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14 Days on the NCL Sun to Alaska...May 2017


AryMay
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It has been over 3 weeks since we returned from our 14 day cruise toAlaska on the NCL Sun. I had hoped to get a little review going to benefitthose doing cruises this summer but it just hasn’t happened…yet…due to too muchgoing on.

 

I have done some notoriously long reviews of our cruises in the past…partiallyto help other cruisers, but mostly to document our trips and preserve thememories. BUT…after a few weeks, the reviews would fade to the back pages ofthe forum which didn’t really provide a convenient way for me to look back andrelive our adventures. So…a couple of years ago I decided to start a blog whichI called “My Souvenir Memories”. And as the title suggests, the blog is a goodway for me to record our experiences…but maybe not the best way for CruiseCritic folks to find and use the information I wrote about.

 

 

So…for this trip I think I will do an abbreviated review here on CruiseCritic and then also link to the longer blog posts if someone wants to read thefull account of our travels. Hopefully that will benefit someone doing a searchhere on the boards and provide some entertainment for those who enjoy thepainfully long reviews that I tend to do.

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The backstory…

 

In March of 2016 we sailed on the NCL Pride of America to Hawaii.Originally our idea was to do the regular 7-day route round trip from Honolulu,but when I discovered an 11-day cruise on the POA following a drydock in SanFrancisco, we changed the plans. The longer cruise eliminated the long flightTO Hawaii and for some reason was considerably cheaper than a 7-day cruise. Andeven better…we booked when they were offering a free upgrade from an oceanviewcabin to a balcony…SCORE!

 

Construction on the ship got delayed due to bad weather during theseveral weeks the ship was in drydock and less than 24 hours before we were tosail, we got notice that the ship would be a day late leaving San Francisco.This worked to our advantage BIG TIME. We got an extra day in beautiful SanFrancisco (with NCL picking up the tab) and a 50% credit towards a futurecruise on NCL. And the best part was that the ship made up the lost day as wesailed across the Pacific so the itinerary was not changed at all! (The link tomy Hawaiian blog posts is in my signature below.)

 

The 50% credit could have covered the full cost of an inside cabin fora week long Caribbean cruise, but after visiting Alaska in 2014 we were itchingto go back once again. The 14-day Sun itinerary was our choice. It visitedseveral new and unique ports and had three major glacier viewing opportunities…GlacierBay, Hubbard Glacier, and Sawyer Glacier.

 

 



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Since visiting Alaska is all about the ports, I’ll post this review onthe Alaska board rather than on the Norwegian board. I will probably throw in alittle about the ship and can answer questions, but the meat of the review willbe about what we did.

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Our adventure started when we flew to San Francisco. Since we had spent several days in the city before the Hawaii cruise (plus our extra “bonus” day) we wanted to do something different this time. I saw some YouTube videos about biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and decided that was something we should try.

 

We rented bicycles and I’m glad to say that I “Biked the Bridge” but it won’t be happening again. Too many hills!! I had to walk my bike a few times and I often used the excuse that I "had" to get a photo just to catch my breath. (But the views really were amazing and deserved to be photographed!)

 

 

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The ride across the bridge was just a bit scary. Bikers are on one side, walkers on the other and the middle is like the Indy 500...noisy, fast cars. Even though there was a dedicated bike lane there were bikers going both directions and when going around the large pillars on the bridge there just wasn't a lot of room to be meeting anyone. It took total concentration which meant there was no chance of enjoying the view. (Disclaimer...we are in our early 60's. Those from the younger generation may think differently.)

 

 

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We biked from Fisherman’s Wharf toSausalito (about 8 miles), had lunch and then did the return trip on the ferry. Sailing across the bay provided great views of the city and also Alcatraz. We rented the bikes from Blazing Saddles. We reserved the bicycles online ahead of time and the cost for our two bikes was $81 (including the ferry ticket which they provided).

 

 

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Besides our biking adventure, we spent our pre-cruise weekend exploring Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Our hotel (The Columbus Motor Inn) was located just a couple of blocks away.

