An Encore encore! Live from the Encore August 28-September 4

[YVRteacher]

Hello!  Here’s another live review rich in sarcasm and irrelevant details from the Norwegian Encore.  I was on this ship on the same cruise to Alaska a month ago so this is an Encore encore.

August 28 was a harrowing travel day.  I arrived at the airport at 7:15am for a 9:15am flight and at that time the line up to go through security for travellers going to the United States was longer than Route 66 and by the time I got in line people had already been waiting for four hours! The line snaked through the airport, quadrupling back on itself.  Word on the street is many of the employees working security called in sick today.  There was no Nexus/TSA/Global Entry.  As the clock ticked closer and closer to the 8:45am boarding time I broke out in a cold sweat.  Deep breaths were needed!  I went back to the Air Canada counter and told them I was going to miss my flight.  At that moment Nexus opened and I sweet talked about 30 kind people into letting me go ahead of them.  It’s interesting because there would have been many missed flights today, and no one was complaining.  People were being so kind to each other.

I did make it onto the plane, which then waited an hour for most of the passengers to board and for a luggage loading truck to become available.  

Normally I travel with carry on only, but I have some crew members on this ship who have become friends over the years and they asked me to bring some lotions and baby oil which I couldn’t pack in a carry on.  Already heightened from thinking I was going to miss the flight, I then starting worrying about whether or not my suitcase would make it on the plane.  I asked the woman next to me if she saw a black suitcase and she said yes so I felt better!🤣

The Seattle airport and the cruise lines have partnered to develop an incredibly smooth system. There were transportation representatives for each cruise line at the baggage claim carousels and I booked a shuttle to the ship on the spot. The shuttle was comfier and quicker than a taxi, plus our shuttle driver did a little scenic tour of some of Seattle’s hot spots.  Best of all I got to meet Larry!  This is Larry’s first cruise. He is a retired veteran and his three children are all retired vets as well.  What a gift to meet him and share a conversation.  I hope I run into him on the ship so we can drink a whiskey together.  

 

At Pier 66, check-in was just as smooth as it was for Haven guests last month.  I’m not in the Haven this time as I truly wanted to experience the Encore from a non-Haven perspective.  

For anyone interested I’ll post photos below of the upgrade bidding offers I received 24 hours before embarkation.  I booked this trip 3 days ago.

 

I am so impressed with NCL’s Seattle shoreside staff.  I arrived at noon and was on board by 12:15.  This is with Diamond Latitudes priority though.

 

On board I headed straight to the pool bar and enjoyed drinks with the guest DJ.  He invited me to the singles gathering in Sugarcane today but I told him I hate people.  I also learned that someone died on this cruise last week.  It was a man who was riding the Go Karts and he had a heart attack.

 

I am heartbroken that Choir of Man is not on this cruise.  Maybe some of the men have Covid, but I would still enjoy Choir of Less Men more than this Choir of No Men.

 

My cabin number is 9248 and it is a regular balcony cabin.  Not 9428 and not 9128.  If you are in either of those, I sincerely apologize for the repeated unsuccessful attempts to enter your room.  (I had to get up really early this morning and don’t function well without sleep.  That is my excuse.)

Unlike every other cabin on NCL, this cabin does not rattle! It is silent!  No creaking (except for the balcony divider.) Taking a lesson from my dad, I folded up the Freestyle Daily and wedged it in the balcony divider to minimize the rattling.  He taught me well.  

I love the feel of the engines and being close to the ocean.  When I reflect on what I didn’t love about Haven, one of the drawbacks for me is how far it is from the water.  I felt disconnected from the ocean.  There’s a quote that says “I go to the ocean to  breathe” and when you’re in the Haven, you’re breathing in luxury instead of salt spray.   Forget the glitz and glamour and being nuzzled awake by the butler: I’m a salt air kind of gal.

 

Sadly there weren’t any chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin.

