From Cool Alaska to the Balmy South Pacific, Sail with Bill & Mary Ann on the Volendam 9-6-23 to11-22-23 77 days

[Hogladyrider]

@WCB....FYI Noordam departed Vancouver yesterday enroute to Kodiak and other ports and they are running into some "changes" due to Alaska weather.  Have you had any weather issues other than rain?

 

I follow your daily blog as well and really enjoy all the photos etc.

[WCB]

Hi Rich & Peg,

 

We shall ask if Glenn Michael is on for the January Grand Voyage.

 

Oh yes, we sure did run into some high seas last night after midnight.  Details will be in today's report.

 

Many thanks for all the compliments.  Thanks Denise and Howie for posting the photo blogsite.  See you in a little while.....

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report #14   September 18, 2023    Ketchikan, Alaska  Docked Port Side To Pier   Cloudy With Some Sun And Late Afternoon Rain Showers  52 Degrees  Part #1 Of 3........77  Pictures Of 231

 

Last night we had a rough sailing when the Captain took the ship out to more open waters.  Warning us earlier about it, he was correct about the approximate time….around 12:30am.  We woke up suddenly when things tumbled off of our desk like water glasses and even the Kindle.  The motion continued for a couple of hours until they took the ship into calmer waters between islands.  Some of our cruise friends like the rolling of the ship, however, for us it brings back memories of the 2002 Asia/Pacific Explorer Cruise on the Volendam when we hit 55 foot seas off of the Aleutians.   Hope to never experience that again.

 

We arrived to Ketchikan even earlier than the expected 10am.  Two other ships were already docked….the Majestic and Sapphire Princess.  The Volendam looked like a baby parked between the larger ships.  Sure was different seeing hundreds of people out and about onshore, since when we were here last week, we were the only ship here.  We were cleared shortly after 10am, and the all aboard time was switched to 6pm, not 7pm.  A crew drill began at 10:15am, so we headed off of the ship shortly after it began.  Today is the last chance for Alaskan souvenirs for most of the guests, so we expect crowds everywhere. 

 

The weather appeared far better than what we expected.  It was overcast and cloudy with temperatures in the low 50’s.  Afternoon showers were predicted, but we crossed our fingers it would stay away.  Ketchikan is located in the middle of the Tongass National Forest, a 17 million acre park and the largest in the United States.   It has been home to the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes and their heritage has lived on through their art, totem carvings, and woven items.  Some of the finest are right here in Ketchikan. 

 

We left the ship at 10:30am, taking note that looking out our window, people were walking right outside directly across from our room.  We took our usual walk that took us across the Stedman Street Bridge and up the street towards the Thomas Basin Boat Harbor.  Crossing the street, we made our way to Creek Street and the row of bawdy houses from the early 1900’s.  Of course, these days, the old houses are home to souvenir shops.  One exception is Dolly’s House, which has turned into a museum with the red light district history.    We almost felt like the salmon going upstream with all of the cruise people walking down the stairs.  There was barely room to wiggle past the groups watching the salmon in the creek. 

 

The tide was out this morning, so the creek was much lower, exposing the stream of salmon even better.  Once we reached the top of Creek Street, we crossed the road and followed the river up to the bridge.  If anyone tells you that the salmon are on the decline, we would say they are crazy.  And speaking of salmon, here are the five varieties seen in Alaska.  They are King or chinook, red or sockeye, coho or silver, chum or dog and pink or humpy.  Deep sea species caught here are halibut, rockfish, and ling cod.  Freshwater fish are Dolly Varden, cutthroat, rainbow and steelhead trout. 

 

The run of salmon are still the pink humpies.  There were more this week than last week.  Taking many photos of the salmon on the side banks, we continued up to the Deer Mountain Hatchery.  We noticed that there were some workers at the large holding tanks behind the fence.  They were sorting and counting small fry.   The signage on the wall gave important info about the salmon hatchery, which we were told was not in business anymore.  So the info stated that this hatchery releases 100,000 King salmon yearly and 400,000 coho silvers.  Rainbow trout are released with 60,000 fry, and for a kid’s fishing derby, 1500 trout are released in a lake.  

 

The City Park is where the hatchery is located, and we always like to take a stroll around the streams and creeks here.  The ponds were created to hold salmon for special occasions here in the 1900’s.  What a surprise we had when a small deer appeared hidden in the trees.  It was a year-old Sitka buck, tame as can be, and eating leaves from the trees.  Several other park-goers began taking pictures, getting closer and closer.  The deer was looking for a way out, and eventually back-tracked the way he came.  It was the first time we have ever seen a local deer here, and it really brought back recent memories of deer we have at our place.  There were at least five deer that visited us every day during the summer while the apple trees were thinning themselves. 

 

Time to head back, we walked back across the bridge, where dozens of folks were filming the salmon.  It appeared there were walking tour groups coming this way.  We thought we best head for the restaurant before it filled up completely.  The next stop was the Alaska King Crab Company, located up on the third floor of the shops.  So far the rain had held off and we were glad.  We shared a burger and fries and enjoyed two Alaskan Amber beers.  A slice of carrot cake was delicious.  The last stop was at Tongass Trading Company where we stocked up on some buttered popcorn.  Then got back to the ship by 3pm.  What we did not expect was how high the tide had changed the gangway.  We had to pull ourselves up.  Of course, they closed it off after we boarded and changed the gangway to the A deck.  Eventually, the rain did appear, but it was light and short-lived.

