fudge

Another picture for you food lovers, poached egg on a bed of belly pork as an appetizer

From yesterday: We arrived back on board and went to the chartreuse for lunch it was very quiet, we sat with a window view, the weather is lovely, clear skies and fairly warm. Mr Fudge chose the poached egg on a bed of belly pork, and the New York strip steak, Mrs Fudge had the goats’ cheese and a very upmarket cheese and ham toasted sandwich, washed down with Red wine and Rose for Mrs Fudge, Mr Fudge indulged himself with a Brandy to finish off the meal. After lunch, Mrs Fudge headed back to town, she couldn’t help herself, in the gift shop she spotted a “bargain” rail, lets see what she comes back with, nothing for Mr Fudge I suspect? In conclusion, Alaska. I would say if you like to get off the ship for whatever reason then book excursions early even if you have to pay. For the independent traveller there is nothing, and I mean nothing to see, there are no independent tours waiting at the ship, it’s very isolated however, we are pleased we came, we have enjoyed this first leg. The next few days will be interesting, sea days!!! Five in total, it will be manic I would think in the restaurants, bars and the games. We have never had more than 1 sea day in all the years of cruising, we shall make the most of it. Mrs Fudge arrived back at the ship in plenty of time for Baggo, she bought a lovely jacket for a whole 10 dollars, Mr Fudge got off lightly there. I was right, nothing for Mr Fudge. A decision was made to have a lazy afternoon and not eat out tonight. Right on time our butler came and asked where we were eating? We told him we were staying in so he asked could he tempt us with the Lamb Madras from the Compass Rose, it was a no brainer. We left Kodiak at about 17.30 en route to the Dutch harbour, we believe that although our place was booked at the pier over a year ago that has now been over ridden, a container ship is now taking our place! The alternative is anchorage, the problem there is that it’s a 25-minute tender ride to land, we certainly won’t be doing that…. The sea is pretty rocky now as the captain explained it would be, we shall just hunker down and enjoy the ride. We seemed to have struck very lucky with our butler Binay and Abigail our room attendant, I know they are all hard working however, we cannot fault their attention to detail. Right on time last evening the curry arrived perfectly presented and piping hot, just how we like it, followed by a creamy crem bule, a beer was the order of the day with the curry. We had quite a rocky night’s sleep, not so it was uncomfortable but enough to know it was there . Going back to the Vancouver debacle (not the visa issue) ten people in the queue got to know each other pretty well, we should have done after 3 hrs 30. We are holding a meeting with a senior officer at 11 am this morning to see for future guests if any improvements could be made by Regent to alleviate the problems we faced? Will let you know the outcome…

