Live from the Jewel April 29-May 13, 2024: will definitely contain sarcasm and grumpiness

[YVRteacher]

Juneau dinner

 

 

 

Within moments of arriving back to the cabin from our shore excursion my dad was asleep on his bed with his shoes still on.

 

Treat delivery!

 

 

 

 

We had a 5:30 reservation for La  Cucina and at 5:19pm I had daughter’s angst, wondering if I should wake him up or let him rest.

 

As you can see in the dinner vs. nap dilemma dinner won.

 

Bellini and Merlot (I feel like that would be a good album title. Someone let Taylor Swift know. She’s going to need a new title in about 4 months.)

 

Caprese salad for dad

 

Ensalada Misto for me

 

 

Shared antipasti plate

 

 

 

Shared Vegetali pizza

 

Strawberry ice cream

 

I have decided that NCL needs a system for dinner photos similar to the meat/no meat in Moderno. Green for “yes, we would love you to interrupt our fine dining experience with a photo and a flash that disturbs 92% of the other diners” or red for “no, do not take my photo and do not interrupt this riveting conversation about the salt spray on the windows.”  

 

We both (mostly) enjoyed dinner but my dad swore at his pizza when some of the toppings fell off. He also said the cheese was too cheesy then he swore at that too. The crust of the pizza was kind of off and it had no flavour. The wine steward in La Cucina is wonderful. Her name is Karina and she was one of the presenters in Wines Around the World.

[YVRteacher]

Juneau evening 

 

A now-mandatory bathing suit check occurred before tonight’s thermal spa time.  As we were walking up the stairs my dad said he hoped the spa was quiet.

I said I hoped there were available ceramic loungers. I then added that if not, my dad would have to do the naked trick again.

 

He said it was my turn next because he had already done his part and it was up to me to do my bit!!!

 

Fortunately two people were leaving right as we arrived and no one needed to get naked.  

We left Juneau at 9:00pm and my friends took these photos of the Jewel from their vantage point on the Ruby Princess and they enjoyed their huckleberry truffles with Shiraz (they report this is an excellent pairing!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bye, Juneau. See you next week.

 

 

 

This is the last photo I took before going to bed 

 

[YVRteacher]

Day 5
 

Imagine this.

 

You have been at sea for days. You have been woken up far before your preferred wake up time by someone named dad who stood outside your bedroom rapidly flapping the Freestyle Daily up and down in the hopes you would wake.

 

You grudgingly drag yourself out of bed, do the requisite balcony oohing and aahing and head to O’Sheehan’s for breakfast.

 

You enjoyed O’Sheehan’s so much on the Breakaway you assume it will be up to par on the Jewel.

 

You are very, very wrong and you experience one of the worst breakfasts ever on NCL. Waiters bring 7 coffee pots (one of them decaf) to your table.

 

Instead of a fruit plate that looks like this (photo from the Breakaway March 2024)

 

You get this:

 

You loved the buttermilk pancakes so much in March that you are nearly drooling as you wait for the delicate round stacks of steaming hot buttery goodness.

 

What you get are three rock hard flavourless, mats of cold dough and a frozen glob of butter. To your horror they are doused in icing sugar.

 

The waiters all disappear and the Maître D is not present. You catch the hostess’ eye and she has no idea what to do. None.

She finds the maître d who stares at you with zero compassion for your pancake woes. You eventually get new pancakes. They are soggy as though microwaved and flop like a dead frog.

 

You decide not to eat breakfast at O’Sheehan’s on the Jewel again.

 

You have some M&Ms back in the cabin as a consolation breakfast.

 

(Your dad has a ham and cheese omelette and has no complaints.)

Edited May 4 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

I regrouped from the sad pancake situation and got ready for a day in Skagway. I put on a flowy sleeveless tank top and a copious amount of sunscreen. I made sure dad had a short sleeve shirt (collared of course) and his beloved Tilley hat. We put laundry in today before heading to deck 4 for our tender into Skagway. That’s right. 

 

Tender.

 

We are docked at Railroad dock and so is the Ruby Princess. Princess is using shuttles to get people past the rock slide

 

 

 

and we are using tenders. So the tenders take us right into town?

 

 No. 