 

The ship left by 6:15pm, after the Princess ships pulled out.  The town looked like it was deserted by then.  Dinnertime came along quickly, and we headed for the dining room.  Tonight most of the guests came to the dining room the way they dressed for today’s excursions.   T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and some baseball caps.  We have to remember this is not a grand voyage.  Anyway, we ordered spring rolls, tomato soup, and mains of tender beef brisket with mashed potatoes and veggies.  All was very tasty. 

 

Tonight was dubbed “Orange Night” and a few people added something orange to their clothing.  The Dutch party did not start until 9pm in the Ocean Bar, but we finished dinner far before that time.   With the clocks going ahead one hour, it was time to turn in as it was a long day. 

 

It may get rough later this evening, so we will stow anything breakable somewhere safe.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

 

[WCB]

Hi Rich and Peg,

 

We just got back from the Mariner's reward ceremony, where we had a chance to ask Glenn Michael if he will be on the 94 day Grand Australia/New Zealand Voyage.  He said he will be leaving this ship on September 27th and does not know where he is headed.   A funny thing we learned that few of the head directors want to do the longer grand voyages.....too much of a headache and way too much stress.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Fred321]

3 hours ago, WCB said:

Hi Rich and Peg,

 

We just got back from the Mariner's reward ceremony, where we had a chance to ask Glenn Michael if he will be on the 94 day Grand Australia/New Zealand Voyage.  He said he will be leaving this ship on September 27th and does not know where he is headed.   A funny thing we learned that few of the head directors want to do the longer grand voyages.....too much of a headache and way too much stress.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

Thanks very much for asking. We appreciate it. Got along well with him on the 2020 Half World Cruise. Can't imagine why they think there's stress on those trips. Passengers are always cooperative and well behaved. 🙂  Stay well. We'll miss you.

 

Rich and Peg

[WCB]

Report #15    September 19, 2023    Sea Day Cruising The Inside Passage     Partly Cloudy With Some Sun  52 Degrees  Cool Breeze  Part #1 Of 1.......38  Pictures

 

“Cruising the Inside Passage” was the theme of the day, as we sail on back to Vancouver once more.  We showed up at the regular time to the Pinnacle Grill for a 7:30am breakfast, only to find the doors closed.   What’s up with that?  Turned out the restaurant opened at 8am this morning, but no one had informed us.  Obviously, the Neptune folks knew, since there were no other guests waiting at the door. In the meantime, we went down to deck three intending to take a brisk walk for the ½ hour.  Well, that wasn’t happening either because all of the doors were roped off.  What’s up with that?  Sure it was wet outside, but conditions were not all that bad in our humble opinion.  It was still very cold, so we just watched the rising sun through the windows. 

 

There were very few customers for breakfast, and that was probably due to the fact that there was a dining room brunch from 10am to 12:30pm.  Two meals in one.  We asked Endrian if the brunch was like the one they do on the world cruise, and he said no.  This one was simply a combination of half breakfast half lunch items.  Not the little shot glasses filled with a variety of tastings.  We have been to the tastings brunch, but still prefer the traditional breakfast.  Some folks love it though.

 

Still needing our morning walk, we went out a bit later to discover nothing had been opened up yet.  All of the teak lounges were folded up and tied with twine to the railings.  All of the chair pads were also tied down.  This included the lanai rooms with the access to the reserved lounges.  We would not be happy campers if we could not use the lounges on the last sea day.  One fellow in a lanai room had brought his desk chair outside, covered up with a blanket, and stayed out there anyway.    Good for him.  Later on, we would find out the reason for the shutdown.

 

Today we had gifts of the two Delft tiles and an invitation to a Mariner’s Recognition Event in the Crow’s Nest at 11:30am.   We figured this would be a small group, but we did not expect there to be only six of us.  Captain Ryan Whitaker and Hotel General Manager Francois both stood and greeted us when we entered the room.   There was one other couple that are in the President’s Club as well as one couple that were approaching their 500 day level.  Two other officers were in attendance and the Cruise Director Glenn Michael joined the group.  Drinks of our choices were offered, and refilled without asking.   We had a very pleasant talk with the Captain and then Francois before we were invited to take a photo with them.   Glenn asked if he could share the number of days we all had acquired, and we all said yes.   So one of the questions we asked was concerning the promenade deck being closed.  Their answer was that there have been several accidents with people falling or getting their fingers caught in doors.  Never thought about that.  Then they added that while we are sailing in the channel between Vancouver Island and mainland Canada, the rules say that nothing can go overboard.  Even by accident.  It is possible that the ships can lose their right to sail here if the rules are broken.  It was time for the Captain to do his noontime talk, so he left the room.  Francois and the officers stayed on for ½ hour.  And the photo was delivered, complimentary,  by 4pm.  Also at the same time, we got our intransit cards for tomorrow’s stop in Vancouver.   This week has gone by in a flash.

 

Lunch was a Dive In hotdog and burger with fries.  It was very busy at the grill, since brunch had been early.  By 2pm, the guests were out and about and eating again.  Last day to do it.  By 4pm, we were starting to enter the narrow straits between the islands.  So we went back to deck three and watched for wildlife.  We did see a few of the porpoise, which may be Dalls’ porpoise.  They were quite a distance away, but we did get a photo of their splashing.  Their behavior is far different from dolphins as they do not leave the water jumping.  We saw three sea otters, which is odd since they usually hang out in groups.  There were a few assorted birds (no eagles) and a couple of small local boats passing by.   Out of the blue, we spotted possibly a Silverseas vessel on her way north.  Then we saw the Sapphire Princess and also an NCL ship with the artwork on the hull.   Bet we see the Princess ship in port tomorrow.  Regent’s Seven Seas Explorer will also be docked at Canada Place.