 

For lunch today I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian station at the garden buffet.  The lentil dal was wonderful!  I also had a little scoop of mashed potatoes because I live alone and its too hard to make mashed potatoes for one.  Besides, I no longer own a potato masher.  My mom gave me one for Christmas one year when I was in university, knowing that mashed potatoes are one of my favourite foods.  The giving of the potato masher coincided with my paper-making phase and let’s just say after what I put that thing through there is no way it was still food safe.

 

I am someone who delights in simple pleasures like noticing flower buds in spring or seeing a dog with its head out a car window, tongue in the breeze with a look of pure contentment on its face.  As I did laps around the jogging track (in the wrong direction because I am a little bit rebellious) before dinner I noticed the prisms created by the sunlight and the glass railings.  Little rainbows dancing about on the deck.  Just a little moment of joy.

 

 For dinner I made a salad plate from the Garden Cafe and three people stopped to tell me how wonderful it looked!  I love that people complimented my salad!  

 

There is nowhere else I’d rather be than here.

 

PS: the chocolate covered strawberries arrived at 8:30pm and wow!

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

Day 2

Weather: gray, drizzly, no demarcation between sea and sky.  Ship’s horn is sounding repeatedly and it feels otherworldly.  I love the mystique that fog brings.

 

Morning: slept

Mid morning: slept

Late morning: room service breakfast in bed (I never do this!  So lovely!) while watching the ocean 

Later morning: slept

Noon: shower and get ready, hang out in the observation lounge

1:00: Latitudes cocktail party

 

Now that was a party!  There were about 300 people there and the Cruise Next manager (George from Canada) is phenomenal. He did trivia and a short video, 16 officers attended, the captain spoke and I met a lovely family from Nevada.  George went through the breakdown of Latitudes guests on this trip:

I can’t remember them all but there are 170 Platinum 17 Sapphire and 3 Diamond (one of which is me) onboard.

In total there are 120 Ambassadors with NCL.  None are on this cruise.

George is supposed to be on for a 4 month contract but he has asked to stay for 10 months so he doesn’t have to go home in winter and spend a cold 5 months in Ottawa, Canada.  He and Paloma are my two favourite Cruise Next Managers.

 

I found out from George that the reason Choir of Man is not on is because Tom, the bartender, broke his leg last week.  I feel so badly for him.  It happened during the show when he jumped up on a table.

 

This afternoon I took in Take a Chance which is similar to Press Your Luck but with pirates instead of Whammies and a cruise staff member in a polo shirt instead of a tall blond in a mini skirt. NCL uses Crowd Control Games now. The games are fun if you have a margarita or two beforehand.

 

After Take a Chance I headed up to the Observation Lounge.  Aren’t the ships with the Observation Lounges beautiful?  Such a well-designed space.  Today there were families and groups chatting, playing cards, backgammon and MahJong (someone please correct my spelling!) and of course eating. I sat at the bar and asked the bartender extraordinaire what his favourite drink is and I ended up with a Hennessy and cranberry with fresh berry garnish.  I could hardly walk after that one!

 

George is doing his Future cruise presentation next and I am here for it. Someone with passion and expertise talking about future cruises?  Sign me up!  I just learned there are 940 latitudes members on this cruise and 2000 new cruisers. Given we have a total of 2945 passengers, the other 5 must be stowaways from Carnival.

 

There may have been an afternoon nap for me today.  There is nothing like a sea day cruise nap!  I think a lot of people are “napping” because there are a lot of Do Not Disturb signs on cabins.

 

Let me tell you about dinner!  It started with a luscious bed of mixed greens including arugula, spinach, radicchio, fennel and frisée.  These fresh greens were topped with hearts of palm, two kinds of marinated olives, fresh mozzarella pearls and finely chopped cucumber then further adorned with flax seeds, delicately chopped egg and fresh, ripe, juicy tomato wedges.  This amazing salad was paired with a wild rice and massaged kale salad and a small serving of roasted Brussels sprout salad.  The remainder of the plate included a perfectly spiced lentil dal with pakora.  A steaming mug of masala chai made from grandma’s unwritten recipe completes the meal.  Where was this wonderful meal you ask?  The Garden Cafe!  In the Haven the only vegetarian dinner option is the egg yolk raviolo.  The Garden Cafe works better for my (non-refined) palette.  There’s a lot of talk on these boards about the Haven being better.  Don’t ever think you need the Haven to enjoy a terrific experience on board.  You don’t.  Or at least I don’t.  This was a fabulous dinner and I really enjoyed everything I tried.

