Random Notes, 5/24-6/7/17, Mariner, Rumorlite but LIVE!

[liptastic]

So glad you have wonderful weather and sunshine. The Alaskan scenery never disappoints. Jean.

[Gilly]

Beautiful photographs, stunning scenery! Thank you for sharing!

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, Jean. Glad you enjoyed the Misty shots, Gilly. And good morning to all from Wrangell. Yep, another beautiful day. I'm in short sleeves!

 

 

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[RachelG]

Have to disagree with Terry Breen about Endicott vs Tracy. Endicott just does not have the excitement of Tracy Arm. Virtually no calving.

 

I really liked Wrangell, but there is not a lot there. We did a very strenuous hike. The local school kids had some garnets that they had collected for sale.

[Travelcat2]

I agree with Rachel. Tracy Arm offers more than Endicott (but still think prefer Hubbard Glacier to Tracy Arm).

[Mr Rumor]

When the tide is high like it was in Wrangell this morning--the gangway was on Deck Six until just past noon!--the white paint comes out for serious exterior touch-up work. "These are the areas we can seldom reach," Staff Captain Yasen Sergeev explained.

 

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Correction to above post: Should have been, "When the tide is LOW. . ."

 

Ginny and I and a new Regent friend got "pinned" tonight at the Seven Seas Society Cocktail Party. We were escorted to the front row by Assistant CD Marla and received our Platinum pins a few minutes into the program. I'm scratching my head at the moment regarding who actually handed us our pins among Captain Serena, GM Andreas, CD Lorraine and Assistant CD Marla (some reporter I am when I'm participating rather than observing!), and Ginny is no help. We think it might have been Captain Serena. I clearly remember my embrace with the Captain, as she is a great hugger. I wish you all a Captain Serena hug!

 

A few minutes earlier, Cruise Consultant Matilda Jerosimic (from Sweden, and on her second Regent contract, by the way) presented the membership tier stats, as follows:

 

Titanium, 6

Platinum, 14

Gold, 40

Silver, 114

Bronze, 63

 

The Titanium/Platinum/Gold event is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11 in the Stars Lounge. We will miss it because, well, Ginny and I couldn't quite bring ourselves to turn in our tix for Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer, which today was being described as "Endicott Arm." (Captain Serena made it official in an afternoon announcement that Tracy is iced over and, thus, not navigable.)

 

"Endicott Arm" is the only morning (7:30!) excursion scheduled for tomorrow, as the ship won't dock until 1 p.m. In Juneau. I'm assuming a catamaran-Mariner meet-up somewhere reasonably near Endicott. Meanwhile I count a grand total of 23 different Juneau excursions, several with two or three departures.

 

Rich

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Wrangell was lovely and rather warm today. Meanwhile, aboard the Mariner tonight, the pop-country-themed "Blazing Saddles' was hot! Not just hot for Regent, but for any stage. Already looking forward to seeing the production team's newest show again next week. Featuring tunes from Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and more.

 

 

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[Zqueeze1]

Rich: congratulations on making platinum level. Awesome report and great pics. Glad to hear that the weather seems to be cooperating. Please say hi to Donald (F&B) for us.

 

 

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[Travelcat2]

Also want to add my congratulations on become Platinum! That is a big accomplishment.

 

I'm not surprised that Tracy Arm is iced over as Alaska had quite an "icy" year and we were told that it was extremely unusual to visit there in May (although we were able to do it once). It sounds as if the excursion boat to Tracy Arm is still operating. Am I reading this correctly?

 

I didn't realize that Andreas was the G.M. (or if I knew, I forgot). Please send him our regards. He is a lovely man and a great G.M. Although he and Donald will not be onboard in late August I'm hoping that they will be on the Mariner in November (fingers crossed).

 

Looking forward to more posts and photos.

[RachelG]

Big congrats to you and Ginny for making Platinum. It is a ways off for George and me as we missed the double points offer and also mix things up with Silversea and Oceania. But someday!

