Semi-live from Sojourn July 2-14 Ultimate Alaska and Inside Passage

[Swingdancefan]

It's embarkation day! 

 

Husband and I are in our little local airport ready to go to Seattle, then on to Vancouver, BC. I hope to update here as often as I have cell reception. 

 

About us: We live in southeast Washington state (aka the flat brown side). Bob is a database administrator for a major potato products company. I teach high school English,  advise the yearbook, and coach an award-winning speech and debate team. We have two adult children and a 12-year-old. This is my 4th cruise (2nd to Alaska) and his 3rd. We are in suite 421--a little scary when I saw that it's by the elevator,  but these forums have assured me that there won't be a problem with noise!

 

Full disclosure: I won this cruise in an online sweepstakes. We pay airfare, shore excursions, etc. As a journalist of 20 years before I became a teacher, I am accustomed to writing honest reviews. My goal here is to share the experience!

 

Looking forward to meeting people!

 

--Vicky 

[SLSD]

Vicky, Congratulations on winning this wonderful opportunity.  Don't worry one single minute about the elevators.  You will never hear them.  I know you are going to have a fabulous time.  Thank you for being willing to share your experience.  I'm looking forward to your posts.  

[Catlover54]

You will almost certainly have a lovely time, Vicky.

A wonderful cruise line, in the most beautiful state of the U.S., and with your DH — perfect!

 

[galeforce9]

Can’t wait to read your report 😁

[ab21au]

We have sailed in 419 (very close) and it was great.  No noise at all. I am sure you will love it. 

[SLSD]

Swingdancefan, I hope all of your flights were on time and you are now on the ship.  Of course now you may be battling the very slow internet service--which of course is an extra charge.  

[jjb415]

Thanks in advance for your report.  Funny, I'm moving into 421 on 07/14 when you disembark in Vancouver. 😀

[kkmiausa]

Hi this is not my roll call, we are booked on the August 8 to 20 Roundtrip Vancouver.  I cannot find anything on my cruise.   Does anyone know what time your Sojourn  cruise arrives in port at Vancouver?  PS  the elevators cause no noise at all.  My favorite penthouse is 1015 which is the first room behind the elevator on deck 10 and you would never know it was there at all.  I am sure is the same on the lower levels.

[TurtleDriver]

My wife and I will be on the July 23 to Aug 8 (Seward to Vancouver). We are supposed to dock in Vancouver by 7 am.

[kkmiausa]

Thank you !

[Swingdancefan]

At last, decent cell coverage! We're in Sitka,  so I'm backtracking. 

 

Embarkation in Vancouver, B.C.

aaA quick but bumpy flight from Seattle into one of the nicest airports I've seen. Every stereotype of Canadians being "chill" and friendly was borne out. Immigration took under 10 minites via electronic kiosks (compared to nearly 2 hours in line in Barcelona last year...).

Taxi ride to the port was about half an hour through the city. Once there, our bags were whisked away and more friendly helpful people directed us back through more kiosks for re-entry into the US. (I assume we did it at this point because the next time we would set foot on land would be in the US.) We then proceeded into a large hall with rows of folding chairs. We were unquestioning sheeple and sat down among the other people waiting.

At around noon a Seabourn staffer started dismissing is one row at a time to proceed toward the ship. Before we passed onto the gangway our passports were checked. Once aboard, we were directed to deck 6 and the Grand Salon, where we were offered a flute of ice water or punch. Official checkin was very quick and then we were off to The Colonnade for lunch. The theme was seafood and there were lots of good salads and some really delightful melon sorbet and a tropical fruit frozen yogurt. We shared our table with the first of many really lovely people we met.

By the time lunch was over, our suite was ready. Our bags were already there, as was our room stewardess, Nicol. We got to select our soaps and then got down to the business of unpacking.

Deck 4 does not have veranda suites, but we have a good sized picture window. Everyone is right--there is no noise at all from the elevator. We are on the lowest passenger deck, and we occasionally hear noise that sounds like something heavy being dragged across the floor coming from the deck below. Otherwise, it is VERY quiet. There is none of the creaking that I've experienced on other cruises.

There is so much storage! In addition to the walk-in closet's drawers, there is a low cabinet at the foot of the bed with three sections of shelves. Below the TV are more drawers; above houses an atlas, a Bible, and a collection of short stories. (And now my knitting, husband's book, and portable phone charger.) Opposite that set of cabinets at the bottom is the fridge. Above that is several bottles of water plus a side plate, cloth napkin, and knife. Above is wine glasses and bar tools. The dressing table next to the closet also has a drawer.