 

Guns & Rojas are on tonight in the Atrium.  I didn’t get a chance to see them last month so it’s a total treat to see them this week.  Wow can these guys play, sing, and captivate a crowd.  If you create the fortune of being on a cruise with them, don’t miss them in lieu of one those games where slightly intoxicated people who have lost their inhibitions take the same shirt on and off repeatedly or pop balloons against their spouse’s butt.  One of the band members was getting salad from the Garden Cafe at the same time as I was tonight.  Not sure if it was a Gun or a Rojas but they were definitely getting their veggies in today.

 

As I write this I’m at the bar in the Social waiting for the comedian, Johnny Cardinale, to regale us with laughter.

 

Update: he’s funny!  Great rapport with the packed audience.

 

If you haven’t cruised solo and are perhaps worried about how to mingle as a single, sidle up to the bar.  I’m drinking water (with lemon AND lime- because I’m fancy like that) and chatting with the bartenders.  Whether or not you drink, you have space at a bar on an NCL ship.

 

This was an exceptionally well-planned sea day and I’m so impressed with the Cruise Director’s staff and of course Paquito, the wonderful CD.  As soon as I boarded yesterday I saw RoRo and she recognized me from last month, exclaimed “welcome back!” and hugged me.  Deepak even knew my name and asked me why I didn’t call him to tell him I was coming onboard.  I’ve never done that before with a GM.  Management keep approaching me and asking if everything is ok and if I need anything.  Everything is great and I don’t need anything!  One of the bartenders this afternoon asked me why all the managers were coming up to me and giving me their business cards and I said I don’t know what is going on.  

 

The crew on this ship are phenomenal and it is such a joy to see faces and smiles without masks.

 

If it wasn’t clear, I am having a marvellous vacation and I now love the Encore as much as I love the Jewel and the Bliss.

 

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

Edited August 30, 2022 by YVRteacher

[smillerholmes]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

I asked the woman next to me if she saw a black suitcase and she said yes so I felt better!🤣

And there went the coffee again, all over the keyboard....

 

Hilarious!

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hello!  Here’s another live review rich in sarcasm and irrelevant details from the Norwegian Encore.  I was on this ship on the same cruise to Alaska a month ago so this is an Encore encore.

August 28 was a harrowing travel day.  I arrived at the airport at 7:15am for a 9:15am flight and at that time the line up to go through security for travellers going to the United States was longer than Route 66 and by the time I got in line people had already been waiting for four hours! The line snaked through the airport, quadrupling back on itself.  Word on the street is many of the employees working security called in sick today.  There was no Nexus/TSA/Global Entry.  As the clock ticked closer and closer to the 8:45am boarding time I broke out in a cold sweat.  Deep breaths were needed!  I went back to the Air Canada counter and told them I was going to miss my flight.  At that moment Nexus opened and I sweet talked about 30 kind people into letting me go ahead of them.  It’s interesting because there would have been many missed flights today, and no one was complaining.  People were being so kind to each other.

I did make it onto the plane, which then waited an hour for most of the passengers to board and for a luggage loading truck to become available.  

Normally I travel with carry on only, but I have some crew members on this ship who have become friends over the years and they asked me to bring some lotions and baby oil which I couldn’t pack in a carry on.  Already heightened from thinking I was going to miss the flight, I then starting worrying about whether or not my suitcase would make it on the plane.  I asked the woman next to me if she saw a black suitcase and she said yes so I felt better!🤣

The Seattle airport and the cruise lines have partnered to develop an incredibly smooth system. There were transportation representatives for each cruise line at the baggage claim carousels and I booked a shuttle to the ship on the spot. The shuttle was comfier and quicker than a taxi, plus our shuttle driver did a little scenic tour of some of Seattle’s hot spots.  Best of all I got to meet Larry!  This is Larry’s first cruise. He is a retired veteran and his three children are all retired vets as well.  What a gift to meet him and share a conversation.  I hope I run into him on the ship so we can drink a whiskey together.  

