humour!:)

 

That is a nice hummingbird shot, it says it was shot at 1/1000sec shutter speed too which is interesting.

 

I like the humor too, but one could argue both of those points, haha.

[WalleyeLJ]

WOWOWOWOWOWOW I want to go now lol

 

 

LJ when you were taking the mass of awsome pictures did you have any troubble with the 100 to 400 lense with the slide.. Did you find it a pain in the but to get rapid shots while moving the zoon in and out.. I do not use mine a lot was looking for some ideas... thanks

 

JD

 

JD,

Honestly I shot almost all the photos with the 100-400 all the way out at 400mm. I really could have rented a prime:). Most of the time I used the push/pull zoom was simply to move from carrying mode (100mm) to shooting zoom - 400mm. I kept my 18-200mm on my secodn body if I needed something wide.

L.J.

[tobyt]

I have with great joy spent a happy evening reading and enjoying this review! The photos are amazing! The writing is so approachable and makes me so excited for our August Alaska trip! We have booked Harv and Marv whale watching, Anan for bears with Island Wings and fishing with McCormick. The fishing is the only vendor who is somewhat of an unknown here on CC but I am very hopeful that will be a trip to remember. Thank you so very much for the review and photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

Continuing forward through the Casino, the exit puts you on the starboard side of the ship. Immediately outside the Casino Royale is the Quill & Compasses Pub, the movie theater (which I did not go into), and then past that, the Aurora Theater in the bow of the ship.

 

One last look into the Casino before leaving...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view from the edge of the nickel machines to the Quill & Compass:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main entrance to the Q&C...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the piano key floors (doesn't exactly scream "British Pub"), and the seating outside/across the from the Q&C

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bar & stools on the left side of the entrance inside the Quill & Compass

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop - The Windjammer Cafe!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I have with great joy spent a happy evening reading and enjoying this review! The photos are amazing! The writing is so approachable and makes me so excited for our August Alaska trip! We have booked Harv and Marv whale watching, Anan for bears with Island Wings and fishing with McCormick. The fishing is the only vendor who is somewhat of an unknown here on CC but I am very hopeful that will be a trip to remember. Thank you so very much for the review and photos!

 

 

Tobyt - thanks for taking the time to read the thread. We have enjoyed all our fishing trips so far in Alaska, so hopefully you'll have a great one too. Are you fishing out of Ketchikan?

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Before I made my way up to the Windjammer, I stopped to take a shot of the now old school but still very cool "You are here" ship cutout maps which are located between the inside and outside elevators in the main atrium. Even though they aren't as snazzy as the new digital ones I posted a shot of earlier, the nice thing about this one is that it allows you to easily see where all the major points of interest on the ship, so if you can't remember which deck the Vitality at Sea Spa or the Viking Crown Lounge is located, you can quickly find it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now...the Windjammer. The WJ is located on Deck 11 aft, and it the large casual, cafeteria style restaurant on the ship. It use to be bigger (last cruise!), before Izumi & Rita's Cantina were added to the ship. People have all sorts of ideas, good and bad, about the Windjammer and the large scale restaurants like it on all brands of cruise ships. Personally, I like the WJ and can usually find several things that I like each time we eat there. It's our go to place for breakfast and lunch usually, but we've never tried dinner there. It's a good dinner location if you want to skip the Main Dining Room, or if you have a young family and just want an easy place to eat. The WJ is open more often than any other place on the ship, and it also usually one of the only, if not the only place, to eat on Day 1 when you board.

 

In the morning there are fruit, bread and cereal stations, as well as hot American fare foods like pancakes, pork sausage, bacon, ham, scrambled eggs, home fries, etc. They also have a number of foods from other cultures and nationalities each day - Indian, Thai, Kosher, Caribbean. There are also hot cereals available, and on good days with time to eat and short lines - made to order omelets! The very best days, they have waffles, strawberries and whipped cream. I never have that back in everyday life, so that and a plate of bacon and I am a happy camper! Not a healthy camper, but a happy camper!

