Live, Terry/Ohio, Silver Muse: Alaska, Canada/Rockies, Pix’s

[TLCOhio]

Below are just four quick pictures from last night.  Full food picture samplings to come later after I take them off of my iPhone.  

 

As we get closer to Ketchikan, I can see one large ship that is already here.  Here are the other ships schedule at this port today: 

Azamara Quest: 7 am - 5 pm, 686 passengers
Viking Orion: 8 am - 5 pm, 930 passengers
Disney Wonder: 11 am - 7:45 pm, 2,400 passengers
Norwegian Jewel: 1 pm - 8 pm, 2,376 passengers

That is a total of five ships with a potential of 6,392 passengers, plus crew.  
 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Many visuals, details from two visits in a city with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 31,645 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

In doing the first music program last night, the Voices of Silversea have added a number of new "shows", including this program featuring the "Blues", lots of good rock, Stevie Wonder, etc.  The final number centered around the "Blues Brothers".  Fun and interesting!!  BUT, they kept running excessively a silly smoke machine during the entire program that was a little too much and limited the quality of the pictures images.  In the middle of the third picture, you can see Rico Du Breil, the Cruise Director, in the tux, hat, sunglasses and microphone.  He was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and now lives in Montreal, Quebec.  His wife and young child are traveling with him on this cruise.  He seems wonderfully smooth, funny and charming.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)t

 

 

 

At La Terrazza last night, we had the center, window table with William as our excellent server.  Shown with William are my wife, Penny, on left and Chris from Philadelphia.:

[TLCOhio]

13 minutes ago, spinnaker2 said:

Yikes Terry, is the cobbler in La Dolce Vita???

 

YES is the quick answer to the good question from Spins/Candy.  Apparently that person is set-up to be there all during this cruise.  Overall in the daily printed program and in a few other areas, it seems that Silversea has "upped their game" in sliding towards doing more "commercialism" with their selling and pushing of "stuff".  That's not my favorite experience on a ship. Especially with a line such as Silversea.  Will check out and share more later. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast.  Now at 29,312 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[Observer]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

YES is the quick answer to the good question from Spins/Candy.  Apparently that person is set-up to be there all during this cruise.  

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

 

The question was, "Yikes Terry, is the cobbler in La Dolce Vita??"   And the answer is "Yes" and, worse yet, the cobbler will be there throughout the cruise.

 

I hope Terry's response is incorrect.  It's difficult to imagine that the cobbler is pounding on his sandals during trivia or other events -- or merely polluting the lovely atmosphere of La Dolce Vita with his equipment, sales presentation.

 

Could we kindly have clarification?  Reassurance?

 

It would also be interesting to have amplification of the assertion "that Silversea has "upped their game" in sliding towards doing more "commercialism" with their selling and pushing of "stuff."  

 

The cobbler has been a fixture on various Silversea ships for years.  This is nothing new (though locating him in the bar area certainly is.  He has been in the pool deck on my encounters) and does not represent any upping of the game.  What other selling and pushing of stuff has blemished this cruise?

Edited July 27, 2019 by Observer

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you Terry for hopefully scanning the programs when you get home. But not to think of that now! What did you do in Ketchikan - not sure I saw that? (Plus how easy is it to eat outside when it get cold?) 

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for taking us along Terry. Shame about the cobbler, looks like he has become destination specific now. Is it the Italian guy who dances. Hope you like all the nice features on the Muse.

[MHF]

Looking forward to hearing about your Misty Fjords flight with Michelle!

 

Missy

[TLCOhio]

4 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

Thanks for taking us along Terry. Shame about the cobbler, looks like he has become destination specific now. Is it the Italian guy who dances. Hope you like all the nice features on the Muse.

 

Just did our sail-away from Ketchikan after doing a boat ride and sailing around within Mysty Fjord.  More pictures and details later.  Did see and talked briefly with the cobbler in the fifth floor bar area of our ship.  He will be there at this location for our entire sailing.  Says he crafts the footwear in that place.  Doubt that he would doing too much pounding while bingo and other activities are being conducted.   For the basic sandals, he told me they cost $220-240 and up.  It would be much higher in price if you want more "glitter" on them.  Personally, I am not a sandal guy and that pricing is a little out of my budget level.  YES to Silver Spectre, I like ALL of the nice features on the Silver Muse.  My wife is very, very impressed and wants every future cruise to be on this ship.  Not sure that will work, but it is fun to dream and be enjoying this cruise.   