 

Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, where we ordered very nice Caesar salads, one halibut, and one pork chop.  Fries and mashed potatoes were the sides with a chocolate souffle and one scoop of mango sorbet for dessert.  The room was full of guests who were trying to squeeze in everything in seven days.  Lucky for us, we do not have to go back to the room and pack.  Last chance to shop, the stores were full and the lounges busy.  The entertainment this evening was The Step One Dance Company with Musicology, a show we have seen more than once. 

 

Tomorrow will be another busy day for the crew as we will be getting mostly all new guests boarding.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[SilvertoGold]

Welcome back to Vancouver. We hope it will be a good day for you here. Interesting about the decks being roped off.  We have noticed since the ships returned to sailing after Covid that HAL is roping  off at the slightest problem.  We think wet decks trigger this now, plus the wind is a factor.  Previously it took quite a bit of bad weather before HAL would close the decks. It is such a negative not to be able to walk the deck, but safety is important, of course.

Thanks so much for you time and efforts to write this blog and post photos.  Much anticipated each day and enjoyed.

[RuthC]

6 hours ago, WCB said:

We showed up at the regular time to the Pinnacle Grill for a 7:30am breakfast, only to find the doors closed.   What’s up with that?  Turned out the restaurant opened at 8am this morning, but no one had informed us. 

I realize you don't have smart phones, but doesn't HAL at least give a paper copy of the Daily Program anymore? 
You aren't the only ones without smart phones. 

[WCB]

Hi Ruth,

 

There is a paper copy of The Daily, as it is called now.  Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill is not listed, since it is opened for the Neptune Suite guests and President's Club members only.  Neptune guests have the Neptune Lounge, where the time is posted.  We are informed by the PG manager if he remembers.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[RuthC]

9 minutes ago, WCB said:

Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill is not listed, since it is opened for the Neptune Suite guests and President's Club members only. 

Breakfast in the Pinnacle is the same hours as breakfast in the main dining room. Now you know for next trip! 

[Coco39]

Wow - not a lot of sun in Alaska this time!  Sometimes I get the chills just following along on your walks. LOL

 

Barb is doing fine and says Hi.

[Boatharbour]

On 9/19/2023 at 11:39 PM, WCB said:

Tonight most of the guests came to the dining room the way they dressed for today’s excursions.   T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and some baseball caps. 

We’re sailing HAL for the first time in 2025. I’ve read that dining attire on Alaskan cruises tends to be more casual than other destinations. Is the clothing you’re describing typical of what to expect?  

[WCB]

Report #16    September 20, 2023  Vancouver, Canada     Docked Starboard Side To Pier  7am-4pm    Sunny With Some Clouds 68 Degrees   Part #1 Of 3.......77  Pictures Of 182

 

Today the Volendam was docked starboard side right before sunrise.  The weather looked promising, so we may see some sun today.  Fast forward…..it was a marvelous day.  Breakfast was served at 6:30am for us, but we went at the regular time.  No rush to get off, we had excellent service since there were just a few customers. 

 

We left the ship after 8:30am, making sure Mariner Rep Jennifer saw us, and knew we went off without the group again.  We understand that there were only 10 folks sailing onward like us. 

 

Today we made it all the way around the harbor to Stanley Park, past the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, and gated-off Deadman’s Island.  We located the Totem Park and turned left to see them.  Every one is expertly-carved by native artists and each one tells a story.  There is a nice souvenir shop there as well as restrooms.  There were a few tour groups listening to the guide’s story of the totems, while we just read the plaques in front of each one.   Then we followed the water’s edge to the Girl in the Wetsuit figure on a rock in the water.  Sure reminded us of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid.  Continuing around the bend, we began to recognize the road we usually cross to access the harbor and a view of the Lions Head Bridge. 

 

It took an hour of walking from here to get back to Canada Place, and then on to the Steamworks Brewery for lunch.  We ordered two Lions Gate beers and a mile-high pile of cheese nachos with bacon and guacamole.  One of the toppings was sliced green olives, which one of us loves.  We stayed until 1pm after sharing another freshly-baked apple galette.  So good.  Then we headed back to the terminal. 

 

Any given day can bring surprises, and today was no exception.  With the intransit cards in hand, we were directed to follow the “crew” lane, which led to the xray area.  An official had checked our room keys and said to proceed.  Passing quickly through the xray, we were shown the crew lane and the way out.  Something felt missing, like the immigrations/customs check.  Oh well, we were just following directions we were given. 

 

Back onboard, we spent a few hours relaxing and working on photos.  Glenn was repeatedly announcing for the new guests to log into their muster stations.  We did not need to do that, since it is only required every 30 days.

 

We had an invite left on our bed for another Mariner gathering in the Crow’s Nest at 3pm.  We went up around 3:20pm for a quick sip of the bubbly.  That’s when Jennifer came and asked if we had gone through the customs check.  We explained what happened, and she said we needed to get our passports and go off and have them cleared.  She came with us while we took them out of our safe, and then went off to clear up the mix-up.  And guess what?  The person that met us at the gangway was Sarah Coles, the former luggage service manager who we know well from many grand voyages.  She remembered us too.  We let her know how much she was missed on this year’s world cruise.  After the Covid shut-down, Sarah left HAL and went to work for shoreside services.  She seemed very happy to be here, so things work out for a reason.  Anyway, the whole process took only 10 minutes and Jennifer led us back to the Crow’s Nest for more sparkling wine.   We found out later, that our names had been announced shipwide on the outside decks.  Oh boy…….