 

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At Fisherman's Wharf we enjoyed the numerous street performers, walked through Musee Mecanique (an old time penny arcade), ate clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls from the street food stands, watched the noisy sea lions at Pier 39, saw a few famous faces in the lobby of the wax museum and were treated to a beautiful sunset.

 

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On the morning of "cruise day" my DH walked to Chinatown and bought several pastries that he brought back to the hotel for breakfast...one of which had an egg yolk center!

 

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We used Lyft to get from the hotel to Pier 27 and entered a very long, somewhat disorganized line. NCL asked that we sign up for our preferred arrival time when we filled out our cruise documents online. There were half hour time slots beginning at 9:30 which really makes no sense if the terminal doesn't open until 11:00 or so. I had visions of the nightmare we encountered before our Hawaii cruise last March, but it didn't take very long before porters came along and took our luggage. Not once did anyone check to see what our designated arrival time was supposed to be. Once inside the terminal the wait wasn't very long...maybe a half hour?

 

Rather than fight the crowds at the buffet, we opted for lunch in the main dining room. The service took forever, but just as we were finishing, the announcement came that everyone was welcome to go to their cabins.

 

Normally we go the cheap route and book inside cabins, but for Alaska I insisted we get a balcony. Well worth the added cost when there is so much to see...and such long daylight hours. Our balcony door was a bit stubborn but eventually we learned the trick to getting it to open.

 

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Our friends were in the cabin next door and we had hoped to open the balcony divider between our cabins as we did when we sailed together on Princess, but no such luck. NCL seems to have a fleet-wide policy against this. :(

 

Our muster station was on the outside deck where everyone was crammed together in tight lines. On our NCL cruise to Hawaii we were assigned to the theater where we could sit in comfort!

 

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We stayed on our port side balcony for sail away and enjoyed the view of the San Francisco skyline.

 

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Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was pretty awesome, but as soon as we left the protection of the bay the water got very rough...and remained that way the following day.

 

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I decided to try something new on this cruise and take video in addition to photos. Since getting home I've been playing around with Windows Movie Maker and have put the finished results on You Tube. Here is a link to the video from our San Francisco weekend before the cruise:

 

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Our first full day of the cruise was a sea day. I will cover our sea days and ship life on my blog (once I get myself in gear ;)) but for this review I will concentrate on the ports. I will say that the ship was a rockin' and a rollin' that day and my DH who looks forward to being at sea finally met his match in waves.

 

Our Cruise Critic meet & greet was held in the morning and due to such a large group had to be moved from Las Ramblas Tapas Bar to the Observation Lounge. Quite a few of the senior officers attended and NCL provided cookies, coffee and juice. (Cookies usually aren't my "go to" sweets of choice on a cruise, but from that morning on I was on the lookout for those yummy cookies!!)

 

It was great to see such a large turnout, but the venue was not conducive to getting to meet others. Nevertheless, OceanDreaming2 (our planner) did an exceptional job getting things lined up!

 

Time to move on to our first port of call...Astoria, Oregon.

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Astoria, Oregon

 

We (DH and I plus the other couple we were traveling with) were off the ship as soon as it was cleared. The two guys walked on ahead to the Enterprise car rental office and picked up our wheels for the day...an intermediate-sized SUV that I had rented way back in July. I booked this car and also the one in Skagway through the online site, Discount USA Car Rental. I discovered this source after using their sister-site, Discount Hawaii Car Rental, last year. The site shows the best prices from all of the major car rental agencies and often includes extra drivers for no extra cost...a benefit to us so the guys could take turns driving.

 

I'm a big fan of this site because no payment or credit card is required until you pick up the car and it is so easy and quick to compare prices. (They also have a phone app available.) I checked back frequently and if the price dropped, it was easy to cancel and rebook at the lower price. In our case, the price for the SUV nearly tripled by the time we sailed...so book early!

