Live from the Jewel May 2-16, 2022

[CptBoatface]

I like big font. And I do not prevaricate

[kdmbluerzr]

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with everyone!  We will be on the Jewel July 4th for the southbound Seward to Vancouver trip, so will be following along as you post. Wishing for softer seas for you all! Stay safe and have a wonderful trip!  Hope you dad is doing ok.   Cheers.  🥂

[ndirish88]

Eagerly awaiting your updates as we are sailing southbound on the Jewel on May 23rd.  2nd cruise ever and first visit to Alaska and Canada.  Hopefully the capacity will be low enough so one of my upgrade bids is accepted, otherwise I may have to try my luck at Bingo 🙂  

[luvcruzing]

7 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The font size is caused by me typing these posts in the Notes app first then copying and pasting here to avoid using internet minutes.  I’ll try to adjust tomorrow.

😢

[libtrek]

What a wonderful review and sense of humor. I would expect nothing less from a fellow librarian. We get a bad rep, but we know how much fun we are! Mary

[qsz06]

I love reading your review. I am looking forward to boarding the Jewel in a few days, for the May 9th-16th Seward to Vancouver cruise.

[janice2348]

I’m so excited to read your review. We are sailing on the Jewel to the Panama Canal in 2023.  Hope you have a great cruise!

[YVRteacher]

 

Day 3

Ketchikan

Firstly, let’s attribute all the typos and auto corrects to the whiskey.

Secondly, that was a rough night.  Last time we did this trip (summer 2019) on the second leg of the B2B we entered a small channel in the middle of the night en route from Juneau to Ketchikan and got tossed about.  The captain later said something about ‘unexpected’ but really?  I threw up so much that night that I pulled all the muscles surrounding my ribs and there was no way I could paddle a kayak for our scheduled NCL excursion so a man at the Shore Ex swapped our tickets for the Lumberjack show. Definitely entertaining.  Anyhow, last night wasn’t as bad but it was close.  

Today we arrived at Ward Cove in Ketchikan at 7:30am.  My attempt to sleep in was thwarted by the public address announcement from Cruise Director Emma that we had arrived late, followed by a second announcement that our time in Juneau was extended by 30 minutes then a third announcement that they were extending the time for the shuttles from downtown Ketchikan returning to Ward Cove.

 

As soon as I got up I looked at the balcony and saw we had a stowaway.  A bird with feathers in its beak was nestled in the corner and there was a LOT of bird poop on the balcony.  The bird, which was bigger than a pigeon and smaller than a seagull, was awake and alert but not moving too much.  We suspect it flew into the balcony glass and was injured or stunned.  Poor bird.  My dad said “what should we do” and I said “call Rumi!”  Reader, we did not call Rumi.  We didn’t want to move the bird but we did let our room steward know.  Francis said he would let his supervisor know.  There is a chain of command for balcony bird removal on this ship.

 

We went to Moderno for a delicious breakfast (French press coffee, orange juice, mixed berries and fruit, avocado toast and a danish for Dad) while watching a torrential rain storm pass over us then did morning trivia in the Bliss lounge.  There were only 4 people there including us and the questions were challenging and obscure. I now know the world’s fastest fish and the original capital of Japan as well as the largest molecule in the human body.  We won but we got the Canadian question wrong which is quite embarrassing.

 

Back to the cabin to see the bird was gone.  My dad thinks they picked it up and let it go but I think they found a box, lined it with a soft towel, fed it whiskey through an eye dropper then took it to a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

 

At this point it was sunny so we donned waterproof coats, toques, gloves and wool socks and got off the ship.  The moment we set foot on the dock it started raining again.