 

At Pier 66, check-in was just as smooth as it was for Haven guests last month.  I’m not in the Haven this time as I truly wanted to experience the Encore from a non-Haven perspective.  

For anyone interested I’ll post photos below of the upgrade bidding offers I received 24 hours before embarkation.  I booked this trip 3 days ago.

 

I am so impressed with NCL’s Seattle shoreside staff.  I arrived at noon and was on board by 12:15.  This is with Diamond Latitudes priority though.

 

On board I headed straight to the pool bar and enjoyed drinks with the guest DJ.  He invited me to the singles gathering in Sugarcane today but I told him I hate people.  I also learned that someone died on this cruise last week.  It was a man who was riding the Go Karts and he had a heart attack.

 

I am heartbroken that Choir of Man is not on this cruise.  Maybe some of the men have Covid, but I would still enjoy Choir of Less Men more than this Choir of No Men.

 

My cabin number is 9248 and it is a regular balcony cabin.  Not 9428 and not 9128.  If you are in either of those, I sincerely apologize for the repeated unsuccessful attempts to enter your room.  (I had to get up really early this morning and don’t function well without sleep.  That is my excuse.)

Unlike every other cabin on NCL, this cabin does not rattle! It is silent!  No creaking (except for the balcony divider.) Taking a lesson from my dad, I folded up the Freestyle Daily and wedged it in the balcony divider to minimize the rattling.  He taught me well.  

I love the feel of the engines and being close to the ocean.  When I reflect on what I didn’t love about Haven, one of the drawbacks for me is how far it is from the water.  I felt disconnected from the ocean.  There’s a quote that says “I go to the ocean to  breathe” and when you’re in the Haven, you’re breathing in luxury instead of salt spray.   Forget the glitz and glamour and being nuzzled awake by the butler: I’m a salt air kind of gal.

 

Sadly there weren’t any chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin.

 

For lunch today I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian station at the garden buffet.  The lentil dal was wonderful!  I also had a little scoop of mashed potatoes because I live alone and its too hard to make mashed potatoes for one.  Besides, I no longer own a potato masher.  My mom gave me one for Christmas one year when I was in university, knowing that mashed potatoes are one of my favourite foods.  The giving of the potato masher coincided with my paper-making phase and let’s just say after what I put that thing through there is no way it was still food safe.

 

I am someone who delights in simple pleasures like noticing flower buds in spring or seeing a dog with its head out a car window, tongue in the breeze with a look of pure contentment on its face.  As I did laps around the jogging track (in the wrong direction because I am a little bit rebellious) before dinner I noticed the prisms created by the sunlight and the glass railings.  Little rainbows dancing about on the deck.  Just a little moment of joy.

 

 For dinner I made a salad plate from the Garden Cafe and three people stopped to tell me how wonderful it looked!  I love that people complimented my salad!  

 

There is nowhere else I’d rather be than here.

 

PS: the chocolate covered strawberries arrived at 8:30pm and wow!

Wow....another cruise and live report so soon!   Really looking forward to reading about your sailing as you (and your dad ) are one of my favorites. Have an wonderful cruise!

[Crazy planning mom]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hello!  Here’s another live review rich in sarcasm and irrelevant details from the Norwegian Encore.  I was on this ship on the same cruise to Alaska a month ago so this is an Encore encore.

August 28 was a harrowing travel day.  I arrived at the airport at 7:15am for a 9:15am flight and at that time the line up to go through security for travellers going to the United States was longer than Route 66 and by the time I got in line people had already been waiting for four hours! The line snaked through the airport, quadrupling back on itself.  Word on the street is many of the employees working security called in sick today.  There was no Nexus/TSA/Global Entry.  As the clock ticked closer and closer to the 8:45am boarding time I broke out in a cold sweat.  Deep breaths were needed!  I went back to the Air Canada counter and told them I was going to miss my flight.  At that moment Nexus opened and I sweet talked about 30 kind people into letting me go ahead of them.  It’s interesting because there would have been many missed flights today, and no one was complaining.  People were being so kind to each other.