 

In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition made their winter camp in an area that became the city of Astoria. In order to obtain salt for flavoring their food and preserving meat, a group went south a little ways to what is now Seaside, OR and built an oven-like system that was used to boil sea water. Once the water evaporated, the salt was left. There is a replica of their "salt works" located in a residential neighborhood. We meandered around until we located it.

 

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Driving south a little further, we made our next stop at Ecola State Park where we paid a $5/car admission fee. From the park you get an excellent view down the rugged coastline. The trail to a scenic overlook was closed due to erosion from recent rains.

 

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The drive through the park was quite scenic with waterfalls and a forest of ferns and moss covered trees.

 

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Further into the park we stopped at Indian Beach. My friend and I stayed near the parking area while the guys climbed down to the beach for some exploring.

 

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Astoria, Oregon (Continued)

 

From Ecola State Park, it was just a few miles to reach the town of Cannon Beach. We parked at a public lot by the visitor's center and walked the few blocks to the beach.

 

Cannon Beach is the location of the iconic Haystack Rock. A film crew was set up on the beach and were filming a commercial for the Oregon State Lottery.

 

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Our timing was good, because we arrived at low tide and were able to walk across the wide beach right up to the rock formation.

 

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Haystack Rock is a sanctuary for many different types of birds, including puffins. An area at the base of the rock was roped off and a naturalist pointed out a nesting bird...a black oystercatcher, which is an endangered species. With my camera zoomed in I was able to get this (somewhat blurry) shot.

 

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Anemones and sea urchins were easy to spot in the many tidal pools on the beach.

 

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I had hoped we would have time to drive even further south to visit other spots along the coastline, but we spent so much time exploring around Haystack Rock, that we decided we had better just head back towards Astoria. All aboard time was 3:30 and we needed to allow a little extra time to get gas and return the car. Oh...and we also made a stop at a Walgreens to pick up some motion sickness pills just in case we encountered any more rough seas.

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Astoria, Oregon (Continued)

 

Quite a few popular movies have been filmed in Astoria...Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Into the Wild, Short Circuit, and others, including Goonies...a favorite of my son's many years ago when he was about 10 years old. I thought it would be fun to drive by and get a photo of the house where the movie took place, but I guess too many others had the same idea and the home owners got tired of the traffic. Here is what we saw at the bottom of the hill leading up to the house...

 

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While we were looking for the Goonies house, we kept hearing a barking noise. By following the sound, we discovered these guys. Probably cousins of the ones we saw on Pier 39 in San Francisco!

 

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While watching the sea lions, this trolley rolled by. The trolley tracks run along the shoreline and you can ride one-way for a dollar...or pay $2 and ride all day long. A possible choice for someone not wanting to take a tour or rent a car.

 

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We didn't have enough time to climb the stairs to the top of the Astoria Column, but we did drive up the hill to get a closer look.

 

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This was our view from the ship while docked in Astoria.

 

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And one last look at the Astoria-Megler Bridge as we sail away. The bridge is over 4 miles long and spans the Columbia River from Astoria to the state of Washington.

 

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Another sea day following Astoria as we made our way north to Alaska. I liked the way our itinerary had multiple sea days and glacier viewing days so we weren't on the go at ports all of the time.

 

The guys took part in a shuffleboard tournament in the morning and my friend and I played "elevator roulette" in the afternoon. Total silliness, but fun.

 

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One unique offering on this cruise was the opportunity to have a caricature drawing done. The artist, Jeff Mendell, did the drawing on a computer and it was projected onto a large screen as he worked. Once the drawing was complete, a copy was printed on a computer printer. While he was doing the caricatures, his wife was doing "name painting"...a combination of calligraphy and painting that would turn a name into a work of art. Together they were billed as "Names and Faces" and passengers could get one drawing from each free of charge! The duo were available for two hours in the afternoons on sea days.

 

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My DH and I had our caricatures done separately and then combined together to make a single sketch.

