Live (sort of) from the Eclipse in Alaska 7/10

[Barwick Cruiser]

Very much enjoying your postings of this cruise, Abby, and sounds like you’re having a very good trip overall. Thank you for continuing to keep us entertained. I’m very much looking forward to doing a similar itinerary on Eclipse in September. 
 

Have you had any luck finding out if there’s any Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc onboard? I’m hoping by this point or certainly by the time we sail that stock has been replenished. 🤞

[Lastdance]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with those of us who are on land at this time.  A friend of mine wanted to see Sitka for his retirement, but his DW had a different idea; anyway, now she does want to cruise.  I guess having too many people in port is another issue, even if you are lucky enough to get there by ship.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:29 PM, abbydancer said:

Yeah, I said to Glen maybe next time we'll see some of the not in town center things.  It was a bigger town than I expected, though.

 

We walked to the totem park.  

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

We walked to the totem park.  

We've done that also.  Not a bad walk and we really enjoyed walking around that area.  Looking forward to it as we are heading there a week from Saturday.  Can't wait!

[realnice46]

Abby

 I feel the way you do about Kale, it’s best decorating the produce at the grocery store. 
I also remember when Cilantro wasn’t on anything.

I'm really enjoying your daily updates. We will be on the Eclipse in September, our first cruise since May 2019 also Alaska on the Eclipse.

[Northern Aurora]

On 7/13/2022 at 5:34 PM, abbydancer said:

Day 3

.......

 

During all this, we arrived in Sitka, along with the Ovation of the Seas, one of Royal’s Quantum class ships, with just under 5,000 guests.  This will matter in a few minutes.

 

We waited until the hearing concluded, and then, around 12:30 or so, decided to head into town.  The pier is about 5 miles from the pier.  The port provides shuttle busses.  I was hoping that by waiting over 90 minutes there wouldn’t be much of a wait. 

 

Wrong - when we got to the dock area there was a Disney style line for the buses.  Fortunately they were coming reasonably frequently, but it still took 30 minutes to get on the bus.  It was about a 20 minute ride, and we were dropped off by the Public Library and a Community building.  

 

.....

 

The line was about 40 minutes.  I suspect that if we’d spent the afternoon on the ship, and maybe tried to go in after lunch we might have had a better experience, but based on what I did and saw, I can now check Sitka off.  Maybe also if we hadn’t been there with a 5000 passenger ship, I might have enjoyed the town more.  We did however, buy some Claritin so it wasn’t a total waste.

 

 

 

....  

 

Sitka in the books, and I’m not sure I need to go back, but I’m glad I was there.

 

I have been to  Sitka several times both as a cruise port and also on business (Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska annual conference).  It is actually one of my favorite SE communities.

 

Years ago Sitka was a tender port.  The dock north of town was built by the family who owns the boat works on that site.  It is not owned by either the state of Alaska or the municipality of Sitka.  During the global suspension of cruising the family expanded the privately owned dock to allow the docking of mega-ships.  And our OP is correct -- the dock owners provide the shuttle busses to the Harrigan Centennial Center (which is the name of the "Community building").

 

An acquaintance grew up in Sitka and returns frequently to visit family.  He was there for the Christmas holiday and I had a long discussion with him about the issues and concerns Sitka has about the enlargement of that private dock.  It is his understanding that over the winter the community held a series of meetings trying to plan for the impact of a ship like the Ovation of the Seas on a community of about 9,000 residents.

 

And I should also note that there has been some discussion not only on the Alaska Cruise Critic forum but also in the communities themselves as to whether these gigantic ships, such as Ovation, should even be sailing in Alaska.

 

Instead of just wandering around when a mega ship is also in port folks need to have a plan.  For example, our OP would probably been impressed with Sitka if they had walked from the Harrigan Centennial Center along the seawall to the Sitka National Historical Park which is often referred to as "totem pole park"; the SNHP contains an impressive number of totem poles in a wooded setting with an interpretative center and ranger led walks.  Walking to the SNHP folks pass both the Sitka Sound Science Center and the Sheldon Jackson Museum (which is an auxiliary of the State Museum in Juneau).  From the SNHP it is an easy walk for folks not mobility challenged to the Alaska Raptor Center.  The Fortress of the Bear is beyond walking distance for most.

 

The Russian Bishop's House is downtown but is most likely overwhelmed when a ship like Ovation is in port.

 

The Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska website has port schedules for all Alaska ports which accept cruise ships.

[abbydancer2003]

11 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

I have been to  Sitka several times both as a cruise port and also on business (Alaska Historical Society/Museums Alaska annual conference).  It is actually one of my favorite SE communities.