To pick up from yesterday. Back at the ship we went to Prime 7 for lunch. Mrs Fudge had the trout with horseradish sauce, Mr Fudge had the clam chowder, followed by the turkey schnitzel, Mrs Fudge had the fishermen’s platter, breaded seafood. We found out there is an infinity pool (warm) at the spa, we tried it, lovely experience, sauna, showers, all in all a great way to relax especially on a sea day, we have five to come!! Afternoon canapes were fruit tarts and spring rolls, thank heavens we booked business class flights, we would not be allowed in coach/economy. We had our first visit to Pacific rim last evening, lovely atmosphere, lovely staff. The food was probably the best we have eaten while on board, as you can see, I posted a picture of the curry which was super delicious. After our usual nightcap we retired fairly early. At 04.15 am there was an announcement from the bridge, “ding dong” good morning ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking. I thought the ship had collided with Moby dick and we were sinking! He said we could see the Northern lights on the starboard side, of course we are on the port side. Mrs Fudge shot out of bed like a gazelle and was out of the door like lighting, thankfully she remembered to put on her bathrobe! That’s unusual because if we get ready for dinner and I am always first she will say, “you will have to wait, I’m doing my hair” So, I strolled to deck 11 the pool deck, I looked and looked but could not see anything, I asked a guy next to me did I miss something? He just shrugged his shoulders. It was worth going though just to see the dress code, some people looked better than when they go for dinner! There was one lady though had a mixture of clothing, I am sure she put on her husband’s clothes by mistake, she looked like coco the clown. Tuesday 26th September After being woken up by the captain at some unearthly hour, the morning coffee arrived along with fresh toast and pastries, it really is a nice treat. We have docked in our last port before we leave Alaska, Kodiak. It has a population of about 6,000, it is the largest Island in Alaska and second largest island in the US after Hawaii’s big island. The Alutiq people have inhabited the larger Kodiak area for over 7,000 years. When Russia sold Alaska to the US in the 1860s it quickly became a centre for commercial fishing and the fishing industry remains a major driver of the Kodiak economy today. Kodiak Island is the home to the Kodiak bear, the largest bear species in the world. If you choose to dine out, Alaskan king crab is favourite as is salmon fish and chips. Excursions: We were wait-listed for a one-hour bus tour of the Island, the day before we were told go to the pier at 09.55 and see if there are cancellations? We were glad we didn’t go on the one-hour tour, there are no luxury buses only school buses. One couple who were going went to the bus, they got on, seats were broken it was cramped so they got off. We didn’t bother, the walk to town is only 0.7 miles. We collected more points on the golf game then walked into town if you can call it that? There were 8 hardware stores, one gift shop and one restaurant, that was it! The stroll took about 15 minutes. We stayed about 30 minutes and walked back to the ship for lunch, more later……

The soft crab tempura appetiser.

Sorry, Im like a child with a new toy now I can upload pictures. This was the curry from the Pacific Rim last evening. I asked for it "super spicy" I could tell by the waiters face that was a mistake! After three mouthfuls I got brain freeze. In addition, I tried using the chopsticks which I know I am not very good at, I could only retrieve food the size of small peanut, I was still there at 01.30 with a tired looking crew waiting to retire to bed!

I dont want to sound ungrateful and thanks to the Captain for announcing it however, I have seen better lights on my Christmas tree at home.

That was a poor choice of words on my part, thanks for reminding me, no one in their right mind wants to remember that guy.!

We were on the treadmill the other day and spotted people in the infinity pool at the back of the fitness centre, this afternoon we tried it, lovely and warm. Great sauna, everything you could want. Back in time for the afternoon canapes.

A destination pole on the dockside, our next destination after tomorrow, 6 sea days! Actually 5 we lose a day because of the date line thing.

Does it get better than this? The view from Prime 7 for lunch, a family of see lions basking in the sun, sea otters playing, birds looking for lunch.

For our lovely American friends.

