Friday August 7th Hold on to your sails - I love to talk!
It was an early wake up call leaving for the airport at 4:00 AM
arrived at Newark International Airport at about 5:15 AM and checked in quite easily. Flight left about an hour late
and for the first three hours was one of the roughest I have ever been on
twice they stopped beverage and meal service and the flight attendants had to strap in. Later in the flight one of the attendants told my wife that she has flown that route for 8 years and that was the roughest it had ever been.
We landed at Vancouver International Airport
about a half hour late and even with that we got our luggage and went through Canadian customs in no time we had been told to expect to take up to two hours to do that we were done in less than 15 minutes and were at our hotel by 11:30 AM Vancouver time.
We had requested early check in for about 12:30 so our room was not ready - they checked our luggage and we went for a walk around the city. Very impressed with the cleanliness of the sidewalks and streets storefronts were kept up and there are areas that have amazing architecture.
We had our lunch on the plane and this was the start of being all messed up with the time change so we stopped for a coffee and snack at one shop Vancouver has more Starbucks than the rest of the world combined!
Went back to the hotel about 2:00 PM and our room was still not ready
so they gave us an equivalent room in another section of the hotel that still had views of the ocean. We took a little cat nap and then freshened up. About 5:00 PM we went for dinner most of the restaurants were empty (even though to us it was 8 PM) we had a very nice dinner at a restaurant called Milestones on Robson Street would recommend it to anyone that visits.
Afterwards we walked some more and checked out some other areas of the city very easy to get around. The next morning we awoke early and as I looked out the window I saw our ship (Serenade) coming into port.
We decided to take a city tour that was offered by the hotel and that took up most of the morning there are some interesting sections of the city and some with a lot of history. We arrived back at the hotel and gathered our luggage and checked out grabbed a taxi and made our way to the pier this was a costly experience when we entered the port area the meter read 8.75 as our taxi took it place in the drop off line when we finally made it to the head of the line and actually got out the meter read 16.25 you pay to even wait in line - the exchange rate is not that much difference now and so $16.25 Canadian is equal to about $15.45 US. Something you have to remember when you are getting change or tipping.
We handed our luggage over to a porter and went into the terminal building through check-in in 5 minutes the walk to the ship took longer total time from drop off to Deck 11 where lunch was served in the Windjammer Cafι less than 15 minutes and we even went through US customs to get on the ship.
After having lunch we made our way to our cabin and in minutes the cabin attendant stopped by to introduce himself his name Corona (like the beer) and he was very energetic and attentive without being obtrusive. Always made the towel animals and took care of anything we needed.
We walked around the ship to get reacquainted with its layout and went back to our cabin to get the life jackets for the muster drill only we did not hear the announcement that you did not have to bring the life jackets I dont know why every cruise we have been on they made you wear the life jackets now they didnt? Would be interesting to find out why.
Afterwards we returned to our cabin and got ready for dinner we enjoy the early seating and we had very friendly table mates. The only thing we did not enjoy was the table itself it was a rectangle for 6 people and was against the windows this meant that the server had to reach across people to serve the person that sat in the center. This to me was frustrating and rude and they definitely heard about it on my survey comments.
After a very enjoyable dinner we made our way to the casino and started with our usual contributions the welcome aboard show was only some music by the orchestra and a comedian that we never saw again in the cruise usually they show up for a late night show later in the week. By the time the show was over we were wasted and called it a night it was only 9:45 ships time but after midnight to us.
Naturally the next morning we were up early by ships time had to wait for the restaurants to open for breakfast. We could have used room service but they have instituted a fee between the hours of midnight and 5 AM. Today (Sunday) was a day at sea and every once in awhile you could get a glimpse of a whale. It was nice to sit and relax and not think of anything in particular just when to have lunch or a snack or drink etc. Very easy going day dinner was quiet even though it was formal night and I was pleasantly surprised to see everyone appropriately dressed in the dining room. The show that night was a magician who was very good but passengers were wondering when the production show would happen and no one knew. Just later in the week. Made the usual trip to the casino and was actually up 65 dollars and believe it or not I lost 25 of it without playing anything when we left for the show I took my chips and dropped them into my pocket how it happened I dont know but a 25 dollar chip missed the pocket and I am sure made someone very happy! Me more than a little disappointed for not being more careful. The other item that didnt help was we had to change the clocks back another hour now we were four hours off from our normal time.
Monday was Icy Strait Point more of a little fishing village area mostly Indians not that you would see any of them souvenir shops and touristy items we did not do any excursions here nothing much interested us and the zip line was different than what we did in the past it was a straight drop from on top of the mountain and lasted about a minute or so but you sat in a canvas harness arrangement and had no control over you speed. So we spent our time checking out the cannery museum and shops, walking the shoreline saw a couple of whales and harbor seals. I hade to make contact through the forum to check in with my office Lena was helpful here passing on an email although I could not call out they were able to call me. SO we established that they would call me if they didnt hear from me by a certain time.
