Panorama Transpacific 08/22/24 - 09/10/24 - Live-ish 'cause that's how I roll

[CoffeeGoddess]

I just checked the port schedule and they are busy today.

 

 

But maybe they plan to squeeze us in between Bliss and Encore, both of which I did the inaugural transatlantics on.

[CoffeeGoddess]

8 hours ago, kdr69 said:

Love that antler carving with the polar bear

 

And now it is mine!

[CoffeeGoddess]

I started a post when we stopped short of Juneau but apparently did not hit send. Probably because I saw the Encore and wanted to get some pics to add to the post. Here's where Google Maps showed us when we stopped.

 

 

As I suspected, they did indeed get the person offloaded there with the help of the Coast Guard. Since they did that, there was no longer a need to go to Juneau and that was canceled.  They did say we were going to go to the Tabu Glacier, which apparently cruise ships do not go to, instead.

 

I was able to get a video with the full announcement from the CD after the Captain's and posted it to my Gram here as Part 1:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_L9joUSNJ9/?igsh=NHVqb254cGlvdWlu

 

Why Part 1, you may ask and that is because before I posted it I started heading to Deck 6 forward to the "hidden" deck there to watch us sail there. As I'm walking the Captain comes on again and sure enough, we're not going to the glacier due to weather conditions. I started my video for the follow up CD announcement and then uploaded both Part 1 and Part 2.

 

Part 2:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_L_YJiyJKS/?igsh=eDBqMXE4YWdxZHo3

 

So, we are once again a sea day but since we are in the inner passage area we do have beautiful scenery to enjoy.

 

Here's my post distraction, the NCL Encore.

 

 

 

Here's some of that gorgeous scenery as well.

 

 

 

[ninjacat123]

2 hours ago, CoffeeGoddess said:

Soooo, today was to be Endicott Arm and cruising by the glacier. Just before 10 an announcement came on in the rooms from the Captain that due to a medical emergency we are on our way to Juneau and will not be able to go to the glacier. They are going to let us go ashore in Juneau however and we should be able to able to do that around noon.

 

First, I really hope everything turn out okay for the passenger.  That's a scary thing and one of the reasons I always get travel insurance with the medical evacuation included when I cruise because you never know.

 

It's not going to get over the mid-fiftiees there so I'll be sporting a hoodie. Probably hit a drug store to grab a couple of those little items that I forgot.

I get travel insurance for exactly the same reason, medical evacuation.  You never know.

[Frank12]

2 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

I get travel insurance for exactly the same reason, medical evacuation.  You never know.

Us too! 

[CoffeeGoddess]

Had a wonderful massage using the salt disks. I need to find some of those online because they are the best.

 

Headed on down to Alchemy after for some good cocktails. First we did one I found on Food and Wine using dark rum, Aperol, and creme de banana. It was pretty tasty especially after a couple dashes of orange bitters.

 

 

Next was a vodka and rosewater concoction that tasted like a drinking a garden in bloom.

 

 

And then Victor made me another of the espresso agastora cocktails from yesterday. He doubled up the recipe and changed some of the proportions and it was even better then last night.

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

I know Carnival has much smaller buffet areas the NCL or Royal but why is the only cooked vegetable side I've seen offered always steamed broccoli? I miss NCL's grilled veggies and Royal had different sides with different preparation styles. As someone who has difficulty digesting raw veggies, I'm begging for zucchini, or asparagus, or even roasted root vegetables, hell  roast the broccoli and I'll be happy. I am feeling vegetable deprived enough I got a side salad for dinner even though it does not fill the hole.

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

 

It's a chilly and rainy day here in Sitka. We're docked next to the Eurodam and people are on their way off the ship. I'm finishing up my morning coffee on the balcony before I head out. Forecast says it showed up to 55 or so with the rain tapering off around noon so I'm not in any hurry.  I want to hit a drug store here and walk around the historical park but otherwise have no plans. Last time we were here we went to the old Russian cemetery and the Raptor Center which was fun so nothing else has piqued my interest here.

Edited August 28 by CoffeeGoddess
forgot pic

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, CoffeeGoddess said:

 

It's a chilly and rainy day here in Sitka. We're docked next to the Eurodam and people are on their way off the ship. I'm finishing up my morning coffee on the balcony before I head out. Forecast says it showed up to 55 or so with the rain tapering off around noon so I'm not in any hurry.  I want to hit a drug store here and walk around the historical park but otherwise have no plans. Last time we were here we went to the old Russian cemetery and the Raptor Center which was fun so nothing else has piqued my interest here.

Very interesting town with a Russian flair.  I cannot imagine two ships in there.

[CoffeeGoddess]

5 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Very interesting town with a Russian flair.  I cannot imagine two ships in there.

 

It wasn't bad at all actually. I think it's because there were a lot of tours going on so people were more spread out.

