Musing across the Pacific (7-25 Sep) Live!

[photosg]

We are onboard the Silver Muse!

 

Embarkation at Canada Place this afternoon took about a hour. It was quite a bit faster for those with US and Canadian passports because there were only THREE agents at US boarder control. 

 

First stop was lunch at La Terrazza and at 2:29pm our rooms were officially declared ready.

I had already unpacked and stashed the cases away and even had a cup of earl grey and a cucumber sandwich at Arts Cafe before my butler appeared. One thing i learned today was that the notepad on the console was actually a wireless charger for devices. 

 

Despite having to watch a 15minute safety video on the TV, at 5pm we all gathered at Dolce Vita for an in-person muster drill complete with walking out on deck to a lifeboat.

 

At the welcome aboard show the cruise director informed us that there are only 420 guests on board, including 50 solos. The assistant cruise director said this was more than usual for a crossing..

 

It’s been about 10 years since my last SilverSea cruise on the Silver Whisper. My most recent cruises have been on Spectrum of the Seas and Celebrity Beyond although before and immediately after the pandemic I’ve been mostly on Cunard.

 

So far the included wi-fi has exceeded expectations and I hope to update most days, but we’ll have to see how that goes.

 

Good night!

[jpalbny]

Sounds like you're off to a great start! Welcome back to SS.

 

As an aside, we visited Singapore in March of this year and had a great time. I hope that we can return the favor for your US visit.

[drron29]

As long as you bring her to Tokyo in good condition.

We board in Yokohama in just over 4 weeks.

[photosg]

Muse was berthed behind O Regatta.

 

 

Dried fruit.

 

wireless charger!

 

Arts Cafe

 

Au revoir Vancouver!

 

“Singapore sling” um… ok… sweet and yummy.

 

good night!

 

 

 

[Raiders4Life32]

Have a great sailing! My parents are also on this voyage with you. 

[photosg]

Friday 8 Sep.

 

While reading the Chronicle last night discovered that there was yoga at 8am but you had to book or sign up ahead. Unfortunately it was after 10pm and the spa had closed. I called a few minutes before 8am but it was full already. That will teach me not to skip the gym/spa visit on embarkation day.

 

After breakfast in Atalantide, (baked peaches with honey!) went back to the spa to sign up for the 5pm stretch.

 

Then i attended both beginners as well as intermediate bridge lectures. This will be my sea day routine.

 

For lunch we had sashimi and sushi at Kaseki followed by a nap.

I’ve been avoiding naps in order to beat the jet lag but didn't feel i could get through the evening without one.

 

Went to the gym at 5pm for evening stretch (since i missed yoga at 8am)

If past cruise experience is anything to go by it will be much easier to get a slot as the cruise progresses.

 

Went up to deck 11 to walk a few rounds on the walking track and then went to change for formal night. This is when i discovered my trousers couldn’t button up without much sucking in and belt tightening. 

 

The bartender at Tor’s observatory made me a refreshing mocktail and i had a small plate with three mini canapés.

 

Went down to the Venetian lounge for captains’s welcome. my estimate was less than half were in tuxedos/dinner jackets, while most opted for lounge suits, There was a japanese party looking splendid in Japanese formal wear.

 

We have decided we want to eat our way through the Atlantide menu. (And i was advised to wear more loose fitting trousers in future.)

 

I actually fell asleep posting this update back in the cabin while waiting for the show so am now finishing it off before setting our clocks back and getting ready for our first port, Ketchikan, tomorrow.

 

[Port Power]

Interesting statistics from the cruise director on the first night is that there are 74 Australians on the ship (and 9 from New Zealand), making us the second largest nationality aboard.  There is quite a large range of nationalities in fact.  I haven’t come across anyone else from Cruise Critic yet though.

 

It will be interesting to compare impressions with @photosg.  I agree that the Japanese ladies looked lovely.  

[photosg]

1 hour ago, Port Power said:

 I haven’t come across anyone else from Cruise Critic yet though.

 

today’s the day! i’ve actually been looking for you since Tuesday….

