Maybe live from the Nieuw Amsterdam's fourth Alaska cruise, 2021

[Vict0riann]

Sounds like you are having a great time, just as it should be!😀

 

If you have a minute, and are up in the Crow's Nest, where I think the library may be, would you please check for me for what the conditions are - any books, can they be touched etc.  We expect that things will be similar on  Eurodam when we sail in October....  Thanks in advance!

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks for taking us onboard with you!

[Boytjie]

It is a rainy, foggy day in Glacier Bay but we saw glaciers and had pea soup!

 

The wifi is bad and CC might not always work. 

[Boytjie]

It is a rainy, foggy day in Glacier Bay but we saw glaciers and had pea soup!

 

The wifi is bad and CC might not always work. 

[Boytjie]

3 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Sounds like you are having a great time, just as it should be!😀

 

If you have a minute, and are up in the Crow's Nest, where I think the library may be, would you please check for me for what the conditions are - any books, can they be touched etc.  We expect that things will be similar on  Eurodam when we sail in October....  Thanks in advance!

There some books on the port side that can be taken away; on the starboard side are “reference” books thar should remain. Like “The birds of Botswana.”  Not sure any cruises will go there… 😜

There are no signs about not touching books. 

[Caribbean Chris]

2 hours ago, Boytjie said:

It is a rainy, foggy day in Glacier Bay but we saw glaciers and had pea soup!

 

The wifi is bad and CC might not always work. 

Love your pea soup picture! 

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, Boytjie said:

There some books on the port side that can be taken away; on the starboard side are “reference” books thar should remain. Like “The birds of Botswana.”  Not sure any cruises will go there… 😜

There are no signs about not touching books. 

 

Are there any books that previous cruisers have left that you are able to determine?  

[Boytjie]

42 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Are there any books that previous cruisers have left that you are able to determine?  

Not sure how one would determine that. 

[Lido deck main]

Great picture on the deck with the pea soup.  I can almost taste it.

[aliaschief]

I had difficulty at first going from actual books to Kindle. Now that I have made the transition I have 700 lbs of books I want to read on what is  a 20 oz Kindle?

 

I surely don’t want to go on a cruise and rely on a fellow cruisers book to satisfy my reading habits. Just my humble opinion.

[0bnxshs]

14 hours ago, Boytjie said:

It is a rainy, foggy day in Glacier Bay but we saw glaciers and had pea soup!

 

The wifi is bad and CC might not always work. 

It's 6:32 AM and I am jonesing for pea soup and kaas broodjes!

[oaktreerb]

17 hours ago, Boytjie said:

Not sure how one would determine that. 

It would be a shelf in the “library” area that has a mixed group of mostly paperbacks.

[babelfish]

Thanks much for your valuable info.  We are on the Sept. 11 cruise.  I wondered what the BB King Blues club experience is like now.  Open?  Masks while dancing?

Thanks.

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, aliaschief said:

I had difficulty at first going from actual books to Kindle. Now that I have made the transition I have 700 lbs of books I want to read on what is  a 20 oz Kindle?

 

You are further into the 21st Century than I am ever going to be.  There is nothing better in my hands when I am reading than a hard copy of a book or a newspaper. 

 

22 hours ago, Boytjie said:

Not sure how one would determine that. 

 

If you see shelves for paperback books and/or assorted hard cover books, those would be the ones that guests, such as me, left.   

[Boytjie]

The wifi has been slow or not working at all so I have not posted much. We decided to stay on the ship in Sitka and the AT&T reception at the cruise terminal is just as bad. I have tried to post earlier but it never went through, not sure if  CC is also still having issues. 

[Boytjie]

16 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

If you see shelves for paperback books and/or assorted hard cover books, those would be the ones that guests, such as me, left.   

As I mentioned (or maybe it was on the other “live” thread: on the port side are books you can take out and on the center to starboard side are shelves with reference books that need to stay. 
 

 

[Boytjie]

Here we are in Ketchikan. We are off to the Coastal Cruise & Oyster Farm with Ocean-to-Table Tasting excursion soon. 

[Boytjie]

Day 4 on the NADM: Glacier Bay/Icy Point Straight

 

Another grey and wet day in Alaska. Shocking!

 

We woke up early to attend the 7:30 AM Parks Ranger talk in the Crow's Nest, which was very informative. For instance: this weather is typical for Glacier Bay! Also, I never knew that the Grand Pacific glacier stretched all the way to Icy Point Straight only 250 years ago.

 

The schedule was: 

• 9:00 AM: Lampuch Glacier
• 9:30 John Hopkis Glacier
• 11:00 AM Margeire and Grand Pacific Glaciers

The bow was open for glacier watching but it was a bit cold and wet at times so we did not stay too long. We did get the pea soup around 10:30 AM. 14 years ago on the Amsterdam they had tables set-up on the Promenade deck (and the bow, if I remember correctly), but this time they carried trays with the soup already dished up. That made for some not so hot soup. I hade a bowl and a half anyway...

 

Once again I was shocked at how much smaller the face of Margerie was, compared to what I remember from 14 years ago. (I will compare photos from then and now once I am home). There was also very little ice floating around. We did not see any calving but someone mentioned that he did see some. I swore I hear cracking noises but nothing happened.

 

Despite the weather, it was still amazing to sail around these glaciers and the amazing scenery.

We opted for a nap after lunch and before we reached Icy Point Straight. There we disembarked to go on the Spasski River Valley Wildlife and Bear Search excursion. We met Billy, our guide, and headed out to the school bus for the 9 mile ride. It was grey and damp but not raining. Billy's commentary along the way was delightful and informative. He is a local of Hoonah that had served in the military and who is now back home. He told us some about life on the island and the 850 people that live in Hoonah, and the native culture.