For anyone worried about Ward Cove, let those worries go.  It was a smooth process where we walked up a small ramp and into the former lumber mill that they are trying to Ketchikanize with nature brought indoors, shops for tourists and a woman singing Elvis tunes.  Toward the back of the warehouse are huge signs for your excursion meeting locations and free shuttles to downtown.  Once through the large doors we saw several Grey Line buses ready to transport passengers to downtown.  We had to wait until the bus was half full then enjoyed the 20 minute bus ride.  The bus hugs the coast and goes through industrial, commercial and residential areas.  It drops people off at the Visitor Centre.  We went in and tried to find a different excursion from what we had done previously but people were neither friendly nor helpful so we left and headed to Creek Street.  About 50% of the businesses in Ketchikan were closed but this also means about 50% were open.  It is too early for salmon but we saw the resident creek seal.  The Jewel is the only ship in port today and the town felt deserted.  All the shop keepers were friendly and chatty so it was a fun morning.  We stayed in Ketchikan for 2.5 hours then caught the shuttle back to the ship.  We met a family that had just bought and consumed a king crab for $180!!!!!

As an aside, there were many crew members getting off the ship today.  Some explored Ketchikan, others went for brunch and quite a few went to Wal Mart for Pringles.  Crew were taking the shuttles with us to downtown Ketchikan.  There was a crew member just ahead of us on the bus and he had several bandages on his fingers.  I asked if he was a chef and he said yes.  I asked if he was ok and he said his hand got caught in the blender.  My heart goes out to him and I hope he’ll heal well.

 

I stand corrected: the Haven lunch in Cagney’s is wonderful.  The pavlova?  Heaven!

This afternoon we decided to enjoy the hot tubs (aka lukewarm tubs) and we met a solo traveler from England and enjoying hearing her stories of cruising on different cruise lines.  After a couple of hours we had wrinkled fingertips so came back to the cabin to shower and get ready for the cocktail party at 5pm.  

Latitudes parties are back on and many of the ship’s officers attended ours and spent time lingering and talking.  Appies and drinks were plentiful and Nathaniel played the piano.  Captain Vincenzo gave a really nice talk and I’m looking forward to hearing his story about how he became a captain.  When we met him my dad said “you look so young” and the captain said he is the youngest in the fleet.  He is from Uruguay.  

We talked with Rumi for quite awhile then headed to Le Bistro for dinner.  We don’t normally eat there but the menu has changed and we wanted to try it.  Wow!  Were we ever impressed!  It was evident that this dining team works extremely well together and the experience they create for their guests is outstanding.  My dad had a glass of wine, cream of mushroom soup and fruits de mer while I selected the warm goat cheese croquettes then asked for some of the vegetables from each of the other entrees.  The chef outdid himself with our beautifully presented and flavourful food.  We both had this for dessert: Île Flottante 

Airy Meringue Pillow Floating in Vanilla Crème Anglaise, Raspberry Coulis.  We also had after dinner drinks.

 

The sailaway out of Ward Cove was stunningly beautiful with snow-capped mountains, sun glinting on the surface of the ocean, eagles perched on the tallest trees and intricate islands dotting the channel.  When we did a boat trip into Misty Fjords a few years ago the captain said it is a requirement for all boat owners and captains to study the geography of the area because there are so many hidden underwater islands in this area.

 

After dinner tonight we “donated” some money to the casino then settled into Magnum’s to enjoy Nathaniel’s musical talent.  

Tomorrow we arrive in Juneau so cross your fingers and hope I get to sleep in!

 

Yvonne

[YVRteacher]

10 hours ago, qsz06 said:

I love reading your review. I am looking forward to boarding the Jewel in a few days, for the May 9th-16th Seward to Vancouver cruise.

We are on this cruise too!  I hope I can meet you to say hi!

[NikiPinkston]

I love your writing style and sense of humor, @YVRteacher! ❤️ We cruised to Alaska on the Jewel in 2015 and, more recently, on the Encore last August, and your review brings back so many great memories. 😊 I agree with you about Ward Cove - I thought debarkation was easy & well organized and we enjoyed the bear stories that the local bus driver told us on the way into town.  What a blessing to be sailing with your dad and I thank you for sharing your vacation time with us! 😎

Edited May 5, 2022 by NikiPinkston

[qsz06]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

We are on this cruise too!  I hope I can meet you to say hi!