[photosg]

[Port Power]

2 hours ago, photosg said:

today’s the day! i’ve actually been looking for you since Tuesday….

I see you also enjoy my favourite breakfast.  Carol #505

 

I’m going to put to use some of the hints from the iPhone photo talk yesterday. Such a lovely day to be out today.  We saw whales yesterday while having lunch on the aft deck, so that was a good start to the cruise.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Port Power
Whale watch

[Mr Luxury]

28 minutes ago, Port Power said:

We saw whales yesterday while having lunch on the aft deck, so that was a good start to the cruise.

Indeed,and those guests might get even larger as the cruise goes on.😀

[photosg]

Saturday 9 September. Ketchikan

 

I hope my arms will be able to lift my camera tomorrow….

 

The highlight of the day was kayaking in the tattoosh islands. we had the perfect weather for this. not only was the sun out but, as you will see in the photos, the sea was also mirror flat.

 

the guide told us the whales had headed off to hawaii already but a curious harbour seal did come and inspect us.

 

by the time i can back onboard (after wandering around the shops a little) it was already 3pm to a visit to spacina…. spicana… spacana… the pizza place was in order. They serve gelato there too!

 

The sail out was spectacular too.

 

after dinner at Atlatinde, i dropped my Silver Note to listen to the music.

 

And now it’s time for bed again!

[Fletcher]

On 9/9/2023 at 7:14 AM, photosg said:

Friday 8 Sep.

I actually fell asleep posting this update back in the cabin 

 

And I fell asleep reading it . . . 😉 Looking forward to this trip.

Edited September 10, 2023 by Fletcher

[photosg]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Port Power]

We did the whale watching tour this morning, which was also a scientific trip as they record sightings as well as pull up a cray pot to check other sea life.  Our pot included a Sunflower Starfish, a bit larger than a dinner plate and with lots of legs. It was eating te bait herring, so it’s stomach was on the outside at the time.

 

< insert photo >
 

My whale photos aren’t very good due to distance, but there were a lot of humpback whales. Their time to feed is almost over and they will be heading for Hawaii to in a few weeks. There was one group of three we saw several times, and the two of them breached together. What a display! No photo of course, as it happened so quickly.

 

<insert photo >

 

 

[Port Power]

45 minutes ago, Port Power said:

We did the whale watching tour this morning, which was also a scientific trip as they record sightings as well as pull up a cray pot to check other sea life.  Our pot included a Sunflower Starfish, a bit larger than a dinner plate and with lots of legs. It was eating te bait herring, so it’s stomach was on the outside at the time.

 

< insert photo >

 

My whale photos aren’t very good due to distance, but there were a lot of humpback whales. Their time to feed is almost over and they will be heading for Hawaii to in a few weeks. There was one group of three we saw several times, and the two of them breached together. What a display! No photo of course, as it happened so quickly.

 

<insert photo >

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Port Power
Add photos

[photosg]

Sunday 10 Sep, Juneau.

 

Woke up to a slightly overcast day and apparently it was foggy before our ship arrived. Had breakfast in Atlantide. The ship was delayed about 15 minutes. We got the 2nd furthest berth, Only Celebrity Millennium was behind us, with Norwegian Sun and O Regatta (and one more?) nearer to the town centre. Walked up Franklin Street to the Catholic Cathedral which is right next door to the Orthodox. 

Made it back to the ship for a ten minute roll and tea at Arts Cafe before heading out again for our Discover Alaska’s whales tour. This was the same “scientific” tour as Port Power went on, except they were  on the boat earlier and we were the next batch. We even had a similar starfish when we lifted our (presumably different) crabpot. (they are monitoring an invasive species of european crab,) There were almost too many whales to watch as we didn’t know where to look but it did mean there was not a lot of waiting around after a whale did a dive. Almost immediately we would hear their telltale exhalation and turn to see another pair. Yes we saw many mother- calf pairs. The sun came out around 3pm and the whales flipping their flukes amidst white glaciers green mountains and blue skies and a very enthusiastic guide made for a very memorable afternoon.