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Hope you remember me. We all enjoyed hot chocolate in St. Tropez in November aboard the Explorer Transatlantic. I was the lady with the scooter and O2. So glad your beautiful daughter is with you on the Alaska cruise. Enjoy your platinum and send my regards to your lovely wife. Both of you were so delightful that afternoon.

Happy sailing. Hope to meet again.

Sheila

[Mr Rumor]

You know you're enjoying a string of great luck when, for the third excursion in a row, your tour guide raves about the weather conditions.

 

"Today is unbeatable, you're getting views of everything in Endicott Arm," Kristopher, Allen Marine Tours' naturalist, commented.

 

Judging by how popular the viewing areas were among the 130 camera- and iPhone-wielding passengers--our catamaran is only one of four in the Allen fleet with a third deck--this was a real crowd-pleaser of an excursion. Some favorite shots follow.

 

Here's our ride! (Stephens Passage)

 

Later, Mariner.

 

Hello, Dawes!

 

I just missed the calving (note the spray on the right). . .

 

. . . But back in Stephens Passage I got my whale tail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[garyb(uk)]

great pics but have to ask - is that one of the included excursions or Regent Choice?

[Mr Rumor]

Roberto, I was happy to give F&B Director Donald your and Pam's regards at breakfast. He broke into a big smile and responded: "Tell them to stay healthy--I want to cruise with them again!"

 

And Z, Jackie and Rachel, thanks for the Plat congrats. Shauna covets my pin. I had to hide it after she watched me put it on the desk drawer and then promptly went into the drawer looking for it.

 

Sheila, not only do I remember our side by side lunch at that outdoor cafe in Cannes, I remember it like it was yesterday (and I'll never forget my humongous tomato, bacon and salad crepe)! Thanks for the sweet words and all our best to you.

 

Gary and Anne, our cruise today was Regent Choice, with a price tag of $149. We felt it was worth every penny. More on Endicott and Tracy arms in my next post.

 

Rich

 

 

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[Mudhen]

OH WOW! What wonderful pictures and beautiful weather! Scoring the weather is a big deal in May. So glad it's been great for you. Congrats on going "Platinum"....do you get a platinum ship (like a platinum record) for that?! haha! John and I are both gold (we didn't get a gold ship, btw....haha!), but it will take awhile to get to platinum, as we've never been lucky enough to score double days....do they still do that anymore?

Continue to enjoy your cruise and thanks again for taking us along!

L&J

[Mr Rumor]

Thanks, L&J!

 

Who better to give an update on Tracy Arm--and Tracy Arm versus Endicott Arm-- than Kristopher, Allen Marine Tour's onboard Naturalist?

 

According to Kris, Allen Marine was only able to make it into Tracy Arm six times all last season--and two of those times Allen was forced to turn back due to treacherous ice conditions.

 

He shared an alarming stat by means of explanation: "Between 1990 and 2013 Tracy Arm lost a mile and three-quarters of ice off its face. Last year alone it lost a mile. When we were finally able to get in, in late summer, we could barely recognize it.

 

"No one from our company has been able to get in this year to check out current conditions because it is so congested right now." He added that the company is eventually expecting to confirm that the rate of ice loss in Tracy Arm is continuing unabated.

 

Regarding calving, Kristopher remarked that several years ago Endicott was almost "silent" by comparison to the near constant calving at Tracy's Sawyer and South Sawyer glaciers, which produces the ice that is making Tracy so hard to access. But today, he added, Endicott is calving almost as much as Tracy Arm two years ago. In fact, we got to witness a calving during our half hour visit to Dawes.

 

Kris doesn't consider Endicott a consolation prize for not getting to see Tracy. "They're both so beautiful," he said. "They were formed by the same ice field."

 

He added that when he had a choice of taking his parents to either Endicott or Tracy last year, he chose Endicott because he was more confident of getting a closeup view of Dawes than of Sawyer or South Sawyer.

 

Rich

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Good morning from Skagway (yep, it's another gorgeous day!). The ship just pulling in on the right has been our (Silver) Shadow on this cruise.