Back to yesterday, we set sail from the glacier after about an hour, it was truly a remarkable sight to see. Another very long sail indeed but once again a very smooth passage. The afternoon was spent collecting more points, the trusty roller ball game and more golf putting, I think we are quite sad really but so are the other thirty people there, incidentally the same people, so we are now first name terms with at least fifty people on the ship. Mr Fudge is slowly working his way through the cocktails, there is a cocktail named after every ship in the fleet called signature cocktails, he has tried two already. At 4 pm on the nose our afternoon canapes arrived, huge prawns with a dipping sauce and crisps/chips, neither of us was hungry but we eat them anyway, it would have been rude not to. As advised by our butler we ate at the Sette Mari, we arrived at 20.30 to be told it was full, we were put on a wait list and advised to go for a drink, we went to the observation lounge and ordered a drink, you guessed it, the moment it came we got a call to go to the restaurant. There were a number of antipasti brought to the table so we did not order an appetizer, I went for Osso Buco, Mrs Fudge went for the Swordfish, I could not believe my eyes when my dish arrived it was huge! It tasted better than it looked, easily the best meal I have had so far, a definite “wow” dish. We left the restaurant for a nightcap on deck 5, now becoming our favourite place for drinks. Now then, this is very strange, we ordered coffee in our suite the next morning, our butler arrived at 07.15 and sat the coffee and pastries down, I asked him could he deliver a bottle of Pino Grigio for the suite? He replied, that’s what you had with your meal last night, how would he know that? Monday, 25th Sept, Seward Alaska. First mistake of the day, Mrs Fudge jumped out of bed eagerly to pour the coffee, she had no clothes on (too much information there) Mr Fudge said “not sure what you are wearing but it needs ironing” now then, he has to stay in the suite all day, he does not want to be seen walking around the ship with a Black eye! There are two excursions today, we chose not to take either, one is five hours long, the other seven and a half hours, although the weather looks nice its quite cold. Situated at the head of resurrection bay Seward is one of the oldest and most picturesque destinations in Alaska, downtown district is known for its charming shops and restaurants, as well as the busy harbour. Seward is visited between March and May due to whale migrating season and whale watching cruises that operate from Seward during this time. With all the best intentions we went to the gym, full, no machines to be had. So, with a patch over his eye, we both braved the cold and did ten laps of the jogging track followed by a nice hot chocolate on the warm end of the pool deck, this area has heaters and is cosy. We left the ship to stretch our legs and go into town. The free shuttle bus was every thirty minutes, we waited in line for 20 minutes, it was pretty cold. We were only on the bus 5 mins; we could have walked but we weren’t to know that it’s about a mile walk. Once there it was just gifts shops, nothing exciting really, good exercise though walking back to the ship.

The picture of osso buco dosent really do it justice, it looks a mess but it really was the best meal I have eaten so far on the cruise, it was a huge portion!

So, where was I? Sunday, at 05.30 I got my usual dig in the ribs, I thought my luck was in, no, off for the coffee. After another smooth passage we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier, one of the most stunning locations so far. Nicknamed the “galloping Glacier” this East Alaskan glacier is rapidly advancing towards the Gulf of Alaska into a pristine area known as disenchantment bay. The largest tidewater glacier in North America Hubbard glacier measures 76 miles long and plunges 1,200 feet into the depths of the bay. Its immense beauty and Blue hues are enchanting even from afar, but, it’s when the cruise ship draws closer that its towering surface really impresses. Dwarfing even the uppermost deck on the ship at a whopping 40 stories high. There with the snow capped mountains serving as a glorious backdrop. The area around the glazier is also renowned for its wildlife, whales, seals, and otters swim, Brown bears, moose, and deer all roam ashore. Today we are going closer than any other voyage this season, if you are lucky enough to be on the Port side (we are) you take advantage of the best views. So, back to boring. We scurried off to the 5th floor for a coffee and toasted muffins in coffee connection, super. At 07.30 precisely we went to La Veranda for champagne and Caviar, this only happens on a Sunday, it was very nice indeed. We had a window seat with spectacular views, stunning. All the camera experts were out in force, you had to sharpen your elbows to get a nice picture, Mrs Fudge is good at sharpened elbows as I have already mentioned 10 times!!! Because its another sea day its back to the games. Baggo first off, 5 points, joint effort, then the throw the rope onto the pegs, 6 points, whoopee do, almost enough for a world cruise already!! Pictures, oh dear Mr Fudge has discovered how to load pictures, you are in for it now, never ending flow of boring pictures. For lunch we decided for an easy lunch, we ate at the pool grill, Mrs Fudge had the classic burger and fries, Mr Fudge has the spicy buffalo wings with a blue cheese sauce, freshly cooked very enjoyable. My apologies, I posted a picture of the glacier before the description, in haste because I was seeing if I could post pictures.

Up to now we have a cheese selection with crackers, prawns, last evening spring rolls, samosas with a chilli dip. Will keep you updated.

Is she not a stunner? I am so lucky.

Please dont shout at me, first attempt ever at a photo!