 

Sail away was around 4pm, and we tried to get an elevator to go to deck nine.  Nothing was working right.  Some elevators were stuck on other decks, and others passed us up.  Strange….they had been fine until today.  Once up on deck nine, we found all the railings full of guests.  The Seaview Pool was not as crowded as last week, but we still made our way down the back stairs to deck six.  We had most of the whole deck to take as many pictures as we wanted.  Since the sun had come out, the photos should be a lot nicer with color.  The Captain picked up speed and when it began to cool down, we retreated to our room until dinnertime.

 

Dinner was in the dining room with one very hot French onion soup, one breaded cod slider appetizer, and salads.  Mains were the chicken with stuffing, however, one of us got one that had as many bones as meat.  Tasty, but you had to be careful cutting the chicken.  Since we indulged at lunchtime with a dessert, we passed on them tonight.  Another   maitre’d  appeared and introduced himself.  His name is Johny and he has come from the Lido.  Pande will be leaving soon, and someone will have to replace him.   

 

For entertainment, there was a movie called Origin Story in the World Stage all about the last 150 years of Holland America.  There was also a movie in the Wajang called The Flash.  Even at 9pm, all of the lounges, shops, and casino were filled with people. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

Hi Coco39,

Happy to hear Barb is doing well.  She is not big on writing emails!

 

On the shorter cruises, we feel that the guests do not dress the same as the longer voyages.  Last night we saw two young fellows come into the dining room dressed in shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps wearing flip flops.  They were seated next to folks dressed country club casual.  Seems that anything goes and nothing is enforced.  Perhaps swimwear may be questioned....

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[cruzingnut]

@WCB  How nice that you ran into Sarah!  In wondered what happened with her after she left HAL.  Glad you saw her. 

 

Linda R.

[WCB]

Report #17    September 21, 2023     Sea Day - Cruising The Inside Passage Toward Tracy Arm And Juneau, Alaska    Cloudy With Morning Sun Turning To Heavy Fog In The Afternoon  53 Degrees    Part #1 Of 1.........32 Pictures

 

Another Alaskan cruise begins, and another canvas HAL tote was gifted to us.  Wine tasting would take place at 1:50pm, and we were once again invited.  For most all other guests, the fee was $25.  Since we do not enjoy drinking wine, we did not attend.  We did go to another fine breakfast, which has been very uncrowded.  The only reason we can figure why the Neptune folks are not there in large numbers, is the fact that this ship has the Pinnacle Grill on a deck with no windows.  

 

We took a walk on the promenade after breakfast and found it had turned quite chilly.  The skies were overcast and cloudy so we did need warmer jackets.  The best sighting we had for most of the day was the Sapphire Princess that appeared to be heading the same direction we were.   

 

Our location after coming out of the narrows was Queen Charlotte Sound where we were exposed to open seas and fog.  It got thick enough that the Captain had to use the foghorn, which goes off every two minutes.  Sure is an eerie sound especially when one cannot see where we are going.  Sometime today or last night, a sea bird, perhaps a shearwater, landed on the promenade deck, making its way against the wall.   We didn’t notice it until it moved when we walked past it.   Obviously it was injured and could not walk well.  Sometimes the lights on the deck attract the birds and they crash against the ship.  Most times they do not survive.  While we were watching the bird, three of the security staff came along and were deciding what to do with it.  Not sure what they did, but an hour later, the bird was not there. 

 

Today we opted to have a Dive In lunch with two “back flips” or chicken sandwiches and some naked fries.   The area was busy with both the line for burgers and hot dogs, but also the deeply-discounted HAL Alaskan clothing that has been promoted.  The sales were quite healthy for the 20 minutes it took for the food to be delivered.  By the way, the chicken sandwiches were very good. 

 

At 3:30pm, we headed up to deck six forward in hopes of seeing the whales that hang out there.  It appeared that we were further off of the coastline than last week, and we did not see any blows or diving.  What we did see was another cute little bird, a sparrow, who came hopping along behind us at the railing.  Isn’t that a kick….two stowaways in one day. 

 

The Sapphire Princess was still sailing ahead of us when she took a turn towards the left.  A tanker appeared on the horizon and took second place behind Princess.  Eventually, we turned in the same direction and headed across the Dixon Entrance.  We will sail in the open sea until we head back in going towards Tracy Arm and Juneau.  Something tells us to expect some rougher seas tonight.  Turns out we were correct.

 

Dinner was back in the Pinnacle Grill where they were quite busy with nicely-dressed customers.  Our meal was marvelous as always with wedge salads and clothesline bacon naturally.  One halibut entrée and one filet mignon with fries and mashed potatoes filled us up.  But we did leave a little space for a shared piece of Key lime pie.  It was as smooth and silky as we remembered it. 

 

Good news – the clocks went back one hour and that is always appreciated.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

Report #18    September 22, 2023  Juneau, Alaska   12pm-10pm  Docked Starboard Side To Pier   Rain Most Of The Day Cool 45 Degrees    Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures Of 215

 

Today is the only day on this seven day run where the Lido offers an express lunch from 11:30 to 12:30pm because our arrival to Juneau is around 1pm.  Since we had a nice and early breakfast, we would skip lunch onboard and wait until we reach Juneau to dine out.