The bathroom is also spacious. I've owned houses with smaller bathtubs. The shower cubicle is a pretty tight space though. Fortunately neither of us is very large.

Awaiting us was also a dinner invitation to a table hosted by one of the singers. I am glad I had read on these forums about such invitations or I might have been a bit thrown.

The blue Seabourn jackets were also there. We felt they were true to size, with room for a couple of warm layers underneath.

Next up: the most civilized muster drill I've ever experienced, though there were still the inevitable few people who didn't have their cards scanned and had to be called out by suite number.

From there, we went to the pool deck for the sailaway party. Drinks were being passed. The band played as we left Vancouver and headed under the bridge and on our way. We went up one deck to watch, and the railings up on 9 were higher than on other decks. It was awkward for me, as I am only 5'2" and had to tiptoe up to see well.

Since we were up before 4 a.m. for our flight, we took a little break before we changed for dinner. Our table was made up of people who were all first-time Seabourn cruisers, and Robert, our host, did a great job of keeping the conversation flowing, as well as sharing his experiences from a few years of working on cruise ships. His contract ends with this cruise and he's going home to Manchester, England for a rest. Food itself was excellent; my scallops were perfect.

When we returned to our suite, the customary chocolates were waiting, along with the following day's menus and The Herald, with all of the details for our day at sea. There was also the obligatory Seabourn tote bag, as well as an Alaska guidebook and a fold-out guide to wildlife.

I can post menus/Heralds if anyone is really interested.

[SLSD]

Swingdancefan, I am so happy to hear from you and that things are going smoothly.  I hope you take advantage of all the great things that Seabourn includes in your voyage---like free flowing champagne (or anything else you want to drink).  Personally, I don't care for the passed drinks--unless it is champagne--but you can ask for anything you want.  Also caviar (which is attractively served) anytime you might want.  Don't miss tea at 4pm in the Observation Lounge.  It is a favorite of ours.  

 

I look forward to hearing more about your trip---and especially how it compares to other cruises you have taken on other lines.  I know many of us will be most interested. 

 

Have a wonderful time!

[kkmiausa]

Have a great trip. Keep us posted on the weather conditions in the ports, please please. Hope it is starting to cool back down.  We are having 97 degree days here in Miami already, so I can imagine what it may be in August. We start out on August 8th.  This will be our fourth Seabourn cruise. We have done Regent and Oceania the most next to Seabourn but Seabourn has turned out to be the go to from now on. My husband has issues with immunity so we love the smaller number of people on Seabourn. We are flying in to Vancouver and are staying at the Pan Pacific right next to the port and I understand they will transport our luggage directly onto the ship. I hope there is no line to board, never had before. Make sure you tell them any food preferences you may have. Bon Voyage. 

[Swingdancefan]

At sea, cruising the Queen Charlotte Sound

It amazes me how often I am greeted by name. This isn't Disney World and I'm not wearing a Magic Band. How do they do it?

This was a day for utter relaxation. It began, naturally, with breakfast. Breakfast in the Colonnade is a combination of buffet and table service. There are the usual hot dishes--bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, baked beans, etc.--pastries, cold cuts, muesli, fruit, and so forth. You can also order omelets, swedish pancakes, Belgian waffles, minute steaks, and the like. I have to say I wasn't impressed by the Belgian waffle. They were better on Holland America's Oosterdam. The orange juice on Sojourn is way better though. It truly tastes fresh-squeezed and I could drink gallons of it.

We then went down a deck and discovered exactly the kind of spot I wanted. The deck behind Seabourn Square has comfy furniture and blankets, and the heaters were on. We watched the waves and DH dozed off and I read and it was perfect. I finished one book and got well on my way with another.

We did see some small whales and porpoises as we cruised, both from the deck and from our suite. We had a nice plate of fruit--apple, pear, orange, kiwi--when we returned to our suite.

If it's noon, it must be trivia! Since it's held in The Club, which is also the staging area for Ventures, this was the only scheduled trivia game of the cruise. I got there a couple of minutes after 12 and managed to insert myself into a group of only 4. A few more people joined us and I am pleased to say that, after a tough tiebreaker, our team won. The prizes were some very nice Seabourn mugs.

Back to the Colonnade for lunch. They make it very easy to at least try to be healthy, with lots of salad options and lots of seafood. Kind of ruins it when you take 3 desserts, but they're all small, so it's really equivalent to just one, right?

