Island to Alaska with Pictures

[ricktalcott]

I'm sorry everybody. I'm working very hard to get something done, but everything is getting crazy right now. ... I will try to get something up tomorrow. I'm about half way through the next post. But for tonight.

 

PATIENCE.

 

I know that's getting old, but we'll put the petal to the metal soon.

 

 

Note to Carl: The thing that makes this such a pleasant read is the fact that you are having fun. Stop pushing yourself. Seriously, have even more fun. Take MrsC out shopping instead of writing this evening :)

 

The fact that you are getting emails saying, "More, more, faster, faster" is recognition that you're doing a good job. If you start feeling pressured and this whole episode feels like you have 4 out-of-gas 747's trying to land at the same time, then it won't be so much fun for you (and for me).

 

Rick

[cruisebie]

Hey Carl--

 

I agree with Rick-except about the shopping trip. We all know by now that you and Mrs. C aren't much for shopping, so go have a nice dinner somewhere instead! :D

 

I haven't posted much, but I come to read often since I'm reliving my Island Princess cruise vicariously through you! But...what will I do when this comes to a finish? :eek: No Island to Alaska with Pictures thread? Yikes, the thought is unbearable!

 

I'm thinking maybe we should pass the hat & send you & MrsC on another cruise, so the story can continue.....

[cruisingbug]

Carl i found some menus on the forum, entitled Menus? and also a link in a review at the beginning of the Princess forum.

 

Island Princess Alaska 5/14-5/21/05 Review - In Parts

 

cruisingbug

 

Hey, that's me!

I found that menu link on a thread called PC Dining Menus or something like that...

Here's the link if anyone's interested - if you're going to AK, there's an "Alaska Night" that this person didn't have on their site, as I think this person was in the Carib:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287137705&mode=invite

 

I have to say that I'm surprised the "usual suspects" from the Princess cheerleading squad haven't posted here on Carl's thread to dispute his report card - seems like everyone who's posting is a fan of Mr. CWorld and his wonderful sense of humor!

 

I actually may finish MY review TODAY! Whoopee! It's only taken me 8 weeks. :)

[tee_wrecks]

Hey Carl--

 

 

I'm thinking maybe we should pass the hat & send you & MrsC on another cruise, so the story can continue.....

 

Better yet, pass the hat, take the cruise yourself and hire Carl to ghost write your review.

[cworld]

“Everything I want the work to be, is now coming through especially… Oops, caught me. Still got that song in my head. If you think about it, some of it really describes our experience. “I’m on the top of the world looking down on creation.” If I could, I’d have it playing in the background right now. (Anybody a podcasting expert out there?) But, alas, reality slaps us in the face, and you just have to use your imaginations. (Might be better than the real thing anyway.)

 

Mrs. cworld and I had a discussion the night after I wrote about the inappropriate language which was used in the lumberjack show. She reminded me how it really bothered her, because as she remembers it, it was directed at a handicapped lady in the audience. I don’t remember that, but she is probably right, (yes dear, you’re always right) I just don’t remember. What I do remember that it bothered me very much at the time. But, I’m not complaining. (Oh, yes you are).

 

One last thing about TGALS, we walked in a restaurant the other night and right there on the TV was a log-rolling contest, right out of TGALS (except that the competitors were shaplely females, instead of ugly guys). Apparently ESPN is running some kind of Outdoor Game competition and they have some lumberjack contests on them. Wonder if anyone from TGALS is competing? Now that I’ve spilled the beans I expect all of you to watch the competition and identify those guys from the TGALS show. Feel free to print out some of my pictures to match faces. If you need copies, for a small fee I can provide them (time to start scraping up for the next trip). I promise I’ll watch the whole show if you do. Really, I will, honest (see below), just watch me.