 

I have been on several whale watching trips but our guide was a very good combination of knowledgeable and entertaining. i have to confess i was more than a tiny bit envious on hearing port power’s group seeing the mother-calf breech. But up to then we were very happy.

 

We were back just i time for sail away so i grabbed another sandwich (and slice of lemon tart) before sail away which gave us nice views of Regatta and Millennium stunning Juneau landscapes.

 

Went to La Terrazza for the first time and because the ship isn’t full we had no problems getting a great table facing aft. I was reminded of a classroom as everyone was facing the spectacular Juneau sail away. I have fond memories of the duck papadelle so it gave me the warm fuzzies to see it in the menu.

 

i was too tired after the fabulous dinner to do anything else and even fell asleep before even attempting to post this or getting ready for bed properly. was woken up by the ship‘s movement (and loud creaking) around midnight and groggily washed up and got ready for a rocking night’s sleep.

[Port Power]

We also had such an enthusiastic guide. She had only recently completed her marine biology degree and will do her PhD next year.  She did say that the calfs were now about a year old, so they will have to fend for themselves soon.

 

I had dinner at Silver Note with another lady.  So good!  Delicious food served very differently and a wonderful singer.  We stayed until closing.  
 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Port Power
Add photos

[photosg]

 

Catholic Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

[taxatty]

11 minutes ago, photosg said:

 

Catholic Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

Food porn at its finest.

[photosg]

whale watching in Juneau photos: 

 

 

[photosg]

some photos from this morning …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by photosg

[photosg]

Monday 11 September, Sitka.

 

I mentioned things started to get bumpy once the ship reached the open waters of the pacific ocean. I generally find the ship’s motion quite conducive to sleeping but the creaky cabin was not so easy to tune out. let’s hope we don’t have too many rough nights ahead.

 

I tried to have a light and healthy breakfast at La Terrazza and then it was time to get the Venetian lounge to gather for our Seo Otter and wildlife quest. i think about 50 of us boarded a catamaran directly from the ship and we were off on our Sitka adventure. The catamaran had more than enough seats for everybody including a partially covered upper deck.

 

After two sunny days today was a more typical grey and slightly moist day. the forecast was for rain but it held off most of the time.

 

Our first surprise was a bear sighting near the salmon hatchery. We saw a mother and cub and then another small bear nearby.

 

Next was numbers of salmon leaping out of the water. They were jumping!

 

As we sailed to our next spot our guide explained many things to us. The galley also prepared hot chocolate, coffee and tea as well as some tasting samples of kelp salsa and spruce jam.

 

Our next stop was a channel marker where stellar sea lions were perched.

 

Soon enough a whale was spotted and as the captain brought for a closer look more and more whales appeared. Just like yesterday after awhile it seemed like whichever direction you looked you could see a whale, or two! So you didn’t have to scurry about, you just had to be patient.

 

After the time limit allowed for following whales we finally went in search of sea otters. We found a few of them and a couple even ventured closer to us to say hi.

 

I remarked to a fellow passenger that all we needed now was an eagle sighting.

 

And there on an island was we sailed by was not one but two bald eagles.

 

At this point I decided I would only visit Alaska again if Sitka was on the itinerary.

 

While the catamaran had picked us up directly from the Muse, we were dropped off at the pier and had to get into the tender to get back onboard.

 

The weather cooperated and didn’t really start raining seriously until long after we set sail.

 

The other highlight of the day was wrapping up to try the hot rocks. You haven’t really had the full hot rocks experience if you haven’t had to bundle up in blankets.

 

We’re now heading across the Pacific towards Kodiak. The rain has stopped and the seas are a bit flatter but there’s still motion in the ship.

 

Good night!

[highplanesdrifters]

Agree with @taxatty, mighty fine food porn.  And the scenery isn't bad either.

Thanks!

[photosg]

Photos from the Sea otter and wildlife quest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the scenes.

 

 

Navarro, Aurora, our guide/naturalist, and Greg.

 

 

Captain Brandon

 

sockeye salmon

 

Saint Eugene and our tender at the dock.