Cruise Director Jan hosted a needlepoint social during tea in the Observation Lounge. I brought my knitting along, but was pleasantly surprised when Jan had a wide selection of needlepoint coin purse kits for us to choose from. Also, the tea sandwiches and pastries were very well done. The cucumber sandwiches are just like my grandmother served when I visited my grandparents in England as a child, and the egg salad sandwiches are also excellent.

This was the one formal night of the cruise. I know what the burning question is--how formal was it? I don't think I saw any men without a jacket. There were a couple of tuxes. For the women, it was quite a mixed bag. I didn't notice any floor length dresses. I saw some sequins and sparkle and quite a bit of prints. Lots of LBDs. I think I might have been the brightest thing in the room in a red velvet knee-length dress.

Here's where Seabourn just cannot compare to HAL: they are woefully unprepared for people like us, who don't drink alcohol. On Oosterdam, there was a good list of mocktails and fruit lemonades. Perhaps it's because they have more underage cruisers. Maybe Seabourn assumes that, because alcohol is not an extra fee, everyone will want it. Regardless, when DH asked the bartender on the Patio if they did mocktails, all he got was a puzzled look. That being said, at dinner this evening our wine waiter was able to get DH a very nice fruit punch.

I had the caviar appetizer and Bob had the goat cheese souffle. I think I might have liked his better. We both had the beef Wellington. Rather than a small cut of beef completely encased in pastry, this was a slice off a larger roast. The meat itself was a beautiful medium rare. The duxelles was moist and savory and the pastry was buttery and flaky. This was among the top few I've eaten. Bob continued his souffle theme with the warm pistachio souffle for dessert, and it, too was very light and just eggy enough. I was stuffed and had a single scoop of strawberry ice cream--mostly because I really wanted the wafer they put on top.

Service was a little bit on the slow side, though our waiter, Miguel, was quite good. I overheard one of the staff say that practically everyone aboard had shown up for dinner at once and the kitchen was struggling a bit to keep up.

The first show of the cruise was "Palladium Nights", a tribute to the hit songs of London's Palladium. The singers were all pretty good, though I found the amplification to be a bit much for the space. Based on what Robert had said the night before about the dancers and their training, I think they could have used more elevated choreography; it all seemed a bit basic. (I'll admit to being a bit of a dance snob.)

Clocks go back an hour at 2 a.m. It's only one time zone from home, but I really feel for those who came from the east coast or Europe and are still adjusting.

[Swingdancefan]

Misty Fjords

We once again breakfasted in The Colonnade, this time on the deck on the starboard side. Our waiter, Kelvin, from Zimbabwe, was very friendly and helpful.

Misty Fjords is a "Ventures only" stop, which means excursions launch from the ship, which stays fairly stationary for several hours. There is no landfall. We lingered for a while after we finished eating and watched the first zodiac tour launch. It was nice to see that the zodiacs don't all go off together in a line. It appears that the individual operators have some discretion as to where they take people.

We went back down to Seabourn Square to just hang out, read, chat, and watch scenery. We saw several people wearing some type of America-themed attire (I had a stars and stripes scarf on) in honor of the holiday.

As the day went on, one of the ventures staff came on the all-call to announce they had spotted a brown bear on the land. We grabbed our binoculars and rushed up to deck 6 forward where we were able to spot the youngish looking bear in the grass. Another group of zodiacs was out, and we saw three or four near where the bear was, close enough for a pretty good view, but still a responsible distance away.

I went back to afternoon tea and needlepoint, where some returned from the previous day and some new ones joined us and the egg salad sandwiches were still perfect.

At 6:30 there was an Independence Day party in the Club. Jan had found all kinds of themed accessories for the singers and the band, including a truly epic red white and blue wig the drummer wore. There was some kind of very blue cocktail passed, as well as something a little less colorful, along with hamburger sliders, mini hot dogs, and little cones of french fries. After a beautiful a capella version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the band broke into the best dance music of the trip.

Digression: after the fin music they played during the sailaway from Vancouver, we were excited to do some dancing in the evenings, but found that their actual show was much more clubby. Since we love to swing dance (bet you couldn't figure that one out), it was disappointing.

But this time, they played things like "Johnny B. Goode", "Route 66", "Georgia on My Mind", "New York, New York" and other USA-themed songs, and we danced a lot. The band and the main singer were quite good, and the singers from the shows pitched in as well. As is the problem in every nightclub, the music was so loud that it was difficult to hear the person speaking next to you, although it was probably better here than elsewhere. The party lasted about an hour, and the club was packed with people of every nationality.