 

It was really cold, wet, and windy so we bundled up and went to deck six forward once again to watch our sailing into Juneau.  We assumed there was going to be a stop for the Tracy Arm tour to Twin Sawyer Glaciers, but we never stopped.  Guess that tour was not offered today, or it was cancelled.  If we had been five minutes later, we would have missed seeing a pod of six humpback whales blowing their spouts and feeding on the surface.   We spotted a couple more along the shoreline, then nothing.  Simply pure luck.  We stayed outside on the starboard side and under some cover.  It was raining and flooding under our feet again, but we were dressed for it.  Never got wet. 

 

The Volendam sailed into the Gastineau Channel and reached Juneau early about 12:15pm.  Already in port were the Sapphire Princess and the RCI Quantum of the Seas.  The Princess ship holds up 3214 guests while the Quantum appears bigger and holds even more.  Downtown will be busy today, and the tour operators will be happy with all of the tours booked. 

 

Here are some quick facts about Juneau.  September’s average low is 45 degrees and the high is 57 degrees.  Daylight hours are 12 hours and 25 minutes.  There are 19 days of rain and zero for snowfall.  Today it felt cold enough to snow, but all we had was steady rain and little wind. 

 

We left the ship at 12:30pm which was good timing because the rain let up for ½ hour.  With so many folks in the downtown area, we decided to take a hike to Overstreet Park and the humpback whale figure near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge, about a mile or more away. On the way we spotted an eagle on a light standard with a crow that would not leave him alone. We did get a few pictures of them.  Took us about 30 minutes to reach the park and the walkway over the shoreline.  At the end is the steel-body true-to-size humpback whale breaching.  It is surrounded with a fountain that signifies the splash the whale makes when crashing back down on its back after feeding.  Many signs are posted explaining the interesting story behind this sculpture.  It was created to commemorate Alaska becoming a state in 1959, and was dedicated in 2009 when the state turned 50 years old.  The whale weighs over 6 tons and had to be shipped here in pieces then re-assembled.

 

Our next destination was the Hangar on the Wharf for lunch of course.  Today we mixed it up and ordered cheese nachos with hamburger.  They were even better than what we had in Vancouver.  Regular sliced black olives made both of us happy as did the fresh guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.  Two Alaskan Ambers went well with the appetizer. A shared dessert of mud pie was a must.  The place was packed and the crowd did not thin out until after 3pm.  Many of the items on the menu were fish related as you might expect.  What’s big up here is crab among other things.  Alaska’s commercial seafood industry employs 60,000 people producing 5 – 6 billion pounds of seafood a year.  It is 60% of the US harvest. 

 

Back in town Tracy’s King Crab Shack had a line a mile long.  They specialize in King crab but also offer Dungeness crab.  An interesting fact about the Dungeness is the maximum life span is 10 years if they escape trapping.  The males have to be 4 years old to harvest, while the females are never taken.  They are thrown back to breed.  One large female can carry 2.5 million eggs.  That is incredible.

 

Everyone and their brother was packing a red plastic bag from the T-Shirt Company, the busiest shop in town.  We made a sweep through the store to check out their sales.  Much of it was ½ off or better.  Tourists and crew members were busy shopping there, their last chance for them to bring something home to their families.  Our only purchase was a bag of delicious peanut brittle to enjoy in our room.   We passed on the fudge, although it did look tempting, too many calories for comfort. 

 

Back on the ship by 4:30pm, we headed to our room to warm up and work on pictures.  That kept one of us busy until our 7:30pm dinnertime in the main dining room.  For starters we had small salads and arancini.  Mains were the Club Orange special of braised short ribs which arrived on the special blue plates.   It was quite tasty even if the meat was placed on a bed of pureed veggies, not potatoes.  Usually we don’t indulge, but tonight we ordered one scoop of butter pecan ice cream and one extremely chocolatey torte. 

 

The ship left early at 9:20pm, and headed towards our next port of Skagway tomorrow.  And there was a change of plans…..we will need to tender into Skagway because we believe two larger ships will be using the docks.  At least we are still going there and not to Haines, like last week.

 

Bill & Mary Ann 

 

 

 

[CruisingGrandmaW]

Hi Bill & Mary Ann

 

Al & Carolyn from San Diego - we sailed with you on 2019 Tales - were 2 cabins down from you & saw you many mornings/evenings taking photos from your balcony.  We never introduced ourselves - but wish we had now.  (At the time we didn't want to bother you - figured you had enough fans of your Blog possibly bothering you).

We are waiting until 2024 to return to a 51 D Tales - hoping that Tonga, Somoa etc that were deeply affected by Pandemic & then Tsunami from the Volcano have recovered back to their tourism level of 2019.

So will be anxious to hear your daily reports of the Ports on that leg of your cruise.

Wishing you continued "good memories" on this cruise.

 

[WCB]

Report #19   September 23, 2023   Skagway, Alaska 7am-8pm   Docked Port Side To Pier But Tendered Guests To Shore   Partly Cloudy With Sun 53 Degrees   Part #1 Of  4.........77 Pictures Of 253

 

We arrived early to Skagway and found it a chilly 53 degrees, mostly cloudy, light winds, and no rain.  In fact, we could see the clouds breaking up and if we were lucky, we might see some real sun later.  Last night, we had no daily newsletter, and now we fear the ship might be going ”paperless”.   So on our way to breakfast, we stopped by the front desk to turn in our final customs and immigrations form for Canada, and also ask why no newsletter.  The front desk folks said there had been a glitch in the system and they only printed a few one page newsletters for the folks who did not have a cell phone to bring up the Navigator page.  We could have read this on the room TV, but it is not convenient.  We like paper.  Hope this is fixed soon.

