Mercury 5-29-04 Part IV of Vi

[transactionchick]

Cruising the Inside Passage

We awake to a gorgeous day…while the previous days have been cool and overcast, this one is brilliantly sunny…great weather for viewing the inside passage.

We were fortunate enough on the trip to see both whales and porpoises. A group of porpoises followed in the ship’s wake one day and I saw a lone porpoise from the gym’s window one day. At first I thought it was a fish, albeit a large one, but it jumped like a porpoise and others convinced me that was what it was. Without binoculars it is difficult to see anything well, even close to the ship. You forget how high up you really are – on deck 12 we were something like 80 to 100 feet up. (I’m a woman and can’t really judge distance so you men will forgive me if I am way off the mark here.)

Since I’ve already outlined a typical day at sea, I’ll hit the high points here and make a few observations.

Several times we heard people grouse about the ship itinerary – how it was not really an “Alaskan”: itinerary. Duh. It was styled as a California Coastal cruise. Yes, it hit one port in Alaska but if you were interested in seeing Alaska you should have booked another date/itinerary. Since we were more interested in sampling the Celebrity product (at the right price) than seeing Alaska again, it was perfect for us.

I asked numerous people why they had booked this particular cruise – the answers ranged from the right length (6 days), to the ship, to the line, but the most consistent response was the price of this particular voyage. And it was very reasonably priced in comparison to Celebrity’s other offerings. In fact, one might say this was almost a ‘repositioning’ cruise, although not really. It was a short 6 day cruise to bridge the gap between Mercury’s longer 10 day cruises and the regular 7 day cruises that were to start the following week from Seattle. Several of the crew were changing positions/leaving. You’ll remember that this was our butler’s first cruise as a butler, having been recently promoted from cabin steward. We spoke to the assistant cabin steward and he was being promoted on the next sailing to cabin steward.

Anyway, the inside passage scenery was spectacular. We went through lots of narrow spots where it seemed like you could reach out and touch the heavily wooded mountains on either side. There is really no wildlife to be seen on the shore…the trees are heavy right up to the edge of the water, and then there is almost like a small cliff dropping off to the water. The trees must be, I don’t know at least 100 feet tall, some of them, or at least as tall as our balcony on Deck 12 (see above disclaimer!). The hills/mountains are crisscrossed with gorgeous waterfalls. I tried to read but kept being distracted by the views, which while similar, were ever changing. I just don’t remember it being this beautiful on our last trip. Maybe the weather was worse, maybe we were busy looking forward to the ‘real’ Alaska last time. I just know the Inside Passage is very, very pleasing to the eye and to the senses – a fresh, clean smell permeates the decks (as long as you stay away from the port side and the smokers), the sunshine sparkles, the wake swishes, it is a real treat.

As far as what we did today – we attended a wine ‘blending’. That’s right. Really, really interesting. You are given 5 not that great cabs to try and then you blend them, much like winemakers really do. It is incredible that you can take two not very good wines and blend them and make something very drinkable. First you blend according to a formula that the sommelier provides and next you are invited to create your own blend. While it was apparent that none of us should give up our day jobs, some of the concoctions were quite drinkable. This event was sparsely attended and mostly by Elite Captain’s Club members for whom it was free…the rest of us paid $11.25 pp. But it was well worth the price…I’ve been to lots of wine tastings but nothing like this! It was held in the DR after lunch and the small groups seemed to want to sit around and visit…after a bit it became apparent that the staff was waiting for us to leave!

We also used the outside pool for the first time and happened to be on hand to catch an ice carving demonstration. Although I have seen these before it was still enjoyable. I would not have gone out of my way to see it but it was good. The chaise lounges in this part of the ship are quite comfortable and it is a lovely place to nap, sheltered warm andd sunny.

I attended a couple more classes so I could get my quota in (I was regretting the impulse to buy the package as I now felt compelled to attend the classes).

We also hit the thassolotherapy pool again. I had earmarked a couple of trivia events for Rob to attend…he is the master of useless data…but he was too busy pursuing other pastimes to attend. Too bad, he could have won us some prizes perhaps.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that we received a large canvas tote bag (I guess part of the suite amenities) to go into Victoria with yesterday. Nice touch.

We did use the umbrellas provided with the room as well as the binoculars. Although the binoculars were not heavy duty, they were of a nice weight and equal to the pair we had brought with us. It was nice to have a second pair to use.

Dinner was again the highlight of our night. We all agree that we couldn’t have ended up with a better group had we handpicked them. Kelsy, on her first night, ordered a Sprite with cherries. Each night, without asking, she was presented with a Sprite with cherries, and each night, there were more cherries. Tonight’s offering barely contains any Sprite! She also continues to enjoy the Crème Brulees each night that Stana has graciously ordered for her. Others at our table are drinking soft drinks, and they too, are served each night without being asked.

Tonight I remember…flaming coffees! How could I have forgotten! We order two ( a French Kiss for me and an Irish coffee for Rob…how appropriate) and it is quite a show..our whole table enjoys it. The flaming booze is poured from vessel to vessel and finally to a glass…how it keeps from breaking the wine glass is beyond me! But it doesn’t. In addition to being fun to watch, these turn out to be yummy to drink.

The nightly candy left on our beds is lined up on the bureau from whence it will be taken home. Just not enough room to eat it. I have forgotten what it feels like to have hunger pains! Not a good thing….We figure that we are intaking perhaps anywhere between 5 and 7 THOUSAND CALORIES per day with the food and the booze. Yikes. That is going to mean lots of deprivation when we get home to make up!

We are pleasantly anticipating Ketchikan tomorrow and hoping to see eagles. Last time we pulled into Ketchikan we saw hundreds of bald eagles diving for scraps from the cannery. We hope that experience is repeated!

Good night and sweet dreams, only two more days!

Happy Sailing!

Cyndi Wagner, AKA Transaction Chick
Carnival Celebration - 5/98
RCI Rhapsody - 5/00
Carnival Sprit - 10/01
Celebtrity Mercury - 5/04

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