Dinner with friends in the Restaurant. My first course was seared tuna carpaccio. It was paper thin and beautifully presented. Next up was a truffled corn salad with mixed greens. To be honest, either I didn't taste the truffle or the way it interacted with the corn made the corn taste like it came from a can. It wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly good either.

I went for scallops again tonight, and they were just as well made as the first night. Good sized, with a nice sear and just glistening in the middle. Bob had the rib eye and it was also very good.

My dessert was a cheesecake trio. Each tiny wedge of cheesecake had a different dollop of fruit gelled on top, but otherwise they were not particularly different. They were very creamy and did not have the slight graininess or edginess that you sometimes get in cheesecake. Husband kept going with the souffles, this time in white chocolate. This ship does souffles very, very well.

The highlight of the evening was a slight digression from our route to put us outside Ketchikan just in time to pause for a really outstanding fireworks show over the water. Cruise Director Jan and brand new assistant Joanna were near us on the deck 5 rail and I heard Jan call the bridge to see if we could give a blast of the horn in thanks at the end. We did and several small boats in the harbor responded in kind as we sailed away.

[Swingdancefan]

Wrangell, AK

Our first time setting foot on land since we came aboard in Vancouver!

Once again we had breakfast in the Colonnade at one of Kelvin's tables on the starboard deck. At 8:30 a.m. on the sunny side of the ship, I was warm enough in a short-sleeved tee to take off my jacket. I am notorious for being chilly, so this was a good sign for the day. DH changed into shorts before we went ashore.

In addition to my habitual chocolate croissant, cut watermelon, and lox, I tried the special omelet of the day. The eggs were soft and fluffy. The omelet was probably 1.5 to to 2 eggs, just the right size.

Bottles of water were waiting by the Deck 5 gangway and there was no waiting to go ashore. A quick walk down and we emerged right in the heart of Wrangell. We had no plans but to wander. First we walked up past the pretty and historic Episcopal church, then around to a small totem park. Back along the main street to look at the shops. The artists co-op had a sign say it was "open Thursdays and cruise ship days," which gives a pretty good idea of the pace of life. The insurance office had a sign that the next time the agent would be in town was July 16, so call him if you need something.

There was evidence of Independence Day celebrations. Silly String all over the sidewalks. There was egg on a shop window and shells everywhere. We though it was celebratory hijinks, but the lady in the co-op said they have the town egg toss right there and she really wishes they would move it because it's such a mess to clean up. Wrangell shoots off fireworks at the baseball field, and because of dry conditions were unable to do so.

Next we walked about a mile up the hill to the petroglyph beach. It's just nestled in among neighborhood homes. There's a small interpretive display and a couple of porta potties. We wandered for a bit but were unable to see any of the petroglyphs--they were not as obvious as I somehow thought they'd be. But I had just enough cell signal to text my daughters, so we sat and enjoyed the beach for a bit. The tide was out and it was a pretty view. Eventually actor came along and the guide poured water on some of the rocks to make the glyphs more visible. Ater they left, we moseyed over and did the same, finally seeing a glyph.

The temperature was probably nearing 80 degrees as we began the walk back down to the heart of town. Luckily for us, there were two young ladies selling pink lemonade not far from the beach!

We stopped in at the trading post, owned by a couple who retired to Wrangell from Washington. They had owned several rental homes and a nightclub, and they say that the trading post and its attach extended stay rooms give them a better income and far less stress. They make a variety of fur items and jewelry, and sell items made by local native craftsmen. If you are against fur, this is not the place for you, as they sell full pelts of a wide variety of animals. We bought a couple of small items and some of their very good tangy-sweet thimbleberry jelly.

We also went to the museum, though we never made it in to the museum itself and just looked at the community displays. There had been a craft competition as part of the holiday celebration and we heard a woman in the display room shout "I won!" She came out and saw us standing there and brought us in to show us her grand champion ribbon on the wreath she had made of blue shells and bleached barnacles. It was beautifully done!

Overall, I'd say that if you don't mind walking a couple of miles, you don't really need to pay for a tour in town.

We got back aboard just in time for some lunch before the buffet closed. On returning to our suite we found it decorated with a half-dozen balloons and a card and bottle of wine for my birthday. It was a lovely thought, but obviously no one noticed that I had checked the box that said "no alcohol" on our preferences. Still, my mom will enjoy it!

