Live from the NCL Spirit B2B July 5-19, 2023 (more sarcasm and grumpiness!)

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 minutes ago, UKstages said:

gosh, I don’t think so.

🤣Well, they used to be.  Maybe they still are?  Are you accepting of my sheep and hog per capita numbers?  

[LauraAnneC]

Yvonne, I’m thoroughly enjoying your trip report. It’s the last thing I read at night and the first thing I read in the morning!  It’s always been my dream to go to Alaska but your photos of the whales feeding was just breathtaking! I’m really going to try and make it next year! 
So glad to see you having such a great time with your dad! I managed to sail in May with my Mom which wasn’t something I thought I would get to do again and I so enjoyed my trip with her. 
Relish every moment. Even the ones that are difficult! 

[quack2]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Whale watching

Jayleen picks us up at 1:00pm and we drive to the small boat harbour.

This is not our boat.

 

This is our boat.

 

The plan is to enter Auke Bay (Auke means lake) head up to Stephens channel then enter Saginaw. Locals flood the beaches, some in bathing suits and some getting a full-body tan!  Jayleen says no laundry or dishes get done when the days are hot and sunny like this because they know it won’t last. 

Usually when we do whale watching in Juneau the Chilkat and Coastal ranges are shrouded in fog but today the peaks are clear and crisp. We learn that the mountains with curvy tops are less than 5000ft above sea level and the ones with craggy peaks are between 5000 and 8000 ft. Why the difference? Glaciers covered the mountains up to 5000ft and as they shifted and melted the wear and tear smoothed the mountain peaks.

 

Zooming along, we bounce by Admiralty island which has the 3rd highest density of brown bears in the US with 2 bears per square mile.

 

I asked Jayleen why some whales have white markings on their flukes and some are all black. White is the ressesive gene and black flukes are dominant. Whales in the southern hemisphere where the bottom of the ocean floor is light-coloured sand tend to have more white markings and whales in the northern hemisphere where the ocean floor is darker (Jayleen said it’s black shale) have more black markings.

 

 

It takes a humpback 30-60 days to migrate from Hawaii to Alaska.  95% of the whales in Juneau do migrate from Alaska to Hawaii while 3% go to Baja and 2% don’t migrate due to lack of hormones and not getting a signal that they need to put on the weight needed to migrate. Some skinny whales somehow know they wouldn’t survive a migration so stay in Juneau year round. When she was 12, Jayleen and her dad were part of the scientific study and data collecting that proved that some whales stay in Juneau year round. They took photos of the same whales every month for a year. Jayleen’s dad bought her first boat for her 11th birthday. When I was 11 I got a Michael Jackson record.

 

 

We saw more than 20 different whales today.  For two hours we focused on a group (not a pod-they are not a family and are not related) of 14 whales bubble net feeding.  I will never forget the gift of this day! Humpback whales are not born knowing how to bubble net feed and only 20% of these whales know how to bubble net feed.

Today I learned that the start of bubble net feeding is the alpha whale dives down as deep as it can go.  It targets a school of fish (today herring) and starts blowing big bubbles underwater to confuse the fish.

The alpha whale then makes a feeding call and the rest of the whales that are working as a team to feed dive down as deep as they can go. All the whales swim around blowing bubbles and scaring the fish tighter together in their school. The alpha whale takes the position directly under the school of herring and uses both bubbles and its body to bring the herring to the surface. At this point all the whales rise to the surface with their mouths open and voila! Mouths full of fish!  Humpback whales need to eat 2000lb of fish and krill daily and the size of their throat is only as big as a softball.

 

Jayleen opened up the bow and one of us (me!) got joyfully soaked as we bobbed through the rigorous waves.  At one point I caught a whiff of garbage mixed with unfresh outhouse and I turned to Jayleen and said “it stinks out here!”

 

She said that’s whale breath!

 

As I got sprayed (drenched right down to the skivvies) Jayleen asked me if was ok and I said are you kidding? I just got to smell whale breath! (see above photo!). That’s like a once in lifetime opportunity!

 

(The sun was bright and hot and I knew my clothes would dry quickly.)

 

There were 5 passengers on our mighty little boat and we had great karma because there was no scarcity of whales. Bubble net feeding, tail slapping, tail waving, breaching, arguing (we did see an argument where one whale out of 14 left the group), diving, 2 sets of mamas and babies. Sea lions. Bald eagles. Moment after moment someone on the boat (including the captain!) exclaimed wow!  