 

Years ago Sitka was a tender port.  The dock north of town was built by the family who owns the boat works on that site.  It is not owned by either the state of Alaska or the municipality of Sitka.  During the global suspension of cruising the family expanded the privately owned dock to allow the docking of mega-ships.  And our OP is correct -- the dock owners provide the shuttle busses to the Harrigan Centennial Center (which is the name of the "Community building").

 

An acquaintance grew up in Sitka and returns frequently to visit family.  He was there for the Christmas holiday and I had a long discussion with him about the issues and concerns Sitka has about the enlargement of that private dock.  It is his understanding that over the winter the community held a series of meetings trying to plan for the impact of a ship like the Ovation of the Seas on a community of about 9,000 residents.

 

And I should also note that there has been some discussion not only on the Alaska Cruise Critic forum but also in the communities themselves as to whether these gigantic ships, such as Ovation, should even be sailing in Alaska.

 

Instead of just wandering around when a mega ship is also in port folks need to have a plan.  For example, our OP would probably been impressed with Sitka if they had walked from the Harrigan Centennial Center along the seawall to the Sitka National Historical Park which is often referred to as "totem pole park"; the SNHP contains an impressive number of totem poles in a wooded setting with an interpretative center and ranger led walks.  Walking to the SNHP folks pass both the Sitka Sound Science Center and the Sheldon Jackson Museum (which is an auxiliary of the State Museum in Juneau).  From the SNHP it is an easy walk for folks not mobility challenged to the Alaska Raptor Center.  The Fortress of the Bear is beyond walking distance for most.

 

The Russian Bishop's House is downtown but is most likely overwhelmed when a ship like Ovation is in port.

 

The Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska website has port schedules for all Alaska ports which accept cruise ships.

Thanks for all the info.  It was quite interesting.  I had no idea.  Because of the last minute planning of this, and the cancellation of May, as well as my two follow up cruises, I did little or no planning for this one.  If I ever go to Sitka again, will definitely go to the park and maybe the Raptor center.  We did enjoy the few sites we saw, though.

 

My first Sitka visit was supposed to be in 2007, on a 2000 passenger Princess ship with tendering.  We'd scheduled a walk excursion.  Unfortuately cancelled due to weather.  Oh well, someday I'll have a nice time there. 

 

 

[abbydancer2003]

11 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Very much enjoying your postings of this cruise, Abby, and sounds like you’re having a very good trip overall. Thank you for continuing to keep us entertained. I’m very much looking forward to doing a similar itinerary on Eclipse in September. 
 

Have you had any luck finding out if there’s any Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc onboard? I’m hoping by this point or certainly by the time we sail that stock has been replenished. 🤞

Hi. I’m in cellar masters and the person there tells me they do have it.  I told him to save a bottle.  

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, abbydancer said:

Thanks for all the info.  It was quite interesting.  I had no idea.  Because of the last minute planning of this, and the cancellation of May, as well as my two follow up cruises, I did little or no planning for this one.  If I ever go to Sitka again, will definitely go to the park and maybe the Raptor center.  We did enjoy the few sites we saw, though.

 

My first Sitka visit was supposed to be in 2007, on a 2000 passenger Princess ship with tendering.  We'd scheduled a walk excursion.  Unfortuately cancelled due to weather.  Oh well, someday I'll have a nice time there. 

 

 

 

 

Abby:  I sincerely hope that your experience, and quite frankly the lack of planning for the port, becomes a "teachable moment" for others.  This is a fascinating port due to both its Russian connection

( the the transfer ceremony in 1867 took place in Sitka) but it has as an interesting connection to the Lutheran Church (and no, I am not of that faith, but any basic research will indicate why).  It is also a rather "artsy" community as they try to fend off the Diamonds's International and Tanzanite International stores.  It also has a strong Tlingit connection.  I actually had the incredible experience of being invited to a clan meal, with traditional Tlingit foods,  at the amazing tribal hall a number of years ago.  

[Barwick Cruiser]

13 hours ago, abbydancer said:

Hi. I’m in cellar masters and the person there tells me they do have it.  I told him to save a bottle.  

Thank you so much for taking the time from your holiday to check this for me! Glad to hear some supply issues are resolving themselves. Enjoy and thanks again!

[abbydancer2003]

Day 5 

 

Today was Juneau, and our only all-day port. We were docked when we woke and when I looked out the balcony it all seemed different.  My first thought was maybe we were somewhere else in town, but then, as I looked around I noticed the familiar landmarks, but most were on my right, ie behind the ship, instead of left, ahead of the ship. Also behind us was a Princess ship. My aha moment finally hit (before coffee even!).  Before this trip, I’ve only been here on Princess.  And we docked at the end of the pier.  Celebrity is at the front.  (Which now that I think about it a local vendor told me that’s where we’d be almost 3 years ago).