 

 

 

Chow time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch follows the same general pattern as breakfast, with the biggest portion of foods being American fare, with an assortment of other food options from around the world. There are usually hamburgers, hotdogs, and a deli sandwich bar, salad bar, and the popular dessert bar. Fortunately (for my waist line), I'm not a huge fan of cruise desserts, but certainly a lot of folks like the options there. MY single greatest weakness in terms of food on RCI ships are the sourdough rolls and butter. I have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are my version of the Olive Garden breadsticks (which I love), but those sourdough rolls are THE BEST rolls I've ever had. I'm sure many people will call me crazy - but I don't care - I love 'em!

 

So, my morning tour complete for the moment, I loaded up a tray and breakfast back tot he room for Bev & I. While she didn't do breakfast in bed, we did do breakfast on the balcony in our robes - our first time as Platinum members! Mine didn't fit so well, hence no pictures of me (lukcy for all of you!), but as you can see - I had my waffles and bacon, so it was a great last morning at sea...

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[DizzyDallasDi]

So, my morning tour complete for the moment, I loaded up a tray and breakfast back tot he room for Bev & I. While she didn't do breakfast in bed, we did do breakfast on the balcony in our robes - our first time as Platinum members! Mine didn't fit so well, hence no pictures of me (lukcy for all of you!), but as you can see - I had my waffles and bacon, so it was a great last morning at sea...

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

 

Okay now L.J., fess up....what did you do with the rest of Bev's breakfast? ;)

 

Your bacon and waffles look very yummy but Bev's watermelon and coffee (tea?) actually look better to me.

 

I never dress / shower / do hair and makeup for room service breakfast so major kudos to Bev for her well put together and well rested look. :)

[tobyt]

We are actually fishing in Skagway, due to the timing and other must do items it really worked best. I was so happy to see your catch since everyone says somewhat negative comments about fishing there. It was a bucket list item for my Dad and I really hope he gets one!

[WalleyeLJ]

Okay now L.J., fess up....what did you do with the rest of Bev's breakfast? ;)

 

Your bacon and waffles look very yummy but Bev's watermelon and coffee (tea?) actually look better to me.

 

I never dress / shower / do hair and makeup for room service breakfast so major kudos to Bev for her well put together and well rested look. :)

 

That was all she wanted! That - and the hot chocolate (she likes the smell of coffee but won't drink it, and doesn't like tea - go figure:))!

Bev laughed at your last comment when I read it to her, as she hasn't worn make up since we were first dating - and she was very pleased:D! I'm just glad we didn't take any photos of each other once we landed back in Charlotte...:eek:

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

We are actually fishing in Skagway, due to the timing and other must do items it really worked best. I was so happy to see your catch since everyone says somewhat negative comments about fishing there. It was a bucket list item for my Dad and I really hope he gets one!

 

Good luck and tight lines - may the fish be with you!!!

L.J.

[Shazzah]

Great photos around the ship.

 

Love the balcony breakfast shot. Looks like a nice day if you're enjoying breakfast outside. (I'm with Bev on no make-up, although she pulls it off better ;) )

[Fishfish]

Thank you so much for your review! The pictures are wonderful and really add to the excitement of visiting Alaska next summer...

[WalleyeLJ]

Cruise Compass, Day 5, Icy Strait Point (2nd Formal Night)!

 

 

 

Day 5 - Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Inside Page 2

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Inside Page 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Back Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Great photos around the ship.

 

Love the balcony breakfast shot. Looks like a nice day if you're enjoying breakfast outside. (I'm with Bev on no make-up, although she pulls it off better ;) )

 

Thanks Shazzah,

I know most of the ships shots are coming at the end, but we were too busy/tired to get to them earlier:). I think we both slept better on this trip. Our first trip to Alaska, I don't think I slept past 4am any day on the cruise. I was a zombie by the time we got off in Seward. A happy zombie (too much to see the first time I guess), but a sleep zombie none the less...

L.J.