 

One word to describe our whale watching adventure with Jayleen?

 

Wheeeeeeee!

 

I had a friend who attended one of Leonard Cohen’s last concerts. When I asked her how it was, she said it was so incredible she never needed to go to another concert.

Today was our Leonard Cohen concert of whale watching.

 

Dad, enjoying a spectacular afternoon whale watching 

You had a very fortunate day on the water.  I've been out over a dozen times and only seen it once

[schmoopie17]

On 7/5/2023 at 12:47 PM, YVRteacher said:

 

My dad is now having an epic tantrum.

Epic tantrum? It would be more appropriate for him to have a Spirited tantrum...

[schmoopie17]

On 7/8/2023 at 1:19 PM, Travelicious said:

 I very much have a problem with people who write should, could, or would "of."

"Should of" (I can't believe I even typed that non-existent phrase).

One of my all-time most peevish peeves. Right up there with "irregardless" and '"all of the sudden".

All of them are cringe-worthy.

[sawsgal]

Please don’t forget “supposably”.

[Dgoddess61]

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Whale watching

Jayleen picks us up at 1:00pm and we drive to the small boat harbour.

This is not our boat.

 

This is our boat.

 

The plan is to enter Auke Bay (Auke means lake) head up to Stephens channel then enter Saginaw. Locals flood the beaches, some in bathing suits and some getting a full-body tan!  Jayleen says no laundry or dishes get done when the days are hot and sunny like this because they know it won’t last. 

Usually when we do whale watching in Juneau the Chilkat and Coastal ranges are shrouded in fog but today the peaks are clear and crisp. We learn that the mountains with curvy tops are less than 5000ft above sea level and the ones with craggy peaks are between 5000 and 8000 ft. Why the difference? Glaciers covered the mountains up to 5000ft and as they shifted and melted the wear and tear smoothed the mountain peaks.

 

Zooming along, we bounce by Admiralty island which has the 3rd highest density of brown bears in the US with 2 bears per square mile.

 

I asked Jayleen why some whales have white markings on their flukes and some are all black. White is the ressesive gene and black flukes are dominant. Whales in the southern hemisphere where the bottom of the ocean floor is light-coloured sand tend to have more white markings and whales in the northern hemisphere where the ocean floor is darker (Jayleen said it’s black shale) have more black markings.

 

 

It takes a humpback 30-60 days to migrate from Hawaii to Alaska.  95% of the whales in Juneau do migrate from Alaska to Hawaii while 3% go to Baja and 2% don’t migrate due to lack of hormones and not getting a signal that they need to put on the weight needed to migrate. Some skinny whales somehow know they wouldn’t survive a migration so stay in Juneau year round. When she was 12, Jayleen and her dad were part of the scientific study and data collecting that proved that some whales stay in Juneau year round. They took photos of the same whales every month for a year. Jayleen’s dad bought her first boat for her 11th birthday. When I was 11 I got a Michael Jackson record.

 

 

We saw more than 20 different whales today.  For two hours we focused on a group (not a pod-they are not a family and are not related) of 14 whales bubble net feeding.  I will never forget the gift of this day! Humpback whales are not born knowing how to bubble net feed and only 20% of these whales know how to bubble net feed.

Today I learned that the start of bubble net feeding is the alpha whale dives down as deep as it can go.  It targets a school of fish (today herring) and starts blowing big bubbles underwater to confuse the fish.

The alpha whale then makes a feeding call and the rest of the whales that are working as a team to feed dive down as deep as they can go. All the whales swim around blowing bubbles and scaring the fish tighter together in their school. The alpha whale takes the position directly under the school of herring and uses both bubbles and its body to bring the herring to the surface. At this point all the whales rise to the surface with their mouths open and voila! Mouths full of fish!  Humpback whales need to eat 2000lb of fish and krill daily and the size of their throat is only as big as a softball.

 

Jayleen opened up the bow and one of us (me!) got joyfully soaked as we bobbed through the rigorous waves.  At one point I caught a whiff of garbage mixed with unfresh outhouse and I turned to Jayleen and said “it stinks out here!”

 

She said that’s whale breath!

 

As I got sprayed (drenched right down to the skivvies) Jayleen asked me if was ok and I said are you kidding? I just got to smell whale breath! (see above photo!). That’s like a once in lifetime opportunity!

 

(The sun was bright and hot and I knew my clothes would dry quickly.)