 

That's great! I'm sure you will see me in Moderno for breakfast. I am packing tonight and from reading your reports, I need to pack for colder and wetter weather than I was expecting.   

[YVRteacher]

 

Ward Cove

[YVRteacher]

Ketchikan

 

[YVRteacher]

Day 4

Juneau

Last night the captain must have been in a hurry to get a Duck Fart from the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau because he was zooming and we were rocking.  The cabin creaks when we go faster than an old dog that just wants head scratches and dinner on time.  I was awake from 2am-5am just wanting the creaking and motion to stop.  It did and I had a wonderful sleep until my morning alarm went off.  Yes, I may have set an alarm for trivia.

Did you know that the saltiest lake in the world is in Ethiopia?  Me neither.

 

Before I tell you about Juneau I’m going to tell you about our cabin toilet.  It broke.  Not broke as in got clogged but broke as in cracked all the way from the top to the bottom.  We let our butler know and he let his supervisor know and the supervisor let the toilet fixers know.  They came this morning but we had the Do Not Disturb sign on the door so luckily they didn’t disturb.  My thought was that we would have to change cabins but when we came back from a light breakfast in Moderno we had a new toilet.  I did not know that NCL keeps spare toilets on board!  I had been concocting a plan to go to Bingo and convince them to give away a toilet instead of a cabin but we got a new toilet and I didn’t have to play Bingo.

Our excursion today is through NCL: we opted for the Evening Whale Quest simply because it’s an excursion we haven’t done before.  Daytime whales yes, nighttime whales no.

Someone in the Cruise Critic group asked me if the whales are more visible/jump higher at night and I said yes, 30% more.  

The sail in to Juneau was stunning.  Gorgeous sunny day, low tide, exposed beaches, eagles soaring and a town waiting to be explored.  We did priority disembarkation and were off the ship at 11:00am.  We docked at AJ dock and took the free shuttle to the tourist drop off point.  While strolling along the boardwalk we saw many ravens and eagles.  The  tourist part of Juneau was quite different as a result of the pandemic. Many, many stores, bars and restaurants did not make it.  The stores that were still running had quite low stock or were still stocking their shelves for the season.  Most places had both help wanted signs and signs that hoods must be removed.  There seems to be an increase in shoplifting.  

 

Because it was such a perfect day weather-wise we took the Mt. Roberts tram.  If you do this, be sure to wear waterproof shoes or boots because it is snowy up there.  The raptor centre is closed and so are the hiking trails.  Crew members were taking photos in the snow and it was fun to see.  There is a short cultural show and movie but no other activities so we took the tram back down.  On the way down we saw a bear cub stretching on a log.

When you buy a tram pass it’s good for unlimited trips on that day so we stayed on and took the tram back up.  The bear was sleeping on the log.  Then we took the tram back down.  Bear still sleeping.  No morning announcement to wake him up! 

 

At 3:00pm we came back to the Jewel for a quick lunch in O’Sheehan’s and I tried the Glacier Blue.  I knew I would see a lot of whales on our evening excursion after that drink!

We met Rumi for a quick chat and he said that NCL is going to ask for their money back for the broken toilet.  He explained that while the Jewel was in dry dock for the pandemic all cabin bathrooms were redone with all new toilets and showers and that the cabins on deck 11 were not ready when the Jewel first sailed in April so this toilet has only been in use for less than a month.

 

Our Evening Whale Quest excursion met on the pier at 4:50pm.  One person got off the ship and asked the security guard who opened the refrigerator.  Yes, it’s cold but so fresh.  Our bus driver told us this was the nicest day in Juneau in over a month. The humidity is 66% and my hair has lost all hope.  There were about 60 people on the tour boat and there was plenty of room.  Dinner was a catered spread consisting of salmon, seafood chowder, salmon spread, prawns, pasta salad, crudités, hummus, pita bread, reindeer sausage and a dessert platter.  The cappuccino Nanaimo bars were amazing.  Everything I tried was excellent.  