 

Well, starting from the beginning, we woke up to “bizzarro-land”.  Yesterday we had received a notice saying that due to operational problems, we would need to tender ashore in Skagway.  We figured two larger ships would need the docks, and we took third place.  The Volendam was brought alongside the old Railroad Dock, right across from the graffiti wall, but also near the massive slide that occurred back in 2018.  There was no gangway connecting us to the roadside.  We would definitely be tendering to the small marina.

 

Oddly enough, the Sapphire Princess pulled in behind us, and not at the One or Broadway Docks.  Except they had a gangway, and were required to take buses and shuttles to Congress Way to join tours or go to town.  No one was allowed to walk the road.  Docked portside, we watched the buses pass back and forth by our window.  Very unusual as we have never had to do this before in Skagway.  Oh well, first time for everything.

 

We left the ship around 10am, and were chased by that big moose again near the stairs down to deck A.  The ship’s photographers always try their best to get us to take pictures, but we always say no thank you.  Now it is a game, more so when they have the funny mascots.   We joined the tenderboat group going off by showing our cards.  We did not need a tender ticket.  The ride was 10 minutes tops.  From the small boat marina we walked to Pullen Creek to see if there were any more pink salmon coming upstream.  There were none, but we were more surprised not to find any dead carcasses like we saw two weeks ago.   The creek was loaded with bodies.  Guess the bears have cleaned up the creek, which was confirmed by one of the shop’s owners. 

 

We continued up Broadway, ducking in and out of shops, then followed the street to the Klondike Highway.  We turned right at the beginning of the Pat Moore Bridge at the sign for the Gold Rush Cemetery.  Lower Reid Falls is also in the same area, although the sign suggested it was ½ mile, we felt it was more than that.  We walked past the White Horse Yukon Route railyard and that’s where we finally heard the whistle from a train coming back from the Yukon.  Two weeks ago we must have left the ship earlier, because the trains were coming back from their early runs.  Today, we saw none, and thought perhaps they were closed for the season.  Glad to see they began arriving one after another to load up with more guests.  It really is a nice tour. 

 

Reaching the famous cemetery by noontime, we relaxed on a bench before the climb, talking to a young couple from the Sapphire Princess.  It may have been their first cruise, and were full of questions when they heard we have been on several trips, especially the longer ones.  The young man said he would love to do that when he retires, which was a long way off.  Yep, that’s what we said years ago, and here we are.

 

We made the climb to the cemetery where notorious Soapy Smith and Frank Reid are both buried (far apart), along with many other townspeople from the Gold Rush Days.  The story of the shoot-out between the two rivals have kept this place on the map.  One thing sort of confused us concerning Soapy Smith.  We read that there was a massive flood in 1919 and Soapy’s gravesite had washed away.  Will have to dig deeper into that theory.  After reading most of the sad headstones, we headed up the slippery wet trail to the Lower Reid Falls, a 300 foot high waterfall.  The trail was fairly steep with rocks and tree roots along the way.  It wasn’t so hard going up, but one of us had to be very cautious going back down.  Once at the trail head, we had a choice of waiting for the S.M.A.R.T. bus, a $5 pp ride back to the pier, or hike back.  Since we had the time, and it was downhill all the way, we chose to walk. 

 

Our destination was lunch at the Station Bar and Grill next to the Morning Wood Hotel.  We feared that with two ships in town, it might be filled with diners, or closed for the season.  But we got lucky and there was one table left, which we gladly took.  Even at 1:30pm, the place was full as was the bar.  Without even checking the menu, we ordered two Alaskan Amber beers, and one 14 inch Hawaiian pizza.  It was even better than the one we had two weeks ago.  We saved a bit of room for another Alaskan Fry Bread at the Klondike Doughboy.  Having tried our first taste of one two weeks ago, we think this will become a tradition when we visit again in the future.  Guess we can describe the bread as a flat-like 10 inch square donut cooked in hot oil, then covered with cinnamon sugar.  They are still piping hot when you buy them.  And SO good. 

 

Many of the ship’s passengers were on spending sprees here, except us.  We know the prices may be better in Ketchikan and we really don’t need anything. One of us did spot a nice wool scarf with an artist’s design, but it will give us something to search for next time.  We will be heading into tropical zones soon and wool is not something we need.

 

Back to the tender spot, we were greeted with the Face Recognition computer ID, then boarded the boat for the quick ride to the ship.  We were back to our room by 4pm, but had no TV reception and will not until we leave due to our location between the steep mountains.  The internet was working fine.

 

The Pinnacle Grill was our dinner venue with Caesar salads, clothesline bacon, medium lamb chops, and one shared order of French fries….the skinny ones.  Wish they were “skinny” in calories since we may have over-done it a bit today.  Our long hike may have compensated for it though. 

 

The ship left Skagway about when we returned from dinner….like 9pm.  Looks like the Sapphire left ahead of us.  Not sure we will meet again in Ketchikan.