Day 7 Just to finish off from yesterday. The weather seems to have turned for the better, yesterday after we got back to the ship it was glorious, really sunny, Mrs Fudge grabbed the one sun lounger on our veranda and came in after 30 minutes saying she was too warm. After our excursion we kept one of our promises and headed off to Prime 7 for lunch, if you remember we decided before we came on board that where we could we would eat more in the restaurants for breakfast and lunch, by and large we have done so, its much more civilised. Mrs Fudge started with poached egg and avocado, Mr Fudge opted for muscles and clams on a bed of pasta, you will notice I said plural, muscles and clams, there was one of each (lol) I had the BBQ pork ribs with a loaded jacket potato, Mrs Fudge had scallops, she shared my ribs it was a huge portion. While eating, we had a window seat, we looked outside and saw two sea lions frolicking just below us, they were there for at least 10 minutes, there was also birds diving for their lunch, overall, a pleasant dining experience. There are three topics normally discussed on these boards, Food, internet, and butlers. Food: Whilst we have been on board the food generally has been OK to good, as I said earlier we are not picky/fussy eaters however, you know when you need a “wow” moment, we have yet to have one, having said that, two days ago I ordered an omelette for breakfast, it was the size of my thumb nail, yesterday I ordered two, big mistake, they were the size of a house brick, I laid an egg at 15.00 hrs, there must have been 24 eggs in there. Internet: The internet has been very good, hardly no down time, in fact yesterday I streamed a soccer/football match from the UK for two hours, no buffering at all, my team won 5-0 happy days. Butlers: There is a separate thread on butlers, the “Fors “and against. We don’t utilise them very much we are fairly low maintenance, however, on this occasion our experienced butler is very good. On our first day we ordered canapes each afternoon, sure enough he delivered. Yesterday we mention that we were having “in suite “dining, he mentioned that Compass Rose were serving Lamb Tikka Marsala, we both love spicy food, sure enough at 8 pm there it was, it was really tasty, followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice cream for Mrs Fudge, she devoured it in 3.4 seconds, she loves her puddings, the other advantage is that you can lick the bowl if you dine in!! In addition, our butler secured three more reservations at the specialty restaurants, good man. Forgot to say, there were warning notices, the first said, Alaska can be a dangerous place, it’s not a zoo! Stay together travel in groups of 10 or more, that was more of a challenge than finding a place on a trivia team. Talk while you walk without making eye contact with the bears, that’s a no brainer, Mrs Fudge talks for England, the bears would run a mile, she can talk the leg of a hind donkey! Another promise we made was to try and keep fit, we both visited the gym and went on the running machine, you know when you and your partner can be quite competitive, well, you can glance at others settings, not to be outdone Mrs Fudge was a fairly normal incline so I set mine higher, consequently she set hers the same, what did I do, set it really high, I thought I was climbing Mount Everest! I called for oxygen after 10 minutes, we managed 30 minutes after which I gave Mrs Fudge a well-deserved hug and a high five for coming second! I have 5 marathons under my belt but that was a long time ago.

