visagrunt

Well, it's 18 days to embarkation and Azamara still don't have our final invoice correct, and it has been radio silence to my travel agent. He has thirteen bookings on this cruise and only 9 have been finalized. Four (including his own) remain in limbo, still. While I'm prepared to exercise some understanding for computer migration, the radio silence from AZ is now becoming most off-putting. I remain optimistic that all will be resolved before I have to get on a plane; but I will be boarding with a very sour taste in my mouth that the crew will be hard pressed to overcome.

Volume. Alaskan Brewing is double the size of the largest Vancouver craft brewery by sales volume ($21M USD vs. $14M CAD) which, given pricing, means their production volume is even larger still. And this is in a market that is a quarter the size of the Lower Mainland. Even a relative giant like Granville Island Brewery can't supply all of HAL's ships sailing from Vancouver, let alone all the HAL ships in Alaska.

Koningsdam is provisioned every Saturday in Vancouver and typically there will never be true shortages--though there may be times when access to individual items may be at issue. If, for example, a delivery is rejected on quality grounds and a replacement can't be secured before departure time (K'dam can sometimes be subject to departure restrictions depending upon tides in order to clear the bridge) then the galley will have to "work around" whatever couldn't be provisioned. We were on board in the first week of June. All of the embarkation troubles in May seemed to have been resolved. Service was generally excellent, though with a few waits for bar service at peak times. The issue of signing slips for beverages is going to need some sorting out as it seems to do little more than add delay to already overworked beverage attendants. The practice of "pay the difference" is great, but manual signatures should be consigned to the dustbin (where all those paper slips wind up).

After a very rough start to the season in May things settled down considerably. I boarded Koningsdam in the first week of June and I was on board in less than an hour, with most of that time being taken up sitting in the separate hold room for priority embarkation. A travelling companion who arrived about an hour after we did had a walk-through experience. The two key criteria are: the number of ships turning around (two is an easy day; three depends on size); and staffing levels at US pre-clearance. The same staff handle both Canada Place and YVR, and YVR gets priority. If US CBP is short staffed it's Canada Place that's going to experience that. There is a lot of distance to cover. That's essentially unavoidable because of how the process now needs to be structured to conform with US CBP requirements that check-in and security precede pre-clearance. Check in used to be the last step in the process which meant everything could happen on one level in a basically straight line. That is unachievable now with the passenger loads and process flow.

No--max vessel capacity for landings is 200 with only 100 permitted on shore at a time. The only way to do this is on expedition ships and it is worth every penny to do so.

The advice to clear the cache is correct. No amount of reinstalling or rebooting will help if the cache is not cleared. Plenty of online instruction for how to do it, depending upon the type of phone you have.

Considerable variation from port to port. After a very rocky start at Canada Place this year, our Koningsdam cruise in June saw us on board less than an hour after arriving at the pier, almost all of which was spent waiting in a separate waiting area for priority embarkation after check-in, security as US pre-clearance. Priority was real and meaningful, that time.

Nonstop from ORD to YQB will be eye-wateringly expensive. Only one airline operates the route and only once per day on a small aircraft. Given the ease of US to domestic connection at YYZ or YUL (no need to claim baggage, a dedicated transit facility for customs and immigration and no need to re-clear security) there really is little reason to avoid connections.

There have been significant fires and floods this summer in Nova Scotia. Nothing would surprise me for change/cancelled ports.

Chances are very slim. HAL ships only tends to get north of 60 in summer and light conditions are very poor for aururae. In May through July there is no true astronomical night as the sun does not get more than 18 degrees below the northern horizon. As you move into September the sun will get low enough, but the likelihood of overcast will increase, as well. But an equally troublesome issue is light pollution from the ship itself. If there are good forecasts for aururae and the sky conditions cooperate and wind conditions make it safe to do so, it would still be up to the captain to douse the exterior lights on one of the top deck areas for a viewing opportunity.

Don't forget the CO lines at the Front Desk and at EXC. I have sometimes waited longer to see the concierge in the Neptune Lounge than in the CO line.

On an 17 day circle Hawai'i last year we had a "Pinnacle Gala" dinner which occurred on one of the gala nights. Probably the most dressed up we have ever seen a group of passengers, and there was a very New Year's Eve vibe to the event. There was lots of prepared promo material (posters, menus, etc) which suggests that this is an ongoing, programmable event. The length of the cruise, combined with the number of sea days was likely the rationale for inclusion. One of the crew recorded this during the event during our sailing:

Sorry for the delay in concluding this report, but it seems that I brought a stowaway back with me from the ship. Two negative covid tests, so I'm thinking it's RSV. I solemly undertake to finish this (and post photos/videos) once my symptoms abate.