 

Oh, yeah, one more last thing about TGALS. When we moseyed into the theater they handed us a really neat color, and everything, program. Cool. Whenever Jane, the mistress of ceremonies, was dividing up the teams and practicing the cheering, she made a big deal about the savings coupons in the program. Really cool, shopping, savings, let’s go (Oh, yeah, I hate shopping.) There was a coupon for something like $1,000.00 worth of free drinks at one place, $10.00 bars of pure plutonium at another, 2 lbs. of free gold at a shop on the strip, with a small purchase. Things like that… The only problem is that the show ended at 2:20 and the Island Princess was scheduled to depart Ketchikan at 2:30. (Tried to pick up the plutonium, but the place was closed.) Jane kept going on about how if we just went to this bar, or this shop, we could get some of these super-duper deals. This could explain why they kept calling those 2 names when we got back on the boat.

 

One more, one more last thing about TGALS. EVERYBODY WRITE THIS DOWN, mark your calendars, remember where you were at the date and time you read this. It’s that IMPORTANT. Imadeamistake. Yep, that’s right, I, the Great One, blew it. Never again can you trust anything I write. The bloom is off the rose, the horse is out of the barn, the cat is out of the cradle, Life as we know it is over, fini. Here's the thing, we, Mrs. cworld and I, didn’t go to the 2:30 Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show because there wasn’t a 2:30 Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. The Island Princess was scheduled to depart Ketchikan at 2:30, so we went to the 1:30 Great Alaskan Lumberjack show. So there, I have posted a correction. And in keeping with good journalism technique, I’ve buried it in the middle of a bunch of other stuff on page 15. (Reality check, how do you know I’m telling the truth now, Hmmm?)

 

Man this honesty stuff is killing me. (No that’s probably only the hamburger you had for lunch.)

 

OK, let's stick a fork in the TGALS show. It’s over, it’s done and it’s time for our dearly beloved travelers to depart the beautiful city of Ketchikan, not Ketchican, Alaska. The 20 of us that were in the TGALS show walk rapidly back to the stunning Island Princess. As we walk that brutal 200 feet, we take one last look at what I truly believe, to that point in my life, is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen in Alaska (Yeah, dummy, you’ve never been to any other Alaskan city, it's not to hard to be the best.) OK, I’ll revise that, Ketchikan Alaska is the prettiest city, in the prettiest setting that I’ve ever seen, period. (At least I believed that until I saw the webcam that showed the weather Thursday in Ketchikan. YUCK. It looked like they were in the middle of a hurricane. (At least it did at 4:00 CDT, July 14, 2005)).

 

I’m am so glad we got to go there on what will undoubtedly go down in history as the most beautiful day ever in Ketchikan Alaska, USA. I’m sure all 8,000 of the inhabitants have marked on the calendar how the day cworld and Mrs. cworld came to town, the skies cleared, the birds chirped, the fishes fished, the bears beared and the bees beed. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, will forget the day we came to town. Ain’t we sumpthin’.

 

Here’s a link where you can look at the webcam for Ketchikan. http://www.earthcam.com/usa/alaska/ketchikan/

 

Letter to the residents of Ketchikan Alaska,

 

Dear folks,

 

Thank you for allowing my wife and I to enjoy your beautiful town. We were the on May 7, 2005. This was a day when your town really shown. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It seemed like we could see all the way to Juneau. Thank you.

 

Let me say, that your town is one of the cleanest, most well kept, scenic, places that I have ever been in. We didn’t see any signs of graffiti, trash, or anything else that would mar your beautiful town, this was very refreshing. Thank you.

 

I wish we had gotten a chance to meet all of you individually, but thank you to the people we did meet. You were very helpful, and obviously proud of your area. We were impressed with your hospitality. Thank you.

 

Again, thank you, and we will visit again someday.

 

Mr. and Mrs. cworld

[cworld]

Rick, Thanks that does mean a lot to me.

 

cruisebie, I like the pass the hat idea.

 

cruisinbug, yeah, and let's keep it that way.

 

tee_wrecks, I can be bought, but cruisebie's idea would be a lot cheaper.

[marcruiser]

Thanks for having the PATIENCE to continue to write this. It is most enjoyable.

[cruisebie]

Now *that* is a great idea tee_wrecks! I know that I would sound like a much more interesting & witty person if Carl was on the job!