 

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We booked our cruise during NCL's "Free at Sea" promotion and for booking our balcony, we had two choices of freebies. We chose four nights of speciality dining and 250 minutes of free internet time. When NCL opened the reservations (90 days prior to our cruise) I called right away and booked our dining times for sea days or times when I knew we wouldn't have a late port time. On this day we dined at Cagney's Steakhouse...a wonderful dinner!

 

Next up...our first Alaskan port!! Stay tuned as we visit Ketchikan!

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Great report and video's looking forward to the rest of your report. You always do a great trip report! Thank You!!

 

Thanks! Good to know someone is reading! ;)

 

I realize this itinerary is different from most so I am trying to get to the Alaskan ports soon!

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Ketchikan (8:00 to 4:00)

 

Finally...this review has made it to Alaska!!

 

(I am trying to work on both this review and my blog simultaneously which means neither is getting done super fast.)

 

Friday, May 19th...a SIX ship day in Ketchikan! With a population of just over 8,000 it would be a day where the cruise ship passengers outnumbered locals by about 150%. Definitely a day where we knew it would be smart to have a plan...and that plan should be..."get outta town." When we visited Ketchikan in 2014 we did a flight over Misty Fjords with Family Air which I can highly recommend, but this time we were looking to do something different.

 

But first...a few photos as we sailed into Ketchikan. The passage into Ketchikan is really beautiful. The mountains off our port side balcony were just beginning to light up with the morning sun as we sailed in. And with a pair of binoculars...or a good zoom on your camera...you can get an up close look at Alaskan life.

 

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The Sun was not the first ship into port so things were bustling by the time we disembarked. Our friends hustled off to go to the 8:15 am Lumberjack Show (buying tickets when they arrived). Our morning was a little more relaxed. After eating breakfast, we walked off and headed through town. We needed to be back at the ship by noon so that gave us all morning to explore.

 

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The Norwegian Pearl was our neighbor and the Aleutian Ballad was there gathering folks for their Crab Fisherman's tour.

 

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The shops in town offer some very unique souvenirs! We passed by most of the stores, but did go inside a wood carving shop...one of my DH's interests.

 

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Because of his interest in Northwest Coast wood carving, my DH enjoyed seeing the totem poles in town.

 

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I had read there was a display of totem poles at the Cape Fox Lodge...high on the hill above Creek Street. To get up to the lodge, we rode in the funicular. Cost...$3/person for a round trip.

 

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There were lots of beautiful wood carvings inside the lodge and a group of totem poles out back. Oh...and the view wasn't bad either. Ketchikan is "supposed" to be such a rainy city, but we are "two for two" on sunny day visits.

 

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When we left Cape Fox Lodge, I took the funicular back down the hill (the easy way)...and DH walked down the trail.

 

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The crowds were starting to build along Creek Street, but I suspect it got a lot worse later in the day.

 

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We went back to the ship, ate a quick lunch in the buffet and then got back off again to start our real adventure of the day. Kayaking!

 

Our ship was docked the furthest from town, but at least we were docked. A Celebrity ship was at anchor and tendering the passengers to shore. We talked to someone from the Celebrity ship later in the day and they joked that Celebrity was being punished because a Celebrity ship was who ran into the dock last year, putting it out of commission for quite some time!

 

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I booked our tour with Ketchikan Kayaks back in October. Devon, the owner, was so good about corresponding with me. I was hoping to do our kayaking in the morning and was disppointed to find that tour was already full. (And that was 7 months before the cruise. Again...to get the best choices on everything...book early!) I considered switching to a different company, but Devon sent me the tide table for our day in port and pointed out that by taking the noon tour we would be kayaking at low tide...the best time to see things along the shore. This was just a suggestion and in no way did it come across as pressure to book HIS tour. In the end the advice was spot on!

 

We met up with our friends on the dock right by our ship where we were Devon picked us up for the ride out to the kayaking location. The ride was about 15 minutes or so and gave us a chance to see some of the sights beyond the city.

 

Ketchikan Kayaks only takes 8 people at a time on their tours...with 2 guides...so you get plenty of attention.

