ArcticKitty Tackles Alaska - Carnival Splendor 02-10 May 2022- Trip Planning, Trip Report, & Mehhhhbe Some LIVE

[KmomChicago]

7 hours ago, arctickitty said:

Runner-up sums up my personality…and life story.  I’ve been intrigued by all the different dispersed rental bikes, e-bikes, scooters, bike scooter hybrids, wheeled thingies I have no idea what they are…

 

All day I kept mentioning that I wanted to ride a scooter.  (I grew up in a family that would have always and forever said NO) (I’ve never risen any kind of scooter, not even the little kid ones as a child) and Special Someone kept saying “sure.”  

Finally I did it!  He unlocked it with his handy dandy Uber app.
 

I asked, “How do you make it balance?”

 

Special Someone said, “You have to do it.”

 

Me: Me???

 

Okay…

 

I zoomed off, survived an intersection, went down a hill, went up a hill, and the thing stopped.  
 

I decided that was good enough for me, having conquered my fear.

 

 

The cost wound up being about $3 which I said was not bad at all for an amusement park ride.

If you can handle a bike in an Olympic triathlon, you can quickly master this guy.

[arctickitty]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

If you can handle a bike in an Olympic triathlon, you can quickly master this guy.

Special Someone is doing the cycling portion of our triathlon, as I didn’t think I could do all three, yet, but I’ll be swimming in an Alaskan lake and doing the 10K.  Scooter was mastered till it died.  However, we both think it looks messy how people just leave these bikes and scooters and hybrid bike-scooters strewn about everywhere, like when little kids leave their bikes spilled on the sidewalk.

[arctickitty]

8 hours ago, Wanna_Cruize said:

 

OK, very interested in hearing the backstory on THIS!

@Wanna_Cruize & everyone, we had two mishaps yesterday.  Which I think is pretty good.  Mishaps should be limited to a daily total of three, not 15.  And we didn’t have any on flying day, so we’re in the black.

 

Fifteen minutes into walking off our breakfast, Special Someone got a message asking why we hadn’t checked out.  
 

Hmm.

 

Turns out the reservation was only for one night, not two.

 

OOPS.

 

This meant that the affordable price we thought was covering us for two nights was…one…so we just doubled our bill.

 

AHHHHHHHH

 

However, the good news was that our Airbnb had a different room open in the same building.  It’s smaller, but who cares.  All we had to do was pack our stuff and move downstairs.

 

I said, “I am DEFINITELY using the ‘free’ laundry here tonight.”

 

Special Someone took advantage of being in a room to take a nap and I took advantage of his nap and put on sticker nails for the first time ever.  Some of my outfits for this trip are themed and since we were planning on an oyster bar for dinner, the afternoon’s theme was mermaids.

 

[arctickitty]

My second mishap of the day occurred at the oyster bar.  The bathroom are downstairs and turn a corner and down a hall.  I saw this sign and puzzled over it and thought it meant it was a gender neutral stall.  

 

The door had a key pad with the key code handily posted.  I punched in the number, opened the door, annnnnnd….

 

Men at urinals!!!

 

AHHHHHHHH

 

I shut the door and found a different bathroom.

[arctickitty]

Good morning, even before coffee, I understood that as a mermaid, I am welcome in this bathroom:

 

 

Embarkation day is off to a great, relaxed start!

Edited May 2, 2022 by arctickitty

[arctickitty]

Coffee was called The Black Widow: a latte with molasses and dark chocolate.  I am a sucker for when the barista or coffee shop posts a single special.  It was very good, almost smoky.  First time having molasses in my coffee.  Only downside was I ended my cardamom streak which I’d planned to continue.

 

[arctickitty]

Update: that $200 load of laundry has been devalued as the Airbnb hose allowed us to stay past our 10am check out time so that we can Uber directly to the Splendor at 11am.  Important because it is drizzling out.  So maybe a $180 load of laundry?

[arctickitty]

Wow, now I know why other Live Froms have so many typos…the AwesomeCorrect slips keep sliding past me…

 

Uber is scheduled…so excited!

[arctickitty]

Curb to deck = 40 minutes 

 

Thank you CC friends for all the tips & tricks.  Having Verifly & ArriveCAN meant we got waved on through at every stop.

[arctickitty]

 

 

In love with Masala Tiger already.

 

[arctickitty]

Second lunch:

 

[arctickitty]

Special Someone wants me to share helpful tips:

 

1. sign in the terminal that “concierge and luggage storage services are not available”

 

2. masks required inside the terminal building.  They had surgical style masks available.

 

I’m not buying internet so I’ll pop in & out here & there.  Let’s have fun!!

[chadci]

23 minutes ago, arctickitty said:

 

 

In love with Masala Tiger already.

 

Whoa! Need more info. Is that a daily thing or? The last Indian I had (besides the MDR) was the good spot the Breeze had. I ate it daily. Their chutney was next level. RIP Indian place on the Breeze. 

[KmomChicago]

And now we all wait until ArcticKitty hits land. I applaud the refusal to buy internet onboard but my husband would never consider going without it.

[chadci]

I’ve had it a time or two, just to check in on things at home. I got the Social package, had anybody I needed to communicate with DM me on Twitter and it worked well enough. I can’t imagine having it on all the time though. 

[Saint Greg]

20 hours ago, arctickitty said:

In love with Masala Tiger already.

 

 

You'll have to tell me what's good there because I don't know what any of that stuff is other than the flatbread.

[arctickitty]

 

 

In love with the Dewey Lakes trail system in Skagway; incredible how many different types of ecosystems we’ve traversed in just part of a day.  Also warming to see crew members out hiking on dry land!  They were as excited as the passengers in Tracy Arm Fjord yesterday.

Pics later; only 2 bars at the beach.

 

 

[arctickitty]

Good morning from Juneau!  My phone did not like Skagway but I’m stoked that the Filipino chicken on a stick stand is roaring up already.

 

 

[arctickitty]

I’ve lived in Alaska for 15 years and this was my first time seeing a bear while I was walking.  It was enthralling but a little bit scary.

 

 

[arctickitty]

A glimpse of hiking in Skagway:

 

 

 

[arctickitty]

Skagway Brewing

 

 

Not in this picture but 10/10 recommend: house infused habanero tequila.  
 

And if only there was enough time to try their strawberry rhubarb bourbon…

[arctickitty]

Devil’s Club Brewing in Juneau:

 

 

Edited May 6, 2022 by arctickitty

[arctickitty]

On 5/3/2022 at 9:44 AM, Saint Greg said:

 

You'll have to tell me what's good there because I don't know what any of that stuff is other than the flatbread.

@Saint Greg

 

So far, everything.  It’s self serve and essentially a corner of the buffer but the chefs are right there cooking small batches before and during their opening hours.  The food thus gets rotated prettt quickly.  It’s a pretty low risk way to try anything.  I ate a lot of things I don’t know what they are.  One morning we saw them preparing a grilled fish in a green curry and went back when they were open and it was bomdiggetty.  Another favorite was tandoori mushrooms.  They seem to rotate the breads and at least some of the dishes.

Edited May 6, 2022 by arctickitty

[arctickitty]

More Masala Tiger for Saint Greg:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, arctickitty said:

 

Does that say Taco Lager?