Cruising-along

Good morning all! It seems that we're going from winter/spring to summer in a hurry. In the next 6 days we'll go from drizzly low 60's to a hot, dry 90 degrees. 😲 And no rain in sight as far as the forecast goes. Thank goodness for good neighbors who water my pots when I'm gone -- all this sunshine and heat will happen while we're in Yellowstone. Many times I'll find missing items of clothing stuck in the pockets of the fitted sheets if they were in the same load. One of DH's dress shirts is missing a button, and it's sitting on my sewing center waiting for me 😉 Not a fan of sweet wines, so would pass on the Moscato. The quote is very true, and probably applies to both our DS and DD. Will pass on the meal (sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on earth who doesn't like sweet potatoes). Also will pass on the drink and expensive wine. We're packed and will leave early tomorrow morning for Yellowstone -- coming back just in time for the DGSs birthday party (one will turn 10 on the 16th, and the other 8 on June 2). So far we've been successful in never missing their birthdays. Jacqui @kazu WOW! I wouldn't have known Ivan was the same dog in both photos. What a sweetie. I hope your elbow will start feeling better soon. Nancy @ottahand7 Fernando is a jewel!! We've enjoyed him on several cruises. Vanessa @JazzyV I hope your legs start feeling better so you can enjoy your time in Germany.

There will be a sign indicating the line for 4 & 5 star Mariners, Neptune Suites, Pinnacle Suites, and (I think) Club Orange. When we boarded last week in Vancouver we had priority boarding and it went very fast (unlike the LONG line for the rest). We had 3 ships there that day and everyone was thrown together in the long line. But we were in our cabin by 12:30, it probably took only 15-20 minutes. (Not sure if they still do it) but Pinnacle Suite guests would be escorted to their cabin first.

We also saw the tram and thought about taking it. Changed our minds when we saw the price, and knowing there couldn't be that much to see. So when I got home I looked into it. Apparently that company is brand new. If you look at their website https://ottco.ca/ it says they're "coming in May", and NO prices are listed. That tells me that the whole reason they are there is for cruise ships. No wonder HAL chose the price.

Good morning all! It should be a nice day today, in the low 60's. Interesting how the same weather app shows storms today on the daily page, but on the hourly page shows no storms, not even rain. 🤷‍♀️ It will heat up and lots of sun while we're away later this week. Up to the mid 80's F. Thank goodness I have a good neighbor who (without my asking) looks after watering my pots when I'm gone. Thanks for all the Iris photos! I do love them, and they make me think of my dear Dad who always grew them. I don't have any in my yard, they always seem to attract thrips so I gave up on them. Thanks Sandi @StLouisCruisersfor the fun fact that Truman has no middle name, hence no period after the S. And congratulations to Ren and his team! I immediately thought of my DSIL when I read the quote. She's always talking about what she "should" or "wants to do" but it never, ever happens. I'll pass on the drink and meal, but would love the wine I'm sure since it's a Marlborough. I'm cleaning out the fridge, it will be meatloaf tonight. Have a great day everyone!

Thanks Lenda -- my favorite too -- we try to go every year.

Good morning all! Interesting collection of days, will pass on the drink, red wine and meal though. I would like the meal, but the sodium and carb count is just too high. Funny quote! Have never been to this port. We have 3 days to regroup and then leave for Yellowstone. So laundry, yardwork and (re)packing is on the to-do list. Right now the weather forecast shows snow every day we'll be there, but we'll pack accordingly and still love it. Vanessa @JazzyVI'm so sorry you're having a lot of pain from your fall. Hoping it passes soon and you can enjoy your time in Germany. Thinking of Annie @marshhawktoday as they board in Vancouver. It was a total mess on Monday, and today is a big marathon in the city --- I hope it won't delay their boarding too much.

That's odd....5-star and Neptune Suite and our boarding time was noon. Just shows there's no rhyme or reason. But yes, there WAS a priority boarding line and a woman at the entrance guiding people. We were in our cabin by 12:30. Contrary to the OP and his friend, we had a great time. The OP says everyone was unhappy, nobody got off in the ports, etc. etc. And yet he said the line to re-board took forever....and yet nobody got off?? I saw the opposite. These blanket statements just aren't true. Was it our best cruise? No, but a lot of that was because of the rude and pushy make-up of the passengers. The crew was outstanding. There are so many choices for dining on the Koningsdam, I really don't know why anyone would stand in line for 90 minutes just to eat in the MDR. It isn't the only dining choice. But I would see people lined up at 5 and the line would stretch past Orange Club. Why weren't they checking out other dining choices? At later times when we passed by there was no line at all.

Just disembarked the Koningsdam this morning. It was a very short cruise, so we only got to the Tamarind and Pinnacle (on this cruise). But both were excellent in food and service IMO. The lamb chops in the Pinnacle were great!

Thank you Lenda! We were home by noon. I've checked on my seedlings (I was worried they wouldn't get enough rain) but everything looks good. We picked the right cruise to get a Neptune Suite (only our 2nd one in 19 years and got it on a good deal). This cruise was packed full. Being able to have breakfast and 3 out of 5 dinners in the Orange Club, plus room service breakfast this morning before disembarking, was wonderful. There was a 20-minute wait at the border -- otherwise we could have been home sooner. We had a great time!

Interesting Lenda and I would have canceled the remaining reservations too. We had problems with the Koningsdam Pinnacle billing back in 2017! The ship was only a few months old. But when we sailed the K in 2019 we had no problems.

Greetings from the Koningsdam on our last full day of the cruise. Hard to believe we’ll be back home tomorrow. We’ll have a few days at home and then off to Yellowstone. I shouldn’t have said the other day that we haven’t even had any billing problems, I must have jinxed myself. Thanks to the Concierge it’s all been quickly taken care of though. I had pre-booked our free 5-Star Tamarind and Pinnacle dinners, paying full price. We watched that we’d get the refund in OBC. It came through early in the cruise but then a couple days later it was gone (most likely that infamous night auditor. He didn’t even refund a 50% discount much less freebie. 🙄 Other than that we’ve had a great time. I’ve given up posting on “that complaint thread” since he’s ignoring everything I say. He seems to only want to hear other complaints. We’re having a nice sea day. A talk this morning about life on the ship, lunch in the Pinnacle, and will be off to play Bingo in a minute. Then a reception for Presidents Club and 5-star, prime rib dinner and then a movie. Last night’s Orange Party was the most attended I’ve ever seen. But then this cruise is crazy full. On our way to lunch the line for MDR lunch was stretched clear past the Orange Club. I told DH there’s nothing I would wait that long for!

That sounds like their M. O. with us. I don’t know how many times we sent them the information they requested. And a different person every day with different information. We felt like we were taking 1 step forward, 3 steps backward each time. I know they didn’t want to reimburse a $40,000 claim. We had used them for a few years but this was our first claim. We finally were made “whole” but the experience was so bad we won’t risk that again.

Yes we did, as I said in post #47. We boarded and were in our cabin by 12:30.

Roy we walked right off the ship, crossed the street to the gardens and then on into town. It was all very close and IMO looked just fine. I know what thread you’re talking about, I even posted our experiences on that thread. I think this person had a bad boarding experience and since then is finding fault with HAL for everything. This cruise is full and also has lots of large family groups just like many other Pacific Coastals. With Club Orange we haven’t had the problems we would have without it. We haven’t tried to see any shows on the main stage either (no interest) but we haven’t had any problems getting a seat at BB King as long as we go early and sit up on deck 3. I think between having CO and “knowing the ropes” we have no complaints. Not even any billing problems this time. 😄

We will never use them again. Worst experience ever. We had a sizeable claim and they tried their hardest to make us give up. Different information every day. We persevered, finally got our $$ and never will use them again.

Good afternoon from the Koningsdam! We continue to have a wonderful time on this short but sweet cruise. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about dining in Club Orange but on this cruise I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t have it. The ship is full. The lines for the dining room, Lido and Dive In are long. At least the specialty restaurants have been easy to get into. Yesterday in Ketchikan we did the Saxman Native Village Dance, Totems and Logger show. Great afternoon and best weather we’ve had in Ketchikan. Today is Prince Rupert, BC. A new port for us. Another good weather day! We walked to the Sunken Gardens and around town. It’s early in the season here so many things aren’t blooming yet, but it will be gorgeous in a few weeks. A few photos from yesterday and today. Sorry I can’t make the sign right side up. 🙃

Also on this full sold out cruise. It took over an hour just to drive through Vancouver but Sunday the 7th will be even worse because of a marathon that day. After we were able to finally park our car, boarding was quick for us because we’re 5-Star and in a Neptune. A lady looked at our boarding passes and immediately directed us to the priority line (btw our boarding time was noon, “priority” but it looked like thousands were there earlier. We were in our cabin by 12:30. Besides the lines for boarding, the line for breakfast and dinner for the MDR is ridiculously long. We have Orange Club — never a wait and we’re so thankful we have it this time. For us this cruise has been great, absolutely no problems. But as for Vancouver, it was the 3rd time we’ve sailed out there and every time was a nightmare. We eat breakfast in OC and dinners either in OC or a specialty restaurant. Lunch every day has been salad bar, shortest line in the buffet but what we prefer anyway. There are large family groups on this cruise, even a large wedding party or two. Adds to the problems.

Thank you Sandi! I want to add that last night I slept better than I have in weeks. I need a bed that gently rocks!

Good afternoon from the lovely Koningsdam! We’re having a lazy sea day, just a port talk this morning and wine tasting this afternoon. Tonight is our only Dressy night for this cruise. Everything is going very well! Dinner in the Tamarind last night was excellent. Tomorrow we’ll be in Ketchikan. Leaving you with a view that I’ll never find boring. We’ve had a lot of fog this morning but the sun is out now and I’m enjoying the balcony (with my jacket)!

Greetings from the Koningsdam! Canada Place was a zoo today, but we’re finally happily settled into our cabin. The ship looks great and the crew are wonderful. We’ve met our cabin stewards Yoga and Irfan and Concierge Griselda, had our traditional big salad and rolls in the Lido for lunch, and signed in for muster. Next up is a reception for 3, 4 and 5-Star mariners and dinner in Tamarind. Life is good!

Good morning everyone! We had an excellent dinner last night with good friends and then retired early at our Bellingham hotel. On our way now to Vancouver, the border will be coming up soon. Hopefully the next time you hear from me will be from the lovely Koningsdam!

Good morning all! I'm running late, another night of lying awake. This time it was 1 1/2 hours, not 3 hrs. like last time, but still made it a later than usual start to my day. And after looking at the weather forecast, I'm still changing what clothes I'm bringing....sigh. You'd think a little 5-day cruise would be easier, but since we're both just bringing a carry-on, it's a little harder. Even though it's just a 5-day, we'll have a dressy night and an Orange Party too. Vanessa @JazzyVI'm SO sorry about your fall! Rest up and heal. So glad it was "only" bruises, but that can be very painful. I'll try to check in, hopefully send some photos. All will depend on the internet. Have a great day everyone!

Good morning all! This is our last full day at home before our short cruise out of Vancouver. Tomorrow we'll go to Bellingham, have dinner with BFF and her DH and spend the night there. With the Tulip Festival traffic this last weekend, we want to be well north of it so we don't miss our cruise on Monday! Plus it's an early sailing, 3:00. It's a 3-hour drive in good traffic, but with the tulip festival it would take much longer. Interesting collection of days. I immediately thought of my dear Dad for Astronomy Day. Then I thought of Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser's DH and how much my Dad would love to look through his telescope. Dad had one back in the early 60's (and you know how much they've improved since then!) We spent many nights looking through it. The drink sounds ok, but will pass on the meal and red wine. We've been to Istanbul twice, it's one of my favorite ports. But like the last couple times, I won't post photos because it was pre-digital and they would be too much like Sandi @StLouisCruisersand Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser's photos already posted. Yesterday DH took care of two wasp and yellow jacket nests on the house. So glad to have that taken care of. I'm allergic to all bee stings (not good for a gardener!) and especially wasp stings. Today is also Junior Ranger Day. Here are photos of the DGSs getting their patches in Yellowstone. A few years ago, getting his first patch. Both of them last year getting their Bison patches. I hope everyone has a great day!

And I like to do a mixture. Not all Lido and not all MDR. If we have a late excursion or if nothing on the MDR menu sounds appealing we go to the Lido. If I feel like being pampered and the menu is appealing we go to the MDR. As mentioned already, you’ll find more choices in the Lido.

Good morning all! Sandi @StLouisCruisersYou and I can move in slow motion together today. Another bad night, I was awake from 12:30 until after 3:30 am. Then up earlier than I would have liked. And coffee isn't helping. I'll pass on the drink, meal and wine today, have not been to this port. Thanks for all photos posted! It will warm up to the high 70's F tomorrow and mid 70's today. Glad to see we'll get some showers for the flowers when we're gone next week! Cheers for all celebrating and prayers for all on the care list.