I did make it onto the plane, which then waited an hour for most of the passengers to board and for a luggage loading truck to become available.  

Normally I travel with carry on only, but I have some crew members on this ship who have become friends over the years and they asked me to bring some lotions and baby oil which I couldn’t pack in a carry on.  Already heightened from thinking I was going to miss the flight, I then starting worrying about whether or not my suitcase would make it on the plane.  I asked the woman next to me if she saw a black suitcase and she said yes so I felt better!🤣

The Seattle airport and the cruise lines have partnered to develop an incredibly smooth system. There were transportation representatives for each cruise line at the baggage claim carousels and I booked a shuttle to the ship on the spot. The shuttle was comfier and quicker than a taxi, plus our shuttle driver did a little scenic tour of some of Seattle’s hot spots.  Best of all I got to meet Larry!  This is Larry’s first cruise. He is a retired veteran and his three children are all retired vets as well.  What a gift to meet him and share a conversation.  I hope I run into him on the ship so we can drink a whiskey together.  

 

At Pier 66, check-in was just as smooth as it was for Haven guests last month.  I’m not in the Haven this time as I truly wanted to experience the Encore from a non-Haven perspective.  

For anyone interested I’ll post photos below of the upgrade bidding offers I received 24 hours before embarkation.  I booked this trip 3 days ago.

 

I am so impressed with NCL’s Seattle shoreside staff.  I arrived at noon and was on board by 12:15.  This is with Diamond Latitudes priority though.

 

On board I headed straight to the pool bar and enjoyed drinks with the guest DJ.  He invited me to the singles gathering in Sugarcane today but I told him I hate people.  I also learned that someone died on this cruise last week.  It was a man who was riding the Go Karts and he had a heart attack.

 

I am heartbroken that Choir of Man is not on this cruise.  Maybe some of the men have Covid, but I would still enjoy Choir of Less Men more than this Choir of No Men.

 

My cabin number is 9248 and it is a regular balcony cabin.  Not 9428 and not 9128.  If you are in either of those, I sincerely apologize for the repeated unsuccessful attempts to enter your room.  (I had to get up really early this morning and don’t function well without sleep.  That is my excuse.)

Unlike every other cabin on NCL, this cabin does not rattle! It is silent!  No creaking (except for the balcony divider.) Taking a lesson from my dad, I folded up the Freestyle Daily and wedged it in the balcony divider to minimize the rattling.  He taught me well.  

I love the feel of the engines and being close to the ocean.  When I reflect on what I didn’t love about Haven, one of the drawbacks for me is how far it is from the water.  I felt disconnected from the ocean.  There’s a quote that says “I go to the ocean to  breathe” and when you’re in the Haven, you’re breathing in luxury instead of salt spray.   Forget the glitz and glamour and being nuzzled awake by the butler: I’m a salt air kind of gal.

 

Sadly there weren’t any chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin.

 

For lunch today I thoroughly enjoyed the Indian station at the garden buffet.  The lentil dal was wonderful!  I also had a little scoop of mashed potatoes because I live alone and its too hard to make mashed potatoes for one.  Besides, I no longer own a potato masher.  My mom gave me one for Christmas one year when I was in university, knowing that mashed potatoes are one of my favourite foods.  The giving of the potato masher coincided with my paper-making phase and let’s just say after what I put that thing through there is no way it was still food safe.

 

I am someone who delights in simple pleasures like noticing flower buds in spring or seeing a dog with its head out a car window, tongue in the breeze with a look of pure contentment on its face.  As I did laps around the jogging track (in the wrong direction because I am a little bit rebellious) before dinner I noticed the prisms created by the sunlight and the glass railings.  Little rainbows dancing about on the deck.  Just a little moment of joy.

 

 For dinner I made a salad plate from the Garden Cafe and three people stopped to tell me how wonderful it looked!  I love that people complimented my salad!  

 

There is nowhere else I’d rather be than here.