Captain Kyle took us into the channels and around the island.  He doesn’t use sonar because it disturbs the whales’ communication.  He is an exceptional whale spotter and we were treated to either 4 whales or one whale 4 times.  These are humpback whales.  The water was calm, the sun was still high in the sky, the surrounding mountains were covered in snow and I didn’t want the whale watching trip to end.  I’ve done whale watching in Juneau many times before but nothing compares to tonight.  My only critique is it was too short!

 

Back on board we quickly dropped off our coats, hats and gloves then rushed to Stardust to see the illusionist, Kyle.  Great show.  I’m not easily impressed but he was impressive.  After a quick snack we went to Spinnaker to see the production singers in their Broadway Cabaret.  This is the first time the production cast members have performed on this cruise.  There was a large crowd and it was such a treat to see the singers in action.  I love Broadway (the lyrics from a song from Wicked are tattooed on the back of my neck) and the show was fantastic.

I ordered an old-fashioned in Spinnaker and what the server brought was a light pink drink that tasted like air with a hint of orange.  I felt a little badly about sending it back but if Rumi can send back a toilet…

Tomorrow is Skagway and we don’t have anything booked.  

Until tomorrow,

Yvonne

 

[rjm11]

I'm loving your review- thank you for taking the time to write it!

[argyll1881]

Ditto this

[mlmalone3]

I am so enjoying reading your review. We will be on the Jewel June 13 to Alaska.  Can't wait!

[Turtles06]

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us. I love your writing style and sense of humor. 
 

Keep enjoying your cruise! 

[bluesea777]

Loving your review!

 

Next year May 2023 we’re on the Spirit doing the same thing you’re doing now on the Jewel. B2B from Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver with longer port hours than the usual milk runs on the mega ships!

 

FYI we were on the Jewel in Nov 2018 just after her dry dock refurbishment and we loved the new decor. Singapore to Sydney. 
 

 

[YVRteacher]

Day 5

Skagway

Finally a good night’s sleep!

When I woke this morning and looked out the balcony I exclaimed, “oh wow” and my dad replied “oh wow indeed!”

All the mountains still have snow and the Jewel is surrounded by snow capped peaks.  It’s cold and sunny, the kind of day where both sunglasses and a toque are needed.

Morning trivia was fun today because the questions were less obscure and more reasonable.  I learned there are 4 seas named after colours: red, black, yellow and white.  

We tried to go to Moderno after trivia but they were closed and the whole buffet had already been dismantled so we went to the Garden Cafe.  This is the busiest we’ve seen it on the trip so far.  These new hasbrowns are so good.  Greasy, but good.  

After breakfast we walked into Skagway to explore the town.  As with Juneau and Ketchikan about half the businesses were closed.  Storefronts here are boarded up with For Lease signs in the windows.  Even with 3 ships in port today the sidewalks were not crowded.  We walked into the residential area and I was hoping to see a moose wandering by or maybe a skittish little fox but only saw a forlorn stuffed rabbit fallen from a child’s backpack.  Has anyone read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane?

We didn’t buy anything (not even fudge) but we did book the Whitepass and Yukon Railroad trip (minus the Yukon part) for this afternoon.  I actually didn’t want to do the train but I asked my dad how important it was to him on a scale of 1-10 and he said 7.5 so that seemed pretty important.  We also tried to book something for next week but there isn’t anything available this early in the season that we haven’t done before.  My advice to anyone coming to Alaska in May or June this year is to book excursions through the ship or privately before leaving because we thought we would be able to walk off at each port and choose our own adventures but it is not like it has been in previous years with tour representatives waiting just off the dock. 

We came back to the ship for lunch in Cagney’s. We both had the pasta fagiole (sorry if that is spelled incorrectly-can someone correct me please?) soup then I had crudités while my dad had Caesar salad with shrimp.  For dessert we shared a manageable portion of yummy carrot cake.  After lunch when came back to the cabin and saw that the toilet in the second bedroom was leaking and had flooded the bathroom floor. Ugh.