 

Below are a few quick visuals from today.  On the way now to Juneau.  Arrive tomorrow at 9 pm and we will be there till 11 pm.  Below is my summary of the background/info I researched and pull together for Alaska's State Capital City.  

 

JUNEAU: Alaska's capital and third-largest city has its origins from two colorful “sourdoughs”.  These two Alaskan pioneers, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, were helped by a Tlingit chief named Kowee, who led the two men to rich reserves of gold at Snow Slide Gulch.  This spot was the drainage of Gold Creek around which the town was eventually built. That was in 1880, and shortly thereafter a modest stampede resulted in the formation of a mining camp, which became Alaska’s district government capital in 1906.  It was moved from Sitka as dictated by action of the U.S. Congress in 1900.  For some 60 years after Juneau's founding, gold was the mainstay of the economy. In its heyday its gold mine was the biggest low-grade ore mine in the world. It was not until World War II, when Juneau's people were needed for the war effort and these mines ceased operations. After the war, mining failed to start up and government became the city's principal employer.  These early pioneers were called “sourdoughs” because they carried this bread starter closer to their bodies to keep it warm even when in freezing weather.

 

With its history, Juneau is full of contrasts. There are dramatic hillside locations and historic downtown buildings to provide a frontier feeling.  But Juneau has a cosmopolitan style coming through in its museums, restaurants and a literate/outdoorsy population.  The Alaska State Capitol in downtown Juneau was built as the Federal and Territorial Building in 1931 in the Art Deco architectural style.  It is possible to enjoy the Mt. Roberts Tramway, densely forested wilderness areas, quiet bays for sea kayaking and even a drive-up glacier, Mendenhall Glacier.   One summary said: “Juneau may be the most remote, beautiful and strangest state capital in the U.S.”  This misty city of 32,000 people, mostly fishermen and small-business owners—has a frontier town vibe, but welcomes more than a million visitors each summer.  Juneau's daily population can increase by an average 6,000 people from visiting cruise ships between the months of May and September.  Juneau is on the North American mainland but cannot be reached directly by road from the main parts of Alaska or Canada. Primary access to the city is by air and sea. The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain that is totally surrounding the city.  Unlike many Alaska towns, Juneau has never experienced a major fire in its old downtown.  More than 140 buildings dating before 1914 still exist.  In July-August, Juneau’s average high is 63F with a low of 51F.

 

Juneau's nearby Mendenhall Glacier has a unique connection to our home state of Ohio and the university from which my wife and I graduated.  This glacier is named for Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (1841-1924).  He was an American physicist and meteorologist. He was the first professor hired at Ohio State University (OSU) in 1873 and was also later the superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1889 to 1894. Alongside his work, he was also an advocate for the adoption of the metric system by the United States.  He was later an OSU Trustee from 1919 till his death in 1924.  He was unsuccessful as Trustee in his effort to limit the capacity of Ohio Stadium being built at that time. Today, that stadium seats 100,000+ cheering OSU’s championship football teams.  Mendenhall Laboratory (located on the OSU campus Oval between Orton and Hagerty Halls) is named in his honor.  His parents were strong abolitionists and used their home in NE Ohio to help escaping slaves as a part of the historic Underground Railroad.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 27,282 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

 

Yes, we were able to see a bald eagle today.  It was on the top of a nearby building in Ketchikan that we observed as we were headed to our morning excursion.  Looking good?  Fortunately I had my longer Nikkor 300mm lens along and got nice head and body detailing.  This looks like a fairly experienced bald eagle.  Very impressive!!:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

Here is that famed sign in the heart of downtown Ketchikan. Second is the major sculpture reflecting their local history that was right in front of where the Silver Muse was docked.:

 

 

Enroute to and in Misty Fjord, here are just a few quick views/samples.  Mostly dry in heading there and only a few little items of misting while we were visiting this super scenic area.  Ketchikan is consider one of the wettish locations in the world with around 140-160" of rain yearly.   Our ship tour was titled "Misty Fjords & Wilderness Explorer Cruise".  It took four and a half hours.  About 60 from the Silver Muse were on this tour.  The three level boat was roomy and could hold up to 147 people.  Very nice and helpful staff.    This excursion to Misty Fjords National Monument included seeing the Tongass Narrows, Ketchikan waterfront, Revillagigedo Channel, Behm Canal and New Eddystone Rock (shown below), with the highlight of sailing into and around within dramatic Rudyerd Bay.  Sorry for my hair being so wind-blown in the one picture below.  Temperatures were in the low to mid 60'sF.   More pictures later from this area:

 

 

 

Here was the "fun" shot of the day.  Next door to where the Silver Muse was docked in Ketchikan, there was the large Disney ship.  As we had lunch on the back of the ship after our short excursion, this was the cute look of two Disney character being funny and playful.  Like?:

[Lois R]

4 hours ago, MHF said:

Looking forward to hearing about your Misty Fjords flight with Michelle!

 

Missy

I don't think they flew with Michelle...……..from his summary above, they didn't do a floatplane tour.

 

I flew with her twice though...…...loved both times!

[TLCOhio]

4 hours ago, MHF said:

Looking forward to hearing about your Misty Fjords flight with Michelle!   Missy

 

Sorry, we did not do today our visit to Misty Fjords by flying.  We were on a boat to get there and back.  Kind of long by boat.  Took about two hours each way.   Our ship's speaker did fly to Misty Fjord this morning and was able to see two different bears.  His son was traveling with him and this was his son's first flight on this type of aircraft.  They loved the experience.

 

Hopefully, tomorrow, in Juneau, if the weather cooperates we will be doing a Taku Lodge Feast & 5-Glacier Seaplane Discovery Tour.  This includes 35 minutes of Glacier Flightseeing in route to the Taku Lodge, 2 full hours on the Taku Lodge grounds, and a 15-minute return flight past the glaciers to the downtown Juneau waterfront.  It is located across the river from the five-mile wide Taku Glacier, Juneau’s largest glacier.  They have a classic fleet was they converted five DeHavilland Otter aircraft from piston engines to modern, quiet turbine power plants.  Taku Lodge was originally built in 1923, opened as one of Alaskas first hunting and fishing Lodges available for overnight guests. 

 

For worldtraveller99, yes, I will be saving all of those daily programs and will scan those when we return to Ohio.  Hopefully, I can post those by mid August.  The cobbler did not seem too busy in either making sandals or dealing with potential customers.  My concern is that Silversea's daily program has too many pictures and pushes to sell things.  Not much "real info" about the staff, program offerings, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

For latest live/blog, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

[Lois R]

Terry, I love your detailed descriptions of everything!!!

[TLCOhio]

6 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Terry, I love your detailed descriptions of everything!!!

 

Appreciate, Lois, your kind comment and follow-up.  For some, it might be too much "detail", but I know that some of this background is helpful and of interest for certain future travelers planning to visit in these areas.  People can scan and read as much (or as little) as fits their needs and interests. Below is a little more on the . . . .

 

INSIDE PASSAGE:   This coastal route for ships and boats navigates along a network of passages weaving through the islands on the Pacific northwest coast of North America. The route extends from SE Alaska, through western British Columbia to the state of Washington Puget Sound.  Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean. The Inside Passage, per Wikipedia, is heavily travelled by cruise ships, freighters, fishing craft and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway and BC Ferries.  During the Klondike Gold Rush, this passage was one of the sea routes from Seattle and California to carry American prospectors northward.  Carved out by glaciers during the last ice age, this region is characterized by more than 1,000 islands and islets, coves, fjords and coastal towns, each with its own character. The largest national forest in the country, Tongass National Forest, blankets the entire southeast Alaska portion of the Inside Passage.  This route is one of the few places in the world where large cruise ships requiring relatively deep water can safely sail next to steep mountainsides.

 

For us yesterday, the sights along the Inside Passage were kind of limited.  A little too cloudy to experience that much.  Plus, many of the key areas were being sailing when it was night time and/or we were sleep.  But, the good news is that we are now in Alaska and enjoying these sights.  Am in the Tor's Observation Library now and am loving the overall views as pass by mountains on both sides in sailing northward to Juneau. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved so different many parts of the Caribbean in 2015!!!  See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at the link of "Barbados: Our Pix's, Experiences!":

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2262999

[Observer]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Did see and talked briefly with the cobbler in the fifth floor bar area of our ship.  He will be there at this location for our entire sailing.  Says he crafts the footwear in that place.  Doubt that he would doing too much pounding while bingo and other activities are being conducted.  