 

Tomorrow looks like a promising day with the weather.  Today turned out to be gorgeous with lots of sun, so we wish for the same when we entered Glacier Bay once more.  We shall think positive.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Hi Cruising Grandma,

 

Wish you had said "hi".....we love meeting nice people on the ships.  In fact, some of our best buddies were chance meetings that way many years ago.  

While on last year's Tales of the South Pacific cruise, we did visit Tonga and Samoa and found them up and running as usual.  In fact, while in Nukualofa, locals told us that most of the damage was on the opposite side of the island, and tours avoided that area.  Hope the same applies to the Samoa ports.

Hope to meet you in 2024!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Hogladyrider]

@WCB...we are right there with you on not being fans of all the "new" technology....but I do not think we will win, but that doesn't mean we have to give in and jump on board.

 

Enjoy ALL your writings and photos.

 

We were one of those couples who said "when we retire we will cruise more and longer".....and that's what we are doing.  We live fulltime in our RV and travel the USA and cruise in the winter months....retirement is a wonderful life.

[Ineke]

9 hours ago, WCB said:

Hi Cruising Grandma,

 

Wish you had said "hi".....we love meeting nice people on the ships.  In fact, some of our best buddies were chance meetings that way many years ago.  

While on last year's Tales of the South Pacific cruise, we did visit Tonga and Samoa and found them up and running as usual.  In fact, while in Nukualofa, locals told us that most of the damage was on the opposite side of the island, and tours avoided that area.  Hope the same applies to the Samoa ports.

Hope to meet you in 2024!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

We’re long-time readers of your blog and CC posts, and have been avidly reading older posts and looking at the pictures you have posted, regarding the Tales of the South Pacific. We are looking forward to Wednesday when we board the Volendam for this year’s version. I really want to thank you for all the information we’ve been able to gather because of you! We may run into you at some point in time. 

[WCB]

Report #20   September 24, 2023  Glacier Bay  National Park, Alaska  7am-5pm    Cloudy And Cool With Some Rain And Sun 43 Degrees   Part #1 Of 3.......77 Pictures Of 221

 

Welcome to Glacier Bay….again.  The weather was a chilly 42 degrees with a wind chill factor dropping it even more.  It was cloudy with a little fog and drizzle, but still much better than last week’s weather. 

The park rangers boarded the ship at 7am, right on schedule, however, we seemed to have stopped.  Something was wrong, but we did not know what it was, nor was it announced.  So we went to breakfast knowing we should have plenty of time to get outside before we reached Gloomy Knob, where we work at spotting some wildlife.  That was scheduled for about 8:40am, but we still were not moving after breakfast.  Checking with the front desk folks, we learned that there was an emergency medical evacuation and the ship would be delayed for a total of two hours.  We wondered if the evacuation would be with a helicopter, but it turned out that the patient was loaded into a tender boat, then brought to Bartlett Cove or Gustavus, the nearest town.  Once the boat returned, we were on our way, silently wishing the unfortunate patient the best of luck. 

 

From here, it was the pedal to the metal as the Volendam maintained a speed of 19 – 20 knots to make up some lost time.  We went to deck six forward to watch our approach into the bay.  Passing by Tlingit Point, we began to see some mountain goats.  They appeared so tiny they might as well as been grains of rice.  With the ship doing the high speed, it was difficult holding the camera, but many good shots were taken.  By the time we got to Gloomy Knob, we were able to see more goats grazing and walking along the steep granite cliffs.  What a place to live.  We lasted over an hour outside, spotting one Stellar sealion, until the icy chill set in, so we went back to the room to defrost. 

 

Back outside later, we passed the Reid Glacier and Lamplugh Glaciers on the way to Margerie Glacier, the most filmed glacier in the park.  Then the Captain slowed the boat, due to the fact the Sapphire Princess was on her way out.   Sure made for a dramatic photo as the Princess vessel sailed by us.  We arrived to the end of the Tarr Inlet where the massive ice field of the Grand Pacific Glacier, located on the Canadian/US border, came into view.  On the left was the face of the Margerie Glacier.  Nothing much had changed with it from the last two weeks.  However, once again there was no thunderous boom from cracking ice, nor was there any signs of calving the whole time we were there.  On the other hand, we did spot many rafts of sea otters doing their thing in the bay.  The ranger mentioned that these otters were hunted to near extinction, but have made a comeback once the trapping ceased.  It was as much fun watching the folks down on the bow vying for the best spots on the railing and making trips for hot chocolate and coffee with a dash of liquor offered as well. 

 

We had been scheduled for a peek at the John’s Hopkins Glacier, but with the 2 hours we lost, it was not to be.  Every time we have gone to that glacier, we have seen impressive calving.  Again, it’s just luck.

It is still a privilege to visit this World Heritage Site and the world’s largest protected marine sanctuary…….all 3.3 million acres of it.

 

Time for a bite to eat at 2pm, we enjoyed one Dine In chicken “back flip” sandwich and a hot dog in our room.   It felt so strange to see swimmers in the Lido Pool and many others in the jacuzzi spas.  Looking out the windows, the mountains were covered with ice and snow.  We assume both the pool and spas were heated.  That’s the difference between a world cruise and a 7 day cruise.  People make it a point to do everything they can in such a short time, and that’s what vacation is about.

 

We knew to be back on the promenade deck when the ship passed by the North and South Marble Islands.  However the ship flew past them, too faraway to see very much.   The park rangers left the ship by 5pm, and we stayed outside to watch the numerous sea otters floating on their backs near the ship.  Whales can also be seen here, but today we saw none. 