 

There were 5 passengers on our mighty little boat and we had great karma because there was no scarcity of whales. Bubble net feeding, tail slapping, tail waving, breaching, arguing (we did see an argument where one whale out of 14 left the group), diving, 2 sets of mamas and babies. Sea lions. Bald eagles. Moment after moment someone on the boat (including the captain!) exclaimed wow!  

 

One word to describe our whale watching adventure with Jayleen?

 

Wheeeeeeee!

 

I had a friend who attended one of Leonard Cohen’s last concerts. When I asked her how it was, she said it was so incredible she never needed to go to another concert.

Today was our Leonard Cohen concert of whale watching.

 

Dad, enjoying a spectacular afternoon whale watching 

Can you please share the tour operator for your whale watching in Juneau?  I sail next week and would love to see these majestic animals!

 

[YVRteacher]

Yes!

The tour operator is Jayleen’s. She is the owner and that is the name of the company. Request Jayleen herself if possible. All her boats take a maximum of 6 passengers. 

[YVRteacher]

Skagway

I can’t repeat what Madame Wilma said when she greeted us for the Ghosts and Good Time Girls tour but I can show you this photo of the Spirit docked at Broadway dock with the Harding Glacier in the background.

According to our Madame, Harding is the only US president to have visited Skagway. He brought his wife and his mistress and he spent two days here.

He complained the whole time.

 

I may have exclaimed, “oh dad, just like you!”

 

Skagway is a gold rush town. The gold rush began July 17 1897 when a steamship arrived in Seattle carrying $1.5 million in gold.

 

Most gold rush towns have had fires but Skagway has not so the original wooden buildings stand today.

 

One stop on our tour was the Elks building which is the original home of the Red Onion saloon.  When the town grew the owner wanted the Red Onion Saloon to be on the main drag. It was moved with one horse, 4 rolling logs and a bunch of Alaskan burly men. Unfortunately it was installed backwards. There is a saying here that you can do things the right way

or the wrong way

or the Skagway!

The Red Onion people did things the Skagway, chopped off the front, chopped off the back, switched them and nailed the back and front back onto the building.

 

I had typed up a bunch of notes and stories from the tour then decided I don’t want to spoil this excursion for anyone who reads this and is doing the same tour.  All I can say is I highly recommend the Ghosts and Good Time Girls tour through the Red Onion Saloon or the ship. Request Madame Wilma if possible.  She will regale you with stories of Klondike Kate, Cad Wilson, Molly, the Moore family and a very special ghost named Lydia.  There were 17 of us from various ships and we laughed, cried, guffawed and gasped.

 

What is now the Red Onion Saloon has been:

a brothel (only for 2 years)

 

telegraph station 

radio station

television station

gift shop

laundromat

WWII army barracks

 

The current operator bought the building in 1978.

 

We have done this excursion before and it was excellent. This time it was outstanding.  Our Madame (Alanna in real life) is dramatic, hilarious, engaging and so, so passionate.  

 

I spent some time talking with her after the tour. She is the tour manager for the Red Onion saloon and she came to Skagway for the summer 4 years ago. She has returned to Skagway and the Red Onion each year since. Last year she realized Skagway is her favourite place in the world and why not live in her favourite place year round? She is now one of the 900 year-round residents of this historic town. She is from New Hampshire where she did a triple major in theatre, English and women’s history. She said this job melds all her interests.  She loves the 6 months of the year when 3000 seasonal workers come to Skagway and the town bursts with 12000 visitors a day and she loved her first winter here, spending time reading, writing, and being part of the very special community that overwinters here.  Alanna says people look out for each other and it’s a tight-knit town. 

 

We walked through Skagway after our excursion. 

 

In order to fully appreciate this next anecdote here is a list of items dad forgot to pack for the cruise:

1. Passport
2. Short sleeve shirts
3. Enough underwear
4. A book

 We have had exceptionally sunny, hot weather on this cruise and Dad has been trying to find a summery shirt. He tried on a bunch of short sleeve collared shirts in an outdoorsy store today. He has never worn a t-shirt in his whole life. My mom always told the story of them going to play badminton and my dad coming outside in his formal shirt. Today he found a blue shirt he liked, but then said maybe it was too blue. I said get the shirt. It looks great on him. He kept taking off one shirt and putting on the other.  I keep telling him to close the changing room door.  He came out in the one he liked the best and a gentleman came by and said that’s the one! Dad said thank you. While my dad was changing I went up to the man and said you have no idea how much I appreciate you. Decisions are very difficult so your act of kindness is so appreciated. His wife said to me to savour this time travelling my dad and that she lost her dad to dementia so she understood.  Every time we passed a mirror today dad stopped to admire his new shirt. 