Quick note to say a new personal best: off the ship and into a cab in under 10 minutes.

The penultimate day (depending upon your arithmetic). By now you need not be reminded that coffee appeared promptly (perhaps too promptly, in view of the hour lost to the time change) nor that breakfast was its usual delicious self. An early journey to the Thermal Suite presented the most pressing crowds of the entire voyage--there were fully six people in the thallasotherapy pool with me at one point and during my visit there was a brief moment where every ceramic lounger was occupied. This phenomenon lasted mere moments as someone elected in that moment to vacate their lounger as the hour for luncheon approached. Today was a glorious day for the Retreat as the sun made its presence felt. However, trivia beckoned as I had been neglecting it for the entire cruise. A valiant effort delivered us 16 of a possible 22 points which earned us a creditable second place. This was only slightly diminished by one of our travelling companions' immediate recall of the answer to the 4 point bonus question which would have put us over the top. This is what comes of insufficient team building. A hot stones massage rounded out the afternoon before we repaired to the Tamarind Bar for the long delayed Shiso Sour. Most of my companions were lifting Wasabis. Tamarind was the only annoyance of the cruise for I heard a phrase I don't think I have ever heard from a HAL crew member: "we don't allow..." This was in relation to starters. Our server was quite emphatic that they provided a three course dinner with a starter, a main and a dessert. When pressed on the question of ordering multiple appetizers we were not offered an upcharge, but a flat out refusal. So we can order an extra main course for the published upcharge of $10 but we can't order an extra starter?! Pinnacle Grill has the unmitigated gall to charge $7 for those who wish to indulge in a soup and a salad, but at least they permit it. The inhospitable response was mitigated with an offer to bring some extra starters for the table to share (which was, frankly, all we had been wanting) but it was handled in such a cack handed fashion that it rather soured the evening. This is compounded by the fact that we remember what Tamarind was like with the old "Elements" menu. The current offerings include some pretty anodyne offerings which are about as Asian as Panda Express--just better prepared and presented. Our next HAL cruise is on Westerdam and I might not miss Tamarind so much as I thought. It really is a shame to end the last full day on a sour note, and I shall endeavour to have much more positive reports of our last breakfast in CO and our disembarkation experience to finish this report off! This cruise has been excellent in all other respects and deserves a much finer send off that this!

Okay. You want whale sightings, read on... Ketchikan is always my favourite port on this itinerary (Is that a fair superlative after only six Alaska cruises?) The town is a real town (unlike Skagway) and a nice town (unlike Juneau). Today was the usual SE heading into Ketchikan. Being on the port side of the ship, merely disturbing the curtains caused my poor husband to be propelled back into the bed with the force of the dawn sunlight. Fortunately tea was available to soothe his injuries. Armed with polarized lenses I ventured forth on the first balcony-friendly morning to engage my caffeine curls (with an almond croissant to balance in my off hand). The vast number of people in the Thermal Suite (by my count, 6) made the entry into Ketchikan lovely. My ceramic bed next to the window allowed a careful assessment of the Captain's careful maneuvering to the pier. We passed some poor, lamented Norwegian vessel back in Ward's Cove and one of the pretty, pretty Princesses was stranded in the middle of the harbour. We, on the other hand, were tied up directly opposite the departure point of our Misty Fjords excursion. Unfortunately it was also the departure point for Princess' Misty Fjords excursion. But the tour operator had clearly been through this rodeo before and handled it with aplomb. Okay. Misty Fjords excursion. Six out of five stars, today. As we made our way towards Rudyerd Bay, my husband (the wildlife whisperer) spotted a pod of Orca who decided to make our afternoon. Being a resident of the lower mainland of BC I have regularly been treated to the view of a pod of orca in my ferry journeys across the Salish Sea. But never--NEVER--have I ever had an orca show me her belly as she swam upside down and waved her pectorals at me. In what seemed like an eternity (but which my rational brain tells me was ten minutes) a pod of mothers, calves and hangers on treated us to leaps and breaches and playfulness. I said to my husband, "the rest of this excursion is gravy." Little did I know. Shortly before we reached New Eddystone Rock our skipper pointed out a humpback. He had the species correct, but the number wrong. Several humpbacks delighted us with repeated breaches--a dozen would be an uncharitable estimate. And after all of that extraordinary expenditure of energy, a young adult treated us to repeated waves of their pectorals as if to bid us a fair journey. Not 15 minutes later, my husband spotted another humpback, who treated us to more pectoral waves (though, no breaches). After all of this cetacean entertainment, how could the static monoliths of Misty Fjord (well, not-so-Misty-as-last-September Fjord) compare. Most majestically as it turns out. To see the sources of a 500+ m waterfall is no small matter. At this point the skipper prepared to turn us around to head back to Ketchikan, remarking that we would return by 1845--if we spotted no further whales. He seemed to me to direct that comment somewhat directly at my husband. A Tsimshian-Haida artist regaled us with stories and history during our return visit, and soon enough we returned to the pier, directly across from Koningsdam. Honestly the 30 m walk from small boat to large ship was the most strenuous part of my day. Thus far. An unplanned dinner at Canaletto followed. This is really the unsung hero of specialty dining on HAL. Thursday's special is the Veal Saltimbocca. Take an extra hit of your hypertension meds and do this one anyway because it is the stuff that dreams are made of. We finished the day with the Oranje Partij. There were plenty of token efforts. The party accessories for sale were (pardon the gay sterotype) fabulous. The themed cocktails range from good (Orange Vesper) to great (Orange and Tonic). The husky mascot in an Orange Party shirt was fun, and the BB King Blues Club band were nothing short of phenomenal. The only sobering note to a fantastic day was the presence of a disembarkation package in our mailbox and the reminder that soon will some a sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad day. (The number of "sad"s is prescribed and the rhythm mandatory).