 

It takes longer to board the tender, wait until full, unload and walk through the marina than it would have to walk. We were told that there is a boulder the size of 4 cars that they have not yet been able to dislodge from the rockslide so passengers are prohibited from walking on railway dock. The train still leaves from this dock but it boards closer to the campground.

 

My dad and I walked through town and took some photos while breathing in sun-warmed air. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I found my soap! The place I love in Juneau is defunct.

 

[YVRteacher]

We met our friends from the Ruby Princess and went to the Skagway Brewing Company (the Klondike Brewing Company didn’t open until 2:00pm).

 

 

At the Skagway Brewing Company you can have a whole meal comprised of spruce tip items: spruce tip beer, spruce tip buffalo wings and a spruce tip shortbread cookie.

 

Friend S had a beer flight,

friend N had the spruce tip beer, dad had the Red Star Amber and I had an excellent Old Fashioned.

 

Nothing like whiskey in the morning!

 

Here’s the beer cheese soup and the hummus.

 

 

 

We all loved our food and the service was excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

We had some giggles at the signs

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Skagway 3

 

With friends at our side, we continued to walk through town and pop in and out of shops. We showed our friends the Glacier Smoothie glacier silt soap and said hello to the 15 year old shop dog

 

before the best stop of the day, Klondike  Kone.

 

 

Our timing was excellent because there was a brief lull in the line up.

Dad: pralines and cream

Friend S: raspberry cheesecake

Friend N: espresso chip

Me: raspberry sorbet

 

We sat in a row on the bench in the sun, basking in warmth, friendship and the joy of a stunning port day.  We watched crew and passengers enjoy ice cream and talked about how we would remember this wonderful day in Skagway.

 

[YVRteacher]

@ceilidh1

I found us summer jobs!

[YVRteacher]

I love the cataloging system in this book store!

 

 

 

 

[natefish95]

On 5/1/2024 at 7:33 PM, YVRteacher said:

 

The Jewel spent the late autumn and winter cruising Asia. She did a  Tokyo to Tokyo trip  before the transpacific from Tokyo to Dutch Harbor. 

 

Instead of Flow water, we have Japanese water for our Latitudes free water.

  I assume this water is selectively harvested from gurgling brooks tricking down from the mighty peak of Mount Fuji. The snow crystals formed atop the mountain from clouds of breath exhaled by the daily prayers of Buddhist monks and sushi chefs, melted as the sun rose. This must be water at its purest, the elixir of life in a cardboard and foil box that has ended up in my cabin. Japanese people live long lives so I drank a whole box of water tonight, hoping it will counteract the day’s accumulation from the ultimate beverage package.

 

Now I have to pee.

Not to burst your bubble, but that's actually Korean water. 

 

NCL must not have had the premium package for Fuji water

 

I had a similar bad experience with O'Sheehans. It was semi-busy around lunchtime and took forever. Food came out cold. That fruit plate was hilariously sad though. If your dad likes chicken wings, they were amazing every time I had them. 

[ChiefK92]

We'll have Canucks games to watch on the way down!! Please keep me in the loop if there's going to be any kind of gathering at one of the bars/pubs! Tuesday night Game 1 🥳

[jrt.mom]

I hate your posts. They always make me hungry. I even wanted to eat the Glacier Silt soap...🤪

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

@ceilidh1

I found us summer jobs!

#retirementgoals

[ceilidh1]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

@ceilidh1

I found us summer jobs!

I think I would like to sign up for the quality control department. I'm willing to take one for the team and sample all the beer to be sure they pass the taste test. You're welcome...

[luvteaching]

@YVRteacher Have you read the Sue Henry Alaska mystery series? It's a set I really enjoyed. I love how you are showing bookstores! Where were the ones in Juneau? I know there's one by Hanger on the Wharf but hadn't found any others. 

Thank you!
 

Karen

[YVRteacher]

4 hours ago, luvteaching said:

@YVRteacher Have you read the Sue Henry Alaska mystery series? It's a set I really enjoyed. I love how you are showing bookstores! Where were the ones in Juneau? I know there's one by Hanger on the Wharf but hadn't found any others. 

Thank you!
 

Karen

I haven’t read those and will add them to my TBR. Have you read Under One Roof which takes place in Whittier? It is not a well-written book but I enjoyed the plot, the Alaskan setting and the moose.