 

PS: the chocolate covered strawberries arrived at 8:30pm and wow!

Love your reviews.  Are  u solo on this cruise?

[DESTINATIONCRUISER]

6 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Is there coke onboard?

[swmichigan cruiser]

Sorry to hear about Tom getting hurt and no Choir of Man on this cruise. I really liked Choir of Man when I saw it 6 times on the first two Encore cruises out of Miami in late 2019. We get on in late October for the 21 night Panama Canal cruise so hopefully they will be able to do the show. I think Guns & Rojas was also on those cruises. I have heard great things about Deepak and have traded a few emails with him and was looking forward to meeting him but the last email I got from him he says when we get on the Encore he will be on vacation. We will reach Diamond after this cruise. 

[Shirt-man]

Hope Choir of Man gets back in operation as we are on B2B on Sept. 11 cruise. Thanks for the updates and Daily post. Enjoy the cruise.

[ChiefMateJRK]

13 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Guns & Rojas are on tonight in the Atrium.  I didn’t get a chance to see them last month so it’s a total treat to see them this week.  Wow can these guys play, sing, and captivate a crowd.  If you create the fortune of being on a cruise with them, don’t miss them

1000% this!!^^^^^^   They have been on two of our cruises.  Fantastic performances both times (those were in the Cavern Club).

[Sand and Seas]

So happy you are cruising again!  Have a wonderful cruise.   Love your writing style😊

[YVRteacher]

10 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Love your reviews.  Are  u solo on this cruise?

Yes

[YVRteacher]

8 hours ago, DESTINATIONCRUISER said:

Is there coke onboard?

No.  This ship is still all Pepsi products.

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, Shirt-man said:

Hope Choir of Man gets back in operation as we are on B2B on Sept. 11 cruise. Thanks for the updates and Daily post. Enjoy the cruise.

They are trying to find a replacement for him.  I know from Instagram that a few cast members ended their contracts last week so my assumption is this show could be off for a while so the new cast can rehearse.

[YVRteacher]

17 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

So happy you are cruising again!  Have a wonderful cruise.   Love your writing style😊

Thank you!  I love to write!

[graphicguy]

Yay....loving this so far.  Looking forward to more.  Thanks!

[Lupush]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:06 AM, DESTINATIONCRUISER said:

Is there coke onboard?

Now THAT would make for an interesting voyage.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Lupush said:

Now THAT would make for an interesting voyage.

I'm guessing that there probably is.  Likely not much, but people do what they feel they have to do.

[YVRteacher]

Day 3

Day 3 Juneau

We must have made excellent time last night as the waters were calm and the sky was clear.  I woke up at 4:00am (definitely not on purpose) went out on the balcony and inhaled the darkness, the salt air and the immense calm.

 

We arrived in Juneau at 1:00pm although our  scheduled arrival was 3:00pm. We turtle-crawled up the channel, past the beaches which are covered by the high tide and peeked into the dreamy houses overlooking the harbour.  The ocean is green but not clear as there is so much sediment from the glaciers.  Overflowing waterfalls topple down the mountainsides lining the channel.  I love seeing the people who are in Alaska for the first time taking in the scenery. They sit as close to the windows as they can, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the beautiful scenery while eating paninis and making their way through the drink menu.

 

I had some time this afternoon so I played the Who or What game in the Atrium.  I had fun.  The passengers on this trip are fabulous.  Easy to talk with, polite, lots of laughter, very calm.  It feels very special.  I may not be describing this well, but as I walked up the stairs to breakfast (deck 9 up to deck 16!!) I just feel elated to be here.

 

I had more time so I went to the bar in the Observation Lounge.  They make terrific Pineapple Surplus drinks on this ship.  There’s turmeric in there so not only do you get a delicious libation, you also get  a healthy boost to your immune system.  It’s a win win.  The entertainment this afternoon involved me watching the oranges go around in a circle in the fresh squeezed orange juice machine.  Riveting!  Bartender Extraordinaire saw me watching and made me a glass and wow!  If I knew freshly squished orange juice tasted this good I wouldn’t have waited half a century to try it.  If you want to splurge on your next cruise, this is the way to do it.