 

Carl, would you ghost write my next cruise for me? Do you get those $2 mil advances like that DaVinci Code guy probably does now? When I pass the hat, I'll just keep passing it until I get enough to pay up! :D

 

By the way, if you take the job, could you make me blonde, 25, and really good looking? Ummmm........ and maybe I could be a spy or something. :D

[cworld]

For a $2mil advance and movie rights, I'll make you Pamela Anderson from that silly spy TV show she did.

[tee_wrecks]

TGALS… (And you have to pronounce it phonetically Tee-gals, l

 

Okay, so I've introduced Mrs. Tee_wrecks to this thread and I gotta tell ya, she's a bit troubled by the whole concept of "Tee-gals." Took some fast talking on my part to remind her that with the exception of a couple of 30 second bio-breaks I took, every minute we spent in Ketchikan was spent together. Sort of reminded me of why in these threads their titles are capitalized (Mrs. Cworld and Mrs. Tee_wrecks) while you're just cworld and I'm plain old tee_wrecks.

 

The Outdoor Games have been one of my favorites in the past. I've often made my Labs watch the doggie events with me, hoping against hope that a miracle would occur and they would be able to long jump 30 feet or do blind retrieves. Sadly, the only thing they are adept at hunting remains their supper dish when it's feeding time. As far as the "lumberjills" well, a long time ago in a galazy far away I spent some college summers working for the Forest Service in Washington State and I never saw any loggers that looked like that. Might have still been working in the woods if ...well never mind. Mrs. Tee will see this eventually and I'm all out of 'splainin for a while.

 

Eagerly awaiting the next installment.

 

 

Tee (just had to overemphasize my own importance)

[cruisebie]

That would be perfect, Carl! (Don't want mr cruisebie to be tommy lee, though.) Now if I can just find 400,000 people to kick in $5 each we'll be in business. Oh wait, make that $5.02, I need to get my cruise paid for, too.

 

I'll get back to you...............................:D

 

 

 

 

 

Cruisebie

(Coming soon to a theatre near you as a sexy blonde :))

[cworld]

(Don't want mr cruisebie to be tommy lee, though.)

Cruisebie

(Coming soon to a theatre near you as a sexy blonde :))

 

 

Cruisbie,

 

How do you feel about Pierce Brosnan? He makes a pretty good spy.

 

And we might need to up it to $5.10, expenses, you know.

 

Carl

[cworld]

tee, you sly dog you, we all know what can be done on “bio-breaks”. "Bio"-breaks, right… “Bio” encompasses a whole world of possibilities. If I was Mrs. TEE_wrecks, I might be wondering about you too...

 

To Mrs. TEE_wrecks.

 

Mam, I'm deeply sorry for any discomfort reading my words may have caused you. Please believe that that was not ever my intention. If your good-for-nothing husband has had a checkered past, and I have exposed it, I'm sincerely sorry. Boys will be boys.

 

You have my deepest sympathy,

Carl

 

Cruisebie,

 

How set are you on the blonde thing? I called Pam, and she’s not available. She mentioned that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery are looking to make a sequel to Entrapment. Instead of a "dime a dozen" busty blonde spy, how about a mysterious, vivacious, brunette, international art thief?

 

Starting to work on Chapt. 1, need money soon.

 

Carl

[cruisebie]

How do you feel about the installment plan, Carl? So far, I only have 5.10 and that is out of my own pocket. That'll get me, what?, about half of page 1?

 

I'm easy to please, Catherine Zeta-Jones & Sean Connery would work. He looks great in a tux, and she looks great in anything. As CZJ & SC, we should look really good on formal nights. :D

[cworld]

When we got back to the Island Princess the lines to go back on the boat were terrible. There were 2 stairthingys where people were getting on the boat. Both had long lines. And in these long lines were about 100 wheel chairs. One thing I noticed (using that incredible power of perception that I so richly blessed with) is that whenever a wheelchair comes to the front of the line, the whole line stops until the stairthingy is clear. Once the stairthingy is totally clear the wheelchair is pushed up, or down the stairthingy. Up is harder. This always involves one of the Princess security people pushing the wheelchair up the stairthingy. It looks like a great way to enter the ship. I think I’ll have me a wheelchair next time I cruise. (Hey, you guys at Rodent World need to look at this for a new thrill ride. Throw in a couple of loops and a couple of curves and…) Please understand, I’m not complaining, just observing and dutifully reporting the process with the wheelchairs going up and down the stairthingys.