 

Thanks for the follow-up and information.  I appreciate that it may be a bit chilly on the pool deck.  But there must surely be places more appropriate than Dolce Vita in which to install the cobbler.  I was on a very chilly cruise where the cobbler remained at his post on the pool deck.

 

Terry:  Is it so cold/foul that the Grill and Pool Bar are closed (and not available during the day)?  If the pool attendants and waitstaff can function on the pool deck, why can't the cobbler?

Edited July 28, 2019 by Observer

[lastchamp64]

Terry, I really appreciate you taking the time to give such a detailed review of this trip and the awesome pictures as well. You are making me even more impatient for when we are on the Silver Muse and the same itinerary next June. Also, like you being proud to be a Buckeye, I love the Ohio connections you have shared!!!

 

I do have a question for you though. With this being a short 7 day cruise and being in the summer, are you finding any younger age groups on the ship. I'm just curious. I'll be 56 and my wife 54 next year, but we are taking our daughter on this cruise who will be 22 next year. She is graduating from the University of Mount Union (another excellent school in Ohio) next year and will be heading to Japan for a couple of years and this I'm afraid will be our last hurrah with her as she heads out to make her mark in the world as an adult. 

[les37b]

Fantastically detailed as usual Terry... 

 

Have a wonderful time on the Muse... Look forward to your live review.

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you very much Terry for replying to my post. Not sure what they are pushing to sell  - apart from sandals! What a strange thing to have in a lounge!?

 

Tor's Lounge sounds lovely! Are there refreshments / drinks there?

[worldtraveller99]

PS Sandals in Alaska!

[liptastic]

Terry I am sure you will enjoy the Taku Lodge excursion. We took the trip 3 years ago, my husband was sitting up front with the pilot on the flight there. It’s a tranquil setting and we had a lovely guided walk through the woods after the lovely salmon lunch.

Look forward to your photos to relive good memories.

Enjoying your live blog as always.     Jean

[spinnaker2]

Terry

The pool deck grill area had heaters affixed to the ceiling and some glass partitions from floor to ceiling.  There were also pull down plastic curtains that kept the heat in and the wind and rain out.

I think I still see them in your photo of the pool deck area.

Thus even in foul weather one can partake of food and drink out at the pool grill!

 

[Stumblefoot]

15 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

...I like ALL of the nice features on the Silver Muse.  My wife is very, very impressed and wants every future cruise to be on this ship.  Not sure that will work, but it is fun to dream and be enjoying this cruise.

 

Totally understand Terry.  We were smitten with her too.  

 

Hopefully, reports on the Moon and Dawn will be good once they start sailing in order to tempt your wife further.

[TLCOhio]

3 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Terry  The pool deck grill area had heaters affixed to the ceiling and some glass partitions from floor to ceiling.  There were also pull down plastic curtains that kept the heat in and the wind and rain out.  I think I still see them in your photo of the pool deck area.  Thus even in foul weather one can partake of food and drink out at the pool grill!

 

YES!!  Excellent above summary from Spins/Candy about dining outside at the pool grill. We have not yet dined there, but friends who have, offered the way to summarize the experience in cooler zone such as Alaska.  They gave these same details for how Silversea makes it "work" when it is cooler outside.  

 

Arriving a little ahead of schedule now in Juneau.  

 

Had a super excellent dinner last night in Indochine.  First time trying that dining set-up and we were very, very impressed.  There were five of us and our excellent server, Norman, suggested ordering all eight of the main dinner items and then sharing "family-style".  Worked perfect and we had such a great range of taste delights.  Super loved the noodles there, plus the nice setting and great service.  WOW!! is a good way to summarize this dining experience.   We have now three-in-a-row for very good evening dining experiences.  Have many pictures and other details to share later of these treats.  More "food porn"?? 