 

Once the shirt was purchased I asked my dad if he wanted to go back to the ship or walk through the town and he said walk through the town since there was no rush.

I said there was a gold rush! I then laughed at my own joke.

 

I had some cuddle time with this sweet dog with sun-warmed fur and ears so long they had drool on them.

Every time I stopped petting the dog’s head it raised an eyebrow and an ear so I started back up again. Someone else came along and took over.  Good day to be a sidewalk dog in Skagway!

 

As soon as we boarded the Spirit there was a Code Alpha in the Garden Cafe.  When we headed up to the Biergärten we saw the emergency response team carrying the man on a stretcher.  I think he could use some prayers so please send some his way.

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, LauraAnneC said:

Yvonne, I’m thoroughly enjoying your trip report. It’s the last thing I read at night and the first thing I read in the morning!  It’s always been my dream to go to Alaska but your photos of the whales feeding was just breathtaking! I’m really going to try and make it next year! 
So glad to see you having such a great time with your dad! I managed to sail in May with my Mom which wasn’t something I thought I would get to do again and I so enjoyed my trip with her. 
Relish every moment. Even the ones that are difficult! 

Hi! Thank you for reading! I love that you were able to travel with your mom! 
I hope you book a cruise to go to Alaska! There is no right time or wrong time or best time.  Alaska is stunningly beautiful in both scenery and people.

[YVRteacher]

10 hours ago, www3traveler said:

I am so glad that you are building such wonderful memories.  Dad might not remeber but you will.

 

Did you ever have dinner with Hasen?  Hasen had a RM on the Jewel who loved salmon and dark chocolate, not sure which he lovedd more.  One time in Seattle Hasan, Noel with a couple of others walked up to the Pike Place Market to buy some fresh salmon for an Officers dinner.  The price gave them sticker shock and they came home without any.  Poor babies.

I remember when Manoel was first named RM on the Pearl, after the RM had been promoted to F&B.  Jorge did not last long as F&B-- was not qualified.  Left the Company a short time later

Mandy, you know so much and have so many stories and memories about the people on NCL who make our cruise experiences so special. I love this and so appreciate the sharing of the stories!  I remember Noel! We haven’t had dinner with Hasan yet.

Edited July 10, 2023 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Epic tantrum? It would be more appropriate for him to have a Spirited tantrum...

That made me laugh! Thank you!!

[YVRteacher]

10 hours ago, libtrek said:

Librarian shenanigans, I love it! Folks tend to believe those old stereotypes, but just about every librarian I know is wild and crazy. I see Dad did wear his hat, good job. I am for sure booking that whale watching for Juneau next trip. Mar (ian the librarian).

I see what you did there!  I’m a Music Man fan!

[YVRteacher]

Skagway part 2

These were delicious treats from Dovie. We ate the sandwiches before photos happened.

 

We really enjoyed our time at the Biergärten, connected with E and M, met their family, chatted with bartender Shon from Grenada, sat at the bar and watched another bartender make decorative mudslides (he told me to order one and he would make it special but I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat dinner if I had a stomach full of mudslide so I selected an excellent Dark and Stormy outside.)  My dad loves draft beer so he thoroughly  enjoyed the Newcastle on tap.

He told Shon that when he was 17 he worked at HJ Heinz during the day and at night he worked at a pub. He started collecting bar coasters and he went to the Newcastle brewery up in Newcastle to get a coaster. He travelled all over England collecting beer mats.  Before crossing the Atlantic to move to Canada he sold that bar coaster collection for quite a lot of money. 

 

The strong wind shifted and blew my drink away so we came to Spinnaker. A French Manhattan called my name and dad had another beer.  He really enjoyed being in Spinnaker and having a bird’s eye view of all the tourists walking down Broadway or heading back to their respective ships. A couple were walking together and the man was carrying all the shopping bags. They bought so much he was tilted to one side just like the Red Onion!