 

Using one of our time tested Rodent World strategies, we jumped in the line farthest from humanity. After about 100 minutes (probably more like 10) we were just about to the front of this mile long line. When we got to the place where there was only one more wheelchair in front of us, I heard on of those security guys with the radios talk to someone about pulling one of the stairthingys (and yes, that’s the technical term that I remember them using, however my memory is fading). Guess which one?? Nope, wrong answer, they started to undo the stair that we had waited 2 hours for. Just like that, they pull up our stairthingy and just leave us hanging. No Thank You Mr. and Mrs. Small Fish, there were bigger fish in the other line, or I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Big Money Paying Customer, but you’ll have to go to the other line, because it takes so long to take these stairthingys down that we just can’t wait until everyone gets on and take both of them down at the same time. They didn’t say, wait here and we’ll just blend you into the other line, since it’s only 10 feet away. NO, they just pulled a gigantic fork lift up and ripped our stairthingy away from the boat, so we stood there not believing what just happened.

 

Now what. Go to the other line dummy. BUT, we can’t get there. We’re trapped. (Get us out of here. My lineophobia is kicking in big time. Another Rodent World strategy bites the dust. You should have planned better. You should have known. You should have predicted this. Calgon take me away.) We had to wait until all of the slightly put out people in line behind us moved before we could move. They were behind us and there was just one way out. Those evil security guards just left us standing out there, alone in those pressing throngs. With brutal sunshine pouring down on the top of our unshorn heads. The howling wind beating those thick, heavy, drops of sunshine harshly into our poor, rapidly getting blotchy uncovered epidermis (skin for you people in Missouri). It was so bad our epidermis was getting almost warm to the touch. We were starting to get RED. Oooo. Please Mr. Princess security guard, get us out of this sunshine. Haven't you heard anything about skin cancer? This sunshine stuff can kill us high paying guests. What are you going to do if your everyone in this line comes down with radiation poisoning because we spent too much time in the sun because you TOOK DOWN THE STUPID STAIRWAYTHINGY TOO EARLY???!!!!!!! (Whew, I feel better now.)

 

We sloshed through the heavy sunshing over to the other line. From first to last. Story of my life. I hope that parable in the Bible is true about the last being first, cause if it is I'm going to be at the front of every line.

 

Note to Princess – Dear Princess, We want to thank you again for the great cruise you provided us. We really enjoyed the Island Princess. The only complaint (hush) and suggestion that we want to give you concerns your re-embarkation procedures in Ketchikan. It appeared that because of the early departure time in Ketchikan that all of your guests came back to the ship at the same time, creating long lines at departure time. This was not a major problem until the crew removed one of the gangways while both lines were still pretty long. It caused some guests to have to stand in line for a uncomfortable amount of time. This could have been handled better if some kind of merging of the lines had been employed. It turned out that whenever the gangway was closes the first people in line for the closing gangway ended up as the last people to board the ship. I believe it should have been handled better.

 

Tomorrow, or the next day, we start the best food we had on the trip. That is if I get off my lazy duff and write something tomorrow or the next day. If I don't then...

 

PATIENCE

 

That just gets funnier every day.

[cworld]

How do you feel about the installment plan, Carl? So far, I only have 5.10 and that is out of my own pocket. That'll get me, what?, about half of page 1?

 

I'm easy to please, Catherine Zeta-Jones & Sean Connery would work. He looks great in a tux, and she looks great in anything. As CZJ & SC, we should look really good on formal nights. :D

 

 

Installment works for me. What you have so far will get you -

 

It was a dark and stormy night...