 

 

 Once again we had breakfast in Blu.  Our plan for the day was to wander around, and to visit Wings Airway/Taku Glacier company.  When my sister and I booked our Alaska cruise in 2019 for 2020, we booked the flight seeing/ glacier lunch tour directly with them.  Easy to do, and a lot cheaper than the ship.  It’s now been moved twice.  They’ve always offered a refund, but we decided they needed the money probably. More than we did.  So, we kept moving it.  

 

It was always my plan to stop in and say hello, but about 2 weeks ago, my sister broke her foot, so I had to ask about access.  

 

So after breakfast we gathered our stuff, and headed out.  I noticed that we were much closer to them than when on Princess.  We walked over to their office and I met Samantha, who runs the office and has been in email contact with me for two years.  We discussed the tour, and she put in notes that we may need accessibility help.  

 

After that we wandered around, and I went to my favorite candy shop and bought some fudge and taffy.  Glen found a bookstore called Alaska Robotics,  We thought it might have robotics, but it was just books and games.  They had all the Catan variations, including a dice game that I’d never seen, as well as some varieties of Fluxx.  Glen decided he couldn’t resist and got a game called Exploding Kittens.  Can’t wait to play it with my nieces.  Did I mention they have 3 cats?  

 

We walked down to the Ruby Princess, mostly to gauge the distance from there to Tracy’s Crab Shack.  In September, we’re here in Princess with my mom who has some mobility issues, so we wanted to see if she could walk it.  We decided that, with assistance, she could.  

 

After that we went back to the ship.  We relaxed in the room and went up to the buffet.  We were able to find a seat and had a random selection of things.  For dessert, they had bananas foster, which is one of my favorite things.  I got some and then went over to the ice cream counter to have her put some vanilla ice cream on top.  She did and it was very good.  

 

After lunch, we headed to Al Baccio for a post lunch coffee.  After that, up to the room to watch the rest of a League of their Own.  I’d forgotten that the Woman’s Baseball League lasted until 1954, so about 10 years.

 

We then dressed for evening and headed up to the sky lounge for the pre recorded music and to watch the sail away.  The music wasn’t great (sometimes there are odd choices) so around 7 we decided to go get a pre-dinner cocktail.  I did however, have a nice conversation with a couple of the show singers who were up there.  I asked what they do after their contracts - American Idol, the Voice or the Bachelor.  That sparked a fun conversation.  

 

We arrived on deck 5 around 7 and the show was just starting so we decided to do that.  The show was a singer named Ann Martinez, who does shows in Vegas and solo concerts I guess.  She was good, and told amusing stories about her life.  At the end of the show, Dave introduced the band so by the time we were done it was a little past 8.

 

Our reservation at Murano was at 8, so we were a little bit late, which was fine since they were a little bit later.  Use were seated at a two top against the back wall, which I liked.  Our server was Fernando and he asked if we’d been on the Eclipse before.  I said in 2019.  He thought he recognized me.  After we ordered - Pastry wrapped pear and  Frisee salad for Glen to start and lobster bisque and frisbee salad for me, which was interesting since I don’t actually like lobster.  I was curious about it though, because I know a lot of people who love it.  It was OK, but I don’t think I’ll order it again.   For the entree, we split the chateaubriand.  At some point Ferrnando came back, and said “were you in suites?”  Well, yes.  Turns out that, having just looked at my thread from 2019, he was our assistant waiter.  We finished with the grand Marnier soufflé, and it was amazingly light and airy.  

 

Following that, back to the room.  A nice day in the books.

 

[abbydancer2003]

Day 6. 

 

Today is Ketchikan, where once again we have no plans.

 

At 8 am our alarm went off and we decided to skip breakfast.  I tried to sleep some more, but really couldn’t so at 9 I got up and decided to go to the Elite continental breakfast.  I made it with a few minutes to spare, waving at Anastaia (hostess at Blu) on my way over. I had some pastries, fruit, coffee and OJ.  I talked briefly with one of the concierges.  If I  understood her correctly, I think they’ve merged Concierge and Captains club on the ship.  I know if you go to the atrium on Deck 7, there are two desks, and they both say concierge.

 

After breakfast, I went back to the room to see if Glen was awake.  He was, and decided to go to the buffet for some oatmeal.  I went with him, and grabbed a table, thinking I would just have some more coffee, but he soon came back saying it looked dreadful, so wanted to go just get a cappuchino or something at Al Baccio.