And herein lies the tale of the fifth day--Glacier Bay. No matter what time of year I come here and no matter the weather, Glacier Bay never fails to impress. Lamplugh (the "Blue") is a magical sight in any weather, and while coming early in the season deprives us of an up close encounter with Johns Hopkins--it is impressive even from 10 km away. Margerie wasn't letting any of her children go today (no calving to be seen), but it is a stunner of a glacier front even when quiet. The weather was mixed, with some light breeze and cloud throughout the morning, but transitioning to brilliant sunshine and high, broken cloud later in the afternoon and into the evening. Birthday dinner was eaten at Rudi's. This was our first encounter with supply issues. None of the beers on the Rudi's menu were available (to one companion's frustration). Among the champagnes only Dom and Ruinart were available. While I might credit Vancouver provisioning for the unavailability of some product, yellow label is available by the crate, and since it is listed by the glass everywhere on the ship, the unavailability of a bottle in Rudi's was puzzling. Less surprisingly foie gras was also unavailable (with consequent implications for those who wanted Tournedos Rossini). But we made do, and a fine dinner, indeed was had. I thereafter withdrew to the casino where the Roulette Table demonstrated that she had, in fact, been saving herself for tonight. Two of my numbers came up in very quick succession, which I interpreted as a sign to take the money and run (metaphorically speaking). All in all, one cannot complain about such a birthday!

Thank you for the compliments on my style and for your forebearance from noting my increasing tardiness! Day the fourth (and this time I mean the fourth; not mislabelling the third) features Skagway. With the 6 am knock on the door came the coffee with which to watch the beautiful scenery of the Taiya Inlet moving past. The apparent wind was behind us, foiling my cunning plan to acquire a balcony sheltered from the wind (#5124--a generously large example). Skagway had four visitors today--Koningsdam, two Princesses and a Celebrity. The scale of the rockslide was remarkable and the ongoing risk made evident by the tendering going on beneath it. The ships are big, but no matter how big they are, Nature is bigger. A steady onshore wind made shelter the order of the day. We made a quick trip into town for some browsing, but after so many visits here there are fewer and fewer things to acquire. Still, Skagway scores over Juneau as a nice little town to stroll through. Our travelling companions had taken the White Pass railway (upon our very strong recommendation) and all returned without having plunged into the river below. Cocktails were consumed at the Ocean Bar (including the pleasant reminder of how refreshing the Mariner Cocktail is). My carefully researched plans for dinner in Club Orange were completely thrown when the team revealed that the CO special tonight was a veal chop with mushroom risotto. They had me at mushroom! Actually, they pretty much had me at veal. It was superb. And the only fault that I can conjure up is that my Baked Alaska came to the table while I was still deeply engrossed in my cheese plate making the ice cream a smidgen runnier than perfection when I impaled it upon my spoon. These are the grave shortcomings of post-pandemic cruising! A serene evening in the Crow's Nest followed where my hammer curl skills were called into action to lift more Highland Parks than I care to number. Eduardo needed only once to hear my horrified response to the suggestion of ice and each of the successors were dosed with the merest suggestion of some still water. Appropriately lubricated we watched the evening light dancing off the snow capped peaks until the sun finally set after 10 pm.