We dine in the Thomas Keller Grill. People were overall a bit more dressed up here. I really liked the comfortable banquette seating, which had the thoughtful touch of a throw pillow I could put behind me, so I didn't have to lean forward to reach the table. (Short girl problems.) The sommelier was disappointed that we weren't interested in wine but procured a Sprite for Bob. The waiter was very careful to explain that we could not order something that wasn't on the menu for this establishment--so nothing from one of the other restaurants. Which was fine with us; if we wanted something from elsewhere, we'd have gone elsewhere.

Something the wait staff has been very good at in both the Restaurant and the Grill is noting the walnut allergy I have on my preferences, as well as a sensitivity to some other tree nuts. The beetroot and goat cheese salad I ordered here normally comes with hazelnuts, and the waiter suggested keeping them off even before I had to say anything. Beets and goat cheese are one of my favorite combinations, and this was very good. Bob had the New England clam chowder, which was quite different from what were accustomed to. Once he stopped thinking of it as calm chowder, though, he really liked it.

In my general experience, the nicer the restaurant, the smaller the portions. It was not so here. I ordered the lamb chop, and was presented with two large, beautifully frenched chops with a nice, slightly minty demiglace. One was perfectly medium rare, while the other was a bit under. Bob ordered the ribeye and wanted the lobster thermidor with it as a surf and turf, but apparently this kitchen won't do that. They would, however, put the lobster in its own dish to place on the table between us. Somehow, Bob's medium rare ribeye turned into a rare thick cut New York strip. When they say thick cut, they mean it. It was about three inches thick, six inches long, and four inches wide. We could have shared it along with the lobster. With sides of steak fries (excellent), sauteed mushrooms, and buttery carrots (just a little soft), we were far too stuffed for dessert. Our disappointed waiter made sure we didn't leave without a little bag with two of their famous chocolate chip cookies.

The service here was attentive. We watched a tableside preparation of caesar salad, explained ingredient by ingredient. The lady seated next to us had Dover sole meuniere, and it was beautifully filleted tableside (and, again, huge). Overall, the food was good, but I didn't find it better than the Restaurant, and our waiters in the Restaurant have been more friendly and willing to interact. I'm not sorry I went, but I won't feel as if I'm missing out not going again.

Tonight's entertainment was a one-and-only performance by violinist Jakub Trasak. He is from the Czech Republic and definitely has his own twist, playing several contemporary songs, like Coldplay and the Dropkick Murphys, as well as "Czardas" and "Orange Blossom Special." He was very entertaining and obviously enjoys what he does.

[WilloGuy]

WoW, thanks for the wonderful update on your trip.  I'm reliving all my Seabourn cruises thru you.

 Can't wait to join the Sojourn on my Alaska adventure.

Keep being spoiled by Seabourn, enjoy!

[Swingdancefan]

Day 5 July 6 Sitka, AK

First, I realized that the dates weren't on my previous posts.

Second, apologies for typos and oddities. I am doing all this on my phone, and autocorrect hates me.

Another breakfast in the Colonnade, because it works for us.

Today is our first booked shore excursions, the Sea Otter Quest. I had done some research and saw that this has consistently been named the best shore excursion in Sitka. They also guarantee that you will see a bear, otter, or whale or they will hand you $100 when you get off the boat.

Despite the low 70s on the forecast, I wore a long-sleeved tee and light fleece jacket and brought my Seabourn coat. We spent the whole three hours on the top deck, and when we were moving fast the coat was necessary. It was superb at cutting the wind.

We met in the Club with our group and then proceeded to tender in. I don't know if the problem was with the tender or its driver, but it never really got into gear and we limped/drifted to the dock. Then up one ramp and down another to the excursion boat. This bot provided binoculars, maps, pots of hot beverages, and a small galley/gift shop. The naturalists aboard kept up a running commentary on the history, geology and geography of the area, as well as information about the wildlife. We very quickly saw bald eagles.

The crew is quite familiar with where various groups of wildlife hang out and it was not long before we encountered our first raft of otters. I ADORE otters, and this was so exciting. Through the course of this tour we saw several rafts of both males and females, at least 50 otters in total. We also saw seals and sea lions. Despite going to where a whale was known to hang out, we had no whale sighting. Nonetheless, it was a very successful expedition.

Once back on land, we did our customary wander through the town. Despite being significantly larger than Wrangell, most of the tourist activities are centered around the main street. I quickly shed both my Seabourn coat and my fleece, as it was a gorgeous 70-odd degrees.