 

So down we went.  We found a table, and he went to look at the food choices.  He ordered a cinnamon roll and cappuchino.  I ordered a latte.  The drinks came, but not the cinnamon roll, so he asked again.    After he asked for the 3rd or 4th time (I lost count), he went back and saw there was one left.  Finally he flagged down a server who ran and got it.  I hope it was good.  Turns out this was the first of several minor issues throughout the day, all of which got resolved.

 

After that we went back to the room, which was made up, and Glen relaxed while I went to the casino.  I played a bit, then decided to go back up.  Realized I’d left my cruise card in the machine so back to the casino I went.  I put the card in my pocket and headed back up to the room.  Once near the room I realized I’d lost my neck lanyard.  (It uses magnets to keep it closed, and the magnets had started separating occasionally).  So I tried to retrace my steps.  First stop elevator bank.  I stayed there for a while until I was sure it wasn’t in whichever elevator I’d used (I knew it was one of two).  Then I retraced my steps back to the casino.  Not there, and I asked the workers if they’d seen it.  Nope.  They suggested guest services.  So I went there next.  Nope not there, but they did offer to punch my card for me.  Last time I did that, it broke the card, and they explained that the contract (or whatever you call it for the electronics in it) ran around the edge of the card, so it’s easy for them to be broken.

 

They said they’d call if it showed up and to check later.  So I went back to the room and grabbed Glen for lunch.  On the elevator to the room I was joined by Florin, who is the retreat manager.  I mentioned that I’ll be back in a couple of weeks and in a sky suite, so he gave me his business card.  I’m not quite sure what to do with, since I can’t go to him for anything on this cruise, and he’ll probably forgot the conversation and give me another one next  time.

 

There was a short line when we arrived at the dining room.  Apparently they are loading from both sides now.  There were a bunch of couples there, and they asked if anyone wanted to share.  We were willing to, but nobody else was, so she seated all the couples ahead of us, and asked us to wait.  A few minutes later a couple and two woman walked up who were willing to share.  So we got a table for 6.  We were with two longtime friends who had a 2:45 tour (it was about 1:20 when we sat down) and a couple from Wales.  It took a few minutes to order, and then quite a while for the appetizers to arrive.  I ordered fried mushrooms and beef bourguignon.  Glen ordered pork ribs for his entree and I forgot what he started with.  After the appetizers, a head waiter came by and told Glen and the other person that they were out of pork ribs and what would they like instead?  The both ordered the Udon noodles.  It then took another little while for food to come out, and I think it was just after 2pm when it did.  The two ladies ate their entrees, but left before dessert.  Glen said the noodles were good but they were ramen noodles,  not udon.  Still good though.

 

Next stop was guest services to use OBC for additional tip. We filled out the form, and put our specific servers in the dining section.  We were told that dining goes into the pool, and the only specific people you can tip are butlers and room stewards.  We left the tip on anyway, but will give our servers some cash tomorrow night.

 

It was about 3 by the time we were able to go ashore.  We had no plans, so just decided to walk around and maybe scope out the town for our September cruise.  Our first stop was a coffee place, but it seemed to be closed, so we went to the one next door.  It turns out that it was the same place we used to park at and drink and use the wifi before they made it unlimited.  We walked through the little mall it was in, and noticed several empty stores.  I don’t remember what was there before.

 

After that, we decided to go to Creek Street, and see if there was anything there that my mom would enjoy.  It was a nice walk, but now there are just restaurants and gift shops for the most part.  There was apparently an old house (maybe brothel) that you could tour, but otherwise just gift shops.  So, no compelling reason for her to schlep out there.  We then walked back along the water.  At one point we passed the lumberjack show, so no I know where it is.  My current thinking for the family cruise is the duck tour.  

 

We went back to the ship and relaxed for a bit before dressing for evening.  At about 5:30 we went down to the lobby, and one of the bands was starting so we did some dancing.  I also went up to the Martini bar and got my Candy Apple Martini.  They asked me if I minded a shot glass, since I was going down stairs with it.  Not a problem.

 

After the band fished we sat with our drinks and I went back to guest services to see if my lanyard showed up.  And they had it!  Yay.  It’s now safely stored in our room.  I also went to Cellar masters to see about the wine asked about earlier, and as I posted last night, they have it.

 

We then decided to go see the show. It was a vocal group called Legacy and they all met while touring with a show called Motown.  They did Jackson 5, Beatles,  Kansas, Bruno Mars and a few others.  They were good, and we enjoyed it.  Then Dave came out and did his usual talk, plus he did, sadly talk about disembarkation (note:  a late checkout means 9:15am  not 1:00 pm).  