 

We had a bit of a hike through a swampy area (on a boardwalk) to get to the first of three viewing platforms overlooking the river. Unfortunately the bears were not too active and the only sighting was of a bear cub some distance away but you could only see it through binoculars. We spent some time at each platform but other than mosquitos and some salmon active in the river we did not see much wildlife. At the end it started to rain and we all headed back to the bus. On the way home Billy continued his talk on life on the island. There are two ways to get off the island to the bigger cities: boat or plane. A ferry ride to Sitka is $50 each way and a plane ticket will set you back over a $100. If you go by ferry you can take your car and load it up with shopping at Costco, so it is a popular way to go.

 

We were back at the ship around 9:15 PM and all aboard was 9:30 PM. We dropped our stuff off in the cabin and headed out looking for food. The Lido was open partially and offered pizza, a variety of pasta dishes and beef stew amongst others and breaded, fried zucchini that was delicious! It kept coming out freshly fried so I had to get seconds. I was glad to see the Lido was opened for late excursion returns. It closed around 10 PM.

 

We gambled away a bit more money: Richard plays $20 a night and I will play more. The first night I did well but I gave it all back last night, as well as the original "seed" money! We ended the night - as usual in the Gallery Bar with our favorite waiter Aelred and our whiskey/whisky/bourbon nightcap before calling it a night.

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Boytjie

[Boytjie]

Day 5 on the NADM: Sitka.

 

With it being raining lightly this morning, we opted to stay on board and relax, enjoying the empty ship.

 

We opted for breakfast in the Dining Room and were seated at a window at the stern. I had the Passion Fruit Yogurt with Mango and Granola and the Kippered Herring with Scrambled Eggs. Richard had the Croissant and Bread Pudding and the Indian breakfast: Aloo Masala and Egg Bhuji. 

I enjoyed the yogurt and tasted the bread pudding and I liked it very much; it was not to sweet. The only thing we both thought that it was a very big portion (but we managed to finish it between the tow of us), The kippers and eggs were good and Richard liked his food too, especially the lentils.

 

Later in the morning we hung out in the Crow's Nest, playing Bananagrams and attempted to check thing online, which was a lost cause. The rest of the day was filled with nothing much! We watched The Proposal, which is set in Sitka but was actually filmed mostly in Massachusetts. 

 

We were out on the decks when we sailed away (by mid afternoon the light drizzle had stopped). We ran into another couple and introduced them to the Tamarind Bar, which most people are unaware with. This time all the seats by the windows were taken as well all but one of the "cabanas".

 

Soon it was time for dinner (oh, we skipped lunch after the substantial breakfast) and we headed to the Dining Room. We got another 4-top at the window for the two of us. I had the jumbo shrimp cocktail, salmon and sugar-free almond fruit cake with berries and Richard had a salad and the market-fresh fish which was cod. His dessert was the white chocolate mouse tart. The cod and salmon were both excellent; it amazes me that they can cook for so many people and still deliver a piping hot, yet moist, piece of fish. I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners but I have to say often the desert I want is the "no sugar added" option. 

 

After dinner we gambled some more. Richard joined me at the roulette table for the first time and beginners luck worked its magic as he did well. I was also able to gain a few more chips that I started out with.

 

Nightcaps were taken in the Gallery Bar before we retired of the night.

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Boytjie

[SilvertoGold]

Great thread!  Thanks for all the info and wonderful photos!  Seeing the "library", I wonder if HAL has completely done away with news.  I loved the old Times Digest and would appreciate knowing if this exists in any form now.

 

PS: thanks for the photo of the Indian Breakfast - I miss it so much!

Edited August 19, 2021 by SilvertoGold

[madera1]

You make us all want to be on that ship right now!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Great photos and commentary.

Regarding your comment on the decreasing size of the glacier faces, our first trip to Glacier Bay was in 1978 and the second was in 2002 and we noticed huge differences in the Margarie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. Have gone to Glacier Bay every few years since then and notice the changes. Very sad.

[Boytjie]

Before leaving Ketchikan’s zippy AT&T speeds, I want to report on our excursion: Exclusive Coastal Cruise & Oyster Farm with Ocean-to-Table Tasting: In Partnership With Food & Wine Magazine. 
 

This was a great excursion! There were only 8 of us but it accommodates 14. 
 

We were taken by minivan to the dock where the oyster “seed” is cultivated until it is large enough to be transferred to the oyster beds between Hump and Betton islands. 

 

Shawn was our guide and son of the owner. His knowledge of oyster farming was amazing and his friends working there were all so friendly and engaging. 
 

After telling us all about oyster farming it was time to taste it. Included in the excursion is a miso soup with tofu and kelp, a grilled oyster and two raw oysters. Wine, beer and sparkling water was available at an extra charge as was oysters by the dozen and half dozen. Food was prepared by Shawn’s mom.  
 

After a visit to the gift shop it was time to head back into town. 
 

Oh, and the sun popped out at the end of the excursion. 
 

 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, Boytjie said:

As I mentioned (or maybe it was on the other “live” thread: on the port side are books you can take out and on the center to starboard side are shelves with reference books that need to stay. 

 

It was on the Port side shelves where guests could leave books.  Saw nothing in your photos that indicated that any of our previous books survived Covid.  Thank you for your efforts in addressing my concern..  

[12cruise2]

On 8/17/2021 at 7:19 PM, Boytjie said:

Not sure how one would determine that. 

On a couple of cruises, people made the piles of paperbacks on the desk of the what-used-to-be fellow who was the librarian/computer tech helper.  They may have neither employee now, but check it out.