There are plenty of places to spend your money here, including an artists co-op, a Russian store, and a shop specializing in work by Native American artists. We ran into Cruise Director Jan, who had just bought a large bag of Russian hats for the caviar sailaway later.

I had seen the New Archangel Dancers on my stop here in 2004. I didn't see anything about them performing today, but they do a creditable job of performing traditional Russian dances that reflect the history of the town.

We didn't walk as far as the totem park or Raptor Center, both of which I saw in 2004. I do highly recommend the Raptor Center. They do all they can to rehabilitate injured birds of prey, and to give a good life to those who cannot return to the wild. You will be awed by close looks at these amazing birds.

We did walk in the opposite direction and see the totem that was specially commissioned in the '70s to give the history of the town. We also encountered a food stall on between a couple of shops. Ana was selling fry bread made from a recipe that an old Tlingit woman had given her. Ana just graduated from the boarding school in town and is raising money before she goes to Whitworth College this fall.

Sailaway was at 5 pm and was celebrated on the pool deck with vodka, pimm's, and caviar. The ship's singers presented a light classical program to recorded music, including opera and showtunes. Robert had mentioned at dinner the first night that Briana is opera trained, and she dazzled in this performance. These four singers are probably the best I've seen on a cruise ship and they seem to love what they do and the people they do it with.

The Restaurant was quite crowded tonight. I have no empirical proof, merely observation, but on past cruises, it seems a lot of people prefer the buffet at dinner time. Here, it seems that a much larger proportion choose the Restaurant. It does appear that dress is a little more relaxed. While most men are still wearing patterned shorts and many have jackets, I spotted some polo shirts tonight. As for wearing jeans, I think people are pushing the spirit of the rule. If you define jeans as denim, the I didn't see any. But if you define them as a distinctive style or cut, then I saw black ones and white ones for sure. I feel a bit odd, because I'm still wearing dresses or black slacks to dinner, but I've decided that since I get few chances to dress up at home (unless I'm chaperoning prom), I'm just going to do me and keep dressing up a bit.

Tonight I had citrus cured salmon (a very nice, light tasting cure), golden beetroot and goat cheese salad (still a favorite), corn and lemongrass soup (very smooth, the lemongrass was barely present), and caramelized duck breast (very tender and perfectly done. I just wish they had rendered the skin crisp. Then it would have been perfect.) Dessert was their take on an apple tarte tatin. I subbed out the vanilla gelato for some chantilly cream. This was an apple--poached in brandy, I think--perched on a thin biscuit crust. I didn't really taste apple as much as I tasted whatever it was cooked in, and was glad of the cream to mellow it.

On the other side of the table, Bob had the basil braised shellfish pasta, which had some really gorgeous shellfish, and finished with another souffle, this time vanilla, with chocolate sauce.

Entertainment tonight was Karen Grainger, a singing impressionist from Canada. We missed her first show on July 4. She was entertaining and a fairly good impressionist, but maybe I deserve my title of Picky Vicky, because I wasn't as impressed as many others seemed to be.

 

[Hlitner]

Thanks for the day by day report (we will be on the Soujourn later this month).  What time are the evening shows?

 

Hank

[kkmiausa]

Thank you again. Could you ask Jan if she is on Sojourn throughout the Alaska sailings on Sojourn?  Have had her as cruise director on Quest twice before and she is my favorite. 

[Swingdancefan]

Evening shows are at 9:45 until 10:30. Jan is aboard until the end of the Alaska season. 

[kkmiausa]

Fantastic. Can't wait until August 8th!  Continue to enjoy. It will be our first time on Sojourn. Have always been on Quest so although basically the same ship am sure there are a few surprises.   Thanks for the info on the otter excursions. Coincidentally just saw an nature television show all about them. Quite interesting creatures, some strange things about them too. Glad you are having a great time. 

[SLSD]

Wow--you give such a detailed report---and you probably do deserve the name Picky Vicky!  (I'm kidding you here).  Thank you for your report. As we were on Sojourn in May/June, we had some of the same entertainers.  Interesting to get another viewpoint!  I hope you are having a great time.  

[margbem]

Thank you for taking the time to write this blog. You do it really well!

We love the French Toast and the Eggs Benedict at breakfast in the Colonnade. Give them a try!

[Swingdancefan]

I may not get to post any more this week, since it only lets me post on 4G networks. As soon as we're back aboard,  the 4G cuts out. Tomorrow is at sea and then we're in Canada. I'll keep journaling each day and post if I find wifi.