 

After the show, I wanted to go back up to the room to grab something.  Once there, I realized our laundry, sent out on the last day to do it (yesterday) was not there. So I called guest services, and they said they’d call our room steward and call us back.  We waited until 8:30 and then went to dinner.  In general, not unique to Celebrity, guest services rarely calls back when they say they will.    And I’m still waiting for some laundry from a Star Princess cruise in 2010, so missing laundry makes me nervous.

 

Also, our luggage tags were there.  On the survey, I’d asked for a late departure group, since we’re going to a hotel and our room may or may not be ready. Instead, I got a midrange tag, for an 8:30 meet time. I figured I’d deal with that after dinner.

 

We went to dinner.  I’d mentioned to Made that on Thursday, the only thing on the menu that appealed was the wedge salad, and he said he would ask if I could have it on Friday.  When we were seated, he said he’d go check with the chef.    He came back and said the chef would make it for me.  I also love tomato soup, so I ordered both.  Glen asked about their other soup, the roasted plantain with green chilis.  Made said they were jalapeño, so he wasn’t sure, so Made said he’d give him a small one, along with the caesar he wanted.  Glen was going to order veal scallopini, but Made said it was basically a salad with some veal, so he opted for stuffed shells and I ordered the chicken in Phyllo dough.  For dessert Glen had the no added sugar Citrus Roulade and I chose the poached pear.  Both were good.  Neither of us, however chose the Baked Alaska.  Since I don’t like chocolate, I never have it.

 

At about 10 we got back to the room, and the laundry was there!  So Celebrity 2/2 and Princess 1/2 on laundry resolution.  

 

Following that, I went back down to the casino, along with the luggage tags to use up some more OBC.  I quit when I was up 1.00.  Following that, I went to guest services where they switched the tags for the last group.  One more problem solved.

 

The previous day, we’d started watching Apollo 13, so we decided to finish it.  Glen then mentioned that if I was planning to shower, I’d need to use the bar soap, because the shower gel had not been replenished.  So I called guest services yet again.  (They must be tired of me).  I asked if they could 

bring some shower gel.  About 20 minutes later a housekeeping person showed up with a couple of the bottles of it.  

 

After the movie, showers and bed.  Sadly the clocks go forward tonight so we’re back on Pacific time.

 

In summary a day of problems, but all were resolved.  Well done, X.

[abbydancer2003]

Day 7

 

Sigh, final sea day.  I’m trying not to think about packing.  Last night, we gave back the hour that we got last Sunday night.  So back on Pacific time.  

 

But we powered on and got up at 8 pacific for breakfast - after all, there’s only one more day.  I tried my bacon Bennie again, but since I needed a restroom stop right before the food came, we think keeping it warm caused the eggs to go past poached.  It was still good though.  I also had a side of one piece of French toast.  That was nice.  

 

After breakfast, we decided to head up to the sky lounge so I could write and look at the pretty scenery .  We pretty much did that for the entire morning.  I did get a latte from the bartenders there, and had a nice conversation with them.

 

We headed down at about 12:30.  Dropped the laptop, etc, and headed to lunch in the dining room.  There was a short line, and we were seated at a table for two.  I had chilled blueberry soup and fried chicken with coleslaw (which was hot) and Johnny cakes.  Also French fries.  The Johnny cakes were little cornmeal patties.  The waiter dropped them off and then disappeared.  I ended up flagging someone down to get some ketchup.  Glen had a salad and Pad Thai.  For dessert I had key lime pie, which was quite good, and I think he had ice cream.

 

After lunch, I went to do my penultimate casino run. I quit when up about 4.00.  I’m a heavy gambler.  I did notice I now have some casino points.  I have no idea what that means, or what it’s worth.

 

After that back to the room for a bit.  We watched the end of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which I’d seen in a theater when it came out.  Anything with Andy Serkis is good. After that we decided to get dressed for dinner and listen to Madelena play.  We also decided to purchase a future cruise, which we will book with a full deposit, so that we can move it to a cruise later in 2024.

 

While we enjoyed their performance, we found several songs that weren’t really danceable.  We did the ones we could, including trying to fold a 4 wall foxtrot into the round dance area.  (Dance floors about the size of half a baseball court I think).  It was fun.