 

The Captain turned left after leaving Glacier Bay and headed south towards our next and our final stop in Alaska - Ketchikan.   Dinnertime arrived and we were back in the dining room for a dressy evening.  On this particular cruise, we have noticed that there are many folks with accents…specifically British.  Endrian said that the voyage was marketed to the Commonwealth countries of England, Australia, and New Zealand  to name a few. Another observation is that these folks have dressed quite nicely, even more on the formal side than the previous trips.  Guess that goes with their culture and we appreciate it.

 

Our meal began with shrimp cocktails with the red sauce followed by Caesar salads.   Mains were steak – one was a sirloin strip and one was the surf and turf of a filet and a tiny grilled shrimp.  The very thin cut sirloin came with a tasty gravy, but cooked more than one of us likes.  The filet was more on the pink side, so we switched.  The French fries were served hot and were shared.  Desserts were one scoop of sorbet and a hot fudge sundae.  Then on the way back to the forward elevators, we stopped at the library and picked up a couple of books to read finally.  There is not a huge selection, but enough to have something for everyone.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[CruisingGrandmaW]

Bill & MaryAnn - TY for update on "tourism" in Tonga & Samoa etc.

I had read the above post off the CC 2023 Tales Roll Call.

To-date no one on that Board has commented that Excursions have been added.

Hence my concern that those islands were still affected by locals moving to other islands for employment during 2020-2022

[WCB]

Report #21  September 25, 2023  Ketchikan, Alaska  11am-6pm   Docked Port Side To Pier  Overcast With Some Sun And A Few Sprinkles 57 Degrees  Part #1 Of 3........77 Pictures Of 221

 

Ketchikan is our port of call for the third time in as many weeks.  The third time is a charm.  Ketchikan is situated in the middle of  the Tongass National Forest with 17 million acres , the largest in the entire world.  In addition to that, Misty Fjords is only 40 miles away with another 2.3 million acres. 

 

Beginning in 1883, a salmon saltery provided jobs in Ketchikan, followed by the fishing trade.  Gold miners flooded the area utilizing the bars and bordellos of Creek Street.  The Ketchikan Pulp Mill flourished until it declined.  These days tourism ranks the # 1 industry.  A population of 8200 residents keep the town prospering.  As well as a land of totem poles, it is also the last port in Alaska that the Volendam will visit this season.  Many of the guests, but more so the crew members will take advantage of the “close out” sales today. 

 

The ship arrived to the dock by 10:30am and we were the only vessel there.   The ship was cleared before 11am, and we happened to watch the passengers going off to meet their tour guides.   If we have not mentioned this yet, we have to give credit to the fantastic crew we have onboard.  The gangway was very steep today, due to a 16 foot tide fluctuation.  Several guests using canes, walkers, and wheelchairs were immediately given help getting down the gangway safely.   We could see that the extra help was appreciated.

 

Letting most of the tours exit first, we went off around noontime.  And for a change, the weather looked great.  It was partly cloudy with a little sun appearing now and then.  But the best part was there wasn’t any rain.  The breeze was not as cold as yesterday, and even though it felt like rain might fall, it never did. 

 

Curious to see if the pink salmon were still making their way up the creek, we took our usual walk towards the Stedman Street Bridge.   From the viewpoint, we found that the creek was even more full of fish than last week.  The casualties were laying on the banks all the way up the boardwalk.  Taking more time to read the new signs about the salmon run, we noticed that the signs were donated by Royal Caribbean Inc. Cruise Line.  The information was wonderful.  At the top of the Married Man’s Trail, we stopped and watched the salmon coming up the fish ladder there.  A few of the larger ones were trying to come up the rapids, only to be washed back down. 

 

Following Park Avenue, we made our way to the upper creek to find salmon congregating along the banks by the thousands.   This is the start of the spawning grounds, especially where there is a bed of gravel and small rocks in the more shallow waters.  We made our way up to the Deer Mountain Hatchery and the adjoining City Park.  Making use of the nice benches there, we waited to see if the deer would appear like last week.  No, it did not come back, but we did see an industrious Stellar blue jay planting seeds of some kind in the grassy fields.  We have these same birds at home, and they seem to like staying in an area where there are trees and creeks. 

 

It was time for lunch so we made our way back down to town and the Alaska King Crab Co. across from the ship.  We ordered a shared plate pf chicken tenders with the best BBQ sauce for dipping.  They came with plenty of fries which went well with the Alaska Amber beers. By ordering two beers, we qualified for two free shotglasses.  We split a slice of carrot cake,  then left to do some shopping.  There are coupon booklets for every port, and there were a few things that we wanted such as a back scratcher and a calendar.  In all of the times we have visited Ketchikan, we never realized that Tongass Trading had four locations.  Each coupon had a number on it, and one shop did not honor the other shops.  Go figure. 

 

We got back to the ship by 3:30pm.  All aboard time was 6pm, but looking out our window, we could see that the gangway was not being removed.  Looking closer, we saw a firetruck and an ambulance.  Oh no, another medical debark was in progress.  A man was brought down on a stretcher, but the good news was that he was waving as they loaded him into the back of the ambulance.   The ship left by 6:30pm and now we are on our way back to Vancouver by Wednesday with one day at sea tomorrow. 

 

The clocks went ahead one hour, which no one likes.  We will not have any time changes now until we begin sailing west towards the Hawaiian Islands after October 2^nd. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann