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North to Alaska ... on the Radiance -- A cruise journal


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Alaska … elusive Alaska. The last piece of a quest to visit all 50 states … and the toughest one. It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried. I had 10 years worth of printouts of vacation plans in a bulging folder, which included printouts of 2 cancelled cruises sandwiched between glossy brochures. So when I found myself walking down the jetway to a waiting United plane that morning in Cleveland I felt pretty pleased that it was finally all coming together. My only concern was whether the carry-ons would fit in the closest overhead of this commuter plane.

 

Although my ticket said I was in 28F, DD claimed the right of having the window seat. We arrived at the row in question and found that it was a bulkhead row … there was really no window. That was the first joke United would play on us. I stored the carry-ons successfully and settled into my seat as DD took the first of a long series of snap-chats to let her closest friends know that she had a wall instead of a window. They boarded everybody else and then came joke number two. “Hello folks, this is your captain speaking. We can’t push back from the gate because United’s web site is down and that means they can’t track the planes.” Heavy sigh. Of course. I should have known there would be another issue. I hadn’t expected it quite so early in the trip, but maybe this means I can get the issues out of the way right off the bat. Besides, I had actually allowed two days in our departure city this time so United had over 48 hours to get us to Vancouver.

 

We were armed with puzzle books, embroidery and games on our phones. This is the Relax Zone and normal day-to-day existence is usually too busy to have enough time to enter the Relax Zone. So DD happily shared her predicament with her social network and I used my phone to play an off-line computer game. That’s the difference between Boomers and Generation Y. I love to be disconnected, because people bearing problems can’t track me down. DD however, has a limited tolerance for lack of connectivity and starts to get irritable. She can handle it on the ship … because it’s the ship! And the ship is our favorite place to be. And somewhere in the waters off Alaska, the Radiance of the Seas was making her way south to pick us up.

 

I don’t think we were delayed more than 30 minutes before I heard the cabin door being shut. The announcement followed shortly that we were to put phones on airplane mode because we had clearance. Our pilot must have had a hot date in Chicago because we beat the other United planes to the runway and were number one for take-off.

 

It was a smooth, uneventful flight until they came to the descent part. We were advised it was going to be rather turbulent due to weather conditions until we got below the cloud cover. And it lived up to the predictions. Being in vacation mode, I’m afraid we got rather silly. After all, we’d had our planned day at Cedar Point cancelled just weeks earlier due to nasty weather, so we decided this was our roller coaster fix. We threw up our arms left, then right and called out “Whee” as the drops and dips tossed us about. DD commented that cameras should drop from the ceiling at this point and take “turbulence photos” which you could view upon departure to determine if they were funny enough to buy. I glanced forward to where the flight attendant was seated with her back to the cockpit and she looked positively forbidding. Clearly she was not amused. Isn’t she supposed to be projecting a happy demeanor … you know, the “Friendly Skies of United”? But all fun comes to an end. We dropped below the cloud cover and the flight leveled out with a view of the Lake Michigan shoreline out the window behind us.

 

We touched down in Chicago with a hard bump, like the pilot was eager to get this flight over with. We were well in advance of the scheduled departure of our connection. I held no illusions about that being an on-time departure since it was likely that our next plane was still somewhere else. And since we had allowed so much additional time in the schedule, I was remarkably unstressed about the delay. Naturally, we taxied forever trying to find the gate … such is the fate of airplanes in O’Hare. Frankly, I don’t think the runways are in the same county as the terminal. When we finally connected to a jetway, we extracted our stuff and set off to locate the next gate.

 

The normally congested concourse was bulging with people waiting for the delayed connecting flights. Finding a seat was challenging, finding a charging station was even more problematic. I quickly discovered that insuring an adequate electrical supply to DD was paramount to global peace. If only one phone could get plugged in, it had better be hers. Scoring a connection at a counter with an unyielding metal stool, she plugged in and we piled up our carry-ons around her. This was, of course, another snap-chat moment and as she lined up her shot I stepped in to photo-bomb the moment. (See how cool I am. I know about photo-bombs and snap-chat!) Then I left her to her social network and headed back down the concourse to find some food. This was Chicago … and I’d been fantasizing about deep-dish pizza ever since I booked the flight with that nice long layover. Sure enough, I found it and bought one to share with DD. It wasn’t quite as amazing as the one I’d had several years ago on a trip to Chicago, but it was still pretty good.

 

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My daughter back in Cleveland texted me to ask if I was on United and did I get caught in the day’s delays. I responded we’d gotten as far as Chicago, but our next flight was being repeatedly set back. She got in touch with a friend who works there and had her track our in-coming plane. She reported it was coming from Minnesota and we then had periodic reports when it left the ground, when it landed and when it reached our gate. During that time, more charging stations became available as the connecting flights began to suck people out of the waiting area. By the time we boarded our flight, both phones were fully charged. DD got a real window this time and I got an interesting seat mate in the aisle seat. It was an author who was en route to Vancouver to meet with some people who were interested in his books. We talked for nearly half the flight. About halfway, I decided to stretch my legs a bit and went to the back of the plane. I struck up a conversation with another woman who can’t sit for long periods of time and found that she was also bound for an Alaska cruise. She was due to sail on the Coral Princess, but she had not planned on coming in a day early. Her ship was likely to sail before she could clear customs. She had insurance through the cruiseline and said they would have to get her to Ketchikan, but she really wanted to make the ship on time. I told her I hoped she made it, as I suspected they were likely to hold the ship. We couldn’t be the only delayed flight that day. She said she’d never fly in same day again. Today was a classic example of why it’s just too risky.

 

When I returned to my seat we were being treated to views of mountains poking their heads above the clouds. Of course, you have to look out the window to get this treat and the person sitting in the window seat was playing video games.

 

We touched down about 4:00, so the delays of the day hadn’t set us back too badly. I was pretty confident we would have plenty of time to get checked into the hotel and have a meal before our scheduled walking tour at 7:00. We gathered up our things and filed out of the plane following the crowd. It was a relatively long walk, but nothing had prepared me for what a treat was in store for us. The Vancouver airport is artistically stunning. It was mystifying to me that so few people paused along the way to marvel at what a cool experience it was. It was a classic example of a failure to realize that the journey – not the destination – is the objective. We took a number of pictures before we made it to customs. Of course, I’d forgotten the customs form on the plane, so I had to stop to fill out another one. There were no lines, although they were clearly set up to handle extremely long lines if the need should present itself.

 

Once through customs we moved on to baggage claim and our bags were among the first to show up. I noticed the Princess reps were in attendance at baggage claim and they didn’t seem especially stressed. I hope that means that the ship was waiting for the group on our flight. We moved on through final processing and on out to the taxies. Our driver was a personable fellow from Fiji, who despite a heavy native accent had developed the Canadian habit of ending his narratives with “Eh?” As the taxi headed into town I finally allowed myself to wallow in the supreme confidence that the trip was well underway now and I was finally going to make it to Alaska. I studied the passing scenery and absorbed the fact that this was the first time I’d ever been in this particular Canadian province. We passed a residential conclave virtually hidden behind towering narrow shrubs where they advertised that the houses were for sale for under two million. Seriously? Who has that kind of money?

 

Our driver relied on his GPS to find the hotel, but he was apparently accustomed to modern hotels with a sweeping driveway where he could let off his passengers. I’d studied the maps ahead of time and I tried to convince him that the entry we saw on Homer Street really was the main entrance for the Victorian Hotel, but he drove on past – and around the block and down a one-way street about another mile before he could turn around and then go back to try it again … all this in rush hour traffic, dodging pedestrians and people navigating the streets on bikes. The second time we drove down Homer Street, he agreed to stop at the side of the street by the main entrance, although he clearly wasn’t comfortable with the whole thing. He advised us to wait while he went inside to inquire where he should drop off his passengers. They apparently told him what I’d told him … drop us off here. He came back to advise us that they would send someone out to help with the bags, but he clearly wasn’t liking the whole situation. We handled the necessary finances, sent him on his way and counted all our bags to be sure we were in one piece.

 

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The Victorian Hotel suited us perfectly. Built in 1898 to service the Gold Rush, it has been beautifully restored. We had reserved one of the rooms in the annex that has a private bath, since I’m not picturing the concept of a shared bath as fitting into my lifestyle. Check in was a breeze and they sent the bags up to our room on the second floor. Of course we checked out the bed first and it was wonderfully comfy with great pillows (Pillow rating A+). The radiators were probably functional, but they certainly were not used during our stay. Although the rooms are not air conditioned, there was a fan on a stand by the window and it did a great job of keeping us comfortable. The furniture was themed from the Victorian era and the baseboards were probably 8” high. Wonderful crown molding trimmed the ceilings and the tops of doors and windows. And the doors were graced with polished brass door knobs with big brass faceplates. Although the picture frames had a Victorian feel to them, the framed prints were abstracts, which I found a bit odd. The bathroom sported a wonderfully deep tub with a seriously effective showerhead. I also loved the faucet in the vanity which directed the flow out, rather than down, making washing up so much easier. I might have to go shopping for one of those when I get home. I also give them high marks for friendly service and helpful staff. We found the big map in the lobby mid-stay which encourages visitors to add a pin for their hometown. Since no one from Cleveland had handled that duty yet, we took care of that little matter.

 

Once we’d settled in, we headed back out to go up the street to White Spot for dinner. Our walking tour was set to begin at Cathedral Square right next to it and we had just enough time for a reasonably paced meal before the tour. I had gotten a recommendation on Cruisecritic for White Spot and it was a good call. We had great service and a tasty meal at a reasonable price within a tight window of time.

 

We had booked the Forbidden City Walking Tour which sounded like a fun way to stretch our legs after a long day of travel and get to see a bit of the city with a local. It lived up to its expectations. Participants were cast as investigative reporters from international newspapers and we were urged to introduce ourselves to the rest of the media corps we were traveling with. Most of us adopted our hometown rag as our employers, so I was from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but we had some more inventive folks like the lady from the Daily Planet. Armed with provided notepads and pencils, we headed around the corner and our first stop was none other than the Victorian Hotel. We then progressed through the streets of Gastown with our guide weaving tales of Vancouver’s role in the Gold Rush, the local captains of industry who molded the laws to suit their objectives (and their coffers), the forces that led to Prohibition, and the inventive ways various groups skirted those laws. The stories were laced with plenty of narratives involving the seamier side of life in the early 1900s and some of the most notorious characters in Vancouver’s history got star billing. Various hints were dropped that would then be tested when questions were posed that we reporters were to record our answers. At the end of the tour we were given the answers and I believe it was the woman from the Daily Planet who had the best score. My overall assessment was that it was a very unique way to truly understand the forces that induced the masses to wholeheartedly embrace the concept of Prohibition and then just as enthusiastically, vote it out of existence in a few scant years.

 

Of course the tour included the Steam Clock and DD was completely charmed by it. I hadn’t given her any advance information so it was a truly unique discovery for her.

 

I believe many of those on the tour decided to continue the evening at the bar where we concluded the evening, but it had been a long day for us. We bid our good-byes and headed back to the hotel to stretch out and unwind.

Edited by emeraldcity
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As advertised, the continental breakfast at the Victorian Hotel is graced by wonderful fat croissants. Add a bit of strawberry jelly and I had my breakfast pastry fix. The front desk provided us with a good city map that would help us find our way to Canada Place where we could catch the free shuttle to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It was a pleasant morning with marvelous weather. We were told that generally you could see the mountains but there was still some lingering haze from the nearby forest fires.

 

We had to ask a few people for additional directions to find the shuttle, but everyone we spoke with was terribly helpful. Actually, I’m a girl so I don’t have a problem asking for directions. For reasons I cannot fathom, DD hates it. After I get our directions and we continue on our way, I can count on a tongue-lashing for not being satisfied with blundering aimlessly around a completely unknown location. I’m really very good at ignoring her and before this trip is over I will have the supreme joy of seeing her grudgingly admit that we need to ask for directions.

 

We located the bus stop and we soon found ourselves boarding the right bus. As advised on Cruisecritic, we planned on being at the park shortly after opening to beat the crowds. The bus headed out of the city and over the Lion’s Gate Bridge, and I pointed out to DD that this would be the bridge we would be sailing under the next afternoon. When we reached the park there was no line to buy tickets, it was just our busload of approximately 20 people. I got my AAA-Senior discount and DD produced her college ID for her student discount. I have to ask at this point why it is that no one has ever challenged me when I ask about a senior discount? Don’t they understand how refreshing it would be to hear, “Lady, you can’t possibly be that old. I’m going to have to see some form of ID.”

 

Once in the park, you enter a shaded world of Douglass Firs and Western Hemlocks. There are some great photo spots before you reach the bridge and the various family groups took turns taking pictures for each other. Most of the group then proceeded directly to the bridge but we stopped to assess the options. We found that we could head to the right and experience the Cliff Walk first, since that seemed to be the road less traveled. It was a good call. We had the attraction almost exclusively to ourselves. I had anticipated that the Cliff Walk would consist solely of the circular walkway jutting out from the vertical cliff which is pictured on the website. As it turned out, that was merely the signature feature early in the walk. Once we had traversed that, the walkway continued, with steps that alternately led up or down to a series of walkways that clung to the cliff. Periodically, there were platforms that jutted out so that you could get some picture angles of the forest and the deep ravine below. One such platform had a glass floor, which was rather unsettling to stand on. Eventually, the walkway led up to the top of the cliff and then wound back to a point near the starting position. We marveled at trees stubbornly anchored into the cliff walls and reaching several hundred feet into the sky. Softening the harsh rock surface were ferns which were anchored into crevices in the walls. That upper trail was a restful haven of bubbling water and towering forest. Interspersed along the entire walkway were occasional displays to help you understand the forces that created this ravine and its forest.

 

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Next up was the famed suspension bridge. DD announced that she was going to traverse the bridge hand-free. This is, of course a challenge to do the same and I wasn’t about to pass up the challenge. Of course we weren’t halfway across before someone commented that everyone seemed to walk like a drunk. Did I mention that the people count had dramatically increased? I wondered if there was less bounce to the bridge if fewer people were on it. Actually, I had anticipated that the bridge would sway, but it doesn’t. It bounces and twists, making the very center the most stable surface to walk on. We both made it across without touching the sides, so we were ridiculously pleased with ourselves.

 

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Then it was on to the Tree Walk, where DD quickly discovered that there was a Kid’s Scavenger Hunt. “I’m a kid!” she announced with glee. I wanted to point out that she gets annoyed when people make the assumption she’s still in high school, but I decided it would not be well-received. She collected her notepad and we set off on our tree walk adventure. As it turned out, the Kid’s Scavenger Hunt is an outstanding concept, because it encourages the participants to hunt down various points of interest and record particular facts about what you are experiencing. There are conflicting statistics about the percentage of information you absorb based on whether you only hear it vs whether you write it down. But it is clear that you remember far more if you go to the bother of hanging onto a fact long enough to transfer the data to paper. Although 70% of the forest is Western Hemlock, it was the impressive Douglass Fir trees that held up the Tree Walk. These massive trees are anywhere from 200-700 years old and one sign boasted that there are 65 million needles on a mature Douglass Fir. Seriously, who counts this stuff? Is the Canadian government just as nuts as ours in granting research money to provide such fascinating trivia? In any event, we shared the Tree Walk with a dozens and dozens of people from all over the world. We heard plenty of different languages and we hung back from time to time to avoid becoming part of someone else’s family photo shoot. Much of the scenery is trees … up/down, right/left … trees -- which we found made the experience a bit less dramatic than the Cliff Walk. We hadn’t expected the dramatic views of the Cliff Walk, but we’d seen plenty of pictures of the Tree Walk, so we had probably over-planned for the moment. I still feel that the Tree Walk was a cool experience, but the Cliff Walk remains our favorite memory of the day. Possibly the solitude we found there weighs heavily in the decision.

 

Coming back across the bridge was akin to merging onto a freeway in rush hour. It wasn’t quite noon, but there were two solid lines of people – one line for each direction. Every time someone wanted to take a picture, the whole line stopped and waited for them to capture the moment. Once we finally reached the other side, we stepped into the gift shop to begin our quest for collector pins. Our signature souvenir of the trip was going to be our cabin door banner and when we got home we wanted to stick pins on it for each of the places we’d been. We scored our first pin in this shop and I decided I needed a pair of earrings as well, because you can never have too much jewelry.

 

We considered having lunch at Capilano but DD rebelled at the prices. I wasn’t sure we’d do any better later, but I appreciated her concern for my wallet. There was a short wait for the bus and then we were headed back to Vancouver. We chose to get off at the first stop, which was Stanley Park. The plan for the afternoon was to visit the Aquarium and we were relatively certain there should be someplace in that general vicinity where we could get lunch.

 

We walked under the bridge and into the park, following the main path. You quickly discovered that there was a low tolerance for out-of-towners who weren’t aware that the pathways were divided between biker territory and pedestrian traffic. Suitably chastised, I made the mental adjustment that all Vancouverites weren’t quite as friendly as the ones I’d encountered up to this point.

 

By this time of day, it was getting rather warm and I wasn’t terribly keen on sticking to the sunny pathway that skirted the water. Additionally, we were both getting awfully hungry, so we consulted a park map to try and figure out where we could get something to eat. I really was picturing a nice air conditioned sit-down dining experience. The first place we came upon was selling ice cream and Japadog. Admittedly, I was hungry, but I certainly wasn’t that hungry. There had to be something a bit more appealing. We headed into the park toward the aquarium since the map indicated a restaurant. There seemed to be some sort of event going on with people displaying arts and crafts. We were waylaid briefly by a fellow who wanted to show us a magic trick … I’m not a big fan of magic shows, but I didn’t want to be rude. Dude, I just want a sit-down meal in air conditioning … but I caved in, pretended to be interested and went on my way as quickly as I could.

 

We found the sit-down restaurant all right, but air conditioning was not on the menu at the Stanley Bar and Grill. We settled for a table in the shade on the patio and savored the occasional breeze. The venue came with a pesky bee that I could have done without and I’m not sure who thought that “blue cheese” ranch dressing was a good idea, but they put the dressing on the side, so I ate the salad (sans dressing) and it was fine. DD got the chicken sandwich and she said it was fabulous.

 

We left the restaurant and headed for the aquarium. I am admittedly an aquarium groupie and have dragged DD into quite a few of them across the country. Although I wasn’t expecting this one to end up topping my list of all time favorites, I knew there would be incredible discoveries to be made … there always are. The sea is such a vast world and every aquarium strives in different ways to help us appreciate the wonders found under the surface. As we approached the aquarium, we were struck by the amazing waterfall wall outside. It was an absolute visual delight. You didn’t realize water was cascading down until it reached the bricks that were bumped out a different levels along its length. At that point, the water bubbled and frothed like a tumbling stream. Kudos to the designer.

 

Once again, we scored discounts for senior and college student and headed inside. As we wandered among the tanks we had to step around numerous young people who had settled in front of a particular tank with a sketch pad. Each of them seemed to be working on drawing something different. I finally asked one young man what the objective was. He said they were from a local animated design school and their assignment was to capture the motion of these fluid creatures. He had chosen a rather charismatic small sting ray and we joined him for awhile in his study of the ray. He backed up aways and swam along one glass wall feeling along (for a weak spot, we decided) and then slammed into the perpendicular glass wall in front of us, rumpling up his front lip. The poor guy never learned from his mistakes because as we watched, he repeated the maneuver at least a dozen times. (I know people like that.) We moved on to find plenty of displays of jelly fish. I had never seen umbrella jellyfish before and they were mesmerizing. They looked like dandelion seeds floating in a gently swirling wind. Then I discovered gooseberry jellies, with their grape-size plump bodies, trailing filament tentacles of impressive length.

 

Outside there were larger marine animals to see. The sea otter was quite the treat … swimming up to the glass and flipping on his back, seemingly holding his front paws together. DD tried to get the perfect shot of the otter, but was foiled when some badly behaved youngster shoved his way in between the glass at a time when they were the only two people along an 8-10 foot section of viewing glass. The otter promptly lost interest in hanging out in that section of the tank. I will probably hear about that brat for the next 20 years.

 

I was not able to take in the beluga whale show due to the size of the crowd, but was able to take some photos later. It was a treat to finally see a beluga, since that exhibit had been closed when I visited the Shedds Aquarium in Chicago. There was another whale in a nearby tank and I listened as a park employee was giving the details of this rescued whale to a visitor. It was a baby without a mother who had been deemed unreleasable and they were caring for it.

 

After the aquarium, the plan was to return to the spot where the Capilano bus had dropped us off and catch a ride back to Canada Place. It was a good plan … and we executed the first part of it flawlessly. Fifteen minutes later the bus hove into view, stopped a good hundred yards from the bus stop, offloaded some people and sped away. Apparently there was a flaw with the second part of the plan. We conferred and decided there had to be a nearby hotel where we could catch a cab, so we set off in the direction of the downtown, after stopping at a gas station for some drinks. Although a bit warm, it was a lovely day for a walk, which is a good thing. We eventually decided that the hotel option wasn’t happening and we were getting close enough to Gastown that we might as well just walk back to our hotel. When we finally reached it, we headed directly to our room and collapsed. Our adventures for the day were over. Neither of us felt like doing anything other than spending a quiet evening pampering ourselves by doing nothing and loving every minute of it. We played video games, lounged on the bed, tested out that deep tub, and I caught up on my journal notes. At dinner time, we walked back over to White Spot and then returned right after to get back to our serious indulgences. We chatted about all the wonderful things we’d done so far on the trip and shared how excited we were about getting on the ship the next day.

Edited by emeraldcity
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Despite some street noise during the night, I had slept relatively well, due to the white noise from the fan. Sleeping the night before boarding day is always a challenge. I’m too excited to properly settle down. We had our breakfast again at the hotel and then returned to the room to start prepping to depart. I left DD to do her ironing and headed out to get some photos that I hadn’t taken Wednesday evening. I hadn’t been satisfied with the lighting on Wednesday, and I didn’t want to slow down the tour group so I had opted to take the pictures later. This gave me a productive way to kill some time until we could reasonably show up at the port. It offered an additional bonus in that there were fewer people in the shots I was lining up. But the biggest bonus of all came as I walked down the street toward the gas clock … There was the Radiance. Every cruise starts with the “There she is!” moment, because up until that time, there’s always the chance that some delay kept her from arriving at the port. I paused to fulfill the original objective of getting a number of clock shots and then I set off on my new objective of finding a reasonable vantage point for some ship photos. The spot I selected came complete with an unfortunately high fence. I overcame the issue by perching on an adjacent railing. Mission accomplished. I headed back to the hotel to see how DD was faring.

 

She seemed less than impressed with my exciting slide show, since she was focused on her preparations. I had carefully packed the garment bags for her freshly ironed yukata, but I hadn’t thought to bring a hanger. Sigh! The deficiency was easily corrected. I asked for one at the desk and they readily supplied me with one. I had anticipated that we would get a taxi, rather than attempting to schlep all our luggage to Canada Place, but DD didn’t see the need. We’d already walked there once and it was largely downhill, so I didn’t have a problem with the concept. Frankly, I had figured on using a taxi to avoid her expected protests, but she has apparently developed a more can-do attitude by living on her own for the last few years.

 

As expected, it was a relatively easy walk and after a few more shots of the ship we followed the sign that led us down the ramp. There was that wonderful “To the Ship” sign … and I had to get a picture of that too. We kept coming to a guide who was positioned at some point where there might be some confusion which was to head … I lost track of how many there were … constantly indicating where we were to go. At some point, we shed the two biggest pieces of luggage, tipped the baggage handlers, and continued on. When we got to check-in, we were sent to the priority line, although the regular line didn’t have more than 2 people in it. Check-in was quick and DD was ridiculously pleased to get her first adult boarding card. I barely remember customs. Frankly, after the posts I read, I was expecting to hit long lines somewhere, or be sent to a seating area to while away a chunk of time. It never happened. We just kept being directed to the next spot and suddenly, it was time for the boarding photo. We pulled out our door banner and posed with it in front of us. The photographer got quite a kick out of that. And after the security stop and that wonderful boarding card ding we were headed up the gangway. DD had a photo op planned and she paused at the top of the gangway so that she could get her camera out. We both put one foot on the ship and she got the shot. There! We both stepped on board at the same time. Not sure if that was snap-chatted to her social network, but it was a very cool moment. It was less than an hour from the time we left the hotel … and we were on board. Let the party begin!

 

We wandered the ship taking in all the usual sights and acclimating ourselves to where the various venues were in relation to our cabin. We walked through the dining room to find our table and were thrilled to find that after all these years, we’d finally scored a table by the window. We passed through the Solarium and checked our Park Café, but decided we really wanted the larger variety of the Windjammer. Since we arrived before noon, there wasn’t too much of a crowd yet and we had no problem finding a table. We stuffed our gear in a little alcove and took turns going for food. I started off with a wonderfully fresh salad and then followed that up with mashed potatoes, a rich brown gravy and Steak Ale Pie. How is it that I’ve never had this before? It was wonderful. But best of all, we were starting another cruise and we both kept commenting about how excited we were to be finally on the ship.

 

When you raise a child, you spend their early years imparting all kinds of knowledge in order to prepare them for the world. When they get older, they start returning the favor. Among the important things my daughter taught me is that the body has a dessert stomach. So even when you decide you’re too full to eat any more of your main meal, you have an entirely different holding area in there somewhere that’s ready to store dessert. This is a very useful concept to hang onto when you’ve just boarded a cruise ship. I think we each indulged in 3 desserts before we were ready to call it quits. Since the Windjammer was filling up, we gathered up our things and headed for the Solarium. Our abandoned table was quickly claimed by other passengers.

 

The Solarium was a wonderfully restful place to wait out that last chunk of time until the cabins were available. DD lounged on the pool’s edge dangling her feet in the water and I dropped into a nearby deck chair to work on my embroidery. An extended family with a couple of school age boys settled into some nearby deck chairs and the boys slipped into the pool and began paddling around with their dad. It wasn’t more than ten minutes before a pool attendant showed up and approached the family. It was a shame. There was hardly anybody in the Solarium and no one else was in the pool. They certainly weren’t bothering anybody. But rules are rules, I suppose and the family left to go try out the outdoor pool.

 

Shortly before 1:00 we headed down to see if the halls were open to the cabins. We stepped off the elevator and spotted our cabin immediately. Of course, we had to check out the balcony right away and it really was bigger than the average balconies. I wasn’t going to believe the diagram of the ship layout until I saw it myself. We had chosen the last of the bumped-out forward balconies so that it was right by the elevator and it was perfect for us. Another surprise was that the beds were already made up separately so we weren’t going to have to go through that changeover. We quickly unpacked our carry-ons and entered the Relax Zone. We kept peeking out periodically to see if our luggage had arrived since there were suitcases already lining the halls. The same two suitcases forlornly stared back at me for a couple hours. I finally stepped across the hall to check the tag … 7564. OK. That’s suspicious. We were in 7546. On the off-chance that our suitcases were sitting outside of 7564 we decided to wheel those suitcases down the hall. The occupants of 7564 were part of a large group hanging out in the hall with other family members who had their luggage. It’s a bit understandable that they looked a little startled to see an old lady delivering their luggage. They assured us they didn’t have ours, thanked us for the favor and we headed back to our room. Imade, our cabin steward, showed up shortly afterward to make the usual introductions and assure that we knew the ropes and were aware of the time for muster. He was under the impression we had our luggage and we said we were still waiting for it. I suspect it was in a nearby staging area, because it was waiting for us when we got back from muster.

 

The worst crowd of the entire cruise is always at muster. Collecting and squeezing the entire complement of passengers onto the promenade deck tends to be an exercise in tolerance. And the worst part is when the dismissal comes and you have to make your way to the door so you can get on with the party. But the gods that had smiled on us since we got to the ship (speedy check-in, uncrowded Windjammer, peaceful solarium, window table in the dining room, etc) were still on our side. We not only had the first muster station by the door, we were positioned by the wall right next to it. Once we got the all clear, we were among the first passengers inside and bolting up the stairs. We quickly unpacked and happily extracted the magnetic hooks so that we could hang our door banner. Frankly, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to hang it now. It had seemed like such a good idea when we’d first planned our cabin decorations, but I’d gotten worried about Cruisecritic posts regarding stolen door decorations. I’d put a lot of time in this one and I was pretty proud of it. The concept was that we’d collect lapel pins in as many stops as possible and at the end of the trip we’d stick them into the banner as a remembrance of the trip. DD refused to let me spoil her fun … she really wanted that banner on the door. So we hung it, admired it and then got Imade to take our picture with it. I figured if it disappeared in the middle of the night, at least I’d have a picture to remember it with. For his part, Imade was pretty impressed with our banner … I just smiled and told him “wait till you see the inside of the cabin …”

 

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Unpacking was completed in record time. We found that after so many cruises, we knew instinctively where everything needed to be placed and we did a pretty marvelous job of it without having to confer at all during the process … as evidenced by the fact that during the cruise we never spent a big chunk of time trying to figure out where any particular item had been stored.

 

Now it was time to enjoy the cruise, so we headed to the Pool Deck for sail-away. The dancing was already underway and DD scurried over to join them. As promised, the dancing was being led by Darryl, the activities director who we sailed with on our last cruise together and he ranks at the top of our list … this was going to be a great cruise.

 

It never gets old. The moment when the ship first leaves the dock of our departure city … with the sun shining and the music pumping, people dancing or just lining the rails and watching the dock slide past us. The days ahead are going to be filled with pampering and partying, relaxing and adventuring, discoveries of things new and the chance to re-experience treasured moments from past cruises.

 

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It was way too warm on the pool deck to join the energetic dancers … at least I thought so. DD was not about to be denied. I just watched the fun and handled the photography. It was pretty cool to get a series of shots as we slid under the Lion’s Gate Bridge. I wondered how rush hour drivers can keep their concentration when they’re just heading home and a cruise ship sails past on the way out to sea with a full complement of lucky passengers ready for adventure. If it was me, I’d probably drive off the edge of the road.

 

When the dancing ended and Darryl slipped happily into the shade near the DJ, I went over with DD to re-introduce ourselves and tell him how happy we were to be sailing with him again. He’d been on the Grandeur when we took a Christmastime cruise a year and a half earlier. I’m sure he didn’t remember us, but he certainly remembered the Christmas fun on the Grandeur. He told us he’d hug us later when he wasn’t so sweaty.

 

We had just enough time to slide through the Schooner Bar and get a Drink of the Day before dinner. The preference would have been to have one in our hand for sail-away, but the timing was too tight. Before our cruise, someone on the first Alaska cruise of the season had posted the Cruise Compasses … and in reviewing them I was disappointed that they hadn’t themed the drinks for Alaska. Apparently enough time had passed to overcome that problem. Today was the Maple Leaf, and we were suitably impressed (Strawberry, pineapple and orange juices with rum).

 

Drinks in hand, we headed for the dining room and our table for 10. Joining us were two different couples (Liz and Bill, Monica and Craig) and a family of 4 with two teen children (Diane and Dave, Cameron and Meghan). It was a nicely congenial group. Our waiter was Jonathon and I learned quickly to give his recommendations serious consideration. Tonight he advised the seafood spaghetti and it was a good call. I almost opted for something I’d had before, but I decided to walk on the wild side. Of course, I was pretty full after dinner by the time the dessert menu was slipped into my hand. However, DD insists that the dessert stomach is a real thing … and I have to agree. I don’t remember what I had for dessert, I only remember that I made sure I had at least one dessert every meal.

 

Although we normally go to most of the shows, we decided after dinner that hot tubbing had a much greater appeal so we did a quick change and headed for the Solarium. We had managed to find one of the best times for this indulgence. Apparently, nearly everyone else on board had headed for dinner, the comedy show or the casino. We shared the Solarium that evening with about 5 other people. It was wonderfully relaxing. We made the acquaintance of the 2 couples my age who were similarly unwinding in the pool. Of course, we’d be running into the hot tub group throughout the cruise … such is the happy fate of those who cruise on the “smaller ships”.

 

The main focus for the evening was to be dancing in the disco. Both DD and I were looking forward to it. We showered and got ready early enough that it was a bit too early for the DJ to be starting that party. I scanned the Cruise Compass to see what else might be of interest in the meantime. Mostly I was looking for the usual dance band that plays hits from the 60s through the 90s … and there it was. I commented to DD that I was pretty sure that this was the same band that was on the Serenade some years earlier. If so, I wasn’t a fan. In all fairness, I wanted to head for the Colony Club to give these guys a chance to prove me wrong. Although DD didn’t say much initially, she followed along with the apparent intent of insuring she got as much mileage out of this agenda as possible. I can’t remember what the first song was, but I turned to DD and confirmed this must be the same group, and she kicked into high gear, “I don’t like this band. I know. Let’s go listen to them and make sure I don’t like them. See! This song is awful. I’m sure now it’s the same band. I don’t like them. But wait! We should listen to the next song to be sure.” And the next song was “Riders on the Storm”. Oh dear. I didn’t care for the original, which I never thought could be considered great 70s music. I wasn’t going to be receptive to their rendition either. We got 30 seconds into the piece and I was ready to leave. To be fair, a lot of people were arriving and seemed to be sliding into a festive music-appreciation mood … and they were more than welcome to the table we abandoned.

 

Meanwhile the Schooner Bar was a swinging place filled with folks happily joining the singer in the piano bar. It was tempting to join them (assuming we could have located a seat). This guy was charismatic. But I’d promised DD the disco, so we kept going. Passing through the Centrum, I noted that Rosario Strings were playing and they were captivating. I wanted to linger, but DD was not captivated, so we kept going … up to the Starquest (I love that amazing spiral gemstone optic) where a driving beat soon had us on the dance floor. How lucky I am to have a 21-year-old daughter who willing gets on the dance floor with her gray-haired mother. I don’t have the stamina I used to and I have to be mindful of the knee that had surgery, but I still love to dance. The DJ even played a good hustle, which really made the experience complete. When we came off the dance floor, we found that our hot tub friends had a table by the window, so we joined them to continue our conversations. We made several trips back to the dance floor whenever a favorite piece of music would play. The DJ kept mixing and matching music from different eras and it was fun to see how the dance floor population would rotate out, depending on the matching era. But when he played the cupid shuffle, everybody joined in.

 

For the record … it wasn’t me that announced she was ready to call it a day at midnight, but I didn’t argue the point either.

Edited by emeraldcity
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Really enjoying your review! Can't wait to do Capilano Suspension Bridge. We sail next Friday!

 

Have a wonderful cruise! This trip was like no other trip we have been on. Alaska should be on everybody's list of must-do's.

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I stepped out onto the balcony early that morning to find that we were moving smoothly through a glassy sea, the sound of the waves swishing by. I hugged myself with satisfaction … we were cruising again! There was a low ceiling of clouds shrouding the passing scenery of heavily wooded islands. Although there seemed to be an endless supply of them, they each had their own little features to make them worth studying and comparing. They would materialize out of the distant fog and then fade back into it after we passed. I stood there for the longest time, absolutely enchanted. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I had expected to be experiencing a grander version of the Northwest … Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho. There was simply no comparison.

 

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Except for the short getaway cruises, my preference is that every cruise should start with a full day at sea. I’ve been running a countdown since booking and now that I’m on the ship, I’m not in a big hurry to get off for a shore excursion. So this was perfect, because we were underway in a ship filled with plenty of glass to view the passing scenery and this would last all day long.

 

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I left DD to her slumbers and dropped a note on the desk chair saying that I would be in the Solarium by 8:00. Stuffing my journal into my tote and grabbing my embroidery, I headed off in search of a morning coffee. I made the Diamond lounge my first stop for a latte and stopped to chat with the lone occupant of the lounge. He was relaxing in a chair and studying the passing scene. It was a first trip to Alaska for him as well and he was just as taken with the scene as I was. It was too early for them to put out any food up there, so I soon left to move on to the Windjammer for some breakfast pastries for my pre-breakfast. Despite the early hour, all the window-side tables were already taken. I settled at a quiet table with my coffee and worked on updating my notes from the previous day. Liz and Bill walked by and called out a greeting … one of the benefits of the shared table is the friends we make that become a part of the entire cruise experience.

 

I had a master plan for the morning that included having breakfast with my DD. For that to happen, I had to be in the Solarium, as advertised, at 8:00. Part two of the plan was that DD would be able to find me, so I chose a table in the middle along the windows and worked on embroidery. I was so much in the middle that one chair leg was a couple of inches in the “paved” walkway. I know this for a fact, because it was brought to my attention by a cheerless lady who had apparently gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. Despite that, DD didn’t find me and went on to have her breakfast without me.

 

Zumba was on the schedule for the morning and DD apparently needed an early morning dance fix. The cruise director, Amy was running this one. She is a bundle of energy and has somehow in her busy life managed to find time to go through the necessary training to become a Zumba instructor. DD reports that she was refreshingly funny as well and it was clear that the class was having a great time.

 

Not everybody wants to Zumba. The people that dreamed up Zumba weren’t interested in appealing to anybody who ever had knee surgery. Frankly, it looks like great fun … I can sit for hours and watch all those people have great fun. There were few other watchers. As a matter of fact, I only remember one. His chair faced the dance floor, but he was way over by the windows and tucked around behind a pole, like he was afraid if Amy spotted him, he would get sucked into the maelstrom.

 

Zumba concluded at the same time that the Meet and Mingle was to start. Fortunately, the Quill and Compass was in close proximity and no one seemed terribly bothered by our slightly late arrival. DD was asked on arrival if she was Lili14 and when she said she was Emeraldcity’s DD she immediately got asked about her trip to Japan. That’s one of things that makes cruisecritic so much fun. You get to know people before you even meet them … now if I can just get my brain to connect names with faces (do they have an app for that?). I’m not sure what the breakpoint is on the number of scheduled guests before the M&M qualifies for the attention of either the Cruise Director or the Activities Director. Whatever it was, we didn’t hit it. But the hostess of the event was very nice and arrived with 3 bottles of wine to raffle off. When the first number was pulled, we glanced down at our tickets and DD grabbed the one that ended in 75 and announced she was the winner. Granted at my age, memory can be a bit fuzzy and I thought both tickets were handed to me upon arrival, but I let her have her moment … after all, she had only been 21 a couple months and it was the first time she could legally win some booze. There was a slight hesitation on the part of the hostess as she asked DD how old she was and DD happily announced “21’. She got to pick first, and she picked the white. It would turn out to be a good choice.

 

After the Meet and Mingle, we went back to the cabin to consult the Compass and found out that we should have stayed right where we were. Our highlighted plan called for the jewelry making seminar at 11:00. We arrived in the Quill and Compass at the appointed hour for the jewelry making, and found that things were already in full swing. Christopher set us up with supplies and we were off and running. We asked him how he had gotten into jewelry making, because somehow, he just seemed more like the basketball/football kind of guy. “They put it on my schedule,“ he replied with a deadpan expression. This meant that he got to help people figure out how to open packages without splaying the contents all over the room, how to understand the particulars of crimp beads, and especially, help chase down beads that managed to roll off the tables. It was tempting to ignore the occasional migratory bead that took off on its own, but I had a strong visual of some hapless patron at the Quill and Compass that evening landing in a heap because they stepped on one of those little missiles. I completed the design phase and called DD’s attention to it to see if she approved. Apparently, she thought it was a great idea, because she was planning the exact same configuration. We laughed over it and then proceeded to complete our necklaces. Of course, she completed before me because she didn’t have so many defective beads that needed to have the hole opened up with a stick pin … that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. We were very satisfied with the end product and I have to say that overall, Royal Caribbean does a great job with this activity. I received several compliments when I wore the necklace on the land portion of this trip, and they were surprised when they learned it had been made on the cruise. One woman was somewhat dismayed as she realized she could have done this too. I suspect she’ll be looking for the chance on her next cruise (and there’s always a “next cruise”).

 

Although our Compass had 4 highlighted trivia events before dinner, we didn’t make any of them. The biggest objective on our minds was lunch in the MDR for those great salads that are served on days at sea. Yes, I know. It was just such a short time since breakfast, but I’d forgotten about it already. In addition to the salad, we also shared an appetizer of sliders … though we didn’t really need it. The salad was wonderful. And the dessert was even better … cherry crepes, which means I may have to consider scheduling another whole cruise just to have another shot at that.

 

Since we happened to walk past the shops after lunch we decided that we should start our window shopping in the logo shop. Our usual procedure is to window shop several times throughout the cruise and then come back on the last day to handle the transactions. It didn’t turn out that way this time. I decided I really felt that RCI jacket was going to work out so much better for shore excursions than the tried and true one I had packed. Besides! … that RCI logo on the jacket made it qualify for my 15% discount and it was on sale to boot. Guys don’t understand this rationale, but all the ladies do.

 

Next we wanted to find out if the boarding picture was a winner, so we scanned the photos in the gallery and found it without too much trouble. Of course, since the price was “free” with the diamond discount, I decided there was no point in waiting to buy it later. We were waited on by a guy who could never be accused of being charismatic. We tried to lighten him up a little, but he probably just had a fight with his girlfriend, or something. The last errand was to be a stop at guest services to assure that DD’s boarding card had her emerald benefits loaded. There had been no print-out in our cabin for emerald benefits … only the one for diamond. We were waited on by someone with a healthy dose of intolerance for cruise passengers who have dumb questions like “Can you check and see if my emerald benefits are loaded on my card?” Associate examines card and hands it back with the acute observation that it says emerald member. “Yes, I know. But there was no print-out in our cabin detailing benefits.” There is a learned response for this sort of inquiry, “So you need a print-out of emerald benefits?” I really didn’t want to be rude, but it seems that a print-out doesn’t ensure the benefits are loaded. In the interests of trying to avoid any further unpleasantness, we meekly took the print-out and rationalized we could always brandish the piece of paper if her sister is operating whatever venue on board that has the benefit we’re trying to redeem.

 

By this time the ship had moved out into some open waters and now I could feel some gentle rocking. We spent some time on the balcony enjoying the feeling of being at sea. It was cloudy and cool, but not cold. There was a hint of a breeze and due to the glare, sunglasses were dictated. Now that we were in open waters, the wave action was decidedly different. There were plenty of white caps, although from deck seven, it really didn’t seem like the seas were very rough. And I would have hung onto that opinion if I hadn’t seen a fishing boat headed in the opposite direction. He was hitting some big waves, which were tossed up spectacularly from the bow as the boat rose and slammed back down. That guy was clearly getting a rough ride. Here on the Radiance, however, we had this marvelous soothing rocking. So what do you do when you have a free afternoon, and a chance to relax after several pretty busy days and a few short nights? If you guessed that you let the ship rock you to sleep, you win. We both indulged in a decadent afternoon nap.

 

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We woke with enough time to get appropriately spiffed up for dinner, but not with enough time to fit in photos on the stairs before dinner. That picturesque stairway was apparently everybody’s objective for the evening and we waited about 20 minutes in line before we figured we’d have to come back later. DD had been planning on this photo session for weeks. She’d bought a yukata in Japan and was looking forward to getting professional pictures wearing it. We decided to go up one deck and there were two different photo backdrops where we could get pictures that involved no waiting, so at least we partially completed the objectives before dinner.

 

When we walked into the MDR, several of the waiters greeted DD in Japanese, which was especially charming. I wonder how many languages they have learned over the years of working the cruise ships. Liz and Bill were waiting for us when we arrived at our table that evening. She’d been to the spa for a massage to help address some strained back muscles and she said she felt they did her a world of good. They were both also raving about the thermal suites, which is something I’ve never tried. So for those who are waiting for a recommendation on spa services, this is as close as it will get in this review.

 

This was the night that the bay scallops appetizer appeared on the menu. I remembered this from last year, so I ordered two. DD chose the salad with the bacon vinaigrette dressing. She said it had an “unexpected” flavor, but she really liked it and finished every morsel. Then she got the beef tenderloin and I followed Jonathan’s recommendation and ordered the duck. I’ve never gotten adventuresome enough to try duck. I’m always hesitant since I might have to come face-to-face with Donald some day at the Magic Kingdom and I’m sure my guilty expression will rat me out. But I took a chance … and, of course, it tasted like chicken. We spent the dinner comparing notes for the day with our tablemates and everyone was enjoying the experience as much as we were. Craig thanked us for the previous evening's tip to try out the MDR for lunch. He was raving about the salad too.

 

After dinner we walked into the Centrum in time to pass up the opportunity for some free champagne and catch the captain’s address. We learned that there were about 2400 passengers and about three-fourths of us were from the United States. Furthermore there were over 800 Crown and Anchor guests, which meant that the first C&A party would be pretty crowded. We got in line for the stairs photo op again when the crowd thinned out at the onset of second seating dinner. This time we stuck it out until we were able to get the necessary pictures. Once that was accomplished it was back to the room to change into something more casual in order to be ready for the game show in the Centrum at 9:45.

 

Tonight was the Finish the Lyric Game Show, hosted by our favorite Activities Director. When Darryl was soliciting for volunteers, DD kept pushing me to give it a try. My lyric prowess depends heavily on the 60s era and I was sure I was going to fail, but there was always the chance that my efforts would net me another RCI plastic keychain, and you can never have too many of those, so I agreed. Once Darryl had gathered up about 15 of us ready to entertain the crowd, he started picking one contestant after another and giving them a chance for their 15 seconds of fame. The first 3 or 4 failed and netted a keychain for their efforts. Then it was my turn to embarrass myself. Darryl introduced me as Miss Ohio 1998 (I bet he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Charm School) and then actually gave me a Supremes song, so I was the first contestant to make it to round 2. Who would have thought that so many of the other contestants didn’t know the songs he played. In some cases, the whole audience was belting out the next lyric, and the contestant stood there looking confused. Even after he had gone through all 15 contestants, he kept pulling anyone who happened to be standing in that part of the Centrum until he didn’t have any more comers. There were about 8 of us in round 2 by that time and then it was time to get my second song. Of course, I’d never heard the song before in my life, and the audience apparently hadn’t either, because there was no rousing chorus to help me out. This meant that I got a keychain. But wait! There’s more. Round 2 contenders also get a Royal Caribbean ink pen … oooooh… awesome. Now I have something officially appropriate to do my cruise notes with. The show continued, with plenty of good-natured ribbing by Darryl and he picked up some more fans that evening in the Centrum.

 

A good time was had by all and when the event wrapped up we went back up to the cabin for yet another change of clothes. It was time to go hot tubbing again. It was such a relaxing way to unwind after our first day at sea. We shared our favorite stories about the day and examined our plans for the next day. I had anticipated that after we showered up later that DD would want to head back up to the disco, but she was ready to call it a night. There was just one final thing to do first … I stepped back out onto the balcony and watched the waves wash past for awhile, hanging onto the moment and committing it to memory.

Edited by emeraldcity
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Do WE get to see the inside of the cabin? Also, what time did you arrive at the cruise terminal?

 

Really enjoying your Cruise Journal. Amusing and well written. Thanks for sharing.

 

DD sent me some shots she had of the inside of the cabin, so I put them in the next post. Mine turned out too dark because I shot them with the curtains open. Imade got a kick out of our decorations for the bed runners ... he carefully set them out in different places every time he made up the room. The banner across the top of the curtains was made from wooden pennants we got at a craft store. DD painted them like northern lights and then we glued wooden letters onto them that had been painted gold. And the pillow with the compass on it is actually a souvenir from Las Vegas that looks like a big poker chip. I made a zippered cover for it for this trip, so I can take the cover off and still have my poker chip if I get tired of the compass.

 

We got to the terminal well before 11, because we left the hotel just after 10:15 and it was about a 15 minute walk. Add another 5 minutes for pictures of the ship, so I'd say it was 10:40 at the latest.

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Sometime in the middle of the night, I completed a quest. Over the course of the years, I had driven into all the lower 48 states and I’d been lucky enough to fly to Hawaii twice on vacations. This time, however, I sailed into a state … the last one on the list.

 

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I went out to sit on the balcony as the ship made the approach to Ketchikan. There was a distant sound of a foghorn, although the visibility wasn’t too bad at ground level. Sounds seemed to be muffled, deadened perhaps by the dripping low-hanging cloud cover. The fluffy ceiling hung just above the trees near shore so there was no way to tell if there should be a mountain view in Ketchikan. There seemed to be only one road on the approach to the town and it stretched along the waterway. On the other side of the road, the heavily forested side of a probable mountain reared up steeply, but its summit was nowhere to be seen. A few buildings were set along the road and I don’t think I saw more than 3 or 4 vehicles drive past. We passed a sea plane dock and the local Coast Guard cutter, which looked pretty similar to the Cleveland cutter I can see from my office building. I suspect their rescue stories top the Lake Erie ones, however.

 

We approached the town itself and there was a clear view of a long dock big enough for the ship (complete with a massive Diamonds International store), but as I studied the dock, there were no lounging dock workers waiting to handle the lines, so it was a safe bet it wasn’t our dock. Of course, as we glided past and the dripping clouds continued to lubricate the air, I had to admit the environment was a bit inhospitable for lounging. I glanced aft and found that the balcony rails were dotted with passengers studying the view and snapping pictures to preserve the moment. The ship continued on and finally selected the third of the three docks to set up shop, after executing a 180 degree spin so that we would be pointed back the way we came for an easy departure later in the day. I looked out toward the channel we just entered and the fog seemed to gather at a point where the ends of two islands reached out towards each other. Moments later, another ship emerged out of the fog and I watched it come closer. Of course, the game is to try and guess what cruiseline it belongs to, and I rejected Carnival and Princess early on … I finally decided it had to be Celebrity. I was ridiculously pleased with myself when it turned out to be the Solstice, which docked right in front of us.

 

Tucked between the Radiance and the Solstice was a small boat marina and shortly after we arrived, there was a steady stream of incoming boats that looked like they were outfitted for sport fishing. Apparently they were doing a brisk business with cruise passengers, because it wasn’t long after that I noted a number of them leaving, their passengers tucked inside the cabin for protection from the dreary weather. Meanwhile, more of them kept coming in, so I was left with the impression that those who want to go sport fishing needn’t worry about the excursions being sold out. There seemed to be an ample supply of local operators.

 

Fortunately we had not booked one of the earliest excursions so we were able to get a leisurely start to the day and we figured the go-getters would clear the Windjammer before we went looking for food. As it turned out, it was still pretty crowded, but DD managed to find an empty table that would seat 6 and she held it while I went for food. When I returned, I found that she had invited four sisters to join us. They were a lovely group and it made for a very congenial breakfast (have I said yet how much I enjoy the whole shared table thing?). One of the ladies was in a wheelchair and she said she had one of the handicapped cabins. She had high praise for how well it was laid out for her needs and said it was the best handicapped lodging she’s ever encountered. She also gave high marks to the RCI staff for assisting with accessible tour plans during the cruise.

 

We completed breakfast and made an attempt to make an unimpeded exit from the Windjammer. Unexpectedly, the photographers were creating a traffic jam. I suppose they figured they’d have trouble generating much interest in photo ops in the rain, so they had set up shop in the Windjammer main entryway with some hapless crewmember cavorting around in an animal suit. I don’t remember if this one was a moose, bear or eagle. Suffice it to say, we’d see them all before the cruise ended. We scurried past as quickly as we could, hiding our faces like reluctant celebrities running through a gaggle of persistent paparazzi.

 

Back in the cabin, we assembled our gear for the day. I had ample protection against the rain, but DD has an aversion to rain gear. I suppose she hasn’t met a rain outfit yet that meets her style criteria, because she’s all about her style. At least she agreed to the hooded sweatshirt and I got her to allow me to give her a hat. I brought the umbrella, but it has to be a real deluge before she will take shelter under an umbrella. We went down to the gangway and paused at the exit, watching as people continued on down the gangway, raising umbrellas against the continued rain. I didn’t voice my concerns, but I began to have misgivings about our incredibly outdoorsy adventure that would be getting underway shortly. Then off we went with DD pretending she didn’t see me holding the umbrella over her. We got down to a sheltered place on the dock and checked with the excursion people. Somehow, I’d managed to arrive over an hour before we were supposed to be there. It probably was the time change. That whole “spring forward” and “fall back” thing tends to be a continued source of confusion for me. This meant that we had time to go shopping first. Situated on the dock was a sizeable store that recognized that cruisers might like to spend money very early in the day, and they were there to make that as easy as possible.

 

Right inside the store was a huge stuffed bear and DD stopped to give him a high five. I often get asked if we saw any bears on this trip and I can truthfully say we saw quite a few. Somewhere in Alaska there is a thriving industry in life-size bears … stuffed bears, wooden carved bears, bronze bears … and every town has them scattered about … in stores, on street corners, gracing hotel lawns. Before the trip was over, we got tired of posing in front of bears and started to pass right by them. So did I see any moose? Of course I did … but not as many as bears. I suspect a bronze moose is pricier than a bronze bear so not too many establishments were willing to shell out the additional cost.

 

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The first souvenir store on any vacation is the best … because everything is new and fresh. By the time you’re halfway into the trip, you start to realize it’s all looking suspiciously like they have the same supplier. We scored several pins for our banner and I noted that the ulu knives were a few dollars less than the ones on the ship, so I made my purchase. This came with a bright red reusable bag that was effectively designed to function as traveling a billboard for the rest of the cruise, because we saw them later in every port. Now we were ridiculously weighted down, so a return to the cabin was dictated before we could go back to the collection point for our excursion. Even so, we were still a good 15 minutes early, so we huddled under the shelter waiting for our driver.

 

Given that we were taking a rather rugged excursion, it was a bit of a surprise when that fancy black limo bus showed up to collect our group of 12 intrepid adventurers. We stepped aboard and sank into our plush seats and all of us began babbling about how cool it was. Waivers were passed out to be signed and the TV was turned on for the safety video. Accordingly, by the time we arrived at the building by the dock, we were all ready to be outfitted in our gear.

 

It had been about a month earlier when I had narrowed my Ketchikan excursion search down to about 3 or 4 intriguing possibilities and sent them off to DD. It didn’t surprise me in the least when she pounced on the Coastal Adventure in the zodiac boats. We had done a zodiac/snorkel excursion off the Kona coast of Hawaii and it remained our number one favorite all-time excursion from all of our cruises. This one involved smaller zodiacs – 4-man … and the bonus was that we got to drive! The reviews all claimed that they would outfit you with all the gear necessary to protect you from damp, cool weather … so here we were. We got fat wool socks, heavy rain pants, a big rain jacket, a wool ski mask, wool gloves and rubber gloves to go over them. My ensemble was bright yellow and DD ended up in brilliant orange. “I feel like a traffic cone,” she quipped as she slipped her arms into the jacket. All items that we didn’t need with us on the boat were placed into bins to be locked up until we returned.

 

We met our tour guide, Ryan. He was an absolute treasure … funny, outgoing, informative … real pleasure to experience. His narrative started before we even reached the boats as he talked about Ketchikan’s famous “liquid sunshine” and maintained that people get edgy when the sun shines for too many days on end. He even claimed crime goes up. When we reached the dock and started down the ramp he talked about the tides and pointed out how the design of the docks and its ramp are engineered to accommodate both high and low tides. We got down to the dock and he pointed up to a tall pole near-by. There was our first eagle. How cool! Both DD and I had established our objectives before the trip. Although I wasn’t going out of my way to go looking for four-legged wildlife, I wanted to see eagles. Four-legged wildlife can be incredibly vicious and I’d gotten enough scare stories from the Yellowstone Park rangers years earlier to make me want to limit my bear and moose sightings to the zoo. Eagles are a different story. The number of tourists who have been dragged off to an eagles nest to be fed to their young is surprisingly low.

 

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The family of 4 from Mexico was given their own boat, with the father at the helm. The two couples got the next boat. That left the two ladies with my DD and me. We were introduced to the owner who was among the crew helping get us situated on the dock. DD was asked if she wanted to drive and she happily slipped into the driver’s seat. Nancy and Lynn took the front seat and I got in beside DD. After some brief instruction on boat operation, we puttered off a short distance from the dock to practice the first maneuver, which involved getting into a cluster for a bit of narrative. We passed this maneuver with flying colors and then Ryan proceeded to give us a bit of information about the waterway, He said it was one of the busiest sea plane lanes in the world with between 800-1200 take-offs and landings a day. Before we crossed it to head off on our coastal adventure he waited out a plane that was coming for a landing. Then we were off. DD was initially in the number two position but it quickly became apparent that the other two drivers weren’t ready to test the speed. DD is all about speed … I can’t imagine where she picked that up. Meanwhile, Lynn and Nancy were quite the cheering section and it quickly became an objective after each stop to figure out how to surge ahead of the others so that we could be the first boat after Ryan.

 

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At our first stop we watched a couple of eagles soaring over the water and noted a couple of others perched on the tops of trees watching the scene below. We learned that eagles reach full size at about 2 years old and don’t get that signature white head until they are about 5 years old. We even spotted one of the fledgling eagles winging his way along the shoreline. Ryan explained that in other parts of the country eagles generally lay only one or two eggs and they only raise one of the hatchling to adulthood. Furthermore they defend an area around their nest of about a square mile. Of course, those rules don’t seem to apply in Ketchikan and it is believed that is due to the incredibly abundant food supply. In Ketchikan, they lay four to five eggs and they raise all of the hatchlings to adulthood. They don’t seem bothered by large numbers of their friends and neighbors in the general vicinity. We certainly saw evidence of that. I hadn’t expected to see so many eagles in one place. We could see as many as 5 or 6 at any given moment on several occasions. They mate for life and build only one nest, which they keep adding to over the years. We spotted several nests, which were miraculously being supported near the very top of slender trees. The logistics befuddle me, since we heard from multiple sources that those nests can weigh nearly as much as a ton.

 

Since it was high tide, we were able to slip between some islands that present an impenetrable barrier consisting of rocks 15 feet tall at low tide. We picked up speed and zipped over to another island to learn more about life in Alaska. As we gathered to study a wooded island with a small rocky beach we were advised this is one of the islands where they drop off a group of eighth graders every year for survival training. Apparently this is part of the basic curriculum in Ketchikan … 2 days without cell phones, where they have to make their own shelter and find their own food, because life in Southeast Alaska could someday throw them into a position where those skills are needed to survive. Wow! In my community we just send those kids off to Washington DC, where they are assured of spending a few days staying at a relatively nice hotel.

 

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The next stop was a marvelous rocky island favored by a huge community of birds … gulls, cormorants and arctic terns. Ryan said that the world’s worst flying bird and the world’s best were both on the same island. The arctic tern flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back every year. The cormorant, on the other hand is actually a better swimmer than a flyer. Also lolling about on the islands were quite a few harbor seals and a couple more eagles. Of course, the most charming seal of all was the pup who was hanging out with mom.

 

At another stop, Ryan told us about Pennock Island, which has about 100 residents, but no roads. Everyone has boats to get over to Ketchikan. Kids as young as 8-years-old drive a boat every day to go catch the school bus … unless the water is choppy. When the passage isn’t safe, they get “Harbor Days” and their less fortunate friends in Ketchikan still have to go to school that day. DD loved this story. With her new-found skill as a boat pilot, she decided that this was an enviable existence … imagine the fun of being able to take a boat any time you wanted to go anywhere. Never mind that Ketchikan gets twelve feet of rain every year and DD claims she lives for the heat of Las Vegas or Cartagena, Columbia.

 

It rained off and on throughout the excursion … sometimes a driving rain. Sounds unpleasant, but it wasn’t. It was exhilarating. I eventually pulled off my ski mask during a non-rainy portion and reveled in the wonderful feeling of the wind in my hair. It began to rain later and I didn’t bother to put it back on. We were getting to experience the conditions that the eagles thrive in and it was a privilege. I felt so lucky to have this opportunity. To be sure, I will happily return to my existence as a pampered cruise passenger a few hours later, but I valued this controlled environment to be adventurous and the little boats afforded us the opportunity to get incredibly close to a world of wonder.

 

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DD did a creditable job of docking our little craft when we got back and we headed up to the main building to shed our furnished gear. Everything was tossed into a big bin and our belongings were produced for us to get reconnected with. Pictures that had been taken at the dock before departure were sitting on the desk waiting for us, and hot cider or hot chocolate was offered to warm us up. We were all a bit startled to find that there was no additional cost for the pictures … they were part of the deal. Then it was back to our luxury limo to take us back into town where we would be dropped off wherever we wished. The Mexican family was the first to be dropped off in the shopping district. Mom wanted to go shopping, and the boys were trying desperately to avoid getting stuck with the concept that this was quality family time. When they clearly lost the battle, their looks of absolute despair had the entire bus bursting out in laughter as we moved away from the curb.

 

DD and I went back to the ship to grab a quick bite to eat and comb our hair (not necessarily in that order) before the Lumberjack Show. I figured we could get something to eat faster at the ship than in town. We opted to try out the Park Café and I got one of the famed roast beef sandwiches, while DD had a cheese pannini. We were both suitably impressed with our choices. We then walked over to the venue for the Lumberjack Show rather than wait for the bus. As we walked down the dock, I noted that there was a third ship in port by now … this one was a Carnival ship and the lines to get back on board were surprisingly long. Either they were offering free drinks at all the bars or this was a very short port call.

 

Throughout the day, DD commented from time to time that she had various aches and pains she attributed to muscles unaccustomed to Zumba. I was there too. Odd that I didn’t have any similar aches and pains.

 

I’ve seen a number of reviews that pan the Lumberjack Show as being contrived and hokey. So we went expecting contrived and hokey entertainment. We not only succeeded, we even got some education along the way. About the time we arrived at the venue, the sun actually succeeded in burning off the last of the clouds. It was a bit startling. It had never occurred to us that all morning the sun was working on the top layer of the clouds and trying to get rid of them all.

 

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is staged as a competition, but I suspect the biggest issue on the line is bragging rights for the beers they’ll share later that evening. Since people are competitive by nature, and even a tiny amount of testosterone amplifies that tendency, I have no doubt that they were making every possible effort to best their opponent. Every event was introduced with a story behind what made that particular skill necessary to the loggers who arrived in the Pacific Northwest over a century ago. I found it intriguing and educational. I had expected the show to be a version of the Dixie Stampede in Branson (without the dinner), but I really think it was more like the logger’s version of a rodeo. They do an especially good job of engaging the school age children’s attention and I suspect the show makes a bigger impression on the kids than Alaska’s stunning scenery.

 

As we left the show, I spotted a number of school age kids snagging a chunk of one of the wood chips to take home as a souvenir. When my DD was that age, she would have been doing the same thing. I breathed a sigh of relief that she had overcome that fetish. Now we’re collecting souvenir pins to remember the journey by. They may cost a bit more but they don’t carry with it the added risk of smuggling home some of the local livestock that’s managed to burrow itself into that chip of wood.

 

We had very little time after the show before we needed to be back on board. That was unfortunate. We’d already pegged Ketchikan as an especially appealing town that we would have loved to explore on foot. We contented ourselves with some walk-by shopping on the way back to the ship … you know, where you mostly just glance at the window displays, but slip into a few shops along the way … never more than 5 minutes per shop. I did find a Pandora store and chose an Alaska charm for my bracelet. We also made sure we looked up Ketchi Candies. Darryl had recommended their chocolate-covered Oreos at one of his events and it seemed like half the passengers of the Radiance were there to wallow in the aroma. The fragrance of chocolate is heavenly … I’d get fat just from the rarified air if I worked there for a month. DD closely examined their fudge offerings, but she was apparently on a quest for salted caramel fudge and this quest was fated to extend for over a thousand nautical miles and hundreds of miles on Alaskan roadways as well. We balked at the price for those Oreos, reasoning that with all the dessert offerings on the Radiance, we hardly needed more treats.

 

We returned to the dock and I wasn’t surprised to see that Carnival was gone. Of all the stops in Alaska to cut short, it was unfortunate they picked this one because Ketchikan had so much to offer. We returned to the Radiance and joined the rather long line of passengers waiting to re-board. We spotted quite a few of our newest friends in line as we snaked back and forth. Once on board and through security, we headed back up to our room to hit the Relax Zone and watch sail-away. DD gave up early and indulged in her favorite afternoon activity … a nap. I stayed on the balcony along with apparently half the balcony residents on starboard. As we made our way north, I viewed the coastal islands sliding past. There were vast numbers of tiny islets stuffed with tall pines, and long steeply-sided islands blanketed in greens. For the most part, signs of habitation were limited to the water’s edge, with houses dotting the shoreline, complete with their dock facilities. Occasionally though, there would be a house jammed into the mountainside at a higher elevation, undoubtedly commanding breathtaking views year-round.

 

This was the cruise when we would make our first-ever visit to a specialty restaurant. I’ve always reasoned that I’m very satisfied with the food and the company in the MDR, so I’ve never booked one of them. Furthermore, when they were first introduced, my DD was too young to be allowed to visit. I believe there is no age restriction now, but she’s past the age where it would be an issue anyway. The incentive on this trip was that this was the first time I’d been on a ship with a Samba Grill. I’ve only been to a couple of Brazilian restaurants, and I consider them a special treat. I had contacted DD about a month before the cruise and asked her if she wanted to try it … the deciding factor had been the moment that I mentioned the Brazilian cheese bread … she was sold on the idea instantly. Thus it was that we got relatively dressed up and began to follow the signs that indicated the way to the restaurant. Up to deck 12, past the teen disco, past the nursery, past the sports deck … where is this place, anyway. Is it even on the ship? Why would they put an adult venue in the sports/kids area? Well, apparently somebody thought it was a good idea, because that’s where we eventually found it. They made a big show of assuring that we had a reservation, although the place was virtually empty. And then we were led to a window-side table. We decided that we’d get one of the special drinks offered and they were delivered about the same time as that basket of cheese bread. We both dived in and by the time Victor returned to explain the dining process, we were ready to have the bread basket refilled. We both were careful to avoid making big salads at the salad table, since we wanted to be sure to save room for the selections of meats … and more cheese bread. When Victor checked back at our table, he seemed a bit concerned that we we’re still sipping our drinks. He said if we didn’t like them, he’d replace them with something else at no charge. That was unexpected. Is that common? If so, I never heard of that before. We assured him we liked them and our normal process is to continue sipping the drink throughout the course of the meal. As warned by our balcony neighbors, there would be too much meat during dinner. Fortunately, the best came early in the experience. We loved the bacon-wrapped chicken and the filet mignon. We made sure we ate every bit of those two. There were 4 other meats, and we each had “some” of all 4. They replaced the plates at some point to avoid having the juices co-mingle, which was a nice touch. Also, there were a couple of side dishes served family-style and the best of these was the fried plantains. I’d had this once before in Panama, but hadn’t been terribly impressed. Either my tastes have changed recently, or these were simply better prepared. I loved them. Of course, when it came time for dessert, we were too full to consider it – until they brought them to the table to display them in all their lovely, enticing glory. It would be an unfortunate insult to the dessert chef to refuse … and besides, there is that dessert stomach. So we each chose a dessert and were not disappointed.

 

When it was time to leave the restaurant, it was clear that the rain had moved back in … or maybe the ship just moved into the rain. In any event, it wouldn’t do to send your guests out into a cold rain, so our waiter escorted us through the crew exit, down a utilitarian elevator, and back into the passenger areas on a lower deck. All in all, it was a very enjoyable dining experience … just one question though … Why is it that the Samba Grill isn’t playing background Samba music? It seems to me that it would go with the territory.

 

The Sixty Seconds or Less Game Show is generally entertaining, as opposed to being riotously funny. But that’s OK … you can only handle a reasonable number of riotously funny offerings in one cruise. We settled into chairs in the Centrum early enough to be assured of prime viewing. Throughout the event, I kept urging DD to be one of the volunteers. After all, I had done my bit to entertain one and all the previous evening. It was only fair that she do her part. She finally agreed and ended up getting to bury her nose in vasoline. This little stunt ended with an award of a silver medal (for losing, I’d like to point out). Somehow I think my ink pen was a better prize.

 

We had a choice next of karaoke or the production show and we opted to see if karaoke might involve a fun crowd. This is one of those events that we rarely check out, since we approach it with the objective of being spectators only. Once in a while however, the participants turn out to be truly talented and engaging. Such was not the case this evening. The Colony Club was not only deserted, it was practically cold enough in there to hang meat. Someone did show up and sang one number, but that was the extent of it. We headed for the balcony of the theater instead to see if the production show could capture our interest. Although we only caught the last part of the show, I was pretty impressed. It was really very good. I enjoyed the choice of music and the choreography. I regretted not having decided to take in the entire show.

 

This left us with a chunk of time to kill before one of the signature events of any RCI cruise – the Love and Marriage Game Show. We were tired at this point, but determined to avoid heading back to the cabin to risk the inevitable lethargy that would doom the evening’s plans. We opted to check out the photos from the previous evening. DD had committed every backdrop to memory and she set out with determination to find all the photos that had been taken. Unfortunately, she wasn’t successful. She finally approached the photographer at the desk to inquire about the missing backdrop. The rather bored woman really wasn’t interested in pursuing the issue, but DD can be pretty forceful when she’s thwarted and she wasn’t about to go away. Sure enough, an examination of some kind of documentation revealed that some of the pictures were never developed. A slip was made out for “reprints” and we were told to come back the next evening to view all the photos. We left the ones that we’d found so far, since we wanted to wait till we had them all before a decisions was reached.

 

We returned to the theater balcony and settled into some seats close to the rail to await the Game Show. It started with the usual selection process to achieve three couples for the competition. The couple that was chosen as the middle-married category had apparently brought their three sons to the show. When the “whoopee” question was asked, the oldest leaped up and announced they were leaving and all three boys wisely fled the theater to avoid being party to an embarrassing revelation. Of course it was the oldest-married that had the best story for this one … in a car on a train going through a tunnel in Switzerland. Now there’s an enviable story with amazing bragging rights! When the guys were back in their seats and the answers were revealed, there was quite a look of awe on the guy in the newlywed couple. DD leaned over to me and whispered, “He just realized he’d better up his game!” All in all, it was a good show, but not as memorable as others I’ve attended over the years. DD agreed. Are we becoming too jaded because we’ve seen it so many times?

 

When the show ended, we opted to return to the cabin and call it a night. The original plan had been to go to the disco, but we were just too tired.

Edited by emeraldcity
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Would love to see more of your decorations you made :) I would never have thought about decorating our cabin like that , too cute!

 

Actually, all we really did for cabin decorations this time were the two quilted compass roses, the covered sofa accent pillow and the banner along the window. The whole concept came from the fun we had decorating the cabin for our Christmastime cruise a year and a half earlier. We had so much fun with that one … but it really got out of hand. Since we were driving to the port, we didn’t have to concern ourselves with checked bag charges. Consequently we didn’t even think about packing the stuff until a few days before we left … and then it became staggering. Those big fat plastic candies needed a lot of space … we ended up with 4 pieces of luggage just for the decorations (see photos below). This time around, the objective was to go for minimal, packable and showy. We were satisfied with the result.

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En route to the Solarium, I stopped first for a latte from the Diamond lounge and then got some breakfast pastries. Suitably fortified, I settled into a lounger facing the windows and marveled at the passing scenery. The embroidery on my lap was largely forgotten as I simply enjoyed doing nothing at all. Somehow the landscape didn’t look real. It was like a painting by an artist who laid the mountain-scapes down on canvass and then airbrushed in streams of white feathery fur stoles to wrap the mountains in a bit of warmth. DD’s description was that the clouds looked like they’d been floating along minding their own business, and then slammed into a mountain. They then sat there, all scrunched up trying to decide what to do about it.

 

It was a good hour or so before it suddenly hit me that it was Monday and I was not at work. That lent an additional glow to a wonderful day. I have to say that when I’m on a cruise, the actual days of the week are totally irrelevant. The reference points become the destination. “Yesterday was Ketchikan, so today is Icy Straight Point.”

 

One of the nearby passengers pointed out some distant spouting activity that was likely a whale. It could also have been an undersea geyser, for all I know. In any event, the only whales I saw on this trip were at the Vancouver Aquarium. Although today was going to be the best day to go on whale watching excursions, DD and I had decided that wasn’t one of our objectives. We had done that years ago off Cape Cod and it was very cool. I doubt if it would be as amazing a second time, so we decided to pass. Today was to be a low-key day. We simply planned on doing some hiking along the water’s edge and maybe a bit of shopping. Otherwise, we were going to hang out on board and relax.

 

After seeing so few signs of human presence, it was a bit surprising to see a barge tied up near the shoreline. The group of folks I was hanging out with started guessing what it was, but none of us were sure. It certainly looked like some kind of work platform. As we passed it and rounded the point, I realized we’d arrived at our destination. I would later find a sign on shore near the barge that advised they were in the process of building a pier so that future cruise passengers wouldn’t have to be tendered to shore. Clearly, this speaks volumes about the long range plans the cruise line has for this destination.

 

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I connected with DD and we went to the Windjammer for breakfast. I decided on waffles buried in strawberries, which is really like having dessert instead of breakfast … but it’s vacation and that is perfectly acceptable. I noted that my plan was to hang out on the ship for the morning and head ashore later in the day. DD had an entirely different agenda. The announcement had been made that there was no line for the tenders, and she didn’t feel there was any point in failing to take advantage of that fact. Of course, hundreds of other people heard the same announcement and were probably busily creating a line, but it really didn’t matter either way, so off we went.

 

We managed to beat the thundering hoard to the boats and we walked right onto the waiting tender. It was a very quick transfer to the dock and we stepped ashore to go exploring. Most everyone seemed to be going into one of the buildings along the dock. We passed them up and walked behind the long building to the left and headed toward the nature trail. Standing sentinel near the head of the trail were a couple of marvelous carved wooden bears. We weren’t tired of bear pictures yet, so we stopped to pose with these obliging fellows. (Frankly, this is where the RCI photographers should be hanging out.)

 

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I’m still puzzling the connection between RCI and the Tlingit people, but all of the locals I met seemed very gracious and welcoming. Although the main activities (and the economic generators) at this location are the whale watching excursions and the zipline, either RCI or the Tlingit have created a wonderful nature walk behind the buildings and it is absolutely free. The approach to the walk is flanked by a couple of still ponds, partially obscured by vibrant wildflowers. Once past them, we entered the woods on a well-defined path. It’s a hushed world where it seemed that conversations should be kept to a whisper. It was a fanciful forest of towering pines, with a floor largely covered in rich green moss. Sands of ferns and huge-leafed plants huddled in clusters to add additional dimension. Interestingly, the massive trees clearly began life when the forest floor was 5-8 feet higher, since the roots were exposed such that many of the trees seemed to be on twisted stilts. As the path wound through the woods, we kept coming upon one amazing scene after another. All too soon, we emerged from the woods and found ourselves on the shoreline that the ship had sailed past earlier in the day. I was a little surprised to see a couple of guys fishing from the shore. I ‘m sure the grand plan is “catch and release” but I couldn’t help conjuring up the picture of them trying to get a couple of contraband prizes through security.

 

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My initial plan at this point called for tidepooling, and I wandered the shoreline for a little while attempting to fulfill the plan, but I’ve found more interesting treasures along the shores of Lake Erie. For the most part, I could only find dull-colored rounded rocks.

 

We headed back toward the settlement along the shoreline. There was a group we passed that seemed to be on a walking tour. I was intrigued by what the guide was telling them, but I wasn’t comfortable getting close enough to become a part of the group, since I wasn’t sure if this was an impromptu gathering or a paid tour. I did learn in passing that totems must tell a story. The objects of the discussion at that point were two carvings … an eagle and a raven. The distinction was being made that these are house posts (or something like that) since they are merely decorative and they don’t tell a story. Consequently, to appreciate any given totem pole, you need to know the story that it is telling.

 

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We got back to the settlement and entered the museum/shopping complex. I found the first part of the museum intriguing. There were a number of good displays educating the visitor on basic Alaska facts, including the Alaska pipeline. I liked that part of the museum. I was completely comfortable with that part of the museum. The next part of the museum should have had an R rating. If you like slasher films, this is the place for you. The cannery museum has some wonderfully graphic displays to let you know what’s in store for the remains of the fish who fail to avoid the nets of the fishing industry. Personally, I think this falls under the category of “too much information”. And I don’t care what Jonathon recommends tonight. I’m not getting the fish.

 

We moved on to the shopping area and this was a wonderfully pleasant interlude involving a study of some really pretty things that were unfortunately out of our price range. DD did come awfully close to buying some “texting gloves”. I didn’t realize there was such a thing. To me they just look like hand protectors that are worn by people who don’t care if they get frost-bitten fingers and have to have them amputated. It must be a real thing, though. I heard several other people call their kids over to check out the texting gloves. In the end, DD decided the color was wrong for her favorite ear muffs (she’s all about style … remember?) and she put them back. The seed was sown, however. And she would be searching for a better color before we got much farther on this trip. We did find a truly unique Christmas tree ornament that needed to come back to Ohio … so that was one quest that got fulfilled.

 

It was a nice relaxing morning, but it was chilly and damp. We were ready to go back to the ship to warm up. Although the Park Café used to have pizza and fries during the day, that sort of thing can now be found in the Windjammer … and my memory was serving up the fact that RCI does a credible job with fries. DD said she wasn’t hungry, so I did take-out. I made sure that I got a large supply of fries, since I expected DD would poach some. And she did. We both agreed that the fries were tasty. Nice and crispy on the outside without being too fat and mushy on the inside. The pizza was fine … nothing special, but it’ll do.

 

Although we both got in another nap in the afternoon, I was up and ready to search out something to do long before she was. I went to the “Where in the World am I?” trivia and managed to find someone else who was looking for a team to join. By mid-cruise, trivia teams are often pretty well-defined and it can be a challenge finding one with an open spot. Although it was a nice pastime, the contestants needed to know more about country flags, population numbers and square miles to do well … and beer! I’m beer-deficient.

 

When DD got up we changed into swimsuits and headed for the Solarium. By 3:30 in the afternoon the last family with kids was on the way out the door so I had the pool virtually to myself. DD decided that it was too cool for her liking and ended up hot tubbing.

 

Once we’d cleaned up for dinner, we had a little window of time before the dining room would open so we used my diamond card to get a couple of mimosas and then settled into the Centrum to listen to the Rosario Strings. I know this generic name is attached to every string group that I’ve encountered on the RCI ships, which makes it rather tough to track the whereabouts of any particular set of musicians. I never got close enough to see the name tags on this pair, but it was a violin/guitar duo and they were wonderfully matched. We relaxed and listened to “Over the Rainbow” (see! He knew Dorothy was going to be on board), “Somewhere in Time”, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” and pieces from the score of “Phantom of the Opera.” Although he was using an electronic violin that night, the violinist on other evenings used a conventional one. Either way, their talented efforts created a wonderfully pleasant environment wherever they happened to be playing. It became one of my favorite ways to spend a chunk of time before dinner. I learned on disembarkation from one of the CD staffers that this was their first week on the ship, and she wasn’t able to supply me with the names either.

 

We joined our table at the appointed hour and Johnathon seemed eager to be certain we weren’t throwing him over for the lure of specialty restaurants. We assured him we would be back every evening … we just had to try Samba Grill at least once. We chatted with our tablemates and shared stories of the day. Some folks had gone whale watching and had a wonderful time. The family of four had opted for the zipline (except for mom) and they all reported that it was great fun. David said he frankly had to remember to breathe partway down, since the initial drop is so fast.

 

“If You Know It, Dance It” was scheduled for 8:00 that evening in the Centrum. I’d seen this on schedules before, but had never gone. I suspected it was an opportunity to see if people know the moves from the Just Dance videos without the video itself. It actually didn’t involve much choreography at all. The concept was to divide the Centrum in half and see how many people they could get dancing in each half of the venue (port vs. starboard). A “score” was kept, but it was pretty meaningless. It was just a chance to get people together in an event that involves good music and lots of laughter.

 

After that I suggested that it was time to try one of the shows. As was our practice, we chose to sit in the balcony, so that if we decided the show isn’t the best use of our time, we can sneak out a bit easier without being disruptive. Tonight there was to be an impressionist. Although I enjoyed the show, DD announced partway through that it was “not my thing”. She disappeared, but I stayed for the whole show. Actually, I don’t recall that the guy made any attempt to do any impressions of any performers that were part of the current century, so I can understand the lack of interest from the Millennial Generation. The closest he came to it was to make fun of Gangum Style … which was probably the point at which DD abandoned any attempts at open-mindedness.

 

At 10:00 we joined Katie in the Centrum for a line-dancing class … 70s style. This 15-minute class led into one of the most highly charged evening parties of the week. By the time our 15-minute class ended the floor of the Centrum was packed with talented passengers who been honed into a polished dance troupe capable of providing professional back-up to the Village People wannabees who entered at 10:15. Hiding under enormous fluffy wigs, the CD staff burst onto the scene, tossing blinky rings to the lucky few who managed to catch them. The party was underway. If you’ve been to one of these events, no explanation is necessary. If you haven’t, no explanation is possible. You just have to experience it for yourself. We had a great time … and when the party wrapped up and it was announced that the fun was moving up to Starquest, I thought DD would want to go with it. She, however, had gotten enough of a dance fix for one day and was ready to call it quits. We headed back to our cabin, where I once again slipped out onto the balcony to watch the passing scene before going to bed. It was well after 11:00 p.m. and the sun had set within the past hour. But it wasn’t really dark. Twilight seems to last all night here.

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