 

After that, time to book the new cruise.  We told the guy we wanted a short cruise, far out with a fully refundable deposit.  He decided we went the Ascent.  So he kept selecting dates that we didn’t have available.  Glen said maybe we should book something we might take, and I’m like, uh no - we don’t have time for anymore first half of 24.  Anyway, we settled on something  and asked for the worst balcony available.  No way we’re doing it, so why waste a room that someone else wants.  Partly why I don’t do suites as holding - I know they’re in demand.

 

Following that, we went to see Rock City, a new apparently production show.  Basically the band in the back, singers and dancers in black doing a variety of rock songs.  Similar to to Princess’s Rock Opera I guess, which everyone raves about but I’m not sure why.  It was good, but not that special in my opinion and featured Carmina  Burana, which last time I checked was not a rock song.  I asked Glen which was better and he said he didn’t remember enough of of Rock Opera to comment.

 

At the end of the show, Dave brought out Captain Leo, who arrived on stage with about 50 of his staff.  He said a few words, thanked us, we applauded them and then he left, as did we.

 

We went back to the room to start the most haded part of cruising - yes packing.  We pulled out the suitcases and loaded up most of our stuff.  At about 8:30 we decided we were close enough, and headed down to Blu.  

 

We were hoping that it would be clearing out by the time we go there, but it was pretty busy.  We wanted Made and Sein’s section so they seated us on the far sofa, which is the one part with no window view.  I wasn’t too impressed with the menu, so I asked for the kids menu (I know there’s a steak on there).  Made then asked if I also wanted the main dining menu.  Yes, please!  I ordered the short ribs from the main menu.  They were really good, and really hot.  I’m not sure how that worked since the kitchens aren’t the same, and aren’t particularly close.  I really appreciated it.

 

After that we went back, finished packing and put out the bags.  I then ran down to the casino to finish my OBC.  Finished, leaving me with 2.30 odd cents left.  

 

Back to the room and to bed for the last time in our room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chemmo]

Thank you so much for taking me on holiday with you! I have a mobility issue at present so spending far more time on a chair (and on CC) than usual. Your very personal style has been so enjoyable with coffee every morning! 

 

I have loved your unplanned attitude to your cruise! I am a real planner (retired teacher hang over) and other than breakfast we tend to know exactly what we are doing every day…Just whiling the morning away in the Sky Lounge is something we have never done but may try next cruise…

 

Safe journey home…

[boxkite]

On 7/16/2022 at 12:19 PM, abbydancer said:

They had all the Catan variations, including a dice game that I’d never seen, as well as some varieties of Fluxx.  Glen decided he couldn’t resist and got a game called Exploding Kittens.  Can’t wait to play it with my nieces.  Did I mention they have 3 cats?  

 

Abbydancer, we have Exploding Kittens and it is a fun game to play. There is some strategy involved in determining how to play your cards to avoid getting the exploding kitten card which will end the game for you. There are also multiple ways to play depending on how many different card types you decide to use.

[abbydancer2003]

Day 8

 

Disembarkation day.  Happens at the end of every cruise sadly.  We set the alarm for 7 am to have a final breakfast in Blu.  Which we did.  I finally had the blueberry pecan pancakes, and they were as advertised.

 

After breakfast we said a fond farewell to the team there, and I did promise to come back and see them in two weeks.  We then headed to the Tuscan Grill to wait for our last batch of luggage.  They called us around 9:15 or so.  I wanted to wait a bit to leave, but Glen was eager to go.  We headed to the midship gangway, and there was quite a line.  An office soon came by and lead us to the front gangway.  That had a much shorter line and we were soon off the ship.  First stop in the terminal was baggage claim, and we quickly found our bags.  We were then shepherded from there to another area with 6 lines, and a worker directing us.  Once we reached the front, a Canadian official took our customs form and looked at our passports.  

 

And that was it for entering Canada.  We took our bags and headed up the ramp by the entrance to the garage.  From there we walked along Waterfront (the street) over to our hotel.  It’s about a 6 minute walk.  Easy without luggage, but a bit of a slog with.  Of course at 9:30 our room wasn’t ready, so we checked our suitcases, and got access to the lounge (all my years of traveling for work back in the day is very convenient in a Marriott).  It was about 9:45 I think and we had lunch plans at 11:45 with some former business associates who I always enjoy seeing when I’m here.  We were meeting them at Tap and Barrel, at the Convention center.  

 

Before heading up to the lounge, I stopped at the concierge desk to see about what to do today.  Ann had recommended taking the free shuttle to Grouse Mountain, or the Fly over Canada attraction.  I got information for both and we thought maybe we’d go up to Grouse.