 

It’s very hot on the ship in all the public areas today.  The advice for packing for Alaska is to dress in layers, but I thought that was more for outside than onboard.  I am wearing black tights with a sleeveless tunic and I got in the elevator with a teen decked out for a month observing penguin mating habits in Antarctica.  Another woman got on the same elevator and said, “it’s like two different seasons in here!”  

 

As we neared the dock in Juneau the weather flipped from reasonably nice to downright downpour.  The day looked so promising earlier and now it’s the kind of day where you want to hunker down with a cozy blanket, a fire and a whiskey.  I don’t have a blanket, I don’t have a fire but the whiskey will suffice!

 

I spent most of the afternoon at the Observation Lounge bar and have talked with many people today who could not get shore excursions through NCL as they are all sold out.  There are 7 ships in Juneau today and I was super excited to see the NCL Spirit today for the first time.  Did you know NCL just spent 100 million refurbishing her?  They have 100 million to spend yet I didn’t get a pen in my cabin.  Something is wrong here. (I needed a pen to order room service breakfast so I “borrowed” one from the room steward’s cart.)

 

Full disclosure here: I am on board as the girlfriend of Bartender Extraordinaire.  Yes, I paid my own fare.  We both had to fill out paperwork last week before I boarded and he has to keep a copy of this on him at all times.  We also had to book our meals together through the Beverage Manager, Mark, who has been so kind and supportive to both of us this week.  Bartender Extraordinaire has had reduced hours this week so we could spend time together.      Today after his shift we blew bubbles off the cabin balcony.  Yes I packed bubble wands.  Bubbles in cold weather are magical.  Bubbles make everything fun! 

Even Bartender Extraordinaire enjoyed the bubbles even though he mocked me when I told him bubbles would be involved on this trip. 

Tonight we had a wonderful meal at Ocean Blue.  Photos below.  The seafood is his, the vegetables are mine and we ordered dessert to go which the waiter offered to have sent back to the cabin.  No butler needed.  I asked for a half portion of the entree but they gave me the full order.  No one can eat that much cauliflower, even on cruciferous vegetable night.

 

Deepak sent me a plate of goodies today.

 

Everyone on board has to fill in and submit a Canada customs forms whether or not they are disembarking in Victoria.  When I handed in my form at Guest Services today the lovely lady behind the counter said it was the first perfectly completed form she’d ever had and that she would give me a gold star.  As a teacher and a perfectionist, this pretty much made my day.

 

After dinner Bartender Extraordinaire had to work so I took the shuttle into Juneau.  I think the shuttle driver was having a rough day because she vented for the whole ride.  She said she just had Covid and decided to work through it instead of isolating because someone gave her Covid who should have been isolating.  The shuttle ride was awkward and unpleasant and I couldn’t wait to get off the bus.  Then in Juneau I asked a woman in a store how she was doing and she almost cried while telling me how tired she was and how she needed to go to bed.  I am getting the impression that the seasonal workers here are overworked and extremely tired.  Several stores in Juneau that were open 4 weeks ago have now closed for the season even though there are still cruise ships arriving daily.  The Red Dog Saloon (go get a Duck Fart!) has a sign on the door saying they are short staffed but doing their best.

 

Has anyone seen the Neilly Rich Band?  Tonight they did two sets in the atrium.  It’s not the right venue but the music is foot-stomping, sing-alonging fun.  The first set was better than the second set because some guy near me farted in the second set and I almost threw up.  I think he ate too much at the Mexican themed lunch in the Garden Cafe today.  I always tell my students to go fart in the hallway but I guess this guy wasn’t fortunate to have such valuable life lessons passed on to him by a teacher who cares.  At the end of the Neilly Rich Band set, I felt like I’d just been to the best concert ever.  The Encore has phenomenal live music.  

 

Tomorrow there is a fat loss seminar.  I would attend but this would interfere with snack time.

[YVRteacher]

Dinner at Ocean Blue

 

[YVRteacher]

A few photos of Juneau at night