[CoffeeGoddess]

I did not bring a hat or an umbrella so was pretty damp by the time I got on the bus to town. Fortunately the forecast was correct and by the time I had got out of the visitor's center and the drug store for some essentials the rain had really tapered off and was gone by noon. Which was good because I did enjoy shopping at some local shops. They had an artist co-op store like in Ketchikan and I dropped some serious cash there for an oil painting I fell in love with.

 

 

It's at least 4' tall so I'm having it shiped home. I got some other treasures there but I'll be posting those on the Gram. After shopping I figured I'd take a walk around the waterfront since it was nice out now. I did not make it to the historical park for a walk around the trail but did visit the Science Center which is a fish hatchery and small aquarium.  I thought I was taking a video of the salmon going up the fish ladders there but I did the thing where I thought I hit the button but didn't.  So do not have anything on that. I did get the little shed they have where they were harvesting the eggs and a bunch of signs around it.

 

 

 

 

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

They had a few small tanks in the center and three larger open ones that were touch tanks. They also have a hatchery tour as part of the admission but I didn't want to wait for it.

 

 

 

 

 

Next to the building was their store and a nice little beach area with some large boulders and a bunch of dead salmon in various stages of decay.

 

 

 

 

On my walk back I took a picture of an interesting flower and thought how I'd like to know what it was. Then smacked my head and remembered I'd'installed both the Seek app and it's companion iNaturalist which would do that for me.

 

 

On my walk back along the marina I used it to do 8 more identifications as I ran across interesting plants and flowers. Hopefully I can get service in Icy Straight during my hike tomorrow so I can use it then. You can also use pics you already took with it but it's easier to use the camera feature since you sometimes need to move it around and zoom in or out for it to make a full identification.

Edited August 29 by CoffeeGoddess

[CoffeeGoddess]

Tonight is going to be a boring night because I am tired. I sat down once during the entire time I was in Sitka and didn't realize I hadn't actually eaten anything until I got back on the ship a little after 3pm. That oatmilk latte with an extra shot I had in the morning carried me through the day. I was able to get to the Blue Iguana for a burrito bowl right before they closed.

 

I thought I'd hit Alchemy for a couple of drinks and call it a night. Unfortunately even though the app said it opened at 4pm like usual Marina said that they were scheduled at to start working at 5pm so the bar wouldn't open until 6pm since they needed to get it set up. I had passed Pig & Anchor on my way to Alchemy and saw Lucci in there so figured I'd go get a drink from him. He said that he also was scheduled at 5pm but when he checked the app and saw it opened at 4pm on there he came down to get it opened. He was still in the process of getting everything ready for opening but had started making drinks so he made me an old fashioned.

 

 

After I sipped on that it was close to 6pm but all I wanted was a hot chocolate and to go up aft and look at some scenery. So that's what I did. I did take a look at what was on the buffet and almost got excited when I saw the menu said roasted Brussel sprouts.  But I when I looked at them it was clear they were steamed them probably put under a broiler to try and get some color. Actually roasted sprouts do not look mushy and moist.

 

Anyways, I enjoyed some views and came back to my cabin. I do have the one excursion I booked tomorrow for a hike so want to be rested for that.

 

Here's some of the landscapes I took.

 

 

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

Here's today's Funtimes.

 

 

And here's tomorrow's Funtimes as well.

 

 

[OddJob]

How did you find the artist co-op stores?  They look great

[CoffeeGoddess]

5 hours ago, OddJob said:

How did you find the artist co-op stores?  They look great

 

Usually they'll have some kind of signage that will state "local artists" or something that identifies the store carries local made items.  They're one of my favorite things to find when on vacation because they'll have a wide variety of art types and styles. A lot of the smaller prints are usually inexpensive too.

[nc762shooter]

15 minutes ago, CoffeeGoddess said:

 

Usually they'll have some kind of signage that will state "local artists" or something that identifies the store carries local made items.  They're one of my favorite things to find when on vacation because they'll have a wide variety of art types and styles. A lot of the smaller prints are usually inexpensive too.

If I'm getting a souvenir, I much prefer it to be something actually from the place I'm visiting. It's depressing how many souvenirs sold in a Caribbean port say Made in China on them LOL.

Edited August 29 by nc762shooter

[CoffeeGoddess]

Today is Icy Strait and it is our last port until Japan.  We then have sea days until we dock at Otaru on September 6th. It was a good thing I decided to make it an early night yesterday because I got a good 10 hours of sleep that I sorely needed. Even then I was lagging a little this morning so it was good my excursion left at 10:30am.  Not much in port here but you can walk into town or take a shuttle. We drove past it on our way to the trail and it looked interesting for such a small place. I did not go into town but just made my way through the Cannery area they dropped us off in once we got back from the hike.