 

Neither of us wanted a long dinner or to be waited on so we headed to the Garden Cafe. Tonight was Asian night.  I know there are people out there that don’t like the Garden  Cafe. We are not those people!  We both loved everything we selected and appreciated the freshness, the flavours and the wide variety.  We have seen chef Sanjay (who did the galley portion of the Behind the Scenes Tour) every day in the Garden Cafe.  He always has a wide smile!

 

My favourite food was a cold noodle vegetable salad. Yum!!

 

We threw ropes at 6:35 and departed Skagway at 6:41pm so sailaway was during dinner. 

 A BIG tugboat from Ketchikan turned us around so we were facing in the right direction to head out of the channel. 

My dad didn’t have a huge meal and when I asked why he didn’t take a lot of food he said he wanted a big crepe tonight.  He went and got himself a blueberry crepe topped with strawberry rhubarb crumble and the ice cream I gave him off mine when he realized he forgot ice cream. 

Mine was strawberry and fresh banana topped with rum raisin ice cream (that I gave away) and butterscotch sauce. Best crepes ever!

10/10 for dinner and dessert.

 

When we came back to the cabin after dinner I Ketut had already done the evening turn down service and the Freestyle Daily for tomorrow was in the room.  While my dad was changing into his bathing suit I scanned the evening events for tomorrow.

“Oh wow,” I exclaimed, “Jackson Rayne is on tomorrow!” (I love Jackson Rayne!)

 

Dad replied, “I don’t know that show. I don’t get that channel. I don’t know what that is.”

 

Me: “He isn’t on tv. He’s on our ship!”

 

Once we made our evening towel nests on the hot stone loungers dad asked, “when do they bring the beer?”

Me, pointing to the counter, “There’s a carafe with water infused with fresh apple slices.”

Dad: “That’s not the same!”

 

Photos taken through the window in Mandara Spa as we sail out of Skagway:

 

Look at the delineation in the water as we enter the open ocean.  The darkness in the foreground is the Spirit’s shadow.

 

 

Tomorrow is Icy Strait Point where we tender because other ships will be using the piers.

 

Sunset was at 10:01pm. 

Drink tally:

Dad

2 painkillers

1 “champagne”

1 Newcastle 

1 regular beer

zero waters infused with apple

 

Me

2 painkillers

1 “champagne”

1 Dark and Stormy

1 French Manhattan

1 water infused with apple

 

Things dad packed that he didn’t need to:

1 shoe shine kit (it was next to the container where his passport is kept)

 

 

 

PS- I found a great place for the swingers in Skagway!

 

[YVRteacher]

Toilet seat decor in The Red Onion. I’m guessing a reference to johns.

 

 

Love this mural!

 

A little collage from Skagway

 

 

In a cruise ship cabin without enough hooks? Get creative!

 

[justhappy]

Beautiful review, beautiful photos and amazing adventures with your dad.

I’m loving it ❤️

[graphicguy]

Yvonne....I can't express how much I enjoy your reviews.  Thank you!

 

As I'm usually a big ship person, you've made me want to book the Spirit.  NCL should offer you some gold nuggets to repay you for your review.

 

As an aside, I've been to Skagway twice.  First time I met a couple who summered in Skagway who were teachers.  They signed up to do tours when they weren't home...IN ARIZONA.....teaching.  Interestingly, they said the tour company subsidizes their living arrangements, their food and their transportation.  They were going to retire and more there full time.

 

I'm too much of a chicken, but I thought about doing that, also.  The guides said the tour company is begging for people to run their tours.  It's usually done by college students, but retirees (raising my hand) are more reliable.  Thought about it.  Didn't do it.

 

I also asked them what it was like to spend summers in Alaska.  They loved it.  The community welcomed them with open arms.  I asked if it was hard to make new friends.  I'll never forget the wife's response.  "They knew we had moved to the area within 48 hours of our arrival.  Everyone knows everyone.  Nothing happens in Skagway without the whole town knowing it".  LOL! 

[Travelicious]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes!

The tour operator is Jayleen’s. She is the owner and that is the name of the company. Request Jayleen herself if possible. All her boats take a maximum of 6 passengers. 

Wow!  That was certainly a different experience that we had on a whale watching tour in May.  We saw some, including orcas, but from a distance.  What a great experience for you and Dad!

[jimbri]

Enjoying your review!

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

My dad loves draft beer so he thoroughly  enjoyed the Newcastle on tap.

Very nice.  When I can't find a Guinness, Newcastle is my backup.

