justhappy

We were up bright and early at Skagway thanks to still not adjusting to the time changes. The ship is docking when we look out the balcony. Showered and dressed we were at Starbucks when they opened at 6am with just a few other passengers. The crew at Starbucks remember our names and our orders every morning. A shout out to Earl who has a smile and good morning welcome for everyone. We pop up to deck 7 to the Local for breakfast and there are a few more folks here at 6:15. DH has the full English breakfast and I have the American breakfast with a side of bacon. Apparently 6 strips of bacon is a side. No wonder they go through a 1000 lbs a day! And of course hash browns #teamhashbrown

After a scenic drive with Keegan telling us about Juneau and his life, boy he was such a good sport and fielded questions from dozens of old geezers! Soon we were at Auke Bay. The tour boat was nice with two stories, lots of bench seats and seats with tables. A cash bar and snacks for purchase. There were three bathrooms and big wide windows to take in the views. A small buffet of salmon dip, salmon chowder, cold shrimp, cheeses and veggies was included. After a short safety briefing we were on our way. My skills at capturing whales in photos is horrible so I’ve added a few whale tale photos to prove we did see whales😂The included buffet feast. We saw orcas along with humpbacks and a very pretty sunset. After a few hours of touring around we were back at the dock then back on the bus to the port. It was 9:30 pm when we were back to the ship and my Fitbit said we had done 17,000 steps. I was in bed by 10pm and I think I blinked and was asleep in 10 seconds. Good thing too as we plan to get up early and off the ship in Skagway the next day.

Once we boarded the tour bus, our first destination was Mendenhall Glacier. We had a great bus driver/tour guide ~Keegan~ who had us laughing with his witty tales and observations about Juneau. Please google the story of Alaska Airline’s jet, the Salmon 30 Salmon. After a short drive to the park we had slightly over an hour to spend before we had to be back to the bus for our Whale Watching portion. Having been to Mendenhall Glacier in 2015 with my Dad and sisters I knew we didn’t have time to do the visitor center and do the Nugget Falls trail. I made the decision that I thought my husband would enjoy the most and we did the trail. It was a nice day, meaning not raining, and we had a most enjoyable walk to the falls and back. We also had time to visit a scenic spot and check out some salmon in a small pond. Keegan told us a great but sad story about Romeo the wolf who is immortalized in the plaque on the trail. Although it was a short time there we enjoyed every second.

Thank you @cruiseny4life I agree about the town being gracious about Patsy Ann. Only some small towns do that anymore. The whales were like bison in Yellowstone, everywhere! #teamhashbrowns!

We must have arrived a bit early as we were docked and allowed to disembark shortly after 2pm. We were to meet in the parking lot of the port at 3:45, so we hurried off the ship to head into Juneau to purchase some Huckleberry treats for DH. There was already a long line for the shuttle into town so we walked it and were there in 23 minutes. 5 other ships were in port and it was extremely busy. We knew exactly where the huckleberry treats were and were in and out in 5 minutes. We walked back along the waterfront area so I could visit my favorite monument in Juneau, to Patsy Ann the dog. Luckly on the way back to the port we caught a shuttle back to the ship with no waiting. Back on the ship we deposited our purchases and were back out to our tour bus with plenty of time to spare.

Around 1pm we walked a few laps around the waterfront as we approached Juneau and soon saw the Bliss departing and heading our way. As she passed there was lots of shouting and cheering between the passengers on the two ships.

We decided to head up to the buffet for lunch knowing that we wouldn’t be back in the ship for dinner. At 11:30 we were amazed that the buffet was not that busy. We were expecting pandemonium, frankly. I lucked out as the buffet had Palak Paneer and freshly made nann bread. NCL always has the best Indian food on the buffet. We got some ice cream and took it back to the room to enjoy on our balcony.

Today is Juneau and we have the Mendenhall Glacier and Evening Whale Quest excursion scheduled. Since the ship doesn’t arrive in Juneau till 3pm according to the daily we spend the morning walking on deck 8 then hanging out in the Observation lounge with our friends talking and watching for whales. We were rewarded with so many whale sightings that after and hour and a half we basically just stopped looking! It was like a whale super highway in both sides of the ship. Although I wasn’t fast enough to get any photos, it was amazing.

I’m sorry I’m so behind but we have done so many excursions the last two days I haven’t kept up! I’ll do better. After The Choir of Man I headed back to the room and ended up updating this trip report before heading to bed. The guys head to a bar for a nightcap. We set our clocks back one hour to match Alaska time. Tuesday morning we were up again at 5 am! We still haven’t adjusted to the time change, ugh. It has worked in our favor though as after we shower and dress we are at Starbucks at 6 am then pop up to the Local by 6:10. It still amazes us that on a ship with 4500 passengers it is so empty and quiet at 6:30. Today breakfast was French toast for me and pancakes for DH. Of course I had to add a side of hash browns.😁

We made to the the theater before the doors opened and there was already a serious line of people on both the left and right entrances. The great reviews of this show have obviously gotten out. I have been raving about this show since I saw it on a preview cruise in November of 2019. My DH was frustrated because on several cruises the show was canceled for a variety of reasons. He finally saw in on the Escape in January of this year. As expected, he loved it and could not stop talking it up to our friends. We had good seats about 10 rows back in the middle left. It was an outstanding performance and the harmonies were spot on, Our friend who has been a musician all his life was clapping and cheering. After it was over he said it was the best show he’s ever seen, and he’s seen a lot. He said we didn’t oversell it. Folks, it’s that good.