 

It was a good walk on mostly a wide compacted trail. While most of the trail was obscured by brush there were several clear spots along the trail where we got photo ops. The end of the trail had the best and clearest views, of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was glad I decided to do this one. It wasn't too strenuous with only one part that was a steeper incline over a longer length of the trail. Otherwise you just needed to watch out for occasional streams and bear scat.

[CoffeeGoddess]

It started out fairly clear but by the time we were walking back it did start to sprinkle. Our guide got the time a little wrong so was hurrying us back when she realized it wasn't late but a little early.  So we went berry picking.  While at the beginning of the trail she had grabbed a few berries that were similar to red raspberry she took us to spot of the trail that had blueberries and huckleberries. She waded in a bit to get a bunch but there were some others a little closer to the trail. 

 

 

 

 

 

Those were some of the best berries I've had the pleasure to taste. The larger darker ones are the huckleberries. While walking back to the spot where we'd get picked up she also found some watermelon berries.

 

 

These were pretty bland compared to the others. My hands were stained after the snacking but I wasn't complaining.

 

 

I grabbed my standard magnet for the port and a nice water resistant hoodie in the gift shop which I used as I walked to the gondolas back to the ship. It had started lightly raining and fog had started creeping in. I got back to the ship about 2:30 and went and grabbed lunch at Blue Iguana along with a Mojito at the Tides bar.

 

While I had forgotten my pre-walk ibuprofen I actually didn't feel much pain after the walk. I'll be hitting up Alchemy when they open today for a couple of drinks. The app is saying they open at 4pm today but I wonder if it's going to be the same as yesterday where they open later.

[CoffeeGoddess]

It's getting pretty foggy now but we're 15 minutes from all aboard so it wasn't too bad a day weather wise.

 

 

Apropos of nothing, my towel animal menagerie is coming along nicely.  I'm just missing Friday's one because it fell apart when I moved it.

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

Well this is new. Except for some slight movement the ship has been stable. We did a couple of big rocks to the sides a little while ago. We steadied out and I could see land out the window so that may be why. Now we're rocking a little back and forth. Guess we will be feeling more movement as we go into open ocean.

[jimbo5544]

11 hours ago, CoffeeGoddess said:

It's getting pretty foggy now but we're 15 minutes from all aboard so it wasn't too bad a day weather wise.

 

 

Apropos of nothing, my towel animal menagerie is coming along nicely.  I'm just missing Friday's one because it fell apart when I moved it.

 

Your gonna run out of couch

[CoffeeGoddess]

Last night I checked in the hot tub and sure enough, my hot tub friends were there. They asked where I'd been and I told them I was old and tired so missed the last few nights. I was hoping that it would clear up last night because there was a good chance for the Northern lights but sadly the cloud cover persisted.

 

 

Afterwards I wasn't very tired so decided to do laundry now that it was finally open.  It wound up taking almost 3 hours because the first dryer I used wasn't working well so I switched to another and ran another cycle.  I check outside every now and then and around 3am the skies cleared but still nothing. 

 

I have another massage at 1pm so got up at 11 to get showered and coffeed and then put my clean clothes away. I figured I'd grab some food as well so went up for pizza. Last night we kept smelling garlic in the hot tub since it's right by the pizza place so I asked for extra garlic on my pepperoni.  I guess when you ask for a customization they don't even ask and give you the whole pizza instead of half. That's a lot of pizza.

 

 

I could not finish it so just put the toppings from the parts I couldn't eat onto what I could. It was really good.

 

[CoffeeGoddess]

On the FB page there were some photos of a little bit of Auroral activity at about 4am which was an hour after I went to bed. My sister had a spectacular display in the Anchorage area where she and my BIL are doing a land vacation. Ah, well that's the difference between land and sea I guess.

 

Here's some info of where we were about an hour ago from the map channel.

 

 

 

I'm also taking a bit of a vacation from my vacation by chilling in my room and only going out for my massage and to eat. Oh, and to grab these juices and waters. It's a no booze day for me to give my liver a break.

 

 

They have a decent variety of sparkling water at the Java Blue so I'll probably add those into rotation for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

I have to say it kills me that you can get as many small bottles of water you want but the 1.5 liter bottles aren't included in Cheers. They're $4.50 so way under the limit but whatevs man.

 

Oh, I went up to the Lido to see what soup they had and they actually had some roasted veggies! It was carrots, parsnips, eggplant, zucchini  and onions.  I didn't realize it at first glace because the two pans were decimated so I guess I am not the only one glad about the change.

Edited August 31 by CoffeeGoddess

[CoffeeGoddess]

Okay, here's the Funtimes for today and tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

I may take another chill day tomorrow since I have absolutely nothing planned and it will probably be cold, windy, and rainy again so no ropes course. I do have the Carnival Kitchen event on the 1st though so I'll have to crawl out my hole for that.