Moving on from the toilet issue, the day could not have been more spectacular.  I feel like I’m running out of adjectives to describe how gorgeous Alaska is with snow.  (I’m saving the word breathtaking for Glacier Bay tomorrow.) In Skagway people were standing in the middle of the street and turning from one direction to the next to capture the buildings with the mountains.  In the National Park office we appreciated the safety warnings about bears and how one needs to know the difference between black bears and grizzly bears.  Knowing the different scat is important too: black bear scat has berry seeds and squirrel fur while grizzly bear scat has bear whistles and smells like pepper.😂

At 1:45 we lined up to board the train, but boarding didn’t start until 2:00.  The 2:00pm train left at 2:15 and from start to finish we were treated to a spectacular journey. I’ve done the train before but it was nothing like today.  Glorious sunshine, a fabulous tour guide narrating the journey past the graveyard, waterfalls, canyons, crevices and mountains.  In a normal year the train crew begins clearing the snow in April in anticipation of the May tourist season but this year they began clearing in February.  For about the highest 1/3 of our trip today we were in between 3 metre snow walls on both sides of the train.  I had to put my sunglasses on and I think the man across the aisle from us got a sunburn through the window.  We asked the man from the WPYRR who sold us the tickets which side of the train to sit on for the best views and he said the left.  Just a tip.  

I wasn’t expecting to love the train ride but I did.  It is in my top two train rides, the other being a day spent traveling through Italy into Switzerland.  Both trips involved gummy bears.

Our train trip was running late and we were 40 minutes late arriving back to the Jewel.  We had dinner reservations that we missed but I went to the desk and explained what happened and of course they were kind and understanding.  As it happened when we arrived at the gangway Kem, the General Manager’s secretary, was waiting for us to say that Steven Jacobson wanted to have dinner with us  so we ended up having dinner in Tsar’s Palace with Steven.  (Azure is closed right now due to the small number of passengers. It will likely be closed next week too as there will be just over 600 passengers on board for the return trip from Seward to Vancouver.)

Dinner was a lot of fun!  

My dad knocked his full wine glass over and it landed in his fettuccini and splashed down my side, soaking my top, pants and shoes.  The top and pants went into the laundry but if you are on board next week and encounter someone whose feet smell like Chardonnay, you’ll know it’s me.

After dinner we caught the aerialist show.  They were bendy and strong.  Well-deserved standing ovation from the audience!

Tomorrow we sail into Glacier Bay at 6:00am and our first big glacier viewing is at 9:00am.  We have been invited up to the Haven deck and I am looking forward to a hot chocolate with Bailey’s while glacier watching.

The spa is selling day passes for the next two sea days.

Pretty sure I need a massage after this strenuous day.  After all, I did spend 3 hours on a train craning my neck to take in all the beauty and not miss a moment.

To be continued…

Yvonne

PS- does anyone have any questions? (I’m still trying to track down a list of bridge officers.)

Edited May 7, 2022 by YVRteacher

[www3traveler]

Bridge Officer names and pictures should be on the wall by the Bridge Viewing Room Window-  all the way forward on the Portside (left hand side).

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

After lunch when came back to the cabin and saw that the toilet in the second bedroom was leaking and had flooded the bathroom floor. Ugh.

Oh no, another toilet for Rumi to return?  😂

 

Seriously, what a shoddy job on the new fixtures and plumbing.

 

Glad it hasn’t affected your enjoyment of the cruise. 
 

Love the Skagway photos.

[ggTexasGal]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Has anyone read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane?

Yvonne,

THANK YOU for mentioning this book!  I will be on the lookout for it.

Your review, your sense of humor, and the pics are all fabulous, so I look forward to reading each day!!!

[hoopslover]

Thanks so much for your review.  We will be doing the b2b in August after having been cancelled twice.  So looking forward to it and the rest of your amazing story.

[snickers93]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts about this trip.  We are taking the Jewel in June.  You comments are making me even more excited.  I didn't think that was possible.