We went back to the ship to have lunch and spent the afternoon playing canasta and just relaxing. The evening was quiet and after dinner we did the casino again we skipped the show a female vocalist mostly because we were falling asleep at the roulette wheel and decided to call it a night early. This was the sad part about this trip we never really adjusted to the time change and they must realize this because there was hardly anything scheduled after 10:30 PM at night. Even music in the lounges seemed to stop by 11 the latest (we only stayed up that late one night). We would then be up early and usually one of the first into the restaurant for breakfast.
Tuesday was Tracy Arm Fjord another day of not making contact with the outside world sites were amazing and we had the same sense as when we visited the Grand Canyon last fall there definitely had to be a higher power to create all of this it was Majestic and to see the Sawyer glacier up close and personnel! WOW is all I could say. The Captain showed his ship handling abilities by bringing the ship so close to a waterfall that you could almost reach out and touch it he would later tell everyone that the depth of the water in the fjord is over a hundred feet deep at all points and there was never a concern of grounding yet to move that close to the sides was awesome. When we got to the glacier there were lots of small icebergs nothing big enough to damage the ship but it seemed that by keeping the side thrusters going he could push the ice chunks away he then turned the ship in place so that everyone aboard could view the glacier from where they were on the ship. We took up a position on the bow (helipad) with a couple of hundred others and they served hot chocolate (and if you wanted a liquor additive) and it was a great time.
Some eagles were seen but they moved fast and high so you had to be quick to catch a glimpse. After the ship turned we sat in the solarium and just watched the amazing scenery pass by the ship was on its way to Skagway. We had another excellent dinner that evening and the show was a singer/impersonator he was very good I think his Sinatra was the best. We were both tired and skipped the casino and headed to the cabin.
After Breakfast Wednesday morning we got off the ship in Skagway a small town with old buildings and a lot of history. The sidewalks are made of wood like jersey boardwalks at the shore. It is all part of a National Park that has park rangers giving tours. Most of the store fronts have been converted into tourist trap stores jewelry; t-shirts etc. We had lunch in the Bonanza Saloon and this was the absolute worst place to have had lunch! The service was poor the waitress did not get the order correct and when she did fox it well we both ordered a turkey club sandwich what we got was two slices of toast with a slice of turkey, slice of cheese, leaf of lettuce, slice of tomato and we had to squish in packet mayo. Oh there was also about five pounds of French fries with it. We ate it because we were hungry and we needed to get back to the pier for an excursion we were taking. If we ever go back we will go to the Red Onion Saloon passengers raved about it.
After a short walk to the pier we met up with the tour guide for our excursion we went to a mushers camp to learn about mushing and to take a dog sled ride. This was very interesting and lots of fun they have over three hundred dogs at this camp since it is summer and there is no snow here they have sleds with wheels on them for the dogs to pull and they love to do there job! After taking the ride and short session with an experienced musher that has done the Yukon race and the Iditarod we were allowed to play with the puppies. They were a playful bunch and the one I picked up was called Murphy I handed him to my wife and the first thing he tried to do was eat her earrings! The older trained sled dogs you had to get permission to pet most of them were friendly but there were a few that just wanted to do there job and be left alone. The dogs develop certain abilities and based on how well they handle them is where they are place in the line when they race. Some just like to pull others want to lead and still other are just happy to be in the middle.
On the way back to the ship we saw a couple of eagles again and a few harbor seals. It was about 4:30 so we went to our cabin and got ready for dinner also had to wash the dog/puppy odor off.
Dinner was great again only I decided to have Filet Mignon this night which recently RCCL has instituted a charge for even in the main dining room. It cost 14.95 yet late in the week they served Lobster at no additional charge. Go figure.
Did the casino again and this night the crew did their own show lots of talented crew members on board a ship and they can sing and play instruments just as well as the hired musicians. We then went to the Centrum and listened to a group called Casablanca and the lead singer has the voice of Elvis I kid you not, this guy can sing and you would swear it was Elviss voice.
Thursday was Juneau another town that is a tourist trap stores line the streets and you can buy jewelry, t-shirts and plenty of junk that says Alaska on it. This was a short day in port and we had an excursion to see the Glacier Gardens and Mendenhall Glacier.
The first stop was the gardens and they had some beautiful flowers and a unique way of planting they would take downed trees that were completely uprooted by storms and cut them so the trunk was about 20 to 30 feet long leaving the roots attached they re insert them into the ground upside down clean up the roots, lay moss across them and some earth and plant plants and they grow and cascade down in beautiful arrangements. The bus driver did not give a specific time to be back to the bus so when we finished out tour or the gardens we spent a little time in the gift shop, had a complimentary cup of coffee and made our way outside to find that our bus had left without us!
I went over to someone directing buses and there were three other buses there from the same tour company he was able to get us on another bus to take us to the glacier turns out two people from his group were missing and when he radioed the other bus he had a full bus so what apparently happened, this other couple got on our bus by mistake and he took off because his head count was right.