Absolutely went through Salish Sea and Johnstone Strait. Given the excess distance, the only reason to divert would be the unavailability of a pilot or a hazard to navigation.

some sharing went on to create this combo aapy plate

Day the fourth dawned--as it so often does--with the gentle knock at the door which betokens the welcome arrival of coffee and pastries. The view was the welcome sight of the Alaskan Inside passage; albeit under a heavy, leaden sky which did not abate. But we live in this same rainforest and we shan't let a little gray skies and potential for rain get in the way. The morning routine of breakfast at CO, 10 laps of deck 3 and the Thermal Suite were all achieved. We almost regretted the choice of lunch from the Retreat, but the roof kept the brief rain away and the blankets cut the chill as we tied up in Juneau. Juneau is not my favourite port on the itinerary, and after five visits I was disinclined to disembark. A nap was had to rest my lifting arm and prepare for the hard work of the Pinnacle Grill. Dinner was exactly as expected--but I had set those expectations high. And PG met them. $7 was willingly handed over to add some clothesline bacon for the table. Truth to tell, I like it well enough, and it shows well, but it's not my personal go-to. On the other hand, the filet and lobster dumplings continues to be a solid winner, especially when beets with blue cheese, creamed spinach and mushrooms join the party on my plate. The Rolling Stone Rock Room was overflowing as the band began their 7:45 set. I lament the loss of Lincoln Center Square, and there will be words about that on my survey. But there seems to be ample enthusiasm for the music that is available.

Because the beverage packages now allow you to pay the price difference for out of package beverages, the slips are required for any surcharges. By establishing a practice of slips for all beverage purchases whether in or out of range it means that all surcharges are properly accounted. You may think it silly--revenue managers and auditors likely don't.

Here's the deal (based on my experience of the day before yesterday). Regardless of how you arrive at Canada Place your bag drop is on P2. If you arrive on foot, you will have a queue to take the elevator down to baggage drop. From there is a straight line walk to a different elevator to take you up to the level where you check in. So far, no distinction between priority and others; and no reference to check in times. The signage will lead you to the check in hall. Priority Boarding has a separate queue for check in. We were the only passengers in that line and were immediately seen. It took longer to follow the path out of the check in hall than it took to check in. The prescribed path will lead you down to security (where you are mixed with all other ships' passengers and no priority distinction). We faced a similar lack of delay where it took longer to walk through the stanchion maze than it did to clear security. Pre-clearance was functioning perfectly at capacity. No one was queued ahead of us (though every passport kiosk was in use) but as soon as we reached the "please wait here" point a kiosk opened as if on cue. Scanning and button mashing follows. If you have accomplished all of this before boarding has actually commenced you will be sent to a holding area. Priority boarding are separated from others here to ensure that you get to the ship first. However, once boarding commences, it may be a direct walk from the exit of pre-clearance to the gangway. It took us about an hour to get on board--but about half an hour of that was spent seated in holding areas. One of our companions boarded about three quarters of an hour later and had a complete walkthrough of the process.

And herewithin, Day the Second. Coffee and pastries arrived bang on the dot at 6 am. The coffee was of its usual excellent standard. The plain croissants were clearly day olds (fair enough, they over bake to handle turnaround day when many crew are otherwise occupied). Fortunately my almond croissant was perfectly fresh. Our improvised table for seven in CO was waiting for us on arrival for breakfast, even if some of our party were stragglers. 10 laps of deck 3 in a strong breeze (Beaufort 6) but partly cloudy skies served to accomplish today's step count, followed by quality time in the thermal suite. Despite a fully loaded ship, on a sea day, there were only 4 people in the thermal pool, and a similar number occupying loungers. Tranquility abounded. The Retreat was breezy, but our cabana attendants were more than happy to spare us any risk of disturbing (more accurately being disturbed by) the Lido Market or Lido pool for lunch. Even on a mild weather cruise like Alaska, the Retreat is worth the price of admission! A shave and facial followed. Gentlemen: there is no sin more indulgent than being shaved, and this particular spa treatment is the ne plus ultra of the type. Nary a hint of burn or redness, and one's face is left as smooth as in one's boyhood. Tonight was dressy night, and my husband and I do not disappoint. We were kilted up. Our fellow passengers presented the usual mixed presentation. There were several Indian families who were spectacularly dressed (and frankly would have given us a run for our money, were it not for the completely unfair advantage that a kilt presents!) A small timing hiccup meant that our usual CO table was occupied. We chose to delay, meaning we were not seated until after 8 and we closed the place down--but the rack of lamb was superb and our picky companion's special request for chicken was both accommodated and delicious. I have told my companions, "ask for it and it will probably happen," and this crew has not failed to cash the cheque I have so cavalierly written. It was formal night, so I dropped my usual flutter at the roulette table which was most assuredly not my friend tonight. I am going to assume that it is saving itself for my birthday night to pay out. The crowds were thick on music walk suggesting that I'm not the only passenger having a splendid cruise.