 

We headed to the lounge, where Glen read, I worked on this and read.  At about 11:25 we packed up, and went back to the lobby.  Still no room, but we checked our backpacks and went towards. lunch.  Halfway there, I got a call from the Marriott that my room is ready.   We’ll of course get the key when we get back.  (Also the food vouchers).

 

Tap and Barrel is mostly a patio restaurant and we met them on the patio.  We had a lovely lunch, until it started pouring.  Our table was mostly under an umbrella,  but it was a little wet for Glen and our friend Tammy who were on the outside.  We moved all the chairs over, and continued chatting.  A little bit before 2pm, we said goodbye and until next time.  

 

We went back to the hotel, and there was a line, as a bus had just emptied out.  I went to the Elite line, and was helped soon after.  For some reason, we’d been given a high floor view room with two double beds.  I asked about a king, and the agent went to the computer and gave us a king corner room on the top hotel floor. We went up and we have a gorgeous view of the water and the city looking west.  I then popped out my laptop and started working on my assignment due today.  I got one ungraded exercise done, and then we decided to do something.  

 

Because of the rain and the clouds, we decided to skip Grouse Mountain.  Instead, we thought we’d try Fly Over Canada.  That’s an attraction in Canada Place that gives an arial view of Canada - that’s pretty much all I know.  I looked that their website and could get tickets online for 6pm.  (It was now about 3:45).  So instead we decided to walk over there.  

 

They have two shows, and we could get 5pm for the one about climbers, but we wanted the original one.  First he said 6:30, but then said they had two tickets for 4:30.  So we got those (a little more expensive than the online ones.  

 

Since it was after 4 we, went upstairs to get in line.  At about 4:25 they started processing people, which meant you went to the green screen to get your picture taken.  We passed, and got in the line to enter the theater.  At 4:30 we were ushered into a room.  They announced that the whole thing would take about 25 minutes.  In that first room, we watched a 6 minute film presentation featuring characters doing things (example: First Nation person hiking, little girl in fields playing, etc).  After than you were lined up in numbered lines and they gave a short safety video.   If you’ve been to Soaring in either Epcot or DCA, you know what this is.  After the video we finally entered the attraction.  I’m not sure I can do it justice, but here goes.  You’re in a seat in a row of them, and when the show starts they lift up into a screen that surrounds you.  It runs about 7 minutes and it’s as if you’re flying over Canada.  I think in September of 2023 we’re doing Quebec to NY on Princess and this did make me glad I booked it.  If you couldn’t really follow google it, or Soaring Disney, hopefully someone has something on You Tube or something.

 

We finished around 5,  and watched the Niew Amsterdam push out.  Before the show we’d seen the Eclipse and the Serenade go.  Glen asked about going to the Spaghetti Factory, but I pointed out it was only 5.  So back to the hotel we went.   We ordered some of the silly appetizers that you get because the lounge is closed (I keep feeding back that they should let you pick any under a certain dollar value or just give you cheese and crackers or something.  Nope, you have to pick from their choices.  I then went up and finished the first of two modules due today.  I figured I’ll do the second in the airport tomorrow.

 

At about 7:15 we headed out.  We decided we might as well go to the Spaghetti  factory again.  We walked over, waited a few minutes and were seated.  About the only interesting thing was that when the server came over, her tray slid and dumped a glass of water on the floor and on Glen.  Not a big deal, she came back with a cloth and all was well.  It was a nice dinner.

 

Walked back after dinner, watched some game shows on CTV (including one where contestants pull jugs out of a structure - Jenga I guess) and then to bed.  Home tomorrow, and final post of this trip.  

[abbydancer2003]

Day 10 - aka go home

 

So I’m going to finish with today (as I write, or at least started this). 

 

Our flight wasn’t until 5 pm.  So after our breakfast (much less crowded than before the cruise, since it’s not a weekend, we decided to take a walk.  On our precruise Vancouver tour, we’d stopped at an office building near the hotel called the Marine, because of it’s interesting architecture, or design.  It was Saturday, so of course it was closed, but we were walking on Monday.  We walked over there, and were able to see the very cool mezzanine, but weren’t able to get to the top.  

 

Following that, we walked over to Canada Place, and looked at the Disney Wonder.  I don’t often see Disney ships where I go, so that was fun.  Then we went back to the hotel, finished packing and headed to the air-train around 1pm.  

 

When we were here in May, and got to the airport around 11 am, the United counter wasn’t open (our flight was at 2:45).  We had to wait until 3 hours before the flight to check the bags.  Because the flights were 2.5 hours apart, we hoped that check in would be open.

