LIVE - Encore, Alaska - May 15-22

[rockfsh]

Do they enforce the check in times at the terminal? Our group has different times due to online check in at different times.

[IrishKathy]

Could you please tell me, if you happen to go to the casino, what are the minimum table bets for Blackjack and Craps?  Thanks so much.

[zestyzorra]

Would you mind sharing a picture of the freestyle daily?  Mainly the page with the schedule, not all the ads.  Thank you!

 

I'd also love to know what nights Choir of Man is playing, if you remember.  TIA!

Edited May 18, 2022 by zestyzorra

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, rockfsh said:

Do they enforce the check in times at the terminal? Our group has different times due to online check in at different times.

They don’t.

[Old & Retired]

10 hours ago, rockfsh said:

Do they enforce the check in times at the terminal? Our group has different times due to online check in at different times.

There actually is no such thing.  It is just a suggestion for the newbies so they can be spaced out a bit.

[sprez33]

Day 3 – Juneau

 

We’re back in the inside passage and the waters are much calmer and the winds have died down.  Kind of a foggy morning with the sun occasionally breaking through and an occasional rain squall. 

 

Haven Restaurant – First breakfast in the Haven restaurant.  I request a pot of French press coffee.  Nice that they have this option for those of us that like French press.  It’s not as good as Steve’s coffee lab (as I call my home grinding and brewing operation) but has the richness of French press.  The Haven has a nice menu with all of the breakfast classics.  I went with Eggs Benedict which was very good.  The sausage and hash browns are passable.  Again the service is impeccable.  All of the staff know our names.  Further, since we’ve made reservations for Cagney’s the staff ask us to pre-order our meal since we both have shellfish allergies (they know this from our pre-cruise interview) and they want to be sure not to cross contaminate.  Very nice!  You get the feeling that the staff at the Haven are always looking out for you, though not in an obtrusive way.  Just looking for opportunities to serve you better.

 

Inside passage cruising – Since we don’t dock until 2:30 the morning is spent in the Haven observation lounge relaxing and reading (and social media).  The weather alternates between sun and clouds.  Since we have a long and busy time before dinner, we go for lunch at the Garden Café since there’s a lecture on Alaskan Wildlife that we want to attend in the general observation lounge.

 

Garden Café – We get a nice table right by the window and explore the buffet.  My son goes for pizza, big surprise, and some fresh vegetables.  I’ve been jonesing for some Asian flavors.  There’s a rice noodle soup station and I get a bowl.  It’s not very filling so I have some General Tso’s chicken and rice.  All in all, the food at the buffet is not very good.  Not bad, typical buffet food.  Often depends on how long something’s been sitting out.  Need to choose wisely. 

 

Observation Lounge – We head to the general observation lounge to catch the lecture.  It’s very beautiful like the one in the Haven, just much larger and with more people.  Nicely, there are four buffet areas serving snacks.  We find nice seats with great views and listen to the lecture. 

 

Juneau – We get much closer to land on both sides of the ship as we make our way up the passage.  We dock at Juneau, which is not very impressive from the sea.  We’re the fourth large cruise ship to dock and our berth is the furthest from ‘downtown’ Juneau.  Since we have a couple hours before our excursion, we take one of the frequent shuttle busses into town to explore.  Juneau is equally unimpressive from the land.  Not much to sea.  There’s the famous Red Dog Saloon, though little else.  In general, I’d recommend that if you’re docking in Juneau, focus on the shore excursions that get you out of town.  Or the gondola to the top of Mt Roberts.

 

Helicopter Ride to Glacier – This was a spectacular excursion and well worth the cost.  We were picked up from just in front of the ship’s berth and taken to the airport where we change into waterproof jackets, pants and boots. Helicopters took our group first to fly over two glaciers, getting very close to the sides of the mountains, and then landing on the Mendenhall glacier where we’re strapped into cramp-ons by the guides awaiting us.  We take a nice walk about the glacier stopping around the points of interest.  A great excursion!!  If you’re curious, while walking in heavy snow boots (think ski boots) and cramp-ons is somewhat more difficult than regular hiking, you don’t need to be in top physical condition to partake of this excursion.

 

Cagney’s Steakhouse – We’re very hungry from walking about the glacier and Cagney’s turns out to be a good choice.  On deck 8, they try to make Cagney’s feel like a traditional steakhouse with dark paneled walls and dim lights, but the outdoors comes through in the many windows.  I’ve ordered the tuna tartare and the onion soup as starters and both are excellent and good portion sizes.  I ordered an 8 oz fillet and it’s done perfectly to my order.  There’s a very nice char-broil on the surface.  I ordered two glasses of wine, a Napa and Barossa cab.  Both were very good.  I’d toyed with the idea of bringing a special cab from my cellar.  In the end I’m glad I didn’t as I’m too exhausted to enjoy more that two glasses. 

 

Exhausted, we head back to our room and pass out easily.

[sprez33]

On 5/17/2022 at 2:31 PM, IrishKathy said:

Could you please tell me, if you happen to go to the casino, what are the minimum table bets for Blackjack and Craps?  Thanks so much.

 

Sorry, not a gambling man......

[trivimp]

On 5/17/2022 at 8:36 PM, zestyzorra said:

Would you mind sharing a picture of the freestyle daily?  Mainly the page with the schedule, not all the ads.  Thank you!

 

I'd also love to know what nights Choir of Man is playing, if you remember.  TIA!

 

Just a warning, I was on a B2B & the schedule varied a lot between the two weeks.  First week, Kinky Boots was on Saturday; second week it was Thursday.  Just one example.  Maybe it will settle down later in the season, but right now stuff seems to be moving around a lot; don't rely on a previous sailing's dailies to set your schedule.  

[trivimp]

On 5/17/2022 at 1:34 PM, sprez33 said:

Day 2 – Day at Sea

Thank you for your kind words, Steve!! It was a real pleasure to meet you.  

[zestyzorra]

On 6/1/2022 at 4:37 PM, trivimp said:

 

Just a warning, I was on a B2B & the schedule varied a lot between the two weeks.  First week, Kinky Boots was on Saturday; second week it was Thursday.  Just one example.  Maybe it will settle down later in the season, but right now stuff seems to be moving around a lot; don't rely on a previous sailing's dailies to set your schedule.  

Thanks for letting me know.  I'm mostly trying to figure out what time to make dinner reservations so I can see the shows, too.

[trivimp]

15 hours ago, zestyzorra said:

Thanks for letting me know.  I'm mostly trying to figure out what time to make dinner reservations so I can see the shows, too.

Theater shows are generally 2x night at 7:00 and 10:00, or maybe on the half hour, but somewhere around there.  Comedy shows in the Social, the same.  If you want to see the Beatles shows in the Cavern, resign yourself to eating early.  They do only one show a night & it always seemed to be around 8:00 or 8:30.  Plus you have to get there way early to get a seat.  An hour early is best; half an hour is cutting it close.  We ended up making our dinner reservations as close to 5:00 as we could all week just so we wouldn't have to worry about conflicts.  We felt like seniors doing the early-bird special, and then we were generally starving & had to get a second dinner at the Local before bed, but that's cruising [shrug]