 

Below are just two pictures as we are docking now.  Below is the Juneau, Sunday, July 28, line-up of ships in port today.  We are docking right next to now the Island Princess on which we sailed on in February-March from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco through the Panama Canal. Ships in Juneau today: 
Silver Muse: 9 pm - 11 pm, 596 passengers
Island Princess: 6:30 am - 5 pm, 1,970 passengers
Celebrity’s Millennium: 9 am - 9 pm, 2,138 passengers
Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of Seas: noon -11 pm, 4,180 passengers
Grand Princess: 1:30 pm - 10 pm, 2,590 passengers
That adds up to over 11,000 passengers, plus crew, in Juneau for just this one busy day!!??
 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 248,081 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Here are two quick visual samples of Juneau as we are docking this morning.  Yes, cloudy and rain conditions are predicted today for our visit.  Will our plane excursion with Wings Airways work out??  You can see below a picture of one of planes landing now at 8 am.  Celebrity’s Millennium is coming in behind us and getting ready to dock.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

[TLCOhio]

11 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

Totally understand Terry.  We were smitten with her too.  Hopefully, reports on the Moon and Dawn will be good once they start sailing in order to tempt your wife further.

 

Appreciate this smart and good follow-up from Stumblefoot.  Excellent point about the upcoming sister ships of the Muse.  Great future options.  BUT, however, "TEMPTING MY WIFE" can be costly.  Need to have a magic lottery win in order to fund my wife elevating tastes and hightened, desired, super first-class traveling style.  

 

We have free laundry for this cruise that has worked so super well after having nine days prior to this cruise traveling in western Canada.  More later on the amazing quality of laundry service on this ship, especially when we are not paying $3.50 per tee-shirt, etc., etc., costs.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Wonderful scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 236,669 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

BUT, however, "TEMPTING MY WIFE" can be costly.  Need to have a magic lottery win in order to fund my wife elevating tastes and hightened, desired, super first-class traveling style.

 

😆😆😆 Amen brother!

[JohnGinPBG]

Super enjoying your descriptions and photos of your epic trip! The Muse sounds wonderful and the photos of your Canadian/Alaskan adventure have been awesome. Especially like your close-up of the eagle, which I was unable to capture on our trip last year. It inspired me to buy a 70-300mm lens.

 

Thought you might like to see my pics of New Eddystone Rock from the air. Keep posting!

 

 

[QueSeraSera]

Anxious to hear how Juneau copes with all the visitors.  Keep it coming TLCOhio, actually got my wife looking over my shoulder tonight at your pictures!

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, JohnGinPBG said:

Super enjoying your descriptions and photos of your epic trip! The Muse sounds wonderful and the photos of your Canadian/Alaskan adventure have been awesome. Especially like your close-up of the eagle, which I was unable to capture on our trip last year. It inspired me to buy a 70-300mm lens.   Thought you might like to see my pics of New Eddystone Rock from the air. Keep posting!

 

Appreciate these nice visuals from John in Florida.  You had a super sunny day for your flight over New Eddystone Rock.  Nice sharing!!  Agree that there are times when you need that longer lens. 

 

For QueSeraSera, Juneau today was busy, but it was raining hard when I walked meaning the crowds were not as major at that time.  One of the Princess ships had to be tendered, which would have been a pain.  The Celebrity ship was docked at a long distance from the main activities. 

 

Speaking of FLIGHTS, yes, it worked super, super well for our sky tour over the five glaciers and out to Taku Lodge for a salmon fest.  We were scheduled for 3 pm, but Wings Airways President Holly moved up our time to 11 am and helped us dodge some of the rain that came in the afternoon.  By the way, now, it is sunny as a I look out around 6 pm.  Weather can change fast, and shifts again, over and over, in Juneau.  Below is just the first part of the many pictures for this excellent flying adventure in Juneau.  Took about 592 pictures just today.  That's lots, but when you are flying, you shoot as many as possible in order to see what looks and works best. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 223,418 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

 

Before our Wings Airway flight started in Juneau, here is, from left, my wife, their Chief Pilot (Wayne) who was flying us today, Holly (President of the company and from Central Ohio who took super excellent care of us) and Chris from Philadelphia.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

Holly arranged for me to sit in the co-pilot's seat and you can see a close-up for some of the classic and famed De Havilland equipment that Wings uses.  These planes are the "gold standard" for Alaska flying.  Don't worry!!  As co-pilot, I did not touch anything, but fortunately I had the prime seat to see and capture action on both sides, plus ahead of us as we flew over four glaciers, the mountains, etc.  Amazing sights!!  Below are just a few of the many examples for our experiences, including seeing the blue of the glaciers.  Today was not too sunny, nor too cloudy/dark, so those blue colors were visible in a totally spectacular manner.  Very fortunate with these conditions and today's weather-dodging, visibility, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

This is the view as we were preparing to land at Taku Lodge.  This is the Taku Glacier that has grown much larger in recent years. :