 

Isn’t the bookstore on the wharf wonderful? I loved talking to the owner about the building’s history. That one is Hearthside books. The children’s section was delightful. The other bookstore in Juneau is up one of the side streets and it is Rainy Retreat books. I’m having some internet challenges and I’m hoping someone can search and post the address of Rainy Retreat books in Juneau.

 

The photos I posted today were from the bookstore in Skagway, Skaguay News Depot and Books. This is a highly curated Alaskan bookstore. Address is 308 Broadway.

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, natefish95 said:

Not to burst your bubble, but that's actually Korean water. 

 

NCL must not have had the premium package for Fuji water

 

I had a similar bad experience with O'Sheehans. It was semi-busy around lunchtime and took forever. Food came out cold. That fruit plate was hilariously sad though. If your dad likes chicken wings, they were amazing every time I had them. 

You’re right about the water. I realized after I had posted that the cartons were from Korea. The spa manager has not been present at all. Not once! The assistant Manager Lola is terrific! I’m going to write a Vacation Hero card for her. This is her first cruise contract and her first time in Alaska.

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, jrt.mom said:

I hate your posts. They always make me hungry. I even wanted to eat the Glacier Silt soap...🤪

When I was in Aruba I bought some of the beautiful shower scrub cubes. My friend’s daughter ate one. They are basically soap with sugar on the outside!

[YVRteacher]

5 hours ago, ChiefK92 said:

We'll have Canucks games to watch on the way down!! Please keep me in the loop if there's going to be any kind of gathering at one of the bars/pubs! Tuesday night Game 1 🥳

That would be fun! I’ll ask tomorrow. Tuesday is Hubbard Glacier round 2.

[YVRteacher]

Skagway continued
 

Back to the ship and up to the spa we went.

 

Dad asked “where’s my brewski?” so I offered him lemon water. That was met with utter scorn.

 

Within moments he was snoring so I had an hour to read my book. 
 

The tender line to return to the ship was brutal as afternoon stretched to evening. It was along the dock, up the ramp, along the walkway and around the sidewalk.

 

 

At 5:00pm dad woke up and wanted dinner. We arrived at Azura at 5:20 in anticipation of a 5:30 opening. It was super dark and dim. My dad can’t see well in dim light so I asked for a window table. The hostess said there are only 6 window tables and they were already taken. I asked why they weren’t doing keycard recognition and she said NCL dining rooms are now open seating.

 

It seems like the latitudes hand needs to talk to the dining hand and determine if indeed keycard Latitudes recognition is a thing. If it is, honour it. If it isn’t, don’t list it as a benefit under the different tiers. We left Azura and went to the much brighter and larger Palace. If I could only use one word to describe our dinner it would be pleasant. Our service was friendly, our food was very good (too salty but pretty good) and many people were still ashore in Skagway so it was quiet. I tried to take a photo of the sun over the mountains and the salt spray on the window makes it look like snow.

 

My dad had beer, French onion soup and fettuccini Alfredo with shrimp.

 

 

 

 

I ordered a Mai Tai, bruschetta and pesto gnocchi. You can see the salt chunks on the sundried tomatoes I pulled out.

 

 

 

If our portions seem small it’s because I always order half portions. I’m very insistent about not being served a large portion that won’t get eaten.

 

Crepes were on my mind so we went to the Garden Cafe for dessert.

Edited May 4 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

The Crêpe

 

The crêpe gets its own post.

 

How to Enjoy a Crêpe in Ten Easy Steps

 

1.  Approach the crêpe station with a smile.

 

2. Tell the crêpe chef what you would like on the inside and what you would like on the top. My Crêpe has the very sophisticated duet of marshmallows and blueberries

 

but you can make your own combination. Avoid the cantaloupe if it is offered. 

 

3.  Make sure you say please and thank you.

 

4.  Take photos of your crêpe cooking to a light golden brown on each side

 

 

 

 

5.  When the crêpe chef has folded your dessert into a neat little package (make sure you say thank you!) head to the soft serve ice cream station. You don’t want the ice cream right on top of the hot crêpe so a side placement is recommended to avoid a melting situation.

 

6.  Drizzle both butterscotch and chocolate sauce over the top layer of crêpe.

7.  Return to the crêpe station for additional toppings. If multicoloured sprinkles are available, they are the preferred topping. If not, something from the chocolate family will suffice. I like the crunch of M&Ms but you may prefer chocolate sprinkles.