 

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We used double kayaks with foot controlled rudders for easier maneuvering. Although I worried about whether I could do the paddeling, getting into and out of the kayaks was actually the most difficult part.

 

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Although we did paddel across open water a couple of times, most of the tour was along the shore looking at the marine life...star fish, sea cucumbers, urchins, etc.

 

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Edited by AryMay
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A couple of times we had seals playing in the water near the kayaks, but I wasn't quick enough with my camera to get a good shot. Devon had us paddle to a spot where he had noticed some eagles. They must have had something they were feasting on because there was a large group of them...some adults and some juveniles. (The majority of my kayaking photos were taken with my underwater camera from a bobbing kayak so the quality isn't great. Devon provided a dry bag for my better camera, but I only used it a few times.) I am including this blurry eagle photo just because I thought it was cool to catch FOUR birds together on one branch!

 

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Our tour with Ketchikan Kayaks was $129/person and was an excellent choice given the large crowds that we would have been dealing with had we stayed in town.

 

Back on board time was 3:30. The afternoon sun made our balcony toasty warm as we sailed away at 4 pm...so much so that DH even shed his shirt for awhile. Once the sun dipped behind the mountains, the temperature dropped quickly and it didn't take long before he had his coat back on.

 

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The evening entertainment on the ship was Charles Peachock...a juggler. He had been on America's Got Talent and was featured in People magazine. The show was amazing! By going to the early show, we were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset as well!

 

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And...for those of you who want more ;), here is a link to my Ketchikan video on YouTube.

 

 

 

We recently got a 65" "smart" TV and I have really been getting into watching YouTube videos...so much so that I am ready to cancel our cable TV! From watching so many travel videos, I was inspired to try my hand at video editing. Normally my kids refuse to look at my travel photos, but they were willing to sit through these videos! I have a lot to learn...but it was fun to do!

 

If kayaking isn't your thing, here is also a link to my Ketchikan blog post from 2014. We did a flightseeing tour over Misty Fjords...a great choice for a first time visitor to Ketchikan!!

 

My Souvenir Memories Blog from Ketchikan 2014

Edited by AryMay
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Saturday, May 20th - A Two-fer

Glacier viewing & Juneau!

 

Today's schedule had us spending the morning sailing down Tracy Arm Fjord to see the South Sawyer Glacier and then docking in Juneau from 2:00 to 10:00 pm. But...that's not exactly how things went.

 

The Sun was scheduled to enter Tracy Arm around 5:30 am. We weren't up quite that early, but not long after. Norwegian provides coffee makers in the cabins and this was the perfect day to make use of it. I had brought along an insulated travel mug and enjoyed hot coffee all morning long. DH (who is not a coffee drinker) just picked up hot chocolate packets from the buffet and used the coffee maker to heat the water.

 

The weather was cold, drizzly and overcast and I was so grateful that we had our balcony. I was in and out frequently and it was so nice to have a covered spot...with chairs...where we could watch the scenery. We were bundled up, but if we got chilly, we just popped inside and watched the scenery go by from inside the cabin until we warmed up.

 

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One discovery I made on this cruise was that even with my phone in airplane mode, my Google Maps app would still show the location of our ship using GPS. I would check my phone and then refer to a large map (that I saved from our Princess Alaska cruise) to get a more precise idea of where we were. Oh...and if you didn't already know...the walls in most cruise cabins are magnetic. I had a couple of different maps hanging on the wall with magnetic clips.

 

But anyway...using Google Maps I had already figured out we were doing a detour down Endicott Arm rather than Tracy Arm (even before this was announced by the cruise director.) This did not come as a surprise since I knew that ice often prevented ships from entering Tracy Arm...but still a disappointment.

 

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Nevertheless...the scenery was breathtaking.

 

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The interesting shaped icebergs floating by were all shades of white and blue...and a landing spot for eagles! At one point we saw a whale, but on a moving ship it is hard to get photos unless you are very quick!

 

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