Day 6 The days seem to be flying by now we are having so much fun. We have met some lovely people already of all nationalities. A lovely couple from Scotland in particular who helped us at the airport with our nightmare experience. After the rain yesterday we spent all day relaxing, Mrs Fudge to her credit went to the gym and spent 30 minutes on the running machine. At 6pm we were invited to the captain’s welcome in the theatre. He introduced himself, he is a young chap will find his name later, very funny guy. He introduced 14 of the senior staff on board, the theatre was well attended, most folks were dressed in their finery, one or two what I would call “scruffs” but you will always get that on any cruise. Mrs Fudge scrubs up well, she looked stunning in her best frock coupled with her jewellery. We were treated to three or four Abba songs by the entertainment crew, they were very good, very professional. We then went to the bar on deck five with the Scottish couple we met, this bar is very popular, the bar staff were kept busy making cocktails, Mr Fudge ordered a Brandy Alexander which was lovely, Mrs Fudge was trying to finish off the ships supply of champagne!! We had a reservation for the Chartreuse restaurant, unbeknown to us so did the Scottish couple so we decided to eat together which was an added bonus. It was hard work carrying Mrs Fudge to the restaurant but I managed it. The staff managed to find us a table for four, it was very busy indeed, it took a while to place our order, it was better since Mr Fudge gave the waiter 900 dollars to speed things up (only joshing) We all agreed the food was very good and eventually the service, the waiter John looked after us very well despite being under pressure. After a lovely meal we retired early, its hard work all this eating and drinking as you can imagine! We set sail from Ketchikan at 15.00 hrs which was early, en route Icy Strait (Hoonah) which means where the North winds doesn’t blow, in the language of the tlingit indians. We don’t dock until 10 am, so a long sail, thankfully the seas remain very calm indeed, you would hardly know you are moving. After breakfast we went on a free excursion, it was a gondola ride to the top of a mountain, called mountain top forest tram, it was a sky glider which took us to the top. There were literally dozens of gondolas so enough for two people in each carriage. The excursion started at 10.25 so not an early start. It was a short 5-minute walk to the gondola, the ride took less than 10 minutes but was very high indeed, Mr Fudge didn’t look down but Mrs Fudge took some lovely photos of the Explorer. Once at the top you took a motorised tram to the mountain top, an easy ride which lasted one hour. Quick tip, take plenty of warm clothing, it was cold sat in the back of the truck which was open air and a hard seat! David our driver gave a running commentary for the hour, he was very knowledgeable, pointing out places of interest, flora and fauna, a bit of history. We had two stop to take photos, there is a porta loo stop if needed. The trip was very good, two hours in total, there is a souvenir shop at the bottom if you want to purchase anything. Thankfully for me Mrs Fudge, does not read the blog, she asks for snippets but thats all, so this is between the lovely people on here and me! I keep telling everyone, "i can keep a secret, its the people I tell who cant"

Day 6 The days seem to be flying by now we are having so much fun. We have met some lovely people already of all nationalities. A lovely couple from Scotland in particular who helped us at the airport with our nightmare experience. After the rain yesterday we spent all day relaxing, Mrs Fudge to her credit went to the gym and spent 30 minutes on the running machine. At 6pm we were invited to the captain’s welcome in the theatre. He introduced himself, he is a young chap will find his name later, very funny guy. He introduced 14 of the senior staff on board, the theatre was well attended, most folks were dressed in their finery, one or two what I would call “scruffs” but you will always get that on any cruise. Mrs Fudge scrubs up well, she looked stunning in her best frock coupled with her jewellery. We were treated to three or four Abba songs by the entertainment crew, they were very good, very professional. We then went to the bar on deck five with the Scottish couple we met, this bar is very popular, the bar staff were kept busy making cocktails, Mr Fudge ordered a Brandy Alexander which was lovely, Mrs Fudge was trying to finish off the ships supply of champagne!! We had a reservation for the Chartreuse restaurant, unbeknown to us so did the Scottish couple so we decided to eat together which was an added bonus. It was hard work carrying Mrs Fudge to the restaurant but I managed it. The staff managed to find us a table for four, it was very busy indeed, it took a while to place our order, it was better since Mr Fudge gave the waiter 900 dollars to speed things up (only joshing) We all agreed the food was very good and eventually the service, the waiter John looked after us very well despite being under pressure. After a lovely meal we retired early, its hard work all this eating and drinking as you can imagine! We set sail from Ketchikan at 15.00 hrs which was early, en route Icy Strait (Hoonah) which means where the North winds doesn’t blow, in the language of the tlingit indians. We don’t dock until 10 am, so a long sail, thankfully the seas remain very calm indeed, you would hardly know you are moving. After breakfast we went on a free excursion, it was a gondola ride to the top of a mountain, called mountain top forest tram, it was a sky glider which took us to the top. There were literally dozens of gondolas so enough for two people in each carriage. The excursion started at 10.25 so not an early start. It was a short 5-minute walk to the gondola, the ride took less than 10 minutes but was very high indeed, Mr Fudge didn’t look down but Mrs Fudge took some lovely photos of the Explorer. Once at the top you took a motorised tram to the mountain top, an easy ride which lasted one hour. Quick tip, take plenty of warm clothing, it was cold sat in the back of the truck which was open air and a hard seat! David our driver gave a running commentary for the hour, he was very knowledgeable, pointing out places of interest, flora and fauna, a bit of history. We had two stop to take photos, there is a porta loo stop if needed. The trip was very good, two hours in total, there is a souvenir shop at the bottom if you want to purchase anything.