True!

From what I’ve seen it’s still the Rose.

I’m excited for you! You’ll have a great time. The Encore is an awesome ship.

After my unexpected snooze fest, we headed to an early dinner at Los Lobos. I made a 5:30pm reservation as we had reservations for The Choir of Man at 7:30 and wanted to be at the theater when the doors opened at 7pm. We were seated right away and had a nice table a a window although not to much to see due to low clouds. I ordered the Poblano Relleno and DH the Mahi Mahi tacos, as well as a side of street corn. We split the queso fundito and the table side guacamole. We both ordered the specialty margaritas. These were a bit sweet but delicious. I love rellenos and order them whenever I see them on the menu. I like to keep them simple though with a cheese stuffing and a red chili sauce. I’m partial to the types of rellenos you get in New Mexico at New Mexican restaurants with local northern New Mexican food. If you’ve been to Santa Fe or Albuquerque you may know the type I’m talking about. I can handle heat, and the poblano pepper itself is not spicy, but the stuffing in this was off the charts. I’m not sure what it was stuffed with but I couldn’t eat it. Not to worry though as I was already pretty full with the fundido and the guacamole and some of my beans and rice that were sides with the entree. The food was good, not outstanding. We did also order and eat the Bunuelos with guava dipping sauce. These were yummy.

Cooking for the masses is my thought exactly. We have a daughter who lives in south Florida and the delicious Cuban dishes there have us spoiled I guess. The pork was juicy and tender, but the only flavor was from some pickled onions on top. To me the black beans could have used more flavor as well. Apparently the other baked goods are done on the ship, according to the chef during the galley portion of the tour. Someone from the Haven asked about the almond ones and that’s when he said they were purchased. I was shocked by the amount of bacon, not gonna lie. Thanks for that excellent suggestion!

So the Behind the scenes tour was highly impressive, 1000 lbs of bacon a day! And all those Haven fans of the almond croissants, we learned they are not made on the ship but purchased from an outside source. I wonder who?! After the tour we decided it was high time to pay our dues to the casino gods. After some fun for a few hours but no big wins we went to the Local for lunch. Here is my big issue with the way the Local serves food- we were not very hungry so between the 4 of us we ordered appetizers, except for me having made the fatal mistake to order an entree. Now this is not limited to the Encore as the same issue happened on the Escape in January. They bring out the appetizers and everyone starts eating. 15 minutes later I have not received my entree. I ask where is my entree? It’s coming soon I’m told. 5 more minutes, ask again, Soon. It seems that the appetizers are served first and then when those are done they bring our entrees. That’s great if everyone is having appetizers and entrees. Not so much if you aren’t. I asked to speak to the restaurant manager and of course they bring out my entree then. So we should be happy that we have all our food right? No I am not happy that I had to sit and watch my friends eat and then when they are done they have to wait for me to eat. And even if you ask for them to bring out your entree with the appetizers they do not do it. I tried to explain to them how it makes me wait then makes my friends and family wait. After many rounds of apologies later I finish and we head our respective ways. My sinuses are acting up again so I head back to the cabin for some medicine and end up falling asleep. The entree that caused the issue- It was good although the pork could have been a bit more flavorful. The plantains were delicious.

I don’t think it is new or maybe I saw it on another ship in the last year? No reservations needed.

Amy, yes I feel like the staff outside the Haven give just as great service so I do feel I am being treated just as well. To me the Haven is extra pampering for sure, but the Haven value to me comes from the uncrowded areas within the Haven itself. I’m very sure the Havens Observation lounge is a quiet oasis compared to the one on deck 15. Plus the Haven restaurant is usually not crowded and without a wait. So far no long waits for us but we eat at off times. And this cruise every night we are having specialty dining.

Yes, the cruisenext desk is where you sign up for the tour. You do usually need to go to I think the social club on deck 6 to book dining but they said they could book our show reservations for us. You can also book shows on the touchscreens near the elevators or at the box office.

@cruiseny4life About to start the Behind the scenes tour so we asked at Starbucks and sorry to report no pumpkin spice anything 🙁

I don’t remember if the Starbucks had pumpkin spice but when I go back today I’ll ask. The scalloped potatoes were really good, very creamy and cheesy, in fact all the sides were much better than my last meal in Cagneys. The creamed spinach was much better. I remember complaining about the fact they were not as good as before due to lack of cream and no seasoning and these definitely had more, plus I could taste the nutmeg which makes the dish pop! I’ll be raising a glass of water and drinking a toast you you my H2O buddy. And completely agree on the hash brown rounds. I’ll cry if they ever take those away!

A MASSIVE TWO STORY FIRE ON THE ECORE!!!! 😂😂

Our current conditions are foggy but not too cold outside. A Carnival ship is passing us.

After the show I wanted to check out the casino but it didn’t open till 9:30 and it was only 8:30. We decided to head in for the night and that work out well for us as we got a good nights sleep and were awake at 5 am. After a quick shower we headed first to Starbucks for a hot caramel macchiato for me and a a red eye for DH. No line at 6:10 am. No lines anywhere! By 6:15 we were seated in the Local for breakfast.

After dinner we went to see The Beatles in the main theater. They kept it real because Ringo could not sing. I’m wondering if the guy sang off on purpose to truly play the part😂 The show was well attended and good if you’re a Beatles fan. I was 10 in 1967 so a little young to be a screaming teen fan but I had two older sisters who were, and they played those 45s nonstop. We had a cat named George, can you guess who was their favorite 😉