 

We arrived at the airport at about 1:40.  We got in line and there was a family of 4 ahead of us.  It took them about 20 minutes to get their bags tagged and checked in.  I think maybe it was because they were all on different reservations or something.  Glen said that at least it gets us to 3 hours before our flight, since we were a bit worried they wouldn’t take the bags unless within 3 hours. 

 

We checked the bags with no problem, dropped them at the bag drop and went through security (no TSA pre here, shoes off, laptop out), and US customs.  We then headed to the Maple Leaf Lounge.  It was pretty crowded, and I noticed that their blocks of seats (2 seats facing two other seats) were closer together than in a United Club.  Because of the problems I had flying out with my frequent flyer information being lost, I was a bit concerned about getting in, but no problem.

 

At about 4:15 they announced our flight was boarding, so we went to the gate and boarded.  No empty middle seat for us this time.

 

The most interesting part of the day was getting home.  My mom, who is 90, doesn’t drive anymore, so we usually have a guy who drives us, but he was away this week.  We thought maybe we’d use Lyft, but we’ll see.  We also live 2 blocks from a Cal Train (regional train service) station, but it’s a local secondary stop.

 

To get to the train station, you have to use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit).  You go one stop to the Millbrae train station, and catch a train.  Our flight arrived at around 7.  We grabbed our bags, and decided to go home via BART and train.  We grabbed our bags and took the air train (airport train) and went to the International terminal.  We both have transit cards, but we couldn’t find them.  So we had to buy new cards for 3.00.  We did that, and then  went to the Millbrae train.  The train sat for about 10 minutes.  

 

We left the terminal around 7:55.  A young man who was also going south told us there were trains at 8:03, 8:37, and 8:57.   We arrived at the Millbrae station at about 8, just as the 8:03 was pulling up.  The problem is that to get from one to the other, you have to clip out of the Bart train, go up a flight, cross over, and go down a flight to the southbound cal train.  Impossible to do with with luggage in 2 minutes.  So we missed the train.  

 

I looked at the schedule, and as I feared, the 8:37 was not a local, and skipped our stop.  We had some options.  We could take it past our stop to the the downtown stop, and then cross to the northbound platform, and get a northbound.  Or we could go to a stop by a Starbucks, and wait there for the local that followed.  (Because it’s a local the time between them was greater).  Or we could go to the stop before ours, and take a Lyft from there.  We decided on the last one.

 

When we got to our stop the train was slightly late I think so the crossover option wouldn’t have worked.  We went to what we thought was a good spot and summoned a Lyft.  They said the driver would be there in 3 minutes.  We watched his car come close, and the watched it miss the turn into the train station.  We watched it turn around and come back.  It took all told around 7 minutes for him to arrive.  

 

So we got home about 2.5 hours after landing.   We went to the store for milk, and had cereal for dinner.

 

Before I go, a few of my overall thoughts.

 

This was Glen’s first cruise not in a suite.  We enjoyed it, but we noticed a couple of things.  First room storage. Eclipse has not been revolutionized, and I think maybe storage there is improved, but we noticed not a lot of storage.  The room was nice, and we did appreciate the couch.  

 

We enjoyed Blu, but it was busier than when we’re in Luminae.  Although, the windows are the best in any dining room on the S class ships.  

 

And we realized, as every evening we tried to figure out where to go next, that we missed the retreat lounge (and the Captains Club cocktail party) because normally we go to those two places.  

 

And I just found this, realized it’s incomplete, and I’m about to start my next one.  So thanks all for reading.  New Live From starting tomorrow.

[pamps2801]

WOW ! I'm curios, how many pounds did you guys put on after one week....lol lol lol ? Breakfast, A BIG  lunch, A BIG Dinner, Drinks, from what we read, no trip to the gym. You guys have some great appetites. If I ate like that, I'd be bursting at the seams...lol lol....One normal size dinner is all I can handle. Lunch would be soup and salad, or a simple sandwich. Breakfast would be cereal and some fruit. At least ya all got your monies worth. Aaaaaaaand on to the next cruise....lol

Edited July 31, 2022 by pamps2801

[abbydancer2003]

8 hours ago, pamps2801 said:

WOW ! I'm curios, how many pounds did you guys put on after one week....lol lol lol ? Breakfast, A BIG  lunch, A BIG Dinner, Drinks, from what we read, no trip to the gym. You guys have some great appetites. If I ate like that, I'd be bursting at the seams...lol lol....One normal size dinner is all I can handle. Lunch would be soup and salad, or a simple sandwich. Breakfast would be cereal and some fruit. At least ya all got your monies worth. Aaaaaaaand on to the next cruise....lol

Us?  Not much lots of walking and flights of stairs.