Day 5 I know I am boring you to death but here goes. The very last game yesterday was roller ball, you try and roll a wooden ball through a wooden bridge with 6 holes, all have different values. Teams were split into 4, Mr Fudge scored 35 points with 2 balls, our team came second (2) points. Mrs Fudge got 3 points joint first. I hope you are keeping track of the points people? Now on to trivia, always popular with guests. I think the whole ship were playing so we gave it a miss, we sat at the pool bar, I had a bloody Mary and a mojito, the bartender said we were the 5th and 6th customers all day, not surprised given the dull day. 6 pm, It’s time for the dreaded block party. For those that don’t know you stand outside your suite with a drink (or two) along comes the captain and cruise director, the crew hand out canapes, its all-good fun, it’s a good way to meet your neighbours, it only lasts a few minutes, its recorded, you sometimes see it on the TV. Some guests love it some just stay in their suite, it’s a bit like marmite in the UK, you either love it or hate it! Last evening, we eat at the Compass Rose, it was our first disappointing meal. It was late for us, we arrived at 20.30 to be told we have to wait 15 minutes, it was actually 20 minutes before we got a table. We said we don’t mind sharing a table but that was not possible either. For a starter we both had the Alaskan crab, my fault, I didn’t realise it was a cold starter, it was very cold indeed. I then has the snails in a cream sauce which was lovely, Mrs Fudge had the ravioli which was cold, (meant to be hot) I had the lamb chops which were like shoe leather, Mrs Fudge had the Alaskan salmon, the whole meal was stone cold so she sent it back. By the time it came back I had finished my main meal. Oh well, one meal so far is not too bad. 06.30, Friday, we have just docked in Ketchikan, its pouring down with rain, this may impact on our excursion? The sea has been very calm so far hardly any movement. So, some sensible stuff from me for a change! This morning we chose to leave the ship and venture into town. When you leave the ship there is a covered walkway which leads to a large warehouse, its less than a 5-minute walk. Inside there are multiple vendors selling souvenirs, handicrafts, weather clothing, jumpers, t shirts Etc, there is a cafe, and rest rooms. You could spend some time in there, if you have forgotten toiletries, they sell them also. We bought two lightweight water-resistant jackets, a bargain at 24.99 dollars. Mr Fudge bought T shirt for 14.99 so we did not break the bank. If you want to go into town there is free local shuttle bus, it takes around 15 minutes, because there was another cruise ship also docked with 4,000 passengers there were literally 20 to 30 buses waiting. Unfortunately, it was lashing down with rain really heavy. We took the bus; the driver gave a running commentary. We got off the bus and followed the crowd, mainly tourist shops, jewellery shops and the like. Even though we had all the gear we decided to head back to the ship. We had an excursion booked for 10.40 which we cancelled, it was a 1-hour canoe ride, a forest walk and a further 1-hour canoe ride back, in this weather just impossible, my feet and socks were wet after 15 minutes. Stop press: We managed to get back just in time for “knock the skittles down game” Mr Fudge 3 points, Mrs Fudge 0 We went to coffee connection for coffee and pastries, then to our suite to dry off.