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

1 shoe shine kit (it was next to the container where his passport is kept)

🤣  That's funny.  Thanks for the fantastic review.  You have me looking forward to our upcoming AK cruise even more than ever!  It will be our third AK cruise....this year!😎

[quack2]

21 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Toilet seat decor in The Red Onion. I’m guessing a reference to johns.

 

 

Love this mural!

 

A little collage from Skagway

 

 

In a cruise ship cabin without enough hooks? Get creative!

 

Everything okay?  No updates for 21 hours.  (Really enjoying your posts).

[YVRteacher]

Everything is great! Better than great. We are truly enjoying a wonderful Alaskan cruise. The weather is gorgeous and there are long hours in port and we are enjoying every single minute and moment. It is now almost 10:00pm and this is the first time today I’ve had a chance to use my phone for something other than a camera.  I try really hard to keep my phone away and focus all my attention on my dad when I’m with him.  He really can’t be alone which means we are together and my phone is away.

[YVRteacher]

Icy Strait Point

 

The coughing part of the cruise has begun. Waiters are coughing, Shore Ex staff are coughing, passengers are spewing all sorts of germs into the dining rooms and hallways. There was some serial sneezing today too but that was likely from all the cottonwood bursting forth in Icy Strait Point.

 

We had booked the Spasski River Valley and Wildlife excursion through NCL for 3:30pm today. When Valdez was removed from the itinerary our day and time at ISP changed and the computer moved our reservation from two people to three people and selected both a 6:50am and an 8:15 am time slot. We had shore ex tickets for both times in our cabin on the first day. I stood in the long time and requested to be placed on the wait list for the 9:15 excursion. Went back the next day and the shore ex people “fixed” things by having two tickets for the 6:50am tour.  The guy said, “you wanted earlier, right?”

 

Wrong! We are not morning people! Turns out there was no 9:15 tour so we kept the 8:15 tickets. Before I complain about the tour I will say in advance that we ended up having a great day.

 

If I had one word to describe the process of getting from the Spirit onto the tour bus for the Spasski River Valley and Wildlife tour it would be rigamarole!

Step One: eat breakfast really quickly so you can be on time for your meeting point in the Stardust Theatre

Step Two: wait

Step Three: wait some more

Step Four: correct the Shore Excursion manager when she tells a passenger there is no bus involved on our tour. Tell her you have done this tour three times before. She won’t care. She will still insist there is no bus.

Step Five: listen to the Shore Excursion manager tell you that the tender will take 30 minutes.  You know that is wrong but you keep quiet this time.

Step Six: follow Francisco from Shore Ex to the tender boat

Step Seven: get in the tender boat, realize you are facing backwards, change seats to avoid seasickness on the (described as long but is actually short) tender

Step Eight: experience Arctic-like conditions since the tender boat people keep all the doors open

Step Nine: arrive at the dock 

Step Ten: follow Francisco to his colleagues so he can ask them what he is supposed to do

Step Eleven: keep following Francisco to the Departure Den. He walks quickly so you need your Wheaties.

Step Twelve: enter cavernous warehouse. Find a guide in uniform. Ask him if he is your guide. Francisco has long since abandoned your group and the guide has no idea which group is his. Show him your tickets that say 8:15. Watch him react and explain this is the 9:00 tour so why does your ticket say 8:15.  Tell him 8:15 was the meeting point on the ship. 

Step Thirteen: guide tells you there is a 25 minute wait for the bus driver.

Step Fourteen: rue the day you booked this tour

 

Had we been informed at any point before yesterday that this would be a tender port I would have cancelled the excursion.  

[YVRteacher]

17 hours ago, Travelicious said:

Wow!  That was certainly a different experience that we had on a whale watching tour in May.  We saw some, including orcas, but from a distance.  What a great experience for you and Dad!

Yes, every month in Alaska has some pros and cons. May is fabulous for sunshine, gorgeous vistas on the Yukon and White Pass Railroad and lack of crowds. However, the whale watching is not at peak and not all shops and tours are operating.

July-September are excellent times for whale watching but they are more crowded.

The salmon run is late this year which means the bear sighting are down so this year the time for salmon and bears will be late July and August. 
 

 

[YVRteacher]

15 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Very nice.  When I can't find a Guinness, Newcastle is my backup.

🤣  That's funny.  Thanks for the fantastic review.  You have me looking forward to our upcoming AK cruise even more than ever!  It will be our third AK cruise....this year!😎

Remind me which ship you are on. Bliss again? I know how much you liked Six😉