 

 

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[garyb(uk)]

great pic

[WesW]

Loving both of your outstanding pictures Rich (outstanding snaps & exceptionally descriptive word pictures). Also, as Silversea and Regent cruisers especially enjoyed your Silver Shadow mention.

 

And, Ida and I congratulate Team RGS (Rich, Ginny & Shauna, who all contributed to your Platinum milestone) for reaching Platinum Seven Seas Society level. We covet Regent Free Laundry & Plat status but still need over 8 weeks on board Regent to earn. However, we earned free laundry on Silversea at 100 days sailed (2 yrs ago) and after our Norway SS cruise mid July on the Cloud we're near 200 days sailed on SS.

 

 

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[ronrick1943]

Nice photos and enjoying the post, thanks so much for taking the time and sharing this with us. Enjoy your cruise and safe travels home when it's time to go home and wait for your next trip. Thanks so much! Rick

[Mr Rumor]

Rick, it has been my pleasure. I hope you'll continue to follow along. Not quite at the halfway point yet!

 

Wes, I immediately thought of you and Ida when I saw the Silver Shadow pulling in and told myself this shot will be for them. Thanks for the Plat congrats, and am delighted you're continuing to cruise along with me.

 

Scenic Rail and Yukon Suspension Bridge, our Skagway Regent Choice Excursion ($149 upcharge), had the two key ingredients to delight Shauna, a vintage train ride AND a bus ride through amazing country. As expected, her review was ecstatic: "Good time! Good time! Good time!" We couldn't have put it better better better.

 

I was hoping to post a few photos from the excursion, but the slow internet this morning makes that impossible at the moment. I'll persevere, so stay tuned!

 

Rich

 

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[RachelG]

That is scary about Tracy Arm. I am glad we got to see it when we did. And I am glad you got to see some calving. Last year, there was none at all in Endicott Arm when we were there.

[Mr Rumor]

Rachel, I'm afraid that "scary" is not overstating the Tracy Arm situation. There was definite concern in the voice of Kris, of Allen Tours, as he discussed Tracy Arm. When he mentioned the increased calving activity at Endicott I couldn't help but wonder if Endicott is destined (doomed?) for the same fate as Tracy in a few years' time.

 

Internet is still too slow for me to post photos, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to post this all-text update.

 

We're enjoying a very pleasant sail in the open ocean (Gulf of Alaska). It is a partly sunny afternoon with a current temp of 55. We're cruising along at 19 knots, with 221 nautical miles to go until Seward. We still have not experienced a single raindrop on this cruise, with Jackson, our 22-year-old Skagway tour guide yesterday, being the fourth guide in a row to rave about the glorious weather.

 

Roughly 550 passengers will be disembarking tomorrow morning. We are among the 140 who will be continuing on. Most of us have signed up for the free Seward excursion that was announced on Monday. I was anticipating a choice between the eight-hour Explore the Kenai Mountains and the 5.5 hour Kenai Fjords Cruise. Instead the only offering is the 4.5 hour Exit Glacier and Alaska Sealife Center.

 

We still have much to look forward to today, including Krew Kapers, and Shauna's single-most favorite shipboard event, Beatles Farewell Dance Night in Horizon Lounge. CD Lorraine will join the Mariner Production Cast Singers in a non-stop hour of Fab Four hits, as Shauna shows off her dance moves right in front of the bandstand.

 

Shauna pines for this dance party for months. I've lost count of how many times recently that she has exclaimed "Beatles tonight!" When she exclaimed it again this morning, we could finally confirm, "Yes, Beatles tonight!" As she naps she is still wearing her Cirque du Soleil Beatles' "Love" tee-shirt. Before we leave for Krew Kapers, however, she will switch to a English-themed tee that our talented Regent friend Karen created for her for just this occasion.

 

Rich

 

 

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[Mr Rumor]

Views from a passing train (the White Pass Scenic Rail, Skagway).

 

 

 

 

 

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