Anyway we got to Menden hall glacier and that is an amazing site to behold we were only given 55 minutes to be there and by my watch that would have meant we needed to be at the bus at 11:50 AM we walked all over the place and took pictures checked out the visitors center and when Ann asked how much time was left I looked at my watch and said 10 minutes a few minutes later she saw me check my watch again and she headed for the door as we walked out I said we still have a couple of minutes left it isnt 11:50 yet to which she replied he said we had 55 minutes when it was 10:50 which would mean 11:45 not 11:50 sure enough we get to the pick up point and he is gone now we have no ride back we start checking other tour groups no room finally we find a shuttle bus that will take us to town for seven dollars each better than being stuck at the glacier and missing the ship.
We were dropped off in town and it was just to touristy for us we did stop at the Red Dog Saloon and wanted to take a look inside but they had a show going on and would not let anyone in until it was over we did not wait so we walked back to the ship this turned out to be a long walk it was only supposed to be a mile but it was a mile from the town to the road to our pier and then a mile on that road to the ship. If you ever travel here find out which pier your ship docks at Celebrity and Holland America had the best piers right near town Princess had a decent location at the edge of town and we had the worst location there are shuttles we found out later that charge $3 to town or the pier.
We went up to the buffet lunch and had a quick bite to eat and then settled down in the Safari lounge at the back of the ship to watch when the ship left port. And everything was fine up to this point as the ship started to leave someone sat down right behind us and started to smoke there was nothing we could say since this was one of the lounges where smoking was permitted. After a few minutes we had to leave this guy was a chain smoker and for whatever reason the smoke was finding us now I quit smoking in 1996 and usually can stand a little smoke but this was horrendous! As we walked out of the lounge I felt my nose starting to run and then a tickle in my throat and I thought it was a reaction from the smoke or if it was an allergic reaction to all the blooming flowers at the gardens or if I was getting a head cold. After dinner and the show I went to bed Friday I was popping cold capsules and trying to avoid contact with other people as best I could. I would not want to be the one that ended everyones vacation with a cold if that is what I had.
By dinner time I had taken enough cold capsules to have everything in check no sniffles, cough, sneezing etc I went to dinner but cautioned our table mates that something was going on and they were fine with it I did not hug or kiss anyone goodbye that night and did not shake hands even though I use hand sanitizer all the time and carry a bottle with me.
Friday night we packed up and put our bags out we were using the valet luggage service so we would not see our bags till we got back to Newark Airport. We went to the casino which was practically empty and made our final contribution for this cruise. That night was horrible it turned out to be a cold I was getting and it kicked in to full gear during the night so sleep was not much of an option for me and unfortunately for Ann either my coughing and sneezing was keeping her awake.
The final morning we got up and usually would go for breakfast and try and stay onboard as long as we can we had a 2 pm flight and had plenty of time to kill but Ann had heard the night before that people using the valet service had to be in a certain area at a specific time so off we went with overnight bag in hand and plenty of tissues stopped and got some coffee and some thing to munch on and showed up at the lounge for valet luggage people only thing was it was for ones with bus transfers which we did not buy. So we hung out there after they left they had coffee and danish there so we had a second mini-breakfast. When they had called several color tags for departure we finally decided to head out getting off the ship was easier than getting on and we went through Canadian customs in minutes just before there the cruiseline had a table set-up where they would take confiscatable items which there were tons of what is called Ulus a type of knife used in cooking and sold in Alaska you could have packed it in your luggage but you can not carry it off the ship.
We were out to the taxis in 5 minutes since we did not have to look for our luggage about a 35 minute ride to the airport and now a five hour wait this flight was a lot better and was pretty much on time only problem when you fly with a head cold your ears dont always pop when the altitude changes I was chewing gum, drinking water, blowing my nose anything to make the ears pop and nothing working I sit here writing this and everything is still muffled sounds with lots of ringing.
So that was our cruise vacation good points excellent food, service and vistas! Not impressed with the ports as cities too many tourist stores very impressed with the Glaciers mountain ranges water clarity animal life and excursions.
Shows were good on board not great
the production show we had seen before. We would highly recommend Alaska for a cruise vacation but keep in mind the weather is different and that tends for a more subdued group of people there is no on-deck excitement pool games etc.
Weather is hit or miss anytime of the season we are told you can have great weather or bad weather and it can happen in the same day we were told the Alaska weather can change in minutes and it did.
During the week I went to an acupuncturist seminar and tried the service and was quite surprised by the results relieved considerable pain I had in my right arm so much so that I cancelled an appointment I had with an orthopedist for today. We also went to the gym and had a fitness instructor develop a low impact exercise routine for us which we could use.
I am sure that there will be other things I think of to edit this as the week goes by and I have a good bunch of pictures but I still use a 35 mm camera and have to wait to get the film developed and put on disk to load them up.
Thanks again for the great stalk and hope you enjoyed the reading.
Vic.