 

Coming up with more ideas all the time. Send money soon.

 

Thanks,

Carl

[zachnlucy]

It was a dark and stormy night...

 

Snoopy! Heehee. I gotta tell ya Carl, this just gets better and better. I've now learned patience and won't try to hurry you again. Solemn word, man. And I didn't even get to miffed at your little throw down on Missouri, since Ah ain't even from hereabouts.

[Mrs. cworld]

I'm thinking maybe we should pass the hat & send you & MrsC on another cruise, so the story can continue.....

 

PLEASE hurry and get that hat passed--the alumni association from my college is going to cruise Alaska with the rail and motorcoach parts in May/June 2006. It is KILLING me that we won't be able to go with them.

:rolleyes:

[cworld]

After broiling in line for about 6 hours, finally get to that magical point where we can drop our cruise cards into that honking thingymabobber and we can walk securely back onto the ship. And yes, we are the last ones to get back on the boat. No one in line behind us, nope, nobody, all present and accounted for. We were so far back in line that we heard our names announced over the loud speaker. “Hey, we’re here, don’t leave us. We’re not really late, we’re just caught up in one of your stupid line snafus.” They need to learn a little PATIENCE.

 

Rating for re-embarking procedures at Ketchikan - FFFFFFF

 

As we were waiting in line at the beige arches, I noticed (and I’m mentioning it because I’m sure no one ever noticed it before, I see things, you know) that as soon as the gangway was removed there was a crewman there with a paint roller and brilliant white paint to paint the edge where the stairthingy had been hooked to the boat. To me that showed an attention to detail that I really impressed me. Come to think of it, I noticed (using the sixth sense for these things that I have, yeah, only took you 2 days) the whole ship was always very clean. I saw crew members cleaning all of the time. Each time we sat down in one of the public areas, a crew member was picking up something or wiping off something or painting something. The decks were always clean, the halls were always clean, the stairways were neat, and the elevators, - Ooo laa laa - What can I say about those elevators?

 

 

I don’t believe I ever saw a piece of trash on the ground that a crew person didn’t pick up pretty quickly. This is one area where in my studiously studied, my simply simplistic, my humbly humble, my (get on with it) opinion the Island Princess was every bit as good as and maybe even a little better than Rodent World. (Yes, you Rodent World snobs, the Island Princess was as clean as Rodent World on a Sunday in September.) It’s always been The Rodent company policy to keep everything immaculate. I think that this is one of the things that makes them successful. From what I noticed (and I noticed a whole lot), Princess is striving to do the same thing and very succeeding nicely.

 

Rating for cleanliness on the Island Princess – A+

 

We walked gingerly back to our cabin. We opened our door… Is it there? Is it here yet? No Worries Dave, did you come through? I need some pants Dave. I need my coat Dave. I want MY sweatshirts Dave. My batteries are dying Dave. Dave… what are you doing Dave? That tickles Dave. Dave… Dave… Daisy, Daisy, Give me your… (For Arkansans, who are going “HUH?” Whut’s him’s talkin ‘bout now? Go rent “2001: A Space Odyssey”.) The big, burning, $25,000.00 question is “Will our suitcase really be there?”

 

Only time will tell. And that time will not be now, because if I told you now, what would you have to complain about. Yup, they finally got that silly suitcase. I can finally quit reading this stupid thing. So to keep you in suspense at least one day longer…

 

Patience

 

Somebody find me a new word. Please

[Stanley]

CWorld, We have only just booked our cruise on the Island for Alaska 9/3. We are new to Princess and certainly to Alaska.

 

I've been reading this thread forever and I've only gotten to the end of page 4. As I write, we are on page 14. I hope you can answer a question for me. The answer probably lies somewhere between page 5 and this page and I just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

We loved your pictures by the way.

 

Can you tell me if it is possible to just get off the ship and walk around a couple of these places with a tour or guide?

 

I can't imagine we would have to tender anywhere, do we?