8.  Make sure you take a photo

 

9.  Enjoy your crêpe!

 

10.  Go do deck laps

 

Note: I added too many M&Ms and they weighed the crêpe down. Don’t make that mistake! I needed to implement the M&M removal system tonight.

[YVRteacher]

Skagway evening

 

The post-crêpe deck laps were interrupted many times by the divine beauty of Skagway’s surrounding mountains. They sparkled in the glow of the setting sun and clamoured for a place on the camera roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t feel like going to the Broadway Cabaret in Stardust tonight (maybe next week) so went to Magnums to listen to Melvin. Does anyone know El Marie? She is the kindest, friendliest, wonderfullest person! She is the bar server in Magnums who sings “tell me what you want, what you really, really want” and her radiant energy lights up Magnums.  She bends the straw papers into hearts, always has a smile, knows everyone’s name and is an absolute Vacation Hero.  She greeted us with hugs and we settled in for after dinner music. Melvin doesn’t interact with the crowd at all so his shows don’t draw you in. My dad was fine at first when the music was quiet but as it got louder he couldn’t take it so he went to bed. He is going to bed earlier and earlier these days.

 

Some friends came and joined me in the bar for conversation and drinks then I went to the spa to use the hot tub. The hot tub was not hot but it was still relaxing.

 

Spa tip: I prefer showering in the spa to showering in the cabin. This is especially true when staying in a studio cabin. I bring a small waterproof cloth bag on cruises for the spa. In it are L’Occitane shampoo and conditioner, my book and a hair tie. The spa showers have the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner so I bring my own.

[YVRteacher]

I should have bought this book. Hopefully next week!

[laudergayle]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The Crêpe

 

The crêpe gets its own post.

 

How to Enjoy a Crêpe in Ten Easy Steps

 

1.  Approach the crêpe station with a smile.

 

2. Tell the crêpe chef what you would like on the inside and what you would like on the top. My Crêpe has the very sophisticated duet of marshmallows and blueberries

 

but you can make your own combination. Avoid the cantaloupe if it is offered. 

 

3.  Make sure you say please and thank you.

 

4.  Take photos of your crêpe cooking to a light golden brown on each side

 

 

 

 

5.  When the crêpe chef has folded your dessert into a neat little package (make sure you say thank you!) head to the soft serve ice cream station. You don’t want the ice cream right on top of the hot crêpe so a side placement is recommended to avoid a melting situation.

 

6.  Drizzle both butterscotch and chocolate sauce over the top layer of crêpe.

7.  Return to the crêpe station for additional toppings. If multicoloured sprinkles are available, they are the preferred topping. If not, something from the chocolate family will suffice. I like the crunch of M&Ms but you may prefer chocolate sprinkles.

8.  Make sure you take a photo

 

9.  Enjoy your crêpe!

 

10.  Go do deck laps

 

Note: I added too many M&Ms and they weighed the crêpe down. Don’t make that mistake! I needed to implement the M&M removal system tonight.

Yum!!  Have the crepes been available each day or a particular time of day?

[schmoopie17]

14 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

We both (mostly) enjoyed dinner but my dad swore at his pizza when some of the toppings fell off. He also said the cheese was too cheesy then he swore at that too.

All of this swearing is going on because he knows you can't stick a bar of soap in his mouth. Smart man.

 

Edited May 4 by schmoopie17

[NillaB]

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

I haven’t read those and will add them to my TBR. Have you read Under One Roof which takes place in Whittier? It is not a well-written book but I enjoyed the plot, the Alaskan setting and the moose.

 

Isn’t the bookstore on the wharf wonderful? I loved talking to the owner about the building’s history. That one is Hearthside books. The children’s section was delightful. The other bookstore in Juneau is up one of the side streets and it is Rainy Retreat books. I’m having some internet challenges and I’m hoping someone can search and post the address of Rainy Retreat books in Juneau.

 

The photos I posted today were from the bookstore in Skagway, Skaguay News Depot and Books. This is a highly curated Alaskan bookstore. Address is 308 Broadway.

Rainy Retreats bookstore: 113 Seward St - according to google 🙂