 

I promise to go back and read some more of this thead starting where I left off, the beginning of page 5. I have really enjoyed what I've read so far. People tell me that I'm a bit of a writer myself. I thinkthis is because I am also quite a talker and I tend to write as I would speak. I would bet you are a good talker too.

 

Thanks for any help you can give us.

[ricktalcott]

 

Patience

 

Somebody find me a new word. Please

 

Carl:

 

I went to http://translate.google.com/translate_t

and asked Google to translate it into French, et voila:

 

"la patience"

 

Of course, you have to type it with Gallic charm....

 

Monsieur Rick

[tee_wrecks]

Somebody find me a new word. Please

 

"....Don't give in. Find your stress point..WOOOSAHHHHHHH"

 

Martin Lawrence to Will Smith in Bad Boys I and Bad Boys II

 

 

Grease..oops, I mean Wooooosahhh is the word.

 

And I have to tell you, you're really dating yourself with the "Daisy Daisy" thing. You must be nearly as old as I and I'm so old that when I die they'll have to cut me in half and count the rings to tell how old I am.

 

On a lighter note, I spanked my web monkey today (everyone that thought something bad, fill both ears with liquid soap and shake your head to rinse out your minds) and he promised me faithfully that my Alaska data will be posted sometime tonight. Woooooo hoooooooo!!! Pics and stories and all that kinda stuff. Whether it's posted or not, Carl, I'd be honored if you would check out some of the essays I've posted there. Somehow your ascerbic wit and prattling prose is reminiscent of my own sometimes.

 

www.wcbeanphoto.com

 

Here's hoping the monkey gets it posted and doesn't require another spanking.

 

Peace, Out

[laughing husky]

Hi, been gone for a hurricane down in Florida, came back and we are only in Ketchican....Good grief, if only the cruise lasted this long. Anyway, a couple of comments. I asked our waiter for menus, and he gave me one for each night. Also, we use jet boats up here.....not for the speed, but to prevent prop strikes...The rivers tend to be very shallow in spots so you ride above them....no props, therefore you can't lose one on the rocks....makes good sense huh? Them buggers are pricey.......been there, done that on my husband's boat.....Sorta hard to splain.....Well, honey bunny, While I was coming back cross the reef, I sorta hit a large rock, and the coast guard had to come and I think they will be calling you sooooonnnn.....Oh for a jet engine......Keep up the good work work.....:)

[alwalaska]

CWorld, We have only just booked our cruise on the Island for Alaska 9/3. We are new to Princess and certainly to Alaska.

 

I've been reading this thread forever and I've only gotten to the end of page 4. As I write, we are on page 14. I hope you can answer a question for me. The answer probably lies somewhere between page 5 and this page and I just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

We loved your pictures by the way.

 

Can you tell me if it is possible to just get off the ship and walk around a couple of these places with a tour or guide?

 

I can't imagine we would have to tender anywhere, do we?

 

I promise to go back and read some more of this thead starting where I left off, the beginning of page 5. I have really enjoyed what I've read so far. People tell me that I'm a bit of a writer myself. I thinkthis is because I am also quite a talker and I tend to write as I would speak. I would bet you are a good talker too.

 

Thanks for any help you can give us.

 

Do keep reading it is well worth the time. There is a web site somewhere (of course I can't find it right now) that lists every port and city in Alaska and which ships will dock where and whether or not they will need to tender. Getting a straight answer out of Princess is impossible and what ships tender changes from week to week and is not always the same. Usually, from what I understand, Princess tries to dock the larger ships since they take longer to unload.

 

Does anyone have the name of the site with the docking info for Alaska?

[cworld]

Can you tell me if it is possible to just get off the ship and walk around a couple of these places with a tour or guide?

 

Stanley,

 

At each destination it was possible to get off the ship and walk around. There were several people around the docks to help you tour. As you will see somewhere in my ramblings we made plans and didn't do a lot of research. But, you could just step off the boat and find plenty to do, although I wouldn't suggest it. PLAN AHEAD. This site is a pretty good place to start, but there are a lot of sites that have information on tours. Good luck and welcome to our little party.

 

Carl